Ten Tips for Installing Wonderware

Here are practical tips for installing Wonderware software.  Please take a few minutes to read over this document - it could save you hours of troubleshooting time.

1. Confirm Windows Compatibility	It is an easy oversight to purchase an operating system that is supported but forget that the service pack must also be supported.   The list of supported service packs is located in the readme file.  The readme file is on the root of the installation CD.
2. Setup Administrator Account	You should make sure that you are installing and configuring all Wonderware software from a valid administrator account.  This ensures that Wonderware is able to make the necessary changes to your system and that it will have all permissions needed to complete installation tasks.  If installing with a domain account make sure it has local administrative rights.
3.  Verify Computer Name	Make sure that the domain, workgroup, and/or computer name are set properly.  Having correct network identification is critical when developing applications and setting up any server or node for external connections/communications.  Changing the computer name or moving the computer to a new domain after Wonderware software is installed will cause certain components to break.
4. Disable Firewall/Local Internet Port Security	Verify that firewalls are turned off.  This can cause issues with ports and security settings required by Wonderware software. If you must use a firewall, it must be configured.  Most new Wonderware software will automatically add exceptions to the Windows firewall to allow Wonderware communication. To perform this manually, run the utility “osconfiguration.exe”, provided with your Wonderware software.  Note that this only applies to Windows firewall. For other firewall software, you must add exceptions yourself. If you need to use a hardware firewall, contact us for a tech note regarding which ports to open.
5. Windows Automatic Updates	Wonderware cannot quality test every minor update that Microsoft sends out through automatic updates.  Some of these can cause problems with Wonderware software products.  We recommend that if Automatic Updates are to be left on, they should not be set to automatically install after download.  This prevents updates from being applied without operator knowledge and will cut down on confusion when troubleshooting.  Consult “Security Central” at www.wonderware.com for qualified security patch information.
6. Create a Wonderware Network Services Account	For one Wonderware application to execute software on another computer than itself, it must have permission to do so.  To grant that permission “under the hood”, Wonderware uses a special account called the Network Services Account, or sometimes simply the “aaAdmin” account. This account is used to start/stop services on remote machines, and also grants permission to local services, such as allowing DAServers to run. This account must be a local administrator level account, and the password policy should be set to not expire.  Username/Password should be the same on all machines. You will be prompted for this account during installation of Wonderware software.
7. Add Exceptions to Real-Time Virus Scanning Software for Wonderware Folders	Wonderware folders should be excluded from real-time virus scanning.  Your installation folder names may differ, but here are examples of the folders to exclude: C:\Program Files\ArchestrA\*.* C:\Program Files\Common files\ArchestrA\*.* C:\Program Files\FactorySuite\*.* (may not exist in newer installations) C:\Program Files\Wonderware\*.* C:\InSQL\Data\*.* C:\Historian\Data\*.* C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ArchestrA*.* Consult the readme file on the root of the Wonderware installation media for a complete listing of folders that need to be excluded.
8. Use Tech Note 682 for SQL Server Install	During the installation process for Microsoft SQL Server there are many decisions you will have to make.  Making an incorrect decision often requires reformatting the operating system.  To avoid a reformat it is best to follow the step-by-step instructions in Wonderware tech note 682. Tech Note 682 link: https://wdnresource.wonderware.com/support/kbcd/html/1/t002451.htm.  Note: Starting with System Platform 2012 the installation media includes SQL Server Express.  The installer will automatically install SQL Server Express for an InTouch development machine.  For all other products that requires SQL server the standard version should be installed before starting the Wonderware installer.
9. Time Synchronization	Make sure all computers in the network running Wonderware software are time synced.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to run a scheduled task on each machine that executes a batch file.  The batch file contains one line:  net time \\nodename /set /y Where “nodename” is the name of the computer you want to be the master. For more detail: http://logicupdates.blogspot.com/2013/07/time-sync-computer-clocks.html
10. Reference More Detailed Install Documentation	It is important to note that this document is not a comprehensive coverage of installing Wonderware software.  This document is a collection of pragmatic tips based on Logic’s experiences with customers in the field installing Wonderware.  For comprehensive coverage of installation refer to the official Wonderware installation guides.  The InTouch, Historian, and System Platform install guides can be found on the root of the System Platform CD in the file “ASP_Install_Guide.PDF”.