User Guide

Kepware+ Installation Guide

July 2023
Ref. 1.02

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Table of Contents
1. Overview .......................................................................................................................................1
2. What is Kepware+? ...................................................................................................................1
3. System Requirements ...............................................................................................................2
3.1 Kepware Server On-Premises ...................................................................................2
3.2 Kepware+ Agent Host On-Premises .......................................................................2
3.3 Kepware+ Web Interface Compatibility .................................................................2
4. Installation and Configuration Overview .............................................................................3
5. Step 1: Login to Kepware+ .....................................................................................................3
5.1 Fulfilment Confirmation Letter ..................................................................................3
6. Step 2: Create Sites ..................................................................................................................4
7. Step 3: Install the Kepware+ Agent ....................................................................................5
7.1 Installing Kepware+ Agent on Windows ................................................................5
7.2 Installing Kepware+ Agent on Linux ......................................................................7
8. Step 4: Connect a Server ........................................................................................................9
9. Step 5: Configure Channels and Devices ......................................................................... 10
9.1 Create / Configure a Channel ................................................................................ 10
9.2 Create a Device .......................................................................................................... 11
Congratulations! .................................................................................................................................. 11

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1. Overview
This document provides information for configuring Kepware+ and assumes that you have:
• Received an order fulfillment email and a welcome email.
• Installed ThingWorx Kepware Server v6.12 or higher and/or ThingWorx Kepware Edge
v1.5 or higher on the Industrial Network.
• An environment (virtual or hardware) available on the Industrial Network for hosting the
Kepware+ Agent (Step 3).
• Basic configuration knowledge of Kepware server instances.

2. What is Kepware+?
Kepware+ is the management tool that offers a single configuration experience for
connected enterprises. Users can remotely configure instances of Kepware servers from a
centralized management portal.

Note: Kepware+ has access to configuration data for connected instances. Users cannot
view live data collected from configured drivers.

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3. System Requirements
Ensure that the appropriate inbound firewall rules on the Kepware hosts are configured to
allow Kepware+ Agent to access the Kepware Configuration API.

3.1 Kepware Server On-Premises

• ThingWorx Kepware Server v6.12 (or newer) or ThingWorx Kepware Edge v1.5
(or newer) installed
• Configuration API enabled on each connected on-premises server instance:
o User Configuration in ThingWorx Kepware Server
o Enabled by default in ThingWorx Kepware Edge
• User configured with privileges to allow Configuration API connections (Admin)

Consult the online Systems Requirements for the latest information.

3.2 Kepware+ Agent Host On-Premises

• Windows 10 (64-bit Intel/AMD, Physical or VM)
• Ubuntu 18.04 or 20.04 (64-bit Intel/AMD Physical or VM)

Note: Network access to the Kepware server from Kepware+ agent host is required.

3.3 Kepware+ Web Interface Compatibility

For more information about server setup, see the ThingWorx Kepware Server user manual.
For information about server system requirements, see ThingWorx Kepware Server (Windows
version) and ThingWorx Kepware Edge (Linux version).

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4. Installation and Configuration Overview
There are five steps to properly install and configure Kepware+. The following sections
provide step-by-step instructions on how to complete each step.
1. Login to Kepware+ and instance configuration
Once the email confirmation has been received, basic setup of account information
must occur before additional steps are taken.
2. Create Sites
Sites are logical organizations of server instances.
3. Install Agent
An agent must be installed for the Kepware+ platform to communicate with the on-
premises instances of ThingWorx Kepware Server and/or ThingWorx Kepware Edge.
The agent can be installed on either Windows or Linux operating systems.
4. Add Servers
Define characteristics within Kepware+ for an on-premises instance of Kepware server.
5. Configure Channels, Devices, Tags & Tag Groups
Remotely configure instances of Kepware servers.

5. Step 1: Login to Kepware+

Two confirmation emails are sent upon purchase of Kepware+

5.1 Fulfilment Confirmation Letter

This email contains the necessary information for all members of your company who will
use PTC software and creating PTC.com accounts. A PTC account is necessary for Tech
Support, Software downloads, license management, and reference documentation. You
need to include ONE of the following items – SCN, SON, or Site Number - in the web account
form to access the customer area of the eSupport portal.

Kepware+ Welcome Email

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 This email contains a link to activate an Administrator account within the Kepware+
application. Click on the Activate Now link to access the login screen. The FIRST
time a new organization logs in, Cloud services must be configured. This may take
up to 10 minutes.

6. Step 2: Create Sites

A site is a way to group servers within your organization. A site might represent a location, a
facility, a factory floor, or any other grouping that makes sense for your organization. Sites
are the highest level in the hierarchy for Kepware+.
1. Access the Sites page through the main menu.
2. Click +New Site to configure a new site.

3. Enter a valid Name for this site.

4. Enter a Description for this site (to help identify this site in future reports and analysis).
5. Enter an Address, if desired, to identify this site clearly.
6. Click Save to complete site creation.
Note: Sites can be modified or deleted after initial creation.

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7. Step 3: Install the Kepware+ Agent
Installing Kepware+ requires an agent on a machine with access to the internet and the
factory network. The machine you choose for the agent should have access to communicate
with the installed Kepware server(s). Modifying the configuration of servers requires
administrative credentials for the Kepware server. Multiple instances of Kepware server can
connect to a single agent.
1. Follow the directions in the fulfillment or welcome email to log in to Kepware+ and
display the application.
2. Select a site or click +New Site.
3. Click the Download Kepware+ Agent button.

4. Select the radio button that corresponds with the desired host operating system for the
Kepware+ Agent and click Next.

7.1 Installing Kepware+ Agent on Windows

1. Once you have selected Windows, the following window appears:

2. Click the Windows Agent Installer button and, if prompted to allow downloading the
file, click Allow to create a local copy of the installer.

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 3. Enter the name of the agent, following the Agent Naming Conventions.
The Kepware+ agent name (<devicename>) should follow these guidelines:
• Unique in the environment
• Minimum of 1 character in length
• Maximum of 128 characters in length
• Lower- or upper-case letters allowed
• Numbers allowed
• Special characters allowed: -.%_#*?!(),:=@$'

4. The Command String for the new Kepware+ Agent is displayed. Copy the string to a safe
place to use when running the installer.
The string is sensitive information and should be treated as such. Do not save it
anywhere that can be accessed by unauthorized people or malicious actors.

5. Run Windows PowerShell as an administrator.

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 6. Change to the directory where you downloaded the installer. For example:
cd Downloads
7. Paste the entire Command String and press ENTER.
Tip:If you require assistance at the command line, type ./installer -h to display
definitions of all the flags.
8. When prompted, type YES to accept the license agreement and press ENTER to continue
(scroll down if necessary).
Note: If you do not respond YES to the prompt, the installer stops.
9. Once the installation and deployment complete successfully, congratulations! You can
start using the Kepware+ application to create sites and servers at your facilities.

7.2 Installing Kepware+ Agent on Linux

Installing Kepware+ requires a Linux machine with access to the internet and the ability to
communicate with the installed Kepware server(s). Modifying the configuration of servers
requires administrative credentials for the Kepware server.
1. Once you have selected Linux, the following window appears:

2. Click the Linux Agent Installer button and, if prompted to allow downloading the file,
click Allow to create a local copy of the installer.
3. Enter the name of the agent, following the Agent Naming Conventions.
4. The Kepware+ agent name (<devicename>) should follow these guidelines:
• Unique in the environment
• Minimum of 1 character in length
• Maximum of 128 characters in length
• Lower- or upper-case letters allowed
• Numbers allowed
• Special characters allowed: -.%_#*?!(),:=@$'

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 5. The Command String for the new Kepware+ Agent is displayed. Copy the string to a safe
place to use when running the installer.
The string is sensitive information and should be treated as such. Do not save it
anywhere that can be accessed by unauthorized people or malicious actors.

6. On the Linux machine, open a terminal.

7. In the terminal, change to the directory where you downloaded the installer.
For example:
cd Downloads
8. To ensure that you can run the command, use the CHMOD command:
chmod +x ./installer
9. Paste the entire Command String and press ENTER.
Tip: If you require any assistance at the command line, type ./installer -h to display
definitions of all the flags.
10. When prompted, type YES to accept the license agreement and press ENTER to
continue.
Note: If you do not respond YES to the prompt, the installer stops.
11. Once the installation and deployment complete successfully, congratulations!
You can start using Kepware+ application to create sites and servers.

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8. Step 4: Connect a Server
A server represents an instance of the Kepware server software, through the project to be
configured by Kepware+, used to collect and forward data from devices to the cloud. You
may create as many servers as you have licenses to support.
1. Access the Sites page through the main menu.
2. Select the site where the new server will reside.
3. Click +New Server to connect to a new server (existing server, new to Kepware+).

4. Enter a valid Name for this server (≤250 characters).

5. Select a Protocol with which to communicate with this server.
For a more secure connection, use HTTPS.
6. Enter a valid Host where this server resides.
7. Specify the Port to use for communication with the server.
8. Select the name of the Kepware+ agent host.
9. Click Save to complete server creation (or Add Another Server to configure additional
servers).
Tip:Servers can be modified or deleted after initial creation. Deleting a server from
Kepware+ removes it from availability in the web interface; but does not impact
runtime operations of the server itself.

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9. Step 5: Configure Channels and Devices
9.1 Create / Configure a Channel
A channel represents one type of communication protocol to one or more external PLCs,
devices, or systems. A channel can be used to represent logically organized information,
such as a manufacturing line or geographic location and typically represents a single
physical entity like a serial port, a network card installed in the PC, an Ethernet socket, or an
Ethernet-based path to target equipment. A channel and a device driver are closely tied.
After creating a channel, only devices that the selected driver supports can be added to the
channel. Channel names must be unique among all channels and devices defined.
Note: In scenarios where servers are connected to Kepware+ and have existing
configuration, all components currently supported by Kepware+ become visible via the
web interface. Consequently, editing channels, devices, tags, and tag groups may be a
more common use-case.
1. Select Server Configuration from the Configure menu.
2. Click to focus on the Connectivity tab.
3. Click +New Channel to configure a new channel.
4. Select a Channel Driver from the drop-down list and click Next.

5. Enter a valid Name for this channel (character limit,

special characters).
6. Complete the remaining fields, which vary based on
the driver selected.
7. Click Save to complete the channel creation.

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 9.2 Create a Device
Devices represent the PLCs, controllers, hardware, or software systems with which the
server communicates. The device driver of a channel restricts device selection. Devices are
defined by a set of properties based on the protocol, make, and model.
1. Select the site, server, and channel where the new device should exist.
2. In the tree view, select a channel by checking the expand arrow to its left.
3. Hover over the channel name to display the three-dot menu.
4. From the slide-out menu, select New Device to configure a new device.

5. Enter a valid Name for this device (character limit, special characters).
6. Enter a Description help identify the device in future reports and analysis.
7. Select the Model with which to communicate with this device.
8. Complete the remaining fields, which vary based on the driver and device.
9. Click Save to complete the device creation.
For more information regarding driver information, see Kepware Drivers.
For information about configuring Kepware+ with UA Gateway, see Kepware+ and UA Gateway.

Congratulations!

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