Answer File for Unattended Installations

FlexNet Manager Suite 2023 R2 (On-Premises)

Edit a copy of the answer file for each unique set of values needed when installing inventory beacons remotely.

An answer file can be used for either unattended installations, or for ensuring consistency across multiple installations of the same kind of machine (sharing common settings). The focus here is on inventory beacons, but much of this also applies to installation of central application server(s).

A starting point for an answer file for installation of inventory beacons is available in the support folder of the installer image. As provided, the sample file is not ready for use.

[SECTION]
PARAMETER_NAME=PARAMETER_VALUE
 
# Example:
# [Folders]
# INSTALLDIR=C:\Temp

This brief extract illustrates the syntax of the answer file:

• The first two lines demonstrating the syntax must be removed before the file is used.
• The answer file is divided into sections, with the section name enclosed in square brackets.
• Section names are not case sensitive, but must be correctly spelled.
• The order of sections is important, and must not be varied from the order shown in the following table.
  Tip: These facts about sections apply to answer files for installation of the central application server (or any component server in very large implementations). When you are installing inventory beacons, the sections are currently free form; but it does no harm to adhere to the same sections and principles.
• Within each section are a number of lines:
  • Lines may be blank.
  • Lines beginning with the hash or pound sign (#) are comments and have no effect.
  • Otherwise lines contain a parameter/value pair, separated by an equals sign (=) and optionally any amount of white space.
• No parameters are mandatory for the file to be valid. Most parameter not included in the answer file have no value (null), although a few have default values as listed in the following table. Note that some null values may cause an installation to fail, so that these values are required for successful installation.
• Parameter names (unlike section names) are case-sensitive and must be reproduced exactly as shown.
• Values are delimited by the end of line, and may contain white space if required (for example in file paths). Do not add double quotation marks around values, as they will be taken as literal quotations marks within the value. There is no escape character required, as all characters have their literal meaning.

If an answer file is used to standardize installation of central servers, the database creation must be completed beforehand.

Use a flat text editor to prepare your answer file with the parameters you require from the following table.

In this table, each section is listed in the order they should appear in the answer file. Within each section are the parameters that may appear there, together with permitted or sample values and other notes. Parameters are in alphabetic order here, and may appear in any order with the correct section.

Section (ordered)	Parameter (alphabetical)	Values/Notes
[Installation]	ADDLOCAL	A selection of the application server functionality to be installed on the current computer server. For a single server implementation, use the keyword ALL. Otherwise, the value may be a comma-separated list of any combination of the following values: BatchScheduler — known in this document as the batch server InventoryServer — the server for the inventory functionality within FlexNet Manager Suite WebUI — the web application server.
[Installation]	BATCHPROCESSPASSWORD	The password for the account nominated in BATCHPROCESSUSERNAME.
[Installation]	BATCHPROCESSUSERNAME	The account used for reconciliation calculations and other batch processing on the batch server. If the account is an Active Directory account, you may specify the name alone. If it is a machine account on the batch server, specify the machine name and account separated by a backslash, such as BATCH-SCHEDULING-MACHINE\AccountName.
[Installation]	DATAIMPORTDIR	Only applicable for installation of central servers. A staging folder for data imported through the web interface for FlexNet Manager Suite being transferred to the batch server for processing. Typical value: C:\ProgramData\Flexera Software\FlexNet Manager Platform\DataImport
[Installation]	FNMPDATABASENAME	The name of the main compliance database for the system. The default value is FNMP.
[Installation]	FNMPDBAUTHMODE	Authentication mode for each of the databases may have one of these values: SQLServer — The connection uses SQL Server authentication. In this mode, you must supply the matching account name and password for the SQL Server account used. WindowsNT — The connection uses integrated Windows authentication.
[Installation]	FNMPDBPASSWORD	The password for the SQL Server account specified in FNMPDBUSERNAME (required only when FNMPDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	FNMPDBSERVERNAME	The name of the database server running the compliance database. You may use any of the following: . (dot) when the database is installed on the current server where the installation is occurring An IP address A fully-qualified domain name The simple server name (provided that the DNS is correctly configured to resolve this name when used from the installing server).
[Installation]	FNMPDBUSERNAME	The SQL Server account to access the compliance database (required only when FNMPDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	FNMPDWDATABASENAME	The name of the main data warehouse database for the system. The default value is FNMPDataWarehouse.
[Installation]	FNMPDWDBAUTHMODE	Authentication mode for each of the databases may have one of these values: SQLServer — The connection uses SQL Server authentication. In this mode, you must supply the matching account name and password for the SQL Server account used. WindowsNT — The connection uses integrated Windows authentication.
[Installation]	FNMPDWDBPASSWORD	The password for the SQL Server account specified in FNMPDWDBUSERNAME (required only when FNMPDWDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	FNMPDWDBSERVERNAME	The name of the database server running the data warehouse database. You may use any of the following: . (dot) when the database is installed on the current server where the installation is occurring An IP address A fully-qualified domain name The simple server name (provided that the DNS is correctly configured to resolve this name when used from the installing server).
[Installation]	FNMPDWDBUSERNAME	The SQL Server account to access the data warehouse database (required only when FNMPDWDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	IMDATABASENAME	The name of the main FlexNet inventory database for the system. The default value is IM.
[Installation]	IMDBAUTHMODE	Authentication mode for each of the databases may have one of these values: SQLServer — The connection uses SQL Server authentication. In this mode, you must supply the matching account name and password for the SQL Server account used. WindowsNT — The connection uses integrated Windows authentication.
[Installation]	IMDBPASSWORD	The password for the SQL Server account specified in IMDBUSERNAME (required only when IMDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	IMDBSERVERNAME	The name of the database server running the FlexNet inventory database. You may use any of the following: . (dot) when the database is installed on the current server where the installation is occurring An IP address A fully-qualified domain name The simple server name (provided that the DNS is correctly configured to resolve this name when used from the installing server).
[Installation]	IMDBUSERNAME	The SQL Server account to access the FlexNet inventory database (required only when IMDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	INCOMINGDIR	Identifies the folder (on the inventory server) where a range of incoming data is stored in sub-folders. The default value is $WAREHOUSEDIR\Incoming (that is, a subfolder of the location declared in WAREHOUSEDIR). Examples of folders nested inside INCOMINGDIR include: BeaconStatus for the state of the beacon itself (enabled, disabled, and so on) Inventories for storage of FlexNet inventory agent files (.ndi files) Logs contains log files generated by inventory agents on managed devices.
[Installation]	INSTALLDIR	The folder where the software is to be installed. The default values are as follows, with ProgFiles being C:\Program Files on 32-bit systems, and C:\Program Files (x86) on 64-bit systems: web application server functionality: ProgFiles\Flexera Software\FlexNet Manager Platform\WebUI batch server functionality: ProgFiles\Flexera Software\FlexNet Manager Platform\DotNet\bin Inventory server functionality: ProgFiles\Flexera Software\FlexNet Manager Platform\Importers Inventory beacon: ProgFiles\Flexera Software\Inventory Beacon
[Installation]	SNAPSHOTDATABASENAME	The name of the snapshot database used for the system reports and performance optimization. The default value is Snapshots.
[Installation]	SNAPSHOTDBAUTHMODE	Authentication mode for each of the databases may have one of these values: SQLServer — The connection uses SQL Server authentication. In this mode, you must supply the matching account name and password for the SQL Server account used. WindowsNT — The connection uses integrated Windows authentication.
[Installation]	SNAPSHOTDBPASSWORD	The password for the SQL Server account specified in SNAPSHOTDBUSERNAME (required only when SNAPSHOTDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Installation]	SNAPSHOTDBSERVERNAME	The name of the database server running the snapshot database. You may use any of the following: . (dot) when the database is installed on the current server where the installation is occurring An IP address A fully-qualified domain name The simple server name (provided that the DNS is correctly configured to resolve this name when used from the installing server).
[Installation]	SNAPSHOTDBUSERNAME	The SQL Server account to access the snapshot database (required only when SNAPSHOTDBAUTHMODE is set to SQLServer).
[Configurations]	-	A container for the following four sections: [Skip] [Identity] [Parameters] [Register Flexera Service Gateway] The [Configurations] section does not directly contain any parameters of its own.
[Skip]	Step	Add to this section any steps in the installation process that you want to bypass entirely. For example, if you do not want to use your system with other Flexera products (such as App Portal / App Broker), you can use: Step = Register Flexera Service Gateway
[Identity]	(see below)	An [Identity] group specifies an application pool identity for Microsoft IIS. Each group identifies a single Name, Username, and Password for the application pool. Since several of these pools are required, specify a separate [Identity] group for each of them.
[Identity]	Name	The name for a user in a given application pool, in the form BeaconAppPoolUser. The names must match the names available in IIS on an operational beacon (or on the central application server, as the case may be). The relevant user name parameters are: BeaconAppPoolUser BusinessReportingAuthUser DLAppPoolUser ExternalAPIAppPoolUser RLAppPoolUser ScheduledTaskUser SuiteAppPoolUser
[Identity]	Password	The (optional) password for the Username for this [Identity] group.
[Identity]	Username	The account named in the IIS application pool. If the account is an Active Directory account, you may specify the name alone. If it is a machine account on the inventory beacon, specify the machine name and account separated by a backslash, such as BEACON-MACHINE\AccountName.
[Parameters]	InventoryServerURL	The base URL at which other devices may contact the inventory server component of the system. Where multiple parts of the server functionality coexist on a single computer, you still need to declare each of the URLs separately.
[Parameters]	ReconciliationServerURL	The base URL at which other devices may contact the batch server component of the system. Where multiple parts of the server functionality coexist on a single computer, you still need to declare each of the URLs separately.
[Parameters]	WebServerURL	The base URL at which other devices may contact the web application server component of the system. Do not include the folder /Suite. Where multiple parts of the server functionality coexist on a single computer, you still need to declare each of the URLs separately.
[Register Flexera Service Gateway]	GatewayHost	Omit for inventory beacons; use only for application servers. Do not provide a full URL, as this is generated automatically. Instead, provide one of: An IP address A fully qualified domain name such as fsgserver.tmnis.org A machine name (assuming that your DNS is fully configured and accessible) localhost if the Gateway is co-located on your web application server.
[Register Flexera Service Gateway]	GatewayPassword	Omit for inventory beacons; use only for application servers. Provide the password for the account specified in GatewayUsername.
[Register Flexera Service Gateway]	GatewayPort	Omit for inventory beacons; use only for application servers. The default port for Flexera Service Gateway is 9443. Match the configured port for the Gateway.
[Register Flexera Service Gateway]	GatewayUsername	Omit for inventory beacons; use only for application servers. Provide the account name for the administrator account configured on Flexera Service Gateway.
[Beacon Links]	BEACONSVCENDPOINT	The URL to which the beacon service on this inventory beacon should connect. For a beacon at the top level of your beacon hierarchy, this points to the batch server; for beacons further down the hierarchy, it points to their parent inventory beacon. Include the protocol. Sample format: http://Batch-server.myDomain.com
[Beacon Links]	FNMPWEBUIURL	On a child inventory beacon that reports to another inventory beacon, omit this setting. For an inventory beacon at the top level of your beacon hierarchy, specify the URL for the central web application server. Top-level beacons collect configuration files and the like from this server, both for their own use and for dissemination through the beacon hierarchy.
[Scheduled Tasks]	CONFIGURESCHEDS	Boolean, with values either TRUE or FALSE. When true, the installer tries to configure the Windows Scheduled Tasks appropriately for this installation. When false, scheduled task configuration is left as an exercise for the installing operator.
[Scheduled Tasks]	SCHEDPASSWORD	The password for the account named in SCHEDUSERNAME.
[Scheduled Tasks]	SCHEDUSERNAME	The account name used to run Windows Scheduled Tasks when SCHEDUSERNAMEMODE is set to OTHER.
[Scheduled Tasks]	SCHEDUSERNAMEMODE	May be set to either: SYSTEM, so that scheduled tasks are run by the local SYSTEM account (most often the account running the inventory beacon services as well) OTHER, in which case the account credentials must be specified in SCHEDUSERNAME and SCHEDPASSWORD.
[Ports]	HTTP_PORT	Provide the port for the HTTP proxy server. Example: HTTP_PORT = 3128
[Ports]	HTTP_PROXY	Provide the proxy server name for HTTP connections to be used by the installer when installing the inventory agent. The default value is blank, meaning not to use a proxy. Multiple names may be separated by semi-colons. Example: HTTP_PROXY = tmnis.com;tmnis.com.de
[Ports]	NO_PROXY	The valid URLs (which may include fully qualified domain names of servers) for which the installation agent, while installing the inventory agent on a target device, should ignore the proxy setting(s) declared in HTTP_PROXY. There is no default value. Multiple names may be separated by semi-colons. Example: NO_PROXY = tmnis.com;tmnis.com.de
[Folders]	DATADIR	For installation of stand-alone inventory beacons, this specifies the parent folder for inventory beacon logs and configuration files. After installation/update, this value is saved in the DistributionLocation registry value. If this parameter is omitted, the parent folder is taken from the first available of: ImportXMLDirectory registry value BaseDirectory registry value The default location C:\%CommonAppData%\Flexera Software. Tip: This value cannot be specified for an inventory beacon that is co-located on your batch server (or, in smaller implementations, the server hosting this functionality). For a co-located inventory beacon, FlexNet Manager Suite automatically uses the appropriate paths to suit the batch server.
[Folders]	STAGEDIR	Applies to installations of the central application server and inventory beacons. Identifies the staging folder where packages for installing and upgrading inventory agents on managed devices and inventory beacons are stored, awaiting automatic distribution. If this parameter is omitted, the path is created from the first available of: DATADIR if declared (see above) DistributionLocation registry value (if this answer file is being used for an upgrade, and the registry has been previously set, such as through an earlier declaration of DATADIR) The default %CommonAppData%\Flexera Software\Staging\Common\.
[Folders]	UPLOADDIR	For installation of inventory beacons, use this to specify the destination URL on this beacon for files being uploaded from managed devices (inventory targets using the FlexNet inventory agent). Include the protocol, which may be HTTP, FTP, or FILE. If this parameter is omitted, the path is created from the first available of: DATADIR if declared (see above) The default %CommonAppData%\Flexera Software\Incoming\Inventories.
[Folders]	WAREHOUSEDIR	This is base folder containing other locations for data uploads. Where this is not declared, the base folder name is taken from the first available of the following: DistributionLocation registry value (see DATADIR above) RepositoryLocation registry value ImportXMLDirectory registry value BaseDirectory registry value The default value, read from the %CommonAppData% environment variable.