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@pschaer pschaer released this 26 Jul 22:05
· 4 commits to main since this release
v0.8.0
4f21536

PBI Port Wrapper v0.8.0

The release where a model stops being addressed by a port and starts being
addressed by its name.

Every served model now answers on one HTTP XMLA endpoint, at its own path:

Provider=MSOLAP;Data Source=http://your-pc:55555/Sales;Initial Catalog=Sales

One address, one firewall rule, one authentication setting — for every model. And
for the first time, from another machine, as another Windows user.

Why this replaces port forwarding

Power BI Desktop's engine (msmdsrv.exe) runs as the logged-in user and accepts
only that user, over local TCP. Forwarding a port faithfully forwards that
restriction: a colleague on another machine was never getting in, and a forwarded
port still left the database named as a per-session GUID.

The endpoint changes the shape of the problem. The wrapper is a first-class client
of the engine — it is the owner — so it authenticates callers itself and relays
their XMLA requests through. Serving already renames the database to your alias at
the source, so the name a client asks for is the name the engine actually has, and
nothing has to be rewritten in flight.

Port forwarding is therefore gone, not deprecated. So are per-model ports,
network toggles, and the Set Port UI. The alias replaced all of it.

Added

  • XMLA-over-HTTP endpoint — every served model on one
    port, each at its own path. One path is one server holding one engine, which is
    what lets several open models work at the same time: an XMLA session belongs to
    a server, so a shared address would land every session on whichever engine
    answered first.
  • Remote and cross-user access — the gap that port forwarding could not
    close. Verified end to end with Excel on a second machine.
  • Authentication modes — Password sign-in (default) checks the
    caller against a real Windows account on the host, so it works on a workgroup;
    Windows sign-in for domains; No authentication for isolated networks.
  • Endpoint settings in the tray and the dashboard — enable, port,
    hostname override, authentication, live status and restart. Both surfaces write
    the same config, so they cannot disagree.
  • Copy endpoint URL per served model, and .odc files carrying it.

Changed

  • The grid speaks aliases — Fixed Port became an editable Alias
    column, Network is gone, and the Action cell is a direct Serve / Stop
    button.
  • Two states: Off and Serve — Forward is gone as a state, an
    action, and an on-detection policy.
  • config.json calls the model list Models rather than PortMappings, and
    the per-model port and network fields are gone. Existing config files load
    unchanged — aliases and on-detection policies are preserved.

Fixed

  • HTTP Basic accepted any password. HttpListener decodes the
    credential header but does not verify it — which was misread as validation for
    three releases in a row. Measured: a nonexistent user with an invented password
    was admitted exactly like a real one. Passwords are now verified against Windows
    directly, and nothing is stored.
  • Serving no longer binds or validates a port, so it cannot fail — or roll back a
    completed rename — because some unrelated port was busy.
  • Endpoint status no longer says "LAN" when it means every interface.

⚠️ Before you expose it

  • There is no TLS. Password sign-in sends credentials base64-encoded — encoding,
    not encryption — and queries and results travel in the clear. Use it on a trusted
    LAN, never port-forward it from a router, and prefer a dedicated local Windows
    account for remote callers. HTTPS is planned.

  • Remote access needs two one-time administrative steps, or the endpoint quietly
    serves localhost only:

    netsh http add urlacl url=http://+:55555/ user=Everyone
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "PBI Port Wrapper XMLA" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 55555 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

    The tray notices the localhost fallback and offers to copy the first command.

Upgrading

Install over the previous version; your config.json is read as-is and rewritten
in the new shape on the next save. Aliases and on-detection policies carry over.

Anything that connected through a forwarded port needs to be repointed at the
model's URL — tray → the model → Copy endpoint URL. Saved .odc files from
v0.7.x point at the old port and should be regenerated.

Install

  • Installer (recommended): download PBIPortWrapper.msi, run it, and launch
    from the Start Menu or the Power BI Desktop External Tools ribbon.
  • Portable ZIP: download and extract PBIPortWrapper-v0.8.0-win-x64.zip, then
    run PBIPortWrapper.exe.

The installer and executable are not code-signed; Windows SmartScreen / Defender
warns on first run (More info → Run anyway). Full details in
CHANGELOG.md.

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