SystemLink TDM Account Keeps Reverting to Local System

Issue Details

• I have recently installed SystemLink Server and I cannot change the TDM User Account from Local System to a Windows User Account. When I do, I see a "success" dialog but the account reverts next time I launch NI SystemLink TDM Configuration.
• I am unable to change the SystemLink TDM User Account. It keeps changing back to the Local System each time. How can I resolve this?
• When I change my SystemLink TDM Account, I see the below success message. However, next time I open the NI SystemLink TDM Configuration application, the account details have cleared and reverted.

Solution

This issue can be caused by numerous factors, including:

• The Windows User Account information is not properly saved and retrieved from the SystemLink utility.
• The Windows User Account does not have the necessary permissions.
• 3rd party security or anti-virus software is blocking SystemLink from storing the account details.
• The SystemLink Search Areas are hosted on a network folder that is experiencing network delays.
• Corrupt SystemLink installation.

This article will walk through the troubleshooting steps to address each cause.
 

Storing and Retrieving the Windows User Account Information

When configuring a Windows User Account in NI SystemLink TDM Configuration, the application retrieves account information from a command utility that checks a JSON file. If the JSON file is incorrect or does not exist, the TDM User Account will revert back to the Local System. To check if this is the case:
 

1. On the SystemLink Server PC, navigate to C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\Config\Services\Descriptors and check if a TDM_ASBatchProducer.json exists.
2. If the file exists, it should resemble the following image.
   • If the file is missing information, proceed with the next steps to manually recreate it.
3. If the file does not exist, that indicates that a process is blocking SystemLink from creating and writing to the file.
   • In this scenario, temporarily disable any security or anti-virus software before proceeding.

 

4. From the Start Menu, search for "Command Prompt". Right-click it and choose Run as administrator.
5. In the terminal, enter cd "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\Skyline"
6. Enter NISystemLinkServerConfigCmd.exe edit-service-descriptor --account-user test --account-password test TDM_ASBatchProducer.json
   • This command creates the TDM_ASBatchProducer.json file with information for a "test" account. It doesn't matter that this account does not exist since it will be changed in a later step.
   • If this step errors with Could not find file 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\Install\Services\Descriptors\TDM_ASBatchProducer.json', place the attached JSON file in the specified location and temporarily uninstall any security software. Then repeat steps 4-6.
7. Once the command completes, open NI SystemLink TDM Configuration and select the SystemLink TDM User Account tab.
8. Verify that a "test" account is entered under Windows user account.
9. Close and relaunch NI SystemLink TDM Configuration to verify that the "test" account persists.
10. Now, change the SystemLink TDM User Account information to the real Windows account that you require.

 

Checking the Windows User Account Permissions

When using a Windows User Account as a SystemLink TDM User Account, the account must fulfil the following requirements:

• The password must never expire.
• The account must be able to access network shares used by SystemLink. This includes full read and write permissions on the following folders:
  • C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\Data
  • Any Search Areas configured for SystemLink DataFinder Instances and Data Preprocessor Instances.
• The account must belong to a group of local administrators.

If you are unsure about any of these points, contact your IT team.
It's also valuable to test another Windows User Account that meets the requirements to rule out account-specific issues.

 

Checking Security or Anti-Virus Software

If using any 3rd party security or anti-virus software, consider the following points:

1. Temporarily uninstall the software if possible and observe how NI SystemLink TDM Configuration behaves.
2. If uninstallation is not possible, temporarily disable the software instead and observe how NI SystemLink TDM Configuration behaves.
   • Uninstalling is preferable to disabling since disabled software may still interfere with SystemLink unexpectedly.
3. If disabling is not possible, identify if the software has flagged/reported/quarantined any files related to SystemLink and whitelist them.

Once complete, proceed with the steps in section Storing and Retrieving the Windows User Account Information.

 

Checking SystemLink Search Areas

If using any network folders for SystemLink Search Areas, follow the steps below to check if this is a contributing factor:

1. Identify (roughly) how many entities exist on the network folder.
   • If the folder contains thousands of files/sub-folders, or many entities require updating, SystemLink is prone to network delays from the folder.
2. Consider testing:
   • How SystemLink behaves when Search Areas are local folders.
   • How SystemLink behaves when Search Areas are network folders with very few files.

 

Corrupt SystemLink Installation

If the issue persists after following the sections in this article, it's possible that the SystemLink installation is corrupt.
Using NI Package Manager, uninstall and reinstall all SystemLink components.