LinkManager Mobile

This article provides information about LinkManager mobile and its limitations/possibilities.

LinkManager Mobile allows you to remotely connect to equipment controlled by agents on SiteManagers. LinkManager Mobile can run on PC, MAC, iPad/iPhone and Android devices.

Overview: LinkManager versus LinkManager Mobile. LinkManager Mobile differ from the traditional LinkManager in the following points:

LinkManager Mobile is accessible via the GateManager IP/Hostname URL /app.

LinkManager Mobile does not tunnel its communication to the GateManager, so only a limited range of ports can be used with our Hosted GateManagers.

There are 4 services available for LinkManager Mobile: WWW, RDP, VNC and JVNC.

LinkManager_Mobile_Guide.pdf

1. This article goes through the following topics:
   • LinkManager Mobile supports the following services
   • Webservers using other ports
   • Apps/Applications using other ports
   • Webservers with problems
   • In-Browser VNC (noVNC)
2. LinkManager Mobile supports the following services:
   • RDP (Remote Desktop) port 3389
   • VNC (Remote Desktop) port 5900
   • JVNC (Java VNC) port 5800
   • Web servers (default 80).
   • In-Browser VNC (noVNC)
3. Webservers using other ports 

   Below is an example of a webserver using a port other than 80. Simply change the port of the agent and connect like you normally do from within LinkManager Mobile.

   

4. Apps/Applications using other ports

   If you need to use a port other than the 4 mentioned above, you will have to use port address translation (PAT) with the device. This can be achieved by altering the port address of the service so that the device will receive the communication on the correct port. There is one limitation though, LinkManager Mobile can only use one of the 4 services on one of the 4 ports mentioned above. This makes it necessary for the APP running on the LinkManager Mobile device to be able to access the device on an alternative port, otherwise, it will not work. Due to the way WWW, and JVNC are used, you should stick to VNC and RDP when using custom ports. This limits the number of ports one agent can use at the same time to 2, but it is shown to be sufficient in most scenarios. This is "experimental" and might not work for all applications/apps. How to try/test it: You need to find out which port the APP is communicating on (Consult the application/APP provider for this info). You need to set up an agent with the parameters (see screenshot, example here is PORT=8112 and device IP is 10.0.1.216). The above needs to be the specifications for your device.

   

   From within LinkManager Mobile, you open the VNC connection and then switch to the app and connect to  gmXX.secomea.com on port 5900.

5. Web Servers with problems

   Sometimes the option "No proxy" fixes various webserver connections, simply append "+noproxy" after the device address as shown below:
   If it doesn't work with the above tips and tricks, there is not much we can do for now.
   
   In-Browser VNC (no VNC)
   
   Since Secomea Release 7.2, it is possible to use the built-in VNC viewer from any device using a major Web Browser.
   Prerequisites:
   The connection will take place through an encrypted session and there are no external dependencies. Supported browsers: 
   • Google Chrome
   • Internet Explorer
   • Microsoft Edge
   • Mozilla Firefox
   • Opera*
   • Safari* (*see below for limitations)
    
   The VNC server type should not make a big difference. Testing was done on major VNC servers (UltraVNC, TightVNC, etc.) including native versions for panels with Windows CE (like the EfonVNC), which is widely used on brand name panels.
   

6. Known issues: Please note the following:
   
    1. A self-signed web certificate is not allowed. If detected, the In-Browser VNC option will either be disabled or not selectable.
    2. Opera will not have full functionality on iOS, Android and Linux.
    3. Konqueror is not supported.
    4. Safari will not function in private mode as the LocalStorage is then set to 0 (this might hold true for other browsers).
    5. Mozilla Firefox on Android could in some instances display a hand icon instead of the configuration icon, but the placement and functionality are working.
    6. Please note that In-Browser VNC will not connect if the “User name:” field is used.
    7. Locking the mobile device will disable the connection to the target.

 Application Notes 

•  Secomea LinkManager Mobile User Guide 
•  TeamViewer LAN mode connection via LinkManager & LinkManager Mobile 
•  Secomea LinkManager Mobile and WAGO WebVisu-App Setup Guide 
•  Secomea LinkManager Mobile and Schneider Vijeo Design'Air Setup Guide 
•  Secomea LinkManager Mobile and Pro-face Remote HMI Setup Guide 
•  Secomea LinkManager Mobile and COPA-DATA zenon Web Server Setup