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March 2013
Interview
AutomatedBuildings.com
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INTERVIEW
– Wayne Tighe and Ken Sinclair
Wayne Tighe, Vice
President of Sales, Tridium
End-of-life for Niagara Release 2
When Niagara R2 came to market in 1999, it was revolutionary
software
that changed the way buildings could be managed.
Sinclair:
We’ve been hearing buzz about the end-of-life for Niagara Release
2. What’s the story there?
Tighe:
When Niagara R2 came to market in 1999, it was revolutionary software
that changed the way buildings could be managed. But this
software product released 14 years ago has grown long in the
tooth. NiagaraAX is such a different environment and enables so
much more that we need to move customers to the next step.
Sinclair:
So does this end-of-life
announcement affect any NiagaraAX products?
Tighe: No, it doesn’t apply
to any NiagaraAX releases or versions.
Sinclair:
Which products are affected
by this transition?
Tighe:
The JACE-501, JACE-502, JACE-511, JACE-512, JACE-403 and JACE-545
platforms are the affected platforms.
With respect to the JACE-403 and JACE-545, we have released two
replacement boards – the RB-603 and RB-645 that can be easily swapped
out. You don’t have to replace the entire JACE and enclosure –
just unscrew and unplug the old board and screw in and plug in the new
board. It really is that simple. These replacement boards
support both Niagara R2 and Niagara AX applications. This will
optionally allow the end customer to continue to utilize the Niagara R2
application while the Niagara AX replacement is being engineered.
We have also released the JACE-603 and JACE-645 products which include
the metal enclosure like the original Jace-403 and JACE-545.
These products can be used to replace the older JACE-510, JACE-502,
JACE-511, and JACE-512 platforms. Like the replacement boards,
these products support both Niagara R2 and Niagara AX
applications.
Sinclair:
So what are the advantages
of using these boards?
Tighe: First and foremost,
you’ll be able to take advantage of greater
processing power and significantly larger memory, both Flash and
RAM. The RB-6 products also have two 10/100 ethernet ports
(instead of one), an expansion option card slot that can support dual
RS-485, RS-232 or a LonWorks FTT-10 port.
Sinclair:
But won’t your customers
have to go through this again when Niagara 4 is released?
Tighe: No, not at
all. The RB products are designed to work with Niagara
4 when released. And that is another advantage of migrating from
R2 to AX – we already know that R2 products will not be supported in
Niagara 4 when released.
Sinclair:
What is the timetable for
this?
Tighe: After June 30, no
more new projects will be allowed to use Niagara
R2. At the end of 2014, December 31, 2014 to be exact, Tridium
will end distribution of all new Niagara R2 products with only
replacements being allowed. Tridium will end distribution
on all R2 products including repairs or replacements on December 31,
2015. That means no more technical support on these
products either.
Sinclair:
What information do you
need for a customer to migrate from R2 to AX?
Tighe: We need three pieces
of information:
Model number of the currently
installed product
Current product serial numbers and Host ID
List of all drivers currently licensed on the platform
If the customer needs help in
retrieving this information, our sales
support team is ready to help guide them through the process.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Sinclair:
What do customers receive
in return?
Tighe: Customers will
receive a replacement circuit board with a NiagaraAX
license with the equivalent features of the replaced board.
Additionally, the customer can request an optional R2 license with the
same features. All software needed to perform an R2 replacement
will be pre-installed at the factory. No commissioning is
required prior to installing the end-use’s Niagara R2 application.
The newer Niagara AX (3.6.47 or higher) platform tools include a
Niagara R2 Admin Tool which functions just like the original Niagara R2
Admin Tool. In addition, the installation of the Niagara R2
application is a simple wizard based process.
Sinclair:
But what if a customer
doesn’t migrate over to AX by December 31, 2015?
Tighe: We’re not leaving
customers out to dry – we will release the R2
software tools at no charge to anyone. While Tridium may no
longer be supporting Niagara R2, there are many within the Niagara
community who will be able to assist.
TridiumTALK
- Migrating from R2 to AX
MARCH TOPIC:
Migration from Niagara R2 to Niagara AX
Attend the March TridiumTALK and learn about the transition plan from
R2 to AX and how you can best prepare for the impending
transition. Join Rick Weisensale, Tridium senior product manager,
as he reviews the best way to transition from R2 to AX.
Tridium will offer two sessions of this TridiumTALK.
TUESDAY, MARCH 5th at 10:00am EST
THURSDAY, MARCH 7th at 2:00pm EST
Visit
http://www.tridium.com/cs/tridium_news/tridiumtalk
for dial in information and more.
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