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Database Options

In addition to the CenterScape Application server, a database is required for storing sensor tag data and con- figuration data that is gathered and managed by CenterScape. CenterScape is designed to work with PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL Server and those drivers are included with the CenterScape application. Choosing between which platform to use is a decision based on cost, scale, and in house expertise available to support the database.

Postgres Description​

Postgres is a free and open-source server but it requires specific knowledge on backup and restore procedures which are documented at https://www.postgresql.org/docs/ . Additionally, parameters like memory, CPU parallelism, session attributes, and fail over / redundancy are the responsibility of the entity running CenterScape and not RF Code.

The built in Postgres install provided by RF Code is sufficient for customers with around 1000 assets/sensors but will need configuration augmentation scaled higher or with complex custom calculations. The built in Postgres distributed with CenterScape should be used by small deployments or for proof of concept installs. Most production deployments should use PostgreSQL 15 on Windows or Linux. Postgres will not scale as far as SQL Server for CenterScape but is sufficient for at least 100,000 sensors running on Windows and 200,000 sensors running on Linux. Later versions of Postgres are known to scale better than earlier versions.

PostgreSQL has a huge install base and is available as a cloud service by many providers. Many analysts list PostgreSQL as the fourth most popular database just behind SQL Server. RF Code chose to support PostgreSQL mainly for customers that may not want to license any commercial software to support RF Code installations. The Linux, PostgreSQL, and Open JDK option allows for license free infrastructure to support CenterScape.

SQL Server Description​

SQL Server is a commercially available database server produced by Microsoft. It supports countless configurations with carrier grade redundancy and advanced clustering. RF Code does not test every permutation that SQL Server has to offer, but the CenterScape Application Server is distributed with the Microsoft JDBC driver and the version included in CenterScape defines which versions and configurations of SQL Server are supported. More information can be found at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/connect/jdbc . The version of the JDBC drive that RF Code ships with CenterScape is 12.4 as of Version 1.8.1.

The fact that SQL Server requires a paid commercial license to use and requires a Windows Server License is its primary drawback, but many enterprises have standardized on SQL Server for their database support and have staff that support the care and feeding of databases within the company. The cost of appropriate SQL Server licenses is widely varied for large companies with enterprise contracts with Microsoft. Because of this RF Code cannot comment on the cost of licenses or the form of licenses needed for SQL Server. As of 2024, SQL Server is the most popular option for CenterScape deployments among RF Code customers.

Databases Supported​

  • PostgreSQL version 11.X-16.X on Linux or Windows
  • Microsoft® SQL Server 2022, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014