FactoryTalk SE Local vs. Network

I have several clients that have only one FactoryTalk SE Client machine and my practice has been to set those machines up as Local Station applications. Many of those clients are now accessible through remote connections (e.g., VPN, etc.) usually provided for support and modifications of the FTSE application. However, with the application configured for local on that machine it is impossible to talk full advantage of Studio to add components to the application. For example, I can modify an existing graphic display on my laptop and copy the file to the client machine. Once they refresh the display the changes are made available. I cannot, however, add a new display (or any other new component) to the application without shutting down the client application and copying the entire application from my laptop to the client machine.

If I configure a client's application as a Network Station and have that application reference the server as located on its own machine -- Network (LOCALHOST) -- would that application be accessible in FT Studio from my laptop when my laptop is on the same network as the client machine?

I think so. But I don't have experience with that flavor of FTView. I think that product was made for access to the FT Historian. You will need a difference license and *may* have to reinstall software.

SE distributed is a different license but you can install the server and the client on the same machine. Normally not doe this way but it does work as I have done it before.

My question is more along the line of how the FactoryTalk Directory is configured and accessed, as is applies to FactoryTalk View Site Edition. Site Edition (SE) applications function on a PC and can either be stand-alone (local) or client/server based (network). I have done local applications, and also client/server applications where the client runs the application which is house on a separate server machine.

My question is, if the application is setup up as a network station referencing the server on its own machine would the application be accessible by FactoryTalk View Studio from any other machine on the network?

When I use the term *server* I mean the server configured inside the FTSE application, not an actual server machine running FTSE Server.

Network Station Application Can't be Edited Remotely by Studio
570630 | 10/31/2013 | Access Level: Everyone

So I had a different recollection of its capabilities. So if you want to edit the application remotely with Studio, you'll need to use SE distributed. That'll involve new licenses, and install both the SE server, Client, and the FT directory on one computer.

Someone added this comment:

Is this answer still valid? I was told that in V8.0 the ability to remotely edit a Network Station application was added.

I'll have to dig up the release notes and see.

Update: Release Notes for version 8.0 says:

Remote studio
Allows remote View Studio administration of Network View Site Edition Station.

So maybe you can now.

@jkerekes Thank you for the reference to the KB article. I had not seen that one. I plan to set up a test application on one of my client's machines to see if it is possible. I will post results.

But according to the version 8 please notes, it may be possible. Good luck and report back on your findings.

I can already see a potential obstacle when, on the customer's machine, trying to remotely convert the local application to a network station application. My laptop is not yet one of the computers registered in FactoryTalk so I cannot logon to the network instance of FactoryTalk Administration Console (FTAC).

I have run into this before on applications originally configured as a network station (or distributed) and I had to talk the customer through the process of adding my laptop's name to the list of computers in FTAC.

All "Network Station" provides for is to allow a single RSLinx Enterprise communications server for all of the 'Client' computers. All computers on a "Network Station" deployment share the same directory server and communications server. Remote modification still doesn't exist.