Run WindowViewer as a service

If you configure WindowViewer to run as a Windows service, WindowViewer automatically starts when the computer on which the application is installed starts. The WindowViewer service runs in the background. If the WindowViewer service is running you cannot start another instance of WindowViewer.

Running WindowViewer as a service provides the following benefits:

• Most disaster recovery plans require that essential computer systems start immediately after electrical power is restored. Microsoft Windows Servers can restart automatically after power is restored. When WindowViewer runs as a service, your plant automation system can begin running immediately. The last InTouch application that was opened in WindowViewer automatically starts when the computer restarts.

• WindowViewer continues to log historical data, gather alarm information, process scripts, act as an I/O Server, and write values as an I/O client, even as different operators log on and off.

  Note: A logged on user must have proper access to the network location if a network application is used to run as a service or a network path is used as a historical logging folder.

If WindowViewer is already running as a service and you attempt to start it again from a shortcut icon or by selecting WindowViewer on the Windows Start menu, a message is logged in the Operations Control Log viewer. The message describes the restrictions to starting WindowViewer when it has been configured to run as a service.

If WindowViewer is already running as a service and you attempt to launch Application Manager or WindowMaker, a warning message will be logged in the Operations Control Log viewer.The message explains that Application Manager and WindowMaker cannot open when WindowViewer is running as a service.

Important: When running WindowViewer as a service, the user account privileges have been set to non-interactive to reduce the potential security exposure of running a service with administrator privileges.