Configure and run Secure Viewer

After you have installed Secure Viewer on a Windows computer or Windows Embedded device, you can configure and run it as a project thin client.

Before you begin this task, you must have already installed Secure Viewer on the computer or device as part of the full AVEVA Edge software, the thin client software, or the project runtime software. For more information, see Installation Guide.

Also, you must have Administrator privileges on the computer or device in order to run the Secure Viewer configuration utility.

Finally, this task assumes that you have properly developed and deployed your project for network access, that the project itself is running, and that you have the information you will need to configure Secure Viewer (for example, the IP address or hostname of the project runtime server). For more information, see Secure Viewer and Web Thin Clients.

To configure and run Secure Viewer:

1. Locate and run the Secure Viewer configuration utility (ViewerCfg.exe).

   If you installed the full software at the default location on a Windows computer or Windows Embedded device, the Secure Viewer configuration utility should be located in the program folder at: C:\Program Files (x86)\AVEVA\AVEVA Edge 2026\Bin\ViewerCfg.exe

   If you installed the thin client software at the default location on a Windows computer or Windows Embedded device, the Secure Viewer configuration utility should be located in the Thin Client program folder at: C:\Program Files (x86\AVEVA\AVEVA\AVEVA Edge Thin Client 2026\<ID string>\ViewerCfg.exe

   If you installed the project runtime software on a Windows Embedded device, the Secure Viewer configuration utility should be located in the same directory as the software itself.

   Note: To run properly, the Secure Viewer configuration utility must be run with Administrator privileges. It should be installed with those privileges by default, but if you have problems, check the file properties for ViewerCfg.exe and make sure the Run as Administrator option is selected.

   The configuration utility window is displayed.

   

2. In the Data Server IP and TCP Port boxes, type the host name or IP address and port number of the data server (also known as the project runtime server).

   By default, the Encrypted Channel option is selected and the port number is 51234. Make sure these settings match the corresponding project settings. For more information, see Communication tab.

3. In the URL box, type the URL of the project file (<project name>.APP) on the project runtime server.

   The project file must be accessible via either the local file system, network file sharing, or a properly configured web server, and the syntax of the URL depends on which it is.

4. Configure the other settings as needed.

   Note: Configuring these settings is optional. In most cases, the default settings should suffice.

   1. Select the Enable Splash Window check box to display a splash window when Secure Viewer is run.

   2. Select the Enable Progress Bar check box to display a progress bar while Secure Viewer loads the project file.

   3. Click Advanced.

      The Advanced dialog box is displayed.

      

   4. In the Secondary Data Server IP box, type the IP address (or hostname) of the secondary data server, if any.

      The secondary data server is another computer that is hosting the same project in parallel with the primary data server. If Secure Viewer loses its connection to the primary data server, it will automatically attempt to connect to the secondary data server.

   5. In the Backup URL box, type the URL of the backup project file.

   6. In the Date Format area, select the order and separator for the date format.

      For more information, see About the date format and how to change it.

   7. In the Switch Timeout box, type the number of seconds (minimum 2) that Secure Viewer waits before switching to the other data server. The timeout applies in both directions: from the primary to the secondary server, and back from the secondary to the primary server.

   8. Select the Log on as default user check box to have Secure Viewer automatically log on as the default user "Guest", if it is enabled.

      This will eliminate the need to enter a specific username and password when Secure Viewer is run, although the user can choose to log off and then log on again with another username. For more information, see Security System.

      Note: You can also change the name of the default user, from Guest to something else. To do this, use a text editor to open the Secure Viewer initialization file (Viewer.ini) and edit the following setting: [Options] user=<default user name>

   9. Select the Disable Commands check box to prevent Secure Viewer from sending commands (that is, user input) to the project runtime server.

      When this option is selected, Secure Viewer will only display current runtime information received from the server, effectively making the client station a simple, non-interactive viewscreen.

   10. Select the Force remote behavior check box to force Secure Viewer to behave as if it is running on a remote station, which means that it will keep virtual copies of project tags with Local scope.

       This option is relevant only if Secure Viewer is running on the same computer as the project runtime server. If it is, and if this option is not selected, Secure Viewer will synchronize all project tags with the server, regardless of scope. For more information, see Tag scope.

   11. Click Web to specify the address of the Web Tunneling Gateway (WTG), if you are using the gateway to bridge your local network to the Internet.

       For more information, see Install the web tunneling gateway.

   12. Click OK to close the Advanced dialog box.

5. In the Secure Viewer configuration utility, review the settings and then click Save.

   The configuration is saved as a Secure Viewer initialization file (Viewer.ini). This file should always be in the same folder as the Secure Viewer program.

   Note: Once you have a properly configured initialization file, you can reuse it with other installations of Secure Viewer.

6. Click Close to close the Secure Viewer configuration utility.

7. Run the Secure Viewer program by doing one of the following:

   • Double-click the Secure Viewer program itself (Viewer.exe), which should be located in the same folder as the Secure Viewer configuration utility; or

   • Double-click the Secure Viewer shortcut on your desktop, if you installed the Thin Client software.

   The Secure Viewer program window is displayed, and if the program has been properly configured, it connects to the project runtime server and loads the project file.

8. If the Secure Viewer program is connecting to the project runtime server via encrypted channel, you might be prompted to verify the server certificate — in the Verify Certificate dialog box, do one of the following:

   • To verify the certificate for the current session only, click Yes.

   • To verify the certificate for all sessions, click View Certificate and then follow the instructions to install the certificate in the Windows certificate store.

   If you choose to install the certificate and then accept the default settings, it will be installed in the following store: Current User\Intermediate Certification Authorities\Certificates

   For more information about installing and managing certificates, see Windows help.

When you are done with this task, you can use Secure Viewer to access the project as you normally would.

As part of securing the project thin client, you can configure the computer or device to automatically run Secure Viewer on startup and then not allow the user to exit the program or switch to other programs. For more information, contact your system administrator.