Installing i2 Explore for iBase

You can install i2 Explore for iBase using an Installation Manager.

If you already have i2 Explore for iBase installed and want to upgrade to a newer version, refer to Upgrading i2 Explore for iBase instead.

Before you begin

i2 Explore for iBase requires the iBase database and security database that it is connecting to be upsized to SQL Server. In addition to this, the machine on which you are installing i2 Explore for iBase must have either SQL server or SQL server client tools installed.

i2 Explore for iBase uses the iBase search 360 feature - this capability must be enabled on the iBase database that you are connecting to before starting the installation process.

An internet connection is preferred but not required for installing i2 Explore for iBase. If you do not have an internet connection, you will need to supply other prerequisites detailed in the Installing in an offline environment section.

Authentication mode

There are three options for authenticating users in i2 Explore for iBase:

  1. iBase authentication: This option uses the existing iBase user accounts and passwords to authenticate users. This is the default option, which does not require further configuration.

  2. Active Directory authentication: This option uses an Active Directory Controller and LDAP server to authenticate users, and requires additional configuration before installation. See Configuring Active Directory for Explore for iBase for more information.

  3. Entra ID authentication: This option uses Microsoft Entra ID to authenticate users, and requires additional configuration before installation. See Configuring Entra ID for Explore for iBase for more information.

During installation, you will be prompted to select one of these authentication modes. If you choose either Active Directory or Entra ID authentication, you must complete the relevant configuration steps before starting the installation process.

You can change the authentication mode after installation. To do this, you need to complete the additional configuration for Active Directory or Entra ID respectively before starting the application. See Updating the configuration manually for more information.

Installation

The installer will collect information from you and install the i2 Explore for iBase deployment tooling onto disk.

To use i2 Explore for iBase, a new database, called "ISTORE", needs to be created in the iBase SQL Server instance that hosts your iBase database. There are two options available for creating this database:

  1. Supply the user name and password for an administrator SQL Server login that has permission to create a new database and create a login and user in the iBase SQL Server instance. The deploy process creates the ISTORE database and views, and adds appropriate users to this database.

  2. Do not supply a user name and password, and run the scripts to create the ISTORE database, logins and users manually. This should be done when the installer has completed. See the Manually creating the ISTORE database section in Starting the application for information on how to do this.

Unpack the i2 Explore For iBase v1.3.zip file to a location of your choice. This creates the following files:

  • Setup.exe: The installer for the i2 Explore for iBase deployment tooling.

  • i2 Explore for iBase.msi: The MSI installer file.

Run the Setup.exe file to start the installation process.

The installer will prompt you for the following information:

Destination folder

  • Install i2 Explore for iBase to: The directory where the Explore for iBase application will be installed.

    • The default location is C:\i2.

iBase database SQL Server

  • The fully qualified domain name of the iBase database server: The host name or IP address of the server that is running the iBase database.

  • The iBase database port: The port number that the iBase database is listening on.

  • The admin user name used to create the ISTORE database and users: The user name for the administrator user in the iBase SQL Server instance. This is required to create the ISTORE database and views, and add appropriate users to this database.

  • Database admin user password: The password for the administrator user in the iBase SQL Server instance. This is required to create the ISTORE database and views, and add appropriate users to this database.

    • This value can be changed in the following file at any time after this installation has completed:

      • <installation_location>/explore-for-ibase/analyze-deployment-tooling/configs/explore-for-ibase/configuration/secrets/sqlserver/admin_PASSWORD

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

SQL Server tools and data folders

  • The SQL Server install location: The location of the SQL Server installation, or the SQL server client tools on the host machine, for example: C:/Program Files/Microsoft SQL Server/Client SDK/ODBC/170.

  • The iBase database location: The location of the iBase database data files. This might be on a different machine from the i2 Explore server, for example: C:/Program Files/Microsoft SQL Server/MSSQL16.MSSQLSERVER/MSSQL/DATA.

  • The Operating System that the iBase database is on: Valid values are UNIX or WIN.

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

iBase database connection

  • The iBase security database name: The name of the iBase security database that the Explore for iBase application will connect to.

    • This is the SQL Server database name, which can be found in the security database properties dialog in iBase designer (under the File menu).

  • The iBase database name: The name of the iBase database that the Explore for iBase application will connect to.

    • This is the SQL Server database name, which can be found in the database properties dialog in iBase designer (under the File menu).

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

Authentication mode

  • iBase Authentication

  • Entra ID

  • Active Directory

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

If you want to change between authentication modes after installation, additional configuration may be required. See Configuring Entra ID and Configuring Active Directory for more information.

Explore for iBase Entra ID configuration

You will be prompted for these properties if you selected Entra ID as the authentication mode.

  • Client ID: The Client ID of the Entra application that you created for i2 Explore for iBase.

  • Tenant ID: The Tenant ID of the Entra application that you created for i2 Explore for iBase.

  • Authority: The Authority URL of the Entra application that you created for i2 Explore for iBase.

    • Default value: https://login.microsoftonline.com/{TENANT_ID} where {TENANT_ID} is replaced with the Tenant ID you provided.

  • Client Secret: The Client Secret of the Entra application that you created for i2 Explore for iBase.

    • This value can be changed in the following file at any time after this installation has completed:

      • <installation_location>/explore-for-ibase/analyze-deployment-tooling/configs/explore-for-ibase/configuration/secrets/liberty/oidc_SECRET

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

Explore for iBase Active Directory configuration

You will be prompted for these properties if you selected Active Directory as the authentication mode.

  • LDAP server address (IP or DNS name): The IP address or DNS name of the LDAP server that will be used to authenticate users.

  • Use SSL connection: Whether to use an SSL connection to the LDAP server.

    Note: Only enable this if your LDAP server is already configured to use SSL. Enabling SSL for the LDAP connection is possible after the deployment of Explore for iBase. See Configuring Secure connection to LDAP within Active Directory

    • Default Value: unchecked

  • LDAP server port: The port number that the LDAP server is listening on.

    • Default value: 636 when Use SSL connection is checked, otherwise 389.

  • Base distinguished name (DN) of the directory service: This indicates the starting point for LDAP searches in the directory service.

  • Kerberos service principal name (SPN): The Kerberos service principal name that will be used to authenticate users.

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

Explore for iBase Active Directory User

You will be prompted for these properties if you selected Active Directory as the authentication mode.

  • Distinguished name (DN) of the user for binding to the directory service: The distinguished name (DN) of the user that will be used to bind to the LDAP server.

  • Password of the user for binding to the directory service: The password of the user that will be used to bind to the LDAP server.

    • This value can be changed in the following file at any time after this installation has completed:

      • <installation_location>/explore-for-ibase/analyze-deployment-tooling/configs/explore-for-ibase/configuration/secrets/liberty/ldap_PASSWORD

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

i2 Explore server connection

  • The fully qualified domain name of the i2 Explore host server: The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server that is running the i2 Analyze application.

    • Default value: The deployment will use the name of the host it is running on

  • The i2 Explore service port: The port number that the i2 Analyze service will listen on.

  • The Solr service port: The port number that the Solr service will listen on.

  • The Zookeeper service port: The port number that the Zookeeper service will listen on.

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Updating the configuration manually.

Server certificates

  • CA trust certificate: The CA trust certificate for certificates that are received from the i2 Explore server, which is used to verify the identity of the i2 Explore server.

  • The signed certificate for i2 Explore host machine: This is the certificate that is used to secure the connection to the i2 Explore service. This certificate MUST be signed by the CA trust certificate.

  • Private key for i2 Explore host machine: This is the private key that is used to secure the connection to the i2 Explore service.

These properties can be changed after the installer has completed. See Configuring TLS connection to iBase.

After the installation

  • If this was your first installation

    • If you chose Active Directory as the authentication mode during installation, you will need to complete the following steps before starting the i2 Explore for iBase application.

      • Copy the Kerberos keytab that you created in the Create a Kerberos Keytab file for the Liberty service user section of Configuring Active Directory authentication into the location <installation_location>/explore-for-ibase/analyze-deployment-tooling/configs/explore-for-ibase/configuration/liberty/krb5.keytab.

      • Copy the Kerberos config file that you created in the Create a Kerberos Config file for the Liberty service user section of Configuring Active Directory authentication into the location <installation_location>/explore-for-ibase/analyze-deployment-tooling/configs/explore-for-ibase/configuration/liberty/krb5.conf.

    • Follow Starting the application to deploy the i2 Explore for iBase application.

Note: If you are upgrading from a previous version, follow the After the installation section of Upgrading i2 Explore for iBase instead.