Description

Granta MI Pro can be installed in several ways.  These instructions are a quick start guide for installing a single server deployment.

The basic steps and helpful tips below will help get you started; however, you may need to reference the full installation guide for this or other installation types.  These can be found in PDF files that are included in the Product Installation Zip File.

Solution

Download Setup Files & Detailed Instructions

1. Download your Granta MI product from https://download.ansys.com
2. Unzip the file > within you will find:
   1. PDF installation instructions
   2. Installation Zip Files
       

Installation Steps

1. Manually Install IIS by running the following PowerShell command.
   Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools
2. Add necessary firewall ports to the Windows Firewall using the following commands in a command prompt.
   

   Add Firewall Ports

   Open an Administrator Command Prompt > copy and paste the following commands.

   :: --- Web Ports ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI HTTP Inbound" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI HTTPS Inbound" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=443
   
   :: --- Licensing ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Ansys License 1055 Outbound" dir=out action=allow protocol=TCP remoteport=1055
   
   :: --- Database ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Server 1433 Outbound" dir=out action=allow protocol=TCP remoteport=1433
   
   :: --- Service Layer / Calibration ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI Port 7001" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=7001
   
   :: --- MI Admin ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI Admin 8737" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=8737
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI Admin 8738" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=8738
   
   :: --- Elasticsearch ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI Elasticsearch 9200" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=9200
   
   :: --- Service Layer / Selection ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI Service Layer 9400" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=9400
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI Service Layer 9401" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=9401
   
   :: --- MatCal Dynamic Ports ---
   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="GrantaMI MatCal Ports 50000-51000" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=50000-51000

    

    
3. Unzip the MI_Pro_2026_R1_Automated_Installation.zip file into a temp folder directly on the root C-Drive.  Ex. C:/temp.
   

   Warning

   If this step isn't done, the installation will fail.

    
4. Right-click InstallationConfiguration.exe and select Run as Administrator.
5. Fill out the required fields and proceed with the install.
   1. You must install the required ASP.net applications (2 total) if prompted at the bottom of the setup screen before you can continue.
   2. Reference the Role chart in the Adding & Managing Users section below. 
      

      

6. The installation will proceed to open and run via several command and PowerShell prompts.  Wait for this process to fully complete.  It can take up to ~45 minutes.
   
   Note - There are several steps that take longer and appear like the process has stalled (below is one).  Continue to wait, unless the PowerShell Window reads “Select” at to top (as seen below).  This means the window has been clicked and progress has been paused.  Click into the window and press Enter to resume progress.
   

   Note

   If you installed with the us my existing SQLServer instance option, you must now load the materials databases into your Granta MI Pro system. See Adding databases to Granta MI on page 36 of the installation instructions.

    

1. Restart when prompted.  After the restart you installation will show as complete.
   

   

2. Accessing the WebApp and WebApp admin settings.
   • http://[yourservername]/grantami
   • http://[yourservername]/grantami/#/settings
      

Server URL Redirect (Optional)

You can redirect the basic server URL http://[yourservername] directly to the Granta WebApp http://[yourservername]/grantami

1. To make the server URL http://[yourservername] redirect to http://[yourservername]/grantami
   1. For HTTP
      <!DOCTYPE html>
      <html>
      <head>
       <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=/grantami/">
       <title>Redirecting</title>
      </head>
      <body>
       Redirecting to <a href="/grantami/">/grantami/</a>...
      </body>
      </html>
   2. For HTTPS (if you have configured it like below)
      <!DOCTYPE html>
      <html>
      <head>
       <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=https://[yourservername]/grantami/">
       <title>Redirecting</title>
      </head>
      <body>
       Redirecting to <a href="https://[yourservername]/grantami/">Granta MI</a>...
      </body>
      </html>
2. Open IIS and change the following setting
   
3. Restart IIS with the following PowerShell command
   iisreset
4. Test by browsing to your server URL to see if it redirects - http://[yourservername] 
    

Verify the Installation

Follow these steps to verify that MI Server was successfully installed and configured.

1. Check that the Granta MI Service is running in the Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
   
2. You can view the MI Server API server and client certificate information specified during installation in
   C:\ProgramData\Granta\Granta MI\connection.xml
   For example:
   
3. Optional - The MI Server API server certificate should now be bound to the port specified in MI Server API Port - port 9400 by default. 
   1. To check, you can use netsh http show sslcertto view the SSL server certificate
      bindings and the corresponding client certificate policies for the port.
   2. For example (The "Certificate Hash" value shown here is the certificate thumbprint):
      
      netsh http show sslcert ipport=0.0.0.0:9400
      
      

Enable HTTPS (optional)

1. Open IIS Manager and do the following
   
2. Restart IIS with the following PowerShell command
   iisreset
3. Test by visiting - https://[yourservername]
    

Adding & Managing Users

There are 4 roles uses in Granta MI Pro.  6 are used in Enterprise.

Adding Users Locally

By default, the Granta install creates Local Windows Security Groups for each role and adds the users specified during installation to them.  You may add users directly to these groups.

Adding Users via Active Directory Domain Groups

If you want to centrally manage user access, Granta roles may be mapped to AD Groups.

1. Create the AD Security Groups for the 4 Granta roles and add users to them.
   
   • Granta MI - Read
   • Granta MI - PowerUser
   • Granta MI - DataAdministrator
   • Granta MI - SystemAdministrator
   • Granta MI - Write (Granta Enterprise Only)
   • Granta MI - Grant (Granta Enterprise Only)
     
     Note - you may need to set the Group Scope of your AD Security Group to “Universal” if you can't add groups to it.
      
2. On the Granta MI Server > Windows Search > search for MI Server Manager > Right Click and Run as Administrator.
3. Browse to Role Mappings > On the Right under MI Application Role mappings select Edit.
4. Select Browse > Locate and select the AD groups that were created to map them to the appropriate roles.
    

Install MI Pro Client on Desktop Clients

Install the MI Pro Materials Gateway client software on desktop client machines.  This will allow the user to connect to the Granta MI Server from within their application.

1. Unzip the zip file called MI_Pro_2026_R1_Gateways.zip, found within the original Granta download.
2. Run the setup > use default values except for the screen below where you will use the settings below
   
   https://[yourservername]/grantami/mi_servicelayer
   
   

3. If prompted, when opening Granta within your application, enter https://[yourservername]/grantami