Multi-user storage

This type of storage can be used by many users with different levels of access. It improves data stability and makes the app more flexible.

Before creating a multi-user storage, install PostgreSQL as described below, or ensure that the installed version meets the minimum TNI requirements.

PostgreSQL installation for the first time

Download and install the latest version of PostgreSQL for Windows:
https://www.postgresql.org/download/

When installing PostgreSQL, you can accept all the default settings if there are no special requirements for your environment. For example, you may need to specify a different port if port 5432 is already occupied by another service on the system.

During the installation process, you will also be asked to set the administrator password for the postgres superuser.

Once the PostgreSQL installation is complete, you can uncheck the box to launch Stack Builder, since this feature is not required for the database to operate properly.

If you plan to use the database for remote connections, you will need to allow the port specified during installation through your firewall and grant access to the required IP addresses or network ranges in the pg_hba.conf file in the PostgreSQL installation folder.

Multiuser storage creation

When creating a new multi-user storage, select the Create new storage option.

Create a new Storage in the default folder, or select an existing Storage to continue.

When creating a new Storage, make sure that all users on your network have access to it.

It is recommended to create the new storage on the same device where TNI is installed and the SQL database is located. This will speed up operations involving the Storage files, such as scanning, importing, and creating backups.

If a multi-user Storage has already been created, the Create a new storage from existing backup option will automatically restore it from the existing backup.

Select the Multi-user storage option.

Connect the Storage to the PostgreSQL database.
To do this, specify the IP address and port of the PostgreSQL database server.

Connect to the server and make sure that the connection is successful.

When connecting for the first time, enter the name of a user with database administrator privileges. By default, this user is postgres.

If the connection fails, go to the PostgreSQL administration panel and check the port number and other network settings in Server Properties.

You can use TCPView to check whether another service is using the same port.

If a connection to the database has already been configured, enter your login credentials.

If necessary, add a new connection by clicking , or select the desired address from the list.

Create a new TNI administrator user.

When you create the first multi-user storage in the database, the Built-in TNI Administrator user is created with TNI administrative rights. You can then use this account to log in and administer any storage created in this database, as well as create new storages without a database administrator account.

By default, only administrators will have access to a newly created multi-user storage. You need to configure user permissions in the TNI Users mode to grant users access to the storage.

Connection to existing database

If the database is already installed and configured on the server, connect to it.

After the connection is established, the remote server Storage management window will appear. From there, you can:

  • create new storages or delete existing ones;
  • configure user access to the storage;
  • specify the path to the storage;
  • create a new TNI user;
  • add or specify privilege groups.

The Storage path can be specified in the following formats:

\\10.0.0.5\Shared\TNI Storage 3\

C:\FileServer\Shared\TNI Storage 3\

If an account in the Storage access settings list is displayed in gray, it means that the user belongs to the TNI Administrators group and their permissions cannot be restricted.

A single Storage can have multiple paths saved in its file section. For example, this may be necessary if a local path was specified when creating the Storage, but remote users need to access it using a network path. When connecting to the Storage, TNI tries the saved paths one by one. If none of them works, the user will be prompted to specify a new path.

Advice

The maximum number of connections to the PostgreSQL process (max_connections) is 100 by default. TNI uses 13 connections for one user’s session with a Storage (administrator, normal user, etc.) and 10 connections for the Storage configuration window.

If necessary, you can increase the number of connections by changing the max_connections parameter in the postgresql.conf file (C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\17\data) and then restarting the PostgreSQL service.

Note that increasing the number of connections increases the load on the PC hardware. Therefore, a large number of connections may require more powerful hardware.

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