Getting Started with Private Host

Summary:

This article will detail the steps to get you started after you have completed your Private Host installation.

Throughout the Solver knowledgebase, you can find additional info on specific features related to Solver Private Host. 

Article Sections:

• Method
  • Checking your Install
  • Configure Your First User
  • Syncing Private Host to your Active Directory

Method:

Checking your Install

Now that your installation has been completed, here are some quick checks to do: 

1. Navigate to solver.local if it has not already opened on your web server and log in.
2. Verify that you see the Settings menu in the bottom left-hand corner.
   • Verify that you see the Data Connection menu. 
3. Create a connection to your Data Warehouse if it has not been set up already

Note: Only one connection to a DW is allowed per tenant.

• Click on Data Warehouse > Configuration > License and verify that your license key has been installed. If the red box is blank, you have not installed the license key and need to do so. 

• Note: Please contact Solver Support if you do not have the license key.

Click Administration, a listing of your company and the configured tenants should appear. If this is your first time accessing this screen, only one tenant should appear.

The Overview tab lists installed integrations, this is based on the integrations you have purchased and were installed during the installation process.

• If you purchase another integration at a later date, click Add to install this additional integration.
  Note: From time to time, Solver releases integration package updates to expand feature support and/or fix bugs. Click Update to get the latest integration package.

• This is not required. It is recommended to do this during a non-critical reporting period if you are not experiencing any Reporting issues. 
• If you are on the latest integration package, this will not appear. 
• The Companies tab lists connections that have been made to various data sources created via the Data Connection menu.

• Users can delete any company here if they have been assigned can manage connection permissions.
• The Users tab lists all users who have been added to the tenant.

For Organizations who have purchased multiple tenants, a user must be added to each tenant that they should have access to. 

The Roles tab lists all Roles that have been created for the tenant. Roles are a way to group users together who have the same data and application permissions (ex: finance team)

The Licensing tab displays the licenses (“features”) that have been assigned to each user. Please see this article for details on the licensing hierarchy.

1. Note: Licenses are shared across all tenants of a company. 

Configure Your First User

At this point your install looks good. Now let’s add a user. 

If you plan to use Active Directory for login, please go to the next section.

1. Navigate to the Users tab
2. In the textbox, type in the email of user and click the + icon.
   

1. Note: AD groups cannot be added as a way to administer users and/or licensing to the application for licensing purposes. An AD Group can be added as a Publisher recipient only.
2. The user will now receive an invite email. They have six (6) days to accept the invite before the password expires. 
   Note: Solver Private Host v 5.2.30708+ uses NIST standards for password complexity and security. 
3. You can now choose to set up permissions and data access at a per user level or at a role level. It is recommended to setup security up at a role level for easier maintenance and for support of more complex data access requirements. 
4. Click on Feature Access to assign licenses to the user. The same action can be performed on the Licensing tab.

Syncing Private Host to Your Active Directory

Solver Private Host can sync to your organizations active directory allowing users to log in via their AD credentials. A couple important notes:

• Users will login with just their username. Typing in their email and/or domain will not work. 
• One (1) portal authenticated user must remain in the installation.

During this process, we will connect to your AD and show all AD groups that the defined user has access to. It is recommended to use Specified Authentication and type in the username of whomever has permissions to see only the AD groups who will be using Solver Private Host.

The following steps require that:

• The Web Server be on the domain and/or a domain user’s credentials can be provided to read the Active Directory.
• Roles have been created within Solver Private Host.
• After the user(s) has logged in, you must assign licensing to the user(s)

To sync Private Host to your AD, follow these steps:

1. Log in as a company administrator by navigating to Settings > System Settings > Active Directory

1. Enable AD
2. Type in your Active Directory Domain name and click Save. This should be the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and not the Windows name. 
   Note: If you cannot connect, then either the machine cannot see the provided domain or a specified user is required to connect to the domain. 
3. Authentication: depending on your organization’s domain configuration, a specified user may be required to connect to PH to the domain.
   • Default: will use the AppPool user defined during the install.
   • Specified: type in a domain username and password.
4. At this point anyone within your Active Directory can log in. Upon logging in, they will have no access if licenses have not been applied.
   • To restrict access to only an AD group(s), simply search for them in the Active Directory Group Name and assign the group to a Portal role and click Add Role Mapping.

If the dropdown is blank, then the provided authentication does not have enough permissions to read the active directory. Click the Refresh button or try another domain user credentials

You have now successfully synced Private Host to your AD. Instruct your users to log into Solver Private Host. Because users must sign in one time for an administrator to apply licensing, the following is recommended:

• Have a window of time where all Solver Private Host users should log in one time.
  • At this point they will have no access to menus.
• After this window has closed, come in as the Administrator and apply Licensing.