HotDocs Advance Installation Overview

This guide explains how to deploy HotDocs Advance in an on-premise environment.

Overview

This guide explains the installation of the HotDocs Advance web application.

HotDocs Advance enables users to generate documents through their web browser, using HotDocs Advance templates. The application also enables site administrators to manage user access to the organization’s HotDocs templates, using user groups (collections of specific users) and work groups (groups of templates with an associated user group).

You can learn more about how Advance works in the HotDocs Advance Overview.

Deployment environment

You will typically install HotDocs Advance on a virtual machine. This can run on your internal virtualization infrastructure or on a cloud hosting platform. The virtual machine should have Windows Server operating system and Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) web server installed, as these are both required for Advance. A full list of requirements is provided.

HotDocs Advance applications

When you run the Advance installer, it deploys five (optionally six) interrelated IIS applications:

IIS name	Description	Example URL
HdaRoot	The backend application through which site administrators manage tenancies in Advance.	https://hdroot.yourorganization.com/
HdaApi	Hosts both internal and external APIs for Advance. Internal APIs are used by other Advance applications. External APIs are available to developers, to enable them to integrate Advance with their own applications. This application also interfaces with the Advance databases, hosted in SQL Server.	https://yourtenancy.yourorganization.com/HdaApi
HdaAuth	Handles user authentication and authorization for Advance. This includes both username/password authentication and authentication using Active Directory. Additionally, this application enables you to manage API client credentials, used when integrating Advance with your own applications.	https://yourtenancy.yourorganization.com/HdaAuth
HdaUi	The user interface used by most end users. It enables site administrators to provision users and manage access to templates. Non-administrative users use the UI to fill interviews and assemble documents.	https://yourtenancy.yourorganization.com/HdaUi
CoreAssembly	The service that generates interviews and assembles documents, using data provided by users through the UI.	https://yourorganization.com/AssemblyService
HdaClientInterviews	The web application which hosts client interviews.	https://yourtenancy.yourorganization.com/HdaClientInterviews

Installation Guide

To install HotDocs Advance, you must complete the following steps: