Many clients wish to know what the hardware and operating system requirements are for a Delft-FEWS client-server system. On this page you can find a list of specifications. If you have any question about the list, or you do not see the operating system of your choice: please contact Delft-FEWS Support. This list is not exhaustive. All recent Delft-FEWS releases require 64-bit hardware and OS. Deltares supports at maximum 5 versions. If still running a no longer supported version it is strongly recommended to upgrade to a supported version.Introduction
Delft-FEWS Supported release versions
release | release date | end of support |
---|---|---|
Delft-FEWS 2022.01 | July 2022 | when 2024.02 is released (approx. Q1 2025) |
Central database
Central storage for operational Forecast data. One instance per Master Controller.
Minimum requirements
- Follow database vendor requirements for memory and CPU requirements.
- 4 GB RAM for the database server is required for a small FEWS instance with less than 5 users. 8 GB or more for larger systems.
- The database instance(s) can be hosted on an existing database server or cluster.
- See also Database connection count calculator
The Delft-FEWS client-server system is known to run with the following database versions:
Oracle
PostgreSQL
- PostgreSQL 11, 12, 13
- See https://endoflife.date/postgresql
- The maximum size for PostgreSQL database fields in Delft-FEWS is 1 GB. As a result all big files such as Module config files and ColdStates must respect this limit. WarmStates exceeding this size can be stored externally on the file system.
SQLServer
- MS SQL Server 2016 / 2019.
- Managed instances are possible, but In-Memory OLTP is required, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/in-memory-oltp-overview?view=azuresql.
- See https://endoflife.date/mssqlserver
- The maximum size for SQLServer database fields in Delft-FEWS is 2 GB. As a result all big files such as Module config files and ColdStates must respect this limit. WarmStates exceeding this size can be stored externally on the file system.
Delft-FEWS components
Operating Systems
Follow vendor guidelines for minimum requirements. The Delft-FEWS binaries require the x64 instruction set.
Linux
Linux RedHat Enterprise 7 / 8, CentOS 7, AlmaLinux 8
Windows
Windows 8.1 / 10, Server 2012(R2), 2016, 2019.
JDK
JDK | remarks |
---|---|
Amazon Corretto 11.0.15.9.1 | For Delft-FEWS components other than Tomcat and model adapters, there is no need to download the JDK since it is distributed as part of the binaries. |
Master Controller Server
Server for workflow management, event processing, sending system alerts and cleaning up expired records. Synchronizes from other Master Controllers in multi-MC systems. Multi-MC systems are useful for redundancy and / or for cooperation between organizations.
Minimum requirements
- OS minimum +1 GB RAM (multi Master Controller systems +2 GB)
- OS minimum +1 CPU per Master Controller instance
- 10 GB free diskspace
Admin Interface
Web application for super-users for monitoring, system control and task scheduling.
Minimum requirements
See Tomcat requirements - 2022.02 and before, +512 MB RAM.
At least -Xmx512m
Webbrowser with javascript and session cookies enabled.
- Load balancers must use sticky sessions.
Supported browsers (recent version):
Chrome
Firefox
Edge
Support for external authentication (optional)
- oauth2
Config Manager
Used by the application manager to control the Delft-FEWS configuration in the central database. In multi Master Controller systems the Config Manager always operates on the primary Master Controller database.
- usable in Citrix
- no admin privileges required
Minimum requirements
- OS minimum +2 GB RAM
- OS minimum +1 CPU
- 20 GB free disk space
Operator Client / Stand alone
Thick GUI client for end users. When connected to the central database it is referred to as the Operator Client. When operating on a local datastore without connecting to the central database, it is referred to as the Stand alone Client. Memory settings depend on number of locations and the size (relative view period) of the time series in calculations.
- usable in Citrix
- no admin privileges required
Minimum requirements
- OS minimum +2 GB RAM
- OS minimum +1 CPU
- 20 GB free disk space
Forecasting Shell Server
Server for execution of forecast runs and import tasks.
Low duty / Heavy duty FSS Groups
It is good practice to categorize workflows on basis of cpu / memory requirements to specialized Forecasting Shell Server Groups. Simple import workflows often require less resources than heavy duty forecast models.
Minimum requirements
- OS minimum +2 GB RAM + model requirements
- OS minimum +1 CPU per FSS instance + model requirements
- 20 GB free disk space + model requirements
Database Proxy
Optional server for enabling http(s) access to the central database. Typically used in combination with a reverse proxy server. Typically used for connecting Operator Clients to the central database. Never used by the FSS. Sometimes used for ConfigManager / MC-MC synchronisation with external networks.
Minimum requirements
See Tomcat requirements - 2022.02 and before, +1 GB RAM.
At least -Xmx1024m.
- Load balancers must use sticky sessions.
Delft-FEWS Web Services
Optional service which allows PI-REST clients to interact with and retrieve data from the Delft-FEWS system.
Minimum requirements
See Tomcat requirements - 2022.02 and before, +1 GB RAM +1 CPU
At least -Xmx1024m
- Preferably not on the same machine as the master-controller.
Deltares Open Archive
Minimum requirements
- Failsafe storage. Any RAID (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID) with ample capacity will be sufficient.
- OS minimum +3 GB RAM.
- OS minimum +3 CPUs.
- See Tomcat requirements.
- Load balancers must use sticky sessions.
- Permissions for the file system containing archive data:
- Must be accessible by the THREDDS server with read permissions.
- Must be accessible by the Archive Server with full permissions.
- Must be accessible by the Forecasting Shell Servers with write permissions.
Scalability and virtualisation
Scalability, number of servers
The components mentioned above can all be located on one (powerful) server or each on an individual machine, with all possible configurations in between. It is however common practice to separate the Forecasting Shell Server from the Master Controller Server. When using multiple machines it is essential that all machines have matching clocks. This can be achieved by making use of one and the same NTP server.
A typical configuration is:
- Database Server
- Master Controller server running Master Controller(s), Apache Tomcat for Admin Interface
- Forecasting Shell Server(s)
- Open Archive Server
Typically in a dual Master Controller setup every Master Controller has its own machine so that maintenance can take place without offline time.
Virtualization
It is very well possible to deploy the Delft-FEWS components in virtualized environments. The Deltares ICT team has most experience with Delft-FEWS on VMWare VSphere with in-depth knowledge but Delft-FEWS is also known to run on Microsoft Hyper-V. Virtualization of the Delft-FEWS back-end services can generally be done without problems. The Forecast modelling software determine requirements or limitations with respect to virtualization of the Forecasting Shell Servers.
Security
Read more about the shared responsibility model. >>
End-Of-Life of third party components
Deltares cannot support any release that is marked as end of life by the supplier. For a quick check whether a component is still supported: