Learn about a PI AF Client installation from the install kit

This topic covers the key features included with a PI AF Client installation or upgrade using the install kit.

PI Network Subsystem (PINS)

The PI AF Client installation includes the PI Network Subsystem (PINS). PINS is installed on a PI AF Client machine that does not include Data Archive. PINS enables communication between the PI AF Client machine and Data Archive.

If you are upgrading an older PI AF Client that includes the PI SDK, the PINS portion of the PI AF Client installation upgrades the existing PINS files and services. After you install or upgrade PI AF Client 2015 or later, PINS is shown as PI Network Subsystem Support in the Programs and Features applet in the Control Panel.

PINS consists of the following services:

• PI Network Manager (pinetmgr)

• PI Message Subsystem (pimsgss)

The combination of PI Network Manager (pinetmgr) and PI Message Subsystem (pimsgss), as well as supporting files, is referred to as the PI Network Subsystem.

PI AF Client features

The PI AF Client installation includes these features:

• PI System Explorer

  • Management plug-in

    The Management plug-in is a PI System Explorer plug-in. This is a plug-in to PI System Explorer and enables administrators or advanced users to manage bulk operations on analyses and notification rules in a database.

  • AF Collective Manager

    AF Collective Manager provides a graphical user interface for creating, editing, and managing PI AF collectives.

    Note: The PI System Explorer installation is not optional if you want to install the Analysis Management plug-in.

• PI Builder

• PI AF SDK .NET 4.8

• PI AF and AF SDK documentation

• Language support: PI System Explorer supports multiple languages. Language support for PI System Explorer is an optional feature during a PI AF Client installation. To enable multi-language access, select the Language Packs feature during installation. If PI System Explorer does not support a particular language, the user interface displays in English. See Enable multiple languages for PI AF Client.

  Note: The Language Packs feature replaces the PI System Explorer MUI Language Pack in previous versions of PI AF Client. If the MUI is already installed and PI AF Client is upgraded, selecting the Language Packs feature will uninstall the MUI and also upgrade language support.

Shared features as part of the PI AF Server installation

Prior to PI AF 2016 R2, PI AF Client features and components were installed with the standalone PI AF Client install kit only. Beginning with PI AF 2016 R2, PI AF Client features and components became available as part of the PI Server install kit as Individual Features, in addition to the standalone PI AF Client install kit.

Features no longer included in the PI AF Client installation

Be aware of the following changes:

• Beginning with PI AF 2018 SP3 Patch 2, the .NET 3.5 version of AF SDK is no longer provided. If you need to perform an installation of PI AF Client based on .NET 3.5, visit the customer portal for assistance. If you upgrade to PI AF 2018 SP3 Patch 2 and you already have .NET 3.5 installed, that installation remains intact.

  Note that in earlier releases prior to PI AF 2018 SP2, the .NET 3.5 version of AF SDK was installed along with PI AF Client. Beginning with PI AF 2018 SP2, the .NET 3.5 version of PI AF Client was offered as a separate install kit. However, beginning with PI AF 2018 SP3 Patch 2, a separate install kit for the .NET 3.5 version of AF SDK is no longer available.

• Prior to PI AF 2015, PI SDK was installed with the PI AF Client. Beginning with PI AF 2015, PI SDK was no longer included in the PI AF Client installation.