Power Broker 4 - First Time Install Instructions


THIS DOCUMENT IS DESIGNED FOR BROKERS THAT HAVE NEVER HAD POWER BROKER INSTALLED BEFORE.

If you already have Power Broker installed, this document is NOT for you.
Please return back to Technical Bulletins, and review the UPGRADE Technical Support Document.
Thank you for choosing Power Broker!  Please print and follow these instructions carefully without skipping any of the details.  After reading this document over, should you find that some of the technical references seem too complex, please either contact our office for assistance, or seek the assistance of your existing local technical support representative for networking and hardware issues.

 BEFORE GETTING STARTED

 • Equipment Requirements
To operate Power Broker for Windows, it is required that all hardware specifications are met for the operating system that you are using.

 Windows 98
 Computer                Processor      Pentium 300 Mhz or better
                             Memory         32 Megs minimum (recommend 64 Megs)
                             Monitor         15” SVGA – resolution 800 x 600
 Printer                    Laser Printer – HP III compatible or better with 2 Meg memory
 Modem                   Hayes Compatible – 28.8 kbs or faster

Windows NT Workstation
 Computer                Processor      Pentium 300 Mhz or better
                             Memory         32 Megs minimum (recommend 64 Megs)
                             Monitor         15” SVGA – resolution 800 x 600
 Printer                    Laser Printer – HP III compatible or better with 2 Meg memory
 Modem                   Hayes Compatible – 28.8 kbs or faster
Windows 2000 / XP Home or Professional
 Computer                Processor      Pentium 333 Mhz or better
                             Memory         64 Megs minimum
                             Monitor         15” SVGA – resolution 800 x 600
 Printer                    Laser Printer – with 2 Meg memory
 Modem                   Hayes Compatible – 28.8 kbs or faster
NOTE:  Windows NT Workstation is the client operating system and is different from the Windows NT Server which is the Network Server operating system – each have different requirements.   Please refer to a reputable hardware technician in your area for more information on Network Server operating systems and for information on the best operating system to run in your agency.
 
Refer to the LAN installation instructions for more details.

A mouse is always required to operate Power Broker.
Before continuing with your upgrade, one of the first things you would need to check is your DEP settings. 
Click on Start, Control Panel, and then System.


Click on Advanced, Performance, and then Settings.


Click on Data Execution Prevention



If your screen looks like this, then close out all of the windows and proceed
to the next step called "Preparing For Your Upgrade"


If it doesn't have the dot in the upper radio button, then place it there and reboot your server/workstation.

Power Broker Installation Instructions
Before installing the Power Broker SETUP.EXE file from your CD or download, please ensure:

1.       If you are running Windows98, inspect the CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory of the hard disk, or the work station boot diskette of a networked computer that starts from the CD Rom drive.  The system requires 255 file handles and sufficient buffer space.  Ensure that these two statements are present:

FILES=255
BUFFERS=40
 
2.       If you had to change your CONFIG.SYS file, then you must restart  your computer for the changes to take effect. 


SERVER SETUP
• NOTE:
 In this example, we are using drive z: as the mapped drive letter.
Popular drive letters are Z, P, or Q but you can use whatever drive letter that suits your needs…
• Preparing Your Server
Sitting at your server, open Windows Explorer. 
On the root of the C: drive of the server, make a new folder called \DATA.   Share the \DATA folder out to the rest of the office with full read\write permissions.

 • Installing the SETUP.EXE file on your server
If you downloaded the setup.exe from our website/ftp site, use the Start, Run, Browse button to browse to the location you have saved the SETUP.EXE file on your server, and double click on the SETUP.EXE.  If it's on a CD that you received, go to Start, Run, Browse, select your D:\ drive, and double click on SETUP.EXE and click 'OK'. 

The Installation Wizard will open.  Select the drive letter you want by clicking 'BROWSE', and then type in the directory name where you will install the Power Broker software.  (for example:  C:\DATA\BRO )

Once you click OK, you will need to click on the NEXT button and the NEXT button again for the installation to begin.  An installing window appears and the system counts up to 100 percent installed.  Click Finish.

 After installing Power Broker into this new C:\DATA directory, you should have a new C:\DATA\BRO folder.

 • Tricking the server to think it's a workstation
Sitting at the server, map drive X:\ back to it's own C:\DATA.
Open Windows Explorer, choose Map Network Drive, choose the X: drive, click on browse, and browse to Entire Network, Microsoft Windows Network, the domain or workgroup name, choose the server that Power Broker is loaded on, choose C: drive, then DATA, then OK.  (Check mark in the ' Reconnect at logon ')

 • Workstation.exe on your server
 Before you launch Power Broker, you will need to run WORKSTATION.EXE.  Click on Start and then Run in Windows.  In the RUN window, use the Browse button to browse to the X:\BRO folder on your server.  Scroll down and find Workstation.exe.  Double click this file, and it will bring you back to the 'Run' window.  Click OK to install. 

• Creating an Icon and Naming it on your server
With a X:\ drive now in Windows Explorer, you should see a \BRO folder.  Find a file called BROW.EXE, right click on this file, and choose ' Send To Desktop, Create New Shortcut '.  Rename the icon to Power Broker with a capital P and B please and change the icon by right clicking, going to properties, click change icon, browse, and then browse to X:\BRO\BROW.EXE

 • Running Power Broker for the first time at your server
Double click your new Power Broker icon.  A log in screen should appear.  Either hit 'Return' on your keyboard or check the email from a Power Broker representative that would suggest an alternate password to log in with.  Once you log in, you should visit TABLES, USER SECURITY CODES, and setup a new user i.d. with your own private password.

• Running your first Pack and Re-index
Once a few or most of your users have been created, please go to Utilities, Pack and Re-index and run this utility.  This procedure needs to be done after you add your users the first time so that Power Broker can create some user folders that the Microsoft Word Integration needs to run properly.

 WORKSTATION SETUP

• Mapping your workstation
At the workstation, open Windows Explorer, click on Tools, choose Map Network Drive, choose the X: drive, click on browse, and browse to Entire Network, Microsoft Windows Network, the domain or workgroup name, choose the server that Power Broker is loaded on, choose C: drive, then DATA, then OK.  (Check mark in the ' Reconnect at logon ').

 • Workstation.exe on your workstation
 Workstation.exe is a file that needs to be installed at any computer you wish to run Power Broker at.  Since you have just setup a new mapped drive at this workstation, you would now go to Start, Run, click on Browse, in the 'Look in' window at the top left, click on the drop down arrow and choose your X: drive, in the larger window underneath, double click on \BRO, and then find Worstation.exe .  Go through the installation screens.
• Creating an Icon and Naming it on your workstation
With a X:\ drive now in Windows Explorer, you should see a \BRO folder.  Find a file called BROW.EXE, right click on this file, and choose ' Send To Desktop, Create New Shortcut '.  Rename the icon to Power Broker with a capital P and B please and change the icon by right clicking, going to properties, click change icon, browse, and then browse to X:\BRO\BROW.EXE.

 • Running Power Broker for the first time at your workstation
Double click your new Power Broker icon.  A log in screen should appear.  Either hit 'Return' on your keyboard or check the email from a Power Broker representative that would suggest an alternate password to log in with.  Once you log in, you should visit TABLES, USER SECURITY CODES, and setup a new user i.d. with your own private password.


 OTHER SETUP COMPONENTS

• Setting up Mastercom
Later on, the Mastercom installation will ask you to browse to a location directory to install the software.  X:\EMAIL would be the location you would wish to choose.  Power Broker 4 does not require that you install it in the same directory, but to simplify your setup, I would select the same drive as Power Broker.  When installing Mastercom, you should probably install Mastercom at a the computer of the individual designated to run EDI on a daily basis.  Ensure that the operating system is Windows 2000/XP Professional/2003

 • Planning Ahead with Digital Camera and Scanning Integration
Your local technician may also make a \IMAGE folder on the C:\DATA drive which would also be the X:\ drive too, but it's just a mirror of the C:\DATA drive.  This image folder will be used later for the Scanning and Digital Camera integration.

 • Initial Setup
Immediately after installation a number of activities should be performed prior to commencing with Power Broker.  Below we simply list those activities, in the preferred order of execution. Please refer to the various sections of the Initial Setup manual for a discussion of each (located in this User Reference Manual).  Properly entering all of the startup information can be quite time consuming, but is well worthwhile especially if it is your intention to use the accounting aspects of the system from the outset.

1.       Establish User Security Codes  (Tables Menu).
2.       Select the Desired Date Format  (Utilities Menu).
3.       Establish the Fiscal Calendar and the Last Fiscal Period Number (One Time Startup Functions of the Utilities Menu).
4.       Complete the Chart of Accounts  (Tables Menu).
5.       Complete the Producer List  (Tables Menu).
6.       Complete the Insurance Company List  (Tables Menu).
7.       Complete the Bank Account Table  (Tables Menu).
8.       Fill in the "Define Your Company Information Screen"  (Utilities Menu).
9.       Enter the Primary Vendors into the Vendor Table  (Tables Menu).
10.     Seed the Accounts Receivable Balances for Agency Bill Customers  (One Time Start Up Functions of the Utilities Menu).
11.     Seed the General Ledger Closing Balances for the Last Closed Fiscal Period  (One Time Start Up Functions of the Utilities Menu).


 • MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAMS
Verify that you do not have many memory resident programs running, such as fax drivers, modem drivers, etc.  If this is the case and Power Broker can't find enough memory to perform certain screens, the error message it displays may be ambiguous.  Please phone us if you need any assistance with determining if you have any such memory resident programs that might interfere.


• SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND "HOUSEKEEPING"
Occasionally due to networking problems, power surges, brown outs, etc. the computer may end up being powered down accidentally in the middle of the application.  If this sort of situation occurs, sitting at a workstation, on your desktop right click on a blank area, and then choose 'New' shortcut.  Click on the 'Browse' button, and then browse to MyComputer, then the drive where Power Broker can be found, then your \BRO directory, and search for a file called 'PowerTools.exe'.  Double click this file.
Click Next and then rename the shortcut to 'PowerTools' and click Finish
Your icon should look like this.



 Please click here for instructions on what PowerTools can do for you.

The DEP settings at the top of this document would need to be preformed at every workstation that plans on running PowerTools.

Here is the Quick Version of a New Install for you Pros...


1)  Download setup.exe
2)  Create C:\DATA with full read/write permissions
3)  Install setup.exe into C:\DATA creating an automatic C:\DATA\BRO
4)  At the server, create a mapped drive back to the C:\DATA directory
5)  Create a new icon on the server pointing to the mapped drive (Z:\BRO\BROW.EXE)
6)  At the server, browse to Z:\BRO and run workstation.exe
7)  At a workstation, Map a new J:\ drive to point to the server c:\DATA directory
8)  Create a new icon on the workstation
9)  Run workstation.exe
10)  Repeat the same workstation procedure to any computer that will use Power Broker on the network
11)  On one or more workstations, pick and choose who will run the new PowerTools Utility program and create a new icon to \BRO\powertools.exe


 
     
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