Hello. I am new to this platform, just downloaded the Ignition web server yesterday and started to watch University lessons.
Probably it is dumb questions but I will appreciate it you could answer because I have never had experience with Web based Scada servers
Why this server is Web based? What is the advantage s? Because I don’t have to download everything?
Where actually the created project is stored? On local PC I access the Server or somewhere else?
If I don’t need remote access to site then I don’t need continuous internet connection? Is that correct?
So basically I use internet connection just to configure settings of Ignition server ( add modules, set communication OPC-UA, updating, licensing etc.) and than install the clients “runtime”.
But when I need to reach remote server than I need Internet connection
Using a Web server means that you can access the config and status from anywhere without installing anything. Super handy!!
Locally where Igntion was installed. In Windows it's under c:/program files/inductive automation/ignition/data/projects? Something like that
For remote access, you need to be able to reach the igntion gateway from your laptop/pc. Whether that's via a VPN, something like vmware horizon client, a public facing server address, or something else, you'll need some form of wan/internet connection.
It’s important to clarify:
Ignition is a webserver, but that does not imply that it does anything on the public internet. It is entirely up to you whether your Ignition webserver is publicly accessible over the internet - and for a huge variety of reasons, I would highly advise against doing so. Ignition will make an outgoing request to our licensing servers upon activation (or periodically, if you’re using Maker edition) - but offline activation is also completely possible and supported. You can download the Ignition installer, put it on an air-gapped device, and run a licensed Ignition install that never touches the internet at all.
Being a webserver gives us a great deal of flexibility - as @nminchin mentioned, status and configuration of your gateway is immediately accessible anywhere that can reach your gateway - plus, it’s a lot easier to launch Vision clients or Perspective sessions, because they can fetch the resources they require from the gateway automatically.
In no cases does Inductive Automation ever get access to your project, configuration, etc. Your projects are stored locally, wherever the Ignition Gateway is installed.