SigningHub Enterprise is a complete solution for document approval workflows, advanced digital signatures and document status tracking. It is designed to quickly optimize the way businesses deliver, review, approve and sign their business documents.


The following online resources supplement the contents herein, and provide in depth user and administration guides:


SigningHub Enterprise is powered by ADSS Signing Server. This is a comprehensive solution for creating and verifying advanced digital signatures on any type of document, web form or transaction.

Scope

This manual describes the installation process for SigningHub Enterprise and ADSS Signing Server that underpins SigningHub Enterprise. 

SigningHub Enterprise comprises seven components and the installation procedure for all are covered herein:

  • Desktop Web interface that provides user services on desktop browsers.
  • Admin console that provides system administration and configuration.
  • API that utilizes the ASP.NET Web API framework to provide a REST architecture.
  • Mobile Web interface that provides user services on mobile browsers.
  • Website Integration Demo to illustrate tight integration using the REST architecture.
  • Core sends email notifications as a background process against few particular events and also performs the housekeeping operations.


Intended Readership
This manual is intended for SigningHub Enterprise administrators who are responsible for the installation, configuration, and maintenance of the system. It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) based web applications, digital signatures, digital certificates and general security.


Conventions
These typographical conventions are used in this guide:

  • Bold text identifies menu names, menu options, items you can click on the screen, file names, folder names, and keyboard keys.
  • Courier New font identifies code and text that appears on the command line.
  • Bold Courier New identifies commands that you are required to type in.


Technical Support
If technical support is required, Ascertia has a dedicated support team providing debugging and integration assistance as well as general customer support. Ascertia Support can be accessed through Ascertia Ticketing System or email address: support@ascertia.com

Ascertia provides formal support agreements with all product sales.  Contact sales@ascertia.com for further details.

A Product Support Questionnaire should be completed in order to provide Ascertia Support with information about your system environment, along with details of any issues encountered. When requesting help, it is always important to confirm these details:

  • System Platform.
  • SigningHub Enterprise version number.
  • Details of the specific issue and relevant steps taken to reproduce it if possible.
  • Database vendor, version and patch level.
  • Product log files.

 

Glossary

Terminology

Description

ADSS Signing Server

ADSS Signing Server is an Ascertia product that provides a wide range of PKI cryptographic services and digital signature creation and verification and supplementary trust services. SigningHub Enterprise uses this product to power its underlying digital signature functionality. 

IIS

Internet Information Services 


References to PKI Standards 

Item

Description

PDF Signatures 

PDF Public Key Digital Signature and Encryption Specification v3.2
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/pdf/pdf_reference.html 

PKCS#7 

http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2315.html 

PKCS#11 

ftp://ftp.rsasecurity.com/pub/pkcs/pkcs-11/v2-20/pkcs-11v2-20.pdf 


Installation Modules

SigningHub Enterprise consists of the following modules. Note the API and Demo components are the only non-mandatory ones for a working solution:

  • SigningHub Enterprise Desktop Web application
    Main web application, which provides the client-facing functionality for document workflow approval/sign-off and user account management. See details.
  • SigningHub Enterprise Admin Console
    Administration application that allows central secure management of the global settings and registered users. This application is only accessible to registered administrators and operators authenticated using client-server mutual TLS/SSL. See details.
  • SigningHub Enterprise API
    REST architecture API support that is used to integrate SigningHub Enterprise functionality within your own portal. The API uses OAuth 2.0 to implement authentication and authorization. There is a separate API Guide that provides full details of the REST architecture implementation, see details.
  • SigningHub Enterprise Core
    The SigningHub enterprise Core is used for back ground processes e.g. email sending, reminders, summary emails, document deletion etc. Core is a back ground service and does not have a graphical user interface. Its configuration parameters can be found in SigningHub Admin, see details.
  • SigningHub Enterprise Mobile Web
    Web application for mobile browsers, it provides the client-facing functionality for document workflow approval/sign-off and user account management.
  • SigningHub Enterprise Website Integration Demo
    A demonstration application to illustrate REST architecture API.
  • ADSS Signing Server
    This provides the underlying PKI security services for SigningHub Enterprise application. These include cryptographic keys and trust anchors management, server-side signatures creation and their verification, and other auxiliary services, see details.

For local signing ADSS Go>Sign Desktop is required. ADSS Signing Server is only licensed for use with SigningHub Enterprise unless specifically agreed otherwise in writing.


Deployment Scenario
A typical SigningHub Enterprise deployment looks like this: