System requirements for hsbMake

How hsbMake is put together

Read this first

hsbMake consists of server and client applications that operate within your local network. It uses three server-side Windows services, each providing specific functionality within the system.

hsbMSServer
hsbMake Office Server. Orchestrates the system: job queues, the core application API used internally and by plug-ins, the service application host for standard and customer-specific plug-ins, and the web services used for factory communication, office workflows, third-party integrations and mobile clients.
ProcCtrl
hsbMake Factory Server. Drives the flow of work through a configuration that represents the workstations in a factory. It exposes a management interface so the Office Server can control it.
hsbServerLicensing
License Server. Manages and validates the licences used by factory client applications. It runs independently and does not communicate with the other two services.

These components communicate over TCP/IP and interact with SQL Server, third-party integrations, internal clients in both the office and factory environments, and external licensing services.

Click to enlarge

The three hsbMake services and SQL Server run on one server inside the LAN. Office applications and third-party integrations reach the Office Server; factory clients reach the Factory Server over TCP/IP and the License Server over HTTP. Only the Office Server, the License Server and office client installations reach hsbservices.com, over HTTPS.

Quick reference

Server CPU
2.8 GHz or faster, x64, 8–16 cores
Server memory
64 GB or more
Server OS
Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 or 2025 — 2025 recommended
Database
SQL Server 2016 Express minimum — latest Standard Edition recommended
Framework
.NET 10 or higher.NET 8.NET Framework 4.7.2 minimum, 4.8 recommended
Client OS
Windows 11 or laterWindows 10 minimum, Windows 11 Pro recommendedWindows 10 minimum, Windows 11 Pro recommended
Network
Windows domain, TLS 1.2. Outbound 80 and 443. Internal TCP 1433, UDP 1434, HTTP 8003

The five steps

Licensing

Factory clients
Request licences from the License Server over HTTP. That server holds the shared factory licence pool and validates against hsbservices.com over HTTPS when required.
Office and server
Validate user-based licences directly against hsbservices.com over HTTPS. The License Server is not involved.

If outbound internet access is restricted, licensing may fail unless alternative arrangements are made.

1

Network

For the network and domain administrator

Outbound access

Allow outgoing connections on ports 80 and 443 to these domains, including all subdomains:

www.hsbcad.com www.hsb-cad.com www.hsbshare.com

myhsbcad.com hsbservices.com

A stable internet connection is required, and Amazon Web Services must be reachable: our licensing system validates through AWS-hosted servers.

E-mail whitelisting

Ask your IT department to whitelist no-reply@hsbcad.com and email@teamleader.eu, including associated subdomains. Blocked messages may not even reach your spam folder.

Active Directory groups

Create these groups and assign users by role. The hsbMake service account belongs in HsbMakeOffice.

Group	Members	Database rights
HsbMakeAdmin	Administrators with full access	Read, Write, DDL
HsbMakeOffice	Office users	Read, Write
HsbMakeFactory	Factory users operating clients	None

Network shares

Share three folders from the root folder hsbcad: \FactoryData, \HsbCadSystem and \FactoryApps. Set permissions as follows.

Path	Admin	Office	Factory
HsbCad\FactoryData	RW	RW	R
HsbCad\HsbCadSystem	RW	R	–
HsbCad\HsbCadSystem\ProjectData	RW	RW	–
HsbCad\HsbCadSystem\FactoryDataArchive	RW	RW	–
HsbCad\HsbCadSystem\Company	RW	RW	–
HsbCad\FactoryApps	RW	R	R
HsbCad\FactoryApps\hsbClient	RW	R	R
HsbCad\FactoryApps\ClientConfigurations	RW	RW	R
HsbCad\FactoryApps\QualityTemplates	RW	RW	R

RW read and write · R read only · – no access

Ports and firewall rules

What	Rule
SQL Server	Inbound TCP 1433 (database engine) and UDP 1434 (SQL Server Browser)
hsbMake web service	Windows HTTP URL reservation for http://*:8003/. Without it Windows denies the port.
hsbMSServer	Inbound rule on the domain and private network profiles
ProcCtrl	Inbound rule on the domain and private network profiles
Licensing	Factory clients must reach the License Server over HTTP

Bandwidth

Size the network on peak concurrency, not on the total number of workstations, and add 15% for protocol overhead:

bandwidth = (file size × concurrent workstations × 1.15) ÷ acceptable load time

A 500 KB file, 20 workstations and a 2-second target gives roughly 40 Mbps. Below about 50 KB per file, latency matters more than bandwidth and adding capacity will not help.

To keep it responsive

Keep file servers on the same LAN as the factory clients, minimise network hops, use fast server storage, and read concurrency from the system logs rather than estimating it.

Remote support access

hsbMake support staff connect through a customer-provided VPN, restricted to the servers relevant to the installation, and then use RDP with a dedicated support user or group. This is needed for updates, troubleshooting, configuration changes, integration checks and service plug-ins.

2

Server

For the system administrator

Server specification

Processor
2.8 GHz or faster, x64, 8–16 cores
Memory
64 GB or more
Operating system
Windows Server 2025 recommendedQualified by hsbcad: Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025.
Database
Latest qualified SQL Server Standard Edition recommendedSQL Server 2016 Express is the minimum. Standard is recommended because it has no database size limit.
Framework
.NET 10 or higher.NET 8.NET Framework 4.7.2 minimum, 4.8 or above recommended
Disk
1 GB for hsbMake itself, plus project and production data — see storage sizing belowFor SQL Server, follow Microsoft's hardware and software requirements.
Virtualisation
Recommended — easier updates, flexible backups, better business continuity

Storage sizing

Required disk space depends on model size, production volume and the data generated per production order. Four categories:

Category	Formula	Contains
Project storage	project size × project volume	Active project snapshots: core model map data and cache
Production assets	active orders × project size	CNC files, shop drawings (PDF, DWF), model map data
Archive	project size × archived projects	Completed projects, counted uncompressed
File storage	file size × files per order × orders retained	Quality check images from factory workstations

Project size = average project size + project asset size.

⚠️ Move file storage off the system drive

Quality check images default to C:\ProgramData. Redirect them with the File Storage Path setting in hsbMake Database Configuration (hsbMSConfig). Changing the path moves the files and takes effect on the next service restart. There is no archiving for this area, and its contents must not be renamed or reorganised by hand.

Log files

Logs are for administrators and support, not end users. Use the hsbMake Office administration interface to view them and to set retention. Give every log type a retention rule, and monitor disk usage on these locations.

Log	Location	Retention
ProcCtrl Factory controller state	<SystemBase>\Controller\<ConfigName>\Logs	Archive — important for analysing factory behaviour
Server	<HsbMake Home>	Rolling, typically 7 days
System	<SystemBase>\Logs\Server	Rolling, typically 7 days
Hangfire Background jobs	<SystemBase>\Logs\Hangfire	Rolling, typically 7 days
File importer	<SystemBase>\Application\FileImporter	Per retention settings
Order release	<ProjectData>\ProductionReleaseLog	Longer — needed for traceability

Backups

This says what to protect, not how: tooling and procedure are your IT department's call. Set an RPO (acceptable data loss, drives backup frequency) and an RTO (acceptable downtime, drives recovery speed). Categories 1 to 4 live partly in SQL Server and change continuously during working hours.

Data	Criticality	Stored in	Why it matters
Project data	Critical	SQL + files	Project definitions and linked design files
Production orders	Critical	SQL + files	Factory output; CNC files can be regenerated from projects
Configuration	Critical	SQL + files	Loss prevents the application from operating
Factory controller log	Critical	Files	Live factory floor state; the fastest route back after a failure
Workstation processing	High	SQL	Orders in progress at factory workstations
Application logs	Standard	Files	Diagnostics and audit only
Archive	Standard	Files	Archived production order data, mainly CNC files

Folders to back up

<HsbCad>\FactoryData <HsbCad>\HsbCadSystem\FactoryDataArchive <HsbCad>\HsbCadSystem\ProjectData <HsbCad>\HsbCadSystem\Company <HsbCad>\FactoryApps\ClientConfigurations <SystemBase>\Controller\<ConfigName>\Logs <SystemBase>\Application

<SystemBase> = %ProgramData%\hsbcad\hsbmake\Systems\<SystemName> · <HsbCad> = the folder holding shared file content

3

hsbMake Office

For office workstations

hsbMake Office runs on a standard Windows office workstation. Only the hsbMake-specific requirements are listed here.

Operating system
Windows 11 or laterWindows 10 minimum, Windows 11 Pro or above recommendedWindows 10 minimum, Windows 11 Pro or above recommended
Framework
.NET 10 or higher.NET 8.NET Framework 4.7.2 minimum, 4.8 or above recommended
Runtime
Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime
Optional
Autodesk Design Review — only for viewing DWF files
Domain
Domain member, user in HsbMakeOffice, access to the network shares from Step 1
Licensing
Validates directly against hsbservices.com over HTTPS, so the workstation needs outbound HTTPS

External systems integrate through file-based imports or through web service endpoints hosted by the Office Server.

4

Factory clients

For production management and hardware purchasing

Requirements

Operating system
Windows 11 or laterWindows 10 minimum, Windows 11 Pro or above recommendedWindows 10 minimum, Windows 11 Pro or above recommended
Framework
.NET 10 or higher.NET 8.NET Framework 4.7.2 minimum, 4.8 or above recommended
Runtime
Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. Autodesk Design Review only for DWF files.
Graphics
Basic DirectX support — the workload is 2D and text with occasional light 3D
Monitor
27 inch LCD, Full HD (1080p) minimumNeeds vary per task: insulating a panel asks less than framing an element.
Licensing
Draws from the shared factory licence pool on the License Server over HTTP

Proven hardware

Examples running well at existing customers, as a sanity check rather than a specification.

Intel NUC, including 11th generation Core i5
Dell OptiPlex 3070 — i3-9100t, 8 GB, 256 GB, Windows 11
HP thin clients — T630, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise Thin Clients 640
Advantech UTC-318 touch all-in-one, and repurposed office PCs and laptops

Monitors in use range from 24–27 inch multi-touch (Dell) and 27 inch standard (Iiyama) to 43–75 inch TVs for overview displays (Samsung Crystal UHD).

Tablets

⚠️ Before you buy

Android and iOS only make sense if Element View on its own is enough — no other features are supported there. The preferred platform is a Windows tablet: Microsoft Surface Pro, Dell Latitude 7220/7212 Rugged Extreme or Panasonic Toughpad. The last two have swappable batteries.

Processor
Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 minimum — latest generation i7 or Ryzen 7 for best results
Memory and storage
16 GB, 256 GB SSD
Display
10.1 inch minimum, larger is better
Battery
At least one shift. Without swappable batteries, keep spare tablets.
Camera
5 MP front, 8 MP rear — used for QA and QC
Weight
Around 1 to 2.5 lbs
Mobile platforms
iPad from iOS 11, Android tablets from Android 5

5

Test environment

Strongly recommended for every installation

A dedicated test server that mirrors production lets you validate updates and hotfixes (including database schema changes), plug-ins and customisations, workflow and configuration changes, third-party integrations, and staff training — without touching live production or real data.

Set it up as a duplicate or scaled-down hsbMake server installation, with access restricted to selected users, operating as a fully isolated sandbox.

Isolation rule	What it means
Separate database	Its own SQL database. No test configuration may reference the production database.
Separate file shares	Test-only folders and shares. No reading from or writing to production shares.
No cross-talk	Test services must not publish data, trigger workflows or send output into production.
Separate configuration	Configuration files, service settings and integration endpoints stay independent.
One-way data refresh	Copying production data into test is manual and one-directional: production → test.
Network segmentation	Optional. Separate VLANs or subnets prevent accidental cross-talk.

Jump to section