Non-AD Workgroup Installation

Use this information for installing K2 on a machine in workgroup mode, with all server and client components included. This installation might be used when installing on a virtual machine in Azure when it is not joined to a domain. The installation is similar to a standard K2 installation except that your only option for a user manager is SQLUM.

If you rejoin a domain after installing with SQLUM, run the K2 Setup Manager again and choose the Configure option to configure the K2 installation with the new domain.

Prerequisites

A non-AD installation has similar requirements to a standard installation on a domain-joined machine except for the following:

  • No domain service accounts need to be created; the installation is done using a local machine account with administrator permissions on the virtual machine, and the K2 service accounts are local machine accounts with administrator permissions on the local machine.
  • You do not need a domain DNS Host (A) record since the installation assumes that there is no domain. However, you do need a resolvable hostname to be able to access the K2 server from other machines. For example, if you are installing K2 on a cloud-hosted VM, you need to make a note of the DNS name of the VM to be able to connect to it.
  • You must set up IIS as described in the topic Required IIS settings for K2.
  • Read the topic Certificate and Internet Requirements in K2 for important information on the security certificate for your VM.
  • If you are setting up a VM in Azure and/or the K2 database will be installed on a SQL Azure database, you must set up the K2 database in an Azure SQL Database server using the K2 DACPAC as described in the topic Creating the K2 database in the Azure SQL Database server.

K2 Installation steps

Use the following steps to install K2:

  1. Launch the K2 Setup Manager.
  2. On the Welcome page, click Next.
  3. On the Checking for Latest Version page, the installation will verify the version, click Next.
  4. On the End User License Agreement page, read through the EULA. You must select the I agree to the terms and conditions of the license option before you can continue with the installation. You can print out the EULA for your records. Once you have read the EULA, click Next.
  5. On the User Manager Settings page, select SQL User Manager in the User Manager drop-down and change the installation folder if necessary, then click Next. See the Planning your use of the SQL User Manager topic for more information.
  6. On the Select Components page, check all the components you want to install (select everything for full install).
  7. On the Database Configurations page, you see the name of the K2 Database that will be created as well as the SQL Server. You can change the installation location for the database by clicking on the change link, or the Change All button. You must use SQL Authentication and enter the SQL login and password. You can also change the database name by clicking the change link and editing the Database Name field, but keeping the default value of "K2" is recommended. When you have completed your database configuration, click Next.
  8. On the Database Configuration page, provide the details for the K2 Database
  9. On the License Configuration page, provide K2 licensing information.
  10. On the K2 Server Configuration page, select the Standalone K2 option.
  11. On the second K2 Server Configuration page (server port configuration), take note of the ports that are used for communication. It is strongly recommended to leave the default ports as is.
    It is important to verify that the specified ports are not blocked in your environment to ensure that K2 runs successfully. If the account you are logged in as while installing the K2 Server does not have domain administrator rights to configure the SPNs, you will need to configure the SPNs manually after installing K2 (unless you've determined that K2PTA will work in your environment, i.e that you do not need Kerberos). If you do not configure the SPNs properly in a distributed environment, the K2 Server will not function properly.
  12. Next, configure the K2 Site.
  13. On the K2 Application Pool Configuration page, select an existing application pool to use or update / create a new application pool. Selecting the Set K2 Site SPN allows the Setup Manager to set the SPN for you. Leaving the checkbox clear means you need to set the SPN manually after the install unless you're using K2 pass-through authentication (PTA).
  14. On the Service Accounts Configuration page, enter the local admin account details that you are installing with for the Administrator and K2 Service, and click Next to continue.
  15. Use the Exchange Server Configuration page to configure the Exchange Server if you are using one.
  16. If Exchange is being used, integration is configured on the Exchange Integration page.
  17. You will see the SMTP Settings page if you did not select the Use Exchange for mail integration option on the Exchange Server Configuration page.
  18. On the Configuration Summary page, validate the settings. You can go back to make any necessary changes, and you can print this page for reference later or copy it to the Clipboard. Once satisfied with your settings, click Next.
  19. The Additional Actions page shows if there are additional actions to perform as part of the installation. Click Next to continue.
  20. The Setup Manager will update and show you the progress of the component installation on the Components page.
  21. Once the installation is done, the Configuration Analysis tool will be available to help troubleshoot any errors detected during the installation.
  22. When the installation has completed, you will see a Finished page. There will also be a link to the created configuration log file.

Considerations

  • If Nintex Automation is installed in a Workgroup installation, passwords for Service Accounts must not contain (, " and '). These characters will cause the setup to fail as they are not valid characters within the XML format.

  • If the K2 server or the K2 SQL Database is hosted in a cloud service, it is highly recommended that the K2 database is installed in a SQL server where there is high bandwidth and low latency between the K2 application server and the database server. For example, in Microsoft Azure the Application Server Virtual Machine and the SQL Database should be in the same subscription and geographical location. Alternatively, when installing the K2 database in an Azure SQL database but the K2 application server is in a different location, ensure that the network latency between the K2 server and the SQL server is as low as possible (for example by configuring Azure ExpressRoute or a dedicated network circuit). Excessive network latency between the application server and SQL server will negatively impact performance of your K2 environment.

    See the following topics for more information about SQLUM: