Installing MDriven Server on Windows

This guide may help you to install MDriven Server on Windows(8, 10), Windows 2012R2 and Windows 2016. If you use Windows 7 Enterprise and you have a problem with installation of MDriven Server, please see this article - Installation of MDriven Server on Windows 7 Enterprise.

Installing IIS Services and its components

First of all, you need to install IIS on your computer, on Windows(8, 10) head to the Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off and add Internet Information Services.

On Windows 2012R2 or Windows 2016 after installation add roles: Web server IIS.

Add IIS on Windows(8, 10)

Also, you need to add ASP .NET 4.5(or higher) and its component.

The following features are required to install. ISAPI are dependant on ASP.Net 4.7 and may be skipped.

Features to activate


If you are using WCF the following IIS features should be switched on (WebApi does not use them)

Important! Under .NET Framework 4.7(or higher) "Features", head to WCF Services and select HTTP Activation and TCP Port Sharing.

Important! For Windows 10, Under World Wide Web Services, Common HTTP Features, select Static Content if it's not selected.

Add HTTP Activation and TCP Port Sharing

You should also consider adding:

  • Logging Tools
  • Request Monitor
  • Tracing
  • Dynamic Content Compression
  • Application Initialization
  • Management Service
  • IIS Management Scripts and Tools - also see this described in the next section
  • Basic Authentication, Windows authentication or another authentication service

Note! If you don’t install HTTP Activation, you will get “Error 405 – method not allowed” instead of the MDriven login screen.

Now, you can start IIS Manager on your computer.

If you had some troubles with installation on Windows 2012R2 see also — https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis/install/installing-iis-85/installing-iis-85-on-windows-server-2012-r2.

Setting up IIS Manager

After installation of IIS, you should install Microsoft Web Platform Installer 5.0 - https://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx

After the installation, open Web Platform Installer head to Products and install following components to IIS:

  1. Web Deploy (or download Web Deploy from Microsoft website - https://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/web-deploy)
    1. Make sure you get IIS Deployment Handler installed (Custom installation, or Add programs + Change installation)
      2020-09-03 11h11 44.png
      If you do see the "IIS Deployment Handler" option it is because the following IIS feature is not turned on:
      1. 2020-09-09 09h57 25.png
        Make sure you turn that on and run a Repair on WebDeploy -> now you have the "IIS Deployment Handler"

The WebDeploy gives IIS the Import Application option that greatly simplifies install and updates:

2020-09-09 10h08 18.png

Install MDriven Server

Add an Application Pool

Start IIS Manager and add an Application Pool.

Add an Application Tool in IIS Manager

Name your Pool and set it to .NET CLR 4.0 and Integrated pipeline mode.

Create Application Tool

Configure the AppPool

Select your Application Pool and head to Advanced Settings and set:

  • Start mode: AlwaysRunning
  • Identity: <choose what suits your needs>
  • Limit interval: 1
Setting up the Application Tool

Check file permissions

Check this page for information on the AppPool user settings

The application will act as the AppPool user when accessing the disc. The application will also use "%temp%" for extracting AssetsTK and CodeDress assembliess from the modlr file. The AppPool user will also need access to the whole application in order to distribute codedress assemblies. Also the Logg subdirectory must allow write.

Add a certificate for SSL

In ISS Manager select Server Certificates and create Self-Signed Certificate.

Note! Create the self signed certificate with you servers machine name.

Notice the name in the certificates "Issued to" field. You'll be using this name when you access your server.

If you don't use this URL, you'll get a certificate error, and the server won't be able to communicate internally, so you can't ignore this error!

Fault-finding certificate problems in IIS

Server Certificates in IIS

On the Default web site or on web site which you created, add https binding for port 443 and select the certificate needed.

Add bindings to the site

Installing of MDriven Server

  • Add an application and give a descriptive name. Select the Application Pool which you created earlier.
  1. Create an application with your name ("MyTurnkeyApp) OR (if you want the app on site root level, choose the site in IIS and deploy the TurnkeyServer. Add __MDrivenServer in the samme manner as below)
  2. Create another application under “MyTrunkeyApp” called “__MDrivenServer” (double underscore) so that it ends up like this: “MyTurnkeyApp/__MDrivenServer”
  • Use the deploy function to import the application MDriven Server & MDriven Turnkey which you download from the mdriven.net site (downloaded zip file will work directly with deploy). The installer will not overwrite your existing database if this is an upgrade. The normal choice when upgrading the framework is to overwrite and not remove the existing files.
Deploy the MDriven Server

Note: During installation of MDriven Server or MDriven Turnkey app, if you created the structure before, keep "application path" field empty to save the needed folders' structure.

As a result you will get the following application structure:

Application structure

Setting up MDriven Server

Now, you can open your MDrivenServer in a browser via link

https://localhost/<Your_application_name>/__MDrivenServer/

Important! You have to change "localhost" in a link to the URL in your certificate (which is usually your full machine name including domain).

On the first screen you should register a new user for MDriven Server. For example "admin" (not "a", used by Turnkey)

MDriven Server start page.jpg

After this you may log in and head to Admin area -> Infos, errors and MDrivenServer evolve and push "Evolve Admin database.

Important! MDriven Turnkey will use a user account named “a”, so you need to go back and head to AutoForm select "databaseIdentity" to admin.

Setting up the "a" user

Choose ASP_User -> Show and there you can see all user of MDriven Server. The user "a" will be on the top, if you click on the "Details" you will be able to change user name to another one.

After this, you can log out and register user "a" with your own password.

Problem solving

If you get a 403 error when trying to start the MDriven server, please make sure that ASP.Net 4.7 (or higher) is installed

Video Tutorial

(Please note that the video was created when the MDriven Server was called "Boring Predictable Server" as a working name)

To make your experience more comfortable, we set the main tags mentioned in the video to the right bar menu of this mini player. Choose the interesting subtitle on the list and immediately get to the exact theme timeplace in the video. Now you can pick any topic to be instructed without watching the whole video.

Setting up a Local MDrivenTurnkey application Creating site Installing the MDriven server software Pouring in information for IIS Checking MDriven server Adding a certificate Register a user Set up Turnkey Settings Uploading the Model Creating Index ViewModel ASPNETIdentity Snippets

This page was edited 77 days ago on 01/11/2024. What links here