Overview
iPool Suite 1.0.0 replaces the separate iPool and Apollo programs with one desktop application. One installer, iPool-Installer.exe, contains everything: the iPool engine, the license validator, and the Bid Manager and Event Hub engines. You no longer need a second "update" installer.
This page covers installing or upgrading iPool Suite, activating your license, and setting up your folders on first launch.
Install iPool Suite as described below (Scenario B), then follow Migrating to iPool Suite to bring across your Defaults.csv, databases, bid files and batch files. For a copy that runs from a folder or USB drive without installing, see Portable Version.
Before You Begin
System requirements
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit.
- At least 8 GB of RAM.
- Administrator rights only if you install for all users of the computer. Only for me needs no administrator rights.
Back up your files
Make a copy of the following before you install or uninstall anything:
- Your scenario folders and any input files (demand, generation, event and bid files).
- Your configuration file
C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv, which holds your folder and database settings. - Your batch scripts (
.batfiles). - Your license file (
.licor.txt) as you received it from iEnergy.
Choose your upgrade path
| What you have now | Upgrade path |
|---|---|
| iPool Suite (an earlier build: the Home page shows "iPool Suite" and a version number at the top) | Scenario A — install over it |
| iPool and Apollo 26.x (for example 26.0.3, 26.0.6, 26.0.7) | Scenario B — new installation |
| iPool v25 or earlier | Scenario B — new installation |
| No iEnergy software on this computer | Scenario B, starting at Step 3 |
Contact iEnergy Support before you install. Your license may need to be reissued for the new computer.
Scenario A — Upgrade an Existing iPool Suite
- Close iPool Suite. Make sure no Scenario Studio run is in progress.
- Run
iPool-Installer.exe. The installer finds the existing installation and upgrades it in place, in the same folder. The license agreement and folder pages are skipped. On the Choose Installation Options page, keep the option that is already selected. - Sample data: untick Install sample data (recommended) if you already have your own data (see the warning in Scenario B, Step 5).
- Click Install, then Finish, and start iPool Suite from the iPool shortcut.
- Check the version. The Home page shows iPool Suite 1.0.0 at the top. The What's New panel on the Home page (View details) lists the changes.
Your license, layouts, theme and other settings are kept. Settings from earlier builds are moved to the new names the first time iPool Suite 1.0.0 starts.
Scenario B — New Installation
iPool Suite is installed as a new program in its own folder. It does not replace or change Apollo or older iPool versions, and you do not have to uninstall them first: the old programs and iPool Suite can stay installed on the same computer.
- Steps 1–2: Prepare
- Steps 3–4: Run the installer
- Step 5: Sample data
- Steps 6–8: Finish
Finish your backup
Finish your backup (see Before You Begin). Close Apollo and iPool.
Optional: uninstall the old programs
This is not required. Keep Apollo and your older iPool if you still want to use them. To remove them, open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (Windows 11) or Control Panel → Programs and Features (Windows 10) and uninstall Apollo and your older iPool. Uninstalling Apollo does not remove your scenario folders or license; keep your backup in case an older iPool uninstaller removes files.
The old programs and iPool Suite both read C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv. The older iPool can still use its .mdb databases as long as its batch files start with call DefInit.bat, which selects them. Keep the converted .db files and the original .mdb files side by side in the same database folder (DirDB), so both versions can run. Keep a copy of your old Defaults.csv as well.
Run the installer
Run iPool-Installer.exe. If Windows shows a security prompt, check that the publisher is iEnergy Australia Pty Ltd before you continue.
Follow the installer pages
- License Agreement: read and accept.
- Choose Installation Options: choose Only for me, or Anyone who uses this computer (all users):
- Only for me needs no administrator rights. iPool Suite is installed inside your own Windows user profile, in
C:\Users\<your name>\AppData\Local\Programs\iPool(short form%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\iPool). Only your Windows account gets the program; other people who sign in to the computer must install it for themselves. - All users needs administrator rights: an administrator account, or an administrator approving the Windows prompt. iPool Suite is installed in
C:\Program Files\iPooland every account on the computer can use it. Later upgrades and uninstalling need administrator rights too. If approval is refused, the installer tells you to choose Only for me or run it again with Run as administrator.
- Only for me needs no administrator rights. iPool Suite is installed inside your own Windows user profile, in
- Install location: keep the suggested folder or click Browse. Note the folder: your batch files and the command-line tools (
iPoolSuite.exe,iPool.exe,resources\engine) are in it.
AppData is a hidden folder, so File Explorer does not show it by default. Type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\iPool in the File Explorer address bar and press Enter, or right-click the iPool shortcut and choose Open file location. In batch files you can write the path as %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\iPool.
Sample Data page
Install sample data (recommended) is ticked by default. It installs example scenarios, databases and a ready-made Defaults.csv into the fixed folder C:\iEnergy\WorkingFolder, shown on the next page.
If you already have data, either untick the box or answer No when the installer asks "Overwrite the existing data with the bundled sample data?". No is the default. If you answer Yes, the sample files overwrite yours and your C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv is replaced the first time iPool Suite starts. No backup copies are made.
Finish and start iPool Suite
- Click Install, then Finish. A desktop shortcut and a Start-menu entry named iPool are created.
- Start iPool Suite and activate your license (see Licensing below).
- Check the version. The Home page shows iPool Suite 1.0.0. You can also see it under Settings (gear icon) → About iPool.
An MSI package (iPool-Installer.msi, with a separate iPool-SampleData.msi) is available for silent or managed installs. Ask iEnergy Support for the MSI Deployment Guide. Use either the MSI or the .exe installer on a computer, not both.
Licensing
iPool Suite checks for a valid license a few seconds after it starts. If Apollo was licensed on this computer and that license is still valid, iPool Suite finds it automatically and does not ask again.
Otherwise the License Required window opens:
- Choose one of the two tabs:
- Enter License Key: paste the key into License Key, or
- Upload License File: click Browse and select your
.licor.txtlicense file.
- Click Validate License.
- When License Valid! appears, check Licensed to, Product, Days remaining and Active Modules, then click Continue to Application.
If you see Invalid License, click Try Again and check that you used the file or key issued for this computer. If it still fails, contact iEnergy Support.
Later, Settings → License shows the license status and module expiry dates, with Change license and Refresh license buttons. A banner warns you when the license or a module has 30 days or less remaining.
Use the license file or key that iEnergy issued for this computer. If you are not sure which one that is, contact iEnergy Support before you validate.
First Launch — Folders and Databases
iPool Suite uses C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv for its folder and database settings, the same file used by earlier iPool versions:
- You used iPool before iPool Suite: your old
Defaults.csvcannot be used as it is. It has noDirSubline, and if you run the Directory Initializer over it as it is, iPool Suite will crash. AddDirSubfirst, as described in Step 1 of Migrating to iPool Suite. - You installed the sample data: the settings point to
C:\iEnergy\WorkingFolderand are set up the first time iPool Suite starts. - Neither: set the folders with the Directory Initializer, as below.
Directory Initializer
- Open the Scenario Studio tab and click Directory Initializer.
- iPool Path is filled in for you: the engine installed with iPool Suite.
- Set the folders in one of these ways:
- type or Browse to a Working Folder and click Apply. This fills the folder fields with sub-folders of it; or
- click Upload Defaults.csv and select your backed-up file (add the
DirSubline to it first); or - use Change next to each folder.
- Click Next: Database Initializer →, choose the System, Time Periods, Bid, Flow and Scenario databases, and click Run.
To open results, use Open Scenario on the Home page and choose your scenarios folder.
Notes for Existing Users
- New name, one program. Apollo is now part of iPool Suite. Its tabs are Dashboard, Scenario Studio, Files Downloader, Bid Manager, Event Hub and Database Editor. Settings from Apollo (theme, layouts, recent folders) are not imported; your folder settings in
Defaults.csvare. - Old batch files. In Scenario Studio, use Load ▾ → Load file, Load several batch files or Paste batch text. The Batch file preview lists each scenario and every line that was skipped or not imported, with the reason. Unknown flags block Import until you fix them.
- What does not carry over from a batch file: lines that only choose databases (such as
-nowin -ipdb …),callof another batch file, and shared variables such as%COMMON%. The databases chosen in the Directory Initializer are used instead. - Databases. Microsoft Access
.mdbdatabases are no longer used. The engine reads SQLite.dbdatabases. Convert them with Database Editor → Convert Database. - Output files. By default many detailed CSV files (for example
TraceGrp.csv) are no longer written. Their results are stored in the scenario's.isdbfile, which the Dashboard reads.ScenInfo.csv,Summary.csvandSummLink.csvare still written. If your own scripts need the full CSV set, set the scenario's Output format to All CSV + .isdb. - Old file formats. Old binary
.bidfiles must be converted to.bidxbefore use, with Bid Manager → Convert Legacy .bid, and old batch files with Load ▾ → Convert old batch file in Scenario Studio. Old.empscenario files are obsolete and cannot be converted: to get results for an old scenario, run it again in iPool Suite.
See Migrating to iPool Suite for the conversion steps.
Uninstalling
Use Settings → Apps → Installed apps → iPool → Uninstall. Your data folders, Defaults.csv, license and personal settings are left on the computer.
You're Ready
Start with the Dashboard to open a scenario, or Scenario Studio to build and run one. The Learn iPool cards on the Home page open the getting-started pages.
Vantage. If your license includes the Vantage module, the Vantage Forecast tab appears in the top bar. It is hidden when the module is not licensed or has expired; your downloaded forecast files are not deleted.
Need help? Email support@ienergyglobal.com.au, or use Support in the top bar of iPool Suite. Please include your iPool Suite version (Settings → About iPool).
Exercise
Give it a try and do this exercise:
Step 1 of 3
Check iPool Suite is installed