Re: [foxboro] RE : Barriers to migration to Windows
- From: <tom.vandewater@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <foxboro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:30:24 -0400
Wow, I agree with Tim that Kevin's list is impressive. Alex, as
many of us have said here, and before on this list, there are still a
lot of issues that make it a difficult transition from CBLAN Solaris to
MESH MS. The most persuasive argument to transition for us has been our
18 year old FBM's. They are starting to fail and Foxboro doesn't sell
them anymore. Support for the Nodebus CP's is also in its waning years.
So if we have to spend new money what should we buy? The answer is
pretty obvious if we are to remain Foxboro customers, but no one is
saying it will be easy.
I wish we were transitioning because it was the easiest thing to
do, and that we would gain documentable efficiency advantages, increased
security and reliability, and improved control of our processes. Easier
external access of control system data and the ability to relate it to
other enterprise apps and information would be a strong plus as well.
(Can you say relational SQL databases?).
In fact, as we transition, we ARE improving our field
installation by making it less vendor specific, (any vendors I/O will
mount in it), and more than twice as compact, (improved wiring layout
and shared power distribution). I am very happy with the Foxboro ZCP's
control block and I/O processing improvements that have reduced the
number of CP's we need by ten-fold since the late 1980's but wish they
had given the more compact FCP the same functionality as the ZCP. In my
mind a mistake that needs correction.
I'm also happy that we are well on our way to total fiber
connectivity that increases our bandwidth and eliminates EMF
interference on our previously copper control network.
Migration isn't an issue for new users and not a big issue for
those that have only known the MS offering. (Pablo may disagree).
Smaller installations that administer each AW individually with no need
to connect to, or share on, a larger sitewide network may also feel less
pain. But, rest assured that we will ALL be transitioning to the MESH
at sometime in the future or we will be switching vendors, because our
existing equipment isn't going to last forever. I applaud Alex for
asking for our input, (a very gutsy move). I do believe there is a lot
of future potential on the MESH but I should've been born in Missouri,
the "SHOW ME" state. When we see things we like, and can sell it to our
management, the speed of our migration will increase. For now we are
only doing what we have to do to maintain system reliability while we
wait to see what happens.
Like Brad O'Neal of Sterling Chemicals, I'm interested to hear
from customers that have implemented Infusion/IEE on IA. I am not
diametrically opposed to using a Microsoft OS if the System
functionality AND reliability are enhanced from where we are now.
Tom VandeWater
Control Systems Developer/Analyst
Dow Corning Corporation
Carrollton, KY USA
_______________________________________________________________________
This mailing list is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Invensys Process
Systems (formerly The Foxboro Company). Use the info you obtain here at
your own risks. Read http://www.thecassandraproject.org/disclaimer.html
foxboro mailing list: //www.freelists.org/list/foxboro
to subscribe: mailto:foxboro-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=join
to unsubscribe: mailto:foxboro-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=leave
Other related posts:
