Windows Firewall

Microsoft automatically enables a firewall application on each individual PC. This was done to protect PCs from invasion by outside, unauthorized programs that may try to connect via a socket using TCP/IP.

However, LoggerNet is a client-server application that uses TCP/IP as the link between clients and the server. This means that windows such as Setup, Connect, Status Monitor, RTMC, etc., get their access to devices and data only through the LoggerNet server. While, in the basic LoggerNet installation most of these clients typically access the server on the same PC (which will already be “behind” the PC’s local firewall), the server is capable of distributing the same information to similar clients connected via TCP/IP from anywhere in the world, revealing the true power of the client-server design. If, for example, you want others to use RTMC or Data Filer to get data from your LoggerNet PC, you can enable this remote connection by selecting the Allow Remote Connections check box on the dialog box opened from LoggerNet’s Tools > Options menu item. This causes the server to open a socket on a specific port (default is port 6789) to listen for requests for data from its clients. This is usually quite safe since: 1) no other application should be trying to use this port, and 2) the server will only respond to LoggerNet-specific messages on this port (it will not run viruses or other unauthorized bits of code). If you allow remote connections, however, the firewall in Windows may put up a window telling you that it has blocked LoggerNet Server and asking if you wish to allow LoggerNet Server from Campbell Scientific to communicate and which networks you wish to allow it to communicate on. At this point, if you select the network(s) and click Allow Access, Windows will make an exception for LoggerNet and you should not have to unblock it each time you start it. You can reverse this decision in the future from the Windows Control Panel.