Administration guide to CLEAR Engine and Web UI

2025/08/10 |

A Lucent Sky AVM instance has two major components: CLEAR Engine and Web UI. By default, they are installed on the same computer, but can also be installed on different computers as well. This guide covers the installation, configuration, administration, and removal of CLEAR Engine and Web UI.

In this article

Plan a CLEAR Engine installation

Prerequisites

  • Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) - CLEAR Engine communicate with its interfaces through WCF, using bindings including named pipes, TCP, and optionally other WCF channels.
  • Windows Server - CLEAR Engine runs as a Windows Service and Web UI runs on Internet Information Services (IIS). You might need to change settings of Windows Firewall to allow communications between CLEAR Engine and its interfaces.

System Requirements

Processor, memory, and hard disk space requirements:

  • Processor: two 1.6 GHz x64 processors
  • Memory: 4 GB
  • Hard disk space: 40 GB

CLEAR Engine can be installed on the following operating systems:

  • Windows Server 2025
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016

CLEAR Engine might also work with Windows Server versions that have reached end of support, such as Windows Server 2012 R2^. However, these scenarios are not supported.

The following components are required:

  • .NET Framework: .NET Framework 4.8.
  • .NET Runtime: .NET 8.0 Runtime. Lucent Sky AVM setup includes the required .NET Runtime and will install it automatically if the required .NET Runtime is not present on the system.
  • Database: SQL Server 2014 or later. Lucent Sky AVM setup includes SQL Server 2022 Express and can install it as part of the setup process.
  • Network software: Supported operating systems for CLEAR Engine have built-in network software. CLEAR Engine supports the following network protocols: named pipe and TCP/IP.
  • Windows features:
    • Desktop Experience: This feature can be installed by running the following PowerShell command as administrator: Install-WindowsFeature Desktop-Experience
    • Internet Information Services: This feature and its subfeatures are installed automatically as part of the setup process. They can also be installed by running the following PowerShell command as administrator: Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Server, Web-WebServer, Web-Common-Http, Web-Default-Doc, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Static-Content, Web-Health, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Performance, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Security, Web-Filtering, Web-App-Dev, Web-Net-Ext, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Asp-Net, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Mgmt-Tools, Web-Mgmt-Console

Additional considerations:

  • Database: SQL Server Express has scale limits on database size, compute capacity, and memory capacity. It is recommended to use SQL Server Enterprise or SQL Server Standard for scaled deployments.
  • Database: When using an existing SQL Server in Windows Authentication mode as CLEAR Engine database, the computer account ('NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM') of the computer running the CLEAR Engine instance must have a login on the SQL Server. If the computer is a standalone instance or a first node in a cluster, the login must have permissions to create databases; if the computer is a node in an existing cluster, the login must have the 'db_owner' role to the 'SkyAnalyzer' database.
  • File system: When using a mapped network share as CLEAR Engine file storage, the computer account ('NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM') of the computer running the CLEAR Engine instance must have Full Control permissions to the storage location and the network share, and the Network Service account ('NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE') must have Read and Write permissions to the storage location.
  • JDK and JRE: CLEAR Engine comes with its own JDK. It is recommended to install CLEAR Engine on a computer without any JDK or JRE installed.
  • Virtualization: CLEAR Engine can be installed on virtual machines running a supported operating system, provided running the operating system system on the virtualization software is supported by the vendor of the operating system.

Install CLEAR Engine and Web UI as a standalone instance

  1. Sign on with a local or domain administrator account. It is recommended to use the built-in local Administrator account for the installation process.
  2. Extract and execute the self-extracting file (CLEAR_x64.exe) in the CLEAR Engine setup package. It will create a CLEAR_x64 directory.

  3. Navigate to the CLEAR_x64 directory, select and hold (or right-click) Setup.bat, and select Run as administrator to launch the setup program:

    1. Welcome – Select Next.
    2. License – Review the end-user licensing agreement (EULA). If you accept the EULA, select Agree. Otherwise, select Decline to exit the setup program.
    3. Prerequisites – Select Validate Windows Features to validate the required Windows features have been installed. The validation process will also install missing features if Internet access is available. Once the validation completes, select Next.

    4. Cluster - Select A Standalone Instance, then select Next.

      • Setup Instance - In Serial Number, enter the serial number of this instance. Then, select Next.

    5. Database – If you want to install and setup a new SQL Server Express instance for CLEAR Engine, select Install SQL Server. If you want to setup an existing SQL Server instance for CLEAR Engine, select Use Existing SQL Server.

      • Install SQL Server – Select Launch SQL Server Setup to launch the setup program of SQL Server Express. Follow the setup program to install SQL Server Express, and the setup parameters have been preconfigured so you should be able to accept the default configurations. When the installation is completed, go back to Lucent Sky AVM server setup, and then select Next.
      • Use Existing SQL Server – Enter the FQDN, IP address, or the computer name, and instance name in SQL Server (for example, sqlserver.contoso.com\MSSQLSERVER, where sqlserver.contoso.com is the FQDN of the SQL Server, and MSSQLSERVER is the instance name), select the authentication mode, as well as username and password if necessary, and then select Next.
    6. CLEAR Engine – The path button indicates the default storage location. To choose a different storage location, select the path button and select the desired location. Then, select Next. The setup program may become unresponsive for several minutes during this process.
    7. Web UI – To install Web UI on the same computer, enter the FQDN or IP (computer name such as ClearServer is not supported) of the Web UI in Web UI FQDN or IP address, then select Next. To install Web UI on another computer or to skip its installation, select Skip.
    8. Complete – CLEAR Engine and Web UI setup has completed.

Install CLEAR Engine and Web UI as the first node of a new cluster

  1. Sign in with a local or domain administrator account. It is recommended to use the built-in local Administrator account for the installation process.
  2. Extract and execute the self-extracting file (CLEAR_x64.exe) in the CLEAR Engine setup package. It will create a CLEAR_x64 directory.

  3. Navigate to the CLEAR_x64 directory, select and hold (or right-click) Setup.bat, and select Run as administrator to launch the setup program:

    1. Welcome – Select Next.
    2. License – Review the end-user licensing agreement (EULA). If you accept the EULA, select Agree. Otherwise, select Decline to exit the setup program.
    3. Prerequisites – Select Validate Windows Features to validate the required Windows features have been installed. The validation process will also install missing features if Internet access is available. Once the validation completes, select Next.

    4. Cluster – Select Create a New Cluster, then select Next.

      • Setup Instance and Cluster - In Serial Number, enter the serial number of this instance. A new cluster key will be shown in the Cluster Key field. Write down this key as it is required to join other instances to this cluster. Then, select Next.

    5. Database – If you want to install and setup a new SQL Server Express instance for CLEAR Engine, select Install SQL Server. If you want to setup an existing SQL Server instance for CLEAR Engine, select Use Existing SQL Server.

      • Install SQL Server – Select Launch SQL Server Setup to launch the setup program of SQL Server Express. Follow the setup program to install SQL Server Express, and the setup parameters have been preconfigured so you should be able to accept the default configurations. When the installation is completed, go back to Lucent Sky AVM server setup, and then select Next.
      • Setup SQL Server – Enter the FQDN, IP address, or the computer name, and instance name in SQL Server (for example, sqlserver.contoso.com\MSSQLSERVER, where sqlserver.contoso.com is the FQDN of the SQL Server, and MSSQLSERVER is the instance name), select the authentication mode, as well as username and password if necessary, and then select Next.
    6. CLEAR Engine – The path button indicates the default storage location. To choose a different storage location, select the path button and select the desired location. Leave the cluster key as it is. Then, select Next. The setup program may become unresponsive for several minutes during this process.
    7. Web UI – To install Web UI on the same computer, enter the FQDN or IP (computer name such as ClearServer is not supported) of the Web UI in Web UI FQDN or IP address, then select Next. To install Web UI on another computer or to skip its installation, select Skip.
    8. Complete – CLEAR Engine and Web UI setup has completed.

Install CLEAR Engine and the Web UI as a node in an existing cluster

  1. Sign on with a local or domain administrator account. It is recommended to use the built-in local Administrator account for the installation process.
  2. Extract and execute the self-extracting file (CLEAR_x64.exe) in the CLEAR Engine setup package. It will create a CLEAR_x64 directory.

  3. Navigate to the CLEAR_x64 directory, select and hold (or right-click) Setup.bat, and select Run as administrator to launch the setup program:

    1. Welcome – Select Next.
    2. License – Review the end-user licensing agreement (EULA). If you accept the EULA, select Agree. Otherwise, select Decline to exit the setup program.
    3. Prerequisites – Select Validate Windows Features to validate the required Windows features have been installed. The validation process will also install missing features if Internet access is available. Once the validation completes, select Next.

    4. Cluster - Select Join an Existing Cluster, then select Next.

      • Setup Instance and Cluster - In Serial Number, enter the serial number of this instance. In Cluster Key, enter the cluster key of the cluster this instance will join. Then, select Next.
    5. Database – Enter the FQDN, IP address, or the computer name, and instance name in SQL Server (for example, sqlserver.contoso.com\MSSQLSERVER, where sqlserver.contoso.com is the FQDN of the SQL Server, and MSSQLSERVER is the instance name), select the authentication mode, as well as username and password if necessary, and then select Next.
    6. CLEAR Engine – The path button indicates he default storage location. To choose a different storage location, select the path button and select the desired location. Verify the cluster key is correct. To change the cluster key, select the cluster key button. Then select Next. The setup program may become unresponsive for several minutes during this process.
    7. Web UI – To install Web UI on the same computer, enter the FQDN or IP (computer name such as ClearServer is not supported) of the Web UI in Web UI FQDN or IP address, then select Next. To install Web UI on another computer or to skip its installation, select Skip.
    8. Complete – CLEAR Engine and Web UI setup has completed.

Configure Internet Information Services (IIS) for Web UI

  1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. In the Connections pane, select the computer that has Web UI installed.

  2. In Features View, select Server Certificates. For the SSL binding of Web UI, you can choose to use a self-signed certificate, to import an existing certificate, or to create a certificate request.

    • Creating a self-signed certificate – In the Actions pane, select Create Self-Signed Certificate…. In the Create Self-Signed Certificate dialog, enter a friendly name for the certificate, for example, Lucent Sky AVM Web UI.
    • Importing an existing certificate – In the Actions pane, select Import… and follow the on-screen instructions.
    • Creating a certificate request – In the Actions pane, select Create Certificate Request… and follow the on-screen instructions.
  3. Under Connections, expand the computer that has Web UI installed, expand Sites, select and hold (or right-click) CLEAR Web, and then select Edit Bindings…
  4. In the Site Bindings dialog, select Add… In the Add Site Binding dialog, select https in the Type drop-down list. If necessary, change the IP address, Port, and specify a Host name. Select the certificate created in last step in the SSL certificate drop-down list, and then select OK.
  5. Select the http binding, and select Remove. Select Close to close the Site Bindings dialog.
  6. Right-click on CLEAR Web, select Manage Website, and then select Start.

Install Lucent Sky AVM license

To learn more about installing Lucent Sky AVM license to the CLEAR Engine instance, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Install Lucent Sky AVM license

Perform pptional tasks

After you have installed CLEAR Engine and the Web UI, you may want to complete these optional tasks depending on your environment:

Enable long path support

Consider enabling long path support if you need to scan applications developed on non-Windows operating systems. To learn more about installing Lucent Sky AVM license to the CLEAR Engine instance, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Enable long path support

Exclude CLEAR Engine files from antivirus scanning

Excluding CLEAR Engine files from antivirus scanning can improve performance. To learn more about installing Lucent Sky AVM license to the CLEAR Engine instance, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Exclude CLEAR Engine files from antivirus scanning

Configure package repositories

Configuring custom package repositories can make storage maintenance easier. To learn more about configurating custom package repositories, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Configure package repositories

Configure advanced settings

Both CLEAR Engine and the Web UI can be configured through configuration files. To learn more about configuring settings of CLEAR Engine and the Web UI, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Configure CLEAR Engine and Web UI settings

Backup and restore CLEAR Engine settings and data

CLEAR Engine settings and data can be backed up and restored individually or along with the operating system. To learn more about how to backup and restore CLEAR Engine settings and data, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Backup and restore a Lucent Sky AVM instance or cluster

Upgrade CLEAR Engine and Web UI

Before upgrading CLEAR Engine and Web UI, consider creating a backup of CLEAR Engine settings and data. The setup program also automatically backs up CLEAR Engine configurations before starting the upgrade process.

  1. Verify that no scan on the CLEAR Engine instance (or across all nodes of the cluster if there is more than one node) is in progress or pending.
  2. Sign on with a local or domain administrator account. It is recommended to use the built-in local Administrator account for the upgrade process.
  3. Extract and execute the self-extracting file (CLEAR_x64.exe) in the CLEAR Engine setup package. It will create a CLEAR_x64 directory.
  4. Navigate to the CLEAR_x64 directory, select and hold (or right-click) Setup.bat, and select Run as administrator to launch the setup program.
  5. The setup program will start at the Maintenance page. If it start at a different page, it indicates that a valid CLEAR Engine installation was not detected. Restart the computer and start the setup program again.
  6. In the Maintenance page, select Update CLEAR Engine + Web UI. The setup program may become unresponsive for several minutes during this process.
  7. A dialog box indicates the upgrade has been completed.

If there is more than one node in the cluster, perform the same process on each node of the cluster. Nodes running older versions of Lucent Sky AVM are unable to perform certain operations until they are upgraded.

Uninstall CLEAR Engine and Web UI

Before removing CLEAR Engine, consider deactivating CLEAR Engine license so that it can be moved to another computer. To learn more about deactivating Lucent Sky AVM license from the CLEAR Engine instance, view the following article in the Lucent Sky Knowledge Base:
Install Lucent Sky AVM license

  1. Sign in with a local or domain administrator account.
  2. Open PowerShell as administrator.

  3. Enter the following commands:

     cd "C:\ProgramData\Lucent Sky\CLEAR Engine\Maintenance\Current"
 .\Setup.bat -m

  4. Select Remove CLEAR Engine. This will remove the Windows service. To remove CLEAR Engine completely from the system, delete the directory C:\Program Files\Lucent Sky\CLEAR Engine.

  5. Select Remove Web UI. This will remove the IIS Application Pool and Site. To remove Web UI completely from the system, delete the directory C:\Program Files\Lucent Sky\CLEAR Web.

If this is a standalone instance, follow these steps to remove its data from the system:

  1. Open PowerShell as administrator.

  2. Enter the following command:

     # Replace .\SQLEXPRESS if using a custom SQL Server instance
 $sqlInstance = ".\SQLEXPRESS"
 sqlcmd -S $sqlInstance -Q "drop database [SkyAnalyzer]"

  3. Enter the following command:

     Remove-Item "C:\ProgramData\Lucent Sky" -Recurse

If this is the last node in the CLEAR Engine cluster, follow these steps to remove its data from the system:

  1. On the computer hosting the cluster database, sign in with a local or domain administrator account.
  2. Open PowerShell as administrator.

  3. Enter the following command:

     # Replace .\SQLEXPRESS if using a custom SQL Server instance
 $sqlInstance = ".\SQLEXPRESS"
 sqlcmd $sqlInstance -Q "drop database [SkyAnalyzer]"
  4. On the computer hosting the cluster storage, sign in with a local or domain administrator account.
  5. Open PowerShell as administrator.

  6. Enter the following command:

     # Replace C:\ProgramData\Lucent Sky if using a custom file system storage location
 $fileSystemStorage = "C:\ProgramData\Lucent Sky\CLEAR Engine"
 Remove-Item $fileSystemStorage -Recurse