Making the most of what you have in tight times...

In this quarter’s newsletter, in addition to news about several product updates, we’re focusing on ways to help you get the most from hardware and systems you own to help improve your business’s effectiveness while budgets are tight.

Getting the most out of old serial devices with Ethernet Encapsulation

You can connect your serial devices through Ethernet with an Ethernet-to-Serial converter (Terminal Server/Ethernet Encapsulation Device) without using any special com port redirection software using the TOP Server or the OmniServer using Ethernet Encapsulation.  This can be a highly cost effective way to go ahead and link up older systems to your HMI, MES, and plant performance monitoring systems.  This article will explain the basic steps required to make a connection to serial hardware through an Ethernet converter.  …Click for More

How to monitor system operation and reliability when you have even less time and staff to keep an eye on things.... let an automated system do it for you!

Do you need notification when a process goes down on a PC?  What about if the CPU or Memory usage goes over a specific percentage?  Would you like to have a process automatically restarted if it shuts down and be notified?  If this functionality is of interest to you, then take a look at the white paper we have that explains how you can get notifications (Email or SMS messages to your cell phone) for many different PC processes and Systems information.  The paper even covers how you can restart a process if it goes down.  Click for More

OPC DataLogger - New Scheduled Triggers Add Flexibility

A new version of the OPC Data Logger has been released.  This new version includes new calendar based triggers for helping you to log data even more effectively.  You can now log data based on specific time and dates, like the end of the month or at specific times of the day.  This new ability added to the repeated timed triggers lets you take full control over when you need to log your information. Click for More

TOP Server OPC & I/O Server Version 4.5 Released

TOP Server Version 4.500.462.0 adds 5 new drivers and updates many existing drivers to insure the latest compatibility with your hardware and reliable functionality.  Click for More

Be sure and check our special “Stimulus Plan” offers - save $400 on a regular TOP Server driver when purchased with an iSNMP or System Monitor license

TOP Server Version 5.0 Preview

The next generation of TOP Server will deliver a new internal architecture that will enable full support for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, remote configuration, thin client access, and much more.  Version 4.x configurations will be fully portable to Version 5.x.  Version 5 is expected to be released in Q2 2009 - watch for upcoming webcast announcements.

Software Toolbox celebrates 13 years of serving it’s clients

We’d like to thank our loyal clients in over 100 countries for their support as we enter our 13th year in business.   Despite the economic challenges we continued to see growth in 2008.  Clients have found our highly cost effective solutions, many for under $1000, are helping them to make incremental process improvements while things are slow so that they can see greater reward when things do improve.