Connect to a PI AF server

Use the Servers window to review PI AF server connections, connect to different servers as needed, and change the authentication mode used to connect to the PI AF server.

1. From the PI System Explorer menu bar, choose File > Connections.

   In the Servers window, you see a list of known servers, identified by the following icons.

   	A disconnected PI AF server in the Known Server Table
   	A connected PI AF server
   	The default connected PI AF server
   	A Data Archive in the Known Server Table.
   	The local default connected Data Archive
   	A disconnected Data Archive collective
   	A connected Data Archive collective

   Note: The icon and a warning indicates that the PI AF client is connected to an unsupported version of Data Archive, such as version 3.4.375 or 3.4.370. The PI AF client cannot connect to a Data Archive server that is running software earlier than version 3.4.370.

2. To connect to a PI AF server, choose from the following actions:

   To ...	Do this ...
   Connect to a different PI AF server	Select a server in the list and click Connect.
   Connect to a server as a different user (for example, from a shared computer)	Right-click a server in the list and click Connect As. If OIDC is not enabled, the Connect to PI AF servers window opens. Enter a Windows user account name and password. If OIDC is enabled, the Authentication Mode dialog opens. Select the authentication mode you want to use for the connection: OpenID Connect or Windows. Click OK.
   Connect to a server that is not displayed on the Known Servers Table	Click Add Asset Server. For more information, see Add a PI AF server to the connection list.
   Set a default PI AF server	Right-click a connected PI AF server in the list and click Set as local default Asset Server. A icon appears next to the default server.
   Connect to a collective	Right-click a collective in the list. Choose one of the following actions: To connect to the primary server in the collective, click Connect to Primary. To connect to a specific collective member, click Connect to Collective Member, as described in Switch to a specific collective member.

3. Click Close.