Documentation forKiwi Syslog Server

Kiwi Syslog Server NG Installation and Upgrade Guide

SolarWinds strongly recommends that you install Kiwi Syslog Server NG (KSS NG) on a server that is protected from unauthorized access by the public. If your use of KSS NG does not need to be public or internet-facing, install it on a server that is neither public, nor internet-facing. To learn about best practices for configuring your Kiwi Syslog Server installation securely, see Best practices to secure SolarWinds Products.

KSS NG receives syslog messages and SNMP traps from network devices such as routers, switches, and firewalls. You can customize KSS NG to automatically respond to messages that meet the specified criteria.

Use the information in this guide to prepare your environment and install KSS NG. If you have already installed KSS NG and would like to upgrade to the newest version, see the KSS NG Upgrade Guide.

Download the PDF: KSS NG Installation Guide

KSS NG is separate from the legacy Kiwi Syslog Server (KSS). If you installed the legacy version of KSS, you must uninstall it before installing KSS NG. Legacy KSS and KSS NG cannot be installed on the same machine due to using the same port numbers.

Prepare the server to install KSS NG

Review release notes Review the KSS NG release notes.
Review system requirements

Verify that the server meets the minimum hardware and software requirements.

Run all Windows updates Check for and run all Microsoft Windows Updates on the server. If a Windows update runs, your system might reboot.
Open ports

Verify that the server's firewall allows traffic to pass through the required ports for KSS NG.

Installation steps for KSS NG

Download the installation file

Complete the following steps for new and existing users:

  1. Log in to the SolarWinds Customer Portal.

    If you do not have a SolarWinds account, see Access the Customer Portal to create an account.

  2. Locate KSS NG under Latest Downloads for Your Products.
  3. Click Choose Download.

Evaluators: Download your free 14-day evaluation from https://www.solarwinds.com/kiwi-syslog-server.

Run the installation file
  1. Check that you are logged in as an administrator for your computer.
  2. Extract the contents of the downloaded installation ZIP file to the server.

  3. Run KiwiSyslogServerNG_<version>.exe.

    If .NET Runtime is not installed, the installer will do so automatically during the initial setup window.
Complete the Kiwi Syslog Server Setup wizard

  1. In the KSS NG Setup Wizard window, click Next.

  2. If you agree with the license agreement, select I Agree and click Next.

  3. Specify the installation folder path and click Next.

  4. Specify the port number to bind to the KSS NG web interface. Check the port availability before proceeding, then click Next

  5. Check the box if you consent to the use of your product data for KSS NG product improvements and analytics. Click Next.

  6. In the Confirm Installation window, click Next.
  7. In the command line window, create a password for your Kiwi Syslog NG administrator account.

    Passwords must be 8-100 digits and include at least one special character, one numerical digit, one upper case letter, and one lower case letter.
Close the wizard

In the Installation Complete window, click Close to complete the installation.

Activate your license

Enter a license key to activate the licensed edition of KSS NG.

Perform a silent installation of KSS NG

You can perform a silent install with command line parameters if:

  • Installing the service failed.
  • You need to run the command from a batch file to automate the installation.
Verify the installation file. Check that the KiwiSyslogServerNG_<version>.exe. installation file has been downloaded to perform the silent install of KSS NG.
Perform the install.

Use the following command line format to perform the silent install.

fileName.exe /q PASS=password Parameter1=Value1 Parameter2=Value2

Add parameters as needed before executing the command. See the table below.
  Examples

Install KSS NG in Demo mode with the password Some#Password1:

KiwiSyslogServerNG_<version>.exe/q DEMOMODE=true PASS=Some#Password1

Install Kiwi NG with the password Some#Password2 and consent to Pendo using your product data:

KiwiSyslogServerNG_<version>.exe /q PASS=Some#Password2 PENDOCONSENT=true

Parameters for silent installation

Parameters are not case sensitive. If you specify more than one parameter at a time, separate the values with a space.

Parameter name Required or optional Description
fileName Required The name of the installation file.
/q Required Execute the installation in quiet mode.
PASS Required

Password for access to the KSS NG user interface.

Passwords must be 8-100 digits and include at least one special character, one numerical digit, one upper case letter, and one lower case letter.
INSTALLDIR Optional Path to the destination folder. The default destination path is [ProgramFilesFolder]SolarWinds\Kiwi Syslog Server NG.
DEMOMODE Optional True or false value to determine if you are downloading in Demo mode. The default value is FALSE.
PENDOCONSENT Optional True or false value to determine if you consent to Pendo using your product data. The default value is FALSE.
PORT Optional Numeric value from 0-65535 to determine the endpoint port number. The default value is 5000.

Perform a silent uninstallation

You can perform a silent install with command line parameters if:

  • Uninstalling the service failed.
  • You need to run the command from a batch file to automate the installation.

To silently uninstall KSS NG, run the command fileName.exe /q /uninstall.

Log files for install and uninstall data

After you have completed the install or uninstall process in the command line, use the command /log logfilename.txt to log the data. Logging your install and uninstall processes allows you to view all parameters provided in the command line. See the example below.

KiwiSyslogServerNG.v1.2.1.4.exe /log debugInstKssNG.txt

If you want to create, share, or store logs, you must remove the password if you previously created on in the command line.

Next steps after installing KSS NG