Configuration Guidelines

iFIX Configuration

Be aware of the following:

• It is recommended that if security is enabled, that the iFIX SCADA Server and the Webspace Server reside on the same network. These same user account names will later need to be added to the Webspace Server.
• When adding users through the Security Configuration application in iFIX, be sure to select the Windows Security option for the user.
• When assigning security privileges in iFIX, use care when allowing application features that could allow write access, such as the "Database Save/Reload" and "Runtime Visual Basic Editor" features, as well as creating pictures with Datalinks, or any other means to write values into tags. Use Security Areas and Security Groups to further restrict access. Also, use care when creating and sharing schedules in iFIX, so that unintended VBA code is not activated inadvertently by web sessions. For more information on iFIX Security, refer to the Configuring Security Features e-book in the iFIX online help.

1. Update the HOSTS file with the name of the SCADA Server, to ensure the highest reliability for connectivity. If the SCADA Server node name is different from the computer name that it was installed on, you also need to add this name to the HOSTS file. The HOSTS file on the Webspace Server should be identical to the one on the SCADA Server.  
2. In Windows (Workgroup or Domain, preferably Domain), add the user accounts that you want to use with the Webspace Server. You must have the privileges to do so.
3. If you want to enable security on the iFIX SCADA node (most likely), add these same users to the iFIX SCADA through the Security Configuration application (Edit > User Accounts). iFIX must be running to access this tool and enable security (Edit > Configuration).
4. In the iFIX System Configuration (SCU) tool, ensure that the Network Configuration is set to TCP/IP (Configure > Network), and that SCADA is enabled (Configure > SCADA).   
5. Create your pictures.

On the Web Server computer:

1. Update the HOSTS file with the name of the SCADA Server, to ensure the highest reliability for connectivity. If the SCADA Server node name is different from the computer name that it was installed on, you also need to add this name to the HOSTS file. The HOSTS file on the Webspace Server should be identical to the one on the SCADA Server.
2. In Windows (Workgroup or Domain, preferably Domain), add the user accounts that you want to use with the Webspace Server. If you are on a domain, you may have already done this. You must have the privileges to do so.
3. In the iFIX Security Configuration program, add these same users accounts (Edit > User Accounts), and enable security (Edit > Configuration). iFIX must be running to access this tool and enable security. Unlike the SCADA Server, this step is not optional on the iFIX Webspace Server.
4. If an iFIX View node is not installed before you install Webspace, you will need to manually create the WEB.SCU file; the WEB.SCU will not automatically be created if you install Webspace before iFIX View node. When configured for Webspace, none of the iFIX SCU’s on Webspace Server should be configured to start iFIX as service, as this is an unsupported configuration.
5. In the iFIX System Configuration (SCU) tool, open the WEB.SCU file.
6. Verify that Network Configuration is set to TCP/IP (Configure > Network), that SCADA is disabled (Configure > SCADA), and that Workspace.exe appears in your tasks list (Configure > Tasks). By default, these settings are automatically configured during install. If these settings are not correct, update them now.
7. Specify the name of your iFIX SCADA Server in the Remote Nodes list (Configure > Network).
8. Either copy your pictures from the SCADA Server to the PIC folder on the iFIX Webspace Server (recommended for optimum performance), or map a drive to your PIC folder on your SCADA Server.
9. If you map a drive for pictures, and you are using shared drives with Local Windows users (not on the Domain), make sure that the user is present on both the Webspace Server machine, and the machine which contains the shared folder. In the SCU on the Webspace Server, open WEB.SCU and point the picture folder to that mapped drive letter (Configure > Paths).
10. If you map a drive for pictures, update the LoginScript.bat file provided in the C:\Program Files\Proficy\iFIX Webspace Server\Programs folder with the mapped drive information, and then add the script name to the Session Startup options in the Webspace Admin Console. For more information, refer to the online help for the Webspace Admin Console.
11. Optionally, in the Webspace Admin Console, configure printer options and other session properties. For more information, refer to the online help for the Webspace Admin Console.
12. If you want to configure multiple input locales for your web sessions, add the input language and keyboard layout for that locale to the Regional Settings on the Webspace Server. For more information, refer to the online help for the Webspace Admin Console.

TIPS:

• You can find the HOSTS file in the C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc folder.
• Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit the HOSTS file, and do not add a file extension to the file.
• An example entry in the HOSTS file is as follows:    198.212.170.4    SCADA01. If SCADA1 was the iFIX SCADA Server node name, but the computer name where the iFIX SCADA Server was installed was AREA1, you would need to add a second line to the HOSTS file for AREA1:    198.212.170.4    AREA1.
• If you do not know the TCP/IP address of the SCADA computer, run the IPCONFIG command on the SCADA Server.
• The same, identical entries should appear in the HOSTS file for the SCADA Server and the Webspace Server.

• Be aware that the last SCU file saved in the System Configuration tool is the one that runs when iFIX starts. This is important to remember if you have the iFIX SCADA and the iFIX Webspace on the same machine. Although this configuration is not recommended, you may find this implementation on small systems (with less than 5 Webspace clients) that do not used advanced iFIX capabilities like Enhanced Failover.

CIMPLICITY Configuration

• On the Web Server computer, configure Windows-based security or Standard CIMPLICITY security for CIMPLICITY.
• Make sure the same security is configured for both the CIMPLICITY Server and Webspace Servers.

• Make all of the paths (with their folders) that will be shared for the Web Clients read-only. This will avoid running into the Microsoft’s limitation for sharing files.
• On the CIMPLICITY Server, to publish a web page for a CIMPLICITY CimView screen, right-click the CIMPLICITY Options application and run as Administrator. On the Proficy Webspace tab, click the "Create a Web Page" button. The next dialog box allows you to select the screen that you want and creates a web page for it; if it does not pick up the default Webspace directory to place the html file in, you will need to enter it. If it's an Apache server, you will need to browse to the location of the Apache Server; by default, the Apache Server location is: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs\ProficyWebspace."
• Run the CimView screen(s) natively in Cimview.exe on the Webspace Server to ensure proper Viewer-to-Server communications are established. Since your CIMPLICITY project server(s) are most likely remote to the Webspace Server, it is highly recommended that CIMPLICITY Deployment is configured to synchronize files with the Webspace Server (and keep them up-to-date).
• Do not use shared CimView screens. If you do, every client that connects will need to create their own share, which could run the server out of resources. This could increase the time it takes a user to log in, and could make the server fail.
• A separate CimView.exe and CimLayout.exe session runs for each Webspace session with CIMPLICITY.
• For the CIMPLICITY Windows Desktop Client, be sure that the command line parameter "-r" specifies the command line parameters for CIMVIEW. For example, -r CIMVIEW "C:\MyProject\screens\MyScreen.cim" will open the correct screen, as long as -r comes after the -a parameter, and all the other parameters are correct. For example: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Proficy\Proficy Webspace Client\Client\Proficy.exe" -h MyServer -c -a CimView -r CIMVIEW "c:\screens\userscreen.cim"
• Do not configure the Webspace machine for Power Save or Lock; either feature can block Web Clients from connecting or cause them to lose an active connection.
• If the session has been configured to Zoom to Best fit, the CimView screen will fit into the ActiveX container. The ActiveX container will conform to the Internet Explorer size when the URL is accessed.
• The ActiveX Control or plug-in fits into the size of the browser when the URL is accessed; the size does not change when you resize the browser. Therefore, make sure the browser is the size you want before you go to the URL that will start the Webspace session.
• Make sure in a redundant SCADA server setup, that the primary and secondary servers are separate from the Webspace server.
• Optionally, in the Webspace Admin Console, configure printer options and other session properties. For more information, refer to the online help for the Webspace Admin Console.
• If you want to configure multiple input locales for your web sessions, add the input language and keyboard layout for that locale to the Regional Settings on the Webspace Server. For more information, refer to the online help for the Webspace Admin Console.

• On the Web Server computer, configure Windows-based security or Standard CIMPLICITY security for CIMPLICITY.

Terminal Services Configuration

Do not install Webspace on a CIMPLICITY or iFIX Server that has already been configured as a Terminal Server. This type of installation is not supported.