Installing the web tunneling gateway

The Web Tunneling Gateway (WTG, a.k.a. IndWebSvc) enables an Internet-connected computer — typically your web server — to route project data between remote thin clients and a data server that is not connected to the Internet. This section describes how to install WTG.

Before you proceed with this task, you should first set up Microsoft IIS as a web server to host your project pages; WTG can only run on Microsoft IIS. Also, your web server must be connected to the Internet and have a static IP address, rather than a dynamically assigned IP address. Consult your IT department or ISP about how to get a static IP address. Finally, your web server and data server both must be on the same internal TCP/IP network, even if only your web server is connected to the Internet.

In order for thin clients to access your project, they must be able to communicate with both the web server that is hosting your project pages and the data server that is actually running your IWS project. This is not a problem if your servers and clients are all on the same internal network, nor if you connect both of your servers to the Internet so that remote thin clients can communicate with them.

However, if you choose not to connect your data server to the Internet (for network security or topology reasons), then you must route the project data through another computer that is connected.

WTG provides these routing capabilities. It is an ISAPI extension for Microsoft IIS, and it is typically installed on the same web server that is hosting your project pages. It encapsulates the packets sent between the data server and the thin clients, thereby ensuring project security, and it can route data for multiple data servers at the same time.

These instructions are for:
  • Microsoft IIS 7.0 running on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008; and
  • Microsoft IIS 7.5 running on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
  1. On your web server (or whichever Internet-connected computer that will act as the gateway), make sure Microsoft IIS is running and ISAPI Extensions are enabled. For more information, see Configuring a web server to host your project pages.
  2. Copy the WTG installer from the IWS application directory to the “root” directory of your website (e.g., C:inetpubwwwroot). The installer is located at C:Program FilesInduSoft Web Studio v7.1BinWebTunnelingGateway.exe
  3. Run the installer, and then proceed through the installation wizard. There are no options to select. The installer will create a new directory in the website’s “root” directory and install the WTG extension files there. It will also create a new application pool.
  4. Open IIS Manager.
    1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
    2. In the Control Panel window, do one of the following.
      • If you are using Windows Server 2008, click Administrative Tools.
      • If you are using Windows Vista, click System and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.
      • If you are using Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, click System and Security, and then click Administrative Tools.
    3. In the Administrative Tools window, do one of the following.
      • If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
      • If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, double-click Server Manager, and then in the Server Manager window, click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    The Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window is displayed.

  5. Make sure the application pool was created by the installer.
    1. In the Connections pane, expand the server node and click Application Pools.
    2. On the Application Pools page, in the list of pools, look for IndWebSvcPool.

    If IndWebSvcPool is not in the list, then the WTG installer did not finish correctly. Return to the beginning of this task.

  6. Add an ISAPI restriction for IndWebSvc.
    1. In the Connections pane, click the server node.
    2. On the server node’s Home page, double-click ISAPI and CGI Restrictions.
    3. On the ISAPI and CGI Restrictions page, in the Actions pane, click Add. The Add ISAPI or CGI Restriction dialog is displayed.
    4. In the ISAPI or CGI path box, type the path to the file IndWebSvc.dll (e.g., C:inetpubwwwrootindwebsvcIndWebSvc.dll), or click the browse button (…) and navigate to the file.
    5. In the Description box, type IndWebSvc.
    6. Select Allow extension path to execute.
    7. Click OK.
  7. Configure the website’s handler mappings to make ISAPI extension files executable.
    1. In the Connections pane, expand Sites, and then click the website that is acting as the gateway (i.e., typically Default Web Site, or whichever site is hosting your IWS project pages).
    2. On the website’s Home page, double-click Handler Mappings.
    3. On the Handler Mappings page, in the list of mappings, select ISAPI-dll. This item is disabled by default.
    4. In the Actions pane, click Edit Feature Permissions. The Edit Feature Permissions dialog is displayed.
    5. Select Execute.
    6. Click OK.
  8. Make sure the website and the gateway extension are running — on the server, start Internet Explorer, and then go to http://127.0.0.1/indwebsvc/indwebsvc.dll 127.0.0.1 is the “localhost” or “loopback” address, so the browser is looking at the website that is running on the same computer. The resulting webpage should look like this: 
      Studio Web Gateway    Status: Ok    Version: 1.3    Active Connections: 0

    If you do not see this, then either the website is not running or the gateway extension was not correctly configured. Return to the beginning of this task.

  9. Close IIS Manager.
  10. Configure your IWS project to include the address of the gateway. For more information, see Project Settings: Web.
InduSoft Web Studio -Technical Reference

Installing the web tunneling gateway