Installing Link

The Link service requires CygNet SCADA services to be installed on the system that is running the service. It also requires a 64-bit version of Dclnd (Dclnd64.dll). If you are not already running 64-bit CygNet services, the recommended method for obtaining a 64-bit Dclnd is to install the 64-bit VHS with the installer using the CygNet SCADA Services (64-bit) setup application (CygNetSCADAServicesSetup64.exe). This will install Dclnd64.dll and any other 64 bit dependencies required for Link.

Note: A valid license file is required if you intend to support more than 50 points to be published from the gateway. Please contact your Account Manager for more information.

  1. Install or upgrade the Link service:
    1. Obtain the product source files from the CygNet Software Download Website on the Weatherford software support portal (login required).
    2. Copy the Link setup package (Weatherford_Link-x64.msi) to the staging location on the computer where you plan to install/update the service.
    3. Use the setup package to install the Link service on your machine:
      1. Open the Link package.
      2. Read and agree to the license terms and conditions.
      3. Click Install to install the Link service on your machine.
  1. Go to the sample_appsettings.json file included in the installation package to configure it to your specifications, and rename it to "appsettings.gateway.json".

Note:The sample_appsettings.json file is located in C:/ProgramData/Weatherford/Link. See Configuring Link for more information.

  1. Start the service.
    1. Open Windows Task Manager (run TaskMgr.exe).
    2. Click on the Services tab.
    3. Find WLink (Weatherford Link) in the list.
    4. Right-click and select Start.

Link Security

Link supports password encryption and decryption.

To automatically generate the encryptedPassword value, add a value to any password member in the appsettings.gateway.json file, then run Link with the -encrypt parameter specified in the command line. The process will automatically generate an encrypted password, store it as the encryptedPassword value, and erase the values of all password fields.

Link will also generate a key file used to decrypt the passwords, which will be stored in the Link data folder (C:/ProgramData/Weatherford/Link). Lastly, it will update the passwordEncryptionKeyPath object member in gateway section of the appsettings.gateway.json with the location of the key file. Once the key file has been generated, you are free to move the file wherever you please, provided you also update the passwordEncryptionKeyPath value to point to the new file location.

If the key file is not present when Link is run, it will not be able to decrypt the encrypted passwords and Link will fail.

See keystore password, credentials password, and passwordEncryptionKeyPath for more information.

Note: NTFS permissions should be used to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the encryption key file.

Link Logging

The Link log file is located in \ProgramData\Weatherford\Link\Log. Consult the log file to view any issues or errors related to the Link service itself or its operational functions.