Proficy iFIX 2022

Getting Started

GE Digital Proficy Historian and Operations Hub: Data Analysis in Context 1

Proprietary Notice
The information contained in this publication is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, General Electric Company assumes no
responsibilities for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies. Information contained in the publication is subject to change without notice.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted or distributed in any
form by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of General Electric
Company. Information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

© 2022, General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

Trademark Notices
GE, the GE Monogram, and Predix are either registered trademarks or trademarks of General Electric Company.

Microsoft® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, in the United States and/or other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

We want to hear from you. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about our documentation, send them to the following email
address:

[email protected]
Table of Contents

Getting Started with iFIX 2

Reference Documents 2

General Installation Information 2

Set-up Overview 2

To set up your nodes: 3

Hardware Requirements 3

Hardware Requirements – iFIX SCADA Server 3

Hardware Requirements – iFIX Client (iClient) 4

Wireless Devices and iFIX 5

Virtual Machine Support 5

Software Requirements 6

Supported Regional Settings 7

Formatting the Time and Date 7

Formatting the Regional Language Setting 8

Setting the System Default Locale 8

Language Support 8

English Product Support 8

Non-English Product Support 9

Unsupported Items 10

How to Change the Regional Setting Format 10

How to Set the System Locale 11

Optimizing Virtual Memory 11

To optimize the virtual memory paging file for iFIX in Windows: 11

12

Running iFIX as a Service 12

Windows Services 12

Disabling Fast Startup in Microsoft Windows 8.1 12

Enabling iFIX to Run as a Service 12

To enable iFIX to run as a service: 12

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. i

 Adding a Windows User to the iFIX Service Account 13

Disabling iFIX as a Service 14

To disable iFIX from running as a service: 14

iFIX Paths 15

Required Application Feature 15

Running iFIX with Terminal Services 15

Running iFIX with Other Programs 15

To configure a different user account for iFIX running as a service: 15

Fast User Switching Not Supported 15

Running the OPC Client Driver and iFIX as a Service 15

Running Workspace.exe from the SCU Task List Not Supported 15

Disk Space Requirements 15

To change FreeDiskSpace parameter: 16

OPC Certification 16

Installing the iFIX Software 16

To install iFIX software from the individual installer: 17

Remote Configuration Hub Registration 22

Unregistering the Local Configuration Hub 22

Registering on the Remote Configuration Hub 22

Using iFIX with Proficy Historian 23

Configuration Considerations 23

Other Considerations 24

Multiple Databases 24

Collection Delay 24

Collectors 24

Electronic Signatures 24

Spare1 Fields 24

Choosing Not to Install Integrated Proficy Historian 25

Post-Installation Steps for Proficy Historian 25

Configuring Security When Using iFIX with Proficy Historian 25

Configuring iFIX to Use Proficy Historian 25

ii © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Historian Upgrade Process 28

Limiting the Number of Historian Servers at Workspace Startup 29

Using the Discover and Auto Configure Tool with Proficy Historian 30

Using iFIX with Microsoft Office 30

Backup Files 30

Change Management and iFIX 31

Discover and Auto Configure 31

Optional Hardware 32

Uninstalling iFIX 32

Sleep or Hibernate Mode 32

Upgrading from an Earlier Version of iFIX 33

Upgrade Paths 33

Webspace and the Upgrade 33

The Database and the Upgrade 33

SCADASync.ini File and the Upgrade 34

DDA Drivers and the Upgrade 34

OPC Drivers and the Upgrade 34

Before You Upgrade 34

Steps to Upgrade from an Earlier Version of iFIX 35

To upgrade from earlier versions of iFIX 35

Preserving Settings when Upgrading 35

Notes on Database Dynamos and Custom Programs that Run with iFIX Startup 36

SCU Files and the Upgrade 36

To update the SCU information manually: 37

iFIX Certificates and Upgrades 37

To create the certificates: 39

Enhanced Failover and Upgrading 39

To configure your iFIX SCADA nodes after an upgrade, if failover was used in a release prior to
iFIX 5.0: 41

Programs that Run as a Service with iFIX 41

Toolbars 42

Changing Permissions for PlugAndSolve and User Globals 42

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. iii

 To change permissions on a file: 42

GeneralDataSet Object Replaces the HistoricalDataSet and RealTimeDataSet 42

GE Historian 43

Upgrading Pictures 43

Coordinate Systems 43

VisiconX 44

Compatibility of iFIX Pictures 44

Resolving iFIX Displays 44

Running Pictures Created in an Older Version of iFIX 44

To avoid color mapping problems: 44

Historical Datalinks 45

Database Dynamos 45

iFIX Dynamo Sets 45

Deleting Temp Directory Contents if iFIX Installation Fails 46

Alarm Summary Objects and Picture Translation 46

To export a single language file: 47

To export multiple language files: 47

Setting Up for Remote OPC Server Access 47

Setting Up DCOM for Use with Remote OPC Servers 48

DCOM Settings 49

To launch the DCOM configurator: 49

System-wide COM/DCOM Limits Settings 49

To update system-wide COM/DCOM limits settings: 49

OPC Server-specific DCOM Settings 50

To modify driver-specific DCOM settings in Windows: 50

Setting Up the Firewall for Use with Remote OPC Servers 51

To modify Windows Firewall settings: 51

Windows Operating System Considerations 58

Windows and Security 58

Running iFIX 58

Running iFIX as a Service 59

iv © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 To add the Create Global Objects policy to a user: 59

To run the GrantUserFixServiceRights command for a user or group: 59

To provide privileges to a Windows user with the ConfigureWizard.exe when access controls
(secure mode) are enabled: 60

Running iFIX as a Service with Other Services 60

Examples: Using GrantUserFixServiceRights 61

Windows and Mapped Network Drives 61

EDA Applications and Windows 61

To mark an application for elevation using an external manifest: 62

To mark an application for elevation with an internal manifest: 62

To elevate a third party application that you do not own the source code for: 62

Deployment Considerations for Running iFIX on a Virtual Machine 63

Virtual Machine Guidelines for iFIX 63

Troubleshooting VM Setups for iFIX 64

VM Processor Scheduling for iFIX 65

Enhancing VMWare Performance with iFIX 65

Other iFIX Installation Considerations 66

Supported Drivers 66

Special Keyboard Buttons 66

Environment Protection and iFIX 66

Important Information 67

Important Task Switching Information 67

Working with Touch Screens 68

Networking 68

Supported Networking Protocol 69

Supported File Servers 69

Contact GE Digital 69

Index 73

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. v

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 1
 Getting Started with iFIX

Welcome to iFIX®! Thank you for taking the time to install and use iFIX.

Before you begin installing our product, please take some time to review this Getting Started guide. The
guide includes information about the following:

l Installing iFIX
l Upgrading from earlier versions of iFIX
l Supported networking components

Reference Documents
For more information on the System Configuration Utility, troubleshooting your set-up, working with the
iFIX WorkSpace, or setting up a process database or SCADA system after you install iFIX, please refer to
the following electronic books:

l Setting Up the Environment

l Understanding iFIX
l Building a SCADA System

General Installation Information

This chapter provides general information you need to install iFIX including:

l Hardware requirements, including required computer hardware, recommended computers,

required memory, and required hard disk space.
l Installing the license and replacing defective ones.
l Installing iFIX.
l iFIX software requirements, including operating systems, supported regional settings, optimizing
virtual memory, and running iFIX as a service.
l Optional installation features, including online registration, and installing optional hardware.
l Installing iFIX with other applications including Microsoft® Office and GE Change Management.

Set-up Overview

When you are ready to begin setting up your iFIX environment, use the following steps to set up your
nodes.

2 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 To set up your nodes:

1. Set up each computer you require. Use the section Hardware Requirements as a guide and refer
to the user manual that accompanies each computer for detailed setup information.
2. Install and optimize Microsoft Windows on each computer as needed. Also make sure you create a
login account with administrator rights so you can install iFIX later. For instructions on optimizing
Windows, refer to the Optimizing Virtual Memory section.
3. Set up the network adapters and network software required for each computer. Refer to the Net-
working iFIX Nodes and Advanced Topics chapters of the Setting Up the Environment manual for
more information.
4. Install iFIX and any other hardware you may have purchased. Refer to the Installing the iFIX Soft-
ware section for instructions. For information on installing other hardware, refer to that product's
documentation.
5. Configure iFIX on each computer. Make sure that the user installing iFIX is a member of the Admin-
istrators Windows group. Refer to the Configuring iFIX Using the SCU chapter of the Setting Up the
Environment manual for more information on configuring iFIX.

Hardware Requirements

The minimum iFIX hardware requirements are described in the following sections.

Hardware Requirements – iFIX SCADA Server

For an iFIX server, the recommended minimum hardware requirements are:
IMPORTANT: The minimum requirements below assume that you are running a SCADA server without additional
applications (such as EDA applications) and a minimal amount of tags. If you want to run more applications or increase
your tag count, you will need to increase your hardware support for better performance. You should scale your system
based on number of tags. For Enhanced Failover, the following requirements apply to both the primary and secondary
computers.

l A 3.0 GHz Intel® Core™ i5 Processor or equivalent with 8GB of memory. For better performance,
please consider using a faster processor and more memory.
l SpeedStep® technology is not supported and must not be enabled.
l For time synchronization, the Windows Net Time and W32tm commands are both supported.
However, if using the W32tm command, be sure to use the /nowait instruction when resyn-
chronizing the clock. For example: W32tm /resync /nowait. The /nowait parameter instructs the
operating system to make a stepping adjustment against the time server.
NOTE: With virtual machines, the host and guest operating system need to synchronize against
an external physical Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server.
l The power save settings on your computer must be disabled. Do not use any power setting fea-
tures that affect CPU clock speed. For Enhanced Failover, the power save settings on both com-
puters and dedicated network card (NIC) must be disabled.
l For Enhanced Failover, you need one additional Gigabit-Ethernet card (or better) dedicated for
SCADA-to-SCADA traffic (for a total of at least 2 network cards), or the VMXNET 3 network

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 3

 adapter NIC. The dedicated SCADA-to-SCADA network card should be excluded from the iFIX-to-
iFIX network (not enabled for LAN redundancy), and used exclusively for Enhanced Failover syn-
chronization. Both network cards must be of the same speed, and appear on the compatibility list
for each card. It is strongly recommended that the cards be of the same make and model number,
and use the same drivers.
l For Enhanced Failover, you must use a direct connection via a Cat6 crossover cable, without going
through any switches, hubs, or routers. Due to limited bandwidth and latency, wireless networking
technology should not be considered.
l For Enhanced Failover, the Primary and Secondary SCADA computers must be located physically
next to each other, in the same location/room.
l For Enhanced Failover, Jumbo Frames technology must be used on the dedicated network. Jumbo
Frames technology allows for an Ethernet frame of 9000 MTU for the payload, compared to a
frame of 1500 bytes without the Jumbo Frames.
l A minimum of 40 GB of free hard drive space for iFIX pictures, databases, alarm files, and other
data files, in addition to the free disk space required by the operating system for Windows
Updates. It is strongly recommended that many GBs of additional free space exist on the hard
drive to avoid performance issues.
l Be aware that iFIX alarm and historical data files grow dynamically. If you plan to perform extens-
ive alarm or data collection on a node, you may need more disk space on that particular node.
l Other GE products, such as Proficy Plant Applications and Proficy Historian, impose additional
requirements. Refer to the System Requirements in the associated product's electronic books for
that product's specific system requirements.
l 100 MBit or faster Full Duplex TCP/IP-compatible network interface adapter for iFIX network com-
munication between SCADA and Client nodes.
NOTE: iFIX does not support NetBIOS or IPv6.
l One free direct-connect USB port. Some touch screens, pointing devices, and I/O drivers require a
serial port. Additional ports for I/O hardware should be ordered with the computer.
l For Enhanced Failover, ensure that the following ports are open on your firewall: UDP port 53014
needs to be open for the Sync Card and TCP 2010 needs to be open for the SCADA NIC.
l SVGA or better color monitor with a 24-bit (16,777,216 colors) graphics card capable of at least
1024x768 resolution.
l Two-button mouse or compatible pointing device (such as a touch screen) that is capable of open-
ing a context menu.

Hardware Requirements – iFIX Client (iClient)

For iFIX client computers, the recommended minimum hardware requirements are:

l A 3.0 GHz Intel® Core™ i3 Processor or equivalent with 4GB of memory. For better performance,
please consider using a faster processor and more memory.
NOTE: To use more than 4 GB of memory on a 32-bit platform you need to use Physical Address
Extension (PAE). For more information on PAE please reference http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/desktop/aa366796%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

4 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l SpeedStep® technology is not supported and must not be enabled.
l For time synchronization, the Windows Net Time and W32tm commands are both supported.
However, if using the W32tm command, be sure to use the /nowait instruction when resyn-
chronizing the clock. For example: W32tm /resync /nowait. The /nowait parameter instructs the
operating system to make a stepping adjustment against the time server.
NOTE: With virtual machines, the host and guest operating system need to synchronize against
an external physical Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server.
l The power save settings on your computer must be disabled. Do not use any power setting fea-
tures that affect CPU clock speed.
l A minimum of 20 GB of free hard drive space for iFIX pictures, databases, alarm files, and other
data files, in addition to the free disk space required by the operating system for Windows
Updates. It is strongly recommended that many GBs of additional free space exist on the hard
drive to avoid performance issues.
Be aware that iFIX alarm and historical data files grow dynamically. If you plan to perform extens-
ive alarm or data collection on a node, you may need more disk space on that particular node.
l Other GE products, such as Proficy Plant Applications and Proficy Historian, impose additional
requirements. Refer to the System Requirements in the associated product's electronic books for
that product's specific system requirements.
l 100 MBit or faster Full Duplex TCP/IP-compatible network interface adapter for iFIX network com-
munication between SCADA and Client nodes.
NOTE: iFIX does not support NetBIOS or IPv6.
l One free direct-connect USB port. Some touch screens, pointing devices, and I/O drivers require a
serial port. Additional ports for I/O hardware should be ordered with the computer.
l SVGA or better color monitor with a 24-bit (16,777,216 colors) graphics card capable of at least
1024x768 resolution.
l Two-button mouse or compatible pointing device (such as a touch screen) that is capable of open-
ing a context menu.

Wireless Devices and iFIX

It is strongly recommended that you do not run SCADA nodes on wireless devices. Running an iFIX SCADA
on a wireless device may impact performance, as some wireless protocols fall below the recommended
bandwidth requirements.

Virtual Machine Support

As part of our development testing and qualification, we make extensive use of virtualized environments.
iFIX does not target any specific hardware or virtualized platform.

GE Digital will support the functional operation of the product that is running on a supported Operating
System in a virtualized environment and will address any functional issues related to the software.

GE Digital cannot guarantee performance of the software in the virtualized environment due to the wide
range of parameters associated to the hardware, configuration, memory settings, 3rd party software,
and the number of virtual sessions running on the same hardware, all of which can affect performance.

It is the responsibility of you, the customer, to ensure that the performance of the GE HMI/SCADA soft-
ware and application are adequate to meet the needs of their runtime environment. GE does not support

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 5

 issues related to functionality that is not available as a result of running in a virtual machine. Examples
include the functionality of card level drivers such as Genius, RMX, SA85 and functions requiring direct
video access, or functionality of other software running in the same environment. It is your responsibility
to check with the vendor of those applications for their ability to run in a virtualized environment.

Each virtual machine instance that is using our software is required to have a valid license. The licensing
in a virtualized environment will depend on the access to a hardware key or a license server depending
on the selected license type.

Software Requirements

The minimum iFIX software requirements are:

l One of the following operating systems:

l Microsoft® Windows® 11, Professional or Enterprise Edition.
l Microsoft® Windows® 10 (64-bit) Professional or Enterprise Edition.
l Microsoft® Windows® 10 IoT Enterprise with LTSC enabled, or an operating system
released under Long Term Service Channel for iFIX for IoT. Use of iFIX for IoT is further
restricted by your End User License Agreement (EULA), please see your EULA for details.
l Microsoft® Windows® Server 2022.
l Microsoft® Windows® Server 2019.
l Microsoft® Windows® Server 2016.
NOTE: Only English Windows IoT, with English regional settings, is supported with English
iFIX; other language operating systems or regional settings for Windows IoT are not sup-
ported.
TIPS: Since Microsoft Windows has continuous updates, you should run the Windows update
feature to get the latest Windows software for use with iFIX. Some operating systems
require Microsoft KB2999226 to be installed before you can install iFIX. For Windows Server
2012 R2, you must have KB2919442 and then KB2919355 installed before installing
KB2999226. For Windows 8.1, you just need KB2999226.

l Network interface software for TCP/IP network communication and certain I/O drivers.
l If you are using third-party software along with iFIX, make sure that the third party software is
also supported for the operating system you are running iFIX on. For instance, if you are running
iFIX on Microsoft Windows Server 2019, your third party software must also be supported on
Microsoft Windows Server 2019.

l If using iFIX and Historian on the same machine, it is highly recommended to install iFIX first.

l An I/O driver for SCADA servers. GE supplies I/O drivers for many programmable controllers or you
may purchase a driver separately.
IMPORTANT: Be certain that the I/O driver you purchase is compatible with your hardware and operating sys-
tem. For example, if the driver is not supported on a specific operating system, then you cannot use this driver
with iFIX running on that operating system. For more information drivers and supported operating systems,
check our support web site at: https://digitalsupport.ge.com.

6 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l If using VisiconX and Proficy Historian, you must install the Proficy Historian OLE DB driver.
l If using the Plant Applications Dynamos in iFIX pictures, Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 365 Pro
plus v16.0.12527.21104 or v16.0.4266.X is required.
l To run the iFIX Plug-in for Configuration Hub, the following browsers were tested:
l Google® Chrome
l Microsoft® Edge based on Chromium
l Mozilla® Firefox
l Apple® Safari (on MAC OS)
NOTE: Sometimes the MAC OS cannot resolve the system name. In this case, update the hosts file.
Also, you will be required to manually install the Configuration Hub root certificate on the MAC OS.
l To run the iFIX Plug-in for Configuration Hub, the following browsers are supported:
l Microsoft® SQL Server 2017.
l Microsoft® SQL Server 2019.
l Oracle® 19c
l Microsoft® Access 2000 (or higher). Microsoft Access is supported for local installs only.

Supported Regional Settings

iFIX supports the following regional settings available in the Windows Control Panel:

l Decimal symbol - one character

l Digit grouping symbol
l List separator - one character
l Time style
l Time separator
l Short date style
l Date separator
NOTE: The decimal symbol and the digit grouping symbol cannot be the same character. Also, the time separator and
the date separator cannot be the same character.

Formatting the Time and Date

Avoid changing the time style or short date style in regional settings to values that are outside of the
standard styles provided. Changing these values to non-standard styles may result in improperly format-
ting times and dates in some parts of iFIX.

iFIX supports the following short date formats, some of which may not be available in certain language
versions of Windows:

l dd/mm/yy, or dd/mm/yyyy
l dd/yy/mm, or dd/yyyy/mm

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 7

 l mm/dd/yy, or mm/dd/yyyy
l mm/yy/dd, or mm/yyyy/dd
l yy/dd/mm, or yyyy/dd/mm
l yy/mm/dd, or yyyy/mm/dd
Formatting the Regional Language Setting

Avoid changing the language setting once a timer has been used in a schedule. If changed, the date
always reverts to 30/12/99, regardless of what you set the start time to be.
Setting the System Default Locale

The selected locale must be set as the system default.

Language Support

When working with iFIX, be aware that:

l The iFIX English product is supported on the English Windows operating system (OS), with English
(United States) or non-English regional settings.
l The iFIX English product is supported on non-English Windows operating systems only when the
system locale and region format match the OS language. Our language and locale testing is
focused on a set of representative environments.
l The non-English iFIX product is supported on an operating system with a matching language,
region format, and system locale.
l The System Locale must match the language of the Region Settings.
l All keyboard inputs must also match the system locale of the SCADA.
l Configuration Hub will display the number formats and strings as they appear on SCADA node.
Changing the browser language will not have an impact on the appearance of this data.
l For Configuration Hub, only English alphanumeric characters values and the following symbols are
supported in the client ID and client secret fields: "-><~!@#$%^&*?|"
l Running iFIX on a computer with a machine name that contain non-English characters such as æ,
ø, å in the name is not supported.
l If there is a new iFIX product language release, it typically comes after the release of the English
version of the software. For more information on the available iFIX versions for each language,
contact your regional Sales Representative.

The following tables provide examples of supported combinations of the product language, OS language,
region, and system locale.

English Product Support

iFIX Product Operating Regional Set- System Locale

Language System tings Format
English iFIX English English (United
English (United States).
States).
English iFIX English Non-English
regional settings.
Matching Non-English system locale.
For example:
For example: Chinese (Simplified, China).
Chinese (Sim-
plified, China).
English iFIX Non-Eng- Non-English Non-English matching system locale.

8 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 lish matching
regional settings.

Non-English Product Support

iFIX Product Operating Regional Set- System Locale

Language System tings Format
Chinese Chinese Chinese
regional set-
tings. Chinese system locale.

For example: For example: Chinese (Simplified, China).

Chinese (Sim-
plified, China).
French French French
regional set-
tings. French system locale.

For example: For example: French (France).

French
(France).
German German German
regional set-
tings. German system locale.

For example: For example: German (Germany).

German (Ger-
many).
Japanese Japanese Japanese
regional set-
tings. Japanese system locale.

For example: For example: Japanese (Japan)

Japanese
(Japan).
Polish Polish Polish regional
settings. Polish system locale.

For example: For example: Polish (Poland)

Polish (Poland).
Russian Russian Russian
regional set-
tings. Russian system locale.

For example: For example: Russian (Russia)

Russian (Rus-
sia).

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 9

Unsupported Items

l GE does NOT support running the localized version of the product on an English operating system.
l Multilingual User Interface versions of the Windows Operating Systems are not supported by the
iFIX product.
l iFIX client/server configurations with different OS languages are not supported. For instance, con-
necting an English SCADA Server (on an English OS) with a German View node or iClient (on a Ger-
man OS) is not supported.

l Importing CSV configurations that were created on a different locale than the SCADA is not sup-
ported.

l Double-byte characters are not supported on single-byte operating systems.

l Right-to-left languages are not supported .
l The Productivity Tools are supported in English OS, with English regional settings.
l The following special characters are not supported when using the Romanian language in iFIX: ș, ț,
Ș, Ț .

How to Change the Regional Setting Format

1. From the Windows Control Panel, select Clock and Region. The Clock and Region settings appear.

2. Select the Change date, time, or number formats link. The Region dialog box appears.

3. In the Format field, view or select the region you want specify. For instance, the following dialog
box shows Chinese (Simplied, China) as the region.

10 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 How to Set the System Locale

1. From the Windows Control Panel, select Clock and Region. The Clock and Region settings appear.

2. Select the Change date, time, or number formats link. The Region dialog box appears.

3. In the Format field, confirm that the format is correct. If not, change it now and leave the dialog
box open.

4. Click the Administrative tab.

5. Click Change System Locale.

6. If there are changes that need to get applied, click Apply to proceed. The Region Settings dialog
box appears.

7. Enter a matching system locale for the region identified or configured in step 3. For example, the
following screen capture shows the matching Chinese locale for the regional setting defined
above.

8. Click OK and then restart your system to apply the change.

IMPORTANT: Be sure that you do not select the “Beta – Use Unicode UTF-8 for World-wide support” option in the
Region Settings dialog box. Otherwise, you will experience issues with the iFIX Database Manager.

Optimizing Virtual Memory

Through the use of paging files, Windows allocates space on your hard drive for use as if it were actually
memory. This space is known as virtual memory. The following steps describe how to optimize virtual
memory in Windows to achieve maximum performance from iFIX.
To optimize the virtual memory paging file for iFIX in Windows:

1. From the Windows Control Panel, select System, and click on Advanced Systems. Next, click the
Advanced tab and then in the Performance section click Settings. The Performance Options dialog

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 11

 box appears. Click the Advanced tab.
2. In the Virtual Memory group box, select Change.
3. In the Initial Size field, enter a value equal to three times your physical memory, as long as the res-
ult of the calculation does not exceed 4 GB or the Maximum Size value.
4. In the Maximum Size field, enter a value equal to three times your physical memory, as long as the
result of the calculation does not exceed 4 GB.
NOTE: For more information on the 4 GB paging file limit, refer to article 237740 on the Microsoft Know-
ledgebase: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/237740/en-us.
6. Select Set.
7. Click OK to save the changes and exit the dialog box.
NOTE: If the paging file is set to grow dynamically, your system may experience severe performance problems
during runtime. To ensure optimal performance, be sure that the Initial Size and Maximum Size of the paging
file are the same so that the paging file does not grow dynamically.

Running iFIX as a Service

If you are running iFIX as a service, please take note of the following information. For more information on
Windows security and running iFIX as a service, see "Windows and Security" on page 58.

Windows Services

In the Windows Services control panel, do not stop the iFIX service or make changes to the iFIX con-
figuration. This applies to iFIX running on any operating system.

Disabling Fast Startup in Microsoft Windows 8.1

In Windows 8.1, there is a functionality available in the Power Options called “Fast startup” (Power
Options are accessible from the Settings > Control Panel). When “Fast startup” is enabled as a Power
Option (the default) and you power down your computer or tablet, Windows will save the current state of
the system. The next time you restart Windows, your previous state is restored. This is because, by
default, Microsoft Windows 8 and 8.1 shuts down by logging off all users and then hibernating. In this
case, any service that was running will continue to run on the next startup.

When iFIX is running as a service, you may want to avoid this "Fast Startup" functionality. To revert to the
full shutdown on Windows 8.1, in the Power Options on the SCADA Server, select "Choose what the
power buttons do." Select the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option and then scroll
down to the Shutdown Settings area, and clear the “Turn on Fast startup” option.

(The "Fast Startup" feature is not available on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2.)

Enabling iFIX to Run as a Service

To enable iFIX to run as a service:

1. Shut down iFIX.

2. Ensure that you are logged in as a user in the iFIX Administrators group. If not, log in as an Admin-
istrator now.

12 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 3. On the Start menu, point to Programs, iFIX, and then System Configuration. The System Con-
figuration Utility (SCU) window appears.
4. On the Configure menu, click Local Startup. The Local Startup Definition dialog box appears.
5. In the Service area, select the "Run iFIX as a Service" check box, as illustrated in the following fig-
ure.This dialog box allows you to configures iFIX to run as a service when you start iFIX.

NOTE: The check boxes in the iFIX as a Service area of Local Startup Definition dialog box are greyed
out while iFIX is running. You need to shut down iFIX, as you did in step 1, in order to configure the ser-
vice. If a message appears that access controls are enabled (instead of greyed out fields), iFIX is running
with access controls and the service account is not set up for this node. Run ConfigureWizard.exe in the
iFIX install folder to add a Windows user to the iFIX service account. See steps below.

7. To start iFIX as a service when Windows starts, click the "Set Service Startup type to Automatic"
option.
8. Click OK.
9. Save and exit the SCU.
10. Start iFIX, or restart Windows with a user allowed to run iFIX as a service.
Adding a Windows User to the iFIX Service Account

If you want to add a Windows user to the service account, follow these steps:

1. Log in as an iFIX Administrator.

2. Locate and run configure wizard (ConfigureWizard.exe) in the iFIX install folder. By default this
path is: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\ConfigureWizard.exe. The Install Mode wizard appears.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 13

 3. Select the "Assign a Windows User Account to iFIX services" option.

4. Enter a user name. If on a domain, enter the fully qualified domain name with the user account.
For example, the previous illustration specified W2019-KMM\USER1 as the user account.-

5. Enter the password for this account.

6. Click OK.

7. Restart your computer.

8. Start iFIX

Disabling iFIX as a Service

To disable iFIX from running as a service:

1. Shut down iFIX.

2. Ensure that you are logged in as a user in the Administrators group. If not, log in as an Admin-
istrator now.
3. On the Start menu, point to Programs, iFIX, and then System Configuration. The System Con-
figuration Utility (SCU) window appears.
4. On the Configure menu, click Local Startup. The Local Startup Definition dialog box appears.
5. In the Service area of dialog box, clear the Run iFIX as Service check box.
6. lick OK.
7. On the File menu, click Save to save the SCU file.
8. Exit the SCU.
9. Restart iFIX.

14 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 iFIX Paths

Windows does not map network drives until a user logs in. Therefore, if you are running iFIX as a service
under Windows, all iFIX paths must be set to a local drive.
Required Application Feature

You must assign the Enable Ctrl+Alt+Del application feature to the user that is logged in when iFIX is run-
ning as a service. Otherwise if a user logs out of the operating system while iFIX is running as a service, no
one will be able to log back in to the operating system.
Running iFIX with Terminal Services

You must configure the Default Service SCU in the Startup Profile Manager if you want to run iFIX as a ser-
vice on the Terminal Server. For more information, refer to the Configuring the Default Profile section in
the Using Terminal Server electronic book.

Running iFIX with Other Programs

By default, iFIX uses the local System account when running as a service. However, you cannot use the
System account with certain applications, such as Proficy Historian.
To configure a different user account for iFIX running as a service:

1. From Control Panel, open the Administrative Tools, then Services.

2. In the Services folder, right-click iFIX server and select Properties.
3. In the Log On tab, set the user name and password for This Account to the user account you want
to log in when iFIX is running as a service.

Fast User Switching Not Supported

Fast user switching is not supported with iFIX, even if you are running iFIX as a service.

Running the OPC Client Driver and iFIX as a Service

If you want to run the OPC Client driver as a service, iFIX must also run as a service. Likewise, if you want
to run iFIX as a service, the OPC Client driver must run as a service. You cannot run one as a service,
without the other also running as a service.

Running Workspace.exe from the SCU Task List Not Supported

It is not recommended that you run Workspace.exe in the SCU task list when iFIX is running as a service.

Disk Space Requirements

The iFIX WorkSpace checks to make sure you have at least 10 MB of disk space when you save a picture
or a schedule. If there is insufficient disk space, the WorkSpace may react unpredictably and you may lose
your work.

To help minimize this problem, the WorkSpace warns you if you have less than 10 MB of disk space avail-
able. Although you can continue loading the software, we recommend that you stop iFIX, free some disk
space, then restart. Otherwise, the WorkSpace may become unstable.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 15

 The WorkSpace examines the iFIX Picture path and the Windows TEMP path when it starts. If you change
either path so that they reference different drives, for example, D:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\iFIX and
C:\Temp, the WorkSpace requires 10 MB on each drive.

You may find that 10MB is not enough space to protect against instability during file save operations. You
can increase this threshold by changing the FreeDiskSpace parameter in the FixUserPreferences.ini file.
This parameter sets the minimum amount of space that the WorkSpace requires in bytes. By default, the
parameter is set as follows:
[AppRunPreferences]
FreeDiskSpace=10000000
To change FreeDiskSpace parameter:

1. Shut down the WorkSpace.

2. Locate the FixUserPreferences.ini file in the Local path.
3. Open the file with a text editor, and change the FreeDiskSpace parameter to the amount you
want.
4. Save the .INI file and restart the WorkSpace.

OPC Certification

Based on Microsoft's OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) technology, OPC (OLE for Process Control)
provides greater interoperability between control applications, field systems and devices, and front
office/backoffice applications. OPC servers, such as DCSs, PLCs, smart field devices, and analyzers
provide real-time information and can communicate directly with the iFIX product.

The iFIX product is an OPC 2.05a DA enabled client, which lets iFIX retrieve data from any OPC 1.x or 2.x
(up to version 2.05a) compliant data server. To access local or remote data from a third party OPC
Server, use the iFIX OPC Client version 7.4x, which is also in included with iFIX.

iFIX also has an iFIX OPC Server (OPC20iFIX.exe) that serves out data via OPC from the iFIX Database.

Be aware that iFIX currently includes two OPC servers:

l OPC20iFIX.exe (Intellution.OPCiFIX) – an OPC 2.05a (out of process) Data Server

l iFixOPCAESrv.exe – an OPC 1.10 Alarm and Events (A&E) Server

Both OPC Servers included with iFIX are in compliance with the OPC Foundation's "Self Tested" spe-
cifications. GE ran a series of OPC tests to verify compliance for the versions listed above.

You can find more information about OPC on the Support web site at: https://digitalsupport.ge.com.

Installing the iFIX Software

There are two installers for iFIX: the integrated installer or the individual installer. The integrated Proficy
installer - the easiest way to install iFIX - helps you install iFIX, Historian, IGS, Configuration Hub, Licens-
ing, and other Proficy related applications in a fast and efficient way. The integrated product installer

16 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 streamlines the deployment experience for iFIX, along with the other products it often is used with. The
integrated installer is the preferred way to install iFIX. For more information, see this Quick Start.

You can still, however, install iFIX with the individual installer. The individual iFIX installer does not include
Configuration Hub. If you want to install Configuration Hub, use the integrated product installer.

The steps that follow outline how to install the iFIX software from the individual product installation.
NOTE: The iFIX DVD no longer includes GE Historian or WebSpace (previously known as iFIX WebSpace) installs. These
products are now distributed on separate media. To install or upgrade these products, you must obtain the media for
that product.
IMPORTANT:

l Installing or uninstalling iFIX via a remote desktop connection or through a terminal server session is not sup-
ported.
l 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.

For iFIX upgrade steps or for more general information on upgrading iFIX, refer to the Upgrading from an
Earlier Version of iFIX section.

The log file for the iFIX install is named iFIX 2022_SETUP.LOG. The log appears in your Windows folder.
This log files can be used to troubleshoot any issues that occur during the iFIX install.

To install iFIX software from the individual installer:

1. Log in to Windows with Administrator privileges. You must be an Administrator to install iFIX.
Ensure that there are no iFIX or GE processes running, and close any other programs that are run-
ning.
NOTE: It is important to shut down any GE or Proficy services and licensing prior to installing iFIX.
2. From the install media, open the iFIX installation screen.
NOTE: If this screen does not automatically appear when browsing the DVD or ISO, double-click the
InstallFrontEnd.exe file on the DVD to display it. A message may appear with a security warning. If it does,
select Run to proceed.
IMPORTANT: Be aware that if you do not already have .NET 4.6.1 installed and you choose to install iFIX, the
.NET 4.6.1 install will run first. After it installs, you will be prompted to restart your computer. After the restart,
the iFIX install continues. The install media must be available or connected to the target machine the entire
time for the install to finish.
3. Click the "Install iFIX" link. A message box appears asking you to confirm the install. By default,
iFIX will not be installed with you will be prompted to install iFIX installs in secure mode. As the
message indicates, before starting the installer:
1.) Identify a Windows users group (local or domain) for users who will start iFIX. Either create this group
beforehand, or let the installer create a local group for you.
The currently logged in user will be added to this local group if the install has privileges to do so.
IMPORTANT: If you are using a network domain group, iFIX and its applications will not be able to run if this
machine becomes disconnected from the network.
2.) Identify the user name and password of a user account that iFIX services will run under. This user will be
added to the local group specified in step 1.
3.) Identify other Windows users who will need to use or operate iFIX on this computer. You can later add them
to this same Windows users group after installing iFIX.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 17

 Are you ready to proceed?
4. Click Yes to proceed. The install continues.
TIP: If you see this message during the iFIX installation, you will need to install a Microsoft update before you
can continue: “A necessary Windows security update for the Universal C Runtime component is missing on this
computer. Please install the latest Windows updates and then install iFIX. For details, check the New Features
section of the IPIiFIX.chm found in ReleaseNotes folder on this install media.” Install the Microsoft Update,
KB2999226, and then try installing iFIX again. To install KB2999226, you may need to install other updates first.
For Windows Server 2012 R2, you must have KB2919442 and then KB2919355 installed before installing
KB2999226. For Windows 8.1, you just need KB2999226.
5. An informational message box appears. Click OK to proceed.
NOTE: If a previous version of iFIX already resides on your computer when you try to install the latest version
of iFIX, a message box appears during the installation suggesting that you upgrade your existing iFIX install. It is
recommended that you elect to upgrade iFIX when this message appears. By following the upgrade process,
iFIX installs to same folder where your previous version existed. For example, if you have iFIX installed to the
C:\Dynamics folder, when you upgrade, the newer version of iFIX installs to the C:\Dynamics folder. After the
iFIX upgrade completes and you restart iFIX, your SCU file is upgraded automatically, and the original file is
backed up with a .^CU extension. For more information on upgrading SCU files, refer to the SCU Files and the
Upgrade section.

The install program starts and the Welcome screen appears.

6. Click Next to continue. The license agreement screen appears.

7. If you want to proceed, click "I accept the terms of the license agreement" and then click Next.
IMPORTANT: If a previous version of iFIX is detected, you can choose to upgrade iFIX. For iFIX versions before
4.0, you have the choice to upgrade or install iFIX to a completely new folder, without upgrading. If you want to
upgrade, it is suggested that you do so using the install at this point.
The Setup Type screen appears.
8. Select an option and click Next:
l Complete – Installs all iFIX components, including options such as Electronic books (e-
books), Sample System, the My-T-Soft virtual (on screen) keyboard, the Water and OEM
Solutions Packs, and the Productivity Tools.
l Custom – Installs iFIX and the options that you choose. You are prompted to enter your
options after you select an install path.
l Typical – Installs iFIX, the Sample System, and the Electronic books (e-books). This is the
default setting.
The Choose Destination Location screen appears.
9. Leave the default path or click Browse to select a folder.
NOTES:
l If you enter a custom install path, be aware that the path can be no greater than 100 characters long.
l If you are upgrading from FIX32, make sure that you choose a location other than the folder that con-
tains your FIX32 software, if it is installed on the same computer. Do not install over a current FIX32
installation.
l If you want to use 6.x drivers, the iFIX compressed install path must be no greater than 64 characters
long. iFIX uses the Microsoft compression algorithm to try to fit longer paths within this boundary. Some
paths are not compressible to the 64 character maximum length. Please be aware of this. In addition,
make sure that the registry key, HKEY_LOCAL_

18 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation, is not
enabled (is set to 0) when the install folder is created. When set to 1, the compression algorithm is dis-
abled. Refer to Microsoft help for more information on the GetShortPathName() compression algorithm.
l After installing a 6x driver, the driver is listed in the SCU in the Drivers Available dialog box (which can
be accessed from the I/O Driver Name browse button in the SCADA Configuration dialog box). You need
to manually add the driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list in the SCADA Configuration dialog box.
10. Click Next to continue.
NOTES: If you selected a Custom install, instead of Complete, the Select Features screen appears next. Select
the features you want to install, and click Next.
The Ready to Install Program screen appears.
11. Click Install. The progress of the installation displays on screen as the files are copied.
12. Wait as iFIX installs. After a few minutes, a Firewall setting message appears.
13. Click Yes to enable iFIX through the Windows firewall. The install continues. The iFIX Configure
Wizard dialog box appears.

14. Enter the Node Name, Node Type, and Connectivity Type, if applicable, and then click OK. For
example, if you want to set up a SCADA server without any remote nodes, select SCADA and
Stand-alone. If you want a networked SCADA server, select SCADA and Networked. If you want to
configure a networked client, select View and Networked.
TIP: As a best practice, be sure to enter a new name in the Node Name field. Use a name other than the default
name of FIX for your node name. This distinction is important if you have multiple SCADA nodes on the same
network.
After you configure your settings and click OK, and if prompted to enter your remote nodes (for a
networked node), enter the name of your Remote SCADA node(s), click Add, and then click OK.
Otherwise, click Skip and you can configure this later in the SCU (from the Configure > Network
menu option).
The install continues and the iFIX Install Mode screen appears.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 19

 15. Leave the default "Continue without Access Controls" option selected.
NOTE: You can optionally select the "Install iFIX with Access Controls" option which installs iFIX with access
controls.
16. Optionally, if installing iFIX with Access Controls (formerly secure mode) and using a domain net-
work group as the scope for validation, enter a domain name (for example mycompany.com).
Otherwise, specify the local computer name (the default).
l When using the network domain group, iFIX and its applications will not be able to run if this
machine becomes disconnected from the domain.
l If you specify a local group and it does not exist, the installer will create it for you. By choosing
secure mode, the currently logged in user will be added to this Windows group. All other
iFIX users will need to be manually added.
17. Optionally, if installing iFIX with Access Controls and you want to run iFIX as a service, select the
"Assign a Windows user account to iFIX services" option, and enter and user name and password.
iFIX will run under this account when configured to run as a service.
l This user must exist in the specified Windows group name.
l If you choose not to provide this information, then iFIX cannot be configured to run as a ser-
vice.
l It is recommended to use a least privilege account, and not an administrative account.
TIP: If you selected "Continue without secure mode", you can later run this wizard post install to secure iFIX.
This wizard can be run by using the ConfigureWizard.exe application in the iFIX Install directory.
18. Click OK.
19. When a message box appears requesting that you view the release notes, click Yes. Close the
release notes after you finish reviewing them to resume the install. The Install Complete screen
appears.
20. Select Finish to restart your computer.

20 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 21. After you restart your computer and the install completes, update your product licensing. For
information on installing and configuring your license, refer to the GE Support site.
22. Restart the computer again after licensing is configured. As the computer restarts, log in to Win-
dows with the same user name (with Administrator rights).
23. Check if there are any required Service Packs or SIMs to install for iFIX on the GE Support web site,
and install them.
24. If you just installed a SCADA Server, change the default iFIX Administrator password in the Secur-
ity Configuration program. iFIX must be running to do this. For steps on how to change the pass-
word and other user account settings, refer to the Modifying a User Account topic in the
Configuring Security Features e-book. Make sure you save this password.
25. If you are using iFIX on a Domain, in a client/server networking configuration, update the HOSTS
file with the name of the iFIX SCADA Server, to ensure the highest reliability for connectivity. This
update must be done on the server and all clients, as the contents of the HOSTS file should be
identical on each node (client and server) in your TCP/IP network. If your iFIX SCADA Server node
name is different from the computer name where iFIX is installed, you also need to add this name
to each HOSTS file.
TIPS:
l You can find the HOSTS file in the C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc folder.
l Depending upon your permissions, you may need to copy this file to another folder, edit it, and then
copy it back to the etc folder after your edits are complete.
l Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit the HOSTS file. To prevent Notepad from automatically
adding a .TXT file extension when you save the file, in the Save as Type field, select “All Files.”
l 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.
l If you do not know the TCP/IP address of the SCADA computer, run the IPCONFIG command on the
SCADA Server.
l Be sure to update the HOSTS file on the SCADA Server and each iFIX Client that you install.
l The same, identical entries should appear in the HOSTS file for the iFIX SCADA Server and each iFIX
View node (Client) on your network.
26. If you just installed an iFIX View (iClient) node, and you want to be able to view pictures from the
SCADA Server from this node, you need to either copy the pictures from the iFIX SCADA to the
iFIX client (no database or other files need to be copied), or map a drive on the View node to the
picture folder on your SCADA Server to share the pictures. You should then update the SCU (with
Configure > Paths menu option) on the View node to point to this mapped drive location.
IMPORTANT: To view pictures from the View (client) node, the View node needs to match the iFIX version of
the iFIX SCADA server.
NOTE: If you are using a shared PIC directory on a drive other than the one on which iFIX is installed, you must
enter the full path to the PIC directory. For example, if you want to use a shared PIC directory on the G:\ drive,
you must enter G:\PIC in the SCU.
If you want to allow multiple clients to open the same picture file past the Windows concurrent limit, you need
to make sure that the PIC folder on your iFIX Server is set to read-only and that the pictures in that folder are
also read-only. Additionally, the following entry needs to be added to FixUserPreferecnes.ini:
[FileOpenMethod]
FileOpenStyle=1

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 21

 The limit of 20 concurrent users opening a file at one time is a Microsoft limitation when using the IStorage
object. This limitation is documented in the Microsoft online reference for the IStorage object, located here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa380364%28v=vs.85%29.aspx.

Remote Configuration Hub Registration

If you want to use a Configuration Hub server that is not on the local machine, you need to unregister with
the local Configuration Hub server first and then register with the Configuration Hub server on remote
machine.

To unregister with Configuration Hub on the local machine, you'll need the Client ID and Client Secret inform-
ation you entered when you installed iFIX.

Unregistering the Local Configuration Hub

From the iFIX WorkSpace, on the Applications tab, click the Register button.

The login screen appears.

Enter your iFIX login user name and password. After authenticated, the following screen appears.

From this screen you can unregister with Configuration Hub on a local machine.

Registering on the Remote Configuration Hub

To register with a remote Configuration Hub server, enter the remote Configuration Hub server name in the
Server Name field. In the Client ID and Client Secret fields, enter the values of the remote Configuration Hub
server. For example, see the following figure.

22 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

TIP: If you forget your client ID on the local machine, open the ConfigHubSettingsUtility.exe utility found in the Con-
figuration Hub folder (by default this folder is: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\ConfigurationHub). Click the Credentials tab to
view it. The Credentials tab allows modification of Client ID/secret. You must have valid, current credentials to make a
change.
IMPORTANT: The remote Configuration Hub server root certificate (C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\Con-
figurationHub\ConfigHubPki\ ConfigHubRootCA.crt) must be installed into the iFIX server windows certificate store trusted
roots folder. To do that, copy the root certificate file from remote Configuration Hub server (C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\Con-
figurationHub\ConfigHubPki\ ConfigHubRootCA.crt) on to the iFIX server computer and then double-click on it to import it in
to Local Machine Trusted Root Certificate Authorities.

Using iFIX with Proficy Historian

With Proficy Historian, you can perform the following tasks in iFIX:

l Set Historian tags for collection for the iFIX database.

l Insert a Historical Data Link into your picture in the iFIX WorkSpace.

l Use a Historical HP Dynamo with Historian tags.

l Use Time Lapse Playback to replay an event.

l Use VisiconX data and grid objects to access Historian data from the iFIX WorkSpace.

When making your decision on how you want to use GE Historian with iFIX, keep the following con-
siderations in mind.

Configuration Considerations
Although many of the features of GE Historian can be configured in iFIX, some cannot. They must be con-
figured directly in GE Historian. These features include:

l Security
l Alarms, if you are using them
l Collection on any field other than F_CV.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 23

 l Archive compression
l Archive back-up
l Other tag properties not configurable in iFIX
l GE Historian parameters for Database Dynamos, or loadable blocks
l Redundancy

Other Considerations
Multiple Databases

Only a single, local database is supported with Proficy Historian. If you want to use multiple databases,
you may want to use Proficy Historian separately from iFIX. When used together, Proficy Historian does
not recognize tags from the iFIX database with the same name as different tags, even though the source
is different. So, tags that exist in your iFIX database are ignored. The data that is populated comes from
Proficy Historian, not from the iFIX database. To avoid this problem, verify that each tag has a unique
name.

When using multiple iFIX databases that have the same node name and the same tag name, Proficy His-
torian will be unable to discriminate a tag coming from one node with a tag coming from another node,
and these tags will be subsequently be ignored. It is best practice to not use the same iFIX node name on
multiple nodes.

For example, you have a tag called AI1 in both Process Database 1 (PDB1) and Process Database 2
(PDB2). Both tags are added to Proficy Historian as FIX.AI1.F_CV. If you reload PDB1 and then PDB2, the
AI1 tag is overwritten in Proficy Historian.

Collection Delay

When iFIX and Proficy Historian are used as an integrated application, rather than as separate applic-
ations, it takes longer for tags to update if the Collector is running. Additions, deletions and modifications
of tags may take twice as long to display – approximately two minutes, instead of one – than if each
application was used separately.

Collectors

If you choose to use Proficy Historian, not all installed collectors will be available for selection as the
default Collector. Because this feature only supports collectors that read data from iFIX, the collectors
available for selection are limited to the following:

l iFIX Native Collector

Electronic Signatures

If you use electronic signatures, then you should probably not use the integrated Proficy Historian fea-
ture. If a tag requires an electronic signature in Proficy Historian and does not in iFIX, and a user makes a
change in iFIX, the user is not prompted for a password. Instead, the change is made, bypassing Proficy
Historian's electronic signature requirement.

Spare1 Fields

When used with iFIX, the Proficy Historian Spare1 fields are used to keep track of tags that were added
or modified by iFIX. When you enable Collection for a tag in the iFIX Database Manager (on the Proficy

24 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Historian tab, in the Collection Options area), the Spare1 field is assigned to iFIX. iFIX controls the cre-
ation or modification of this tag in Proficy Historian. In other words, iFIX becomes the owner of the
Spare1 field. The Spare1 fields are written to when an iFIX tag is added for the first time from iFIX to the
Proficy Historian Server. The Spare1 field contains the iFIX database name.

If you want to use the Spare1 field in Proficy Historian to allow data to be written to Proficy Historian
from a third party application separate from iFIX, you need to Disable Collection on the tag from within
iFIX (which is the default setting for any new tags you add in iFIX Database Manager). When disabled,
Proficy Historian collection is not enabled for the tag and the tag is handled exclusively by Proficy His-
torian. When the tag is being handled by Proficy Historian, it cannot be modified or deleted from iFIX.

Choosing Not to Install Integrated Proficy Historian

If you do not want to install integrated Proficy Historian, and continue using Proficy Historian as you did
before, then never do the following:

l Select the Automatically Configure Tags for Collection in Proficy Historian on the Proficy Historian
tab of the User Preferences dialog box.
l Use Proficy Historian fields in iFIX Database Manager to configure anything in Proficy Historian.

Post-Installation Steps for Proficy Historian

If you choose to install Proficy Historian, there are post-installation steps you will need to perform. For
more information, see Configuring iFIX to Use Proficy Historian and Configuring Security When Using iFIX
with GE Historian.

Configuring Security When Using iFIX with Proficy Historian

Beginning with iFIX 5.0, iFIX configures Proficy Historian by adding and deleting tags and changing tag prop-
erties. Therefore, applicable security measures must be configured. However, tag level security and
Proficy Historian domain security cannot be configured in the iFIX application; it must be done in Proficy
Historian.

For Proficy Historian domain security, see "User Privileges for Starting a Collector" in the Proficy Historian
e-book.

For all other security considerations for Proficy Historian, see the chapter "Implementing Historian Secur-
ity" in the Proficy Historian e-book.

Configuring iFIX to Use Proficy Historian

The following tables describe the process for configuring iFIX to run with Proficy Historian:

Configuration Process - New Install of Historian

Stag- Description
e

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 25

 1 Install iFIX.
2 Install Proficy Historian.
3 Install the Historian Client Tools and the iFIX Collector on the iFIX computer.
NOTE: When configuring the iFIX collector from the Historian 9.0 media, see the additional steps below.
4 Define your security strategy for Historian and iFIX.

Be sure to review the Historian security considerations in the "Implementing Historian Security"
chapter of the Proficy Historian Getting Started guide before getting started. You may need to
temporarily enable or disable these options during the installation process.

Additionally, plan your iFIX security by reviewing the "Configuring Security Features" e-book in the
iFIX e-books. If iFIX is not running as an Administrator, be sure to review the "User Privileges for
Starting a Collector" topic in the Historian e-books as well.
5 Start iFIX and the WorkSpace.
6 On the iFIX computer, configure the iFIX Collector:

l From the iFIX startup dialog box, open the SCU (System Configuration Utility) option.
l On the Configure menu, select Tasks.
l Next to the Filename field, click the browse (...) button to select the ihfixcollector.exe file
from the iFIX install folder (by default: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX).
l In the Command Line field, enter one of the following command and click Add, and then
OK and save the SCU file.

IMPORTANT: When you add the iFIX Collector to the iFIX SCU Task list with the
RUNASDOS command line, then the iFIX Collector will automatically start when
iFIX starts, and you will not need to start the iFIX Collector manually.

Command Line 1: RUNASDOS

Use the RUNASDOS command to start default iFIX Collectors (applies to all versions of Historian
except Historian 9.0 Collectors).

For example:

26 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Command Line 2: SERVICENAME=COLLECTORSERVICENAME

Use this command to start the iFIX Collector to run as a Service.

For example, in the SCU task list, enter the command SERVICENAME=ihFixCollector with the star-
tup mode as Background for the ihFIXCollector.exe. This example assumes that a service called
ihFixCollector corresponding to the ihFIXCollector.exe application exists in the Windows Services
list. The service name might be different in your Windows Services list. For default IFIX collector it
is ihFixCollector.

Command Line 3: NOSERVICE

Use this command line to start the default installed iFIX collector. You can also double-click the
Start iFix Collector.bat file available in iFIX install folder to start the default Installed iFIX collector
with the NOSERVICE command.

For other instances of collectors use:

NOSERVICE REG=iFixCollector1

where iFixCollector1 is the collector instance name provided in the Historian settings in Con-
figuration Hub. After you make this change, launch iFIX and confirm your Collector starts.

For Historian 9.0 and later versions , after you install the Historian Client Tools and iFIX Collector
on the iFIX Server computer, you can register the iFIX Collector and create other instances of it
from Configuration Hub. Refer to the Historian documentation for detailed steps on working with
collectors. Use Configuration Hub with Historian to manage the collector.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 27

 For Historian 9.0, you must add the instance of the iFIX Collector with Configuration Hub, as the
default iFIX Collector is not created by install. The RUNASDOS command is not supported for His-
torian 9.0.
7 If using multiple Historian servers that are not mirror nodes, perform the following steps to add
iFIX data:

Add iFIX Data to Two Different Historian Servers which are Not Mirror Nodes (Historian
9.0 and Greater)

Starting with Historian 9.0, you can use Configuration Hub to create multiple server instances
and it will create the necessary registry entry and multiple instances of the ihFIXCollector.exe
that can be run.

-OR-

Add iFIX Data to Two Different Historian Servers which are Not Mirror Nodes (Earlier
Than Historian 9.0)

If you need to send iFIX Data to two different Historian Servers which are not Mirror nodes:

l Copy the “ihFIXCollector.exe" file from the iFIX install folder, paste it to a new location,
and rename the new exe file as “ihFIXCollector2.exe”.
l Go to the Windows Registry, and locate the following key: “Hkey_local_machine > Soft-
ware > Wow6432Node > Intellution, Inc.”
l Add a key under “iFixCollector.” Name this key as “FIX2nd”.
l Add the following values for “FIX2nd”: General1 - General5, HistorianNodeName, and Inter-
faceName. The other values will be auto-created when the collector first starts up. Only
three of the seven values need to be set:
l General3 = iFix node name
l HistorianNodeName = Computer name of Historian server
l InterfaceName = Name for this iFIX collector displayed in Historian Administrator;
must be different from the 1st iFix collector
l For more information, see KB article 000034196 on digitalsupport.ge.com
8 Restart iFIX to start the Collector.
Configure iFIX to automatically add tag data to a single Historian server (the FIXTOHIST process
is used in the background to do this). This only works if only one iFIX Collector is being used.

In the iFIX WorkSpace, on the Administration tab:

1. Click Configure Historian and then Configure the Historian Server. The Configure the
Proficy Historian Server(s) dialog box appears.
9 2. Click Get Collectors. (The name of iFIX Collector that is already started will be populated
in the Collector Name box.)
3. Select the Collector name from the box, and then click Set Default. Review the Using iFIX
with Proficy Historian section first before enabling a default collector.
4. To enable Historian data collection for an iFIX tag, enable Historian Collect in Con-
figuration Hub or in the iFIX Database Manager for the tag. (When configured in this
manner through iFIX, only iFIX tags with Historian options enabled will be automatically
added to the Historian Administrator.)

Historian Upgrade Process

The following steps outline the process to upgrade Historian.

28 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Configuration Process - Upgrade to GE Historian

Stage Description
1 If upgrading from a previous release of iFIX and you have GE Historian installed on the PC, shut
down all services and licensing prior to installing iFIX and then GE Historian.
2 Install iFIX.
3 Back up all the Proficy Historian archive data files (*.iha), configuration files (*.ihc), and any other
backup files you maintained. By default, you can find these files in the c:\Program Files\GE Digit-
al\Historian Data\Archives folder. Make a copy of those backup files.
4 From the Add or Remove Programs feature in the Control Panel, manually uninstall Historian. Do
Not Delete Archives when prompted.
5 Restart your computer.
6 Install Historian as described in the Historian Getting Started guide.
7 After the install completes, restart your computer. It is very important not to forget this step,
and to restart your computer. Make sure the Historian Archiver is running.
8 Restore your Proficy Historian archive using the Historian Administrator.
9 Copy your configuration files (*.ihc) to the Archive folder.
10 Install the Historian Client Tools and the iFIX Collector on your iFIX SCADA Server.
IMPORTANT: When upgrading from a previous version of Historian, Enforce Strict Client Authentication and
Enforce Strict Collector Authentication should be disabled on the Historian Server to allow for compatibility
with older clients or collectors that cannot be upgraded concurrently. It is recommended that all clients and
collectors receive a timely upgrade to the latest version of Historian, which permits enabling both strict client
and collector authentication on the server for the highest security configuration.
By treating clients and collectors separately, it is possible to accommodate new and legacy authentication dur-
ing the upgrade process. However, upgrading all clients and collectors to the latest version immediately will
achieve a higher level of security. The two options, Enforce Strict Client Authentication and Enforce Strict Col-
lector Authentication, permit flexibility during the upgrade process by selectively accommodating legacy cli-
ents and collectors.
11 Configure iFIX and your Proficy Historian Server.

Limiting the Number of Historian Servers at Workspace Startup

By default, on startup, the iFIX WorkSpace connects to all the Historian servers that have been con-
figured, including those configured outside of iFIX such as with the Historian Administrator. If you have a
large number of Historian servers, you may notice that the WorkSpace takes a long time to start. You can
limit the number of Historian servers that iFIX connects to when it starts by configuring a setting in the
FixUserPreferences.ini file. The FixUserPreferences.ini file is found in the iFIX\Local folder.

The WorkspaceStartupConnectHistDataSourceOnly option in the FixUserPreferences.INI file allows you

to limit the number of Historian servers that WorkSpace connects to when it starts up. When enabled,
the WorkSpace will connect only to the Historian servers that have been configured as historical data
sources in iFIX. Typically, an iFIX historical data source is created when you use the Configure Historian
Server menu item or toolbar in the iFIX WorkSpace.

To activate this feature, in the FixUserPreferences.ini file, in the [Historian] section, add the "Work-
spaceStartupConnectHistDataSourcesOnly " parameter and set the value to 1. For example, here is the
setting enabled:

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 29

 [Historian]
WorkspaceStartupConnectHistDataSourcesOnly=1

To disable the option, set WorkspaceStartupConnectHistDataSourcesOnly to 0. For example:

WorkspaceStartupConnectHistDataSourcesOnly=0

The WorkSpace must be restarted for any changes to the Work-

spaceStartupConnectHistDataSourcesOnly parameter to take effect.

Using the Discover and Auto Configure Tool with Proficy Historian

Not only can you can use the Discover and Auto Configure tool to automatically add tags to your iFIX data-
base, but you can also choose which tags get collected on in Proficy Historian as well.

Additionally, you can configure the Proficy Historian description and the interval for the collection for
each tag through Discover and Auto Configure. For information about adding Proficy Historian fields in Dis-
cover and Auto Configure, refer to the Adding Proficy Historian Fields as Columns topic.

Before you begin collection, you must have your Proficy Historian Server configured, and your iFIX Col-
lector configured as your local, default collector.

Be aware of your license limits for Proficy Historian. For example, there are limits to the number of iFIX
tags you are permitted to add to the Proficy Historian Server for collection. Use care when you select
which tags that you want to collect on in Discover and Auto Configure. You do not want to exceed your
license limits.

For more information on this tool, refer to the Discover and Auto Configure e-book.

Using iFIX with Microsoft Office

You can use the Microsoft Office family of products and iFIX on the same computer. However, to ensure
that VBA works correctly, install Microsoft Office products before installing iFIX.

Use the following table as a guide for installing and removing either product.

If you have... And you want to... Then...

Installed iFIX Install Microsoft Office Remove iFIX, install Microsoft Office
Products products, and re-install iFIX.
Installed Microsoft Office Products Remove Microsoft Remove iFIX, remove Microsoft Office
Office Products products, and re-install iFIX.
Started the iFIX WorkSpace for the Use iFIX and Microsoft Uninstall iFIX, uninstall Microsoft Office, re-
first time, and this message appears: Office harmoniously install Microsoft Office, and re-install iFIX.

Run time error "48": Error in loading

dll.

Backup Files

When you save one of the following files, iFIX creates a backup file:

30 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l *.PDB – backed up as *.^DB
l *.SCU – backed up as *.^CU
l Profiles.cfg – backed up as Profiles.cfg.^AK
l DISPLAY.DOV – backed up as DISPLAY.^OV
l NODENAME.DOV – backed up as NODENAME.^OV

iFIX also creates these backup files after you start iFIX for the first time after an upgrade. These backup
files are helpful in disaster recovery of the individual files.

For new iFIX installs, be aware that you can also use the Factory Default Backup for disaster recovery –
performing a clean restore of your entire iFIX system. A clean restore includes the files listed above along
with other Factory Default files. For more information, refer to the Using and Creating Factory Default
Files section in the Understanding iFIX electronic book.

For upgrades, be aware that you can perform a Custom Backup to backup the files listed above before
the upgrade. After the upgrade, you can restore these files with the Backup and Restore wizard. Refer to
the Overview of the Backup Process section in the Understanding iFIX electronic book for more inform-
ation.
IMPORTANT: Do not use a Full Backup from a previous release of iFIX to update the files in the currently installed iFIX
folder. Issues can occur with upgrade paths, and possibly other files.

Optionally, after you upgrade your system with the Custom Backup, you can create a new Factory
Default Backup, that you can use for disaster recovery in replace of the original Factory Default Backup
file. This information is described in the Using and Creating Factory Default Files and Sample
BackupRestore.ini sections.

Change Management and iFIX

If you plan to use Change Management with iFIX, to help you manage your iFIX project files, and track
changes to these files, install iFIX first. After you install iFIX, you can install Change Management.

Additionally, you need to configure a few items on both iFIX and the Change Management Server, as
described in the Setting up iFIX for Use with Change Management topic in the Change Management and
iFIX e-book.
NOTE: If you want to run iFIX with other GE products, such as Change Management, you will need to upgrade your key
to at least an M4 key, or better.

If you are upgrading an iFIX computer with the Change Management, upgrade to the latest version of
Change Management.

Discover and Auto Configure

The Discover and Auto Configure is a tool used to extract tag information from PLC programming soft-
ware files or OPC servers and then add the tags to your target application's iFIX database. Using the Dis-
cover and Auto Configure tool saves you valuable time and effort when creating tags for your driver(s)
and iFIX application database because you no longer need to manually create the individual tags.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 31

 You can currently extract information using the following Discovery Agents:

l OPC Discovery Agent

l Siemens S7 Discovery Agent
l Allen-Bradley PLC-5/SLC 500/MicroLogix Families Discovery Agent
l IGS - Industrial Gateway Server Discovery Agent

Not only can you automatically generate tags for OPC, Siemens S7, and Allen Bradley, but with the Indus-
trial Gateway Server (IGS), you have support for tag creation in over 90 protocols.

Within Discover and Auto Configure, you can also configure the iFIX tags that you want to collect on in His-
torian (through the iFIX Collector). For information on using Discover and Auto Configure with Historian,
refer to the Using the Discover and Auto Configure Tool with Historian section.

For more information on this tool, refer to the Discover and Auto Configure e-book.

Optional Hardware

iFIX supports the following optional hardware. You may want to purchase one or more of these items to
enhance your iFIX system.

l A Microsoft-supported touch screen or other pointing device.

l A DigiBoard™ to provide your computer with up to 9 serial ports. If you are using multiple I/O
drivers or multiple ports for one I/O driver, you may require the use of a DigiBoard. GE has tested
and supports the Digichannel PC/8E.

Uninstalling iFIX

IMPORTANT: Do not to delete the user group that was created/used by the iFIX installer (to apply ACLs) before you
uninstall the iFIX product. Instead, uninstall iFIX first, and then you can optionally remove this Windows group.

To uninstall iFIX, from the Control Panel, in the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click the Remove but-
ton next to the iFIX entry. This action launches the install program allowing you to remove the iFIX
product.

If you want to uninstall other items that install along with iFIX, such as the iFIX OPC Client, Common
Licensing, and Discover and Auto Configure application, you need to uninstall these items separately.
NOTE: For the Discover and Auto Configure (DAC) application, it is recommended that you uninstall it before you unin-
stall the iFIX product. If you wait until after you uninstall iFIX, the DAC uninstall will display error messages.

Sleep or Hibernate Mode

If your SCADA computer has been sleeping overnight, or in hibernate mode, be aware that you will need
to acknowledge all of the queued "License Warning" messages.

32 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Upgrading from an Earlier Version of iFIX

This chapter contains information about issues concerning upgrading your iFIX version. After you upgrade,
you should run the Resolve Files utility against your Pictures and Schedules.
NOTE: Direct upgrades from iFIX 3.5 to the latest version of iFIX are not supported. To upgrade iFIX in this case,
upgrade to 5.8 first and then upgrade to the latest version of iFIX.

Upgrade Paths
The following table describes the upgrade paths with the associated operating systems supported for
iFIX.

No = No upgrade path exists

Yes = Upgrade path exists

N/A = Not supported on this version

iFIX 2022 Win7 Win7 Win Win 8.1 Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win
Upgrade Embeded 8 10 IoT 2008 2008R2 2012 2012 2016 2019 2022
Paths LTSC R2
iFIX 5.5
No No N/A N/A N/A N/A No No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
SP2
iFIX 5.8
No No No Yes Yes N/A No No No Yes N/A N/A N/A
SP2
iFIX 5.9 No No N/A Yes Yes N/A N/A No N/A Yes Yes N/A N/A
iFIX 6.0 No No N/A Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes N/A N/A
iFIX 6.1 No No N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A
iFIX 6.5 N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes N/A
iFIX 2022 N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes

Webspace and the Upgrade

When upgrading iFIX with access control in a Webpsace setup, ensure that your Webspace users are part
of the iFIX Windows group (IFIXUSERS by default) for access control. If you do not add your Webspace
users to this Windows group, you will not be able to launch Webspace after the upgrade.

The Database and the Upgrade

Be aware that when you upgrade to the current version of iFIX, the file size of your process database file
will increase.

Also, when you upgrade your database, the high and low engineering units (EGU) fields are converted
from single precision to double precision floats. What that means, is that the degree of accuracy (the Epsi-
lon value) changes from +/_0.00000012 to +/_0.00000000000000022. If you are using extreme ranges
(very large or very low values) for your EGU limits, you may possibly experience issues after an upgrade.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 33

To resolve these issues, open the Database Manager, export your database and then re-import it. This
procedure resets the block values.

SCADASync.ini File and the Upgrade

Be aware that during the upgrade, as part of the updated Enhanced Failover functionality, the existing
SCADASync.ini file will be overwritten. This happens so that the SCADASync.ini will be updated to include
the new Maintenance Mode parameters.

DDA Drivers and the Upgrade

If you are using DDA drivers, such as ROC, BR3 or MBR, you must reinstall them after upgrade. If the
driver installation files are unavailable, you can use a copy of your existing FIX.INI file to compare to the
one created after the upgrade. Then, copy the missing lines from your old FIX.INI file to your new FIX.INI
file.

OPC Drivers and the Upgrade

If you are running the OPC I/O driver as a service along with iFIX, be aware that after an iFIX upgrade the
driver will no longer be registered as a Windows service and it will need to be re-registered as a service
to run with iFIX as a service. Run the “OpcDrv.exe REGSERVICE” command on the command line to
reregister.

This change occurs because the driver is re-installed as part of the iFIX install, and it resets the driver to
its original installed state, but the *.opc configuration file remains.

The driver’s settings will also be reset to defaults, such as the default configuration file (*.opc). You should
run the OPC driver’s powertool and re-configure the settings in the Setup dialog box.

Before You Upgrade

Before you upgrade your version of iFIX make sure you:

l Plan to upgrade all your iFIX iClient (View) nodes to the latest version, before upgrading the iFIX
SCADA.

l Plan to resolve pictures after an upgrade if you want to optimize performance.

l Shut down all GE applications. It is important that no GE products are running when you run the
iFIX installation program.
l Save copies of your existing .INI files with your application preferences and any custom files you
create. Customized files, such as *Res.dll files, and some *.INI files may be overwritten during an
upgrade. As such, you may need to integrate your custom changes into the newer versions of
these files after you upgrade.
l Back up your existing iFIX projects. This includes the files in your LOCAL, Config Files Backup, PIC,
and PDB folders.
l It is also recommended that you create a backup copy of your Alarm ODBC configuration file(s).

34 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l Export a report of your system configuration (SCU), for reference. (In the SCU, on the File menu,
click Report. Refer to the Generating a System Configuration Report section for detailed steps.)
l Export a report of your security configuration, for reference. (In the Security Configuration applic-
ation, on the File menu, click Export. Refer to the Exporting a Report of the Security Configuration
section for detailed steps.)
l If you have an application created by an Integration Toolkit, Database Dynamo Toolkit, or System
Extension Toolkit from iFIX 2.5 or earlier, and you want to use this application with latest version
of iFIX, do not uninstall iFIX. You must install the newer version of iFIX over your existing iFIX con-
figuration. Your toolkit application will not run if you uninstall your previous version of iFIX.
l Be sure to obtain any toolkit updates that you need, prior to installing iFIX. For instance, if you
have previously installed the iFIX Productivity Pack for Allen Bradley, you must get the updated ver-
sion prior to upgrading iFIX.
l If you plan to use Enhanced Failover feature provided in iFIX, review the Enhanced Failover and
Upgrading section.
l If you plan to use Configuration Hub with iFIX, before you upgrade iFIX, delete the old OPC UA Con-
figuration certificate (iFIX_OpcuaConfigRoot.crt) from the Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX\LOCAL\iFIX_OpcuaConfigService\pki folder, and then upgrade to the latest version.
IMPORTANT: If you forget to delete the OPC UA certificate before upgrading, you will need to follow
the steps in this topic in order to trust the certificate again after the upgrade.

l After upgrading iFIX and Configuration Hub, you will need to add the APPLICATION_DESIGNER
group in iFIX Security Configuration, and then export it to Proficy Authentication. The group name
from iFIX 6.5 contained a space character, which is not supported in the current version of Con-
figuration Hub and is why the group name is not migrated. Before you export the group, be sure
that the APPLICATION_DESIGNER group contain the following iFIX application features: Database
Block Add-Delete, Database Manager, Database Reload, Database Save, Enable Task Switching,
OPC UA Confiugration Tool, Runtime Visual Basic Editor Access, WorkSpace Configure, WorkSpace
Runtime, and WorkSpace Runtime Exit.
l After upgrading iFIX and Configuration Hub, you will need to manually add two missing privileges
to the ch_admin user. In the Navigation panel from Configuration Hub, select Proficy Authentic-
ation. From the Users list, select the ch_admin user and add the following items to its group mem-
bership: scada.fix_shared.IFIX_PROFICY_AUTH_ADMIN and scada.fix.shared_APPLICATION_
DESIGNER.

Steps to Upgrade from an Earlier Version of iFIX

To upgrade from earlier versions of iFIX

Use the steps in the Installing the iFIX Software topic. When a message box appears indicating that a pre-
vious version of iFIX has been detected, click Yes to upgrade. After you upgrade, you should run the
Resolve Files utility against your Pictures and Schedules.

Preserving Settings when Upgrading

When iFIX is installed, all previously existing configuration files in the iFIX Local folder, with the exception
of the *Res.dll files, are backed up to the C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\Config Files Backup folder. To

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 35

 preserve these settings, after the install, copy your customized changes from these backup files into each
current file located in the Local folder. Do not copy and paste the entire file into the Local folder because
it would overwrite any new settings installed with the latest version of iFIX.

Notes on Database Dynamos and Custom Programs that Run with iFIX Startup

When you install the newest release of iFIX, the product install program places a new version of the star-
tup control file, FIX.INI, into your iFIX Local directory. The previous version of this file is copied to the iFIX
Config Files Backup folder, along with the other configuration files.

If you configured Database Dynamos, also known as loadable blocks, or other custom programs to run as
part of iFIX startup, you should compare the new FIX.INI file in the Local folder against the FIX.INI file
stored in the Config Files Backup folder. If you find any changes between the two files, add the necessary
lines to the new FIX.INI stored in the Local path. Do not copy the old FIX.INI over the new FIX.INI file.
NOTE: Paths with embedded path spaces in the FIX.ini require quotes. For example:
RUN="%E:\PROGRAM FILES(x86)\GE\iFIX\SysAlertQMgr.exe" /F /NSysAlertViewer

SCU Files and the Upgrade

By following the upgrade process, iFIX installs to same folder where your previous version existed. For
example, if you have iFIX installed to the C:\Dynamics folder, when you upgrade, the newer version of iFIX
installs to the C:\Dynamics folder. After the iFIX upgrade completes and you restart iFIX, your SCU file is
upgraded automatically, and the original file is backed up with a .^CU extension.
NOTE: Direct upgrades from iFIX 3.5 to the latest version of iFIX are not supported. To upgrade your SCU, upgrade the
SCU to 5.8 first and then upgrade to the latest version.

If you choose not to upgrade and install iFIX to another path, such as the default: C:\Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX, there are a few extra steps you need to perform before you can start the older version
SCU file in the latest version of iFIX. First, you must rename the older version SCU file, so that the name is
different than the default iFIX SCU file. For instance, if you try to start an iFIX 4.0 SCU file in the latest ver-
sion of iFIX, when the names of both SCU files are the same, an error message appears instead. So, be
sure to rename your iFIX 4.0 SCU file to something other than the startup default file name before open-
ing it in the upgraded iFIX System Configuration Utility. After launching the SCU application, open the
older SCU file. Now you can manually update the information in it, as described in the steps below.

Be aware that if you have a Custom Backup available of your node with the previous version installed,
you also can use that file to upgrade your SCU. During the restore, make sure you select the Use SCU File
from Archive check box. If the SCU file name you are upgrading is the same as the iFIX default SCU file
name in the latest version, you need to change the path configuration at this point. Click on the View Pro-
ject Path Configuration button to check the current paths. In the Project Path edit box, enter the iFIX
install path. This upgrades your SCU file automatically, however you still have to manually update other
SCU information in the System Configuration Utility, as described in the steps below. For more inform-
ation on the restore process, refer to the Overview of the Restore Process section.
IMPORTANT:
l You do not need to use a Full Backup from a previous release of iFIX if you are just upgrading the SCU file.
Instead, use a Custom Backup. Make sure that you back up the SCU only in the .fbk file and restore it only in the
latest version of iFIX. If you do a Custom Backup, click “NO TO ALL” other files when restoring just the SCU file.
Do not use a Full Backup between iFIX versions. Issues can occur with upgrade paths, and possibly other files.

36 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l During a restore, use caution in restoring other configuration files. For instance, if you overwrite the .INI files in
your iFIX Local folder, you lose all of iFIX .INI settings from the latest version. After that is done, there may be
issues that cause iFIX or certain features not to work properly. For instance, if you overwrite the FIX.ini file with
a 3.5 one, you need to remove or comment out the RUN=REGISTERHELPFILES line in order to start the latest
version of iFIX with this file.
l Be sure check the default iFIX path configurations in the SCU in each of your iFIX projects after you upgrade or
restore a project. For example, if you installed the latest version of iFIX to a 64-bit path (C:\Program Files
(x86)\GE\iFIX), and your previous picture files were installed to a 32-bit path (C:\Program Files\GE\iFIX), you
will need to make sure you update these paths to 64-bit.
To update the SCU information manually:
NOTE: The following steps describe how to modify an SCU file with a path outside the install path, so that you
run it in iFIX.
1. Shut down iFIX.
2. On the Start menu, point to Programs, iFIX, and then System Configuration to open the SCU.
3. From the SCU Configure menu, click Paths.
4. In the Path Configuration dialog box, change the base path and NLS path to point to the local
install path. Change the project path to point to the project destination folder, if it does not
already do so.
5. From the SCU Configure menu, click Tasks.
6. In the Task Configuration dialog box, change the path of the configured tasks to the local install
path, make sure that you include the same command line options.
7. From the SCU Configure menu, click Network.
8. In the Network Configuration dialog box, confirm the information is correct and make changes if
necessary.
9. From the SCU Configure menu, click SQL, and then click Configure SQL Tasks.
10. In the SQL Task Configuration dialog box, make sure that the Primary and Backup paths are cor-
rect, if used.
11. From the SCU Configure menu, click Local Startup Paths.
12. In the Local Startup Definition dialog box, change the path to the folder you copied the project to
with the get command.
13. From the SCU File menu, click Save. Save it as the default startup SCU file name or indicate that
this is the SCU you want to use on startup.
14. Restart iFIX.

iFIX Certificates and Upgrades

When you upgrade from iFIX 6.1 to iFIX 6.5, you may experience issues with your certificate. For instance,
during upgrade from iFIX 6.1 to iFIX 2022 you may observer the following insecure certificate issue:

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 37

There is a tool named the iFIX Service Configuration Service Certificate Tool (iFixCon-
figServiceCertTool.exe). You can use this tool to remove and recreate your certificates. By default, you
can find this tool in the C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX folder. You must run this tool as an Administrator.
Be aware that you cannot run iFixConfigServiceCertTool.exe while iFIX is running.

38 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 This issue can be fixed recreating the self-signed certificates. It can happen during the 6.1 to 6.5 upgrade
when the self-signed certificates do not have the domain name in the Subject Alternative Name field in
the certificate Details screen, and not in iFIX 2022 clean install.

To create the certificates:

1. Stop iFIX.
2. Run the iFixConfigServiceCertTool.exe as an administrator. By default, you can find this tool in the
C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX folder.Click on Delete Certificates.
3. Next, click Create Certificates.
4. After the new certificates are created, copy the iFIX_OpcuaConfigServer.crt and iFIX_OpcuaCon-
figServer.key (from this folder by default: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\LOCAL\iFIX_OpcuaCon-
figService\pki) to the C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\web\conf folder.
5. Restart the computer.

The result: the insecure certificate issue should be resolved.

Enhanced Failover and Upgrading

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 39

If upgrading from previous versions prior to iFIX 5.0 with failover enabled, and you want to use the
Enhanced Failover feature in iFIX, be aware that:

l The Enhanced Failover feature is a keyed option. You must purchase the additional Enhanced Fail-
over option (SCADA Failover) if you plan to use SCADA Failover in iFIX. If you had purchased the
Ack Failover option in your previous version of iFIX, your key upgrade will include the new SCADA
Failover option.
l If you purchased the Failover feature when you bought a previous version of iFIX, then your iFIX
.plic license file update will enable the Enhanced Failover option automatically. Be aware, when
you use the GE License Viewer in iFIX, that the part description changed from "ACK Failover" to
"SCADA Failover."
l Before installing iFIX, it is recommended that you confirm that the SCADA Failover option is
enabled on your key. iFIX software checks the Enhanced Failover option at startup. Without this
option enabled, the Enhanced Failover functionality will not work. An error message appears if you
try to run iFIX with the SCADA Failover feature.
l If your SCADA key does not show the SCADA Failover functionality enabled, and you purchased
this additional option, please contact you sales representative before upgrading.
l When you upgrade your iFIX SCADA node to the latest version of iFIX, you will need to make con-
figuration changes on your iFIX SCADA nodes for the Enhanced Failover feature to work properly.
For example, the Data Sync Transport dialog box in the System Configuration Utility (SCU) is new
in iFIX 5.0 and greater. It requires that you enter the partner's IP address on both the primary and
secondary SCADA nodes.
l Be aware that in an Enhanced Failover pair, both server computers in the failover pair must be at
the same iFIX version. So, if you update one computer in the Enhanced Failover pair, you must
update the other. Both computers must be identical in configuration.
l An iFIX network that contains Enhanced Failover SCADA nodes and also contains older iFIX client
nodes may not be supported. Refer to the Enhanced Failover and Legacy Clients section on the
Release Notes tab of the Important Product Information (IPI) topic for details.
l The Alarm Acknowledgement synchronization feature from previous iFIX versions is NOT sup-
ported on upgraded SCADA nodes. The Alarm Acknowledgement functionality is replaced by the
database synchronization and alarm area files.
l It is required that you use a dedicated network between the primary and secondary SCADA nodes
for dedicated SCADA-to-SCADA traffic. If the SCADA nodes are physically close to each other,
then a crossover cable can be used.
l It is strongly recommended that the network components (LAN adapters, hubs, switches, cables,
etc.) used for SCADA-to-SCADA connection of the SCADA pair support a minimum 1 Gigabit Eth-
ernet. This allows for a higher rate of speed for data transfer between the primary and secondary
SCADA nodes.
l You will need to configure a primary and a "secondary" SCADA node. One SCADA will be in Active
mode (processing data and alarms) while the other will be in Standby mode. This is unlike previous
versions of iFIX, where you configured a primary and "backup" SCADA node and both nodes were
processing data and alarms. The concept of the SCADA pair still exists in iFIX, but GE does not sup-
port using your standby SCADA as a development machine (for example, for database or picture
development). However, there is a maintenance mode that allows you to upgrade your SCADA
configuration without requiring a SAC restart.

40 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l Stratus solutions will continue to be supported in iFIX. Any Stratus SCADA nodes that you want to
upgrade to use Enhanced Failover will require configuration changes on your iFIX SCADA nodes for
the Enhanced Failover feature to work properly (the same configuration changes as the non-
Stratus nodes).
l Custom applications or scripts that were written to synchronize databases or alarms on previous
versions of iFIX will no longer be required with Enhanced Failover enabled. So as not to interfere
with the SCADA failover, you should remove these custom applications or scripts from your fail-
over configuration.

The following steps describe how to upgrade your failover system.

To configure your iFIX SCADA nodes after an upgrade, if failover was used in a release prior
to iFIX 5.0:

1. On the primary SCADA node, on the Start menu, point to Programs, then iFIX, and then System
Configuration. The System Configuration Utility (SCU) appears.
2. On the Configure menu, click SCADA. The SCADA Configuration dialog box appears.
3. In the Failover area, select the Enable check box if it is not already selected.
4. In the Node area, verify or select the node type: Primary or Secondary.
5. In the SCADA Name field, verify or enter the name of your partner SCADA node.
6. Click the Data Sync Transport button. The Data Sync Transport dialog box appears.
7. From the Description list, select the LAN adapter(s) to use for data synchronization between the
SCADA pair, then select the Enable check box. Make sure that the LAN adapters you will not be
using for data synchronization are not enabled.
8. In the Partner's Address field, enter the IP address of the partner node.
9. Use the default settings for the rest of the fields.
NOTE: The Bandwidth Limit field in the Data Sync Transport dialog box allows you to enter a value to throttle
down or limit the synchronization rate or bandwidth used. It is recommended when using a corporate, non-ded-
icated or shared network (10/100 or 1GB), that you "throttle" network traffic to limit bandwidth that the data
synchronization process will consume.
10. Click OK.
11. Repeat steps 1-10 on the secondary SCADA node.

Programs that Run as a Service with iFIX

When you start iFIX as a service, programs in the startup task list also start as services. If you upgrade
from a previous version of iFIX, be aware that programs listed in the SCU's Task Configuration dialog box
will continue to run as services if iFIX remains running as a service.

However, if you previously started the iFIX OPC A&E Server with this command:
iFixOPCAESrv.exe -service

The -service option is no longer needed to run the iFIX OPC A&E Server as a service. You should go into
the Task Configuration dialog box and remove the -service command from the startup task list.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 41

 Be aware that you can only run programs such as the iFIX OPC A&E Server as a service if iFIX is con-
figured to run as a service.

If you want to run the OPC Client driver as a service, iFIX must also run as a service. Likewise, if you want
to run iFIX as a service, the OPC Client driver must run as a service. You cannot run one as a service,
without the other also running as a service.

Toolbars

If your iFIX WorkSpace contains additional standard toolbars from other iFIX versions, such as the His-
torian toolbar, these toolbars will appear in the iFIX WorkSpace system tree, in the Project Toolbar Files
> Toolbars folder. Double-click a toolbar to display it in the WorkSpace.

Changing Permissions for PlugAndSolve and User Globals

If you upgrade from iFIX 2.6, you may need to change the security properties of the user.fxg and plugand-
solve.fxg files. To change the permissions on these files, you must be logged in as an Administrator. Use
the following steps.

To change permissions on a file:

1. Open the File Explorer.

2. Right-click the PlugandSolve.fxg or user.fxg file in your iFIX PIC folder, and select Properties. The
Properties dialog box appears.
3. Select the Security tab.
4. Click the Advanced button. The Advanced Security Settings for file name dialog box appears, where
file name refers to the name of the file you selected in step 2.
5. On the Permissions tab, for the specified user, check the Inherit from parent the permission
entries that apply to child objects. Include these with entries explicitly defined here.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the other file.

GeneralDataSet Object Replaces the HistoricalDataSet and RealTimeDataSet

In iFIX 5.5, the GeneralDataSet object replaces both the HistoricalDataSet (used by Historical Datalinks
and animations, the Enhanced Line and XY Charts, and the HistoricalLineChart Dynamo) and the
RealTimeDataSet (used by Enhanced Line and XY Charts) objects. The GeneralDataSet supports both
real-time and historical data. Having a single data set for all data types allows for a more efficient way of
rendering the data in the iFIX WorkSpace. It also provides the flexibility to configure a tag group without
having to specify how the tag group has to be treated, as real-time or historical.
NOTE: The RealTimeSPCDataset still exists and has not been upgraded in iFIX 5.5.

When opening pictures from a previous version of iFIX (prior to iFIX 5.5), pictures that contain any older
dataset objects are upgraded to use the new GeneralDataSet object. An informational message appears

42 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 telling you that the file you are opening has been updated to the most recent format and that the original
can be found in the backup directory.

Any scripts with the logic to check against the dataset's class name in order to determine the data type
will now be replaced with the method IsHistoricalData. Each upgraded line in the script includes a com-
ment that starts with the words: '** Upgraded **'. This comment is provided so that you can easily
search and find any upgraded areas in your VBA scripts. For example, an updated line would display like
this:
'** Upgraded ** If ds.ClassName = "HistoricalDataSet" Then
If ds.IsHistoricalData = True Then

An upgraded dataset still retains its object name in order to keep the scripts compatible in the latest ver-
sion of iFIX. For instance, a RealTimeDataSet named “XYZ” will still show up as “XYZ” in the system tree
in the iFIX WorkSpace, but the object itself will become a GeneralDataSet with the additional properties.
This name is still retained even if the data type is changed to a different type (for instance, from real-
time to historical).

Be sure to review the functionality of any custom scripts if you previously used the classname property of
a HistoricalDataSet or RealTimeDataSet.

GE Historian

Beginning with iFIX 5.0, GE Historian was integrated into iFIX. However, using GE Historian in an integ-
rated manner is entirely optional. To help you decide whether or not to use GE Historian as an integrated
component of iFIX, see Using iFIX with GE Historian.

Upgrading Pictures

After you upgrade, you should run the Resolve Files utility against your Pictures and Schedules.

Coordinate Systems

In prior versions of iFIX, when you opened a picture from a previous version of iFIX in the newer version,
and saved it, your picture was automatically updated to the newest version of iFIX. Pictures created with
iFIX 5.5 (or earlier) were created with a Logical Coordinate System, which uses logical units for screen
measurements. The Logical Coordinate System allowed this automatic upgrading.

With new versions of iFIX, pictures are not automatically upgraded because the Enhanced Coordinate
System applies for screen measurements. An expert is provided to easily upgrade pictures you select
from the legacy Logical Coordinate System to the new Enhanced Coordinate System.

You can use both the Logical and Enhanced Coordinate Systems with latest version of iFIX. For example,
you can edit a legacy picture before you upgrade it. By default, the Enhanced Coordinate System is
enabled for new picture creation. For more information on this expert and on coordinate systems, refer
to the Creating Pictures e-book.

To assist you with upgrading command button captions (text) that may not scale properly, a Button Cap-
tion Converter expert allows you to scale one or more button captions in an active picture that uses the
Enhanced Coordinate System. For more information on this expert, refer to the Creating Pictures e-book

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 43

 NOTE: Be aware that pictures with Enhanced Charts containing tag groups will display a message on upgrade.
However, pictures with Historical datalinks and Historical animations containing tag groups will not.

VisiconX

Due to the design of the VisiconX objects in iFIX 5.0 and greater, it is recommended that you manually
replace your older VisiconX objects with the newer versions (if you are upgrading from a version of iFIX
prior to iFIX 5.0).

Compatibility of iFIX Pictures

iFIX supports pictures created, saved, or built in previous versions of iFIX (version 5.5 or earlier).
However, with latest version of iFIX, pictures created with the legacy Logical Coordinate System should
be upgraded to the Enhanced Coordinate System.

Make sure you review the following sections:

l Picture Coordinate Systems

l Upgrading Pictures to Enhanced Coordinates
l Resolving iFIX Displays
l Running Pictures Created in an Older Version of iFIX
l Using Code Written for Pictures in iFIX 2.1

Resolving iFIX Displays

When you upgrade your iFIX system, or add or delete tags from your database, it is important that you
run resolve on all pictures and schedules. This will ensure that you are getting maximum performance
from your iFIX system.

Running Pictures Created in an Older Version of iFIX

If you performed your original picture development on an earlier version of iFIX and have not upgraded to
iFIX 2.2 or later, you may experience color mapping errors when upgrading iFIX.

To avoid color mapping problems, perform the following steps before saving and resolving any pictures in
the latest version of iFIX.
To avoid color mapping problems:

1. Copy and save the tables.lst file from the older version of iFIX.
2. Install the iFIX upgrade or switch to the upgraded machine.
3. Shut down the WorkSpace.
4. Delete the tableconversion.lst file from the iFIX directory (C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX).

44 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 5. Copy the original tables.lst file to the iFIX directory.
6. Restart the WorkSpace.

Historical Datalinks

Beginning with iFIX 5.1, the configuration requirements for historical datalinks changed. To upgrade your
existing historical datalinks, for each picture which contains them, open the picture and save it. If you do
not make any changes on the Historical Datalinks dialog box, the historical datalink, by default will use
CurrentValue for its Historical Mode.

Database Dynamos

Database Dynamos, also known as loadable blocks, will require updating to work with FIX. If you have old
Database Dynamos on your system, the iFIX install program will detect them, and generate a warning
message. This includes any Database Dynamos that you downloaded from the Support web site, or
installed from the Allen-Bradley Productivity Pack CD before you installed iFIX 3.x.

The GE web site contains updated versions of the Database Dynamos supplied by GE. To obtain updated
version of other Dynamos, contact the vendor of that dynamo. To obtain the current version of the Data-
base Dynamo Toolkit, contact your local iFIX sales representative.
IMPORTANT: To upgrade your Database Dynamos from a previous version of iFIX, you must recompile your blocks
with the iFIX Database Dynamo Toolkit. After you recompile them, you can use them in the newer version of iFIX. Fol-
low the steps outlined in the iFIX Database Dynamo Toolkit and the Database Converter will update your Database
Dynamos. For information on the Database Dynamo toolkit, contact GE.
NOTE: When upgrading an iFIX SCADA node with loadable blocks, always make sure that the block slot number prior to
the upgrade matches the block slot number after the upgrade. Slots are saved inside the FIX.INI (in the [Scada] section) .
If the block slot numbers do not match after the upgrade, iFIX will be unable to load these blocks, and eliminate them
from the database. In addition, you may receive a warning message stating that the there is a block configuration mis-
match.

iFIX Dynamo Sets

When you upgrade iFIX, or install a Software Improvement Module (SIM) that updates any iFIX Dynamo
sets, the newer Dynamo sets overwrite the older ones. To avoid losing any modifications made to the
older files, you can rename them or move them to a folder located outside the iFIX picture path. Dynamo
set files have an .fds extension and are located in the C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\PIC folder, by
default.

Be aware that when you upgrade iFIX, the Dynamos in pre-built Dynamo sets and the Dynamos created
before iFIX 4.5 are not considered Dynamo objects. This means you cannot use the Quick Dynamo
Updater, the Dynamo Updater Wizard, and the Cross Reference Tool (available in iFIX 4.5 and greater) to
update instances of these Dynamos within existing pictures. Only Dynamo objects created in the newer
version of iFIX can be updated with these tools.

Pre-built Dynamos include the following Dynamo sets:

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 45

 l Historical.fds
l Miscellaneous.fds
l Motors.fds
l Pipes.fds
l PipesAnim.fds
l Pumps.fds
l PumpsAnim.fds
l Tanks.fds
l TanksAnim1.fds
l TanksAnim2.fds
l Valves.fds
l ValvesAnim.fds

Deleting Temp Directory Contents if iFIX Installation Fails

When upgrading to iFIX, in some cases the installation will run too quickly, taking only a few seconds, or
hang and not complete the process. In both cases, the product will not successfully install.

If this happens, delete the contents of the Temp directory and run the installation again.

Alarm Summary Objects and Picture Translation

For each picture created in a previous release that uses the picture translation feature and includes an
Alarm Summary object(s), you must export the language file again after you upgrade. This step updates
your language files to include the Alarm Summary object information.

Next, using a text editor, you must provide translations for each of these new fields in the exported lan-
guage (.csv) file(s). This step is required because the iFIX language translation file originally did not include
the Alarm Summary object.
NOTES:
l iFIX supports translation of the Alarm Summary object information through the picture object, or through the
Alarm Summary object. You may also want to create new pictures which take advantage of the SwitchLan-
guage Method on the Alarm Summary object itself. For more information on how to use this feature, refer to
the SwitchLanguage Method Example in the iFIX Automation Reference.
l In iFIX, you can also change the font of the Column Headers and the Status Bar in the Alarm Summary object
for translation display purposes. This Font changing feature can be accessed from the General tab of the Alarm
Summary object in configure mode. You may want to update your pictures to use this feature, as well. For more
information on how to use this feature, refer to the Configuring Fonts for the Column Headings and Status Bar
in the Creating Pictures electronic book.

46 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 To export a single language file:

1. In the WorkSpace configuration mode, open the picture you want to export a language file for.
2. In Classic view, on the WorkSpace menu, click User Preferences.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Home tab, in the WorkSpace group, click Settings, and then click User Prefer-
ences.
3. Click the Picture Preferences tab and make sure the Translate Picture On Open check box is
cleared. If it is selected, the LanguageDesired and TranslateOnOpen properties in the Properties
window cannot be changed.
4. Click OK to close the User Preferences dialog box.
5. Right-click in the picture and choose Property Window.
6. From the LanguageDesired list, select the appropriate language.
7. From the TranslateOnOpen list, select Yes.
8. On the Translation toolbar, click the Export language file button. A message appears letting you
know the language file was successfully exported.
9. You can now open the language file in a text editor and translate the text strings for the picture.

To export multiple language files:

1. In the iFIX WorkSpace, on the Translation toolbar, click the Export multiple language files button.
The Language File Exporter dialog box appears.
2. In the Select pictures list, select the check box for each picture you want to export a language file
for.
3. If applicable, select the Show Tag Status pictures check box to display and select tag status pic-
tures in the Select pictures list.
4. If applicable, select the Always overwrite existing export files check box. If you are exporting a lan-
guage file for a picture that already has a language file for the selected language, the existing lan-
guage file will be automatically overwritten. If you clear this check box, you will be prompted to
replace the existing language file. Click Yes to replace it and No to keep it.
5. From the Select language list, choose the language that you want to provide translations for.
6. Click Export. A separate language file is created for each picture you selected.
7. You can now open each language file in a text editor and translate the text strings for the pictures.

Setting Up for Remote OPC Server Access

Before you can access remote OPC servers in iFIX, such as through the Discover and Auto Configure
(DAC) application and the OPC Client driver, you must make sure your firewall settings are correct and
that the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) settings for your operating system are correct.
These settings can be different for each operating system and also for different product revisions. If the

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 47

 settings are not correctly set, you may not be able to access remote OPC servers. Changes to these set-
tings should be reviewed and approved by your system/security administrator.

For more information on configuring these settings, refer to the following:

l For DCOM information, refer to the Setting Up DCOM for Use with Remote OPC Servers section.
l For Firewall information, refer to the Setting Up the Firewall for Use with Remote OPC Server sec-
tion.

Setting Up DCOM for Use with Remote OPC Servers

iFIX supports DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) to browse remote OPC Servers. If you want
to grant only certain users permission to launch or access the remote OPC servers, you can use the Win-
dows utility, DCOMCNFG.EXE for configuring DCOM applications. DCOMCNFG.EXE is usually located in
your operating system's \system32 folder.

When OPC Servers register, they set up initial custom DCOM security settings to enable users on the net-
work to access and launch the Server. On large networks, it is recommended that you modify these set-
tings to avoid confusion and inadvertent changes to a running OPC Server.

If Firewall security is enabled on Windows, you must also modify or add items to the Exceptions list. Refer
to Setting Up the Firewall for Use with Remote OPC Servers section for more information.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
l It is recommended that all users that need to access remote OPC Servers be members of the Administrators
group. To facilitate this, it is recommended that you create a users group to contain individual users that need to
access remote OPC servers.
For example, for the Discover and Auto Configure application, create a group named “DAC” and add those users
who will log into the operating systems and access remote OPC servers. Add the users Tom, Denise, and Harry
into the DAC group. Each of these users will also be added into the Administrators group. This DAC group should
also contain the following built-in security principals: INTERACTIVE; NETWORK; SYSTEM.
l To make any OPC Client / OPC Server application work via DCOM, changes need to be made on both sides,
especially if you intend to use Asynchronous I/O communications.
l OPCENUM must reside on the remote machine with the OPC server. While most OPC Server applications install
and register this file, some do not. You can download this file from www.opcfoundation.org. Currently it is con-
tained within the OPC Core Components 2.00 Redistributable 2.30.msi file. After you download OPCENUM, run
the .msi file.
l This section applies to OPC servers that need to use DCOM communications, regardless of whether the OPC
server uses Serial or Ethernet devices.
l If OPC communications is confined to a single machine (that is, using COM, but not DCOM), it continues to work
properly without making changes to DCOM settings.
l If you do not plan to use iFIX to connect remotely to OPC servers, then you may not need to change your DCOM
settings.
l If this is the first time you are connecting to (or allowing connections from) other machines on the network, you
must run the Windows Network Wizard (from Start > Control Panel) to set up your computer to run on your net-
work. This allows you to share resources on your computer with other computers on your network. It is recom-
mended that you run the Network Setup Wizard before modifying the DCOM settings.

48 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 DCOM Settings
The following procedures provide general guidelines for configuring DCOM settings.

To launch the DCOM configurator:

1. From the Start menu, select or type Run. The Run dialog box appears.
2. Type dcomcnfg and click OK. The Component Services dialog box appears.

System-wide COM/DCOM Limits Settings

This procedure modifies the system-wide DCOM settings for the computer on Windows operating sys-
tems. When these steps are implemented, they apply to all programs that use COM/DCOM com-
munications on the computer.
IMPORTANT: Be careful when making any system-wide security changes. Any inadvertent changes may affect the
entire system and may cause some or all programs to stop working.

To update system-wide COM/DCOM limits settings:

1. On the Component Services dialog box, expand Component Services, then expand the Computers
item.
2. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties. The My Computer Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the COM Security tab. There are four permissions on this dialog box.
You may need to make changes to the Edit Limits… for Access Permissions and Launch and Activ-
ation Permissions.
Do not change the Edit Default… settings, since this will change the default settings for all pro-
grams and applications running on the computer.
4. Click Access Permissions > Edit Limits… The Access Permission dialog box appears.
i. Select the user labeled ANONYMOUS LOGON, and then select the Allow check box for
Remote Access.
NOTE: This setting is necessary for applications that use OPCenum.exe to function and also for some
OPC Servers and OPC Clients that set their DCOM 'Authentication Level' to 'None' to allow anonymous
connections. If you do not use such applications, you may not need to enable remote access for anonym-
ous logon users.

ii. Select the user labeled Everyone, and then select the Allow check box for Remote Access.
IMPORTANT: Since “Everyone” includes all authenticated users, it is recommended to add these per-
missions to a smaller subset of users. One way of doing this is to create a Group named “OPC” and add
all user accounts to this Group that will access any OPC server. Then substitute “OPC” everywhere that
“Everyone” appears in the entire DCOM configuration dialogs.

iii. Click OK to close the Access Permissions dialog box and return to the My Computer Prop-
erties dialog box.
5. Click Launch and Activation Permissions > Edit Limits… The Launch Permission dialog box appears.
For each user or group (preferably add the “OPC” group) that needs to launch or activate the OPC
server, or participates in OPC / DCOM communications, make sure that the Local Launch, Remote
Launch, Local Activation, and Remote Activation check boxes are selected.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 49

 6. Click OK to save your changes, then click OK again to save and close the My Computer Properties
dialog box.

OPC Server-specific DCOM Settings

The following procedures detail the OPC server-specific COM/DCOM settings on all supported Windows
operating systems. You must change the OPC server settings so remote users can access the OPC server
as an OPC Data Access Server. This procedure is also necessary for the GE OPC Client driver to connect
to, launch, configure, and start the remote OPC servers.

It is recommended that all users requiring access to remote OPC servers be members of the Admin-
istrators group.
IMPORTANT: Since the “Everyone” group includes all authenticated users, it is recommended to add these permissions
to a smaller subset of users.

It is recommended that you create a group to contain individual users that need to access remote OPC servers. It is also
recommended that all users who require access to see OPC Servers be members of the Administrators group.

For example, for Discovery and Auto-Assembly Component, create a group named “DAC” and add those users who will
log into the operating systems and access remote OPC servers. Add the users Tom, Denise, and Harry into the DAC
group. Each of these users will also be added into the Administrators group. This DAC group should also contain the fol-
lowing built-in security principals: INTERACTIVE; NETWORK; SYSTEM. Then substitute “DAC” everywhere that “Every-
one” appears in the entire DCOM configuration dialogs.

To modify driver-specific DCOM settings in Windows:

1. Access the DCOM configurator (dcomcnfg.exe). The Component Services dialog box appears.
2. Expand the Component Services item, then expand the Computers item, and then expand the My
Computer item.
3. Select the DCOM Config object. A list of applications displays.
4. Right-click the OPC server you want to modify and choose Properties. The <Selected OPC Server>
Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. The Authentication Level should be set to “Default,” if it is not already. This
uses the default authentication rules that are set in the system-wide DCOM settings.
6. Click the Location tab and make sure that the "Run Application on this computer" check box is
selected.
7. Click the Security tab and select the Customize option for each of the permissions in this dialog
box and edit them as described in the following steps.
8. In the Launch and Activation Permissions area, click Edit. The Launch and Activation Permission
dialog box appears.
9. Click the Add button. The Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
10. Click the Advanced Button. Another Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
11. Click the Find Now button. In the search results, select the OPC group and click OK. The Select
Users or Groups dialog box displays the OPC group.
12. Click OK to return to the Launch Permission dialog box. The OPC group is displayed in the Group or
user names list.

50 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 13. Select the OPC group and then select the Allow check boxes for Local Launch, Remote Launch,
Local Activation, and Remote Activation permissions.
14. Click OK to return to the <Selected OPC Server> Properties dialog box.
15. In the Access Permissions area, click Edit. The Access Permission dialog box appears.
16. Click the Add button. The Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
17. Click the Advanced Button. Another Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
18. Click the Find Now button. In the search results, select the OPC group and click OK. The Select
Users or Groups dialog box displays the OPC group.
19. Click OK to return to the Access Permission dialog box. The OPC group is displayed in the Group or
user names list.
20. Select the OPC group and then select the Allow check boxes for Local Access and Remote Access
permissions.
21. Click OK to return to the <Selected OPC Server> Properties dialog box.
22. In the Configuration Permissions area, click Edit. The Change Configuration Permission dialog box
appears.
23. Click the Add button. The Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
24. Click the Advanced Button. Another Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
25. Click the Find Now button. In the search results, select the OPC group and click OK. The Select
Users or Groups dialog box displays the OPC group.
26. Click OK to return to the Change Configuration Permission dialog box. The OPC group is displayed
in the Group or user names list.
27. Select the OPC group and then select the Allow check boxes for Full Control and Read per-
missions.
28. Click OK to return to the <Selected OPC Server> Properties dialog box.
29. Click OK.
30. Repeat steps 2 through 29 for each OPC server you need to access remotely.
31. When you are done, close the Component Services dialog box.

Setting Up the Firewall for Use with Remote OPC Servers

If Firewall security is enabled you may need to modify or add items to the Exceptions list.

It is recommended that you enter these settings on the local machine running iFIX, as well as on the
remote machine that has the OPC server you want to use.

To modify Windows Firewall settings:

1. Log into the Windows operating system with an Administrator account.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 51

 2. Open the Control Panel and double-click Windows Firewall. The Windows Firewall dialog box
appears. For the Windows Vista operating system, you also need to click the "Allow a program
through Windows firewall" option.
3. Click the Exceptions tab and make sure that the File and Printer Sharing check box is selected. The
following figure shows an example of this dialog box in Microsoft Windows XP.

4. Click the Add Port button. The Add a Port dialog box appears. The following figure shows an
example of this dialog box in Microsoft Windows XP.

52 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 5. In the Name field, enter a name for the port.
6. In the Port Number field enter 135.
7. Select the TCP option.
8. Click OK to save your changes.
The port name you entered is now listed with its check box selected.
9. Select the Add Program button. The Add a Program dialog box appears. The following figure shows
an example of this dialog box in Microsoft Windows XP.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 53

 10. Click the Browse button. A Browse dialog box appears.

54 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 11. Navigate to the System32 folder. This folder is found under the operating system folder (usually
Windows or WINNT).
12. In the System32 folder, select the OPCENUM.exe file, and then click the Open button.
In the Add a Program dialog box the path field displays the full path to, and including, the
OPCENUM.exe file.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 55

 13. Click OK.
OPCENUM.exe should now be listed in the Exceptions list with its check box selected.

56 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 14. Complete steps 9-13 for each OPC server that you want to access.
NOTES:

l If any OPC server that you want to use is a dll surrogate (an in-process dll and not an .exe), you must add \sys-
tem32\dllhost.exe into the Exceptions list.
l You must also add the GE OPC Client driver by adding the file OPCDrv.exe into the Exceptions list.
l OPCENUM must reside on the remote machine with the OPC server. While most OPC Server applications install
and register this file, some do not. You can download this file from www.opcfoundation.org. Currently it is con-
tained within the OPC Core Components 2.00 Redistributable 2.30.msi file. After you download OPCENUM, run
the .msi file.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 57

 Windows Operating System Considerations

When using iFIX in newer versions of Windows, be aware of the following limitations when working with
these products:

l GE OPC Client Driver – If you want to run the OPC Client driver as a service, iFIX must also run
as a service. Likewise, if you want to run iFIX as a service, the OPC Client driver must run as a ser-
vice. You cannot run one as a service, without the other also running as a service.
If you want to run the OPC Client driver, be sure to check with the vendor of your OPC Server soft-
ware to see if your OPC Server supports the operating system that you want to use.
l Third-Party OPC Servers – Be aware that at the time of the iFIX release there were a limited
number of OPC Servers supported on newer versions of Windows. iFIX was tested with the
OPC20iFIX.exe (Intellution.OPCiFIX) Server – an OPC 2.05a (out of process) Data Server.
l Drivers and DAC – If you want to run a driver on a newer operating system, be sure to check with
the vendor of your driver software to see if your driver supports the operating system. Your driver
must support your operating system to interface with the Discover and Auto Configure (DAC)
application.
l VisiconX – Make sure that your data sources use UNC pathing, rather than mapped network
drives. For example, use a path like this: \\myserver\users\\mydb.mdb, instead of this:
d:\myserver\users\mydb.mdb for your data source. Otherwise, you may experience connection
errors.
l PMON – The GE diagnostic utility PMON.exe does not work when iFIX is running as a service in ver-
sions of Windows after XP.

Additionally, be aware of the following differences when working with iFIX in Microsoft Windows:

l Security – Microsoft Windows includes many new security enhancements in the newer operating
systems. Due to these enhancements, there may be changes you need to make for the users who
run iFIX. For more information, refer to the Windows and Security section.
l Drive Mapping – Security and data protection enhancements may require you to use data
sources with UNC pathing, as opposed to mapped network drives. For more information, refer to
the Windows and Mapped Network Drives section.
l Sleep Mode – Be aware that an iFIX View node running on a version of Windows will lose its con-
nection to the iFIX network when going into "Sleep" mode.

Windows and Security

Running iFIX
As a built-in Windows administrator, you have the rights you need to operate an iFIX SCADA node (start
and stop iFIX).

58 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 To allow a non-administrator (standard user) to operate an iFIX SCADA node without access control,
you need to add the "Create Global Objects" policy to the individual user or group to provide access. For
Domain users, the Domain user account needs to be added to this policy on the local computer also.

If you enable access control, you need to make sure that the non-administrator user is part of the
iFIX secure group (the secure group was specified during install or with the ConfigureWizard.exe).

Running iFIX as a Service

If iFIX was installed with access control, to run iFIX as a service, make sure the user is part of the
secure group specified during install (by default, this is the IFIXUSERS group). If you are not sure what this
group is, run the ConfigureWizard.exe tool which is found in the iFIX install folder (by default: C:\Program
Files (x86)\GE\iFIX) to identify it.

If installed without access control, to allow a user to run iFIX as a service, you need to run the
GrantUserFixServiceRights utility from the command line to grant access to the service for this user. You
also need to add the "Create Global Objects" policy to the individual user or group, unless they are a mem-
ber of the Administrators group.
NOTE: If a member of the Administrators group runs iFIX as a service from the desktop, and you are upgrading from
iFIX 6.1 or earlier, a UAC prompt appears for that user when iFIX starts if the user doesn't have the privileges mentioned
in the previous paragraph (this does not apply to the built-in Administrator account). This procedure differs from v6.1
and earlier, where Administrators could just run the service from the desktop with no prompt.

To add the Create Global Objects policy to a user:

1. Log in as an Administrator.
2. Click the Start button, and in the Search box, type secpol.msc and press Enter. The Local Security
Policy window appears.
3. In the tree, double-click Security Settings, and then Local Policies, to view the contents of the
Local Policies folder.
4. Click the User Rights Assignment item to view the policies.
5. Double-click the Create Global Objects policy. The Create Global Object Properties dialog box
appears.
6. Click Add User or Group. The Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.
7. Enter an individual user name, or group name, such as "iFIXUsers."
8. Click OK to add the user.

To run the GrantUserFixServiceRights command for a user or group:

1. Log in as an Administrator.
2. Click the Start button, and in the Search box, type Command Prompt and press Enter. If the Com-
mand Prompt does not appear immediately, double-click the Command Prompt from the list of
results.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type:

GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT FIX USERNAME

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 59

 where FIX is the name of the service (iFIX) that you want to grant rights to, and USERNAME is the
name of the user or group that you want to grant rights to.

To provide privileges to a Windows user with the ConfigureWizard.exe when access controls
(secure mode) are enabled:

1. Log in as an iFIX Administrator.

2. Locate and run configure wizard (ConfigureWizard.exe) in the iFIX install folder. By default this
path is: C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX\ConfigureWizard.exe. The Install Mode wizard appears.

3. Select the "Assign a Windows User Account to iFIX services" option.

4. Enter a user name. If on a domain, enter the fully qualified domain name along with the user
account. For example, the previous illustration specified W2019-KMM\USER1 as the user
account.-

5. Enter the password for this account.

6. Click OK.

7. Restart your computer.

8. Start iFIX

9. Configure the service option in the SCU, if you have not already done so. (From the SCU and select
Configure > Local Startup and the select Set iFIX as a Service option, and (if applicable) the Set Ser-
vice Type to Automatic option. See the "" on page 12 topic for details.)

Running iFIX as a Service with Other Services

If you plan to run iFIX as a service along with other services such as the iFIX scheduler, the OPC A&E
Server, and the OPC DA Server, make sure that your user has the rights to start/stop/pause all of those
services. A user who is a member of the Administrators group usually has all these privileges. (This can be

60 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 verified by opening the Windows service control panel and checking if the Start/Stop setting is enabled.)
To grant a user who is a standard user rights to start/stop/pause these services, log in to Windows as an
Administrator and run the following commands:
GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT IFIXSCHEDULER username
GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT IFIXOPCAESRV username
GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT IFIXOPCDA username

Examples: Using GrantUserFixServiceRights

If you want to allow a user named QA1 to run iFIX as a service, type:
GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT FIX QA1

If you want to allow all members of the group “iFIXUsers” to run iFIX as a service, type:
GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT FIX "iFIXUsers"

If you later need to revoke the right to run iFIX as a service, use the following command:
GrantUserFixServiceRights REVOKE FIX USERNAME

where FIX is the name of the service that you want to revoke rights from, and USERNAME is the name of
the user or group that you want to revoke rights from.

Windows and Mapped Network Drives

In newer versions of Windows, when you elevate an application and it runs under a different context, the
application may or may not be related to the user who is logged in. As a result, drive mappings are not
available in an elevated session unless you specifically map them while it is elevated.
To resolve this issue, make sure that your system data sources use UNC pathing, rather than mapped
network drives. For example, use a path like this: \\myserver\users\\mydb.mdb, instead of this:
d:\myserver\users\mydb.mdb for your data source. Otherwise, you may experience connection errors. Be
sure to select the "Remember my password" check box in the Connection dialog box when setting up your
UNC pathing. By doing this, the next time you log in, your connection will succeed without failing.

For example, you add a system data source (ODBC) with a mapped network drive for use with VisiconX.
When you configure a VisiconX data control and select a data source on the Database tab, an error
appears (error number -2147467259 indicates that you do have a valid path). To resolve this issue, con-
figure your data source with UNC pathing instead.

EDA Applications and Windows

When running an iFIX Easy Database Access (EDA) application on newer versions of Windows, you may
experience errors due to inadequate permissions. For instance, the logged in user may not have enough
permissions to create the necessary global memory that the application requires, or the user may not be
running an application with the fullest permissions (running elevated).

The "Allocation of Shareable Memory Failed" message is one of the messages that can appear in this scen-
ario. To resolve these types of issues, elevate the application to the fullest privileges.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 61

 To mark an application for elevation using an external manifest:

1. Create a text file named yourappname.exe.manifest, where yourappname is the name of the
application you want to elevate.
2. In a text editor such as Notepad, open yourappname.exe.manifest.
3. Paste the following lines of code into the text file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<assemblyIdentity version="1.0.0.0"
processorArchitecture="X86"
name="yourappname"
type="win32"/>
<description>Description of your application</description>
<!-- Identify the application security requirements. -->
<trustInfo xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v2">
<security>
<requestedPrivileges>
<requestedExecutionLevel
level="highestAvailable"
uiAccess="false"/>
</requestedPrivileges>
</security>
</trustInfo>
</assembly>

4. Save the file in the same folder as the yourappname.exe, where yourappname is the name of the
application you want to elevate.
TIP: If yourappname.exe was built with an internal manifest, yourappname.exe will ignore the external mani-
fest created in the above manner. Instead, you need rebuild the application with the new elevation information.
IMPORTANT: If you have run the executable before performing the above steps and it failed to work, see this
link for information on adding a manifest after the fact: http://b-
logs.msdn.com/vistacompatteam/archive/2006/11/13/manifest-and-the-fusion-cache.aspx.

To mark an application for elevation with an internal manifest:

l Build your application's executable (.exe) file with the elevation information built into it. Be aware
of issues with fusion cache when you use an external manifest file. For more information, refer to
the MSDN web site: http://blogs.msdn.com/vistacompatteam/archive/2006/11/13/manifest-and-
the-fusion-cache.aspx.
For more information on User Account Control (UAC), refer to the Microsoft web site: https://-
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/uxguide/winenv-uac

To elevate a third party application that you do not own the source code for:

Microsoft recommends writing a wrapper to invoke the application's executable (.exe) file in an elevated
manner. If this is not feasible, the following is suggested:
l Create a shortcut (.lnk) to the yourappname.exe, where yourappname is the name of the applic-
ation you want to elevate.
l Right-click the shortcut and select Properties. Configure the shortcut to run as an Administrator.

62 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Deployment Considerations for Running iFIX on a Virtual
Machine

As part of our development testing and qualification, we make extensive use of virtualized environments. GE
Digital products do not target any specific hardware or virtualized platform. GE Digital will support the func-
tional operation of the product that is running on a supported operating system in a virtualized environment
and will address any functional issues related to the software.

Each virtual machine (VM) instance that uses our software is required to have a valid license. Licensing in a
virtualized environment will depend on access to a hardware key or a license server, depending on the selec-
ted license type.

GE Digital cannot guarantee performance of its software in a virtualized environment due to the wide range
of parameters associated to the hardware, configuration, memory settings, third-party software, and the
number of virtual sessions running on the same hardware, all of which can affect performance.

It is the responsibility of you, the customer, to ensure that the performance of the GE HMI/SCADA software
and application are adequate to meet the needs of your runtime environment. GE does not support issues
related to functionality that is not available as a result of running in a virtual machine. Examples include the
functionality of card level drivers such as Genius, RMX, SA85 and functions requiring direct video access, or
functionality of other software running in the same environment. It is your responsibility to check with the
vendor of those applications for their ability to run in a virtualized environment.

Virtual Machine Guidelines for iFIX

The following are the recommended VM settings.
NOTE: GE Digital cannot guarantee software performance in a virtualized environment due to the wide range of para-
meters associated with the hardware, configuration, memory settings, third-party software, and number of virtual sessions
running on the same hardware, all of which can affect performance.

Setting SCADA Server iClient

Processors/CPUs Intel® Core™ i5 3.0 GHz or equivalent Intel® Core™ i5 3.0 GHz or equivalent

RAM 8 GB 4 GB

40 GB
NOTE: iFIX alarm and historical data files
grow dynamically. If you plan to perform
Hard disk/disk
extensive alarm or data collection on a node, 20 GB
space you may need more disk space on that par-
ticular node. It is strongly recommended
there be additional free space on the hard
drive to avoid performance issues.

For additional information on iFIX System Requirements, please see System Requirements for iFIX in the IPI.

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 63

Troubleshooting VM Setups for iFIX
To help with virtual machine (VM) troubleshooting, be prepared to provide the following VM settings to GE
Digital support staff:

l CPU resources assigned

l Memory resources assigned
l Disk size and configuration
l Current disk space utilized on the VM

The above should be checked against recommended specifications for the product. If the current disk space
utilized on the VM is approaching 90%, consider increasing the amount of available disk space.

After verifying that the VM is properly configured, check the performance of the VM. To do this select (using
VMWare for example): VM > Monitor Tab > Performance > Overview and examine the resulting graphs.

Figure 1: VM Performance Overview Graph (from VMWare)

Pay particular attention to:

l CPU usage (red line in the example) being consistently at 100%. This indicates that the VM may be
undersized for the workload or that another process is consuming resources.
l Memory usage (green line) being at 100%.
l Disk highest latency (teal line) being very high for long durations. “Very high” will depend on your infra-
structure and may require your infrastructure team to verify.

The final step in checking performance is to check the “CPU Ready Time” by selecting (using VMWare for
example): VM > Monitor Tab > Performance > Advanced > Select View “CPU Ready”. This is a meas-
urement of how long the VM must wait before it can execute the work it needs to. High CPU Ready time,
when compared to other VMs on the same host, would suggest the host is overloaded. There is no “cutoff”
value for poor performance, but it can be used to baseline against a known good system.

Below is an example of CPU ready where there is a spike in CPU ready, but it is not consistently high.

64 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

Figure 2: CPU Ready with intermittent spike

VM Processor Scheduling for iFIX

Using VMWare as the example, the virtualization layer schedules the virtual processors in the image against
physical processors. All processors need to run at the same time.

For example, if four processors are required (based on the setting) and there are only two available, it will
wait until four are available.

As illustrated below, a VM requiring four CPUs would get only three time slices (shown in green) on the CPUs.
The VM requiring two CPUs would get eight time slices. This shows how configuring fewer CPUs (e.g., two) can
be more efficient than having more CPUs (e.g., four).

Enhancing VMWare Performance with iFIX

Additional considerations when investigating your virtual environment.

• Shares: VMware has the concept of “shares” to help prioritize workloads. For occasional use, these can be
helpful to make sure a workload runs correctly, however these should not be used, as running everything

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 65

with high priority makes them all equal. The same applies if you have a large number of VMs with high shares
and a VM is normal; it will be last to be scheduled, which could impact performance.

• Reservation: VMware can “reserve” CPU time for a VM. As with “shares”, a VM could be slow if too many
other VMs have shares on the same host as the VM with the product on it.

• CPU Limits: VMware can limit the amount of CPU time for a VM. If a limit is set, it could mean the VM
needs more resources, but cannot get them.

• Compatibility: Ensure your virtualization software is up to date on all systems. Images with different com-
patibility may behave differently on other host systems (depending on the VM application installed on that
host).

Other iFIX Installation Considerations

This chapter provides information you need to consider when using databases or drivers and iFIX. This
information includes:

l Supported Drivers
l Special Keyboard Buttons

Supported Drivers

Be certain that before you purchase an I/O driver, that the driver is compatible with the hardware and
operating system that you intend to run it on. For example, if the driver is not supported on a specific
operating system, then you cannot use that driver with iFIX running on that operating system. For more
information on iFIX supported drivers and their respective operating systems, refer to the GE Digital sup-
port web site at:

https://digitalsupport.ge.com

Special Keyboard Buttons

Some computer keyboards have special buttons for e-mail launch, internet launch, search, and other
functions. These keyboard buttons may disable certain key macros or allow users to circumvent iFIX
security measures.

It is recommended that you reprogram or disable the software that operates such special buttons. Refer
to your computer's documentation for instructions on disabling these buttons.

Environment Protection and iFIX

66 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Environment Protection is a feature within iFIX that allows you to restrict operator access in run mode.
This feature helps to provide a secure operating environment. For instance, while in run mode, you may
want to restrict an operator from:

l Starting other applications.

l Switching to other applications.
l Exiting from the WorkSpace.
l Restarting the computer using Ctrl+Alt+Del.
l Opening unauthorized pictures.
l Closing the current picture.
l Using the WorkSpace menu.
l Switching to the configuration environment.
l Accessing the system tree.
l Accessing the pull down menus.
l Viewing the title bar.

For more detailed information about Environment Protection, refer to the Configuring Security Features
e-book. The Restricting Access in the Run-time Environment topic in the Defining and Assigning Security
Privileges chapter, in particular, has detailed information with links to more steps.

Important Information
Be aware that when using Environment Protection:

l Environment Protection is NOT supported with the My-T-Soft® virtual keyboard.

l Environment Protection is NOT supported with remote desktop applications such as those using
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), and WebEx™.

Important Task Switching Information

Task switching is disabled when security is enabled and either the logged-in user does not have task
switching rights or there is no user logged-in. The task switching right can be assigned by adding the
Enable Task Switching application feature to the user profile in the iFIX Security Configuration applic-
ation.

Be aware of the following when using task switching with Microsoft Windows 8.1 and Windows Server
2012 R2:

l When you disable task switching on Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 R2 systems, iFIX disables the
Windows shell which includes the task bar, the start menu, the desktop, file and folder access, the
Charms bar, and hot corners that allow access to the Start screen.
l When security is enabled and iFIX is running, a user with task switching rights must be logged in
for the shell to run and the desktop to be accessible. (When security is enabled, the rights of the
logged in user will always take precedence over the environment protection settings configured in

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 67

 the iFIX WorkSpace User Preferences.) If there is no user logged in, task switching will be disabled,
the shell will be disabled, and the system will become inaccessible.
l The Windows shell may be disabled when switching from run to configure mode in iFIX. To avoid
this issue, make sure the logged-in user has both task switching rights and WorkSpace configure
access, so that the desktop is always available in configure mode. The task switching right can be
assigned by adding the Enable Task Switching application feature to the user profile in the iFIX
Security Configuration application. The WorkSpace configure access can be assigned by adding the
WorkSpace Configure application feature to the user profile.
l When a user with task switching rights is logged in, the Taskbar may be displayed on top of the
Workspace. Enable the Auto-Hide the Taskbar property in Windows to push the Taskbar behind
the Workspace.
l If the iFIX WorkSpace is not configured as a startup task in the SCU, you must configure a user to
be logged in automatically who has task switching rights or the desktop will not be available and
the system will become inaccessible when iFIX starts up.
l All users who have iFIX WorkSpace runtime exit privileges must also be assigned task switching
rights or the iFIX WorkSpace runtime shutdown will be blocked.

Working with Touch Screens

Be aware that:

l When iFIX is configured to run as a service and to start automatically, Fix.exe should always be
started before launching WorkSpace.exe to enable the on-screen keyboard functionality. If
WorkSpace.exe is launched without starting iFIX in the user session on a system without a phys-
ical keyboard, the on-screen keyboard will not automatically display when the cursor is in an edit
control or in edit mode.
l For Microsoft Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, the only supported on-screen keyboard
for use with iFIX and touch screens is the tabtip keyboard (tabtip.exe).
l To launch the keyboard automatically from iFIX on Windows Server 2012 R2 systems, there is
additional configuration. In the Server Manager, you must install the Desktop Experience feature
included in the User Interface and Infrastructure features. (By default, this feature is already
enabled in Windows 8.1). After enabling the feature and restarting Windows, the on-screen key-
board, tiptap.exe, will be available and will display automatically when focus is on an edit field in
iFIX.
l To automatically display the on-screen keyboard when the focus is set to WorkSpace objects that
have the ability to accept user inputs, enable PROFICYENABLEFOCUSTRACKING.EXE by adding the
following lines to your FIX.INI file (located in the LOCAL folder) in the [OTHERS] section:
[OTHERS]
[SESSION INSTANCE]
INSTANCE0=%PROFICYENABLEFOCUSTRACKING.EXE

NOTE: If these lines are present in the FIX.INI, but are preceded by a semi-colon, remove the semi-colon to
enable the lines.

Networking

68 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 This chapter provides general information about the iFIX supported network protocol, supported network
software, supported file servers, and installing network cards with Windows. Refer to the following sec-
tions for more information:

l Supported Networking Protocol

l Supported File Servers

Supported Networking Protocol

If you decide to implement a networked iFIX system, make sure that all nodes are using compatible net-
work configurations. iFIX supports TCP/IP interfaces for peer-to-peer communication. NetBIOS is no
longer supported.

If you have difficulty networking your computer, refer to the Troubleshooting chapter of the Setting Up
the Environment manual to pinpoint and resolve your problems.

Supported File Servers

GE supports using a file server to store System Configuration Utility, alarm area database, security, his-
torical, and recipe data files and file server-based iClients. iFIX does not require a file server.

Refer to your file server documentation for installation and configuration instructions.

If a file server becomes unavailable and an iFIX node attempts to access a file, you may experience no
response, slow response, or time-outs. These conditions are a result of continuously polling all available
drives while it waits for a response from the file server. It is recommended that you store a backup copy
of the files you need on the local node. It is not recommended that you use the file server for files if it is
susceptible to failure.

Contact GE Digital

If you purchased this product through a GE Authorized Channel Partner, please contact them directly.

Technical Support
For information on how to contact our Technical Support team, see digitalsupport.ge.com

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 69

70 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 71
72 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
 Index I

iFIX

hardware requirements 3
B
installation failure 22, 46
backup, file server files 69
optional hardware 32
buttons, special keyboard 66
picture compatibility 44

C previous version compatibility 44

recommended file servers 69

color mapping errors 44
regional settings 7
D resolving displays 44
Database Dynamos 45 software requirements 6
iFIX installation 45 supported drivers 66
updating 45 supported file servers 69
date format, supported 7 supported network protocol 69
disabling iFIX as a service 13-14 using with Microsoft Office 30
disk space requirements 15 iFIX environment, iFIX nodes 2

iFIX installation 2
F
Dynamo sets 45
file server 69
overview 2
backup files 69
insufficient disk space 15
recommended types 69

FixUserPreferences.ini 16 K
format, time and date 7 keyboard, special buttons 66
FreeDiskSpace parameter 16
L
G language support 8
getting started, iFIX 1 limitations 58

H M
hardware 3 mappings 61
optional 32 memory
requirements for iFIX 3 optimizing 11
Historian and iFIX 42

© 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 73

 Microsoft Office and iFIX 30 T

time format, supported 7

N
toolbars 42
networks 69
toolbars, imported 42
supported in iFIX 69

new user 1 U

upgrading
O
iFIX permissions 42
optimizing virtual memory 11
older pictures 44
optional hardware for iFIX 32
preserving settings 35

P user globals, iFIX upgrade considerations 42

pictures using iFIX with Microsoft Office 30

compatibility in earlier versions of iFIX 44

V
created in an older version of iFIX 44
virtual memory 11
preserving settings when upgrading 35
optimizing for iFIX 11

R Vista limitations 57

requirements
W
iFIX hardware 3
Windows virtual memory 11
iFIX software 6
Windows Vista 61
resolving iFIX displays 44
Windows Vista limitations 57
running iFIX as a service 12

required application feature 15

Terminal Server 15

software requirements 6

special keyboard buttons 66

supported 69

file servers 69

iFIX drivers 66

networks 69

74 © 2022 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.