Windows Installation Guide for AIQ (GraalVM 11 Based)
This is a step-by-step guide for installing and configuring Appvance IQ on Windows.

Installation Prerequisites
Install Preparation Checklist
Please ensure all preparation checklist items are completed and verified prior to install.
Your Appvance contact is always available and more than willing to help with any questions or issues. We recommend confirming the check list at least one business day prior to your scheduled install date, or more depending on your corporate timeframes for resolving permission issues.
Summary Install Preparation Checklist
Download comprehensive checklist here
System Requirements
Appvance IQ Production System Requirements
After you have read the prerequisites, proceed to the next step: Anti-Virus Settings

Anti-Virus Settings
The Appvance IQ installation package is sizable and the vast majority of the contents will never change between installations or upgrades. Because of this, you can exclude the AIQinstallation folder the from the scheduled daily / weekly / monthly scans. Doing so will reduce the time and resources devoted to these scans. Also if these folders are not excluded, you may see some unexpected behavior in AIQ.
For example, this may impact scenario executions, specially on DS and DS3 engines that write many temporary files for requests and responses.
Following are some of the top Anti-virus programs from which the files and folders of Appvance IQ should be excluded:
AVG Anti-virus
Avast Anti-virus
Kasperskey Anti-virus
McAfee Virus Scan
Norton Anti-virus
Symantec Endpoint protection
Windows Defender
See McAfee slows down Appvance IQ (Windows) for specific recommendations for McAfee.
After you have configured your anti-virus software, proceed to the next step: Install and Configure GraalVM 11

Install and Configure GraalVM 11
Appvance requires GraalVM 11 to be installed on the controller machine in order to run Appvance IQ. GraalVM is a JDK (Java Development Kit) that is designed to accelerate the execution of applications written in Java and other JVM languages.
For instructions on installing GraakVM on Appvance Test Nodes, see Appvance IQ Manual Test Designer Install (GraalVM 11 Based).
The release notes for GraalVM can be found on the GraalVM site.
Download and Install GraalVM Version 11
GraalVM 11 can be downloaded from https://github.com/graalvm/graalvm-ce-builds/releases/tag/vm-21.3.0.
Download the Java 11 based Windows installer.
When the download is complete, extract the zip file to 
C:\Program Files.
Configure Environment Variables
Locate the folder where graalvm 11 is copied over (in the C:/Program Files from the step above)
For example C:\Program Files\graalvm-ce-java11-windows-amd64-21.3.0\graalvm-ce-java11-21.3.0
Open the System Properties dialog, select the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
In the System Variables section, click New.
Enter JAVA_HOME as the variable name.
For the variable value enter the path to the GraalVM that you downloaded and extracted. For example 
C:\Program Files\graalvm-ce-java11-21.3.0.
Click Ok.
In the System Variables list, select the Path variable and click Edit.
Enter your Java path, appended by 
\bin; at the beginning of the Variable value box. For example: 
C:\Program Files\graalvm-ce-java11-21.3.0\bin;
Confirm Java Installation
Open a Command Prompt.
Type 
java -version
Confirm that the correct version of Java has been installed.
After the Java installation has been completed, proceed to the next step: Download Appvance AIQ
 
Last updated: July 31, 2024
If you have any feedback on this topic, please contact us at documentation@appvance.ai

Download Appvance AIQ
Contact the Appvance Customer Success Team for the location of the AIQ download that you should install.
Download the AIQ .zip file. An example file name is something like: AIQ-5.x.x-345862.zip.
Extract the zip file.
The AIQ software is contained in the 
aiq_distribution folder.
Considerations
If you notice that extracting the Appvance IQ zip file is slow, the following may suggestions may improve the performance of that task:
Anti-virus programs, such as Windows Defender, being active with real-time searching for malware. This can delay in file intensive operations such as unzipping an archive. This may also affect scenario executions, specially on DS and DS3 engines that writes many temporary files for requests and responses. See Anti-Virus Settings for more information.
Too little space free on the hard disk. Remove unwanted files or software to free up space.
After you have downloaded the AIQ software distribution, proceed to the next step: Installing and Configuring MySQL 8 Database (Windows)
 

Install and Configure MySQL 8 for AIQ on Windows
Install and Configure MySQL 8 for AIQ on Windows
Use this guide when preparing a Windows-hosted MySQL 8 database for an AIQ environment. Confirm the supported database version, sizing, and security requirements before installing or changing an existing database.
Preparation
Confirm the target AIQ version and supported MySQL 8 configuration.
Use a dedicated database host or instance when possible.
Plan storage, backup location, retention, and recovery requirements.
Create service and database accounts with only the permissions required by AIQ.
Document port, hostname, schema, account, and maintenance-window details.
Validation workflow
Install MySQL 8 using the approved Windows installer and configuration profile.
Apply the required character set, time zone, networking, and service settings.
Create the AIQ database/schema and account according to the installation plan.
Test connectivity from the AIQ host before starting AIQ services.
Run a login and small execution smoke test after AIQ is connected.
Maintenance note: Back up the database before upgrades, configuration changes, or cleanup operations.
Last updated: October 8, 2026

Run AIQ on Windows as a Service
Run AIQ on Windows as a Service
Use this guide when AIQ must start automatically on a Windows host and run under a managed service account. Corrected the older title wording and replaced “Appvance IQ” phrasing with current AIQ terminology.
Preparation checklist
Confirm the Windows version, AIQ version, Java/runtime dependencies, ports, and required file-system paths.
Create or select a dedicated service account with the minimum permissions required to run AIQ.
Verify database connectivity, browser/driver paths, and environment variables before installing the service.
Document log locations, startup dependencies, and restart policy.
Validation workflow
Start AIQ manually once and confirm login and a small smoke execution work.
Install or configure the Windows service using the approved procedure.
Start, stop, and restart the service from Windows Services or the service manager.
Reboot the host if allowed and confirm AIQ starts automatically.
Review logs for permission, path, port, or dependency errors.
Last updated: October 9, 2026

Installing License and Certificate
AIQ requires a valid license file and a valid certificate for the server that hosts the Controller.
Install License
License files are distributed by the Appvance Customer Success Team or Appvance Support. Be sure that you have been provided a license file before you proceed.
From your Appvance IQ URL, login and select Global Options > Admin Options > License (tab).
Click Upload License.
Browse to the license file provided by Appvance and click Open to load the license file.
 
Install Appvance Certificate
Every Appvance Controller requires a valid certificate. You may provide and install your own server certificate, or update and use the Appvance-provided certificate.
Provide your own certificate
Copy your certificate to: 
<AIQ install path>\sahi\
Install your certificate in Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
See the Microsoft site for more information on Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
Update the Appvance-provided certificate
About the Appvance Certificate
The default Appvance certificate points to 
localhost and must be updated to point it to your specific IP or DNS. To do so, follow the steps in this topic.
Important
These steps are only to be performed on the Appvance Controller machine
The certificate creation steps currently ONLY work on Windows, however, the generated certificate is valid for Linux/Mac as well
If using EC2 and you stop and restart the server, the DNS will be lost and you must repeat this process
Once installed on the Appvance Controller, configure the certificate on client machines using How to Install Appvance IQ on Windows (GraalVM 11 Based) (related topics: Firefox configuration to work with https and Windows configuration to work with https)
Generate an Appvance Certificate
This procedure assumes that your Appvance Control machine is already set up and running.
On the Appvance Controller machine, login to AIQ.
Navigate to Global Options > Admin Options > Certificate (tab).
Enter the DNS or IP of the AIQ controller. Do not enter a protocol or a port. For example: 
ec2-12-21-23-23.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com
Click Update Certificate and Reboot.
After a successful reboot, please use a new browser window and navigate to the AIQ Controller for the certificate to take effect. The browser may fail to load the IP address, the certificate still generate.
Appvance generates the certificate, with a valid key store, inside the Appvance Controller machine's TestNode\certs directorySpaces and periods are replaced with '_' in the file name.
Restart the Appvance services on Appvance Controller machine.
Browse to <AIQ install directory>\sahi and double-click appvance.cer
Click Install Certificate.
Select Current User and click Next.
Select Place all certificates in the following store and click Browse.
Select Trusted Root Certification Authorities and click OK.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
When the Certificate Import Wizard window appears, indicating the import was successful, click OK.
Click OK.
Configuring Port 8443
Once installed, you need to configure Port 8443 for public access.
In Windows Settings, open the Network and Internet. Select Advanced network settings.
Select the Windows Firewall option.
Select Advanced settings.
Select Inbound Rules.
In the Action tab, select New Rule.
In Rule Type, select Port.
In Protocol and Ports, select TCP and specify the local port as 8443.
In Action, select Allow the connection.
In Profile, select all the options.
Name the port.
Click Finish.
The AIQ controller firewall requires specific TCP ports open. Find the complete list in .Appvance IQ Production System Requirements.
Last updated: July 31, 2024
If you have any feedback on this topic, please contact us at documentation@appvance.ai

Useful Utilities for AIQ Administration
Recommended guidance
Use utilities to support AIQ installation, troubleshooting, and administration. Utilities should help validate ports, certificates, disk space, network access, logs, browser dependencies, and service health without becoming undocumented production changes.
Examples of useful utility checks
Port listeners and conflicts for AIQ services, Test Nodes, databases, and proxies.
Disk usage, memory, CPU, and process status on AIQ hosts.
Certificate expiration, trust chains, and TLS connectivity.
Browser installation and version checks on execution nodes.
Network connectivity to repositories, applications under test, integrations, and package sources.
Operational rules
Use read-only checks first when diagnosing a production environment.
Document any utility that changes configuration or service state.
Do not paste secrets into command lines, logs, screenshots, or documentation.
Prefer approved OS/package-manager tools over random downloaded utilities.
Keep customer-specific scripts in a controlled repository with owners and review history.
Last updated: October 5, 2026

Use getCssValue in Scenario Editor Scripts
Use getCssValue in Scenario Editor Scripts
Use 
getCssValue only when validating a CSS property is part of the test objective. For most functional tests, validate visible behavior or business output instead of implementation-level styles.
Recommended use
Confirm a required state is represented by a CSS property, such as disabled, highlighted, hidden, or color-coded status.
Validate style behavior only after the page has reached a stable state.
Keep expected values maintainable and avoid checking browser-specific formatting unless necessary.
Maintenance notes
Prefer stable locators for the element being inspected.
Use conditional waits before reading style values.
Document why the CSS property is business-relevant.
Last updated: September 18, 2026