Installing Flexera Analytics

Flexera Analytics provides interactive reporting for software and hardware asset management.

Important: Flexera Analytics uses IBM Cognos version 11.2.4 FP3 (or later) as the underlying technology for these reports. Your license for FlexNet Manager Suite includes terms for Flexera Analytics, by default authorizing one Analytics Administrator and 60 Analytics Users (for license installation, see Product Activation).

Note: Your license does not include usage of IBM Cognos for purposes unrelated to FlexNet Manager Suite. If you are using data from external data sources (that is, a database not related to FlexNet Manager Suite ), you need a separate full license for IBM Cognos.

For supported platforms and database versions for each release, see FlexNet Manager Suite System Requirements and Compatibility, available as either PDF or HTML through docs.flexera.com.

Flexera Analytics has the following components:

• Analytics — Flexera Analytics is an interactive means for you to explore and create customized reports and dashboards, and easily share these with anyone in your organization.
• Content Store Database — The Content Store is a relational database used by the Flexera Analytics to store information about reporting models, folders, reports, and saved results. You should have already completed setting up this database (see Create Databases).

Once you have confirmed that all prerequisites have been met, installation of Flexera Analytics is performed using the following steps:

1. Install and configure a supported web server
2. Copy the Flexera Analytics installation media
3. Configure Flexera Analytics by populating an answer file with settings appropriate to your environment, and then install, using PowerShell
4. Configure your web server to connect with Flexera Analytics
5. Update your Roles to enable access
6. Ensure that your web browser(s) include your web server in the list of trusted web sites
7. Optionally, you may need to configure your Security Assertion Markup Language settings.

Prerequisites

The IBM Cognos Analytics installer installs Flexera Analytics to the designated host as a service. Therefore, the account used to install this component must have administrator permissions.

Make sure of the following points:

• The installing account must have administrative privileges on the Cognos Analytics server (the server hosting Flexera Analytics).
• The Flexera Analytics server must be accessible by its host name, rather than just its IP address. Do not use IP addresses anywhere in the Flexera Analytics settings.
• For performance reasons, Flexera Analytics is best installed on a separate server (it has high memory use requirements). (Refer back to Prerequisites and Preparations for server design details.) When Flexera Analytics is installed on a server other than the database server running the content store database, Microsoft SQL Server Native Client must be installed on the server hosting Flexera Analytics. To download and install the Microsoft SQL Server Native Client installer (subject to changes in the Microsoft website):
  1. In your web browser, navigate to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29065.
  2. Expand Install Instructions to display the available components of the Microsoft SQL Server® 2012 Connectivity Feature Pack.
  3. Scroll approximately half-way down the page to the heading Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Native Client and install the X64 (64-bit) version of the Native Client found there.
• The Flexera Analytics server must be in the same time zone as your database server(s).
• When you install Flexera Analytics, the required usernames and passwords can be encrypted, using a credential store. Refer to Prepare Encrypted Credentials for further information. Alternatively, you may choose to use clear text usernames and passwords in the answer file.
• Flexera Analytics can be configured to use https, however you will need to use http for installation and configuration.
• The password for the SQL Server login account used by Flexera Analytics must not contain any of the greater-than, less-than, or ampersand characters (< > &).
• Do not attempt to use Flexera Analytics (nor any related reports saved in FlexNet Manager Suite) before importing the correct license file from Flexera (see Product Activation).

Important: Do not allow consultants to use their 'normal' login when they develop reports on your behalf. A common user account should not be switched from one Flexera Analytics tenant to another. Otherwise, any reports saved under My Folders for that account are automatically removed by Flexera Analytics as the user account switches between tenants (or customers). For details, see http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21682369: "For safety, ensure that each consultant uses a login that is unique to your company (such as johnEnterprise); or as a workaround, save their developed reports under Public Folder".

Before you start, decide whether you want the benefit of content compression for your Flexera Analytics server. By default, the web.config file installed on this server turns on both static and dynamic content compression, with a setting of this form:

<urlCompression doStaticCompression="true" doDynamicCompression="true" />

Static compression is installed by default for IIS, but dynamic compression requires a standard Microsoft installation to enable it. (Without this setup, the dynamic compression setting in the web.config file remains latent.) You can check whether dynamic compression is available in the Server Manager, using the Add Roles and Features wizard. If it is not yet configured, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis/configuration/system.webServer/urlCompression#setup for installation details.

Installation

To install Flexera Analytics:

1. Install, configure, and test a supported web server.
   • Refer to FlexNet Manager Suite System Requirements and Compatibility for FlexNet Manager Suite 2024 R2 on-premises, available as either PDF or HTML through docs.flexera.com, to see the list of supported web servers. Refer to the installation, configuration, and testing documentation provided by the web-server vendor.
   • If you choose to use Microsoft IIS as your web server, the installer for Flexera Analytics includes a PowerShell script to apply appropriate configuration. (You need access to the downloaded unzipped archive of the FlexNet Manager Suite installer to access this PowerShell script.)
2. Copy the Flexera Analytics Installation file.
   1. If you are installing FlexNet Manager Suite and Flexera Analytics on separate servers, first copy the <FNMS Media>\FlexNet Manager Suite\Support directory from the application server to C:\FNMSCognosAnalytics on the Flexera Analytics server. If you are performing a single server installation, then the support folder should already be located on the application server.
   2. From the support folder, copy the following files (file names are updated for every release) to a working directory on your Flexera Analytics server, such as C:\FNMSCognosAnalytics\Support:
      • analytics-installer-[3.7.21]-win
      • ca_srv_11.2.4-[2401220500]-winx64h.zip.

      Tip: The executable from the archive automatically installs 32-bit software on 32-bit systems, and 64-bit software on 64-bit operating systems.
3. Configure the installation of Flexera Analytics by editing the file C:\FNMSCognosAnalytics\Support\CognosConfigProperties.xml using Notepad (or an equivalent text editor). Fill out the values for the parameters listed in the following table, using the guidance from the description and examples provided.

   CredentialStoreLocation C:\user\customstore.xml

   A custom credential store location.

   If this parameter is omitted, the value defaults to fnms.password.store.xml under the profile directory of the logged-in user.

   FNMSBatchServerLocation http://BatchServer1.company.com

   The URL of the FlexNet Manager Suite batch server (or, in smaller implementations, the server hosting that functionality).

   ContentStoreDatabaseLocation DBServer1\Instance1

   When using TCP, the format for this value is hostname:port. Alternatively, the hostname\instancename format (without a port) can be used. Flexera Analytics does not allow the instance name to be Default or MSSQLServer. If using the instance name format, the SQL Server Browser service needs to be started.

   ContentStoreDatabaseName ContentStore

   This is the name of your Cognos Analytics content store database.

   ContentStoreDatabaseUsername Typically empty

   Optional setting when providing credentials for SQL Server authentication. Leave this value blank to use Windows Authentication.

   Note: If you have restored a backup of your existing content store to use with a new version of Flexera Analytics, ensure that this user has the following permissions on the database:

   • Create and Drop table privileges.

   • Member of the db_ddladmin, db_datareader, and db_datawriter roles.

   • Must be the owner of the default schema on this database.
     Tip: This schema usually is named FlexNetReportDesignerSchema.

   ContentStoreDatabasePassword Typically empty

   Optional setting when providing credentials for SQL Server authentication. Leave this value blank to use Windows Authentication.

   ContentStoreDatabaseStoreReference flexera://storeUser

   The credential store reference for ContentStore database user identity.

   If the ContentStoreDatabaseStoreReference property is specified then the ContentStoreUserName and ContentStorePassword properties are not required in the answer file, as any value provided for these fields is overridden.

   CognosInstallationPath C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics

   Flexera Analytics installation directory. Update this path to change the default installation path.

   CognosServerURI http://$(ServerName):80

   Note: The $(ServerName) text should not be altered. It will be translated to the host name by the installation code.

   CognosServerDispatcherURI http://$(ServerName):9300

   Note: The $(ServerName) text should not be altered. It will be translated to the host name by the installation code.

   AppPoolUserName Company\svc-fnms

   The service user, used by IIS.

   AppPoolPassword (clear text)

   A clear text password.

   AppPoolStoreReference flexera://serviceUser

   The credential store reference for App Pool user identity.

   If AppPoolStoreReference property is specified then the AppPoolUserName and AppPoolPassword properties are not required in the answer file. Any value provided for these fields is overridden.

   CognosServiceUserName Company\svc-fnms

   The service user for the IBM Cognos Analytics service. This must have read access to the FNMPDatawarehouse database, as well as being a member of the local Administrators group. Ensure that the account you enter already has Logon as a service permission (see Authorize the Service Account).

   CognosServicePassword (clear text)

   A clear text password.

   CognosServiceStoreReference flexera://serviceUser

   The credential store reference for Cognos service user identity.

   If CognosServiceStoreReference property is specified then the CognosServiceUserName and CognosServicePassword properties are not required in the answer file. Any value provided for these fields is overridden.

   CognosServiceMaxMemory 4096

   IBM recommends a minimum of 4GB (4096MB) for Cognos Analytics. This number is a starting point and should be adjusted upwards based on the memory usage of your system.

   Note: This value determines the amount of memory used by the Java Virtual Machine and depends on how much memory is available. If this value is too high, the process will fail to start and no log information will be generated.

   MachineKeyValidationKey ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789

   This is taken from the web.config file on the FlexNet Manager Suite presentation server. For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Flexera Software\FlexNet Manager Platform\WebUI\web.config.

   The required value is present in the <machineKey> element.

   MachineKeyDecryptionKey 0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

   This is taken from the web.config file on the FlexNet Manager Suite presentation server. For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Flexera Software\FlexNet Manager Platform\WebUI\web.config.

   The required value is present in the <machineKey> element.

   SmtpStoreReference flexera:\\smpt

   The credential store reference for SMTP user identity.

   If SmtpStoreReference property is specified then the SmtpUserName and SmtpPassword properties are not required in the answer file. Any value provided for these fields is overridden.

   FNMSConfiguration op

   This value defines the FlexNet Manager Suite environment configuration. This value is pre-populated based on the installation media and does not require the user to change it.

   Modifying this value will cause the Flexera Analytics installation to fail.

   Note: If the CognosConfigProperties.xml file contains passwords in clear text, after installation this file should be cleared of passwords; or kept in a file path that is only accessible to Administrators and copied to a secure location off the host server. The file should be preserved for use in future upgrades.
   1. Open a PowerShell command-line window with Administrator privileges.
   2. Navigate to the directory where you copied the support directory. For example C:\FNMSCognosAnalytics\Support
   3. If you have not done so already, set the PowerShell permissions with the following command:

      set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned -Force

      Respond to the warning text with the default Y.
   4. Run the following command:

      .\InstallCognos.ps1

   5. A dialog box opens, prompting you to run the installer. Click Run to proceed with the installation.
      Tip: This may take some time to complete. After updating the configuration with the details you provided, the PowerShell script restarts the IBM Cognos service. If the script reports any difficulties restarting the service, it may be because of environmental issues, such as memory pressure. In this case, it is not necessary to run the PowerShell script again: you can try restarting the IBM Cognos service manually in Windows Service Manager.
4. Your web server needs to be configured for use with Flexera Analytics. The externally visible URL of the Flexera Analytics server needs to be set on the web application server so that FlexNet Manager Suite knows where to go when opening Flexera Analytics from Reports mode.
   1. Log into your web application server.
   2. Open a PowerShell command-line window with Administrator privileges.
   3. Navigate to the <FNMS Media>\FlexNet Manager Suite\Support directory.
   4. Execute the commands

      Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned -Force

      and

      .\Config.ps1 ".\Config\FNMS Cognos Config.xml" updateConfig

      You will now be asked to enter the externally visible URL of the Flexera Analytics server, in the format http://{servername}.

      Tip: If your Flexera Analytics server is using encrypted communication over the HTTPS protocol, specify https: as part of this value.

      Press Ok.
5. Before any operator can access any part of Flexera Analytics, you must have created and assigned a Role. This is only possible after you have imported the correct license file from Flexera):
   1. Create a role to which you have assigned the Analytics User privilege, and a second role that has the Analytics Administrator privilege (in the web interface for FlexNet Manager Suite, navigate to the system menu ( in the top right corner), select Accounts, select the Roles tab, use the Business reporting portal section, and click the help button for further details).
   2. Assign the appropriate operator(s) to these roles.
   If you do not complete this step before accessing Flexera Analytics, you may experience an error after you sign in.

   Important: By default, no more than 60 operators may be linked to the role that grants the Analytics User privilege (or to all roles that grant this privilege). If you assign more than 60 operators to these roles, all operators are locked out until you reduce the count of operators to the licensed limit. If you need more than 60 operators with this privilege, contact your Flexera Consultant with your request to increase the licensed count.
6. For security reasons, a browser will not provide a user's credentials to the Flexera Analytics server unless the site (or subdomain) is on a list of trusted websites. Extra steps are required to enable silent Windows authentication.
   • Internet Explorer or Chrome on Windows
     1. The Flexera Analytics server must be added under Local Intranet Zone in Internet Options. If not, the credentials will not be passed to the site and the user will be prompted to enter their credentials every time they navigate to Flexera Analytics from within FlexNet Manager Suite. You can either add the Flexera Analytics URL to trusted websites locally on the workstation or through your corporate group policy.
   • Firefox on Windows
     1. Launch FireFox.
     2. In the address bar type about:config and click Enter.
     3. If prompted with the security warning choose "I'll be careful, I promise".
     4. After the configuration page loads, in the filter box, type: network.automatic.
     5. Modify network.automatic-ntlm-auth.trusted-uris by double-clicking the row and enter the fully qualified URL of the Flexera Analytics server. For example http://cognos11.domain.
7. If you wish to configure Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) authentication for Flexera Analytics, please refer to the Authentication chapter in the FlexNet Manager Suite Systems Reference guide. Here you will find the instructions to run the Flexera Report Designer Package Import Utility to update your SAML authentication configuration.
8. If you wish to use the HTTPS protocol with your preferred certificates (rather than the default certificates supplied with IBM Cognos), or to configure the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol for Flexera Analytics, please continue with the following topics:
   • Configuring IIS to Use SSL/TLS Encryption
   • Reconfigure Cognos Analytics to Use Third-Party SSL Certificates.
9. If you wish to configure the Flexera Analytics server to use TLS 1.3, then you would need to update the SSL protocol in Cognos Configuration.
   1. Navigate to Cryptography > SSL protocol (under Properties) and select TLS 1.3.
   2. By default, TLS 1.2 is enabled for current configuration.
   3. Save Cognos Configuration and restart Cognos service.

Optional for reinstallation

If you are ever reinstalling Flexera Analytics, you can use one of the following switches to skip specific segments of the installation process, but these cannot be used during a new installation.

Parameter	Description	Syntax
SkipApplyFiles	Skips the extraction of the authenticator, OAuth module, logging configuration and web content, as well as copying of some configuration files.	.\InstallCognos.ps1 -SkipApplyFiles
SkipConfigureIIS	Skips the IIS settings configuration segment of the script.	.\InstallCognos.ps1 -SkipConfigureIIS
SkipConfigureService	Skips the Cognos service configuration segment of the script.	.\InstallCognos.ps1 -SkipConfigureService