shopfloor-dashboard/DEPLOYMENT_IIS_PROXY.md

IIS Reverse Proxy Deployment Guide

Complete guide for deploying the Shopfloor Dashboard with IIS as a reverse proxy to Flask.

Architecture

[Browser] → [IIS :443 HTTPS] → [Reverse Proxy] → [Flask :3001 HTTP] → [MySQL]

• IIS: Handles HTTPS, SSL certificates, and public access
• Flask: Runs backend API on localhost:3001
• MySQL: Database (can be local or remote)

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Prerequisites

• Windows Server 2016+ or Windows 10/11
• IIS installed with default features
• Python 3.8+ installed
• MySQL 5.6+ accessible
• Administrative access

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Step 1: Install IIS Modules

1.1 Download and Install URL Rewrite

1. Download: https://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/url-rewrite
2. Run installer: rewrite_amd64_en-US.msi
3. Accept defaults and install

1.2 Download and Install Application Request Routing (ARR)

1. Download: https://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/application-request-routing
2. Run installer: ARR_3.0_amd64.exe
3. Accept defaults and install

1.3 Verify Installation

REM Open IIS Manager
inetmgr

You should see:

• "URL Rewrite" icon in IIS site features
• "Application Request Routing Cache" at server level

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Step 2: Enable ARR Proxy

In IIS Manager:

1. Click the server name at the top level (NOT a site)
2. Double-click Application Request Routing Cache
3. In the right panel, click Server Proxy Settings
4. Check the box: Enable proxy
5. Click Apply

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Step 3: Deploy Application Files

3.1 Copy Files

Copy the entire shopfloor-dashboard folder to:

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\

Files should include:

• app.py (Flask application)
• requirements.txt (Python dependencies)
• web.config (IIS reverse proxy configuration)
• public\ folder (index.html, logo, etc.)

3.2 Install Python Dependencies

cd C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard
pip install -r requirements.txt

This installs:

• Flask
• mysql-connector-python

3.3 Configure Database Connection

Edit app.py lines 14-18:

DB_CONFIG = {
    'host': 'localhost',          # Your MySQL server
    'port': 3306,
    'user': '570005354',          # Your MySQL username
    'password': '570005354',      # Your MySQL password
    'database': 'shopdb'
}

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Step 4: Test Flask Manually

Before setting up the service, test Flask works:

cd C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard
python app.py

You should see:

Shopfloor Dashboard running on port 3001
Access at: http://localhost:3001
DEBUG MODE: DISABLED
Database: localhost:3306/shopdb

Test in browser or curl:

curl http://localhost:3001/health
curl http://localhost:3001/api/notifications

Both should return JSON responses (not errors).

Press Ctrl+C to stop.

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Step 5: Install Flask as Windows Service (NSSM)

5.1 Download NSSM

1. Download: https://nssm.cc/download
2. Extract to C:\nssm\

5.2 Install Service

REM Open Command Prompt as Administrator
cd C:\nssm\win64

REM Install service
nssm install ShopfloorDashboard "C:\Python312\python.exe" "app.py"

Note: Adjust Python path if different. Find with: where python

5.3 Configure Service

REM Set working directory
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard AppDirectory "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard"

REM Set display name
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard DisplayName "Shopfloor Dashboard (Flask)"

REM Set description
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard Description "GE Aerospace Shopfloor Events Dashboard - Flask Backend"

REM Set to start automatically
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard Start SERVICE_AUTO_START

REM Set environment variables (optional - defaults work)
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard AppEnvironmentExtra PORT=3001

REM Configure logging
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard AppStdout "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stdout.log"
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard AppStderr "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stderr.log"

REM Start service
nssm start ShopfloorDashboard

REM Verify status
nssm status ShopfloorDashboard

Should show: SERVICE_RUNNING

5.4 Verify Flask Service

REM Test Flask is responding
curl http://localhost:3001/health

REM Should return: {"status":"ok","timestamp":"..."}

If not working, check logs:

type "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stderr.log"

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Step 6: Configure IIS Site

6.1 Create or Configure Site

In IIS Manager:

1. Right-click Sites → Add Website (or use existing site)
2. Configure:
   • Site name: ShopfloorDashboard
   • Physical path: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard
   • Binding:
     • Type: https
     • Port: 443
     • Host name: tsgwp00525.rd.ds.ge.com
     • SSL Certificate: (select your cert)

6.2 Verify web.config

Ensure web.config exists in site root with reverse proxy rules.

The file should contain:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<configuration>
    <system.webServer>
        <rewrite>
            <rules>
                <rule name="Reverse Proxy to Flask" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="(.*)" />
                    <action type="Rewrite" url="http://localhost:3001/{R:1}" />
                </rule>
            </rules>
        </rewrite>
        <httpErrors existingResponse="PassThrough" />
    </system.webServer>
</configuration>

6.3 Restart IIS Site

REM Restart specific site
iisreset /restart

REM Or in IIS Manager: Right-click site → Manage Website → Restart

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Step 7: Test End-to-End

7.1 Test from Server

REM Test health check
curl https://tsgwp00525.rd.ds.ge.com/health

REM Test API
curl https://tsgwp00525.rd.ds.ge.com/api/notifications

7.2 Test from Browser

Open browser on any computer:

https://tsgwp00525.rd.ds.ge.com

Should show the dashboard with:

• GE Aerospace logo
• Clock
• Current and upcoming events

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Troubleshooting

Issue 1: IIS Returns 500.31 Error

Cause: Flask service not running

Fix:

nssm status ShopfloorDashboard
nssm start ShopfloorDashboard

Issue 2: IIS Returns 502 Bad Gateway

Cause: Flask is running but IIS can't reach it

Fix:

REM Test Flask directly
curl http://localhost:3001/health

REM If Flask works, check ARR proxy is enabled
REM IIS Manager → Server → ARR → Server Proxy Settings → Enable proxy

Issue 3: API Returns Empty Data

Cause: Database connection issue

Fix:

REM Enable debug mode
nssm stop ShopfloorDashboard
set DEBUG=true
python app.py

REM Watch console for database errors

Issue 4: Changes Not Appearing

Fix:

REM Restart Flask service
nssm restart ShopfloorDashboard

REM Clear browser cache
Ctrl+Shift+R

Issue 5: Service Won't Start

Check logs:

type "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stderr.log"

Common causes:

• Python not in PATH
• Missing dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt
• Database unreachable
• Port 3001 already in use

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Maintenance Commands

Service Management

REM Start service
nssm start ShopfloorDashboard

REM Stop service
nssm stop ShopfloorDashboard

REM Restart service
nssm restart ShopfloorDashboard

REM Check status
nssm status ShopfloorDashboard

REM View service configuration
nssm get ShopfloorDashboard AppDirectory
nssm get ShopfloorDashboard AppEnvironmentExtra

REM Uninstall service
nssm stop ShopfloorDashboard
nssm remove ShopfloorDashboard confirm

View Logs

REM Flask stdout (normal messages)
type "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stdout.log"

REM Flask stderr (error messages)
type "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stderr.log"

REM IIS logs (requests)
type "C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\W3SVC1\*.log"

REM Windows Event Viewer (service events)
eventvwr.msc → Windows Logs → Application

Update Application

REM 1. Stop service
nssm stop ShopfloorDashboard

REM 2. Update files
REM Copy new files to C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\

REM 3. Update dependencies (if needed)
cd C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard
pip install -r requirements.txt --upgrade

REM 4. Start service
nssm start ShopfloorDashboard

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Security Considerations

Database Credentials

Option 1: Environment Variables (Recommended)

nssm set ShopfloorDashboard AppEnvironmentExtra DB_HOST=mysql-server DB_USER=user DB_PASS=password DB_NAME=shopdb

Option 2: Edit app.py

Not recommended for production - credentials in code.

Firewall

REM Flask only listens on localhost:3001 - no firewall rules needed
REM IIS handles public HTTPS on port 443

SSL Certificate

Ensure valid SSL certificate installed in IIS for HTTPS.

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Monitoring

Check Service Health

REM Quick health check
curl http://localhost:3001/health

REM Check from external
curl https://tsgwp00525.rd.ds.ge.com/health

Monitor Logs

REM Watch Flask logs in real-time
powershell Get-Content -Path "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\stderr.log" -Wait

Windows Task Scheduler

Create scheduled task to verify service is running every 5 minutes:

schtasks /create /tn "Check Shopfloor Dashboard" /tr "nssm status ShopfloorDashboard" /sc minute /mo 5

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Performance Tuning

For Production Workloads

Consider using Gunicorn or Waitress instead of Flask's built-in server:

REM Install Waitress (pure Python, Windows-friendly)
pip install waitress

REM Create app_production.py:

from waitress import serve
from app import app

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print('Shopfloor Dashboard (Waitress) running on port 3001')
    serve(app, host='0.0.0.0', port=3001, threads=4)

REM Update NSSM service
nssm set ShopfloorDashboard AppParameters "app_production.py"
nssm restart ShopfloorDashboard

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Backup and Disaster Recovery

Files to Backup

• app.py (application code)
• web.config (IIS configuration)
• requirements.txt (dependencies)
• public/ folder (frontend files)
• NSSM service configuration

Export NSSM Configuration

REM Export service settings to registry file
reg export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ShopfloorDashboard" shopfloor-service-backup.reg

Quick Restore

REM 1. Copy files back to C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\
REM 2. Import registry (if service deleted)
reg import shopfloor-service-backup.reg
REM 3. Start service
nssm start ShopfloorDashboard

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Support

View this guide:

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\DEPLOYMENT_IIS_PROXY.md

Common Issues: See Troubleshooting section above

Logs: Check stderr.log and stdout.log files

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Summary

✅ IIS handles HTTPS and public access ✅ Flask runs as Windows service on localhost:3001 ✅ URL Rewrite proxies requests to Flask ✅ MySQL database for notifications ✅ Auto-starts on server boot ✅ Logs to files for troubleshooting

Access: https://tsgwp00525.rd.ds.ge.com

Service: ShopfloorDashboard

Files: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\shopfloor-dashboard\