Create AFServers and AFQueryEngines groups

Typically, when you use the install kit to install the PI AF server, the installation process creates the AFServers and AFQueryEngines local groups. It also sets the necessary permissions for those groups. However, if you are installing the PI AF server manually, you must create these local groups manually on the PI AF SQL Server computer before you run the GO.bat batch file. The separate procedure is necessary to ensure that you have sufficient operating system privileges to create the local groups.

If you plan to run the PI AF application service under a domain account, you must add that domain account to the two local groups. As an alternative, you can add the PI AF server's computer account to the two local groups.

The AFServers local group gives the PI AF application service access to the PI AF SQL Server database.

Note: The PI AF application service should run with least privileges to follow security best practices. Thus, the user running the service should not have domain or local administrator privileges.

1. On the SQL Server computer, open Computer Management.

2. Create the AFServers local group (if it does not already exist).

3. Examine whether the PI AF Application Service (AFServers) is running under a domain account or not.

   The following example shows that the domain is OSI and the computer name is RADAT.

   

4. If the PI AF Application Service is running under a domain account, add the name of the domain account to the AFServers group. Be sure to include domain information for the system using the following syntax:

   DOMAIN\DomainAccount

5. If the PI AF Application Service is not running under a domain account, use the following syntax to add the PI AF Application Service computer name to the AFServers group:

   DOMAIN\ComputerName

6. If you plan to use the PI SQL Data Access Server, you must repeat this procedure to create the AFQueryEngines local group.