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System Requirements

Cortex is a lightweight application. Its system requirements are mainly driven by the size of your database - the larger the database, the more powerful your SQL Server and application server should be.

Deployment Overview​

A typical Cortex deployment consists of three layers: an application server running Cortex on IIS, one or more SQL Server instances holding your data, and an authentication service for user login.

Cortex deployment architecture

Application server - A Windows VM running IIS with the Cortex application installed. This can be hosted anywhere: AWS, Azure, GCP, Digital Ocean, your own datacenter, or any other environment that can run Windows Server. User access to the VM itself can be restricted as needed.

SQL Server (archive data) - Contains the restored database from your source system (such as Cherwell). Cortex connects to this with read-only credentials and never writes to it.

SQL Server (Cortex database) - A separate blank SQL Server database used to store Cortex's internal state and user configuration. Cortex requires read/write access to this database. This can be on the same SQL Server instance as your archive data or a separate one.

Authentication service - Cortex supports SAML and OpenID Connect for user login. Your existing identity provider (such as Azure AD / Entra ID, Okta, ADFS, or Google Workspace) handles authentication. See Authentication for supported options.

SQL Server​

  • Use the same version of SQL Server your source database was running on. If you are unsure, SQL Server 2022 is a safe default.
  • Follow SQL Server's recommended specs for memory and CPU based on your database size.
  • Ensure there is enough disk space for the OS, SQL Server, and your full database.
  • Full-Text Search must be enabled during SQL Server installation.
  • Both SQL Server authentication and Windows authentication are supported.
  • The archive (source) database connection requires read-only access only. See SQL Server Security Setup for recommended configurations.

Application Server​

  • Windows Server 2019 or later
  • Minimum 4 GB RAM and 2 CPUs (increase based on load and database size)
  • IIS with WebSockets support enabled
  • No .NET runtime installation required - it is bundled with Cortex

Clients​

  • All modern browsers on all modern operating systems are supported.
  • Cortex is not mobile-optimized but does function on mobile devices.

Next step​

Continue to: Install