OnBase (and Unity) Client (now 15)

Overview

Hyland Software's OnBase is a system for managing documents stored electronically, usually known as a document imaging system. This is a Windows client/server system used in many offices on campus.

Product Details

There are currently two OnBase client applications in use on campus: the traditional "thick" client, and the new Unity client with its Office-like ribbon.

The "thick" client version on most machines will be version 15.0 SP1 [15.0.1.84] after 8/24/2015.

The version of the Unity Client that is current will be version 15.0 SP1 [15.0.1.84] on 8/21/2015.

OnBase is sold in modules, of which we have only a few. Here is the manufacturer Web site. The Web site requires an account to login to access support documents, including user manuals.

This software is supported by Russ Bauer in the EIS group in ITS. It uses a Carleton-based Microsoft SQL Server database, hosted on (as of 8/22/2014) onbasedb.ads.carleton.edu.

System Requirements

The OnBase Client hardware requirements are so low that any college-owned computer purchased and setup in the last four years should qualify.

The traditional OnBase "thick" Client requires these software components:

• the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1 (Full), or a later version (update via Windows Update or WSUS);
• the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 x86 (32- bit) Redistributable (update via Windows Update or WSUS);
• a 32-bit System ODBC DSN (Data Source Name), as created in the 32-bit ODBC Administrator.

That first component is part of every Carleton build of Windows 7 and later, and there is an installer available in the KBOX user portal . The last two have been added to the KBOX installer for the OnBase Client. There is also an optional Virtual Print Driver component, which has been added to the KBOX installer.

The OnBase database (ODBC) connection works only from Windows computers joined into the ADS domain, and only when the user is logged into such computers with an AD-based login (e.g., ADS\snissen); in addition, the ADS\its account does not seem to work. Therefore, the OnBase Client will only work on ADS-joined computers when using an ADS login that is not its.

The OnBase Client is expected to work with Microsoft Office versions 2010 and 2013.

The new OnBase Unity Client requires these software components:

• the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1 (Full), or a later version (update via Windows Update or WSUS); 
• the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 x86 (32- bit) Redistributable (update via Windows Update or WSUS).

That first component is part of every Carleton build of Windows 7 and later, and there is an installer available in the KBOX user portal . The last has been added to the KBOX installer for the OnBase Unity Client. There is also an optional Virtual Print Driver component, which has been added to the KBOX installer.

Licensing Information

The OnBase clients, and the Virtual Print Driver, are freely distributable on campus. Specific stations will be licensed for indexing and for scanning documents into the system.

Licensing Restrictions

None for OnBase clients

Usage Restrictions

None for OnBase clients

Home Use

It is not recommend that this client be installed on non-college-owned computers. The Unity Client is available from off campus via Citrix (XenApp).

Lab and Classroom Availability

This is administrative software not used in labs or classrooms. It is installed on all PCs in the ITS Training Room.

Rollout

On Friday, August 21, 2015, the OnBase servers will be upgraded to version 15, and a new Unity client 15 (15.0.1.84) will be rolled out to computers that had the version 13 Unity client. Then, the next week, a new "thick" client 15 (15.0.1.84) will be rolled out to computers that had the version 13 thick client. As of 8/03/15, those counts were 82 and 143, respectively. Both require the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1 or later, which is just a Service Pack 1 applied to the version 4.5 installation via Windows Update, so all computers should already have it.

Users wishing to install the Unity client themselves (rather than letting the K1000 do it) may use the KBOX user portal to choose "Install Hyland Unity Client [15.0.1.84]" anytime after 8/21/2015. Users wishing to install the "thick" client themselves (rather than letting the K1000 do it) may use the KBOX user portal to uninstall the current version, then choose "Install Hyland OnBase Client [15.0.1.84]" anytime after 8/21/2015.

Installation Instructions

College Owned Equipment

The Hyland OnBase Client and Unity Client installers are available from the KBOX user portal for all users.

Step by step instructions for installing either client:

1. Log in to the KBOX user portal.
2. Click on the Software Library tab
3. Click on the link to "Install Hyland OnBase Client" or "Install Hyland Unity Client"
4. Click Install Now
5. There will be a cmd.exe window and a series of dialog boxes with progress bars.
   1. If the cmd.exe window goes away relatively quickly, the workstation may need to have the .NET Framework 4 installed first.
   2. The cmd.exe window will say "ignore errors until further notice", and then several errors will pop up as it attempts to uninstall the old client.
   3. It will then say "errors are relevant again", but there will be one error that comes up virtually immediately that is very much like the previous errors. This one error is safe to ignore.
6. You may or may not be presented with a dialog box about installing the Hyland Virtual Printer Driver. If prompted, install the driver. (If you are prompted, the VPDcertificate trick did not work.)
7. When the installation is finished the cmd.exe window will disappear and the OnBase Client or Unity Client shortcut will appear on the Programs menu and desktop.
8. Launch the OnBase or Unity client. It should launch without a login screen, using the context of the current Windows login. If an OnBase login screen is displayed, you probably tried launching it from a shortcut you created previously, so delete that old shortcut.

Here is the ITS restricted installation information.

Labs and Classrooms

To request this software be installed on a refreshing lab/classroom contact xxx

Personal Machines

Not applicable: use the Citrix service instead.

Citrix

The Unity Client is available in the Carleton Citrix service at https://citrix.carleton.edu . The Application Enabler feature may not work as well in the Citrix environment, however.

If any user, when trying to run the OnBase Unity Client under Citrix, gets this Exception error message:
        Cannot create a stable subkey under a volatile parent key.
try this: Using the Citrix + icon (on the left edge of the green page), choose All apps, then add the app named “OnBase Unity Client FIX for Error”. Once that new icon appears, run it. It runs fast, showing a blank command window which quickly disappears. Then try running the OnBase Unity Client again, and it should work.

The next time this user gets back into Citrix, if Unity gets the same error, run the “OnBase Unity Client FIX for Error” again. The third time this user gets back into Citrix, if Unity gets the same error, run the “OnBase Unity Client FIX for Error” again. After running this fix 3 times, this user should never have to run it again (because it was run once on each of the 3 Citrix app servers). Then the user can right-click this FIX icon on the green Citrix page and choose Remove.

Who To Call

For OnBase questions, call the Help Desk at x5999.

Questions, Tips and Tricks

Technical Troubleshooting

Traditional "thick" OnBase Client troubleshooting:

If you have problems with the OnBase Client installer, first try uninstalling every trace of any previous OnBase or Hyland software, files, registry settings, and ODBC data sources. The KBOX installer runs a batch file called uninst.bat that tries to do this, but it could have missed something.

To check the ODBC data source, as a local Windows Administrator run the ODBC Administrator (odbcad32.exe). (On 64-bit Windows, you must run the 32-bit ODBC Administrator from c:\windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe.) Choose the System DSN tab, and look for OnBase-production. If you can see this Data Source Name (DSN), select it and choose Configure. On the second screen at the bottom, the login ID should be VIEWER and you can enter the password of ODBCsetup, then choose Next twice, then Finish. On the final summary screen, use the Test Data Source... button at the bottom left to see if the ODBC connection is working. The ODBC connection appears to work only with Windows computers joined into the ADS domain, and only when logged into such computers with an AD-based login (e.g., ADS\snissen); in addition, the ADS\its account does not seem to work. Therefore, the OnBase Client will only work on ADS computers when using an ADS login that is not its.

Delete any c:\windows\onbase.ini file and make sure that there is only one onbase32.ini, hidden or not, on the computer, in "C:\ProgramData\Hyland Software", where all standard users should have full permissions.

The most difficult problem we saw was when Windows 7 tried to virtualize older versions of the OnBase client because this logged-in user did not have full permissions to the shared onbase32.ini file in "C:\ProgramData\Hyland Software". When Windows 7 virtualizes an application, it creates a copy of any files the user cannot access in a hidden directory under their local userprofile (C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore), and then silently redirects any references to the shared file to the copy in the user's profile instead. So you end up with multiple onbase32.ini files, and it's hard to tell which one is in effect. It's important that non-Citrix users do not use virtualized copies of onbase32.ini, but that they use the shared onbase32.ini to which they have full permissions.

If, after the upgrade, OnBase fails to launch with the above ODBC error, follow these steps:

1. Go into Properties on the shortcut, and remove the "-AL" from the Target string, if it's present.
2. Double-click the OnBase shortcut to bring up the OnBase login screen.
3. On the right-hand side, just above where you type you username, there is a drop-down box for the ODBC connection.  It probably says "ONBASE".  Click the down arrow to bring up the selection list, and choose "Onbase-production".  Continue to log in, using your old OnBase password.
4. Under the User menu, select for "Workstation Options".  (Some users may not have this available to them.  If that happens, we'll have to send someone over to fix things.)
5. In the "Startup" tab of Workstation Options", there is a drop-down for Default Database Source.  Choose "Onbase-production" and click Save.

Go back to the shortcut Properties and add a space and "-AL" to the end of the Target String (see above).

If OnBase launching results in an error message, "(Autologin) No matching usergroups were found–access denied", make sure you are logged into the computer as a user who can run OnBase; the ITS account is not one of these.

Unity Client troubleshooting:

The Unity Client has been installed with an optional component called Application Enabler (AE), which allows the Unity Client to interface with other applications installed on the computer. Application Enabler is controlled by an XML configuration file that is continually being enhanced, and so needs to be updated occasionally on every computer to get the latest changes. To get the latest version of this file (CarletonAEconfig.xml), in the KBOX user portal, run the Kscript titled, "Update OnBase Unity Application Enabler".

Miscellaneous Information

.