Day 1: Server Installation

Let’s start with our new step by step series about Lights-Out. Today we will have a look at the server installation.

If you are migrating from an existing version 1, be sure to read about the migration details in the online manual. The installer will automatically import your old settings, if you want to start clean, read the manual.

Server installation is done with a new unified installer

Lights-Out 2.0 introduces a new, unified installer. You do no longer have to use different setups for different platforms. In 2.0, one installer is used for all supported platforms. If the installer detects a Windows Server Essentials or Home Server, it will automatically install the Dashboard integration.

Run the installer with a double click on the setup file:

LightsOut2.Installer.2.0.0.xxxx.exe

The installer will load and display a startup dialog

and then ask for the setup language. Currently choose between English and German:

Now the setup checks if all prerequisites are present. Lights-Out depends on .Net Framework 4.5.2. This should be on your machine. Otherwise the server installer will download and install .Net Framework first.

Click Next to start the installation.

This is all pretty standard.

At the end of the installation process, SSL certificates are configured for your server. This step is really important, and therefore we will go into more details tomorrow in “Day 2, SSL certificates and LAN/WAN access”.

For now, we will keep it simple and use the defaults.

Lights-Out encrypts the communication between the service on the server and the client computers, as well as the communication with the management console. This requires that SSL certificates are used to secure the communication.

The SSL Wizard

To create and manage SSL certificates, Lights-Out includes a SSL Wizard. This wizard offers experienced users to (re)use existing certificates. If you run a Windows Server Essentials or a Home Server, then you also have existing certificates which can be used by Lights-Out. More in this topic tomorrow.

Click Next, the wizard shows the current bindings. Because this is your first installation, there is no existing binding configuration. Click Next again. Now you see the two choices. Select to create new certificates.

Click Next and Next and Next until you see the created certificates and the new binding. Now click Finish to save that binding.

The installer completes and shows the final dialog:

Click Finish to end the server installation. This will automatically start either Dashboard or Management Console.

The Management Console will start up and present a login dialog.

Select Windows Authentication and click on Login.

Summary

That’s it. You just finished the first day and installed Lights-Out in your server!

Here you will find the complete list of all days of our step-by-step series.