PI Server
Welcome to the PI Server feedback page!
We created this forum to hear your ideas, feature suggestions and feedback on PI Server. Please suggest your most important features and design change ideas on this site, and vote for your favorite ideas.
Please note that your ideas and comments posted here are visible to all other users.
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Remove installation kits' dependency on write permission to root C:\.
Some organizations do not provide admin accounts with write permission to the root C:\ directory. The install kits of most PI products copy the setup.ini to C:\pisetup.ini, and then write the logs to C:\ before moving them to %pipc%\dat, both of which require write permission to C:. The only workaround for now is to find someone with that permission to run the kit (typically an IT member).
26 votes -
Add relevant windows service dependency via installer.
Following KB01345 & 000036461 we have to manually add dependency where applicable.
Please consider adding similar service dependency than we have via PI ICU for new interface (depend on pibufss):
- AFService depend on relevant MSSQL$<SQLInstance> service if SQL Server = AF Application server
- AF Analytics, AF Notification & PI DAS RTQP depend on AFService if on same host
- PI Web API Crawler on PI Web API
- PI Web API on AFService if target AF is on same host
- PI Web API on Buffer subsystem if already configured at the moment of install/upgrade
- AF Analytics…13 votes -
Use the HTTPS versions of links in "Help link", "Support link", and "Update information" in Control Panel → Programs and Features
In Control Panel → Programs and Features, when you click on the PI programs in general (i.e. not just those that are part of PI Server), you will see that most of them use an HTTP link for their "Help link", "Support link", and "Update information". Please use the HTTPS versions of links. This would help show that OSIsoft cares about the privacy of their customers. It would also be more accurate since the HTTP links redirect to HTTPS.
8 votes -
Re-instate the default tags and random/ramp soak interfaces
These were removed from the 2018 SP3 install kit as OSI found many customers removed these tags and interfaces after installation. However, our experience is the opposite and these tags are massively useful for diagnostic, experimental and training purposes.
I would suggest the option of installing them be re-instated into the PI Server install kit, with an explanation of why they are provided. If the customer does not want them, they can then uncheck the option.
6 votes -
In the PI Server install kit, label deprecated components as such and state the replacement
The PI Server install kit includes many deprecated components, namely:
• PI Totalizer Subsystem
• PI Alarm Subsystem
• PI Performance Equation Scheduler
• PI Batch Subsystem
• PI Module Database Builder
• AF Collective ManagerAlso, the PI AF Link Subsystem is not needed if the PI Module Database, which is deprecated, was never used.
Please label these components appropriately and ideally also state the replacement. Otherwise, a new PI administrator might install some of these components "just in case" or follow outdated advice on how to set up a PI system without knowing that it is outdated.
6 votes -
Ability to specify default AF database during installation of PI AF Client
Currently, the PI AF Client installation allows the user to select a default PI Data Archive and default AF server but not a default AF database. It would be nice, especially for silent installations, to be able to specify the default AF database upon installation.
6 votes -
Selectively install 32-bit versus 64-bit versions of PI programs
Currently, install kits such as those of PI DataLink, PI AF Client, PI API, PI SDK, PI OLEDB Provider, and PI OLEDB Enterprise always install both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Most of the time, one of these versions is unused and simply wasting disk space, cluttering the list of installed programs, and making the user wonder why they have 2 versions of the same program. Uninstalling the unused versions is only a temporary fix, since any upgrade to the programs will cause both versions to be installed again.
In future install kits, please allow the user to choose the…
6 votes -
The PI Server Installation kit should list the PI software requirements sooner in the install
As a PI System Administrator, I would like the PI Server Installation kit to list out any PI Software that will be included with a selected role or feature before the Summary step so that I can determine what will be installed without having to first go through the configuration steps.
PI software that is required for selected features should be included in the Summary section on the Feature Selection step instead of only at the Summary step.
For example, the PI SDK is included with the PI Data Archive and is listed in the "Summary of requirements for selected…
5 votes -
Remove PI System Explorer (Legacy 32-bit) from PI AF Client
When PI AF Client is installed, it includes a program called "PI System Explorer (Legacy 32-bit)". Please remove this from PI AF Client.
The continued support of 32-bit PI AF SDK makes sense, since 3rd-party programs may still depend on the 32-bit version. Also, because the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office was the recommended and default version until recently, many users are still using 32-bit Office and therefore 32-bit PI DataLink and 32-bit PI AF SDK.
PI System Explorer is in a different boat because no other programs depend on it. As long as a 64-bit operating system is being…
5 votes -
Create 2 new client install kits: PI System Client & PI For Excel
Administrators and regular users of PI are mainly concerned with these PI client programs:
• PI System Management Tools
• PI System Explorer
• PI Builder
• PI DataLinkHowever, the install kits are not beginner-friendly:
• Many users think that PI DataLink can do what PI Builder does, since both are Excel add-ins.
• PI System Explorer and PI Builder are grouped as a single program called "PI AF Client" in install kits, including the install kit of the same name. This makes it difficult for users to find these programs.
• The PI System Management Tools install kit…5 votes -
Have a consistent presence of a terminating \ in the PIHOME and PIHOME64 environment variables
By default, PIHOME is "C:\Program Files (x86)\PIPC" and PIHOME64 is "C:\Program Files\PIPC\". For new installations, please consider either having the terminating \ on both or removing the terminating \ from both. The current inconsistency can confuse anyone that tries to write the path to anything within the PIHOME or PIHOME64 folder.
5 votes -
4 votes
The recently introduced PI Server integrated setup kit resolves this issue with various options and warnings.
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64-bit only installation for PI System explorer
OSisoft have marked 32 bit System explorer as Legacy. I wanted to get rid of 32 bit installable but technically it seems to be not possible. When we try to install only 64 bit installer of PSE, 32 bit is default installed which is not seems to be the right approach but that’s they way product works.
Looking forward to have a independent 64 bit installer for PSE.
3 votes -
PI Vision install kit should check if there's any conflicting custom symbols before upgrading PI Vision
When custom symbol has same name as default symbols, after the upgrade it will not be visible on the web page. To flag the user, install kit should check and warn if there is any conflicting symbols.
2 votes -
Allow user to select if Services start after upgrade
Give the user the option to not start the PI Services following an upgrade. This allows the user further control, especially during an outage/downtime event to perform the first reboot after an upgrade without beginning to take on data or connections.
2 votes -
Allow NTLM-authenticated local accounts while installing PI Analysis Service on a computer other than the PI Asset Framework computer
After installation, the PI Analysis Service can run under a local account even if the PI Asset Framework is installed on a different computer, since NTLM authentication can be used between both computers. However, the PI Server install kit does not recognize this and instead forces a domain account to be used for PI Analysis Service if the PI Asset Framework is installed on a different computer. See the attached screenshot.
If the computer running the install kit is part of a domain, then each time the user wants to upgrade the PI Analysis Service, they must use a domain…
2 votes -
Roll back to the older legacy installer, previous to PI System 2016 R2.
The integrated installer will not perform as expected, as there is no explicit way to preconfigure the MSIs required to install the PI System.
This creates a very stressful scenario for very restricted environments. Please reach directly to me in case you want to have more information,
1 vote -
Be able to perform silent installs with different silent.ini file path
I have a customer who would like to perform silent installs and be able to specify a different file path for the silent.ini file. Currently the silent installs only work if the unzipped setup kit is all in one folder.
2 votes
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