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Possible Issues when Installing Altium NEXUS Server

Created: February 14, 2023 | Updated: February 14, 2023 | Applies to version: 5.0

This document is no longer available beyond version 5.0. Information can now be found here: Possible Issues when Installing Altium On-Prem Enterprise Server for version 7.0

This documentation page references NEXUS Server (part of the deployed NEXUS solution), which has been discontinued. All your PCB design, data management and collaboration needs can now be delivered by Altium Designer and a connected Altium 365 Workspace. Check out the FAQs page for more information.

The following is a list of possible issues that could be encountered when installing the Altium NEXUS Server. This list will be expanded as any further potential issues are identified.

  • The Altium NEXUS Server cannot be installed on a PC running a 32-bit OS. If you intend to use a non-server variant of the Windows Operating System (Windows 10, Windows 8.1), you will only be able to have up to 10 concurrent connections to the NEXUS Server (10 with Ultimate and Professional versions). These setups are recommended for evaluation purposes only.

The officially supported operating systems are: Windows Server 2019 Standard Edition, 64-bit (Recommended), or Windows Server 2016 Standard Edition, 64-bit (Minimum).

You will also be unable to install if your version of Windows Operating System does not support Windows Authentication, including: Core, Home, Starter, and Base editions.
  • Due to the observed unpredictable behavior of antivirus software, it is recommended to disable such software during the installation of the Altium NEXUS Server.
  • The Altium NEXUS Server relies on a number of Microsoft runtime components for successful operation and access, in some situations these may not be present on the target machine. If you receive an error message about a missing library (DLL) when you attempt to sign in to the NEXUS Server, it indicates that there are missing Microsoft runtime components. Obtain and install the relevant Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package for your OS.
  • If installing the Altium NEXUS Server on an earlier version of Windows, such as Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8.1 (for evaluation purposes), it may be necessary to first install the Windows Universal C Runtime update available from Microsoft. To do so, go to the Microsoft Update for Universal C Runtime in Windows page and then choose, download and install the update package that suits your PC's host operating system.
  • If the computer is also running Microsoft Exchange Server, you might receive an HTTP Error 503 error when you first attempt to log in. The installation of the Exchange Server can change the Internet Information Services (IIS) configuration in a way that conflicts with the NEXUS Server. To resolve this, the following changes must be made to the applicationHost.config file:

<handlers accessPolicy="Read, Script">
...

<add name="kerbauth" image="C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Bin\kerbauth.dll" preCondition="bitness64" />
<add name="WSMan" image="C:\Windows\system32\wsmsvc.dll" preCondition="bitness64" />
<add name="exppw" image="C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\ClientAccess\Owa\auth\exppw.dll" preCondition="bitness64" />
<add name="cafe_exppw" image="C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\FrontEnd\HttpProxy\bin\exppw.dll"  preCondition="bitness64" />

...
</handlers>

For information about the ApplicationHost.config file, refer to this article. For information on editing the file, refer to this article.
  • Installing on a New Operating System

Some users have reported .NET Core installation issues when installing the Altium NEXUS Server on a freshly set up host PC and operating system – that is, a PC that has not had an Altium Server installed previously. In this case, the recommended approach is to install the key windows support services before installing the Altium NEXUS Server itself. These services include the Windows Internet Information Services (IIS) and the Microsoft .NET Core runtime/server platforms.

The alternative install process for this situation is as follows:

  1. Add Windows' Internet Information Services (IIS) feature through the server's Server Manager Dashboard (or via the Windows 10 Windows Features dialog).
  2. Obtain and install the Windows Desktop Runtime (x64) application from Microsoft .NET Core v3.1.2.
  3. Obtain and install the Windows Server Hosting application from Microsoft .NET Core v3.1.10. This is made available by installing the ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.10 Hosting Bundle, which will also provide the .NET Core Runtime app (for x86 and x64).
  4. Start the NEXUS Server installation Wizard, which will invoke the installation of Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8. When the .NET Framework installation has completed, restart the server as requested and then run the NEXUS Server installation again.

If a standard NEXUS Server install has already been attempted on a new operating system and it has stalled at some point (such as when rebuilding the search index), then try restoring the installation as follows:

  1. End the Altium NEXUS Server Installation process in Windows Task Manager.
  2. Repair the Microsoft .NET Core Windows Server Hosting installation in Apps & features, which has likely to have stalled. This is opened in the Windows Temp folder where it can be restarted and repaired, as shown in this video. If it cannot be repaired in this way, uninstall the Windows Server Hosting app and then reinstall it from the ASP.NET Core Runtime 3.1.10 Hosting Bundle.
  3. Uninstall both the NEXUS Server and Firebird, delete any related folders, and restart the server.
  4. Install the NEXUS Server as normal.
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