The following are the minimum system requirements for the Automation Engine 23.03 Server. Exceeding these requirements will in most cases lead to a performance increase. Running the Automation Engine Server on a system that does not meet these requirements is not supported.
The Automation Engine Server and any Assistant Server(s) must be dedicated servers on which no other software (including other Esko applications such as Imaging Engine or Pack Proof) is running.
Minimum Requirements - Server
| Minimum System Requirements for Automation Engine 23.03 (Server) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your installation type | Personal | 2 processing channels | 4 processing channels | 8 processing channels | 16 processing channels |
| Processor type and speed | 2 processor cores (x86-64 compatible) | 4 processor cores (x86-64 compatible) | 6 processor cores (x86-64 compatible) | 10 processor cores (x86-64 compatible) | 18 processor cores (x86-64 compatible) |
| RAM | 12 GB | 16 GB | 22 GB | 34 GB | 58 GB |
As a rule of thumb (not for type Personal): 2 cores and 10 GB is considered to be a base performance layer. 1 core and 3 GB are expected to be available per extra processing channel. | |||||
| Additional requirements for Viewing and QA Module | For every two simultaneous viewing sessions, add one processor core and 3 GB RAM. Do not configure more than 24 simultaneous viewing sessions per Automation Engine master server. Viewing sessions that view unprepared files or go into deep zoom mode require the additional hardware resources listed above. On an average, between 10% and 25% of the clients connected to a server fall into this category, and these are the ones that should be taken into account. Example: To give your Automation Engine with 50 clients system viewing capabilities on unprepared files, you should add additional hardware resources for viewing. If you expect 8 simultaneous viewing sessions (8 single file sessions or 4 compare sessions), add an additional 4 processor cores and 12 GB RAM to the standard requirements. For a 50 client system on a single physical machine, this would require a 14 processor core machine with 46 GB of RAM. It is also possible to add an Automation Engine configured server as Assistant to spread the load of servicing viewing sessions over multiple servers (physical or virtual). | ||||
| Additional requirements for inspection tasks powered by Global Vision | Add 8 GB of RAM if inspection tasks are expected to run. Running Global Vision powered inspection tasks (Inspect Artwork, Inspect Barcodes, Inspect Braille, Inspect Spelling, Inspect Text) requires sufficient memory. As it is not recommended to run these tasks concurrently, the system is configured to run only one of them at a time. | ||||
| Additional requirements for Gang Run Printing Module | Add one processor core and 1.5 GB RAM per Gang Run Printing session configured and in use. Example: To add Gang Run Printing capabilities to a 50 client system, you should add additional hardware resources for concurrent Gang Run Printing. To enable four Gang Run Printing sessions for instance to perform automated nesting calculations in this case, four additional processor cores and 6 GB extra RAM are needed. For a 50 client system on a single physical machine, this would require a 14 processor core machine with 40 GB of RAM. It is also possible to add Automation Engine configured as Assistant to spread the load of processing and nesting calculations over multiple servers (physical or virtual). Knowing the exact customer situation and Gang Run Printing requirements (e.g.: number of substrates) helps in more accurately determining the additional hardware resources needed for nesting. | ||||
Hard disk |
| ||||
| Network | 100/1000 Base-T Ethernet, TCP/IPv4 protocol. TCP/IP version 6 is not supported. | ||||
| Graphics and video | Minimum 1280 x 1024 screen resolution, true color depth. | ||||
| Virtualization | Automation Engine supports virtualization on:
Hardware connections, including dongles, proofers, spectrophotometers and others may work, but are not supported. Customers should verify hardware support through their virtualization support channels. | ||||
| Databases |
It is highly recommended to employ at least a Standard Edition SQL Server in case your installation type is supporting 50 clients. Please make sure the database is compatible with the operating system you intend to use. Also make sure to honor the SQL Server system requirements.
| ||||
| File servers | All Esko applications running on Windows OS can use data that is available on network shares. For Automation Engine to perform according to expectations, these shares need to be on NTFS volumes on Windows file servers (with no folders enabled for case-sensitive file names). It is recommended to use Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2022 as file server (preferably the same version as for the Automation Engine server). As only Windows file servers are supported, Mac OS X or Unix/Linux (CIFS/SMB or NFS) data servers for instance are not supported (including many Network Attached Storage units). | ||||
Upgrading from prior versions of Automation Engine
Upgrades of Automation Engine environments on existing hardware are expected to achieve comparable performance levels for the same functionality as used before.
However, the hardware requirements as for new installations should be encouraged for optimum performance.
Compatibility with Esko's Digital Flexo Suite and i-cut Production Console
See below knowledge base articles for statements on the compatibility of Automation Engine 23.03 with Esko's Digital Flexo Suite and i-cut Production Console:
- KB288327838: Automation Engine - Compatibility with Digital Flexo Suite/PlatePrep
- KB288327774: Automation Engine - Compatibility with Grapholas
- KB288327758: Automation Engine - Compatibility with i-cut Production Console
Compatibility with HP SmartStream Print Servers
Automation Engine 23.03 is compatible with HP SmartStream Labels and Packaging Print Server 5.2.2 and newer.
Supported Operating Systems
Recommended operating systems are highlighted in the tables below.
If an operating system is not listed in the tables below, it is not supported. Do not try to install Automation Engine Server on a computer running an unsupported operating system.
Windows Server 2022
| Edition | 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2022 Standard |  |
| Windows Server 2022 Datacenter | |
| Windows Server 2022 Essentials |  |
Windows Server 2019
| Edition | 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2019 Standard | |
| Windows Server 2019 Datacenter | |
| Windows Server 2019 Essentials | |
Windows Server 2016
| Edition | 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2016 Standard | |
| Windows Server 2016 Datacenter | |
| Windows Server 2016 Essentials | |
| Windows Storage Server 2016 | |
Windows Server 2012 R2 (*)
| Edition | 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard | (*) |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter | (*) |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials | |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation | |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Workgroup | |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Standard | |
(*)
Windows Server 2012 R2 (all editions) is not supported for new installations as of Automation Engine 22.03.
Upgrading an existing Automation Engine Server to Automation Engine 23.03 is still possible on Windows Server 2012 R2, but this will become unsupported soon (for later versions) as well.
Windows Server 2012 (*)
| Edition | 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2012 Standard | (*) |
| Windows Server 2012 Datacenter | (*) |
| Windows Server 2012 Essentials | |
| Windows Server 2012 Foundation | |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup | |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard | |
(*)
Windows Server 2012 (all editions) is not supported for new installations as of Automation Engine 22.03.
Upgrading an existing Automation Engine Server to Automation Engine 23.03 is still possible on Windows Server 2012, but this will become unsupported soon (for later versions) as well.
Unsupported Operating Systems
- Windows Server 2008 R2 (all editions)
- Windows Server 2008 (all editions)
- Windows Server 2003 (all editions)
- Windows 2000 (all editions)
- Windows 11 (all editions)
- Windows 10 (all editions)
- Windows 8 and 8.1 (all editions)
- Windows 7 (all editions)
- Windows Vista (all editions)
- Windows XP (all editions)
Operating Systems to become unsupported soon
- Windows Server 2012 R2 (all editions)
- Windows Server 2012 (all editions)
Pre-Install IT Requirements Guide
For more information and advice, please see the chapter Pre-Install IT Requirements Guide in the Automation Engine 23.03 Complete Manual.
Notes
| System Requirements | |
|---|---|
| Applies to | Automation Engine Server |
| Version | 23.03 |
| Last revised |
|