Need some advice on our Niagara server. It is currently hosted through AWS E2C Instance running windows.
I was wondering if it is better to have a physical server that IT manages on-site in our office or if we should keep it in the cloud.
I wanted to move to a physical server because it would let us have more processing, RAM and memory. Cloud currently has 4 cores 8 gig with ~50 GB of memory. Essentially, this would be a way to drive down cost long term. we’re currently paying ~$100/month.
Questions:
Physical vs Cloud? What are potential issues we could face with having a physical server.
There’s not enough information provided to answer. Are you a SI /Controls contractor, or are you the end user? Who’s paying IT to manage the platform, and who’s paying to manage the Niagara software? Who’s responsible for security, maintenance, backups, disaster recovery, remote access, etc.?
I wanted to move to a physical server because it would let us have more processing, RAM and memory.
Are you exceeding this? Is better hardware going to improve the system?
I’m the controls/Software engineer. My company(Controls contractor) will pay IT to manage the servers. As far as I am aware, IT already manages some servers for other departments so not a totally new thing for them. Me/Team will manage the Niagara software. I don’t see “security, maintenance, backups, disaster recovery, remote access” being an issue. IT will handle Initial setup and remote access. Security is a multilevel thing so both IT and Controls will work on it. Disaster Recovery will be a conversation we have with IT. I’ll likely be something we set up on multiple levels depending on the “disaster”.
Yes, we’re outgrowing the current server.
I asked about OS because we’ve only ever used windows to run Niagara. I’m was more asking if Linux is able to run Niagara without issues. If we go Linux route, I’ll stick with Ubuntu. But I wanted to make sure that Niagara is stable on the OS.
I’m also Open to a VPS if Linux is a viable option. Again, Our team only has experience with Windows, so depending on hoy the conversation with IT goes, we can go the VPS route
Is this a machine for a customer or in-house? This will ultimately be based on what makes sense the most for you or the customer. We have seen a large increase in demand for cloud-hosted Niagara instances, but we offer it as a full featured platform.
Niagara runs fine on Linux, you’ll save on Windows licensing cost if you want to go that route. Have your IT department review options with you. If it’s a one off deployment thing, just keep it simple and what works. If you’re looking to scale, then begins a lot of other considerations.
Hardware is expensive right now, so the cloud bill is a bit easier to swallow.
Its for multiple customers who have bought our cloud service. For some customers it makes sense to just have a JACE on site, for others, a subscription model is better where we’re running everything on cloud. So we do both.
Scaling is a different conversation altogether and we also have to consider what happens if we ever want to discontinue the cloud service.
I hadn’t considered the impact of AI on hardware. I suppose it is expensive but we’re paying $1200 a year to aws. So ultimately, hardware is likely a cheaper long term solution. Or a VPS.
The cloud server is a little more “future proof” in that the hardware doesn’t age like an on-prem server might. Having their IT spin up a virtual machine onsite might be a good option, but it really comes down to what you’re trying to do and how the system is set up. If the connection to the cloud is severed for a short period will the loss of accessibility, alarm routing, and trending be ok with the client? I haven’t seen any issues where AWS didn’t have the necessary power for a typical system. If you’re using IP controllers and don’t have JACEs or if there is a lot of Supervisor level logic going across systems it might impact the recommendation
When evaluating, you need to compare enterprise hardware on-premise to the enterprise hardware in the cloud you’re renting.
If I go and look at an OnLogic industrial PC, I’m at roughly $5,500 for the hardware + any install time, panels, etc. It’ll take roughly 5 years for your $100/mo to catch up, and by then most IT departments would be looking into hardware refreshes for the on-premise. Enterprise rack mounted servers will be even more expensive. Buying a inexpensive consumer PC for your cloud customers is probably not the most ideal situation if the intent was to host in the office or something.
With the cloud you can help the customer with an operation expenditure and predictable costs.