Components and Services¶
A MetaMiner installation for Fabric and Power BI has one server process, a database, a web apps process and two desktop applications; this page names each one and where it lives.
How it works¶
flowchart LR
subgraph Workstation
MMC[MetaMiner Client]
BR[Browser]
end
subgraph MetaMiner server host
MMA[MetaMiner Administrator]
MMS[metaminer service]
WA[MetaMinerWebApps service]
PG[(InfolytikPostgres service)]
end
MMC -->|49714| MMS
BR -->|49714| MMS
MMA --> MMS
MMS --> PG
MMS -->|local only| WA
WA --> PG
MMS -->|HTTPS 443| MS[Microsoft cloud]The MetaMiner Server (MMS) is the only process that clients, browsers and Microsoft APIs exchange data with. It runs the collectors, owns the MetaMiner Database (MMDB) schema, runs backup jobs and relays browser requests to the dashboards.
Windows services¶
| Service name | What it is | Started by |
|---|---|---|
metaminer |
MetaMiner Server (server\MetaMinerServer.exe), shown as "Infolytik MetaMiner 5.2" |
Start Server in the MetaMiner Administrator, or Windows |
InfolytikPostgres |
Embedded MetaMiner Database (PostgreSQL 16). Created by the server on its first start when you use the embedded database. | The MetaMiner Server, when it starts. The server never stops this service. |
MetaMinerWebApps |
MetaMiner Web Apps: serves the Power BI Usage dashboards, Monitor and Meta Query on the web. Accepts only local connections; browsers reach it through the MetaMiner Server. | Started together with the MetaMiner Server |
MetaMinerFSS |
Flow scheduler used only by MetaMiner for Tableau | Not used with Fabric and Power BI; leave it stopped |
The installer never starts services
Full and update installers register the services but do not start them. Start the server from the MetaMiner Administrator after installing.
TODO: confirm the startup type of the metaminer service after a fresh install
The installer does not set it explicitly. Confirm whether it registers as Automatic or Manual and state the recommended setting.
Desktop applications¶
| Application | File | Runs on | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetaMiner Administrator (MMA) | server\MetaMinerAdmin.exe |
The MetaMiner server host (requires Windows administrator rights) | Add and validate the Power BI environment, configure the database, license and settings, start and stop the server |
| MetaMiner Client (MMC) | client\MetaMiner.exe |
Any workstation that can reach the server on TCP 49714 | Power BI Explorer, impact and security analysis, Entra users and groups, Manage Access, backup and restore, Meta Query |
Helper processes¶
The server starts these on demand; you do not manage them.
| Process | Purpose |
|---|---|
MetaMinerQueryAgent.exe |
Runs Meta Query SQL against the MetaMiner Database outside the main server process |
Installation folder¶
Default root: C:\Program Files\Infolytik\MetaMiner\
| Path | Contents | Kept on upgrade |
|---|---|---|
jre\ |
Bundled Java 17 runtime used by every MetaMiner process | Replaced by the full installer |
server\config\config.json |
Server configuration written by the MMA, including the Power BI environment (client secret stored encrypted) | Yes |
server\MetaMinerServer.properties |
Optional server system properties you create (template: MetaMinerServer.properties.customize) |
Yes |
server\licenses\ |
License files | Yes |
server\logs\ |
server.start.log, slc.log, server.log, admin.log and others |
Yes |
server\data\mmdb\ |
Embedded MetaMiner Database data | Yes |
server\silver-jobs\ |
Definitions of the summary jobs that feed the Usage dashboards | Replaced by the full installer |
server\lib\ |
Server program libraries | No - replaced by the full installer |
client\MetaMiner.ini |
Client launcher settings (memory, -D options) |
Memory and -D lines are carried over |
client\lib\ |
Client program libraries | No - replaced by the full installer |
Client logs are written per user under %APPDATA%\metaminer\logs\.
Do not put your own files in lib folders
The full installer deletes server\lib and client\lib before it installs the new release. Anything you added there is lost.
TODO: confirm whether the full installer overwrites server\silver-jobs\ and keeps a customized dashboard user-group scope
The MMA writes the Power BI dashboard user-group scope into a job manifest under server\silver-jobs\. Confirm whether an upgrade keeps it.