PC Specifications

Overview

One of the common questions we receive from both new and existing customers is "What kind of PC do I need?" The answer is "It depends."

For server-based applications such as OpCenter or PlotWorks Job Center, Windows 2003 Server or Windows 2008 Server is required. Any modern server capable of running these operating systems will have sufficient resources (CPU, memory and storage) to host our applications. Our server-based applications do not perform any image processing – CPU utilization will be fairly light.

For workstation-based applications such as PlotWorks Pro, PlotWorks Convert, PlotWorks EZ or RevLine, the CPU utilization can be significant depending on file format, resolution, speed of printer, color mode, etc. For example, viewing and printing a set of monochrome TIFF images with one printer attached would probably not tax any PC purchased since 2008. However, viewing and printing a set of 24-bit color PDF files to a fast color printer will require more resources, both CPU and memory.

Virtualization

There is nothing that prohibits workstation-based applications such as PlotWorks Pro, PlotWorks Convert, PlotWorks EZ or RevLine from working on a virtual server. However, because these are high performance applications that at times require significant system resources, we do not recommend installing these applications on a virtual server. If you chose to do so you will need to configure a virtual instance that will have access to resources equivalent to those outlined in the specifications below. Should there be a performance related problem and PLP Customer Support is required, we will require you to isolate the virtual instance by disabling all other instances on the physical server. PLP Customer Support cannot effectively diagnose performance in a virtual machine environment where the PLP applications and virtual machine are sharing resources with other virtual machines.

Please note:

1. The virtual machine host server and virtual machine host software need to support installation of a USB dongle for application license control.
2. Virtual machine installs cannot be used to control legacy devices that require PCI interface cards (Scorpion, Mesquite, Tarantula, Gecko, FireWire or SCSI).

Specifications

We strongly encourage our customers to invest in a PC that will meet both current and future needs, and that typically means a quad-core processor with 4 GB of memory. Trying to save a few hundred dollars while purchasing a PC may cost thousands of dollars down the road in labor costs.

Instead of developing a different specification for every scenario, we recommend the configuration below for every workstation-based application. Please note that Windows 7 is a supported operating system unless you will be controlling legacy devices that require PCI interface cards (Scorpion, Mesquite, Tarantula, Gecko, FireWire or SCSI). Please contact Customer Support if you have any questions.