Rightfax Pre-Install Checklist

Best Practices

Any Rightfax installation or upgrade/patch should follow these steps to insure a smooth process:

  • Always use a Console session when installing Rightfax, including patches
  • Install as the Rightfax service account
  • Disable User Account Control
  • Reboot the server prior to install, including patches
  • Gather the necessary information required during the install

 

Console Session

Installing Rightfax in a true console session is critical to assuring a clean install.  A Remote Desktop Session does not provide the proper context for some of the installation requirements.

To insure you are installing in a console session, there are two methods:  Command Prompt and Task Manager.  Below are screenshots of each showing a console session versus an RDP session:

A - Commandline:  set sessionname

Note:  Simpler:  set se

B - Task Manager, Users tab

Rightfax Service Account

Before installation, you must create a domain user account for Rightfax.  This account should then be added to the local administrators group on the Rightfax server.

After adding the account, log on as that account.  Virtually everything you will want to do with Rightfax (installation, updating, and troubleshooting) will require being logged on as the service account.

 

User Account Control - UAC

User account control is a killer for software installations.  Rightfax has many documented problems with UAC, and, therefore, it must be disabled prior to installation.

Microsoft Technet:

Deactivating UAC in Windows 2008 R2 was possible via running msconfig (for example winkey+r -> msconfig), going to the Tools tab and launching "Change UAC settings". There, you select "Never notify" to disable UAC. The same approach is still available in Windows Server 2012, though UAC is still active after you selected "Never notify". You have the option to turn off UAC via registry by changing the DWORD "EnableLUA" from 1 to 0 in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE

MicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion

policiessystem".

You will get a notification that a reboot is required. After the reboot, UAC is disabled.

From <http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/13953.windows-server-2012-deactivating-uac.aspx>

Registry key:  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE

MicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion

policiessystem

Value:  EnableLUA = 0

 

Reboot Rightfax Server

Rightfax uses a number of services which have a number of dependencies.  To avoid service state and file locking issues, it is important to restart the Rightfax server prior to any installation, even the first one.  In particular, the Dialogic Brooktrout driver installation and update has been known to fail if the server is not restarted after every patch.

 

Information needed during the installation

To insure a smooth installation window, please have the necessary information available prior to install.  Rightfax will prompt for the following information during the installation:

  • Rightfax service account credentials
  • SQL Server information
  • Server Unique Identifier (SUID)