SSL certificate details for Cloud/On-premise synchronization-1516116891

In reviewing the information contained in this FAQ, it states that the on-premise system must be using SSL to communicate between the various services in order for cloud synchronization to work. There's also an additional FAQ on configuring SSL communication for the services. What isn't clear in these articles is the type of SSL certificate needed to enable this. I originally created a self signed certificate to accomplish. Once the self signed certficate is installed in the user's personal folder in Windows Certificate Manager I open DocuWare Admin, on the on-premise system, and when attempting to change to SSL it pops up a window that says "No Certificates available. No Certificates meet application criteria." (see image attachment).

So I take that to mean that the self signed certificate can't work for this type of scenario. I believe that means an SSL certificate would need to be purchased to enable it. Which SSL certificate needs to be purchased then? A Domain Validated Certificate, Organization Validated Certificate or Extended Validation Certificate? Besides installing it what other changes need to be applied to an on-premise system that is otherwise not exposed to the internet?

It would be good to have those FAQs mentioned above updated with the relevant information once the certificate type has been clarified.

Thanks!

https://www.docuware.com/sites/default/files/forums-images/2018-01-15_15h28_57.png

Nathan,
Use a P12 key - the entire certificate. Also, you must install the certificate when logged in as the DocuWare Authentication Service user. You can place it in the private key store.

You can get free self-signed here:

http://www.getacert.com/cert/selfcert.pl?SID=ghDg7e5418bfe73jcG1aEHCh

Phil Robson
Senior Director Support - Americas

Does this mean that the onsite DW users that want to connect to the onsite DW need to install the same certificate so they can access it?

No. What you are doing is simply setting up SSL communications between the DocuWare Services. The Cloud Services are communicating with each other with SSL, so they will only talk to external DocuWare services that are also using SSL. This is completely seperate to a secured web site, so does not affect users connecting through the web browser. That will stilll work on port 80. If you want to use SSL for IIS then you would install a certicate in IIS.

Phil Robson
Senior Director Support - Americas

Excellent, Thanks

Here's a little screencast of the certificate installation.

SSL Certificate Installation for SSL Communication

That works now thanks Phil! I've switched all my services to SSL.

I can create an export workflow that copies documents from a local file cabinet to a cloud file cabinet.

Oddly though the synchronization workflow doesn't work. At the satellite login step (cloud system) it accepts my cloud login credentials but doesn't display any cloud file cabinets so I can't proceed.

You cannot synchronize file cabinets with version control enabled.

Phil Robson
Senior Director Support - Americas

To clarify niether the local or remote (master or satellite) cabinets can have version control enabled in order for sync to work?

I've selected a local cabinet that doesn't have version control enabled and none of my cloud file cabinets have it on either, but the cabinet drop down at the satellite step is still blank. 

Assuming that your local DocuWare system is 6.12, and no version control enabled on local or Cloud cabinets then it should work. Can you use the Web Configuration page instead of DocuWare Administration? See if the Cloud cabinets appear there.

Phil Robson
Senior Director Support - Americas

I didn't even realize there was a synchronization option in web admin!

Setting up a sync workflow in it worked without a hitch. It logged into cloud just fine and showed me the cabinets. It's got quite a few more options too. It also has the added benefit of only showing the cabinets that comply with that "no versioning enabled" rule (the desktop app shows all cabinets).

My local system is running 6.12 with all hotfixes applied so maybe there's an issue with the sync workflow in the Desktop admin app.

The Desktop Admin version has been deprecated. It runs the old version of sync. I'm surprised the Cloud cabinets did not appear as it is still supposed to work. Never mind. You seem to be off and running!

Phil

I understand the limitation with sync and versioned file cabinets, but I'm attempting now to design a scenario that accounts for a local file cabinet that is version enabled. Essentially a on-premise system that needs to move documents to the cloud via synchronization. Versioning of the on-premise system is a requirement and now so is synchronization.

What would be the best practice to get documents from that local versioned cabinet to the cloud? Go from the local versioned cabinet, run an export workflow to a second local non-versioned cabinet and then sync the cloud cabinet with that local non-versioned cabinet? How would the export workflow know what documents it has transferred and what it hasn't between sessions? Would the export workflow only copy the last version out of the versioned cabinet?

Thanks!

You have a problem and I cannot solve it for you. If the local cabinet must have version control then you cannot sync. If you export to another cabinet without deleting the source then you will quickly lose control of what has been exported. You will also want new versions of a document synced, but if you export to another cabinet it will become a new unique document, and therefore create a duplicate in the target cabinet.
As I said, I don't have a solution. You have a tiger by the tail and only because you cannot sync versioned cabinets. For the record, Support have already persued syncing versioned cabinets. It is not on the roadmap at this time.

Phil Robson
Senior Director Support - Americas

The version restriction for syncing is a big gotcha and not often discussed in talking through enabling a hybrid environment. I kind of feel like some of the website's marketing language about the hybrid model should at least be asterisked to indicate it's not available for versioned file cabinets. Having phrases like "information seamlessly move back and forth" and "DocuWare in any deployment model enjoys complete flexibility" imply, to me at least, there are no major restrictions in that hybrid model. I would imagine a fair amount of cabinets in production do have versioning enabled and thus won't be eligible for synchronization.

Even reading through the Synchronization section of the 6.12 System Architecture whitepaper there's no indication that it's not available for versioned file cabinets. (And it too seems a bit misleading using phrases like "You can use full DocuWare functionality" within that synchronization section)

I'm preaching to the choir I know, but I figured I'd provide some feedback about it.