Install Connect on Windows

Tip

The Windows installer is available at our download site

Tip

We recommend rebooting the machine after Connect is installed and configured, or upgraded.

System requirements

Before starting, review the system requirements and ensure that your system meets them.

Installing the client

This short video shows the simple steps needed to install the software package and configure a new Endpoint to join a CyberHive Connect fast and resilient software-defined mesh network.

The steps shown may not reflect the current release of Connect.

To install the client, run the installer executable cyberhive-connect_ver_sha1.exe and select the directory where you would like to install the Connect client.

Once installation is completed, you are given the opportunity to open the online documentation.

Note

Any existing installation will be replaced by the new version. See Upgrade Connect.

Installing the client silently

A silent install of the Connect client can be performed with the following command line parameters:

/SILENT: wizard and background windows are not displayed; installation progress is shown.

/VERYSILENT: wizard, background windows, and installation progress are not displayed.

Any errors during a silent or very silent install will be displayed.

A silent install will display a Reboot now? message when a reboot is required. A very silent install will reboot without asking.

/SUPPRESSMSGBOXES: message boxes are not displayed when used with /SILENT or /VERYSILENT.

/NORESTART: prevent a system reboot after a successful install.

Installing in managed environments

The Connect client checks for software updates. This can be controlled using the following command line parameter:

/MANAGED=1: the client will not check for updates.

/MANAGED=0: the client will check for updates; default when the /MANAGED parameter is not supplied.

Configuring the service

The Connect client runs on Windows as a Service and is configured using the Connect system tray application. After Connect is installed, or whenever the Connect system tray application is started without a valid configuration, a notification will be displayed.

Clicking on this notification or right-clicking the Connect icon in the system tray and selecting Configure opens the Configuration dialog.

Add the configuration

Enter the two pieces of required configuration:

• The URL of the Connect control service.
• Your username.

Clicking Apply will set the configuration and start the VPN.

Advanced configuration

Clicking Advanced allows additional configuration to be set:

• Your authentication token.

• The hostname of this Connect Endpoint; by default this will be the computer hostname.

  Hostnames

  Endpoint hostnames can contain only letters, numbers, and hyphens. Valid hostnames look like desktop-pc, DESKTOP-PC, or DesktopPC.

  Invalid hostnames look like desktop_pc, DESKTOP PC, desktop--pc, or -DesktopPC.

  Hostnames are also case-insensitive unique within an Organisation. For example, desktop-pc, Desktop-PC, and DESKTOP-PC are identical in Connect.

• Add the TAN DNS suffix to the search list:

  • By default this setting is checked and allows other Endpoints in the TAN to be contacted using only their hostname rather than the fully qualified domain name.
  • Unchecking this setting and applying the changes will remove the suffix from the search list.

  Note

  When Connect is registered with a new Organisation or uninstalled, the DNS search suffix is not removed from the settings. To manually remove it, delete it from the "Value data" field of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\SearchList in the Windows Registry.

• The VPN listen port:

  • By default listen port will be Auto, Connect will select an unused port.
  • Uncheck Auto to specify the listen port.

  Note

  When upgrading from Connect 3.4.0 and earlier, if the listen port has been modified from the default this setting will be preserved, otherwise Auto will be selected.

• The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU).

Clicking Reset All will remove the current VPN configuration.

Activating and deactivating the VPN

The VPN may be activated and deactivated either by right-clicking the Connect system tray icon and selecting Activate or Deactivate, or from the Connect Configuration dialog.

Note

To test the functionality of Connect using ping, you will first need to enable ICMP within the Windows Firewall.

Tip

It is also possible to pre-generate keys for the Endpoint.

Alternative methods of controlling the Connect client

The Connect client can also be controlled using the built-in Windows tools. For example:

> sc.exe query cyberhiveconnect
> sc.exe stop cyberhiveconnect
> sc.exe start cyberhiveconnect

The Services UI can also be used by pressing Win+R to open the Run Command dialog and entering services.msc and pressing Return.

Alternative methods of configuring the Connect client

Info

See Configuration Options for more information on the available settings.

From a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges

Within an Admin Command Prompt, change to the directory where you installed the Connect client.

For example:

> cd "\program files\cyberhive connect"

The configuration can be entered into the Connect client as follows:

• Connect control service

> cyberhive-connect set vpn_server https://connect.yourcompany.com

• Username

> cyberhive-connect set username [email protected]

• Authentication token

> cyberhive-connect set auth_token 19e6c772c1b7e69650a494bcc2c903598f2cbf9c

From the Registry

As the Connect client keeps its configuration in the Registry, you can use regedit.exe to edit it, export it, etc. The Connect client stores its configuration in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CyberHive\Connect.