User Impersonation for Accessing Network Resources

The Geo SCADA Expert server runs as a Windows service under the Microsoft Windows® SYSTEM account. The SYSTEM account is a local account that does not allow any network access. For those components in Geo SCADA Expert that require access to network resources, user impersonation is used to enable the Geo SCADA Expert server to log on under a different Windows user account (which can be a domain account) that can be granted the required network access. Several components in Geo SCADA Expert use user impersonation for accessing network resources. Some of these components share the Geo SCADA Expert server’s Printer User, while others have their own user account on each Geo SCADA Expert server.

In each case, ensure that the Microsoft Windows® user account that is used for user impersonation is assigned the minimum permissions that are needed to provide the required level of access to those particular network resources.

The Geo SCADA Expert components that support user impersonation comprise:

• Backup (for manual or scheduled database backups over the network)
  (via the user account that is set up using the Backup section of the Server Configuration Tool)

• Crystal Reports* (for server-side printing and server-side exporting)
  (via the user account that is set up using the Printing section of the Server Configuration Tool)

• DNP3 Slave* file transfer
  (via the user account that is specified by the DNP3 Master)
  

• File Upload* (for file uploads on drivers that support this feature)
  (via the user account that is set up using the File Upload section of the Server Configuration Tool)

• Printing (via the server)
  (via the user account that is set up using the Printing section of the Server Configuration Tool)
  Server-side printing is currently only supported by the Crystal Reports driver.
  

• SQL Export*
  (via the user account that is set up using the Printing section of the Server Configuration Tool)

• System Call
  (via the user account that is set up using the System Calls section of the Server Configuration Tool).

The entries marked with an asterisk * above are only available when the relevant drivers are installed and licensed to run on your Geo SCADA Expert system. For more information about those driver features, see the relevant driver guide.