Result
The aim of the tutorial is to successfully deploy the Flow Platform and Data Engine. The Windows Event log can be used to fault-find and diagnose any issues that might have occurred during the deployment process.
Tutorial steps
- Confirm your Flow Platform name – confirm that the name of the platform that you are deploying is the same as the server name on which you installed the Flow Bootstrap.
- Deploy the Platform - using the Windows event log to troubleshoot any deployment issues.
- Deploy the Data Engine - using the Windows event log to troubleshoot any deployment issues.
Note: Flow can be deployed in a multi-server node architecture. Platforms can be added in the Deployment view. Remember to rename your Platform to reflect the remote node you want to deploy to. Also, remember to install the Bootstrap component on the remote node
Once you have configured your reporting calendar (or calendars), you need to configure your Deployment model. We are using a simple "stand-alone" architecture, but the deployment model needs to be planned carefully for a distributed architecture.
Select the "Deployment" view tab at the top of the Model View.
By default, your Flow deployment model will have a single Platform containing a Flow Server, a Data Engine, a Message Engine, and an Integration Engine.
Right-click on the Platform and click "Deploy". Deployment will only work if the Flow Bootstrap Service is running on that computer. If you see an error message when deploying, it is likely that the Flow Bootstrap Service is not running on that computer. Make sure that you have installed and configured the Flow Bootstrap Service on that computer.
Once you have a running Platform (i.e. no orange or no red disk), you can right-click on the Data Engine, and click "Deploy".
The orange disk will immediately turn red but should disappear when Flow has confirmed that the Engine is running. Give it a few seconds to start the Engine.
If the red disk on the Engine does not disappear, it is likely that the Flow Bootstrap Service has not been configured correctly. Please review the Flow Bootstrap Service configuration.
To assist with any troubleshooting, Flow maintains an error and warning log in the Windows Event Viewer on the computer where the Flow Bootstrap Service is running. Open the Windows Event Viewer …
You will find a log called "Flow" under the "Applications and Services Logs". If you see any Errors in the Flow log, select it to view the error message. This message will be useful for you or your Flow support contact to troubleshoot any problems with your Flow System.
The "Flow" log is created on any computer running the Flow Bootstrap Service.
To complete the deployment of your Flow System, right-click on the "Message Engine", the "Integration Engine" and the "Flow Server", and click "Deploy" for each of these nodes. A fully deployed Flow System will have no red or gray disks displayed in the deployment view.
By default, the "Flow Server" uses port 80. If the computer running the "Flow Server" has another web server running on it, make sure the default Ports do not clash (e.g. Internet Information Server, SQL Server Reporting Services, etc.) If necessary, change the "Flow Report Server" Port setting to 8000. You can access the "Flow Server" settings by double-clicking it.