# Meridian 1.1.1.0 — installation Inventory management with CRM features for Windows. This guide covers a clean installation: the PostgreSQL server, the database, the program, the first login, demo data and updates. Russian version — [README.ru.md](https://new-imobile.com/download/meridian/README.ru.md). Product page — https://new-imobile.com/en/meridian/ --- ## 1. What to download | File | What it is | Size | |---|---|---| | [Meridian-setup.msi](https://new-imobile.com/download/meridian/Meridian-setup.msi) | the program (Windows x64), installed on every workstation | ≈ 144 MB | | [Meridian-db-kit.zip](https://new-imobile.com/download/meridian/Meridian-db-kit.zip) | database kit: deployment script, schema, content, demo data | ≈ 0.3 MB | The order, in short: ``` 1. PostgreSQL 12+ installed separately, with its own installer 2. Meridian database db\install\deploy-db.ps1 from the database kit 3. the program Meridian-setup.msi ← asks for the database and tests it ``` **The database comes before the program, not after.** The program's installer asks for the database address and offers to test the connection; there is nothing to test until the database exists. --- ## 2. Prerequisites | | | |---|---| | Windows | x64, Windows 10 / 11 or Server 2016+ | | Rights | administrator — the program installs into `Program Files` | | PostgreSQL | **12 or newer** (16 recommended) on the server; the standard installer from postgresql.org | | PowerShell | 7 (`pwsh`) on the machine that deploys the database — https://aka.ms/powershell | | Network | the PostgreSQL port (5432 by default) reachable from the workstations | **Why 12 specifically.** The loyalty card table has a generated column (`GENERATED ALWAYS AS ... STORED`), which arrived in PostgreSQL 12. On older versions the schema will not deploy at all. **The database role must be called `imobile`.** That is not a setting: the connection string is embedded in the program, and only the server address, port and database name are configurable. The deployment script creates exactly that role with the matching password — otherwise the program cannot connect. --- ## 3. Step 1: PostgreSQL Install PostgreSQL on the server with the standard installer. Remember the `postgres` user password — the next step needs it. If workstations connect over the network, open port 5432 in the server firewall and allow the connections in `pg_hba.conf` (a line like `host all all 192.168.1.0/24 scram-sha-256`), then restart the service. To check that the server is visible from a workstation: ```powershell Test-NetConnection -Port 5432 ``` --- ## 4. Step 2: the database Unpack `Meridian-db-kit.zip` into any folder. Inside: ``` db\install\deploy-db.ps1 deployment script db\install\010_schema.sql schema: tables, indexes, functions, triggers db\install\020_content.sql content: reference lists, settings, roles, calendar db\demo\001_demo_data.sql demo data (loaded with -WithDemo) db\demo\001_demo_data_rollback.sql its removal README.txt ``` From a machine that has PowerShell 7 and access to the PostgreSQL server (the server itself is the simplest): ```powershell pwsh -File db\install\deploy-db.ps1 ` -DbHost 192.168.1.10 -Port 5432 ` -SuperUser postgres -SuperPassword ` -Database crm_main ` -AdminPassword ``` The script creates the `imobile` role and the database, deploys the schema and the content, and creates the `admin` user with the given password. It takes seconds. At the end it prints the number of tables, reference values and users — a quick sign that everything is in place. The `-WithDemo` switch adds demonstration data — see section 7. Do not pass it for a production installation; do pass it for a test stand: **without a price list the sale screen does not open at all**. **What runs the SQL.** The script looks for `psql.exe` in `PATH` and in `C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\\bin` — every PostgreSQL installation has it. If you deploy from a machine without PostgreSQL, point the script at psql with `-Psql` (copying the `bin` folder from a PostgreSQL distribution is enough) or run the script on the server. **Re-running is safe**: the schema uses `IF NOT EXISTS` and `CREATE OR REPLACE`, the content checks that a row is not there yet. The same way you can add demo data to an already deployed database later. The login password is asked for rather than defaulted: every installation has its own salt, so the same hash never appears twice. --- ## 5. Step 3: the program Run `Meridian-setup.msi` as administrator on every workstation. The installer shows: 1. **Welcome.** 2. **Installation folder** — `C:\Program Files\Imobile\Meridian` by default. 3. **Database**: | Field | What it is | Default | |---|---|---| | Server | address or name of the PostgreSQL machine | `127.0.0.1` | | Port | PostgreSQL port | `5432` | | Database | the database deployed in step 2 | `crm_main` | The **"Test connection"** button reaches the server with the same service account the program itself will use, and answers with one of three things: | Answer | What it means | What to do | |---|---|---| | "Connection works" + employee count | server responds, right database, content in place | continue | | "Could not connect" + error text | server not visible, port closed, or the `imobile` role missing | check the address, the firewall and step 2 | | "The server responds, but this is not a Meridian database" | PostgreSQL is there, but this database has no employee table | point at another database or deploy it (step 2) | Against an unreachable address the window waits for the TCP timeout (about 20 seconds) and does not respond meanwhile. That is not a hang. 4. **Confirmation and installation.** The shortcut goes into the Start menu, under "Meridian". The program folder receives `Meridian.exe`, the connection file `DBConnect.db` (created during installation from the values you entered), the Russian resources `Lang\`, the fonts `Fonts\` and the database tool `tools\MeridianDbTool.exe`. ### Silent installation ``` msiexec /i Meridian-setup.msi /qn DB_HOST=192.168.1.10 DB_NAME=crm_main DB_PORT=5432 ``` With a log, for when something needs investigating: ``` msiexec /i Meridian-setup.msi /l*v %TEMP%\meridian-install.log ``` --- ## 6. First login and verification 1. Start Meridian. The login window should appear immediately — if the connection settings window appears instead, `DBConnect.db` was not created (see section 10). 2. Log in as `admin` with the password from step 2. 3. Check that sections open: Warehouse → Warehouses, Job → Clients. 4. Create the other users in Settings → Administration. 5. The Russian interface appears on a Russian Windows locale. The language is switched from the window system menu (`Alt+Space` → "Language"), without a restart. **Licence.** For the first 14 days after installation the program runs with full access and no activation. After that it needs an account on the site (https://new-imobile.com/account): the free 10-seat plan is switched on in your account, and paid packs (25, 50, 100 seats) are activated there after purchase. A seat is taken by an employee with a login, not by a device: when the seats run out, no new employees can be created, existing ones keep working. --- ## 7. Demo data An empty database looks like a broken program: the sale screen needs a price list, and there is none — nothing to pick from. The demo data creates the retail price list "Розница (демо)", six real auto parts (ATE, HELLA, VALEO, VICTOR REINZ, BILSTEIN) with prices, stock for three of them in the "Основной" warehouse, applicability, cross-references and a customer's car. That is enough to walk through receipt, transfer, sale and the cash desk. **Enable** — add the `-WithDemo` switch when deploying the database: ```powershell pwsh -File db\install\deploy-db.ps1 -DbHost 192.168.1.10 ` -SuperPassword -AdminPassword -WithDemo ``` The same can be done later on an already deployed database — repeat the same command with `-WithDemo`: the script only adds what is missing and leaves the rest alone. **Remove** — run the rollback script against the database: ```powershell $env:PGPASSWORD = 'aaddasd11111p' # password of the imobile role & "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\16\bin\psql.exe" -h 192.168.1.10 -U imobile -d crm_main ` -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -f db\demo\001_demo_data_rollback.sql ``` The deletion is real, not soft. If a demo product has already been sold or moved between warehouses, the deletion will fail on it — remove those documents first. Do not load demo data into a production database: it is for a test stand or a first look. --- ## 8. Updates At login the installed program asks the site (`https://new-imobile.com/download/meridian/latest.json`) in a background thread whether a newer version exists. While there is nothing to say — no connection or the same version — it stays quiet. A new version is shown in the **About** window (which also shows the installed version), with the **Update** button next to it. - The package is downloaded only on request (about 150 MB); automatic download is off by default and can be enabled in the settings if the network allows. - The download is verified by size and SHA-256 before it becomes installable. - Installation is a button: the program closes and starts the installer. You choose the moment. The check address is changed with the `UPDATE_URL` setting (Settings) if packages are served from your own server. **Database when upgrading from 1.1.0.0.** The database schema changed in 1.1.1.0 (tables were renamed; the old names remain as views). The database kit deploys a clean database only and does **not** upgrade a 1.1.0.0 database — running `deploy-db.ps1` over it leaves the database half-converted. Migrating an existing database is a separate procedure; contact us via https://new-imobile.com/contact before updating such an installation. --- ## 9. Changing the database, upgrading, removing **Another database after installation.** The connection settings window opens from the login form; a second configuration can be added there if there is more than one database. From an administrator console: ``` cd "C:\Program Files\Imobile\Meridian\tools" MeridianDbTool.exe --test-db --server 192.168.1.10 --db crm_stage MeridianDbTool.exe --make-dbconnect --path "..\DBConnect.db" ^ --caption "Meridian" --server 192.168.1.10 --db crm_stage --dbport 5432 ``` **Manual upgrade** — run the new package over the old one: the previous installation is removed automatically, the server address and database are asked for again. **Removing** — Apps & Features, or `msiexec /x Meridian-setup.msi`. **The database is not touched** — the data stays on the server. --- ## 10. When something is wrong **The connection settings window instead of the login form.** `DBConnect.db` was not created. Check the installation log (`/l*v`, look for `MakeDbConnect`) and run the `--make-dbconnect` command from section 9 by hand. **"Could not connect" during the test.** In order: is the server reachable (`Test-NetConnection
-Port 5432`), does PostgreSQL admit this machine (`pg_hba.conf`), does the `imobile` role exist (step 2). **"The server responds, but this is not a Meridian database".** The address is right, the database is not. Usually this is `postgres` instead of `crm_main`, or a partially deployed database. **Database script: "neither pgq.exe nor psql.exe found".** PostgreSQL is not installed on this machine. Run the script on the server or point it at `psql.exe` with `-Psql`. **Database script: "password authentication failed".** Wrong `postgres` password (`-SuperPassword`), or `pg_hba.conf` does not admit this machine. **The sale screen does not open.** The database has no price list. Create one in the program or load the demo data (section 7). **English interface on a Russian Windows.** Check the `Lang\` folder next to `Meridian.exe`. The language can also be overridden in the registry: `HKCU\Software\Meccanosoft\CRM\Language`. **The "Access and roles" editor opens with an empty list of screens.** `form_catalog.tsv` is missing next to the exe — reinstall the package. Questions — https://new-imobile.com/contact