Deploy AIStor Server on Windows

MinIO AIStor is licensed under the MinIO Software License. An active license is required for production deployments.

This procedure downloads and installs the AIStor Server onto a host running Microsoft Windows Server or Windows 11 Professional Edition.

Review the Hardware and System Requirements to ensure your target infrastructure meets our guidance.

Procedure

1. Download the AIStor Server binary

   Invoke-WebRequest https://dl.min.io/aistor/minio/release/windows-amd64/minio -OutFile C:\minio.exe

2. Create a data directory for use with the server

   The following example uses the path C:\minio. Change this path to reflect the folder, storage volume, or drive intended for use with the server.

   md C:\minio

3. Retrieve your license file

   MinIO AIStor requires a license to run. You can use an existing license, such as one from SUBNET, or you can request a new MinIO AIStor Free Tier license.

   To request a new MinIO AIStor Free Tier license, go to the MinIO AIStor pricing page and select Get Started under the Free tier to obtain a free license. The free tier license allows you to run MinIO AIStor on a single compute resource with one or more drives.

   Download the license file to C:\minio\minio.license for use in later steps.

   Free tier licenses do not include support. For support options, see the MinIO AIStor pricing page. For more information about licenses, see Licenses.

4. (Optional) Set up TLS

   If you need TLS for your deployment, configure it before starting the server. See Set up network encryption for instructions.

5. Run the server process

   C:\minio.exe server C:\minio --license C:\minio\minio.license

   The output of the command includes the startup message from the AIStor Server. To access the server, use the localhost or 127.0.0.1 address on your local host machine.

6. Install the AIStor Client (mc)

   Invoke-WebRequest https://dl.min.io/aistor/mc/release/windows-amd64/mc.exe -OutFile C:\mc.exe
   C:\mc.exe --version

7. Connect to the Deployment

   You can connect to the deployment using the built-in Console UI or the AIStor Client (mc).

   Console UICLI

   Open your browser to the hostname and port of any node in the deployment. The WebUI output from the previous step indicates which hostnames and ports the minio process listens on.

   Log in using the default minioadmin:minioadmin username and password.

   1. Create a new alias for the MinIO AIStor server:

      mc.exe alias set myaistor http://localhost:9000

      Replace the URL with the hostname of any node in the deployment or a load balancer, reverse proxy, or similar network control plane component managing connections to the deployment.

   2. Create a bucket and copy a file to that bucket:

      mc.exe mb myaistor/data
      mc.exe cp C:\somefile.txt myaistor/data