Alexandria v6 Installation
From COMPanion
This section will teach you how to install the Alexandria Data Station and other standard Alexandria clients. The instructions in this section assume that you have a basic working knowledge of your computer's operating system.
Before you install Alexandria, make sure that you have the registration letter that came with your program—it contains essential information that is required during the installation process.
Hardware and Operating System Recommendations
Alexandria has been developed to work under both Windows and Macintosh-based operating systems. With the exception of subtle differences between the controls at the tops of windows and minor differences in operating system functionality, the program operates identically across both platforms.
Here are the minimal recommended hardware and operating system requirements for Alexandria:
|
Recommended |
Minimum | |
|
Alexandria®: |
Mac OS 10.6 |
Mac OS 10.5 |
|
Alexandria®: |
Mac OS 10.6 |
Mac OS 10.5, |
|
Alexandria®: |
Mac OS 10.6 |
Mac OS 10.5 |
|
Alexandria®: |
Mac OS 10.6 |
Mac OS 10.5 |
|
Alexandria®: |
FireFox 6+ |
Internet Explorer 8 or 9+ |
*Controller and Central Union RAM Recommendations
- Up to 5 collections: 4 GB or more
- Up to 20 collections: 8 GB or more
- Up to 30 collections: 12 GB or more
- Up to 50 collections: 16 GB or more
- *For Controller or Central Union configurations managing more than 50 collections, contact COMPanion for specific recommendations.
- COMPanion recommends modern, fast hard drives for Data Stations. Database applications are disk intensive and with modern hardware, performance is greatly enhanced. Solid State Drive (SSD) technology has shown promising results for early adopters.
- Also, please note that our standard report format is PDF; all operators will need a PDF reader to view reports and some notices—on both the Data Station and any associated Workstations.
Installation Summary (read this first)
If one doesn't already exist, the installer will create an Alexandria folder and extract the Alexandria program there. All of your library information (data) will be stored in an Alexandria Support folder located in the system shared application directory. Once installed, the Alexandria Data Station will facilitate the installation of other clients.
The Data Station can perform the same basic circulation functions (and beyond) that the Librarian and Researcher Workstations (i.e. clients) are capable of performing. Your Data Station does not count as a client unless you have purchased a “single user” license; this license doesn't allow any other clients.
If you only have a couple of computers, you may want your main circulation machine to also be your Data Station. In this case, you wouldn't typically install another Librarian. Your Data Station will be used by the Librarian for circulation and reporting.
In a middle-sized configuration, you may have a machine in the “back room” or “server closet” that is only used for infrequent librarian maintenance. Install the Data Station on this machine and your Alexandria Librarians on other machines.
If you are planning to have a large number of clients, you'll want to install your Data Station on a dedicated machine (i.e. a machine that will only run the Data Station and will not typically be used by an operator). In this configuration, you'll be running Librarians and Researchers on other machines.
Detailed below are the general steps required to install Alexandria. Individualized instructions (depending on your operating system) can be found throughout the remaining pages of this section.
- On the machine you are going to use for your Data Station, visit COMPanion's website (www.goalexandria.com) and download the latest Alexandria Installer. You can also insert the Alexandria CD-ROM and double-click on the Alexandria folder. The Alexandria Installer is located inside this folder.
- Once Alexandria has been installed, double-click on the Alexandria program icon. Enter your registration information. If your system doesn't have the necessary resources to allow for client installation, Alexandria will attempt to download them from COMPanion's update server. In this case, installations may not be possible until the next time you launch Alexandria.
- To install an Alexandria Librarian client over the web, you'll need to open an internet browser on the machine where you wish to install the client. In the address bar of the browser window, type in the IP address of your main Alexandria Data Station followed by “/install” (Windows or Macintosh OSX) or “/install_mac” (Macintosh OS9). Follow the instructions that appear on the web page to install your clients.
- If you've licensed use of Web Librarian, your registration code will activate it—all you need to do is set your Library Information preferences.
- If you've licensed use of Alexandria WAN and/or Z39.50 capabilities, your registration code will activate it—all you need to do is set up your Address Books in the Administration preferences.
- If you've licensed use of Alexandria Explore, your registration code will activate it—all you need to do is use your Explore Builder.
See Also
If you have any additional questions, please contact our Technical Support team:
- Telephone: 1-800-347-4942
- Email: support@companioncorp.com.
