Exploring the Browser-based Interface of Altium NEXUS Server

Parent page: Installing, Licensing & Managing the Altium NEXUS Server

In addition to connecting to an Altium NEXUS Server through Altium NEXUS, and interfacing to it through the Explorer panel, you can also connect to it through a dedicated browser interface. In fact, connection in this way is more than just a connection to the NEXUS Server itself. Rather it is a connection into the Altium NEXUS Server platform, with access to management interfaces for the various services available as part of the wider NEXUS Server installation. Indeed, with some of these services, your only interaction with them is through this browser-based interface.

Accessing the Interface

To access your local Altium NEXUS Server through its browser-based interface, use a preferred external Web browser and type the address for the NEXUS Server in one of the following formats:

• http://<ComputerName>:<PortNumber>
• http://localhost:<PortNumber> - if accessing from the same computer on which the NEXUS Server is installed.

(e.g. http://designerhome:9780, or http://localhost:9780, for an Altium NEXUS Server installed using the default port assignment). You will be presented with a Sign-in page.

Sign in through the browser interface using the same NEXUS Server credentials used to connect through Altium NEXUS. For a newly installed Altium NEXUS Server, there is a default administrative user with the credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin

What's Provided?

The interface provides a number of key technologies and services, and can be coarsely divided into two groupings, as shown in the following image, and listed thereafter.

1. Interface elements that can be accessed by any NEXUS Server user. Note that some sub-elements may be admin-only, and they will be highlighted in the detailed sections that follow. To access a page, click on its name within the left-hand navigation tree.
2. Interface elements that can only be accessed by a NEXUS Server Administrator. A single, administrative user is provided, admin. This user, and any additional user, is bestowed administrative powers by membership to the role Administrators. To access a page, choose the required entry within the Admin section of the left-hand navigation tree.

The banner area at the top of the interface reflects the user that is currently signed into the NEXUS Server, along with a picture (if defined), and the current page of the interface being browsed. The drop-down menu associated with the entry provides a control for logging out. The Notifications control () will flag any notifications - click this to access your Stream page, from where you can browse and read these notifications. Many such notifications can also be sent from the NEXUS Server through its email notifications service. For more information, see Configuring Server Email Notifications through the Browser Interface. In addition, and for administrators only, the Health Monitor control () will flag a count of any warnings and errors detected by the server's Health Monitor. Click this to access the Health page of the interface.

General Access Interface Elements

The following sections summarize the elements of the NEXUS Server's browser interface that can be accessed by all users of the NEXUS Server - both administrators and standard users.

Home

This page provides quick reference information, tailored to, and relevant for, the NEXUS Server user who is currently signed in through the interface.

The page presents two lists:

• Recent Activity - this is very much a reflection of the real-time notifications found on the Stream page of the interface. Each message includes a link to the entity affected by the event, on the relevant page of the interface. The most recent event appears at the top of the list.
• My Projects - this is a listing of managed projects, complete with description (where available), that have been created by the signed-in user. The name of a project acts as a link to that project, on the Projects page of the interface. The most recently created project appears at the top of the list.

The URL to the Server - the Server Address - is also provided. This is the URL to use when connecting to the NEXUS Server from Altium NEXUS. Use the  button to quickly grab the URL for pasting into the Server Address field, in Altium NEXUS's Sign in to Server dialog.

Team

Related pages: Managing Users, Configuring LDAP Sync with the Altium NEXUS Server

This area provides the interface to the Identity Service (IDS), to define applicable service access, through specification of users and roles.

Controls are spread over the following sub-pages:

• Users - use this page to create and manage a list of users; people who are to have access to the NEXUS Server and/or the associated technologies installed with it.
• Roles - use this page to create and manage a list of roles; roles allow you to further organize your users according to, for example, the particular section of the organization in which they are involved, or the design team they are in. Roles also make the sharing of NEXUS Server content, and the configuration of other served technologies, more streamlined.
• LDAP Sync - use this page to configure and run an LDAP Sync task. This allows an administrator of your Altium NEXUS Server to leverage the network domain’s existing username and password credentials, so that user credentials do not have to be created manually one at a time on the Users page. When setup correctly, the Users page will automatically populate with user credentials, enabling any user listed to sign into the NEXUS Server using their regular corporate network username and password.
• Sessions - use this page to quickly assess which of your users are currently signed into the Altium NEXUS Server. Provision is made for an administrator to terminate a user's access to the NEXUS Server by effectively 'killing' their active session, thereby freeing connections to the Server for use by others.

Projects

Related page: Managed Projects

This page provides the interface to the Projects service, to create and manage projects in a central location, and share those projects for team collaboration as required. The page lists all Managed Projects for the organization. Managed Projects target the development stage of the project lifecycle, simplifying the creation and ongoing workflow for version controlled projects. From here you can create new projects, and open and manage existing ones. From this interface, a project can also be shared, or rather its access permissions configured.

Explorer

Related page: Browsing Content from a Web Browser

This page gives you access to the structure of the Altium NEXUS Server, and is similar in presentation and layout to that of the Explorer panel. From here, you will be able to browse the folders and Items within the NEXUS Server. And although you can't create or edit Items from within the browser interface (you can remove them), you are able to create and edit folders, and so build the structure of the Server, without having to be connected to that Server through Altium NEXUS.

You can also define sharing from this interface - controlling who is able to see what content in the NEXUS Server, and whether other users can simply view a folder and its content, or also edit it (effectively releasing design data into it). A single NEXUS Server can be partitioned into various effective 'zones' of content, but with controlled permissions, the content can be made selectively visible, or hidden, as required - giving the right people, the right access, to the right data.

Content can also be downloaded from the NEXUS Server, directly from this interface.

Stream

This page provides a live feed of event notifications, applicable to, and relevant for, the NEXUS Server user who is currently signed in through the interface. The page can be accessed in two ways:

• By clicking the Stream entry within the left-hand navigation tree - this will list all notifications.
• By clicking the Notifications control (), at the top-right of the interface. This will list all unread notifications (The number next to the Notifications control reflects the number of currently unread messages in the stream).

Each message in the stream carries similar information:

By default, all notification types are presented (unless accessed from the Notifications control, in which case only unread notifications will be listed). To change this, click on the All control and choose a particular notification type to display. Supported notification types are:

Part Requests

Related pages: Requesting a New Managed Part, Creating & Managing Processes

This page enables you to create and manage requests for new managed components. A designer can simply put in a request for one or more parts to be created, using predefined Part Request process workflows that have been defined for the company, and get notified when that request has either been rejected (and why), or processed, and the component(s) made available. The requestor supplies as much key information to support their request as possible (manufacturer and part number(s), description(s), any relevant datasheet (PDF or URL)). Stub Component Items can even be created that the person assigned to the part request can then run with (and finish off).

The default Part Request functionality is based on Workflows. Should you wish to use the legacy Part Request approach, you can. To do so, enable the Legacy Part Requests Active option, on the Admin - Settings - Vault - Legacy Part Requests page of the Server's browser interface.

A single predefined process definition for Part Requests is activated for use out-of-the-box (New Part Request). This can be found on the Part Requests tab of the Processes page of the browser interface. Use this, modify it, or create your own as required, to suit the needs of making part requests within your company. In addition, four more sample process definitions are available - New Part Request Assign, New Part Request Multiple Tasks, Part Request with PLM Part Create, and New Part Request Notify 3rd party. These cannot be activated and used as is. Each of these is therefore more like a 'template' - edit to suit your company's requirements, name, and save as a new process definition, which you can then activate and use, along with all other definitions in the Part Requests process theme.

Part requests can also be made directly through Altium NEXUS - either from the Explorer panel, after having conducted a search, or from within the Part Search panel, with a search item selected. In both cases, the  button, when pressed, will present the active part request process work flows available to choose from. Requesting a part through the Part Search panel provides the added benefit that it will auto-fill key information for you, including all data sheets and parametric information.

Create and manage requests for new parts through the Part Requests area of the NEXUS Server's browser-based interface. Each part request follows a chosen process workflow.
In this image, you can see the associated flow depicted graphically on the Diagram tab, including indication of where in the process the request has reached.

Part request activities will be visible to all users from the Part Requests page, helping to prevent multiple requests for the same parts being raised. Only the original requestor and the user assigned to work on the request will receive notifications - including  when a new part request has been submitted, and when a part request has been completed (either the part has successfully been created, or the request has been ultimately rejected). Notifications will be received in their message stream, on the Stream page of the NEXUS Server's browser interface (and summarized on the Home page of the interface). In addition to the these event notifications, email notifications will also be received - providing the Email Notifications feature is enabled and configured. This is performed by an Administrator, on the Email Notifications page (Admin - Settings - Email Notifications) of the NEXUS Server's browser interface.

Legacy Part Requests

Related page: Part Requests

This page is only presented, provided you enable the Legacy Part Requests Active option, on the Admin - Settings - Vault - Legacy Part Requests page of the Server's browser interface.

This page enables you to create and manage requests for new managed components, using the legacy Part Request functionality. An engineer can simply put in a request for one or more parts to be created, and get notified when that request has either been completed, and the component(s) made available, or rejected (and why). The requestor supplies as much key information to support their request as possible (manufacturer and part number(s), description(s), any relevant datasheet (PDF or URL)). Stub Component Items can even be created that the librarian can then run with (and finish off).

You'll need to specify which role (or roles) should be used to fulfill the role of Librarians for your organization. In essence, you are configuring a set of users of your managed content server, that can be assigned to a part request. This is performed by a Server Administrator, through the Admin - Settings - Vault - Legacy Part Requests - Librarians Role page of the Server's browser-based interface.

Adding a new part request through the managed content server's browser interface. Hover over the image to see the form presented to receive the details of the request.

Initially, a part request is visible to the original requestor, and all members of the nominated librarian role(s). Once the request has been assigned to a particular librarian, only the requestor and that librarian will see it, and receive notifications about it.

Upon creation of a part request, the requestor, members of the Librarian role, and Server administrators, will receive notification in their message stream, on the Stream page of the managed content server's browser interface (and summarized on the Home page of that interface). In addition to the these event notifications, email notifications will also be received - providing the Email Notifications feature is enabled. This is performed by an Administrator, on the Email Notifications page (Admin - Settings - Email Notifications) of the Server's browser interface.

Tasks

Related page: Working with Tasks, Creating & Managing Processes

This page presents active (outstanding) tasks for the signed-in user, or tasks that have not yet been assigned, but for which they are a candidate (e.g. are part of a role that has been specified for the assignee). For a standard (non-admin) user, the list of tasks is automatically filtered so that only tasks requiring their attention, or which they can claim as a candidate, are listed. Each task is a specific stage reached within an associated process workflow.

For an administrative user, a filter control is available at the top of the listing of tasks. Use this to quickly switch between viewing all your tasks (My tasks) and all tasks across all users (All tasks). An administrator can also browse all outstanding tasks - from a process workflow perspective - from the Browser tab of the Processes page.

Instantly see what tasks require your attention, on the Tasks page of the NEXUS Server's browser interface. The relevant form of the associated process workflow is presented for
you to enter/add/choose your required input.

When a user is signed into the Altium NEXUS Server through Altium NEXUS, their current list of tasks (or unassigned tasks which they can claim as a candidate) will be available through the Tasklist panel. Clicking on a task's entry will access a dialog containing the form and diagram of the associated process workflow - use the form to fulfill the task and submit, so that the process can flow to the next relevant stage.

Admin-Only Interface Elements

The following sections summarize the elements of the NEXUS Server's browser interface that can only be accessed by Administrative users of the NEXUS Server - those who are part of the Administrators role. Access to these elements is through the dedicated Admin area of the left-hand navigation tree.

Settings

This page (Admin - Settings) provides a collection of sub-pages for configuration of options relating to various features and services provided by, and through, an Altium NEXUS Server installation.

When changing any settings, be sure to click the  button, at the top-right of a page.

The left-hand side of the page provides a navigation tree with which to quickly access various sub-pages of settings. The following pages are available:

• General - use this page to change the Name and Description for the NEXUS Server.
  • AltiumLive Credentials - when using the Network Installation Service (NIS), use this page to enter the credentials used to log into the Altium Cloud (AltiumLive) where the installers are to be sourced from. When using the Private License Service through the NEXUS Server, these credentials allow the Private License Service (PLS) to communicate directly with your Altium account for the initial acquisition of your company licenses. Credentials must also be entered in order to access and obtain initial licensing for the Server itself, from the Altium Cloud.
  • Session Lifetime - use this page to enter a value for the IDS Session Lifetime (in hours). This is how long a NEXUS Server user has to remain connected, in a single session, when using a seat of the applicable Client Access License (Altium NEXUS Server CAL). By default, the session lifetime is 24 hours.

• License Manager - this page provides settings relating to using the Private License Service, and selection of its mode. A pre-set suitable default value is used for the Altium Cloud portal URL (http://portal2.altium.com/?cls=soap).

• Network Installation - when using the Network Installation Service (NIS), use this page to define the update checking interval. This is the frequency (in minutes) that the Automatic Updates feature will check for available new versions of the applicable software in the Altium Cloud Repository.

• Lifecycle Definitions - use this page to define and manage your NEXUS Server's lifecycle definitions, complementing the ability to do this through Altium NEXUS. Providing better visibility of the states and transitions involved, each lifecycle is built in a graphical way, showing at-a-glance the flows involved.

• Permissions - this page provides a single option that allows managed components to be deleted from the NEXUS Server, even if they have been placed on a design document.

• Components - use this page to define default target folders in which new models should be created, when creating a new Component Item. To change a default folder, click the  button. The Vault Explorer window will appear with which to choose the desired new default target release folder for that model type. Once chosen, click OK to close the window and return to the Components page, with the applicable field updated with the new folder path.

• Projects - use this page to specify the default path (within the NEXUS Server's folder structure) for newly-released projects. You can also define default sharing permissions for new projects, so that the right users and/or roles have access to those projects from the moment they are created.

VCS

Related page: Local Version Control Service

This page (Admin - VCS) provides the interface to the NEXUS Server installation's local Version Control Service, for managing the SVN-based Design Repositories that designers in the organization can validly access and use while working on design projects. Repositories can be created through this service, or external repositories can be connected to.

Configurations

Related page: Environment Configuration Management

This page (Admin - Configurations) provides the interface to the Team Configuration Center (delivered through the NEXUS Server installation as the Team Configuration Service). The role of the Team Configuration Center (sometimes referred to as TC2) is simplicity itself - to give the organization centralized control over the environment its designers operate in. It achieves this through the definition and management of Environment Configurations. These are used to constrain each designer's Altium NEXUS working environment to only use company-ratified design elements, including schematic templates, output job configuration files, and workspace preferences. In other words, it facilitates Centralized Environment Configuration Management.

Any number of environment configurations may be defined through the Center's dedicated browser-based interface. The data used and enforced by each configuration - referred to as Configuration Data Items - are sourced from the Altium NEXUS Server. And by associating each environment configuration with a specific user role, and in turn assigning users to those roles, the correct working environment is loaded into Altium NEXUS as soon as the user signs in to the Altium NEXUS Server. Using this role-based approach ensures that a designer always gets the setup they are entitled to, no matter whether they have their own PC, or are sharing a single PC with fellow designers.

The interface allows for an administrator to craft one or more environment configurations, depending on the needs of the organization. Each configuration requires the definition of:

• Configuration Name - a meaningful name, perhaps reflective of the people whose working environment it is to govern.
• Configuration Data - the elemental constraints of the configuration. The revisions of supported data items that can be validly used by a user targeted by the configuration.
• Target Roles - specification of whom the environment configuration applies to. Roles themselves are simply groupings of users, defined and stored as part of the NEXUS Server's Identity Service. These are the same roles that are defined and used by the NEXUS Server to control access permissions.

Part Providers

Related page: Supply Chain Management

This page (Admin - Part Providers) enables you to define a list of Part Sources - facilitating centralized supply chain management, with designers across the entire organization using the same approved list of Suppliers, with which to source supply chain intelligence for parts used in their designs.

The available Part Sources in the NEXUS Server are:

• Altium Parts Provider - an aggregate supplier data service that provides access to live component information from a comprehensive range of parts suppliers. This Part Source is installed by default.

• Custom Database Parts Provider - for situations where parts supply data needs to be accessed from a local database, such as a company’s internal parts database, the NEXUS Server's Custom Database Parts Provider feature offers interface connectivity for all common database systems (directly, or via an ODBC or OLE-DB interface). The connection can be established manually, through a nominated interface and connection string, or by using the NEXUS Server's Connection Wizard. Any number of such connections can be defined.

The actual supply chain intelligence - comprising Manufacturer (and part number), Supplier (and part number), Description, Pricing and Availability - is sourced from the NEXUS Server's local Part Catalog and the relevant Part Source.

Health

Related page: Altium NEXUS Server Health Monitor

This page (Admin - Health) draws attention to, and provides overview information on, the Altium NEXUS Server Health Monitor. Provided as a stand-alone, independent application, the Health Monitor delivers a visual summary of the state of the host machine, the NEXUS Server storage system and the NEXUS Server's Services.

The tool also includes context related hints, information and paths to important locations and log files, which allows NEXUS Server Administrators to preemptively detect and resolve any issues that may affect NEXUS Server users. Since it operates as an independent entity that queries the NEXUS Server and its host system, the Health Monitor will deliver crucial data and information even in the unlikely event that the NEXUS Server is not fully functioning.

The Health Monitor provides two additional tabs as part of its interface:

• Log Browser - this tab presents Error and Warning entries from all of the NEXUS Server’s available Log files, normally located in the \ProgramData\Altium\NexusServerData\logs folder. Controls are provided to filter the cumulative listing of log events, open log files, or archive and delete the current logs (Clean Logs).
• Status Report - this tab is used to create and display NEXUS Server status report files. The generated reports collate all the event debug information in a single Zip archive (*.zip) that can be sent, when necessary, to Altium Developers.

Licenses

Related pages: Altium NEXUS Server Licensing, Private License Service

This page (Admin - Licenses) provides the interface to obtain and manage licenses - both for the licensing of the NEXUS Server itself, and also for serving to client machines over the local network, through the appropriately configured Private License Service (PLS).

Three tabs are available:

• Licenses - provides a listing of all licenses currently available. At least two licenses will be required to actually license the Altium NEXUS Server (Altium NEXUS Server and Altium NEXUS Server CAL). Other licenses can be added for serving through the PLS. Licenses can be acquired either From cloud (choose from a list of licenses available to your company from the Altium portal), or From file (import existing alf license files from disk).

• Roles - provides the ability to assign licenses to Roles of Users (or groupings of users). In Local PLS mode, the NEXUS Server PLS can selectively offer software licenses that have been assigned to a specific Role. By default (unless otherwise specified), all licenses acquired by the NEXUS Server are assigned to the All Users Role, and therefore available to any User that connects to the PLS.
• Reports - the Private License Service includes a range of license usage monitoring and reporting features that can be used to audit how licenses are used within an organization. This is useful for ensuring that the best use is being made of the available license seats, for anticipating future license requirements, and to determine the usage of individual Users. A range of reporting options are available, accessed by specific sub-tabs. Depending upon the type of information that's required for each report, the associated reporting filters can be applied to tailor the results to include specific Licenses, Roles, Users, and time periods. There is also an option to export the current report to disk in CSV format, compatible with Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet applications, for administration and accounting purposes.

PLM Integration

Related page: PLM Integration

This page (Admin - PLM Integration) provides the interface to the PLM Sync Service. It is from here that you define the connection to a PLM instance, including configuration file and publishing template, and enable/configure synchronization of your PLM components with those in the NEXUS Server. With the interface set up and working, features and functionality are provided when working in the following distinct areas:

• Library (components) - catering for the uni- or bi-directional synchronization of your components, component parameters, and part choices, between your NEXUS Server and your PLM instance. Configuration allows you to specify which parameters are mastered in which system. In addition, Item parameters enable you to update properties in the NEXUS Server (configurable per field), without having to formally release a new revision of that Component Item. A dedicated Part Request workflow is also available that supports the automatic creation of a Component in your PLM instance, and then propagation of the generated part number back to the component in NEXUS.
• Design (projects) - a dedicated Project Creations workflow is available that supports the automatic creation of part numbers in your PLM instance, and then propagation of these as Server Parameters of the NEXUS Managed Project. Such parameters can be used in special strings (e.g. for sheet border annotations). You have the ability to publish your design to your PLM instance, as part of running the Project Releaser in Altium NEXUS. The publishing operation uses a publishing template - defined as part of the PLM instance integration configuration - to control how data should be propagated to the PLM. And if you're publishing for the first time and part numbers (on the PLM side) are not yet associated with the managed project, those part numbers will be created in the PLM and associated to the project as part of that initial publication. You also have the ability to define component entries for NEXUS managed components in the PLM instance, as part of the publishing operation (optional, based on configuration). And you'll always be able to see exactly what has been created, such as part numbers in the PLM instance, as part of the process workflow's history (History tab).

To create a new PLM interface instance, click the  button. As many instances can be defined as required, to interface your Altium NEXUS Server to various different PLM instances. For example, your components might reside in one PLM instance, with the generated output from released design projects in another, or perhaps different divisions are using different instances (of the same or differing PLM system). Each instance must be uniquely named, have a configuration file and one or more defined publishing templates. To test the connection for a defined instance, click the  button.

Sample configuration files are provided - click the Download sample configuration link to obtain the zip file ConfigurationSamples.zip. This zip contains basic configuration files for Windchill and Arena PLM systems, as well as a file-based system (used more for local test purposes, where no PLM instance is available). Modify these to suit your company's requirements. Sample publishing templates are also provided - click the Download sample configuration link from the Publish Template window (when adding a template) to obtain the zip file PublishTemplateSamples.zip.

Add and configure the interface to your company's PLM system. With a valid connection, you can then publish project release data to the PLM system (using defined process definitions)
in accordance with an active publishing template for the instance, and also schedule synchronization of components between that PLM and your NEXUS Server.

Synchronization of components between the NEXUS Server and the connected PLM instance - or to be more specific, their parametric data - is very flexible, and involves the following:

1. Configuring the synchronization for each component type. This involves:
   1. Determining the direction of synchronization.
   2. Determining which components are involved, and where new components are to be created.
   3. Configuring parameter mapping.
2. Performing the synchronization.

The first item is handled in the configuration file used for the connected PLM instance. The synchronization itself can be performed on-demand, from the PLM Integration page of the NEXUS Server's browser interface, and/or can be scheduled - automated synchronization at periodic intervals, defined when configuring the connection to the PLM instance.

To set up scheduled synchronization requires you to provide valid credentials (for your PLM system). Click the  button and enter your User name and Password into the subsequent PLM Credentials window. Without valid credentials, scheduled synchronization will remain in the OFF state. On-demand synchronization will also not be possible.

Installations

Related page: Network Installation Service

This page (Admin - Installations) provides the interface to the Network Installation Service, through which you can perform installations or updates to Altium products over your local network, and enables centralized control of software availability, configuration and its capabilities. Using NIS, you acquire software product files from Altium, and then assemble these into a configurable software deployment package. The locally stored package can then be deployed to networked workstations as a software installer executable (*.msi), or as a direct installation using Microsoft’s Active Directory Group Policy.

Controls are spread over the following tabs:

• Products & Extensions - your view into the set of available Altium product and extension installers, available to you based on your provided AltiumLive credentials. These are stored in Altium's Cloud Repository.
• Deployment Packages - where you create and configure a Deployment Package, which stipulates how to install the chosen product and extensions. Once created, an associated Windows Installer Package file (*.msi) can be downloaded, and used to install the software on a target client machine, or on all client machines throughout the company.
• Updates - presents a convenient area in which to configure how you want your products and extensions, in your local Altium NEXUS Server, to be updated. You can configure them to either be updated manually, or automatically.
• Server Storage - lists what products and extensions are available in your local Altium NEXUS Server (those that you have previously acquired). A deployment package can only include products and extensions that are listed in this tab.
• Tasks - presents an Operations Log reflecting a task that is currently running, or has been run.

Status

This page (Admin » Status) provides status-related information for the NEXUS Server, and quick access to log files. It is presented over three regions:

• Installed Services - providing version information for the current Altium NEXUS Server installation.
• Path to database and files - providing information about the installation paths for the database and data, including the type of database being used by the Altium NEXUS Server.
• Logs - providing information about the installation path to log files. For each distinct service, click on the associated  icon to download a zip containing the relevant set of log files.