--- title: "Installation Guide for ControlUp On-Premises Server" slug: "controlup-on-premises-server-installation" description: "Install the ControlUp On-Premises Server on any machine in your Active Directory domain. This guide shows you step-by-step how to install the COP server." updated: 2026-03-31T11:50:21Z published: 2026-03-31T11:50:21Z canonical: "support.controlup.com/controlup-on-premises-server-installation" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.controlup.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # ControlUp On-Premises Server Installation The following article walks you through the steps to install the ControlUp On-Premises (COP) Server. The server functions as the host server for COP backend services, such as user management, historical data uploader, or other communication services. The COP Server installer installs IIS web services. You must deploy the [ControlUp database on an SQL Server instance in your environment](/v1/docs/controlup-on-premises-database#production-mode). Light Mode From the 8.8 Maintenance Release and all higher versions, COP no longer supports Light Mode deployment as a built-in installation option. If you want to perform a Light Mode installation, you must download and install SQL Server Express, and provide it as a Production Server. ## Important for COP 8.7 and All Higher Versions Due to a security feature introduced in [COP version 8.7](/v1/docs/cop-87-security-enhancement-for-monitor-sop-communication), you must use a JSON Web Token (JWT) to connect any ControlUp Monitor to Solve On-Premises (SOP). ## Prerequisites Contact us at [support@controlup.com](mailto:support@controlup.com) to receive the latest installation files for all on-premises components. ### Installation Files - Installation file (ControlUpSetup.exe) for the latest COP version. - **Optional:** Import files for [Script-based Actions](/v1/docs/script-based-actions-sba) and [Virtual Expert](/v1/docs/virtual-expert-settings-contextual-navigation-rules). ### Prerequisites COP Server - COP server must be member of an AD domain. - .NET Framework 4.8 or higher. - Windows Server 2016 or later. - SQL Server (Express/Standard/Enterprise edition) 2014-2022 - Service account (password never expires) - The domain controller must be accessible during installation. ### Required Certificate For COP, you must install the **DigiCert Trusted G4 (RSA default)** certificate on each machine that you install the console. If you have the latest Windows updates installed, this certificate should already be installed on your machine(s). You can download the certificate [here](https://knowledge.digicert.com/alerts/code-signing-new-minimum-rsa-keysize.html). ### COP Server Sizing For hardware requirements, see [On-premises Installation Prerequisites - Version 8.x](/v1/docs/on-premises-installation-prerequisites-at-a-glance-for-8-1-and-higher). ## Installation Guide 1. Run ControlUpSetup.exe **as an administrator**. On the start screen, click **Continue**. ![COP Server Installation screen](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/COPServerInstallat.png) 2. Agree to the terms and privacy policy and click **Accept**. 3. Create a **trial license** to generate a trial license that allows you to use all on-premises features for 21 days. If you click **Paid license**, you can add your existing license file or create a license request, which you must activate after the installation. Click **Continue**. 4. Provide the installation path of the COP server and click **Continue**. It is best practice to use the standard path: **C:\Program Files\ControlUp Inc\ControlUp Server** 5. In the **Alternate Failover Server** screen, leave blank and click **Skip**. You can configure a [failover COP server](/v1/docs/configuring-high-availability-for-cop-server) after the system is installed and tested. ![Alternate Failover Server screen](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/image-U7KEUWCC.png) 6. Configure the service account to grant the **Log on as a service** user privilege on the machine. For example, the ControlUp LDS instance, or as a service user for the IIS webservices. 7. Configure your ControlUp database in **Production Mode**. For details, see [here](/v1/docs/controlup-on-premises-database#production-mode). Click **Continue**. 8. Select the import file for [script actions](/v1/docs/script-based-actions-sba) or click **Skip** to skip the import. You can import the file later. 9. Select the import file for the Virtual Expert or click **Skip** to skip the import. You can import the file later. 10. If you want to use your mail server, enter the details on the screen. Click **Skip** if you don't want to send emails, or click **Continue**. 11. Select the AD user group that contains users that should be allowed access to ControlUp. Important The user group you select must belong to the same domain as the currently logged-in user. 12. In the IOP configuration window, enter the details of your IOP server. Skip this step if you don't have an IOP installed or if you want to install the IOP server later. 13. Configure the IP address or FQDN of your SOP server and the key file that you need to [download from your SOP instance](/v1/docs/cop-87-security-enhancement-for-monitor-sop-communication). Skip this step if you don't have SOP installed or if you want to install and configure SOP later. Click **Continue**. ![SOP configuration screen](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/image-847RMSUI.png) 14. Review the installation details and click **Install**. ![Review Installation details screen](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/14_ReviewInstallation.png) 15. If the installation succeeds, the **Installed Successfully** message appears. If the installation fails, see [Troubleshooting](/v1/docs/controlup-on-premises-server-installation#troubleshooting). ## Troubleshooting ### Detailed error description During the installation, a ***ControlUp Server.msi.log*** file is written to **C:\Users\ *UserName*\AppData\Local\Temp**. If the installation fails, a detailed failure reason appears. You can click **Open Failure Log** to open the log file to help troubleshoot the problem. If you need further assistance, you can send the log file to our [support team](mailto:support@controlup.com). ![Installation failed message](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/image-ARRUMUO5.png) ### Digital signature error during installation If you receive the following error message, you must verify that the **DigiCert Trusted G4 (RSA default)** certificate is installed on the machine. [This is a prerequisite](/v1/docs/controlup-on-premises-server-installation#required-certificate) for installing the COP Server. ![COP error message](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/image-O3AXQYA3.png)