ClearSCADA 2017 R2 Upgrade Notes

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Upgrading to ClearSCADA 2017 R2, June 2018 Release

There are further changes to the ViewX startup configuration XML. This is because alarm banner settings can apply individually, so you can now have the alarm banner on any or all monitors.


Summarising the changes:

WindowContainers

The AlarmBannerWindow and AlarmBannerMode settings have been removed.

PrimaryWindowContainer and SecondaryWindowContainer

AlarmBannerDisplayState (new setting) - can be one of 'DockedTop', 'DockedBottom' or 'Fill'. Omit this to remove the alarm banner from this container.

AlarmBannerPersistSettings (new setting) - a boolean. This can only be specified as true for one window container. This causes the container where the setting is "true" to be the master for saving column size and order settings.

An example XML file for the June 2018 update onwards is shown here:

Upgrading ClearSCADA Mobile

Between ClearSCADA 2017 and ClearSCADA 2017 R2 the location of the Mobile Settings database changed.
Therefore upgrading from a version of ClearSCADA Mobile at or before ClearSCADA 2017 will require your action.
You will need to move your database (.sdf file) from:

C:\ProgramData\Schneider Electric\ClearSCADA Mobile

to

C:\ProgramData\Schneider Electric\ClearSCADA

Upgrading from ClearSCADA 2017

Please be aware of all the issues covered in the above sections in addition to the following.

• The WebX installer has been separated from the main installer in ClearSCADA 2017 R2, and is no longer triggered as a "follow-on" installation after ClearSCADA. As a result, the new IIS WebX has been promoted to a stand-alone option from the ClearSCADA 2017 R2 installation main menu screen.

• Security certificates for the web server -- please refer to the File: Release Notes (See links below).

• ViewX startup configuration changes. The format has changed -- please see the Release Notes and product help to understand what you need to do. The keyword "CanFloatWindows" has been added and the keywords "InterfaceMode" and "IsRestrictedWorkstation" have been removed.

Upgrading from ClearSCADA 2015 R2.x

Please be aware of all the issues covered in the above sections in addition to the following.

• To reinforce implementation of best practice security, the Super User now enforces a 12-character password to discourage extended use when a local Administrator User Account object should be used instead. If the existence of a Super User account is detected on upgrade to ClearSCADA 2017, you will be asked to enter new credentials to comply with increased password strength.

• New options have been added within Server Configuration Tool to control the state of the Wonderware Alarm Provider (WWAP). This new option defaults to False on upgrade to ClearSCADA 2017 and therefore should be enabled (and then the server restarted) if the Alarm Provider is in use. Existing ClearSCADA users that wish to continue to use the WWAP service, it is recommended that immediately after upgrade to ClearSCADA 2017 the WWAP service is enabled via the Server Configuration Tool, and the ClearSCADA server restarted to avoid loss of cached alarms.

• The ClearSCADA Mobile Companion installation was bundled with the new WebX installer for ClearSCADA 2015 R1 and 2015 R2. The bundling of the Mobile Companion and WebX installation has been reversed in ClearSCADA 2017, such that the Mobile Companion is now a separate feature that can be selected during installation of the ClearSCADA Server.

• A new limit has been applied to IIS WebX which, by default, restricts the Alarm Banner display to list only the top 100 entries. When alarms are not able to be shown due to the above restriction, an entry is added to the bottom of the Alarm Banner list stating that "Maximum alarms for WebX shown", followed by a count of the alarms that are not visible. The default limit of 100 should be suitable for most users, although can be increased by adjusting the "MaxAlarms" WebX Application Setting within IIS Manager.

• In this version the License Server for client licensing (plus Port Server and AEPrinter services) use virtual accounts. The "NT SERVICE\ALL SERVICES" account should be assigned the "Log on as a service" user right, see https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794944(v=ws.10).aspx for details on how to do this. Virtual accounts will not work without this. If this is not configured, an error will be shown in the Windows system logs. This virtual user also will needs to be granted permissions to read the directory where the license file is stored, if applicable.

Upgrading from ClearSCADA 2015 R1.x

Please be aware of all the issues covered in the above sections in addition to the following.

• The installation of ClearSCADA Mobile and WebX has been separated in ClearSCADA 2015 R2 to provide a simplified upgrade experience. The WebX installation will be executed after successful installation of ClearSCADA 2015 R2, whereas the installation of ClearSCADA Mobile will need to be manually executed if required via the link on the ClearSCADA installation Splash Screen.

Existing installations of ClearSCADA 2015 R1 Web and Mobile will first need to be uninstalled prior to installation of ClearSCADA 2015 R2. The re-installation of WebX after installation of ClearSCADA 2015 R2 will need to manually re-configure any non-default ports, as these will not be remembered from the previous WebX installation. Mobile users running versions prior to ClearSCADA 2015 R1 should be able to upgrade to ClearSCADA 2015 R2 without first uninstalling ClearSCADA Mobile.

• ClearSCADA 2015 R2 enforces new restrictions during upgrade to prevent inadvertently upgrading to an older ClearSCADA version which could have unexpected consequences.

For example, an upgrade from ClearSCADA 2013 R1.2 (73.4955) to ClearSCADA 2013 R2 (74.5094) is valid because 5094 > 4955. In comparison, an upgrade from ClearSCADA 2013 R2.2 (74.5700) to ClearSCADA 2014 R1 (75.5210) is not recommended because 5210 < 5700, even though it is an increase in the minor version number, as this may reintroduce bugs that have been fixed in the later version.
ClearSCADA should only be upgraded to a newer version that has a higher build number than the currently installed version.

Upgrading from ClearSCADA 2014 R1.x

Please be aware of all the issues covered in the above sections in addition to the following.

• The ClearSCADA Sample Database now appears as two "Configuration Samples" options within a custom ClearSCADA installation to allow users the choice of whether or not this is installed. At completion of the ClearSCADA installation, there is no longer a Demonstration Modules installer to launch the Database and install the Configuration Samples. Instead, when the Configuration Samples are selected for installation (included within a "Full" installation) the Sample Database will automatically be loaded when the ClearSCADA server is started if an existing database is not found.

• Prior to upgrading the user needs to stop the ClearSCADA mobile companion service using the ClearSCADA Service Manager tool.

• Creation of a ClearSCADA Super User account is now mandatory during installation in order to provide administration access to configure new Example User Accounts. It is strongly recommended that this is disabled via the System Configuration utility once a replacement Administrator user account has been created within the database.

• The built-in Super User account, if enabled, is only valid on the local ClearSCADA server machine, and will be denied access to ClearSCADA if logon is attempted from a remote client machine.

• A new database table, called DBDictionary, has been created to store the translation strings for each dictionary language as required by the user. Each entry within this table specifies the Dictionary Name (or Language), a Search String, a Replacement String, and an optional Comment. When configured, users who have their Locale set to match one of the Dictionary Languages would see the Replacement String used in place of a Search String if it were to appear on a mimic.

• Enabling the dictionary functionality as described above will disable translation using any existing Dictionary Files. In this case, migration of these existing files to the new dictionary table is necessary to provide continued translation.

• Translation of strings using the string dictionary only works for whole strings. Strings on mimics cannot be built from multiple translated strings. A new "translate()" function has been created for use within server expressions, client expressions, scripting and SQL syntax to allow multiple separate strings to be translated and concatenated together. An example mimic text animation could include:Translate('@This section of string is translated') + ' but this section is not.'

Upgrading from ClearSCADA 2013 R2.x

Please be aware of all the issues covered in the above sections in addition to the following.

• ClearSCADA software previously had an option of an integrated Kepware Technologies KEPServerEX4 PLC driver; however with the evolution of ClearSCADA this integrated PLC driver suite previously is no longer available within ClearSCADA 2014 R1 or future versions. To ensure the continuous, long-term operation of your system we recommend that you migrate to an external installation of KepServerEX5 (Kepware's latest version) prior to the upgrade to ClearSCADA 2014 R1. This migration will require the conversion of any existing PLC database objects into corresponding OPC database objects, for which a documented procedure and software tool has been prepared and will be provided free of charge from Schneider Electric on request. An upgrade to ClearSCADA 2014 R1 should be performed only after all PLC database objects have been migrated to corresponding OPC database objects.

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