Windows-based platforms include Win-32-based JACE hosts like the JACE-NXT (and previous JACE-NXS and JACE-NX models), and most Windows-based “Supervisor” PC hosts and SoftJACE hosts. File storage is typically a hard drive, and the operating system is typically either Windows 7 Professional, Windows Vista Business, or Windows XP Professional. Alternatively, a Supervisor may be running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008.
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AX-3.8 also supports Windows 8 Professional and Windows Server 2012, in addition to the other Windows operating systems mentioned.
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NiagaraAX Supervisor support was added for Windows 64-bit OS (Win64-based), including Win64 editions of Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2003 and 2008 (and if AX-3.8, also Windows 8 Professional and Windows Server 2012). Although a Win64 Supervisor uses a 64-bit JVM (Java Virtual Machine) and different NRE core binaries, its NiagaraAX platform interface is nearly identical to any Win32-based Supervisor. Therefore, you can equate a Win64-based Supervisor as a “Windows-based” host in various discussions in this document, unless particularly noted. For further details, see Win64-based Supervisor notes.
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The JACE-NXT, like the preceding JACE-NXS model, is a Win32-based platform, is available in both a CompactFlash-memory based model and a hard-drive based model. In either case, “Windows XP Embedded” is the operating system.
For any Windows-based platform, the following platform views differ from QNX-based platforms:
When connected to any Windows host, a User Manager platform view is also available. Intended use is for a Windows-based JACE only. On a Windows Supervisor, you typically configure
Windows users and groups using normal Windows administrative tools.
Platform Administration for a Win32-based platform (Figure 5) differs as follows:
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No button is available (this configuration can be done directly using Windows).
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Choices available from the Update Authentication function are more involved.
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Various data in summary information (repeated in View Details) differs greatly from QNX hosts.
If you have your local PC platform open, such as a Supervisor, buttons , , and and are unavailable.
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Setting the Module Filter is intended only for initial configuration in a remote JACE. For more details, see Set Module Filter.
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The Commissioning Wizard is intended only for initial Niagara installation and startup in a remote JACE, or whenever upgrading a JACE. For more details, see Commissioning.
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Reboot is intended only for remote JACE platforms (see Reboot). To locally reboot a Supervisor, you should stop its local station, exit Workbench, then restart the operating system.
See Platform Administration for more details.
Starting in AX-3.4, Supervisor support was added for installation on PCs running 64-bit Windows operating systems, for example Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista 64-bit. Support for 64-bit Windows OS was expanded in AX-3.6 for Windows 7 Professional and Windows Server 2008, and again in AX-3.8 for Windows 8 Professional and Windows Server 2012. The primary application for 64-bit install is for a Supervisor station that has a very large NiagaraNetwork (job has large numbers of JACEs, each with many Niagara proxy points), and thus, a large station database.
In particular, the 64-bit Java VM (Virtual Machine) does not have a 2GB memory limit, unlike the Java VM on a Win32-based Supervisor. Typically, any PC with 64-bit Windows also has 4GB or more of RAM installed, and (unlike with a 32-bit Windows PC) the 64-bit OS can effectively utilize all of it. Therefore, a 64-bit Windows host may be the solution for the largest “enterprise level” Supervisor. See the following sections Known Limitations and Installation and interface differences for more details.
Please note that at the time of this document update, there are several known limitations for a Supervisor running on a 64-bit Windows operating system. Although most of these do not apply to a “typical Supervisor”, they should be understood before installation time. These 64-bit Windows platform limitations include the following:
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Starting in AX-3.7, NRE serial support was added for a 64-bit Windows platform (in prior NiagaraAX releases, there was no 64-bit serial support). However, serial-based drivers (e.g.modbusAsync, flexSerial, various legacy drivers) are not typically licensed on a Supervisor or SoftJACE, and therefore are not fully tested or supported on a 64-bit platform—note the JACE-NXT is Win32 (Windows XP Embedded).
Exceptions to such license rules can occur with 64-bit “engineering workstations” or “demo machines”. Again, in these cases note that 64-bit serial operation is not fully guaranteed.
Additionally, a known issue with the 64-bit serial library may present itself in initialization phases, as has been noticed with usage of a 64-bit Niagara Serial Tunnel client (also new starting in AX-3.7). For related details see the section “Client side (PC application)” in the latest Drivers Guide.
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Lonworks FTT-10 is not fully supported on a 64-bit Windows platform—although there are Echelon 64-bit drivers, most are 32-bit drivers in a “64-bit wrapper”, and are likely unsuitable. Further, a Supervisor or SoftJACE is not typically licensed for Lonworks. However “LonIP” is supported.
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LON tunneling drivers are not available for 64-bit Windows platforms.
OPC client driver support for Windows 64-bit platforms became available starting in AX-3.6 (build 3.6.36), as well as in builds
3.5.36 and 3.4.66 for earlier releases.
Installation of the Win64-based Supervisor is like the Win32-based installation, except that separate executables in the root
of the Supervisor product CD are used to install (setup_x64.exe instead of setup.exe).
A platform connection to a Win64-based Supervisor or SoftJACE provides the identical collection of views as with a Win32-based host. Also, starting in AX-3.7 when opening a station running on a Win64 host, you now see a “SerialPortService” under its PlatformServices (formerly this service was missing).