Installing Historian

Important: You do not have the latest version of Historian! You are missing out on the newest capabilities and enhanced security. For information on all the latest features, see the Historian product page. For more information on upgrades, contact your GE Digital sales agent or e-mail GE Digital Sales Support. For the most up-to-date documentation, go here.

Historian Installation

Historian provides a single install program on a DVD or ISO with options that install each system component.

The following table provides the information about installation locations of various Historian components regarding their Root File Path and Root Registry Path from Historian 7.0 SP6 onwards.

Component File path Registry path
Server <DRIVE>:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy Historian\x64\Server HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intellution, Inc.\iHistorian\Services

Collectors 32 bit

<DRIVE>:\Program Files (x86)\GE Digital\< COLLECTOR NAME>

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\ GE Digital\iHistorian\Services\< COLLECTOR NAME>
Collectors 64 bit <DRIVE>:\Program Files\GE Digital\< COLLECTOR NAME> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GE Digital\iHistorian\Services\< COLLECTOR NAME>
OPC DA, OPC AE, iFix, iFix AE Collectors 32 bit <DRIVE>:\Program Files (x86)\GE Digital\<COLLECTOR NAME> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\ Intellution, Inc.\iHistorian\Services\< COLLECTOR NAME>
Client Tools <DRIVE>:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy Historian\x86\<CLIENT TOOL NAME> <None>
Alarm Archiver <DRIVE>:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy Historian\x86\Server HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\ Intellution, Inc.\iHistorian\Services\AlarmArchiver
Help C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy Historian\ProficyDoc <None>

Historian Startup Procedure Overview

This topic contains general instructions about how to install and start up Historian:
  1. Design your system architecture.
    Decide what collectors to install on which nodes, what computers to designate as the Historian Server and the Historian Administrators, whether or not they will be web-based, and how much memory and disk space you can assign to buffers and archives. Record the computer names of each node.
  2. Ensure that data sources are installed.
  3. Set up your Historian environment.
    .
  4. At the server node, insert the Historian DVD and select Install Historian 7.1.
    Follow the prompts for the installation process, selecting either Single Server or Historian Mirror for installation.
  5. Activate your product using the latest Licensing Software at http://digitalsupport.ge.com.
    Note: To add a component, re-run the install and select that component. Do not deselect previously installed components as they will be uninstalled.
  6. Once you have installed Historian, re-run the installation to install collectors where needed.
    • iFIX Collector Select the Historian iFIX Collector to collect data and the iFIX AE Collector to collect alarms and events. When prompted, type in the name of the Historian server as the destination for archived data.
    • OPC Alarms & Events Collector To collect data from an OPC AE server, select the OPC AE collector and when prompted select the name of the OPC AE server.
    • OPC Data Collector To collect data from an OPC v1.0 or v2.0 server, select the OPC Data collector and when prompted, select the OPC data collector from the list provided.
    • Calculation Collector To install a calculation collector, select it from the list of options and when prompted, type in the name of the Historian server as the destination for the calculated values.
    • Server-to-Server Collector Select the Server-to-Server collector to collect data from one Historian server (r;Source) and store it on another (r;Destination). When prompted, type in the name of both the source and destination Historians.
    • Server-to-Server Distributor Select the Server-to-Server Distributor to configure tags at the source archiver and send the tags to a destination archiver. When prompted, type in the name of both the source and destination Historians.
    • OSI PI Collector Select the OSI PI Collector to collect data from an OSI PI node and store it in the Historian. Select the OSI PI Distributor to collect data from the Historian server and store it on an OSI PI node. When prompted, type in the name of the OSI PI and Historian servers.
    • Simulation Collector - To install, select the Simulation collector from the list of options and when prompted, type in the name of the Historian server as the destination for the Simulation values.
    • File Collector - To install, select the File collector from the list of options and when prompted, type in the name of the Historian server as the destination for importing CSV and XML text files into Historian.
    • Windows Performance Collector: To install, select the Windows Performance collector from the list of options and when prompted, type in the name of the Historian server as the destination for collecting the Windows performance counter data.
    • OPC UA DA Collector: To collect data from any OPC UA 1.0-compliant OPC UA Server, select the OPC UA DA collector and when prompted, type in the name of the OPC UA and Historian servers.
    • Cygnet Collector: Select the Cygnet Collector to collect data from the Cygnet Server node and store it in the Historian. When prompted, type in the Cygnet Site details and the destination Historian. The CygNet ODBC Driver (Client tools) is prerequisite for the CygNet Collector installation, however, be aware that the CygNet ODBC Driver does not ship with Historian.
    • Wonderware Collector Select the Wonderware collector to collect data from the Wonderware node and store it in the Historian. When prompted, type in the name of the Wonderware source, username, password and the destination Historian.
    • OPC HDA Collector Select the OPC HDA collector to collect data from any OPC HDA 1.2 - compliant OPC HDA Server. When prompted select the OPC HDA server and type in the name of the destination Historian server.
  7. Restart your computer if prompted to do so.
    If your collector services are not configured for automatic start up, manually start them.
  8. For the Windows-based Historian Administrator clients, start the Administrator from the Historian Startup Group.
    When the Historian Administrator's main screen appears, you are ready to set up archives, collectors, and tags in the Data Store Maintenance, Collector Maintenance, and Tag Maintenance screens.

    Refer to the Using the Historian Administrator manual for details.

    Note: Collectors will appear in the Historian Administrator only when they are started.

Historian Installation Limitations

  • With a Historian install, you are limited to the Historian Administrator, Historian Web Admin Console, and the Historian Trend Client. If you want to install other clients, use a client-specific install.
  • You cannot close your current archive with a Historian Mirror Primary Server and Historian Mirror Node installation. This is because closing the current archive introduces archive synchronization risks in a mirrored environment. The restriction is enforced on all Historians, even those not using mirroring.

  • You cannot use size-based archives with a Historian Mirror Primary Server and Historian Mirror Node installation. This is because having archives of different sizes introduces archive synchronization risks in a mirrored environment. The restriction is enforced on all Historians, even those not using mirroring.

Installing a Single Server Historian

If you are changing the role of a Historian Server that was previously a Mirror Node in any other configuration (Single Server or Mirror Primary Server), you must uninstall Historian first. See Uninstalling Historian.
Important: The number of alarms in the Historian Alarm and Events database, and the frequency of new events being added during the installation affects how long the install takes to complete. For example, an install for a system with 1.5 million alarms can take up to three hours to complete.

To install a single server Historian:

  1. Log in to the Windows Server as an administrator.
  2. Start the Historian installation by double-clicking the InstallLauncher.exe file.
    This file is found on your ISO or DVD.
  3. Click the Install Historian 7.1 link to start the Historian installation.
    The Historian Welcome splash screen appears.
  4. Click Next.
    The End User License Agreement appears.
  5. Read the license agreement and check Accept.
  6. Click Next.
    The Where do you want to install Historian? prompt appears.
  7. To install on the default disk C:\, click Next.
    The Override the default Historian data path screen appears.
  8. Click Next to use the default path.
    The default Historian Data Path is C:\Proficy Historian Data.
  9. On the Choose the type of install you want to perform screen, select Historian Single Server and click Next.


    The Choose a Password for Built-in Admin account screen appears.
  10. Enter the Admin Password and the re-enter the password in the second field to confirm, and then click Next.
    Note: The Password must be at least 6 characters, contain at least 2 numeric characters (0-9), and at least 3 alphabetic characters (a-z, A-Z).

    The LDAP server as the identity provider screen appears.

  11. Select No (default) and click Next.
    The Ready to Install screen appears.
  12. Click Install.
    The Installing progress bar appears and the installation proceeds. During the install, a Historian screen briefly appears, and then the InstallShield wizard appears. A progress bar appears while the software is prepared for installation and configuration. The installation process may take some time.
    Note: If you are upgrading from either Historian 6.0 Enterprise or previous releases of Historian 7.0 including any of the service packs, this installation option will remove both Client Manager and Configuration Manager. This will have no impact on your data or use of Historian unless you intend to run a mirrored system. You will be prompted by the system and asked if you want to continue with the install. Choosing Yes will remove Client Manager and Configuration Manager and install a single server architecture. Choosing No will terminate the installation program.

    The Installing Proficy Common Licensing screen appears. A progress bar appears while the license is installed. This may take several minutes.

    The Historian Installing screen with the progress meter reappears. The Historian Trend Client and Historian Web Admin icons appear on the desktop, as well as the Historian SDK Help and Historian Electronic Book help icons.

  13. Click Exit when the Installation Successful screen appears.
    The Reboot Required dialog appears.
  14. Click Yes to restart your computer.
    This may take several minutes.

Installing Historian Single Server Using Command Line

You can make a silent\passive installation of a Historian Single Server using the command line:

  1. Open the command-line tool and locate install.exe in the Historian folder on your install disk.
  2. Run install.exe using flags and arguments, as described in Install Command-Line Syntax.
    install.exe [-q] [-quiet] [-s] [-silent] [-passive] HistorianCmd=StandAlone HistAdministratorPassword=Gei321itc
    Note: After the silent install, you must restart your computer manually.

Single Server Historian Architecture

This diagram shows the components of a single-server Historian system.



About Historian Log Files

Log files are created after you start historian for the first time. When you start collection, the Historian server creates an archive. It places archive files in the Archives folder specified during installation. By default, this is C:\Historian Data\Archives on Windows operating systems. All files with the .IHA extension are Archive data files. The file with the .IHC extension contains configuration information.

The Archiver and collectors place log files in the Logfiles folder. By default, this is C:\Historian Data\LogFiles on Windows operating systems. The Archiver produces two log files, a DATA ARCHIVER-XX.LOG file and a DATA ARCHIVER.SHW file. Each collector also produces two log files. For example, the Simulation Collector produces these files: SimulationCollector-01.log and SimulationCollector.shw.

You can view log files using Notepad or any other text editor. The .LOG file shows events, warnings, and errors produced by the Archiver during operation; the .SHW file shows current configuration information that applies to the Historian Server.

Installing Historian using the Command Line

You can install Historian using the command line. The command-line install functionality allows you to generate an output template/answer file. This file contains all the necessary properties for an installation. The generated file can then be consumed as an input file for further installations requiring the same properties. (The input file consumed should never be generated from scratch.) Input template/answer files can be used in conjunction with silent or passive install flags.

For example, if you want to produce a template/answer file for a Historian Server installation with specific options, you can do the following:
  • Invoke the installer, specifying that an output template be generated.
  • Go through the installer UI, selecting all your desired options, up until the last screen before installation (the screen that reads You are ready to install.). At this point, the template/answer file is generated, whether you proceed with the software install or not.
  • Use the generated file as an input template/answer file for another Historian Server installation where you want to use the same specified options.

To run the installer from the command line:

  1. Open the command-line tool and locate install.exe in the Historian 7.1 folder on your install disk.
  2. Run install.exe using flags and arguments, as described in Install Command-Line Syntax.
    install.exe <argument>=<value> [-q] [-quiet] [-s] [-silent] [-passive]
    HistorianCmd=StandAlone HistAdministratorPassword=Gei321itc

Install Command-Line Syntax

Command-line Syntax

install.exe <argument>=<value> [-q] [-quiet] [-s] [-silent] [-passive]

Arguments

Argument Description
RootDrive The drive letter where the Historian Server binary files will be installed.
DataPath The disk path where the Historian data files will be stored.
HistAdministratorPassword The password for the built-in admin account.
AutoMethod This can be either LDAP or UAA.
LdapServerUrl ldap://{LDAP Server hostname or IP address}:389
Ldap_AuthenticationMethod The LDAP Authentication Method is only SearchAndBind enabled.
LdapSearchBindServiceAccountPassword The password for the LDAP Search And Bind account being used.
LdapSearchBindServiceAccountDn The LDAP Search And Bind Distinguished Name.
LdapSearchBindSearchBase The LDAP Search And Bind Search Base.
LdapSearchBindSearchFilter The LDAP Search And Bind Search Filter.
LdapGroups_HistorianVizAdmin The Distinguished Names of LDAP groups members of which will have historian_visualization.admin scope.
LdapGroups_HistorianVizUser The Distinguished Names of LDAP groups wgise members will have historian_visualization.user scope.
LdapGroups_HistorianRestApiRead The Distinguished Names of LDAP groups whose members will have historian_rest_api.read scope.
LdapGroupSearchBase Defines the part of the directory tree under which group searches should be performed.
LdapGroupSearchFilter An LDAP Groups Search Filter, which defines the matching criterion for group membership search for user. Use {0} to denote user name.
LdapGroupMaxSearchDepth An LDAP Groups Maximum Search Depth, which determines how many levels deep the UAA searches for nested groups to determine users group membership.
LdapGroupSearchSubtree The LDAP Groups Search Subtree flag, which determines whether UAA searches the sub-tree of the LDAP base.
LdapMailAttributeName The LDAP attribute that contains a users primary email address. The default is mail.

Output Template Flags and Arguments

The /t flag directs the install to generate a template/answer file. This is a human-readable XML file with the desired configuration options. It is populated with user information. The file is always placed in the temp directory, defined by the %temp% environment variable.

The TemplateOutputDirectory argument is optional. If it is used, then the file is also deposited at the specified location, in addition to the temp directory.

The template file is named template_Historian.xml.

Syntax:
/t TemplateOutputDirectory=<template-output-file-location>

Input Template Flags and Arguments

The /c flag directs the install to consume a template/answer file at the specified location. This is a human-readable XML file with the desired configuration options. It is populated with user information.

Command-line parameters always supersede or override template-provided parameters.

Syntax:
/c TemplateInputFile=<template-input-file-location>

Silent and Passive Flags

-q, -quiet, -s, -silent
Using either of these flags directs the install to progress silently, with no UI whatsoever.
-passive
This flag directs the install to show progress via the UI and then disappear upon install completion, regardless of whether the install has succeeded or failed.

Install Command Examples

Install Historian with an LDAP Authentication Configuration

This example shows how to install Historian with an LDAP Authentication configuration:
Install.exe -s HistAdministratorPassword=HistAdmin AuthMethod=LDAP 
LdapServerUrl=ldap://3.4.5.6:389
LdapSearchBindServiceAccountPassword=ldapPass 
Ldap_AuthenticationMethod=SearchAndBind 
LdapSearchBindServiceAccountDn="CN=AdminUser,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapSearchBindSearchBase="DC=test,DC=ge,DC=com" 
LdapSearchBindSearchFilter="CN={0}" 
historian_dbpwd=GE 
LdapGroups_HistorianVizAdmin="CN=testuser1,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapGroups_HistorianVizUser="CN=testuser2,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapGroups_HistorianRestApiRead="CN=testuser3,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapGroupSearchBase="DC=test,DC=ge,DC=com" 
LdapGroupSearchFilter="member={0}" 
LdapGroupMaxSearchDepth="1" 
LdapGroupSearchSubtree="true"

Generate a Template File

This example shows how to generate a template file:
Install.exe /t TemplateOutputDirectory="C:\Users\User1\Desktop" 
HistAdministratorPassword=HistAdmin 
AuthMethod=LDAP 
LdapServerUrl=ldap://3.4.5.6:389 
LdapSearchBindServiceAccountPassword=ldapPass 
Ldap_AuthenticationMethod=SearchAndBind 
LdapSearchBindServiceAccountDn="CN=AdminUser,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapSearchBindSearchBase="DC=test,DC=ge,DC=com" 
LdapSearchBindSearchFilter="CN={0}" 
historian_dbpwd=GE 
LdapGroups_HistorianVizAdmin="CN=testuser1,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapGroups_HistorianVizUser="CN=testuser2,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapGroups_HistorianRestApiRead="CN=testuser3,CN=Users,DN=ge,DN=com" 
LdapGroupSearchBase="DC=test,DC=ge,DC=com" 
LdapGroupSearchFilter="member={0}" 
LdapGroupMaxSearchDepth="1" 
LdapGroupSearchSubtree="true"

Install with a Generated Template File

The example shows how to install Historian using a generated template file:
Install.exe /c TemplateInputFile="C:\Users\User1\Desktop\template_Historian.xml"

Installing Historian in a Mirrored Environment

Installing Historian Mirror Primary Server

To install Historian in a mirrored environment, first install the primary server:

  1. Log in to the Windows Server as an administrator.
  2. Start the Historian installation by double-clicking the InstallLauncher.exe file.
    This file is found on your ISO or DVD.
  3. Click the Install Historian 7.1 link to start the Historian installation.
    The Historian Welcome splash screen appears.
  4. Click Next.
    The End User License Agreement appears.
  5. Read the license agreement and check Accept.
  6. Click Next.
    The Where do you want to install Historian? prompt appears.


  7. To install on the default disk C:\, click Next.
    The Override the default Historian data path screen appears.
  8. Click Next to use the default path.
    The default Historian Data Path is C:\Proficy Historian Data.
  9. On the Choose the type of install you want to perform screen, select Historian Mirror Primary Server and click Next.
    The Choose a Password for Built-in Admin account screen appears.
  10. Enter the Admin Password and the re-enter the password in the second field to confirm, and then click Next.
    Note: The Password must be at least 6 characters, contain at least 2 numeric characters (0-9), and at least 3 alphabetic characters (a-z, A-Z).

    The LDAP server as the identity provider screen appears.

  11. Select No (default) and click Next.
    The Ready to Install screen appears.
  12. Click Install.
    The Installing progress bar appears and the installation proceeds. During the install, a Historian screen briefly appears, and then the InstallShield wizard appears. A progress bar appears while the software is prepared for installation and configuration. The installation process may take some time.

    The Installing Proficy Common Licensing screen appears. A progress bar appears while the license is installed. This may take several minutes.

    The Historian Installing screen with the progress meter reappears. The Historian Trend Client and Historian Web Admin icons appear on the desktop, as well as the Historian SDK Help and Historian Electronic Book help icons.

  13. Click Exit when the Installation Successful screen appears.
    The Reboot Required dialog appears.
  14. Click Yes to restart your computer.
    This may take several minutes.

Installing Historian Mirror Primary Server Using the Command Line

: You can make a silent\passive installation of a Historian Primary Mirror Server using the command line.

  1. Open the command-line tool and locate install.exe in the Historian folder on your install disk.
  2. Run install.exe using flags and arguments, as described in Install Command-Line Syntax.
    install.exe [-q] [-quiet] [-s] [-silent] [-passive] HistorianCmd=HistorianCore HistAdministratorPassword=Gei321itc
    Note: After the silent install, you must restart your computer manually.

Installing Historian Mirror Node

Install your Historian Mirror Primary Server before you install the Mirror node.
  • After installing your Mirror, the Mirror node will not have a Configuration Manager or the Embedded Web Services. These are only included on the Primary node and are shared by Mirror nodes.
  • The configuration setting of the mirror node should be the same as the primary node. This includes activating the same License Key on the mirror node as the primary node.
  • Primary and secondary nodes should be in a domain. This setup will not work on the work group.
  • Historian Global Security (strict client and collector authentication) should be disabled.
  • If the primary node is down, new tags cannot be added using the secondary node because the Configuration Manager is down.
  • Ensure that the mirror node has the same drive name as that of the primary node for the archive files, buffer files, and the log files.

For more information on how to configure a mirror node, refer to the web-based Historian Administrator Console e-book.

To install the Historian Mirror node:

  1. Log in to the Windows Server as an administrator.
  2. Start the Historian installation by double-clicking the InstallLauncher.exe file.
    This file is found on your ISO or DVD.
  3. Click the Install Historian 7.1 link to start the Historian installation.
    The Historian Welcome splash screen appears.
  4. Click Next.
    The End User License Agreement appears.
  5. Read the license agreement and check Accept.
  6. Click Next.
    The Where do you want to install Historian? prompt appears.


  7. To install on the default disk C:\, click Next.
    The Override the default Historian data path screen appears.
  8. Click Next to use the default path.
    The default Historian Data Path is C:\Proficy Historian Data.
  9. On the Choose the type of install you want to perform screen, select Historian Mirror Node and click Next.
    The Choose a Password for Built-in Admin account screen appears.
  10. Enter the Admin Password and the re-enter the password in the second field to confirm, and then click Next.
    Note: The Password must be at least 6 characters, contain at least 2 numeric characters (0-9), and at least 3 alphabetic characters (a-z, A-Z).

    The LDAP server as the identity provider screen appears.

  11. Select No (default) and click Next.
    The Ready to Install screen appears.
  12. Click Install.
    The Installing progress bar appears and the installation proceeds. During the install, a Historian screen briefly appears, and then the InstallShield wizard appears. A progress bar appears while the software is prepared for installation and configuration. The installation process may take some time.

    The Installing Proficy Common Licensing screen appears. A progress bar appears while the license is installed. This may take several minutes.

    The Historian Installing screen with the progress meter reappears. The Historian Trend Client and Historian Web Admin icons appear on the desktop, as well as the Historian SDK Help and Historian Electronic Book help icons.

  13. Click Exit when the Installation Successful screen appears.
    The Reboot Required dialog appears.
  14. Click Yes to restart your computer.
    This may take several minutes.

Installing Historian Mirror Node using the Command Line

You can install a Historian Mirror node using the command line. This allows you to install silently or passively.

To run the installer from the command line:

  1. Open the command-line tool and locate install.exe in the Historian 7.1 folder on your install disk.
  2. Run install.exe using flags and arguments, as described in Install Command-Line Syntax.
    install.exe [-q] [-quiet] [-s] [-silent] [-passive] HistorianCmd=mirror
    Note: After the silent install, you must restart your computer manually.

Archive Duration Property Change in a Mirrored Environment

When the Archive Duration property is changed in a mirrored environment, the changes will take effect after a time gap of 15 minutes.

Mirroring FAQs

  • What happens when a node that was down comes back? Does the data written to one get synched to the other?

    There is no automatic synching. If a node is down, the information to be written is buffered by the Client Manager, or if the Client Manager is down, it is buffered by the collector. When the node comes back, data is written to the data archiver.

  • There is only one Configuration Manager on the primary node. Can I still do configurations if the primary node goes down?

    No. If the Configuration Manager is not available, you can read configurations, as the collectors know about the tag information, but you cannot edit or modify configurations.

  • Is the Configuration Manager a single point of failure?

    Yes. If the primary node goes down, you cannot edit configurations but, since information about the configuration is stored in the registry of each client, the information is still available for reads and writes in the event of a primary node failure.

  • What happens if one mirror crashes in the middle of a read/write request?

    This operation continues to function in the same way as in prior releases. The Client Manager holds a copy of the message request; once the node comes back, the write operation resumes. Any read request that is sent will fail if the node goes down during the read.

  • The server where my primary node is installed is down. What is the expected behavior?

    The Web Admin and Web Trend Tool will not be available; you can look up tag configuration on the Historian Administrator (Windows), but you will not be able to edit tag configuration information. All other existing clients should continue to work as expected, with the ability to collect and store data, search for tags, trend and report on tag information. A new user connection with default Historian server set to primary must connect to the primary node to get information about all the mirrors before it gains the ability to automatically failover to mirror when the primary node is down.

  • The Client Manager on the primary node is down, but the server is running. What is the expected behavior?

    The Web Admin and the Web Trend Tool along with all other existing clients will work as expected with the ability to do configuration changes, collect and store data, search for tags, trend and report on tag information. A new user connection with default Historian server set to primary must connect to the primary node to get information about all the mirrors before it gains the ability to automatically failover to mirror when the primary node is down. .

  • One of the data archivers is down, but at least one is active. What is the expected behavior?

    The system should continue to function as designed. The Web Admin, Web Trend Tool, and Historian Administrator (Windows), as well as other clients should continue to work as expected, with the ability to collect and store data, search for tags, trend and report on tag information.

  • If there are calculated tags on a multi-node system, are the calculations done on all nodes?

    Yes.

  • Are Historian tag stats created independently? Can they be different between different nodes?

    Yes. These are queries, not tags, to a specific Data Archiver. As writes are independent, one Data Archiver may be ahead of another, so the stats may vary slightly.

  • How do we ensure that the data is consistent across data archivers?

    Tag information is consistent; there is only one tag. The time stamp and value are sent to all mirrors.

  • Are there specific log files that I should be looking for to help diagnose issues with mirror failure modes?

    No changes were made to the logs for data archiver; however, there are new log files for Client Manager and Config Manager.

  • There are now two *.ihc files: *config.ihc and *CentralConfig.ihc. What is the difference between the two?

    *CentralConfig.ihc is the overall master config used by the Configuration Manager. The *config.ihc is used by the Data Archiver and is generated from *CentralConfig.ihc. This was done to maintain consistency between Historian versions. To maintain configurations between versions or Historians, refer to Reusing an archive configuration file in the Historian eBooks.

  • With mirroring, is Microsoft Cluster Server still supported? What is the recommended approach?

    Mirroring is offered as a Microsoft Cluster Server replacement as an HA offering for Enterprise Historian. Running in MCS has not been tested nor validated to date with mirrored Historian systems.

  • Must SQL Server be installed in a system with mirrors?

    No. SQL Server is only required for AEDB.

  • How does mirroring work with SQL AE logging?

    There is still an alarm archiver; it doesn't go through the Client Manager, so it talks to SQL as before.

  • How does AE fit with their synching?

    There is one database, so everyone talks to the same SQL database. You can cluster the database, but that is separate from mirroring.

  • How does mirroring work in a workgroup environment or non-domain?

    Mirroring is not supported in Workgroups.

  • Are there any issues when making changes in the Historian Administrator and a mirrored system?

    You must establish a mirror using the Historian Web Admin Console, but compatibility with all APIs has been maintained. Therefore, you can make tag changes in either the Web Admin or the VB Windows Admin, and those changes will show up in both Admins.

  • Are there any plans to add more than three mirrors?

    No performance benefits have been seen beyond three mirrors.

  • Do redundant collectors behave differently in mirrors?

    No, there should not be any difference in behavior.

  • Are there any conflicts when using Port 14000 for Historian to Historian communications? For example, Site to Corporate?

    No. Client Manager is now on Port 14000, Data Archiver is on Port 14001, and the Configuration Manager is on Port 14002.

  • If load balancing uses round robin reads, does the cache need to be loaded separately on both machines, and will it decrease performance?

    It does require more memory. The Client Manager makes the decision on where to send the messages, and it knows about configuration. There is some overhead, but it is overcome by having multiple data archivers to service multiple requests. That is why there is a 1.5X improvement with two mirrors, instead of 2X.

  • Are there any additional considerations if Mirroring is being used with other GE apps like Workflow or Plant Apps?

    No, it still looks like one Historian to other outside systems.

  • Is the store and forward feature also used in mirroring?

    Yes. This is a feature of the Collector and is independent of mirroring. Once the message is given to the Client Manager, it is done. If the Client Manager can't reach one of the Data Archivers, it buffers the request until the Archiver is available.

  • In a mirrored environment, do existing queries and reports work the same?

    Yes. Everything works the same as it did before. It sees it as a single Historian and communicates over the same ports through the same API.

  • Does the Historian OPC HDA server still work in a mirrored environment?

    Yes.

  • If data is being written to two Data Archivers, does this double the traffic from the collector?

    No. It does not double traffic from the collector; it sends a single message to the Client Manager. The traffic is doubled between the Client Manager and the two Data Archivers.

Installing Historian with LDAP Integration

Before installing Historian with LDAP integration, make sure you have an LDAP server set up. For Historian, this is a Windows domain controller or an Active Directory server.

On your domain (or Active Directory), create users and groups as usual. In order for Historians User Authentication and Authorization server to log users in, you also need to identify an attribute in your LDAP schema that can be used as the user name in Historian. This attribute needs to be able to uniquely identify each user. In addition, as Historian user names cannot contain space, values of this attribute should not contain space either. Typically, sAMAccountName or userPrincipalName meet these conditions in an LDAP directory backed by Windows Active Directory. By default, the sAMAccountName is used in the Search Filter, but this can be modified during your Historian installation.

  1. Log in to the Windows Server as an administrator.
  2. Start the Historian installation by double-clicking the InstallLauncher.exe file.
    This file is found on your ISO or DVD.
  3. Click the Install Historian 7.1 link to start the Historian installation.
    The Historian Welcome splash screen appears.
  4. Click Next.
    The End User License Agreement appears.
  5. Read the license agreement and check Accept.
  6. Click Next.
    The Where do you want to install Historian? prompt appears.
  7. To install on the default disk C:\, click Next.
    The Override the default Historian data path screen appears.
  8. Click Next to use the default path.
    The default Historian Data Path is C:\Proficy Historian Data.
  9. On the Choose the type of install you want to perform screen, select Single Server and click Next.
    The Choose a Password for Built-in Admin account screen appears.
  10. Enter the Admin Password and the re-enter the password in the second field to confirm, and then click Next.
    Note: The Password must be at least 6 characters, contain at least 2 numeric characters (0-9), and at least 3 alphabetic characters (a-z, A-Z).

    The LDAP server as the identity provider screen appears.

  11. Select Yes and click Next.
    The Provide the URL for the LDAP server screen appears.
  12. Type the URL in the LDAP Server URL text box
    The URL should begin with ldap:// or ldaps://.
    Note: Be sure to append the port number (configured for your LDAP protocol) to the IP address (for example, ldap://192.168.0.1:389).
  13. Click Next.
    The Please enter details for search and bind authentication screen appears.


    Search and Bind means to search for users with a filter, typically "sAMAccountName={0}" for Windows Active Directory. Note that the default value for Search Filter is set to "sAMAccountName={0}" and "Mail Attribute Name" defaults to "mail", which you can leave as is. As an alternative to sAMAccountName, you may choose to use userPrincipalName instead.

  14. Type the appropriate entries in the Service Account DN, Service Account Password, Confirm Password, and Search Base text fields, and click Next.
    The Specify Distinguished Names of LDAP Groups mapped to each UAA scope screen appears.


    In this screen, you configure how LDAP groups are mapped to three UAA scopes that you create. You can use tools such as ADExplorer from Microsoft to find out the full DN of a group. You can assign a scope to multiple LDAP groups; enter them together, separately by semicolon, in the field corresponding to the scope. If you leave any of them blank, it means that you are not associating any LDAP groups to the corresponding scope.

  15. Type the appropriate entries in the historian_visualization.admin, historian_visualization.user, and historian_rest_api.read scope fields and click Next.
    The Specify how searches for users' LDAP group membership should be conducted screen appears.


    This screen determines how a LDAP user account's LDAP group membership is determined. In the example shown in the screen, you are finding groups with the member attribute, which contains the user's common name. If Max Search Depth is set to 1, there is no search for nested groups. If Max Search Depth is set to a value greater than 1, then searching in nested groups is enabled.
    Note: Use semicolons to separate DNs. If you leave any of them blank, then you are not associating any LDAP groups to the corresponding scope.
  16. Type the appropriate entries in the Search Base, Search Filter, and Max Search Depth text fields, and make sure the Search Subtree box is checked, and click Next.
    The Ready to Install screen appears.
  17. Click Install.
    The Installing progress bar appears and the installation proceeds. During the install, a Historian screen briefly appears, and then the InstallShield wizard appears. A progress bar appears while the software is prepared for installation and configuration. The installation process may take some time.
    Note: If you are upgrading from either Historian 6.0 Enterprise or previous releases of Historian 7.0 including any of the service packs, this installation option will remove both Client Manager and Configuration Manager. This will have no impact on your data or use of Historian unless you intend to run a mirrored system. You will be prompted by the system and asked if you want to continue with the install. Choosing Yes will remove Client Manager and Configuration Manager and install a single server architecture. Choosing No will terminate the installation program.

    The Installing Proficy Common Licensing screen appears. A progress bar appears while the license is installed. This may take several minutes.

    The Historian Installing screen with the progress meter reappears. The Historian Trend Client and Historian Web Admin icons appear on the desktop, as well as the Historian SDK Help and Historian Electronic Book help icons.

  18. Click Exit when the Installation Successful screen appears.
    The Reboot Required dialog appears.
  19. Click Yes to restart your computer.
    This may take several minutes.

Configuring Historian to use LDAP via SSL

When you log into either the Web Trend Client or Web Admin of Historian 7.0, a username and password are entered and need to be validated by the LDAP server. Historian needs to send the username and password entered on the login page to the LDAP server. This must be done securely by encrypting those credentials and sending to the intended LDAP server.
The following two methods configure the UAA server to communicate via LDAPs (LDAP via SSL). In both methods, after the install you must manually change the UAA.yml file to complete the configuration.
Important: Do not change any other aspects of this file unless instructed by GE. Unauthorized modifications may impact the operation of your software and violate the terms of your GE Support Agreement.

The following methods assume:

  • You have an LDAP server that is listening for LDAPs communications.
  • You entered the URL to reach the server.

The UAA server, like any LDAPs client, gets a certificate when it connects to an LDAP server via SSL. The following two configuration methods differ in what happens at that point.

Although you know the URL that you used to reach the server, to prove you are connected to the intended server, compare the certificate received against the expected certificate. Each LDAP server has a unique certificate containing its name and public key.

Method 1: Add the Certificate to the UAA Server Keystore and Refer to It

This method is the most secure because it gives both encryption of network traffic and the highest assurance of communicating with the LDAP server you desire.

You store the expected server certificate in a password protected binary keystore file. The ability to change the keystore is password protected. This prevents someone from modifying the expected server certificate to match a malicious imposter LDAPs server.

  1. Export the server certificate in DER format. The exact steps differ depending on what LDAP server you are using.
    For the Active directory, use the Certificates Snap In. In this example, assume you exported to ldaps-public-der.cer
  2. Import the certificate into the keystore file used by the UAA server:
    1. At the command prompt, change the directory to the location of the keystore file. Typically, this is:
      c:\Program files\GE Digital\Historian Embedded Web Server\conf 
      • When prompted for a password, enter the word password.
      • When asked, Do you want to trust this certificate? press y (to enter yes).
    2. Locate the keytool.exe file on the machine with the Historian Embedded Tomcat Container service. Use that full path name in this command line:
      C:\Program Files\Java\%JAVA_HOME%\bin\keytool.exe" -import -alias ldaps -file ldaps-public-der.cer -keystore keystore
    3. When prompted for a password, enter the word password.
    4. When asked Do you want to trust this certificate?, type the letter y (to enter yes).
  3. Configure the UAA.YML file (typically found in C:\Program Files\GE Digital\UAA) to refer to that certificate by the alias name you gave during import.
    The following example, uses ldaps:
    ldap:
    ssl:
    skipverification: false
    sslCertificateAlias: ldaps
  4. Restart the Historian Embedded Tomcat Container service and try logging into the Trend client

Method 2: Skip Certificate Verification (less secure)

If you do not have access to the certificate for the LDAP server, this method still provides you with encrypted communications. You must ensure that you are communicating with the intended LDAP server, which you provided in your URL. If that gets maliciously redirected, then you could be talking to a different server.
  1. In the UAA.YML file (typically found in C:\Program Files\GE Digital\UAA), set the skipverification to true as shown in the following example:
    ldap:
    ssl:
    skipverification: true
  2. Restart the Historian Embedded Tomcat Container service and log in to the Trend Client or Web Admin.

Uninstalling Historian

Uninstalling Historian removes all saved Favorites from your Trend Client and all Users and Scopes you created. To keep these and other configurations on an upgrade, do not uninstall Historian unless you are changing server roles as previously described. If you must uninstall Historian on an upgrade, you can Export your favorites and save your data and tag configuration files for future use.

For information on uninstalling OPC Data Collectors, refer to the Modifying and Uninstalling OPC Collectors section of the Historian Data Collectors manual.

  1. To uninstall Historian from your computer:
    1. Double-click the Programs / Uninstall a Program link in the Control Panel.
    2. Select Historian 7.1 and click Uninstall.
      Note: Historian archives are not removed by default. If you need to remove them, delete the folder manually.

      A progress meter appears, showing that the software is being uninstalled. This may take some time.

      To abort the uninstall, click Cancel.

  2. To remove all related software from your computer:
    1. Double-click the Programs / Uninstall a Program link in the Control Panel.
    2. Select Proficy Common Licensing, and click Uninstall.