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TOP Server to iFix Process Database Connectivity
Introduction
The TOP Server's support of the iFix PDB communication interface simplifies the task of connecting the
TOP server with iFix applications by making the TOP Server appear as a native driver named "IDS" or "Industrial Data Server".
With built-in support of the native interface, the TOP Server allows iFix users to quickly access device data without the
need to use an intermediary software bridge, i.e. the OPC Power Tool, as is done when using a strictly OPC only communications server with iFix. For Intellution users, the familiar look and feel of iFix native
driver operation is maintained.
The TOP Server gives you the best of both worlds – connect to iFix as a native driver and
simultaneously serve data to other OPC client applications using the TOP Server's OPC interface.
Prerequisites
- IFix 2.6 or higher installed on your target PC
- TOP Server version 4.82.223 or higher installed on the same PC as iFix and configured to communicate
with your target PLC or other supported device and with iFix PDB connectivity enabled.
- Working knowledge of iFix and the iFix process database.
Contents of this document
1. Configuring iFix SCU to recognize the TOP Server as a native Intellution driver
The first step in configuring iFix to connect to the TOP Server is to start the iFix configuration utility. In the SCU, choose the Configure, SCADA menu option.
Once the SCADA Configuration Dialog opens, click on the "?" by I/O Driver Name. A list of available I/O Drivers will appear. Assuming you have the TOP Server installed, you should select the
IDS Industrial Data Server and click OK.
Once the IDS Industrial Data Server
name appears in the I/O Driver Name field, click on the Add button, so that it will appear in the Configured I/O Drivers list box.
If you have not configured the TOP Server to connect to your device you can click Configure and the TOP Server will open for configuration. If you have never configure the TOP Server before you can reference our Quick Start guide on the Internet at:
http://www.toolboxopc.com/support/quick_start/index.shtml
Once the Configuration is complete, you can close or minimize the TOP Server. Click OK on the SCADA Configuration window and save the configuration then close the Configuration Utility.
2. Creating Data-blocks Inside FIX Applications
To add server items to iFix Database Manager, you must first complete the following prerequisites:
1) Create and configure the TOP Server with a project adding; channel, device and optionally configure item names (we call using item names in the TOP Server using "static tags").
2) Know the three-letter acronym for the server. For the TOP Server, the acronym is IDS
(Industrial Data Server).
3) Configure the server in iFix SCADA Configuration (look for the acronym IDS).
You do not have to define tag names in the TOP Server in order to use it with Intellution iFix. Our first example in this
tutorial uses tag names that are defined in the TOP Server, but later, we will show you how to enter device addresses in iFix and pass them straight to the TOP server, a process we call "Dynamic Tags".
Connecting using tags defined in the TOP Server
Since the iFix PDB does not support server tag browsing, full path information to tag names in the TOP Server will be entered
into the data-blocks so that the TOP server knows which items you want in the data block in iFix. When using TOP Server
drivers that can import the tag database from programming software or from the device itself, these project files can be
exported from the TOP Server as CSV files that can be formatted for use in the iFix Database. This method can speed
project work and minimize data entry error on large projects. Refer to the next section for details on entering driver data and data-block addresses in Database Manager.
To enter driver specifications for a database block in FIX Database Manager
1. Select Add from the Blocks menu in the iFix Database Manager to add a database block. Database Manager
prompts you to select the type of database block.
2. Select the type of block and click OK. The block's dialog box appears as shown below at default (SIM driver
selected)
Database Block Dialog Box
3. Enter a name you wish to use for the Tag in iFix in the Tag Name field.
4. Complete the driver fields in the Addressing Section with the appropriate information for your driver as shown below.
I/O Driver Fields
NOTE: The Hardware Options and Signal Conditioning fields are not used for the IDS driver.
Specifying the I/O Driver in iFix Database Manager
The Driver field in Database Manager identifies the I/O driver that the database block accesses. This field accepts a three-letter acronym associated with the particular driver you are using. The drop-down menu for this field provides the same Configured I/O Driver list as in the SCADA Configuration dialog box of the System Configuration Utility (SCU). For the TOP Server, enter
IDS in this field or choose it from the drop-down menu.
NOTES:
1. You will use IDS for the driver name in iFix regardless
of which particular hardware specific TOP server driver you are using. To iFix, all the drivers look the same.
2. The IDS listing for the TOP Server must appear in iFix's SCU's Configured I/O Driver list box in order for Database
Manager to recognize the acronym you enter – if you have not done this go back to the beginning of this document and repeat.
Specifying I/O Addresses in FIX Database Manager
You can specify the data block address that the database accesses in the Database Manager I/O Address field. Server I/O
Addresses typically consist of the name of the channel, device, and tag name or address. The I/O address is specific to the driver (Note: This field is not case sensitive).
For this example we use the dynamic addressing format where R0001 is the actual register address in our device. The I/O address for the driver has the following format:
Where:
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CHANNEL_NAME
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Is the protocol or driver used in the server project. This
name must match the channel name in the server configuration.
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DEVICE_NAME
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Is the PLC or other hardware that the server communicates with.
This name must match the device name for the specified channel in the server configuration.
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DEVICE_ADDRESS
OR
TAG_NAME
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Is an address within the PLC or other hardware device that the
server communicates with (dynamic tag) or is an actual tag name specified in the server (static tag).
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NOTE: If tags are static, you must include the full path to the tag name. (Channnel_Name.Device_Name.AnyGroup_Names.Tag_Name)
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3. TOP Server iFix PDB Options
The iFix PDB Settings tab on the TOP server contains fields that enable you to adjust the behavior between the processing of
the iFix process database (PDB) tags and the TOP server tags. You can access this tab from the Tools/Options menu in the
TOP Server. The iFix PDB Settings tab is only displayed in the Options dialog box if you have iFix installed on your computer.
The following graphic shows the iFix PDB Settings tab: Note:
This page will only be displayed in the TOP Server's Options menu if an Intellution product is installed on your PC
The following fields are available in the iFix PDB Settings tab. It is recommended that you use the default values for each of these fields. Ensure that your settings meet the requirements of the application being used:
The "Enable connectivity iFix PDB
" option allows you to turn support of the iFix PDB interface On or Off. By default this setting will be disabled. Important:
If iFix PDB operation is turned off (disabled), the server will not respond to any request
for data by iFix PDB. If you intend to use the server only as an OPC server, you may want to disable Intellution iFix PDB
operation. By doing so, you can increase the security of your data and improve the overall performance of the server.
Wait xx seconds before timing out on requests between PDB and Driver
– The time you set here represents the amount of time the iFix PDB will wait for a response from an add/remove/read/write request before timing out. If the iFix PDB
times out, it will fail
It is recommended that you use the default values for each of these fields. Ensure that your settings meet the requirements
of the application being used:
The "Enable Intellution iFix PDB connections
" option allows you to turn support of the iFix PDB interface On or Off. By default this setting will be disabled. Important:
If iFix PDB operation is turned off (disabled), the server will not respond to
any request for data by iFix PDB. If you intend to use the server only as an OPC server, you may want to disable Intellution
iFix PDB operation. By doing so, you can increase the security of your data and improve the overall performance of the server.
Wait xx seconds before timing out on requests between PDB and Driver
– The time you set here represents the amount of time the iFix PDB will wait for a response from an add/remove/read/write request before timing out. If the iFix PDB
times out, it will fail the request on behalf of the server. This timeout can occur if the server is busy processing other
requests, or if iFix PDB has lost communications with the server. In the case of lost communications, the iFix PDB will
automatically re-establish communications with the server so that successive timeouts do not occur.
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Valid Range
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Default Value
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5 to 60 seconds
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5 seconds
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iFix PDB Read Inactivity
– The server maintains a list of active iFix PDB tags that request data from the server. For each tag in the list, the server obtains data from the process hardware. The server has as an automatic data reduction system.
The following two fields enable you to efficiently manage the active data, ensuring that only the necessary data is being updated.
Check for iFix PDB read inactivity every xx seconds
– Determines how often the server checks for inactive data. Based
on the value you supply in this field, the server checks any data that the server determines to be inactive and removes that data item from the list.
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Valid Range
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Default Value
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10 to 30 seconds
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15 seconds
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xx scans deactivate the tag
– Establishes the condition by which the server may determine if the data is active or inactive. Each PDB tag has a scan time attached to it, as defined in the iFix PDB. The value in this field is multiplied by that scan
time to determine if the tag is no longer being read. If the tag has not been read within the time of this calculated value, that
tag is considered to be inactive. When a tag is considered inactive, the server stops attempting to acquire that data from the
device, and the data is removed on the next inactive scan.
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Valid Range
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Default Value
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5 to 99 periods
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5 periods
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Example
The following example follows a time-line to demonstrate the way the data reduction system scans for inactive data, then removes those inactive data items from the list after the inactive period expires. This example is based on the following
settings.
Settings for the fields in the iFix PDB Settings tab in the server Options
iFix PDB read inactivity field = 15 seconds
scans deactivate driver tag field = 5 scan periods
The tag name used in the example is Tag 1 and the scan time set for Tag 1 in the iFix PDB is set at 4 seconds.
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Time
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Situation
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Action
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4 seconds
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Tag 1 requests data.
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8 seconds
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Tag 1 requests data.
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9 seconds
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User turns Tag 1 off scan.
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15 seconds
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Read inactivity scan interval checks for
inactive tags; no inactive tags are found.
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No action taken.
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29 seconds
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Server marks Tag 1 as inactive. This
action takes place at this time based on a scan time of 4 seconds multiplied by 5 scan periods plus 9 seconds since Tag 1 went off scan (4X5+9).
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The server stops getting the data from the
controller for Tag 1.
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30 seconds
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Read inactivity scan interval reads Tag 1 as
inactive.
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Removes that data item from the list.
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31 seconds
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User turns Tag 1 back on scan.
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35 seconds
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Tag 1 requests data.
This sequence continues every 4 seconds.
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45 seconds
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Read inactivity scan interval checks for
inactive tags.
This sequence continues every 15 seconds.
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