Installation Prerequisites (Enterprise Only)

Vizlib Server is the back-end solution for those using the on-premise (Enterprise) versions of Vizlib Collaboration and Vizlib Finance Report. This guide contains all the technical information you need to get ready for the installation. The guide applies to Vizlib Server for Enterprise and SaaS Qlik Sense in Windows Server environment. To install Vizlib Server for Qlik Cloud in Linux environment, see the Installation article in Server for Qlik Cloud documentation.

Before you install Vizlib Server, you need to make sure that the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • Your device fulfills system requirements.
  • You have a proper Vizlib license.
  • You have proper SSL certificates issued.

If you want to use Vizlib Server with Vizlib Collaboration, insightsoftware recommends you check the architectural models to see which one fits your requirements. For more information, see Architecture.

For more details on the installation requirements, see the following sections that help you prepare for Vizlib Server installation:

Vizlib Server can be installed either on a server that has a Qlik Sense Node or on a stand-alone server. For more information on the prerequisites for each installation, see the following sections of this topic:

You can find out what data is required during Vizlib Server installation in the Data Required During Installation section of this topic. The Next Steps - Installation section of this topic guides you to Vizlib Server installation instruction.

System Requirements

To install Vizlib Server, make sure your device fulfills the following system requirements:

  • Operating system: Windows Server x64 (2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2).
  • CPU: 4 core Processor.
  • RAM: 8GB RAM.
  • Storage: 1GB of free space.

Note: Make sure you have all required user permissions to run the installation on your device.

License Requirements

For more information on Vizlib extensions installation, see How to Install / Update Vizlib Extensions on your Qlik Sense Server and How to Install / Update Vizlib Extensions on your Qlik Sense Desktop.

Note: Vizlib Server cooperates with offline versions of Vizlib extensions. If you have a trial or online version of Vizlib Collaboration or Vizlib Finance in your Qlik Sense, you need to remove it before importing the offline version.

Prerequisites for installing Vizlib Server on a server with Qlik Sense Node

To install Vizlib Server on a server with a Qlik Sense Node, make sure that the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • Recommended Qlik Sense server: Central QS node.
  • Ports: Two ports need to be available in your environment for the installation; one for the Postgres database (default port 1982) and one for communication between end user connection locations and the target server (default port 1980).

Note: The port numbers listed above are the default ports. You can use other ports during the installation.

  • Firewall: Port 1980 needs to be open.
  • Qlik Sense and Qlik Management Console (QMC): setup of SSL browser certificate thumbprint is required.
  • SSL: Qlik Sense SSL Certificate needs to be stored in PFX format on a drive accessible to the server. For password-protected PFX files, the password is required for the installation (see SSL Certificates for more information).

Note: Multi-node Qlik Sense environments require a separate set of SSL certificates for each node.

  • User: Windows Server / Qlik Sense account(s) with administrative privileges.
  • Permissions: Write to C: drive on target server.
  • Multi node Qlik Sense environments need to be configured with a Virtual Proxy. For more information, see Configuration (Enterprise Only).
  • PM2 cannot be used by another process on the server.

SSL Certificates

SSL Certificates are used to encrypt user communication with Vizlib Server. insightsoftware recommends the following options to obtain a certificate:

  • A third-party certificate authority like DigiCert, COMODO, or GoDaddy.
  • Your own CA server. Contact your IT department for support on completing this request.

Vizlib Server supports PFX (without or with password) or PEM file formats. The private key needs to be included with the certificate when exporting it from the Windows certificate store. You need to save the certificate files to a location that can be reached from Vizlib Server. It is possible to set up Vizlib Server without a third party issued certificate by allowing traffic through HTTP (which carries a security risk) or using exported certificates from a Qlik Sense node. Both options are outlined in the Configuration (Enterprise).

insightsoftware recommends providing the SSL certificate during the installation of Vizlib Server. There's a possibility to provide it also in the VMC when Vizlib Server is installed. The provided certificate undergoes validation. The software informs you if the certificate is valid or not.

If the certificate is valid, the software notifies you in the following ways:

  • During installation, after you provide the certificate details, the installer allows you to perform further steps of the installation procedure.
  • In the VMC, you receive a notification on a successful save.

The certificate may be invalid, for example, for the following reasons:

  • It’s obsolete.
  • The password you provided to confirm the certificate details is incorrect.
  • The certificate file is corrupted.
  • The certificate file doesn’t exist.

If the certificate is invalid, the software notifies you in the following ways:

  • The software displays a popup with an error message when you attempt to proceed to the next installation step.
  • In the VMC, you can see the error message directly under the certificate details. You can view more information on the errors in VMC > Logs Browser.

Prerequisites for installing Vizlib Server on a stand-alone server

If you want to install Vizlib Server on a stand-alone server, make sure that the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • Ports: 443 and 1982 (Postgres database) need to be available for use.
  • Qlik Sense Server ports: 443, 4243, 4242, 4747 need to be accessible on the target server.
  • DNS: Certificate issued for DNS needs to be used by Vizlib Server.
  • Domain and URL: Vizlib Server needs to share domain or be subdomain of DNS used client Qlik Sense connection e.g., vizlibserver.YOURDOMAIN.com (see SSL Certificates for more information).
  • Virtual Proxy needs to be set up according to instructions in Configuration (Enterprise).
  • User: Windows Server / Qlik Sense account(s) with administrative privileges.
  • Permissions: Write to C: drive on target server.
  • PM2 cannot be used by another process on the server.

Data Required During Vizlib Server Installation

During Vizlib Server installation, you need to provide the following data:

  • Username and password to create the administrator account for the Vizlib Management Console (VMC). The VMC is the administrative portal used by Enterprise customers.

Note: Your VMC administrator username and password can't be recovered. If they're lost or forgotten you need to re-start the installation.

  • Database password and port: You can either choose to create a new instance of PostgreSQL Server with the username Postgres during the installation or use an existing PostgreSQL instance.

Note: You can use the database username and password to connect manually to the database using query tools.

  • Database version: Vizlib Server is shipped with Postgres 14.1.1 (versions prior to v.4.0.0 of Vizlib Server used version 13 of Postgres), so insightsoftware recommends version 14.1.1 when using an external Postgres database. Version 11 and above are supported.
  • Server host name and port number: The machine and port where the installation runs.
  • SSL certificate: Confirm the certificate type, directory path and password (if it's required).
  • URL: During installation, you need to select such a URL that matches the certificate.

Note: If the Vizlib Server access URL for Qlik Sense is https://qlik-sense.my-company.com then the certificate needs to be issued for a matching URL, for example qlik-sense.my-company.com, *.my-company.com. If the certificate URL is issued to a different URL or the certificate is self-signed and users decline to accept it, Vizlib Server can’t connect to any extensions.

Note: If you don’t have a valid certificate during installation but want to complete the process, you can switch to the PEM certificate. By default, the installer picks Qlik Sense self-signed local certificates. You are able to verify the extension but can only connect from the machine with Vizlib Server installed.

Note: You can install Vizlib Server using HTTP. However, insightsoftware doesn’t recommend using this option for production environments. It compromises the security of your Qlik Sense data by allowing HTTP traffic, leaving you vulnerable to security breaches.

Next Steps - Installation

Once you've worked through all the items in the checklist, you're ready to install Vizlib Server. For installation guides, see Installation (Enterprise Only).