Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting Microsoft Corporation Published: April 2009 Abstract This paper provides information about configuring the Microsoft® Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0, including troubleshooting for known setup issues. This information applies for the following operating systems:
· Windows 7®
· Windows Vista®
· Windows Vista® with Service Pack 1
· Windows Windows Server® 2008 R2
· Microsoft Windows Server® 2003
· Microsoft Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)
· Microsoft Windows® 2000
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Copyright Information The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This White Paper is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. © 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Active Directory, Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Contents
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting . 5
Setting Up Your ACT Environment 5
Architecture and Supported Topologies....... 5
Software and Hardware Requirements .......... 7
Software Requirements . 7
Hardware Requirements .. 8
Special Requirements for Using the Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE) . 9
UCE Supported Operating Systems ......... 9
UCE Supported Hardware Requirements ........ 9
Disk-Space Usage..... 9
Special Requirements for Using the Compatibility Administrator ..... 9
Special Requirements for Using the Setup Analysis Tool (SAT) .. 10
ACT Database Configuration and Modification Recommendations . 10
ACT Database Configuration and Modification ..... 10
ACT Database Role Assignments ................. 11
Additional ACT Database Recommendations ............... 11
Configuring the Infrastructure for the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange ..... 12
Installing ACT 5.5 ....... 12
Configuring the Application Compatibility Manager ....... 13
Using the ACT Configuration Wizard ................ 13
Changing Your Preferences .... 15
Troubleshooting ............... 16
SQL Server Database Related Issues ................... 16
Invalid SQL Server Message .............................. 16
SQL Server Version Is Not Valid ..................... 16
Unable To Connect To SQL Server Database ................ 16
Invalid Permissions and Database-Creation Issue............ 17
Verifying Your ACT Database Permissions for the ACT Log Processing Service .............. 19
ACT Log Processing Share-Related Issues ............ 19
Configuring the Required Privileges for the ACT Log Processing Share ...... 19
Share Level Permissions ......... 20
Folder-Level Permissions (NTFS Only) ........... 20
Additional Troubleshooting Notes ............. 20
ACT Log Processing Share and Windows Firewall ........... 21
ACT Log Processing Share and Workgroup Environments......... 21
ACT Log Processing Service-Related Issues .................. 22
Viewing and Assigning "Log On as a Service" Rights .......... 22
ACT Log Processing Service Fails to Start .. 22
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
ACT 5.5 provides a way for you to create an inventory for your organization, including your installed applications, computers, and devices. It also enables you to collect compatibility data, to determine the impact of that data in your organization, and, finally, to create mitigation packages to fix the compatibility issues, when possible. There are three phases for effectively using ACT in your organization. The three phases are:
· Phase 1: Collecting Data. Before you can analyze your potential compatibility issues, you must first collect your organization's inventory and the associated compatibility issues. For more information, see the "Microsoft ACT: Phase 1 - Collecting Data" white paper, available for download from the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 Download Web page.
· Phase 2: Analyzing Issues. After collecting your inventory and associated compatibility data, you can organize and analyze your issues. This includes categorizing, prioritizing, setting your deployment status, and setting your application assessment to create customized reports. For more information, see the "Microsoft ACT: Phase 2 - Analyzing Issues" white paper, available for download from the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 Download Web page.
· Phase 3: Testing and Mitigating Issues. After analyzing your compatibility issue reports, you can test your applications, to determine if the specified compatibility issues are actually problems within your organization. If you determine that the issues are valid, you can create mitigation packages to fix the issues, by using the Compatibility Administrator. You can also use the other developer tools, provided with ACT, including the Internet Explorer Compatibility Tool, the Setup Analysis Tool, and the Standard User Analyzer tool, to determine additional issues and possible mitigation strategies. For more information, see the "Microsoft ACT: Phase 3 - Testing and Mitigating Issues" white paper, available for download from the Related Resources section of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 Download Web page
Setting Up Your ACT Environment
Before configuring and running ACT, you must verify that you are running supported software, that you meet the minimum hardware requirements, and that you have configured the required permissions and infrastructure.
Architecture and Supported Topologies
The following diagram (Figure 1) illustrates the interaction among the various ACT components.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 5
Figure 1: ACT 5.5 Architecture
As shown in the diagram, the ACT 5.5 architecture comprises the following major components: · Application Compatibility Manager (ACM). A tool that enables you to configure, collect, and analyze your data, so you can fix any issues before deploying a new operating system or deploying a Windows® update in your organization. · Data Collection Package (DCP). A Windows Installer (.msi) file created by the ACM for deployment to each of your client computers. Each DCP can include one or more compatibility evaluators, depending on what you are trying to evaluate. · ACT Log Processing Service. A service used to process the ACT log files uploaded from your client computers. It adds the information to your ACT database. · ACT Log Processing Share. A file share, accessed by the ACT Log Processing Service, to store the log files that will be processed and added to the ACT database. · ACT Database. A Microsoft® SQL Server® database that stores the collected application, computer, device, and compatibility data. You can view the information stored in the ACT database as reports from the ACM. · Microsoft Compatibility Exchange. A Web service that propagates application-compatibility issues from the server to the client and enables the client computers to connect to Microsoft via the Internet to check for updated compatibility information. The following diagram (Figure 2) illustrates the supported deployment topologies for an ACT 5.5 installation.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 6
Figure 2: ACT 5.5 Topology
The diagram shows the supported topologies for ACT 5.5 in their recommended usage order. For example, we highly recommend using the distributed ACT Log Processing Service, ACT Log Processing share, and ACT Database topology, and least recommend using a Consolidated Server.
Important If you choose to employ a topology based on distributed logging with a rollup to your central share, you must move the files to the ACT Log Processing Share before actual processing can occur. You can move the files manually or use a technology like Distributed File-System Replication (DFSR) or any other similar technology already employed in your organization.
Software and Hardware Requirements
The following sections list the software and hardware requirements for using the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.5.
Software Requirements
The following table contains the software requirements for using ACT 5.5.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 7
Type of Software Supported Versions
Operating System · Windows® 7 · Windows Vista® · Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1) · Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Service Pack 3 (SP3) · Windows® Server® 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) · Windows® Server 2008 R2 ACT does not support: · The Windows® 2000 Professional operating system and earlier versions Important ACT does support running data-collection packages and compatibility evaluators on Windows 2000. · The Windows NT® Server 4.0 operating system
Database Components After ACT has been installed, it requires one of the following database components: · SQL Server 2008 · SQL Server 2005 · SQL Server 2008 Express · SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Note ACT 5.5 does not support SQL Server 2000 or the Microsoft Database Engine (MSDE).
.NET Framework ACT requires the .NET Framework 2.0 or newer.
Hardware Requirements
The following table contains the minimum and recommended hardware requirements.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 8
ACT components Minimum Requirements Recommended Requirements
Application Compatibility Manager client and ACT Log Processing Service servers 550-megahertz (MHz) processor with 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM 2.8-gigahertz (GHz) processor with 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM
ACT client databases 1-GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM 2.8-GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM
Special Requirements for Using the Update Compatibility Evaluator (UCE)
The UCE requires that you use only specific operating systems, fulfill specific hardware requirements, and provide sufficient disk space beyond what is supported for the ACT.
UCE Supported Operating Systems
The following operating systems are supported by the UCE. · Windows 7 · Windows Vista® · Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Service Pack 3 (SP3) · Windows® Server 2008 R2 · Windows® Server® 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2) · Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 (SP4) and Update Rollup 1
Important The UCE is not supported on earlier versions of the previously listed operating systems, including Windows NT or any 64-bit operating system.
UCE Supported Hardware Requirements
The following minimum hardware requirements are necessary to run the UCE. · Disk drive. 1 GB of free space · RAM. 256 MB
Disk-Space Usage
By default, the UCE limits its disk space usage to 50 percent of the available disk space. This setting attempts to provide enough padding so that the compatibility evaluator does not use all of the free disk space. During an average deployment, the UCE typically logs at least 100 MB per hour of ETL files. Therefore, if you use a four-hour upload interval, the compatibility evaluator will require at least 400 MB of free space. You can modify the percentage of disk space used in the Advanced Settings dialog box.
Special Requirements for Using the Compatibility Administrator
The Compatibility Administrator requires that you use only specific operating systems.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 9
· Windows 7 · Windows Vista® · Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) · Windows® Server 2008 R2 · Windows® Server® 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) · Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later
Important The Compatibility Administrator does not support Limited User Account (LUA) mode in Windows 2000.
Special Requirements for Using the Setup Analysis Tool (SAT)
The SAT analysis components and driver (often referred to as the SAT Guest) run on the following operating systems: · Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) · Windows® Server® 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) · Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 (SP4) and Update Rollup 1 The SAT components (often referred to as the SAT Host) that are required if you decide to use a virtual environment and an automated setup analysis, run on the following operating systems: · Windows XP and newer versions · Windows® Server® 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2)
ACT Database Configuration and Modification Recommendations
The following sections describe the recommended ACT database configurations and modifications.
ACT Database Configuration and Modification
You can create the ACT database, by using one of the following options: · While you are configuring ACT 5.5, you can use the Application Compatibility Toolkit Configuration Wizard (ACT Configuration Wizard) to create a new database. -or- · You can run the .sql file. Refer to the following table for the location, based on your operating system:
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 10
Operating System Location of the CreateDB.sql file
Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows Server® 2008 R2 %SYSTEMDRIVE% \Users\All Users\Microsoft\Application Compatibility Toolkit 5\CreateDB.sql -or- %SYSTEMDRIVE% \programdata\Microsoft \Application Compatibility Toolkit 5\CreateDB.sql
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) Windows Server® 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Windows 2000 with Update Rollup 1 for Service Pack 4(SP4) %SYSTEMDRIVE% \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Application Compatibility Toolkit 5\CreateDB.sql
ACT Database Role Assignments
You must assign the following database roles to the specified accounts. · You must assign the db_datareader, db_datawriter, and db_owner database roles to the user and local service accounts that will be used to run the ACT Log Processing Service. · You must assign the db_datareader and db_datawriter database roles to the user account that will log on to the computer running the Application Compatibility Manager.
Important If your organization does not allow the assignment of the db_owner database role to a user, then you must grant the following reduced permissions to that specific user for every stored procedure. Without these permissions, the Application Compatibility Toolkit will fail to function for that user. · SELECT · INSERT · UPDATE · DELETE · EXECUTE
Additional ACT Database Recommendations
We also recommend that you make the following changes to the database as part of your deployment planning:
· Create a larger database, including a larger log file–size setting, and then set the growth increments appropriately. If you create a database with the default setting for data storage, then the data portion of the database will have an initial size of 1 megabyte (MB),
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 11
and a growth increment of 1 MB. If you create a database with the default setting for the log-file storage, then the log-file portion of the database will have an initial size of 1 MB and a growth increment of 10 percent. We recommend that you try to maintain a data-to-log file ratio of 5:1 or 4:1. For example, if your data portion is 5 gigabytes (GB), then your log-file portion should be 1 GB. · Change the recovery model of your database. The default recovery model is Full, but we recommend that you change this model setting to Simple. · Separate the hard drives on which you store your data portion and log file portion. The default, unless altered by your SQL Administrator, is for both the data and log files to be stored on the same hard drive. Separating the data from the log files will reduce disk I/O contention.
Configuring the Infrastructure for the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange
You must configure your organization's infrastructure to support the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange, while also protecting your intranet security and stability. The recommended method of configuration requires you to allow the appropriate users, on designated computers, to access the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange through your security and network infrastructure.
To configure the infrastructure to support the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange
· Configure your firewalls and URL scanners to allow access to the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange, as follows: · Allow outbound access for the standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) TCP port 443, on any computer running the Application Compatibility Manager. · Restrict outbound access to the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange, allowing access only from designated computers and designated users within your organizations. · Enable access to the Microsoft Compatibility Exchange URL, https://appinfo.microsoft.com/AppProfile50/ActWebService.asmx, (only necessary if passing through a firewall).
Installing ACT 5.5
You can download and install ACT 5.5 from the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 Download. For more information about the specific software and hardware requirements, refer to the "ACT 5.5 Software and Hardware Requirements" and the "Special Software and Hardware Considerations" sections of this white paper. Installing ACT 5.5 installs the following tools: · Application Compatibility Manager (ACM). A tool that enables you to configure, to collect, to organize, and to analyze your compatibility data.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 12
· Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool (IECTT). A tool that enables you to collect your Web-based compatibility issues, and shows you results in real time. · Standard User Analyzer (SUA). A tool that enables you to detect issues that can occur in applications running as a Standard User. · Compatibility Administrator. A tool that enables you to resolve many of your potential compatibility issues, before you deploy a new version of Windows to your organization. · Setup Analysis Tool (SAT). A tool that enables you to detect issues that can occur during the installation and the configuration of an application.
Configuring the Application Compatibility Manager
Before you can use the Application Compatibility Manager to collect and to analyze your compatibility data, you must configure the tool. This includes configuring your SQL Server instance and database, your ACT Log Processing Service account, and your ACT Log Processing share.
Using the ACT Configuration Wizard
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Configuration Wizard enables you to configure the ACT database, the ACT Log Processing share, and the ACT Log Processing Service account. Before starting this exercise, you must verify the following. · You are an Administrator on the computer. · You have read and write permissions to the database. · Your domain computer has write permissions to the ACT Log Processing Service share. · The ACT Log Processing Service account has read and write permissions to the ACT database for the
\$ account. · The ACT client is installed on any computer that acts as an ACT Log Processing Server.
To configure your database and log processing settings
1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5, and then click Application Compatibility Manager. The Welcome to the ACT Configuration Wizard page appears. 2. Review the information on the page, and then click Next. The Configuration Type Selection page appears. 3. Click one of the following options: · Enterprise configuration. Enables all ACT functionality. You must be an administrator on the local computer to click this option. · View and manage reports only. Enables ACT for creating data-collection packages and analyzing your data. You will not have access to the ACT Log Processing
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 13
Service. 4. Click Next. The Configure Your ACT Database Settings page appears. 5. Enter your information according to the following: · SQL Server. Type the name of the Microsoft® SQL Server™ instance that contains your ACT database, select an existing instance from the list, or click Browse to select from a list of available instances on the network. Click Connect. The Configuration Wizard will then attempt to connect to the database server. After a successful connection occurs, the Database field becomes available. · Database. Type the name of your ACT database and then click Create to create a new database, or select an existing database from the list. Note To configure the settings, you must have read and write permissions to the database. If you do not have the appropriate permissions, you must contact your SQL Server administrator. Additionally, you must install the ACT client on any computer that will act as an ACT Log Processing Server. 6. Click Next. The Configure Your Log File Location page appears. Important The ACT Log Processing Service share requires your domain computer to have write access. Additionally, the ACT Log Processing Service share is opened to the Everyone group, by default. 7. Enter your information, according to the following: · Path. Click Browse to locate the folder where your log files are to be processed. If this folder does not exist, click Make New Folder to create it in the appropriate location. · Share as. The ACT Configuration Wizard automatically fills in this box as you fill in your path location. 8. Click Next. The Configure Your ACT Log Processing Service Account page appears. Important The connection between the Application Compatibility Manager and the SQL Server instance in your organization uses Secure Sockets Layers (SSL). No data is exposed to the public. 9. Click one of the options according to the following: · Local System. Click this option to use your local system account credentials to start the ACT Log Processing Service. The ACT Log Processing Service account must have read and write permissions to the ACT database for the
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 14
\$ account. · User Account. Click this option to use the local computer user to start the ACT Log Processing Service. You must also enter your User Name, Password, and Domain. The user account that starts the ACT Log Processing Service must have Log on as a service user rights. For more information · Click Finish. The ACT Configuration Wizard finishes and starts the Application Compatibility Manager.
Changing Your Preferences
ACT enables you to opt out of the ACT Community, to opt in to the Customer Experience Program, and to stop receiving ACT product update notifications. For more information about each of these preferences, see the "Using the Preferences Tab" topic, located in the ACT Help.
To opt out of the ACT Community
1. On the Tools menu of the Application Compatibility Manager, click Settings. 2. Click the Preferences tab. 3. Clear the Yes, I want to join the ACT Community check box, and then click OK. Note You are a member of the ACT Community by default. If you choose to opt out of the ACT Community, you will still receive compatibility data from the Microsoft online database. However, you will not receive compatibility data from other ACT users.
To opt in to the Customer Experience Program
· From the Preferences tab, select the Join the ACT Customer Experience Program check box, and then click OK.
To stop receiving notifications for ACT updates
· From the Preferences tab, clear the Notify me when a newer version of ACT is available (recommended) check box, and then click OK. Note You will receive ACT update notifications by default, enabling you to receive prompts to download the latest versions. If you opt out of this program, you must manually check for updates on the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 download page.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 15
Troubleshooting
There are several known errors that can occur when configuring the SQL Server database to use with the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) and the ACT Log Processing Service. ACT uses the Microsoft SQL Server database for storing and sharing compatibility-issue data. If you do not use Microsoft SQL Server, you can download and install Microsoft SQL Server Express to run on your local computer. For general information about creating a SQL Server database, see Administering the Database Engine on MSDN.
SQL Server Database Related Issues
The following sections discuss some of the common errors that you might encounter while configuring and accessing your SQL Server database.
Invalid SQL Server Message
If you attempt to connect to a SQL Server database that is not valid, you will receive the following error message: "The SQL Server you entered either does not exist or you do not have the required credentials for access." To correct this error, you must verify the following: · That you are connecting to a valid SQL Server database.
· That you have both read and write permissions for the database. If you do not have read and write permissions to the database, contact your SQL Server administrator. For more information, see the Adding a Member to a SQL Server Database Role topic on MSDN.
SQL Server Version Is Not Valid
If you attempt to connect to an invalid SQL Server version, you will receive the following error message: "The SQL Server you are trying to connect to is not a supported version. Please check the Help documentation to find out about the supported versions of the SQL Server." To correct this error, you must verify that ACT supports your version of SQL Server or SQL Server Express. For more information, see the "Software Requirements" section earlier in this white paper.
Unable To Connect To SQL Server Database
If you are experiencing issues connecting to your SQL Server database, you can try the following steps based on your SQL Server database management version.
To attempt to remedy your SQL Server database connection issues
1. Stop your SQL Server instance by typing C:\>net stop into a Command Prompt window.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 16
Where MSSQLSERVER is the name of your SQL Server instance. The default name for SQL Server is MSSQLSERVER, while the default name for the SQL Server Express Edition is MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS. 2. Enable the TCP/IP protocol for your SQL Server instance: a. Type C:\>SQLServerManager.msc. The SQL Server Configuration Manager tool appears. b. From the SQL Server Configuration Manager, expand SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration, and then click Protocols for MSSQLSERVER. The associated protocols appear. c. Right-click TCP/IP, and then click Enable. The TCP/IP protocols are enabled. 3. Add firewall port exceptions for your SQL Server instance: a. Type C:\>firewall.cpl. The Windows Firewall tool appears. b. In the Windows Firewall tool, select the Exceptions tab, and then click Add Port. The Add a Port dialog box appears. c. Add a firewall exception for TCP port 1433 (SQL Server) and for UDP port 1434 (SQL Browser), and then click OK. Note The SQL Browser is the service that receives incoming SQL requests, allowing you to access the Microsoft SQL Server Express Edition database from a remote computer. By default, this service is disabled, which means you can only access the database locally. If the Application Compatibility Manager or ACT Log Processing Service is not installed on the same computer as the database, the user will be required to manually start the SQL Browser from the Services tool. 4. Type C:\>net start MSSQLSERVER to start your SQL Server instance. 5. Type C:\>sc config SQLBrowser start= auto to change the configuration of your SQL Browser. 6. Type C:\>net start SQLBrowser to start your SQL Browser.
Invalid Permissions and Database-Creation Issue
You will receive an error if you attempt to create an ACT database using the Application Compatibility Manager or the ACT Configuration Wizard and do not have database-creation permissions for the in-use instance of SQL Server. You can either get the required permissions to the user account, or you can ask your SQL Server administrator to create the database.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 17
Important If you use a user account to create the database, you must also assign it the role of SQL Server administrator.
To manually grant permissions to a user account
1. In the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, expand the Security folder, right-click Logins, and click New Logins. The Login - New dialog box appears. 2. On the General page, type the name of the user account used to create the ACT database. 3. Click Server Roles. The Server Roles page appears. 4. Select the check box next to either sysadmin or dbcreator, granting the appropriate security privileges to the user account, depending on your company policies.
To create an ACT database as a SQL administrator
1. With the SQL query tool, open the CreateDB.SQL file located as specified in the "ACT Database Configuration and Modification Recommendations" section earlier in this white paper. 2. Optionally, search for the text, ACT55, and replace that text with the name of your new ACT database. Note You are not required to change the database name from ACT55. 3. Run the CreateDB.SQL script against your target SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio, or by using the OSQL tool, running this command: osql -E -S -I CreateDB.sql 4. On the taskbar, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5, and then click Application Compatibility Manager. 5. Click Tools, and then click Settings. The Settings dialog box appears. 6. Modify the Database field to reflect your new database, and then use the Application Compatibility Manager to create your data-collection packages and to view your compatibility reports. Important Your user account must have read and write permissions to the ACT database to view the ACT reports and to use the Application Compatibility Manager.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 18
Verifying Your ACT Database Permissions for the ACT Log Processing Service
The ACT Log Processing Service also requires read and write access to the ACT database.
To grant permissions to the ACT database
1. From the SQL Server Management Studio, expand the Security folder, right-click Logins, and click New Logins. The Login - New dialog box appears. 2. Complete the following information from the General page: · Login name. Type the name of the account for which you require permissions. If you are using the Local System account for the ACT Log Processing Service, you must provide access to the \$ account, where is the name of the computer running the ACT Log Processing Service. · Default database. Select the ACT database that your user account requires permissions to. 3. Click User Mapping. The User Mapping page appears. 4. Select the check box next to your ACT database, defined above. The database role membership appears. 5. Select the check boxes next to db_datareader and db_datawriter, and then click OK. The user account has read and write permissions to the ACT database. This enables database modification. Important If you continue to experience issues with the ACT Log Processing Service, even while using the Local System account, see the Troubleshooting Kerberos Delegation article on MSDN.
ACT Log Processing Share-Related Issues
The following sections discuss some of the common errors that you might encounter while configuring and accessing the ACT Log Processing Share.
Configuring the Required Privileges for the ACT Log Processing Share
You must have two sets of permissions configured for the ACT Log Processing Service share: · Permission for the data-collection packages that run on your local computers to upload the log files to the ACT Log Processing Service share. · Permission for the ACT Log Processing Service to process the data provided from the share to the ACT client database.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 19
Note The ACT Configuration Wizard automatically sets these permissions. If you are having trouble writing to the ACT Log Processing Service share or processing the log files from the ACT Log Processing Service share, you must verify that you have the correct permissions at both the share level and the folder level.
Share Level Permissions
You must verify that the Everyone group has Change and Read permissions for the ACT Log Processing Service share folder.
To verify or to change the share-level permissions
1. Right-click the ACT Log Processing Service share folder, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Sharing tab, share the folder, and then click Permissions. 3. Add the Everyone group if it is not already there, and then click the Change and Read permission check boxes in the Allow column.
Folder-Level Permissions (NTFS Only)
You must verify the following permissions: · The Everyone group has Write access. · The ACT Log Processing Service account has List Folder Contents, Read, and Write permissions based on the type of account you are using · Local System Account. You must apply these permissions to the \$ account. · User Account. You must apply these permissions to the specific user.
To verify or to change the folder-level permissions
1. Right-click the ACT Log Processing Service share folder, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Security tab, add the ACT Log Processing Service share account, and then click the List Folder Contents, Read, and Write permission check boxes in the Allow column. 3. Add the Everyone group, if it is not already there, and then click the Write permission check box in the Allow column.
Additional Troubleshooting Notes
If you are still having issues with uploading your log files to the ACT Log Processing Service share, you can try these additional troubleshooting tips:
· If you are going across different domains for the computers running your data-collection packages and the ACT Log Processing Service share, you must provide explicit Write permissions for the Anonymous group to the ACT Log Processing Service share. You must
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 20
also provide these permissions if you are uploading data from a non-domain joined computer. For more information, see Everyone Group Does Not Include Anonymous Security Identifier. · If you are running your data-collection packages on computers using Windows 2000, and uploading your collected data to an ACT Log Processing Service share located in a different domain, in addition to the tip above, you must also explicitly enable null session access for the ACT Log Processing Service share.
Important By enabling the null session access for the ACT Log Processing Service share, you are also enabling Anonymous access. As an alternative to enabling Anonymous access, you can provide similar permissions to the Authenticated users group.
ACT Log Processing Share and Windows Firewall
If your organization has Windows Firewall configured on the computer with your ACT Log Share, your data-collection packages will be unable to copy your log files to your share. This prevents you from seeing your compatibility data in the Application Compatibility Manager. To work around this issue, you can either: · Turn off your Windows Firewall completely before setting up your ACT Log Processing Share. -or- · Continue using your Windows Firewall, but enable the File Sharing option.
ACT Log Processing Share and Workgroup Environments
There are known issues if you intend to use ACT in a workgroup environment. If your organization uses workgroups to share data in a multi-user environment, you must perform the following: 1. Enable the Anonymous Logon group, providing Full Control and Modify permissions to the ACT Log Processing share and dbo-related privileges to the ACT database.
Note Prior to Windows Vista, the Anonymous Logon group was included as part of the Everyone group. 2. Enable the Guest group, providing Full Control and Modify permissions to the ACT Log Processing share. 3. Ensure that you are in a sandbox environment and that you understand the risks associated with using the Anonymous Logon group. 4. Ensure that you monitor the failed ACT logs to verify that the SQL Authentication is working properly.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 21
ACT Log Processing Service-Related Issues
The following sections discuss some of the common errors that you might encounter while configuring and accessing the ACT Log Processing Service.
Viewing and Assigning "Log On as a Service" Rights
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) uses the ACT Log Processing Service to process your ACT log files and any communication from your compatibility evaluators. Starting the ACT Log Processing Service requires either a Local System or user account. If using a user account, the \ must have Log on as a service logon rights. Otherwise, the account will be unable to start the ACT Log Processing Service and complete the ACT Configuration Wizard.
Note Built-in computer accounts, such as the Local System account, have this right assigned by default. If the ACT attempts to perform the assignment and does not succeed, we recommend trying the following process.
To view and to assign logon rights
1. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Local Security Policy. The Local Security Settings window opens. 2. Expand the Local Policies folder, and then click User Rights Assignment. Policies and their associated security settings are displayed. 3. Double-click the Log on as a service policy. The Log on as a service Properties dialog box appears. 4. Verify that your \ account appears. If it does not appear, click Add User or Group. The Select Users or Groups dialog box appears. 5. Add your user account information, click OK, and then click OK again to close the Log on as a service Properties dialog box.
ACT Log Processing Service Fails to Start
If your ACT Log Processing Service is not starting and your logs are not being processed, it might be due to: · A conflict between ACT and your SQL Server database. If both ACT and your SQL Server database exist on the same computer, it is possible that the log-processing service started before your SQL Server service. -or-
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 22
· The ACT Log Processing Service does not have the right permissions to access and write to the ACT database. Refer to the "Configuring the Required Privileges for the ACT Log Processing Share" section earlier in this white paper more information about how to set these permissions.
Important The ACT Log Processing Service account must be an Administrator account.
To manually restart the ACT Log Processing Service
1. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Services. The Services window opens. 2. Right-click ACT Log Processing Service, and then click Restart. The ACT Log Processing Service starts. 3. From your event log, verify that the service did not generate issues while starting.
Microsoft ACT: Configuration and Troubleshooting
© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 23
