Secure decommissioning

Secure decommissioning of PcVue is an important activity as part of system decommissioning operations. It consists of the following phases:

  • Preparation
  • Data removal
  • Product removal
  • Removal of residual files and configuration data
  • Secure removal of system and third-party elements
  • Verification and validation
  • Secure disposal of hardware elements
  • Report and documentation

The information in this topic is also useful if you are removing a computer host or virtual machine from active service or need to ensure that no sensitive data remain before handing hardware over to a third-party for electronic waste processing and disposal.

A consequence of the removal of a PcVue host is an immediate loss of monitoring and control if the host is still required to operate the system. The team in charge of the operations must be prepared and kept informed according to the procedures in place.

Most of the tasks described here are security-sensitive and require Administrative privileges.
They must be performed in compliance with the technical and organizational measures in place, under the responsibility of the entity in charge of the target system.
In particular, files deletion or storage device formatting and disposal must be performed with tools that fit the expected level of erasure in your context.

It is assumed that the product was originally installed in the default folders. References to files and folders may need to be adapted if Programs and Application data folders had been customized at installation time.

Preparation

Preparation of decommissioning is important because the information you collect in this phase may be needed for later commissioning of a new host, or to comply with audit requirements you may be subject to.

Critical data must be backed up before proceeding with decommissioning. You must ensure that important information are securely backed up. On a typical PcVue host, it includes:

  • Project files
  • Shared and Common library files in folders
  • Built-in Pki files
  • Application data specific to the project and system
  • License file if software-based protection is in place
  • Log files
  • Connection strings and credentials used to connect to external sub-systems, such as databases, field devices, GIS systems...
  • Configuration files of third-party components such as OPC Servers
  • etc.

See Backing up and restoring projects and libraries for more information about project and libraries backup, including details of files & folders locations.

On a Web server, the list of important data includes:

  • Deployment settings
  • Log files
  • Certificates in use
  • etc.

See Web server maintenance and diagnostics for more information about exporting the web server configuration.

Make sure you have a backup of the key file and passphrase used to protect the project.

You must also make sure that configuration management records are up-to-date, including:

  • Version of the product in use
  • Version of the project and libraries
  • List of system dependencies and custom settings
  • List of third party dependencies and custom settings
  • etc.

If you want to keep the possibility to rollback the secure removal of the product and data, create a system restoration point as part of the preparation and before starting the removal tasks.

Make sure that no other automation component depends on the host you are about to remove for proper operations. For example your automation system may be designed to generate safety alarms or even trigger an emergency shutdown if PcVue no longer responds to keep-alive messages.

Product removal preparation on a PcVue host

On a PcVue host, the Host Deployment Console and the svcmd CLI are designed to remove sensitive information they helped set up on a PcVue host. Prior to removing PcVue, you must:

  • Remove project protection metadata that allow the host to run a project. Use svcmd project-protection remove without the --apply option or equivalent command in the Host Deployment Console.

Once this command is executed, the host no longer has what it takes to decipher the protected project, and thus can no longer execute it. Because you have not used the --apply option, the project itself is still protected.

If you have more than one protected project on the host, for example on an engineering or test host, you must run this command for each project.

Product removal on a PcVue host

To proceed with product removal on a PcVue host, shutdown any process that is part of the product. You must then uninstall the following applications using the standard Apps & features panel:

  • PcVue 17.
  • PcVue 17 prerequisite package.

Depending on the level of removal you want to reach, you may want to uninstall the individual components coming with the prerequisite package.

The list of individual components is the following:

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable (x86)
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable (x64)
  • OPC Core Components Redistributable (x86)
  • Microsoft System CLR Types for SQL Server 2016 (x64)
  • Microsoft System CLR Types for SQL Server 2016 (x86)
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Management Objects (x64)
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Management Objects (x86)
  • Microsoft Edge WebView2

See Maintaining PcVue for more information about removal of the software.

Removal of residual files and configuration data on a PcVue host

After PcVue removal, you can proceed with final data removal:

  • If the HDS was in use for database archiving on the host, make sure you remove the database(s). Use the SSMS for any SQL Server database or a file deletion for MS Access database. Database files are by default stored in C:\ProgramData\ARC Informatique\PcVue 17\databases. They may be located on another computer host.
  • Delete all residual files in the folder C:\ProgramData\ARC Informatique\PcVue 17\.
  • Delete all residual files in the folder C:\Program Files\ARC Informatique\PcVue 17\.

    If the host you are decommissioning was used as web server, do not perform deletion of the folder C:\Program Files\ARC Informatique\PcVue 17\ at this stage.
    You will do it after, as part the WDC removal.

Depending on how the project was designed, there may be more files specific to the project and stored either locally or on a file server. You should refer to your project documentation for details.

Product removal preparation on a web server

On a web server, the Web Deployment console is designed to remove the configuration it helped create in the Microsoft IIS Web server. So prior to removing the WDC, you must launch it and use it to:

  • Remove any Web site used as part of the PcVue system, typically the SV Website.
  • Remove any backend configuration that may be in place.

Product removal on a web server

Once you no longer need the WDC to remove IIS configuration, you must uninstall the following applications using the standard App & features panel:

  • Web Deployment Tools 17.
  • Web Deployment Tools 17 prerequisite.

See Installing the Web Deployment Tools for more information about removal of the WDC.

Removal of residual files and configuration data on a web server

After WDC removal, you can proceed with final data removal:

  • Using the IIS Manager, remove the application pool called SV Application pool.
  • Using the panel Manage computer certificates, delete the certificate that was used to protect the SV Website, and any other related certificate that may still be in the certificate store.
  • Delete all residual files in the folders c:\inetpub\<Website> and c:\inetpub\logs\<Website>, where <Website> is the name of the web site created with the WDC (default SV website).
  • Delete all residual files in the folder C:\Program Files\ARC Informatique\PcVue 17\.

Secure removal of system and third-party elements

The following is a non-exhaustive list of tasks you may want to perform as part of a secure decommissioning:

  • A scan and clean-up of the Windows registry to delete any leftover keys, for example, shell bags related to PcVue files and folders.
  • Product removal and data removal for third-party components such as OPC Servers, reporting tools, etc.
  • Deletion of rules tied to PcVue interfaces in the local firewall configuration.
  • Configuration changes in network devices, appliances, and supporting infrastructure elements including firewalls, switches, DNS, VPN, bastion, AD-DS, AD-CS...
  • Configuration changes in end point protection solutions.
  • Removal of the host from the Domain
  • etc.

Verification an validation - System integrity check

Verify that all files and folders mentioned in this topic are deleted.
Verify that PcVue, the Web Deployment Tools and their prerequisites are no longer in the list of installed applications.
If the host was part of a system in production, test that no critical service was inadvertently impacted by the removal.
Ensure that other components not intended for removal are still functional.

If at that stage, there is no reason to rollback the removal, it is time to clean-up system restoration points.

Secure disposal

The only hardware parts of PcVue are the following:

  • The hardware protection key if any - Contact your local reseller for more information about the recycle policy.
  • The DVD with the installation packages (if any).

They can be disposed of by following the procedure in place in the entity in charge of the system.

If the computer used to run PcVue or the web server is to be decommissioned or recycled, consider physical destruction of the storage device:

  • As a minimum, data wiping to prevent logical data recovery.
  • If possible, physical destruction of the storage device to physically prevent data recovery.

Report and documentation

Create a disposal report detailing:

  • The version of PcVue you have removed.
  • The list of dependencies and third-party components you have removed.
  • The list of locations checked and cleared of residual data.
  • Tools used for secure data deletion.
  • Any network or system configuration that was changed, removed or reset.