StackRegent downloads and install script

StackRegent downloads at a glance#

There is no separate download for licenses: a license is a key, ordered in the store and entered on the server. Server components such as PHP, MariaDB or MailEnable are not downloaded by hand either; the panel fetches them from their vendors under Tools & Settings › Server Components and checks them first.

The install script#

The install script is a short PowerShell file that needs only a license key. You normally run it straight from the address in an elevated PowerShell:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol='Tls12'; & ([scriptblock]::Create((New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://panel.stackregent.com/get/stackregent.ps1'))) -LicenseKey SR-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

What it does, in order:

1. Checks that PowerShell runs as administrator.
2. Reads the server's Windows machine ID and activates your license for this server.
3. Asks the license server for the newest stable release offered to your license.
4. Downloads the release package from the license server and checks its size, its SHA-256 hash and its signature against the StackRegent release key written into the script.
5. Unpacks it, refusing any file path that would leave the target folder.
6. Runs install.ps1 from the package with the options you passed.

Nothing is installed when any check fails. The parameters (-LicenseKey, -AdminEmail, -Hostname, -Components, -DownloadOnly and -Server) are described in the installation overview.

Read the script before you run it#

Running code straight from the internet as administrator deserves a look first. Save the script, read it, check its hash and then run the saved copy:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol='Tls12'
Invoke-WebRequest https://panel.stackregent.com/get/stackregent.ps1 -OutFile stackregent.ps1 -UseBasicParsing
Get-FileHash .\stackregent.ps1 -Algorithm SHA256
notepad .\stackregent.ps1
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\stackregent.ps1 -LicenseKey SR-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Compare the hash with the one published in the release notes. The release notes list each script that ships with a release, what it is for and its SHA-256 checksum.

Get the package without installing it#

Add -DownloadOnly to stop after all checks. The script prints the folder where the verified release is unpacked, typically under your user's temporary folder, and installs nothing. This is the cleanest way to get a package for a manual install with other ports or folders, or to inspect what a release contains. -DownloadOnly still activates the license for the server it runs on, so run it on the server you will install.

The release key#

Every StackRegent release is signed with the StackRegent release key. The key ID is:

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The public half is built into the panel and written into the install script; the private half stays with the publisher. The signature covers the product name, the version, the package's SHA-256 hash and its size, so a package that is changed, swapped for another version or cut short does not pass. The panel shows the key ID under Tools & Settings › Updates, next to Comes from. How to check a signature yourself is documented on the developer site.

The release package#

The zip, named StackRegent-<version>-<build>.zip, holds install.ps1, uninstall.ps1 and a bin folder with two programs: stackregent.exe (the panel with its user interface built in, the task service and the command line) and stackregentmon.exe (the Service Monitor tray app). Extract the whole package before you run install.ps1; it expects bin\stackregent.exe next to it. On an installed server, running install.ps1 from a newer package upgrades in place. The installation chapter of the administrator guide lists every option.

Migration tools for Plesk for Windows#

To move subscriptions from Plesk for Windows, the new StackRegent server needs a small agent on the Plesk server. There are two ways to run it; neither changes anything in Plesk:

• The migration agent: copy stackregent.exe from the bin folder of the release package to the Plesk server and run stackregent.exe migration-agent --allow NEW-SERVER-IP in an administrator command prompt. It prints the address and API key to enter on the StackRegent side.
• The StackRegent Migrator extension, installed in Plesk, which starts and stops the same agent from a page in Plesk.

The migration guide explains the whole move.

Ordering and trials#

Licenses are ordered in the StackRegent store. Every plan has every feature; plans differ only in the number of hosting accounts, and you pay monthly or yearly. The free trial runs for 10 days with 3 accounts and needs no card. Current prices are on the pricing page.