About NWS connections

The NwsWeatherProvider gets initial data (requested on outbound port 80) from www.weather.gov and www.nws.noaa.gov (NWS) by domain name URLs, and requires such addresses to be resolved to IP addresses. On a Supervisor or a Workbench engineering workstation, the host Windows PC is typically configured to obtain DNS servers automatically. In this case, these DNS addresses are resolved and the WeatherService starts normally. Subsequent weather updates typically use cached (previously resolved) IP addresses, however, at times the domain name URLs may be used again.

For any embedded (QNX-based) JACE using a static IP address (typical), where its station needs to use the WeatherService, starting in AX-3.5 there are now a couple of connection options:

If the JACE is part of a NiagaraNetwork with a Supervisor station also running the WeatherService, each WeatherReport in the JACE station can use the “FoxWeatherProvider” to obtain weather updates from an existing WeatherReport in the Supervisor station, rather than directly over the Internet from the NWS. This can simplify IP setup in the JACE, and typically avoids firewall issues. For details, see FoxWeatherProvider.
If the JACE is “standalone”, or, for some reason needs to use the WeatherService with direct NWS connections, its platform TCP/IP Configuration must specify a default gateway and one or more DNS servers. This applies to the weather module in all releases of NiagaraAX.

If these settings are unknown, you can ask the local IT manager for them. Or, if you have a Windows PC operating on the same subnet as the JACE, you can obtain these settings by opening a DOS command prompt window and entering the command:
```
ipconfig/all
```
This returns a list of information, including the active Default Gateway and DNS Servers.
Starting in AX-3.4, the net module’s HttpProxyServer also provides support for a “non-transparent” proxy server, allowing configuration of proxy server settings and open proxy connections. For related details, see HttpProxyServer in the “Component Guides” section of the NiagaraAX User Guide.