Download the installation media

Download the latest release of CAST Extend Offline from https://extend.castsoftware.com/#/extension?id=com.castsoftware.aip.extendproxy&version=latest.

Run the installation

Interactive setup

Double click the executable file as provided with the installation media. You may be prompted to allow the installation - click Yes:

The installation wizard will be displayed. Read and accept the license agreement and click Next:

Choose a location on the local machine that will be used for the installation. The setup will suggest: %PROGRAMFILES%\CAST\Extend, but you are free to choose a different location. Click Next to continue:

Fill in the required information. Note that Server name and Server port will form the CAST Extend local server URL that needs to be configured in AIP Console or in Extension Downloader:

A brief summary of the chosen options will be displayed. The installation will start when you click Install:

The installation will proceed:

A summary screen will be displayed. Please take note of the:

• API key - this will be required when configuring AIP Console to use CAST Extend local server.
• The CAST Extend local server Administration Center URL - this will be opened in your default browser and allows you to manage the instance - see Manage CAST Extend local server via Administration Center.

Click Next to terminate the installation process:

Silent installation

If you would prefer to run a silent installation, please use the following command line:

com.castsoftware.aip.extendproxy.<version>.exe /SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /LOG="filename.log" /LOADINF="filename.inf"

[Setup]
Lang=english
Dir=C:\Program Files\CAST\Extend
Group=CAST Extend
NoIcons=0
Tasks=
ServerName=my_server_hostname
ServerPort=my_port_number
ExtendMail=my_extend_email
ExtendPassword=my_extend_password
DataDir=C:\ProgramData\CAST\Extend

What is installed?

Files

On completion of the installation, all files related to CAST Extend are stored in:

%PROGRAMFILES%\CAST\Extend
%PROGRAMDATA%\CAST\Extend

Windows Services

The following Windows Services will be created:

Windows Service name	Description	Listening Port	Auto start?	Notes
CAST_ExtendProxy	CAST Extend local server service	8085 (default)		You may need to adjust firewall rules on the server to allow incoming connections on the listening port.

Running executables

CAST Extend local server runs under the following executables:

%PROGRAMFILES%\CAST\Extend\tools\nssm.exe
%PROGRAMFILES%\CAST\Extend\NodeJS\node.exe

Installed third-party software

The following table lists all third-party software that is shipped and installed with CAST Extend local server:

Initial post install setup

When CAST Extend local server has been installed, browse to the admin URL provided in the last screen of the setup installer, preferably from a different machine on your local network. You can find out more about accessing the Administration Center in Manage CAST Extend local server via Administration Center. For example, change server_name and port to match your installation:

http://<server>:<port>/ui/admin?<unique_guid>

If CAST Extend local server is functioning, the Administration Center will be displayed. You should now make some initial choices about how CAST Extend local server functions - see Manage CAST Extend local server via Administration Center for an explanation of the available options:

Configuring AIP Console to use CAST Extend local server

To use CAST Extend local server in AIP Console there are two methods, available in AIP Console ≥ 1.21.0-funcrel:

Configuration during initial start-up wizard (new installations)

During the initial start-up wizard, an option will be available in Step 4: Connect to CAST Extend:

The required information is as follows:

http://server:port

≥ 2.0.0-funcrel
%PROGRAMDATA%\CAST\Extend\config.proxy.json
 
≤ 1.3.0-funcrel
%PROGRAMFILES%\CAST\Extend\config.proxy.json

{
  "PORT": 8085,
  "STORAGE_DIR": "c:/ProgramData/CAST/Extend",
  "PACKAGE_DIR": null,
  "LOG_DIR": "C:/Program Files/CAST/Extend/logs",
  "PUBLIC_URL": "http://WIN10TEST:8085/",
  "EXTEND_URL": "https://extend.castsoftware.com",
  "APIKEY": "<api_key>",
  "ADMI": "admi1b878be2b185ff2ceada943c07b066c3bbfd9f9f5c5d931fe57da43e7b98dd4cad77ad4aacd95141ebb8b27d2edd666b5ab91f76cc95ae4b2e9c7c95121eb5322",
  "SYNC_TYPE": "auto"
}

Configuration in System Settings (existing upgraded installations)

If you are currently using CAST Extend (live) or CAST Extend Offline, you can switch to CAST Extend local server using the CAST Extend - System Settings in the Administration Center. The same settings are required as explained above for the initial startup-wizard:

Updating the available extensions in CAST Extend local server

CAST Extend local server is provided empty but will be automatically populated when an extension is requested by AIP Console/Extension Downloader. It is also possible to update the content manually - see Update CAST Extend local server with new content. 

If you want to simply add all "product", "user community" and "labs" extensions to a bundle (.extarchive file), you can use the following commands:

ExtendCli.exe config set api-key <YOUR API KEY>
ExtendCli.exe bundle clear
ExtendCli.exe bundle template add product
ExtendCli.exe bundle template add community
ExtendCli.exe bundle template add labs
Extendcli.exe bundle pack -o <Folder path>

Proxy configuration

If the AIP Node/Server accessing CAST Extend local server is configured to pass all outgoing connections through a proxy (via the Windows proxy settings or via the AIP Console settings), then you may need to whitelist the IP address/host name of the server running CAST Extend Offline in order to route connections correctly.