Installation Manual

On this page, you'll learn:

• How to install the MSP Challenge client for Windows
• How to install the MSP Challenge client for macOS
• How to install the full MSP Challenge Simulation Platform

Client-only installation instructions

This is useful if you only want to quickly try out MSP Challenge, or if you are an end user getting ready to join an MSP Challenge session. This is because you will only install the client application, i.e., the application that end users use. After installation you can log on to one of our demo servers. Note that this is suitable for demonstration purposes only (so not full-on sessions) as the demo servers are accessible to anyone anywhere in the world and reset themselves daily.

Instructions for Windows 10 or 11

Note that we officially started supporting Windows 11 since version 4.0-beta10.

You have two options:

1. Download the ZIP file from the Download page, unpack the MSP Challenge folder contained in it to a location of your choice (e.g. the Documents folder or the Desktop), open that folder, and run MSP Challenge.exe. If you like, you can create a Shortcut to MSP Challenge.exe and put it on your Desktop or your Start Menu.
2. Or download the latest client-only installer from the Download page and run it. You'll be presented with an installation wizard. Just follow the steps. The installer will add a shortcut to your Start menu, and optionally one on your Desktop (depending on whether you selected that option during installation).

Instructions for macOS

Simply download the latest client-only ZIP from the Download page, and allow macOS to unpack it first. If you like, you can then drag the MSP Challenge app over to Applications and/or your Dock.

Full platform installation instructions

Only install the full platform if you intend to turn your computer into a server, i.e., a computer open to participants with the client to connect to, thus a computer open to outside connections.

Since version 4.0.0, you have two options for setting up a server. Perhaps it goes without saying, but to be clear: pick one or the other, not both.

Option 1: Fresh installation through Docker (on Linux or Windows)

This section pertains to fresh installations (so not upgrades) through Docker on Linux or Windows only. We have supported Docker since version 4.0.0.

If you're interested in running the Server through Docker, we assume a (basic) system administrator's level of expertise. In other words, we assume you are a bit familiar with Docker itself.

On Linux, you can follow the instructions on this separate page to set this all up.

For Windows, you can download and install the Docker Desktop application, and use the default installation settings. Then you can/should still open up a Git Bash command-line app and follow the same instructions as explained above concerning Linux, starting from 'Now obtain the MSP Challenge Server code'.

You can, if you want, hire a virtual machine from a service such as Microsoft Azure, and install the server on there using Docker. We have done this at BUas many times. Here's a page about using Microsoft Azure to do this.

Once installation is finished, the first thing to do is to navigate to your Server Manager web application in your browser. The address to this will depend on the fully-qualified domain name you used during setup. The address will be something like https://[fully.qualified.domain.name]/ServerManager In the case of our demo servers, that's https://server.mspchallenge.info/ServerManager for example. Just open it in your browser, and then follow the instructions here on how to control your own MSP Challenge server.

Option 2: Fresh installation on Windows

This section pertains to fresh installations (so not upgrades) on Windows only.

When it concerns Windows, we currently support Windows 10, 11 (since 4.0-beta10) or Windows Server 2016/2019 only.

Start by just downloading the full-platform installer from the Download page and running it.

You'll be presented with an installation wizard. Just follow the steps. The installer will add the following shortcuts to your Start menu, and optionally on your Desktop (depending on whether you selected that option during installation):

• MSP Challenge Client: the same client application as you would get with client-only installation
• MSP Challenge Server Manager: the web application with which you control your MSP Challenge server, i.e., to set up and manage sessions.
• MSP Challenge Server Configuration Editor: an application with which you can create or alter session configurations

The server-side of MSP Challenge functions as a web application. The full platform therefore also installs and configures XAMPP, specifically a bundle of Apache2 web server, MariaDB database server and PHP8 (and Symfony since 4.0-beta10). It sets up a random root password for your MariaDB root user.

Note: As of version 4.0-beta9, the full platform uninstaller will also completely uninstall XAMPP. Previous versions did not do this during uninstallation.

Once installation is finished, the first thing to do is to navigate to your Server Manager web application in your browser. The address to this will depend:

• Are you still working on the Windows computer on which you ran the full-platform installer? Then it's best to just open your browser, and navigate to http://localhost/ServerManager
• Are you now working on a different (Windows) computer than the one on which you ran the full-platform installer? You'll first need to determine the IP address of the Windows computer on which you ran the full-platform installer. Then go back to your own computer, open your browser, and navigate to http://[enter.ip.address.here]/ServerManager For example, it could be http://192.168.0.99/ServerManager
• Perhaps you've had a fully-qualified domain name forwarded to the IP address of choice? Then the address should be http://[fully.qualified.domain.name]/ServerManager We note that we currently do not officially support SSL / https connections to the MSP Challenge server when using the Windows full-platform installer. If you'd like that, then use Docker (on Linux or Windows, see Option 1 above).

If you've figured out how to reach the Server Manager, just open it in your browser, and then follow the instructions here on how to control your own MSP Challenge server.

Upgrading from a previous version

When you already have a previous version of the server software (and the rest of the full platform) installed, you should first uninstall it and then install the newest version.

This means that absolutely everything will be replaced and upgraded. You'll lose your existing MSP Challenge sessions!

So... IMPORTANT! You'll have to backup your existing MSP Challenge sessions using the Save feature of the Server Manager application, and by then downloading the ZIP file to your computer. Make sure the save and download work, by reuploading the saved ZIP and reloading the saved session. Did everything work? Then you're ready for the upgrade.

You'll be able to re-upload the ZIP file again after the upgrade, and then you'll be able to reload a session using that save.

Note: after upgrading, if the Server Manager returns errors, it might require a 'hard refresh'. Press the Shift key and click on the Refresh button in your browser while logged on to the Server Manager to do this.