Prerequisites: SmartHub with Elasticsearch

IMPORTANT! Be sure to install all of the prerequisites listed for your SmartHub and backend instance.
Any issues experienced by BA Insight clients during installation are typically traced to a failure to meet the required prerequisites.

Smart Previews Support: For those integrating BA Insight Smart Previews with SmartHub, SmartHub v6.x supports only Smart Previews v3.0 and above.

Elasticsearch and SmartHub Versions

Multiple Product Installations:

  1. SmartHub v6 requires Elasticsearch v8:

    • SmartHub Analytics is a separate component with separate requirements.

    • SmartHub v6 Analytics supports Elasticsearch v7.10-8.x.

  2. For ConnectivityHub users of Elasticsearch, Connectivity Hub v3.x supports Elasticsearch v7 to v8.x. (ConnectivityHub also supports other search engines).

  3. If you upgrade your Elasticsearch instance(s) from v7 to v8.x, you must upgrade your BA Insight products accordingly.

Installation Prerequisite Checklist

Prerequisite

 Requirement

Description

Completed 
SmartHub Server: OS
 Operating System Microsoft Windows Server
  • 2012 and 2012 R2: 64-bit
  • 2016
  • 2019
  • 2022

SmartHub Server: Windows Roles/Features Windows Roles and Features The following Web Server (IIS) roles must be enabled with the following options and features selected:
  • Common HTTP Features
  • Health and Diagnostics
  • Performance
  • Security
  • Application Development
    • .NET 3.5
    • .NET 4.6
      • ISAPI Extensions
      • ISAPI Filters
      • WCF Services
        • HTTP Activation
  • .NET Framework 4.6 Features
    • WCF Services
      • HTTP Activation

SmartHub Server: .NET Framework .NET Framework
  • .NET Framework v4.7.2:
    • Required for Windows Server versions: 2012, 2016, 2019
  • .NET Framework v4.8:
    • Required for Windows Server 2022
    • Included with Windows and used automatically, by default

Accounts: Service Service Account (domain\user)

  • Local or network service account used to run the SmartHub Application pool in IIS

    • Must be in the format domain\user
    • Requires read/write access to the directory SmartHub is installed in.
 Account credentials: (domain\user)
Accounts: Installation Installation Account (domain\user)

  • Account used to install SmartHub

    • Must be in the format domain\user
    • Must be local admin on machine
    • Requires read/write access to the directory SmartHub is installed in.
 Account credentials: (domain\user)
Supported Web Browsers
  • Google Chrome
  • Chromium-powered Edge
  • Other browsers unsupported*

*Unsupported Web Browsers

Other web browsers may work with SmartHub, but are not officially supported by BA Insight, such as:

  • Microsoft Edge (legacy)
    • To check your version of Edge, go here.
  • Firefox
  • Safari

Browsers that are in incognito mode are not supported.
Analytics: Elasticsearch Index

 Elasticsearch 8.1.2

  • Secured or non-secured Elastic configurations supported.

Note: The Elasticsearch index used for the SmartHub analytics data does not have to be the same instance use for the search index.

Elasticsearch URL:

Elasticsearch Username:

Elasticsearch Password:
Analytics: Kibana Kibana 8.1.2

  • Kibana must be configured to use the above Elasticsearch index. 

  • Supports secured or non-secured Kibana configurations

  • For assistance installing Kibana and running as a Windows service, see: How to Install Kibana

Kibana URL:

Kibana Username:

Kibana Password:
Haystack Service (Optional) Haystack Service is required for the Questions and Answers feature.

We recommend Haystack be deployed to a separate server/resource so SmartHub performance is not negatively impacted.

 
NLQ Services (Optional)

  • LUIS (v2 API)

  • RASA v1.9

  • Amazon Lex

  • CLU

  • Only one NLQ service should be configured.

  • Supported NLQ/AI Engines:

    • LUIS - Access to a LUIS instance if using the NLQ feature. Support for LUIS is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.
    • RASA
    • Lex
    • CLU

Service Endpoint:


Service Key (LUIS only):
Search Engine 
 Elasticsearch v7-8.x

  • SmartHub v6.x supports Elasticsearch v7-8.x as a search index.

Note: The same Elasticsearch instance used for the Analytics Index above can be used for the Search index. This is not required, they can also be separate instances, as suits your needs. 

Elasticsearch  URL:

Elasticsearch Username:

Elasticsearch Password:
Network Requirements: DNS
 DNS entry for SmartHub site

  • This can be either an internal, or an external (public) DNS entry.

  • Entry can point to VIP / F5 / Load Balancer / other network device.

  • Requests should be routed to IIS on the SmartHub server over the chosen ports.

 DNS name / URL for SmartHub:
Network Requirements: SSL Cert SSL Certificate

If you are running SmartHub over SSL (recommended), a signed SSL cerfiticate for that DNS name, or an appropriate wildcard certificate is required.

Certificate name:

Passphrase (if required):
Network Requirements: Internal

Internal Network Connectivity

The SmartHub server must have network connectivity to the following:

  • Analytics Index
  • Search Index
  • RASA NLQ Service (optional)

Verified:

  • Elasticsearch service (see Analytics Index, above)
  • Kibana service (see Analytics Index, above)
  • Search Index
  • RASA NLQ Service (optional)
Network Requirements: External External Network Connectivity Network connectivity from the SmartHub server to the following Microsoft Azure services is required if you use the service(s):
  • Azure Active Directory (AAD): If you use AAD for authentication.
  • SharePoint Online/ Graph APIs: If you use SharePoint O365 as a user profile provider.
  • Access to LUIS endpoints: If you use the LUIS NLQ Service.

Verified:

  • AzureAD (optional)
  • SPO / Graph API (optional)
  • LUIS NLQ Service (optional)