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This document provides answers to some typical questions raised by IT departments when considering the installation of new software. DataFinder Server Edition and Analysis Server integrates easily into existing system environments. The work of IT consists mainly of integrating DataFinder Server Edition and Analysis Server into the company network, upgrading or purchasing the necessary hardware, setting up users or providing information about existing users and groups. The TDM Server is the hosting platform for DataFinder Server Edition and Analysis Server. Most requirements apply to the DataFinder Server Edition and the Analysis Server. In this case we will shape it as TDM Server requirements.
Note: See the Additional Resources section for more up-to-date documentation on setting up a SystemLink Server.
TDM Server is a piece of software designed to run on a server with a Windows Server operating system.
The access speed to the DataFinder index is directly linked to the hard disk performance on which the index is stored. Consider a dedicated hard disk for the DataFinder index with a very good access speed, such as an SSD.
TDM Server is a massively parallel program using several parallel threads and parallel processes. Parallel running Compute Nodes are used for computation of Data Preprocessor or Analysis Server Tasks, therefore, a multi-core system is required to guarantee a suitable system performance. Given the fact that DataFinder uses several parallel processes and also tries to cache as much of its index in memory as possible, a very good memory installation (RAM) should be considered as well.
Example system configurations as of May 2017:
| CPU | x64 compatible processors, 8 processor kernels or more, clock frequency 2.5GHz or more |
| Memory | 16 GB or more |
| Hard disks for operating system and index | 15 krpm SAS drives or SSD drives, ~200GB (exclusively used for the DataFinder index, used size depends on data which is indexed and the configuration of DataFinder which determines what content needs to be added to the index); one drive per DataFinder |
| Operating system | Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012 incl. R2, Windows Server 2016 |
NI R&D
Hyper - V virtual server host
| Processor | E5-2690V3 (2.6 – 3.5 GHz) * 2 |
| Cores | 24 (12*2) |
| Memory | 256 GB |
| Hard disks for operating system and index | 3 TB SAS 15 krpm RAID and SSD |
| Operating system | Windows Server 2012 R2 |
Hyper - V virtual machine
| CPU | 16 virtual processors |
| Memory | 36 GB |
| Hard disks for operating system | 232 GB SSD 15 krpm RAID |
| Hard disks for index | 500 GB SSD |
| Operating system | Windows Server 2012 R2 |
Customer example (DataFinder Server Edition Only)
| CPU | X5650 2.67 GHz * 2 |
| Memory | 18 GB |
| Hard disks for operating system and index | 10 TB SAS 15 krpm RAID |
| Operating system | Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 |
| CPU | E5-2690 2.90 GHz * 2 |
| Memory | 96 GB |
| Hard disks for operating system and index | 1.5 TB SAS 1.5 krpm RAID |
| Operating system | Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 |
Installing a new or updated version of TDM Server from USB or via download requires administrator privileges; also in most cases a system reboot may apply.
To start the installation process, run Start.exe and follow the instructions on the screen.
Use the TDM Server Control Panel to configure and to maintain general settings such as DataPlugins or Web server configurations for TDM Server.
Use the TDM Server Manager to create or manage instances of DataFinder, Data Preprocessor, Federation or Analysis Server.
Please refer to the TDM Server Manager or TDM Server Control Panel online help for more details.
Note: Using TDM Server Control Panel requires administrator privileges.
TDM Server comes with an embedded database based on MySQL. Running TDM Server using MySQL does not require specific MySQL knowledge or administrative database operations; all administrative steps are either automated or can be executed manually by using the TDM Server Control Panel.
Alternatively Microsoft SQL Server can be used as database backend. In this case creating and maintaining the database has to be performed by a Microsoft SQL Server administrator. Currently SQL Server 2008R2 and 2012 are supported.
DataFinder communicates with its client through the network and uses different ports, depending on the specific client version and access protocol.
Upcoming DIAdem and DataFinder Toolkit version (2014 or higher) allow communication with DataFinder through LogosXT via TCP. In this case the following ports must be opened for specific applications:
| Application Protocol | Protocol | Server Ports | Client Ports |
| LogosXT | TCP | 2343, 59100-59110 | Dynamic allocation |
Former DIAdem and LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit versions (before 2014) communicate with DataFinder through Logos via UDP. In this case the following ports must be opened for specific applications:
| Application Protocol | Protocol | Server Ports | Client Ports |
| Logos | UDP | 2343, 6000-6010 | 5000-5010 |
If DataFinder Server Edition is installed on a Windows computer with an active firewall, you must additionally add the programs ..
\National Instruments\TDM Server <Version>\DataFinderSE.exe
and ..
\Windows\System32\lkads.exe
to the firewall exclusion list on the server computer.
If you use DataFinder as an ASAM ODS server, you must add the programs ..
\National Instruments\TDM Server <Version>\DataFinderNMS.exe
and ..
\National Instruments\Shared\CorbaNamingService\OmniNames.exe
to the firewall exclusion list on the server computer. These programs use the following port:
| Application Protocol | Protocol | Server Ports | Client Ports |
| Corba | TCP | 2809 | Dynamic allocation |
The installation process allows the optional automatic configuration of all required ports at the time of installation. Please refer to the TDM Server Control Panel help for more details.
The TDM Server Manager allows the user to configure and administer the TDM Server instances of DataFinder server and Analysis Server through a Web UI.
Access to TDM Server Manager can be restricted activating the security feature. To configure the security feature please start then TDM Server Control Panel and select Web Server and click “Configure”. For more information on how to configure this please follow this link.
Client (e.g. DIAdem, LabVIEW, …) access to a DataFinder server can be restricted by activating the security feature. DataFinder security can be applied onon the global and search area (file share) level. DataFinder leverages Microsoft Active Directory for authentication, authorization and managing of users and accounts; existing security principals (users/groups) can be used by DataFinder server. DataFinder Server Edition supports single sign-on.
Please note that the user account under which a TDM Server is running also applies to all DataFinder server instances and the Analysis Server.
For DataFinder server instances the TDM Server account must have at least read-only access to all the search areas (file share) this DataFinder server is supposed to index.
Additionally, users who need to access the actual data must have at least read-only access to that specific search area. The latter does not apply in case DataFinder is accessed through a hierarchical view or by using ASAM ODS. The Data Preprocessor needs write permissions for the specified Processed Data folder.
Analysis Server results are defined by the user-defined Analysis Procedure. The file location and actions (read/write) which are initiated by the Analysis Procedure needs to be accessible by the TDM Server Account.
In case of a support request, TDM Server Manager allows you to create logfiles and other diagnostics information in one zip archive, which can be sent to an NI support representative for further investigation. Please refer to the TDM Server Manager online help for further details.
DataFinder Server Edition is self-maintained. Using the embedded MySQL database, most optimization and operation steps are automated and do not require further operator interventions.
Information stored in the DataFinder index is gathered by indexing files of configurable file formats and file locations (shares/search areas). Restoring this information can either be done by re-indexing the files or restoring a backup. Use the TDM Server Manager to create or restore backups.
TDM Server allows an evaluation period of 30 days (+15days if registered on ni.com) including DataFinder Server and the Analysis Server. During this phase an unlimited number of connection or computation nodes can be used. Once your evaluation version has expired, use the NI Volume License Manager to activate your license. For more information, please refer to the TDM Server Manager online help or contact your NI sales representative.