MainBoss Advanced, Version 4.1.4:
New Installation

In order to install this version of MainBoss, you must meet certain requirements:

• MainBoss 4.1.4 depends on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP1 or R2, or SQL Server 2014, 2016 or 2017 (any version). You must have SQL Server installed correctly before you can begin using MainBoss. (Small sites can use SQL Server Express, available for free from Microsoft. See the MainBoss Installation and Administration Guide for more details.)
  
  Note: If you are downloading SQL Server from Microsoft, make sure you download the SQL Server Management Studio as well as SQL Server itself. Management Studio will come in handy for a variety of purposes.
  
  Also note that Microsoft no longer supports SQL Server 2005; therefore, Thinkage no longer guarantees support for MainBoss on SQL Server 2005. If you are using SQL Server 2005, you should upgrade to a newer version as soon as possible.
• Installing this version of MainBoss requires Windows Administration privileges (although running it does not).
• To begin with, only install MainBoss on one computer. Make sure MainBoss works correctly there before installing it on other computers. The computer where you first install MainBoss should have a network connection to the computer where SQL Server is running.
  
  The easiest approach is to install MainBoss on the same computer where SQL Server is running—this avoids any complications that might arise due to network connections, and it also lets MainBoss provide better diagnostic messages if something goes wrong. However, it is not absolutely necessary.
• To activate MainBoss, you must enter the license keys provided to you by Thinkage Ltd. or your MainBoss dealer. These keys must have expiry dates of January 1, 2016 or later.

We strongly recommend that you read the two following pieces of documentation:

• Getting Started (PDF) is a brief guide to using MainBoss itself. While much of the software interface will be intuitive for experienced IT personnel, features like the Active filter are useful constructs that you may not have seen before.
• The MainBoss Installation and Administration Guide provides full details of what you need before you can start using MainBoss, including information on troubleshooting the connection between MainBoss and SQL Server. We strongly recommend that you read the relevant parts of the guide before you install MainBoss.

Open Installation and Administration Guide now (PDF)

Once you have met the specified requirements, you can install MainBoss.

Using MainBoss in French or Spanish: You use the same MainBoss software for English, French and/or Spanish simultaneously. To use MainBoss in a particular language, go to your Windows Control Panel and set your Regional and Language Options to one of the English, French, or Spanish options. It is possible for some people at your site to use MainBoss in English while others use a different language.

Initial Installation of the Software

1. Login to Windows using an account with Windows Administrator privileges.

2. Ensure that the appropriate support software is installed (see below).

.NET: This version of MainBoss requires versions 3.5 and 4.6 of Microsoft's .NET framework. If you run the MainBoss installation program on a computer where these packages are not installed, MainBoss will not be installed. You must install the necessary .NET software on the computer before the MainBoss installation program will work.

If the installation procedure installs a new version of .NET, you may have to reboot your computer in order to continue. After the boot, you must login to the same account you were using so that you can continue installing MainBoss. (This should be an account with Windows Administrator privileges.) The installation should continue automatically once you login.

CLR Types for SQL Server 2014 (x86): Report Viewer 2015 requires an add-on to SQL Server called CLR types for SQL Server 2014. (This applies to all versions of SQL Server, not just 2014.) To obtain the (free) add-on, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/download/details.aspx?id=42295 and click the Download button. In the resulting list, checkmark ENU\x86\SQLSysClrTypes.msi. Download the software and install it. (You will have to do this before you install Report Viewer 2015.)

Report Viewer 2015: This version of MainBoss also requires Microsoft's Report Viewer 2015. If the appropriate version of Report Viewer is not installed on the computer when you begin the MainBoss installation, the MainBoss installation procedure will automatically attempt to download and install the software from Microsoft's web site. (The Report Viewer 2015 software is available here.)

3.   Download the MainBoss Advanced software package by clicking one of the lines below:

English Installation: Install.MainBoss-en-US.4.1.4.0.msi

French Installation: Install.MainBoss-fr-FR.4.1.4.0.msi

Spanish Installation: Install.MainBoss-es-ES.4.1.4.0.msi

Note: Any of the above installation packages will install everything needed to operate in English, French, and Spanish. The only difference between the packages is that the installation instructions will be in a particular language.

4. Once you have downloaded the file, execute it.

Note: Depending on your version of Windows and the options you have set, you may see a message saying that your browser "saved" your computer by not running the installation. Beneath the message is a line in small print saying More Information. Click that line; in the resulting window click Run anyway to install the software.

5. Start the MainBoss program as described in the Installation and Administration Guide and use it to create a MainBoss database.

In order to do this, you will need SQL Server Administrator privileges and they must be obtained through Windows Authentication. (MainBoss security always uses Windows Authentication to SQL Server. This includes access for regular MainBoss use as well as for initial installation and configuration.)

You will also need the license keys that were sent to you when you licensed MainBoss. For full instructions, see Creating a Maintenance Organization.

Installing the Software on Other Computers in Your Network

The previous section described how to install MainBoss Advanced on one computer. Installing on additional computers in your network is easier.

1. Login to Windows using an account with Windows Administrator privileges.

2. Ensure that each computer has the appropriate support software installed (.NET 3.5 and 4.6, CLR Types for SQL Server 2014, and Report Viewer 2015).

3. Use the installation file downloaded in the previous section to install MainBoss on each additional computer.

Note: If you are running under Windows 8, it will display a message saying that it "saved" your computer by not running the installation. Beneath the message is a line in small print saying More Information. Click that line; in the resulting window click Run anyway to install the software.

If the appropriate versions of .NET and/or Report Viewer are not installed on the computer, you must install them first. Follow the same steps given previously in this web page.

ClickOnce Deployment

As discussed in the Installation and Administration Guide, this version of MainBoss Advanced may be used with Microsoft's ClickOnce deployment. To use ClickOnce deployment, you must first install MainBoss manually on one computer and create a MainBoss database. You may install MainBoss manually on other computers too, if you wish.

After installing MainBoss manually, you should use that installation to create the MainBoss database. Once you have done so, you can set up ClickOnce deployment.

Click here

for instructions on setting up ClickOnce deployment.

MainBoss Service

If you have licensed MainBoss Service, you can now configure and start it. For further information, see the MainBoss Installation and Administration Guide or the online information on Using MainBoss Service. (In order to use this software, you must have a MainBoss Service license key.)

MainBoss Web Access and Web Request

If you have licensed the Web Access and/or Web Request modules, the software is distributed as a single package called MainBoss Web. In order to use this software, you must have a Web Access and/or Web Request license key.

The MainBoss Web software is distributed as a ZIP file named Install.MainBoss.WebAccess.4.1.4.0.zip.

Get MainBoss Web ZIP file

Extract the ZIP file's contents, then follow the installation instructions in Appendix C of the MainBoss Advanced Installation and Administration manual or the online Working with MainBoss Web.

Troubleshooting: In our experience, the most common source of problems with MainBoss Web is not having Microsoft's .NET 4.6 software installed on the web server computer. (.NET 4.5 is not sufficient.) To get .NET 4.6, use Google or some other search engine to search for ".NET 4.6 download". Download the software from Microsoft's web site, then install it on the web server computer.

Note: The first time someone connects with the MainBoss Web web site, the software must compile itself and perform various set-up processes. This can take a long time and use a lot of computer memory. Once this has happened, however, the software doesn't have to go through the process again (unless something significant changes in your configuration, e.g. you install a new web server or SQL Server).

Software Changes

For information on changes to the software, see What's New in MainBoss 4.1.4.