FTView SE License Only

I'm wondering if there's an option to purchase FT View SE license only and what the product code for it is. I already have FT View for ME (9701-VSSTMENE), but with it I can only do panelview applications.

My supplier tells me I need to buy 9701-VWSTENE so I can do SE applications, but that package also does the ME applications and is quite expensive. Since I already have the ME license, I'm looking just to purchase the SE license, which I would expect to be cheaper. My supplier tells me there's no option for just the SE license.

Has anybody run into this? and am I SOL and have to buy the 9701-VWSTENE and swallow the high cost?

TIA
Jr.

You're looking for just the SE Studio License? I guess there isn't an upgrade price either. The list price of Studio for SE is $2,600. Which of course does both ME and SE projects.

I just did this about 3 months ago. We did what they call, Step Forward upgrade. I was able to upgrade to Studio for an additional $1300 instead of the list price of $2600. Talk to your local distributor about the Step Forward plan.

Drake

FTView SE is quite a complicated collection of products. I have banged my head against the wall time and time again on this before, so here's the deal:

To DEVELOP an application for SE, at the VERY LEAST you will need an SE Studio license. Unfortunately, there is no "just SE" studio license. You can either do ME or ME AND SE, but not just SE. Now, your vendor MIGHT be able to work something out to where you can trade in your ME Studio license to apply as credit toward your SE Studio license. I've had that done when I exchanged a number of RSView licenses when we upgraded to FTView SE.

Now, that is ONLY to DEVELOP applications, NOT run them! This is where it gets complicated!

The basic question is this: what do you want to do with SE? If you want to:

A) Have your application run by one or two completely stand-alone PCs, then you will need to buy in ADDITION to the Studio SE license a FactoryTalk View SE STATION license. The part numbers you will need are:

- 9701-VWSTENE (1 license TOTAL, this will go on the PC you will create and develop the screens on)
- 9701-VWSBxxxAENE* (1 license for EACH PC you want to RUN your application concurrently)

*where xxx is the number of screens you want to buy a license for, so if you only want to buy 15 screens, the part number would be 9701-VWSB015AENE, and so on. Runtime licenses are no longer based on number of tags, but on number of screens.

B) Have your application run by several networked PCs and synchronized by a central network server. This is a really slick option if you have a lot of PCs with the same or similar program, because you can make changes from your desk, update the server, and all of the PCs on the plant floor automatically update the next time that screen is loaded into cache. This is the option that takes the LEAST amount of work to maintain, but the MOST to set up initially. You'll need:

- 9701-VWSTENE (1 license TOTAL, this will go on the PC you will create and develop the screens on, just as above)

- 9701-VWSSxxxLENE* (1 license for each VIRTUAL HMI server you wish to run. For small jobs this is generally 1 server, but each client can only connect to one virtual HMI server, so if you have two completely different systems and want to distribute both, get two servers, otherwise, get one. All of these licenses go on the PHYSICAL server you'd buy. The main application will reside there, and the client PCs on the plant floor will link to it.)

- 9701-VWSCWAENE (1 license for EACH PC on the Plant floor you want operators to use. You could also use the view-only license 9701-VWSCRAENE for PCs you only want the user to see what's going on and not change anything)

*As with SE Station, xxx is the number of screens you want to buy a license for

Hope that helps.

Thanks guys. I'll ask my rep about the upgrade. What I want to use it for is to create the SE application on one computer, but run it on another computer, so it sounds like I'll also need a station license. Hopefully the station licenses aren't too expensive as it would make it not worth while.

junior said:

Thanks guys. I'll ask my rep about the upgrade. What I want to use it for is to create the SE application on one computer, but run it on another computer, so it sounds like I'll also need a station license. Hopefully the station licenses aren't too expensive as it would make it not worth while.

Click to expand...

Unforunately none of this will be "not too expensive." The least expensive station license is going to be another $2k list, and that's just for 15 screens, on top of what you're paying for Studio. All in all you're probably looking at around the cost of a Panelview Plus 1500 to have SE. Honestly, I really don't see the point of SE Station. By the time you pay the exhorbitant price for an SE Station license and buy the PC Hardware to run it, you're pretty much in for the price of a big Panelview. Only reason you'd need SE is if you need the advanced features. I'm not sure what those features are off the top of my head, but I know that SE is more than just ME on a desktop PC (which you can do, by the way. It's called FactoryTalk View ME Station).

Sounds too expensive going the SE route, I need to look into the ME station option as this is really what I need. Can you install ME station by itself on a computer? Or can it only be installed with FT View Studio?

Yes you can install ME station on a PC.

Looks like ME station needs it's own license and it only supports 5 displays.