Connect IoT Requirements#
The Connect IoT Automation Manager component has a low hardware footprint and is designed to run in a variety of platforms.
Software Requirements#
The supported operating systems (must be supported by Node.js), are listed in the table below:
| System | Architecture | Version |
|---|---|---|
| GNU/Linux | x64 | kernel >= 3.10, glibc >= 2.17 |
| GNU/Linux | arm64 | kernel >= 4.5, glibc >= 2.17 |
| Windows | x64, x86 (WoW64) | >= Windows 7/2008 R2/2012 R2 |
| macOS | x64 | >= 10.11 |
Table: Supported operating systems for Connect IoT
Note
Requirements based but not limited to the Tier 1 values of the Node.js platform list compilation/execution support, available in https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/v16.x/BUILDING.md#platform-list ⧉.
Independent from the Operating System, the following software components must also be available:
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| NodeJS | NodeJS must be installed and available in each computer that runs the Connect IoT Automation Manager (the Connect IoT runtime). Critical Manufacturing recommends version 20.x LTS (available from https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v20.x/ ⧉) for improved functionality. |
| Local Package Repository | - There must be one local package repository available per site. We support NPM based repositories or our custom directory based directory for installation/server free solution - The repository must be accessible by both Critical Manufacturing MES and Connect IoT runtime computers. |
Table: Software components required for Connect IoT
Furthermore, there some driver specific requirements as listed in the following table that are applicable to the computer that will host the Connect IoT runtime engine that uses that driver:
| Driver | Requirement | Can be containerized |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth (BLE) | - Must fulfill the noble pre-requisites - refer to the link https://github.com/sandeepmistry/noble - Must have a compatible Bluetooth adapter - https://github.com/noble/node-bluetooth-hci-socket#Prerequisites ⧉ - In Microsoft Windows, it is necessary to change the Bluetooth driver to use WinUSB instead of the Microsoft Bluetooth Stack. To accomplish this, use the zadig tool supplied in the Setup ISO. | Yes (requires hardware devices to be forwarded to container) |
| File (CSV + Raw) | - The directory(ies) to be used by the driver must be fully accessible, mapped and authenticated within the OS. | Yes |
| IPC-CFX | - .Net Core 8.x SDK - refer to https://github.com/dotnet/core/blob/main/release-notes/8.0/supported-os.md - Install Visual C ++ Redistributable 2015-2022 in every machine - refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170 ⧉ | Yes |
| Keyboard Wedge | - Can only work in Linux OS (it is restricted by Windows because it acts as a keyboard logger). | Yes (requires hardware devices to be forwarded to container) |
| OIB | - Must have Microsoft .Net Framework 4.6 installed. | No |
| OPC DA | - Can only run on a Windows OS (OPC DA protocol requirement) - Must have .Net Framework 4.8 installed. - Must have AdvosolOpcCoreComponents (supplied in the Setup ISO) installed. | No |
| OPC UA | - Must have OpenSSL installed (for on-demand certificate generation). For more information, see https://www.openssl.org/docs/ ⧉. | Yes |
| SECS/GEM | - Minimal support .Net Core 2.x SDK - refer to https://github.com/dotnet/core/blob/master/release-notes/2.0/2.0-supported-os.md - Recommended support .Net Core 8.x SDK - refer to https://github.com/dotnet/core/blob/master/release-notes/8.0/supported-os.md - Install Visual C ++ Redistributable 2015-2022 in every machine - refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170 ⧉ | Yes |
Table: Driver requirements for Connect IoT
Hardware requirements#
Connect IoT Automation Managers are designed to be executed on edge devices, with limited hardware capabilities. However, they can also be deployed in containerized environments together with the MES Application Layer. The actual requirements in terms of processing power and memory will depend on the number of integrations and the workflow implemented for each integration.
Contact Critical Manufacturing for additional information to help you estimate the workload associated to your integrations.