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SatSCADA Proxy Client

The SatSCADA Proxy Client is a windows system tray application used to access SatSCADA terminals from the customer SCADA host applications. For details including a register map see:

The Client can be installed on the SCADA host computer or on any Windows PC within the customers network. The Client allows secure HTTPS authenticated access to each of customer's SAT1xx terminals as an RTU, modem, or call out device.

The SatSCADA Client provides a TCP socket type connection between the customers SCADA host application and the SatSCADA Server and satellite terminals.

Download

Contact Bentek Systems Support to obtain the version you should be using.

The SatSCADA Client software is licensed to the customer by Bentek Systems for use with SatSCADA and a SAT1xx Airtime Subscription. When using the SAT120 over cell you will need a SIM card.

There are two downloads that can be used to install the application.

  • An installer (exe) that is double clicked to show an install wizard. This adds icons to the desktop and start menu. The sections below describe how to install and uninstall this version.
  • A portable version (zip) that can be unzipped on a hard drive or USB stick and run by double clicking the application (exe) in the containing folder. To uninstall just delete the folder. This version does not affect the windows registry so may work for PCs that have been 'locked down' by your IT department.

The operation of the application is the same no matter which download you decide to use.

Install

  1. If you have previously installed the client then first uninstall it.
  2. Download the installer by clicking the above link.
  3. Double click the installer.
  4. Click through all the questions to accept the defaults.
  5. The client will start at the end of the installation process.
  6. An info bubble will be displayed in the lower right or your screen indicating the start up status.
  7. The default installation preferences will be used so the info bubble will indicate a connection to the server could not be made.
  8. Set preferences by following the instructions in the Preferences section. As a minimum you need to set the username and password that Bentek gave you.

After installation the application will show in the system tray in the lower right of your screen.

If the icon does not show in the task bar the click the small upward pointing triangle shown in this image next to the icon. To make the icon always appear on the task bar you may need to click the triangle, click 'Customize', then select 'Show icon and notifications' in the Behaviors column next to the icon.

Uninstall

  1. Stop the client from running. You can do this by selecting the client icon from the system tray, right clicking it, and selecting 'Exit'.
  2. Uninstall the client. You can do this by clicking the uninstaller from the Windows start menu or use the Windows control panel as with any other program.

Start

The client will automatically start when your computer starts. However if you have stopped the client then start it again by clicking its icon on the desktop or in the start menu. When the client starts running an info bubble will appear just above the system tray.

Right click the system tray icon and you will see a menu of commands.

About Shows the proxy client version and build date.
Help Shows this online document. You can view proxy client topics as well as topics related to all SatSCADA hardware and software.
Preferences Used to set the username, password, and server host name that are all provided to you by Bentek. Set the time zone according to your corporate standard. :!: Always restart the client after changing the preferences.
Terminals Has a list of terminals and their details. You must use the information in the list to connect to your host system.
Status Shows the number of connections to terminals that have been established and how many messages have been transferred so far. The state of the connections shows errors that have happened, if any.
Restart Stop then start the proxy client. When the client is re-started the info bubble displays again. :!: Always restart the client after changing the preferences.
Exit Stop the proxy client. This ensures no data will be transferred over-the-air between your host system and the satellite terminals.

Preferences

In this example the Preferences menu item is used to enter username/password/ip address/ip port. This is something you always need to do right after installing the client and is required so that the client can connect to the SatSCADA Server.

  1. Start SatSCADA Client by clicking the desktop icon or using the start menu.
  2. The first time the username and password will not be correct so some error info bubbles will pop up.
  3. Right click the client application icon in the lower right of the desktop1).
  4. The application menu is displayed.
  5. Left click Preferences.
  6. The Preferences dialog is displayed.
  7. Update pertinent parameters.
  8. Click the OK button.
  9. Open the system tray.
  10. Right click the application icon.
  11. Left click Restart.
  12. The new preferences are applied on restart.
  13. An info bubble is displayed indicating everything is ready.
  14. You are ready to connect to a terminal.

Start this video to see these steps in action.

Terminals

To connect your application to a satscada terminal you must connect that application to the proxy using one of the listed IP port numbers.

Your permitted IP port numbers are listed on the Terminals form. You can display this form by right clicking the proxy icon in the system tray and selecting 'Terminals'. See Figure 1 for an example. The scroll bars can be used to view all your terminals.

If you want to see details for a terminal then select the first check box and click the Details button. Terminal #14 has been selected for this purpose. The check mark does not mean only that terminal is enabled. The check mark is only for use with the Details button. Any terminal in the form can be connected to.

The Callout column lists port numbers you can use to access terminal callout data stored in the server database. For example IP port 5012 is used to access callout data for terminal #12.

The OTA columns list port numbers used to access over-the-air channels on the terminal. There are three OTA channels. The terminal must be configured to use one or more of these channels using the SatSCADA GUI.

The 'x' in the table refers to the digits in the legend at the bottom of the form next to the OK button.

The Sat/Cell/Web columns show what interfaces the terminal is capable of supporting. These are set by Bentek and are based on the options you purchased. If 'sat' is checked the terminal can be accessed via satellite. If cell is checked the terminal can be accessed via cell. Both need to be checked to enable cell to satellite fail over. The 'web' flag is normally checked and means the terminal supports request/response virtual serial (via web service). The 'web' option is slower but more secure since SSL is used over https. This may be simpler to use in your IT environment. If 'web' is unchecked then a TCP/IP socket connection is used from the proxy to the satscada server. This is faster but will require firewall configuration.

[Figure 1:  Terminal IP Port Numbers]

1)
If the icon is not visible on the desktop then click the upward pointing solid triangle to open the system tray
client/client.txt · Last modified: 2016/04/25 13:12 by dmeier