Application Layer - Traditional deployment#
This section describes the software and hardware requirements for the application layer of Critical Manufacturing MES.
This version of Critical Manufacturing MES will be the last one to support traditional deployments. From the next major version, all installations will be performed in containerized environments. For more information, see Containerized deployment.
Software Requirements#
The table below describes the software requirements for application servers:
| Operating System | Required Software |
|---|---|
| • Windows Server 2016 64-bit • Windows Server 2019 • Windows Server 2022 | • Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), included in the operating system • .NET 6.0 • Microsoft .Net 4.8 - included in most Windows Server versions • ASP.NET Core 3.1.8 Hosting Bundle - installed by the setup • Microsoft PowerShell 5.1 - included in the Dependencies folder of the installation ISO and can also be obtained here ⧉ • To use HTTPS, a valid certificate must be installed in the computer • Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC), included in the operating system • Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 |
Table: Software requirements for application servers
Hardware requirements#
The exact hardware requirements will ultimately depend on the specific customer environment. The table below lists the primary factors affecting response time and scalability as well as high-availability. It also describes what mechanisms are available to improve them although it must be noticed that there is a cost associated with an increasing each factor.
| KPI | Primary Driving Factors | Improvement Options |
|---|---|---|
| Response time Scalability | • Load (number of users and concurrent transactions) • Model and Logic Complexity • Data Volume • Hardware | • Application optimization • Model fine-tuning • Database optimization • Reduction of data retention time • Better hardware (CPU, Memory, I/O andNetwork) |
| High-Availability | • Software Failures and Maintenance • Hardware Failures and Maintenance • Human Errors • Redundant hardware components (including memory, processing, storage, communications and power supply) • Operations Management (including support process, monitoring procedures, backup policies, administration skills and contingency plans) | • Addition of redundant or more reliable hardware components (including memory, processing, storage, communications and power supply) • Enhancement of operations management (including support process, monitoring procedures, backup policies, administration skills and contingency plans) |
Table: Driving factors for hardware requirements
In the remaining part of this section, different reference hardware configurations are presented for different environment configurations.
| Configuration | Intended Use | Response time | Scalability | High availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Demonstration / Development | Medium/Slow acceptable | Not required | Not required |
| Training / Staging | System tests, validations and training | Medium | Not required | Not required |
| Production A | Low to medium volume production | Fast | Required | Very High |
| Production B | High volume production | Fast | Required | Very High |
Table: Environment configuration options
Warning
For any Critical Manufacturing MES deployment project, the exact hardware configuration needs to be sized according to the specific project profile.
Given the environment configurations described above, you can see the hardware requirements for each one in the table below:
| Configuration | Number of Servers | Processors | Memory | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 * | 1 x Quad Core, 2 GHz | 8 GB | 200+ GB |
| Training / Staging | 1 | 2 x Quad Core, 2 GHz+ | 16 GB | 100+ GB |
| Production A | 2 | 2 x Quad Core, 2 GHz+ | 16 GB+ | 150+ GB |
| Production B | 3 | 2 x Quad Core, 2 GHz+ | 32 GB+ | 150+ GB |
Table: Hardware requirements for different environment configurations
Note
The Minimum configuration assumes that the database server may also run other application components in addition to the database.