WorkBench - Tweak Communication Parameters for Slow Connections (VPN, ...)

WorkBench (version ≥ 2.2.2.4811) has some accessible parameters to tweak the way data are exchanged with the drive. Keywords sent to the drive and answers returned will be grouped together to build bigger packets of data. This is particularly helpful on networks with high latency. It is also useful for slowing down the polling interval to avoid overloading the communication channel on slower networks.

These parameters are accessible in the WorkBench configuration file, which is usually placed in the install directory:

• Folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Kollmorgen\Kollmorgen WorkBench x.x.x.x
• File to edit: WorkBench.exe.config

Please note that this file may be protected against editing as it is in a special Windows folder where programs are installed. To avoid corrupting the file, and to be able to edit it, please proceed as follow:

1. Copy the file to a location where you have full access (e.g., My Documents, ....)
2. Make a backup copy that you can use to restore the file if anything goes wrong
3. Edit the file as described below, save your changes
4. Copy the edited file back to the WorkBench folder (keep the exact same name)

Parameters to edit in the file:

• MaxCommandGroupSize: the acceptable range is from 1 to 16, default is 4. For slow networks, you would like to increase the size of the groups. For regular LAN, 4 is the optimal value, use 16 for very slow networks.

• MakoPollingIntervalEthernet: the default value is 1000 ms and we would advise to not go lower than that. For slow networks, you would like to increase the polling interval to 3000 or 5000 ms, reaction/refresh time will be much slower, but this will avoid overloading the communication channel.

Current limitations:

• These parameters will not improve the first loading time of the views but greatly improve the responsiveness while the view is opened.

We are working on further optimizations – updates will be posted here.