Captec - Embedded Servers for Automation

Conventional servers are not designed for “non-stop” capability and the extended life cycles required within process automation. The Captec AES Servers are designed to meet these demands and are equipped with best-of-breed Industrial grade components, ingress protection, thermal stability, robust steel enclosures and undergo extensive system testing for manufacturing automation. The units are powered by Server Class, Intel Xeon Processors based on the latest ‘Nehalem’ architecture for the highest performance with lower power consumption.



The units are pre-loaded with Microsoft Server 2003 or 2008 for Embedded Systems with Hyper-V technology and are “ready-to-run” as Embedded Servers or as a high availability cluster. The latter provides failover support and full hardware redundancy by pairing two or more servers together, almost completely mitigating the possibility of computer unavailability.



“We are using all of our 25 years experience building highly reliable Industrial servers that can be deployed “out-of-the-box” as an affordable “non-stop” computing solution for Automation customers” said Max Toti MD at Captec Ltd.



The longevity of the Captec AES Series servers is critical for manufacturing processes to ensure continuity and mitigate risks of obsolescence and hardware change. Equally of value to OEMs, System Integrators and Independent Software Vendors as their specialist applications do not need to be frequently re-coded. Captec build these servers using long life components and manage any obsolescence changes to enable the smooth transitions. They are also pre-installed with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 for Embedded Systems supported until 2023 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Embedded Systems to maintain compatibility with legacy environments until 2018.



The Hyper-V technology installed on a Captec AES server also means multiple server applications can be virtualised onto a single system. “This significantly reduces cost as multiple instances of the OS can be virtualised with a single licence” said Toti. “Plus customers can enjoy all the other operating, support and hardware savings that come through virtualisation”.



Extensions to the Captec AES range include four Application Ready Server configurations with the software pre-installed and “ready-to-run”. These include a SQL Server that keeps critical automation data secure with an advanced and scalable database. A Storage Server for optimal file storage. A Real-Time Server which reserves processing power for mission-critical automation operations that require deterministic responses within Microsoft Windows. A Threat Management Gateway Server to prevent cyber threats and unauthorised interference with automation systems.