Since I’m loading a new laptop what are you doing for 32 bit legacy FactoryTalk View

[Cydog]

Good Morning ,

Since I’m loading a new laptop , what are you doing for the 32 bit FactoryTalk View projects that you run into ? Are you using a VM package , with a earlier version of FactoryTalk View ? I heard that FactoryTalk View 10 , 11 , etc. have the ability to open and create runtimes of these 32 bit HMI applications . Is that true ? Is it really an issue now ?

I know nothing about VM , and I would rather not use it . Can you have a number of VM’s on one computer ? Since you can only have one version of FactoryTalk View , do you need to have a few VM’s being used ? If so , how do you open several VM’s on a laptop ?

Thanks so much .

 

[dmroeder]

We have only ever ran the 32 bit version of FactoryTalk, in a VM. We're currently running v10. Since there was no real benefit, only downsides of running 64 bit, we stuck with 32 bit. For example, v10 64 bit, if you make a runtime in v6 or 6.10, it is forced to "not allow conversion". Though it is laughably trivial to work around. It really ****es me off that the software forces this on you, yet by modifying one byte in the MER, the software will happily restore the MER that the software forced you into not being able to restore. Dumb.

We're sticking with v10 because we noticed that in v12, you cannot make runtimes for v5 or lower. Since we have a lot of equipment out there which we still support, we're not upgrading. We could run multiple VM's with multiple versions, but there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to do it, v12 just isn't that much better than v10. There is also a warning in v12 that says they'll drop support for v6.x runtimes in the next release. So it seems, we'll be sticking with 10 for the foreseeable future.

 

[plvlce]

We're sticking with v10 because we noticed that in v12, you cannot make runtimes for v5 or lower. Since we have a lot of equipment out there which we still support, we're not upgrading. We could run multiple VM's with multiple versions, but there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to do it, v12 just isn't that much better than v10. There is also a warning in v12 that says they'll drop support for v6.x runtimes in the next release. So it seems, we'll be sticking with 10 for the foreseeable future.

I am still using v11 for the same reason; got a handful of v5 I still need to support.

 

[Operaghost]

Good Morning ,

Since I’m loading a new laptop , what are you doing for the 32 bit FactoryTalk View projects that you run into ? Are you using a VM package , with a earlier version of FactoryTalk View ? I heard that FactoryTalk View 10 , 11 , etc. have the ability to open and create runtimes of these 32 bit HMI applications . Is that true ? Is it really an issue now ?

I know nothing about VM , and I would rather not use it . Can you have a number of VM’s on one computer ? Since you can only have one version of FactoryTalk View , do you need to have a few VM’s being used ? If so , how do you open several VM’s on a laptop ?

Thanks so much .

So yes, the newer versions convert the old applications now without us having to do anything extra. So, the 32-bit v 64-bit issue is behind us. To an extent anyway. But as mentioned, the newer versions cut off support for some older versions. That can be an issue that requires you to keep those older versions available in some form. For most of us, that is where VMs come in.

A VM is just a software tool. Nothing to shy away from. For controls, it really is a very good thing to use them. Think of each VM as a standalone PC. In reality, it is just files in a folder on your PC. Your PC can have many VMs. It is only limited by hard drive space. You usually hear your PC referred to as the "Host" and each VM is called a "guest".

My computer boots up Windows 10. Then I launch VMware Workstation (my personal preference for a VM tool). In that software, I have multiple VMs available. Mine range from Windows XP up through Windows 10. Each VM has specific software. Our company uses a lot of Rockwell, so we have VMs that contain different versions of FT View along with other RA software. I can then boot up the VM with XP, do what I need to do and then close it down. Then I can boot up my Windows 7 VM and do what I need there.

VMs take a lot of hard drive space and they need RAM. If your PC has 16GB of RAM and your VM is setup to use 4GB then that VM will take 4GB when it powers on and then release that RAM when it powers off. If you have enough RAM, you could run multiple VMs at the same time.

There are of course stumbling blocks to use VMs. Two primarily. First you need the VM software. There are two favorites out there. VMware and VirtualBox. Each have their benefits (and fan base). Secondly, each VM is considered a standalone PC as far as Microsoft is concerned. So, each VM requires its own copy of Windows. For a bigger company with site licensing, this isn't an issue. For smaller companies, this could get expensive.

I would recommend getting familiar with VMs. They really make things easier.

OG

 

[stretch_af]

...yet by modifying one byte in the MER, the software will happily restore the MER that the software forced you into not being able to restore. Dumb.

dmroeder, could you elaborate on this. I haven't heard of this workaround.

Thanks
Justin

 

[Helliana]

I'm running FTView v12 in a Windows 10 x64 VM with all the new versions (v16+) of Studio 5000. I also have a Windows XP VM with FTview v9, Panelbuilder32, and the old versions of RSlogix 5, 5000, and 5000 that aren't supported well on Windows 10 or are not compatible with the newest version of RSlinx. I use the XP machine when working on Panelview Standards and Panelview Plus, and the new VM when its a Panelview+6 or greater.

 

[ASF]

dmroeder, could you elaborate on this. I haven't heard of this workaround.

Thanks
Justin

Seconded!

 

[Duranthas]

Seconded!

Inquiring minds want to know....
I'm very interested in this since we currently have no standard for our panels and have firmware/revisions that are across the full spectrum.

 

[johnd_125]

Reviving an old thread...

I've ran into something of a roadblock on creating new VM's, because where do you get the Windows license for each one? Someone mentioned buying them on Ebay, but could you elaborate? I read where guys have all these VM's, are you getting a Windows license for each and every one?

I have an old Windows 7 machine and an older Windows XP machine. Can I use the Windows licenses on t hose machines to get a standalone VM up and going?

I think I have gotten around that by using a "linked clone" and not a standalone machine. Pros and Cons of doing this?