ALM Client Launcher (Installer version)

ALM Client Launcher (Installer version) is a lightweight and flexible tool that enables you to run an fully functional ALM client on any Windows machine without the need for Internet Explorer or administrator permissions.

In this topic:

What's new in ALM Client Launcher (Installer version) 4.0

The following new features and enhancements were introduced in ALM Client Launcher (Installer version) 4.0:

• MSI installer. Enables you to install it for only you or for all users. This makes it easier for IT organizations to distribute ALM Client Launcher to all end-user desktops.

• ALM Client Configuration. Provides more comprehensive configurations.

• Shortcuts in the Start menu. After you install ALM Client Launcher, the shortcuts for ALM Client Launcher and ALM Client Launcher Configuration are automatically added in the Start menu of your machine. You can easily open them from the Start menu.

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Prerequisites

Prepare the following before installing and using ALM Client Launcher.

• Install .NET Framework 4.7 or later.

• Install Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable (x86) or later.

• If you install ALM Client Launcher in Windows Server, to have better download experience, we recommend that you disable the IE Enhanced Security Configuration option in Windows Server.

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Install ALM Client Launcher

ALM Client Launcher (Installer version) 4.0 requires that you install it before running it.

Before you install

Consider the following before you install ALM Client Launcher.

• You can install ALM Client Launcher using either the install wizard or the command line.

• You can install ALM Client Launcher for you only or for all users of the machine. It requires administrator privileges to install for all users.

• After ALM Client Launcher is installed, the shortcuts for ALM Client Launcher and ALM Client Configuration are automatically created under the ALM Client Launcher folder of the Start menu on your machine.

To install ALM Client Launcher using the install wizard:

1. Download ALM Client Launcher (Installer version) 4.0 from Marketplace.

2. Run the ALMClientLauncherSetup.msi file to open the install wizard.

3. In the License Agreement step, accept the terms in the License Agreement, and click Install.

4. If you install ALM Client Launcher for your account only, in the Installation Scope step, select Install just for you, click Next, and click Install.

5. If you install ALM Client Launcher for all user accounts of this machine, perform the following actions.

   1. Prerequisite: You should have administrator privileges to install ALM Client Launcher for all users. If you are using a user account which is not administrator, a dialog box will pop up that asks you to enter admin user credentials.

   1. In the Installation Scope step, select Install for all users of this machine and click Next.

   2. In the Destination Folder step, specify the folder where ALM Client Launcher is installed, and click Next.

      If you leave the install path as is, ALM Client Launcher is installed in the default folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\ALM Client Launcher\.

      If you want to change the install path, click Change and specify a folder.

   3. Click Install.

6. Wait until the install process completes. Click Finish.

   If you select the Go to ALM Client Configuration checkbox, the ALM Configuration window opens, enabling you to configure ALM Client Launcher before using it. For details, see Configure ALM Client Launcher.

To install ALM Client Launcher using the command line:

1. Preparation: We recommend you enable the installation log for ALM Client Launcher, especially if you run the command line in silent mode. This helps you understand installation details especially when the installation fails.

2. Start Command Prompt in Windows.

   If you want to install ALM Client Launcher for all users, start Command Prompt with the Run as administrator option selected.

3. Run the following command:

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   msiexec /i "{path of ALMClientLauncherSetup.msi}" WIXAPPFOLDER="{Installation directory}" APPLICATIONFOLDER="{Installation directory}" /log launcher.log /quiet MSIINSTALLPERUSER=1

   Option	Description
   /i	Required. Specify the path of the ALMClientLauncherSetup.msi file.
   WIXAPPFOLDER APPLICATIONFOLDER	Optional. If you want to install ALM Client Launcher in a specified folder, use these two options together and make sure their values are the same. To install ALM Client Launcher in a shared folder, specify the shared folder path in these two options.
   /log	Optional. Enables log for the installation.
   /quiet	Optional. Enables silent (non-interactive) mode for the installation.
   MSIINSTALLPERUSER	Required only when you install ALM Client Launcher for your account only. When you set the option is to "1", you install ALM Client Launcher for your account only. Otherwise, you install ALM Client Launcher for all users in this machine.

   Example: If you want to install ALM Client Launcher just for your account in silent mode, with the installation log enabled, run the following command, and ALM Client Launcher will be installed in your default path.

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   msiexec /i C:\temp\ALMClientLauncherSetup.msi /quiet /log launcher.log MSIINSTALLPERUSER=1

4. (Optional) Check the log for installation details.

To uninstall ALM Client Launcher

You can uninstall ALM Client Launcher using either the Control Panel or the command line.

To uninstall ALM Client Launcher by the command line, run the following command:

msiexec /x {7E4ECDE8-D922-472A-9B52-9A28B6B75B6D} /quiet /log launcher.log

If you want to uninstall ALM Client Launcher for all users, run the command as administrator.

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Configure ALM Client Launcher

Configure ALM Client Launcher, including log, web server settings, and proxy settings.

To configure ALM Client Launcher:

1. From the Start menu of your machine, open ALM Client Configuration.

   Alternatively, you can open ALM Client Launcher and then click the configuration icon .

2. Configure the following settings for ALM Client Launcher.

   Web Server Settings

   The Web Server Settings tab configures the Web Server credentials, WebClient certificates, and general HTTP settings.

   Option	Description
   Web Server Credentials	When the web server requires user credentials, for example with SSO, enter Web Server Username, Web Server Password, and Domain. To force credentials to be entered for the web server to load, select Always ask for credentials
   Headers	For SSO users, enable Add basic authentication header and select whether to add the header when a cookie is present. For SSO users, this option must be selected to allow testing tools and Microsoft add-ins to connect. For SSO users, this option must be selected in case the SSO response does not contain an HTTP authentication error code for an unauthorized request.
   WebClient Certificates	Select Use client certificate according to the desired mode to define a client certificate if the HTTP server requires it for authentication. After selecting the mode, click Select to select the certificate. Not specify mode. No specific execution mode is set, but the OTA script displays user dialogs. Interactive mode. The OTA script displays user dialogs. Non-interactive mode. The OTA script does not display user dialogs. Note: To run UFT tests in a smart card authentication environment, select Non-interactive mode and select a valid client certificate. Ensure that the Certificate Authority that issued your client certificate is added to the Trusted Root Configuration Authorities list for the current user.
   General HTTP Settings	Set the following HTTP settings: Connection Timeout. Set the timeout in seconds for the HTTP connection between the ALM client or OTA script and the ALM server. Enable HTTP Compression. The HTTP traffic from the ALM server to the ALM client is compressed with a standard HTTP-compliant gzip compression. Use Default User Agent. Regulate the user agent value in HTTP requests to the ALM server. Select this checkbox to use the TeamSoft WinInet Component; otherwise,the user agent is the same as for Internet Explorer.
   QCCH - SSL Type	Select the SSL type for the QCCH (QC Connectivity Helper) connection from the dropdown list.

   Proxy Settings

   The Proxy Settings tab configures the proxy server and proxy credentials.

   Option	Description
   Proxy	Select the type of proxy server: Use a Proxy Server. Select this option if the ALM client or OTA script is using a proxy to connect to the ALM server. Enter the proxy server port in Proxy Port, and enter the proxy server I.P. or machine name in Proxy Server. Use System Proxy Server. Select this option if the system proxy setting is used for the ALM client or OTA script connection to the ALM server. This option and the Use a Proxy Server option are mutually exclusive. Bypass Proxy Server. Select this option to bypass the proxy settings, when the ALM client or OTA script does not use a proxy to connect to the ALM server
   Proxy Credentials	Enter Proxy Username, Proxy Password, and Domain if the proxy server requires user credentials. Select Always ask for credentials to force credentials to be entered for the proxy server to load. To force credentials to be entered for the web server to load, select Always ask for credentials Note: If you select Always ask for credentials, ALM Explorer asks for Web/Proxy credentials even if they are specified by the tool. If a user is not working with ALM Explorer, do not select this option.

   Log Settings

   The Log Settings tab configures the log file.

   Option	Description
   Write Client Side Log File	To create a log file for ALM Client Launcher, select Write Client Side Log File and specify the path where the log file is created.

   Authentication Settings

   The Authentication Settings tab sets the authentication mode.

   Option	Description
   Authentication Mode	Enter API Key and Secret for API Key authentication mode.

   Shared Login Settings

   The Shared Login Settings tab sets the browser and timeout settings for external authentication, such as SSO authentication, ALM Client Launcher authentication, and Business Views Microsoft Excel Add-in authentication.

   Option	Description
   Custom User Agent	Enter your custom user agent header in the HTTP requests.
   Use embedded web browser	If it's selected, you get authenticated with the embedded web browser, regardless of the setting of the DISABLE_SLM_WITH_DEFAULT_WEBBROWSER site parameter. If it's not selected, you get authenticated with your default web browser, regardless of the setting of the DISABLE_SLM_WITH_DEFAULT_WEBBROWSER site parameter.
   Authentication timeout	Set the amount of time in seconds after which the authentication expires. The default value is 60 seconds. This setting only works for authentication with your default web browser.

   Launcher Settings

   The Launcher Settings tab enables log and high-resolution displays for ALM Client Launcher.

   Option	Description
   Enable Launcher Log File	Toggles on or off log for ALM Client Launcher.
   Log Path	If ALM Client Launcher log is enabled, specify where the log file is stored.
   Log Level	If ALM Client Launcher log is enabled, select the type of log file you want ALM Client Launcher to create. All. Records all events. Information. Records informational messages. Warning. Records potentially harmful situations. Error. Records error events. Debug. Records events that are most useful for debugging.
   Support High-DPI Mode	Select this option if you want to use ALM Client Launcher against high-resolution displays.

3. Click Save.

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Work with ALM Client Launcher (Installer version)

You can use ALM Client launcher to open ALM Desktop Client, ALM Site Administration, and ALM Lab Management, and register ALM components.

To open ALM Desktop Client:

1. From the Start menu of your machine, open ALM Client Launcher .

2. Enter the ALM server URL in the following format: http(s)://<ALM Server>:<Port>/qcbin
3. Click GO.

To open ALM Site Administration:

1. From the Start menu of your machine, open ALM Client Launcher .

2. Enter the ALM server URL in the following format: http(s)://<ALM Server>:<Port>/qcbin/SiteAdmin.jsp
3. Click GO.

To open ALM Lab Management:

1. From the Start menu of your machine, open ALM Client Launcher .

2. Enter the ALM server URL in the following format: http(s)://<ALM Server>:<Port>/qcbin/start_a.jsp?projectType=LabManagement
3. Click GO.

To register ALM components:

1. From the Start menu of your machine, open ALM Client Launcher .

2. Enter the ALM server URL in one of the following formats:

   Action	URL
   Register ALM (32-bit)	http(s):// Server>:<Port>/qcbin/start_a.jsp?common=true
   Register ALM Site Administration (32-bit)	http(s)://<server>:<port>/qcbin/SiteAdmin.jsp?common=true
   Register ALM (64-bit) Available in 16.0.1 and later	http(s)://<server>:<port>/qcbin/start_a.jsp?common=true&comsurrogate=true
   Register ALM Site Administration (64-bit) Available in 16.0.1 and later	http(s)://<server>:<port>/qcbin/SiteAdmin.jsp?common=true&comsurrogate=true

3. Click GO.

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Use ALM Client Launcher (Installer version) with command line

Besides the ALM Client Launcher UI, you can also use the command line as an alternative to work with ALM Client Launcher.

To use ALM Client Launcher with the command line, run one of the following:

• ALMClientLauncher -<option>=<value>

• ALMClientLauncher -<option>:<value>

• ALMClientLauncher /<option>=<value>

• ALMClientLauncher /<option>:<value>

The following table lists the available options.

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See also:

• "Start ALM" on page 1