System Requirements

From HiCAD 2021 on, only Microsoft Windows 10 will be supported.

Microsoft® has discontinued support for the Windows® 7 operating system in January 2020. Therefore HiCAD 2020 SP2 and HELiOS 2020 SP2 are the last versions of our CAD or PDM system to support Windows® 7and 8. Also the corresponding server operating systems (Windows Server 2008 R2 and older) will then no longer be supported.

This depends on which of our HiCAD products you use. You always need at least the software generation of HELiOS that you use for HiCAD. Further information on compatibility can be found in the System Requirements.

HiCAD can be interfaced with different systems like LogiKal, PartSolutions, KISSsoft and CADClick. Which versions are supported by the respective interface can be found in the HiCAD Interfaces Overview and the System requirements.

All HiCAD versions from 2018 on are compatible with all current Microsoft Office versions. In connection with VBA, however, there may be limitations.

Internet Explorer 9-11, Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are compatible with all current HiCAD versions.

Prerequisites for the installation of our software are an Internet connection and an appropriate drive for the installation medium. In principle, any hardware that has the latest drivers for the applicable operating systems can be used. Please note that the graphics card drivers, for example, support the complete OpenGL command set. Only when using the HiCAD Point Cloud module you will need a significantly higher hardware configuration. This also depends on the project size.

From HiCAD 2021 on, only OpenGL version 4.3 is used in all HiCAD modules. This means that HiCAD 2021 can only be run on computers whose graphics card supports OpenGL Version 4.3 or higher. Further information and an example for an optimal hardware configuration can be found in the HiCAD System Requirements.

To be able to use HELiOS, you need to license the software. This can be done with 2 different types of licenses:

Network licenses

If you choose network (server-based) licensing, the license is directly linked to the hardware of the server that centrally manages the HELiOS licenses. These licenses can be used by any workstation in your network that is connected to this server.

However, network licenses can also be used if there is no network connection from the workstation to the server. For this purpose, a license can be temporarily used as a so-called commuter license by checking it out directly from the License Server.

Standalone licenses (local licenses)

Here the activation is directly linked to the hardware of the workstation where you are working with HELiOS.

To use network licenses, a License Server must be installed. The License Server performs and manages licensing in a multi-user environment. It provides an overview of all licenses and manages license requests of all users who want to run a HELiOS application.

For licensing we use the software Sentinel RMS© from the company gemalto©. The License Server is basically a 32-Bit application. The other minimum requirements can be found in the HELiOS System requirements.

No, the License Server does not have to be installed on a separate server or on a server operating system.

A static IP address is a prerequisite for the correct operation of the License Server. When using a virtual server, a static MAC address must be available. Furthermore, the License Server must not be installed together with a HELiOS client on the same computer, because both products share system information regarding licensing.

The License Server requires Internet access to activate or deactivate licenses.

The license management based on Sentinel RMS© from gemalto© can be used in virtual environments.

HELiOS manages all meta data centrally in one database. This requires a Database Server that supports and provides the corresponding data management services. The Database Server (RDBMS) can be a Microsoft SQL Server or an Oracle Database Server.

Microsoft® has discontinued support for the Windows® 7 operating system in January 2020. Therefore HiCAD 2020 SP2 and HELiOS 2020 SP2 are the last versions of our CAD or PDM system to support Windows® 7and 8. Also the corresponding server operating systems (Windows Server 2008 R2 and older) will then no longer be supported.

The hardware requirements primarily depend on the specifications of the respective RDBMS manufacturer (Microsoft / Oracle). You can find more information in the HELiOS System requirements.

Yes, in addition at least 4 GB main memory. As the database size increases, memory should also be increased to ensure optimal performance. Additionally, at least 10 GB of free hard disk space. Actual requirements vary depending on the size of the database.

In principle, it is possible to use virtual servers. In this case, please ensure sufficient performance within the virtual environment.

For some time now, the productive use of SQL Server Express has also been possible. However, you should note that SQL Express has a limit (10 GB) for the size of each database and offers poorer performance than SQL Standard, especially on powerful hardware.

HELiOS stores all user data (files) either in a central file system or, optionally, in the HELiOS Vault Server. Whether or not a HELiOS Vault Server has to be used depends on the specific interfaces used. The HELiOS Vault Server is the central “electronic safe” for all documents in the company. This effectively prevents direct, uncontrolled access to security-relevant files.

Special authentication and check-in/check-out mechanisms in the background effectively restrict access to the respective authorized persons and also regulate simultaneous concurrent access based on the respective access type.

The HELiOS Vault Server is also the basis for document replication if several locations are to be integrated.

The HELiOS Vault Server can be installed either as a 32-Bit or 64-Bit application. The other minimum requirements can be found in the HELiOS System requirements.

If you work exclusively with the interfaces to HiCAD and/or Microsoft Office, the use of the HELiOS Vault Server is optional. For all other interfaces the HELiOS Vault Server must be used.

HELiOS can be integrated into a CAD system like HiCAD or SOLIDWORKS, but can also be used standalone – as the so-called HELiOS Desktop. The corresponding client must be installed locally.

The HELiOS Client can be installed as either a 32-Bit or 64-Bit application. The other minimum requirements can be found in the HELiOS System requirements. As of HELiOS 2021 (Version 2600), the 32-Bit installations for HELiOS and the HELiOS Viewer are no longer available in the download area of the ISD Wiki. If a 32-Bit installation is required, please contact ISD Support.

Before you can start using a HELiOS Client, you need a HELiOS database server and an appropriately configured ODBC connection.

There are a number of interfaces to different CAD systems, CAE systems and MS Office. A detailed list of all interfaced applications can be found in the HELiOS System requirements.

The HELiOS Client can also be operated on a virtual machine. When using integrated viewers, the hardware requirements of the respective viewer manufacturer must be considered. The HELiOS Client can also be run as a terminal application.

A HELiOS Internet Server with web sharing allows you to provide your customers and suppliers with web-based access to projects, documents and articles. Using a standard Internet browser, you can display the relevant information including a graphical preview. Even within a closed network, the HELiOS Internet server can be used very effectively. It enables instant mobile access to data and documents anywhere in the company, e.g. in production, warehouse and field service, without any special requirements for the respective technical equipment.

The HELiOS Internet Server can be installed either as a 32-Bit or 64-Bit application. The Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), at least version 10.0 with ASP.NET 4.8 support, is also required. This is part of Windows, but must be installed/activated separately before installing the HELiOS Internet Server. The other minimum requirements can be found in the HELiOS System requirements.

Yes, in addition to the IIS, a HELiOS Client (HELiOS Desktop) must be installed and set up.

For the live operation of the HELiOS Internet server a (sub-)domain including a valid SSL certificate and port forwarding if necessary are required. Detailed information can be found in the HELiOS System requirements.

The HIS must use the same user that is required to access and use the HELiOS Desktop.

The HELiOS Spooler is the automation platform for processing of print, plot and conversion jobs via server as well as for other automation tasks. Using the HELiOS Spooler offers the following advantages:

• Automatic processing of print/plot jobs with a wide range of configuration options, such as automatic assignment of output devices (printers) depending on the format size.
• Automatic processing of conversion jobs, e.g. for automatic creation of PDF documents. The available target formats differ depending on the basic CAD system used.
• All jobs run centrally via the HELiOS Spooler, thus reducing the workload on the local workstations of individual users. Unnecessary disturbances in daily work are thus avoided. Simultaneous use of several HELiOS Spoolers is possible.
• Jobs can be controlled in terms of time and can be assigned priorities.
• Current jobs, job status and job history are available in the form of result lists. Individual jobs can be repeated at any time.

The HELiOS Spooler is basically a 64-Bit application. The same system and hardware requirements apply as for the HELiOS Client. The minimum requirements can be found in the HELiOS System requirements.

The HELiOS Spooler requires locally installed CAD, electrical engineering or office applications to execute the plot or conversion jobs. Please keep in mind that you need the appropriate licenses to run these applications and that the hardware requirements of the respective system provider must be taken into account.

The main memory should be at least as large as the main memory of the client systems used. This ensures that all the data to be processed by the HELiOS Spooler (that is, the data transferred from the Client systems to the HELiOS Spooler) can be processed successfully.

Besides the client operating systems for Windows, server operating systems can also be used. Whether a server operating system must be used depends on the license terms for the Microsoft operating system you are using. The number of permitted simultaneous device connections is decisive here.

Windows 7 and later allows 20 concurrent logins to the operating system. In this case, you must ensure that there are enough free logins left over in addition to the existing logins that can be used by the respective Print Clients of the Client computers.