Using Remote Desktop Services With iFIX
Using Remote Desktop Services With iFIX
1
Using Remote Desktop Services
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Table of Contents
Reference Documents 1
Using iClientTS 2
To install iFIX: 10
Step 3: Installing the Virtual Keyboard on Remote Desktop Session Host and Clients 11
To create a desktop with the settings currently specified in the iFIX Startup dialog box: 21
TIP: Using the Application Validator to Take a Snapshot of Your Project Folders 21
To verify that the administrative account logs in with the PAUL startup profile: 25
To verify that other users log in with the GUEST startup profile: 26
To specify the program that starts when the user logs on to the Remote Desktop Services: 27
Optimizing iFIX 32
Using Bitmaps 33
Optimizing New iFIX Pictures for Use with Remote Desktop Capable Devices 36
Index 41
Using Remote Desktop Services with iFIX is intended for system integrators, IT administrators, and pro-
cess control engineers responsible for setting up and optimizing your iFIX with Remote Desktop Ser-
vices environment.
This help assumes familiarity with Microsoft® Windows® Server, Remote Desktop Services (Terminal
Services) and/or Citrix® technologies including licensing, and your network environment.
IMPORTANT: Be aware, that starting with Windows Server 2008 R2, Remote Desktop Services was
renamed Remote Desktop Services.
Reference Documents
For more information on iFIX, the System Configuration Utility (SCU), iFIX Security, and the iFIX Envir-
onment, refer to the following:
For more information on installing and configuring Microsoft Terminal Services, refer to the Microsoft
Remote Desktop Services online documentation and the Microsoft Windows Server 2012 or Microsoft
Windows Server 2008 Help. To access the Microsoft Windows Help, position your cursor over any
empty space on the Windows desktop and press F1.
Remote Desktop Services for Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
allow you to centrally manage and execute iFIX®. The Remote Desktop Services environment is a thin-
client architecture where all application processing occurs centrally on the Server.
By installing a small piece of thin-client software from Microsoft or connecting through an Internet
Explorer 5.5 (or higher) browser, thin clients are able to initiate and run individual instances of iFIX on the
Server. Only graphic, keyboard, and mouse instructions are sent back and forth between the client and
the Server, minimizing network traffic.
Ease of maintenance – You can install one copy of iFIX onto the Server, allowing multiple users to run
clients from the Server. Upgrades and SIMs only need to be installed on the Server.
Shared pictures – Each user accesses the same set of pictures. When one picture is changed, all
users get the changes.
Remote access – Using the Remote Desktop Services Advanced Client (TSAC) or Remote Desktop
Protocol (RDP), clients can connect to the iFIX Server/Remote Desktop Session Host and access
iFIX through Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.
Built-in RDP in Windows – Windows Clients can connect using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and
access iFIX through Internet Explorer.
Security – Data between the iFIX Remote Desktop Session Host and the client session is encrypted.
There is also additional security between the client machines and the iFIX Remote Desktop Session
Host.
Lightweight client machines – The iFIX Remote Desktop Session Host locally processes the software
that the clients execute. Clients connecting to the Server do not need the processing power usually
required to run iFIX. This allows clients running platforms from other Windows platforms to execute
iFIX through Remote Desktop Services.
Specialized environments – Terminal Services allows you to tightly control user accounts. For
example, you can configure a user account to start and execute a single program (iFIX). iFIX auto-
matically starts at log in, and the user does not have access to the Windows desktop. When the user
exits iFIX, he logs out of the Terminal Server account.
Handheld environments – Terminal Services gives you the ability to use wireless handhelds to display
iFIX screens.
Controlled access to files – Using the Windows file protection, you can limit the directories users are
allowed to access and modify. File protection also allows you to create safe and separate envir-
onments for developing and testing new pictures.
Using iClientTS
iClientTS™ provides a multi-session version of iFIX client software (iClient) that runs on a machine with
Remote Desktop Services enabled. The multi-session environment allows multiple thin clients to log on
to the Server and initiate individual sessions of iFIX. iFIX is not installed on the individual client
iFIX with Remote Desktop Services allows multiple clients to run individual instances of iFIX from one
Server. A sample iFIX with Remote Desktop Services environment, illustrated in the following figure,
includes a Server, one or more iFIX SCADA nodes, and multiple clients.
A separate session of iFIX runs on the Remote Desktop Session Host for each thin client. This allows
very thin clients with minimal client-side resources to execute an individual instance of iFIX. The user's
experience is nearly identical to running iFIX on their local machine. If you have clients and SCADAs in
your iFIX with Remote Desktop Services environment, you can access and manage any of the
SCADAs from a thin client. For example, from a thin client machine, you can build graphics, add tags,
and change setpoints on a networked SCADA.
Another sample iFIX with Remote Desktop Services environment, illustrated in the following figure,
includes a Remote Desktop Session Host that runs the iFIX SCADA server as a service on the same
computer, and includes multiple Terminal Server clients.
Windows provides three types of file systems for disk partitioning: NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. It is recom-
mended that you use NTFS with iFIX Terminal Server.
NTFS provides greater file-level security for users in a multi-session environment. For more information
on file systems and configuring file system security, refer to the Choosing a File System section of the
Microsoft Windows operating system Help.
IMPORTANT: Be aware that you can configure directory level security in NTFS and the Windows operating
system. Use caution when doing so. Any enhancement to security that you make at the folder or directory
level is not managed within iFIX. You must manage these security settings outside of iFIX.
For the most up to date information on managing Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008
R2, visit Microsoft's web site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc754746(WS.10).aspx
IMPORTANT: Be aware, that starting with Windows Server 2008 R2, Remote Desktop Services was
renamed Remote Desktop Services.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831447.aspx
The following sections describe the steps you need to follow after enabling Remote Desktop Services
and its licensing. For a description of the overview steps, refer to the Overview of the Remote Desktop
Services Setup Steps section.
Refer to the Setting Up the Environment manual for more general details on iFIX setup information.
Once you have set up your Remote Desktop Services, perform the following steps described in the fol-
lowing figure. Click a block in the diagram to jump to that section.
This section describes actions you should consider when determining user types and directories for your
iFIX application. These actions include:
Before defining your user types, determine what types of users you need. Which of your users will:
Anticipating the needs of your users allows you to successfully determine the configuration of your user
types. For each user type, you will then create a project. You define projects paths in the iFIX System
Configuration Utility (SCU). Each project can have multiple users. To define a profile for each user, use
the Startup Profile Manager.
Planning the directory paths for specific SCUs to provide enhanced or unique functionality per user type,
thin client, or group, should be well planned. The design scheme for this type of implementation is similar
to implementing the same scenario in a traditional environment (non TS) where SCU paths are using a
mapped network drive on a file server. Careful planning is needed to prevent multiple users from per-
forming conflicting actions, such as downloading recipes or modifying database values.
Incorporating iFIX security to limit applications and area access in the Remote Desktop Services envir-
onment is highly recommended. For more information on setting security options in iFIX, refer to the Con-
figuring Security Features manual.
IMPORTANT: Be aware that if you configure directory level security in NTFS and the Windows operating sys-
tem, to something other than the default, use caution when doing so. Any enhancement to security that you
make at the folder or directory level is not managed within iFIX. You must manage these security settings out-
side of iFIX.
For each new project, by default, iFIX creates the following directory structure, unless you specify that
the project use one or more shared folders instead:
Directory Description
ALM Stores the Alarm file and event log.
Share this directory. This allows events from different sessions to be logged to the same
.EVT files for simpler troubleshooting of iFIX under Remote Desktop Services.
Do not allow more than one iFIX client to use Alarm File Services while sharing the ALM
You can share directories outside the project, instead of creating each of these directories within the
same project path. For instance, you may want all projects to share the C:\Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX\PIC path, so that all users share the same pictures, but have different project paths for
the other folders. For instance, you may create projects for iFIX operators (C:\Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX\Operators) and supervisors (C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\Supervisors) that share the
PIC path in C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\PIC, but retain separate folders for all other settings.
For each project, it is recommended that certain types of users only share specific directories. The fol-
lowing table outlines these recommendations.
Refer to the Planning SCU Directories for iFIX section for descriptions of the different iFIX directories.
For instance, if you leave the Base and Language set to the defaults, the Base is set to C:\Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX and the Language is set to C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\NLS for each project.
IMPORTANT: Installing or uninstalling iFIX via a remote desktop connection or through a Remote Desktop
session is not supported.
To install iFIX:
1. Log on to the Terminal Server as a member of the local machine's Admin group.
2. From the Windows Control Panel > All Control Panel Items, select Install Application on Remote
Desktop.
If you used Uninstall to uninstall a previous version of iFIX, note that Uninstall does not delete all of the
shipped toolbar files. For example, Uninstall does not remove any files from the LOCAL directories cre-
ated for Remote Desktop clients.
Only the files in the main LOCAL folder and the LOCAL folder under the SampleSystem directory are
deleted automatically.
If you plan to run iFIX as a service on the Remote Desktop Session Host computer, you need to con-
figure the iFIX SCADA Server to run as a service in the System Configuration Utility (SCU). To do this,
shut down iFIX, log in as an Administrator, and open the Local Startup Definition dialog box from the
SCU's Configure menu by clicking Local Startup. Select the Continue running after logoff check box.
This check is unavailable when iFIX is running. Restart iFIX to apply your changes. For more inform-
ation about configuring iFIX to run as a service, refer to the Running iFIX as a Service section.
If you want to configure other tasks, such as scheduler events (with the FixBackgroundServer.EXE), to
run as a service in the background, you need to configure these tasks in the SCU's Task Configuration
dialog box. For more information on task configuration, refer to the Configuring Startup Tasks section.
When iFIX starts as a service, these tasks will also start as services.
NOTE: It is not recommended that you run Workspace.exe in the SCU task list when iFIX is running as a ser-
vice.
Additionally, when you run iFIX on the Remote Desktop Session Host, you should Enable SCADA sup-
port in the SCU. To do so, on the SCU's Configure menu, click SCADA to open the SCADA Con-
figuration dialog box. In the SCADA support area, select Enable. For more information, refer to the
Enabling SCADA Support section.
TIP: When iFIX runs as a service on the Remote Desktop Session Host, for each SCU used by a Terminal
Server client, Disable SCADA support.
Step 3: Installing the Virtual Keyboard on Remote Desktop Session Host and Cli-
ents
iFIX provides a virtual keyboard that allows you to work in touch-screen environments or to use a mouse
to enter passwords and other data. Install the virtual keyboard on the Server to make it available to each
client licensed for iFIX.
1. Double-click the LICENSE.EXE file in the iFIX directory on your Server. The IMG License Man-
ager dialog box appears.
2. Click Install Service to install the virtual keyboard licenses.
3. Click Administration Options & Help. The Terminal Server Administration Option dialog box
opens.
4. Click Copy Global Settings to All User Folders, then click Yes to confirm.
5. Click OK to return to the IMG License Manager dialog box.
6. Click Start Service to activate the virtual keyboard for all licensed clients.
The System Configuration Utility (SCU) is the tool that you use to configure the iFIX startup options and
default directories. For each user type, you create a separate SCU file with different startup options and
project paths. Multiple users can share the same SCU file (when communicating with iFIX SCADAs).
For instance, you may want to create a separate SCU file for Operators and another SCU file for Super-
visors. While user types are maintained as projects in the SCU, individual user profiles are maintained in
the Startup Profile Manager, as described in the Step 5: Creating Startup Profiles section.
After you finish planning user types and directories, you are ready to create projects that organize these
user types and directories. To create projects, you use the iFIX System Configuration Utility (SCU). For
each project there is a separate, unique SCU file.
IMPORTANT: The SCU file for each project must be saved into the Local folder for that project.
To access the SCU, in the iFIX WorkSpace system tree, double-click the System Configuration icon, or
click the Start button and point to Programs, iFIX, and then System Configuration. You can also start the
SCU directly from the iFIX Startup dialog box, also known as the Launch application. Make sure you
shut down iFIX before starting the SCU.
To create a project in the SCU:
3. In the Project field, enter a path for the project. For example, a valid path that you might enter for a
developer would be: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\Projects\Developer1.
4. Click the Change Project button. A message box appears asking if you want to add the default
iFIX files to the new project.
IMPORTANT: The SCU will not copy the files from the existing directories to the new directories.
5. Click Yes. The project path information from the Project field is appended to the other project path
fields, such as Local, Database, Picture, Application, and so on.
For instance, if you enter C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\Projects\Developer1 in the Project
field, the SCU automatically adds \Projects\Developer1 to the other project fields as well. For
instance, the Local path in this dialog box would now read: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\Pro-
jects\Developer1\Local. The Database path would read: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\Pro-
jects\Developer1\PDB, and so on.
NOTE: While the paths displayed in the Path Configuration dialog box appear to be added at this
point, the actual folders for these paths have not been created yet. While you can view the new paths
from this dialog, you will not be able to view them from the Windows Explorer until you complete the
remaining steps in this section.
Once you have created all the projects, you can go back later and edit all the other SCU settings for
each project that require changing. For more detailed information about configuring the rest of the options
for the SCU files, refer to the Configuring iFIX Using the SCU chapter in the Setting Up the Environment
manual.
If you are using iFIX Project Configuration with Remote Desktop Services, make sure that the Base and
Language Paths are the same for each project. The locations of the project files can differ, depending
upon the user type. However, the Base and Language Paths should be the same for each project. For
instance, if you leave the Base and Language set to the defaults, the Base is set to C:\Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX and the Language is set to C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\NLS for each project.
To access the Base and Language path settings, click Start and point to Programs, iFIX, and then Sys-
tem Configuration. To open the Path Configuration dialog box, on the Configure menu, click Paths. The
following figures shows an example of this dialog box, with the Base and Language paths highlighted.
You will notice that these paths are both set to the default in this figure.
For each SCU that you plan to use on a Remote Desktop client, you should disable SCADA support. To
do this in iFIX, on the SCU's Configure menu, click SCADA to open the SCADA Configuration dialog
box. In the SCADA support area, select Disable.
NOTES:
l When you run iFIX as a service on the Remote Desktop Session Host, enable SCADA support on that
node.
l When you enable SCADA support, the local node becomes a SCADA server capable of accessing
your process hardware.
l For more information on Running iFIX as a Service on the Remote Desktop Session Host, refer to the
Running iFIX as a Service on the Remote Desktop Session Host section.
In the first iFIX release that included support for Remote Desktop Services, iFIX 2.5, iFIX required that
you generate a complete application environment for each remote user. For example, if there are 50 iFIX
users, there must be 50 sets of SCU files, with each SCU file unique to that specific user. With the Star-
tup Profile Manager, all user profiles are stored in a master list, making it easy to maintain and modify
profiles for use with Terminal Services.
If you are upgrading from an iFIX release previous to iFIX 3.5, your existing SCU startup configurations
from these previous iFIX releases run unchanged. If you later choose to create new startup profiles, as
described in the Step 5: Creating Startup Profiles section, the Startup Profile Manager includes an option
that allows the new profile settings to override the pre-existing configurations. For more information on
the override setting, refer to the Configuring the Options for the Startup Profile Manager section in the
Setting Up the Environment manual.
The use of a default profile will help you in migrating from the multiple SCU files to the easier con-
figuration in the Startup Profile Manager. For more information, refer to the Configuring the Default Pro-
file section.
After upgrading, you will need to update the iFIX default files in each of your projects.
To upgrade the iFIX default files:
If you share the SCU Database (PDB) path among user accounts, all user accounts share the same set
of schedules.
To configure user accounts to use a unique set of schedules:
1. Create a unique folder for each schedule grouping you want to use. This folder will be used as the
PDB path for users of these schedules.
The schedule groupings can be unique for each user or grouped by any other logical scenario.
2. Copy the appropriate .EVS files to the directories specified, or:
a. Configure the SCU with the PDB path pointing to the folder you want.
b. Start the Client.
c. Create the .EVS files.
Configuring user accounts to use a unique set of schedules provides flexibility in a Remote Desktop Ser-
vices environment where all schedules do not need to be available to every user session.
If you use separate schedules per user account or groups of user accounts, and these user accounts or
groups of user accounts have any of the same SCADA nodes in the remote nodes list, it creates an
environment in which several separate events could fire in response to a single action. You must ensure
that none of the events will conflict. Therefore, if you use schedules for direct process control, quality
control, or safety-related actions, consider moving this functionality out of the schedules into PLC logic
or the process database.
With the Startup Profile Manager, you create iFIX user profiles. Each profile associates a Windows user
name with a specific iFIX Project Configuration. The iFIX Project Configuration includes:
l SCU path and file name that you want the specified Windows user to use when starting iFIX.
l Node name that you want the specified Windows user to use when starting iFIX.
l Restrictions on whether the user can modify the Nodename or SCU fields in the iFIX Startup dia-
log box (Launch.exe).
iFIX must be running in order to use the Startup Profile Manager application to create startup profiles. To
access the Startup Profile Manager, double-click the Startup Profile Manager icon in the system tree in
the iFIX WorkSpace. The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing
to Programs, iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
When working with the Startup Profile Manager be sure to perform the following tasks:
Before you begin working with the Startup Profile Manager, you should configure the options that you
want the Startup Profile Manager to use. To do this, use the Options dialog box in the Startup Profile
Manager.
To change the options for the Startup Profile Manager:
1. On the Settings menu, click Options. The Options dialog box appears.
2. Select the Startup Profiles defined in this application override iFIX Startup command line para-
meters check box, if you want the profiles created in this application to override the ones used
when you start iFIX from the command line.
IMPORTANT: For the override to work, the user must be defined in the Startup Profile Manager, or if
the user is not defined, the default profile must be enabled. This override only applies to the /n, /s, and
/l command line options.
3. Enter a string for the default iFIX node name prefix to use if the first 8 characters of the Windows
user name cannot be used to generate a valid iFIX node name.
The Windows user name is an invalid iFIX node name, for instance, when the name starts with a
number. Valid node names can be up to eight characters long. Node names can include alpha-
numeric characters, but must begin with a letter. Special characters, such as symbols and punc-
tuation marks, cannot be used.
For each startup profile using the default iFIX node name, a number is also added to the end of
the default node name, starting with the number 1. For example, if you enter NODE as the prefix,
the default iFIX node names used are: NODE1, NODE2, NODE3, and so on. Each default user
who starts iFIX receives a different node name.
NOTE: When you use the Nodename Prefix field, you cannot use the iFIX automatic login feature
unless you generate automatic login configurations for each of the possible node names for the
defined prefix. For example: Node1, Node2, Node3, and so on. Since you will not know the name of
the user logging in under that node name (since the name is generated at iFIX startup), you should
also associate the auto logins with a guest or limited-access account. For more information on auto-
matic login, refer to the iFIX Automatic Login section.
4. Click OK.
After configuring the application options for the Startup Profile Manager, you should define a default pro-
file, if your iFIX configuration requires it. For instance, when using Remote Desktop Services with the
Startup Profile Manager, you will most likely want to configure a default profile so that a separate profile
does not need to be created for every user.
If a user attempts to start iFIX and a profile does not exist for that user yet, iFIX starts with the default
profile information.
1. On the Settings menu, click Default Startup Profile. The Default Startup Profile dialog box
appears.
2. Select Enable Default SCU.
3. Enter or select the default SCU and iFIX startup options that you want to apply to all iFIX users
without a startup profile.
4. If you want to run iFIX as a service on the Remote Desktop Session Host, select the Default Ser-
vice Startup Parameter option. Enter the Node name and SCU file for the iFIX service. When
iFIX runs as a service, it will always use these settings.
5. Click OK.
1. Click the Add button, or double-click any empty column. The Add Startup Profile dialog box
appears, as shown in the following figure.
iFIX does not use a startup profile until the specified user attempts to start iFIX from the iFIX Startup dia-
log box or from the iFIX Startup command line (from a desktop shortcut or the Run dialog box, for
example). If no iFIX startup profile exists for the user and you do not define any settings in the Default
User Profile dialog box or provide command line settings to the iFIX Startup application, when you
restart iFIX, it displays the information from the last time iFIX was run.
For more detailed information on the Startup Profile Manager, refer to the to Using the Startup Profile
Manager section in the Setting up the Environment manual.
Use the iFIX Startup dialog box to create desktop shortcuts to start iFIX.
TIP: Using the Application Validator to Take a Snapshot of Your Project Folders
Once you configure your iFIX projects for use with Remote Desktop Services, you can create a baseline
of the files and folders associated with your projects using the Application Validator. At a later time, you
can then monitor which files and folders changed since you last created the baseline.
For instance, if you ever run into problems with your iFIX configuration and want to go back to an original
configuration, you can use the Application Validator to determine which files were changed or added,
and then you can manually rollback to that configuration.
To access the Application Validator, double-click Application Validator icon in the system tree in the iFIX
WorkSpace. You can also access the application by locating and running the AppValidator.exe file in the
iFIX folder, which is the folder where you installed iFIX.
For more general information on the Application Validator, including the command line options, refer to
the Validating an Application section in the Mastering iFIX manual.
The following steps explain how to configure iFIX to run as a service on the Remote Desktop Session
Host. These steps assume you have already installed your Windows Remote Desktop Services soft-
ware as described in the Getting Started section, as well as iFIX, as described in the Installing iFIX sec-
tion. These steps also assume that you have not enabled iFIX security yet.
To start, we create a separate SCU to run iFIX as a service, named SERVICE. We then create two
more SCU users on the Remote Desktop Services:
l A default user, named GUEST, with limited security privileges. The path to this user's iFIX pro-
ject is C:\ProjectA. When iFIX starts with this SCU, the iFIX Startup dialog box doesnot appear.
l An administrative user, named PAUL, with full rights. The path to this user's iFIX project is
C:\ProjectB. When iFIX starts with this SCU, the iFIX Startup dialog box does appear.
Both these users have iFIX networking enabled and can log in from thin clients. The FIXBack-
groundServer.exe runs as a service on the server, so that you can later add scheduled events.
The steps below are outlined in the order that you want to perform them.
1. Start iFIX.
2. Run the Startup Profile Manager.
3. To configure the GUEST user, from the Startup Profile Manager's Default Startup Profile dialog
box:
l Configure the Default Client SCU area. In the Default SCU field, enter or browse to
C:\ProjectA\LOCAL\GUEST.scu.
l Remove the check marks from the Allow User to Run the Sample System and the Allow
User to Modify Node Name and SCU check boxes.
l Click Add Profile.
l Click Close to exit the Add Startup Profile dialog box.
For steps, refer to the Configuring the Default Profile section.
4. From the Startup Profile Manager's Options dialog box, select the top check box, Startup Profiles
defined in this application override iFIX Startup command line parameters, and click OK. This
enables the GUEST account as the default.
5. To configure the PAUL user, from the Startup Profile Manager main screen:
l Click Add.
l Enter a Windows User name. For instance, say you enter PAULC as your Windows User
name.
l In the iFIX Node Name field, enter PAUL.
l In the SCU File Name field, enter or browse to C:\ProjectB\LOCAL\PAUL.SCU.
l Select the Allow User to Modify Node Name and SCU check box.
l Click Add Profile.
l Click Close to exit the Add Startup Profile dialog box.
When the specified user name logs on, he will have more rights, as indicated by the enabled
check box.
TIP: You can restrict even more access by enabling iFIX security. For more information, refer to the
Understanding iFIX Security section.
6. Save your changes and exit the Startup Profile Manager.
7. Restart iFIX.
To verify that the administrative account logs in with the PAUL startup profile:
When using iFIX with Remote Desktop Services and all clients share the same iFIX folders, toolbars
can be configured separately on each client. This is because each client has it's own file for toolbar pref-
erences, as well as temporary toolbar files stored in each client's temp folder.
Also, be aware that only one user at a time can import a toolbar into the iFIX WorkSpace when all clients
share the same iFIX folders. After you import a toolbar you also should close the WorkSpace, so that the
toolbar file is released, allowing other clients to import it. You then can immediately restart the
WorkSpace.
The iFIX WorkSpace toolbars can only be seen by those users that have rights for developing pictures.
Operators in a run-time environment do not see the toolbars.
Although iFIX Environment Protection is not supported on the iClientTS computer, you can still create a
secure environment that prevents operators from performing unauthorized actions, such as using the
Ctrl+Alt+Delete key combination to shut down the Remote Desktop Session Host. You can configure
this in Windows, with user properties and group policies.
For instance, you can configure which Windows users have access to log in to from the thin client. After
logging in, you can restrict them from running anything other than the iFIX startup program. By con-
figuring iFIX startup tasks, in the SCU, you can control which tasks are available after startup.
The steps below explain how to perform some of these tasks. Refer to the Windows online help for more
information.
To specify the program that starts when the user logs on to the Remote Desktop Services:
9. In the Start in field, enter the path of the iFIX product. . For instance, if you installed iFIX to the
default location, enter:
C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX
Additionally, be aware that any iClientTS starting on a Remote Desktop Session Host (not a SCADA)
does not accept unsolicited incoming connections. A client/SCADA that cannot accept incoming con-
nections is called a non-listening client. This is a built-in network security feature. For more information
on non-listening clients and other built-in security features, refer to the Configuring Network Security sec-
tion.
This section describes how to install and configure Remote Desktop Servics. It includes the following
sections:
You can configure and connect a client to connect to the Remote Desktop Session Host using the
Remote Desktop Communication dialog box.
If Remote Desktop Web Access is enabled on your Remote Desktop Session Host you can use Inter-
net Explorer's Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Client Control (ActiveX control) on remote machines
to open Remote Desktop client sessions.
If the Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Client Control is not installed and enabled, the first time you
try to connect from a Remote Desktop client machine, you will be prompted to do so. When attempting
to connect through IIS and the Remote Desktop Services Advanced Client ActiveX control, if the Act-
iveX Client Control is not found on the client computer, or if an older version of the control is found, it will
be installed at this time.
NOTES:
l Multiple users cannot log on using the same account.
l If you configured the user account with the application startup command, iFIX starts automatically. If
you did not configure the user account to auto launch, use the Launch icon to start iFIX. Do not use the
iFIX Startup icon.
TIPS:
l When the Web Connect or Remote Desktop Services Web Access screen opens, you can create a
shortcut to this page by making it a Favorite in Internet Explorer. Adding it to your Favorites list allows
you to initiate future connections by clicking on the shortcut.
l If the Full Screen option is not available at connect time due to security limitations or settings, you can
access it after connection by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Pause.
This chapter discusses some ways to improve your Remote Desktop Services performance within iFIX
and Windows. It includes the following sections:
l Optimizing iFIX
l Optimizing the Remote Desktop Session Host
l Third-party Thin Client Software and Hardware
l Optimizing New iFIX Pictures for Use with Remote Desktop Capable Devices
For more optimization ideas and tips, refer to the Optimizing Your iFIX System manual.
Optimizing iFIX
This section provides some optimization ideas and tips to enhance your iFIX with Remote Desktop Ser-
vices environment. It includes the following topics:
You may want to use deadband values to reduce the number of updates sent back and forth to the
Server. Deadband values, set in the iFIX Expression Editor, specify the maximum fluctuation you want
for the current connection before iFIX updates it. By entering a deadband value, you create a +/- dead
zone around the connection's current value. As long as the value is within this range, iFIX does not
update the value. However, once the value exceeds the maximum or minimum deadband, the value is
updated.
The iFIX WorkSpace provides a Refresh Rate Expert in the Expression Builder that determines how
often the data source connection updates, in seconds. The default is 1 second on new animations. But,
previous to iFIX 6.0, the default refresh rate was 0.10000 which caused the connection to refresh 10
times per second. If your application does not need the connection to be refreshed this often, you can
gain considerable performance by reducing the refresh rate and the deadband.
1. Open the FixUserPreferences.ini file. (By default, for iFIX, this file is located in the C:\Program
Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\LOCAL folder.)
2. Scroll to the [TerminalServicesPreferences] section and enter larger numbers. A larger number
for these settings provides a slower refresh rate, which is intended to improve performance.
[TerminalServicesPreferences]
DataRefreshThrottleInSecs=1.0
AlarmSummaryThrottleInSecs=5.0
EnableTerminalServicesRateControls=1
After modifying the above datalinks, animations, and charts (Enhanced and Standard), pictures will
refresh at a rate no faster than once per value specified for “DataRefreshThrottleInSecs “.
For example, in the Expression Builder, if you enter .1 or .5 as the refresh rate for your data source, it will
NOT be adhered to. The historical update rate for both Enhanced and Standard charts will also be adjus-
ted accordingly. For the alarm blink rate, alarm fetch rate, and alarm data refresh rate in the Alarm Sum-
mary objects, iFIX will refresh the data no faster than value specified for
“AlarmSummaryThrottleInSecs” seconds. For instance, even if you set the refresh rates in the Alarm
Summary object to be faster, iFIX will not allow a rate faster than “AlarmSummaryThrottleInSecs”.
By default, picture caching is enabled in iFIX. Although this does speed up picture performance, it can
also slow down processing on the Server. If you need to free up memory on the Server, disable picture
caching.
Using Bitmaps
You may want to limit your use of bitmaps. Bitmaps usually require more processing than other graphical
file formats. Compressed or vector graphics are easier to process and often have reduced color depth,
improving its display in 256 colors.
If you use bitmaps, avoid using moving bitmaps. Moving bitmaps require that the Server constantly
redraw the image, continuously taking up processing resources.
You may want to disable smooth scrolling on Internet Explorer 5.5 to improve viewing on the thin client.
Using Auto Scale in your pictures may significantly decrease performance with Remote Desktop Ser-
vices and impact the number of client sessions you can run under Remote Desktop Services. To
access the Auto Scale feature, in Ribbon view, on the Home tab, in the WorkSpace group, click Set-
tings, and select User Preferences or in Classic view, on the WorkSpace menu, select User Prefer-
ences. The Disable Auto Scale Feature check box is located on the Picture Preferences tab. To enable
the Auto Scaling, clear this check box.
This section provides some optimization ideas and tips to enhance your Remote Desktop Session Host.
It includes the following topics:
For more Remote Desktop Services optimization ideas and tips, refer to the Client Services section of
the Windows Server Help.
The lower your encryption rate, the better the RDP protocol performs.
To change the encryption rate:
Deleting temporary folders on exit prevents the loss of disk space resources over time.
To delete temporary folders upon exiting:
Active Desktop is a display option in Windows that gives your desktop the look and feel of a web page.
You can disable the Active Desktop feature to conserve server memory and CPU resources.
To disable Active Desktop:
While designing your Remote Desktop Services environment, you can integrate a third-party client
application to enhance the performance and ease of management of your Remote Desktop Services
environment. Two examples of third party applications that you can use are described in the following
sections:
The Citrix Presentation Server is one application that you can use to enhance the performance and ease
of management of your Remote Desktop Services environment.
NOTE: Citrix® MetaFrame™ 1.8, Feature Release 1, provided extensive color support and Netscape support.
This support was merged into the Citrix Presentation Server product in 2004.
Citrix's Independent Computer Architecture (ICA) protocol allows both Microsoft and non-Microsoft cli-
ents, including UNIX and Macintosh, to connect to a Remote Desktop Services Session Host.
For more information on the Citrix Presentation Server product, visit www.citrix.com.
ACP ThinManager™ provides At-A-Glance management of your Remote Desktop Services Envir-
onment. The ThinManager software runs on any computer networked in your environment and provides
an easy-to-use GUI that monitors your ACP Thin Client machines.
ThinManager allows you to manage clients from a single location. It visibly displays the on/off status of
each client and allows you to reboot clients and organize clients by group. It also includes Server and
fail-over support. ACP also provides ACP Hardware and Enabled Hardware for use with your Remote
Desktop Services environment.
Optimizing New iFIX Pictures for Use with Remote Desktop Capable Devices
The iFIX Create Picture Wizard includes new screen definitions for handheld Remote Desktop Services
capable devices. Form factors include 240x320 and 320x240. Remote Desktop users may find this
option especially helpful.
The following graphic shows the new configuration options as they appear in one of the screens in the
Create Picture wizard.
To successfully troubleshoot your iFIX with Remote Desktop Services Environment, you first need to
isolate the source of your problem. Once you have isolated your problem area, refer to the Troubleshoot-
ing Specific Issues with Remote Desktop Services table for more troubleshooting information.
This chapter provides the following topics to help you isolate and troubleshoot your iFIX with Remote
Desktop Services Environment:
If you experience problems while running iFIX in the Remote Desktop Services Environment, create a
new user and follow the steps in the following table to isolate the problem.
Once you have isolated your problem area, use the information in the following table to begin
troubleshooting.
l Faster processors
l More processors (dual, quad)
l More memory
l Reduced graphic refresh rate on clients
Connection l Is your connection problem for all connections or user specific?
l Can the Administrator start a session locally and remotely?
SCU Con- l Are there duplicated node names on the network? Run NETHIS.exe on
figuration and the client nodes. If you see 'Connection is established' and 'Con-
Startup nection NOT Established' messages repeatedly, then you may have a
duplicate iFIX node name.
File Conflicts l What is the directory structure?
l Is this reproducible in a non-Remote Desktop Services environment
using a mapped drive in the path?
For more information, suggestions, and tips for troubleshooting your iFIX with Remote Desktop Ser-
vices environment, refer to the Windows Server Help, and the Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
online documentation.
The following table lists some specific troubleshooting information for known Remote Desktop Services
issues.
planning 8
project 12
A
accounts 16 E
F
C
file conflicts 38
Citrix Presentation Server 36
Full Client 28
configuring
improving performance 32
D
installing iFIX 10
deadband values 32
optimization 32
default profile 17
optimizing 32
defining 12
sample environment 3
iFIX global security paths 14
ways to connect 28
project directory paths 12
iFIX as a service 10
determining 7
iFIX Remote Desktop Services
user types and directories 7
environment 3
installing understanding 9
installing iFIX
R
over an uninstall 10
Remote Desktop Services
with Remote Desktop Services 10
encryption rate 34
M environment example 3
optimization 32
O
optimization ideas 32
optimization
performance 32
for Remote Desktop Services 32
setup steps, overview 7
optimization ideas 33
troubleshooting 37
optimizing Remote Desktop Services 31
using bitmaps 33
overview 7
using deadband values 32
Remote Desktop Services setup 7
using refresh rates 32
with iFIX 10
paths 12
Remote Desktop Services Advanced Client 28
iFIX global security 14
Remote Desktop Services optimization 33
project directory 12
picture caching 33
planning 8
Remote Desktop Services performance 32
SCU directories 8
using refresh rates 32
shared directories 9
Remote Desktop Session Host
previous iFIX release, installing over 14
configuring clients 28
profiles
installing clients 28
adding 19
additional information 20
adding profiles 19
V
additional information 20
Virtual Keyboard 11
configuring options 17
thin-client 2
ThinManager 36
toolbars 26
troubleshooting
file conflicts 38
TSAC 28