FAQ: FactoryTalk Optix Application and client devices

Frequently asked questions about the
FactoryTalk Optix Application
 and client devices.
  • What is a
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
    ?
    A
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
     is an application compiled by
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio
    , complete and specific for Windows or Linux systems.
  • What is a client device?
    A client device is a Windows or Linux device that can run a
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
    .
  • What is a client device emulator?
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio
     includes a default emulator client device, that cannot be removed. This client device allows you to compile and run a
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
     locally, so that  you can test your design and functionality. When running a
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
      using the emulator, it is not necessary to install the
    FactoryTalk Optix Application Update Service
     software.
    NOTE: Install
    FactoryTalk Optix Application Update Service
     on the development PC if you intend to run two
    FactoryTalk Optix Applications
     simultaneously for test purposes, for example to test two OPC UA server and client applications (seeOPC UA ). In this case, one application can be run on the Emulator client device, the other can run on the local computer after configuring it as a client device in
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio
    .
  • How do you deploy and run a
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
     on a client device?
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio
     can automatically deploy an application to the client device if the client device can be reached on the local network. After the deployment, if the client device is running Linux, the application also runs automatically, while on other client devices it must be started manually or the automatic start settings must be configured.
    If client devices are not connected to the local network, the
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
     can be exported to a file on removable media which can be run on the client device to deploy the application. If the client device is running Linux, the
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
      can be exported to a USB key and configured to automatically install when the USB key is inserted in the device.
  • What is the structure of a
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
    ?
    A
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
     consists of the related compiled
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio
     project and runtime modules required to run the project.
    Each application has this file and folder structure:
    • (On Windows client devices only)
      FTOptixRuntime.exe
       file to start the application.
    • (On Linux client devices only)
      FTOptixRuntime
       file to start the application.
    • Bindings
      ,
      Core
       and
      Modules
       folders. These contain runtime binary files.
    • (On Windows client devices only)
      Log
       folder. This contains the logs of the application at runtime.
      on a Linux client device, the logs of a
      FactoryTalk Optix Application
       are located in the folder
      /persistent/log/Rockwell_Automation/FactoryTalk_Optix
      .
    • Projects
       folder. Contains one or more folders, one for each compiled project. Each project folder contains the following subfolders:
      • ApplicationFiles
        . It contains files generated at runtime, such as embedded databases and databases for retentivity functions. It also contains temporary files.
      • ProjectFiles
        . It contains all files in use in the project, including images, fonts and documents and also the following subfolders:
        • NetSolution. It contains the .NET assemblies obtained from C# scripts of the source project, to create custom application logic.
        • PKI. It contains private, public and refused certificates for OPC UA authentication.
      • The project file, with
        .optix
         extension.
    • The
      FTOptixRuntime.xml
       configuration file and other auxiliary files.
  • Can the
    FactoryTalk Optix Application
     be run using a Docker container?
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