Installation and Licensing

This article covers questions about how Precision Bridge is delivered, the differences between install paths, and how licensing works.

Choosing an Install Path

Precision Bridge ships in two builds:

• Windows Native Build — a standalone .exe for Windows 11 or Windows Server 2019+. No container runtime, WSL, or Hyper-V required. Best for trials and single-user evaluation. See Windows Native Build Quick Start.
• Docker Build — the full containerised application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Required for scheduled migrations, multi-user access, and server deployment.

If you are evaluating PB on a Windows machine, start with the Native build. If you need scheduling, server deployment, or you are on macOS or Linux, use the Docker build. See Choosing a Container Runtime for selecting between Docker Desktop, Rancher Desktop, and Podman.

What the Native Build Leaves Out

The Native build supports every step type, the formula language, the filter language, table correlations, the adaptor editor, and per-chunk scripts. The single feature it does not include is scheduled procedures — the Schedules page is disabled in the UI. You can still run any procedure manually any time. If you need cron-style scheduling, use the Docker build.

System Requirements

The headline numbers:

• RAM: 16 GB minimum for project design; 32–64 GB recommended for production runs of large or complex projects.
• Storage: 16 GB SSD. The application itself needs ~1 GB; the rest is working space for projects, logs, and container images (Docker build only).
• OS: Windows 11 or Windows Server 2019+ for the Native build; Windows / macOS / Linux for the Docker build.

For the full hardware, OS, and network requirements, see System Requirements.

Trial vs. Subscription Licences

The in-app licence request form offers two licence types:

• Trial — for evaluation. A trial licence is unrestricted: you can use any source adaptor, any target adaptor, and the adaptor editor. Trial requests do not require you to nominate connections.
• Subscription — for paid use. A subscription is scoped to one or more source connections and one or more target connections. Subscription requests are typically raised against an existing purchase order.

When requesting a licence, fill in Full Name, Email, Company, and Project Name. For a Trial, that is all. For a Subscription, also select the connections to be licensed. Click Generate Request and the dialog produces an encoded request body — copy it and email it to [e-mail].

How to Get the Installer

Installers are provided directly by Precision Bridge as part of your sign-up or trial activation. Contact [e-mail] if you have not yet received the installer.

There is no public download portal. If you encounter advice referring to a "customer portal" or "download portal", it is out of date.

What a Licence Controls

A licence parameterises the running application with:

• The set of source connections you are entitled to use.
• The set of target connections you are entitled to use.
• Whether the adaptor editor is enabled.
• The licence validity dates.

Trials short-circuit the connection lists by granting unrestricted access. Subscription licences enforce the connection allocation — attempting to extract from an unlicensed source or load into an unlicensed target produces a clear licence error before the migration starts.

Renewals and Adding Connections

If you need to extend a subscription or add a new source/target connection mid-term, raise a new licence request from the in-app form (or contact [e-mail] directly). Existing project configurations are not affected — replacing the licence file is sufficient.