Conference decwet::windows-nt

    [also replied in Alphanotes]
    
    get hold of Chris Ellam (Digital Frankfurt?). He knows about Siemens
    PLCs, and talking to them. Or if you can't find him (he can be
    difficult to track) have a look at the BASESTAR_OPEN conference.
    
    Digital probably has more experience of working with Siemens automation
    kit than does any other computer vendor. S7 is relatively new, and if
    Siemens do need anything special on the host, it may be achievable.
    
    A contact at MS might be Lorenzo Pengo, ex Digital BASEstar team, now
    MS Euromanager for NT in industrial automation.
    
    regards
    john

    Nico,
    
    	I'll mail you the details, basically you have a problem, first you
    have a choice of communications:-
    
    1)	OSI Transport using Null Internet for Windows NT Alpha.  Your
    	problem here is that the system is an Alpha and that Digital has
    	made only limited efforts to get software suppliers to migrate
    	their code from Intel to Alpha.  Even if a vendor was interested
    	in doing this Digital then makes if hard for the vendor to get
    	good technical support for the port and loan equipment is normally
    	out of the question.  The DECosap engineering group have been
    	looking into this for almost a year and have not been able to
    	find any help from either MicroSoft or Digital.
    
    	So Siemens SINEC H1 is at this moment not possible under Alpha
    	and I'm sure that nobody else will answer this note with a feasible
    	solution for you.
    
    2)	You second option is TCP/IP with RFC-1006.  TCP/IP is readily
    	available, but I've as yet to find a solution for adding the
    	necessary RFC-1006 support.
    
    Ok, now your real problem, AAC and/or Siemens SA want to use an Alpha
    because it is faster and more scalable over the Intel systems.  The can
    get the required software/hardware for the Intel option, however,
    Siemens already know that this will not support the amount of
    communications required in a real-time manner.  Hence their assumption
    we'll use an Alpha and we'll have no problem.  In both cases the
    problem here is robust, real-time, failover communications and an
    Operating System that can supply this.  Unfortunately this is NOT Windows 
    NT.  You really want to start looking at OpenVMS for the best solution 
    and then UNIX for a not so good, but we're not a proprietary solution.
    If your feeling brave then go against the tide and propose VMS or UNIX.
    If you want to go with NT, then sell the hardware but don't take any
    responsibility for it working and don't try to do a project cos you'll
    lose lots and lots of money.
    
    Chris

    Nicely put. Thank you, Chris.
    
    I hope your customers are sensible and will listen to the voice of
    experience here.
    
    re loan kit, porting support: if it's Europe where you need kit, the
    TOEM group in Europe covers 100+ different process automation systems
    builders. I know some of these people are interested in Alpha ports of
    NT/Intel SCADA packages. This may give you an "angle" to get some of
    the relevant ISVs access to loan kit (or is that someone else's
    responsibility? - e.g. TOEM!). Either way, you can contact the TOEM
    Europe Process Automation SIG c/o Chris Moore @ LZO (team leader) or
    Alberto Viola @ TRN, or Glynn Carter @ BBP or many others, including
    (closer to home) Herbert Oster @ RTO.
    
    have fun
    regards
    john
    

Chris/Brian

Thanks for the info. The customer is currently running 90% of their SCADA
systems
on VMS based systems.  The change to NT is basically part of the belief that
NT
is the OS of the future.

My belief is that if it was up to the consultant (Graham) the solution shall
be VMS and nothing else.


Regards

Nico
[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]

    NT is the OS of the future in the same way as 15" monitors are the
    monitors of the future. (comparison stolen from Kerry Main).
    
    I.e. it's horses for courses. One size does not fit all. Open systems
    need open minds. Etc.