Categories: ADMIN GUIDE CONTROLLER

Controller installation

This page contains information on installing and configuring the Step Controller.

Prerequisites

Step requires at least Java 11 installed on your machine to run. Depending on your platform, make sure to install at least the Java JDK 11 on the machine(s) running Step component(s).

Binaries download

The latest version of the Community Edition of the Step controller can be downloaded from our Github repository at : Step.

The latest version of the Enterprise Edition of the Step controller can be downloaded from our FTP by enterprise customers at : Step Enterprise (Refer to Material request if you haven’t received your access yet)

In both cases, extract the Step Controller archive using any unarchiver tool that support the zip format.

Folder Structure

Below the description of the Controller structure folder :

controller/
├── bin : contains startup scripts
├── conf : contains configurations files
├── data : contains script templates, temporary files and is the default location of the resource folder
├── ext : default location for external software binaries
├── lib : contains dependencies libraries
└── log : default location for the log files

Configuration

Step is delivered with a default configuration that fits the normal use and should require little configuration.

The configuration files can be found under conf/. The main configuration file is step.properties.

The main parameters to be updated in order to start the Controller are listed below :

  • port=<Web UI port>
  • grid.port=<Agent grid port. This should match with the configured Grid endpoint configured on the Agent side>
  • datasource.mongo.properties.host=<Hostname or IP of the MongoDB>
  • datasource.mongo.properties.port=<Port of the MongoDB>

For example :

  • port=8080 -> Web UI will be accessible on port 8080
  • grid.port=8081 -> Agents will connect to the Controller on port 8081
  • datasource.mongo.properties.host=127.0.0.1 -> Controller will try to access to MongoDB running on localhost
  • datasource.mongo.properties.port=27017 -> Controller will try to access to MongoDB on port 27017

Refer to Configuration for more details about the configuration.

License (Enterprise version only)

For Step Enterprise, you need to put your purchased Step license files in one of the following folders before starting the Controller:

  • [installation_path]/licenses/ (recommended)
  • [installation_path]/bin/licenses/

See Licensing for more details

Startup

Startup scripts can be found under controller/bin and contains the following :

bin/
├── logback.xml
├── startController.bat
├── startController.command
├── startController.sh

Warning : before trying to start the Controller, make sure Java binaries are set in your system path !

Depending on your platform, they are various ways to start the Controller :

  • Windows
    execute startController.bat
  • Linux
    make startController.sh executable and execute it
  • Mac OS
    make startController.command executable and execute it.

The web application should now be available on your host on the port you defined in the configuration file (for example at http://localhost:8080) You will be then prompted for login information, default is admin // init :

LoginScreen.png

You can now see the Step UI, by default opened on the Plan view:

Screenshot of the initial plan view

Installation as a Service (optional)

Linux (systemd)

To install the controller as a systemd service, follow the steps below:

As the root user, create the file /etc/systemd/system/step-controller.service with the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Step controller

[Service]
User=step
WorkingDirectory=/var/opt/step/bin

ExecStart=/usr/bin/java \
  -Dlogback.configurationFile=./logback.xml \
  -Dhttp.keepAlive=true \
  -Dhttp.maxConnections=100 \
  -cp ../lib/*: \
  step.controller.ControllerServer \
  -config=../conf/step.properties

SuccessExitStatus=143

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Make sure to adjust the User and WorkingDirectory settings to your installation!

Ensure that the file has correct ownership and permissions:

chown root:root /etc/systemd/system/step-controller.service
chmod 644 /etc/systemd/system/step-controller.service

Finally, tell systemd to apply the new settings and enable the service:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable step-controller
systemctl restart step-controller

Microsoft Windows

In order to install the controller as a Windows service, follow the steps below:

  • download nssm at https://nssm.cc/download
  • open a new command prompt as Administrator and navigate to the nssm executable location
  • execute the following command :

nssm install

  • nssm gui will open, you can now specify the “startController.bat” location and the service name, then click on “Install service” :
nssm-controller-installation-settings.png
  • You should then be prompted that the service installation has been successful :
1519652162263-729.png
  • you can double-check into Windows service list that the service has been properly installed and then you can start it :
1519652292826-654.png

Installation checks

Running process

Depending on your platform, they are various ways to check if the Controller is running :

  • Windows: open the Task Manager and look for the Java processes
  • Linux: execute below command and check that a PID is returned :

ps -efl | grep ControllerServer.

  • Mac OS: open the Activity Monitor and look for the Java processes

Log file

The Controller log file will be created on first startup under the log folder. (You can change the log file location by editing the bin/logback.xml file). A successful startup should display the following entry into the log file :

2017-09-26 02:02:11,371 INFO [main] o.e.j.u.log [Log.java:186] Logging initialized @1068ms
2017-09-26 02:02:12,046 INFO [main] o.r.Reflections [Reflections.java:229] Reflections took 560 ms to scan 13 urls, producing 124 keys and 413 values
2017-09-26 02:02:12,241 INFO [main] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Cluster created with settings {hosts=[mongo:27017], mode=SINGLE, requiredClusterType=UNKNOWN, serverSelectionTimeout='30000 ms', maxWaitQueueSize=500}
2017-09-26 02:02:12,278 INFO [main] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Cluster created with settings {hosts=[mongo:27017], mode=SINGLE, requiredClusterType=UNKNOWN, serverSelectionTimeout='30000 ms', maxWaitQueueSize=500}
2017-09-26 02:02:12,464 INFO [cluster-ClusterId{value='59c9b524133ae60008eec74f', description='null'}-mongo:27017] o.m.d.connection [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Opened connection [connectionId{localValue:2, serverValue:2}] to mongo:27017
2017-09-26 02:02:12,470 INFO [cluster-ClusterId{value='59c9b524133ae60008eec74f', description='null'}-mongo:27017] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Monitor thread successfully connected to server with description ServerDescription{address=mongo:27017, type=STANDALONE, state=CONNECTED, ok=true, version=ServerVersion{versionList=[3, 4, 9]}, minWireVersion=0, maxWireVersion=5, maxDocumentSize=16777216, roundTripTimeNanos=3533336}
2017-09-26 02:02:12,491 INFO [cluster-ClusterId{value='59c9b524133ae60008eec74e', description='null'}-mongo:27017] o.m.d.connection [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Opened connection [connectionId{localValue:1, serverValue:1}] to mongo:27017
2017-09-26 02:02:12,498 INFO [cluster-ClusterId{value='59c9b524133ae60008eec74e', description='null'}-mongo:27017] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Monitor thread successfully connected to server with description ServerDescription{address=mongo:27017, type=STANDALONE, state=CONNECTED, ok=true, version=ServerVersion{versionList=[3, 4, 9]}, minWireVersion=0, maxWireVersion=5, maxDocumentSize=16777216, roundTripTimeNanos=6662765}
2017-09-26 02:02:12,900 INFO [main] o.m.d.connection [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Opened connection [connectionId{localValue:3, serverValue:3}] to mongo:27017
2017-09-26 02:02:14,453 INFO [main] s.i.InitializationPlugin [InitializationPlugin.java:110] Searching for artefacts of type 'CallFunction' to be migrated...
2017-09-26 02:02:14,456 INFO [main] s.i.InitializationPlugin [InitializationPlugin.java:139] Migrated 0 artefacts of type 'CallFunction'
2017-09-26 02:02:14,456 INFO [main] s.i.InitializationPlugin [InitializationPlugin.java:143] Searching for artefacts of type 'FunctionGroup' to be migrated...
2017-09-26 02:02:14,458 INFO [main] s.i.InitializationPlugin [InitializationPlugin.java:166] Migrated 0 artefacts of type 'FunctionGroup'
2017-09-26 02:02:14,458 INFO [main] s.i.InitializationPlugin [InitializationPlugin.java:143] Searching for artefacts of type 'CallFunction' to be migrated...
2017-09-26 02:02:14,459 INFO [main] s.i.InitializationPlugin [InitializationPlugin.java:166] Migrated 0 artefacts of type 'CallFunction'
2017-09-26 02:02:16,210 INFO [main] o.r.c.MeasurementAccessor [MeasurementAccessor.java:74] Initializing db with address=mongo:27017, credentials=[]
2017-09-26 02:02:16,210 INFO [main] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Cluster created with settings {hosts=[mongo:27017], mode=SINGLE, requiredClusterType=UNKNOWN, serverSelectionTimeout='30000 ms', maxWaitQueueSize=500}
2017-09-26 02:02:16,212 INFO [main] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Cluster description not yet available. Waiting for 30000 ms before timing out
2017-09-26 02:02:16,218 INFO [cluster-ClusterId{value='59c9b528133ae60008eec75c', description='null'}-mongo:27017] o.m.d.connection [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Opened connection [connectionId{localValue:4, serverValue:6}] to mongo:27017
2017-09-26 02:02:16,219 INFO [cluster-ClusterId{value='59c9b528133ae60008eec75c', description='null'}-mongo:27017] o.m.d.cluster [SLF4JLogger.java:71] Monitor thread successfully connected to server with description ServerDescription{address=mongo:27017, type=STANDALONE, state=CONNECTED, ok=true, version=ServerVersion{versionList=[3, 4, 9]}, minWireVersion=0, maxWireVersion=5, maxDocumentSize=16777216, roundTripTimeNanos=559924}
2017-09-26 02:02:16,639 INFO [main] o.r.Reflections [Reflections.java:229] Reflections took 270 ms to scan 13 urls, producing 124 keys and 413 values
2017-09-26 02:02:16,861 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.Server [Server.java:327] jetty-9.2.17.v20160517
2017-09-26 02:02:18,048 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.ServletContextHandler@acd3460{/,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:18,068 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.ServerConnector [AbstractConnector.java:266] Started ServerConnector@5bba9949{HTTP/1.1}{0.0.0.0:8081}
2017-09-26 02:02:18,069 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.Server [Server.java:379] Started @7768ms
2017-09-26 02:02:18,208 WARN [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:1344] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@206bd7a0{/,null,null} contextPath ends with /
2017-09-26 02:02:18,214 WARN [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:1344] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@5a31abe9{/,null,null} contextPath ends with /
2017-09-26 02:02:18,216 WARN [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:1344] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@2dacda9a{/,null,null} contextPath ends with /
2017-09-26 02:02:18,275 INFO [main] o.q.i.StdSchedulerFactory [StdSchedulerFactory.java:1184] Using default implementation for ThreadExecutor
2017-09-26 02:02:18,299 INFO [main] o.q.c.SchedulerSignalerImpl [SchedulerSignalerImpl.java:61] Initialized Scheduler Signaller of type: class org.quartz.core.SchedulerSignalerImpl
2017-09-26 02:02:18,302 INFO [main] o.q.c.QuartzScheduler [QuartzScheduler.java:240] Quartz Scheduler v.2.2.1 created.
2017-09-26 02:02:18,304 INFO [main] o.q.s.RAMJobStore [RAMJobStore.java:155] RAMJobStore initialized.
2017-09-26 02:02:18,307 INFO [main] o.q.c.QuartzScheduler [QuartzScheduler.java:305] Scheduler meta-data: Quartz Scheduler (v2.2.1) 'QuartzScheduler' with instanceId 'NON_CLUSTERED'
  Scheduler class: 'org.quartz.core.QuartzScheduler' - running locally.
  NOT STARTED.
  Currently in standby mode.
  Number of jobs executed: 0
  Using thread pool 'org.quartz.simpl.SimpleThreadPool' - with 10 threads.
  Using job-store 'org.quartz.simpl.RAMJobStore' - which does not support persistence. and is not clustered.

2017-09-26 02:02:18,308 INFO [main] o.q.i.StdSchedulerFactory [StdSchedulerFactory.java:1339] Quartz scheduler 'QuartzScheduler' initialized from an externally provided properties instance.
2017-09-26 02:02:18,308 INFO [main] o.q.i.StdSchedulerFactory [StdSchedulerFactory.java:1343] Quartz scheduler version: 2.2.1
2017-09-26 02:02:18,312 INFO [main] o.q.c.QuartzScheduler [QuartzScheduler.java:2311] JobFactory set to: step.core.scheduler.ExecutionJobFactory@153409b8
2017-09-26 02:02:18,313 INFO [main] o.q.c.QuartzScheduler [QuartzScheduler.java:575] Scheduler QuartzScheduler_$_NON_CLUSTERED started.
2017-09-26 02:02:18,341 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.Server [Server.java:327] jetty-9.2.17.v20160517
2017-09-26 02:02:19,100 INFO [main] o.e.j.w.StandardDescriptorProcessor [StandardDescriptorProcessor.java:297] NO JSP Support for /rtm, did not find org.eclipse.jetty.jsp.JettyJspServlet
2017-09-26 02:02:19,289 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.w.WebAppContext@9825465{/rtm,file:/tmp/jetty-0.0.0.0-8080-rtm-2.0.3.war-_rtm-any-4312820959754652971.dir/webapp/,AVAILABLE}{../ext/rtm-2.0.3.war}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,290 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@206bd7a0{/scripteditor,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,290 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@5a31abe9{/seleniumplugin,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,291 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@2dacda9a{/jmeterplugin,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,645 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.ServletContextHandler@36cf6377{/rest,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,646 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler@2befb16f{/,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,647 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler [ContextHandler.java:744] Started o.e.j.s.ServletContextHandler@3151277f{/files,null,AVAILABLE}
2017-09-26 02:02:19,647 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.ServerConnector [AbstractConnector.java:266] Started ServerConnector@2d117280{HTTP/1.1}{0.0.0.0:8080}                                                                                                            2017-09-26 02:02:19,648 INFO [main] o.e.j.s.Server [Server.java:379] Started @9347ms

See Also