SampleManager LIMS

Web Client Installation

and Configuration Guide
Version 12.2
© 2019 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved.

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All trademarks recognized.

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Contents
Preface ........................................................................................................................ v
Related Documentation ................................................................................. vi
Special Notices.............................................................................................. vii
Contacting Us............................................................................................... vii

Chapter 1 Install the SampleManager Web Client ................................................................ 1

Installation Overview ...................................................................................... 2
Supported Operating System and Browsers ..................................................... 2
Web Server (IIS) Role Services Required by SampleManager Web Client ....... 3
Installation Steps ............................................................................................. 4
Upgrading the SampleManager Web Client .................................................... 5

Chapter 2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client.......................................................... 7

21 CFR Part 11 Compliance........................................................................... 8
Group and User Security............................................................................. 8
Localization .................................................................................................... 8
Secure the SampleManager Web Client with a Signed Certificate ................... 9
Logging......................................................................................................... 12
Turn Logging On or Off........................................................................... 13
Log File Locations ..................................................................................... 14
Session Timeouts .......................................................................................... 14
Produce Reports in PDF Format................................................................... 16

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide iii
 P

Preface
Thermo Scientific™ SampleManager LIMS™ software can plan, manage, and maintain an
accurate record of work performed in a laboratory environment. The SampleManager
LIMS software incorporates Laboratory Information Management (LIMS), Data
Management (SDMS), and Process Execution and Procedural Electronic Lab Notebook
(LES) capabilities in a single solution.

This guide describes how to install and configure the SampleManager web client.

Contents
• Related Documentation
• Special Notices
• Contacting Us

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide v
Preface

Related Documentation
SampleManager includes Help, accessible from within the application, and manuals as
PDF files.

 To view the SampleManager product manuals

Navigate to the Docs folder on the SampleManager installation media.

 To open SampleManager web client Help

When you use the SampleManager web client, you can access Help in the following
ways:
• Press the F1 key.
• From the main menu bar at the top of the SampleManager window, choose Help
and then click Contents.
• Click a Help button.

When you use the SampleManager web client, you can access the Help for the
SampleManager LIMS modules installed on your server.

 To open SampleManager module Help

• From the main menu bar at the top of the SampleManager web client window,
choose the module menu and then select the module-specific Help menu option.
• Press the F1 key.
Note The F1 key only opens the Help for a module if the key is pressed while the
pointer is in a form of that module. Otherwise, the SampleManager Web Client
Help opens.

vi SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide Thermo Scientific
 Preface

Special Notices
Make sure that you follow the precautionary statements presented in this guide. The
special notices appear in boxes.

Special notices include the following:

CAUTION Highlights information necessary to prevent damage to software, loss of

data, invalid test results, or information that is critical for optimal performance of the
system.

Note Highlights information of general interest.

Tip Highlights helpful information that can make a task easier.

Contacting Us
There are several ways to contact Thermo Fisher Scientific for the information you need.

 To contact Technical Support

Email support.informatics@thermofisher.com

Web https://support.thermoinformatics.com/contacts

 To suggest changes or provide feedback on the documentation

Send an email to the Informatics Documentation Manager:

sidinf.documentation@thermofisher.com.

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide vii
 1

Install the SampleManager Web Client

This chapter describes how to install the SampleManager web client.

Contents
• Installation Overview
• Supported Operating System and Browsers
• Web Server (IIS) Role Services Required by
SampleManager Web Client
• Installation Steps
• Upgrading the SampleManager Web Client

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 1
1 Install the SampleManager Web Client
Installation Overview

Installation Overview
Before you install the SampleManager web client, you must have an operational
SampleManager LIMS server. For more information about installing SampleManager
LIMS, see the SampleManager LIMS Installation Guide.

 To set up the SampleManager web client

1. Install the SampleManager web client on a web server running a supported server
operating system.
See Installation Steps on page 4.

2. Connect to the SampleManager web client from a client running a supported client
operating system and browser.

3. Configure the SampleManager web client. Set up a connection to your

SampleManager LIMS server, configure security, timeouts, and so on.

See Configure the SampleManager Web Client on page 7.

Note Refer to the SampleManager LIMS Release Notes for details of supported
operating systems and browsers. We strongly recommend that you use Google
Chrome for optimum performance.

Supported Operating System and Browsers

This section provides a summary of the system requirements for a SampleManager web
client installation. For detailed information, see the SampleManager LIMS 12.2 Release
Notes in the installation kit.

The SampleManager web client is supported on the Microsoft Windows Server 2016
operating system.

The SampleManager web client is supported on the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Edge

We strongly recommend that you use Google Chrome for optimum performance.

Note The SampleManager web client is not compatible with Microsoft Internet
Explorer.

2 SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide Thermo Scientific
 1 Install the SampleManager Web Client
Web Server (IIS) Role Services Required by SampleManager Web Client

Web Server (IIS) Role Services Required by SampleManager Web

Client
This section describes the Web Server (IIS) Role Services that are required by
SampleManager Web Client. If the features are not installed on the web server, the
Installation Steps on page 4 can add them automatically.
• Web Server

– Common HTTP Features

• Default Document

• Directory Browsing

• HTTP Errors

• Static Content

• HTTP Redirection

– Health and Diagnostics

• HTTP Logging

– Performance

• Static Content Compression

• Dynamic Content Compression

– Security

• Request Filtering

• IP and Domain Restrictions

• Windows Authentication

– Application Development

• .NET Extensibility 4.6

• ASP.NET 4.6

• ISAPI Extensions

• ISAPI Filters

• WebSocket Protocol

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 3
1 Install the SampleManager Web Client
Installation Steps

• Management Tools

– IIS Management Console

Installation Steps
We recommend that you use the default selections in the wizard as you work through the
installation procedure steps.

The following procedure describes a generic setup of the SampleManager web client.
Review the IIS configuration to make sure that the setup suits your environment and
allows remote clients to connect using a friendly URL. For example, you can modify the
default of {localhost}:{port} or {IIS machine name}:{port} to
https://samplemanager.yourcompany.com or to another suitable FQDN (fully qualified
domain name).

Make sure that you consider your security and firewall requirements.

 To Install the SampleManager web client

1. From the Web folder in the SampleManager installation kit, select

WebClient_Setup.exe.
Note When you install using setup.exe, Internet Information Services (IIS) is
installed by default. To bypass the installation of IIS, select
SampleManagerWebInstaller.msi from the SampleManager Web Client
installation folder, and then proceed to step 3.

2. End-User License Agreement page

• Select I agree to the license terms and conditions and click Install to continue
the installation.
The Setup Progress window appears and installs prerequisite components, if
necessary. The SampleManager web client requires the following components:
• IIS
• IIS pre-requisite components
• The correct version of .NET Framework

3. Welcome to the SampleManager Web Setup Wizard

• To continue the installation, click Next.

4 SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide Thermo Scientific
 1 Install the SampleManager Web Client
Upgrading the SampleManager Web Client

4. End-User License Agreement page

• Read through the license agreement and select I accept the terms in the license
Agreement. The installation cannot proceed unless you accept the license
agreement. To continue, click Next.

5. Destination Folder page

• Enter the target folder where the application will be installed, and then click
Next to continue.

6. SampleManager IIS Configuration page

• Enter the name IIS will associate with the website for configuration in the Site
Name field, the port number in the Port field, and then click Next to continue.
Note The Site Name is not related to the web address used to connect to the
SampleManager web client.

7. Ready to Install SampleManager Web page

• Click Install when you are ready to start the installation process.

8. Installing SampleManager Web page

A progress bar shows the process of the installation.
When the installation is complete, the final page of the SampleManager web client
Setup Wizard appears.

9. Completed the SampleManager Web Setup Wizard page

• To complete the installation, click Finish.

Upgrading the SampleManager Web Client

To upgrade the SampleManager web client, follow the procedure in Installation Steps on
page 4. The installer creates an installation of the new web client version alongside the
previous version.

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 5
 2

Configure the SampleManager Web Client

This chapter describes the configuration of the SampleManager web client. You must
perform all administrative tasks and SampleManager configuration on the
SampleManager desktop client.

Contents
• 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance
• Localization
• Secure the SampleManager Web Client with a
Signed Certificate
• Logging
• Session Timeouts
• Produce Reports in PDF Format

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 7
2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
21 CFR Part 11 Compliance

21 CFR Part 11 Compliance

As when using the SampleManager desktop, you can configure the SampleManager web
client login functionality to implement 21 CFR Part 11 requirements in the following
areas:
• Verification of the client IP address at login. Log in to the SampleManager web
client can be restricted to only authorized IP addresses in a defined maximum
number of sessions. Login from unauthorized IP addresses is not allowed.
• Security controls at login to operating system and to SampleManager server.
• Creation of an access log to record login actions.
• Access control profiles to show user access and security profiles.

IP address authorization, electronic signature, and access log configuration and viewing is
performed as in the SampleManager desktop. For more information, see the "Electronic
Signatures" chapter of the SampleManager LIMS System Administration Guide.

See Group and User Security on page 8 for more information about IP security and
group and user profiles when using the SampleManager web client.

Group and User Security

The security access set for users is consistent across both the desktop and web clients.
User access is restricted to the same set of data (group security) and functions (role
security) regardless of client. Group and role security is handled using the
SampleManager client. For more information, see the "Security" chapter in the
SampleManager LIMS System Administration Guide.

Note When a user is created in SampleManager, it must have at least one role
assigned. If no roles are assigned and the user logs in to the SampleManager web
client, the user interface appears, but many options and features of the web client will
not be available.

Localization
Before login, the login page and the server configuration page display the language
configured on the browser. After login, if the user was configured with a language setting
on the desktop client, the SampleManager web client shows strings for that language
regardless of the language configured for the browser.

See "Localizing the SampleManager Interface" in the SampleManager LIMS

Configuration Guide for detailed information about localizing SampleManager.

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 2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Secure the SampleManager Web Client with a Signed Certificate

Secure the SampleManager Web Client with a Signed Certificate

Transport Layer Security (TLS), or SSL, is a browser feature to send encrypted web pages
over the Internet.

TLS provides a secure connection between two machines. It also can be used by the
client to verify the authenticity of the server. When the client establishes a connection
with the server, the client downloads the SSL certificate. This certificate has an encrypted
key that is signed by a trusted certificate authority.

Note If you are configuring a production environment and an SSL is required, we

recommend that you use an internal Certificate Authority or trusted public Certificate
Authority. We do not recommend using self-signed certificates for production
environments.

 To create and bind a self-signed server certificate:

1. Open IIS Manager and select the server in the Connections panel.
Figure 2-1. IIS Manager Server Home page

2. In the IIS section of the Server Home page, double-click Server Certificates.

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 9
2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Secure the SampleManager Web Client with a Signed Certificate

The Server Certificate page appears.

Figure 2-2. IIS Manager Server Certificates page

3. In the Actions pane, click Import.

The Import Certificate dialog box appears.
Figure 2-3. Import Certificate dialog box

4. In the Certificate file (.pfx) field, enter the certificate name, or browse to the location
and select the certificate.

5. In the Password field, enter the password provided for the secure certificate.

6. From the Select Certificate Store list, select Web Hosting, and then click OK.

You can now bind the certificate to the SampleManager web client website.

7. Click the server name in the Connections panel to return to the Server Home page.

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 2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Secure the SampleManager Web Client with a Signed Certificate

8. Expand the view of the server. In the Sites folder, select the SampleManager web
client website.

9. From the Actions menu on the right side of the page, click Bindings.
Figure 2-4. IIS Manager – Actions menu

The Site Bindings dialog box appears.

Figure 2-5. Site Bindings dialog box

10. In the Site Bindings window, click Add.

The Add Site Binding dialog box appears.
Figure 2-6. Add Site Binding window

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2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Logging

11. From the Type list, choose https.

12. In the IP address field, enter the IP address or select All Unassigned.

13. In the Port field, enter the port over which traffic will be secured by SSL. The port
number is typically 443.
14. In the SSL Certificate field, specify the certificate that was installed.

15. Click OK.

The new site is added to the list.

Logging
The Apache log4net tool generates log files that can monitor performance and system
health. Log files can help to detect, identify, and resolve small issues before they become
larger problems.

Logging monitors the following items:

• Enter and exit server-side actions
• Login and logout of users
• Unhandled exceptions (fatal errors)

The log4net tool can be configured to generate log files that record logging messages of a
specific severity or greater. The logging can be configured for the following levels:
• Fatal – Generates log files that contain Fatal severity log messages.
• Error – Generates log files that contain log messages of Fatal or Error severity.
• Warning – Generates log files that contain log messages of Warning, Error, or Fatal
severity.
• Info – Generates log files that contain log messages of Info, Warning, Error, or Fatal
severity.
• Debug – Generates log files that contain log messages of Debug, Info, Warning,
Error, or Fatal severity.
• All – Generates the most detailed logging possible and outputs every log entry
regardless of level.
• Off – Turns logging off.

By default, logging is set to Off. The default logging level is set to Warning when
Logging is on. To turn logging on or off, see Turn Logging On or Off on page 13.

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 2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Logging

By default, the system saves log files in app_data\logs\webexplorer.log. To change the

default location, see Log File Locations on page 14.

Turn Logging On or Off

This section describes how to turn the logging feature on or off.

Note Only enable logging when directed by Thermo Fisher Scientific Support.
When you enable logging, performance and extra disk space are reduced.

 To turn logging on

1. In the SampleManager web client root folder, open the Log4Net.config file.

2. Locate the following line:

<!-- appender-ref ref="rollingFileAppender" /-->

3. Replace the line with:

<appender-ref ref="rollingFileAppender" />

4. Locate the following line:

<level value="OFF" />

5. Replace the "Off" value with the desired logging level. For example:
<level value="Error" />

The levels available are described in Logging on page 12.

Note Depending on the logging level selected, the log files can grow large and
require a large amount of disk space.

 To turn logging off

1. In the SampleManager web client root folder, open the Log4Net.config file.

2. Set the level value to OFF.

configuration
<log4net>
<root>
<level value="OFF" />

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 13
2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Session Timeouts

Log File Locations

By default, the system saves log files to app_data\logs\webexplorer.log.

 To change the default location

1. In the SampleManager web client root folder, open the Log4Net.config file.
2. Locate the following line:
<file value="app_data/logs/webexplorer.log" />

3. Replace path in that line with your preferred path.

4. Save and close the file.

Session Timeouts
This section describes the configuration settings for session timeouts when working in
the SampleManager web client.

The ASP session timeout configuration determines the time period after which the
session associated with an inactive user will expire on the SampleManager web client
server. The ASP session is established when a user connects to the website. The purpose
of the ASP session is to facilitate the storing of information associated with unique
browser sessions to the web server.

Depending on the ASP session timer value and how the SampleManager timers are
configured, the ASP session timer can influence the timeout value when working in the
SampleManager web client. The ASP session is independent of SampleManager and any
configured SampleManager timers. For more information about configuring the
SampleManager timers, see the "Background Operations" chapter in the SampleManager
LIMS Administration Guide.

You must have Administrator rights to configure the ASP session timeout. Configure the
ASP session timeout using the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. You only
configure this setting once for each website, and the setting applies to all users for that
website in IIS. If your server hosts multiple websites, each website requires its own ASP
session timeout value.

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 2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Session Timeouts

• If any SampleManager timeout is configured to be equal to or greater than the ASP

session timeout, the ASP session timeout minus 1 minute is used.

For example, if the ASP session timeout is 20 minutes and the SampleManager
timeout is 25 minutes, a timeout value of 19 minutes (ASP session time of
20 minutes minus 1 minute) is used. After a period of inactivity of 19 minutes, the
Lock Session dialog box appears.
• If the ASP session timeout is greater than any of the SampleManager timeouts, then
the SampleManager timeout values are used.

For example, if the ASP session timeout is 25 minutes and the SampleManager
timeout is 20 minutes, then a timeout value of 20 minutes is used. After a period of
inactivity of 20 minutes, the Lock Session dialog box appears.
• If no SampleManager timeout is specified, the Lock Session dialog box will appear
after reaching the ASP session timeout minus 1 minute.

 To configure the ASP Session timeout value:

1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

Make sure that Features View is selected.

Figure 2-7. IIS Manager

2. In the ASP.NET area, select Session State.

Thermo Scientific SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide 15
2 Configure the SampleManager Web Client
Produce Reports in PDF Format

The Session State page appears.

Figure 2-8. IIS Manager – Session State

3. In the Cookie Settings area, enter the desired timeout interval in minutes. The
default value is 20 minutes.
4. In the Actions pane, click Apply to save the changes.

Produce Reports in PDF Format

When you work in the SampleManager web client, we recommended that you generate
LIMS Reporter (InfoMaker) reports in PDF format instead of the default PSR format. If
you generate LIMS Reporter reports in PDF format, you do not need to install the PSR
viewer.

From SampleManager LIMS 12.2, LIMS Reporter is no longer shipped with

SampleManager. The explorer folders, configuration items, and menu options related to
LIMS Reporter reports are only available in instances that were upgraded from an earlier
version of SampleManager. SampleManager Report Designer is the standard mechanism
for generating reports. For more information, see the Reports chapters in the
SampleManager LIMS System Administration Guide.

For more information about how to produce PDF reports from LIMS Reporter in an
upgraded system, see the SampleManager LIMS Installation Guide. Details are provided
in "Producing Reports in PDF format" section in the chapter "Installing LIMS
Reporter".

16 SampleManager LIMS Web Client Installation and Configuration Guide Thermo Scientific