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Warning

For all existing installations, important upgrade instructions exist in the Release Notes

If you are running a SSP version prior to 1.1.1, you are strongly encouraged to upgrade or otherwise apply the reporting subsystem security patches described by SSP-701.

If you are running SSP version 2.0.0 or 2.0.0-b3, you are strongly encouraged to upgrade to 2.0.1 or 2.1.0 or 2.2.0 or later or otherwise apply the Confidentiality Level-related patches for the Student Documents tool as described by SSP-1917.

All implementers of this release should consider installing the patches listed in the commit section of the SSP-2721 issue details.

Also please take a few minutes to review additional security-related announcements detailed at the top of the SSP space here in Confluence.

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  • JDK 1.6 update 21 or later (JDK 1.7 is not supported as of 2013/01)
    • Download Location: http://java.sun.com (openjdk works as well)
    • Environment Variable: JAVA_HOME

      Tip
      titleJava Environment Variable
      JAVA_HOME=/path/to/your/java (ie: /usr/local/java or C:\java\jdk)


      (optional)
      PATH= append the bin subdirectory to the path statement
  • Tomcat 6.X (Tomcat 7 is not supported as of 2013/01)
    • Instructions for installing and configuring Tomcat for the SSP-Platform (uPortal 4.0)

      Warning
      titleTomcat Configuration

      It is important to complete sections: Environment Variables, Shared Libraries, Shared Sessions, Java Heap.  Minimally, the catalina.properties file must contain:

       

      shared.loader=${catalina.base}/shared/lib/*.jar
    • Additionally, a performance improvement has been experienced by enabling compression in Tomcat

      Tip

      Add compression="force" to the server.xml in the connector like the following:

       

      <Connector port="8080" protocol="HTTP/1.1

      connectionTimeout="20000"

      redirectPort="8443"

      emptySessionPath="true"

      compression="force" />

  • Maven 3.0.3 or later
    • Download Loation: http://maven.apache.org
    • Environment Variable: MAVEN_HOME

      Tip
      titleMaven Environment Variables
      MAVEN_HOME= /path/to/your/maven (ie: /usr/local/maven or C:\tools\maven)
      M2_HOME= /path/to/your/maven (ie: /usr/local/maven or C:\tools\maven)

      (optional)
      PATH= append the bin subdirectory to the path statement
  • Ant 1.8.2 (use this exact version)
    • Download Location: http://ant.apache.org

    • Environment Variable: ANT_HOME

      Tip
      titleAnt Environment Variable
      ANT_HOME= /path/to/your/ant (ie: /usr/local/ant or C:\tools\ant)

      (optional)
      PATH= append the bin subdirectory to the path statement
  • Sencha SDK
  • RDBMS (support for PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server)
    • PostgreSQL 9.1 or later
      • Download Location: http://www.postgresql.org
        • On Unix:
        • On Mac:
          • PostgreSQL is available via the homebrew package manager or as a download on the postgresql.org site.
        • On Windows:
          • PostgreSQL is available as a download on the postgresql.org site.
      • Configure PostgreSQL
        • Server Connection
          • Launch the PG Admin application
          • In the Object Browser, navigate to and right click on Server Groups -> Servers -> PostgreSQL 9.1 (localhost:5432)
          • Click Connect and the enter the administrator password
        • Login Roles
          • In the Object Browser, right click on Login Roles and click New Login Role
            • In the Properties tab, enter a Role name of "sspadmin" without the quotes

            • In the Definition tab, enter a Password of "sspadmin" without the quotes

          • In the Object Browser, right click on Login Roles and click New Login Role


            • In the Properties tab, enter a Role name of "ssp" without the quotes

            • In the Definition tab, enter a Password of "ssp" without the quotes

          • Confirm the new Login Roles exist in the Object Browser
        • Database
          • In the Object Browser, right click on Databases and click New Database
            • Enter "ssp" without the quotes as the database name
            • Enter "sspadmin" without the quotes as the database owner
          • Confirm the new database exists in the Object Browser
    • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
      • Server Connection
        • Launch the SQL Server Management Studio application
        • Enter your database connection info including administrator account credentials, and click Connect
      • Login Roles
        • Navigate to Security->Logins, and right click on New Login
          • Login name of "sspadmin" without the quotes
          • Select SQL Server authentication and enter a Password of "sspadmin" without the quote
          • Uncheck Enforce password policy
        • Right click on Logins again, and New Login Role
          • Login name of "ssp" without the quotes
          • Select SQL Server authentication and enter a Password of "ssp" without the quote
          • Uncheck Enforce password policy
        • Confirm the new users exist
      • Database
        • Navigate to and right click on Databases and click New Database
          • Enter "ssp" without the quotes as the database name
        • Confirm the new database exists
        • Run the following SQL to assign user permissions and configure the required database settings

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Zip Download
The source files can be downloaded in a zip file
  • Download Location:   SSP-Platform-1-4-0.zip   ("SSP Platform" is a portal application which acts container for SSP itself. The two applications are versioned independently. By default, version 1.34..0 of SSP Platform will include version 2.12.0 of SSP.)
  • Unzip the file into a suitable path (e.g. on Windows C:\ssp\platform-src or on Unix/Linux/Mac /usr/local/ssp/platform-src)

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  • Create a directory for the local SSP configuration files
    • Example:
      • Unix/Linux/Mac example: /usr/local/ssp/ssp-local
      • Windows example: C:\ssp\ssp-local

    • Make the directory only readable by the user that is running Tomcat

    • Set an Environment Variable for the local configuration file location

      Tip
      SSP_CONFIGDIR=/path/to/your/local-configuration (ie: /usr/local/ssp/ssp-local or C:\ssp\ssp-local)
  • ssp-config.properties
    • The ssp-config.properties file must be modifed for database connectivity and email settings
    • Baseline File Location: ,ssp root>/src/main/config/external//ssp-config.properties
    • Action: Copy the baseline ssp-config.properties file into the local configuration directory created above and rename it to ssp-config.properties. Or start with an empty ssp-config.properties in that directory and add only the properties for which you need to override the default value.

    • Configuration Values:

      ValueDescriptionNote
      system_idUnique identifier of the SSP instance 
      db_usernameValues for connecting to the SSP database 
      db_passwordValues for connecting to the SSP database 
      db_admin_usernameValues for connecting to the SSP database 
      db_admin_passwordValues for connecting to the SSP database 
      db_username_liquibaseValue to allow for MS SQL Server domain accounts
      ${db_username_liquibase} and ${db_username} should be set the same value unless you're on SqlServer, using the JTDS driver, and SSP connects to the database as domain users. If that applies to you, keep ${db_username} set to the unqualified account name, but change ${db_username_liquibase} to the fully-qualified domain account name as shown here. Include the brackets and double back-slashes.

      db_username_liquibase=[DOMAIN\\username]

      default is ${db_username}

      db_schemaDb schema for the SSP database

      Examples:

      Postgres: public

      SQLServer: dbo

      db_nameValue for the SSP database 
      db_urljdbc connection syntax

      For Microsoft SQL Server, either specify a port (the default is 1433) or ensure that the SQL Server Browser service is running because the SQL Server JDBC driver defaults to port 1434 which is the SQL Server Server Browser service default port. Depending on the server configuration, either may work, or you may want to explicitly specify the port and instance name, if applicable.

      For best results with SQL Server, the JTDS driver included with the Platform installation is recommended.  Examples of the url are provided in the sample ssp-config.properties file.

       

      SQL Server db_url w DOMAIN USER AUTHN may look like this; substitute machine name, instance and domain names w/o <>'s
      db_url=jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://<machine_name>:1433/${db_name};instance=<instance_name>;domain=<domain_name>
      db_driver_classjdbc database connectivity syntax

      For best results with SQL Server, the JTDS driver included with the Platform installation is recommended.  Examples of the class are provided in the sample ssp-config.properties file.

      db_dialectHibernate dialectUse of one of the org.jasig.ssp.util.hibernate.ExtendedSQLServer*Dialects is strongly encouraged if running against SQLSever. The default ssp-config.properties has an example.)
      db_conns_max_activeValues for the database connection poolThe default value will need to be increased for test and production
      db_conns_max_idleValues for the database connection poolThe default value will need to be increased for test and production
      db_conns_max_waitValues for the database connection pool 
      db_conns_validation_queryValues for the database connection pool 
      db_liquibase_enabledEnables the liquibase script for database table management 
      db_liquibase_changelogLocation for the liquibase change log 
      db_liquibase_set_mssql_snapshot_isolationParameter for configuring a MSSQL databaseIMPORTANT The default value is 'true'.  Set this value to 'false for MSSQL.  The liquibase changeset 000014.xml will be ignored.  The sql above configures the database correctly.
      db_liquibase_strip_journal_comment_markupParameter to enable a script to convert HTML Journal Entries to plain text 
      db_liquibase_strip_tuition_paid_is_yTrue value will delete the existing values forced into the database in v1.2.0, False will leave the existing values aloneThis only applies to implementers who installed v1.2.0 or earlier AND populated the external_registration_status_by_term.tuition_paid field with external data
      db_liquibase_manage_external_database_by_default
      True value will allow SSP to manage the tables and viewsIf you want to take total control of SSP's external views and tables, change that property to false in your SSP_CONFIGDIR/ssp-config.properties before first startup. And once you've started up, there's really no point in ever changing that value afterwards. (If you turn it off, then decide you want SSP to manage external views and tables after all, you'll need to update config set value = 'true' where name = 'manage_integration_database' and then restart.)
      db_liquibase_convert_external_term_timestamps
      True value in external_term.start_date and external_term.end_date will be interpreted in ${db_time_zone_legacy} and re-written in
      ${db_time_zone_legacy}.

      True usually makes sense for both upgrades and fresh installs. Would only set to false if for some reason these fields have already been converted to ${db_time_zone) via some external process.
      db_batchsize 
      The number of records to process for database transactions.The default value is 300.  Use of the parameter can increase performance of queries writing large sums of data into the database.  This is primarily used in the Caseload Re-assignment tool.
      db_liquibase_external_apply_natural_keysTrue value will apply the new primary keys to the external databaseVersion 2.0.0 added primary keys to the external database tables for performance and uniqueness enhancements.  If there are non-unique values in the database, the liquibase will fail to make the table changes.
      student_documents_base_dir
      Base Directory for student documents
      The default is ${catalina.base}/ssp-uploads/student-docs

      It is important to not end in path separator like / or \
      student_documents_volumes
      Comma seperated list of subdirectories under student documents

      It is important to not end in path separator like / or \
      student_documents_file_types
      Comma separated list of allowable file types that will be used to validate student document files

      The initial types are pdf,gif,jpg,jpeg,doc,docx,xls,png

      It is important to not include the period/dot in the definition.  Only the type abbreviation is required.

      student_documents_max_sizeMaximum size of an individual file, in bytesThe default value is 5000000
      cacheLifeSpanInMillis 
      This property will dictate how long lived a cache will be only external courses uses a cache
      default is 86400000 = 1 day
      db_time_zone_legacyParameter to client_timeoutThe maximum amount of inactivity in minutes before the browser will be locked and redirected to the login pagedefault is 20 minutes
      db_time_zone_legacyParameter to set the timezone for data migration

      Used for migrating persistent timestamps. Prior to work on SSP-1002, SSP-1035, and SSP-1076, timestamps were stored in the JVM default timezone.  After that the application assumes they are stored in ${db_time_zone}. In order to correctly migrate existing data, though, the app needs to know the original timezone. This is almost always going to be the current JVM default timezone, hence the default value here, which is a special value instructing the app to lookup and inject that timezone into this config property. In the rare event you need to change that value, you can do so here. This would likely only be necessary if, for whatever reason you change the JVM default *after* the migrations run, which would result in a Liquibase checksum error. To avoid that, just set the relevant timezone here when and if you make that change.


      Default is CURRENT_JVM_DEFAULT
      db_time_zoneTimezone ID for the JVM

      JVM-recognized TimeZone ID for the zone in which persistent date/time values should be interpreted. Should rarely if ever need to be overridden. If overridden, should always be set to a TimeZone that does not observe Daylight Savings Time unless trying to cope with legacy data that was stored in a DST-aware TimeZone. Once set, should never be changed else date/time values in the database will be interpreted incorrectly. (SSP does not store timezone data on persistent date/time values and implements no logic for  detecting and/or handling changes to this configuration option.)

      Default is UTC

      highly_trusted_ipsThe list of IP addresses that are allowed to access the APIsThis is used in conjunction with high_trusted_ips_enabled in the System Configuration
      smtp_usernameValue for email relay 
      smtp_passwordValue for email relay 
      smtp_hostValue for email relay 
      smtp_portValue for email relay 
      smtp_protocolProtocol for emailDefault is smtp
      ssp_admins_email_addressesRecipient of system generated messages 
      scheduled_coach_sync_enabledParameter to enable coach sync process 
      per_coach_sync_transactionsParameter to enable the sync process to run per coach instead of one large transaction for all coaches 
      scheduled_task_cleanup_wait_millis 
      Max amount of time, in milliseconds, the app will wait during shutdown for any background tasks to abandon their work.
      Default is 10000
      uportal_session_keep_alive_timeoutLength of time for uPortal sessions KeepAliveFilter 
      spring.profiles.activeDeployment options
      • dev-standalone: completely free of uPortal
      • standalone: as the only portlet in a uPortal instance
      • uPortal: as one of many portlets in a uPortal instance
      ssp_main_use_minifed_js  
      Parameter to determine the javascript file used in the deployment
      When set to true, ssp-main.jsp will include a minified js called app-all.js
      When set to false, ssp-main.jsp will include the non-minified app.js
      oauth2_client_password_encoding_secretConfig for setting the key with which OAuth2 Client secrets are hashed before being placed into the database 

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  • Warning
    titleDelete Demo Users

    If you are deploying to a production environment, you You should delete or change the passwords for the uPortal users created for demonstration purposes, including the admin userespecially in a production deployment. This can be done through the user interface: Manage Users ->  Find an Existing User -> [Enter user ID from list below] -> [Click result] -> Delete or  or Edit, then change password. Demo users:admin

    • advisor0
    • ken
    • student0
    • student1

    Non-private installs should also either change the admin user's password or add some other user to the Portal Administrators group and delete the admin user.

If anything in it is incorrect or unclear, please leave a comment below.

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