Can Factory Talk Activation run on a cloud based server?

(I posted this on the Rockwell forum a week ago, it has 7 views and zero responses.)

As of now, we have Factory Talk Activation running on an obsolete company server. The boss want to get rid of the server altogether. Most of what we do has already been moved away from it.

We have about 6 employees who run Rockwell Software. We have several licenses for RSlogix 500 and one of each for FTView, RSLogix 5000 Mini, RSLogix 5000 Standard, and RSLogix 5000 MLP. If we get rid of that server, we have a few options: Buy everyone a license for everything. This is the simplest and most wasteful option, since some of these licenses will rarely get used. Get Dongles and split the licenses up. This would be fine until Person A is in New Mexico with the Studio 5000 dongle and Person B in Kansas needs to use it for an hour.

We have already quit using our office server for file storage, opting to use a Google Team Drive instead. That got me to thinking that perhaps there is a cloud based server option that could host Factory Talk Activation manager. Even if there was a nominal fee to lease this cloud based server, if the activation software could run that way, it would be the best way for us to maximize availability at a minimal cost.

Does anyone know if that is possible?

Did a search, as I’m sure you did as well, and it didn’t turn up anything.

Very interesting concept and I am sure that it is possible. In what manner, who knows?

If Rockwell were to come up with a service of that type, it would be unaffordable.

I dont see why you couldnt run it on a server in the cloud. You would also need to set up a vpn connection into the cloud. May be pretty costly even for a small server if you dont already have cloud servers.

It will work on a cloud-based server just fine. The software does not know if it's a physical server or cloud-based. It runs on windows and windows in windows cloud or metal.

Not sure why you would want to do this I would run it as a virtual server load or standalone server load and VPN into your office or wherever your server is to move activations. But yes if you want to do it it will work.

Urangenii said:

I had a problem with my software cloud, I just couldn’t understand what is happening. The errors just kept on popping on my screen.

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Can you give more details about your question?

Are you trying to use the Factorytalk Activation manager hosted on a cloud? If not, can you give your architecture details and screenshots?

Also, nice profile pic.

The Cloud.. its just someone elses computer.

SO yes it can be done. Can you make it a reasonable cost is the question. You just need it hosted in a low grade WINDOWS Based virtual server/PC somewhere that you need to VPN into to access the license.

Do have a VPN setup to get back into any office systems you need?
Why get rid of the server? Power costs? if that you can cut those to minimal. Get a Mini PC / NUC. small box PC about the size of a 4 disk CD Jewel Case. those suck up minor power. can leave them running full time. Just make sure you get one that has a RTC alarm/wakeup setting. Some don't and a power failure will leave it offline until someone goes and presses the power button. A RTC alarm will wake from power off every day at X time. What you need computing power wise will be provided by the mini pc.

PreLC said:

Can you give more details about your question?

Are you trying to use the Factorytalk Activation manager hosted on a cloud? If not, can you give your architecture details and screenshots?

Also, nice profile pic.

Click to expand...

Uhh.. do you not know a spammer when ya see one?

We ended up just moving it to an office PC that is always running. Then that PC with the built in windows 10 pro VPN starting giving us fits when attempting remote access. Bill Gates pet squirrels kept clicking options under the hood and breaking it. It is hard to figure out what windows has done to you behind your back and time is money...

So we added a Stridelinx VPN router to make remote access to that machine easier when needed. In FTAM, we have two paths set up to the same server, one for VPN access where the machine is called out by it's IP address as assigned to the VPN router, and one for in the office where it's called out by name.

Interestingly, the latest version of FTAM complained about having two paths to the same server, so I had to uninstall it and revert back to version 4.04 which does not complain.

I never pursued leasing a cloud based server for this, but I am sure Phil is right that it should work just fine.

OkiePC said:

We ended up just moving it to an office PC that is always running. Then that PC with the built in windows 10 pro VPN starting giving us fits when attempting remote access. Bill Gates pet squirrels kept clicking options under the hood and breaking it. It is hard to figure out what windows has done to you behind your back and time is money...

So we added a Stridelinx VPN router to make remote access to that machine easier when needed. In FTAM, we have two paths set up to the same server, one for VPN access where the machine is called out by it's IP address as assigned to the VPN router, and one for in the office where it's called out by name.

Interestingly, the latest version of FTAM complained about having two paths to the same server, so I had to uninstall it and revert back to version 4.04 which does not complain.

I never pursued leasing a cloud based server for this, but I am sure Phil is right that it should work just fine.

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I HATE WIZARDS with a deep burning rage. You never know what those stupid things do... I always do stuff manually any time I can. Win10 has made it harder to avoid them and harder to find the actual settings to correct the wizards screw ups.

Not tried it but you could get a NAS (Synology) and install a VM with licences onto that , and connect to that NAS over VPN etc