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Operating Canvus Server on Windows

Day-to-day tasks for a MultiTaction Canvus Server installed on Windows Server with the MSI. To install, see Standalone Windows install.

Run all commands in an elevated PowerShell (Run as administrator).

Services

The MSI registers two Windows services. Both start automatically when Windows starts.

Service Display name Runs
mt-canvus-postgres MT Canvus Postgres The bundled PostgreSQL database, listening on localhost only
mt-canvus-server MT Canvus Server Canvus Server, the web client and the admin area. Runs as LocalSystem.

mt-canvus-server depends on mt-canvus-postgres, so Windows starts the database first.

Where things are

Path Contents
C:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server\bin\ mt-canvus-server.exe (command-line tool), mt-canvus-server-ctl.exe (service host) and libraries
%ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\mt-canvus-server.ini Server configuration
%ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\postgres\ Database files
%ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\assets\ Canvas assets
%ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\backups\ Default backup folder
%ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\logs\server\ Server log files
%ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\logs\installer.log Installer log

If you chose another installation folder, the program files are there instead of C:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server. The data under %ProgramData% stays in the same place.

Start, stop and restart

# Check status
Get-Service mt-canvus-postgres, mt-canvus-server

# Restart the server (the database keeps running)
Restart-Service mt-canvus-server

# Stop everything: the server first, then the database
Stop-Service mt-canvus-server
Stop-Service mt-canvus-postgres

# Start everything (Windows starts the database first)
Start-Service mt-canvus-server

Stopping mt-canvus-server does not stop the database.

Logs

# Server log files, newest first
Get-ChildItem "$env:ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\logs\server" | Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending

# Installer log
Get-Content "$env:ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\logs\installer.log"

The database writes its log files to %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\postgres\log\. Administrators can also read the server logs in the web UI. See Audit log and server logs.

Windows records service events in the Event Viewer:

  • Windows Logs, System, source Service Control Manager: start, stop and unexpected exits of the MT Canvus Server and mt-canvus-postgres services, for example event 7034 when a service stops unexpectedly.
  • Windows Logs, Application, source mt-canvus-server: an error when the server service fails to start or stop.
  • Windows Logs, Application, source PostgreSQL: database start-up and shut-down messages.

All other server messages are in the server log files.

Change the configuration

  1. Open %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\mt-canvus-server.ini in a text editor started as administrator. Only SYSTEM and the Administrators group can change the file.
  2. Make your changes. Write paths with forward slashes, for example C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.cert.pem. A backslash makes the server fail to read the file.
  3. Restart the server: Restart-Service mt-canvus-server.

Do not change the [sql] settings. The installer set them to match the bundled database.

See Server configuration for every setting. Some settings can also be changed in the web admin area, see Admin web UI.

Replace the TLS certificate

  1. Copy the certificate, private key and, if you have one, the chain file in PEM format to a folder such as %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\certs\.

  2. Point the [certificates] section of mt-canvus-server.ini at them:

    [certificates]
certificate-file=C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.cert.pem
certificate-key-file=C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.key.pem
; certificate-chain-file=C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.chain.pem

  3. Restart the server: Restart-Service mt-canvus-server.

The certificate's common name or a subject alternative name must match the host in [system] external-url. When you later renew the files in place, reload them without a restart:

& "C:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server\bin\mt-canvus-server.exe" --reload-certs

Check the server log after a restart. It lists the certificate in use and its expiry date, see Certificate checks at startup.

Firewall

The installer adds one inbound firewall rule, MultiTaction Canvus HTTPS, for the HTTPS port you chose at install (443 by default). It does not open port 80, so other computers cannot reach the HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect. If you want browsers that type http:// to be redirected, open TCP port 80 yourself.

If you change [system] port after installation, update the firewall rule to the new port, and include the port in [system] external-url.

Back up and restore

Use the server's built-in backup. It saves the database and the canvas assets in one folder.

$exe = "C:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server\bin\mt-canvus-server.exe"
& $exe --backup --backup-path C:\canvus-backups\2026-11-11

To restore, stop the server, leave the database running, restore, then start the server:

Stop-Service mt-canvus-server
& $exe --restore --backup-path C:\canvus-backups\2026-11-11
Start-Service mt-canvus-server

Copy backups to another machine. See Backup and restore for what a backup includes and for consistent backups.

Users and administrators

The command-line user commands connect to the running server, so mt-canvus-server must be running.

$exe = "C:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server\bin\mt-canvus-server.exe"
& $exe --list-users
& $exe --create-admin admin@example.com

If nobody can sign in as an administrator, see How do I create a local emergency admin account from the CLI?. For the other user commands, see Command-line arguments.

Licensing

The server does not accept Canvus client connections until a license is activated. Activate in Admin > Settings > License or with --activate. See Licensing.

Updating

Uninstall, then install

Uninstalling the current version, rebooting and installing the new MSI is the safer route. Running the new MSI over the installed version (an in-place upgrade) should also work, but back up first either way. For a silent or unattended upgrade, uninstall first with msiexec /x, then install the new version.

Follow Update a standalone deployment. The uninstall keeps %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\, so the new version finds your database, assets and configuration. The installer does not overwrite an existing mt-canvus-server.ini.

Uninstall

msiexec /x canvus-server_<version>_x64.msi /qn /l*v C:\canvus-uninstall.log

Uninstalling removes both services, the program files and the firewall rule. It keeps %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\ (database, assets, configuration, backups and logs).

Do not delete the data folder

Deleting %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\ destroys the database, assets, configuration and backups. Every canvas on the server is lost unless you have a backup stored elsewhere.

Troubleshooting

  • mt-canvus-server does not start. Check that mt-canvus-postgres is running. Then read the newest file in logs\server and the System and Application logs in Event Viewer (see Logs).
  • The server stops after you edited the configuration file. Look for a backslash in a path and replace it with a forward slash.
  • The server stops after you replaced the certificate. The key file may not contain the private key, or the key may not match the certificate. The server log names the problem.
  • After installing a new version, the service fails to start with error 1053 and writes no log. Releases before Canvus Server 26.09.1 could leave older libraries in the program folder. Repair the installed version with msiexec /fa <installer>.msi, which rewrites all program files.
  • Clients cannot connect. Check that the HTTPS port is open from the client network to the server, that [system] external-url resolves to this server and matches the certificate, and that a license is active.