Dragon speech recognition Enterprise solution Nuance Management Center Server installation and configuration guide For: Guide
Copyright Nuance ® Management Center This material may not include some last-minute technical changes and/or revisions to the software. Changes are periodically made to the information provided here. Future versions of this material will incorporate these changes. Nuance Communications, Inc. has patents or pending patent applications covering the subject matter contained in this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to such patents.
Contents Dragon_NMCInstallGuideCover_20160929_v4 1 About this guide v Guide overview vi Audience Additional resources vi vii Documentation vii Training viii Support viii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 About Nuance Management Center 2 Physical architecture 3 Chapter 2: Installation checklist Checklist—Planning the installation Chapter 3: Preparing for your installation Software requirements—Server 4 5 7 8 NMC server and database server 8 NMC console 9 Hardware requirements—Server 10 S
Contents Testing and troubleshooting your SSL configuration Verifying the NMS Platform service is running 29 Starting the NMS Platform service manually 29 Configuring your network switch 30 Logging in to the NMC console 31 Determining your database backup method 32 Configuring the Dragon client for use with Nuance Management Center 33 Chapter 6: Upgrading Nuance Management Center 34 About upgrading Nuance Management Center 35 Upgrading Nuance Management Center 36 Chapter 7: Preparing for
Contents Starting the Local Authenticator service Appendix A: Database backups and data retention About database backups Disabling automatic database backups About data retention 61 62 63 63 64 iv
About this guide Guide overview Audience Additional resources vi vi vii Documentation vii Training viii Support viii v
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Guide overview This guide contains installation and configuration instructions for on-premise NMC servers. It also contains instructions for configuring single-sign-on authentication, which you can implement regardless of whether you are hosting your own NMC server on-premise or using Nuance's cloud-hosted NMC server.
About this guide Additional resources The following resources are available in addition to this guide to help you manage your Dragon installation. Documentation Document Description Location Dragon Group Citrix Administrator Guide Hardware, software, and network requirements for deploying Dragon in a network of client computers that connect to a Citrix server to access published applications.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Document Description Location release notes. Training Nuance provides several training offerings, like webinars, demos, and online training courses. For more information, see the Nuance University web site: https://www.nuance.com/about-us/nuance-university-training.html Support The Dragon Support web site provides many resources to assist you with your Dragon installation, like forums and a searchable knowledgebase.
Chapter 1: Introduction About Nuance Management Center 2 Physical architecture 3 1
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide About Nuance Management Center Nuance Management Center allows Dragon administrators to manage all Dragon clients from a single central console.
Chapter 1: Introduction Physical architecture Nuance Management Center is a standard Microsoft ASP .NET MVC web application that is hosted by Internet Information Services (IIS). The Nuance Management Center components include the following: l l l l Nuance Management Center (NMC) server—Stores application data, such as organizations, sites, groups, and users. It also stores transient data, such as log files.
Chapter 2: Installation checklist Checklist—Planning the installation 5 4
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Checklist—Planning the installation Use this checklist to perform your Nuance Management Centeron-premise installation. Task Reference Ensure all system requirements have been met. “Software requirements— Server” on page 8 “Hardware requirements— Server” on page 10 Ensure all server installation prerequisites have been met. “Server installation prerequisites” on page 11 Review all other considerations.
Chapter 2: Installation checklist Task Reference Log in to the NMC console. “Logging in to the NMC console” on page 31 If you're using a network traffic switch, ensure you access the NMC console using the name or address of the switch in the URL. Determine your database backup method. “Determining your database backup method” on page 32 Install Dragon clients if you have not already done so, and then configure the clients for use with Nuance Management Center.
Chapter 3: Preparing for your installation Software requirements—Server 8 NMC server and database server 8 NMC console 9 Hardware requirements—Server 10 Server installation prerequisites 11 Other considerations 12 Network bandwidth recommendations 12 Using a network traffic switch 12 Obtaining required server software 13 Opening required ports 14 7
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Software requirements—Server Ensure that your environment meets the following software requirements before installing Nuance Management Center. NMC server and database server The Nuance Management Center installation suite installs your NMC server and database instance on the same server by default. However, you can optionally move the database instance to a separate server postinstallation.
Chapter 3: Preparing for your installation Feature NMC server Database server Combined NMC server and database server packs installed. Windows components l l Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, including the ASP.NET component None. l Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2, including the ASP .NET component l Both version 3.5 and 4.5.2 are required. Version 3.5 is required for some service tools and for Help installation. l Database Security Internet Information Services (IIS) 7, 7.5, or 8.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Hardware requirements—Server If you're hosting your own Nuance Management Center (NMC) server and database server on-premise, ensure the servers meet the following hardware requirements. For every 1,000 users: l l One Quad-Core physical server to host the SQL database, NMC server, and NMC console l Processor: Quad-Core 2 GHz CPU l Minimum RAM: 8 GB l Core Application Disk Storage: 4.
Chapter 3: Preparing for your installation Server installation prerequisites Ensure you have the following available before installing Nuance Management Center. Prerequisite Additional Information Local Administrator privileges You must have Local Administrator privileges on the NMC server to install Nuance Management Center, as the installation process creates an IIS application. NMS service user Windows user account that runs the NMS service.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Other considerations Network bandwidth recommendations Nuance recommends the following network bandwidth speeds for Nuance Management Center. Number of clients Minimum network speed 100 10 Mbps >100 100 Mbps Using a network traffic switch If you have a large organization and you're implementing more than one NMC server, you can include a network traffic switch in your network to balance the load on the servers.
Chapter 3: Preparing for your installation Obtaining required server software The following server software is required. You can obtain the software from microsoft.com. l Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 l Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 Both version 3.5 and 4.5.2 are required. Version 3.5 is required for some service tools and for Help installation.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Opening required ports You must open the following ports to allow communication between components. Port Location Description 389 TCP NMC server Allows communication between the NMC server and your Active Directory, if you are using single sign-on authentication. 443 NMC server Allows communication between Dragon clients and the NMC server. Also allows communication between NMC console workstations and the NMC server.
Chapter 4: Installing the servers Installing SQL Server 16 Installing Nuance Management Center 17 15
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Installing SQL Server Install SQL Server according to the product instructions. On the screens indicated below, specify the settings recommended for Nuance Management Center. 1. On the Feature Selection screen, select the following features: l Database Engine Services l Management Tools – Basic l Management Tools – Complete 2. On the Instance Configuration screen, ensure the Default instance option is selected. 3.
Chapter 4: Installing the servers Installing Nuance Management Center You install all Nuance Management Center components on the same machine using a single installation wizard. When the installation is complete, you can optionally move the database instance to a different server if your database server is a separate physical machine. 1. On the NMC server (for single-node installations) or each node (for multiple-node installations), run NMS Suite Installer - Full.exe.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide The Choose Destination Location screen appears. 5. Choose where to install the NMS platform (default recommended), and then click Next. The Setup Type screen appears. 6. Choose a setup configuration: l l 18 On a server with an SSL certificate installed directly on that server—Select if you are performing a single-node installation.
Chapter 4: Installing the servers Click Next. The Database Server screen appears. 7. Enter the required database information: 1. Enter the machine name or IP address of the physical server where you have installed the SQL database server software. The wizard creates the database and its backup directory in default locations on that server automatically. 2. Select a method of validating connections to the server: l l Windows authentication—Use a Windows login and password to authorize access.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide The Organization ID screen appears. 8. Enter the unique ID that Nuance assigned to your organization, and then click Next. You should have received this ID with your Dragon welcome information. Later, you can access your organization ID in the NMC console. The NMS File Share screen appears. 9. Enter the NMS file share location, and then click Next.
Chapter 4: Installing the servers 10. Enter a password for the NMC administrator account, and then click Next. You use the administrator login (admin by default) and this password when you log into the NMC console. The Setup Type screen appears. 11. Select the type of account to be used as the NMS service user, and then click Next.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide l l Specific Windows user account—A specific Windows user account that has rights to log on to your NMC server as a service. For more prerequisites for this account, see “Server installation prerequisites” on page 11. LOCAL SYSTEM—The predefined local account used by the service control manager. The Logon Information screen appears. 12. Enter the user name and password of the Windows service user account, then click Next.
Chapter 5: Post-installation tasks Installing and binding the SSL certificate 24 About certificates 24 Install the SSL certificate—Installing on the server 24 Install the SSL certificate—Installing on a load balancing switch 27 Testing and troubleshooting your SSL configuration 27 Verifying the NMS Platform service is running Starting the NMS Platform service manually 29 29 Configuring your network switch 30 Logging in to the NMC console 31 Determining your database backup method 32 Confi
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Installing and binding the SSL certificate About certificates Using SSL requires that you obtain a signed SSL certificate. Nuance Management Center does not support self-signed certificates. You can obtain signed certificates from certificate authorities, such as GoDaddy or Verisign. The certificate authority must be a trusted authority known to both the client computer and the server via a root certificate.
Chapter 5: Post-installation tasks 2. Note the subject of the certificate. This should match the computer name that the certificate is deployed on, or be a wild card. This must match exactly the host used in the endpoints. For information on viewing the subject, see https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754686(v=ws.10).aspx.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide 3. Copy the thumbprint of the certificate. You use the thumbprint to bind the certificate to the port used by the primary NMS services in the next step. For information on retrieving the thumbprint, see https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734695.aspx. 4. Verify that the UseSSL setting is set to true (this should have been done by the installer): a. In Nuance.NMS.Server.exe.
Chapter 5: Post-installation tasks f. Click OK. The Site Bindings dialog box appears. Ensure that the binding is displayed correctly. 6. Restart the NMS Platform server to allow any configuration changes to take effect. Install the SSL certificate—Installing on a load balancing switch Nuance uses this mode when the NMC server is behind a load balancing switch that also decrypts SSL.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide 4. Can you access the NMS API Help pages? 1. Connect to https:///NMS/Platform/UserManagementSvc/v1/help 2. Enter any credentials if prompted. 3. An HTML page with help for one of the NMS API sets should appear. If you see this help, the NMC server is configured and working properly. Check the Bindings If the NMC console is not working, ensure that the ports are properly bound to the SSL certificate.
Chapter 5: Post-installation tasks Verifying the NMS Platform service is running When the installation completes, the NMS Platform service starts automatically if the NMS service user has the correct privileges. Post-installation, you should verify that the service is running. To verify, do the following: 1. Open the Services dialog box. a. Click the Windows Start menu. b. In the Search field, enter services.msc, and then press Enter. c. Specify your administrator username and password when prompted. 2.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Configuring your network switch If you have multiple NMC servers in your environment, you can use a network traffic switch to balance the incoming client activity among your servers. You can configure the switch to make an API call periodically to your servers to ensure they are operational. Configure the switch to make the following API call: https://:443/Nuance.NMS.
Chapter 5: Post-installation tasks Logging in to the NMC console Ensure you can log in to the NMC console using the administrator login and password. If you have multiple NMC servers in your environment and you are using a network traffic switch to balance the load, ensure you substitute the name or IP address of the switch for the NMC server name in the URL when you access the NMC console. 1. Open a browser. 2. Enter the NMC console URL in the address bar.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Determining your database backup method The NMC server schedules database backups automatically. However, you can choose to manage database backups yourself and disable the automatic backups. You should determine your database backup method before users begin regular Nuance Management Center use. For more information on Nuance Management Center database backups, see “About database backups” on page 63.
Chapter 5: Post-installation tasks Configuring the Dragon client for use with Nuance Management Center Applies to: Dragon desktop products only When you have finished the NMC server installation and configuration, you must install Dragon clients if you have not already done so, and then configure the Dragon clients for use with Nuance Management Center.
Chapter 6: Upgrading Nuance Management Center About upgrading Nuance Management Center 35 Upgrading Nuance Management Center 36 34
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide About upgrading Nuance Management Center To upgrade Nuance Management Center, you run the NMS Suite Installer - Full.exe installation file on your NMC server. You must have Local Administrator privileges to launch the upgrade. The installer upgrades your existing version; you do not need to uninstall Nuance Management Center before you begin. If you have multiple nodes, run the installer on each node.
Chapter 6: Upgrading Nuance Management Center Upgrading Nuance Management Center 1. On your NMC server, right-click the NMS Suite Installer - Full.exe file, and then select Run as administrator. The InstallShield Wizard opens. 2. Click Next. The License Agreement screen appears.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide 3. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement, and then click Install. The upgrade begins.
Chapter 6: Upgrading Nuance Management Center 4. When the upgrade completes, click Finish.
Chapter 7: Preparing for your Active Directory single sign-on configuration Single sign-on overview 40 Before you begin 41 Software requirements 41 Other requirements 41 Checklist—Planning the single sign-on setup 41 Creating an NMC console Administrator user for Active Directory 44 Setting the Active Directory connection string 45 Creating and configuring user accounts for single sign-on 46 Creating user accounts 46 Configuring user accounts 46 Running the SetSPN.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Single sign-on overview You can optionally implement Active Directory single sign-on authentication rather than using the native Nuance Management Center authentication. With single sign-on, users can simply use their Windows login and password to access the Dragon client and other applications.
Chapter 7: Preparing for your Active Directory single sign-on configuration Before you begin Review the following before beginning your single sign-on configuration. Software requirements Cloud NMC server l Local Authenticator service You download the Local Authenticator installation file from your NMC console. For more information, see “About the Local Authenticator” on page 49. l l Server on which to install the Local Authenticator with the following: l Latest version of the Microsoft .
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Task Reference Ensure port 389 TCP is open.
Chapter 7: Preparing for your Active Directory single sign-on configuration Task Reference Run the SetSPN.exe Windows utility “Running the SetSPN.exe Windows utility” on page 47 Associate Dragon clients with the NMC server See the "Configuring the Dragon Client for Nuance Management Center" chapter in the Client Installation Guide. Applies to: Dragon desktop products only This step assumes you have already installed Dragon clients.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Creating an NMC console Administrator user for Active Directory To configure Active Directory single sign-on and manage settings, you must create an administrator user in the NMC console. You cannot use the initial NMC console login that Nuance provides (Nuance cloud-hosted NMC server) or the login that you create (on-premise NMC server). The administrator user must match a user that exists in Active Directory. 1.
Chapter 7: Preparing for your Active Directory single sign-on configuration Setting the Active Directory connection string 1. In the NMC console menu bar, click Sites, then click the Organization Overview icon. Click your organization, and then click the Details icon in the Organizations area. The Organization Details screen appears. 2. Click the Domains tab. 3. Click Add. The Domain dialog box appears. 4. Enter the following: Name—Your domain name. For example, ABCCompany.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Creating and configuring user accounts for single sign-on Creating user accounts If you have not already created user accounts in the NMC console, you must create them before enabling single sign-on. When you create user accounts, each user's login must match that user’s Windows domain login exactly.
Chapter 7: Preparing for your Active Directory single sign-on configuration Running the SetSPN.exe Windows utility About SetSPN.exe SetSPN.exe is a Windows utility that registers the Nuance Management Center Service Principal Name (SPN) with the Windows domain. You run this utility to indicate to the Windows domain that the Nuance Management Center service is valid and trusted on the domain.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator About the Local Authenticator Local Authenticator logs 49 49 Downloading the Local Authenticator 50 Creating organization tokens 51 Installing and binding the SSL certificate 52 About signed certificates 52 Install the SSL certificate 52 Testing and troubleshooting your SSL configuration 55 Installing the Local Authenticator 56 Editing the configuration file 60 Starting the Local Authenticator ser
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide About the Local Authenticator The Local Authenticator is a service that provides Dragon clients with Active Directory single sign-on authentication. The Local Authenticator validates Dragon client credentials when the clients attempt to connect to the Nuance cloud-hosted NMC server, and then passes the validate credential call to the cloud NMC server to create a session.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator Downloading the Local Authenticator You download the LocalAuthenticator.exe file from your NMC console. You then install the Local Authenticator on a local server that is accessible to both NMC server and your Dragon clients. To download the Local Authenticator: 1. Log in to your NMC console as an administrator. 2. In the Utilities ribbon, click Tools. The Tools page appears. 3. Click Install local authenticator.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Creating organization tokens The Local Authenticator installation requires an organization token. You create a token in the NMC console. To create an organization token: 1. From the menu bar, select Sites > Organization Overview. 2. Right-click your organization, and then select Details. The Organization Details page appears. 3. Click the Organization Token tab. 4. Click Add to generate a new organization token.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator Installing and binding the SSL certificate About signed certificates Using SSL requires that you obtain a signed SSL certificate. Nuance Management Center does not support self-signed certificates. You can obtain signed certificates from certificate authorities, such as GoDaddy or Verisign. The certificate authority must be a trusted authority known to both the client computer and the server via a root certificate.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide 2. Note the subject of the certificate. This should match the computer name that the certificate is deployed on, or be a wild card. This must match exactly the host used in the endpoints. For information on viewing the subject, see https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754686(v=ws.10).aspx.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator 3. Copy the thumbprint of the certificate. You use the thumbprint to bind the certificate to the port used by the primary NMS services in the next step. For information on retrieving the thumbprint, see https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734695.aspx. 4. Verify that the UseSSL setting is set to true. This should have been set during the installation. a. In Nuance.NMS.Server.exe.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide f. Click OK. The Site Bindings dialog box appears. Ensure that the binding is displayed correctly. 6. Restart the Local Authenticator server to allow any configuration changes to take effect. Testing and troubleshooting your SSL configuration Run these tests on a different computer. Do not run them on the NMC server server. Use the browser 1. Can you access and log into the NMC console? a. Connect to https:///NMCHTML/.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator Installing the Local Authenticator On the server where you are installing the Local Authenticator: 1. Run the LocalAuthenticator.exe file. A dialog box appears, prompting you to select a language for the installation. 2. Select your language from the drop-down list, and then click OK. The InstallShield Wizard opens. 3. Click Next.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide 4. Leave the default value in the User Name field, and enter your company name in the Company field. Then, click Next. 5. Set the location in which to install the Local Authenticator, and then click Next.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator 6. In the Token field, enter the organization token that you generated in the NMC console, and then click Next.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide 7. Click Install. 8. When the installation is complete, the InstallShield Wizard Complete dialog appears. Click Finish to exit the installer.
Chapter 8: Installing the Local Authenticator Editing the configuration file You edit the Local Authenticator configuration file to change the NMC server address to the Nuance cloudhosted NMC server URL. You should have received this address in your welcome information from Nuance. 1. Open the folder where the Local Authenticator is installed. By default, the Local Authenticator is installed in: C:\Program Files\Nuance\Local Authenticator 2. In any text editor, open NMS.LocalAuthenticator.Service.exe.
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide Starting the Local Authenticator service 1. Open the Services dialog box. a. Click the Windows Start menu. b. In the Search field, enter services.msc, and then press Enter. c. Specify your administrator username and password when prompted. 2. Locate the NMS Local Authenticator Service. 3. Right-click the service, and then select Start.
Appendix A: Database backups and data retention About database backups Disabling automatic database backups About data retention 63 63 64 62
Nuance Management Center Server Installation and Configuration Guide About database backups If you are hosting your own NMC server on-premise, database backups occur on a regular basis at scheduled intervals automatically. The backup process places backup files in the C:\NMSDBBACKUP folder on the database server by default, unless you specified a different drive and directory during installation.
Appendix A: Database backups and data retention About data retention Your SQL Server database stores application data, such as license information, partial speech profiles, application usage information, and audit data. The data is purged at predefined intervals. The following table describes the purge schedule. Data Type Purge Schedule Audit data Every 1 year and 1 day Log files Every 45 days Raw usage data Every 90 days Note: Converted usage data is never purged.
