Installing MainBoss Service

This help file applies to an out-of-date version of MainBoss.
The most recent version of MainBoss is MainBoss 4.2.4.
This help file does not exist in MainBoss 4.2.4, but the index for that version can be found here.

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This section only applies if you have licensed the MainBoss Service module.

In order to use MainBoss Service, you must activate a Windows service. This service watches for incoming e-mail sent to the address associated with MainBoss Service. The service also sends out acknowledgement and notification messages when appropriate.

MainBoss Service can only be activated on a single computer; MainBoss won't let you install it on more than one computer. You need Windows Administrator privileges to install MainBoss Service.

MainBoss Service is designed to run continuously. Therefore, it should not be installed on a computer that is regularly turned off. (If the computer is turned off, information will not be lost. However, incoming and outgoing messages won't be processed until the computer is turned back on.)

You will find it easier to work with MainBoss Service if you install MainBoss itself on the computer where MainBoss Service will run. For example, you will find it easier to access the MainBoss Service event log (diagnostic messages generated by MainBoss Service) if you can run MainBoss on the computer where MainBoss Service is actually running.

Accessing the MainBoss Service event log from a different computer is possible, but there are some preconditions. For more, see The MainBoss Service Event Log.

Important: We strongly recommend that you install MainBoss Service on the same computer where SQL Server is running (the instance of SQL Server that manages the MainBoss database). While it is possible to install MainBoss Service on a different computer, it will then be complicated to set up appropriate permissions to allow MainBoss Service to access the MainBoss database.

If you stop MainBoss Service, incoming messages will stop being processed. When you restart the service, it should begin processing the backlog of messages that built up while the service was off. The same principle applies if you shut down the computer where MainBoss Service is running.

To install MainBoss Service, you must run an executable program. Follow the instructions given on the web page where you obtained the software download. You will be asked to specify a login name for running the service. See below for suggestions on what name to use.

What Login Name Do You Specify for Running the Service: On Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista and Windows 7, we recommend that you run MainBoss Service using the built-in Network Service name. This is a standard name for running services like MainBoss Service, and will greatly simplify the process of setting up permissions. However, Network Service can only be used if MainBoss Service runs on the same computer as SQL Server.

Unfortunately, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 don't have the concept of Network Service. Instead, you must specify a username and password; MainBoss Service will then run as if it was a program invoked by the specified user. The following considerations apply (but only for XP and Server 2003):

Ideally, you should create a new login name for running MainBoss Service, and you should only use this name for running MainBoss Service. This makes it easier to track what MainBoss Service is doing and to separate MainBoss Service activities from everything else on the computer.
Ideally, the login name associated with MainBoss Service should not have any special privileges; in particular, it should not be an administrator account. MainBoss Service doesn't need privileges, and it's best not to give privileges to any program that doesn't need them. Since you must install MainBoss Service from an account with administrator privileges, this means that your login name will be different from the one you're logged into when you install MainBoss Service.

Note, however, that the login name for MainBoss Service must have Log on as a service permission (as discussed below).
The login name should never have its password expire.
When you enter the name during the installation of MainBoss Service:

If the login name is part of a domain, you must specify the domain name as part of the username, e.g. OURDOMAIN\jsmith.
If the login name is not part of a domain, you must specify the machine name, as in LOCALHOST\jsmith. (To get the name of the computer, right-click Computer or My Computer in the Windows Start menu, then click Properties. The resulting window includes the computer's name.)

MainBoss Service will use the "Regional Settings" of the user name under which it runs. This means, for example, that diagnostic messages will be issued in the language associated with that user name (if MainBoss supports that language).

Log On As A Service: The login name used for running MainBoss Service must have "service login" allowed by your system's security policies. On Windows 7 and Vista, Network Service automatically has this permission, and therefore you don't have to make any changes. On XP, you must give "service login" permission to the username you've specified to run MainBoss Service. You can do this by following these steps:

In the Windows Control Panel, click Administrative Tools.
If this computer controls domain security, you will see an entry for Domain Security Policy; click that. Otherwise, click Local Security Policy. Either way, Windows opens a window where you can set the policies.
In the left-hand section of the window, expand Local Policies, and click User Rights Assignment.
In the right-hand section of the window, double-click Log on as a service.
In the resulting window, click Add User or Group.
Enter the username you intend to use, then click OK.

Note: Domain security policies can be set up to prevent changes in local security policies. This means that you may not be permitted to change your local policies; if so, talk to the person who administers domain policies in order to resolve the situation.

Password changes: If you ever change the password associated with the service's login name, you must change the information associated with the service so that it uses the new password. To do so, the easiest approach is to use MainBoss to stop MainBoss Service, uninstall it, and then install it again with the same login name and the new password. You can also change the password in the properties associated with the service in the Computer Management window.