Overview

The FileCatalyst Suite of products can leverage cloud resources supplied by Amazon AWS. Using EC2 Instances, users are able to create and deploy our software on many different versions of Windows and Linux Operating Systems. You will need to consult Amazon AWS for their Cloud Services Pricing.

The products in the FileCatalyst Direct Suite can be downloaded directly from our Download Page. To access the page, you will need credentials which can be obtained from your FileCatalyst Sales Representative or the FileCatalyst Support Team. The FileCatalyst Direct Download Page can be accessed through this link: http://filecatalyst.software/fc-direct-download.html

The following guide will walk you through the basic setup of an AWS EC2 Instance, the configuration of security and network groups and the deployment of FileCatalyst Direct.

Environment

FileCatalyst Direct Suite v3.6 and later.

Amazon AWS EC2 Instances.

Resolution

Use the following steps to ensure that you have full connectivity in and out of your EC2 Instance. The following steps may redirect you to other guides, please complete them in the order they appear in this section.  

Some of the links below will require credentials to access the respective material. If you do not have these credentials please contact your FileCatalyst Sales Representative or the FileCatalyst Support Team.

1. Choosing the right EC2 Instance and Operating System 
   
   Based on the System Requirements (http://filecatalyst.com/resources/system-requirements/), you can choose the EC2 Instance that fits the needs of your deployment.  When prompted to select the architecture type please select "64-bit (x86)". Using the "64-bit (Arm)" option will not launch the Server properly.
   
2. Security Groups and Network Configuration
   

   You can use the following guide on FileCatalyst Amazon EC2 Port Configuration and Security Groups Guide: http://support.filecatalyst.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/263/0/firewall-and-port-configuration-for-amazon-ec2-instances-using-security-groups
   
   It is very important that the network is properly configured so that you do not encounter any issues that are firewall related when transferring data in or out of Amazon. 

3. Installation Instructions 
   
   Once you have downloaded the respective application you would like to deploy to your EC2 Instance, you can use one of the following Quickstart Guides to install your FileCatalyst Application:
   
   
   • FileCatalyst Server Quickstart Guide: http://filecatalyst.software/download/filesFCDirect/current/documentation/server/FileCatalyst_Server_Quickstart.pdf
   • FileCatalyst HotFolder Quickstart Guide: http://filecatalyst.software/download/filesFCDirect/current/documentation/hotfolder/FileCatalyst_HotFolder_Quickstart.pdf
   • FileCatalyst Central Quickstart Guide: http://filecatalyst.software/download/filesFCDirect/current/documentation/central/Web%20Console/docs/help.html#installation

Notes:

There are other common articles that will be useful in customizing your deployment. You can access them using the links below:

• Connecting to a Headless Installation of FileCatalyst Server:  http://support.filecatalyst.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/326/0/connecting-to-a-headless-installation-of-filecatalyst-server
• Installing Hotfolder on Linux as a Service in Headless Mode:  http://support.filecatalyst.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/141/0/installing-hotfolder-on-linux-as-a-service-in-headless-mode
• Adding External File Systems to a FileCatalyst Server

In the External File Systems document, there is a list of limitations when using Cloud Storage (S3 buckets) which are imposed by Amazon. You can view them here: http://filecatalyst.software/download/filesFCDirect/current/documentation/server/efs.html#implementationNotes