Workstations need authentication to ensure a secure connection to Vista Cloud. To help protect data, only authorised workstations are able to call Vista Cloud services. The authentication is mandatory and ensures that every POS workstation sending data to Vista services, such as the Transaction and Stock services, is trusted.

By default any active Cinema Manager login authenticates a workstation. To provide additional security, you can allow only a manager or system administrator to perform the authentication. Configure the system setting SecurityBindWorkstation to set the security level.

Authenticating a workstation for secure connection

1. Run POS for the first time it connects to Vista Cloud, or receives an upgrade.
   POS searches for and connects to the Service Framework.
2. Enter your Cinema Manager login details on the Enter Manager Credentials form.

Note: If a workstation is not used for 60 days, or its Windows name is changed, its authentication expires. The workstation prompts you to enter your credentials again for authentication. For more information, contact your Vista representative.

Workstation authentication FAQs

What happens if I rename a POS workstation?

Renaming a workstation will invalidate the authentication. You will be prompted to re-authenticate the workstation.

Does workstation authentication have an effect on other Vista applications such as Kiosk, UsherPoint, or Cinema Manager?

No, it does not. POS requires workstation authentication because we allow a user to login with a single element (User name/PIN number), for which the workstation token is needed. Kiosk, UsherPoint, or Cinema Manager don't require workstation authentication because the user logs in with their username and password.

Is the authentication only between a POS machine and the server?

Generally, the workstation's security token is used to access services on the server.

Note: The security Token is signed in with the MasterKey, so it can be used to authenticate to any Service Framework installation that was installed with the same MasterKey. Vista recommends proxying them through the server to avoid POS sending requests to multiple servers.

How can I change the default user level required to authenticate a workstation? 

You can set the user security level in the Back Office system setting SecurityBindWorkstation.

Note: The default user level is set to 99, which means that any Back Office user will be able to authenticate a POS workstation to Service Framework.