Requirements and Installation

All of VTScada is included in a single installation file. There are no additional modules to purchase, install or integrate.

Hardware recommendations when running on Windows operating systems:

We've seen 1000-tag VTScada applications running perfectly on pocket-sized PCs. As a general rule, bigger, newer, and more powerful is better, especially as your application grows in size.

(Updated: December 3, 2019. This is a guide. Actual requirements will depend on your application architecture.)

Small Systems

(Less than 1000 I/O)

Medium Systems

( 1000 to 25,000 I/O)

Large Systems

( Over 25,000 I/O)
  • 32- or 64-bit Windows OS.
  • 2 GHz dual-core processor.
  • 40 GB free hard drive space.
  • 4 GB RAM.
  • 100 Mb Ethernet or higher.
  • 64-bit Windows OS.
  • 3 GHz or more quad-core processor.
  • Solid State Drive. 1TB free space.
  • 16 GB RAM.
  • 1 Gb Ethernet or higher.
  • Most medium systems specifications (left) should be adequate for +100K systems.
  • Quad-core processor with a maximum turbo frequency of 4 GHz or higher
  • Scale to large systems by load sharing services across servers or using Master & Subordinate Apps.
  • If using blade servers, high clock speeds help, more cores don’t.
  • Use segmented networks.

VTScada version 12.0 is not supported on Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, or other earlier versions.

Alarm Notifications

  • Text-to-speech phone alerts require a voice modem or web-based messaging service like Twilio®.
  • Choosing modems: VTScada.com/modems
  • Connection to an email server required for email alarm notifications.
  • Cell modem or email account required for text alarm notifications.
  • Sound card and speakers required for local alarm annunciation.

 

Virtualized Servers

  • VTScada can run on virtual Servers.
  • Don’t clone virtual servers with VTScada installed.
  • Ensure host PCs have enough capacity for all VMs, e.g., CPU, RAM, drive space, ports, Ethernet bandwidth.
  • Twilio (left) offers a simple alternative to configuring voice modems in virtual server environments.

 

Other Recommendations

  • If you need RS-232 ports to communicate with legacy devices, we recommend Ethernet to serial converters.
  • Keep VTScada & History data on a separate drive from OS.
    (See: Optimize Your Configuration)
  • NetDDE is not available on Vista and higher (it was removed in XP Service Pack II).
  • VTScada uses IANA registered TCP/IP port 5780. Set up firewalls to route RPC traffic accordingly.

  • VTScada's architecture makes RAID drives unnecessary in redundant systems. For performance reasons, they are not ideal for any SCADA historian. If you must use RAID, use SSDs for better performance.

Thin Client Recommendations

Thin Clients require a connection to a running VTScada application, licensed to allow Thin Clients.

HTML5-Compliant Browsers

Access the VTScada Anywhere Client from mobile devices, PCs, and Macs by entering a web address in a browser.

Windows Desktop/Laptop Systems

Access the VTScada Internet Client from networked Windows PCs.
  • Safari® (OS X, iOS) - Recommended
  • Chrome® (Windows®, iOS®, Android®) - Recommended
  • Firefox® (Windows®, iOS®, Android®)
  • BlackBerry Browser® (BlackBerry OS®)
  • Launch by entering a web address into Internet Explorer on Windows 8 or newer. or...
  • Launch from a desktop using a small program downloaded once from your VTScada server via a browser.

The License Key:

If not running VTScadaLIGHT, the installation program requires a 25-character key that will control your tag count and which options of VTScada will be available in the installation. A hardware lock may be required in some locations. Activation is required within 30 days, either over the Internet or by calling Trihedral for a code.

Installation Options:

  • You must have administrative privileges on your computer to successfully run the installation program. But after installation, DO NOT run VTScada as an administrator.
  • You may install VTScada into any directory, but C:\VTScada is suggested.
  • When upgrading, it's standard practice to install the new version over the old version. Your application files will not be affected.
  • If the workstation has an Internet connection, choose the option to download maps as required. You can always change this later.
  • You can run VTScada as a Windows service but do not select this option on first installation. Do so only after you create your application using VTScada as a desktop program, then configure it to run automatically upon start up.
  • You can integrate Windows security with VTScada so that operators can sign in using their Windows domain accounts. You must create the application first, configuring the basic security roles, then coordinate efforts with your IT department.

Adding or Changing License Options:

If you choose to add new features to your license, purchase a new key from Trihedral then run the installation file again, installing to the same location as the original installation. VTScadaLIGHT users who discover a need for more tags can purchase a key and re-install. Nothing needs to be done to update their applications.