ICONICS takes GENESIS to 64 bits

At ISA Expo 2007, ICONICS officially introduced GENESIS64, its 64-bit-based OPC Web-enabled HMI/SCADA suite. ICONICS president and CEO, Russ Agrusa, said that this “next generation” is based on 64-bit computing and designed from the ground up to take advantage of Windows Vista, .NET and SharePoint technology.

By Plant Engineering Staff October 24, 2007

At ISA Expo 2007, held at Reliant Center in Houston, Oct. 2-4, ICONICS announced the official introduction of GENESIS64, its 64-bit-based OPC Web-enabled HMI/SCADA suite. Russ Agrusa, president and CEO of ICONICS, said that GENESIS64 is based on 64-bit computing and designed from the ground up to take advantage of Windows Vista, .NET and SharePoint technology. It allows plant operators and IT professionals to integrate real-time manufacturing and business information into a common, Web-enabled visualization dashboard.
“Approximately every eight to 10 years, there’s a big shift in the marketplace,” Agrusa said. “Starting with DOS technology, 16-bit came out around 1990 or so, with WIN 3.1 taking hold in 1992. Then around 1995, WIN 32, Windows NT, and those have been the basis of Microsoft’s platforms.”
Processors that operate on 64-bit technology are available and are being used in computers and microprocessor-based systems and equipment. “Now we’re seeing the advent of 64-bit computing — 64-bit platforms are here,” Agrusa continued. “You cannot buy a server that is not a 64-bit platform, and pretty soon you won’t be able to buy a notebook that’s not a 64-bit machine. The question is, what do you do with all that computing power? You’re running a high-powered engine on one cylinder when you run applications on it today.”
GENESIS64 leverages graphic hardware acceleration through DirectX10, powered by Windows Vista. The graphics engine provides users with animated 3D views of their applications and operations in real time with live data. Visualization is possible at any angle, according to ICONICS.
“We want to take advantage of all the hyper-threaded, all the multi-core capabilities, design new products, and get certified from the ground up,” said Agrusa. “GENESIS64 is built entirely on the OPC-UA architecture. We adopted OPC-UA at the core of the design.”