First we need a machine to install Spiceworks on. Overall it is a pretty lightweight application with minimum system requirements as follows:

Once our Spiceworks host is ready, we now have to download the install package. Simply open your browser and type:

www.spiceworks.com/packt

The install package is just 60 MB. Navigate to where you want the file to be downloaded to, and then click on Save. Once the Spiceworks package download is complete, double-click on it to start the install process.

The Spiceworks install is pretty straightforward. It includes installation of all web components, the database, and the infrastructure that makes the app run. The first screen you will see gives you the option of what port you want to run Spiceworks on (default is port 80). If you already have any kind of web server running on the machine which you are installing Spiceworks on, this will give you the opportunity to configure it so you do not have any conflicts.

Once you have set the port, click on Next. Terms and Conditions follow the port assignment window. Read the terms and conditions if you wish to, click on the Accept radio button, and click on Next. The next window you will see gives you the option to change Destination Folder for the install. Initially, Spiceworks needed around 120 MB for the install. This does include a blank database that it will use to store all help desk tickets, network inventory, and reports. Expect this to grow as you use Spiceworks, although not exponentially. If you initially have 1 GB of space, that should be adequate.

Once the port has been set, terms and conditions have been accepted, and the destination folder is defined, Spiceworks will begin installing. Since Spiceworks is a web-based application, this process should not take too long. On most machines, initial install usually takes around five minutes (depending on hardware, it could take longer if the machine is closer to the minimum hardware requirements).

When Spiceworks has finished its first phase of installation, the following screen will appear signifying that all components of Spiceworks are now on your system.

Since this was so quick and easy, let's just check both the boxes and click on the Continue button to start the second phase of Spiceworks installation. If you want to continue the install at a later time, just uncheck the Start Spiceworks box (but leave the Create Shortcut on Desktop box checked), and hit Continue. The second phase of installation/configuration does take longer than the initial install, depending on the amount of resources on the machine. This phase configures and loads the application components, and configures the local database.

If you have either chosen to continue the install immediately or come back to it at a later time, the process will be the same when you initially start Spiceworks. First the Spiceworks web server will start and then your default web browser will open to the following screen:

As stated, this process will normally take longer than the initial installation. There are tabs for you to learn about the different areas of Spiceworks, most are videos and quite funny. You might as well get a laugh while you wait! Spiceworks is now configuring all application components, setting up the local database for use, and finalizing configuration of all modules so you can get going on all the spicy goodness that it brings.

This configuration process can take as little as 5 minutes or as long as 30 minutes depending on resources and the configuration of the machine Spiceworks is installed on.

Okay, while we are waiting on this phase to complete, let's get into some of the nuts and bolts about Spiceworks. One of the great things about Spiceworks is that it is pretty much a stand-alone application. It does not have many dependencies on the OS. This is fantastic in a couple of ways. First, as an IT pro, you don't have to put in a ton of work to get a machine ready for Spiceworks. A simple, vanilla install of one of the supported operating systems is all you need. Second, an IT pro such as yourself doesn't have to worry about updating components of the operating system to keep Spiceworks going. Once you install Spiceworks, you are good to go.

Checking back, once this phase of installation/configuration has completed, you will be presented with the following screen:

To get to the Spiceworks Desktop (Administrative Interface), every user will need a username and password. You are setting up your first user right now by filling in this information. Put in your name, e-mail address, password, company, and industry, and then click the Create Account button. Once you get into Spiceworks, you will not have to input all this information to create other users who will use the application. This is a one-time process.

Once you have created your account, a screen will pop up asking you if you want to set up your inventory, help desk, or configuration. Since we are going to go over these topics a little later in the book, for now, let's just click on the link look around on your own at the bottom Don't worry, we will get to these soon enough.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Spiceworks. As a reward, you should grab yourself a cup of coffee (or tea) and a cookie because cookies are delicious.