Setting up GrabCAD Analyze – Installation

This is the installation guide for GrabCAD Analyze, a powerful tool offering real-time analytics and alerts for your Stratasys 3D printers. GrabCAD Analyze provides various dashboards, each presenting data in unique formats. 

The installation of GrabCAD Analyze consists of two components which are installed separately: GrabCAD Analyze Agent and GrabCAD Analyze Server. The Agent monitors the printers and delivers the data to the Server, which stores the data and hosts the Analyze application. The Analyze app is accessed via a web browser and URL, but it's not a website. Instead, it's an application hosted locally by the Analyze Server, and you can only access it while on the local network.

Installing GrabCAD Analyze has three steps:

  1. Installing Analyze Agent 
  2. Installing Analyze Server and necessary prerequisite software 
  3. Post-installation steps and launching

Note: It is recommended to install both the Agent and the Server on one computer which meets the system requirements. However, you may also install them on separate machines. See the "Alternate method" section of the system requirements and, if applicable, the Linux method below.

GrabCAD Analyze Agent Installation 

  1. Log into GrabCAD Control and go to the Configure Analyze page. (You must be a company admin to access GrabCAD Control.) 
  2. Download the Analyze Agent Installer, and if necessary, transfer the file to the computer where you will install it. 

  3. Run and complete the installation of "GrabCADAnalyzeAgentInstaller.exe". 

  4. Note down the IP address displayed in the completion screen (example above). You will need the Agent IP address along with port 5010, later in the Analyze Server, to connect your printers.

Upon completion, you can launch the Windows Task Manager with Ctrl+Alt+Del and ensure the “GrabCAD Analyze Agent Windows Service” is running. 

GrabCAD Analyze Server installation: 

GrabCAD Analyze Server is natively a Linux application. As such, the Windows installer deploys a virtual Linux machine with a disk image that includes the Analyze Server. Due to the nature of this installation method, some pre-requisite software is required to make sure everything functions smoothly and you will require Administrative privileges on the Windows computer. However, because this method allows you to install both Analyze Server and Analyze agent on the same computer, it is the recommended method of installing GrabCAD Analyze.

Alternately, you can choose to install the native Linux version of Analyze Server. The performance of the application will be the same as the Windows method, so this method is only recommended if you already have a Linux computer available which meets the "alternate method" of the system requirements.

Installing GrabCAD Analyze Server on a Windows machine: 

The following pre-requisites must be installed before installing the Analyze Server  

Oracle VM VirtualBox

GrabCAD Analyze Server is a Linux-based application, and in order to run on Windows, a virtual Linux machine is required. The Windows installer for GrabCAD Analyze Server will set things up in VirtualBox automatically, so all you need to do is to download the installer for Windows hosts from the following link and install it: VirtualBox Download.  

Vagrant by Hashicorp

Vagrant is required to run the installation scripts needed for GrabCAD Analyze. Download and install the AMD64 version of Vagrant for Windows from the following link: Vagrant Download. A restart of your computer is required after installing Vagrant, before you begin the Analyze Server installation.

After installing VirtualBox and Vagrant, the GrabCAD Analyze Server can be installed
  1. Log into GrabCAD Control and go to the Configure Analyze page. (You must be a company admin to access GrabCAD Control.)
  2. Download the Analyze Server Installer, and if necessary, transfer the file to the computer where you will install it. 

  3. After downloading the .exe file, DO NOT DOUBLE-CLICK TO RUN THE FILE. Instead, please right-click on the installer and choose Run as administrator and follow the screens to complete the installation. This installation occurs in 2 stages. After agreeing to the EULA (end user license agreement), you will complete the first stage, and be prompted to click next.