Setup guide

OSx Migration Cookbook August 30, 2006

4 – Hardware

Operator

Keyboard

Trackballs and

touch screens

Backup/Archival

devices

Printers

Xterminals/Thin

Clients

OSx had available a special membrane keyboard that has special

keys that at runtime provide operators one-key access to certain

OSx functions. No such equivalent keyboard exists for PCS 7.

Because PCS 7 uses standard PC keyboards, any standard

membrane keyboard can be used with PCS 7. Customers in harsh

environments have a solution and Siemens does sell its own

membrane keyboard. However, the special one-key access to

runtime functions is not available., You can be configure this access

within a project with a combination of keys on the keyboard.

OSx has also offered track balls and touchscreens for sites whose

surfaces limit the use of mice. These are available for Microsoft

Windows and can be used with PCS 7. In fact the PS/2 trackballs

used with OSx may be directly usable with PCS 7 without any

driver installation. Touch screen monitors may need drivers

installed depending on the brand and model. Contact the touch

screen manufacturer for details.

OSx was designed to use either quarter inch cartridge tape (in

versions 3.1.0 and prior) or magneto-optical disk (in versions 3.1.0

and later). Because PCS 7 runs on Microsoft Windows, any device

that has drivers for MS Windows and uses media large enough can

be used for backups and archives. Some devices may require

additional drivers and third party software to work properly.

Due to the underlying Unix and Linux, OSx has a limited set of

printers that it supports and that list is fixed. Different versions

support different sets. PCS 7 can print to any printer supported by

the underlying Microsoft windows version. Most printers come

with Windows drivers. A migration is an opportunity to upgrade the

printer and at today’s prices the cost is negligible.

OSx supports thin clients via the use of Xterminals. A station can

host a real Xterminal or a Microsoft Windows PC running

Xterminal emulation software. This gives the customer additional

displays into the system without purchasing additional stations.

They are called “thin clients” because they only provide an

additional display. All data and files still reside on the host station.