3 Workstation Categories

There are two categories of workstation hardware, primarily based on available RAM. Most workstations have 2GB+ of RAM, which is enough to allow integrators the suitable space to run most solutions.

However, for Workstation 5A, its RAM is extremely constrained (512MB) and only supports the most lightweight integrator solutions with very small RAM footprints. This section explains the differences and constraints between the workstations.

Workstation 3xx/4xx/6xx

This section covers all workstations supporting Linux that are not the Workstation 5A.

Includes the following:

  • Compact Workstation 3 Series
  • Express Station 4xx Series
  • Workstation 610, 620, 650
  • Workstation 625E, 625X, 655X
  • KDC 210

Characteristics and hardware access for these workstations include:

  • Memory: 2GB on KDC unit; 4GB-8GB on 3xx/4xx/6xx
  • Storage: 64GB to 256GB
  • 64-bit BIOS required
  • Standard port access (Serial, USB, IP). See Use Cases for more information.
  • Proprietary I/O support (cash drawer, customer display, magnetic card reader). See Use Cases for more information.

Workstation 5A

The Workstation 5A is a special case, due to limited memory size and extremely limited amount of RAM available for integrator use (approximately 30MB). The available RAM space varies depending on deployment configuration. Because of this, consider the Workstation 5A as an appliance with limited to no ability to customize outside core Simphony features and components.

Differences between the Workstation 5A and other hardware include:

  • 512MB RAM total

  • SQLite database instead of MySQL

    While this is a distinction, it is irrelevant to an integrator since they are unable to access the database in this case. It helps Simphony core components to fit within the 512MB total memory available.

  • The Check and Posting Service (CAPS) and Kitchen Display System (KDS) Controller do not run on a Workstation 5A.

    Instead, the CAPS and KDS Controller run on another machine with a greater amount of RAM, allowing more RAM headroom to run integrator solutions. Due to this, another machine must run integrator solutions (for the entire location, and not on every workstation at the location).