Trend Micro ApexOne installation with SQL Express db on a single server

Md. Mahim Bin Firoj
7 min readFeb 19, 2024

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The server where we will install apexone is 10.10.11.165 and hostname is apexone01. Our AD server ip is 10.10.11.148

First we will joined the server to AD. Our domain name is contoso.local in our lab. After we taken apexone01 into domain then our current apexone server name is apexone01.contoso.local

Our apexone server resource was 8 GB ram, 4 core cpu and 500 GB hard disk.

We will install apexone and db on the same server that's why we have downloaded all the required applications, patches, SQL express server, management studio in this server. Let’s install the sql express server first. We have used local administrator account of this server. Following the exact same steps of database installation, you can install database on the different server. You just need to connect it during apexone installation. If you need help then let me know please.

In production go for the update. For this lab we skipped this.

We have changed the default instance name which is SQLExpress.

You don’t need to add domain admin here. We just added for some purpose. You can skip this. APEXONE01 is the hostname and Administrator is the local admin of this server.

Install running.

Completed.

Now let’s install the management studio.

Install dot net framework 4.7.2 first otherwise you will get this error.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-net-framework-4-7-2-offline-installer-for-windows-05a72734-2127-a15d-50cf-daf56d5faec2

Done. Let’s login to the database instance using windows credentials.

We can login via windows authentication or via the sa account.

Logged in successfully using sa account.

Now we need to enable the tcp ip protocol and sql port 1433 from the sql server configuration manager.

Done.

Now restart the service to take effect.

As you can see the port is listening by the service.

Now let’s start the apexone installation.

In our lab we don’t require proxy. In production you may need this.

Provide the license code and go ahead. We have collected a NFR-Not for Resell license from Trend Micro for our RnD purpose.

Apexone EDR comes with two separate license. One is for apexone and another one is for EDR. At the time of installing apexone you need to provide apexone license which we provided some moments ago. And select the checkbox that you want to install EDR sensor as well. For this you need sql database license as well. After the installation an EDR addons will be there after accessing the apexone. Going there you need to put apexone EDR license. Then from apex central you need to enable EDR features. Then leverage the feature. I will writeup another blog covering solely EDR features. For this installation we skip this.

You can select either 1 or 2.

Hostname-DB name

APEXONE01-ApexOne

You can Test the connection first then go ahead if it was successful.

Check this box.

As you said you will install apexone security agent for this windows server 2016 as well so check this box.

Using this certificate apexone server will communicate with its agents. Remember or note down the password.

Note down all the above passwords.

Now firstly installer creating the database. Apart from this it will check various other things.

Install will take some time.

Now let’s install the patch.

You may get this error. Click Ok to pass it.

Patch will install but it will take around 20 minutes of time. Let that running. After finish you can login again to your apexone dashboard.

Installation done. Now let’s create agent package so that we can install agents on endpoints.

Click on Create. A package will be created. Copy that to endpoints to install.

I hope this writeup will help you to install ApexOne. I would like to thank my colleague Mohammad Alamin for the RnD.

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