How to Install PADS4 Software

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 104 Installation manual

2 Welcome to PADS Welcome to PADS, one of the most advanced and complete digital signage software packages that are available today. This PADS manual describes the installation of the PADS4 software. Page 2 of 104

3 What's Digital Signage? Information and communication have become an integral part of our modern society. From all sides a large amount of information reaches us through various media. Therefore it s important to provide people at the right moment with the right, targeted information. This is exactly what digital signage is about. Digital signage is the generic term for displaying information to a targeted audience, at a selected location and moment using digital screens. This information can be different per display and per moment. Some examples of digital signage are welcoming screens at reception areas, screens for dynamic guidance in buildings or advertising screens in shops. Also screens showing timetable information at airports are a form of digital signage. Instead of digital signage one sometimes speaks about narrowcasting or digital out-of-home media (DOOHM). Digital signage software To control and manage the digital screens digital signage software is used. The quality and features of the chosen software mainly determine the capabilities of your digital signage system. Net Display Systems is one of the world's leading providers of digital signage software. Page 3 of 104

4 Requirements There is a number of requirements that must be met before the PADS4 software can be installed. These requirements include hardware, network and software. In this section Hardware requirements Describes the recommended hardware for a typical PADS system. Network requirements Describes the requirements for the network connection between the PADS components. Software requirements Describes what software is required to use the PADS software. Page 4 of 104

5 Hardware Requirements The hardware requirements for PADS4 are mainly determined by the configuration you have selected. When you have a standalone installation with all PADScomponents on one single PC there will be different requirements compared to a network installation where each PADS component is installed on a separate PC. Below the different configurations are listed, followed by a total view of the recommended requirements. Server PC The Server PC is the pivot of the system. On this PC the PADS Server software runs. Of course the requirements for this PC mainly depend on the size of the system and how intensively the system is used. In general every modern PC will be satisfying to act as a PADS Server PC. Scheduler/Designer PC The Scheduler/Designer PC is a desktop PC that is intended to run the PADS Scheduler, PADSDesigner PC and optionally the PADS Agent, PADS System Management and PADS Domain Management software. There can be one or more Scheduler/Designer PCs, depending on the number of people that want to use the PADS system. Viewer PC The Viewer PC is mostly a small-sized PC that is attached to or built-in the public display device. Other names that are often used for this type of PC are 'display controller', 'graphical engine board (GEB)' or 'set top box'. Depending on the kind of content you want to run on the Viewer PC, we've divided the Viewer PCs in a number of categories, each with their own recommendations. Simple Viewer This type of Viewer needs to be able to play elementary content, like text and images. Multi-media Viewer This type of Viewer needs to be able to smoothly play content that puts a lot of strain on your system, like HD movies. Requirements The requirements for the different kinds of PCs are listed below: Page 5 of 104

6 Item Server Scheduler / Designer PC Simple Viewer Multi-media Viewer Processor Intel Core2Duo or compatible Intel Core2Duo or compatible Intel Core2Duo or compatible Intel I3 or higher CPU 2,0 GHz or higher 2,0 GHz or higher 2,0 GHz or higher 2,0 GHz or higher Memory 4,096 GigaByte 2,048 GigaByte 2,048 GigaByte 4,096 GigaByte Hard disk 80 GigaByte 80 GigaByte 80 GigaByte 80 GigaByte Windows Display Windows Display Windows Display Windows Display Driver Model Driver Model Driver Model Driver Model Video card (WDDM) compliant (WDDM) compliant (WDDM) compliant (WDDM) compliant Tier-2 Compliant Tier-2 Compliant 256 MB 256 MB 256 MB 512 MB or more Windows 2008 Operating system Server Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 8 Windows 8 Windows 8 Windows 8 Page 6 of 104

7 Network Requirements There must be a network connection (Internet, Intranet or (W)LAN) between the installed PADS components so that they can communicate with each other. Network infrastructure The PADS system requires some type of network connection between the PADS Manager/Designer PC and the PADS Server PC on one side and between the PADS Viewer PCs and the PADS Server PCs on the other side. The most commonly used network infrastructure is a LAN (Local Area Network) with UTP (at least CAT-5 quality) cabling. Other possibilities are a WAN (Wide Area Network), Intranet or Internet connection. Wireless connections are also supported. This includes GPRS as well UMTS. N O T E T he networ k c onnec tion mus t b e full d uplex. T his is nec es s ar y to s uppor t the two-way c ommunic ation of PADS. Internet connection When an Internet connection is used as network infrastructure between the PADS Viewer PCs and the PADS Server PC (or between a replicated PADSServer PC and a central PADS Server PC) then this requires some additional configuration settings, like port forwarding in routers etc. This will be described in more detailed further on in this help file. Port numbers The network communication between the components of the PADS system uses TCP/IP. PADS now uses one port number to communicate and by default it's If you are using a firewall on the PADS Server PC this means that one or more of the above port numbers will have to be opened in order for PADS to communicate. On the client side (for instance the PADS Viewer PC) it's not necessary to open any port numbers in the firewall. N O T E PADS4 has b uilt-in featur es to automatic ally d etec t a PADS Ser ver in your networ k. However a PADS Ser ver c an only b e automatic ally d etec ted when the UDP p or t numb er 3702 is not b loc ked b y a fir ewall on the s er ver PC or s omewher e els e in the networ k. Page 7 of 104

8 Software Requirements The PADS software requires certain software to be installed beforehand. Operating systems PADS4 runs on the following operating systems: Viewer software: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or higher Windows 8 Other software: Windows 2008 Server Release 2 Service Pack 2 or higher Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or higher Windows 8 Frameworks The PADS4 software requires some frameworks to run properly. Below these frameworks are listed, as well as what version (32- or 64-bit) of the framework is required for a particular operating system (32- or 64-bit). As you can see, some need both versions. N O T E Star ting fr om r eleas e 2, PADS4 r eq uir es the Mic r os oft.net Fr amewor k ver s ion 4.5. Ear lier r eleas e ver s ions of PADS4 r eq uir e the Mic r os oft.net Fr amewor k ver s ion 4.0. Framework 64-bit operating system 32-bit operating system Microsoft.NET Framework version 4.5 (Full version) Microsoft SQL Server Compact version 4.0 Microsoft Sync Framework 2.1 Core Components Page 8 of 104

9 Microsoft Sync Framework 2.1 Provider Services If you use the USB stick version of the PADS setup then the English version of these items are part of the installation and will automatically be installed when necessary. With the download version of the PADS setup these items are NO part of the installation. This means that in this case you have to make sure that the frameworks have been installed before you start the PADS installation program. The frameworks and engine can be downloaded from microsoft.com/downloads. When you install the frameworks you must make sure that you install exactly the same version of the frameworks on all computers that will run one or more of the PADS components. If the versions are not exactly the same then this may cause errors in the PADS software. The USB stick version of the PADS setup will install the English version of the Microsoft.NET Framework. This means that any error message that is reported by the.net Framework will be in the English language. Optionally you can separately install one of the.net Framework language packs to have the error messages in your native language. For the Dutch, German and French language you can find these language packs in the \Tools\DotNet Framework 4.5 Language Packs\ folder on the USB stick. For other languages you will have to download it from the Microsoft website Microsoft Windows Media Player For playing videos and sounds the PADS software uses Microsoft Windows Media Player technology. For this at least version 12 of the Windows Media Player is required. Without the Windows Media Player pads is not able to play any video or sound. I M P O R T A N T T o s uppor t a c er tain vid eo file for mat you have to ins tall the c or r ec t c od ec d r iver for this file for mat on the PADS Des ig ner PC as well as eac h PADS Viewer PC. W ithout the c or r ec t c od ec d r iver PADS (b ut als o Mic r os oft W indows Med ia Player ) will not b e ab le to p lay the vid eo or s ound. See als o Dr iver s & Cod ec s. Microsoft Internet Explorer PADS uses Microsoft Internet Explorer technology for displaying web contents in its web page element. For this it's required that you have at least version 9.0 of the Microsoft Internet Explorer installed on both the PADS Designer PC as well as each PADS Viewer PC. Page 9 of 104

10 Adobe Flash or Shockwave The web page element of the special Flash add-on element of PADS can be used for displaying Adobe flash or shockwave files. For this it's required that you have installed the Adobe flash or shockwave plugin on the PADS Designer PC as well as each PADS Viewer PC. This plug-in can be downloaded from Microsoft Powerpoint There are two page elements in PADS that can be used to run Microsoft Powerpoint presentations: The web page element The external application element In both cases you must make sure that the complete Powerpoint application or at least the Powerpoint Viewer application has been installed on the PADS Designer PC as well as each PADS Viewer PC. When you use the web page element to run Powerpoint presentations, you must be aware that this only works in combination with Microsoft Powerpoint Viewer 97 or the complete Microsoft Powerpoint application. Because of build-in limitations in the Powerpoint software it will not work in combination with Microsoft Powerpoint Viewer 2003 or higher. With the external application element you can start the Powerpoint Viewer executable with the Powerpoint presentation as a command line argument. This works with any version of the Powerpoint Viewer, but the Powerpoint Viewer will always run full-screen. For more information about how to include Microsoft Powerpoint presentations in your PADS presentation, please see the PADS Designer help file. Drivers & Codecs For a properly functioning PADS system, check if the following drivers are already in place. DirectX The graphical engine PADS uses, relies on Microsoft's framework for handling tasks related to multimedia, which is called DirectX. It's required that you have at least version 9.0c. Video card driver Please make sure that the driver for you graphical card is Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) compatible. This is as much required as it is for the video card itself. Video codecs Page 10 of 104

11 Please make sure that you use a correct codec driver. Practice has turned out that certain codec drivers have a memory leak. This can lead to PADS Viewer PCs to hang. Correct codec drivers can be found at TV card drivers (analog/digital) If the PADS Viewer PCs and the PADS Designer PCs have been equipped with an TV card, analog or digital, then you must make sure that you install the latest WDM driver software for this card. Page 11 of 104

12 Standalone With a standalone configuration all PADS components are installed on one single PC. The computer acts as a Scheduler/Designer PC, Server PC and Viewer PC. System Management and Domain Management are installed as well. The following components are installed: PADS Server PADS Designer PADS Scheduler PADS Viewer PADS Agent PADS System Management PADS Domain Management If these applications are only used by one single user it's recommended to install these components on the Server PC instead of a separate desktop PC if possible. This makes it easier to handle content files (pictures, videos etc.) and real-time data. Remarks An alternative set up would be a PC containing the PADS Server and Viewer and another PC the Scheduler/Designer PC. Page 12 of 104

13 Network The most commonly used PADS configuration is a network configuration whereby a Server PC, one or more desktop PCs and a number of Viewer PCs is used. Server PC Usually the following components are installed on the Server PC of the PADS system: PADS Database PADS Server Desktop PC Usually the following components are installed on a desktop PC: Page 13 of 104

14 PADS Designer PADS Scheduler PADS Agent PADS System Management PADS Domain Management If these applications are only used by one single user it's recommended to install these components on the Server PC instead of a separate desktop PC if possible. This makes it easier to handle content files (pictures, videos etc.) and real-time data. Viewer PC Usually the following component is installed on each Viewer PC: PADS Viewer Page 14 of 104

15 Installation of PADS To install the PADSsoftware you have to run the PADSinstallation program on all PCs where one ore more of the PADScomponents must be installed. In this section Quick installation If you don't need specific background information about the installation then this is the quickest guideline for installation of the PADS software. Installation program Gives a full explanation of the PADS installation program. Page 15 of 104

16 Quick installation The quickest way to install the PADS software is to follow one of the procedures as described below. If you like to have more background information on certain parts of the installation then you should consult the other information in this installation manual. To quickly perform a standalone installation (all components on one single PC) 1. Run the installation program setup.exe. The setup program can be found on the PADS4 USB stick or can be downloaded from. In the setup choose for a Complete Installation. 2. Run the PADS4 License Wizard. The License Wizard can be found in the Windows Start menu under (All) Programs, PADS4, Tools. 3. Start the PADS4 Viewer application. To start PADS Viewer double click the shortcut for this application on the desktop. To quickly perform a network installation 1. Run the installation program setup.exe on the PADS Server PC. The setup program can be found on the PADS4 USB stick or can be downloaded from. In the setup choose for a Custom installation and select to install: PADS License Wizard PADS Designer PADS Scheduler PADS System Management PADS Domain Management PADS Server Optionally, these components can be installed on a separate desktop PC. 2. Run the PADS4 License Wizard on the PADS Server PC. The License Wizard can be found in the Windows Start menu under (All) Programs, PADS4, Tools. 3. Run the installation program setup.exe on the PADS Viewer PC. 4. Start the PADS4 Viewer application. To start PADS Viewer double click the shortcut for this application on the desktop. Page 16 of 104

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18 Installation program To install the PADSsoftware you have to run the PADSinstallation program on all PCs where one ore more of the PADScomponents must be installed. In this section Starting the installation program Explains how you can start the setup which will install the PADS software. Selecting an installation configuration Describes which PADS components are selectable for installation. Ready to install Describes the final steps before the actual installation takes place. Finishing the installation Describes the actions possible after a successful installation. Page 18 of 104

19 Starting the installation program To install one or more components of the PADS software on your computer you must use the PADS installation program. The installation program can be found on the PADS4 USB stick or can be downloaded from. To start the PADS installation program 1. (USB stick version) Browse to the root folder of the PADS USB stick and double click Setup.exe. T I P In or d er to p r event any s ec ur ity p r ob lems d ur ing the ins tallation p r oc es s it's r ec ommended always to b e log g ed on as Ad minis tr ator, when s tar ting the ins tallation p r og r am. If - like with s ome ver s ions of W indows - it's not p os s ib le to b e log g ed on as Ad minis tr ator it's r ec ommended to r ig ht c lic k the S etu p.exe file and us e the Ru n As... op tion fr om the c ontext menu to s tar t the ins tallation p r o- g r am as Ad minis tr ator. 2. (Download version) Browse to the folder where you have stored the downloaded PADS setup and double click on the downloaded executable. 3. From the list of displayed languages, select the language for the installation and click OK. N O T E T he languag e you s elec t her e will als o b e us ed as d efault languag e for the PADS s oftwar e to b e ins talled. 4. (USB stick version) If the Microsoft.NET framework version 4.0 has not yet been installed on your computer, then the installation program will install it. In this case follow the guidelines of the.net framework installation. Afterwards you might have to reboot your computer to complete the.net framework installation. 5. On the Welcome page of the PADS4 Installation Wizard click Next to continue. Page 19 of 104

20 6. Read the license agreement for the PADS software and if you agree then select I accept the terms in the License Agreement and click Next to continue with the installation. Page 20 of 104

21 7. In the next screen choose if the PADS software needs to be installed for Anyone who uses this Computer (All Users) or Only for me (the current user) and click Next to continue. Page 21 of 104

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23 Selecting an installation configuration In the next step of the PADS Installation Wizard you can specify the setup type that best suits your needs. To specify the setup type in the PADS Installation Wizard From the drop down list you can select one of the following configurations: 1. Complete Installation This will install all PADS components on the PC. 2. Viewer Installation Page 23 of 104

24 This will install the PADS Viewer only. You will be asked to enter some extra information in an additional screen. 3. Server Installation Page 24 of 104

25 This will install the server components: PADS License Wizard PADS System Management PADS Server PADS Domain Management 4. Designer / Scheduler Installation Page 25 of 104

26 This will install the PADS Designer, PADS Scheduler and the PADS Content Organizer. Page 26 of 104

27 5. Custom Installation This option will enable you to select any or all PADS components you would like to install on the PC. When you've made your selection, click Next to continue the installation. Page 27 of 104

28 Specifying Viewer settings When you've chosen a the Viewer installation as the installation configuration, you need to specify some viewer settings like name, Server location, and port number. To specify the Viewer Name Computer Name When this option is selected the PADS Viewer software will automatically use the name of your computer as the name to uniquely identify the PADS Viewer in your PADS installation. When the name of your computer changes the system will automatically take over the new name., Page 28 of 104

29 Manual This option allows you to choose your own viewer name. N O T E T he Viewer name mus t uniq uely id entify the PADS Viewer in your PADS ins tallation, s o you mus t ens ur e your s elf that the c hos en viewer name is not alr ead y in us e. To specify the Server location The Server Location has the following options to specify the Server PC: Automatic This option lets the Viewer search for a PADS Server on the network and connect to the first Server it encounters. This will happen every time the Viewer is starting up. This Computer This option will select the PC the Viewer is installed on as its Server. Other This option will allow you to specify a PC manually by entering a name or IP address. Alternatively, you can click Search... to have the system executing an automatic search for PADS Servers: Page 29 of 104

30 Select the available PADS Server of your choosing and click OK to confirm your choice. Port number By clicking Advanced Settings the area for port number information unfolds. If you want to specify another port number than the default (7237), then you can enter it manually or by using the up/down arrows. When you've made your selection, click Next to continue the installation. Viewer security settings In the Viewer security settings screen that appears next, you have the possibility to specify special security settings for PADS Viewer. This is especially intended for situations - like Windows 8 - where the default security settings may be insufficient to run PADS Viewer. Page 30 of 104

31 Run Viewer as User By default both PADS Viewer and PADS Controller will be started with your current Microsoft Windows user account. Depending on your situation it may be required to start these applications as a different user with different permissions. For instance, you can start the applications as Administrator to ensure that you have (remote) access to all PADS features. User Name The user name of the Windows user account that will be used to start both PADS Viewer and PADS Controller. Password The password that belongs to the specified user name. Domain If the specified Windows user is part of a domain then here you must enter the name of the domain. Page 31 of 104

32 Windows User Account Control (UAC) User Account Control helps prevent potentially harmful programs from making changes to your computer. This means for instance that you will be notified when programs want to make changes to your computer or your Windows settings. Since Windows 7 Microsoft automatically turns on UAC. Depending on the security settings of your Windows user account this may a proper working of some PADS features like e.g. the automatic installation of software updates. To overcome this problem UAC must be switched off. Disable UAC When you select this option then the PADS software will check your UAC settings at startup and automatically switches off UAC. Please not that the UAC settings will not be set back to the original settings when the PADS software is closed. N O T E If you c hange the Di sabl e U AC s etting then you need to r es tar t your c omp uter in or d er for this new s etting to take effec t. Afterwards, click Next to continue with the installation. Page 32 of 104

33 Ready to install After you have chosen an installation configuration you are about to start the physical installation. To specify the location of short cuts In the Shortcuts area select any or all options for creation of the PADS shortcuts. The options are: 1. Create shortcuts on the Desktop This will place PADS shortcuts on the Windows Desktop. 2. Create shortcuts in the Start Menu This will place PADS in the Windows Start Menu. Page 33 of 104

34 3. Create shortcuts in the Startup Folder This will place PADS shortcuts in the Startup Menu in the Windows Start Menu. Applications whose shortcuts have been placed in the Startup Menu are started automatically after logging on to Windows. I M P O R T A N T W hen r unning W indows 8 c hec king this op tion will automatic ally for c e W indows to s witc h to the c las s ic Des ktop at s tar tup of W indows. To specify the installation folder The final step in making the PADS License Wizard ready for install is specifying the folder where PADS needs to be installed. 1. Click Browse to navigate for the new destination folder or manually enter the name of the folder. To start the installation 1. Click Install to start the actual installation. During the installation you will be kept informed about the status of the installation process. Page 34 of 104

35 Finishing the installation After the PADS software has been successfully installed you can close the PADS Installation Wizard. To close the PADS installation wizard after a successful installation 1. If you want to activate your PADS installation as soon as the License Wizard is closed, select Start the License Wizard now to activate your product. 2. Click Finish. Page 35 of 104

36 Activation of PADS Once PADS has been installed, the system needs to be activated to work properly. For this you will need an activation key. In this section Activating your PADS installation Describes the steps to activate your PADS installation. Page 36 of 104

37 Activating your PADS installation Before you can start using the PADS software you must first activate the software by entering a product key. The product key reflects the number of licenses and optionally the licensing period for the software. The product key can be entered with the PADS License Wizard. To start the PADS License Wizard Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar. Select (All) Programs, PADS4 and then Configuration. Select License Wizard. To select the correct PADS Server When the License Wizard starts, it automatically searches for running PADS Servers in the network. Page 37 of 104

38 Make sure your PADS Server is listed. I M P O R T A N T If you ac tivate your lic ens e at the wr ong PADS Ser ver, you will need to c ontac t Net Dis - p lay Sys tems to undo this ac tivation. If your PADS Server is listed, select it, and click Next. If it's not listed here, make sure the PADS Server has been installed and is running properly. Or click the button The PADS Server I want isn't listed. Then the next screen will appear: Page 38 of 104

39 Fill in the Network Address(name or IP address), and optionally the Port Number, of your PADS Server manually and click Next to retry. To activate your installation TheLicense Wizard will now connect to your PADS Server. When successful, it will show the next screen: Page 39 of 104

40 This screen offers you the following options: Activate a new installation This the default option and will be further used to describe the activation process. Continue offline activation Select this option if you've already initiated an offline activation. Offline activation is further described in this topic. Click Activate a new installation to continue. In the next screen, enter your product key. Page 40 of 104

41 If your product key has been validated, click Next to continue. TheLicense Wizard will send information online to Net Display Systems for verification and processing of product key and license information, and when successful it will ask you to verify the information found. Page 41 of 104

42 Click Next to continue. It will ask you to do the same for your contact information. Page 42 of 104

43 If all information is correct, you can click Activate online now to actually activate your license. When your license has been successfully activated at the License Activation Server, the next screen will confirm your activated license information. Page 43 of 104

44 Click Finish to complete the activation process and leave the PADS License Wizard. Your installation has now been activated. Page 44 of 104

45 Offline Activation For certain PADS installations it's not possible or desirable to have an Internet connection. Although reasons for this can be very valid, the PADS installation still needs to be activated. This can be done through an offline activation. To start the offline activation There are two things required to activate a PADS installation that doesn't have an Internet connection: The PADS installation that's without Internet connection A device that has access to the Internet and the ability to transfer files to a PC, directly or indirectly (by means of a data storage device or such). To get the offline activation file In order to activate offline, you will need to get the offline activation file. This file contains all necessary data from the PADS Server you want to activate. To get this file, you need to start the License Wizard on the PADS installation without Internet connection, most commonly the PADS Server PC: Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar. Select (All) Programs, PADS4 and then Tools. Select License Wizard. After the program has started, select the PADS Server you want to activate. Page 45 of 104

46 The next step is for the License Wizard to figure out there's no Internet connection. Page 46 of 104

47 Click Activate a new installation to let the License Wizard connect to the online License Activation Server at Net Display Systems. It will detect a connection is not possible, resulting in the following screen: Page 47 of 104

48 Click Activate installation offline to continue. Page 48 of 104

49 Read the button labeled Create offline activation file carefully and then click it to indicate the folder location on this PC where the activation file needs to be created. Page 49 of 104

50 N O T E By d efault the p r od uc t key is s ugges ted as file name, b ut you c an c hoos e any name you like. If you have specified the location and name of the activation file, the Wizard will be closed. Now the activation file has been created, you can store it to a data storage device, like a USB stick and go to a PC that has an Internet connection. To get the license file from the activation portal Plug in the data storage device in the PC and go to the Net Display Systems activation portal at nds.cloudapp.net/activationportal. Page 50 of 104

51 Click Next to continue. Page 51 of 104

52 Click Upload to specify the location of the activation file. Page 52 of 104

53 Select the activation file and click Open to confirm the location. Page 53 of 104

54 When the upload has been successful click Next to continue. Page 54 of 104

55 The License Activation Server will retrieve the license information online from Net Display Systems. It will ask you to verify the information found. If all information is correct, click Next to continue. It will ask you to do the same for your contact information. Page 55 of 104

56 If all information is correct, click Next to continue. Page 56 of 104

57 Click Download to specify where the license file is to be downloaded. Page 57 of 104

58 Specify the location and click Save to continue. Page 58 of 104

59 The license file has been downloaded. Click OK to close the activation portal. To finish the offline activation Now the license file has been stored to a data storage device, it can be returned to the PADS installation, so that the license can be entered with help of the PADS License Wizard. Return to the PC you started the offline activation with and repeat the first steps, as described at the top of this document, until you reach the Current license information screen: Page 59 of 104

60 Click Continue offline activation to continue. Page 60 of 104

61 Click Activate offline now to continue. A dialog window appear. Page 61 of 104

62 Browse to the license file, select it and click Open to retrieve the license file. The actual activation will start immediately after that. Page 62 of 104

63 The license will now be activated. Page 63 of 104

64 Click Finish to complete the activation process and leave the PADS License Wizard. Your installation has now been activated. Page 64 of 104

65 Configuration of PADS After you have successfully installed and activated the PADS software you can best configure PADS to meet your exact requirements. In this section Using Microsoft Active Directory Explains how you can link your PADS system to active directory for central user management. Page 65 of 104

66 Using Microsoft Active Directory Many organizations use Microsoft Active Directory to centrally manage the user accounts of their employees. With the Active Directory connection of PADS you can make optimal use of this information. N O T E PADS c an wor k with your exis ting Ac tive Dir ec tor y s tr uc tur e 'as it is ' and d oes n't r eq uir e any ad jus tments to or g aniz ational units or us er g r oups in Ac tive Dir ec tor y. After setting up a connection with Active Directory, you can beside 'normal' PADS users create so-called LDAP users in PADS. These users are automatically linked to user accounts in active directory. When a user logs on with an LDAP user name, then the PADS system will automatically use the credentials stored inactive Directory. When the user name or password of the user is changed in Active Directory this is automatically taken over by the PADS system. If a user account is disabled in Active Directory then the user can no longer logon to the PADS applications. When the user is removed from Active Directory it will also automatically be removed from the PADS system. If the credentials that you have specified for PADS server to access Active Directory have limited permissions, then the updates in Active Directory might not be taken over by PADS instantly, but will only become effective after a restart of the PADS Server. Memberships of user groups, permissions and, license assignment are all done in PADS for all users, including LDAP users. If an LDAP user is removed from PADS, it will NOT be removed from Active Directory. When the connection with Active Directory is disabled in PADS, then the existing LDAP users that have been defined in PADS remain exist. This way, you can reuse them when you decide to enable Active Directory again at a later time. To configure the usage of Active Directory in PADS 1. Specify the Active Directory connection settings in the server settings window of PADS System Management. 2. Reboot the PADS Server to make the Active Directory connection settings effective. 3. Go to the Users window in PADS System Management and create one or more LDAP users. Make sure that the users are assigned to a user group and that you assign the right licenses. After this the Active Directory connection is ready-to-use and users can logon with one of the specified LDAP user accounts. Page 66 of 104

67 Upgrading from a previous PADS version If you want to install the PADS4 software on a computer where you already have a previous release version of the PADS software installed then there are certain aspects to take into consideration. N O T E Y ou c an r un any old er ver s ion of PADS alongsid e PADS4, if you s o d es ir e. In this section Upgrading from PADS 3.1 SR1 Describes the steps to upgrade to PADS4 from PADS 3.1 SR1. Upgrading from PADS 3.1 Describes the steps to upgrade to PADS4 from PADS 3.1. Upgrading from any earlier version of PADS Describes the what you need to do to use PADS4 when you are using an earlier version of PADS. Page 67 of 104

68 Upgrading from PADS 3.1 SR1 Essential to upgrading the PADS version to PADS4 is leaving your current PADS version untouched. This way information about viewers, schedules, content and other data can be upgraded in a adequate manner. To upgrade from PADS 3.1 Professional SR1 to PADS4 1. Start the PADS4 installation program. 2. Install the PADS4 software as described at Installation of PADS. 3. Start the PADS4 Conversion Wizard to migrate your PADS 3.1 SR1 data and content to PADS4. Follow the instructions given. Page 68 of 104

69 Upgrading from PADS 3.1 Essential to upgrading the PADS version to PADS4 is leaving your current PADS version untouched. This way information about viewers, schedules, content and other data can be upgraded in a adequate manner. To upgrade from PADS 3.1 Professional to PADS4 1. Start the PADS4 installation program. 2. Install the PADS4 software as described at Installation of PADS. 3. Start the PADS4 Conversion Wizard to migrate your PADS 3.1 data and content to PADS4. Follow the instructions given. Page 69 of 104

70 Upgrading from any earlier version of PADS For PADS versions that precede PADS 3.1, steps to migrate to PADS4 could be too convoluted. Of course, you can go through the steps of upgrading the software from one older version to a newer one until you get to the point of PADS4, but we advise otherwise. To upgrade from an earlier version of PADS 1. Install the PADS4 software as described at Installation of PADS. 2. Uninstall the old PADS software. Page 70 of 104

71 Maintaining the installation Once PADS has been installed, there are several tools to maintain the installation. In this section Restoring to a previous build version Describes the steps to restore the installation to a previous build. Modifying the installation Describes the steps to modify the installation. Repairing the installation Describes the steps to repair the installation. Removing the installation Describes the steps to remove the installation. Page 71 of 104

72 Updating the installation Once PADS has been installed, updates for the system will come available from time to time. These updates need to be downloaded and installed. You can choose how PADS will handle these updates. In this section Automatic update Describes the steps to have your PADS installation perform updates automatically. Manual update Describes the steps to perform the updates to your PADS installation manually. Page 72 of 104

73 Automatic update The automatic update of the PADS4 software is a feature that will be enabled through the PADS Agent. Page 73 of 104

74 Manual update Every application within the PADS installation offers the functionality to manually check for updates. To update a PADS application manually You can start any of the PADS applications to perform a manual update. For this example, the Scheduler is used. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar. Select (All) Programs, PADS4 and then Scheduler. After having logged on successfully, the Designer's main window is shown. Page 74 of 104

75 In the ribbon bar select the Tools tab and then click the Check for Updates button. The welcome screen of the PADS Software Update Wizard is shown. It will show the date at which the last check for updates was performed. None means there have not been any checks before. Click Next to continue. The PADS Software Update Wizard will check online if there is a newer version of PADS4. Page 75 of 104

76 If a new version has been found, the Wizard will show that an update is available alongside the newer version number and its build date. N O T E If no updates wer e found the s c r een will d is p lay the text No U pdates Avai l abl e. Click Download Software Update to continue. Page 76 of 104

77 The update will be downloaded. Page 77 of 104

78 When the download is complete, you can install the update. Click Install to continue. Page 78 of 104

79 The Installation Wizard is started and from this point the same procedure is followed as in the regular PADS installation. Page 79 of 104

80 Restoring to a previous build version Depending on your product key and the contract information contained therein, you may not have the rights to install a certain update of PADS after a specified date. If you do so anyway, thepads system will notify you of this, and you will have to revert to a previous build version of PADS. PADS4 offers this functionality. To retrieve the current build version number PADS4 build versions have their own build version numbers. This is in the format of 4.X.YYYY, for example: To retrieve the current build version number, perform the following steps. 1. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar. 2. Select Control Panel. 3. Double click Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Vista/Windows 7). 4. Click PADS4In the list of installed programs to select it. 5. Click the Uninstall/Change button. Page 80 of 104

81 6. The introduction page of thepads4installation Wizard is shown and next to the text Version currently installed you will find the current build version number. To restore to a previous build version of PADS Now that you have the current build version number you can restore to a previous build version. 1. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar. 2. Select Accessories. 3. Select Windows Explorer. 4. Navigate to the folder C:\ProgramData\PADS\Setup. Page 81 of 104

82 5. Open the folder that contains a lower build version number than the current one. 6. Double-click Setup.exe. 7. The PADS Installation Wizard is started, but now for the previous build version that you selected. 8. Follow the instructions from there. It's analogue to Starting the installation program. Page 82 of 104

83 Modifying the installation After you have installed PADSyou can make modifications to the installation at any time. The modifications you can make in the installation include installation of certain components that have not been installed yet or the other way around, the removal of any of the installed components. To modify the PADSinstallation on your computer 1. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar. 2. Select Control Panel. 3. Double click Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Vista/Windows 7). 4. Click PADS4In the list of installed programs to select it. 5. Click the Uninstall/Change button. Page 83 of 104

84 6. Click Next in the introduction page of thepads4installation Wizard. Page 84 of 104

85 7. Select the Modify button and click Next. Page 85 of 104

86 8. Select the components you like to be installed/uninstalled and click Next. Page 86 of 104

87 9. Specify which shortcuts need to be created. 10. Click Modify. Page 87 of 104

88 11. Click Finish to close the wizard. Page 88 of 104

89 Repairing the installation PADSoffers the possibility to have your installation automatically repaired when one or more of the installed components got lost or corrupted. To repair the PADSinstallation on your computer 1. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar. 2. Select Control Panel. 3. Double click Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Vista/Windows 7). 4. Click PADS4 In the list of installed programs to select it. 5. Click the Uninstall/Change button. Page 89 of 104

90 6. Click Next in the introduction page of thepads4installation Wizard. Page 90 of 104

91 7. Select the Repair button and click Next. Page 91 of 104

92 8. Click Repair. Page 92 of 104

93 9. Click Finish to close the wizard. Page 93 of 104

94 Removing the installation If you no longer want to make use of the PADSsoftware you can choose to remove it entirely from your computer. I M P O R T A N T W ith this p r oc ed ur e all ins talled c omp onents of PADS4 will b e r emoved fr om your c omp uter. So if you have ins talled PADS Sc hed uler as well as PADS Viewer then b oth ap p lic - ations will b e r emoved. If you only want to r emove s ome of the ins talled c omp onents b ut not all then you s hould follow the p r oc ed ur e as d es c r ib ed under Mod ifying the ins tallation. To remove the PADSinstallation from your computer 1. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar. 2. Select Control Panel. 3. Double click Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Vista/Windows 7). 4. Click PADS4 In the list of installed programs to select it. 5. Click the Uninstall/Change button. Page 94 of 104

95 6. Click Next in the introduction page of thepads4installation Wizard. Page 95 of 104

96 7. Select the Uninstall button and click Next. Page 96 of 104

97 8. Click Uninstall. Page 97 of 104

98 9. Click Finish to close the wizard. Things to consider after removing the installation from your computer When you've removed PADS4 from your computer, there are some issues to be considered. There are some files of the PADS installation that are not automatically removed from your computer. This includes the PADSdatabase (pads4.sdf) and a number of.xml files with program settings. To make sure that the PADS software is completely removed you can best manually remove the folder C:\ProgramData\PADS and all of its subfolders after uninstalling the PADS software. With removing the installation only files that have been installed by the PADS installation program itself can be removed. Files that have been created afterwards with using the PADS software (like.padsx files with the designed presentations) are not removed and will have to be removed Page 98 of 104

99 manually afterwards. The uninstall routine will also NOT uninstall the Microsoft.NET framework. If you want to have this removed from your computer as well you should uninstall this separately. However, please be careful with this, because there might be other applications on your computer that use this Microsoft component. Page 99 of 104

100 Troubleshooting A lot of effort has been put into PADS4 to make it easier to trace and backtrack the cause of problems in the PADS installation, if any occur. In this section Detailed error messages Describes the new PADS error messages in detail. PADS Logging Describes the way PADS keeps track of its own log messages. PADS Black Box Describes the mechanism to bundle all PADS error information into one compact package to be sent to Net Display Systems for inspection. Microsoft Event Viewer Describes the standard Windows method to inspect the status of the PADS Server. Page 100 of 104

101 Detailed error messages With PADS4 we have made the descriptions of the messages as specific as possible. This should simplify working with PADS and pinpoint any causes if an error occurs. An example of a detailed error message Below an example is given of a message box that contains a detailed error message. It contains the error, a description and details. All can be attached to the Windows Clipboard and put in an message that you can send to your support contact person, if the error proves to be to complex to handle yourself. Page 101 of 104

102 PADS Logging For each PADS application PADS4 now offers the possibility view log messages about application specific information, warning or error messages. Page 102 of 104

103 PADS Black Box PADS4 now offers the possibility to gather information about the system and send it to Net Display Systems when all other methods fail to clarify the source of the issues. Page 103 of 104

104 Microsoft Event Viewer With some end-user applications like PADS Scheduleryou usually get an error message telling you more about the problem. However, other applications usually store their messages in the Windows Event Viewer logs like the PADS Server service on the PADS Server PC. To view Microsoft Event Viewer log information 1. In the Windows Start menu click Control Panel. 2. Double click Administrative Tools. 3. Double click Event Viewer. 4. Check the Application log, Security log and System log to see if there are any messages from one of the PADSapplications or services. Page 104 of 104