Installing NSIA¶
Prerequisites¶
NSIA requires Java runtime environment 1.6 or later.
Note that some Linux operating systems (such as Ubuntu) include GCJ instead of Sun Java. GCJ is not currently supported and should not be used for running the V. On Ubuntu, run the following command to install Java (note that the Debian package will automatically prompt you to install this since it Sun Java is specified as a dependency):
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre
Otherwise, go to Sun Microsystems’ website to download the Java 6 JRE.
Installation Methods¶
NSIA has three installation methods: Windows installer, Debian package and the archive method (no installer).
Windows Installer¶
The installer only works on Windows. In addition to installing the application, the installer will install NSIA as a service. By default, it uses the internal database. An external database can be configured by updating the config.ini file (see below).
Debian Package (for Ubuntu)¶
The Debian package (.deb) is designed for installation on recent versions of Ubuntu. Note that the installer will ask the user during the install to specify the administrator account username and password. Below is an example of the commands you would enter to download and install NSIA:
sudo wget https://threatfactor.com/Support/Files/nsia-1.0.0.deb sudo dpkg -i nsia-1.0.0.deb
The package will automatically set NSIA to start at boot. Once the install is done, you can access NSIA with a web browser to http://localhost:8080.
Archive Method (No Installer)¶
The zip archive should be used on non-Windows platforms (but can also be used on Windows). After unzipping the archive, run install.sh (on Unix/Linux) or install.bat (on Windows) to create the default user and initialize the database.
Configuring Java Runtime¶
You may need to change the amount of memory that the Java runtime uses. The JVM settings can be configured in etc/config.ini. The config.ini file will be loaded by the ThreatFactor binaries (such as ThreatFactor NSIA.exe) and user to configure the Java runtime. Note that the settings in this file won't affect NSIA if you run it directly by calling Java. Additionally, you can specify the path of the Java runtime to use.
Below is an example of the a configuration file:
# This sets the arguments sent to the Java virtual machine JVM.Arguments=-Xmx512m # This defines the path to the Java runtime JVM.Executable=C:\Windows\system32\java.exe
Running as a Service / Daemon¶
It you want NSIA at start every time the host starts, then it will need to be installed as a daemon (Unix) or service (Windows).
Installing as a Daemon (Linux/Unix)¶
On Linux, you can use one of the init scripts to have NSIA start when the host boots. Note that Debian package sets this up for you. The init scripts are provided with zipped archive version of NSIA. Copy the init script into the /etc/init.d/ directory. You’ll need to create symlinks in the appropriate run levels for NSIA to start automatically on startup. On Ubuntu, you can use update-rc.d to create the symlinks for you:
sudo update-rc.d -f nsia defaults sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/nsia
The init script assumes that NSIA is installed in /opt/nsia; edit the init script if it is installed in another location. Additionally, you will need to edit the init script if you want to change the command-line arguments that are sent to NSIA (for example, if you wish to specify the amount of memory that the Java runtime allocates, set the location of the config file, etc.).
Note that NSIA should start after networking since it will try to initiate scanning after starting.
Installing as a Service (Windows)¶
On Windows, NSIA needs to be installed as a service to automatically run every time the system starts. Note that the Windows installer does this for you automatically. To do this, install the included Win32 service using sc.exe:
sc create "nsia" DisplayName= "Threatfactor NSIA" binPath= "\"C:\Program Files\ThreatFactor.com\NSIA\bin\ThreatFactor NSIA Service.exe\""
The above command assumes that NSIA is installed in "C:\Program Files\ThreatFactor.com\NSIA\bin\ThreatFactor NSIA Service.exe"; change the arguments as necessary. Make sure that the ''ThreatFactor NSIA Service.exe'' file is in the same path as the ''nsia.jar'' file (it won't be able to find it otherwise). Also, make sure that the binPath argument is double-quoted twice (includes the \"'s); otherwise, the service will not start if "Threatfactor NSIA.exe" is in the same directory as the "ThreatFactor NSIA Service.exe" (which it is by default).
Using an External Database¶
By default, NSIA uses an internal database. However, it is possible to use a database that is accessed over a JDBC connection. See External Database for more information.
Running NSIA¶
NSIA can be run three different ways: with the interactive CLI, GUI or as a service/daemon:
| On Windows | On Unix/Linux | |
| Run From the Command-Line | Run ThreatFactor NSIA CLI.exe | Run "./ThreatFactor NSIA" |
| Run the GUI | Run ThreatFactor NSIA.exe | Run "./ThreatFactor NSIA GUI" |
| Run as a Windows Service | Start it from the command-line with "net start nsia" or with services.msc | NA |
| Run as a Unix Daemon | NA | sudo /etc/init.d/nsia start |
Configuring SSL¶
By default, the web-interface does not use SSL. However, NSIA can be setup to use SSL instead.