K2 [blackpearl] Server Roles & Component Installation, a Disambiguation

Seb — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:12:00 GMT

Hi guys,

I have had a lot of questions around the various server roles for K2 and specifically what should be installed where. Below I have broken down the exact server items into the most distributed installation structure that is likely to be used and included the components that should be installed.

Please bear in mind that the databases can be distributed to different servers for better performance, ie: keeping the SmartBox database separate from all other databases where SmartBox is heavily utilised.

Component Installation Prerequisites:

Please be advised that this is a guide only and is based on the K2 Installation Guide which may change without notice. For the latest details, please see the K2 Portal at https://portal.k2workflow.com/ => Downloads => Product Downloads => K2 blackpearl.

K2 [blackpearl] makes use of a number of Microsoft components, please ensure that all of these components are fully updated and configured and that these components have all of their dependent components available. The following list details the K2 component dependencies and does not provide details of the underlying dependencies of the components listed.

Infrastructure:

Microsoft Active Directory

NTLM (Standalone Installation)
Kerberos (Distributed Installation)

Service Principal Names (“SPN”)’s will be required for each service

Service Account for the K2 [blackpearl] Server will be required
Service Account for the K2 Workspace Application Pool Identity
It is highly recommended that each environment uses separate service accounts for both the K2 [blackpearl] Server and K2 Workspace Application Pool Identity

SMTP Services and Mailboxes, either POP3 or Microsoft Exchange

Data Storage Server:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 with Service Pack 2

32-bit or 64-bit supported
Standard or Enterprise version supported

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services ADOMD.NET with Service Pack 2
Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (“MSDTC”)

Allow Remote Clients
Allow Inbound and Outbound Transactions

Report Server:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services with Service Pack 2

32-bit only
Standard or Enterprise version supported

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services ADOMD.NET with Service Pack 2

K2 [black[earl] Server:

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2

32-bit only
R2 supported
Standard or Enterprise version supported
Microsoft Message Queuing

Active Directory Integration for Enterprise Queues is recommended for tighter control and increased security
Private Queues are supported though not recommended due to reduced security

Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (“MSDTC”)

Allow Remote Clients
Allow Inbound and Outbound Transactions

Microsoft .net Framework 2.0
Microsoft .net Framework 3.0
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, version 7.0 is highly recommended

K2 Workspace Server:

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2

32-bit only
R2 supported
Standard or Enterprise version supported
Microsoft Internet Information Services (“IIS”)
Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (“MSDTC”)

Allow Remote Clients
Allow Inbound and Outbound Transactions

Microsoft .net Framework 2.0
Microsoft .net Framework 3.0
Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2005 with Service Pack 1
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, version 7.0 is highly recommended

SharePoint Server: (Optional)

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

32-bit only

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (“MOSS”) 2007

32-bit only
Standard or Enterprise version supported

Administrator Workstation:

Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2

32-bit or 64-bit supported
All versions supported

Microsoft Vista

32-bit or 64-bit supported
All versions supported

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, version 7.0 is highly recommended

Developer Workstation:

Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2

32-bit only
Professional version only

Microsoft Vista

32-bit only
Business or Ultimate version supported

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 with Service Pack 1

Visual Studio 2005 extensions for .NET Framework 3.0 (Windows Workflow Foundation)
Visual Studio 2005 extensions for .NET Framework 3.0 (WCF & WPF), November 2006 CTP
Visual Studio 2005 Web Deployment Projects

Microsoft .net Framework 2.0
Microsoft .net Framework 3.0
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, version 7.0 is highly recommended

Client Workstation:

Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2

32-bit or 64-bit supported (64-bit supported provided that no K2 components, packaged or bespoke, are installed)
All versions supported

Microsoft Vista

32-bit or 64-bit supported (64-bit supported provided that no K2 components, packaged or bespoke, are installed)
All versions supported

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, version 7.0 is highly recommended

Optional Workstation Components:

Microsoft Office 2007

Professional Plus, Enterprise and Ultimate versions supported

Microsoft Office Visio 2007

32-bit only
Standard or Professional version supported
Primary Interop Assemblies for Office 2007

NB: Please see Microsoft supplied product documentation for Microsoft product requirements and installation guides.

Installation Methodology:

Download and review the latest K2 [blackpearl] Installation Guide
Decide on installation type, Standalone or Distributed and review the K2 [blackpearl] Installation Guide’s notes on the desired installation type
Decide on which server or servers will fulfill each role
Download and review the latest Microsoft product installation guides for your selected installation type
Document proposed installation
Prepare service accounts for K2 and Microsoft products as outlined by the respective documentation
Prepare Kerberos Service Principal Names if using a Distributed installation for K2 and Microsoft products as outlined by the respective documentation
Install and configure all pre-requisites and ensure their successful operation
Update all pre-requisites and ensure their successful operation
Install K2 components as defined by the K2 Installation Guide
Update all K2 components; updates are available from https://portal.k2workflow.com/
Verify installation and successful operation

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Seb

K2 API Examples - all done!

Seb — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:21:00 GMT

Hi guys,

With K2 [blackpearl] SP1 out the door, I figured I’d upload the last piece of the API demo’s to K2 blackmarket. The final piece deals with the wizard SDK and writing a custom Client Event Wizard for K2 blackpearl.

The project can be found here: http://k2underground.com/k2/ProjectHome.aspx?ProjectID=24 and is intended to work with the Intranet example available here: http://k2underground.com/k2/ProjectHome.aspx?ProjectID=22

Each project will give you a full breakdown of what they do and the K2 blackpearl SDK will give you a rundown of each of the classes.

The other item I put together is a SmartObject Service for MS-SQL which can be found here: http://k2underground.com/k2/ProjectHome.aspx?ProjectID=20

Please join these projects and post any specific questions there.

Cheers,

Seb

K2 [blackmarket] Examples

Seb — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:09:00 GMT

Hi guys,

Chris has recently opened the K2 [blackmarket] which has some very nice sample code and projects. I have included an AJAX and ASP.net web application which demos the most frequently used K2 API's. Have a look here at this link: http://k2underground.com/k2/ProjectHome.aspx?ProjectID=22

I'll also be adding a SmartObject Service Example very shortly.

Cheers,

Seb