Personal Virtual Server (PVS)

Quick Start Guide

 Copyright 2015
Pegasystems Inc., Cambridge, MA
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Document Name: PVS Quick Start Guide (32-bit) large file version
Updated: January 30, 2015

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Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1
PVS System Requirements............................................................................................... 1
Downloading the PVS ....................................................................................................... 2
Setting up the PVS............................................................................................................ 3
OnWindows.........................................................................................................3
OnOSX................................................................................................................5

Installing VMware Player .................................................................................................. 6

OnWindows.........................................................................................................6
OnOSX................................................................................................................6

Starting the PVS ............................................................................................................... 7

OnWindows.........................................................................................................7
OnOSX................................................................................................................8

Logging in to the PRPC Designer Studio .......................................................................... 9

Shutting Down the PVS .................................................................................................. 10
Getting Help .................................................................................................................... 10

Introduction
The Pega Personal Virtual Server (PVS) is a virtual machine (VM) that allows you to practice
using Pega software and solutions on either Windows or OS X, without having to install or
configure the software.
The PVS simulates a server environment based on
the Linux operating system. This environment
includes Pega software, as well as the PostgreSQL
database and Apache Tomcat web server that
support the Pega installation.
When you run the PVS, you are actually running
this simulated server (the guest) on your
computer (the host). As a result, the PVS is a
resource-intensive application, and may not
provide an optimal user experience on older or
under-powered systems.
The PVS runs on your computer under your control making it a great environment for
learning how to build Pega applications on your own time and at your convenience.

PVS System Requirements

The following are required for completing Pega Academy exercises using the PVS:

Minimum 4 GB RAM and 16 GB free disk space

32-bit capable CPU

Microsoft Windows (XP SP2c, Vista, 7, 8) or OS X

VMware Player 5.x (included), VMware Workstation 8.x, VMware Fusion or Parallels

Microsoft Silverlight

Browsers: Internet Explorer (8 11), Chrome, Safari or Firefox

MS Office 2003, 2007 or 2010

File decompression software we recommend:

o

7-Zip for Windows: http://www.7-zip.org/download.html

StuffIt Expander for OS X: http://my.smithmicro.com/stuffit-expander-mac.html

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Downloading the PVS

1. Click the Download Exercise System link in the Downloading the Exercise System
lesson.
2. For Internet Explorer users, click the Token ID link to download the PVS.

For Firefox, Safari or Chrome and OS X users, right-click on the Token ID and select
Save Link As to download the PVS.

Once the download begins, you can safely close the PVS Exercise System
Download modal dialog.
Before you begin setting up the PVS, make sure you have at least 16 GB of free disk
space on your computer.

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Setting up the PVS

On Windows
We recommend that you use 7-Zip to install the PVS on Windows.
1. Create a folder on your local machine named prpc-pvs.
Power User Tip!
If you want to keep multiple PVS instances on your local computer, name the folder using an
abbreviation to represent the course.
For example, if you are creating a folder for the DCO Essentials course PVS, you could name
the main folder DCO PVS. For any of the System Architect Essentials courses you could name
the main folder SAE1 PVS or SAE2 PVS.

2. Right-click on the PVS archive you downloaded, and select 7-Zip > Extract Files. It
may take some time before the file opens.
3. Click the Ellipsis button to browse to the folder you created in step 1 or enter the full
path of the folder.

Power User Tip!

The PVS includes several applications that allow advanced users to directly access various
components of the PVS, such as the database and system files. We recommend selecting Full
pathnames in the Path mode drop-down to organize these applications separately from the
PVS files when you expand the PVS instance.

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4. Click OK. It may take a few minutes for the setup of the PVS to complete.
Power User Tip!
You may have multiple PVS instances on your computer in different locations. However,
depending on your computer configuration, running multiple PVS instances simultaneously
may not be advisable, or even possible.

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On OS X
We recommend that you use StuffIt Expander to install the PVS on your Mac.
1. Create a folder on your Mac named prpc-pvs.
Power User Tip!
If you want to keep multiple PVS instances on your local computer, name the folder using an
abbreviation to represent the course.
For example, if you are creating a folder for the DCO Essentials course PVS, you could name
the main folder DCO PVS. For any of the System Architect Essentials courses you could name
the main folder SAE1 PVS or SAE2 PVS.

2. Right-click on the file you downloaded, and then select Open With > Other.
3. Select StuffIt Expander from your Applications folder, and then click Open.
4. Select the folder you created in step 1 as the destination for the new expansion.

5. Click Open. It may take a few minutes for the expansion of the PVS to complete.
Power User Tip!
You may have multiple PVS instances on your computer in different locations. However,
depending on your computer configuration, running multiple PVS instances simultaneously
may not be advisable, or even possible.

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Installing VMware Player

On Windows
VMware Player is an application that lets you run virtual machines. It is included in the PVS
download.
1. Navigate to the applications subdirectory of your PVS setup directory.
2. Double click the VMware setup file, VMware-player-5.0.1-894247.exe.
3. Complete the installation accepting the defaults.
Power User Tip!
When installing VMWare Player, you may be prompted to upgrade to a newer version of
VMWare Player or VMWare Workstation. There is no need to upgrade, but you may do so at
your own discretion.

On OS X
Before you can use the PVS on OS X, you must have a VM application installed.
The most common VM applications for OS X are VMware Fusion, Parallels and VirtualBox.
VMware Fusion is the Mac-equivalent of VMware Player so it will be the easiest to use to
run the PVS.
Both VMware Fusion and Parallels allow you to use OS X features such as Launchpad,
Mission Control, and any other way you are used to launching applications on your Mac.
However, these applications require a paid license. VirtualBox is an open source (free to
use) application but requires a bit more technical knowledge to setup and use.

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Starting the PVS

Most of the PVS instances available on Pega Academy will use a minimum of 2 GB of your
computers memory, so you should shut down all non-essential applications before starting
the PVS especially if your computer has the minimum 4 GB RAM.

On Windows
1. Open VMware Player from the Windows Start Menu. Click Start > Programs >
VMware > VMware Player.
2. Click Open a Virtual Machine.
3. Navigate to the server folder of your PVS directory, select prpc.vmx, and then click
Open.
4. Start the PVS by clicking Play Virtual Machine. If this is the first time you are
starting the PVS, you are asked whether you moved or copied the VM to its current
location. Select I copied it.
Wait for the PVS to start. In less than 30 seconds, you will see the Ubuntu Server
login screen. At this point, DO NOT log into the screen below. From the time you see
this screen, it may take about 3-4 minutes before PRPC is available.
Note: You can safely disregard any prompt to install or update VMWare Tools.

Once you see the login prompt in the VM application window, you can minimize the
PVS and the VM application to your Taskbar or Dock.

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On OS X
1. Launch VMware Fusion.
2. Select File > Open from the Menu bar.
3. Navigate to the server folder of your PVS directory, select the prpc.vmx file, and
then click Open.
4. Click the Power On icon in the VM window. If this is the first time you are starting
the PVS, you will be asked whether you moved or copied the VM to its current
location. Select I copied it.
Parallels and VirtualBox Users
If you are using either Parallels or VirtualBox, you will need to convert the PVS virtual machine.
Consult the user guides for these applications if you need help converting the PVS. Then
follow the appropriate instructions for starting the PVS virtual machine in either of those
applications.

Wait for the PVS to start. In less than 30 seconds, you will see the Ubuntu Server
login screen. At this point, DO NOT log into the screen below. From the time you see
this screen, it may take about 3-4 minutes before PRPC is available.
Note: You can safely disregard any prompt to install or update VMWare Tools.

Once you see the login prompt in the VM application window, you can minimize the
PVS and the VM application to your Taskbar or Dock.
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Logging in to the PRPC Designer Studio

When the 3-4 minutes has elapsed, open a browser of your choice on your computer and
enter http://prpc:8080/prweb/PRServlet

If the URL does not work add a dot after prpc as shown in this link
http://prpc.:8080/prweb/PRServlet

If you still cannot access the Designer Studio using the URLs above, click in the VM window,
and follow these steps:
1. At the prpc login: prompt enter architect and then press Enter.
2. At the Password: prompt, enter password and then press Enter.
3. Enter ifconfig and press Enter. Look for the eth0 section, then the line for inet
addr:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

4. Use the IP address listed for inet addr: instead of prpc in the URL, for example
http://192.168.41.128:8080/prweb/PRServlet
Power User Tip!
Once you click in the VM window, control of your mouse and keyboard are redirected to the
VM, rather than the host computer. To leave the VM and return control of your mouse and
keyboard to your computer, press Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or Control + Cmd (OS X) on your
keyboard.

You can now log into PRPC with the username and password appropriate for your course
to complete course exercises.
To explore PRPC as a server administrator, log in with the User Name/Password
administrator@pega.com/install.

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Shutting Down the PVS

To make the PVS start up faster the next time you want to complete Pega Academy
exercises, we recommend you suspend the PVS rather than shut it down completely. This
can be done by selecting Suspend from the Virtual Machine menu in VMware Player or
Fusion.
Though you can also shut down the PVS from the VMware menu, it is a best practice to log
into the Ubuntu Server and enter a shutdown command on the command line. Remember,
you must click in the VM terminal window to type in the VM.
Skip steps 1 and 2 if you are already logged into the VM Ubuntu server.
1. At the prpc login: prompt enter architect and then press Enter.
2. At the Password: prompt enter password and then press Enter.
3. Enter the command: sudo shutdown h now
4. When prompted for a password, enter: password.
5. If desired, close the VM application when the VM is powered off.
Power User Tip!
Once you click in the VM window, control of your mouse and keyboard are redirected to the
VM, rather than the host computer. To leave the VM and return control of your mouse and
keyboard to your computer, press Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or Control + Cmd (OS X) on your
keyboard.

Getting Help
Technical support for PVS is available to all students who are enrolled in Pega Academy
courses that use PVS as a development environment. If you experience technical difficulties
with PVS, visit http://pdn.pega.com/forums. If you do not find an answer to your problem
after searching the Exercise System forum, post a message and we will assist you as soon
as possible.

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