iFIX 6.

1
Getting Started

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

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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

iFIX without Enhanced Failover or GE Historian Server 3

iFIX with Enhanced Failover Enabled 4

Virtual Machine Support 5

Memory Requirements 5

Software Requirements 6

Third-Party Software Installed During the iFIX Install 7

Supported Regional Settings 7

Formatting the Time and Date 8

Formatting the Regional Language Setting 8

Setting the System Default Locale 8

Language Support 8

Unsupported Items 9

Optimizing Virtual Memory 9

To optimize the virtual memory paging file for iFIX in Windows: 9

Running iFIX as a Service 9

Windows Services 10

Disabling Fast Startup in Microsoft Windows 8.1 10

Enabling iFIX to Run as a Service 10

To enable iFIX to run as a service: 10

Disabling iFIX as a Service 11

To disable iFIX from running as a service: 11

iFIX Paths 11

Required Application Feature 11

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. i

 Running iFIX with Terminal Services 11

Running iFIX with Other Programs 11

To configure a different user account for iFIX running as a service: 11

Fast User Switching Not Supported 12

Running the OPC Client Driver and iFIX as a Service 12

Running Workspace.exe from the SCU Task List Not Supported 12

Disk Space Requirements 12

To change FreeDiskSpace parameter: 12

OPC Certification 12

Installing the iFIX Software 13

To install iFIX software: 13

Using iFIX with GE Historian 16

Configuration Considerations 17

Other Considerations 17

Multiple Databases 17

Collection Delay 17

Collectors 17

Electronic Signatures 18

Spare1 Fields 18

Choosing Not to Install Integrated GE Historian 18

Post-Installation Steps for GE Historian 18

Configuring Security When Using iFIX with GE Historian 18

Configuring iFIX to Use GE Historian 18

Using the Discover and Auto Configure Tool with GE Historian 20

Using iFIX with Microsoft Office 20

Backup Files 21

Change Management and iFIX 21

Discover and Auto Configure 22

Optional Hardware 22

Uninstalling iFIX 22

Sleep or Hibernate Mode 23

ii © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Upgrading from an Earlier Version of iFIX 23

The Database and the Upgrade 23

SCADASync.ini File and the Upgrade 23

DDA Drivers and the Upgrade 23

Before You Upgrade 23

Steps to Upgrade from an Earlier Version of iFIX 24

To upgrade from earlier versions of iFIX 24

Preserving Settings when Upgrading 25

Notes on Database Dynamos and Custom Programs that Run with iFIX Startup 25

SCU Files and the Upgrade 25

To update the SCU information manually: 26

Enhanced Failover and Upgrading 27

To configure your iFIX SCADA nodes after an upgrade, if failover was used in a release prior to
iFIX 5.0: 28

Programs that Run as a Service with iFIX 29

Toolbars 29

Changing Permissions for PlugAndSolve and User Globals 29

To change permissions on a file: 30

GeneralDataSet Object Replaces the HistoricalDataSet and RealTimeDataSet 30

GE Historian 30

Upgrading Pictures 31

Coordinate Systems 31

VisiconX 31

Compatibility of iFIX Pictures 31

Resolving iFIX Displays 32

Running Pictures Created in an Older Version of iFIX 32

To avoid color mapping problems: 32

Historical Datalinks 32

Database Dynamos 32

iFIX Dynamo Sets 33

Deleting Temp Directory Contents if iFIX Installation Fails 33

Alarm Summary Objects and Picture Translation 34

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. iii

 To export a single language file: 34

To export multiple language files: 34

Setting Up for Remote OPC Server Access 35

Setting Up DCOM for Use with Remote OPC Servers 35

DCOM Settings 36

To launch the DCOM configurator: 36

System-wide COM/DCOM Limits Settings 36

To update system-wide COM/DCOM limits settings: 36

OPC Server-specific DCOM Settings 37

To modify driver-specific DCOM settings in Windows: 38

Setting Up the Firewall for Use with Remote OPC Servers 39

To modify Windows Firewall settings: 39

Windows Operating System Considerations 46

Windows and Security 46

To allow a user who is not an Administrator to operate an iFIX SCADA node: 47

To allow a user who is not an Administrator to run iFIX as a service: 47

Running iFIX as a Service with Other Services 47

Examples: Using GrantUserFixServiceRights 47

Windows and Mapped Network Drives 48

EDA Applications and Windows 48

To mark an application for elevation using an external manifest: 48

To mark an application for elevation with an internal manifest: 49

To elevate a third party application that you do not own the source code for: 49

Other iFIX Installation Considerations 49

Supported Drivers 50

Special Keyboard Buttons 50

Environment Protection and iFIX 50

Important Information 51

Important Task Switching Information 51

Working with Touch Screens 51

Networking 52

iv © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Supported Networking Protocol 52

Supported File Servers 52

Contact GE Digital 53

General Contact Information 53

Technical Support 53

When You Have Questions 54

Assistance 54

Index 55

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. v

© 2020 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 © 2020 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 optim-
izing 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
Administrators Windows group. Refer to the Configuring iFIX Using the SCU chapter of the Set-
ting Up the Environment manual for more information on configuring iFIX.

Hardware Requirements

The minimum iFIX hardware requirements are:

iFIX without Enhanced Failover or GE Historian Server

For iFIX computers, the recommended minimum hardware requirements are:

l A 3.0 GHz Intel® Core™ i3 Processor or equivalent with 4GB of 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
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.
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 10 GB of free hard drive space for iFIX pictures, databases, alarm files, and other
data files. Even after allowing for an extra GB for iFIX, 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 Plant Applications, GE Historian, and Web HMI, impose additional
requirements. Refer to the Important Product Information (IPI) topic in the product's electronic
books for specific system requirements. Click the System Req. tab in that product's IPI for
details.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 3

 l 100 MBit or faster Full Duplex TCP/IP-compatible network interface adapter for iFIX network
communication between SCADA and Client nodes.
NOTE: iFIX no longer supports NetBIOS.
NOTE: iFIX does not support 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. For Windows 7, the graphics cards should be “Windows 7 (certified)”.
l Two-button mouse or compatible pointing device (such as a touch screen) that is capable of open-
ing a context menu.

iFIX with Enhanced Failover Enabled

For iFIX computers with SCADA Enhanced Failover features enabled, the recommended minimum hard-
ware requirements are (for both primary and secondary computers):
IMPORTANT: The minimum requirements below assume that you are running only a SCADA server without
additional applications, such as EDA applications. If you want to run more applications, you will need to
increase your hardware support for better performance.

l A 3.0 GHz Intel® Core™ i5 Processor or equivalent with 4GB of memory. For better performance,
please consider using more.
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
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.
l The power save settings on your computers and dedicated network card (NIC) must be disabled.
Do not use any power setting features that affect CPU clock speed.
l One additional Gigabit-Ethernet card (or better) dedicated for SCADA-to-SCADA traffic (for a
total of at least 2 network cards). 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 synchronization. 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.
IMPORTANT: 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 net-
working technology should not be considered.
l The wake-up upon receiving a socket or/and request feature must be disabled on the dedicated
SCADA-to-SCADA network card.
l Jumbo Frames technology must be used on the dedicated network for Enhanced Failover. 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.

4 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l A minimum of 40 GB of free hard drive space, in addition to the free disk space required by the
operating system for Windows Updates. Even after allowing for an extra GB for iFIX, it is strongly
recommended that many GBs of additional free space exist on the hard drive to avoid per-
formance 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 Plant Applications and GE Historian, impose additional require-
ments. Refer to the Important Product Information (IPI) topic in the product's electronic books for
specific system requirements. Click the System Req. tab in that product's IPI for details.
l Primary and Secondary SCADA computers located physically next to each other, in the same
location/room.
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. For Windows 7, the graphics cards should be "Windows 7 (certified)".
l Two-button mouse or compatible pointing device (such as a touch screen) that is capable of open-
ing a context menu.

Virtual Machine Support

As part of our development testing and qualification, we make extensive use of virtualized envir-
onments. 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.
GE Digital can only provide best possible support related to the performance of the software running on a
VMWare based system or configuration of VMWare system.

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
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 responsiblity
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.

Memory Requirements

iClients and SCADA nodes (without Enhanced Failover or GE Historian) require at least 2 GB RAM. For
better performance, please consider using more.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 5

 NOTE: As more applications run simultaneously on a SCADA server, performance decreases. Whenever pos-
sible, run additional applications on different computers.

If your picture cache size increases, your memory requirements should increase:

l 2 to 3 times the file size for each picture that does not include bitmaps and controls.
l 3 to 4 times the file size for each picture that includes bitmaps and controls.

For example, a 2 megabyte file that does not include bitmaps and controls requires a 4 to 6 megabyte
increase in memory. A 2 megabyte file that includes bitmaps and controls requires an increase in the
memory of 6 to 8 megabytes.

Software Requirements

The minimum iFIX software requirements are:

l One of the following operating systems:

l Microsoft® Windows® 10 (32-bit or 64-bit) Professional or Enterprise Edition.
l Microsoft® Windows® 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit) Professional or Enterprise Edition.
l Microsoft® Windows® 7 (32-bit or 64-bit), Service Pack 1, Professional, Enterprise or
Ultimate Edition.
l Microsoft® Windows® 7 Embedded, 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 2019.
l Microsoft® Windows® Server 2016.
l Microsoft® Windows® Server 2012 R2.
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 supported.
TIPS: Since Microsoft Windows has continuous updates, you should run the Win-
dows update feature to get the latest Windows software for use with iFIX. Some oper-
ating systems require Microsoft KB2999226 to be installed before you can install
iFIX. For Windows 7, you must have SP1 installed before you can install KB2999226.
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 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 oper-
ating system. For example, if the driver is not supported on a specific operating system, then you can-
not 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 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 l If using VisiconX and GE Historian, you must install the GE Historian OLE DB driver.
l If using the Plant Applications Dynamos in iFIX pictures, Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, or 2010
(32-bit) is required.
l If using the OPC UA Client driver, the following browsers are supported:
l Google Chrome
l Microsoft Edge
l One of the following relational database applications, if relational database software is used with
iFIX:
l Microsoft® SQL Server 2017.
l Microsoft® SQL Server 2016.
l Oracle® 12c R2
l Oracle® 18c
l Microsoft® Access 2000 (or higher). Microsoft Access is supported for local installs only.

Third-Party Software Installed During the iFIX Install

iFIX includes the following third-party software in its install:

l Microsoft® VBA 7.1

l Microsoft® Visual C++ 2015 Update 3 Redistributable Package
l Microsoft® .NET Framework 4.6.1
l NGINX 1.15.9

Please note that if the version of Microsoft VBA on the iFIX DVD are newer than the versions on your
computer, then the iFIX install updates the version on your computer.

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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 7

 NOTE: The decimal symbol and the digit grouping symbol cannot be the same character. Also, the time sep-
arator 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
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

The iFIX English product with English regional settings is supported on English, non-English single-byte,
double-byte, and Cyrillic Windows operating systems. However, be aware that double-byte characters
are not supported on single-byte operating systems (OSs). For example, you cannot display Chinese or
Japanese characters on an English OS with an English iFIX product installed. For a detailed list of the
iFIX supported operating systems, refer to the Software Requirements section in this chapter.

The iFIX product is also available in other languages, though language releases that may come after the
release of the English version of the software. The following table outlines the currently supported lan-
guages and operating systems. For more information on the available iFIX versions for each language,
contact your regional Sales Representative.
IMPORTANT: English iFIX installed on Windows Embedded Standard 7 is only supported on the English
Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system, with English regional settings. No other languages are
currently supported for Windows Embedded Standard 7.

Product Lan-Supported Operating System (OS)

guage
English iFIX English OS, Chinese OS, Japanese OS, Polish OS, Russian OS, French OS, and Ger-
man OS – all only with English regional settings
Chinese iFIX Chinese OS, with local regional settings
Japanese Japanese OS, with local regional settings
iFIX
Polish iFIX Polish OS, with local regional settings

8 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Russian iFIX Russian OS, with local regional settings
French iFIX French OS, with local regional settings
German iFIX German OS, with local regional settings

Unsupported Items

l GE does NOT support running the localized version of the product on an English operating sys-
tem.
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
German OS) is not supported.
l Double-byte characters are not supported on single-byte operating systems.

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 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
result 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
Knowledgebase: 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 9

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 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, select the Continue running after logoff check box, as illustrated in the fol-
lowing figure.This configures iFIX to run as a service when you start iFIX.

NOTE: The check boxes in the Service area of this dialog box are unavailable while iFIX is running.
You need to shut down iFIX, as you did in step 1, to update them.

10 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 6. Additionally, if you want to start iFIX whenever you start Windows, select the Start iFIX at sys-
tem boot check box.
The Start iFIX at system boot option is available only when the Continue running after Logoff
option is selected.
7. Click OK.
8. Exit the SCU.
9. Restart 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 Continue running after logoff check box.
6. Click OK.
7. On the File menu, click Save to save the SCU file.
8. Exit the SCU.
9. Restart iFIX.
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
running as a service. Otherwise if a user logs out of the operating system while iFIX is running as a ser-
vice, 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
service 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 GE 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 11

 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 ser-
vice, 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 ser-
vice.

Disk Space Requirements

The iFIX WorkSpace checks to make sure you have at least 10 MB of disk space when you save a pic-
ture 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
available. 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.

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 FixUser-
Preferences.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

12 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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 Data-
base.

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

The steps that follow outline how to install the iFIX software from the 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 supported.
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 and Upgrading from FIX 7.x sections.

To install iFIX software:

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. Insert the iFIX DVD into your DVD drive. The iFIX installation screen appears.
NOTE: If this screen does not automatically appear, 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 13

 After the restart, the iFIX install continues. The install media must be available or connected to the tar-
get 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.
4. Click Yes to proceed. An informational message box appears.
TIP: If you see this message during 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 7, you must have SP1 installed before you can install KB2999226. For Windows
Server 2012 R2, you must have KB2919442 and then KB2919355 installed before installing
KB2999226. For Windows 8.1, you just need KB2999226.
3. Click OK to proceed. The install program starts and the Welcome screen appears.
4. Click Next to continue. The license agreement screen appears.
5. Click "I accept the terms of the license agreement" if you want to continue, and then click Next.
IMPORTANT: If a previous version of iFIX is detected, you can choose to upgrade iFIX. For iFIX ver-
sions 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), the My-T-Soft virtual (on screen) keyboard, and the Water and OEM Solutions
Packs.
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 Electronic books (e-books).
The Choose Destination Location screen appears.
9. Leave the default path or click Browse to select a folder.
NOTES:
l If you are upgrading from FIX32, make sure that you choose a location other than the folder
that contains your FIX32 software, if it is installed on the same computer. Do not install over a
current FIX32 installation.
l If you enter a custom install path, be aware that the path can be no greater than 100 characters
long.
l If you want to use 6.x drivers, the iFIX compressed install path must be no greater than 64 char-
acters 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_MACHINE\Sys-
tem\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.

14 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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. After a
few minutes, when the install finishes copying the files, the iFIX Configure Wizard dialog box
appears.
12. 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).
A message box requests that you enable iFIX through the firewall, if the Windows firewall is
enabled.
13. Click Yes to continue (otherwise, you may need to do this later, if the firewall is enabled). The
install continues.
14. Click Yes or OK to continue. The install continues.
17. 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 Setup Complete screen
appears.
18. Select Yes to restart your computer, and then click Finish.
19. After you restart your computer and the install completes, install your product licensing. For
information on installing and configuring your license, refer to the GE Support site.
20. Restart the computer again. As the computer restarts, log in to Windows with the same user
name (with Administrator rights).
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 exist-
ing iFIX install. It is recommended that you elect to upgrade iFIX when this message appears. By fol-
lowing 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 15

 21. Check if there are any required Service Packs or SIMs to install for iFIX on the GE Support web
site, and install them.
22. If you just installed a SCADA Server, change the default iFIX Administrator password in the
Security Configuration program. iFIX must be running to do this. For steps on how to change the
password and other user account settings, refer to the Modifying a User Account topic in the Con-
figuring Security Features e-book. Make sure you save this password.
23. 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 Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit the HOSTS file, and do not add a file extension to the
file.
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.
24. If you just installed an iFIX View (Client) 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. You should then update the SCU (with Configure > Paths
menu option) on the View node to point to this mapped drive location.

Using iFIX with GE Historian

With GE 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.

16 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Configuration Considerations
Although many of the features of GE Historian can be configured in iFIX, some cannot. They must be
configured 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.
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 GE Historian. If you want to use multiple databases, you
may want to use GE Historian separately from iFIX. When used together, GE Historian does not recog-
nize tags from the iFIX database with the same name as different tags, even though the source is dif-
ferent. So, tags that exist in your iFIX database are ignored. The data that is populated comes from GE
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, GE 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 GE Historian as FIX.AI1.F_CV. If you reload PDB1 and then PDB2, the
AI1 tag is overwritten in GE Historian.

Collection Delay

When iFIX and GE Historian are used as an integrated application, rather than as separate applications,
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 GE 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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 17

 Electronic Signatures

If you use electronic signatures, then you should probably not use the integrated GE Historian feature. If
a tag requires an electronic signature in GE 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 GE Historian's
electronic signature requirement.

Spare1 Fields

When used with iFIX, the GE 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 GE His-
torian tab, in the Collection Options area), the Spare1 field is assigned to iFIX. iFIX controls the creation
or modification of this tag in GE 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 GE Historian
Server. The Spare1 field contains the iFIX database name.

If you want to use the Spare1 field in GE Historian to allow data to be written to GE 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, GE Historian
collection is not enabled for the tag and the tag is handled exclusively by GE Historian. When the tag is
being handled by GE Historian, it cannot be modified or deleted from iFIX.

Choosing Not to Install Integrated GE Historian

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

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

Post-Installation Steps for GE Historian

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

Configuring Security When Using iFIX with GE Historian

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

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

For all other security considerations for GE Historian, see the chapter "Implementing Historian Security"
in the GE Historian e-book.

Configuring iFIX to Use GE Historian

18 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

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

Configuration Process - New Install of Historian

Stage Description
1 Install iFIX, and then restart your computer.
2 Install GE Historian. The Historian install is available on separate media. Restart your
computer.
3 Install the Historian Client Tools and the iFIX Collector on the iFIX computer. The His-
torian Client Tools and iFIX Collector are on the same media as the Historian Server
install. Restart your computer.
4 Define your security strategy for Historian and iFIX.

Since Historian enables strict security by default (the Security tab on the DataStores
menu of the Historian Administrator has both Enforce Strict Client Authentication and
Enforce Strict Collector Authentication options enabled to maximize security), be sure to
review the Historian security considerations in the "Implementing Historian Security"
chapter of the GE Historian Getting Started guide before getting started. You may need
to temporarily disable these options during the installation process, or until all Historian
components are upgraded.

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, start the iFIX Collector.
TIP: If 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 to start the
iFIX Collector manually. You can specify tasks for automatic start-up by clicking the Task but-
ton on the SCU toolbox and displaying the Task Configuration dialog box.
In the iFIX WorkSpace, on the Administration tab, in the Configure the Historian Server
(s) dialog box, add and configure the Historian Server. Do not set a default collector
7
unless your configuration requires it. Be sure to review the "Using iFIX with GE His-
torian" section first before enabling a default collector.

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 GE 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
Digital\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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 19

 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 GE 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 Authentic-
ation 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 recom-
mended 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 authen-
tication during the upgrade process. However, upgrading all clients and collectors to the latest ver-
sion immediately will achieve a higher level of security. The two options, Enforce Strict Client
Authentication and Enforce Strict Collector Authentication, permit flexibility during the upgrade pro-
cess by selectively accommodating legacy clients and collectors.
11 Configure iFIX and your GE Historian Server.

Using the Discover and Auto Configure Tool with GE Historian

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

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

Before you begin collection, you must have your GE Historian Server configured, and your iFIX Collector
configured as your local, default collector.

Be aware of your license limits for GE Historian. For example, there are limits to the number of iFIX tags
you are permitted to add to the GE 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 lim-
its.

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 Remove iFIX, install Microsoft Office
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.

20 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 Started the iFIX WorkSpace for the Use iFIX and Uninstall iFIX, uninstall Microsoft Office,
first time, and this message appears: Microsoft Office har- re-install Microsoft Office, and re-install
moniously iFIX.
Run time error "48": Error in loading
dll.

Backup Files

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

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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 21

 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
Discover 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.

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
Industrial 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
Historian (through the iFIX Collector). For information on using Discover and Auto Configure with His-
torian, 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

To uninstall iFIX, from the Control Panel, in the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click the Remove
button 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.

22 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 IMPORTANT: For the Discover and Auto Configure (DAC) application, it is recommended that you uninstall it
before you uninstall 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.

Upgrading from an Earlier Version of iFIX

This chapter contains information about issues concerning upgrading your iFIX version.
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.

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
Epsilon 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. 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.

Before You Upgrade

Before you upgrade your version of iFIX make sure you:

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 23

 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).
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 Con-
figuration section for detailed steps.)
l If you have an application created by an Integration Toolkit, Database Dynamo Toolkit, or Sys-
tem Extension Toolkit from iFIX 2.5 or earlier, and you want to use this application with latest ver-
sion of iFIX, do not uninstall iFIX. You must install the newer version of iFIX over your existing
iFIX configuration. 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
version prior to upgrading iFIX.
l If you plan to use Enhanced Failover feature provided in iFIX, review the Enhanced Failover and
Upgrading section.

Steps to Upgrade from an Earlier Version of iFIX

To upgrade from earlier versions of iFIX

1. Update your license.
2. Log in to Windows with Administrator privileges. If you intend to use iFIX as a service in con-
junction with a GE driver, make sure you use the same administrator account to install and
register each program as a service.
3. Ensure that there are no iFIX, FIX, GE, or Proficy processes running, and close any other pro-
grams that are running.
4. Insert the iFIX DVD into your DVD-ROM drive. The iFIX installation screen appears.
NOTE: If this screen does not automatically appear, double-click the InstallFrontEnd.exe file on the
DVD to display it.
5. Click the "Install iFIX" link. A message box appears asking you to confirm the install.
6. Click Yes to continue. The install program starts and the Welcome screen appears.
7. Click Next to continue. The license agreement screen appears.
8. Click "I accept the terms of the license agreement" if you want to continue, and then click Next.
A message box appears indicating that a previous version of iFIX has been detected.

24 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 9. Click Yes to upgrade.
CAUTION: If you select No to this message, you can no longer run the older version of iFIX. By
default, iFIX installs to the C:\Program Files (x86)\GE\iFIX folder instead. THIS IS NO LONGER AN
UPGRADE. Use caution in copying files from your previous iFIX release, into your new iFIX install
folder.
The Setup Type screen appears.
10. Select Complete and then click Next. If you selected Custom instead, you will be prompted later
to select your install features. The Ready to Install Program screen appears.
11. Click Install. The progress of the installation displays on screen as the files are copied. After a
few moments, a message box appears asking if you would like to review the release notes.
12. Click Yes to view the release notes. Close the release notes after you finish reviewing them to
resume the install. The Setup Complete dialog box appears.
13. Click Yes to restart your computer now, or No to do it later.
14. Click Finish.
NOTE: Be sure to restart your computer before starting iFIX. As the computer restarts, log in to Win-
dows with the same user name (with Administrator rights).

Preserving Settings when Upgrading

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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 25

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 version 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 opening 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 Project 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
information 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.
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-
N=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:\Pro-
gram 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.

26 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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.

Enhanced Failover and Upgrading

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
Failover option (SCADA Failover) if you plan to use SCADA Failover in iFIX. If you had pur-
chased 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
configuration changes on your iFIX SCADA nodes for the Enhanced Failover feature to work prop-
erly. 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 27

 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 cli-
ent 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 Ethernet. 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 Act-
ive mode (processing data and alarms) while the other will be in Standby mode. This is unlike pre-
vious 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 support 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.
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.

28 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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 cor-
porate, non-dedicated 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.

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 ser-
vice, 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 29

 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 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 prop-
erties. 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

30 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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

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 Sys-
tem 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
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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 31

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).
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 warn-
ing 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 Database 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

32 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 version of iFIX. Follow 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 mismatch.

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:

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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 33

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 SwitchLanguage 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.

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
Preferences.
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.

34 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 4. If applicable, select the Always overwrite existing export files check box. If you are exporting a
language file for a picture that already has a language file for the selected language, the existing
language 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
settings are not correctly set, you may not be able to access remote OPC servers. Changes to these
settings 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 sec-
tion.
l For Firewall information, refer to the Setting Up the Firewall for Use with Remote OPC Server
section.

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 Windows utility, DCOMCNFG.EXE for configuring DCOM applications. DCOMCNFG.EXE is usu-
ally 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
network to access and launch the Server. On large networks, it is recommended that you modify these
settings 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 Admin-
istrators 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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 35

 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 applic-
ations install and register this file, some do not. You can download this file from www.op-
cfoundation.org. Currently it is contained 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 con-
tinues 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 net-
work, you must run the Windows Network Wizard (from Start > Control Panel) to set up your computer
to run on your network. This allows you to share resources on your computer with other computers on
your network. It is recommended that you run the Network Setup Wizard before modifying the DCOM
settings.

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 Com-
puters 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
Activation 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.

36 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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 anonymous 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 permissions 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 dia-
logs.

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

OPC Server-specific DCOM Settings

The following procedures detail the OPC server-specific COM/DCOM settings on all supported Win-
dows 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 serv-
ers. It is also recommended that all users who require access to see OPC Servers be members of the Admin-
istrators 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 following built-in security principals: INTERACTIVE; NETWORK;
SYSTEM. Then substitute “DAC” everywhere that “Everyone” appears in the entire DCOM configuration dia-
logs.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 37

 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.
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.

38 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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 dis-
played 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.

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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 39

 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.

40 © 2020 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 41

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

42 © 2020 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 43

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

44 © 2020 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 \system32\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 applic-
ations install and register this file, some do not. You can download this file from www.op-
cfoundation.org. Currently it is contained within the OPC Core Components 2.00 Redistributable
2.30.msi file. After you download OPCENUM, run the .msi file.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 45

 Windows Operating System Considerations

When using iFIX in newer versions of Windows, be aware of the following limitations when working with
these products:
l GEOPC 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
service. 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
software to see if your OPC Server supports the operating system that you want to use.
l Third-PartyOPC 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 Driversand 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 i nterface 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
versions 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

46 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 As an Administrator, you have all of the rights you need to operate a SCADA node (start and stop iFIX),
as well as running iFIX as a service. However, if you want to allow a user not in the Administrators group
to operate an iFIX SCADA node or run iFIX as a service, you need to make some adjustments to the
user rights.

To allow a non-Administrator to operate an iFIX SCADA node, you need to add the individual user or
group to the "Create Global Objects" policy. If you want the user or group to run iFIX as a service, then
you need to run the GrantUserFixServiceRights command for the user or group.

To allow a user who is not an Administrator to operate an iFIX SCADA node:

1. Log in as an Administrator.
2. Click the Start button, and in the Search box, type secpol.msc and press Enter. The Local Secur-
ity 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 allow a user who is not an Administrator to run iFIX as a service:

1. 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.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type:
GrantUserFixServiceRights GRANT FIX USERNAME

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.

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 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 Win-
dows 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:

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 47

 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 fail-
ing.

For example, you add a system data source (ODBC) with a mapped network drive for use with Vis-
iconX. 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,
configure 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
scenario. To resolve these types of issues, elevate the application to the fullest privileges.

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"

48 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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
manifest created in the above manner. Instead, you need rebuild the application with the new elev-
ation 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.

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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 49

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

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 Secur-
ity Privileges chapter, in particular, has detailed information with links to more steps.

50 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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
the iFIX WorkSpace User Preferences.) If there is no user logged in, task switching will be dis-
abled, 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

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 51

 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 key-
board 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

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

52 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

 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.

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 53

54 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
 Index hardware requirements

memory 5

Historian and iFIX 29

B

backup, file server files 52 I

buttons, special keyboard 50 iFIX

hardware requirements 3
C
installation failure 33
color mapping errors 32
memory requirements 5

optional hardware 22
D
picture compatibility 31
Database Dynamos 32
previous version compatibility 32
iFIX installation 33
recommended file servers 52
updating 32
regional settings 7
date format, supported 7
resolving displays 32
disabling iFIX as a service 11
software requirements 6
disk space requirements 12
supported drivers 50
F supported file servers 52
file server 52 supported network protocol 52
backup files 52 using with Microsoft Office 20
recommended types 52 iFIX environment, iFIX nodes 2
FixUserPreferences.ini 12 iFIX installation 2
format, time and date 7 Dynamo sets 33
FreeDiskSpace parameter 12 overview 2

insufficient disk space 12

G

getting started, iFIX 1 K

keyboard, special buttons 50

H

hardware 3 L

optional 22 language support 8

requirements for iFIX 3 limitations 46

© 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. 55

 M S

mappings 48 software requirements 6

memory 5 special keyboard buttons 50

optimizing 9 supported 52

Microsoft Office and iFIX 20 file servers 52

iFIX drivers 49
N
networks 52
networks 52

supported in iFIX 52 T

new user 1 time format, supported 7

toolbars 29
O
toolbars, imported 29
optimizing virtual memory 9

optional hardware for iFIX 22 U

upgrading
P
iFIX permissions 29
pictures
older pictures 32
compatibility in earlier versions of iFIX 31
preserving settings 25
created in an older version of iFIX 32
user globals, iFIX upgrade considerations 29
preserving settings when upgrading 25
using iFIX with Microsoft Office 20

R
V
requirements
virtual memory 9
iFIX hardware 3
optimizing for iFIX 9
iFIX software 6
Vista limitations 45
memory 5

resolving iFIX displays 32 W

running iFIX as a service 9 Windows virtual memory 9

required application feature 11 Windows Vista 48

Terminal Server 11 Windows Vista limitations 45

56 © 2020 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.