1. Home
  2. Tekla Structures
  3. Install an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing

Install an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing

Modified: 11 Jun 2026 Tekla Structures - Not version-specific

Install an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing

The on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing is a private alternative to the public cloud-based sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing. For example, you can use your own on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing to privately share models in projects where security requirements do not allow sharing models using the cloud-based service.

You can use both the cloud-based sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing and an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing for different models at the same time.

You do not need to install an on-premises sharing service if you only want to share models using the public cloud-based sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing. For information about the cloud-based sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing, see Tekla Model Sharing.

If you are a Tekla Structures user, you can work with different models that are shared using the cloud-based sharing service and an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing at the same time. The person who manages Tekla Structures for you enables and sets up the on-premises sharing service for you. Tekla Structures remembers which sharing service is used for each model and automatically connects to the service when you open the model.

These instructions are for the IT administrator who sets up and manages the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing. There are no tasks for Tekla Structures users in this guide.

Prerequisites for installation of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing

Installing the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing requires specific IT knowledge and administrative permissions.

The person who installs the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing must:

  • Have knowledge about your company's IT infrastructure.

  • Have the necessary permissions to manage the Windows Server operating system and SQL Server databases.

  • Be familiar with the SQL Server installation process and database management.

Note: The on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing is intended to be used in your company's private IT environment. The IT administrator at your company is responsible for managing the installation, servers, software, and network. Trimble provides limited support, but does not install or maintain the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

Software and system requirements

The server where you install the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing must have:

Requirement Minimum Recommended
Windows Server operating system Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2022
SQL Server Web or Standard edition SQL Server 2019 SQL Server 2022
Memory 16 GB
Disk storage space 1 TB or more separate SSD for model data
Processor 3 GHz
vCPUs 4 4 or more
Network adapter 1 Gbit/s
  • Use the default compatibility settings for the required SQL Server.
  • Usually, each user's computer runs the Windows system locale that matches the language requirements of the user. For more information, see Server collation in SQL Server.

Ensure that the server computer has enough storage space for your shared models. The required disk space can vary from a few gigabytes to terabytes, depending on the number of Tekla Model Sharing users and the size of the models. For example, you need more storage space if users often create baselines of shared models because baselines upload a complete copy of the model to the on-premises sharing service. Monitor how much disk space is used and increase the disk space if needed.

Additional required software components

Tekla Model Sharing on-premises server requires these redistributable packages:

  • Version 4: Microsoft .NET 10

  • Version 3: Microsoft .NET framework 4.8

If these redistributable packages or newer versions of them are not already installed on your computer, they are automatically installed during the software installation.

Compatibility with Tekla Structures

There are parallel versions of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing that are compatible with different versions of Tekla Structures.

On-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing version Compatible Tekla Structures versions
4 2026 and later
3 2020 to 2025

If you use both Tekla Structures 2026 or later, and an earlier version of Tekla Structures, you can install both versions of the on-premises service for Tekla Model Sharing even on the same computer.

Installation workflow for the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing

The main steps for installing an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing are:

  1. Download and run the on-premises sharing service installer.

  2. Create the SQL database and schema using the SQL script from the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing installer.

    If you install both version 3 and version 4 of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing on the same computer, you only need to do this task once.

  3. Set up Windows authentication and access rights to the database for the SQL Server.

    If you install both version 3 and version 4 of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing on the same computer, you only need to do this task once.

  4. Start the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

  5. Run the Enable Tekla Model Sharing On-Premises client setup on the computers where Tekla Structures users will use the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

Download and run the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing installer

Before you can download the Tekla Model Sharing On-premises server installer, you must have:

  • Ordered a license from Trimble.

  • Created a Trimble Identity for the named person who will download the installer.

  • Received a confirmation that Trimble has enabled the installer download for the named person.

  1. Download the Tekla Model Sharing On-Premises server installer from Trimble Downloads.

    Ensure that you download the version that is compatible with the version of Tekla Structures that you use.

  2. Run the installer in one of these ways:
    • If your Windows account has administrator permissions, double-click the installation file.
    • If your Windows account does not have administrator permissions, right-click the installation file, then select Run as administrator.
  3. On the Database Server page, fill in the information.
    1. In the Database server that you are installing to box, define the database server.

      Check the SQL Server name in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio studio and use the same name here.

    2. In the Connect using settings, select Windows authentication credentials of current user.
    3. In the Name of database catalog box, use the default database catalog.

      The default database catalog is DataSharing9.

  4. On the Service Configuration page, fill in the information.
    1. In the TCP/IP port number for clients to connect box, enter a TCP/IP port number that is not in use by another service.

      The default port number is 9997 for version 3 and 10001 for version 4. We recommend that you use the default port number unless there is a port conflict or another problem because of other services or a firewall.

    2. In the File folder path to store the model data box, specify the model data folder.

      The default model data folder is ..\TeklaModelSharingData\. You can use the default folder or change the folder.

      Ensure that the folder has enough disk space for the estimated usage of the service. The required disk space can vary from a few gigabytes to terabytes, depending on the number of Tekla Model Sharing users and the size of the models.

    3. In the Internal TCP/IP port for data transfer box,a TCP/IP port number that is not in use by another service.

      The default port number is 9000 for version 3 and 10002 for version 4. We recommend that you use the default port number unless there is a port conflict or another problem because of other services or a firewall.

  5. On the Service Configuration - Optional Settings page, configure the optional email service name and port, and the on-premises server name.
    Note: If network address translation (NAT) is used between the clients and the on-premises server, you must configure the on-premises server name

    For example, if clients connect to the on-premises server through a VPN, the VPN might change the IP addresses used for the connection.

    If NAT is not used between the clients and the on-premises server, this setting is optional.

    1. If you want the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing to send invitation emails to users, enter the host name of the mail server in the SMTP mail server for sending emails box.

      Model owners can change access rights for shared models using Tekla Structures even if you do not configure the SMTP mail server address.

    2. If another service uses the default SMTP port, enter a TCP/IP port number that is not in use in the SMTP mail server port number box.

      The default port is 25.

    3. In the Server DNS name or IP box, enter the server host name, the full DNS name, or a numeric IP address.

      Use the same server name or IP address when you add the new Tekla Model Sharing service in Tekla Structures.

  6. To start the installation, click Install.

Next, create the SQL database and schema.

Create the SQL database and schema

Create the SQL database and schema using the SQL script from the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing installer.

If you install both version 3 and version 4 of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing on the same computer, you only need to do this task once.

  1. In Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, open the CreateSchema-DataSharing92.sql file, located in .. \ProgramData\Tekla\ModelSharing\v3\.
    If the ..\ProgramData\ folder is on a network drive, it is a hidden folder. Enter the folder path in the Open file dialog box or in the Windows Explorer address bar.
  2. To run the script, click Execute.

    The database schema is created and the database content is initialized as part of the script. The execution of the script is interrupted if the database already exists.

  3. Close the script window and click Yes to commit the transaction.
  4. Select the database list, click Refresh, then verify that a database called DataSharing9 was created and that the database contains tables.

Next, set up Windows authentication and database access rights for the SQL Server.

Set up Windows authentication and access rights for the database

Using Windows authentication is recommended as a security best practice. When you use Windows authentication, the username and password for the SQL Server are securely stored in a Windows account.

If you install both version 3 and version 4 of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing on the same computer, you only need to do this task once.

For more information about authentication methods for the SQL Server, see the SQL Server documentation on the Microsoft website.

  1. In Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the database server.
  2. In the Windows Services app, right-click the Tekla Model Sharing 3 or Tekla Model Sharing 4 service, then select Properties.
  3. On the Log On tab, ensure that the correct Windows account is selected.
  4. In Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, on the User Mapping page, ensure that the Windows account that the Tekla Model Sharing service uses has the db_owner role.

Next, start the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

Start the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing

  1. Using the Computer Management console compmgmt.msc, or the Services management console services.msc, locate the Tekla Model Sharing 3 or Tekla Model Sharing 4 service.
  2. Start the service.
  3. Using the Windows Event Viewer, verify that there are Information messages showing that the service has started, and that there are no errors from the service.

Next, run the Enable Tekla Model Sharing On-Premises client setup on users' computers.

Run the Enable Tekla Model Sharing On-Premises client setup on users' computers

Note: These instructions are for the IT administrator who sets up and manages the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing. If you are a user who works with shared models, the person who manages Tekla Structures for you does these steps.
  1. Download the Installer to Enable Tekla Model Sharing On-Premises.
  2. Run the Enable Tekla Model Sharing On-Premises client setup on the computers where Tekla Structures users will use the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

    The client setup checks the Windows registry path HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\Settings and adds a DWORD (32-bit) Value OnPremises with a value of 1.

  3. In Tekla Structures, add the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing to the list of known services.
    1. In the Select service dialog, click + to add a new Tekla Model Sharing service.
    2. Enter the name and port of the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

      If you entered a server name or IP address in the Server DNS name or IP setting in the Tekla Model Sharing On-premises server installer, enter the same server name or IP address here.

      The default port number is 9997 for version 3 and 10001 for version 4.

    3. Click Add.

Install the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing

The On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing is an optional app that provides browser-based access for administrators to manage models that are shared using an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing.

The On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing runs on the same server as the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing. The On-premises Management Console works in the same way as the cloud-based Management Console, with these exceptions:

  • Malware scanning is not available in the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing.

  • Settings related to the model data storage location are not available in the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing. The geographical location of your private on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing is the model data storage location.

  • The Notifications page is not available in the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing.

  • The On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing uses Windows Active Directory to authenticate administrators. The user profile shows the Windows user information of the current user.

To install the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing:

  1. Download the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing installer from Trimble Downloads.
  2. Run the installer in one of these ways:
    • If your Windows account has administrator permissions, double-click the installation file.
    • If your Windows account does not have administrator permissions, right-click the installation file, then select Run as administrator.
  3. On the Database Server page, fill in the information.
    1. In the Database server that you are installing to box, define the same database server that the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing uses.
    2. In the Connect using settings, select Windows authentication credentials of current user.
    3. In the Name of database catalog box, use the default database catalog.

      The default database catalog is DataSharing9.

  4. On the Service Configuration page, check that the model data folder is the same as the folder where the on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing stores model data.

    The default model data folder is ..\TeklaModelSharingData\.

  5. If you want the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing to send information emails to users, configure the SMTP mail server settings.
    1. In the SMTP mail server for sending emails box, enter the host name of the mail server.
    2. If another service uses the default SMTP port, enter a TCP/IP port number that is not in use in the SMTP mail server port number box.

      The default port is 25.

  6. If another service uses the default HTTP port, enter a TCP/IP port number that is not in use in the TCP/IP port for clients to connect box.

    This port number is the port that the web browser uses to connect to the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing. The default port is 80.

  7. To start the installation, click Install.

You can now use the On-premises Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing to manage models that are shared using an on-premises sharing service for Tekla Model Sharing. For more information, see Management Console for Tekla Model Sharing.

Was this helpful?
Submit
Next