FactoryTalk Local Directory - Recommendations

I look after 3 sites, each has a FactoryTalk View Studio Local Station Client. The 3 clients are similar.

These are written in Version 7, which pre-dates the segregation of the Local Directory.

I now have to provide a PC that I can move around the sites, while I do some maintenance works on the respective PCs. This PC will need all 3 applications on it, ready to run.

In building this PC, and putting all 3 applications on it, I have discovered that the respective User Group names, and the User names, do not match across the three applications. There is a right mixture - some have Capitalised names (Groups and Users), some have Plural (ending in s) group names, and other discrepancies.

Obviously I don't want to have to Restore each application and Local Directory each time I use the PC on the 3 sites.

What, in your opinions, would be the best way out of this...

1. "Merge" the names to all applications....

2. Correct the Group and User names in all 3 applications and re-create the .CLI and .APA files....

I favour no.2

Your thoughts please..

I'd also go with number 2. I think in the long run it will probably generate the least headaches

I would go with #1. Get all the accounts created in the same Local Directory. You could even modify Group names to match the proper application. The users never see the group information.

App1_Operators
App2_Operators
etc....

That would save having to restore the directory each time you needed to work on an application.

OG

Operaghost said:

I would go with #1. Get all the accounts created in the same Local Directory. You could even modify Group names to match the proper application. The users never see the group information.

App1_Operators
App2_Operators
etc....

That would save having to restore the directory each time you needed to work on an application.

OG

Click to expand...

Hmmm... I was thinking to go the other way, make a clean directory where I've only got two groups "Controllers" and "Operators" with users "controller" and "operator".

If I go with number 1, someone surely is going to question why I have all these groups, just to satisfy all the permutations in the 3 applications....

Controller
Controllers
controller
Operator
Operators
operator

There's no security involved - neither user "operator" or "controller" has a password, but logging in as "controller" (or "Controller" in one of the applications), opens an identical but different main screen with a few more buttons. I didn't program these apps, and it's not the way I would have done it, but that's what I inherited.

Frankly there's no need at all for a login to take place, as user "controller" often logs in as "operator", and vice-versa.

Another difference is that user "Controller" (or "controller") has a "Shutdown" button on the control screen, but that doesn't work anyway, it doesn't shutdown the app, it just requests a new login. The only way to terminate the client app is with Ctrl-Alt-Del. A very poor way IMHO.

Time for a clean-up, and make the systems work.....