SCADA System Recommendations

VTScada 12.1

Updated January 16, 2024

This is simply a guide. Actual SCADA software requirements will depend on your application architecture.

For VTScada Licenses Installed

	Small Systems Up to 1K Licensed Tags	Medium Systems 1K to 25K Licensed Tags	Large Systems 25K to 100K Licensed Tags	Enterprise Systems Over 100K Licensed Tags
Windows OS	32- or 64-bit	64-bit	64-bit	64-bit
Processor*	2+ GHz Dual Core x86 or x86-64	3+ GHz Quad Core x86-64	4+ GHz Quad Core x86-64	4+ GHz Quad Core x86-64
RAM	8GB	16 GB	32 GB	48 GB
Hard Drive	500 GB	1 TB	2 TB SSD	4 TB SSD
Historical Logging	1K data changes/sec requires 1,500 GB/year

* High clock speeds are more helpful than more cores.

Compatible Operating Systems by VTScada Version

Microsoft has ended support for: XP^®, Vista^®, Windows 7^®, Windows 8^®, Windows 8.1^®, Server 2008^®, Server 2008 R2^®, Server 2012^®, and 2012 R2^®.

Alarm Notifications

Text-to-speech phone alerts require a voice modem, a VoIP-phone system, or a web-based messaging service like Twilio®.
Choosing Modems: VTScada Users Forum
Connection to an email server for email notifications.
Cell modem, email account, or Twilio (web-based service) for text notifications.
Sound card and speakers required for local alarm annunciation.

Virtualized Servers

VTScada is widely used on virtual Servers.
Each virtual server instance needs a VTScada license.
Don’t clone virtual servers with VTScada installed. (search ‘virtual servers’ in VTScada Help.)
Ensure host PCs have enough capacity for all VMs, e.g., CPU, RAM, drive space, ports, Ethernet bandwidth.
Twilio (left) is a simple alternative to voice modems in virtual environments.

RAID Drives

VTScada supports all RAID modes for systems that specify their use.
Applications with redundant, synchronized servers are resilient without using RAID.
Some users have experienced performance issues with RAID. Troubleshoot this in the RAID controller not VTScada. (We may not be able to assist.)
Configure RAID with solid-state drives (SSDs).

System Performance

Load share services across servers.
Use Master & Subordinate Apps.
Keep VTScada & History on separate drive from OS.
VTScada can use up to 4 CPU cores.
Provide enough RAM for the OS and file cache (twice the number shown in the VAM).

For Thin Client Connections on Devices Without VTScada Installed

Requires a connection to a running VTScada application server with Thin Clients enabled.
Does not require Remote Desktop Protocol^® (RDP).
Does not require dedicated thin client hardware such as Wyse^® devices.
Performance more related to quality of the server and network rather than power of end user devices.
Thin Clients work well over slower connections so long as the network latency is low.
The VIC (below right) can support multi-monitors and graphical configuration tools.

The VTScada Anywhere Client
For HTML5 Browsers on Mobile Devices, PCs, Macs, and LINUX

To Launch – Enter a URL into one of the browsers below.

Safari^® (OS X, iOS)
Chrome^® (Windows^®, Android^®)
Firefox^® (Windows^®)
Edge^®(Windows^®)

Phone Hardware – 2 GB RAM (at least 200 MBs free space)

PC Hardware – See “Small Systems” recommendations above.

The VTScada Internet Client (VIC)
For Windows Desktops, Laptops, and Servers

To Launch

Enter a URL into a Windows browser such as Chrome^®, Firefox^®, or Edge^®.
or…
Run a small desktop program (downloaded once from your application)

PC Hardware – See “Small Systems” recommendations above.

PC OS – Windows 12^® or newer