connect direct - stralfors.dk

Connect Direct Installation Guide Connect Direct 2.7 1st edition

June 2019

[email protected]

Connect Direct 2.7 - Installation Guide June 2019

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This Installation Guide for Connect Direct is only provided in English whereas the User manual

(Brugervejledning) for Connect Direct is provided in Danish.

This edition of the Installation Guide is applicable for Connect Direct 2.7.

Contents 1. Prerequisites .............................................................................................................................. 2

1.1 Acquisition and setup of FOCES Certificate ............................................................................... 2

1.2 Setup of Afsendersystem and Forsendelsestype ....................................................................... 3

1.3 Local administrator rights (If running local bundle installation) ................................................. 4

1.4 Machine requirements ............................................................................................................. 4

1.5 Download Connect Direct package ........................................................................................... 4

1.6 Firewall control ........................................................................................................................ 4

2. Installation and Setup of Connect Direct ..................................................................................... 5

2.1 List of Parametres .................................................................................................................... 5

2.2 Local installation and setup (.exe) ............................................................................................ 6

2.3 Central installation and setup (.msi) ....................................................................................... 12

3. Parametres – Technical descriptions ......................................................................................... 14

3.1 DocumentCleanerEnabled + KeepDocumentsForDays ............................................................ 14

4. Local file storage of Connect Direct data ................................................................................... 18

4.1 Selecting default or custom storage folder ............................................................................. 18

5. Check-list when conducting central installation ........................................................................ 19

6. Uninstalling Connect Direct ...................................................................................................... 20

Revision Revision date Authors

1.0 2019-05-29 Jesper V.Jensen

1.1 2019-06-26 Jesper V. Jensen


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1. Prerequisites

Before installing and using the Connect Direct desktop application, please make sure that the

following prerequisites have been taken into account:

1. Acquisition and setup of FOCES Certificate

2. Setup of Afsendersystem and Forsendelsestype

3. Local administrator rights (if running the local bundle installation)

4. Machine requirements

5. Download Connect Direct package

6. Firewall control

It is a general prerequisite that the machine being used is connected to the Internet.

1.1 Acquisition and setup of FOCES Certificate

A Funktionscertifikat (FOCES) is required in order to create a validation between the local machine

and the central Connect platform.

The FOCES private key (.p12 format) must be installed to the local machine/user’s certificate store,

while the FOCES public key (.cer format) must be uploaded to the Afsendersystem(s) in the Connect

Portal.

1.1.1 Acquiring the FOCES certificate

The Funktionscertifikat FOCES can be acquired by the IT department/certificate administrator of

your organization.

If you do not already have one installed on your machine/user or have one in your organization, the

Funktionscertifikat (FOCES) is acquired via Nets under “Aktivering af Funktionssignatur”.

1.1.2 Setting up the FOCES certificate

The following steps may not be necessary if a central installation and setup of Connect Direct is

conducted.

Private key

When acquired, the FOCES certificate comes in the format .p12, which is typically referred to as the

‘private key’ of the FOCES certificate.

The private key must be installed to the Certificate store on the user/machine that will be using the

Connect Direct application. The FOCES certificate is sent along with credentials for the installation,

which is most likely acquired by the certificate administrator in your organization.

The installed private key will later be used as certificate for the setup of the Connect Direct

application.


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Public key

When installed successfully to the Certificate store on the user/machine, the private key (.p12) must

be exported to a ‘public key’ (.cer), which will be used to validate the private key on the Connect

cloud service.

Exporting the private key to the public key can be done simply via Internet Explorer as seen below:

Internet Explorer => Internet Options => Content => Certificates => Export.

Follow the subsequent steps provided by the guide in Internet Explorer.

After this, the public key (.cer) is successfully installed to the Certificate Store as well.

It is the public key that must be uploaded in the Connect Portal when setting up the Afsendersystem

(explained in following section 1.2 Setup of Afsendersystem and Forsendelsestype).

1.2 Setup of Afsendersystem and Forsendelsestype In some cases an Afsendersystem may already have been set up by your organization.

Set up of Afsendersystem and Forsendelsestype has to be completed in the Connect Portal

https://portal.sconnect.dk. (If setting up in TEST environment, go to https://testportal.sconnect.dk.)

If needed, ask your Connect system administrator on how to set up the Afsendersystem and

Forsendeslestype or contact [email protected] for further support.

1.2.1 Acquisition of MaterialeID at e-Boks

It is also necessary to acquire a “Materiale ID” at e-Boks in order to validate your organization for

Digital Post. Connect Support can help you with this if need be.

https://portal.sconnect.dk/

https://testportal.sconnect.dk/

mailto:[email protected]


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1.3 Local administrator rights (If running local bundle installation) Before installing Connect Direct locally on the machine by using the full bundle.exe, make sure that

the user have local administrator rights in order to be able to install the Connect Direct application.

If a central installation (via MSI) is used to install and set up the Connect Direct application, local

administrator rights for the users are rarely needed.

1.4 Machine requirements The machine, which Connect Direct will be installed on, must meet the following minimum system

requirements:

Windows OS 7 or higher

.NET framework 4.5

Processor 1 HGz

RAM 512 MB

1.5 Download Connect Direct package The Connect Direct installation package can be downloaded from a unique PostNord Strålfors

website. The site URL along with the credentials have been sent to the Connect contacts of your

organization.

From this site you can download the latest Connect Direct version as a zip-file, which includes the

following:

Full bundle installation files (for local installation)

MSI installation files (for administrative installation)

Release notes (what has been changed since last version)

Installation Guide (This guide on how to setup Connect Direct - in English)

User Manual (A guide on how to use Connect Direct - in Danish)

1.6 Firewall control If you experience issues with connecting the Connect Direct application to the Connect cloud service,

please check that Gate 443 is open/accessible for the application.


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2. Installation and Setup of Connect Direct

2.1 List of Parametres The parameters below are used when conducting central installation (MSI). If installing the local full bundle version (exe), the parameters below must be set under “Indstillinger” in the Connect Direct application (explained further in 2.2 Local installation and setup (.exe))

1. Thumbprint*

Choose which certificate (FOCES private key) you want to use. Select the certificate thumbprint from Certificate store.

2. URL* Choose which environment you want to use for the Connect Direct application.

7. Production environment OIOREST: https://print.sconnect.dk

8. Test environment OIOREST: https://testprint.sconnect.dk

3. AfsendersystemID*

Choose the Afsendersystem that must be used by Connect Direct. Value example: [519]

Contact your local Connect system admin if you do not know this value.

4. ForsendelsestypeID* Choose which Forsendelsestype that must be used in Connect Direct? Value example: [252]

Contact your local Connect system admin if you do not know this value.

5. DocumentStoragePath Allows you to store the local files (html and pdf) in a designated local folder. Value example: [C:\users\username\...\] If this parameter is not used, the default storage path is selected: %localappdata%\Straalfors\ConnectDirect

6. DocumentCleanerEnabled* Allows you to enable or disable the auto-delete feature in Connect Direct. Value example: [true]. True = enabled, False = disabled The auto-delete feature will remove all files (letters + metadata) from the Connect Direct log and the local storage folder after a specific amount of days, in order for you Connect Direct user to better comply with GDPR.

7. KeepDocumentsForDays* If the ‘Auto-delete feature’ is enabled, choose for how long you want to keep the letters in Connect Direct application log and the local storage folder.

https://print.sconnect.dk/

https://testprint.sconnect.dk/


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Value example: [365] Forsendelser are removed after 365 days. This feature is related to 6. DocumentCleanerEnabled.

8. RemoveBatchSplitter Remove batch splitter setting. Value example: [true]. True = enabled, False = disabled

9. CertStoreLocation Possibility to set the Certificate Store Location to CurrentUser (default value) or LocalMachine. Value example: CurrentUser

*Required parameter

2.2 Local installation and setup (.exe)

Make sure that the Prerequisites are met before installing and setting up Connect Direct.

When conducting a local installation (.exe) please use the full bundle version (.exe) in the

downloaded package. This version includes printer drivers as well.

Subtypes for the full bundle version:

Non-AD version

o 64-bit

o 32-bit

AD version (install this if you wish to use your AD-groups)

o 64-bit

o 32-bit

Note:

Required parameters work together as a group. If one is missing, then this will break the

connection to Connect. Changes in this “group” will be checked on every start-up of

Connect Direct application. If a change is identified, the application settings will be

overwritten with the ones in Windows Registry.

The non-required parameters will be handled separately from the “required group” and

other non-required parameters. If a non-required parameter has a value, which means it is

not empty, then Connect Direct will use this value during the usage of the application.

Connect Direct application reads the parameters from following Registry key:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Straalfors\Connect Direct


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Installing the Connect Direct application

The process below is also valid when updating from an old to a newer version of Connect Direct.

1. To start the installation process of Connect Direct run ConnectDirect Installer.exe with local

administrator rights.

Connect Direct will be installed to the folder:

C:\Program Files\Straalfors\ConnectDirect.

The folder will get created automatically if it does not exist already.

2. Make sure to check ”I agree to license terms and conditions” checkbox before proceeding.

3. Wait until the setup process is finalized.

Below window will appear when successfully installed.


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4. The setup process automatically creates a local printer called “ConnectPrinter”.

Please verify after the installation that the ConnectPrinter is present.


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Initial Application Setup (not needed in case of central installation)

1. Start the Connect Direct application after the installation.

(Find it in

C:\Program Files\Straalfors\ConnectDirect\ConnectDirect.exe

or from the Windows Start menu)

2. When Connect Direct is open, go to “Indstillinger” in the top right corner of the user

interface:

3. Fill in the parametres:

Connect Settings - setting up the parameters for the Connect cloud service:

The parameters in the screenshot above, are described in the following:


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Certificate Thumbprint

By default, Connect Direct looks for the certificate in the Current User.

When looking for the certificate in Certificate Store, the Local Machine can also be chosen:

URL

Type in the URL of the OIOREST API you wish to use for Connect Direct:

PROD-environment: https://print.sconnect.dk/

TEST-environment: https://testprint.sconnect.dk/

Afsendersystem ID The Afsendersystem ID can be found under ‘Tilslutning’ > ‘Afsendersystemer’ in the Connect Portal. Forsendelses type ID When connected to the Afsendersystem properly, you are able to select one or more Forsendelsestyper from the dropdown list. (Given that a Forsendelsestype has been created for the Afsendersystem.) System message The system message tells you whether you are connected properly or not. When connected properly, Connect Direct will give you status “Connected” with a green check mark displayed. If not connected properly, a red icon is displayed along with a short description. Local file storage If preferred, you can select another path for where the local files (PDF+XML) are stored. The default path is

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Straalfors\ConnectDirect.

Read more about the local storage folder in section 4. Local file storage of Connect Direct

data.

Application Settings – setup for the application:

Batch splitter

Choose whether you want to hide or show the batch splitter (default: &&##) in the letter

you are sending. It is recommended to keep ‘Remove batch splitter’ checked on.

Automatically delete letters

All letters are stored on the local machine and in the Connect Direct application.

The user can allow Connect Direct to delete the letters (locally and in the application) by

https://print.sconnect.dk/

https://testprint.sconnect.dk/


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enabling this feature.

Make sure to take a backup of the letters from the local file storage, if you have enabled this

feature, if you want to keep a copy of your letters (PDF+XML) somewhere else.

Delete letters in log after days

This is only editable if the feature ‘Automatically delete letters’ are enabled.

It allows you to set the amount of days from when a letter is created until its deletion.

Read more about the technical background of the auto delete feature in section 3.1.

Parameters checked in Windows Registry

Connect Direct is checking for the parameters in this location:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Straalfors\Connect Direct

The parameters can be edited in here as well.

Only the required parameters need to be edited together. The required parameters include:

9. AFSENDERSYSTEMID

10. FORSENDELSESTYPEID

11. THUMBPRINT

12. URL

13. DOCUMENTCLEANERENABLED

14. KEEPDOCUMENTSFORDAYS.

Others can be edited separately and they will be loaded into Connect Direct UI during startup of the

program.

Always make sure to restart the Connect Direct application after editing the parameters.


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2.3 Central installation and setup (.msi) Central/administrative installation is typically used when several users are to use similar setup for

Connect Direct or when using a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

Files for MSI roll-out of Connect Direct

For central roll-out the following MSI packages must be deployed (choose either 32bit or 64bit

version depending on the operating system):

ConnectDirectInstaller.msi – 32bit version

ConnectDirectInstaller64.msi – 64bit version

novaPDF8PrinterDriver(x64).msi

novaPDF8PrinterDriver(x86).msi

novaPDF8OEM(x64).msi

novaPDF8OEM(x86).msi

The Connect Direct installers (ConnectDirectInstaller.msi and ConnectDirectInstaller64.msi) support

the custom parameters:

1. THUMBPRINT (Introduced in version 1.0.0)

2. URL (Introduced in version 1.0.0)

3. AFSENDERSYSTEMID (Introduced in version 1.0.0)

4. FORSENDELSESTYPEID (Introduced in version 1.0.0)

5. LocalFileStorage (Introduced in version 2.4.0)

6. DocumentCleanerEnabled (Introduced in version 2.4.0)

7. KeepDocumentsForDays (Introduced in version 2.4.0)

8. RemoveBatchSplitter (Introduced in version 2.7.0)

9. CertStoreLocation (Introduced in version 2.7.0)

Please note:

PostNord Strålfors provides the MSI-files for central installation of

Connect Direct, however it is the responsibility of the IT department

of the customer to roll out the application with MSI/SCCM/other, as

central installation are often unique for the systems of the customer.


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Sample command line:

msiexec /i ”C:\ConnectDirectInstaller.msi” /quiet

AFSENDERSYSTEMID=<afsendersystem_id>

FORSENDELSESTYPEID=<forsendelses_type_id_value>

THUMBPRINT=<certificate_thumbprint> URL=<connect_ii_url>

DOCUMENTCLEANERENABLED=<True/False>

KEEPDOCUMENTSFORDAYS=<integer>

DOCUMENTSTORAGEPATH=<Directory path>

REMOVEBATCHSPLITTER=<True/False>

CERTSTORELOCATION=<CurrentUser/LocalMachine>


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3. Parametres – Technical descriptions

3.1 DocumentCleanerEnabled + KeepDocumentsForDays Starting from version 2.4, Connect Direct can automatically remove files and folders from the

Windows LocalAppData folder based on the chosen user settings.

Usage

Under the settings section (Indstillinger) of the Connect Direct application, there are two options:

1. User can select if the auto-delete functionality is enabled or not.

2. User can change the number of days to keep the documents.

This feature is by default switched off and the number of days value is set to 90.

In case the feature is disabled, the number of days cannot be changed – the textbox is greyed out.

In case an invalid value is inserted as a day’s value, an error message will be displayed.

Important: If there is an error displayed here, the application will not delete any documents, even if

it is enabled.


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In case the feature is enabled, the auto-delete will try to run each time the Connect Direct desktop

application is closed. When enabled, a message is displayed while the desktop application is shutting

down:

The accepted range of whole numbers in version 2.7 are from 0 to 365. No decimals allowed.

If ‘0’ days is selected, the files will be deleted as soon as Connect Direct is shut down. This is only

recommended if you have an alternative back-up folder of the letters (PDF and XML).


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Registry values

The registry values are KeepDocumentsForDays and DocumentCleanerEnabled.

Note: This needs to be considered when creating new MSI packages.

All the values are stored under following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Straalfors\Connect Direct

Accepted values for KeepDocumentsForDays are numbers from 0-365, but in case some text is

inserted as a value (for example: 33E), then it will be converted to zero in the Connect Direct

application. If it is a number outside of the allowed range of numbers, then the settings section will

display this number and the Connect Direct application is not removing any documents even if the

feature is enabled.

Accepted values for DocumentCleanerEnabled are true or false or True or False. In case something

else is inserted as a value, this will be considered as “False” and the feature will be switched OFF.

As before, any time the registry values are changed (applies to the “required” values), the Connect

Direct application settings are overwritten with all the values from the Windows Registry.


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What exactly is deleted?

The auto-delete feature will only delete files and folders from the following path:

%LocalAppData%\Straalfors\ConnectDirect\

aka “Local Storage Path”.

How?

Connect Direct will check the letter creation date/time and compares this to the current date and

time.

The letter creation date/time is taken from the XML file, which are stored under the Local Storage

Path.

Example:

Note: To test this feature, it is possible to change the “Created” element value in the XML and run

the application to see if the letter is deleted or not.

After the above described step, Connect Direct will also check leftover print files from the Print

folder:

%LocalAppData%\Straalfors\ConnectDirect\Print\

It is possible that in case a batch is printed into Connect Direct application, there is a leftover

temporary print file present under the Print folder.

As these files have the created timestamp in their filename, it is possible to remove them based on

that value.

For example:

Note: By changing the timestamp in the first part of the filename, it is possible to test the deletion of

these documents. Next time Connect Direct closes, these timestamps are checked, and files are

removed if needed.


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4. Local file storage of Connect Direct data

The folder for the local file storage is created upon installation of Connect Direct.

The folder contains a settings file and the created letters in Connect Direct (in PDF and XML format).

When adding letters to Connect Direct – either via the ConnectPrinter or by selecting a PDF via the

user interface – the letters will be created in the Connect Direct log called ‘Oversigt’ as well as in a

local file storage.

The local file storage is placed here:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Straalfors\ConnectDirect

The Settings.xml file

To generate the Settings.xml, Windows Registry (regedit) is checked first – after that it takes

everything from Settings file.

If changes are made in Windows Registry the settings are taken from here and is applied to the

settings file. If no changes are made, the existing settings file is used for the parameters in Connect

Direct.

Do not delete the settings.xml file!

The LastSelectedShipmentType.xml file

This file contains information about last selected shipment type.

Hence, it allows users to see the settings in Connect Direct even if the desktop application is offline.

Do not manipulate data in these files!

4.1 Selecting default or custom storage folder It is possible to select a custom storage folder for where to store the created/sent letters from

Connect Direct. However, the settings file will remain in the original local storage folder under

AppData.

Read more about this in point 5 of 2.1 List of Parametres.


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5. Check-list when conducting central installation

If you are experiencing issues with the central installation of Connect Direct, please check the

following:

1. I can’t see the Forsendelsestype in the drop down even though I am connected properly?

Make sure a Forsendelsestype has been created for the Afsendersystemer and/or remember

to select the correct version, be it AD or non-AD.

2. It seems I am experiencing trouble with the installation order of MSI?

Alternatively to the recommended order, you may change the order of the installation from

Connect Direct Printer driver OEM

to

Printer driver OEM Connect Direct (same as in the .exe)

3. The settings are not shown in Connect Direct after installing a new version?

- Try to make a direct startup of the Connect Direct application upon the very first start after

installing the desktop application or a new version of it. Do not open it via the printer driver

(ConnectPrinter) upon the first start, as it may not allow the settings to copy in properly. You

may use Group Policy (GPO) to do so for multiple users.

- GPO may also need a restart of machine and/or re-login from users.

- Connect Direct needs to restart in any case when changing the settings/parameters.

4. Connect Direct seems unable to find the path for the certificate?

By default Connect Direct will look in the User context for the certificate, not the Computer

context. You are able to change this in the parameters if needed.

If none of the above supports your installation of Connect Direct, please contact

[email protected].

mailto:[email protected]


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6. Uninstalling Connect Direct

Correct process of uninstalling Connect Direct:

Delete all letters in the local file storage or in the ’Oversigt’ before uninstallment if you want to be

sure that all letters are gone fropm the local machine. (Make sure to remove them from the Bin as

well)

Uninstallment of Connect Direct must be conducted in the following order in order to avoid any

’leftover’ references between the novaPDF installation and Connect Direct.

1) Connect Direct (Straalfors)

2) NovaPDF 8 Printer Driver (Softland)

3) OEM Printer (Softland)

It is recommended to delete the ”%localappdata%\Straalfors\ConnectDirect” folder after the

uninstallation has been completed. (Rremember to write the correct path if changed to custom a

location)

You may also want to delete user data under \{users}\{username}\AppData\Local\Straalfors\...

PLEASE NOTE Uninstallment via Windows’ ‘Apps & Features’ will only

remove the Connect Direct desktop application – not

the local AppData. Local files must be deleted as well.