Network Server Installation

These instructions cover the installation of Vertex CAD 2025 (31.0) application to a network server. The protection method may be one of the following:

Follow the instructions you have received to download the installation package and the possible license file.

If a license server is included in the agreement, install it first according to separate instructions.

Installation on a server requires administration permissions. If your IT support is outsourced, ask IT support to create and share a folder as described below, and to be present or give the installer access with sufficient permissions during the installation of Vertex CAD applications.

• Create a folder on the file server, for example vertex, where the actual applications with their main folders will be installed.

• Share this folder.

• Make sure that this shared folder is visible to the workstation computers where Vertex CAD applications are to be used.

• Make sure that the workstations can write, edit and delete files from this folder.

We recommend performing the server installation always on the server, if possible. If you perform the server installation from a workstation, the registry entries related to the installation are made on the workstation, but all the files are installed on the server. In the future, you must update the application from the same workstation from which it was installed.

Close all applications before the installation.

Start the installation by double-clicking the .exe file you downloaded.

Select Custom Installation.

Select Install on a network server, to be shared across multiple users on local network.

If you have previously installed this Vertex CAD application on the server, you can choose to upgrade the existing installation or perform a new installation. Select Install new instance. If you want to upgrade an existing installation, see Upgrade network server installation for instructions. If no previous installation is found, you do not need to make this selection.

Read the license agreement and accept it.

Accept the data collection agreement.

Select the destination location

• The installation will be done in a shared folder on the server, with the folder name corresponding to the application label as the last one. Click Browse to select the shared folder on the server or enter the installation path in the text field. The folder path must be in UNC format. For example:
  \\my_server\share\vx[..]_srv
  [..] = label of Vertex application, for example g4, g4plant, g4pi, bd, ed, ind.

Installation folder for network client

• The default folder is C:\vx[..].
  [..] = label of Vertex application, for example g4, g4plant, g4pi, bd, ed, ind.

• If you want to change to another installation folder, click Browse.

• If the workstation already has a local Vertex installation in path C:\vx[..], enter a path that does not conflict with the existing installations.

Note

• Allowed characters in the folder names of the installation path are alphabets (a-z, A-Z), numbers 0-9 and underscore (_).

• Use a backslash (\) as a folder separator in the installation path.

Select or clear additional tasks:

• Use local Vertex license server. Select only if it has been installed in your local network. The license server is only used when it has been separately agreed upon and when several Vertex licenses are in use. In the next step, enter the name of the computer working as a license server and the port number.

  • Name - The name of the server where the license service is installed.

  • Port - The port number used by the license service.

Click Install or go back if you want to change the settings.

Click Finish to complete the installation.

Next, install the network clients on each workstation according to the instructions below. If necessary, copy the path of the client installer to the clipboard.

Go to the workstation where the application will be installed.

If the installer path is on the clipboard, open File Explorer, paste the installer path from the clipboard, and press Enter.

Alternatively:

• In File Explorer, navigate to the Vertex CAD installation folder on your network server and open the Client_install folder.

• Double-click the install.exe file in the folder. Follow the instructions of the installation program.

Select or clear additional tasks:

• Create a desktop shortcut. The installation program will add a shortcut icon to your desktop.

• Associate file types .vxm, .vxp, .vxr, .vxz with the application. If you are installing a new version of the same application, associate the file types with the new version. If you have different Vertex applications (for example, BD and G4), select the association based on the application you are primarily using.

• Install HASP driver. Select only if you have a USB HASP license dongle and need a driver for it.

  • If a Vertex CAD application has been previously installed on the computer, the driver has already been installed earlier, and you do not have to reinstall it.

  • If this is the first time Vertex is installed on this computer, select to install the driver.

Click Install or go back if you want to change the settings.

Click Finish to complete the installation.

If you did not select the Launch application option, launch the application from the desktop shortcut. The first start up will take some time as the necessary files are copied from the server to the local installation folder.

If you are using a NetVID license, enter the activation code into the License Activation Code field.

If you are using a USB HASP license dongle or a time limited license file tied to the computer's identification code, point to the license file by clicking Activate New License File.

If you have previously installed this Vertex CAD application on the network server, you can choose to upgrade the existing installation. The installation program retrieves information about the previous installation folder from the Windows registry. In general, the upgrade routine replaces only the system folder. It does not affect the user’s data storage (models, libraries, and databases) in shared folder, nor the user’s environment files in custom folder. However, we recommend that you make a full backup of your system before upgrading. This can be done by copying the main Vertex CAD folder and its subfolders to a disk or elsewhere on the network.

Vertex’s main folder, for example:

• \\SERVER\vertex\vx[..]_srv
  [..] = label of Vertex application, for example g4, g4plant, g4pi, bd, ed, ind.

Note

• If the previous installation folder name used a version number, for example C:\Vx[..]300_srv, perform a new installation following the instructions above to avoid confusion.

Close all applications before the installation.

Start the installation by double-clicking the .exe file you downloaded.

Select Custom Installation.

Select Install on a network server, to be shared across multiple users on local network.

Select Upgrade. The installation folder to be upgraded is displayed in the text field.

Read the license agreement and accept it.

Accept the data collection agreement.

Click Install or go back if you want to change the settings.

Click Finish to complete the installation.

Upgrade old workstations

Go to the workstation and start the Vertex CAD application from the old shortcut icon.

The installation program removes the old shortcut icon and creates a new one, and the application is started.

Install to new workstations

For new workstations, you can install the application as described above, see Install network clients.