Legacy versions of Windows may be supported; however, due to security concerns, their use is not recommended. Additionally, older versions of Net2 may be required for compatibility, but this is also discouraged

Requirements are determined by a dedicated Windows installation for Net2. It may be required to increase the RAM for larger, busy sites.

In each case, the compatibility is conditional on up to date service packs and updates being applied. Server operating systems are compatible, but will probably require IT expertise unavailable from our support team in order to complete a working installation. This particularly applies to special versions of operating systems.

Administrator rights to the PC are required in order to install the Net2 software and user rights are necessary in order to use Net2 software.

Anti-virus or spyware programs may interfere with the installation of any software, including Net2. We recommend McAfee which seems to give the fewest problems. In the event of difficulties during installation of Net2, we advise that the anti-virus software should be disabled. Should difficulties persist once the anti-virus software is re-enabled, the person responsible for supporting the anti-virus software should be consulted. Our support team will be unable to offer advice in this event.

Our current recommendation is to install Net2 on a local machine, however we’re aware that many systems are installed on a virtual machine. In order to best support you with any technical issues, we may ask you to install your system on a physical machine to reduce the complexities of troubleshooting Net2 on a VM. 

For further information, please contact technical support.

Is it possible to host the Net2 database on a separate SQL server?

Unfortunately, Paxton does not support or permit databases to be hosted on a separate SQL server.

As new features are developed and bugs are fixed, we release updates to our software. This can involve updates to the database, including updating to a new version. Future developments may require we migrate to a different database altogether. This would not be possible if the Net2 database was hosted externally.

Additionally, Net2 requires that the database is always available, and is not designed to work across separate networks.

Network compatibility

Where devices have an Ethernet network port, (e.g. a TCP/IP RS485 interface, or a Net2 I/O board) the device will be compatible with IEEE802.3 Ethernet infrastructures supporting 10BaseT at 10Mbps using the IPV4 network protocol.

IP data traffic between the user interface software and the server software (where client server mode is used) and between the Server software and the I/O boards use ports in the range 6474 to 6485 inclusive. When using a TCP/IP RS485 adaptor, ports 10001 and 30718 are used. A combination of TCP and UDP communications are in use. This should be taken into account in routers where port filtering or forwarding are employed.

We recommend that wherever Net2 data are communicated over TCP/IP, data security and vulnerability of components should be considered. A virtual private network (VPN) should be used where traffic is carried over the public internet, and secure VLAN’s are advisable on vulnerable internal networks. We advise that the network connection and security should be provided by a competent person and their configuration and design are outside the capability of our support team.

Network security considerations

Implementing the correct level of network security on your site is strongly encouraged. It is the responsibility of the user to use the appropriate level of security for your site. Paxton recommends the following IT security precautions for your reference. Please click here for more information.

Support

Our Technical Support team are available to advise on the installation of Net2 software and its use. They are able to take enquiries from installers before or after commissioning a system, and from those using the system.

Our support team is trained in the use of the software and understand the basic procedures for installing it on the recommended operating systems. Almost all installations are straightforward and require no advice or help from us. However, where unusual problems do occur, it may be necessary to revert to more experienced members of our support team or development team for advice. This may require a number of contacts by telephone over several days.

Advice given by our support team may be restricted to installation and operation of the Net2 system and software only. Any other advice given or discussions relating to PC hardware, operating systems, network infrastructure or any system or software not provided by Paxton Access are informal, without obligation and are not intended as a replacement for appropriate professional skills which should be provided by the installer. Our Terms and Conditions of Sale also apply.