Better Together Solutions
Arista offers a broad range of computer hardware solutions that can be deployed with powerful Inductive Automation’s Ignition HMI/SCADA across every industrial sector, like Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverage.., etc. Arista’s Powered by PoE industrial computers eliminate traditional high capital costs of high-voltage AC electrical layouts in Pharmaceutical production lines.
Arista offers various “Ignition Ready” hardware to meet the installation requirements in every industry sectors and solving challenges in all application environment.

Arista’s Ignition Ready hardware provides various pre-install configurations to save your time and effort:

  • Pre-installed Windows with Ignition
  • Pre-installed Ubuntu with Ignition
  • Pre-installed Windows with Ignition in the Docker Container
  • Pre-installed Ubuntu with Ignition in the Docker Container
  • Q8 Edge for Ignition Perspective

 

 

Ignition
Ignition by Inductive Automation is a universal software platform used to connect plant floor data and build custom SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), HMI (Human-Machine Interface), MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) applications

Core Components
• Ignition Gateway: The central server hub that manages device connections, databases, and project deployment.
• The Designer: A single, integrated development environment used to build control screens, configure data tags, and write logic.
• Runtime Clients (Vision and Perspective): The user interface displays deployed instantly to desktop applications, industrial touch panels, or mobile web browsers. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Features
• Unlimited Licensing: Priced per server instead of charging per tag, screen, or user, which removes scaling cost limits.
• Open Technologies: Built on standard IT and OT protocols including SQL databases, Python scripting, OPC UA, and MQTT.
• Cross-Platform: Operates on major operating systems like Windows, Linux, and macOS, and supports web-based deployment.

 

Q8 Edge

The ARISTA Q8 Edge ® is a specialized, web-based terminal operating system designed to display Web-Based or Remote Desktop Services Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and SCADA applications in industrial automation environments. Ignition Perspective sessions can be deployed via Q8 Edge terminal just in a few minutes. Q8 Edge has an embedded web browser and address bar is removed. Operators have zero access to an address bar, public internet, or external URL navigation. It will only display pre-white-listed HMI, SCADA, or RDS session links. 
The Q8 Edge terminal can be viewed, control and change settings remotely via a browser. The major features are:  
• Live Screen Mirroring & Interactive Shadowing: View exactly what the floor operator sees in real time to diagnose HMI or application issues instantly. 
• Remote Management and Configuration Change via browser: Access configuration screens, diagnostics, and update SCADA/HMI target links, or adjust multi-monitor  layouts through standard web browsers.

 

Docker Container
Deploying the Inductive Automation Ignition HMI/SCADA system within Docker containers significantly improves development agility, deployment speed, resource utilization, and system scalability. Transitioning from traditional virtual machines (VMs) or bare-metal hardware to a containerized infrastructure offers several technical and operational benefits.
Rapid Deployment and Automation

  • Instant Provisioning: Spin up an Ignition gateway in seconds using simple terminal commands rather than running manual installers.Automated Backups: Mount a gateway backup file (.gwbk) into the container to automatically restore a pre-configured state upon first launch.
  • Bypassing Commissioning: Use environment variables like ACCEPT_IGNITION_EULA=Y to skip initial setup steps entirely.

Streamlined Development Workflow

  • Isolated Testing Environments: Give every developer a unique, standalone sandbox on a single laptop without cross-project port or dependency conflicts.
  • Version Matching: Spin up the exact Ignition version matching a customer's specific production environment in minutes.
  • Digital Twins: Easily model entire factory architectures—including multiple gateways, databases, and MQTT brokers—locally using Docker Compose text files.

Tighter Resource Efficiency

  • Minimal OS Overhead: Share the host operating system kernel instead of duplicating background processes like SSH or cron across separate VMs.
  • Dynamic Allocation: Allocate CPU cores and memory pools on demand rather than reserving fixed, underutilized physical hardware cores.
  • Multi-Architecture Support: Run the official Linux-based Ignition image natively across amd64, arm64, and arm/v7 hardware.

Production Scalability and Security

  • Modular Segregation: Separate high-load components—such as Perspective/Vision clients, tag providers, and MQTT engines—into independent containers.
  • Simple Load Migration: Move highly taxed containerized modules to dedicated physical hardware hosts as plant-floor data demands grow.
  • Overlay Networks: Secure inter-gateway communication with encrypted virtual networks without configuring manual TLS certificates for every node.
  • Enterprise Orchestration: Scale production deployments reliably across server clusters using Kubernetes, Nomad, or Docker Swarm for automated high availability and redundancy.

 

Ubuntu 
Running Inductive Automation's Ignition SCADA on Ubuntu provides major performance, cost, and reliability advantages by eliminating Windows licensing fees and lowering operating system resource overhead.
Key Benefits

  • Resource Efficiency: Ubuntu uses significantly less RAM and CPU for background tasks than Windows, allowing you to dedicate more hardware power directly to the Ignition Gateway.
  • Cost Savings: You avoid purchasing and renewing expensive Windows Server licenses.
  • Higher Reliability and Uptime:Linux systems often run for years without needing a reboot, and most system updates can be applied without restarting the machine.
  • Automatic Service Setup: Ubuntu is a Debian-based distribution, meaning the official Ignition installer automatically configures the Gateway as a system service that starts up immediately after a reboot.
  • Headless Security:Running Ubuntu Server without a graphical user interface (GUI) reduces the system's attack surface and saves valuable processing power.
  • Predictable Production Standard: Inductive Automation uses Ubuntu Long Term Support (LTS) releases for testing, making it the most stable and predictable Linux environment for industrial deployment.

 

Microsoft Windows 
Running Ignition on Microsoft Windows (including Windows 10, 11, and Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022) provides seamless integration with standard plant-floor IT infrastructure, familiar administrative workflows, and native compatibility with Microsoft-based databases.
IT and Security Integration

  • Active Directory Support: Easily connect Ignition to Windows Active Directory or Azure AD for centralized user authentication and role management.
  • Familiar Security Controls: Use standard Windows Group Policy Objects (GPOs) and native security patching protocols already managed by corporate IT teams.

Database and Tool Compatibility

  • Microsoft SQL Server Integration: Experience optimized, native connectivity when pairing Ignition with Microsoft SQL Server for high-performance data logging and historization.
  • Industrial Software Ecosystem: Leverage a vast majority of legacy and modern third-party OPC servers, hardware drivers, and automation utilities built primarily for Windows environments.

Administration and Maintenance

  • Familiar Interface: Reduce training time for system administrators and IT staff who already manage Windows-based servers and virtual machines.
  • Standard Troubleshooting: Utilize built-in Windows tools like the Task Manager, Event Viewer, and Performance Monitor to diagnose gateway resource usage or system bottlenecks.


 

Deploy Ignition Perspective Session via Arista's Q8 Edge Terminal