First Time Wizard
Section 2: Initial Configuration with First Time Wizard (FTW)
If you are installing the ARK2FA software for the first time, you must configure the initial settings using the FTW (First Time Wizard) for the system to become operational.
2.1. Manually Launching the FTW Wizard
In some cases, this wizard may not start automatically. If that happens, you need to launch the FTW wizard manually:
Navigate to the directory where ARK2FA is installed. (Default location:
C:\Program Files\ARK2FA Server 2.0\)Open the subfolder named FTW.
Locate the FTW.exe application as shown in the illustration.
Right-click on FTW.exe and select Run as administrator.
When prompted by Windows User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to start the wizard.
Important Note: The first prerequisite for running FTW is to execute the application using a user account that has sysadmin privileges on the SQL Server.
2.2. FTW Configuration Steps
Step 01: Welcome
Encryption: The item "Encrypting the settings" on the welcome screen is important. When this is selected, all information in the appsettings.json file and all user passwords added to the Database are encrypted and saved. Password entry is made at 3 points:
If SQL Authentication is used, the Connection String is saved encrypted
If an LDAP Account is used, the password of the account is encrypted
The root account password is encrypted and stored
Step 02: Installation Type
If it is being installed for the first time, select "New Installation" mode.
Step 03: IIS Settings
The address where the Ark2FA web application will be published is entered in the Host Name field. ex: ark2fa.domain.com. If an SSL Certificate is available and installed on the system, Enable SSL Binding is selected and the appropriate certificate is selected from the Select Certificate menu. LocalSystem or an appropriate user account can be logged in for the Application Pool.
We recommend that you use a GMSA account for the ApplicationPool identity value. You can change Identity to GMSA account after FTW completed from IIS.
Step 04: Database
On the Database screen, the name of the SQL Server server and the Instance name are entered.
For example: SERVERNAME, SERVERNAMEINSTANCENAME, SERVERNAME,PORT etc. Database name and path information can be changed. If SQL Authentication Mode is used, the username and password information required to connect to SQL is entered by selecting Enable SQL Authentication.
To find the server name in the database, run the
hostnamecommand in cmd. Copy the name that appears and paste it into the Server Name field. The related file locations will be filled in automatically.
Step 05: Active Directory
On the Active Directory screen, the necessary information to connect to the current environment is entered. The server name or, as recommended, domain FQDN information is entered in the Domain FQDN field. For example: domain.com. Secure LDAP connection is recommended. If the system supports it, Secure is selected and port information is entered. User information that has the authority to connect to the LDAP system for reading phone attributes. If this field is left blank, the IIS Application Pool account is used for these operations.
Enter the Active Directory main domain address and select the Secure option (it must match the port number shown in the image).
Step 06: Administrators
The application has a root user. This user is the account that allows basic settings such as defining an authorized account to the system, LDAP connection and SMS settings.
Root Password (Required) The root account of the ARK2FA software is independent of Active Directory. It is used during the initial installation and in cases where user account access issues occur. Root Password / Confirm Password: The password for the root user must be at least 8 characters long and include at least three of the following four categories: lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: This password is set only once. Please make sure to record it in a secure location.
AD Search (AD Administrators) This section allows you to specify which Active Directory users will act as administrators (responsible users) within the ARK2FA portal, in addition to the root account. These accounts will have administrative access upon their first login.
Search: In the “Search” box, type the name of the AD user you want to authorize and click the Search button.
Add: The search results will appear in the “Results” box. Click on the desired user and then click the Add button. The user will be added to the “Selected” list.
Remove: If you added a user by mistake, click on the corresponding user in the “Selected” list and then click the Remove button to delete them from the list.
After configuring all administrator accounts, click the Next button to proceed to the next step in the document — Step 07: Prerequisites — which checks the system’s requirements before continuing.
Step 07: Prerequisites
On this screen, verify that all settings and system requirements show a Success status. If any issues are detected, click Re-Run to check again. If everything is correct, click Next to proceed.
Step 08: Review
On this screen, you can see a summary of all the settings you have configured. Carefully review the information one last time, and when everything is confirmed, click Install to start the configuration process.
Step 09: Installation
The configuration is being applied. You can monitor the process logs on this screen. Once you see the message “Installation completed successfully”, click the Close button to finish the wizard.
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