Learn about changes to PI System Explorer

PI System Explorer provides a graphical user interface for creating, editing, and managing PI AF objects. Use PI System Explorer to create and manage your asset framework, including PI AF databases, elements, and templates.

Random and Ramp Soak interfaces removal

Starting with PI Server 2018 SP3, the Random and Ramp Soak interfaces are no longer installed by default with a new PI Data Archive installation. Optionally, you can install them by using separate install kits: the PI Interface for Ramp Soak Simulator Data and the PI Interface for Random Simulator Data. After installing these interfaces, follow the instruction provided by the interface install kits to create default PI points and then receive simulated data from these interfaces. For upgrades, previous versions of Random and Ramp Soak interfaces will remain and the default PI Points will continue to retrieve simulated data.

Prior to PI Server 2018 SP3, the following default PI points are created automatically with the PI Data Archive install kit:

• BA:ACTIVE.1

• BA:CONC.1

• BA:LEVEL.1BA:PHASE.1

• BA:PHASE.1

• BA:TEMP.1

• CDEP158

• CDM158

• CDT158

• SINUSOID

• SINUSOIDU

PI System Explorer versions

On computers with a 64-bit operating system, both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of PI System Explorer are available after a PI AF client installation. Beginning with PI AF 2017, the 32-bit version is labeled PI System Explorer Legacy 32-bit, whereas the 64-bit version is labeled simply PI System Explorer.

The legacy 32-bit version is available should you need to continue to use the legacy version of Notifications (prior to the 2016 R2 version) and its contact editor. This version of the contact editor is required to work with legacy delivery channels. For more information on notifications, see the "Notifications" topic.

Support for FIPS

Beginning with PI AF 2017 R2, PI AF supports Windows environments that enforce the use of U.S. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) cryptographic algorithms. No additional configuration is required once the local security policy System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing has been enabled.

To be in compliance with FIPS, users who need to use passwords to link to external tables can only use PI AF 2017 R2 or later clients and servers. Furthermore, users cannot export data from a PI AF database that contains table passwords created with a PI AF 2017 R2 or later client and import those passwords to PI AF clients on older releases. For more information on linking to external table data references, see External data references.