Automation Engine 10

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Anyone upgrade their Backstage Server to Automation Engine 10 as of yet? If so, how did the upgrade process go and have you had any issues since upgrading?

 

[PrepressDan]

Its a pretty straight forward upgrade. Being that AE10 is built on Backstage it is almost like another dot revision. But to answer you question, I have not.

 

[Kristian]

From what I have seen of it, it will be a much easier upgrade for people who already use Backstage as opposed to Nexus users.

We are still waiting for the upgrade.

 

[PrepressDan]

Being that it was built off the frameworks of Backstage and the databases it would make sense that it is a simple upgrade for the backstage users. Yes Nexus and Odystar users are going to have to shift mind directions a bit if they wish to take advantage of the new functionality. But change is not always bad.

 

[naplajoie2000]

We have beta/Rc version on floor and it looks and feels just like 7.4. Does have some additional buttons and whistles, but nothing that really seems like it will change the way we do things. Some of the automation we have played with will not help us much, as we do so much with the files after ripping. (We are commercial web/sheetfed printer).

Side question for those of you who might know, does flexrip respond to faster processor or bigger video cards, and any suggestions to what is working for you guys. Some of our files seem to really drag, and it is time to upgrade hardware, so I ask esko guy that was in here doing 10 install, and he really didn't have an answer, processor or video card.

 

[Joeno]

Flexrip

Flexrip

Hi,

The video card has nothing to do with ripping speed, you need a fast CPU, perhaps more and faster RAM and a fast network. Typical time to RIP a 6 color large file is about 4 minutes.

Joe

 

[wesley]

AE10 upgrade

AE10 upgrade

Word has it there is a system audit necessary to check compatibility and licensing. They recommend on-site install and licensing config to maximize productivity and minimize downtime. I think it will be similar to the SS7 upgrade. There are a lot of new packages that have added functionality. We are still waiting also

 

[pcmodem]

Is Automation Engine 10 the replacement of Nexus as well?

 

[Repro_is_still_alive]

Is Automation Engine 10 the replacement of Nexus as well?

Not yet, it has some basic support for creating artpro files and exporting artpro files to normalized pdf, next version should have more added functionality.

 

[Talking Tech]

AE10 will ultimately replace Nexus and Odystar, but the initial versions don't have a lot of Nexus or Odystar functionality. As @Repro_is_still_alive states, currently the only Nexus-like functionality is ArtPro file support, which is still limited. AE10 workflows can now be built using an Odystar-like user interface in the Pilot. Although it is not highly intuitive, it is certainly better than the old way of building workflows in Pilot. Pilot will be the new user interface for Nexus and Odystar users, and the timeline for AE10 having complete Nexus/Odystar PDF functionality is not until sometime in 2011. It is not clear whether AE10 will have any support for Nexus raster PSTI files but there is user pressure to come up with a solution for this, so we'll have to see. The promise of AE10 to Nexus and Odystar users is the ability to automate workflows and processes even further, especially through database integration. The problem is, for those not interested in these high-end and complex capabilities, AE10 may dictate a great deal of overhead regardless of whether you want it or not.

 

[AndyMc]

We have upgraded but starting to wish we hadn't, opening up Fast Impose causes the PCs to hang, tech support have dialled in but are unable to do anything about it, starting to consider going back to 7.6.