Using CitectSCADA > Compiling and Running a Project > Running Your System Over the Internet > Server - client file updates

Server - client file updates

When you log on to the CitectSCADA Internet Server, the files needed to run the project are downloaded to your computer. Because these files needs to be up to date, CitectSCADA periodically compares the files on the Internet Server with the downloaded files on the Internet Display Client. (This period is defined using the [Internet]UpdateTime parameter.) If a file has been changed since the last update, it is copied to the Internet Display Client.

Note: The Internet Display Client is not supported on Windows Vista. It will still operate correctly on earlier Operating Systems, however there are no plans to provide support for IDC on Vista and above in the future.

To set up your CitectSCADA Internet Server:

  1. Run the Computer Setup Wizard and select Custom Setup.
  2. Select Server and Control Client from Network Computer section.
  3. Once you reach the Internet Server screen, select Internet Server.
  4. Enter the TCP/IP address of your Internet server computer (for example 10.5.6.7 or plant.yourdomain.com). This information is downloaded and stored in the Internet Display Client's citect.ini file when a connection is made.
  5. To determine the TCP/IP address of the Internet server computer:
  7. After completing the Computer Setup Wizard, define the passwords necessary by users of your Internet Display Clients using the [Internet]Manager and/or [Internet]Display parameters.
  8. If the Runtime project on the Internet Server has links to any included projects, the Internet Display Client can only access the included project files if they are stored on the same directory level as the Runtime project. For example, if the current project is located at:

  9. C:\Citect\User\<current project>

    then any included projects needs to be located on the same level:

    C:\Citect\User\<included project>

  10. Any files you want to make accessible to an anonymous FTP user have to be placed in the Internet Server's\Internet directory, located at C:\Citect\User\Internet by default. This is where CitectSCADA stores the idc.exe file to allow remote installation of the Internet Display Client.

TheInternet directory on the Internet Server is only accessible to anonymous FTP users if it shares the same directory level as the current Runtime project. For example, if you use CitectSCADA's default settings, the current project folder will be located at:

C:\Citect\User\<current project>

andthe Internet directory will be located on the same level at:

C:\Citect\User\Internet

If the runtime project on the Internet server is stored elsewhere, an appropriately located Internet directory needs to be created.

To install the Internet Display Client:

  1. On the remote computer, start your Internet browser.
  2. Type in the FTP address of your CitectSCADA Internet Server (for example, ftp://sanctus.citect.com.au/idc.exe).
  3. Save the file (IDC.exe) to a temporary folder.
  4. Go to this temporary folder and double-click IDC.exe.
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

To run your project over the Internet:

  1. Verify that you have installed the Internet Display Client and set up your Internet server.
  2. At the Internet Display Client, double-click the Citect Runtime icon in the CitectSCADA IDC program group.
  3. In the Citect Internet Client Setup dialog, type the TCP/IP address of your CitectSCADA Internet Server (for example 10.5.6.7 or plant.yourdomain.com). You can also optionally enter a port number separated by a colon ":". If you do not enter a port number the port number specified in the [Internet]Port parameter in the Citect.ini file will be used, the default is 21.
  4. Type your password
  5. Click OK. The relevant data will be downloaded to your computer and your project will run (if the CitectSCADA Internet Server is running).

To connect to a different CitectSCADA Internet Server once your project is running on the Internet Display Client:

  1. Click Client Setup from the runtime Control menu.

  2. In the Citect Internet Client Setup dialog box, complete the following properties:

Option Description

Address

Enter the TCP/IP address of the CitectSCADA Internet Server (for example 10.5.6.7 or plant.yourdomain.com). You can also optionally enter a port number separated by a colon ":". If you do not enter a port number the port number specified in the [Internet]Port parameter in the Citect.ini file will be used, the default is 21. The address of the last Internet Server used will be automatically entered here. The addresses of every Internet Server previously used are retained in the menu (with the most recently used at the top).

Password

Enter the password supplied to you by the CitectSCADA Internet Server administrator. Your password will be encrypted before it is sent across the Internet.

If you enter an incorrect password, the connection attempt will not succeed.

  2. Click OK. The relevant data is downloaded to your computer and your project will run.