Controller storage conservation

For controllers with limited flash-based file storage, you may conserve storage space by limiting the amount of space each software module requires. You do this by changing the module’s runtime profile.

For any Windows-based host (provided it has a hard drive for file storage), you typically want all runtime profiles enabled—including DOC (documentation) modules if it hosts Workbench.

Software modules in Niagara 4 include a suffix on the module’s .jar file name that identifies the runtime profile. Some may have multiple runtime profiles. For example, the alarm module is distributed as three separate .jar files:

  • alarm-rt

  • alarm-se

  • alarm-wb

The runtime profile describes the contents of each .jar based on what systems are able to use them, where rt module .jars are a baseline among all Niagara 4 platforms. Each .jar file is digitally signed. This security measure ensures that the content cannot be changed at commissioning time.

The following table lists the types of software module runtime profile types. Only a very few modules do not have the –rt extension. One of those is baja.jar. JACE controllers use a Java 8 compact3–compliant VM, whereas Windows-based hosts use the full Java 8 Standard Edition (SE) VM.

Runtime Profile Example module name Minimum 
JRE Version Dependencies Description
rt alarm-rt Java 8 compact3 Module JARs for data modeling and communications. These have core runtime Java classes only, with no user interface. This is the largest runtime profile group.
ux webchart-ux Java 8 compact3 Module JARs for BajaUX, any Java classes implementing lightweight HTML5, JavaScript, CSS user interface interaction, also theme modules.
wb report-wb Java 8 SE or
Java 8 compact3 Module JARs with Java classes for Workbench or Web Launcher user interface; views, field editors, widgets, and so on. Includes Hx and HTML5 Hx views.
se test-se Java 8 SE Module JARs with Java classes that use the full Java 8 Standard Edition (SE) platform API. Currently, these can run on Windows-based hosts only.
doc platformguide-doc not applicable Module JARs without Java code (classes), typically for documentation.

The runtime profile type rt is by far the most common of Niagara 4 software .jars. An inventory of module .jar files by type in one Beta build !/modules folder (4.0.11.0) yielded counts of:

  • *-rt: 378

  • *-ux: 17

  • *-wb: 116

  • *-se: 6

  • *-doc: 20

Where the majority of modules with two runtime profiles had both rt and wb, with only a few modules having three runtime profiles, as follows:

  • alarm: rt, wb, se

  • hierarchy: rt, ux, wb

  • history: rt, ux, wb

  • platCrypto: rt, se, wb

  • search: rt, ux, wb

  • seriesTransform: rt, ux, wb