InTouch on Terminal Services with ACP

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ARCHITECTURE GUIDE

Description

Intouch with Terminal Server and ACP ThinManager Server Failover

Author	Mike Viteri
Publish Date	1/6/2014
Applies to Software	Intouch
Applies to Version
Applies to System/Module
Article Version	00.00.01

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Concepts and Terms

To get started with Intouch for TSE please refer to this document.

ACP ThinManager

ThinManager is a server-side configuration, management, and hardware enabling software for Terminal

Services based thin client systems.

ThinManager is a software program that allows thin clients to boot, receive a configuration, and connect

to a terminal server. ThinManager provides terminal configuration, session management, and session

status monitoring. ACP ThinManager provides quick replacement of terminals and an almost seamless

switch from terminal server to terminal server in case of terminal server failure.

A thin client is a device that connects to a server, logs onto a separate independent session, and runs its

applications on the server and not locally on the thin client. Thin Clients first connect to a ThinManager

Server where it receives its configuration. This configuration sends the terminal to a terminal server where

it logs in.

The keystrokes and mouse movements from the thin client are sent to the terminal server. The terminal

server session determines the response and sends the screen display back to the terminal. This

simplifies maintenance and management by eliminating the need to install and configure operating

systems and applications on the thin client. All configuration, management, installation and applications

are on the server, not the thin client.

How Thinmanager Works

Display Clients can be generated by a traditional session running on a Terminal Server, a shadowed thin client, an image from an IP camera or VMWare® virtual machines. The sources of these displays are referred to as Display Servers.

ThinManager's MultiSession core technology allows you to view multiple Display Clients with a single thin client. Using session tiling you can even view up to 25 Display Clients on a single monitor.

TermSecure extends this functionality even more by allowing you to link Display Clients to a user instead of to a particular thin client. Users can then access their own displays simply by authenticating to any ThinManager-Ready thin client.

ThinManager renders display clients through a number of different types of thin client hardware available from multiple manufacturers.

ThinManager from ACP adds server-side management features including auto-creation, replacement, feature grouping, and downloadable modules for simpler configuration and greater functionality in a Terminal Services Environment

Glossary of Terms

ACP
Automation Control Products

ACP Enabled Thin Client Network

A ThinManager server, a terminal server, and ACP
enabled thin clients connected and configured on
the same network.

Display Client

The graphic rendering of the output from a Display

Server. This could be a traditional Terminal Server

session, IP Camera display, or a Terminal-to-

Terminal Shadow session. Added in ThinManager 4.0.

Display Servers

Devices that provide content that can be displayed

on the client. Examples include the traditional

terminal server and IP cameras. Added in

ThinManager 4.0

Enforce Primary

A ThinManager feature that allows terminals that

failed over to a backup terminal server to return to

their primary terminal server once the primary

terminal server has returned online

Failover

The ability of a terminal to switch to a backup

server when the primary server fails.

HMI

Human-Machine Interface. A software program

that allows an operator to control a manufacturing

process. Also known as MMI, Man-Machine

Interface.

Instant Failover

A ThinManager function that allows a

ThinManager Ready thin client to start sessions on

two terminal servers, with only the session of the

primary terminal server visible. If the primary

terminal server fails, the secondary session is

immediately displayed

Primary Terminal Server

The first terminal server that a terminal will log

into.

Redundancy

The use of duplicate equipment so that if one unit

fails, another one takes its place. ACP uses

Redundancy for duplicate ThinManager Servers

and uses Failover for duplicate terminal servers.

SCADA

Systems Control And Data Acquisition. A software

program that gathers and displays data, and

allows for operator input, for control of a

manufacturing process.

Secondary Server

Backup terminal servers that a terminal may log

into.

Terminal

A client device that relies on a server for

operations. ThinManager Ready thin clients are

terminals.

Terminal Server

A server with a multi-user operating system that

processes data for terminals

Diagrams and Layouts

ACP ThinManager offers a centralized management solution for the modern

factory & office by simplifying management of application and visual sources.

Notes and Warnings

Planning Consideration for Terminal Server Applications with Intouch and ACP

The following system specifications are supported. The following information was derived from the specific test plan and is not intended as a limitation.

TSE Platforms

Hardware: 2.8 GHz with 2 GB RAM, 1 GB network switch
Windows Server 2003 SP2 (32 and 64-bit version)
Windows 7 and SP1
Windows Server 2008 R2 and SP1

In Wonderware tests, the TSE Platforms were used for client connection only. The Platforms did not have App Engines. Each Platform was configured to be an alarm provider and was filtered to subscribe to eleven Areas. Each Platform was deployed to a Terminal Services machine.

Client Nodes

Hardware: 2.8 GHz CPU with 1 GB RAM, 1 GB network switch
Windows XP SP3 (32-bit only)
Windows Vista SP2 (32/64-bit)
Windows Server 2003 SP2 Standard and Enterprise (32-bit version)
Windows 7 and SP1
Windows Server 2008 R2 and SP1