Installation and Upgrade Guides › Policy Server Installation Guide › Installing the Policy Server on Windows Systems › Before You Install the Policy Server › Run the Policy Server Installer

Run the Policy Server Installer

You install the Policy Server using the installation media on the Technical Support site.

Note: For a list of installation media names, see the Policy Server Release Notes.

To run the Policy Server installer

1. Be sure that the system meets the windows requirements.
2. Exit all applications that are running.
3. Double-click installation_media.

   installation_media

   Specifies the name of the Policy Server installation executable.

   The installer starts.

   Important! If you are running this wizard on Windows Server 2008, run the executable file with administrator permissions. Use these permissions even if you are logged in to the system as an administrator. For more information, see the release notes for your SiteMinder component.

4. Use the gathered system and component information to install the Policy Server and configure Policy Server components. Considering the following when running the installer:
   • You are prompted to select a FIPS mode of operation. The use of FIPS-compliant algorithms in your environment is optional. If your organization does not require this type of encryption, install the Policy Server in FIPS-compatibility mode.
   • When prompted to select the components you want configured:
     • As detailed in Policy Store Considerations, the Policy Server installer can automatically configure a policy store. If you are using a vendor that this topic does not list or you do not have the required information, clear the Policy Store check box. You can configure the policy store manually after installing the Policy Server.
     • If you plan on using features related to Federation Security Services, be sure that the Web Server(s) and Create SM Key Database/Change SM Key Database Password check boxes are selected.

     Note: Configuring a web server installs the FSS Administrative UI. If you do not plan on using Federation Security Services, the FSS Administrative UI is not required.

     • If you plan on configuring the SiteMinder Information Card Authentication Scheme, for example, for the support of Microsoft CardSpace, select the Create SM Key Database/Change SM Key Database Password check box.

     Note: If you decide to create a SiteMinder key database, you are prompted to install the default CA certificates. Leave the Import default CA certificates check box selected and install these certificates. You can add additional certificates and private keys to a key database after installation.

   • If you are initializing a policy store, you are prompted to enter a password for the default SiteMinder user account. The default account name is siteminder.
   • If you are using IPv6 addresses, be sure that entries include brackets.

     Example: [2001:db8::1428:57ab]

   • If you cut and paste path information into the wizard, enter a character to enable the Next button.
5. Review the installation settings and click Install.

   The Policy Server and any selected components are installed and configured.

   Note: If you chose to install the FSS Administrative UI, register the FSS Administrative UI with the Policy Server after installing and registering the Administrative UI.

Note: If you experience problems during the installation, you can locate the installation log file and the policy store details file in siteminder_home\siteminder\install_config_info.

siteminder_home

Specifies the Policy Server installation path.

More information:

Locate the Installation Media

Installation Media Names

Troubleshoot the Policy Server Installation

Use the following files to troubleshoot the Policy Server installation:

• CA_SiteMinder_Policy_Server_release_InstallLog.log

  The installation log contains a summary section that lists the number of successes, warnings, non–fatal errors, and errors that occurred during the installation. Individual installation actions are listed with the respective status.

  release

  Specifies the Policy Server release.

  Location: siteminder_home\siteminder\install_config_info

• ca-ps-details.log

  The policy store log details the policy store status.

  Location: siteminder_home\siteminder\install_config_info

• smps.log

  The smps.log is created when you start the Policy Server. This log contains the following line if the Policy Server installed successfully:

  [Info] Journaling thread started, will delete commands older than 60 minutes.
  

  Location: siteminder_home\siteminder\log

  siteminder_home

  Specifies the Policy Server installation path.

Enable SNMP Event Trapping

This is an optional step. You only have to enable SNMP trapping if you configured this feature when installing the Policy Server.

Note: Before completing this procedure, ensure you have an SNMP Service installed on the Windows systems.

To enable SNMP event trapping, use the XPSConfig utility to set the event handler library (eventsnmp.dll) to the XPSAudit list. The default location of eventsnmp.dll is policy_server_home\bin.

policy_server_home

Specifies the Policy Server installation location.

Note: More information on using the XPSConfig utility to set event handler libraries exists in the Policy Server Administration Guide.

To finish configuring SNMP event trapping, configure the snmptrap.conf file. The necessary SNMP prerequisites and procedures are detailed in SNMP Support.

More information:

SNMP Support Overview

Configure a Policy Store

If you did not use the Policy Server installer to configure a policy store automatically, manually configure a supported LDAP directory server or relational database as a policy store.

Unattended Policy Server Installation

After the Policy Server is manually installed on one machine, you can reinstall it or install it on a separate machine using an unattended installation mode. An unattended installation lets you install or uninstall the Policy Server without any user interaction.

The installer provides a ca-ps-installer.properties template file that lets you define installation variables. The default parameters, passwords, and paths in this file reflect the information you entered during the initial Policy Server installation. In this file, you can either store encrypted or plain text passwords. If you are using encrypted passwords, for example, a shared secret and SiteMinder Super User, you must use the same ones that you entered during the initial installation since they are encrypted in the file and cannot be modified. However, you can use plain text passwords by modifying the file.

More information:

How to Run an Unattended Policy Server Install