Webspace Features

The Webspace product provides the following features:

  • Client Access: Provides transparent access to client-side resources like printers, files, sounds, and so on. It also provides seamless integration of client drives, and client machines' serial and parallel ports.
  • Client-Side Password Caching: With this feature, the user's name and password are taken from the Webspace Server Logon dialog box after the first manual authentication and used automatically when the user accesses the web client again from that machine.
  • Dependent Servers: A Webspace Server that is connected to a Relay Server. Multiple Dependent Servers are used for load balancing, as the Relay Server choses the one with the lowest number of running sessions.
  • Display Capability: The Webspace session displays all graphics developed using the Workspace as is, and without conversion.
  • Encryption: Provides support for a computer networking protocol that manages server authentication, client authentication, and encrypted communication between servers and clients.  
  • Enhanced Failover: The Webspace Server supports the iFIX Enhanced Failover configuration only when the Webspace Server machine is separate to the SCADA pair. The Webspace Server does not support Enhanced Failover while running on either of the SCADA machines configured in a redundant pair. The Webspace session will successfully switch over to the secondary SCADA in a failover scenario.
  • Exporting Data: The Webspace sessions support exporting of data from Trend Charts and Historian to a local drive.
  • Inactivity Time-out: Through the Webspace Admin Console, administrators can specify time limits for the number of minutes of client inactivity.
  • Independent Server: A Single Webspace Server running with a client application, such as iFIX or CIMPLICITY.
  • Licensing: The Webspace Server manages a server-based license for Webspace sessions and iFIX or CIMPLICITY functionality.
  • Multiple Sessions: Webspace supports running multiple sessions on the same computer; however, each session will consume a license. Each open browser window (even if logged on under the same user name) consumes a license.
  • Network Access: The Webspace Server communicates through a standard TCP/IP port, across a firewall. The Webspace sessions can also communicate with the Webspace Server through a single port across the firewall.
  • ODBC Connections: The Webspace sessions support ODBC connections as supported by the Webspace Server to connect to relational database tables.
  • Other Applications: The Webspace session supports running other applications. For instance, in the iFIX WorkSpace shell, you can run other applications such as Excel, Crystal Reports, and SQL Stored procedures. This is similar to the functionality on an iClient machine.
  • Other Products: The Webspace sessions support displaying client controls from other products.
  • Relay Server Configuration: Webspace Servers can be configured as Relay Servers to support Load Balancing (one Relay Server and two Dependent Servers) and High Availability (two Relay Servers and two Dependent Servers). In a High Availability scenario, one of the Relay Servers is designated as a the Failover Relay Server with a Backup license.
  • Reporting: The Webspace Server supports reporting of client activities, such as connections, disconnections, logins, and logouts, to the Event Log.
  • SCADA Identity Protection: When the SCADA and Webspace Server are used together on separate machines, the Webspace Server will not expose the details of the SCADA Server such as the IP address.
  • Security: Webspace is secured with both product security and Windows security.
  • Session Shadowing: This feature allows an administrator and a session owner to view and control a single session. Only administrators can connect to running Webspace sessions, but only with permission from the session's user.
  • Session Time-out: Through the Webspace Admin Console, administrators can specify time limits for the number of minutes that sessions are allowed to run on a Webspace Server.
  • Standard Security: The Webspace Server follows standard Windows security synchronized with the GE product.
  • Time Zone Redirection: This option allows web sessions to run in the time zone of the client computer, regardless of the time zone that is selected on the Webspace Server.
  • Webspace Admin Console Dashboard: Allows the system administrator to manage the Webspace Server application.
  • VPN Support: The web session supports connecting to the Webspace Server through VPN connections.