Factorytalk View ME Licences & Versions

Hi

I've got a project running to replace about 500 Panelview 550s with Panelview +7 units.

Last year I bought and downloaded V9 of Factorytalk View ME. later in the year we started to receive panelviews with V10 installed. No problems, it turned out the licence I had was for V10, so I just upgraded the transfer utility to V10 and I could download to the new panelviews again..... Now I find out that the version 11 is out.

First question: is the download of View ME linked to version numbers, or do they keep upgrading for free? we don't use VMs, and I have to get between 40 & 50 laptops installed with View ME. what I don't want is to have to keep buying new licenses every year...

If I want to restrict everyone to say V9, can I get away with just upgrading the transfer utility every time? and if so - is the transfer utility usually a free upgrade?

If I end up having to buy new licences every time a batch of these panelviews get bought - I cant see our management being impressed with the requirement to purchase licenses every time...

Sorry if this is a stupid question, this is a new process for me, having been previously stuck on Logix500 & PB32 for many years.

Thanks

Andy

No, you don't have to continue to upgrade software. Panelviews you purchase now can run can run older versions of software safely back to versions 8 or so (there may be a few exceptions).

Lets say you had originally stayed with the v9 software; the v10 capable units can v9 applications just fine. But they wouldn't run anything higher than 10 without a firmware upgrade.

If you do purchase v11 and a Panelview has only v9 or something less, you have to select the lower version when you create the runtime.

Any purchased Rockwell Software license (including FTVS for ME) has a grace period within which, if a new version is released, it becomes 'freely' available for download using the Serial Number and Key/Registered Buyer of the recently purchased license.

When a software support contract is also purchased and kept current, any new release will be available 'free of charge'.

Any older released version of the purchased software license is available for download even without an active support contract.

As for the latest available release, updating immediately is a double edge sword; yes, the new 'features' will become immediately available, however, the new 'bugs' will also start acting up at once.

I would stay at v.10 for a while. The firmware of the available new terminals is usually one or two major releases behind the current software one and, if down the road you are 'running behind', you could also downgrade the firmware on a new terminal and match the software level.

As for the Transfer Utility, there usually is an available 'stand-alone' release for each new software version, however, each software version has a 'built-in' module which works for quite a few older released firmware revisions- I believe v.10 could create and download/upload Runtimes as 'old' as revision 5.10.