Proficy iFIX

System Configuration for

Data Acquisition and Alarming

Objectives
y Explore enabling SCADA functions.
y Add IO drivers and set the PDB.
y Create Alarm Areas and common formats.
y Enable Alarm Services.
System Configuration for Data Acquisition and Alarming

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System Configuration for Data Acquisition and Alarming

Overview
Once the required IO drivers have been identified and installed, the SCADA server is ready for
further configuration. This will include enabling SCADA capabilities, defining which drivers to
load, which PDB to use, and how the alarming sub-system will be generate, label and deliver
alarms.
Specification of these features requires re-visiting the SCU to complete the SCADA and alarm
specific configuration. Once completed, the SCADA will be able to begin with data
acquisition and alarm generation.

Alarm components.

SCADA components.

Figure 5-1. SCADA and Alarming components of the SCU.

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SCU SCADA functions

There are three tasks to configure to prepare iFIX for data acquisition and control: Enable
SCADA, set the default PDB and add the IO Drivers.

SCADA Support
Enabling SCADA support designates the iFIX node as a SCADA server, allowing it to use IO
drivers and PDBs to manage data. Disabling SCADA support makes the iFIX node an iClient.

PDB
Once SCADA support has been enabled this field becomes available. A SCADA node can
have several PDB files in its PDB path, but only one can be loaded and connected to SAC at a
time. The PDB listed in this field will become the default PDB and iFIX will load it at start-up.
IO Drivers
The browse list for I/O Driver Name will return only installed IO drivers. iFIX will only create
DITs for IO Drivers in Configured IO Drivers listbox, and it can manage eight drivers at a time
(including the SIM and SM2 drivers). Simply browse to the desired IO driver and click Add to
include it in the list of drivers. When using IOCNTRL.EXE and the /A switch (in the SCU Task
configuration), all listed drivers will be started when iFIX starts.

Figure 5-2. Configuring SCADA support in SCU.

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SCU Alarm functions

Overview of Alarming
One of the important responsibilities of a SCADA server is to assess or detect unsafe or
unwanted conditions based on measurements from instrumentation on the plant floor. iFIX
provides alarm detection with SAC and the PDB.
Each PDB tag will include instructions that help SAC determine whether alarm conditions
exist. If alarms have been detected, special messages will be generated, labelled and then
delivered to various destinations such as operator displays, printers, text files or archive
databases.
The SCU has two tools that allow developers to set system-wide rules for how messages are
generated, labelled and delivered.

Message Formats
Æ Advanced Æ Common Format

Developers can create common formats for how alarm messages are displayed by the
alarm destinations (or services).
The alarm message will be
displayed using field
information from the PDB
tags such as tag name,
description and units. These
fields will be displayed in
individual columns.
The common format can also
specify the length (in # of
characters) for each field in
the message. These fields
will be added, one after
another, to form a single-line
alarm message.
The order the fields appear in
the message will follow the
column order as per the list.
Use the arrows to move a
selected field up or down in
the list.

Figure 5-3. Common Alarm Format.

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Alarm Areas
Alarm messages are high priority messages that often require operators to respond. As
SCADA servers generate alarms based on data coming in from all over the plant floor, it is
important to label and route alarms properly, so that operations staff do not get
overwhelmed by messages from parts of plant that do not concern them.
Alarm Areas allow developers to create labels for alarm messages so that they only end up
at necessary destinations. These labels can represent physical plant areas (such as Plant A
assembly, shipping, or packaging), logical areas (power, water, heating, etc.) or operational
areas (maintenance, operations, quality, lab, etc.). Up to fifteen (15) areas can be assigned to
each PDB tag. When an alarm message is generated, it will be labeled accordingly. Each
destination alarm service will have a list of valid areas (a filter) that will allow or restrict
message delivery based on the message alarm area.

Alarm Area Filter:

Chemical Storage
Rapid Mixer
iClient
Alarm Area DB:
Chemical Storage
Pump Station Alarm Area Filter:
Rapid Mixer All
Water Filter iClient
SCADA server
Alarm Area Filter:
Pump Station
Figure 5-4. Alarm Area Filtering. iClient

The Alarm Area Database (AAD) is the central area where Alarm Areas are listed. By default,
the AAD is populated with sixteen (16) alarm areas (labelled by letters A – P). This is to
provide compatibility with other FIX32 and iFIX systems. To add alarm areas, enter an
alphanumeric label and click Add. There is no theoretical limit to the number of Alarm Areas.

Figure 5-5. SCU Alarm Area Database.

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Alarm Handling
Once generated, alarms are placed in a temporary queue on the SCADA. iClients and
SCADAs will request alarm updates from this central queue periodically. These alarm
updates will be routed to applications called Alarm Services. Each Alarm Service has its own
queue and can use its own custom Alarm Filter to restrict alarm delivery and routing. It can
also use a common (global) filter list.
This common Alarm Area list can be created from the same location as the common format
was configured.
Æ Advanced Æ Common Areas

Alarm Services
iFIX provides a number of Alarm Service applications to deliver alarms to the locations and
people who need to assess what is going on in the plant and prevent undesirable events
from getting out of control. Some of these services are graphical in nature, and others are
background programs that facilitate delivery to other applications for analysis or reporting.

Figure 5-6. Alarm Configuration Dialog box with Alarm Services.

Each Alarm Service has its own configuration requirements and interface. Both iClients and
SCADA servers can make use of these services to relay information to operators or other
applications.
To enable a service, highlight it and click the “Enable” radio button. The “Modify” button will
be enabled, thus allowing further configuration of the services.

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ALARM PRINTERS
Any iFIX node (iClient or SCADA) can send alarms to a maximum of four alarm printers.
These printers can be assigned to serial, parallel or USB ports. The output to the printer is
not a document, but a single line
alarm message. For this reason,
inkjet and laser jet printers are
poor choices for an Alarm printer.
The best option is to use a dot
matrix line printer or plotter. Also,
alarm printers cannot be shared
by other applications. Once
designated as an iFIX Alarm
Printer, the printer will only create
alarm output, as these are
considered “mission critical”
messages that cannot be
interrupted by reports or trend
plots. Figure 5-7. Alarm Printer Configuration.
The Areas button allows selection of valid alarm areas for filtering based on the AAD. The
user can either choose “All” to let all alarms through, or a subset of the areas in the AAD, or
the “Areas Common to all Services” (ie. the Common Areas list).
The Format button allows the user to build a unique format for the alarm message or, more
commonly, to use the Common Format.

Alarm Summary
The Alarm Summary service is
responsible for routing alarm
messages to alarm summary tables
in displays. These interactive
summary objects provide operators
with a means to interact with the
alarm sub-system by reviewing,
sorting, filtering, acknowledging and
clearing alarms. It also provides
audible signals (Horn Support) to
indicate that new alarms are present
in the summary table.
Figure 5-8. Alarm Summary Configuration.

The Areas button can be used to filter the alarms in the Alarm Summary service queue, just
as with the other services. In displays, the Alarm Summary object also supports
supplemental filtering to further restrict what alarms are visible.
The message format does not apply to the Alarm Summary because it breaks the message
up into sorted columns in the display.

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Alarm Files
The Alarm File service will write messages to
simple text-based files in the Alarm path
(generally the ALM directory). As with the
printers, the alarms are written line-by-line in
batches. The text-based files have an extension
of .ALM, and are created daily using the date
stamp as the file name (YYMMDD). Throughout
the day, alarms will be written to the text file,
which grows as large as is required. Figure 5-9. Alarm File Configuration.

Alarm History
The Alarm History service will provide messages to a viewer (ALMHIS.EXE) for review during
short-term troubleshooting. This viewer can be
launched from the Run prompt, or via
Workspace icons and scripts. The Alarm
History viewer only holds the alarms
temporarily, so it is not good for long-term
review of alarms. The alarms will be displayed
in a First In, First Out (FIFO) manner, up to a
maximum number (by default, 100).
Figure 5-10. Alarm History Configuration.

Alarm ODBC
The Alarm ODBC service is responsible for performing batch writes of alarm messages to
Relational Databases (RDBs) such as SQL server and Oracle. This is an effective tool for long-
term alarm storage and analysis.
This functionality is covered in the iFIX Advanced course.
Alarm Network
The Alarm Network service enables network transmission of alarms between nodes (SCADAs
and iClients). When the Alarm Network service is enabled, a Network Alarm Client task
(NAC.EXE) is set up to request alarms from all
SCADAs in the networked nodes list. A
Network Alarm Manager (NAM.EXE) is also
created (on SCADA nodes only) to receive the
requests and then respond with the latest
alarm messages. Thus, the Alarm Network
service must be enabled on every node that
needs to receive or send alarms over the
network.
FIGURE 5-11. ALARM NETWORK CONFIGURATION.

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Alarm Startup Queue

The Alarm Startup Queue service is responsible for populating Alarm service queues with
remote alarms that were generated while a node was shut down. For example, if an iClient
is shut down and restarted at the end of a shift to log in new operators, the Alarm Startup
Queue will go back and re-populate the various Alarm service queues with alarms from a
period before iFIX was restarted.

Figure 5-12. Alarm Startup Queue Configuration.

The User can specify a period for previous alarm retrieval, and also whether to bring
Summary Alarms only (excluding system or operator messages).

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Lab Exercises
Lab Objectives: At the end of this exercise, the student will be able to:
y Add IO Drivers and PDB to SCU setup.
y Add tasks to the Task configuration.
y Create Alarm Areas and Common Formats.
y Enable Alarm Services with Alarm Area Filters.
When you are finished with these exercises, answer the Summary Questions at the end of
the module.

Lab Exercise 1: Add IO Drivers to the SCU.

Introduction
At this stage we want to configure all the SCADA elements required for our Water Treatment
project. We will start with our IO drivers and PDB files.

1. Ensure iFIX is shutdown before starting. Start the SCU.

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2. Open the SCADA configuration:

a. Configure menu Æ SCADA, or
b. Use the SCADA icon in the SCU toolbox.

3. You will be presented with the following dialog box.

4. Ensure that SCADA Support is enabled. If disabled, the node becomes an iClient (and
cannot use a PDB or IO Drivers). In the Database Definition field type WATER.

5. Using the browse - ? - button next to

IO Driver Name, find the MBE driver
and add the driver to the list using the
Add button. Make sure the SIM, SM2,
MB1 and GE9 drivers are added to the
list as well.
Adding these drivers indicates that
this node wishes to create a DIT for
each one, and potentially use them to
transfer data to PDB tags.

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When finished, your SCADA configuration should resemble the configuration below.

6. Click OK to commit the changes to your SCU file, acknowledging this prompt with Yes.

7. Save your SCU file.

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Lab Exercise 2: Configure Startup Tasks.

Introduction
At this stage we want to configure all the SCADA tasks required for our Water Treatment
project. We will ensure that IOCNTRL and WSACTASK are configured to start the IO Drivers
and SAC properly.

1. Open the Tasks configuration:

a. Configure menu Æ Tasks, or
b. Use the SCADA icon in the SCU toolbox.

2. Ensure the following tasks have been automatically added by iFIX to the task list. (all
tasks are located in the C:\Program Files\GE Fanuc\Proficy iFIX BASE directory).
a. IOCNTRL.EXE
b. WSACTASK.EXE
c. SUMQDEL.EXE
d. WORKSPACE.EXE

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3. Use the table below to assign the correct order, command line and mode for each task.
To edit a task, highlight the task, change the necessary field and then click the Change
button. If a tack is missing, use the browse - ? - button to navigate to the Base directory
and find the task, then click the Add button. Use the arrows to change the order or the
tasks.

Task Order Command Line Mode

IOCNTRL.EXE First /A Background
(Start all Drivers) (% prefix)
WSACTASK.EXE Second D15 Q2000 Background
Delay 15 seconds, (% prefix)
Alarm Q = 2000
SUMQDEL.EXE Third -D05:00 -F30:00 Background
Delay 5 minutes, (% prefix)
Frequency 30
minutes
WORKSPACE Fourth Normal

4. When finished, Click OK.

The SCU is now set to start four tasks when it launches.
i. IOCNTRL.EXE will start first, creating a DIT for each listed driver, as well as
automatically starting the IO driver engines.
ii. WSACTASK.EXE will wait 15 seconds after IOCNTRL loads before it starts SAC and
loads the WATER PDB.
iii. SUMQDEL.EXE will clean up the Alarm Summary Queue every 30 minutes, starting 5
minutes after SAC starts.
iv. The final task to start is the Workspace. It will start as a window in the foreground.

5. Save your SCU file.

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Lab Exercise 3: Configure Alarm Services and the Common

Format.
Introduction
At this stage we want to configure all the Alarm Services used to handle the alarm messages
for our Water Treatment project. We will also set the common format for the Alarm Services
to use for displaying alarm messages. These services must be configured on all nodes that
wish to be notified of Alarms (including iClients).

1. First we will set the Common Format. Open the Alarms Configuration:
a. Configure menu Æ Alarms, or
b. Use the Alarms icon in the SCU toolbox.

2. Click the Advanced… button. In the resulting dialog, click the Common Format button.

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3. Notice the fields that can be added to the alarm messages. We will change the format
of the message slightly…
a. In the Column Order, use the arrows to move the Description field up so that it is
after Tagname.
b. In the Length fields, change value to 10 and Description to 40.

Now, every Alarm service that uses the common message format will display alarms
using these rules.

4. Click OK (twice) to return to the main Alarms Configuration dialog.

5. One by one, highlight and enable the following Alarm Services:

a. Alarm Summary Service.
b. Alarm File Service.
c. Alarm History Service.
d. Alarm Network Service.
Disable the Alarm Printer and Alarm ODBC services.

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6. Your Alarm Services Configuration dialog box should resemble the one shown below.

By default, all Services will use the Common Format and the Common Alarm Areas.

7. Click OK. Save your SCU file. Close the SCU.

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Lab Exercise 4: Create Alarm Areas.

Introduction
At this stage we want to configure all the Alarm Areas used to label the alarm messages for
our Water Treatment project. Alarm Areas are created, edited and stored in the Alarm Area
Database (AAD). The AAD must be configured identically on all nodes that wish to be notified
of Alarms coming from SCADA nodes (including iClients).
Unlike the other Alarm functions, the AAD can only be edited when iFIX is started.

1. Using the shortcut icon you created in Module 4, start iFIX.

2. Once iFIX has been started, open the SCU (the Workspace has an icon for this.
Next open the AAD:
a. Configure menu Æ Alarm Area Database, or
b. Use the SCU Toolbox icon.

3. The Edit Alarm Area Database dialog is used to add, edit or delete Alarm Areas to the
AAD, one area at a time. By default the AAD includes Areas labelled A through P for
consistency with older FIX32 and iFIX systems. There is no limit to the number of Areas
you can add.

4. Type the Area into the Alarm Area field and then click the Add button.

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One area at a time, add the following list of areas. These area labels are not case-
sensitive (but they are spelling-sensitive!).
a. SystemAlarm.
b. SCADA## (use your number).
c. Plant## (use your number).
d. PumpStation.
e. RapidMixer.
f. SedimentationTank.
g. FlocculationTank.
h. WaterFilter.
i. Clearwell.

5. When finished you should have a total of 25 areas.

6. When finished, click OK. Save your SCU file. These Alarm Areas will be available
immediately and do not require an iFIX restart to take effect.

7. Close the SCU.

-- End of Lab Exercises --

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Review Questions
1. What makes SCADA configuration distinct from a simple iClient configuration? (two
things you set in the SCU).

2. What are Alarm Areas?

3. Name three Alarm Services.

4. Where are Alarm Areas stored? Do SCADA servers and iClients need to use the same
Alarm Areas?

5. Which Alarm service sends alarm messages to operator displays?

Electronic Books Research

6. Which three characters cannot be used in an alarm area?

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Review
Now that you have completed this module, you should be able to:
y Explore enabling SCADA functions.
y Add IO drivers and set the PDB.
y Create Alarm Areas and common formats.
y Enable Alarm Services.

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