System architecture

The iTAC.MES.Suite’s technology and architecture have been designed to benefit our customers in as many ways as possible:

• Platform independence
• Scalability
• Investment protection Online data availability
• Online data availability
• Equipment Manufacturer neutral
• Enabled for Central (global) hosting

iTAC’s MES is based on the standardized Enterprise Edition Java Platform (Java EE). Java EE is the basis for the platform-independent, manufacturer-neutral iTAC.ARTES Framework on which the iTAC.MES.Suite is based. iTAC.ARTES provides basic technology for the modern, online-compatible MES solution. Various production locations can be consolidated  centrally over large distances, whereby a standard, centralistic data management in a single data base is possible.

The iTAC.MES.Suite’s business logic is stored in the central JAVA EE application server layer. Process-specific adaptations to the system are executed via core-data-sided customizing without additional effort in development for adapting the application server.

Machine-specific integration and customer-specific dialogues are managed using a downwards-compatible unicode-compliant application programming interface (API).

The iTAC.MES.Suite’s architecture thereby guarantees a platform-independent, highly-available, scalable system and thereby fulfils the requirements for an ”Enterprise-Application" for operating in a decentral as well as central data processing center.

Details for Java EE architecture
The iTAC.MES.Suite is built using a classic 3-tier architecture.  At the backend an (RDBMS) relational database management system (persistence layer).While on the server side   1-n servers (Java EE5 application server in cluster-mode),  and clients which access  the server via the iTAC.ARTES Middleware (presentation layer).
Clients never directly access the RDBMS, always being connected to an application server. Only the application server communicates with the RDBMS. The database is configured as central data store.

The iTAC.ARTES framework developed by iTAC is used as Middleware (hier ein Link auf die Artes-Seite /vorher Middleware), which among others, enables communication between Server/Server and Client/Server.
Via interfaces and services (communication layer) iTAC.ARTES organizes among other functions, the transport of complex data, manages remote function calls between components and provides the transaction security via otherwise independent client components.

Access to an external system such as ERP is executed using special enterprise connectors.