System overview

FactoryTalk Updater Agent collects information and activation license data from the Rockwell Automation software installed on the computer. Install the FactoryTalk Updater Agent on each computer that requires data collection. FactoryTalk Updater Agent is installed by default with most Rockwell Automation software. FTU Agents collect and store software inventory, activation data and activation transactions to a local database. The FTU Agents update the FTU Server database once a minute if there have been any changes since the last transmittal. If the connection between FTU Agent and Server is lost, the FTU Agent database will buffer and persist data locally. When the connection is reestablished, the FTU Agent will transmit all the new data to the FTU Server.

FactoryTalk Updater Server communicates with online FactoryTalk Updater Agents to receive collected data and saves it to the FTU Server database. To avoid issues, limit FactoryTalk Updater Server installations to one instance per intranet with a maximum of 100 connected Agents. FactoryTalk Updater Server connects to the Product Compatibility and Download Center to retrieve the latest software information. A user login from FTUpdater Client is not required for FTUpdater communication to PCDC. FTUpdater uses it’s own Rockwell certification to authenticate with PCDC.

FTUpdater Collector may be optionally installed to enable opt in for Cloud upload. When enabled, FTUpdater Collector uploads License Usage information for viewing on a cloud dashboard. FTUpdater Collector checks for new data and uploads only the new transactions. The usage information may be retrieved when the user logs in with their credentials to ftcollector.rockwellautomation.com.

FactoryTalk Updater Client is the user interface that displays information collected by the FactoryTalk Updater Server. Install FactoryTalk Updater Client to display information. The FTU Client presents much of the information visually for quick inspection. All data can be Exported to a .csv file. Some large data sets, such as Add On Profiles, are not presented on the screen and require an Export to a .csv file. Monthy Rollup Patch deployement requires an administrator login to the FTUpdater Server and a login to PCDC.