The first screen that appears when a user is tries to access the TAC II SCADA System is a Login Screen. The purpose for this is of course security measures.

The HyperTAC II SCADA Software program is password protected to prevent unauthorized access to the system. A valid user account – login and password – are required to access the system. All passwords are MD5 encrypted for optimum security protection.

The login configuration parameters let the system administrator specify a user's capabilities when assigning the user a login name and password.

Once logged in, actions within HyperTAC II are limited by the permissions assigned to that particular login account. With this level of security, access to system functions and operator displays can be limited, or restricted altogether. The screenshot and definitions, below, describe the different levels of permissions.

When logging in, you can also choose the type of audio that you want to hear at the workstation when an alarm occurs: voice alarm messages; a beep instead of a voice alarm message; or no sound at all (uncheck both the Enable Audio and the Beep Only options).

User Settings and Permissions:

Settings

Printer – printer to which this user's reports will be sent.

Partition – partition to which this user belongs. Partitions are logical divisions of telemetry information. Partitioning allows RTUs in a telemetry system to be configured in any one of four separate partitions; one telemetry system can be shared by four different departments (for example, Wastewater Collections, Reclaimed Water Distribution, Water Treatment Plant, and Storm Water Control). When an operator is given permission to access a particular partition and logs in to the system, they are blocked from accessing the telemetry components of the other partitions. This feature makes it appear as if the system only serves the segment that the operator has accessed. Since all four partitions can use the same central computer, software, networks, radio frequencies, CTUs, RTUs, etc., the cost-effectiveness of this feature becomes a valuable asset.

Skin ID – skin assigned to this user. HyperTACII 2.0 includes a feature called "skins" that allows you to easily change the look and feel of its interface. Each skin has its own unique background, buttons, and sounds. Skins change the look of the application, but they do not affect the functionality of the software.

Permissions:

The first three permission settings, Control, Acknowledge Alarms, and Shutdown System, are "yes or no" settings; they have two states to select from – enabled or disabled - used to allow or disallow the user from taking the corresponding action.

• Control – allows manual control of control points.
• Acknowledge Alarms – allows alarm acknowledgment.
• Shutdown System – allows system shutdown (stop and start telemetry), rebooting of the Hyper Server Module (HSM), backup battery testing for the Hyper SCADA Server (HSS), and HSS hardware resetting.

The remainder of the settings have an additional option - View - that allows a user to view the information but doesn't allow them to take any action. For example, selecting View for Configure Telemetry would allow a user to view all of the telemetry configurations, but wouldn't allow them to credit, edit, or delete any of the components.

• Configure Users – allows creation and editing of user accounts.
• Configure Telemetry – allows addition, deletion, and editing of partitions, keywords, drivers, stations, modules, points, alarms, and auto controls.
• Configure Ladder Logic – allows the creation of virtual processes via Virtual Logic Builder.
• Configure Scheduled Controls – allows the creation of scheduled controls, events that automatically occur on certain scheduled days and/or times.
• Configure Screens – allows the creation of custom screens via Screen Builder.
• Configure Voice – allows recording of voice alarms.