Printer Settings

The Geo SCADA Expert server runs as a service within Windows so printing from a Geo SCADA Expert server is dependent on the Windows environment in which the server is installed. To allow the Geo SCADA Expert server to access any local or network printers connected to the Windows server you need to create a suitable Windows user account that can be used in the Geo SCADA Expert server configuration.

This particular Windows user account is also used:

• By the SQL Query Export driver (when exporting the results of an SQL Query to a file that is accessed via a UNC path)

• By the Crystal Reports driver (for printing and exporting).

Using another user account in this way enables the Geo SCADA Expert server to access network resources to which it would otherwise not have access. The process of logging on under a different Windows user account is known as 'user impersonation'. For more information about how Geo SCADA Expert uses user impersonation, see User Impersonation for Accessing Network Resources.

To define the printer settings:

1. Use Microsoft Windows to create a basic user account on the server with that account's access restricted to using suitable printers that are available on the server. In addition the user needs be assigned the 'Log on as a Service' security privilege. Refer to your Windows Server administrator for details of how to configure a restricted user account and assign security privileges.

   The Geo SCADA Expert server runs as a Windows service and therefore does not have a Windows desktop. As such, this user account is only suitable for printing to 'real' printers (ones that print to paper and do not display a user interface during the printing process). It is not suitable for printing to file (such as PDF) or that otherwise result in the printer driver displaying a user interface during the printing process (for example, in order to specify the filename). That user interface cannot be accessed due to the Geo SCADA Expert server running as a Windows service.

   Ensure that unsuitable printers are not added to the user account. Also check whether the user account has had any unsuitable printers added to it automatically, and remove them if so, to prevent attempts to print to unsuitable printers. For more information, see Use Appropriate Windows User Accounts.

2. Access the Geo SCADA Expert Server Configuration Tool (see Accessing the Geo SCADA Expert Server Configuration Tool).
3. Expand the System Configuration branch of the tree-structure.
4. Select Printing to access the Printing section.

   

5. In the Username field, enter the user name of the Microsoft Windows user account that is to be used to provide access to the printers.
6. In the Password field, enter the password for the Windows account. This has to correspond with the password that has been configured for the user account in Windows.
7. In the Domain field, enter the name of the domain with which the username is associated. Leave this field blank if the user account is local or the system does not belong to a domain.

   NOTE: Geo SCADA Expert stores username and password information in the registry for use with features such as e-mail, alarm redirection, and system commands. Such information is encrypted using machine details to prevent the encrypted data from being imported onto other machines. Encrypted registry data is intended only to be decrypted by the server that encrypted the data. If you load backup registry files that include encrypted data onto a different server, you will have to re-enter the user data. This is also true if Windows® is re-installed on the machine on which the data was encrypted.

8. Close the Geo SCADA Expert Server Configuration Tool to apply the changes to the Geo SCADA Expert server’s printer settings (or select another branch if further server configuration is required).
   The Geo SCADA Expert Server can now access the printers that are associated with the defined Windows user account.
9. Restart the Geo SCADA Expert Server to allow Windows to apply the printer setting changes.

If you have a multi-server architecture you need to configure each Geo SCADA Expert server with this user to setup the access same printers. When you have defined the Printer settings, you can proceed with the server configuration. If you are unfamiliar with the server configuration process, we recommend that you proceed to learn about WebX Server Settings (Original WebX).