NOTE: In
Niagara 4.8 and later, there is added support for verifying third party module signatures. Currently third party module signing is optional
in most cases, but this will gradually shift to a requirement over the course of the next few releases. As a result, the Software Installation window is changed to include signature status icons in the Installed Version and Available Version columns indicating the
signature status of the installed and available modules. Attempting to install modules with signature warnings (indicated
by a yellow icon) will cause a signature warning dialog to be displayed, and attempting to install modules with signature
errors (indicated by a red icon) will cause the installation to fail. For more details see, Niagara Third Party Module Signing.
Other differences include the following items.
- The Module Content Filter step has been replaced by a Configure Runtime Profiles step. This reflects differences in software modules, as refactored for
N4. However, the basic premise for installing only the types of modules needed for the intended application (preserving storage
space on the controller) remains the same.
- The wizard no longer lets you commission and install a unit with the factory-default platform user credentials. Instead, a
step requires you to replace this default platform admin user with a different user name, and specify a “strong” password
for this admin account.
Optionally, you can now create additional platform admin accounts in the controller (up to 20). Each platform admin account
must have a unique user name, and also use a strong password. Each account has the same (full) platform admin access—users
can change their password, even create additional platform admin accounts.
- The
FTP/Telnet enable/disable choice in the Platform Administration view has been replaced by a more secure SFTP/SSH choice, specifying a common port (22 by default, also disabled). Although SFTP and SSH protocols are more secure than the
FTP and Telnet protocols available for
AX controllers, disabling is still recommended, except for troubleshooting or upon request by technical support.