# Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC

- Link: https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/rockwell-automation-panelview-vnc/
- Published: 2025-01-12T22:31:55+00:00
- Author: Don Bowman

1. [Home](https://www.agilicus.com/)
 2. Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC

![Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC Access with AnyX. Securely connect to your PanelView
HMI over VNC using AnyX, enabling remote monitoring and control of your industrial
automation systems. This image showcases the integration of Rockwell Automation 
PanelView with VNC for enhanced accessibility and control.](https://www.agilicus.
com/www/e3e64e1a-rockwell-panelview.webp)

## Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC

Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley PanelView Graphic Terminals provide rugged Human
Machine Interface (HMI) in an industrial setting. These terminals support VNC for
remote access.

Learn how to making VNC remotely available, simply, securely, without port-forwards,
VPNs, or complex firewalls using Agilicus AnyX.

[CONTACT](https://www.agilicus.com/contact-us/)

[TRY NOW](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/signup/)

## Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC Overview

Rockwell Automation [PanelView](https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/products/hardware/allen-bradley/hmi/graphic-terminals/2711r-panelview-800.html)
devices offer industrial-hardened Human Machine Interfaces (HMI). These may be used
for viewing process status & alarms, or for input/control.

A common requirement is to have remote operations view (or interact) with the HMI.
The PanelView devices support VNC, meaning its possible, but the network security
of VNC is very poor. Absent a product like Agilicus AnyX, plants often use port-
forward, DMZ, VPN access, putting themselves at risk.

In this example using Agilicus AnyX, we will show how to safely, securely, simply
use Rockwell Automation PanelView devices from a remote network, assigning permissions
to individual users with single-sign-on, optional with multi-factor authentication,
without modifying the local firewall config. Agilicus AnyX can perform password 
stuffing in VNC, meaning there is no need to share the password with the individual
operators.

## Installation Instructions

### Overview

![Rockwell PanelView Plus VNC Configuration: Step-by-step guide to enable VNC access
on Rockwell Automation PanelView Plus HMI for remote monitoring and control using
AnyX. Securely connect to your HMI via VNC for efficient industrial automation management.](
https://www.agilicus.com/www/23c6e1b0-rockwell-panelview-vnc.svg)

If you have not already, [sign up](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/signup/) 
for Agilicus AnyX. In the below instructions, we will refer to _ _MYDOMAIN_ _, this
is the domain you chose during the Agilicus AnyX sign up process. If you have navigated
to this page from the Agilicus admin console (https://admin.__MYDOMAIN__), this 
will be filled in automatically.

Once setup, the data flow will be as shown to the right. The user will have either
web-based access, or, desktop client access to each HMI. They will sign in with 
their natural corporate credentials (regardless of whether directly employed by 
the Plant or being a 3rd-party contractor providing remote operations). The will
see the HMI directly, no client software is required, no changes are needed on the
firewall.

### Concepts

Agilicus Connector: this software installs as a service on some device in your network.
It can support multiple operating systems. Each connector can support an arbitrary
number of resources (web applications, shares, VNC, RDP, etc.). In general you need
one connector per site.

Authentication: attesting you are who you say you are. Agilicus AnyX uses OpenID
Connect, and supports zero-config of Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Linkedin, or, you
can configure your own such as Okta.

Identity: who you are. This is external to the Agilicus AnyX system.

Resource: an individually accessible and permissionable endpoint. In this example,
VNC

Permission: assigning a role and access rules per person<->resource pair.

1. Install Connector

[Overview](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/rockwell-automation-panelview-vnc/#All)

[Linux](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/rockwell-automation-panelview-vnc/#Linux)

[Windows](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/rockwell-automation-panelview-vnc/#Windows)

For details see [Agilicus Connector](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/agilicus-connector/).

In this example, we are assuming you will install the Connector on a machine on 
the same network as the PanelView HMI. It needs to have access to port 5900 on the
HMI.

Select the appropriate tab for your Operating System.

Navigate to the admin console (https://admin.__MYDOMAIN__). Sign in with the credentials
you used during sign up. Select resoures/connectors/new, and give the new connector
a name (here we are using ‘openwebui’). Select ‘Install Connector’.

In the dialog that comes up, select Linux at the top, and then copy the command 
line. Paste this into a root shell.

Depending on your Linux distribution, this will install a service with systemd, 
upstart, init.d, etc. These instructions should also work on embedded devices (e.
g. Raspberry pi).

When complete, the dialog should dismiss itself. We can now check the connector 
status in Resources/Connectors/Overview, and see it will go ‘good’.

If the connector doesn’t come online, check that the service is running and check
for any errors in its log. Common errors include:

 1. NTP / timesync is not setup
 2. Outbound firewall prevents connections to port 443 (the Connector can support MITM
    proxies in corporate environments if needed)

![connector-1](https://www.agilicus.com/www/42613c30-connector-1-1024x650.png)

![Agilicus Connector Installation on GL-RM1 KVM: This screenshot illustrates the
Agilicus AnyX connector setup process on a GL-RM1 KVM. It shows the user interface
with key configuration options highlighted, emphasizing ease of deployment and secure
connectivity for remote access solutions.](https://www.agilicus.com/www/985d8b79-
connector-2-1024x646.png)

![connector-3](https://www.agilicus.com/www/9d04c2e7-connector-3-1024x651.png)

![linux-connector-1](https://www.agilicus.com/www/d92cdd75-linux-connector-1-1024x741.
png)

![Agilicus AnyX Linux Connector Installation on GL-RM1 KVM: Screenshot of the AnyX
connector interface on a Linux system, highlighting the steps for installation and
configuration within a KVM environment, specifically using the GL-RM1 router. Shows
the connector's user interface with options for setup and management, emphasizing
ease of integration for secure access.](https://www.agilicus.com/www/59f86f1c-linux-
connector-2-1024x661.png)

![Agilicus AnyX Connector Installation on GL-RM1 KVM. Screenshot showing the AnyX
Connector interface with options for configuring network settings, server address,
and authentication for secure remote access.](https://www.agilicus.com/www/7ea89eb2-
connector-4-1024x556.png)

(For more details, see [Agilicus Connector – Microsoft Windows](https://www.agilicus.com/anyx-guide/agilicus-connector-microsoft-windows/))

Navigate to the admin console (https://admin.__MYDOMAIN__). Sign in with the credentials
you used during sign up. Select resoures/connectors/new, and give the new connector
a name (here we are using ‘openwebui’). Select ‘Install Connector’.

In the dialog that comes up, select Windows-CMD at the top, and then copy the command
line. Paste this into an Administrator cmd interface (e.g. on start menu, type ‘
cmd’, and then select ‘Administrative shell’ on the right).

When complete, the dialog should dismiss itself. We can now check the connector 
status in Resources/Connectors/Overview, and see it will go ‘good’.

If the connector doesn’t come online, check that the service is running and check
for any errors in eventvwr. Common errors include:

 1. NTP / timesync is not setup
 2. Outbound firewall prevents connections to port 443 (the Connector can support MITM
    proxies in corporate environments if needed)

![connector-1](https://www.agilicus.com/www/42613c30-connector-1-1024x650.png)

![Agilicus Connector Installation on GL-RM1 KVM: This screenshot illustrates the
Agilicus AnyX connector setup process on a GL-RM1 KVM. It shows the user interface
with key configuration options highlighted, emphasizing ease of deployment and secure
connectivity for remote access solutions.](https://www.agilicus.com/www/985d8b79-
connector-2-1024x646.png)

![connector-3](https://www.agilicus.com/www/9d04c2e7-connector-3-1024x651.png)

![linux-connector-1](https://www.agilicus.com/www/d92cdd75-linux-connector-1-1024x741.
png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/d4b23776-image-1024x837.png)

![Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC Access via AnyX: Securely connect to your HMI
from anywhere. This image shows the AnyX interface providing remote access to a 
Rockwell PanelView, enhancing operational efficiency and control.](https://www.agilicus.
com/www/457280d5-image.png)

![Agilicus AnyX Connector Installation on GL-RM1 KVM. Screenshot showing the AnyX
Connector interface with options for configuring network settings, server address,
and authentication for secure remote access.](https://www.agilicus.com/www/7ea89eb2-
connector-4-1024x556.png)

2. Create PanelView VNC Resource

In this example we assume you already have the PanelView device running and VNC 
enabled on it with either a ‘View Only’ or a ‘Control’ password.

In our sample network, the HMI is called ‘PV800T4T’ and has an IP of 172.16.0.247(
please either use a name and ensure your DNS resolves it, or, disable DHCP on the
HMI and use a static IP.

Follow the images below, ‘Resources/Desktops/New’, create a new desktop, give it
a name. For the optional component about password stuffing, you can ignore in which
case the user must enter a 2nd VNC password each time. Or, you can enter the View
Only and/or Control password. If you do this, the end user will not be aware of 
the password.

Assign permissions to yourself to test.

Once configured, navigate to https://profile.__MYDOMAIN__, you may need to hit refresh,
but you should now see an icon for the new VNC. You can open this directly in the
browser, or, if you choose, install the desktop integration and click it to open
the native client.

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/b248150d-image-1024x589.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/049fac7e-image-1024x573.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/e23d9729-image-1024x600.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/724f01d7-image-1024x570.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/9c1c97b3-image-1024x574.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/67a23f6f-image-1024x563.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/17a89a62-image-1024x597.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/f2a5e72b-image-1024x620.png)

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/5bc7a132-image-1024x324.png)

![Rockwell Automation PanelView VNC: Securely access and control your HMI from anywhere
with AnyX. This screenshot shows the PanelView interface accessed through a VNC 
connection, highlighting remote monitoring and control capabilities.](https://www.
agilicus.com/www/4eaa73b9-image.png)

3. Add a second user (optional)

 We can now add a second user to share. Enter their email address (this must match
that given by the Identity Provider, e.g. user@gmail, user@outlook.com, user@google-
workspace-domain, user@office365-domain etc.

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/06c90c5b-image-1024x588.png)

Now, add permissions to the user. If you have a lot of applications or a lot of 
users, consider using Groups.

![image](https://www.agilicus.com/www/5c41083d-image-1024x411.png)
