Impact Enterprise Network Port Requirements
Impact Enterprise uses a number of TCP ports to communicate between Enterprise servers, Site/Hub services, Impact CAD workstations, and supporting mail infrastructure. This article is intended for IT administrators configuring LAN firewalls, site-to-site VPNs, or network security rules for an Impact Enterprise deployment.
Impact Enterprise is designed for use across trusted LAN and site-to-site network connections rather than direct communication across the public Internet.
Default Ports
| Traffic | Default TCP port(s) | Direction | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise services | 8000–8012 | Both directions between Enterprise and Site/Hub networks | Communication between the primary Enterprise services and distributed Site/Hub services |
| Impact CAD → Enterprise web services | 80 | Impact CAD to Enterprise web server | RESTful project browsing and queued project upload/download requests |
| SMTP | Typically 25 | Enterprise server to mail server | Administrator notifications, such as offline-site or synchronization alerts |
Info: 8000–8012 is the default range typically associated with the primary PROD Enterprise environment, or with a deployment where only one Enterprise environment exists.
Enterprise Service Communication
Enterprise services communicate in both directions between the primary Enterprise installation and each Site/Hub.
The Enterprise configuration defines endpoints that Site/Hub services use to connect back to the primary Enterprise services. Each Site/Hub configuration also defines endpoints that the primary Enterprise services use to connect to services at that Site/Hub.
For this reason, firewalls or site-to-site VPN rules between Enterprise locations must allow connections in the required directions for the endpoints configured at both locations.
The standard primary Enterprise configuration typically uses TCP ports 8000–8012. Individual services are assigned endpoints within the configured range.
Multiple Enterprise Environments
Additional environments, such as DEV, TEST, or a second Enterprise instance, require their own service port assignments where the same servers or clients need to access more than one environment.
For example, a customer with PROD and TEST environments should not configure both instances to expose conflicting service endpoints on the same server.
The actual port assignments are defined by the Enterprise service endpoint configuration and can therefore differ from the standard PROD range.
Note: When configuring firewall rules, use the endpoint configuration for the specific Enterprise environment rather than assuming that every environment uses TCP 8000–8012.
Impact CAD Communication
Impact CAD also communicates with central Enterprise web services.
Within a normal LAN deployment, this uses HTTP over TCP port 80. These requests include:
- RESTful requests used for remote project browsing.
- Queuing requests used to upload and download projects.
HTTPS over TCP port 443 may be used where the Enterprise web services have specifically been configured for HTTPS, but this is not the normal requirement for a standard LAN-only Enterprise installation.
The Impact Enterprise COM Library provides the communication between Impact CAD and Enterprise services. The Enterprise help identifies the QueuingService and ProjectsService as the Enterprise service endpoints used by the COM Library.
Email Notifications
Impact Enterprise can send email notifications to administrators. For example, scheduled tasks can notify administrators when:
- A Site/Hub has remained offline for a configured period.
- Enterprise synchronization has been disabled.
A valid SMTP server must be configured for these notifications.
Where the mail server uses standard SMTP, the Enterprise server therefore requires outbound access to the mail server, typically over TCP port 25. If the organisation's SMTP service uses a different port or transport configuration, the corresponding network rule must be used instead.
Firewall Planning
When preparing network rules for Impact Enterprise:
- Identify every Enterprise environment that clients or servers need to access.
- Confirm the service endpoints and port assignments configured for each environment.
- Allow the configured Enterprise service traffic between the primary Enterprise network and each Site/Hub network.
- Ensure traffic can be initiated in both directions where Site/Hub synchronization is required.
- Allow Impact CAD workstations to reach the Enterprise web services over TCP port 80, or the explicitly configured HTTPS port where applicable.
- If Enterprise email notifications are enabled, allow the Enterprise server to connect to the configured SMTP server.