Issue with Smart Connector logging into the ES for every request

[bbradley_jaxcon]

I am using a Smart Connector Endpoint to poll/write values into and out of StruxureWare. My software is polling for changes (via a subscription) every 5 seconds. I noticed in the StruxureWare log that my user (made exclusively for SmartConnector) is logging in every 5 seconds too. I used Wireshark to view the communication between the SmartConnector software and the Enterprise Server and every 5 seconds the SmartConnector issues a request, the ES responses back an unauthorized response (401), and then SmartConnector logs in again.

We have also occasionally observed a "Exhausted Session ID" error message while logging into WorkStation (using a different account) during a high volume of writes to the ES using the SmartConnector Endpoint.

I've attached a Wireshark log that displays the issue and a screenshot of the StruxureWare log.

I am running

ES : 2.0.3.4002

SmartConnector :  2.4.17

[JeffBowman · Accepted solution]

Hi,

This is a known 'issue' with a change in EBO that won't allow EWS Clients to use cookies under certain circumstances.

You will want to check 2 things:

1. In your Smart Connector extension you want to make sure that you are using the ManagedEwsClient to send requests to EBO. If you are using the RESTful EWS Gateway, then you are already doing this.
2. You have two options that you can to make sure this works as expected:
   1. Instead of using the http://EBOAddress:port/EcoStruxure/DataExchange use https://EBOAddress:port/EcoStruxure/DataExchange in the HttpConfiguration of the REST endpoint.
   2. Uncheck the 'Redirect web client to https' checkbox in the 'Security Settings'. See below screenshot. If you do it this way, you can keep the 'http://' endpoint.

Best Regards,

-Jeff

[bbradley_jaxcon]

Is there an ETA on when this issue will be resloved?

Unchecking "Redirect web client to https" did "fix" my issue. However I was unable to successfully create a endpoint that connects to the ES with HTTPS. Is there some other setting I need to modifiy in the ES?

I did the follwoing:

- Created an endpoint pointing it to http://EBOAddress:port/EcoStruxure/DataExchange

- Tested the endpoint and it worked

- Modified the endpoint to https://EBOAddress:port/EcoStruxure/DataExchange

- Restarted SmartConnector

- Tested the endpoint and it stopped working

[Adam_Summers]

Does your ES present a valid and trusted SSL certificate? If not you may need to generate and add the certificate to your ES and trust on the machine running SmartConnector.

[JeffBowman]

As Adam mention, make sure your SSL cert if valid and trusted for the ES, and installed on the machine where Smart Connector is running.

In terms of when this issue will be 'fixed'. It is not seen as a bug, as it is actually a Cybersecurity thing. So this issue is not likely to be fixed. The workarounds that have been outlined are likely to be your only ways around it.

Best Regards,

-Jeff