This platform view is used to install dist (distribution) files. A Supervisor PC prepared to install distribution files is
sometimes referred to as an engineering workstation.
A dist file is a zip that contains other files and a manifest that describes the contents of the distribution.
Use this view for either of these two tasks:
- To restore a locally available backup dist file to a remote controller. Such a restore can be initiated using the Backup command from the platform’s Platform Administration view, or, more commonly, from the BackupService in the station running on that host.
NOTE: To be able to restore a backup dist file, your
Workbench installation requires the same versions of software, including modules, to be available in its software database. Therefore,
it is recommended that you make and keep frequent backups as you upgrade remote hosts. Also, for this reason, you may need
to import the software database from prior revisions of
Niagara into your current
Workbench installation.
- To install a clean dist file. This downgrades a controller to an older
Niagara 4 release level, or restores it to a known empty state. Following a clean dist install, you must recommission the controller, as this wipes the file system (almost all software, as well as all station files), leaving the controller in an empty near-factory state.
NOTE: Do not use this view to upgrade a controller. Instead, use the Commissioning Wizard in a controller. The Commissioning Wizard is a right-click option on a platform when opened in
Workbench.