The article lists the recommended configurations for PypeServer Enterprise in a production environment.
Hardware
Kiosk
The PypeServer computer is stored in a industrial kiosk stationed next to the cutting machine. I has the following minimum configuration.
- i7 Intel NUC
- 32GB RAM
- 500GB SSD
- 16GB USB Flash Drive/SD Card for database backups
- 1GB Ethernet network adapter
- HDMI Monitor - 1080 dpi
- Standard Keyboard and Mouse
- Windows 11 Professional
- SQL Server Express 2019
- Industrial dust sealed enclosure
Remote Seat
Any office computer meeting the following minimum configuration can be used as a remote seat that can run PypeServer Enterprise for design and scheduling tasks.
- i7 Intel
- 32GB RAM
- 802.11AC
or faster network adapter with a ping return time to the Kiosk system of less than 10ms.
- HDMI Monitor - 1080 dpi or higher
- Windows 11 Professional or Windows 10 Professional
Networking
Local Area Network (LAN)
- A Local Area Network with low latency and a shielded network connection between the kiosk computer containing the SQL server and any remote seats.
- WiFi or wireless connections are not supported as the electrical noise of the plasma cutter (and
any welding going on nearby) can cause unreliable communications.
- For updates and web services support - An high speed internet connection capable of at least 10MB.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
- PypeServer will not perform acceptably over WAN
through VPN connections because of communications Latency (not Bandwidth). The bottleneck is the round-tripping lag/cost
incurred by the high number of small, incremental data fetches and stores to
SQL. This problem is common in CAD-type
systems and other systems that “nibble” on the server, unlike more general use such
as web-browsing or online forms.
Internet
PypeServer Enterprise and PypeServer Lyte require an internet connection for updates and communicating with PypeServer Cloud.
Security
Local computer
Enterprise is supported when run under standard Windows local user rights with read/write access to the following locations.
- The PypeServer folder in the user's profile path %USERPROFILE%\Documents\PypeServer
- The users local registry path \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PypeServer
- The PypeServerAdmin and PypeServerDB databases located in the SQL Server installed on the kiosk computer.
Enterprise installation, updates require Local Administrator user rights.
Our support team requires local administrator rights when engaged in an online support session with the user..
Network access
Enterprise is a multi-user system and each Enterprise user requires network access to the kiosk computer containing the license server, SQL server, and network file shares. Please note also that some anti-virus programs feature firewall functions that may cause operational issues. Please contact the relevant vendor for details on your anti-virus software protection.
License Server
PypeServer use the WIBU Systems “CodeMeter” licensing system. PypeServer versions prior to 4.4x remote seats must be able to check out licenses from the kiosk license server using TCP and UDP ports 22350. An inbound firewall rule for either these ports or the License Server executable 'CodeMeter.exe'. must be configured on the kiosk computer.
SQL Server
Remote seats require access to the kiosk SQL databases and the kiosk computer's firewall must be configured to allow the incoming connections. This is done by allowing inbound access for the SQL server executables sqlserver.exe and sqlbrowser.exe, or adding inbound rules for TCP ports 135, 433, 1433, and UDP port 1434. The SQL Server and Data Transaction Coordinator services must be set to start automatically.
Network Shares
The user at the kiosk and all remote seats require read and write access to all folders and files located within the kiosk hosted network share \\PYPESERVER\PypeServer Documents. This common share is used for communicating with cutting machine using NC files, shared label printing templates, communication with Lyte, and Enterprise updates.