AWS Installation

This portion of the guide will show you how to create a virtual machine in the AWS EC2 Cloud.

A screenshot of the aws services section

From the AWS Management Console select EC2 under the Compute services section.

A screenshot of the aws services section

Click the orange Launch instance button then click Launch instance.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 instance options

Scroll through the server OS options and select the Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Base image.

Note: VCOM can be run on all modern Windows Operating Systems. You may use a different version than what is show above.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 instance size options

You will now select the hardware specifications for your EC2 instance. System hardware requirements are dependent on the number of concurrent users that will be accessing the system. Please refer to the VCOM Virtual Matrix Intercom System Requirements document for more information. For the purpose of this guide of this guide I have selected the t2.medium specifications featuring 2 processor cores and 4 Gb of RAM.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 instance launch button

After reviewing your EC2 server options click the Launch button on the bottom right to create and start the server.

AWS Security Group (firewall) Configuration

VCOM Virtual Matrix uses a variety of ports which will need to be open for the software to function properly. This portion of the guide will show you how to create to configure an AWS Security Group for VCOM Virtual Matrix.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 sizebar

From the left-hand site of the AWS EC2 Management Console click the Security Groups option under the Network & Security section.

A screenshot of the aws create secuity group button

On the top right click Create security group.

A screenshot of the aws add rule button

Enter a Security group name and Description (other options can be left default). Scroll down and under the Inbound rules section click Add rule. A list of ports used by VCOM Virtual Matrix is available in the Network Requirements section of our documentation. Add a rule for every required port.

Note: If you do not add an inbound rule for port 3389 TCP & UDP you will not be able to connect to the server via RDP.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 actions networking dropdown

Navigate back to the Instances page and select your new server instance. From the Actions menu at the top go to the Networking section and select Change Security Groups.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 assign security group button

Deselect the default Security Group assigned to the instance and select the Security Group you just created. Finally, click Assign Security Groups to complete the process.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 assign elastic ip button

From the left side menu select Elastic IPs

A screenshot of the aws ec2 allocate elastic IP button

Click Allocate Elastic IP address on the top right. Leave all options as default and click Allocate.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 allocate elastic IP button

Ensure that the IP address you were just given is selected on the list and then from the Actions menu select Associate Elastic IP address.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 associate button

Select your EC2 instance from the list and then click Associate. All other options can be left default.

Connecting to the EC2 Instance

A screenshot of the aws ec2 server list

Select your server from the list and click the Connect button at the top.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 key pair menu

The options you select from this menu will vary depending on if you have an existing key pair you want to use or wish to continue without a key pair. For the purposes of this guide I have chosen to create a new key pair. If you create a new key pair, you will need to enter a name and then download the key pair. After completing these steps click Launch Instances

A screenshot of the aws ec2 key pair menu

Click the button to Download Remote Desktop File and then Click the Get Password button. Save the Remote Desktop File and remember its location as you will need it in the next section of this guide.

A screenshot of the aws ec2 key pair menu

Click the Choose File button and then navigate to your saved key pair file to upload it. Then, click the Decrypt Password button and copy your password. It is recommended to save the password somewhere so you can connect to the server in the next section.

Configuring the EC2 Instance

Disabling Internet Explorer Enhanced Security
By default, IE does not downloading files from the internet. This portion of the guide will show you how to disable IE Enhanced Security. This step is necessary only if you are using Windows Server and plan to download VCOM Virtual Matrix from the internet. You can skip this portion of the guide if you plan to transfer the VCOM Virtual Matrix installer to the server using RDP.

A screenshot of the windows server management menu

To connect to your server double click the Remote Desktop File and paste in your password when prompted. If you select the Remember me option, then you will not need to renter the credentials in the future. By default, Windows Server will have IE Enhanced Security enabled. With this setting turned on you will not be able to download the VCOM Virtual Matrix software via the internet. To disable it, launch the Server Manager application and then select Local Server from the left. On the right, click the On button next to the line that says IE Enhanced Security Configuration.

A screenshot of the windows server internet explorer security menu

Disable the IE Enhanced Security Configuration as show above then click Ok. You will now be able to download the VCOM Virtual Matrix Software from our website.

Windows Firewall Configuration
You will need to either disable the Windows firewall entirely or configure Inbound Rules for all of the ports required by VCOM Virtual Matrix. To create an Inbound Rule launch the Control Panel > Firewall > Advanced Settings. Click Inbound Rules and then click New Rule. A list of ports used by VCOM Virtual Matrix is available in the Network Requirements section of our documentation. Add a rule for every required port.

A screenshot of the windows firewall menu

Software Installation and Licensing
Please follow the VCOM Virtual Matrix Software Installation and Licensing documentation to complete the setup.