Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

Deployment Guide

Version 6.0
June, 2018
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 MES Deployment Guide

Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started..................................................................................................... 5
Using This Guide ...................................................................................................................... 5
System Sizes Referred to in This Guide ..................................................................................... 5

Chapter 2 General Server Requirements .......................................................................... 7

System Requirements in the MES Readme File .......................................................................... 7
CPUs ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Memory .................................................................................................................................... 8
Hard Drives .............................................................................................................................. 8
MES Networks .......................................................................................................................... 8
Cont rols Net work................................................................................................................. 9
Plant Production Network .................................................................................................... 9
Plant Business Network ....................................................................................................... 9
Corporate Wide Area Network (WAN)................................................................................... 9
Network Interconnections .................................................................................................. 10
Typical Deployment Options ......................................................................................... 10
Network Security ............................................................................................................... 11
Operating System Requirements ............................................................................................. 11
Supported Databases and Database Requirements .................................................................. 11
Compatibility with Other A veva Products .................................................................................. 12
Virtualization and High A vailability ............................................................................................ 12
Documenting the Installation and Change Control ..................................................................... 12
Chapter 3 Components of an MES Solution ................................................................... 15
Standard Hardware ................................................................................................................. 15
Production Databas e Server .................................................................................................... 15
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 16
Database Disk Space Requirements ........................................................................................ 17
Backup and Recovery Strategy ................................................................................................ 18
Application (MES Middleware) Server ...................................................................................... 19
The MES Middleware ........................................................................................................ 19
Where to Run the MES Middleware Host ............................................................................ 22
Load Balancing of the MES Middleware .............................................................................. 22
MES Middleware Host Licensing ........................................................................................ 23
The MES Service .................................................................................................................... 23
Report Server ......................................................................................................................... 23
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 24
MES Web Portal Server .......................................................................................................... 25
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Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 25

Galaxy Repository (GR) Node Server ....................................................................................... 26
Archive S erver ........................................................................................................................ 26
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 26
High A vailability/Fault Toleranc e ........................................................................................ 27
Terminal Server ...................................................................................................................... 28
Terminal Server Considerations ......................................................................................... 28
Other Considerations ......................................................................................................... 29
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 29
Engineering Stations ............................................................................................................... 30
Applications Used ............................................................................................................. 30
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 30
Supervisor Stations ................................................................................................................. 31
Applications Used ............................................................................................................. 31
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 31
Operator Stations .................................................................................................................... 32
Key Paramet ers ................................................................................................................ 32

Chapter 4 Designing an MES Solution ............................................................................. 33

Topology Overview ................................................................................................................. 33
Standard Topology Overview ............................................................................................. 34
Standard Architecture with Scaling Factors ......................................................................... 34
Topology Production Network Details ....................................................................................... 36
Topology Production Network Details Typic al Medium-Size Plant ....................................... 36
Test System...................................................................................................................... 36
Demonstration System ...................................................................................................... 38
Case Study: Scaling the System .............................................................................................. 39

Appendix A A Performance-Qualified Medium-Size System ........................................ 43

Introduction to the Performance-Qualified Medium -Size System ................................................ 43
Component Deployment .......................................................................................................... 43
Test Loads ............................................................................................................................. 44
Performance Test Results ....................................................................................................... 45
System Resource Usage ......................................................................................................... 46

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C HAPTER 1
Getting Started
In This Chapter
Using This Guide ............................................................................................................................ 5
System Sizes Referred to in This Guide ........................................................................................... 5

Using This Guide

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance to help you deploy a Manufacturing Execution System
(MES) solution.
The guide includes:
 Typical server topologies for different scenarios
 The roles of different servers and what should be running on eac h
 Sizing recommendations
 Server configuration best practices
 Scalability and redundancy considerations
One of the main differences bet ween this document and the MES I nstallation Guide is that this document
provides guidelines on how to archit ect your system while the MES Installation Guide describes how to
install it.
For a complete listing of the MES documentation library, see the Readme file that is provided with the
current version of the software or go to the MES page of the Global Customer S upport web site.

System Sizes Referred to in This Guide

Throughout this guide, guidelines and configuration information for small, medium, and large system
sizes are referred to.
However, to simplify the discussion, this guide focuses on a medium -size system that has been qualified
to determine the performance levels that could be achieved. Key configuration paramet ers for the
various MES servers are provided for medium -sized systems similar to this performance-qualified
system.
The qualification testing met hods and the performance results for the performance-qualified system are
provided in A Performance-Qualified Medium -Size System on page 43 and Performance Test Results.
This performance information can assist you with determining the system configuration parameters that
you would choose to deploy an MES system that meets your performance requirements within the
system resources that are available to you.

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C HAPTER 2
General Server Requirements
In This Chapter
System Requirements in the MES Readme File ................................................................................ 7
CPUs ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Memory.......................................................................................................................................... 8
Hard Drives .................................................................................................................................... 8
MES Networks................................................................................................................................ 8
Operating System Requirements ................................................................................................... 11
Supported Databases and Database Requirements ........................................................................ 11
Compatibility with Other A veva Products ........................................................................................ 12
Virtualization and High A vailability.................................................................................................. 12
Documenting the Installation and Change Control ........................................................................... 12

System Requirements in the MES Readme File

Complete system requirements for the current MES release are available in the MES Readme file, which
is included with the MES installation software. The Readme file is also available on the Global Customer
Support website.
To access a copy of the Readme file on the Global Customer Support website
1. Log in to the Global Customer Support website.
2. Go to the Product Hub page of the Knowledge and Support Cent er.
3. On the P roduct Hub page, use the filter to list the MES documents, whic h will include the Readme file
for the current release.

CPUs
The CP U is one of the most important determinants of performance. The following are guidelines
associated to choosing the correct CPUs:
 Validate the Operating Systems (OS) restrictions on the number of CPUs.
For CP U restrictions for current Windows releases, see the Memory Limits for Windows and
Windows Server Releases page on the Microsoft MSDN web site.
 Validate the Microsoft SQL Server database software licensing restriction on the number of CP Us
 The CPU performance target is to have less than 30% average CPU usage. CPU usage is based on
100% – (% Idle Time). For example, if the % Idle Time = 75%, then CPU usage is considered to be
25%.
o If you take the CPU Time for Idle Process and divide by the running time of the machine, you will
get the average percent idle time. The average CP U usage is just 1 minus the average idle time.
 For the CPU Time you can use Task Manager:
o Select Processes > View menu > Select Columns.
o Choose the CPU Time column.

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MES Deployment Guide General Server Requirements

Memory
For memory requi rements, refer to the Readme file that is provided with the current version of the MES
software. See System Requirements in the MES Readme File on page 7.
On a running system, there should be at least 30% available memory. Use a performance monitor to
track memory usage over time to detect possible problems with memory usage. On the database server,
SQL Server has configuration options to limit the maximum amount of memory it can consume. The
database server will be the largest consumer of memory in a MES solution.See the SQL Server
documentation to learn about limits based on the version being used.

Hard Drives
Proper planning of hard drive architecture will help to maintain performance and prevent unnecessary
outages. There are performance counters available for monit oring disk usage and disk performance.
These can be used to determine if the disk is being heavily used, which might cause slower overall
system performance.

Note: To properly plan the hard drive architecture, you should have a basic understanding of RAID
(Redundant Array of Independent Disks; see the RAID (http://en. wik ipedia.org/ wik i/RAID) ent ry on
Wikipedia.

The following are guidelines:

 Separate the operating system (OS) and program files from the dat a and backups. The following
table shows the recommended configuration for each.

Drive Used for Type RAI D

C: OS and program files Internal 1 (mirrored)

D: Database files External 1+0 (or 10), or 0+1 or 5

E: Backup External RAID is typically not

used on a backup drive

 To aid the performance for systems that require a large amount of data be stored for long periods of
time or have a high number of MES transactions, you might consider placing the Logs and TempDB
on a separat e array of disks (RAID 0, 5 or 10).
 For database drives, it is recommended to use RAID 1+0 (sometimes called RAID 10). RA ID 5 is
also an acceptable approac h; however, RA ID 10 is recommended as its benefits out weigh the
additional costs.
 External storage units are recommended [SAN (storage area net work) or SA TA (Serial Advanced
Technology Attachment )] for everything but the OS. External storage also supports a clustering
design if needed in the future.
o Hardware-based RA ID arrays (not software) should be used, wit h all drives being
hot-swappable.

MES Networks
Conc eptually, the MES network comprises the following network types:
 Cont rols net work
 Plant Production net work

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 Business network
 Corporate wide area net work (WAN)
Not every plant will have these net work distinctions, and the separation bet ween the networks will vary
from site to site and company to company.
The following topics describe eac h of these net works. It is important to understand the reasons for these
network distinctions so that you know how to design the MES solution. See Designing an MES Solution
on page 33 for example topologies with these network types identified.

Controls Network
The Controls network contains all machine controllers [PLC (programmable logic controller), DCS
(distribut ed control system), SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), etc.]. It might contain
several segments distributed throughout the plant and it is not necessarily an Ethernet network.
This network allows separation of the controls system from the rest of the network for security and
bandwidth issues. It is characterized by a high volume of traffic, usually more or less constant.
Access to this network is strictly controlled. Generally, supervisory control systems (InTouch) or MES
clients should not be on the Controls network. However, the Operation Int egration Servers (OIS) should
be on the Controls network. The OIS must also be able to connect to your Application S erver.

Plant Production Network

The Plant Production network is the main MES network. It will host or provide access to all MES servers.
Also the direct access clients (Engineering station, S upervisor station, and Operator stations) usually will
be on this net work.
The use of fiber optics for the backbone of this net work is growing.
This network allows controlled access to the shop floor systems. Office users are not on this network, as
they might download large files that could interfere with data acquisition or access to the system. Thi s
network is characterized by relatively few clients, controlled access, and moderat e traffic. It is usually on
the Int ernet but might have some restrictions.

Plant Business Network

The Plant Business network is the main network for most non-direct production staff. Some users will
require access to the MES Report Server. See Net work Interconnections on page 10 for different
methods of providing access. In some circumstances, the Engineering Stations and Supe rvisor Stations
will be on the Plant Business net work.
This network is characterized as open, with many clients and varying traffic loads that might cause it to
be slow at times. It is usually placed on the other side of the firewall from the Production network It might
be part of the corporate WAN with or without a firewall.

Corporate Wide Area Network (WAN)

The Corporate WAN is distinguished by its physical location, which is usually off site but connected
through a direct or dedicated line. The ERP (ent erprise resource planning) system (e.g., SAP) will reside
on the Corporate WAN or Business network. The Database Server (for the ERP interface) requires
access to it, usually through the firewall.
The Corporate WAN is characteriz ed by a slower connection. However, it is generally a stable and
reliable connection.

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MES Deployment Guide General Server Requirements

Network Interconnections
Assuming your MES servers are all on the Plant Production net work, the following servers will require
access to servers outside this network:
 Database Server: Plant Business Network or Corporate WAN for the E RP interface
 Application Server/OI Servers: Controls the network for the PLC data ac quisition
 Database Server: Plant Business net work or Corporate WAN for user reports access
Getting data outside your domain or on a different net work might cause issues related to crossing the
firewall and users rights on both networks.
The basic idea is to have the server placed on the network where it is most used and have a router that
connects the network or net work segments. This router would allow cross network communications while
isolating traffic and limiting access based on configuration.

Typical Deployment Options

Four typical net work interconnect solutions using the Report Server are provided here as examples.
The offic e users need access to the Report Server from the Plant Business network. The Report Server
requires access to the Database Server (on the Plant Production network) to get the data for the reports.
 Place the Report Server on the Plant Production Network. The net works are connected via a router
that is configured t o isolate traffic to its own subnet while allowing communication to devices on ot her
subnets based on configuration. This may simply consist of opening access to port 80 of the Report
Server.

Note: To ac hieve better system performance, set up an Archive/Report server rather than have
Reporting run directly from the Production dat abas e.

 For the link between the Application Server and the PLC, a smart switch can be used. It connects to
the router and allows configuring a virtual network where traffic between servers connected to the
smart switch is performed directly without being broadcast on the main Plant Production backbone.
 Setup the Report Server on the office network and provide access to the Database Server. This
might require communication between the Dat abase Server and the Report Server through the
firewall. Other access might be needed if other AVEVA server features are used (such as viewing
InTouch graphics). The following are some typical approaches to support the Report Server
communication:
o Dual network cards in the Report Server (however, this might violat e security policies).
o Placing the Report Server in a DMZ between the Business network and the Production network
[for information about a network DMZ, see DMZ (computing)
(http://en. wik ipedia.org/ wik i/DMZ_(computing)) on Wikipedia]. A DMZ separates the server from
the two net works that need to be separated from each other for security reasons. This will allow
communication to occur from the Business network to the Report Server and from the
Production net work to the Report Server, but not between the Business network and the
Production network. Routers that include firewalls with multiple ports are commercially available.

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The following figure illustrates the four net work deployment approaches.

Network Security
Anti-virus software has been known to interfere with MES.
Make sure you follow the recommendations regarding anti-virus software defined in the topic "Antivirus
Software Exclusions" in the Readme file that is provided with the current version of System Platform.

Operating System Requirements

For information about operating system requirements, refer to the System Requirements section in the
Readme file that is provided with the current version of the MES soft ware. See System Requirements in
the MES Readme File on page 7.

Supported Databases and Database Requirements

For information about the supported databases and their requirements, refer to the System
Requirements section in the Readme file that is provided with the current version of the MES soft ware.
See System Requirements in the MES Readme File on page 7.

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MES Deployment Guide General Server Requirements

Compatibility with Other Aveva Products

For information about compatibility with ot her AVEVA products, refer to the Product Compatibilit y section
in the Readme file that is provided with the current version of the MES software. See S ystem
Requirements in the MES Readme File on page 7.

Virtualization and High Availability

For guidelines on how to configure a MES system that supports virtualization and high availability, see
the MES Virtual Implementation Guide.

Documenting the Installation and Change Control

During the installation procedure and as changes and patches or hot fixes are added to the system, it is
important that you keep good records.
The spreads heet shown on the following page is an example of an installation and change control
record. Note how it identifies all major software components and identifies where they are installed.
It is also important to document any AVEVA hotfixes or patches that are installed. These typically do not
appear in the Windows Add/Remove P rograms Control Panel dialog box .

Note: Having complete installation rec ords will help ensure that the components that are installed on
your system are communicated to support engineers when troubleshooting problems or when
determining whether a new hotfix that is being requested is compatible.

This spreadsheet is intended t o be used with the System Topology diagram to provide a complete picture
of the system.

# Software Version DB01 AS01 TS01 TS02 WEB01 DEV01

Windows Components X X X X X X
1 Windows Server <insert version X X X X X
number>
2 Windows X

3 Terminal Server/Licensing X
Server
4 Activate Windows Licensing X X X X X X
5 IIS X

6 .NET Framework X X X X X X
7 Microsoft Message Queuing X

Additional Microsoft Software X X X X X X

8 Microsoft Office X

9 Microsoft SQL Server X X

10 SQL Server Dat abase Mail X

11 Microsoft SQL Server - X

Reporting Services Standard
12 SharePoint X
AVEVA Software X X X X X X

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# Software Version DB01 AS01 TS01 TS02 WEB01 DEV01

13 Application Server IDE X

14 Application Server GR X

15 Application Server Boot strap X X

16 InTouch Development X

17 InTouch TSE X X
18 InTouch Failover System TSE X X
(Part # 01-2302TP)
19 Alarm DB X X

20 MES Database X X

21 MES Service X X
22 MES Middleware X X

23 MES Middleware Proxy X X

24 MES Reports X X

25 MES Client X X X
26 MES Operator X X X

27 MES Web Portal X

28 Intelligence S erver X

29 Intelligence S erver Database X

30 Historian X X

31 IO Server for comms to PLC X

32 License Server (can be located
on any node)

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 MES Deployment Guide

C HAPTER 3
Components of an MES Solution
In This Chapter
Standard Hardware....................................................................................................................... 15
Production Databas e Server.......................................................................................................... 15
Database Disk Space Requirements .............................................................................................. 17
Backup and Recovery Strategy ...................................................................................................... 18
Application (MES Middleware) Server ............................................................................................ 19
The MES Service.......................................................................................................................... 23
Report Server ............................................................................................................................... 23
MES Web Portal Server ................................................................................................................ 25
Galaxy Repository (GR) Node Server............................................................................................. 26
Archive S erver .............................................................................................................................. 26
Terminal Server ............................................................................................................................ 28
Engineering Stations ..................................................................................................................... 30
Supervisor Stations ....................................................................................................................... 31
Operator Stations ......................................................................................................................... 32

Standard Hardware
For each of the servers, standard hardware is recommended in the Server topics in this chapter based on
the following load:
 Operations and Performance on 50 lines or machines (pieces of equipment), each with 2 application
objects (100 MES application objects total)
 Utilization events are generated at a rate of 1 event per minute per machine
 OEE is calculated for each mac hine
 1 job is created per hour per machine
 Inventory is received once per hour per machine
 1 item consumption event and 2 item production events are generated each minute for each
machine
 Discrete production is being collected
This standard hardware recommended here is just a guideline to help with purc hasing decisions for new
equipment. As each site is different, care must be taken to allow for expansion as needed.
The minimum recommended server OS is Windows Server Enterprise Edition. Enterprise Edition was
selected over the Standard Edition bec ause the Enterprise Edition supports more memory for future
expansion as needed.

Production Database Server

The Production Database Server is usually the most critical server relating to performance in an MES
System.

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The Production Database Server holds the MES database and is the central repository for the MES data.
The MES database is supported on SQL Server. The Production Database Server, especially in large
implementations, should be dedicated t o MES due to high transaction volumes. There should be no E RP
databases, etc. on the same server.
If you are going to use virtualization software for your Production Database Server, make sure you size it
appropriately for the additional overhead that virtualization brings.

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for the P roduction Database
Server in a medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard  12 GB RAM
Configuration
 300 GB Disk RA ID 10 for dat a. The amount of disk space necessary depends
on the frequency of data collected (number of work orders, operations,
production quantities, etc.) and the amount of data kept online in the
Production database.

Microsoft Components  Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator

MES Components  MES databas e

 MES Service wit h dedic ated MES middleware [see Application (MES
Middleware) Server on page 19]

System Platform  Historian database

Components
 Alarm dat abase

Scalability  Try to keep the Database Server on one machine, if possible.

 When performance on this server is too slow, the following steps should be
taken:
o Add additional memory. The memory on a Database Server is not linear
and at a cert ain point adding more memory will not help.
o Add additional CPUs. The CP U usage is most significantly based on the
number of transactions, which is usually related to the number of users.
This means that if your CPU becomes limiting and you have a lot of users
connected, then increasing the number of CPUs will help. If the CPU is
limited by large transactions then adding additional CPUs may not help.
o Move the MES middleware, Historian database, and Alarm database to
other servers.
o Use Dat abas e Cluster technology.
 To accommodate these potential performance solutions, you should
purchase a server that has the ability to expand the number of CPUs and
memory, and use the Enterprise edition of SQL Server.
 Weekly or monthly, monitor the dat abase for index and table fragmentation.
Fragment ation levels greater than 30% will cause performance degradation.

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Parameter Comments

High A vailability/Fault Recommended with:

Tolerance
 Windows fail-over cluster

Key Measures  CPU usage < 30%

 Memory stable with 1 GB free

Data Storage  C: OS: 80 GB available RA ID 0.

Requirements
 D: Data: 300 GB available RAID 10.
 E: Backup: 300 GB, no RA ID.
 Optional: You can keep the logs and tempDB on a separate physical disk to
improve performance.
 F: Logs: 40 GB available RA ID 10. Monitor the transaction log file to ensure
that it is not constantly growing, which can be a sign of missed backups or
other issues.
Other Databases The Production Database Server typically runs the following dat abas es:*
 MES databas e
 Alarm dat abase
 Runtime database
In a typical solution, it does not run the following:
 Galaxy Repository
 Intelligence S erver database
 Report Server databases

*Ideally, these databases should be run on their own server. However, in practic e, if the Alarms and Historian databases are being
used only for MES, then they can be run on the Production Database Server.

Database Disk Space Requirements

The volume of transactions that occur on a daily basis at any one site should be considered when
estimating the amount of disk space that will be required for the databases.
Tables that hold the system configuration, items, processes, bills of material, and so on can be
considered static after doing the initial setup and load of process -related dat a.
Tables that hold work orders, jobs, labor, production, consumption, and so on can be considered
dynamic in that they will continue to grow based on the number of trans action that occur on a daily basis.
To determine initial and growth requirements for disk space:
 Estimate the amount of data required to build a system for production go -live.
 Estimate the amount of daily transactions.

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Consideration should be given to the number of days that historical job data is required to remain in the
database. With archiving implemented, closed work orders and all relat ed data can be moved to an
off-line database for reporting purposes. Archiving will ensure that the performance of the production
system does not decline over time due to a buildup of historic al data in the Production databas e.
Instead of trying to plug all these factors into an equation, it is recommended that you start with a
moderate-size system (say 300 GB of free space) and monitor the data growth. A typical setup would
have one year of on-line data in the MES database.
After you have created or migrated the database, it is recommended that you adjust the file sizes.
Observe the following guidelines when adjusting the file sizes:
 Large files should be created when the disk is clean so that the file is stored on contiguous sectors.
 Choose an initial file size that is the expected size when the database is fully loaded. For example, if
the expected size when fully loaded is 200 GB, then set the initial size to 200 GB.
 For the default 10% growth, you might consider changing to an absolute growth of, say, 1024 MB.
 Make sure that these files are on your Data drive; they should never be on the C: drive.
The following table shows an ex ample of the MES database file sizes for SQL Server.

File Group File Type Initial Size Auto Growth

FI_P rimary Data 100 MB 100 MB

FI_Data Data 100 MB 100 MB

FI_Data_2 Data 100 MB 100 MB

FI_Index Data 100 MB 100 MB

FI_Index_2 Data 100 MB 100 MB

FI_Large Data 102400 MB 1024 MB

FI_Large_Index Data 51200 MB 1024 MB

Simple Recovery Mode

FI_Log Log 100 MB 100 MB

Full Recovery Mode

FI_Log Log 10240 MB 1024 MB

This setup uses about 150 GB (160 GB for Full Recovery Mode) of disk space. You can always use the
Disk Usage report provided within SQL Server Management Studio to see the actual space used.
You must also implement a dat abase maintenanc e plan that includes re-indexing, truncation of
transaction logs, and shrinking of files.

Backup and Recovery Strategy

All MES systems should have a good and validated backup and recovery strategy. For
recommendations on creating a backup and recovery strategy, see the article MES Back up and
Recovery Strategy, available in the Knowledge Base on the Global Customer Support web site.
Some key points are:
 Have a local backup drive and store all you r backups on it.

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 Use the correct SQL Server Recovery Model to match the backups you are doing.
 Do complete backups at least once per day.
 Validate your backup/restore procedure.

Application (MES Middleware) Server

The Application (MES Middleware) Server hosts the MES middleware used to communicate with and
process all database transactions from the clients.
When ArchestrA System Platform is used, the same server usually hosts both the MES middleware and
the ArchestrA System Platform Application Server. For these reasons, this server is being referred to as
the Application (MES Middleware) Server.

The MES Middleware

The MES middleware is a process that handles all client transactions to the database. The MES
Middleware Proxy provides access to the MES middleware for clients. The proxy is installed on each
client station and on all MES middleware hosts.
The recommended number of MES middleware hosts for a medium -size system are:
 One for each Application Object Servers (AOS ) server
 One for each Terminal Server
 One for Enterprise Integration: Enterprise Integration or Supply Chain Connector (SCC) (typically on
the Database Server)
Each MES middleware host acquires an MES Middleware count from the License Server. The MES
middleware is fully multi-threaded and uses multiple CPUs. However, other restrictions related to
handling transactions limit the number of sessions that one MES middleware host can support. For
additional information about licensing, see MES Middleware Host Licensing on page 23.
When scaling, scale by proc ess area. Servers running Application Server engines that host MES
application objects must have a local MES middleware host. This is requir ed for performance on
high-transaction volume systems.
The following table lists the different components that require a connection to the MES middleware with
some deployment guidelines.

Components Comments/Deployment Guidelines

MES Clients (InTouch,  50 to 100 user int erface (UI) clients/MES middleware host. This guideline is
Operator, MES Web based on performance and isolation considerations. Applications will vary by
Portal, etc.) the number of transactions they will generate per second, minut e, or hour.
One additional advantage of having more than one MES middleware server
is not just to distribute the load but to also eliminat e a single point of failure.
For example, if you have 80 demanding clients, then you might consider two
servers. However, if you have 60 average clients, one server would be
enough. Once you reach the 100-client range, it is recommended that the
MES middleware host be split bet ween two servers.
 For each client you configure the Proxy configuration to the MES middleware
host.
 These connections have a low load on the server.

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Components Comments/Deployment Guidelines

AOS (Application  No more than 100–150 MES application objects per platform.
Object Server) with
MES Application  No more than 30–50 MES application objects per engine.
Objects  Local MES middleware to handle MES application object transactions.
 Usually, API calls to MES middleware from t he Application Server objects are
not included in the calculation because the load is significantly less.
 Utilization Capability Object (UCO) - The complexity of the expression
evaluations and the number of raw re ason codes to evaluate will affect the
total number of UCOs that can run on an engine. Look for any scan overrun
messages in the logger and the average engine execution time to determine
the maximum load. Since utilization events have a minimum resolution of 1
second, the engine scan time should be 1 second or greater.
 Operations Capability Object (OCO) - The more functionality included in the
object, the more time it will take to execute the object. Multiple job positions,
many specifications, and many consumption count ers will affect the number
of objects hosted on an engine. Look for any scan overrun messages in the
logger and the average engine execution time to determine maximum load.
 Sample Recording Object (SRO) - The number of characteristics being
captured is the main determining factor for the SRO. The following
configuration has been tested: 15 objects capturing dat a for 10 variable
characteristics (each with 5 measurements) against 2 samples per minute for
each entity. Look for any scan overrun messages in the logger and the
average engine execution time to determine maximum load.

Enterprise Integration,  The MES Service does some clean -up to shifts and sessions as well as
Supply Chain running the Supply Chain Connector (S CC) schedules. For more details, see
Connector (SCC), or the MES Service User’s Guide.
MES Service
 The MES Service also manages the creation of future Quality samples and
changes in sample status based on passage of time. Quality sampling should
not be used as a historian to reco rd large volumes of data at high rates.
Samples for each entity are expected to be no faster than every 10 minut es
and the total rate for the MES Service should be no more than 100 per
minute.
 Enterprise Integration or SCC is used to trans fer data between MES and
other business systems.
 On a typical system, the MES Service is running on the Production Database
Server with its own local dedicated MES middleware host.
 E ven on a large or demanding interface, a separate MES middleware host
would NOT be required. It is only separated to isolate database traffic when
troubleshooting.

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Components Comments/Deployment Guidelines

Archive, Purge, and  The Database Maint enance Server application defines where the AP R will
Restore (APR) run.
 Usually the Archive database is on its own server and has its own dedicat ed
MES middleware host.

These MES processes will use the MES middleware defined by the MES middleware proxy where they
are running. This means all MES processes running on a computer will use the same proxy and thus are
all connected to the same MES middleware.
For example, if your setup is as follows:
 Production Databas e Server (MESDB 01)
o MES Middleware Proxy to MESAPP01
o Enterprise Integration or Supply Chain Connector
 Application (MES Middleware) Server (MESAPP01)
o MES middleware host
Then the Supply Chain Connector would be using the MES middleware on MESAPP01.
If you require one server for the MES clients and one server for the Application Server objects, it is a
good practice to split the load and put half your MES clients and half your Application Server objects on
one server and the other half on another server. This allows for:
 Application Server redundancy
 Isolation by process area. That is you can put all objects and MES middleware for 1 process area on
1 server.
 Better use of the hardware.
The restriction of 50 to 100 UI client MES middleware connections is based on the performance of the
MES middleware. There is still capacity available on the server that can b e used.
The following are operating parameters for a typical medium -size plant with:
 50 lines with 100 MES application objects
 60 Operator Clients (InTouch)
 Enterprise Integration or Supply Chain Connector – small load
This plant could be configured with 2 Application S ervers, eac h supporting 30 lines, a Production
Database Server, and an MES Web Portal Server. The following figure shows the architecture with
respect to the MES middleware.

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A medium-size system has been qualified to determine the performance levels that could be achieved.
For information about this system and the performance results, see A Performance-Qualified
Medium-Size System on page 43.

Where to Run the MES Middleware Host

The typical locations on which to run the MES middleware host are either the Applic ation Server (with
ArchestrA System Platform) or standalone (no ArchestrA System Platform). It is recommended that the
MES middleware host not be run on the Production Datab ase Server except to host specific Production
Database Server tasks such as SCC and the MES Servic e.
In a production environment, it is recommended that the MES middleware host run on the Application
Server to address the following:
 It is best to not load the Production Database Server with additional proc ess tasks.
 Load balancing of the MES middleware across multiple A pplication Servers might be required based
on the implementation size and production load.
If the MES Web Portal is used, then the IIS server hosting the MES Web Portal is recommended to have
the MES middleware. The MES middleware host can be run on the P roduction Database Server if you
are trying to keep the hardware footprint to a minimum. This is usually only applicable to small systems
(an example small system is one for OEE and Downtime with 12 entities collecting downtime).

Load Balancing of the MES Middleware

The availability of the MES middleware is critical in keeping the production applications available to the
end users. The MES middleware load can be distributed by installing the MES middleware on multiple
servers. Each client is set up to connect to one MES middleware.
If the system includes the recommended one MES middleware host for each AOS server, Terminal
Server, Web Portal Server, and S CC, then the system will inherently be load-balanced.
To guarantee automatic fail-over of the MES middleware host, you can set up the software to take
advantage of High A vailability provided by both Hyper-V and VMware virtualized environments.
There is no automatic MES middleware fail -over. If the MES middleware host goes down, administrators
can switch to a different MES middleware host if available. For higher availability, a Windows Cluster
Server can be used for the MES middl eware host.
If the system includes the recommended one MES middleware host for each AOS server, Terminal
Server, Web Portal Server, and S CC, then there is no need to fail over.
If you are using Extensibility Hooks, they must be set up for each MES middlewa re host.

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MES Middleware Host Licensing

Usually the more MES middleware hosts there are in the system, the better the system will perform.
Where possible, have the MES middleware host running locally. However, note that each MES
middleware host requires a license.
Starting with MES 2017, licenses are acquired from the License Server. Each functional license
purchased (MES Operations, MES Performance, and MES Quality) includes 6 MES Middleware
licenses. These counts are additive, so a system with MES Operations 20 entity and MES Performance
10 entity will have a total of 12 MES Middleware counts available. Additional MES middleware licenses
can be purchased as an add-on to any system.
So if you have the following servers and five licens es, include a local MES middleware host on each:
 2 Terminal Servers
 2 AOS Servers
 1 MES Database Server

The MES Service

The MES Service is a service that:
 Cleans up shifts and sessions
 Runs the Supply Chain Connector (SCC) schedules
 Executes minutely, hourly and daily tasks.
 Generat es future quality samples for time, shift, and production unit count frequencies.
 Changes quality sample states based on passage of time
It is critical to having consistent OEE and downtime data. This service is typically run on the Production
Database or Application (MES Middleware) Server.

Note: Although multiple MES middleware hosts can be deployed in an MES solution, only one MES
Service should be running per MES dat abase instance.

For more information the MES Service, see the MES Service Guide.

Report Server
The Report Server provides the content to operators in the plant, office users, and corporate users. Its
source of information is from the Production Database Server. Typic ally your Production Database
Server is on the Plant Production Network while the office users are on the Plant Business Network and
it is not uncommon for a firewall to be bet ween them.
Your network administrator needs to provide access to the Report Server for both groups of users. See
Net work Interconnections on page 10 for more details.
The Report Server is not considered a production server. That is, it can go down without interruptions to
production and without losing production data.
Installations that run large reports or do data mining on the MES database should perform these
operations on an Arc hive database and not the actual Production database. This will prevent large
queries from using resources that are required for production transactions. For information about the
Archive database, see Archive Server on page 26.

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Included with the MES software is a limited version of Intelligence to be used as the Report Server. The
Intelligence service extracts data from the MES production database and stores that data in the
Intelligence database. The provided MES reports query the data in the Intelligence database. For more
information, see the MES Intelligence Reports Guide.

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for the Report Server in a
medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard  16 GB RAM
Configuration
 300-GB disk, RAID 10 – For Data
 300-GB disk, no RA ID – For Backups

Microsoft Components  SQL Server

 SQL Server Reporting Services
 Microsoft .NE T Framework
 IIS

MES Components  MES Reports

 Custom Reports
Intelligence  Intelligence S erver
Components
 Intelligence S erver Database
 Intelligence S erver Report

Scalability Typically only one server is needed.

Additional servers are added in a load balance approach with different groups of
users linked to different servers.

High A vailability/Fault This server does NOT require High A vailability.

Tolerance
If the server is complet ely lost, it can be rebuilt without the loss of production
data.

Key Measures  CPU usage < 30%

 Memory stable with 1 GB free

Data Requirements Moderate-size system

C: OS - 120 GB available, RAID 0
D: Data - 300 GB available, RAID 10
E: Backup - 300 GB, no RA ID

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Parameter Comments

Other Databases The Report Server typically will have the following databases:
 Intelligence S erver Database
 Galaxy Repository
 Report Server databases
In a typical plant, it would not have any of the following Production databases:
 MES databas e
 Alarm dat abase
 Runtime database

MES Web Portal Server

The MES Web Portal Server hosts the web pages for both configuring and operating equipment line
performance monitoring. This server may reside in the corporat e domain or plant domain depending on
its usage. This server should have a dedicated MES Middlewar e Server for managing all the client
transactions.

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to us e for the MES Web Portal Server in
a medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard  4 GB RAM
Configuration
 100-GB disk, RAID 10 – For Data
 100-GB disk, no RA ID – For Backups

Microsoft Components  Microsoft .NE T Framework 4.5

 IIS 7. 5 or later
MES Components  MES Web Portal

Scalability Typically only one server is needed.

Additional servers are added in a load balance approach with different groups of
users linked to different servers.

High A vailability/Fault This server does NOT require High A vailability.

Tolerance
If the server is complet ely lost, it can be rebuilt without the loss of production
data.

Key Measures  CPU usage < 30%

 Memory stable with 1 GB free

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Parameter Comments

Data Requirements Moderate-size system

C: OS - 80 GB available, RA ID 0
D: Data - 100 GB available, RAID 10
E: Backup - 100 GB, no RA ID

Galaxy Repository (GR) Node Server

The GR Node is the computer where the Galaxy Repository resides. It is a SQL Server database in which
all of the galaxy configuration data is stored.
When deciding where to deploy it, consider:
 When deploying a Galaxy, high-sustained CP U usage will occur on the node running the associated
SQL Server.
 The GR should be available to the Galaxy.
For this reas on, it is recommended that the GR Node Server be on the Report Server or on the
Engineering station. It is recommended that the GR Node Server not be on any of t he production servers
(Production Database Server, Application Server, or Terminal Server).

Note: The GR is not needed at runtime. With the GR node, an object or a view node subscribing for an
object attribut e is made significantly faster because the GR node knows where everything is located.
Otherwise the node with the subscription request has to ping all other nodes’s engines to determine
whet her they host this object’s attribute.

Archive Server
It is recommended the Archive database reside on its own server.
The Archive database holds a copy of the production MES database.
Data is copied on a regular basis from the MES database to the Archive database on a time and Work
Order basis. This data then can be used in reports or to restore most of the production dat a if the
production server is lost.
A typical setup would be:
 Year 1: online data in the Production database or MES database
 Years 2 to 5: online dat a in the Archive database
 Years > 5: offline in files

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for the A rchive Server in a
medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard  4 GB RAM
Configuration
 1-TB disk, RAID 10 – For Data
 1-TB disk, no RA ID – For Backups

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Parameter Comments

Microsoft Components  Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator

MES Components  MES Archive database

 MES middleware host
System Platform None.
Components
Scalability Typically only one server is needed.
If additional servers are needed, they would be configured to hold different
"years" of dat a.
High A vailability/Fault This server does NOT require High A vailability (for more details, see High
Tolerance Availability/Fault Tolerance on page 27.
Key Measures  CPU usage < 30%
 Memory stable with 1 GB free

High Availability/Fault Tolerance

The Archive Server should not need High A vailability. This is because the archives are only uploaded
once per day. The risk for data loss is only between that upload period and the Archive database backup
procedure. The archive procedure also supports archiving to files. This allows two versions of the data to
be stored on two different servers, making your data safe.

Note: Archive and Purge was tested in both VMware and Hyper-V virtualized environments during
controlled Live Migration and Fail-over scenarios due to power failure or network failure. Both operations
fully recovered and no data loss was observed. For more information, see the MES Virtual
Implementation Guide.

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The following diagram illustrates a suggested plan for scheduling Archiving and backups on the various
servers so that potential data loss is minimized. This is accomplished by making sure that the Daily MES
database Complete Backup and the Daily Archive Dat abas e Backup are not performed at the same time
as the Archives/Purge. Also, the Daily Archive Database Backup should be performed after the daily
archive data has been received.

Terminal Server
A common MES application deployment method is to use Terminal Servers.
The usage of Terminal S erver and a thin client architect over a c lient server architecture with so-called fat
clients is a user decision. AVEVA applications support bot h deployment met hods.
Terminal Server has the following advantages:
 It provides ease of setup and maintenance of applications. Instead of installing the MES client on
many systems, you install it once on the Terminal Server.
 The clients operate in a controlled Windows environment. All the clients run under the same version
of Windows and same patch level.
 It can reduce hardware costs.
 It should reduce mai ntenance costs.
 It provides the ability for redundancy.
 Resources are shared, so if your clients need a significant number of resources, they are available.
This typically applies to the CPU for which full capacity is not needed all the time.
 It is very scalable. Although there is a limit to the number of clients per server based on the
application, you can add additional memory or CP Us to the server until you reach your limit. Then
additional Terminal Servers can be added to meet your needs.

Terminal Server Considerations

 Resource limitations. There is a limited amount of memory, CPU capacity, and other resources (such
as handles) that limit the number of clients per machine.
 There are client session-configurable parameters that administrators need to be aware of to make
sure some sessions do not use excessive CPU or memory.

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 If you operate without a fail-over mechanism and the system goes down or needs maintenance, then
all clients go down.
 You are not using all the resources of your client PCs. This is also an advantage as you do not need
very expensive PCs or you can use thin client devices.

Other Considerations
 With InTouch Clients, you will need to set the CPU Affinity (download the InTouch Affinity Cont rol or
InTouch View Affinity Server from the Product Hub area of the Global Customer Support web site).
 You will need a special Terminal Server licens e to run InTouch.
 InTouch also has a feature that allows it to keep its Windows in memory. When using Terminal
Servers, this feat ure is typically turned off as it can use too much memory.
 For more information on recommendations related to deployments of Terminal Servers, refer to the
various terminal services-relat ed tech not es and FAQs available in the Knowledge Bas e on the
Global Customer Support web site.

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for the Terminal Server in a
medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard  12 GB RAM
Configuration
Microsoft Components  Remote Desktop Servic es

MES Components  MES Operator

 MES Client
 MES middleware host
System Platform  InTouch
Components
Key Measures You need to measure CPU and memory requirements on a per client basis. You
then need to scale that by the number of clients. A rule of thumb is each MES
client will require about 150 MB of RAM.
The CP U on a Terminal Server machine is typically used more th an on other
servers. This is desired as you want to utilize the res ourc e fully. You need to
check peak demand time (s uch as at shift changes) to ensure that there is
sufficient free capacity and, if a redundant pair is being used, that CP U usages
never exceeds 50%. As a starting point on a new system, plan for 12 clients per
CPU.
 For redundant pair: CPU us age < 50%
 For standalone: CP U usage < 80%
 Memory should be stable with 1 GB free

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Engineering Stations
An Engineering station is a system that is configured by someone wit h expert knowledge of the system.
The activities range from:
 Configuring the systems
 Performing maintenance and system shutdowns
 Adding users
 Deploying Operator stations
 Debugging problems
 Changing configuration
 Adding content
 Setting import/export schedules

Applications Used
 MES Client
 ArchestrA IDE
 InTouch WindowMaker and WindowViewer
 Intelligence S erver A dministrator features
 Web browser to access MES Web Portal, if used
The GR Node (t he GR database) can be run on the Engineering station. This frees up resources on the
Report Server. Also, ArchestrA and MES include a SQL Server license, so it does not cost more in terms
of licensing. However, this makes the Engineering station a Production Databas e Server and therefore it
will require server-class hardware and database maintenance (e.g., regular backups).

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for an Engineering station in a
medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard  2 - 4 GB RAM
Configuration
 100 GB Disk

Microsoft Components  SQL Server (if GR is to be installed)

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Parameter Comments

MES Components  MES Client

 Web browser to access MES Intelligence Reports and MES Web Portal, if
used
 MES Configurat or
 MES Supervisor
 MES Data Editor
 MES Operator
With System Platform:
 ArchestrA IDE
 InTouch
 Intelligence S erver (if it is used from this station)
 GR (optional)
Scalability Typical scaling is 1 Engineering station/20 to 30 lines.

Supervisor Stations
A Supervisor station is where work orders are scheduled and/or the activities of the operators are
monitored.
Supervisors are different from the office users in that their PCs are close to the s hop floor and have direct
access to the MES Server (i.e., no firewall).
A Supervisor station is different from an Operator station in that in addition to the Operator appli cation
(MES Operator or InTouch), the Supervisor station has access to the MES Client.

Applications Used
 MES Client
 MES Operator (or custom Operator UI), if used
 Web browser to access MES Web Portal, if used
 MES Supervisor
 MES Configurat or
 InTouch Application, if used
 MES Intelligence Reports

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for the Supervisor station in a
medium-size system.

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Parameter Comments

Standard  2 GB RAM
Configuration
 100-GB disk

MES Components  MES Client

 Web browser to access MES Intelligence Reports and MES Web Portal, if
used
 MES Configurat or
 MES Supervisor
 MES Operator
With System Platform:
 InTouch
 Intelligence S erver (if it is used from this station)
Scalability Typical scaling is 1 Supervisor station/ 10 to 20 lines.

Operator Stations
Operator stations are the PC or thin clients used to control, monitor, or record information from the
process.
Both client server (so-called fat clients) and thin client architectures are fully supported, with one not
recommended over the other. See Terminal Server on page 28 for a description of the benefits of using
thin clients.

Key Parameters
The following table describes the recommended key parameters to use for the Operator station in a
medium-size system.

Parameter Comments

Standard Fat Client:

Configuration
 2 GB RAM
 100-GB disk
Thin Client:
 One that can support the terminal server session

MES Components  MES Operator

 Web browser to access MES Web Portal, if used
With System Platform:
 InTouch
Scalability Typical scaling is 1 Operator station/line.

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C HAPTER 4
Designing an MES Solution
In This Chapter
Topology Overview ....................................................................................................................... 33
Topology Production Network Details ............................................................................................. 36
Case Study: Scaling the System .................................................................................................... 39

Topology Overview
A server topology is a diagram that shows the following:
 All servers used in the solution
 The location of the server on the network. Servers that connect to multiple networks should be
indicated accordingly.
 Server name or type
 Firewalls or other network traffic security or isolation devices
Optionally it can show:
 The basic server specifications (OS, RAM, CPU, and disk spaces of database servers)
 Windows or Microsoft key software installed
 MES key software installed
This document provides the following sample topologies:
 Standard Architecture
 Typical Medium -Size Plant
 Scaling the Standard Architecture
The diagrams provided here do not repres ent a complete architecture documentation set. For your
system you should include:
 Topology Overview
 Topology Production Network Details
 Installation Change Cont rol spreads heet (see Doc umenting the Installation and Change Control on
page 12)

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Standard Topology Overview

The following diagram shows an overview of the standard topology.

This system includes MES with System Platform. It uses the Standard Configuration as described in
Standard Hardware.
The Application Server has the following connections:
 To the Controls Network, to communicate with the process equipment. This is typically done via
Operation Int egration Servers (OIS ). It is very common to have a separate OIS server.
 To the Plant Production Net work, to access other MES servers.
The Database Server has the following connections:
 To the Corporate WAN, to provide access to the ERP system.
 To the Plant Production Net work, to access other MES servers.
The Report Server and Web Portal Server also include multiple logical connections, as office users need
to connect to them and they need to connect to MES Servers.

Note: If you anticipate that the number of thin -client Operator stations will be high and possibly impact
network traffic on the Plant Production network, consider creating a separat e network for the Operator
stations and connecting them to the Plant Production network through a Terminal Server. For exam ples
of network topologies that use Terminal Servers to support thin clients, see Tech Note 662: Remot e
Access Technologies for Industrial Applications, which is available in the Knowledge Base on the Global
Customer Support web site.

Standard Architecture with Scaling Factors

E very production environment is different. A solution architect would need to fully evaluate the customer
requirements and respective load to estimate a server sizing.

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The basis for scaling the system is based on the collection of performance dat a on the system. This data
includes CP U and memory usage, as well as server -specific data such as scan overruns for the
Application Server (see the Key Measures for each server type in General Server Requirements). The
ideal source of this data is the actual production system. Alternatively, you can use the test system.
You will have to determine the best way to scale the system. Whether the scaling is based on lines,
equipment, or number of us ers depends on your application.
The performance data provided in P erformance Test Results, along with the scaling information provided
for each server type in F&B Production Line Performance Components, should provide enough
information to determine how to scale the system.
The following diagram shows an example of the scaling up of standard MES architecture with System
Platform.

In this example, the system was scaled by:

 Adding multiple Application S ervers to handle more t ransactions and Application S erver objects [see
the Middleware guidelines in Application (MES Middleware) Server on page 19]. In this example, the
Application (Middleware) Server was scaled by process area.
 Separating the MES, Historian, and Archive databases to run on separat e servers.
 Adding multiple Terminal Servers (Load -Balanced Server Farm), each with their own MES
middleware host, to handle increas ed number of users.
 Increasing in the number of Engineering stations. Engineer user access can also be provided
through permissions and MES clients installed on non -Engineering stations.
 Increasing in the number of Supervisor stations. A suggested guideline is that 1 Supervisor station is
required for every 10 to 20 lines.
 Adding additional CPUs and memory to the Database, Archive, and Report Servers.

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Topology Production Network Details

Typical Medium-Size Plant
The following diagram shows an example of a medium-size plant with MES and System Platform.

See Standard Hardware for a description of the load of a typical medium -size system. In this example,
only the Plant Production Network is shown.

Note: Each production environment will vary based on many factors, starting with volume of ERP data
and down to MES, then production execution, IO collection and triggers, to roll up and transfer back to
ERP. This also varies by industry and the method of data collection (manual versus aut omated).

Test System
A test system for the MES solution is highly recommended. The test system will allow you to test
changes, verifying they have the desired effect before implementing them in production.

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The typical test system can run on less expensive hardware, as shown in the following diagram.

The three general types of test systems and the components they would typically include are described
below.
Typical Test System
 Database Server
 Application S erver combined wit h a Report Server, MES Web P ortal S erver, and Engineering station
This type of test system will typically not have the following:
 Archive S erver (this server can be tested on the Databas e Server)
 Terminal Server (the Operator stations are tested directly from the Application Server)
 Direct IO
Advanced Test System
 Archive S erver and Terminal Server
 Simulated IO
 Test ERP and other business system interfaces used by MES
Full Test System
A full test system will have all of the components of the production system. A full test system (i.e., with all
servers) can expose issues related to areas such as licensing, security, and performance that might not
be seen on smaller test systems.

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Demonstration System
It is possible to run a MES solution on a single PC to demonstrate the software.

Note: A single-server configuration would not make a good choice for a production system due to
performance limitations.

On this PC (usually a laptop), the following is installed:

 MES databas e
 MES middleware
 MES Service
 MES Client
 MES Web Portal (requires Active Directory access)
 Historian database
 Alarm dat abase
 MES Reports
 An Operator application
 Custom Reports
 System Platform with the GR node and the IDE (this includes InTouch)
A demonstration system might include a very simple s imulation and would not have connections to any
other systems.
The following figure shows the minimum hardware for a demonstration system.

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Case Study: Scaling the System

A case study is helpful to see an ex ample of the scaling of the system.
In this case study, the plant had been operating for 1 year with 12 lines. They want to know the server
requirements for 60 lines, 120 lines, and 200 lines. The estimates provided are not exact, as even within
a plant loading will vary. It is recommended to det ermine the scaling in stages and to reevaluate the
system after each stage.
In this example, a Line consisted of 6 objects, including the UCO. It does Downtime and OEE wit h work
order management.
The following steps were performed to evaluate the server specifications:
 The current CPU and memory usages were evaluated and a loading was determined in terms of
CPU/line and memory/line for each server. This evaluation was both analytical and speculative.
 For the CPU, the current CPU profile was analyzed and then the desired CP U/line was speculated.
 For the memory, the memory usage o f the applications was divided by the number of lines.
From this evaluation, the following scaling was determined:

Server CPU Scaling Memory Scaling

Database 15 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 150 MB/Line

Historian 50 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 5 MB/Line
Application 12 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 10 MB/Line
Terminal Server 12 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 150 MB/Line
Report 20 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 50 MB/Line

Next, the number of lines was linearly scaled. The following table shows the results.

CPU Memory

Server 12 60 120 200 12 60 120 200

Database 15 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 150 MB/Line

1 4 8 13 3.6 10.7 19 25

Historian 50 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 5 MB/Line

1 1 2 4 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.9

Application 12 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 10 MB/Line

1 5 10 17 2.1 2.6 3.2 3.8

Terminal 12 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 150 MB/Line

Server
1 5 10 17 3.6 10.7 19 25

Report 20 line/ CPU 2-GB Base + 50 MB/Line

1 6 7 10 2.6 4.9 7.9 10.9

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Next, some logical adjustments were performed based on the following:

 Database loading is not linear
 Application and Terminal Server loading is linear
 Requirements are rounded to appropriate purchasable sizes

CPU Memory

Server 12 60 120 200 12 60 120 200

Database 1 4 8 13 4 8 12 16

Historian 1 1 2 4 4 4 4 4

Application 1 5 10 17 4 4 4 4

Terminal 1 5 10 17 4 12 16 24
Server

Report 1 6 7 10 4 4 8 12

The number of servers was determined and the load was split, making sure to not split the database,
Historian, or Report Server. A standard server with 8 GB of RAM was used for scaling the
Application/ Terminal Servers.

Number of Servers

Server 12 60 120 200

Database 1 1 1 1

Historian 1 1 1 1

Application 1 1 2 3

Terminal Server 1 1 2 3

Report 1 1 1 1

The hard disks were also scaled using this method.

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The following diagram shows the resulting topology.

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A PPENDIX A
A Performance-Qualified Medium-Size
System
In This Appendix
Introduction to the Performance-Qualified Medium -Size System ...................................................... 43
Component Deployment ................................................................................................................ 43
Test Loads ................................................................................................................................... 44
Performance Test Results ............................................................................................................. 45
System Resource Usage............................................................................................................... 46

Introduction to the Performance-Qualified Medium-Size

System
A single MES middleware host in a medium -size system has been qualified to determine the
performance levels that could be achieved.
The following topics describe how the qualification testing was carried out and the performance test
results.

Component Deployment
MES 2014 R2 was installed on the following separate systems.
Database/Middleware Server
Processor cores: 8
Memory: 12 GB
Operating System: Windows Server 2008 R2 Ent erprise SP1 64 -bit
Installed components: MES Middleware; MES Dat abase; MES Service; Microsoft SQL Server 2008
R2
Web Server
Processor cores: 4
Memory: 4 GB
Operating System: Windows Server 2008 R2 Ent erprise SP1 64 -bit
Installed components: MES Web Portal
Application Server
Processor cores: 4
Memory: 8 GB
Operating System: Windows Server 2008 R2 Ent erprise SP1 64 -bit
Installed components: Application Server, InTouch, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

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Galaxy Repository
Processor cores: 8
Memory: 12 GB
Operating System: Windows Server 2008 R2 Ent erprise SP1 64 -bit
Installed components: ArchestrA, Galaxy, Entity Model Builder

Test Loads
Load was placed on the system from two sources: ArchestrA application objects and MES Web Portal
tests.
ArchestrA Application Objects
In ArchestrA, load was generated using 50 entities, each with 1 OCO and 1 UCO, for a total of 50 OCOs
and 50 UCOs. The entities were deployed to 2 Application Engines. The following load was generated:
 Each entity generated 1 utilization event per minute except for a 5-minute period of inactivity each
hour. Thus, there were 55 utilization events produced per entity per hour.
 Each entity generated 2 item production events (1 good production and 1 scrap production) per
minute except for a 6-minute period of inactivity each hour. Thus, there were 108 item production
events (54 x 2) produced per entity per hour. The system was set to collect distinct production, so
each item production event generat ed a new record in the database.
 Each entity generated 1 item consumption event per minute except for a 6-minute period of inactivity
each hour. Thus, there were 54 item consumption events produc ed per entity per hour. The system
was not set to collect distinct consumption, so the item consumption data was accumulated in
existing records rather than having a new record for each consumption event.
 Each hour, the following processing took place for each entity, in the order shown:
o The current job was stopped
o The machine state was changed to down (generating a utilization event)
o A new job was created
o The item lot was changed
o Inventory was received
o The new job was started
o The machine state was changed to running (generating a utilization event )
MES Web Portal
From an MES client system, load was generat ed from 50 virtual users, each performing MES Web Portal
functions. The MES Web Portal tests simulated this activity by making the same Web API calls that the
MES Web Portal makes from the page being tested. The following load was generated:
 16 users simulat ed loading the following MES Web Portal pages. Each user loaded one of these
pages at random every 30 seconds:
o Home page
o Line Collection page
o Line Work Order page
o Line Entity page
o Entity Work Queue page
o Utilization E vent History page

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o Production History page

o Entity Monitor page
o Line Monitor page
 34 users simulat ed activities that might be performed by a line operator. Some of these activities
were page loads, while others involved data generation. Each user performed one of these activity at
random every 60 seconds:
o Line Collection page load
o Line Entity page load
o Line Work Order page load
o Add utilization event
o Add item production
o Create work order
o Line Monitor page load
The settings in the FactMES.Server.Host.exe.config file were all left at their default values. No other
MES applications were run during the tests. The System Management Console Logger was checked for
error or warning messages; no messages occurred during the test.

Performance Test Results

The following tables show the results generated from a 36-hour performanc e test. The test consisted of
24 hours of load from the ArchestrA application objects only, followed by 12 hours of simultaneous load
from both the ArchestrA application objects and MES Web Portal tests. No data loss occurred during
testing; all data was successfully stored in the MES database.

Database Size at Start of Testing

Table Records
Work orders 12,500
Jobs 52,500
Entities 219
Utilization events 6,500, 000
Item production 3,500, 000
Item consumption 3,200, 000
Shift changes 14,000,000

Intervals Between Record Creation

Target (sec) Average (sec) Min (sec) Max (sec)

Production 60 60.05 59.00 72.99

Utilization 60 59.60 59.00 61.00

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MES Service Calls

Avg Exec Time Min Exec Time Max Exec Time

Total Executions (sec) (sec) (sec)

Minutely 2160 1.09 0.41 6.82

Hourly 36 0.001 < 0.001 0.001

Soak Test Re sults

Average
Total Transaction Time
Transaction Transactions (sec)

Line 1, Add E vent 2,008 1.00

Line 1, Add P roduction 2,015 1.40
Line 1, Line Collection page load 1,965 0.42
Line 1, Line Entity page load 2,018 1.35
Line 1, Line Monitor page load 1,990 1.18
Line 1, Line Work Order page load 2,012 0.64
Line 2, Add E vent 2,059 0.97
Line 2, Add P roduction 2,086 1.36
Line 2, Line Collection page load 2,031 0.52
Line 2, Line Entity page load 2,047 1.35
Line 2, Line Monitor page load 1,879 1.23
Line 2, Line Work Order page load 1,901 0.71
Page load, Entity Monitor page 2,524 1.56
Page load, Entity Work Queue page 2,440 0.40
Page load, Landing page 2,687 0.30
Page load, Line Collection page 2,509 0.39
Page load, Line Entity page 2,459 1.28
Page load, Line Monitor page 2,467 0.70
Page load, Line Work Order page 2,481 0.60
Page load, Production History page 2,449 0.38
Page load, Utilization E vent History page 2,483 0.43

System Resource Usage

The average disk and processor usage for the systems used in the performance tests are listed below.
Database/Middleware Server
A vailable Memory: 239 MB

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Note: No limits were set on the SQL Server regarding the amount of memory it could allocate, which
is SQL Server default behavior.

Disk Usage: 2.77%

Processor Time: 14.7%
Web Server
A vailable Memory: 2190 MB
Disk Usage: 0.37%
Processor Time: 6.14%
Application Server
A vailable Memory: 6190 MB
Disk Usage: 2.91%
Processor Time: 23.9%
Graphics Repository
A vailable Memory: 9224 MB
Disk Usage: 0.37%
Processor Time: 0.48%

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