Graphical Installer

Ardor's installer is provided in the following flavors:

• Java .jar file - smaller bundle, without JRE. Can be run on Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms.
• Windows executable - bundles a Java JRE and provides a familiar experience for Windows users.
• Mac OS/X disk image - includes a Java JRE and OS/X App which installs the Ardor client.

All versions of the installer are generated by a single build script and result in the same end product. The Windows executable and Mac disk image are larger since they include two copies of the Java JRE, one used to launch the server and another to invoke the installer itself.

Installer benefits

• All installation scripts and metadata are part of the core Ardor code.
• Java-based, with support for Windows, Linux, and Mac.
• Installation is digitally signed.
• Based on two open-source tools IzPack and JavaExe
• Bundles a Java Server JRE for Windows.
• System tray integration for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems that support it, with the following functionality:
  • Server status monitoring
  • Log file viewing
  • Server shutdown
  • Starting up the wallet in a browser

Installation steps

The installation process will guide you through the following steps:

1. Language Selection
2. Welcome page
3. License agreement
4. Change log
5. Installation path selection
6. Node Configuration
7. Desktop shortcuts

Java .jar file installation

The Jar file installation is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac. To invoke it, open a command prompt, make sure Java 8 JRE is in your path, then execute the following command:

java -jar <installer.name>.sh

On Unix systems with no graphical environment, invoke the installer from the command line with the -console flag:

java -jar ardor-client-<version>.sh -console

Windows installation

On Windows platforms the installer supports the following features:

• Wizard-based installation
• Start menu and desktop icons
• Automatic installation of Java JRE
• Creation of Ardor.exe Windows executable which launches the server
• System tray icons used for monitoring and management
• Ability to run the server as a Windows service (so that it continues to run when the user log off the workstation)
• Ability to run the server on Windows without administrator rights

On Windows, run the Ardor server from the desktop icon or by executing Ardor.exe installed in the installation root folder. In response, an Ardor icon will show up in the system tray and the following folders will be created in the user profile folder, typically under c:\users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Ardor:

• conf - contains the user configuration files nxt.properties and logging.properties
• logs - contains the server logs
• nxt_db - mainnet database
• nxt_test_db - testnet database

Windows Service

Running the node as a Windows service provides background operation of the node allowing the user to log off the workstation while the node is still running. It also allows the node to automatically start after a workstation restart.

To register the Ardor node as a windows service, open a command prompt with administrator privileges and invoke ardorservice.exe from the installation folder. Answer "Yes" to the confirmation prompt. The service is automatically registered and started.

Invoke ardorservice.exe again from a command prompt with administrator privileges to delete the service. Answer "Yes" to the confirmation prompt.

You can control the service operation and settings using the standard Windows Service dialog. Look for the "Ardor Server" service.

When running as a windows service on Windows 10 with open JDK 11 the blockchain database, log files, and configuration files are created in the C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\Ardor folder, and the system out and system err streams are redirected to folder C:\Windows\Temp. To view files in these folders you will need administrator privileges.

When running as a windows service, the system tray icon is not displayed.

Support for Windows 32 bit

The installer executable bundles a Java 64 bit JRE therefore it won't work on a 32 bit Windows workstation.

Similarly, ardor.exe and ardorservice.exe won't work on Windows 32 bit.

To run Ardor on a Windows 32 bit workstation, install Java 8 manually and then install Ardor from the .sh installer file or using the cross-platform zip file.

Use run.bat to start your node.

Additional Notes

Additional diagnostic information about the server, can be obtained from the files nxt.system.out.*.log and nxt.system.err.*.log in the Windows %TEMP% folder which captures the standard output and error streams. These files are especially useful to review environment information and diagnose startup problems.

In its default configuration, the server does not create or modify any files under the installation folder.

Limitations

1. Uninstall from the Windows control panel does not clean all installed folders. You can manually remove the remaining files
2. In some cases, desktop shortcut icons, require a refresh of the desktop before the Ardor icon becomes visible