Servers - Manage Servers

The File -> Servers -> Manage Servers option opens the Manage servers window, where you add, edit and delete the Server connections that this Client uses.

By default, the Server is installed and started on the same computer as the Client. You can add any number of connections to other Servers, and connect to them manually or automatically when the Client starts. When the Client starts, it connects to each connection that has Auto connect at startup checked. The login window opens only when the connection has Prompt for login checked or, for an Active Directory logon, when the Server no longer accepts the saved logon. Other logon failures, such as a wrong password, show a message; see Login. The connected Server's name is shown on the main menu Server tab as Server [<server name>], and its address is shown in the status bar.

Manage servers window

• Add, Edit and Delete: add a connection, change the selected connection, or remove it. Delete, or the Delete key in the list, removes the connection from this Client at once, without a confirmation; it does not change the Server
• Scanning for unassigned servers: the lower list shows Windows computers and VisualCron Servers found on the network. Right-click one and click Add to Client Connections to add it

Right-click a connection in the upper list for more options: Edit, Delete, Upgrade VisualCron, Uninstall VisualCron and Create connection. In the lower list, Install VisualCron installs VisualCron on that computer, from the official web site or from an installation file you select, as "Client and Server" or "Client only". The install, upgrade and uninstall options ask for Windows credentials for that computer.

warning

Delete and the Delete key remove the selected connection, with its saved credentials, without a confirmation. Uninstall VisualCron removes VisualCron from the remote computer after you enter the credentials. There is no other confirmation.

Switching between servers

The Client can be connected to several Servers at the same time. Each connected Server has its own row in the main grid, with its Jobs below it, and the ribbon commands and settings apply to the current Server. To change the current Server, click a Server row in the main grid, or select a Server in the Server selection combo box at the left of the toolbar.

When the icon next to a connection shows it as disconnected, most main menu options are unavailable. Click Connect in the toolbar to connect to the selected Server. While the Client connects, the combo box and Connect are unavailable. The Client then shows the Server's name and its Jobs and Tasks. See Server Selection.

Add or edit a connection

To edit a connection:

1. Select it in the list.
2. Click Edit.
3. Change the values.
4. Click Update.

To add a connection:

1. Click Add, or click Clear if you are editing a connection.
2. Enter the values.
3. Click Add.

Server

• Auto connect at startup: connects to this Server when the Client starts
• Is a local server: the Server runs on the same computer as the Client. Logon to a local Server is much faster
• Use compression: compresses the data sent between the Client and this Server
• Server: the computer name or IP address of the Server. Default "localhost"
• Port: the port the Server listens on. Default "16444". It must match the port set in the Server settings; see Main settings. If a firewall is used, the port must be open for incoming traffic on the Server computer
• Timeout: how long the Client waits for the Server. Default "60"; see Client timeouts

Credentials

VisualCron has two ways to log on: internal VisualCron users, and Active Directory. Active Directory logon must first be allowed on the Server; see Settings - Users/Logon.

• Use Active Directory logon: logs on with your Windows account. Uses Identity type and Principal name
• Use internal logon: logs on with a VisualCron user. Uses Username and Password
• Identity type: how the Client authenticates the Server. It is available only with Use Active Directory logon, and applies only to a remote Server; if Is a local server is checked, it is ignored. With Use internal logon the field is unavailable and "DNS Identity" is used. See below
• Principal name: the principal name of the Server, for "UPN identity" and "SPN identity". See below
• Username: the VisualCron user name. Default "admin". Change the default password after the first logon
• Password: the password of the user. Blank by default. Change it after the first logon
• Prompt for login: asks for the user name and password each time you connect

Identity type

Select the Identity type that matches the account the VisualCron Service runs under on the Server computer. To find it, open the Windows Services console on the Server, right-click VisualCron Service, click Properties and look at the Log On tab.

VisualCron Service runs as	Identity type	Principal name
Local System, Network Service or Local Service	"SPN identity"	Required
A domain user account, for example DOMAIN\username	"UPN identity"	Required

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"SPN identity" and "UPN identity" are mutually exclusive. The Server publishes only one of the two, depending on the account the service runs under. Selecting the wrong one, or leaving Principal name empty, stops the Client from connecting. See Troubleshooting.

• "DNS Identity": kept for backwards compatibility, and the value used with Use internal logon. All messages between the Client and the Server are protected by VisualCron certificate encryption. This identity type cannot complete an Active Directory logon to a remote Server
• "Windows Default": not supported for connections to a remote Server. Select "SPN identity" or "UPN identity" instead
• "UPN identity": for a VisualCron Service that runs as a domain user account. Enter the Principal name
• "SPN identity": for a VisualCron Service that runs as Local System, Local Service or Network Service. Enter the Principal name

Principal name

Principal name is the explicit principal name used during Active Directory authentication, for "UPN identity" and "SPN identity" only. A value is required for both. If it is left empty, the connection fails, although the Client lets you save the connection.

• "UPN identity": the value looks like username@FQDN
• "SPN identity": the value looks like HOST/serverDNSname.FQDN or serverDNSname.FQDN. To list the SPN values of a computer, run setspn -l serverDNSname in a Windows command prompt

The UPN and SPN values that the Server detects are shown on the Users/Logon tab of Server -> Main settings -> Settings; copy the matching value from there. See Settings - Users/Logon.

Proxy

The proxy used for the web requests the Client makes for this Server, such as license activation. It does not apply to the connection between the Client and the Server. Select the Proxy type and enter the proxy details. If you use a proxy to reach the Internet and cannot connect, check these settings with your network administrator.

Troubleshooting

The client and server cannot communicate, because they do not possess a common algorithm

TLS 1.2 may be turned off on the computer. Install .NET 4.7 or later and restart the computer.

The requested upgrade is not supported by 'net.tcp://servername:16444/'. This could be due to mismatched bindings (for example security enabled on the client and not on the server).

The Identity type of the connection does not match how the VisualCron Service is started on the Server. Check the following in order:

1. On the Server computer, open the Windows Services console and check the account under VisualCron Service -> Properties -> Log On.
2. Set Identity type to "SPN identity" if that account is Local System, Network Service or Local Service, or to "UPN identity" if it is a domain user account.
3. Make sure Principal name is not empty. Copy the matching value from the Users/Logon tab of Server -> Main settings -> Settings.
4. Make sure Identity type is not "Windows Default", which cannot be used for a connection to a remote Server.

To reach the Server while you fix this, add a connection that uses Use internal logon with an internal VisualCron user.

Login failed, reason: Failed to obtain security context from client. Switch identity type(?)

The Client reached the Server, but no Active Directory security context was negotiated. This happens when Use Active Directory logon is combined with "DNS Identity" on a connection to a remote Server. Change Identity type to "SPN identity" or "UPN identity" as described above.