Installing & Licensing the Team Configuration Center

Frozen Content
Modified by Jason Howie on Jun 19, 2014
Contents

Parent article: Centralized Environment Configuration Management

This page contains information regarding legacy Team Configuration Center technology, that was previously sold and installed as a separate solution. The Team Configuration functionality is now installed as a service as part of an Altium Vault installation. For more information, see Altium Vault - Environment Configuration Management.

Installation of the Team Configuration Center is both intuitive and expedient, courtesy of a dedicated installer – the Team Configuration Center Setup wizard. This installer is accessed by running an executable – TC2 <VersionNumber>.exe. This executable is downloaded from the Downloads page of the Altium website, and can be saved anywhere on the hard disk. This single, wizard-based installer, caters for the following slightly different needs:

  • To install the Team Configuration Center functionality on top of an already-established installation of the Altium Vault Server. Since the DXP App Server and Altium Vault Server are already installed on the target computer, the installer simply plugs the configuration management service into the DXP App Server platform.
  • To install a standalone instance of the Team Configuration Center. This will install the core DXP App Server platform and related services (Identity Service, Search Service), the Team Configuration Center service, and a dedicated Altium Vault that is usable only for the data items applicable to environment configuration management (schematic templates, output jobs, and Altium Designer preferences).

When installing the Team Configuration Center as a standalone solution, the Altium Vault that comes bundled with it is purely a 'storage vessel' for the supported configuration data items. It is not a vault in the typical sense, in that you cannot connect to it, nor release to it in the traditional way. In fact GUI elements will simply reflect the ability to 'Save' to the Team Configuration Center, rather than releasing to the vault. Similarly, you cannot 'see' this vault from the Vaults panel, and therefore cannot explore, place or download from it in the traditional sense.

In this respect it can therefore be seen as a dedicated 'internal vault', sitting in the shadows as it were. If you need the full versatility of Altium's vault technologies within your organization, including the ability to release and manage components, managed sheets, PCB designs, and acquire data through the Data Acquisition service, you should purchase and install the Altium Vault Server, and then purchase and install the Team Configuration Center on top. For more information on the Altium Vault Server and its installation, see Altium Vault Technology.

The Team Configuration Center can ONLY be installed and run on a PC running Windows Vista or above, as its Operating System. It cannot be installed on a PC running Windows XP.

The following sections take a look at installing the Team Configuration Center - both as an additional service, and as a standalone option - and getting it licensed.

Installing the Team Configuration Center as an Additional Service

To install the Team Configuration Center on top of an existing installation of the Altium Vault Server, simply access and run the Team Configuration Center Setup wizard.

Initial welcome page for the Team Configuration Server installation wizard.

Click Next to continue through to the "Ready to Install" page of the wizard. There are no other details to enter, simply proceed directly with the installation by clicking Install. The page will change to "Installing". Once complete, simply click Finish to exit the wizard.

Kick off the installation by clicking Install. Click Finish once installation is complete.

Enabling the Open TC2 Console option on the last page of the wizard will give access to the Team Configuration Center console through its browser-based interface, after clicking Finish. This console is where you create, define and manage the environment configurations for your organization. For more information, see Creating and Managing Environment Configurations.

Verifying the Team Configuration Center is Running

Verification that the Team Configuration Center is running can be performed from the Windows Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager panel – accessed from Window's Administrative Tools window. Simply check to confirm the following Application Pools have been added, and are in the Started state:

  • TC2 Console Pool
  • TC2 Pool

Checking that the IIS application pools related to the Team Configuration Center are started after installation.

Licensing

Access to the Team Configuration Center requires a license. And since the Team Configuration Center is a service or application ('app') plugged into the DXP App Server platform, a license is also required to connect to that platform. In fact, use of the Team Configuration Center when installed as an additional service, is not possible without both the DXP App Server AND an Altium Vault Server installed, so licenses for all three are required.

These three licenses are obtained when purchasing the Altium DXP App Server, the Altium Vault Server, and the Team Configuration Center respectively, and can be summarized as follows:

  • Altium DXP App Server Enterprise Connector License (ECL) – perpetual license for the core Altium DXP App Server, including 5 seats. Each seat of the license allows a single user to connect to the DXP App Server.
  • Altium Vault Server Client Access License (CAL) – perpetual license for the Altium Vault Server, including 5 seats. Each seat of the license allows a single user to access the Altium Vault Server.
  • Team Configuration Center Client Access License (CAL) – perpetual license for the Team Configuration Center, including 5 seats. Each seat of the license allows a single user to access the Team Configuration Center.

For any given user to access the Team Configuration Center, they require:

  • 1 seat of an Altium DXP App Server Enterprise Connector License AND
  • 1 seat of an Altium Vault Server Client Access License AND
  • 1 seat of a Team Configuration Center Client Access License.

So at a minimum, purchasing these three products provides for the simultaneous connection of 5 users to the Team Configuration Center.

Additional licensing can be purchased as needed, to allow a higher number of simultaneous connections to the Team Configuration Center. So if an organization needed access by 25 users, an additional 20-seat Enterprise Connector License (for the DXP App Server), 20-seat Client Access License (for the Altium Vault Server), and 20-seat Client Access License (for the Team Configuration Center) would need to be purchased.

Licensing is handled locally through license files (*.alf). From the Team Configuration Center's perspective, it is the number of seats supported by the license that determines how many users can simultaneously be connected to it. Although any number of users may be registered to access and use the environment configurations that it serves, only that licensed number will be allowed to connect to it simultaneously.

The same user can be accessing the Team Configuration Center concurrently in different ways (e.g. connected through Altium Designer AND signed-in through an external Browser) and it only counts as a single connection from the licensing perspective.

Acquisition of the required license files is performed through the AltiumLive Dashboard (accessed from the Community menu on the Altium website). From the Licenses tab, locate the applicable license (in the Server Applications grouping of licenses) then click through to the detailed license management page. Once there, click the Activate button to generate and download the associated license file.

Activate the applicable licenses to acquire the license files needed to connect to the Altium DXP App Server, and access and use the Altium Vault Server and Team Configuration Center.

Note that the Team Configuration Center (TC2) will be installed as an additional service if the Altium Vault Server and the supporting DXP App server are already installed. If the licenses for these applications have been activated, it will only be necessary to activate a license for TC2.

Depending on the needs of the organization, a minimum of 3, and maximum of 6 license files will be required, when using centralized environment configuration management:

  • Altium DXP App Server Enterprise Connector License file (Altium DXP App Server ECL <LicenseActivationCode>.alf) – base license with 5 seats.
  • Altium Vault Server Client Access License file (Altium Vault CAL <LicenseActivationCode>.alf) – base license with 5 seats.
  • Team Configuration Center Client Access License file (Altium TC2 CAL <LicenseActivationCode>.alf) – base license with 5 seats.
  • Additional Altium DXP App Server Enterprise Connector License file (Altium DXP App Server ECL <LicenseActivationCode>.alf) – additional license providing an extra x purchased seats.
  • Additional Altium Vault Server Client Access License file (Altium Vault CAL <LicenseActivationCode>.alf) – additional license providing an extra y purchased seats.
  • Additional Team Configuration Center Client Access License file (Altium TC2 CAL <LicenseActivationCode>.alf) – additional license providing an extra z purchased seats.
To guarantee permanent availability and smooth workflow, it is advisable when purchasing additional licenses to get the same number of seats for the Enterprise Connector License and Client Access Licenses involved.

Once the license files are downloaded, drop them into the root installation folder for the Altium DXP App Server (the default for which is \Program Files (x86)\Altium\DXP Apps Server).

The software checks every hour for the presence of valid license files. To have immediate effect, simply stop and restart all applicable IIS application pools.

Standalone Installation

To install the Team Configuration Center in standalone fashion, simply access and run the Team Configuration Center Setup wizard.

Standalone installation of the Team Configuration Center is only possible provided the target PC onto which the software is being installed DOES NOT HAVE the Altium Vault Server installed. If the Altium Vault Server installation is detected, the Team Configuration Center Setup wizard will simply switch to installing the Team Configuration Center as an additional service to the already present DXP App Server.

Initial welcome page for the Team Configuration Server installation wizard.

Click Next to continue through to the Select Destination Location page. This is the destination in which to install the core DXP App Server platform and related services (Identity Service, Search Service), the Team Configuration Center service, and a dedicated Altium Vault. The default installation path is \Program Files (x86)\Altium\DXP Apps Server. At least 124MB of free disk space is required for installation.

To specify an alternate location, simply type the location directly into the field, or click the Browse button at the right of the field and browse for the required destination folder (or create it on-the-fly).

Determine install location for the Team Configuration Center.

Once the install location is specified, click Next to continue. The DXP Apps Server Configuration page will be presented. Use this page to specify the port number to be used by the relevant services for communications (HTTP). By default, port 9780 is used.

If an alternate port number to the default is specified, remember to make it different to that used by another Vault type, if those different vaults are to be run on the same PC. An Altium Personal Vault uses the port 9680, while a legacy Satellite Vault uses port 9880.

Set the port number for server communications.

Once the port number is specified, click Next to continue. The Select DXP Apps Server Data Directory page will be presented. This is the destination folder in which to store application data files. The default installation path is \ProgramData\Altium\DXPAppsServerData.

To specify an alternate location, simply type the location directly into the field, or click the Browse button at the right of the field and browse for the required destination folder (or create it on-the-fly).

Determine the install location for application data.

The Installer now has all the information it requires to proceed with the installation. If anything needs to be changed, click the Back button. To cancel out of the install, click Cancel. To go ahead and proceed with the installation, click Install. The page will change from "Ready to Install" to "Installing" and the installation will proceed. Once complete, simply click Finish to exit the wizard.

The Team Configuration Center runs on top of the Microsoft Internet Information Services package (IIS). If this is not installed on the PC, the designer will be prompted to install it after the installation process begins.

Kick off the installation by clicking Install. Click Finish once installation is complete.

Enabling the Open TC2 Console option on the last page of the wizard will give access to the Team Configuration Center console through its browser-based interface, after clicking Finish. This console is where you create, define and manage the environment configurations for your organization. For more information, see Creating and Managing Environment Configurations.

Verifying the Standalone Installation

Verification that the Team Configuration Center is running can be performed from the Windows Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager panel – accessed from Window's Administrative Tools window. Simply check to confirm the following Application Pools are in the Started state:

  • Altium Identity Service Pool
  • Altium Search Service Pool
  • DXP Apps Server Pool
  • TC2 Console Pool
  • TC2 Pool
  • Vault Pool

Checking that the Altium-related IIS application pools are started after installation.

Standalone Licensing

Licensing for a standalone installation of the Team Configuration Center is pretty much the same as it is when adding as an additional service to an existing installation of the Altium Vault Server. The only difference is that a license is required for the internal Altium Vault - installed as part of the standalone setup - instead of an Altium Vault Server Client Access License (CAL). This license - an Altium TC2 Vault license - is bundled free with the purchase of the Team Configuration Center license.

Since it is bundled free with the Team Configuration Center license, the Altium TC2 Vault license includes the same seat count. So buying a base license for the Team Configuration Center - which includes 5 seats - automatically gets the Altium TC2 Vault license with the same number of seats.

The three licenses obtained when purchasing the Altium DXP App Server and the Team Configuration Center respectively, can be summarized as follows:

  • Altium DXP App Server Enterprise Connector License (ECL) – perpetual license for the core Altium DXP App Server, including 5 seats. Each seat of the license allows a single user to connect to the DXP App Server.
  • Team Configuration Center Client Access License (CAL) – perpetual license for the Team Configuration Center, including 5 seats. Each seat of the license allows a single user to access the Team Configuration Center.
  • Altium TC2 Vault License – perpetual license for the standalone internal Altium Vault, including 5 seats. Each seat of the license allows a single user to access this internal vault.

For any given user to access the standalone Team Configuration Center, they require:

  • 1 seat of an Altium DXP App Server Enterprise Connector License AND
  • 1 seat of a Team Configuration Center Client Access License AND
  • 1 seat of an Altium TC2 Vault License.

So at a minimum, purchasing these two products provides for the simultaneous connection of 5 users to the standalone Team Configuration Center.

Additional licensing can be purchased as needed, to allow a higher number of simultaneous connections to the Team Configuration Center.

Again, licensing is handled locally through license files (*.alf), acquisition of which is performed through the AltiumLive Dashboard. Simply acquire the license files by activating each license type in turn, then drop them into the root installation folder for the Altium DXP App Server (the default for which is \Program Files (x86)\Altium\DXP Apps Server).

Activate the applicable licenses to acquire the license files needed to connect to the Altium DXP App Server, and access and use the standalone Team Configuration Center and associated internal Altium Vault.

 

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