What You Need to Know About On-Premises Support

For System Five installed on your own server and computers.

As of October 2026 · Full guide

Every part of your setup counts: System Five, your computers, your server, and your database.

Check Your Setup

Supported

System Five 7.0.2 or laterSystem Five 8 recommended for all users7.0.4.8 or later recommended on Windows 11
Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise on every workstation
Windows Server 2022 or 2019 with Actian Zen 152022 recommended for new servers
Actian Zen 15 database
A dedicated physical server, or Windward Cloud
Wired network and the minimum hardware
An active maintenance agreement

Not Supported

Windows 10, with or without Microsoft's Extended Security UpdatesWhy ESU doesn't change this
Actian Zen 14 or earlier
System Five earlier than 7.0.2
Windows Server 2025, Essentials editions, or versions earlier than 2016
Windows Server 2016 after January 12, 2027Limited Support for existing servers until then
Your own virtual serverApplication-level help only. Virtualization policy
Thin clients, or Wi-Fi for POS stations

What Support You Get

Fully Supported

When: Your System Five version, workstations, server, database, and hardware are all supported, and your maintenance agreement is active.
What you get: Windward investigates and fixes problems, and you get every update.

Limited Support

When: Your System Five version is 7.0.2 or later, but your workstations, server, or database aren't supported. For example: Windows 10 workstations, Actian Zen 14, or Windows Server 2016.
What you get: How-to help, basic troubleshooting, and help upgrading. In-depth troubleshooting and software fixes wait until you upgrade.

End of Support

When: Your System Five version is earlier than 7.0.2.
What you get: Very limited how-to help. Windward focuses on getting you onto a supported version.

If Something Isn't Supported

Simplest path

Move to Windward Cloud

Windward runs and maintains the server and database for you, so you stay on a supported setup.

Stay on-premises

Upgrade what's out of date

Windward Customer Care plans the upgrade with you. If you have active maintenance, System Five upgrades are included.

Why It Matters

Windward Software only develops and tests System Five on supported environments, and Windward releases fixes only in current versions. On anything else, Windward can't predict how System Five behaves, so many problems can only be solved after you upgrade. Out-of-date systems are also an easier target for attacks, which keep getting faster and more automated.

Want the details? Read the full System Five Customer Support and Requirements Guide How to find your System Five version

This summary covers on-premises installations. If this summary and the full guide differ, the full guide applies.