There are many factors to consider when purchasing computers for use as ClearSCADA servers, including the expected activity of the system, the amount of historic data required, and the number of database items. While the requirements for each system will vary according to the demands placed on the system, we do make the following recommendations:
- For small stand-alone client-server systems with up to 10,000 database items and 1 to 2 remote clients, desktop class (rather than server class) computers will be sufficient, if the system is not intended to provide access to the database from either WebX clients or ClearSCADA Mobile. Systems of this size are regarded as small systems.
- For systems with:
- 10,000 or more database items
- historic data storage requirements
and/or:
- 3 or more remote clients
- WebX clients
- intended to provide database access from ClearSCADA Mobile
server class computers and 64-bit operating systems are required.
64-bit operating systems are also required to run the WebX server.
If you are using Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Services or Citrix XenApp, you need to use a server class computer with at least 2GB RAM per client session and an appropriate number of processor cores.
When choosing the appropriate type of computers to use, you also need to consider the use of Disk Drives and RAID Arrays.
Server class computers and virtual machines (VMs) on server class computers should not be used to run ViewX in a day-to-day operational environment; instead, appropriate client machines should be used. Client machines often have a higher graphics hardware specification than server class computers. This higher graphics specification is required to run ViewX in a day-to-day operational environment, within which users might perform graphics-intensive tasks such as viewing complex Mimics, or working with multiple or floating documents
The standard graphics hardware on server class computers and on VMs on server class computers may only be adequate for running ViewX for administrative purposes (such as performing initial system configuration and user account setup).