Using Proxy Setup with M-Files Web

These instructions tell you how to set up an environment with a reverse proxy and an application server. In this setup, there is a separate proxy server for IIS (Internet Information Services) and another server for the M-Files application.

Configuring the application server

If you do not use separate DNS names for your vaults (all vaults are accessed with the same address), you can skip this section.

To configure the server where M-Files is installed:

  1. Use Registry Editor to add this registry setting:
    Key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Server\Common
    Value name VaultDNSConfig
    Value type REG_MULTI_SZ
    Value https://<proxy server address>={<GUID of the vault to use>}

    For example: https://proxyserver.mycompany.com={F565EDFE-939E-4507-B078-D06902888C98}
    Description Adds a mapping between the vault and the proxy server.
  2. Add this registry key to let each vault control the default web client:
    Key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Server\Common
    Value name NewWebAsDefault
    Value type REG_SZ
    Value False
    Description New web is not the default client for this server. Each vault can control the default web client.
  3. Restart the M-Files Server service.
  4. Optional: Set M-Files Web as the default client for the vault (see Changing the default web client vault-specifically).
  5. Restart the M-Files Server service on the proxy server.

Configuring the proxy server

Note: If you want to set up only the classic M-Files Web, only the first step is necessary.

To configure the server used as the reverse proxy:

  1. Set up the proxy server with the instructions given in Configuring the Classic M-Files Web on a Separate Server Computer.

    During the setup, make note of this information:

    • M-Files Server must be the same version as the one installed on the application server.
    • No vaults can be attached to the M-Files Server installation on the proxy server.
    • If you have many vaults with separate DNS names, the IIS (Internet Information Services) site on the proxy server must respond to all of them publicly. In other words, the IIS site must have the necessary bindings.
  2. Open M-Files Admin.
  3. Connect to the M-Files Server instance of the proxy computer.
    In most situations, M-Files Admin and M-Files Server are installed on the same proxy computer. This means that you can use M-Files Admin to connect to M-Files Server locally.
    IIS must run on the same proxy computer as the M-Files Server instance to which you are connected.
  4. Configure M-Files Web with the instructions in Setting Up M-Files Web or Setting Up Both Web Clients and M-Files Mobile.
    During the configuration, make note of these substeps:
    1. Make sure that the address of the site specified in the Set Up Web and Mobile Use dialog is the same as the one used in step 1 of Configuring the application server.
      This is also the address with which the users connect to the M-Files Web client.
    2. Enable Use proxy server setup.
    3. In Site Binding Address, enter a site binding that the M-Files application server can use to reach the IIS proxy server computer.

      It is not necessary to use HTTPS or the port 443. You can also use HTTP and any other port or binding available on the IIS server. For example, if the IIS proxy uses a self-signed certificate for the website binding, you must use HTTP because M-Files does not support self-signed certificates in this context.

      If you have many vaults or many DNS names for the IIS sites, we recommend that you use the IP address of the IIS server as the site binding address. It can be necessary to create an appropriate binding on the IIS site for this purpose.

      Example: The IIS server's private IP is 10.0.0.1. You have bound the port 8080 to it and have not limited the binding to a specific IP. Set http://10.0.0.1:8080 as the site binding address.

    4. In App server address, enter the server address of the server where M-Files is installed.
      For example: http://appserver.mycompany.com:7767 or http://192.168.1.2:7767, where you can replace the IP address with the actual IP address of the M-Files server computer. Always use the HTTP protocol for this connection. If you have changed the gRPC web port for the M-Files server, use that port here instead. For more information about gRPC in M-Files, refer to Setting Up M-Files to Use gRPC.
  5. Use M-Files Admin to connect to M-Files Server on the application server.
  6. Open the Document Vault Advanced Properties dialog and add the M-Files Web URL (or URLs) according to the IIS bindings.
  7. After 20 to 30 seconds, enter your proxy website address (in this example, https://proxyserver.mycompany.com) in a browser and make sure that M-Files Web opens correctly.