Frequently Asked Questions

There is no technical reason why Synergy should not work with Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise.

However, due to the limited business user base and difficulties with using the user interface on a PC, The IMC Group does not recommend, or provide support for, Synergy installations on Windows 8.

Customers should upgrade to Windows 10 before installing Synergy.

Synergy can be installed on Windows 8.1 Pro or Enterprise.

However, due to the limited business user base, The IMC Group is only able to provide limited support for Synergy installations on Windows 8.1 and would recommend upgrading to Windows 10, before installing Synergy.

No.

Note: This FAQ only applies to desktop operating systems, such as Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10; it does not apply to Server Operating Systems.

To tell if your PC is Windows Pro or Enterprise:

Navigate to Control Panel > System.

Below the title ‘View basic information about your computer’, there is a section headed ‘Windows edition’.

Here you should see something like:

Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise,

Windows 8.1 Pro or Windows 8.1 Enterprise,

Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise.

Some editions may show a letter code, such as ‘N’ at the end of the edition description, e.g. ‘Windows 10 Enterprise N’, this can be ignored.

If your edition of Windows is not shown above, then Synergy may not work on your computer and should not be installed.

Note: This requires an internet connection.

Open a command prompt as Administrator, and run the following command:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 /all

Check Server Features; .Net Framework 3.5 should be added.

Only on B Variant systems, to allow the System to access the SQL database, but not for the Users.

On-premise systems will need licensing by sites, users, and add-ons if you require more than the default options.

Since Licence Key encryption is machine specific, the Licence Key file will lose encryption and any Synergy Validated, User and/or Site Licences will become invalid following:

•Recovery of a Synergy system to a new Application Server, perhaps following a system crash.

•Moving the Synergy Application Server.

To re-enable a Synergy Licence following the above:

1.Obtain the original Licence ID and Password to be registered from the Licence Certificate.

2.Contact IMC Support and request that the Licence(s) are re-enabled to allow them to be applied to the new server.

3.Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\The IMC Group Ltd\SynergyDataService.

4.Rename LicenseFile.xml to LicenseFile.old or the file LF********.XML to LF********.old

5.Open the SynergyConfiguration Utility.

•To start the SynergyConfiguration Utility, navigate to Windows Start menu > All Programs > Hanwell Instruments Ltd > SynergyConfig

Note: To run the SynergyConfiguration Utility, the User must be an Administrator on the Local machine and have Admin access to the Weblogger Database.

•A series of windows are displayed as the SynergyConfiguration Utility starts, click Yes or OK on each window where necessary until the following SynergyConfiguration Ver: x.x.x.x window is displayed:

6.From the displayed SynergyConfiguration Ver: x.x.x.x window:

i.Select the relevant database from the Database drop-down menu on the window's menu bar.

ii.From the Licence drop-down menu on the window's menu bar, click on Activate Online.

iii.Enter the Licence details.

iv.Click on Ok and wait for the confirmation to appear.

v.Click on Exit.

7.Close the SynergyConfiguration Tool.

8.Login to Synergy

See the System Pre-Requisites documentation.

The System can be supplied as SaaS (Software as a Service) or On-Premises.

Yes, but no cost implications to the End User.

See System Pre-requisites Documentation.

During the application of System Upgrades and Patches and also during some applications of Microsoft Updates to the Server.

Yes, at no additional cost to end user: Accepted by EULA agreement.

Yes, works with standard virtualisation technologies (VMware etc.).

We normally use UK Data Centres to host our Systems but, in principle, they can be located anywhere.

No, to ensure customer SLAs and Security Levels are maintained, we outsource to suppliers that meet our requirements.

Each customer System is allocated its own server environment, therefore, each System operates independently by design, only sharing the underlying resources of the Cloud.

The System can be connected with a Site-to-Site using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and/or a configurable firewall.

There are no direct APIs available.

However, we do provide access to data via Modbus and OPC at additional cost.

The client interface uses standard browser technology. Viewing user generated reports will, however, require a PDF reader and/or a CSV file reader.

The Management Tool will require software to be installed (normally on just one machine). This tool is used for a variety of hardware related configuration tasks.

No, updates are released as required.

Yes, they are easily created as required.

This Exception is thrown by the underlying Microsoft .Net code when your server has Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) mode enabled; Microsoft no longer recommends the use of FIPS mode.

To disable FIPS Mode:

1.Navigate to the Local Security Policy window as follows:

Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy.

2.In Security Settings, expand Local Policies and then click Security Options.

3.Scroll down to 'System Cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing'.

4.Make sure that this setting is disabled.

5.You will now need to use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio to delete the webLogger database, before clicking on New Database again.

Microsoft SQL 2008 R2, Microsoft SQL 2012, or  Microsoft SQL 2014.

No.

Depends on number of sensors, sensor types, sensor transmit rates, number of alarms and logged events etc.

If we took a System with 40 single channel and 10 dual channel sensors, with all sensors transmitting at 5minute intervals, as an example, the data growth would be approximately 400Mb per year + Alarms + log entries + SQL Transaction Log.

Some SQL updates can leave the SQL Server restricted to Single User access.

In this case, rebooting the SQL Server will usually correct the problem.

W700B or W706B Systems:

Because W700B / W706B Systems connect to a database on a different machine to the Synergy server, the Apache Service and SynergyDataService run as a specified active directory user, created by your IT Administrator or Service Provider, so that the services can authenticate against the SQL server.

There are a number of potential causes, some of which are shown below:

•Not rebooting after an upgrade.

•Network connection issues.

•Firewall changes.

•Logins being changed on the domain.

•Logins being changed on the SQL server or a user changed on the database.

•The Synergy or SQL server, for some reason, being unable get a connection to the Customer’s domain controller on a reboot.

•An antivirus program blocking the connection on start-up.

•Synergy or SQL server name change.

•A database(s) being altered.

Troubleshoot W700B or W706B System Connection Errors as follows:

1.If SQL Server Management Studio is installed on the Synergy Sever, use it to test the connection to your SQL Server.

If SQL Server Management Studio is not installed, you can test the connection using Telnet:

•Telnet to the SQL server on the Instance Port Number (the default Port Number is 1433). If you get a Connection Error Message, then your IT Administrator or Service Provider will need to resolve the connection issue to the SQL Server.

2.If the connection works, then you can try restarting the Apache service and the SynergyData Service – this can resolve odd login glitches.

3.Next, check that the Login used by Synergy has not been altered:

During installation, the Apache service, SynergyArchive service, and SynergyData service will have been set to use a Network Login Account provided by your network Administrator.

•Check that the services still log on as this account.

•Check that this login still exists on the SQL server instance, and also that the user still exists on the webLogger and IMCSynergyArchive databases:

webLogger database user should have db_datareader, db_datawriter, db_backupoperator and db_owner roles.

IMCSynergyArchive database user should have db_datareader and db_datawriter roles.

•Check that the Login password has not been altered; try to login as the User on a network computer or try resetting the User Login on one of the Synergy services.

W700A or W706A Systems:

There are a number of potential causes, some of which are shown below:

•Not rebooting after an upgrade.

•Logins being changed on the SQL server or a user changed on the database.

•An antivirus program blocking the connection on start-up.

•Synergy server name change.

•Database(s) being altered.

Troubleshoot W700A or W706A Systems Connection Errors as follows:

1.Run SQL Server Management Studio.

•The Connect to Server dialog will be shown.

•The Server Name entry should show the name of your Synergy server and the SQLEXPRESS instance in the form: <Server name>\SQLEXPRESS;

2.If the correct entry is not shown, select it from the drop down list and click Connect.

•If SQL Server Management Studio cannot connect to the SQL Server instance, make sure the SQL Server is running by opening Services:

Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services

4.Either start or restart SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS) and SQL Server Browser.

5.Expand: Security > Logins and check that the following Logins are present:

•Management and NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE

OR

•Network Service and NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM

OR

•System Logins

6.Expand: Databases > webLogger > Security > Users and check that the following Users are present:

•Management and NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE

OR

•Network Service and NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM

OR

•System

7.Right click each User in turn, select Properties and check the following roles:

Network Service User must have db_datareader and db_datawriter.

System User must have db_datareader, db_datawriter, db_backupoperator and db_owner.

8.Navigate to: IMCSynergyArchive > Security > Users and check that the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM or System User have db_datareader and db_datawriter roles.

If any of the Users, Logins or Roles are missing, they will need to be recreated; it is advisable to request IMC or your Distributor to do this work.

The System has its own Archive and Backup routines, which allow data to be stored in a convenient location, ready to be backed by any proprietary backup program.

Yes.

The archived data to can be viewed on demand via the standard browser interface.

Yes, within SQL Data Limits.

All of the System backups are a complete copy of the Dataset.

After giving the customer the option of a copy of the data, the hosted System will be rebuilt with a fresh image and all data erased.

The number of concurrent users is only limited by the SQL version and underlying System resources

Yes.

Data volumes are limited by the SQL version being used (SQL Express: 10GB, SQL Standard: > 1 terabyte).

This depends on the System configuration, design and End User requirements.

Hosted Systems DR and BC considerations are configured in line with individual End User requirements. Typically, DR would involve Server Imaging and Off-Site Data Backup.

No

This depends on the Sensor type, Sensor Transmit Rate and Device Group Logging interval.

Some sensors, such as 3 Channel Devices and Thermocouples, have longer data packets than standard Single or Dual Channel sensors.

Trying to give a size for one sensor would be of little value, as the SR2 sampling rate tends to be higher than the transmit rate of each sensor; so in this scenario, most of the data would actually be the SR2 protocol.

If we took a System with 50 sensors, (40 standard single / dual channel and 10 with extended data packets), assume that all of the sensors are transmitting at 5 minute intervals and that the SR2 Device Group Logging interval is set to 90seconds, then the average SR2 upload would be about 1500bytes.

It can take up to 1 hour (dependent on server performance) to upload and store data from an SR2 with a full memory.

However, as new data will be read while the System is processing the backed up data, new live data will be visible within 10minutes.

•A Static/Fixed Internet Protocol (IP) is a fixed address that is issued by your Network Administrator.

•A Dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address is an address that is automatically generated and issued to equipment and computers on your network by a DHCP server.

You need to ask your Network Administrator for a Static/Fixed IP address for each SR2 that you are going to connect to the network. Your Network Administrator will make sure that the supplied addresses are both free and outside the scope of any DCHP Server on the network.

•A Private IP address is an address that is internal to a network.

•A Public IP address is an IP address that can be reached from a computer or device with internet access.

Many organisations use IP addresses in the range 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, or 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255. These are all Private IP addresses; you cannot navigate to these IP addresses from the internet.

In general, SR2s are configured with Static Private IP addresses. However, these addresses MUST be reachable from the Synergy server.

If you are configuring an SR2 to work on a remote site that is not reachable via a corporate intranet or VPN, you may need to use a Public IP address for the SR2; your network Administrator or IT Service Provider will be able to help you with this.

First of all, check the Synergy Email Log for error messages and make sure that you have entered the Email Server Name / IP Address; Sender Email Address and User Name and Password correctly.

When you are sure all the settings are correct, then you can try to connect to the Email Server from the Synergy Server using the Windows Telnet client.

1.Open a Command Prompt and type: Telnet <email server host name or IP address>:<port number>

•For example: mailserver:465 or 192.168.1.12:25

•You should see a Login Message from your email server - the exact message will depend on the email server.

•If you do not see a Login Message, then the email sever address is either wrong or is not reachable from the Synergy server and you will need to ask your Network Administrator or IT service provider for assistance.

•If you get a login message, then it is most likely that the email server is refusing to accept the account login credentials provided to Synergy.

2.Check the Synergy server machine Event Log for errors:

Navigate to: Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer.

Select Windows Logs and then Application.

•Look for Error entries with SynergyDataService as the Source and Event IDs in the 33000 and 21000 ranges, e.g. 21007.

•Looking at the General descriptions for these errors can give an indication of the problem.

You will need to create a rule on your Corporate Firewall to allow an inbound connection to your Synergy Server on Port 80.

If you wish to use a Port other than 80 for external access to the Synergy website, you can configure the rule to use 'Port Translation' so that the external Port xxxxx is connected to Port 80 on the Synergy Server.

Examples:

Internal users - http://LAN-Address/synergy

External users - http://WAN-Address/synergy

External users with 'Port Translation' - http://WAN-Address:xxxx/synergy

Synergy can usually be installed and operated without disabling anti-virus protection or other computer security software.

However, some anti-virus/security software aimed at home computers can prevent Synergy binding to IP Ports.

If you have such a package, and Synergy is not collecting data, or you see SQL errors when browsing to the Synergy Login page and there are errors referring to Port Binding in the Windows Event Log, then you may need to replace your package with one targeted at the professional / corporate environment.

There are a number of potential causes of this problem, please work through the list below before contacting your Supplier for assistance.

Power

•Have you fitted batteries to your transmitters? If not, fit them now.

•If the green power LED is off, the device is not powered and you need to connect the device to a power supply.

Radio Reception

•For a Base check that radio data is being received; the green LED should flash periodically if it is. If not, move a transmitter close to the Base and check again; if the green LED is still not flashing periodically, contact your Supplier.

Network connection

•Look at the LEDs on the network socket; the amber LED should be solid and the green LED flashing frequently. If not, you have an issue with your network connection, contact your System Administrator or IT Support Provider for assistance.

•The amber network LED will flash more than once a second if a device has no network connection or if a DHPC enabled device is unable to obtain an IP address. If this is the case carry out the following:

If the Device needs to use a Fixed IP:

Use the IMCBaseUtility application to re-apply settings to the device, checking that the correct IP address is used.

If the Device needs to use DHCP:

Use the IMCBaseUtility application to re-apply settings to the device, checking that the ‘Use static IP Address’ check box is NOT selected.

Also, check with your System Administrator or IT Support Provider that the DHCP server is configured to allow your devices to obtain an address; options such MAC filtering can prevent devices from obtaining IP settings from your DHCP server.

Device Configuration

Check that the device is correctly set-up in Synergy:

1.Log into Synergy and select: Admin > Device Configuration > Edit/View Devices.

•This will display a table of Control Devices.

2.Check that the device's Serial Number is correct and for a Base.

3.Check that the device is a member of a Device Group.

Network Configuration

The amber network LED will flash approximately once a second, if the device has network connectivity but is unable to connect to the Data Service on the Synergy server. If this is the case carry out the following:

1.Make sure the Data Service is running as follows:

On the Synergy Server, open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and check that the SynergyDataService is running.

2.If the device is configured to connect to your Synergy Server using a hostname, make sure that the hostname is resolvable:

•Open a Command prompt, and type nslookup <full hostname with DNS suffix> <press enter>

Example: nslookup computer.domain.local

•The command will display the name and IP address of your DNS server, followed by name and IP address of the supplied hostname. If the DNS server name and address is followed by an error message, such as *** <DNS server> can’t find <hostname> , then the hostname you have used is not resolvable and you will need to obtain assistance from your System Administrator or IT Support Provider.

•Make sure that any firewall on the Synergy Server – including the Windows Firewall - is not blocking the incoming device connection and that you have added rules to allow incoming connections on the Base Data Port, (default Port Number is 10997).

•Make sure any anti-virus or network security product on the Synergy Server is configured to allow the various Synergy Services to operate. If the anti-virus/network security product is intended for the home/consumer market, you may need to replace it with a product intended for professional use. Contact your System Administrator, IT Support Provider or the Product Vendor for assistance.

Several client users can be connected over a standard ADSL line.

SMTP, IMAP, POP3, SMS, GPRS, HTTP client access, TCP communication between Sensors, Bases, and backend System Services.

RSSI stands for Received Signal Strength Indicator; it is an indication of the power in a signal received by a radio receiver.

It is configurable from 4 to 40 by the System Administrator.

The System can configure password strength rules by specifying the minimum number of upper case letters, lower case letters, and numbers.

•Options are set by the System Administrator.

They are stored as non-readable encrypted strings in the SQL Database.

Yes, as long as they know their old password.

Yes they can without knowing the old password.

Note: A counter signatory will be required for this in the compliant versions.

Yes, but currently only on compliant Systems

Yes, but currently only on compliant Systems.

Yes, the password depth is set to 1 in the standard System and is configurable up to a maximum of 10 on a Compliant System.

•Specifying a low number for ‘Enforce Password History’ allows users to continually use the same small number of passwords repeatedly.

No, the System will not allow the user to use a password the same as their ID.

Yes, it is configurable by System Administrator from 30 to 730 days.

The account is not actually suspended, but the System will not allow further access until the User has changed their password.

Yes

Yes, if the User exceeds the number of allowed retries (can be set 1 to 10) in the pre-defined Retry time period (can be set from 10 to 1140 minutes).

•The User will be locked out of the System for predefined period of time (up to 1140 minutes).

Yes, the time period can be set from 5 to 60 minutes.

Yes, individually, or by assigning them to Groups/Roles.

Only on B variant Systems for the System to access the SQL database, but not for Users.

User Logins, System Setting edits, Alarms and System Events are logged.

Yes

Yes, you can view directly in the System and/or generate Reports.

No

N/A - There is no personal information held on the System.

No

The System does not hold any Client Information that is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998.

Yes, User changes are logged along with date/time, but not the IP address of the User.

No

Yes

Access to the audit trail is set by the Administrator and defined either on an individual basis or by roles in the System.

Yes, if the Compliant option is selected

No.

No the System does not hold any personal data.

Not in the HTTP version of the product, but HTTPS can be supported.

The System conforms to some of the key e-GIF policies through its adoption of the browser as the key interface presenting data and adoption of common specifications used on the Internet and World Wide Web for Public Sector Information Systems.

This problem is usually due to Compatibility Mode being enabled.

•Go to Tools > Compatibility View Settings and disable Display intranet sites in Compatibility View.

Browsers improve web page load times by caching recent/frequently used pages. Cached pages can cause Synergy to appear corrupted after an upgrade.

•To fix this issue, clear your browser's cache or history.

Note: The actions required to clear cache/history cannot be laid out in this FAQ because they differ between browsers and even between different versions of the same browser; however, a quick internet search will usually provide the required information.

Client access is via a web browser (for a full up-to date list of compatible web browsers please contact IMC Technical Support).

The target clients are PCs and Laptops.

Data can be viewed on mobile devices, but Synergy is not optimised for these.

Only via machines on your LAN, unless your firewall is configure to provide the System with a connection from a WAN.

From any location with internet access.

•This may be limited to devices on a VPN if you have selected that hosting option.

Users of Internet Explorer (IE) running on a Server may find that dates cannot be selected from the Date/Time Picker controls (e.g. when setting up Scheduled Reports). This is usually caused by IE Enhanced Security Configuration disabling some JavaScript functionality.

•Close IE, and disable IE Enhanced Security Configuration in the Server Manager; or use an alternative browser.

If you require help making these changes, please contact your System Administrator or IT Support Provider; please do NOT contact IMC Technical Support, as only your Administrator/Support Provider will be able to supply this help.

After an upgrade to Synergy, List View fields, such as used in the Live View, may have a sunken or '3D' appearance and other windows may not display correctly.

This is due to caching in the User’s Browser. To correct the display, users need to force a refresh of their Browser.

Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers can be refreshed by clicking the Refresh icon that appears as a circular arrow in the right hand side of the address bar:

•If a Refresh fails to rectify the problem, you may need to delete your Browser History. The exact operations required to delete Browser History will depend on the browser and browser version in use.

For help with Refreshing or deleting your Browser History, see the help provided with your browser or contact your System Administrator or IT Support Provider.

Users of Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) may find that graphs appear blanked out; this is usually due to IE10’s Compatibility View being turned on.

The Compatibility View control appears as a small icon on the IE10 Address Bar. Figure 691 below shows the address bar with Compatibility View turned on.

To turn Compatibility View off, click on the icon; its state will change as shown in Figure 692.

Figure 691

Figure 692