Install and configure an Audit and Control Management application server

Applies to: Audit and Control Management Server 2013

Summary: Learn how to install and configure an Audit and Control Management application server.

Audit and Control Management Application Server

The Microsoft Audit and Control Management Server 2013 (ACM) is responsible for analyzing the changes in Excel 2013 and Access 2013. This server takes advantage of technologies available in Microsoft Office 2013 to process and log changes without requiring software on client computers.

Installing and setting up an ACM Application Server involves performing the following tasks in order:

Prepare your Windows environment

Install and configure Microsoft Excel 2013 and Microsoft Access 2013

Install Audit and Control Management Server

Create an ACM database

Connect to an ACM database (use to connect if you already have an existing ACM database)

Create and configure the Audit and Control Management application services

Prepare your Windows environment

On your server, ensure that all the recent updates are installed to the server. In addition, install the following:

• Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86)

Add the Application Service account to the Local Administrators group on the server:

1. Log on to the server by using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.

2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.

3. Under User Accounts, click Give others access to this computer.

4. In the Add New User dialog box, enter the user name and domain for the Application Service account that you created earlier, and then click Next.

5. Select Administrator and then click Finish.

Add the Application Service account to the Log on as a service policy setting.

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Local Security Policy.

2. Double-click User Rights Assignment, and then in the details pane, double-click Log on as a service.

3. Click Add User or Group, add the Application Service account under Enter the object names to select, and then click OK.

4. Double-click Deny log on as a service, verify that the Application Service account is not listed in the box, and then click OK.

5. Log off the computer, and then log on using the Application Service account. Perform the installation steps that follow while logged in as the Application Service account.

Install and configure Microsoft Excel 2013 and Microsoft Access 2013

Before you install and configure Excel 2013 and Access 2013 for the ACM Application server, make sure that you are logged in as the Application Service account.

1. Install Excel 2013 and Access 2013.

2. Configure Excel 2013 macro behavior in the Trust Center:

   1. Launch Excel 2013.

   2. On the File tab, click Options.

   3. Click Trust Center, and then click Trust Center Settings.

   4. Under Macro Settings, click Disable all macros without notification.

   5. Under Developer Macro Settings, click Trust access to the VBA project object model option, and then click OK.

   6. Close Excel 2013.

3. Configure macro settings in Access 2013.

   1. Open Access 2013.

   2. On the File tab, click Options.

   3. Click Trust Center, and then click Trust Center Settings.

   4. Under Macro Settings, click Disable all macros without notification. If another option under Macro Settings is enabled, errors might occur during the processing of some Access databases.

   5. On the navigation pane, click Message Bar.

   6. Under Message Bar Settings for all Office Applications, click Never show information about blocked content, and then click OK.

Install Audit and Control Management Server

1. Download the Microsoft Audit and Control Management Server 2013 software, and then run the ACMServer.msi file.

2. On the Welcome screen, click Next.

3. If you accept the terms of the license agreement, select I accept the terms in the License Agreement, and then click Next.

4. Click Next to install to the default folder or click Browse to choose another.

5. Click Install.

6. Click Finish.

Create an ACM database

When you create an ACM database for the first time, the data you enter on the Create tab is automatically added to the Connect tab and a connection is made to the database.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, then Microsoft Office ACM, and then click Microsoft Office ACM Configuration Utility.

2. On the left side of the screen click Create a new ACM Database.

3. Enter the name of the SQL Server\instance.

4. Enter a name to give the database.

5. Click Create.

Connect to an ACM database

Use the following instructions to connect to an already existing ACM database.

1. On the left side of the screen click Connect to ACM Database.

2. Enter the name of the database\server instance.

3. Enter the database name.

4. Edit the connection time (optional).

5. Click Save.

Create and configure the Audit and Control Management application services

An Microsoft Audit and Control Management Server 2013 application server consists of several services that are required to perform processing tasks for the Microsoft Audit and Control Management Server 2013 system. These services can be created and configured by using the ACM Server configuration utility. To run the ACM Server configuration utility:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, then Microsoft Office ACM, and then click Microsoft Office ACM Configuration Utility.

2. If you haven’t created an ACM database, follow the instructions to Create an ACM database then continue. If you have an existing ACM database, following the instructions to Connect to an ACM database.

3. Click the ACM Application Server tab.

4. Enter the Base ACM Server URL. This is the web site and web application name that was used during the setup of your web server. For example: http://myserver/ACM.

5. (Optional) If appropriate, enter one more usernames into Ignore file saves by these users. The system will ignore “file save” actions by the user(s) listed. If you need to enter more than one username, separate each with a comma or semicolon.

   Note

   Normally, this field is left blank unless “nuisance” changes are detected. These nuisance changes sometimes can be caused by events such as a backup process to the file system.

6. Click Save.

7. Click Show Service Manager, to create or configure the ACM services. If services already exist on this computer, the service manager will open. If services have not previously been created on this computer, a set of ACM services that use default settings will be created for you, and the service manager will launch.

8. When the Service Manager launches, configure each service as follows:

   1. Double-click on the service name to open the service configuration.

   2. Click the Program tab and locate the Parameters field.

   3. Find the parameter called “/substServer” and replace “AppSrvAlias” with the name of the appropriate file processor alias. Click Settings, then Site Settings and then click File Processor Aliases to find a list of aliases. New aliases can also be created here. In you haven’t created your ACM site yet, you can edit this parameter after you’ve created your site..

   4. For advanced settings, see Configure the ACM Services.

Configure the ACM Services

Before you can track changes in any Excel 2013 or Access 2013 files, you must configure and start the ACM Services.

To configure ACM Services:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office ACM, and then click Microsoft Office ACM Service Manager.

2. Double-click an existing service to edit it, or click Create a New Service.

3. If you are creating a new service:

   1. On the Service Definition dialog box, click Open.

   2. Browse to the Application Server installation directory and choose a configuration file (there is a configuration file for each service):

      • AppService_AccessProcessor.xml

      • AppService_NTFSProcessor.xml

      • AppService_SpreadsheetProcessor.xml

      • AppService_SharePointProcessor.xml

4. Carefully review the settings on the Program tab to verify that the correct application path or the parameters, or both, are included in the following fields:

   • Executable: This field must contain the full path and file name of the program associated with each service. You may have to adjust the path if the software was not installed to the directory that appears in the default configuration. For example: c:\\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\ACM\bin\WatchdogProcess.exe.

   • Working Directory: You might have to adjust the path if the software was not installed to the directory that appears in the default configuration. For example: d:\ Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\ACM\bin.

   • Parameters: For services (WatchdogProcess.exe) that include a parameter that specifies a sub-process program file name, verify that the path and file name are valid for your server. You might have to adjust the path if the software was not installed to the directory that appears in the default configuration. For example:/exe|"d: \Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\ACM\bin\SpreadsheetProcessor.exe" /args|"/statuswindow:0 /exitaftercount:50 /debuglevel:errors /substServer:MyServerName /proctimeoutmins:20" /debuglevel|errors /substServer|MyServerName

5. Update arguments as required for your environment.

   Note

   To find information about the parameters that may be passed to any of the services, run the program by using the /? switch. For example, “WatchdogProcess.exe /?”.

6. Click the Settings tab and enter the ACM Service account in the logon account field. Enter the password in the appropriate fields.

   Important

   Ensure that the logon account that you specify is a member of the Administrators group on the application server to be able to interact with the desktop. If you created new services that use pre-defined configuration files, the imported configuration must be verified as some information will be specific to the system such as the logon account that was used by the application on the Settings tab.

7. For any services which have the “WatchdogProcess.exe“ listed as the program executable, verify that the Max Shutdown Delay is configured no less than 30,000 milliseconds and no greater than 50,000 milliseconds. This setting controls the number of seconds before which Service Manager will forcibly end the service when you try to stop it. If the max shutdown delay is too low, the sub-process of the service may not have time to exit gracefully, and if it is too long, the service may continue to run even after Service Manager indicates that it has stopped.

8. Repeat the earlier steps for each application services.

9. After configuring the services, verify that they are running by checking the Services control panel.

10. If the services are not running or won't start, open Administrative Tools and open the Event Viewer. Check for error messages related to the services. Verify that the password was entered correctly and that the account is not locked out.