Upgrading to REXYGEN 2.50.9 from REX 2.10.x

New version of REXYGEN (2.50.9) is out and all users can upgrade for free. The instructions below are valid for upgrading from REX 2.10.x. If you are upgrading from REXYGEN 2.50.x / REX 2.50.x, there is a separate guide for you.

In any case, it is recommended to backup the content of the /rex/rexcore directory on your target device prior to upgrading. If you do not know how to do it, don’t worry. In such a case the only thing you might need are the licensing keys and you can always find these in your user accout at licensing.rexygen.com.

It is mandatory to upgrade both the development tools on your desktop/laptop PC and the runtime modules on your target device(s).

Upgrading the development tools

Install the newest version of development tools. Only Windows 7/8/10 is supported.

As long as you have at least one target device with version 2.10.8 or older, you should keep the development tools 2.10.8 installed. As soon as you upgrade all your target devices to 2.50.9 (or at least 2.50.x), you can uninstall version 2.10.8.

You can have multiple versions of development tools installed at the same time. You just have to pay attention to which version you are running and opening your projects in. The REXYGEN Tray Monitor utility is a big help in this case.

Upgrading your target device – Full upgrade including operating system

• If you are using a Raspberry Pi, download any of the newest Raspbian image and write it to your SD card.
• Follow the instructions contained in the Getting started guide for your device.
• After installation is complete, your target device is running version 2.50.9 and is ready for use.
• Your licences are valid, just re-apply the licence key (SiteKey) when asked for it while connecting to your target device. If your licence key is not accepted, please contact us and we’ll generate a new one for you.
• It will be necessary to compile and download your project again using the newest version of the development tools.

Things you should know when upgrading from REX 2.10.x

These are the most important changes and known problems which you should know before upgrading from 2.10.x to 2.50.9:

• In general, a lot has changed. An upgrade is definitely worth the effort. Although you are experienced users of REX, it is recommended to go through the Getting started manual which will guide you step-by-step and show you the whole workflow. This should make your transition to the new version as smooth as possible.
• The workflow in REXYGEN Studio (RexDraw) was slightly changed. The connection to the target device is now independent of the application mode (development or watch mode).
• Zoom is available in REXYGEN Studio (RexDraw).
• Connecting blocks is much easier.
• HMI: there is no need to manually export and download HMI files to the target device. HMI is now included in your project and compiles automatically. See the REXYGEN HMI documentation.
• RexCore contains an internal webserver (default port 8008). There is no need to use the lighttpd webserver.
• REXYGEN HMI Designer: it is necessary to open the SVG source file at least once and Resize it (due to changes in DPI settings of Inkscape 0.92) and run Update Components extension (due to updates in RexHMI components, Extensions->REXYGEN HMI->Update Components). Afterwards save the SVG file, compile and download your project again and you should be up and running.
• REXLANG block: there are numerous changes, especially in commands for opening communication buses (UART, SPI, I2C, UDP, TCP). See the REXLANG documentation.
• Modbus communication driver: if Modbus RTU communication (RS-232 or RS-485) fails after upgrade, try increasing the Sync time parameter in Modbus driver configuration. Start at 0.05 and go lower as long as the communication is still working.
• 1-Wire communication driver (via OWFS, module OwsDrv): make sure to use localhost instead of 127.0.0.1 in OwsDrv configuration in your project.
• OWFS configuration on the target device: make sure to use localhost instead of 127.0.0.1 in the /etc/owfs.conf configuration file
• REST API is available, REXYGEN is more open than ever.
• Database connection driver (via ODBC, module DbDrv): if you are using REXYGEN archives, check the numbering of archives in the database driver configuration. The numbering of archives was unified. All places use numbering starting from 1, therefore it is necessary to update your DB driver configuration. Please open the configuration dialog and set ArchiveID=1. Or change it directly in the .rio file.

Good news or bad news, we love to hear from you

• Should you run into troubles, contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
• If everything goes smoothly, we’ll highly appreciate your feedback about the new version.