Installer Hosting Options
- 15 Apr 2024
- 2 Minutes to read
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Installer Hosting Options
- Updated on 15 Apr 2024
- 2 Minutes to read
- Print
- DarkLight
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Overview
Two installer options are available for web application hosting:
- Self-hosting - recommended for root platform installations e.g. "http://domain.com"
- Internet Information Services (IIS) Hosting - Portal URLs requiring a Virtual Directory e.g. "http://domain.com/decisions" require IIS hosting
Local installations default to localhost with HTTP (Port: 80) or HTTPS (Port: 443).
To overwrite, specify the desired Domain Name e.g. "example.com" and/or Port(s). In the absence of IIS, manually open the Windows Firewall port(s) on the server.
Regardless of the hosting option, it is recommended to use SSL for added security.
Self Hosting
Self Hosted Installations utilize a Windows Service called Decisions Server allowing for a quick running single application setup. This setup provides users the functionality of a full-fledged application server without having to communicate with an additional external server.
The following table provides key features and associated considerations of Self-Hosting.
| Feature | Consideration |
|---|---|
| Leverages Kestrel Web Hosting to host Decisions as Windows Service called Decisions Server; this allows for a faster running Web Server. | Choosing Self Hosting over IIS sacrifices some security features such as the ability to filter and limit requests, and Windows Authentication. |
| Supports both HTTPS and HTTP/2 | Does not allow Port Sharing. |
| Self Hosting allows for a simplified installation process. | Requires Windows Firewall Ports to be opened manually. |
Self Hosted Diagram
The following diagram demonstrates the how a Self Hosted Decisions environment interacts with elements such as the Decisions Server, Database, File Storage, and External Integrations (such as Web and REST Services, and External Databases).
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IIS Hosting
Internet Information Services (IIS) Hosting uses the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle to communicate between the Web Server and an IIS Application Pool. This installer hosting option may be configured using one of two methods:
Note:
- For Version 8.8 and lower, ASP.NET Core Runtime 6.0.11 (Hosting Bundle) needs to be installed.
- For Version 8.9 and higher, ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0 (Hosting Bundle) needs to be installed.
- Automatically via the Application Pool panel of the IIS Hosting option in the Decisions Installer
- Manually via IIS Manager. For more information, refer to Prerequisite for IIS Hosting.
The following chart describes considerations for each of the features provided by IIS Hosting.
| Feature | Consideration |
|---|---|
| Virtual Directory Support | Platforms that use Portal URLs with virtual directories e.g." domain/decisions" require IIS Hosting. |
| No Windows Service (such as Service Host Manager) | Restarting IIS Hosted v8 environments requires recycling the App Pool or an administrative level Windows command prompt to run the iisreset command with an optional /noforce parameter. |
| Port Sharing Support | Port Sharing requires a v8 IIS-hosted installation. In some environments, Port Sharing is used to allow worker processes to utilize (ie. "share") the same port(s). |
IIS Hosted Diagram
The following diagram demonstrates how an IIS Hosted environment interacts with other elements such as the IIS Application Pool i.e., where the environment is hosted, Database, File Storage, and External Integrations such as Web and REST Services, and External Databases.
For further information on Installation, visit the Decisions Forum.
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