Setting up RoboSource Control 3

Use the following sections to set up RoboSource Control 3 for your projects.

Where to install the software

During the main RoboHelp installation process you have the option of installing any one of the following combinations:

• Neither RoboSource Control component
• RoboSource Control Client only
• RoboSource Control Server only
• Both RoboSource Control components

If you want to use RoboSource Control 3, you should install RoboSource Control 3 Client on every PC where you are installing RoboHelp 7. This enables each of your RoboHelp users to exchange files with the server-based database.

RoboSource Control 3 Server needs only to be installed on the server – usually this is the same machine on which the database will be located, but you do have the option of setting up the database on a remote machine. Although it is technically possible to install RoboSource Control 3 Server on a PC on which RoboHelp 7 and RoboSource Control 3 Client have also been installed, it is preferable to install RoboSource Control 3 Server on a separate server (preferably one that has direct access to a tape back-up drive). This provides a better defense against data loss.

If you have a team of authors who need to collaborate on the same RoboHelp project, and you want to minimize your risk of data loss by storing the database on a separate server, here is a typical recommended installation configuration:

Figure 2. The architecture of the RoboSource Control 3 installation

Additional software required by RoboSource Control 3

RoboSource Control 3 is based on Microsoft SQL Server, but the software on your RoboHelp 7 installation CD does not include the SQL Server Database engine itself.  As a result, you must install Microsoft SQL Server on your server machine separately—or if you don’t have access to that software you can download and install the free lightweight version of SQL Server 2005, called "SQL Server 2005 Express Edition".  This provides the basic SQL Server database instance that RoboSource Control 3 Server requires. Refer to the next section of this article for step-by-step instructions on downloading and installing SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.

Even if you haven’t explicitly installed either Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, you may still find that your server already has a SQL Server database instance that RoboSource Control 3 can use.  This is because many database-driven applications actually install the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) or SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as part of their own installation process.  For example, on my PC, I have a Microsoft product called Business Contact Manager for Outlook that enables me to share account and contact information with other users on my local network.  When I installed RoboSource Control 3 Server, I was able to use an instance of MSDE called MICROSOFTSMLBIZ that had already been set up by Business Contact Manager for Outlook.

To find out whether you already have a SQL Server database available on your server:

1. Select Start > Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type services.msc. The Services window opens.
3. Look for a service name that includes the letters SQL, for example: MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ or SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS).

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