Setting Up The Environment
Setting Up The Environment
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Table of Contents
Reference Documents 2
Introduction 3
SCU Overview 3
Getting Started 5
More Information 5
Mapping IP Addresses 7
Using DHCP/WINS 8
Configuring TCP/IP 8
To configure TCP/IP: 8
Creating a Report 11
Overview Checklist 13
Specifying the Local Server, Local Logical, and SCU File Name 14
Windows Services 15
iFIX Paths 15
Configuring Security 16
Configuring Protocols 17
Dynamic Connections 17
Failure Modes 20
Connection Authentication 20
Site-Specific Authentication 21
Non-listening Clients 22
Configuring Alarms 24
Formatting Messages 26
Selecting a Port 26
Naming a Printer 26
Deleting Alarms 26
Configuring Drivers 29
Common Format 34
Common Areas 34
Queue Configuration 34
Operator Messages 34
Recipe Messages 34
Network Timers 34
LAN Redundancy 35
Username 36
Password 36
Confirm Password 36
Send Timeout 36
Receive Timeout 36
Enable 37
Modify 37
Advanced 37
Local Setup 37
Available Areas 41
Arrow Button 41
Remove Button 41
Configured Areas 41
Add Button 42
Database Name 42
Alarm Area 42
Configured Alarms 43
Add 43
Modify 43
Delete 43
Options 44
User Fields 44
Database Configuration 45
Column Configuration 45
Clients 45
Edit Box 46
Add Client 46
Configured Areas 46
Add Area 46
Configuration File 46
Columns 47
Length 48
Column Order 48
Up Arrow 48
Down Arrow 48
Message Length 48
Current Length 48
Network 48
Options 49
Remote Nodes 49
Base 50
Language 50
Project 50
Local 50
Database 50
Picture 50
Application 51
Historical 51
Historical Data 51
Alarms 51
Master Recipe 51
Control Recipe 51
Change Base 51
Change Project 51
Primary Node 52
Secondary Node 52
Timers 52
Enable 52
Disable 52
Database Name 52
Add 53
Configure 53
Setup 53
Delete 53
Failover 53
Configured Accounts 54
Add 54
Delete 54
Configure 54
Database Type 55
User Name 55
Database Identifier 55
Enable 55
Disable 56
Primary Backup 56
Secondary Backup 56
Database ID 57
Filename 59
Command Line 59
Configured Tasks 59
Minimized 59
Normal 59
Background 59
Add 59
Change 59
Keep Alive 60
Send 60
Receive 60
Inactivity 60
Reset to Defaults 60
How Do I... 60
Deleting an I/O Driver from the Configured I/O Drivers List Box 63
To delete an I/O driver from the Configured I/O Drivers list box: 63
Configuring Paths 64
Using Alarms 65
Entering the Retry, Pause, and Delay Intervals on the Sender Node 73
To enter the retry, pause, and delay intervals on the sender node: 74
To select a common alarm area that is not listed in the alarm area database: 75
Using SQL 82
Configuring Tasks 84
Specifying the Local Server, Local Logical, and SCU File Names 93
To specify the local server, local logical, and SCU file names: 94
When Does iFIX Use the Startup Profiles That You Create? 100
The Override iFIX Startup Command Line Parameters Option in the Startup Profile Manager Does
Not Appear to Work... Why? 100
Domain 101
Startup Profiles defined in this application override iFIX Startup command line parameters 104
Add 105
Edit 105
Remove 105
Help 105
Close 105
To manually backup the configuration file that contains your startup profiles: 108
To change the default settings for the Startup Profile Manager: 109
SCU 112
Version 114
Troubleshooting 129
Overview 129
Index 141
Setting up the Environment is intended for system integrators, OEMs, and process control engineers
responsible for setting up an iFIX® server or configuring their process environment. This manual assumes
familiarity with Microsoft Windows and your network environment.
Reference Documents
For related information on the System Configuration Utility (SCU), refer to the following manuals:
As you begin setting up your iFIX® environment, you have the following main tasks to complete:
When setting up a node, you should be familiar with your hardware and Microsoft Windows operating sys-
tem. If you are not, make sure you have all relevant documentation nearby for reference. Should you need
to purchase one or more computers for use with iFIX, refer to the Getting Started chapter. A list of iFIX
requirements and recommended computers is available in the Getting Started with iFIX guide.
After setting up each node's hardware and operating system, configure the network for each computer if
you plan to set up a distributed processing system. Typically, this requires you to install a network interface
card (also called a network adapter) and network software on each computer. Choosing these items care-
fully is important to the success of your total system.
Once your nodes are connected and communicating on the network, you are ready to configure iFIX. Your
main tool for accomplishing this is the System Configuration Utility (SCU). With this utility, you can specify
what functions your local server performs, including:
SCU Overview
l An SCU file.
l Local startup options.
When you start iFIX, it looks for a file that tells it how to configure the local server. This file, known as the
SCU file, contains specific information about programs and options unique to that particular server.
When you start the SCU, it automatically opens the SCU file specified by the local startup options. iFIX only
reads this file during startup. Any subsequent changes you make to the SCU file while iFIX is running do
not take effect until you save it and restart iFIX.
Before you start setting up your iFIX environment, complete the following tasks:
l Identify the computers that will function as your View clients, SCADA servers, and development
workstations.
l Identify which nodes will be networked, if any.
l Decide if you want to use a file server to share alarm area databases, or SCU, security, historical,
or recipe files.
l Identify the computer that will function as the file server if you decide to use one.
l Make sure that you have a Windows user account that is a member of either the Administrators
group.
More Information
For more information on how to get started with iFIX, refer to these sections in the Getting Started with
iFIX guide:
l Hardware Requirements
l Recommended Computers
l Memory Requirements
l Software Requirements
l Supported Regional Settings
l Video Drivers
l Supported Networking Protocol
l Supported File Servers
l Optional Hardware
l Set-up Overview
This chapter describes how to set up network hardware and driver software for Ethernet adapters. The
chapter also describes how to set up TCP/IP protocols for iFIX nodes. For more information, refer to the fol-
lowing topics:
When you finish, make sure each computer can communicate with your network before proceeding. If it
cannot, refer to the chapter Troubleshooting to resolve any difficulties you experience.
iFIX uses TCP/IP to provide connectivity for your nodes. Microsoft's TCP/IP is built into the operating system.
For more information on using TCP/IP with iFIX, refer to the following sections:
For detailed information, refer to the online Help that came with your Microsoft Windows operating sys-
tem.
In addition to the components you need to get started, you need do the following:
To use a TCP/IP network with iFIX, each SCADA server must be mapped to unique IP addresses. This pro-
cess is called name resolution, and TCP/IP vendors handle this in many different ways. You need to decide
which method of name resolution is appropriate for your site. This section provides guidelines to help you
reach that decision.
It is recommended that you use a local HOSTS file since this method has provided the highest reliability
during our testing. More information on using a local HOSTS file is included in the section Using a Local
HOSTS File.
If your company currently uses DNS servers, this option can be implemented since DNS servers are based
on HOSTS files.
Using a Local HOSTS File
The HOSTS file provides mapping between node names and IP addresses. This text file is stored locally on
each node. The contents of the HOSTS file should be identical on each node in your TCP/IP network. All FIX
SCADA servers must be in the HOSTS file.
NOTE: In Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you cannot save the HOSTS file unless you are an Administrator
(in the built-in Administrator user group).
Hostname — defines the iFIX node name, as specified in the SCU. The node name must be in uppercase
and is limited to eight characters.
You can also provide an alias name for the host name as an optional third parameter.
TIP: A common mistake made when creating the Hosts files is leaving an extension at the end on the file name.
For example: HOSTS.txt or HOSTS.doc. Do not include a file extension. The name of the file used by the operating
system is: HOSTS.
Using DNS Servers
A DNS server is a HOSTS file stored on a server. This configuration is easier to administer than local
HOSTS files since any changes to the HOSTS file need to be made only once. However, a single DNS server
can be a single point of failure should it fail to respond. If avoiding a single point of failure is important to
you, consider doing one of the following:
When using iFIX with DHCP, you also need to use WINS. The local host name must be the same as the iFIX
node name. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for more information on setting up DHCP and WINS.
Verifying Port Assignments
You should not have to change this setting. If the number is used by another application on your node, you
must edit or create a SERVICES file. The SERVICES file defines the port used by each TCP/IP application.
To define unique port numbers for iFIX, refer to your TCP/IP manuals for instructions on locating and edit-
ing the SERVICES file. Make sure, when you edit the file, you enter a unique port number for iFIX or change
the port number of the conflicting application.
NOTE: The port used for iFIX Database Synchronization is port 53014.
Configuring TCP/IP
You can configure TCP/IP with the Windows Network control panel. Microsoft recommends that you use
the Network control panel for all network configuration tasks rather than manually editing the registry.
To configure TCP/IP:
iFIX can share data and alarms with previous versions of iFIX.
NOTE: You cannot run iFIX and FIX 6.x or greater at the same time on a single computer.
The following SCU configuration tips may help you start up and maintain your iFIX environment more effi-
ciently.
l Configure the SCU before you start the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace. This way you do not have to exit the
WorkSpace and restart iFIX.
l Use the local node alias feature in your computer to save development time later. Refer to the
Enabling the Local Node Alias Feature section for more information.
l Run iFIX as a service under Windows to give you more flexibility and security in your process envir-
onment. Refer to the Running iFIX as a Service section for more information.
l Store your SCU files remotely on the network so that FIX Startup can access them on a file server. If
you are using a file server, it may be useful to store all your SCU files in one place. In Microsoft Win-
dows, you have another option — simply connect a networked drive to a remote server on the local
network that contains the desired files or directories. This strategy increases control over con-
figuration files and makes your routine maintenance easier.
Refer to the iFIX Startup chapter for detailed information regarding the startup program in iFIX.
To properly start and configure the SCU, you should do so before you open the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace. You
can start the SCU by clicking Start and pointing to Programs, Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, and then System
Configuration. However, if you are in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace and you need to make changes, you can
start the SCU by clicking the SCU button on the Application toolbar (Classic view), or on the Applications
tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU (Ribbon view), or by double-clicking System Configuration in
the system tree. Note that, for its first startup, the SCU uses the node name you specified during install-
ation.
The main SCU window displays graphics and icons that represent enabled options and tools. You can click
many parts of the window to bring up the related dialog box. This graphical interface lets you determine at
a glance what kind of node and options the open SCU file enables. You can also disable an option by select-
ing the graphic or icon in the main SCU window and pressing Delete.
NOTE: Deleting an icon from the main SCU window removes that service from your server's configuration. A dialog
box appears warning you of this.
The bottom of the SCU window contains a toolbox that includes all the tools you need to use the SCU.
These tools are accessed by clicking a button in the toolbox. The table below shows what each button
does.
Task Configuration dialog box. Select tasks to run automatically in various start-up
modes.
SQL Accounts dialog box. Create a SQL login account and configure the SQL
task.
Edit Alarm Area Database dialog Edit the Alarm Area Database.
box.
When you start the SCU, it automatically opens the SCU file specified by the local startup options. If the
SCU cannot find the specified file, it opens a new one. To create a new file while the SCU is open, select
New from the File menu. A new SCU main window appears with no link to the process database and no
drivers configured.
At the top of the SCU window, a short title appears under the menu bar. This is the name of your SCU file,
also known as a file description. You can change the name so that each SCU file has a unique identifier.
The file description is only there to help you distinguish between SCU files; the system does not use the
description in any way.
To name your SCU file, select Description from the File menu, or double-click the title area. Enter a descrip-
tion of up to 40 characters in the Enter Configuration File Description field.
Creating a Report
SCU reports contain network information about your server's configuration, including the system path, and
SCADA, alarm, task, and SQL configuration. To create a report of the open SCU file, select Report from the
File menu, type a file name in the File name field, and click Save. The SCU notifies you whether it suc-
cessfully wrote the file. You can view or print the report with any text editor or word processor.
SCU reports have an .RPT file extension and are stored in the directory pointed to by the local path.
iFIX uses a number of directories to store program and data files. Use the Path Configuration dialog box to
specify the location and names of your iFIX directories. You can display this dialog box by clicking the Path
button on the SCU toolbox.
Path Descriptions
The path... Is used for storing... Default Path
Base All executable files. The Base path points to the main iFIX directory. C:\Program
Other directories are usually subdirectories of the Base directory. Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX
Language The language files used to create dialog boxes and help files. If you C:\Program
choose to implement a language other than English, the new language Files\Proficy\Proficy
and help files replace the files found in this directory. iFIX\NLS
Local Configuration files associated with the local computer, including SCU, C:\Program
recipe format, and system security files. Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX\LOCAL
Project A grouping of application files, such as pictures, databases, and tag C:\Program
groups, saved in a specific folder identified by the project name. Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX
You can manage your application files by naming a different path for
each project.
Database Process database files, Database Manager configuration files, and I/O C:\Program
driver configuration files. Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX\PDB
Picture The pictures of the configuration and run-time environments. C:\Program
Files\Proficy\Proficy
NOTE: If you are using a shared PIC directory on a drive other than the
iFIX\PIC
one on which iFIX is installed, you must enter the full path to the PIC dir-
ectory. For example, if you want to use a shared PIC directory on the G:\
drive, you must enter G:\PIC in the SCU.
Application Data and configuration files for your iFIX applications. If you create your C:\Program
own applications, use this directory to store data files. Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX\APP
Historical Historical Trending configuration files. C:\Program
Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX\HTR
Historical Historical data files. Historical Trending creates a unique subdirectory C:\Program
Data to this directory for each node that data is being collected from. The sub- Files\Proficy\Proficy
directory uses the name of the node the data comes from. iFIX\HTRDATA
Alarms Alarm data files and event log. C:\Program
Files\Proficy\Proficy
Overview Checklist
1. Start the SCU before you open the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace.
2. Configure your local startup options, including the local server name, local logical name, and the
local SCU file name.
3. Configure the path in which to store the program and data files.
4. Make any start-up or configuration changes using the SCU toolbox and associated dialog boxes.
Refer to the appropriate chapters in this manual for more information.
5. Save any configuration changes to either a local disk or a remote file server.
This chapter describes how to configure iFIX with the System Configuration Utility (SCU). This includes:
Local startup options allow you to define configuration options that apply only to your server. If you try to
exit the SCU without specifying local startup options, the SCU warns you that iFIX will not be able to prop-
erly configure your server. Local startup options allow you to specify:
Specifying the Local Server, Local Logical, and SCU File Name
Before you start iFIX, you need to specify the local server name, local logical name, and local SCU file
name in your Windows Registry. (The Windows Registry is a database that your operating system uses to
store application information.) We strongly recommend that you use the SCU to write changes to the
registry for you instead of editing the registry directly.
Logical node names are used to group partner SCADA servers (primary and secondary) to form a logical
pair. This ensures that you can establish SCADA server failover in your SCADA network. For more inform-
ation on configuring SCADA server failover using the SCU, refer to the Enhanced Failover electronic book.
To choose local node, local logical, and configuration file names, select Local Startup from the Configure
menu and enter the names in the appropriate fields of the Local Startup Definition dialog box. The SCU
stores all SCU files created on the local server in the directory defined by the local path, unless you specify
otherwise when saving the file.
NOTE: If you enable security and set the security path to a folder other than the default, which is the C:\Program
Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\Local folder, when you change the node name, security is disabled. You will need to con-
figure iFIX security again and enable it.
You can run iFIX as a service under Windows. When enabled, this option allows you to close any fore-
ground task and log out of Windows without shutting down core iFIX tasks like networking, SAC pro-
cessing, alarming, and I/O driver control. This provides a much higher level of security to your process,
because operators can log in and log out of a Windows server before and after their shift without affecting
the process.
After iFIX is configured to run as a service, the applications that you start in the Task Configuration dialog
box also start as services. For more information, refer to the Configuring Startup Tasks section.
When you run iFIX as a service, you should be aware of the following:
Windows Services
In the Windows Services control panel, do not stop the iFIX service or make changes to the iFIX con-
figuration. This applies to iFIX running on any operating system.
In Windows 8 and 8.1, there is a functionality available in the Power Options called “Fast startup” (Power
Options are accessible from the Settings > Control Panel). When “Fast startup” is enabled as a Power
Option (the default) and you power down your computer or tablet, Windows will save the current state of
the system. The next time you restart Windows, your previous state is restored. This is because, by default,
Microsoft Windows 8 and 8.1 shuts down by logging off all users and then hibernating. In this case, any
service that was running will continue to run on the next startup.
When iFIX is running as a service, you may want to avoid this "Fast Startup" functionality. To revert to the
full shutdown on Windows 8 and 8.1, in the Power Options on the SCADA Server, select "Choose what the
power buttons do." Select the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option and then scroll down
to the Shutdown Settings area, and clear the “Turn on Fast startup” option.
(The "Fast Startup" feature is not available on Microsoft Windows Server 2012.)
Disabling iFIX as a Service
After disabling the Continue Running After Logoff option in the Local Startup Definition dialog box in the
SCU, you must restart iFIX.
Running iFIX with Terminal Server
You must configure the Default Service SCU in the Startup Profile Manager if you want to run iFIX as a ser-
vice on the Terminal Server. For more information, refer to the Configuring the Default Profile section in
the Using Terminal Server electronic book.
Running iFIX with Other Programs
By default, iFIX uses the local System account when running as a service. However, you cannot use the Sys-
tem account with certain applications, such as the Proficy Historian.
To configure a different user account for iFIX running as a service:
Windows does not map network drives until a user logs in. Therefore, if you are running iFIX as a service
under Windows, all iFIX paths must be set to a local drive.
You must assign the Enable Ctrl+Alt+Del application feature to the user that is logged in when iFIX is run-
ning as a service. Otherwise if a user logs out of the operating system while iFIX is running as a service, no
one will be able to log back in to the operating system.
Fast user switching is not supported with iFIX, even if you are running iFIX as a service.
If you want to run the OPC Client driver as a service, iFIX must also run as a service. Likewise, if you want
to run iFIX as a service, the OPC Client driver must run as a service. You cannot run one as a service,
without the other also running as a service.
If you plan to use environment protection when iFIX is running as a service, be sure to add TSFE.EXE to
your Windows Startup program group. TSFE.exe is an iFIX application (located in your iFIX install folder)
that enables task switching and keyboard filtering when a new user logs into Windows. By adding
TFSE.exe to your startup group, you are ensuring that users can log into Windows with environment pro-
tection enabled and then operate iFIX in an appropriate, secured environment.
It is not recommended that you run Workspace.exe in the SCU task list when iFIX is running as a service.
The Local Node Alias feature allows you to substitute a placeholder, THISNODE, for the node portion of a
data source in order to automatically access information from the local SCADA server. This is ideal for
developing pictures that can be shared among several computers that each access different SCADA serv-
ers. To use the Local Node Alias feature, you must first enable it in the Local Startup Definition dialog box.
Configuring Security
You can configure security using the Security Configuration program, which can be accessed from the SCU
by clicking the Security button on the SCU toolbox.
Before starting the Security Configuration program, make sure that iFIX is running and, if security is
enabled, that you have the proper account privileges.
The Configuring Security Features manual fully describes the security program.
You can use the Network Configuration dialog box to configure network protocols, configure network com-
munications, establish dynamic connections. Refer to the following subsections for information on all of
these functions.
l Configuring Protocols
l Configuring Remote Nodes
l Configuring LAN Redundancy
l Configuring Network Timers
Configuring Protocols
iFIX allows you to establish communications with the TCP/IP protocols. Enabling the TCP/IP protocol in the
SCU, allows you to use that protocol for your iFIX network.
iFIX allows you to configure primary and secondary nodes for SCADA server failover. By entering a
primary and secondary node in the Network Configuration dialog box, you ensure connection with that
node should communication with the primary node fail. The following sections describe how you can
enable, configure, and modify remote nodes in your network environment.
For more information on implementing SCADA server failover in your environment, refer to the Enhanced
Failover electronic book.
You must first add a remote node to your configuration before you can enable SCADA server failover in
your network.
You can view or make changes to the configured remote nodes in the Remote Nodes area of the dialog
box. To view the primary and secondary nodes currently configured, select the Show All Names check box.
The Remote Node Configuration dialog box allows you to modify network timer values on a per-node
basis.
Refer to the Advanced Topics chapter for more information on configuring network timers, including what
each time-out value represents.
Dynamic Connections
Dynamic connections allow iFIX to make a network connection when it needs to retrieve data from a
server. For example, if a picture references a remote server, and the remote server has not been con-
figured in the SCU, iFIX automatically makes a dynamic connection to that server when you open the
When iFIX first opens a picture that requires a dynamic connection, it may take a slightly longer time
resolving the connection. This delay depends on the amount of network connections required for the spe-
cific picture and if these servers are available for a connection.
The Dynamic Connections option is disabled by default, and affects all connections from the node. All
dynamic connections will inherit the network timer settings defined within the SCU. If you choose to enable
dynamic connections, iFIX may attempt to establish a connection when calling the System.FindObject
method in a script. This happens when a name or an object is referenced in a script but is not currently
loaded. For example, consider the following script:
Dim shape as Object
Set shape = System.FindObject("badname.rect1")
badname is the name of a picture that is not currently loaded. In this script, iFIX attempts to establish this
connection with badname. When the connection fails, the following error occurs:
Object not found
NOTE: With Dynamic Connections enabled, a new node will not receive alarms from a SCADA server until a con-
nection is established. If you want a remote node to receive alarms from a SCADA server immediately after start-
ing up, you should add the SCADA server name to the Configured Remote Nodes list of the View client.
You can configure LAN redundancy simply by enabling it in the SCU. You must have a protocol enabled so
that the SCU is configured for network support.
To enable LAN redundancy, click the Advanced button on the Network Configuration dialog box. A caution
message box warns you not to modify these values without familiarity with the system. If you are unsure
as to how to proceed, refer to the Advanced Topics chapter and your network documentation. To continue,
click Yes.
Refer to the Mastering iFIX manual for more information on configuring LAN redundancy in iFIX.
The Advanced Configuration dialog box allows you to change your View client's network session timer val-
ues. You can also change your network timers on a per-node basis. For more information, refer to the Con-
figuring Remote Nodes section. Refer to the Advanced Topics chapter for more information on network
session timers.
Refer to the following topics for more detailed information about network security:
l Connection Authentication
l Site-Specific Authentication
l Encryption of Packet Data
l Non-listening Clients
There are two types of network computing: Legacy (default) and Trusted (secure).
An iFIX network can be configured to have multiple IP addresses; however, you cannot mix trusted and leg-
acy communications on the same network. You can configure the network to be only trusted, or only leg-
acy secure.
iFIX is aware of the IPs assigned to the machine it is running on and can be set to allow communications
only on the dedicated IP address. This can be used in conjunction with hardware firewalls to limit the com-
puters that can communicate with an iFIX installation. Machines with multiple Ethernet cards can be used
to bridge between trusted and un-trusted networks.
Authorized IP connections
Legacy security supports the Accept Unknown Connections feature. This feature is a list of authorized IPs
that are allowed to make connections to the iFIX networking system. Machines not on this authorized list
are not allowed to connect and communicate with the SCADA. For more information, refer to Disabling
Connections from Unauthorized Nodes.
Legacy security supports the Accept Unknown Writes feature. This feature is a list of authorized nodes that
are allowed to modify the iFIX databases. The type of packet coming in is validated against the list, and
nodes that are not on the list are not allowed to modify the iFIX databases. For more information, refer to
Disabling Database Write Access for Unauthorized Nodes.
Failure Modes
There are three situations that will cause a connection attempt to fail:
l A legacy machine attempting to connect to a secure only (trusted network) machine is rejected and
a security message sent.
l A machine with an invalid certificate attempting to connect is rejected and a security message is
sent.
l Connection is lost and the new connection reverts back to the authentication of certificate per the
initial connection.
Connection Authentication
Clients connecting to a server must use an authentication requirement to validate the connection to the
server. This assures that the client (sender) is authorized to communicate with the server (SCADA) within
the secure network. An authentication certificate method is used to ensure that the client is authorized by
having the same set of certificates as the server. This is done using a signed password that is validated on
the server end to authenticate that the client's certificate will be used to authorize connections between
iFIX 4.0 and greater nodes. Your iFIX installation provides a default network password (INETWORK) that
allows a default configuration to continue to work as it currently does.
Authentication is managed by the user and is either enabled or disabled; that is, you can only turn on
authentication together. This means that you can have only default computing (legacy and iFIX 4.0) or trus-
ted computing (iFIX 4.0 to iFIX 4.0) on an iFIX network; you cannot combine legacy and trusted computing
on a node . When secure networking is enabled, the communications server (the client or SCADA) accept-
ing the incoming connection will require all incoming connections to be secure; that is, incoming con-
nections must fulfill the requirements of a secure iFIX connection.
Secure communications allow only machines with known credentials to complete a connection within the
secure network.
A secure layer is used to authenticate communications. This gives iFIX networking the ability to validate
end-to-end communications. The default certificate used allows all of iFIX to communicate with trans-
mission security without site-specific authentication. An authorized user can change the default certificate
for a machine to a site-specific certificate. For more information, refer to Site-Specific Certificates.
NOTE: It is recommended to enable Enforced Trusted Computing to establish secure connections, and strongly
recommended to change the network password to something other than the default. For more information on
Enforced Trusted Computing, refer to the Site-Specific Certificates section.
Site-Specific Authentication
iFIX 4.0 and greater gives you the ability to create site-specific passwords to prevent unauthorized iFIX
installations from communicating.
You can change the default password used to validate and authenticate network transmissions. This
allows you to set up multiple iFIX networks with different passwords, thus isolating iFIX networks from
each other. As a result, non-configured or default installations cannot be used to initiate communications
in an iFIX network.
Only by having two or more iFIX 4.0 or greater machines properly configured will the authentication be
used.
Site-specific authentication is achieved by enabling the Enforce Trusted Computing option and setting the
password in the Network Password field in the Network Configuration dialog box on the System Con-
figuration Utility (SCU), as shown in the figure below.
The default password, displayed in the Network Password field, is provided for legacy iFIX installations. For
more information, refer to the Connection Authentication section.
If the SCU file is copied to a different machine, a pop-up message appears warning you that it is invalid
when the SCU file is open and/or when iFIX starts. You will be required to enter the network password in
the SCU if you need to establish a network connection with 'Enforce Trusted Computing' enabled.
Encryption of data packets can be achieved through the implementation of the Microsoft Internet Protocol
Security (IPsec) feature.
For additional details, refer to Knowledge Base article KB17010 on the GE Intelligent Platforms customer
technical support site http://digitalsupport.ge.com.
Non-listening Clients
A non-listening client is a client/SCADA that cannot accept incoming connections. Non-listening cli-
ents/SCADAs allow the machines to make connections to other servers as normal, but also allow them to
not have a listener created. This means that any attempts to communicate with a non-listening client will
fail, but the non-listening client can still communicate when it initiates the connection.
iFIX 4.0 and greater allow you to configure clients to be non-listening by default, securing iFIX so that non
user-configured communications are denied. You can modify the clients' behavior at a later time if you
want them to accept incoming connections.
To create a non-listening client:
1. Open the FIX.INI on your SCADA server or client using a text editor. This file resides in the iFIX Local
path.
2. Locate the TCPTASK under the [NETWORK] section and change:
RUN=%TCPTASK.EXE
to:
RUN=%TCPTASK.EXE/s
3. Save the file. You can now start an iFIX session without opening a listening socket.
NOTE: The use of non-listening machines is independent of the secure communications requirements and is
node/instance specific. For more information about secure communications, refer to Connection Authentication.
Creating listening sockets for every machine has become a potential security risk.
On Terminal Services, only the last iFIX client session to open a socket maintains the socket; that is, any call
to open a socket closes the previous socket. Therefore, on Terminal Services, only one iFIX client has a
listener, and that is based on the last client to start.
Using Terminal Services, all clients, except the last one to start, are automatically non-listening. The cre-
ation of non-listening clients is not required. However, it is recommended that you make the clients non-
listening, as non-listening clients are more secure than listening clients.
If you are using Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003 SP1, and an iFIX client attempts to open a
socket, the firewall appears informing you of this attempt. If you choose No, the client closes the socket
and becomes non-listening; if you choose Yes, you create an open socket. Closing down this socket pre-
vents firewall notifications from being displayed; however, as outgoing communications establish the
socket to the SCADA, only the ability to receive unsolicited messages is removed.
Denial of service (DoS) attacks are a potential problem when unnecessary listening sockets are open. A
DoS attack is an attempt to prevent legitimate users of a service from using that service.
In a physically secure situation this is not a problem, as the attack would have to come from within the
secure network. In a distributed network, however, where clients and SCADAs are on separate networks,
the chance of one of the networks not being secure increases. Closing the listening socket prevents iFIX
from processing incoming messages that are not intended for iFIX; that is, an iFIX only firewall.
Configuring Alarms
When a process value exceeds a limit that you define, iFIX issues an alarm to inform operators of this
event. You can enable and configure alarm services using the Alarm Configuration functionality of the
SCU.
To configure alarms, click the Alarm button on the SCU toolbox. The following sections detail how to con-
figure alarming functions.
Alarm services give you the tools you need to customize your alarm configuration. They are flexible in that
you can enable any one or all of them, and you can define settings for each service to help you implement
your alarming scheme. The following alarm services are available on the Alarm Configuration dialog box:
To enable and configure a service, simply double-click it. For more detailed information on alarm services,
refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual. The following sections detail how you can cus-
tomize alarm services using the SCU.
You can modify several settings of each alarm service to customize your configuration. Each alarm service
contains its own configuration dialog box with specific options that you can modify. You can also access
the Alarm Areas dialog box from this configuration dialog box.
Refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual for more detail on how the dialog boxes work for
each service.
The Configure Alarm Areas dialog box controls which alarms and application messages the alarm service
can receive. You can access this dialog by clicking the Areas button on the configuration dialog box for the
task you have selected.
NOTE: You can also perform advanced alarm area configuration functions. Refer to the Advanced Alarm Con-
figuration section for more details.
Refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual for more information on routing alarm areas.
The following section briefly describes how to use the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box when configuring
alarm areas.
The SCU allows you to access the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box from several locations in the inter-
face, including the following:
Alarm Services. Double-click on an alarm service in the Alarm Configuration dialog box and then click
Areas. A Configure Alarm Areas dialog box appears specific to the service you enabled.
Common Alarm Areas. Click Advanced on the Alarm Configuration dialog box and then click Common
Areas. A Configured Alarm Areas dialog box appears for common areas. Note that the Use Areas Com-
mon to All Services option button is not available because you have already chosen to route to com-
mon areas.
Application Messages. Click Advanced on the Alarm Configuration dialog box and then click either Oper-
ator Messages or Recipe Messages for the messages you want to route to specified alarm areas. You
can configure up to fifteen alarm areas.
There are several areas of the dialog box that help you configure your alarm areas. The following simple
example illustrates how to configure alarm areas D and E to receive operator messages.
To configure alarm areas D and E to receive operator messages:
1. Select alarm areas. The alarm area selection option buttons let you choose which alarm areas you
want to configure.
l Click the Select from Alarm Area Database option to display all areas from the alarm area
database in the Available Areas list box. You can also click the Browse button to search
alternate directories.
You can define the length, number of characters, and the column order for alarm or event messages. To
do this, click Format on the configuration dialog box for the task you have selected, and enter the appro-
priate formatting options in the Message Format Configuration dialog box. This dialog box shows the
column content and layout fields for block information.
To use areas common to all alarms and messages across the network, click Use Common, and configure
the common messages using the Advanced Alarm Configuration dialog box. Refer to the Advanced Alarm
Configuration section for more information.
Selecting a Port
For each printer service, you can connect the printer to serial ports (COM) 1 or 2, to parallel ports (LPT) 1 or
2, or to a USB port.
Naming a Printer
The Printer Description area displays the printer that corresponds to the port selection. Rather than use a
generic title, such as Alarm Printer 1, you can change the name of the printer task as it appears in the
Printer Name text box.
Deleting Alarms
You can automatically or manually delete alarms using the Alarm Summary service. Select either the Auto-
matic or Manual option buttons in the Alarm Deletion area to choose the method of alarm deletion.
Enabling the Startup Queue Configuration
Using the Startup Queue Configuration dialog box, you can configure the SCADA server to send all the
alarms that have occurred prior to starting iFIX on the View client. The SCADA server sends these alarms
to the iClient when the client starts. To enable the Startup Queue Configuration, double-click the Alarm
Startup Queue service. The Startup Queue Configuration dialog box appears.
NOTE: You must be configured as a SCADA server and have the Network Alarm Service enabled in order to enable
the Startup Queue Service.
By default, the Summary Alarms Only check box is selected so that the Alarm Startup Queue service deliv-
ers only the current alarms. If you want to receive additional alarms and messages, click the check box to
disable this function.
NOTE: By disabling the Summary Alarms Only option, you may receive duplicate alarms at some alarm des-
tinations. You also increase network traffic if iClients are configured to receive alarms from the local SCADA
server.
Another valuable service you can enable in the SCU is Alarm ODBC. This service sends alarms and mes-
sages to an ODBC relational database. Once the relational database receives and stores the data, you can
easily retrieve any information you want by querying the database.
For more information on the Alarm ODBC Service, refer to the Configuring the Alarm ODBC Service sec-
tion in the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual.
The SCU provides advanced functionality that gives you more ways to configure your alarm destinations.
To access advanced configuration options, click the Advanced button in the Alarm Configuration dialog
box.
The sections that follow summarize the functions that are available. For complete details on how to work
with alarm areas, refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual.
To assign alarm areas common to all services, click the Common Areas button and select the alarm areas
you want.
You can define a common message format for alarms and messages received by Alarm Printer, Alarm
File, and Alarm History services. To do this, click the Common Format button and select or edit the prop-
erties of the messages you wish to define.
To control which alarm areas receive application messages on other servers, configure the alarm areas
for these messages. You can configure areas for either operator messages, recipe messages, or both, by
clicking the Operator Messages or Recipe Messages buttons.
Sometimes a large process environment requires that you balance using system resources against hand-
ling large numbers of alarms. In order to do this, you may have to modify alarm queues so that your local
SCADA server can handle the number of alarms being routed through the network. For more information
on modifying alarm queues, refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual.
The SCU makes it easy for you to configure the Alarm Area Database. You can make changes to the data-
base after you have configured any number of alarm areas.
Using the Edit Alarm Area Database dialog box you can add, modify or delete an alarm area, or designate
a name for an alarm area that is specific to your process environment. For example, you can replace the
default alarm area, A, with a more intuitive name, Main Oil Well, by selecting A in the Configured Alarm
Areas list, entering a new name in the Alarm Area field, and clicking Modify. The new name is added to the
list in alphabetic order.
NOTE: Changing alarm area names in the alarm area database automatically changes them in your process
database.
Refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual for more information on editing the Alarm Area
Database.
The Auto Alarm Manager lets you configure a remote server so that it automatically delivers alarms to a
central location using the Microsoft Remote Access Service.
To access the Auto Alarm Manager feature in the SCU, select Auto Alarm Manager from the Configure
menu. The Auto Alarm Manager Configuration dialog box appears. Click Enable to activate all the fields. By
default, the Auto Alarm Manager is disabled.
Auto Alarm Manager statistics are displayed in Mission Control so that you can easily monitor the pro-
gram's progress. Refer to the Viewing Auto Alarm Manager Statistics section for more information.
Refer to the Using Auto Alarm Manager section in the Implementing Alarms and Messages electronic book
for more information on configuring the Auto Alarm Manager.
When a new alarm occurs in the system, iFIX can notify you through the alarm horn. You can enable or dis-
able the alarm horn from the SCU, and also from the WorkSpace through the Alarm Horn Expert. For
example, you can disable the horn in SCU, then enable or disable it from the Alarm Horn Expert once iFIX
has started.
It is important to note that these two alarm horn configurations work independently of each other. For
example, if you disable the alarm horn in the SCU, then enable it using the alarm horn expert once iFIX has
started, each time that you shutdown and restart iFIX, the horn will be disabled. This occurs because the
SCU setting is the initial value and it takes effect each time that you start iFIX.
NOTE: Shutting down and restarting the WorkSpace has no effect on the alarm horn configuration.
For more information on running experts, refer to the Running Experts section in the Creating Pictures
manual.
SCADA servers monitor process values and communicate with process hardware. To establish and con-
figure a SCADA server, click the SCADA button on the SCU toolbox. The following subsections detail how to
configure SCADA servers using the SCADA Configuration dialog box.
To operate as a SCADA server, you must first enable SCADA support using the SCADA Configuration dia-
log box. When you enable SCADA support, the local node becomes a SCADA server capable of accessing
your process hardware. You can then set up and configure I/O drivers and establish SCADA server failover
in your network.
Once you enable SCADA support, you can define the process database you want to load when iFIX starts.
You can also change the database name from the main SCU window by double-clicking the database entry
(located under the Node name entry).
NOTE: iFIX comes with an empty database file named EMPTY.PDB. This database is read-only. By loading and sav-
ing the database to a different name you can quickly create an empty, working database. We recommend that
you create a new database with a new name to prevent overwriting your work when re-installing or upgrading
software.
Configuring Drivers
iFIX provides at least two I/O drivers to provide the communications link between the process hardware
and iFIX. Before your SCADA server can communicate with the process hardware, you need to define and
configure at least one I/O driver. iFIX can load up to eight I/O drivers during startup.
The first step in configuring your driver is to tell iFIX which driver you want to use.
Some drivers use an interface card to communicate with the process hardware. In this case you may have
to configure the interface card to use the driver.
NOTE: Not all drivers require an interface card, so the setup field may be grayed out. Refer to your I/O driver
manual for information on configuring this card.
I/O drivers are configured using the I/O Driver Configuration program.
NOTE: Not all drivers have a configuration program, so the Configure field may be grayed out. Also, the initial
screen of the I/O Driver Configuration program varies depending on the type of driver you are configuring.
You can specify tasks for automatic start-up by clicking the Task button on the SCU toolbox and displaying
the Task Configuration dialog box. The tasks listed in this dialog box start when you run the FIX Startup pro-
gram. For example, if you always use I/O Control when you start iFIX, configure the SCU to start
IOCNTRL.EXE automatically. Add the IOCNTRL.exe to the top of the configured task list.
In the Task Configuration dialog box, an asterisk (*) next to a task means that Startup minimizes the task
after starting it. A percent sign (%) preceding a task means that Startup starts that task in the background.
To change the state of a task, select the task, select an option from the Start Up Mode area, and click
Change. iFIX executes the tasks in the same order as they appear in the Configured Tasks list. To remove a
task from the list, select the task from the Configured Tasks list and click Delete.
If desired, add any specific command line parameters in the Command Line field. Refer to the Controlling
SAC Startup section for available SAC command line parameters, or refer to individual application manu-
als for available command line parameters for each application.
Refer to the Running iFIX Tasks in the Background section for information on iFIX tasks that can be started
in the background.
If you run iFIX as a service, the tasks listed in the task list also start as a service. Refer to the Running iFIX
as a Service section for information on how to start iFIX as a service.
NOTE: It is not recommended that you run Workspace.exe in the SCU task list when iFIX is running as a service.
When you automatically start programs, you can specify that they run in the background so that they do
not interfere with your typical operation. You should only configure the following iFIX tasks as background
tasks (All of these files are located in the FIX Base path):
l SAC (WSACTASK.EXE)
l Historical Collect (HTC.EXE)
l SQL Task (WSQLODC.EXE)
l I/O Control (IOCNTRL.EXE)
l Event Scheduler (FIXBACKGROUNDSERVER.EXE)
When you enable the SCADA function, the SCU includes WSACTASK.EXE in the startup list within the Task
Configuration dialog box. This starts SAC automatically.
If you disable SAC during development, you must enable it again. You can also modify how SAC operates
by entering specific command line parameters. The following command line parameters are available:
l S – Synchronizes SAC to the system clock. Refer to the Building a SCADA System manual for inform-
ation on scan times and synchronization.
l Dseconds – Delays SAC processing of the database until the I/O driver initializes and receives data
from control devices. By default, SAC automatically delays processing for 8 seconds. You can use
the D parameter to specify a delay of 1 to 300 seconds, for example D30, to control initial pro-
cessing of database blocks.
l Q – Sets the number of queue entries for the Alarm Queue Status program that monitors the
alarms deleted by SAC. This parameter lets you override the default (500), and prevents the queue
from expanding to the maximum length of 2000.
l R – Suppresses Range (RANGE) alarms.
l UN – Suppresses Under Range (UNDER) alarms.
l N – Suppresses No Data (NO_DATA) alarms.
l C – Suppresses communication (COMM) and No Data (NODATA) alarms.
l U – Suppresses the Over Range (OVER) alarms.
l W - Enables a warm start delay after a SCADA failover. During the warm start delay period, SAC
suppresses driver alarms for the time period specified following a SCADA failover. Once the time
period elapses, driver alarms are handled as usual.
You can use the W parameter to specify a delay of n seconds where n can be 1 – 300 seconds. For
example, the parameter W30 causes SAC to suppress NODATA and COMM alarms for 30 seconds
after a SCADA failover.
If n is outside of the acceptable range, the parameter is ignored and NODATA and COMM alarms
are processed as usual after a SCADA failover.
IMPORTANT: SAC parameters do not use the slash (/) or dash (-) delimiters. Use spaces to enter optional
SAC parameters. For example: S D30
I/O drivers are started by the I/O Control program through the Task Configuration dialog box. When you
install an I/O driver, the I/O Control program is automatically added to the list of tasks.
If you remove the I/O Control program from the task list, you can add it back again. The table below shows
you the command line parameters you can use to specify how I/O drivers start.
NOTE: FIX I/O drivers 7.x or greater automatically start communicating with their OPC server. No command line
parameter is needed.
iFIX supports relational databases, such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle through Microsoft's industry-
standard Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). Using the SCU, you can set up your server to access mul-
tiple relational databases from a process database. The SCU's SQL functionality allows you to read and
write data between a SCADA server's process database and multiple relational databases.
For more information on accessing relational database data sources, refer to the Installing and Con-
figuring Data Sources chapter in the Using SQL manual.
The SQL Task Configuration dialog box lets you configure the SQL service, including enabling SQL support,
specifying a backup file location, identifying a relational database, routing SQL errors and messages to
alarm areas, and defining a sleep interval.
For more information on configuring the SQL service, refer to the Configuring the SQL Task chapter in the
Using SQL manual.
The SCU includes the following dialog boxes (listed in alphabetical order):
This dialog box allows you to access advanced settings for the alarm configuration. The Advanced Alarm
Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Common Format
Common Areas
Queue Configuration
Operator Messages
Opens the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box for the Operator Messages.
Recipe Messages
Opens the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box for the Recipe Messages.
This dialog box allows you to change the values of the network timers and control LAN redundancy on your
node. iFIX uses your entries in this dialog box to tailor resources precisely for your configuration.
CAUTION: Modifying network resources can seriously affect the performance of a node. You should not use this
dialog box unless you have a thorough understanding of iFIX networking concepts.
The Advanced Network Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Network Timers
Field Description
Keep Alive Field and Allows you to specify the amount of time that, if no activity has
Check Box occurred over an established connection, a View client waits before
sending a heartbeat message. The default value for this field is 20
seconds.
Send Field and Check Allows you to specify the amount of time that a View client waits for
Box a request to the SCADA server to be acknowledged. If this timer
expires, the session ends. The default value for this field is 30
seconds.
Receive Field and Check Allows you to specify the amount of time that a View client waits for
Box a reply from the SCADA server. When running iFIX over TCP/IP, the
NOTE: See the Determining Session Timer Values section in the Setting up the Environment electronic book for more
information on network timers.
LAN Redundancy
Field Description
Available Paths List Displays a list of available network paths.
Enable Status Option Allows you to enable the network path selected in the Available
Button Paths list box for LAN redundancy.
Disable Status Option Allows you to disable the network path selected in the Available
Button Paths list box for LAN redundancy.
Enable LAN Redundancy Allows you to enable the LAN redundancy feature on the node.
Check Box
Reset to Defaults Button Allows you to reset LAN redundancy to its default values.
Field Description
Accept Unknown Host Select this option to allow the SCADA node to accept connections
from any computer. When the parameter is disabled, access is
restricted to the iClients (View) you specify.
Accept Unauthorized Select this option to allow the SCADA node to log all unauthorized
Writes write attempts from the iClients.
Log Unauthorized Select this option to enable the logging of failed writes.
Writes
Edit Box Allows you enter a node name to add to the Hosts or Write Nodes
list.
Add Hosts Button Click the button to add a node from the above edit box to the Hosts
list.
Remove Host Select a host in the list and then click this button to remove it from
the list.
Add Write Node Button Click the button to add a node from the above edit box to the Write
Nodes list.
Remove Node Select node that allows writes in the list and then click this button to
remove it from the list.
Hosts List Displays a list of hosts.
Write Nodes List Displays a list of writable nodes.
This dialog box allows you to set up the Auto Alarm Manager as a service and set up the program's com-
munication timers. The Advanced Send Alarm Settings dialog box displays the following items:
Username
Allows you to specify the user name of a Windows user account that the Auto Alarm Manager can use to
report alarms when no one is logged into the sending node. The user name you specify must reside on the
RAS server and must have dial-in permission.
Password
Allows you to specify the password of a Windows user account that the Auto Alarm Manager can use to
report alarms when no one is logged into the sending node. Use the Confirm Password field to re-enter
the password specified in this field.
Confirm Password
Send Timeout
Allows you to fine tune serial communication between the sending and receiving nodes. This field controls
the amount of time the Auto Alarm Manager has to send alarms to the receiving node.
Receive Timeout
Allows you to fine tune serial communication between the sending and receiving nodes. This field controls
the amount of time the Auto Alarm Manager waits for a response from the receiving node that the alarms
were delivered successfully.
This dialog box allows you to enable or disable the following alarm services:
Once enabled, you can configure an alarm service by specifying alarm areas, port definitions, printer
names, message formats, and other settings when appropriate.
Double-click an entry within the Alarm Configuration list box to modify an alarm service and access its con-
figuration dialog box. You can only access configuration dialog box if the alarm service is enabled.
Enable
Disable
Modify
Advanced
This dialog box displays the alarm queue resources. iFIX uses your entries in the SCU menus to tailor
resources precisely for your configuration. Most users never need to modify these defaults.
CAUTION: Modifying alarm queue resources can seriously affect the performance of a node. You should not use
this dialog box unless you have a thorough understanding of iFIX alarming concepts.
In the Setup areas, each enabled service displays the maximum number of alarms it can handle at any one
time. This means that enough system resources are reserved to hold the number of messages listed here
in memory until they can be sent to the alarm service (for example, a printer). If more messages come in
after the memory queue has been filled, the older messages are discarded.
You must strike a balance between using up resources and recording all alarms. If your system can handle
it, you should set these entries to the maximum number of alarms that the system will send to the alarm
service at any one time.
The Alarm Queues Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Local Setup
Field Description
Summary Queue Displays the size of the Summary queue.
File Queue Displays the size of the File queue.
Printer 1 Queue Displays the size of the Printer 1 queue.
Printer 2 Queue Displays the size of the Printer 2 queue.
Printer 3 Queue Displays the size of the Printer 3 queue.
Printer 4 Queue Displays the size of the Printer 4 queue.
Field Description
Send Queue Displays the size of the Send queue.
Control Queue Displays the size of the Control queue.
Field Description
Receive Queue Displays the size of the Receive queue.
Startup Queue Displays the size of the Startup queue.
Control Queue Displays the size of the Control queue.
Send Buffers Displays the size of the Send Buffers.
Allows you to configure your alarm queues to the standard defaults, or the defaults to be calculated by the
maximum alarms.
The Alarm Service Configuration dialog box allows you to specify some or all of the following features for
an alarm service:
l Which alarm area information and messages are sent to the printer.
l The format for the alarm information and messages.
l The port the printer is connected to.
l The name of the printer.
l Whether manual alarm deletion is enabled or disabled.
l The information for the ODBC Alarm Service.
The following sections describe the fields in each individual Alarm Service Configuration dialog box.
Field Description
Port Definition Area The Port Definition area lets you connect an alarm printer to serial
ports (COM) 1 or 2, to parallel ports (LPT) 1 or 2, or to a USB port.
Each printer service must be attached to a unique port. The default
port is USB.
Printer Name Field Allows you to specify the name of the alarm printer as it appears on
the Alarm Configuration dialog box. The printer name can be up to
32 characters in length.
Areas Button Allows you to access the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box. This dia-
log box lets you specify the alarm areas for the selected alarm ser-
Field Description
Manual Button Allows you to enable manual alarm deletion.
Once manual alarm deletion is enabled, you can delete any alarm in
the Alarm Summary OCX. To delete these alarms, use one of the fol-
lowing methods:
l Select the alarm you want to delete and then select the
Delete command from the right mouse button menu.
l Create a script for a push button that allows you to delete
selected alarms.
Automatic Button Allows you to disable manual alarm deletion.
Horn Support Enable Allows you to enable the alarm horn so that an alarm sounds when a
new alarm appears. The horn repeats at three speeds to distinguish
between low, medium, and high priority alarms. A one-second incre-
ment between beeps signifies high priority alarm, a two-second
increment signifies a medium priority, and a three-second increment
signifies a low priority.
Horn Support Disable Allows you to disable the alarm horn.
NOTE: You can later enable or disable the alarm horn from the
Alarm Horn Expert once iFIX has started. The SCU alarm horn set-
tings and the the Alarm Horn Expert settings work independently of
each other. For example, if you disable the alarm horn in the SCU,
then enable it using the alarm horn expert once iFIX has started,
each time that you shutdown and restart iFIX, the horn will be dis-
abled. This occurs because the SCU setting is the initial value and it
takes effect each time that you start iFIX.
Areas Button Allows you to access the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box. This dia-
log box lets you specify the alarm areas for the selected alarm ser-
vice.
Field Description
Areas Button Click to access the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box.
Format Button Click to access the Alarm File Service's Message Format Con-
figuration dialog box.
Field Description
Field Description
Areas Button Click to access the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box.
Configure Button Click to access the iFIX Alarm ODBC Service Configuration dialog
box.
Field Description
Send Startup Queue Allows you to configure the Alarm Network Service to send start-up
Alarms to Original alarms to all of the client's enabled alarm destinations.
Typers Check Box
Field Description
Enable Time Filter Allows you to filter the alarms received by the View node by select-
Check Box ing the Enable Time Filter check box and entering a time interval.
When you do this, the View node receives all current SCADA node
alarms upon startup in addition to all previous alarms within the time
interval you specify.
Filter Alarms Older Than Allows you to specify the number of hours previous to startup in
Hours Field which you want to receive the SCADA node's alarms. Valid entries
are from 0 to 23. The default is 23.
NOTE: If this check box is cleared when using the Alarm Startup
Queue, duplicate alarms will be displayed on all alarm destinations
except alarm summary every time the connection to a SCADA node
is established.
The Available Phonebook Entries dialog box displays the following item:
Displays a list of the Remote Access Service (RAS) phone book entries you have defined. To select an entry,
click the phone book entry you want and click the OK button.
The Configure Alarm Areas dialog box displays the following items:
Allows you to add all the alarm areas in the database to the list of configured alarm areas.
Displays the alarm areas available in the database that you can add to the list of configured alarm areas.
You can click the browse button to select a path for the alarm areas database.
Available Areas
Displays the alarm areas available in the database that can be added to the list of configured alarm areas.
This list is displayed only when the Select from Alarm Area Database option button is selected.
Arrow Button
Allows you to add the alarm area selected in the Available Areas list box to the list of configured alarm
areas. This button can only be used when the Select from Alarm Area Database option button is selected.
Remove Button
Allows you to delete an alarm area from the list of configured alarm areas. You must select an alarm area
in the Configured Areas list box before you can use this button.
Configured Areas
Allows you to specify an alarm area to add to the list of configured alarm areas. You must click the Add but-
ton to add the alarm area to the list.
Allows you to add the alarm area specified in the Add field to the list of configured alarm areas.
Allows you to browse to the alarm areas database. This button can only be used when the Select from
Alarm Area Database option button is selected.
This dialog box allows you to edit the database information currently defined for this node. The Database
Definition dialog box displays the following items:
Database Name
Enter a name in the Database Name field to specify the database used by this node. iFIX loads the data-
base specified in this field during startup.
The Database IDs Available dialog box displays the following item:
Displays all available ODBC data sources to which you can connect. Select an ODBC data source and click
OK to place that data source name in the Database Identifier field.
The Database Types Available dialog box displays the following item:
Displays all available relational database types to which you can connect. Select a relational database and
click OK to place that relational database name in the Database Type field.
This dialog box allows you to create, edit, or remove alarm areas in the database. The Edit Alarm Area
Database dialog box displays the following items:
Alarm Area
Displays the names of all the alarm areas configured in the database. You can modify the name of an
alarm area by selecting it in the list, entering a new name in the Alarm Area field, and clicking the Modify
button.
Add
Allows you to add an alarm area to the database. You must enter a name in the Alarm Area field before
you can add a new alarm area.
Modify
Allows you to change the name of an alarm area. You must select an alarm area from the Configured
Alarm Areas list box and enter a new name in the Alarm Area field to modify an alarm area.
Delete
Allows you to delete an alarm area from the database. You must select an alarm area from the Configured
Alarm Areas list box before you can delete an alarm area.
The iFIX ODBC Alarm Service Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Field Description
Use Login Information Allows you to use the existing SQL setup to specify the database
from SQL Configuration type, user name, password, and database identifier. This feature can
Check Box be used only if you have installed and configured the iFIX SQL option.
Database Type Field Allows you to specify a database type for the relational database.
You can also click the Browse button to display a list of available
database types.
If you are using a Microsoft Access database, the database and the
Alarm ODBC service must be on the same machine.
Database Type Browse Allows you to display a list of available database types.
Button
User Name Field Allows you to enter the user name required to connect to the rela-
tional database.
Password Field Allows you to enter the password required to connect to the rela-
tional database.
Database Identifier Allows you to specify a database identifier for the relational data-
Field base. You can also click the Browse button to display a list of avail-
able database identifiers.
Database Identifier Allows you to display a list of available database identifiers.
Field Browse Button
Field Description
Allow Operator to Pause Allows you to temporarily stop alarms from being written to the rela-
Alarm Logging Check tional database.
Box
Update Interval Text Box Allows you to control how often data is written to the relational data-
base. Valid entries are 1 to 300 seconds. The default is 1 second.
Alarm Queue Size Field Allows you to specify the maximum number of records in the iFIX
Alarm Queue. By increasing the queue size, you can prevent alarm
loss. Valid entries are from 1 to 32767. The default value is 100.
Number of Records to The number of records to read from the user queue before writing to
Log from iFIX Field the relational database. Increasing this number will result in a more
efficient ODBC, but will also increase the risk of losing alarms. The
maximum number you can enter is 100.
Number of Records to The number of records to read from the Lost Connection file before
Log from Backup File writing to the relational database.
Field
Field Description
File Field Allows you to specify a temporary (TMP) file for the Alarm ODBC Ser-
vice. If the service cannot access the relational database, alarms and
messages are saved in this file. When the relational database re-
establishes contact with the Alarm ODBC Service, iFIX automatically
reads the data in the TMP file to update the relational database.
User Fields
Field Description
Field Name1 Allows you to enter any ASCII format (A_) database block field. For a
complete list of available database block fields, refer to the Data-
base Manager Help system.
Field Name2 Allows you to enter any ASCII format (A_) database block field. For a
complete list of available database block fields, refer to the Data-
base Manager Help system.
Field Name3 Allows you to enter any ASCII format (A_) database block field. For a
Database Configuration
Field Description
Create Table at Runtime Allows you to have the Alarm ODBC Service create the table at run-
if Not Found Check Box time if it does not exist.
Table Name Field Allows you to specify a table name. When you enter your own table
name, you must select the alarm and message fields you want to
archive using the Column Configuration spreadsheet.
If you are creating a table, you must enter a unique name. You can-
not overwrite an existing table.
Column Configuration
Field Description
Select All Button Allows you to select all the iFIX Field Names and populate the SQL
Column Names automatically. When Clear All is active, allows you to
disable any selected iFIX Field Names.
Restore Defaults Button Allows you to use the default table name, FIXALARMS, to simplify the
table setup. When you use the default table name, the Alarm ODBC
Service completes the Column Configuration spreadsheet.
Column Configuration Allows you to specify the alarm and message fields you want to
List Box archive.
You can filter the alarms sent to each iFIX or FIX32 client by entering information into the List of Alarm Cli-
ents dialog box (this information can also be entered directly into the FilterAlm.ini file). The List of Alarm Cli-
ents dialog box displays the following items:
Clients
Lists the available iFIX Clients that you want to filter alarms on.
Edit Box
Allows you to enter an iFIX Client name to add to the Clients list.
Add Client
Configured Areas
Lists the configured alarm areas for the selected iFIX Client.
Add Area
Click to add an alarm area for the selected iFIX Client. When you click Add, the Configure Alarm Areas dia-
log box appears, which allows you to add alarm areas to the Configured Alarm Areas list.
This dialog box allows you to update your operating system's Registry to specify a local node name and
SCU file name.
If you try to exit the SCU without specifying local startup options, the SCU warns you that iFIX will not be
able to properly configure your node.
You can configure to run iFIX as a service by selecting the Continue Running After Logoff check box. This is
a system setting, and will make changes to your registry. When you run iFIX as a service, you can also
select the Start iFIX at System Boot option, which starts iFIX whenever you start Windows.
You can also use the Local Startup Definition dialog box to enable the local node alias feature and to spe-
cify whether you want iFIX to run as a service under Microsoft Windows.
The Local Startup Definition dialog box displays the following items:
Allows you to specify a unique local node name to specify the name in your operating system's Registry.
Node names can be up to eight characters long. They can include alphanumeric characters, but must
begin with a letter. Special characters cannot be used.
Allows you to specify a logical node name used for configuring redundancy.
Node names can be up to eight characters long. They can include alphanumeric characters, but must
begin with a letter. Special characters cannot be used.
Configuration File
Allows you to specify the full path and name of the local SCU file you want to use as a default. You can
also click the browse (...) button to access the File Open dialog box and search for previously defined SCU
files (*.SCU).
Allows you to access the File Open dialog box and search for previously defined SCU files (*.SCU).
Allows you to enable the local node alias feature. The local node alias feature allows you to substitute a
placeholder, THISNODE, for the node portion of a tagname in order to automatically access information
from the local SCADA node. This is ideal for developing pictures that can be shared among several com-
puters that each access information from their own SCADA node.
IMPORTANT: You must be logged in as a user in the Administrators group to select or clear the Local Node Alias
check box.
Allows you to configure iFIX to run as a service under Microsoft Windows when you start iFIX. If you log out
of Windows, iFIX continues to run as a service for the next user who logs on. To stop the service, stop iFIX.
IMPORTANT: You must be logged in as a user in the Administrators group to select or clear the Continue Running
After Logoff check box. Additionally, this check box is unavailable when iFIX is running.
Allows you to automatically start iFIX when Windows starts. This option is available only if you select the
Continue Running After Logoff check box, to run iFIX as a service.
IMPORTANT: You must be logged in as a user in the Administrators group to select or clear the Start FIX at System
Boot check box. Additionally, this check box is unavailable when iFIX is running.
This dialog box allows you to specify a format for the alarm information, event messages, and application
messages (time and date only) generated by this node. This format applies to all enabled Alarm Printers
and the Alarm File Service.
The following types of Message Format Configuration dialog boxes appear in the SCU – all displaying the
same configuration items:
Each Message Format Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Columns
Allow you to add the column name to the Column Order list box. In the case of application messages, you
can only define whether the message does or does not include a Time or Date column.
Allow you to specify the length of text that appears in the alarm or event message.
Column Order
Up Arrow
Allows you to move a column up in the list. Select the column name and then use this button to move it up
in the list.
Down Arrow
Allows you to move a column down in the list. Select the column name and then use this button to move it
down in the list.
Message Length
The Message Length field allows you to specify the maximum number of characters that the printer can
support. Valid entries are from 1-132. The default is 132.
Current Length
The Current Length field displays the number of characters that the printer currently supports.
Allows you to set the alarm information and message format of the printer or service to the common
format.
This dialog box allows you to configure the Alarm Network Service to send start-up alarms to all of the cli-
ent's enabled alarm destinations.
The Network Alarm Configuration dialog box displays the following item:
Allows you to configure the Alarm Network Service to send start-up alarms to all of the client's enabled
alarm destinations.
This dialog box allows you to control network communications and security for this node. The Network Con-
figuration dialog box displays the following items:
Network
Field Description
No Network Support Allows you to configure iFIX to operate as a stand-alone service.
Options
Field Description
Dynamic Connections Allows you to establish dynamic connections on this node. Clear this
Check Box check box if you want to connect only to nodes configured in the Con-
figured Remote Nodes list. This feature is not available if you are set-
ting up a stand-alone node.
Enforce Trusted Com- Allows you to establish trusted computing on this node. Clear this
puting Check Box check box if you want to use legacy network computing. This feature
is not available if you are setting up a stand-alone node.
Network Password Field Allows you set a password to create a site-specific certificate for net-
work security. The default password (INETWORK) allows legacy net-
work security to continue. This field is not available if you are setting
up a stand-alone node.
Password Confirmation Allows you to enter the Network Password a second time for con-
firmation. Once you enter the Network Password, you are required
to enter the password again.
Advanced Button Allows you to display the Advanced Network Configuration dialog
box, which allows you to configure network timers and LAN redund-
ancy for your node. This button is available only when you enable
Network support.
Remote Nodes
Field Description
Remote Node Name Displays the name of a remote node on the Local Area Network
(LAN) that you are adding to the network configuration or have selec-
ted from the Configured Sessions list box.
Configured Remote Displays the names of the remote nodes on the Local Area Network
Nodes List Box (LAN) that this node can communicate with. Up to 100 nodes can be
added.
Add Button Allows you to add a remote node name entered in the Remote Node
Name field to the Configured Remote Nodes list box.
Modify Button Allows you to change the name of the currently selected remote
node. Enter the new name in the Remote Node Name field and click
Modify to change the name.
Delete Button Allows you to remove a selected node from the Configured Remote
Nodes list box. Select the node name in the list and click the Delete
button.
Configure Button Allows you to specify the remote node type so that iFIX can correctly
interpret alarming information.
Show All Names Check Allows you to display the primary and secondary nodes that have
Box
This dialog box displays the location and names of the iFIX directories. If you change the base path or pro-
ject path names to a new path, the SCU creates the new directories for you. However, it will not copy the
files from the old directories to the new directories.
If you are using terminal services, although project paths may be different, all users must share the same
base and language paths. The default base path is C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX, while the default
language path is C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\NLS.
Base
Displays the main iFIX directory. Other iFIX directories are usually subdirectories of the base path.
Language
Displays the main directory for the language files used to create dialog boxes and help files. If you to
choose to implement a native language other than English, the new language and help files replace the
files found in this directory.
Project
Displays the path that you want to store application files, such as pictures, databases, and tag groups. This
allows you to manage application files on a project-by-project basis. The default value for the Project Path
is the base path.
Local
Displays the main directory for configuration files associated with the local computer.
Database
Displays the main directory for process databases, Database Builder configuration files, and I/O driver con-
figuration files.
Picture
l Picture files
l Dynamo files
l Tag group files
l Macro files
l Block status picture files
l Configuration files
Displays the main directory for data and configuration files used by iFIX applications.
Historical
Historical Data
Alarms
Displays the main directory for alarm data files and security log files.
Master Recipe
Displays the main directory for master recipe, master recipe error, and master recipe report files.
Control Recipe
Displays the main directory for control recipe, control recipe error, and control recipe report files.
Change Base
Allows you to automatically update all the other subdirectories off the base path if you decide to change it.
NOTE: If you change either the base path or one of the path names to a new path, the SCU creates the new dir-
ectory for you. It does not copy the files from the old directory to the new directory.
Change Project
Allows you to automatically update all the other subdirectories off the Project path if you decide to change
it.
NOTE: The Change Base button overrides the Change Project button. The Change Project button changes all
paths within the PROJPATH root with the exception of the BASEPATH and NLSPATH.
This dialog box allows you to enable the logical node name feature and specify primary and secondary
node names for the logical node. You can also access the Timers dialog box by clicking the Timers button.
The Remote Node Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Allows you to enable the logical node name feature on the node.
Allows you to specify the name of the primary node. The node name you enter cannot already be listed in
the Configured Remote Nodes list box. You also cannot enter the name of a node that is already entered
as a primary node.
Secondary Node
Allows you to specify the name of the standby node. The node name you enter cannot already be listed in
the Configured Remote Nodes list box. You also cannot enter the name of a node that is already entered
as a standby node.
Timers
Allows you to display the Timers dialog box, which allows you to change the values of the network timers
on your node
Enable
Disable
Database Name
Allows you to specify the database to use for this node. You can also click the browse (...) button to access
the File Open dialog box where you can search for database files (*.PDB) in the database path.
Allows you to access the File Open dialog box where you can search for database files (*.PDB) in the data-
base path.
Displays the name of the driver you are adding, configuring, setting up, or deleting.
Allows you to access the Drivers Available dialog box where you can select from a list of I/O drivers
installed on this node.
Displays the three-letter acronym and type of driver configured (CFE or SERIAL) for up to four I/O drivers
configured on this node.
Add
Allows you to add a new I/O driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list box. Enter the acronym for the driver
in the I/O Driver Name field or click the browse (...) button to access the Drivers Available dialog box where
you can select from a list of I/O drivers installed on this node. Click the Add button to add the driver.
If you have more than one version of the specified driver, the SCU prompts you to specify which version of
the driver you want to use.
Configure
Allows you to access the selected driver in order to configure it, or the selected driver's help.
Setup
Allows you to setup the I/O driver interface card. To configure the interface card, click the Setup button and
enter the information requested. Not all drivers require an interface card. Refer to your I/O driver ref-
erence manual for more information.
Delete
Allows you to deletes an I/O driver from the Configured I/O Drivers list box. Select the driver in the list box
and click the Delete button. This action does not delete any configuration work you have done with the I/O
driver DID program or the I/O driver files stored on disk.
Failover
Field Description
Enable Select this check box to enable Enhanced Failover on this SCADA
node.
Data Sync Transport Click this button to open the Data Sync Transport dialog box, where
you configure you network preferences for data transport.
Primary Select this option if the node is the primary SCADA.
Secondary Select this option if the node is the secondary SCADA.
Primary/Secondary Enter the name of the partner SCADA node.
SCADA Name
Enhanced Failover If using security areas in iFIX, enter the letter associated with the
Security Area security area assigned to administrators of your Enhanced Failover
configurations.
l The alarm must be from one of the alarm areas selected from the Send Alarm Filters dialog box.
l The alarm must have an alarm priority greater than or equal to the alarm priority selected from the
Send Alarm Filters dialog box.
If an alarm meets these criteria, the Auto Alarm Manager reassigns it to the alarm areas selected from the
Remote Alarm Areas dialog box. Once reassigned, the Auto Alarm Manager delivers the alarm to the
receiving node.
The Send Alarm Filters dialog box displays the following items:
Allows you to select an alarm area from areas A-P, select all areas, or select no areas.
This dialog box allows you to control the SQL account information for this node. The SQL Accounts dialog
box displays the following items:
Configured Accounts
Displays the names of SQL accounts that this node can access.
Add
Allows you to access the SQL Login Information dialog box and add a SQL account to the Configured
Accounts list box.
Delete
Allows you to remove a selected SQL account from the Configured Accounts list box.
Configure
Allows you to re-configure login information for the SQL account selected in the Configured Accounts list
box.
Allows you to access the SQL Task Configuration dialog box, which lets you define how the SQL software
option executes SQL commands. Fields in this dialog box allow you to define how data is handled when
the SQL software option is operating.
l Type of database to which the SQL option connects (for example, Oracle, or Access).
l User name for the account to which you log into on the relational system.
l Password for the account.
l ODBC data source name.
The SQL Login Information dialog box displays the following items:
Database Type
Allows you to specify the type of relational database to which the SQL option can connect. Click the
browse (...) button to display a list of supported relational databases.
User Name
Allows you to specify the name of the user's account on the server. This name is usually the same one you
use to log onto the server. This field can be left blank or can contain a name with up to 31 characters.
Password
Allows you to specify the password used to log onto the server. This field can be left blank or can contain a
password with up to 31 characters.
If you enter a user name, then most likely you are required to enter a password. As each character is
entered, an asterisk appears in the Password field. This protects your password.
Database Identifier
Allows you to specify the ODBC data source name to which the SQL option can connect. Click the browse
(...) button to display a list of ODBC data sources.
This dialog box allows you to control how the SQL software option executes SQL commands. Fields in this
dialog box allow you to define how data is handled when the SQL software option is operating.
The SQL Task Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Enable
Allows you to enable the SQL software option. You must enable the SQL software option before you can
enter information in the other configuration fields. When you change the SQL support state from disabled
to enabled, the SQL task is added to the Task Configuration dialog box.
Disable
Allows you to disable the SQL software option. When you change the SQL support state from enabled to
disabled, the SQL task is removed from the Task Configuration dialog box.
Primary Backup
Allows you to specify the primary back-up path and file name that the SQL software option uses when it
cannot write to the relational database. If the SQL software option cannot connect to the server, or loses a
connection with the relational database, it backs up data to the file identified in the Primary field. If the
SQL software option fails to write to this file, it backs up data to the file identified in the Secondary field.
If you set the primary path to a file server, consider setting the secondary path to a local drive. With this
setup, if the application cannot connect to the server because of a bad cable connection, the secondary
path can back-up data to the local drive. Once the system re-establishes a connection to the relational
database, the system first processes any backed up SQL commands and data and then deletes the back-
up file once the backup operation completes.
IMPORTANT: The SQL software option processes backed up SQL commands in the order in which they were
backed up. This means that the backed up SQL commands are processed in a first in, first out (FIFO) basis.
You can enter any valid path and back-up file name in this field. A sample path and file name are shown
below:
C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\PDB\filename.SQL
NOTES:
The path that you enter does not have to be an iFIX path. If your path entry does not exist at runtime, no paths
are created. This means that the SQL software option generates an error message because it tries to send back-
up data to a file that is assigned no destination path.
For SQT blocks to log to the primary or secondary backup files, you must select the Enable BackUp checkbox
found on the Advanced tab. You must do this for each SQT block you want to utilize backup files.
Secondary Backup
Allows you to specify the secondary back-up path and file name that the SQL software option uses when it
cannot write to the relational database. If the SQL software option cannot connect to the server, or loses a
connection with the relational database, it backs up data to the file identified in the Primary field. If the
SQL software option fails to write to this file, it backs up data to the file identified in the Secondary field.
If you set the primary path to a file server, consider setting the secondary path to a local drive. With this
setup, if the application cannot connect to the server because of a bad cable connection, the secondary
path can back-up data to the local drive. Once the system re-establishes a connection to the relational
database, the system first processes any backed up SQL commands and data and then deletes the back-
up file once the backup operation completes.
IMPORTANT: The SQL software option processes backed up SQL commands in the order in which they were
backed up. This means that the backed up SQL commands are processed in a first in, first out (FIFO) basis.
You can enter any valid path and back-up file name in this field. A sample path and file name are shown
below:
C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\PDB\filename.SQL
Allows you to access the Configure Alarm Areas - SQL Error Messages dialog box, which lets you enable
the alarm areas that will receive error messages generated by the SQL software option.
Allows you to access the Configure Alarm Areas - SQL Debug Messages dialog box, which lets you enable
the alarm areas that will receive debug messages generated by the SQL software option.
Allows you to control whether error messages are sent to the SQL system task window while the SQL soft-
ware option is operating (enabled).
NOTE: If you enable the Debug Message to Screen option, the system automatically enables the Error Message to
Screen option even if the Error Message to Screen check box is disabled.
Allows you to control whether debug messages are sent to the SQL system task window while the SQL
software option is operating (enabled).
Be aware that these messages are displayed in Mission Control, on the SQL tab.
NOTE: If you enable the Debug Message to Screen option, the system automatically enables the Error Message to
Screen option even if the Error Message to Screen check box is disabled.
Database ID
Displays the ODBC data source name specified during ODBC setup. Any database specific information
such as the server name or the database name is configured during the ODBC setup. Once the ODBC
data source has been configured, only the data source name needs to be specified to access that rela-
tional database.
Allows you to access the Database IDs Available dialog box, which lets you select from a list of available
database identifiers.
Allows you to specify the name of the SQL Library Table that contains the SQL commands. The default
name is SQLLIB. Valid SQL Command Table names can include up to 31 characters.
Allows you to specify the name of the SQL Error Log Table to which the SQL system task sends error mes-
sages. If a SQL transaction fails, an entry is made to this table. In isolating troublesome SQL transactions,
a maintained table becomes a useful debugging tool. Consider maintaining this log on an ongoing basis.
Allows you to specify how often the SQL system task is processed (that is, how often it checks the SQT
blocks in the node's database). You should enter a time that is sufficient to monitor your application. Valid
entries are 0 to 99 seconds. The default is 5 seconds.
This dialog box allows you to control the types of alarms a View node receives upon startup. By default, the
View node receives all the current SCADA node summary alarms that have occurred prior to the time the
View node started.
The Startup Queue Configuration dialog box displays the following items:
Allows you to filter the alarms received by the View node by selecting the Enable Time Filter check box and
entering a time interval. When you do this, the View node receives all current SCADA node alarms upon
startup in addition to all previous alarms within the time interval you specify.
Allows you to specify the number of hours previous to startup in which you want to receive the SCADA
node's alarms. Valid entries are from 0 to 23. The default is 23.
NOTE: The default setting, 23 hours and 59 minutes, displays all of the SCADA node's alarms that occurred
between the time the View node started up and the previous day.
Allows you to specify the number of minutes previous to startup in which you want to receive the SCADA
node's alarms. Valid entries are from 0 to 59. The default is 59.
NOTE: The default setting, 23 hours and 59 minutes, displays all of the SCADA node's alarms that occurred
between the time the View node started up and the previous day.
Allows you to receive only summary alarms on the View node. To display summary and operator alarms
on the View node, clear the Summary Alarms Only check box.
NOTE: If this check box is cleared when using the Alarm Startup Queue, duplicate alarms will be displayed on all
alarm destinations except alarm summary every time the connection to a SCADA node is established.
Filename
Displays the name of the executable (.EXE) or dynamically linked library (.DLL) that you are adding to or
have selected from the Configured Tasks list box.
To add a new startup task, type a name in this field and click the Add button. You can also click the browse
(...) button to access the File Open dialog box and search for executable or dynamically linked library files.
Command Line
Allows you to add any command line parameters associated with an executable file specified in the File-
name field. For example, you can define command line parameters for SAC (WSACTASK.EXE), I/O Control
(IOCNTRL.EXE), and selected iFIX applications.
To add command line parameters to third-party executables, check the application's reference doc-
umentation for valid entries.
Configured Tasks
Displays the names of the iFIX tasks selected for automatic startup. An asterisk (*) next to a task indicates
that the task minimizes once it is started. A percent sign (%) next to a task indicates that the task is started
as a background task.
iFIX executes the tasks in the order that they are displayed in this list box. To change the order of a startup
task, select the task and use the up and down arrow buttons to move the task to the desired place in the
list.
Minimized
Normal
Background
Add
Allows you to add an executable file specified in the Filename field to the Configured Tasks list box.
Change
Allows you to change the start up mode of a task selected in the Configured Tasks list box. To change the
mode, select the task in the Configured Tasks list box, click the option button in the Start Up Mode area,
and click the Change button.
Delete
Allows you to delete a task from the Configured Tasks list box. To delete a task, select the task in the list
box and click the Delete button. This action removes the task from the list, but does not delete the files
This dialog box allows you to change the values of the network timers on the remote node. iFIX uses your
entries in this dialog box to tailor resources precisely for your configuration. Most users never need to
modify these defaults.
CAUTION: Modifying network resources can seriously affect the performance of a node. You should not use this
dialog box unless you have a thorough understanding of iFIX networking concepts. See the Understanding iFIX Ses-
sion Timers and Determining Session Timer Values sections in the Setting up the Environment electronic book for
more information on network timers.
Allows you to enable the use of network timers on the remote node.
Keep Alive
Allows you to specify the amount of time that, if no activity has occurred over an established connection,
the node waits before sending a heartbeat message. The default value for this field is 20 seconds.
Send
Allows you to specify the amount of time that the node waits for a request to the SCADA server to be
acknowledged. If this timer expires, the session ends. The default value for this field is 30 seconds.
Receive
Allows you to specify the amount of time that the node waits for a reply from the SCADA server. When
running iFIX over TCP/IP, the effective session timeout values is either the Send timer or the Receive timer,
whichever is greater. If this timer expires, the session ends. The default value for this field is 60 seconds.
Inactivity
Allows you to specify the amount of time that, if no data activity has occurred over an established con-
nection, the node waits before removing the dynamic connection from the list of outgoing connections. If
this timer expires, the session ends. The default value for this field is 300 seconds.
Reset to Defaults
Allows you to reset the remote node network timers to their default values.
How Do I...
The following sections explain how to use the System Configuration Utility (SCU) in iFIX:
Click a section above for steps on how to use or configure this part of the SCU.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with SCU Files:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. In the SCU, on the File menu, click Description, or double-click the file description area.
3. In the Enter Configuration File Description field, enter a description of up to 40 characters.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the File menu, click Report.
3. In the File Name field, enter a file name and click the Save button.
1. Before you open the iFIX WorkSpace, start the SCU from the Proficy iFIX 4.0 program folder in Win-
dows.
2. From the Configure menu, choose Local Startup. The Local Startup Definition dialog box appears.
3. Configure your local startup options, including the local server name, local logical name, and the
local SCU file name.
4. Configure the path in which to store the program and data files.
5. Make any start-up or configuration changes using the SCU toolbox and associated dialog boxes.
For more information, refer to the Configuring iFIX using the SCU section in the Setting up the Envir-
onment e-book.
6. Save any configuration changes to either a local disk or a remote file server.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with SCADA Support:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SCADA button.
3. Next to the I/O Driver Name field, click the browse (...) button to display a list of I/O drivers installed
on the local node. The Drivers Available dialog box appears.
4. Select the driver you want and click OK. The driver appears in the I/O Driver Name field.
5. Click the Add button. The SCU adds the I/O driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list box. Only drivers
added to this list box are started during iFIX startup.
NOTE: During installation, the Simulation (SIM) driver is automatically installed for you. This driver
provides 2000 registers for simulating process data and testing your database. Refer to the Building a
SCADA System e-book for more information on using the SIM driver.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SCADA button.
3. Select a driver in the Configured I/O Drivers list box and click the Configure button. This starts the
I/O Driver Configuration program.
4. Enter the required information.
NOTE: You do not need to set up a SIM driver; the installation program configures it for you. For more
information on the configuration program, refer to your driver documentation.
Deleting an I/O Driver from the Configured I/O Drivers List Box
To delete an I/O driver from the Configured I/O Drivers list box:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SCADA button.
3. From the Configured I/O Drivers list, select the I/O driver.
4. Click the Delete button.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SCADA button.
3. In the SCADA Support area, select the Enable option.
4. To disable SCADA support, select the Disable option.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SCADA button.
- Or -
On the SCU main screen, double-click the PDB:DATABASE row.
3. In the Database Name field, enter the desired process database. If you want to use an existing data-
base, click the browse (...) button to search for database files for your server using the Select the
File Name to Use dialog box.
Configuring Paths
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with Paths:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Paths button.
3. In the Base field, enter a new directory path or click the browse (...) button to browse for a directory.
4. Click the Change Base button to automatically update all of the directories in the Path Configuration
dialog box.
NOTE: All of the other directories must be subdirectories of the Base path in order for them to change auto-
matically.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Paths button.
3. In the Project field, enter a new path or click Browse to browse for a project path.
4. Click the Change Project button to automatically update all of the project file directories in the Path
Configuration dialog box.
NOTE: All of the other project file directories must be subdirectories of the Project path in order for them to
change automatically. The Base and Language paths are not updated when you change the project
path.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Paths button.
3. Enter the file server path containing the alarm area database in the Alarm Areas path.
Using Alarms
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with Alarms:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the alarm service you want to set up.
4. Click the Areas button.
5. Select the Use Areas Common to All Services option.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click the Recipe Messages button to assign alarm areas for recipe messages, or the Operator Mes-
sages button to assign alarm areas for any other type of application message. When you click
either button, the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box appears.
5. Select the Use ALL Alarm Areas option to assign the messages to every alarm area.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the alarm service you want to set up.
4. Click the Areas button.
5. Select the "Select from the Alarm Areas Database" option.
6. From the Available Areas list, double-click the alarm areas you want to assign.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click the Recipe Messages button to assign alarm areas for recipe messages, or the Operator Mes-
sages button to assign alarm areas for any other type of application message. When you click
either button, the Configure Alarm Areas dialog box appears.
5. Select the "Select from the Alarm Areas Database" option.
6. From the Available Areas list, double-click the alarm areas you want.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm Printer Service.
4. In the Port Definition areas, click the option button for the printer port to which your printer is con-
nected. Each port can handle only one Alarm Printer Service. If a port selection is not selectable, it
is assigned to another printer.
5. In the Printer Name field, enter a printer name.
6. Select the printer's alarm areas.
7. Select the printer's message format.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm History Service.
4. Click the Area button.
5. Select the service's alarm areas and click OK.
6. Click the Format button.
7. Configure the desired options for the service's message format and click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm ODBC Service.
4. Click the Configure button.
5. Enter the SQL login information required to connect to your relational database. If you want to use
the existing SQL configuration, select the Use Login Information from SQL Configuration check box.
6. Configure the column and table names for the relational database. If you want to use your own
column and table names, enter them instead.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm Network Service.
NOTE: Networking must be enabled in the Network Configuration dialog box for the Alarm Network Ser-
vice to appear in this list.
3. Select the Send Startup Queue Alarms to Original Typers check box to distribute alarms from the
SCADA server to all the enabled alarm destinations on the View client. Clear the check box if you
want to send the alarms to the Alarm Summary and Alarm Startup Queue Services, or if the Alarm
Queue Service is disabled.
4. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
3. In the Startup Queue Configuration dialog box, clear the Summary alarms only check box to receive
alarms and messages. To receive only alarms from the Alarm Summary Service, leave the check
box selected.
4. If you want to filter alarms by time, select the Enable Time Filter check box and enter the maximum
age of the alarms and messages you want to receive in the Hours and Minutes fields.
5. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm Summary Service.
4. If you want to manually delete alarms from the Alarm Summary Service, select the Manual option.
Otherwise, select the Automatic option.
5. Select the service's alarm areas.
6. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm Summary Service.
NOTE: If it is disabled, select the Enable option in the upper right corner of the screen to enable the ser-
vice, and then double-click Alarm Summary Service
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the alarm service you want to set up.
4. Click the Format button.
5. Select the check boxes in the Columns area to include the fields you want. To exclude a field, clear
its check box.
6. In the Length fields, enter the length of each field.
7. From the Column Order list, select a field name.
8. Click one of the arrow buttons to move the field up or down in the list.
9. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you arrange the fields in the order you require.
10. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Select an alarm service and click Disable.
4. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Select an alarm service and click Enable.
4. Click OK.
Entering the Retry, Pause, and Delay Intervals on the Sender Node
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Auto Alarm Manager.
3. Make sure the Enable button is selected, so that you can edit the fields.
4. In the Max Retries field, enter the maximum number of times you want the Auto Alarm Manager to
re-dial the primary or secondary contact.
5. In the Pause Time field, enter the number of seconds you want the Auto Alarm Manager to pause
between retries.
6. In the Delay After Send field, enter the number of seconds you want the Auto Alarm Manager to
wait between hanging up the modem and dialing the receiving node again.
7. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the Alarm ODBC service.
4. Click the Configure button.
5. In the Alarm Queue Size field, enter the alarm queue size.
6. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
The System Configuration Utility (SCU) window appears.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click the Common Areas button.
5. Select the Select from Alarm Area Database option.
6. In the Available Areas list, double-click the alarm areas you want to make common. This moves the
alarm area to the Configured Areas list.
7. Click OK.
To select a common alarm area that is not listed in the alarm area database:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the alarm service you want to set up.
4. Click the Areas button.
5. Select the Select from Alarm Area Database option.
6. In the Add field, enter the area's name and click the Add button.
7. Click Yes when prompted to use the undefined name.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarms button.
3. Double-click the alarm service you want to set up.
4. Click the Format button.
5. Click the Use Common button.
From the system tree in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, double-click the Alarm History icon.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Auto Alarm Manager.
3. Make sure the Enable button is selected, so that you can edit the fields.
4. Click the Alarm Filters button.
5. Select the alarm areas and alarm priorities with which to filter the incoming alarms.
6. Click OK.
7. Click the Remote Alarms Areas button.
8. Select the alarm areas you want to assign to the outgoing alarms.
9. Click OK.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with Networks:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. From the Configured Remote Nodes list, select the node you want to configure.
4. Click the Configure button.
5. Click the Timers button. .
6. Click the Reset to Defaults button to use the default timer settings, or clear the Use FIX Network
Timers check box and enter values in the Seconds field for the network timers you want to activate.
7. Click OK to close the Timers dialog box.
8. Click OK again to close the Remote Node Configuration dialog box.
9. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. In the Network area, click the TCP/IP option to allow for TCP/IP networking, or click the No Net-
working Support option to remove the networking option.
4. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. Click the Advanced button and click Yes when prompted to continue.
4. Edit the Seconds field of the session timer that you want to change.
5. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. Click the Advanced button and click Yes when prompted to continue.
4. From the Available Paths list, select the path that you want to disable.
5. Select the Disable option.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for all network paths that you want to disable.
7. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. In the Options area, select the Dynamic Connections check box.
4. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. In the Network Password field, enter a password to create a site-specific certificate for secure net-
working. Then, enter the same password in the Password Confirmation field.
4. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button.
3. From the Configured Remote Nodes list, select the node you want to modify.
4. Click the Modify button.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Network button. The Network Configuration dialog box appears.
3. From the Configured Remote Nodes list, select the logical node name that you want to delete.
4. Click the Delete button.
5. Click OK to save your settings.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. Open the diagnostic display in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace.
3. In the iFIX WorkSpace, on the Edit menu, click Select All.
4. In the iFIX WorkSpace, on the Edit menu, click Find and Replace. The Find and Replace dialog box
appears.
5. In the Find What field, enter *.* and click the Find button.
6. Click the Replace tab and enter local_nodename.* in the Replace With field, where local_nodename
is your local node name.
7. Click the Replace All button. To preview the results of Find and Replace beforehand, click the
Replace Preview button.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with SQL:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Tasks button.
3. In the Configured Tasks list, select the SQL task, WSQLODC.EXE. The SQL task appears in the file-
name field.
4. In the Command Line field, enter the command parameters.
5. Click the Change button.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SQL button.
3. Click the Add button.
4. In the Database Type field, enter the type of data source, or click the browse (...) button to display
the Database Types Available dialog box. Select the database type from the list in the dialog box,
and click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the SQL button.
3. Click the Configure SQL Task button.
4. Complete the SQL Task Configuration dialog box, as desired.
NOTE: When using the confirm tag for an SQT block that is triggered by an event, make sure that you
define the security so that users do not have access to Mission Control to shut down the SQL task.
5. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the Application toolbar in the iFIX WorkSpace, click the Mission Control icon.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Mission Control.
2. Click the SQL tab.
3. Click the Status button.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the Visual Basic Editor button on the toolbar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Home tab, in the WorkSpace group, click Visual Basic Editor.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. Click the Alarm button on the SCU toolbox.
3. Select the Alarm ODBC Service and the Enabled option.
4. Click Modify.
5. Click Configure.
6. In the Database Configuration area, in the Table Name field, enter the name of the table to which
you want to archive your alarms and messages.
7. Select the Create Tables at Runtime If Not Found check box to create the table automatically when
it cannot be found.
8. From the Column Configuration area, select the alarm and message fields you want to archive.
l Click Select All to select all the iFIX Field Names and populate the SQL Column Names auto-
matically.
l Click Clear All to deselect all the iFIX Field Names. The SQL Column Names remain pop-
ulated.
l Click Restore Defaults to use the FIXALARMS table to select the iFIX Field Names and the cor-
responding SQL Column Names.
TIP: If you select any of UserField iFIX Field Names, you can edit the database blocks in the User Fields sec-
tion of the dialog box.
9. In the Database Configuration area, click Create Table Now to create the table when you configure
the service.
10. Optionally, enter the column name that will store each selected field's information in the second
column of the spreadsheet.
IMPORTANT: If you later change the table configuration through this dialog box, you must rename the
table and press the Create Table Now to create it again. You cannot modify an existing table through this
dialog box; you must create a new one to change the existing configuration.
Configuring Tasks
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with Task Configuration:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Tasks button. .
3. Click the browse (...) button next to the Filename field.
4. Select the desired file and click the Open button. The selected file appears in the Filename field.
5. In the Startup Mode area, click the Background option button.
6. In the Command Line field, enter any command line parameters you may need.
7. Click the Add button to add the task to the Configured Tasks list box.
8. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Tasks button.
3. Click the browse (...) button next to the Filename field.
4. Select the desired file and click the Open button. The selected file appears in the Filename field.
5. In the Startup Mode area, click the Normal option button to start the task as an open window, the
Minimized option button to start the task as a minimized window, or the Background option button
to start the task in the background.
6. In the Command Line field, enter any command line parameters you may need.
7. Click the Add button to add the task to the Configured Tasks list box.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Tasks button.
3. In the Filename field, enter the full path of the I/O control task.
4. In the Command Line field, enter the appropriate command line parameters. If you enter more than
one parameter, separate each parameter with a space.
5. In the Start Up Mode area, click the Background option button.
6. Click the Add button.
7. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Tasks button.
3. In the Filename field, enter the full path of the SAC task and click the Add button.
4. To modify how SAC operates, enter the appropriate command line parameters in the Command
Line field.
5. Click OK.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with the Alarm Area Database:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarm Area Database button.
3. In the Alarm Area field, enter the name you want to use and click the Add button.
4. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarm Area Database button.
3. From the Configured Alarm Areas list, select the alarm area you want to delete.
4. Click the Delete button.
5. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the SCU toolbox, click the Alarm Area Database button.
3. From the Configured Alarm Areas list, select the alarm area you want to rename.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with Auto Alarm Manager:
1. In the iFIX Security Configuration application, create a user account with the login name AALARM.
2. Assign a password to the account.
3. Assign all security areas to the account.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 on all nodes running the Auto Alarm Manager.
NOTE: For more information on creating user accounts and the iFIX Security Configuration application,
refer to the Configuring Security Features e-book.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Auto Alarm Manager.
3. Select the Enable option.
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
NOTE: The AAMTCP.exe can only read from or write to an iFIX Database tag on the local iFIX node. You can-
not read or write to tags on remote nodes. This applies to the Emergency Tagname, Disable Tagname and
the Receiving Tagname. You cannot acknowledge an alarm that comes from a remote node. For the
alarm to be acknowledged, it has to be from the same (local) node that AAMTCP.exe is running on. If it is
not, the alarm will still be sent to the Receiver node, but it will not be acknowledged by the Sender node.
To enter the names of the database tags that you want to use:
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Auto Alarm Manager.
3. Select the Enable option.
4. In the Disable Tagname field, enter the name of the disable tag.
5. In the Emergency Tagname field, enter the name of the emergency tag.
6. Click OK.
1. On the Sender node, in Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility
button on the toolbar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Auto Alarm Manager.
3. Select the Enable option.
4. Select the Advanced button.
1. On the Sender node, in Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility
button on the toolbar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Auto Alarm Manager.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. In the Username and Password fields on the Sending node, enter a Windows user account name
and password. The Windows user account you specify must reside on the RAS server and must
have dial-in permission.
5. In the Confirm Password field, re-enter the password.
6. Click OK.
In the SCU, you can perform the following steps with Local Startup:
6. If you want iFIX to start automatically whenever the system reboots, select the Start FIX at System
Boot check box.
7. Click OK.
8. On the File menu, click Save.
9. Close the SCU.
10. Restart iFIX.
Specifying the Local Server, Local Logical, and SCU File Names
1. In Classic view, from the iFIX WorkSpace, click the System Configuration Utility button on the tool-
bar.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the System & Security group, click SCU.
2. On the Configure menu, click Local Startup.
3. In the Local Node Name field, enter a unique server name of up to eight alphanumeric characters.
You cannot use special characters, except for the underscore.
4. In the Local Logical Name field, enter a logical node name of up to eight alphanumeric characters.
You cannot use special characters, except for the underscore.
5. In the Configuration File field, enter the path of the local SCU file. For example: C:\Program
Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\LOCAL\SCADA01.SCU. To search for existing SCU files, click the browse
(...) button, select a file, and click the Open button.
NOTE: If you change the node name after you enable security, security will be effectively disabled. You
will need to save the security files again, and then enable security again.
6. Click OK to save your settings in the Local Startup Definition dialog box.
The Startup Profile Manager is a utility that allows you to link users to iFIX projects or configurations, as
well as restrict the actions that these users can take when starting iFIX. With the Startup Profile Manager,
you create unique startup profiles for individual iFIX users, as well as a default profile for all other users.
The following figure shows an example of the main window of the Startup Profile Manager that appears
when you open the application.
The Startup Profile Manager allows you to associate a Windows user with a specific iFIX Project Con-
figuration. An iFIX Project Configuration is the SCU file and node name combination that you want the iFIX
Startup dialog box to display when the specified user starts iFIX. In the iFIX Project Configuration, you can
also define whether the user can modify these fields.
Since the Startup Profile Manager allows you to manage many users, you will find this application most
useful when you use terminal services. It is recommended that no more than 20 Terminal Server sessions
running iFIX on one computer.
The startup profiles that you create and modify in this application are not used by iFIX until a profiled user
attempts to start iFIX (by running Launch.exe).
A startup profile is a group of settings that associate a Windows user name with a specific iFIX Project Con-
figuration. The iFIX Project Configuration includes:
l SCU path and file name that you want the specified Windows user to use when starting iFIX.
l Node name that you want the specified Windows user to use when starting iFIX.
l Restrictions on whether the user can modify these settings during iFIX startup.
When starting, iFIX checks the currently logged in Windows user name to determine if the user has a pro-
file listed in the Startup Profile Manager. If a profile is identified, iFIX loads that profile. Otherwise, the
default profile is used, if it is enabled. If a default profile does not exist, no profiles are loaded. In this case,
iFIX loads the node and SCU file defined in the Local Startup Definition dialog box of the SCU application
(which is the SCU file and node name defined in the Windows Registry), and there are no restrictions in the
iFIX Startup dialog box, unless you changed the default iFIX Startup options in the Default Startup Profile
dialog box of the Startup Profile Manager.
Use the Startup Profile Manager when you need to manage many iFIX users, such as when you use Ter-
minal Services. For instance, with the Startup Profile Manager, you can globally define a default profile for
all Windows users without profiles, and then create specific profiles for specific Windows users. Man-
agement of many user profiles is easily performed at a global level and an individual user level.
In the first iFIX release that included support for Terminal Services, iFIX 2.5, iFIX required that you generate
a complete application environment for each remote user. For example, if there are 50 iFIX users, there
must be 50 sets of SCU files, with each SCU file unique to that specific user. With the Startup Profile
If you are upgrading from a previous iFIX release, the use of a default profile will help you in migrating
from the multiple SCU files to the easier configuration in the Startup Profile Manager.
For more details on best practices when configuring Terminal Services with the Startup Profile Manager,
refer to the Using Terminal Server manual.
If you do not create startup profiles for your users, your existing startup configurations from previous iFIX
releases run unchanged. If you later choose to create new startup profiles, the Startup Profile Manager
includes an option that allows the new profile settings to override the pre-existing configurations. For
more information on the override setting, refer to the Configuring the Options for the Startup Profile Man-
ager section.
There is certain basic information you should know before using the Startup Profile Manager. This section
contains information on the following:
Before you begin working with the Startup Profile Manager, you should configure the options that you
want the Startup Profile Manager to use. The following figure shows the Options dialog box that appears in
the Startup Profile Manager.
1. On the Settings menu, click Options. The Options dialog box appears.
2. Select the Startup Profiles defined in this application override iFIX Startup command line parameters
check box, if you want the profiles created in this application to override the ones used when you
start iFIX from the command line.
IMPORTANT: For the override to work, the user must be defined in the Startup Profile Manager, or if the
user is not defined, the default profile must be enabled. This override only applies to the /n, /s, and /l com-
mand line options.
3. Enter a string for the default iFIX node name prefix to use if the first 8 characters of the Windows
user name cannot be used to generate a valid iFIX node name.
The Windows user name is an invalid iFIX node name, for instance, when the name starts with a
number. Valid node names can be up to eight characters long. Node names can include alpha-
numeric characters, but must begin with a letter. Special characters, such as symbols and punc-
tuation marks, cannot be used.
For each startup profile using the default iFIX node name, a number is also added to the end of the
default node name, starting with the number 1. For example, if you enter NODE as the prefix, the
default iFIX node names used are: NODE1, NODE2, NODE3, and so on. Each default user who starts
iFIX receives a different node name.
NOTE: When you use the Nodename Prefix field, you cannot use the iFIX automatic login feature unless
you generate automatic login configurations for each of the possible node names for the defined prefix.
4. Click OK.
After configuring the application options for the Startup Profile Manager, you should define a default pro-
file, if your iFIX configuration requires it. For instance, when using Terminal Services with the Startup Pro-
file Manager, you will most likely want to configure a default profile.
If a user attempts to start iFIX and a profile does not exist for that user yet, iFIX starts with the default pro-
file information.
To configure the SCU and iFIX Startup options for the default profile, use the Default Startup Profile dialog
box, as shown in the following figure.
If you select the Enable the Default SCU option in the Startup Profile Manager, make sure you also enable
the global security paths (Use These Paths for All Startup Profiles) option in the Configuration dialog box in
the Security Configuration application. When you enable the global security paths, all iFIX user sessions on
a computer share the same security configuration.
If you do not enable global security paths, you will need to individually configure security within each Ter-
minal Services user session.
For more information on global security paths, refer to Configuring Global Security Paths in the Con-
figuring Security Features manual.
For information on how to enable the default startup profile, refer to the Configuring the Default Profile
section.
The following list summarizes the quick keys that you can enter from the keyboard and the actions that
they perform.
iFIX must be running in order to use the Startup Profile Manager application. After you create your startup
profiles and configure the default profile (if required), you need to save your startup profiles if you want
iFIX to use them. If you do not save your startup profiles during the current session, a message box
reminds you to save when you exit the Startup Profile Manager.
A startup profile is not used by iFIX until the specified user attempts to start iFIX from the iFIX Startup dia-
log box or from the iFIX Startup command line (from a desktop shortcut or the Run dialog box, for
example). If no iFIX startup profile exists for the user and you do not define any settings in the Default User
Profile dialog box or provide command line settings to the iFIX Startup application, when you restart iFIX, it
displays the information from the last time iFIX was run.
Using the Startup Profile Manager you can disable buttons or text edit fields that appear in the iFIX Startup
dialog box on a per-user basis. To do this, you must edit the iFIX Startup Options for the user's profile. To
cover users that do not have startup profiles, you should edit the Default iFIX Startup Options in the Default
Startup Profile dialog box.
The following table describes the options that you disable or hide in the iFIX Startup dialog box.
For more information on the iFIX Startup dialog box, refer to iFIX Startup section in the Setting up the Envir-
onment manual.
The following list outlines some of the frequently asked questions about using the Startup Profile Manager.
When Does iFIX Use the Startup Profiles That You Create?
iFIX does not use the startup profiles that you create and modify in the Startup Profile Manager application
until a profiled user attempts to start iFIX. When starting, iFIX checks the currently logged in Windows user
name to determine if the user has a profile listed in the Startup Profile Manager.
The Override iFIX Startup Command Line Parameters Option in the Startup Profile Manager
Does Not Appear to Work... Why?
The check box in the Startup Profile Manager to override the iFIX startup command line parameters (the
Startup Profiles defined in this application override iFIX Startup command line parameters option in the
Options dialog box) only applies to the /n, /s, and /l command line options. In addition, for the override to
work, the user must be defined in the Startup Profile Manager, or if the user is not defined, the default pro-
file must be enabled.
The Startup Profile Manager includes the following dialog boxes (listed in alphabetical order):
The Add Startup Profile dialog box displays the following items:
Domain
Select a domain from the drop-down list. The current login domain and local computer domain, if dif-
ferent, for the currently logged in Windows user, appear in this list.
Click the List Domain Members button to display list of domain members in the following list box. Depend-
ing on the size of your domain and speed of your network, this action could take a few moments or several
minutes.
Click to list the members of the specified domain in the following list box. You may need to wait a few
moments or several minutes for this list to populate, depending on the size of the domain and speed of
your network.
To specify a Windows user for a startup profile, select one from the list or enter one in the Windows User
field.
Windows User
Enter the name of the Windows user for which you want to create an iFIX startup profile. You do not have
to be connected to the domain from which the user is a member if you enter the name manually.
Optionally, instead of entering the Windows user name in this field, select a domain and click the List of
Domain Members button to list the available Windows users for you to select from.
iFIX Nodename
Leave the default name or enter another name for the iFIX node that you want to associate with this Win-
dows user. This name can up to eight characters long.
By default, the Windows user name appears in the iFIX Node Name field. If the Windows user name is
more than 8 characters, the characters after the eighth one are truncated.
If the Windows user name starts with anything other than a letter, such as a number, the Startup Profile
Manager uses the default node name prefix that you specified in the Options dialog box to generate a
unique, valid node name.
For each startup profile using the default iFIX node name, a number is also added to the end of the default
node name, starting with the number 1. For example, if the prefix is NODE, the default iFIX node names
used are: NODE1, NODE2, NODE3, and so on.
NOTE: If you manually entered a Windows user name, you must also manually enter an iFIX node name. The
default name is not used in this case.
SCU File
The location and name of the SCU file that you want the specified Windows user to use when starting iFIX.
Optionally, click the Browse (…) button to search for a file.
Item Description
Allow user to run Select this check box if you want to allow the specified Windows user to run the
Sample System iFIX Sample System. Uncheck this option if you want to deny the use of the
sample system to the specified user.
NOTE: As of iFIX 5.8, the Sample System is no longer shipped with iFIX. Be
aware that the Sample System is not supported in iFIX 5.8 and greater.
Allow user to Select this check box to allow the specified Windows user to edit the SCU or
modify Nodename node name from the iFIX Startup dialog box. Uncheck this option if you want to
and SCU make these fields unavailable when the user starts iFIX.
Click to add your newly created startup profile to the list of profiles. The profile list updates when you exit
the Add Startup Profile dialog box.
The Default Startup Profile dialog box displays the following items:
Item Description
Enable Default SCU Select this check box if you want to specify a default SCU file and node name
for iFIX users without a startup profile.
The SCU that you specify in this dialog box appears in the iFIX Startup dialog
box when you start iFIX on a computer whose Windows logged in user does
not have a startup profile.
The default node name that appears in this dialog box is the Windows user
name. Any more than 8 characters are truncated from the name.
Default SCU File Enter the location and name of the iFIX SCU file. Optionally, browse for an
SCU file by clicking the Browse (…) button.
This field is only available if you select the Enable Default SCU check box.
Item Description
Allow User to Run Select this check box if you want to grant users without a startup profile the
Sample System ability to run the iFIX Sample System. Clear this option if you want to deny the
use of the sample system to these users.
NOTE: As of iFIX 5.8, the Sample System is no longer shipped with iFIX. Be
aware that the Sample System is not supported in iFIX 5.8 and greater.
Allow User to Select this check box if you want to allow users without a startup profile to edit
Modify Nodename the SCU or node name from the iFIX Startup dialog box. Uncheck this option if
and SCU you want to make these fields unavailable when the user starts iFIX.
Item Description
Default Service Star- Click to enable a default startup profile when iFIX runs as a service.
tup Parameter
Service NodeName Enter the name of the node where iFIX runs as a service.
Service SCU File Enter the SCU name that you want to start when iFIX runs as a service.
iFIX Nodename
Enter the iFIX node name that you want to associate with this user. This name can up to eight characters
long.
SCU File
Enter the location and name of the SCU file that you want the specified Windows user to use when starting
iFIX. Optionally, click the Browse (…) button to search for a file.
Item Description
Allow User to Run Select this check box if you want to allow the specified Windows user to run
Sample System the iFIX Sample System. Uncheck this option if you want to deny the use of
the sample system to the specified user.
NOTE: As of iFIX 5.8, the Sample System is no longer shipped with iFIX. Be
aware that the Sample System is not supported in iFIX 5.8 and greater.
Allow User to Modify Select this check box to allow the specified Windows user to edit the SCU or
Nodename and SCU node name from the iFIX Startup dialog box. Uncheck this option if you want
to make these fields unavailable when the user starts iFIX.
Startup Profiles defined in this application override iFIX Startup command line parameters
Select this check box if you want the profiles created in this application to override the ones used when
you start iFIX from the command line.
For the override to work, the user must be defined in the Startup Profile Manager, or if the user is not
defined, the default profile must be enabled.
NOTE: This override only applies to the /n, /s, and /l command line options.
Enter the default iFIX node name prefix to use if the first 8 characters of the Windows user name cannot
be used to generate a valid iFIX node name.
For each startup profile using the default iFIX node name, a number is also added to the end of the default
node name, starting with the number 1. For example, if the prefix is NODE, the default iFIX node names
used are: NODE1, NODE2, NODE3, and so on.
Displays a list of iFIX startup profiles. Double-click an empty row to add a profile. Or, double-click a profile
in the list to modify it.
Add
Edit
Remove
Help
Close
Default SCU
The location and name of the iFIX SCU file for the default profile, if enabled.
The default startup profile specifies the iFIX startup configuration to use for the Windows users who are
not configured within the Startup Profile Manager application.
How Do I...
Click on any of the links below for more information on this application.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
5. In the Windows User field, select a Windows user from the list, or enter one manually. You do not
have to be connected to the domain if you enter the name manually.
6. Accept the default iFIX Node Name, or enter another one.
NOTE: If you manually entered a Windows user name, you must also manually enter an iFIX node name.
The default name is not used in this case.
7. Enter the location and name of the iFIX SCU file that you want to associate with this user. For
example, you might enter C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\LOCAL\FIX.SCU. If a default iFIX
SCU name is supplied, you can use it or enter another one.
Optionally, you can browse for an SCU file, by clicking the Browse (…) button.
8. Select the options that you want to make available for the specified user from the iFIX Startup dia-
log box.
l If you select the Allow User to Modify Nodename and SCU check box, these fields are avail-
able for editing when the specified user attempts to start iFIX.
l If you clear both the Allow User to Run Sample System and the Allow User to Modify Node-
name and SCU check boxes, the iFIX Startup dialog box does not appear for the specified
user.
9. Click Add Profile.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
5. Click OK.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
The following list summarizes the quick keys that you can enter from the keyboard and the actions that
they perform:
To manually backup the configuration file that contains your startup profiles:
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
2. On the File menu, click Save to save your current startup profiles.
3. Locate the Profiles.cfg file. Usually, this file is located in the main C:\Dyanmics folder.
NOTE: The Profiles.cfg file is an encrypted file. You cannot edit it in a text editor such as Notepad.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
The startup profile is not used by iFIX until the specified user attempts to start iFIX. If no iFIX startup profile
exists for the user and you do not define any settings in the Default User Profile dialog box or provide com-
mand line settings to the Launch application, when you restart iFIX, it displays the information from the last
time iFIX was run.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
1. In Classic view, in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace, on the toolbar, click the Startup Profile Manager but-
ton.
-Or-
In Ribbon view, on the Applications tab, in the Utilities group, click Utilities, and then click Startup
Profile Manager.
NOTE: The Startup Profile Manager can also be accessed from the Start menu by pointing to Programs,
Proficy HMI SCADA - iFIX, Tools, and then Startup Profile Manager.
The iFIX Startup program reads the SCU file and runs the tasks that support your configuration. Except for
the SCU, individual iFIX applications cannot be run unless you start iFIX.
Before you start iFIX, you must make sure that you have set up the hardware, software, and network com-
ponents necessary to operate iFIX in your process environment. Refer to the appropriate chapters in this
manual to help you configure your environment.
When you start iFIX, the iFIX Startup dialog box appears, if you configured it to do so. From this dialog box,
you can launch iFIX, or change the iFIX node or SCU file used when iFIX starts, if you have privileges to do
so. The following figure shows an example of the iFIX Startup dialog box with all options enabled.
The privileges for your startup profile are defined in the Startup Profile Manager. For more information on
how to configure startup options in the Startup Profile Manager, refer to the Using the Startup Profile Man-
ager chapter in this manual. If you do not use the Startup Profile Manager, iFIX starts with the node name
and SCU file last specified in the SCU.
Once iFIX loads, a dialog box appears with a message such as: "iFIX Software is currently running!" or "iFIX
Demo System is currently running!"
The Proficy iFIX Startup dialog box displays the following items:
Item Description
Node Enter the iFIX node name that you want to start with. This name can up to eight char-
Name acters long.
If you do not have privileges to edit this field, the field is unavailable.
SCU Select an SCU from the drop-down list, or enter the location and name of the SCU file
File that you want to use when starting iFIX. Optionally, click the Browse (…) button to
Name search for a file.
If you do not have privileges to edit this field, the field is unavailable.
SCU Click to browse for an iFIX SCU file. A dialog box opens from which you can browse for
File a file.
Browse
By default, this dialog box lists the iFIX SCU files in the C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy
iFIX\Local folder, but you also can browse to another folder.
SCU
Click to open the SCU. If you do not have privileges to start the SCU, this button is unavailable.
Desktop Shortcut
Click to create a shortcut to the iFIX Startup dialog box (Launch.exe) using the settings listed above. A dia-
log box opens for you to enter a name for the desktop shortcut.
Once iFIX starts, the Startup dialog box displays a message and the Options menu is available from this dia-
log box. The following figure shows the iFIX Startup dialog box after you start iFIX in normal mode.
The Options menu on the iFIX Startup window lets you define startup window properties and view general
conditions. The sections below explain the commands available from the Options and Help menus.
Show History
To view a history of startup messages, select Show History from the Options menu. The Startup History dia-
log box appears.
Registered Tasks
To see a list of iFIX tasks currently running on this node, select Registered Tasks from the Options menu.
The Task List dialog box appears.
Version
To determine the version of iFIX you are running, on the Help menu, click About.
You can run iFIX from the command line with the Launch.exe command. Launch.exe resides in your iFIX
base path. The following table describes the command line options available for the Launch.exe program.
If the SCU file path has spaces, you should use quotes around the path. For instance:
Launch /NSCUName /S"e:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy iFIX\LOCAL\SCUName.SCU"
/n NodeName Starts iFIX with the specified node name, if you have privileges to change the node
name. This option prevents the Startup dialog box from displaying, unless the /g is
also on the command line.
/r Restarts iFIX, if you have privileges to do so. If the iFIX Startup dialog box displays, con-
tinue by clicking the start iFIX button. If there are other command line options that pre-
vent the Startup dialog box from displaying, then it is prevented and iFIX automatically
restarts.
/l Logic- Starts iFIX with the specified logical node name.
alNodeName
/e Shuts down the currently running iFIX application, if the user has privileges to do so.
iFIX does not display the iFIX Startup dialog box, nor does it try to restart iFIX. All other
command line options are ignored.
NOTE: The only way to prevent a user from shutting down iFIX with the /e command
line option is to uncheck the Allow User to Run Sample System check box for the
user's startup profile (or, if the user is not defined, for the default profile in the Startup
Profile Manager).
/t Starts iFIX in Demo mode.
/g Always displays the iFIX Startup dialog box, if the user has the privileges to do so. This
option overrides the Don't Show This Dialog Box Again check box settings in the iFIX
Startup dialog box.
/w NumSeconds Indicates the maximum amount of time that iFIX waits for a Terminal Server session
to start. If the Terminal Server session does not start, the connection times out.
/x Starts the DBASRV.exe program.
iFIX starts and stops background tasks based on the configuration information in the SCU file. The table
below describes the function of each iFIX background task. Automatic tasks are started by iFIX if required
by your configuration. Tasks listed as optional require that you start them manually by adding them to the
configured task list in the Task Configuration dialog box in the SCU.
NOTE: If you want, you can configure certain tasks to start up automatically. Refer to the Configuring Startup
Tasks section for more information.
System Tasks
Program Executable File Function
Alarm File ALMFILE.EXE Receives alarm messages and stores them in files.
Task (Auto-
matic)
Alarm Printer ALMPRIN.EXE Receives alarm messages and sends them to printers.
Task (Auto-
matic)
Alarm Sum- ALMSUM.EXE Receives alarms for display in the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace
mary Task through the Alarm Summary object.
(Automatic)
Alarm Man- NAM.EXE Distributes alarm messages over the network. Alarm man-
ager (Auto- agers run on SCADA servers.
matic)
Alarm Client NAC.EXE Receives alarm messages over the network.
(Automatic)
Historical Col- HTC.EXE Collects data according to the Historical Assign configuration
lect (Optional) file.
I/O Control IOCNTRL.EXE Starts the I/O drivers, and displays the status of the installed
(Automatic, I/O drivers running on the SCADA server.
SCADA)
Summary SUMQDEL.EXE Removes the acknowledged, returned to normal, alarms from
Queue Delete the Alarm Summary queue.
(Automatic,
SCADA)
Scan Alarm WSACTASK.EXE Updates the database with data from the I/O driver, makes
and Control requested writes to the I/O Driver, generates alarms, and
(Automatic, executes the logic of the database chains.
SCADA)
Mission Control provides an easy-to-use interface for monitoring iFIX programs that run in the back-
ground. It provides you with a window into your system, helping you diagnose potential problems with
your iFIX system, and helping you improve performance on your server.
l I/O Control
l Historical Collect
l SQL task
l SAC processing
l Auto Alarm Manager
l Alarm ODBC services
NOTE: To run a iFIX task in the background you need to configure the program's startup task configuration in the
SCU. For more information, refer to the Configuring Startup Tasks section.
To start Mission Control, click the Mission Control button on the Application toolbar, or select Mission Con-
trol from the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace system tree. To access a particular background task, select its tab.
I/O Control — allows you to monitor I/O driver communications statistics and errors. For a description of
these fields, refer to your I/O driver manual.
HTC — allows you to start and stop the Historical Collect background task, and provides you with an Over-
run Counter. The Overrun counter increments by one every time a historical collection fails. By examin-
ing the number of HTC overruns, you can find out if there is a problem in your collection scheme. See
the Trending Historical Data manual for more information.
SQL — allows you to start and stop the SQL task, and also provides information to help you monitor your
SQL connections to ODBC relational databases. For more information on the SQL task, see the Using
SQL manual.
SAC — allows you to start and stop the SAC (Scan, Alarm, and Control) task, and also provides SAC stat-
istics that may help you troubleshoot your system. For example, the Blocks/Sec field can be used to
monitor the amount of blocks that are scanned per second. If the number fluctuates drastically, the
blocks in your iFIX database may not be properly phased. See the Building a SCADA System manual for
more information on SAC and phasing.
AAM — allows you to monitor the Auto Alarm Manager during setup and operation, and lets you view mes-
sages pertinent to its operation. For more information, refer to the Configuring the Auto Alarm Man-
ager section. Also refer to the Troubleshooting chapter for common messages displayed in Mission
Control and their meaning.
Alarm Synchronization — allows you to monitor alarm acknowledgments synchronized by iFIX in previous
versions. This tab does not apply to iFIX 5.1.
Alarm ODBC — allows you to send alarms and messages to an ODBC relational database. Once the rela-
tional database receives and stores the data, you can easily retrieve any information you want by
To close Mission Control, click the Close button at the bottom of the dialog box.
NOTE: Closing Mission Control does not terminate the tasks that it monitors; it only closes the dialog box itself.
Even if you have configured an I/O driver to automatically start, you may still want to manually start or stop
the I/O driver. For example, when troubleshooting, you may need to stop the driver temporarily and then
restart it.
To start I/O drivers manually in Mission Control, click the I/O Control tab. You can select a driver name
from the Drivers list box. To start the selected driver, click Start. To stop the driver, click Stop.
For a description of the fields on the I/O Control tabbed page, refer to the I/O Control Tabbed Page Fields
section.
You can set an I/O driver's message rate to fine-tine your driver's configuration. To do this, click the Period
button and enter a driver period. Follow these guidelines for setting the driver period:
l Enter a value from 1 through 100 in the field. The timer cycle ranges from 1/100 to 100/100 of a
second. The default is 5.
l Enter 1 to get the fastest message time (100 messages per second).
l Enter 5 to get a slower message time (20 messages per second).
The driver period can also be specified in the Command Line of the Task Configuration dialog box. Refer to
the Configuring Startup Tasks section for more information.
CAUTION: Speeding up the message rate can adversely affect the overall performance of your system, including
SAC.
The Datascope program displays data that the I/O driver is reading. Refer to your specific I/O driver
manual, as well as your process hardware manuals, for more information about the data shown on the
Datascope screen.
Mission Control allows you to view SQL statistics while you are connected to an ODBC-supported rela-
tional database. Click Start on the SQL tabbed page to load and display SQL data. The statistics displayed
correspond to the SQL account and database information you have configured in the SCU. The buttons on
the bottom of the tabbed page let you view specific configuration information relating to your ODBC con-
nection. For a description of the fields on the SQL tabbed page, refer to the SQL Tabbed Page Fields sec-
tion.
Refer to the Configuring iFIX for Relational Databases section for more information on SQL setup. For addi-
tional information on SQL, refer to the Using SQL manual.
You can use the SAC tabbed page of Mission Control to display real-time information on SAC performance.
For more information on SAC, refer to the Scan, Alarm, and Control Program section of the Understanding
iFIX manual.
Using the AAM tabbed page in Mission Control, you can view run-time messages and troubleshooting stat-
istics in a scrollable window.
The lower portion of the tabbed page contains fields that the Auto Alarm Manager uses to display alarm
statistics. As alarms are received from the user queue, the number of the alarms is displayed, and errors
relating to the alarms are displayed in the remaining fields from top to bottom. These statistics can help
you troubleshoot the sending and receiving of alarms. To reset the displayed values, click Reset Statistics.
For a description of the fields on the AAM tabbed page, refer to the Auto Alarm Manager Tabbed Page
Fields section.
Refer to the Troubleshooting the Auto Alarm Manager section Implementing Alarming and Messages elec-
tronic book for an explanation of the messages that are displayed in the Auto Alarm Manager.
To save and apply the performance tuning parameters to the local path, click Save. To change the logging
state, click Pause.
For a description of the fields on the Alarm ODBC tabbed page, refer to the Alarm ODBC Tabbed Page
Fields section.
For more information on the Alarm ODBC service, refer to the Configuring the Alarm ODBC Service sec-
tion in the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual.
Advanced Topics
This chapter provides you with additional information you can use to configure and tune the network for
iFIX. Refer to the following topics:
You should consider optimizing iFIX to reduce network traffic when your network configuration contains
slow links. Slow links are communication links with speeds between 2400bps to 128Kbps. In networks
where the slowest link is greater than 256Kbps, the iFIX network load is generally low enough that it does
not need to be optimized.
Understanding network messaging is important when planning for network load over a wide area network
or other network configurations that contain slow links. To understand network messaging, let's review
iFIX architecture.
iFIX uses a client-server model for peer-to-peer communication to share data and alarms in real-time
between nodes on a network. For data access, you can consider a iClient node to be a client and a SCADA
node to be a server.
All iFIX network conversations are based on transactions. The iClient sends a request to a SCADA server.
After the SCADA server acts on the request, it sends a response to the iClient. Network messages are
either requests or responses.
All iFIX network traffic is session-oriented. Transactions between two nodes occur over a session. Before a
View client can initiate a request, a session must be established with the SCADA server.
Only one socket is created when using iFIX on a TCP/IP network. However, two logical sessions are main-
tained. The session initiated by the iClient is used to retrieve data from the SCADA servers. Another ses-
sion is established from a SCADA server to an iClient to send alarms to the client. In this case, the request
portion of the transaction consists of the alarm data and is acknowledged by a response. These two logical
sessions are maintained over one physical connection.
To establish a connection, the address of the remote node must be obtained. The method of finding this
address, address resolution, is especially important for Wide Area Network (WAN) environments.
iFIX applications retrieve real-time data from an OPC server through requests. The most important iFIX
application is the Proficy iFIX WorkSpace since it puts the most load on the network.
Objects in an operator display update by polling the OPC server. Each animated object has a configurable
refresh rate. This rate determines how often each link requests the current value from the OPC server.
When the OPC server is an iFIX SCADA server, object update rates are grouped together and sent as one
transaction, up to 16 kilobytes at a time. If the request or response for that group exceeds 16 kilobytes, it is
broken up into 16-kilobyte packets.
If more than one picture is open at the same time that has objects to the same SCADA server, there is a
separate group for each picture.
When animated objects communicate with a third-party OPC server, data is sent and received according
the server's requirements. Refer to your OPC documentation for more information.
If you find that network traffic is too high with the existing refresh rates and changing them all individually
is too time consuming, it is possible to affect them all with one .INI setting. In the FixUserPreferences.ini
file in the iFIX Local folder, add the following lines to control the actual refresh times:
[OPCEDARefresh]
SetRefreshtoActual=TRUE
When set to TRUE, the OPC groups refresh the data at the specified refresh rate. Anything other than
TRUE will maintain the normal behavior which is to update the data at 2 times the refresh rate. Normally,
the update rate is twice the object refresh rate because under certain timing conditions, the refresh would
not reflect the updated data.
The actual message sizes transmitted by iFIX are dependent upon the type of objects in each picture.
Data links provide you with the option of requesting numeric or text data. Numeric data, the F_ fields, is
always transmitted as floating point data and is four bytes in length. Text data, the A_ fields, is transmitted
as the ASCII representation of the floating point value and is 12 bytes in length. One method to reduce the
iFIX network load is to use only numeric data links.
Some special link types use data that is much larger than 12 bytes. For example, for each chart object, iFIX
transmits approximately 180 bytes.
Alarm Summary objects have their own refresh rate which control how often they are updated. By increas-
ing the values for the alarm refresh and data refresh rates you can fine-tune when iFIX reads data from its
alarm queue and displays it.
Alarm conditions are detected by the Scan Alarm and Control (SAC) program that runs on each SCADA
server. The SCADA server sends an alarm message to each node in the network when an alarm is detec-
ted. Each alarm is over 1024 bytes in length. The actual message size transmitted by the SCADA server is
slightly larger. If several alarms are detected in the same scan cycle, the SCADA server groups as many
alarms as possible into a 16 kilobyte message before distributing the alarms to each node.
You can optimize iFIX and reduce network traffic by using the following techniques:
l Use only the objects you really need. If you need more information, create a hierarchy of pictures.
Put the objects that give conditional information in a separate picture and only open that picture
when those conditions occur.
l Use numeric values (F_) instead of text values (A_). In addition to putting more information on the
network, requests for ASCII values also increase the work that the SCADA server must do since the
floating point to ASCII conversion is done on the server.
l Minimize the number of different object refresh rates.
l Increase the object refresh rates to decrease the update frequency. For more information on chan-
ging the refresh rate, refer to the section Increasing the Refresh Rate.
l Minimize the use of chart objects.
l Running iFIX over a network that contains slow communication links (less than 256Kbps).
l Opening a picture containing many objects on the SCADA server while other iFIX nodes are request-
ing data from the SCADA server. In this case, the iFIX network task does not get the CPU time that it
needs because other programs are competing for CPU resources.
Both of these cases can be solved by increasing the timer values that iFIX uses. These timer values are
referred to as configurable session timers.
iFIX uses network session timers to determine that another node is no longer running. Time-out values for
every session-oriented message transfer are defined by iFIX when the session is established.
Send — defines the amount of time that an iClient waits for a request to the SCADA server to be acknow-
ledged. If this timer expires, the session ends.
Receive — defines the amount of time that an iClient waits for a reply from the SCADA server. When run-
ning iFIX over TCP/IP, the effective session time-out value is either the Send timer or the Receive timer,
whichever is greater. If this timer expires, the session ends.
Keep Alive — defines the amount of time that, if no activity has occurred over an established connection,
an iClient waits before sending a heartbeat message.
Inactivity — defines the amount of time that, if no data activity has occurred over an established dynamic
connection, an iClient waits before removing the dynamic connection from the list of outgoing con-
nections. If this timer expires, the session ends.
It is important to choose your session time-out values correctly for your application. Values that are too
low may cause sessions to be lost even though the remote node is running. Values that are too high may
delay session problem notification. When considering what timer values to use, note that the Proficy iFIX
WorkSpace may appear to be hung for up to the entire time-out period when sessions are lost. In pro-
duction facilities, this delay may not give operators sufficient time to react to emergency situations.
iFIX uses the same session time-out values for every session. Changing the session timers affects ses-
sions with every node in your iFIX network. In order to change the session timers, the changes must be
made to every iFIX node.
You can also define remote node connection timers for each remote node defined in the SCU. The con-
nection timers are identical to the session timers except that they affect communication with a particular
remote node. Typically, the connection timers are used in place of the system-wide session timers when
the connection to a remote node differs from the rest of the network. If you need to change these timers,
make sure that the computers on both sides of the connection use the same timers.
Configurable session timers can be increased to solve the problems described at the beginning of this sec-
tion. If you decide to change the values, it is recommended that you increase the Send and Receive values
by 10 seconds and test to see if the problem is solved. If the problem persists, repeat the process until the
problem is solved.
Session timers are configured in the SCU. You should only change session time-out values if you abso-
lutely must, and only when you have a complete understanding of the implications.
For more information using the SCU, refer to chapter Configuring iFIX Using the SCU.
iFIX works equally well in a wide area network environment as it does in a local area network. TCP/IP, the
iFIX supported network protocol, is especially suited to wide area networks.
You have several choices for enabling computers at separate geographic locations to communicate with
each other. Among these choices are remote control and remote access programs.
Microsoft's RAS does not require a dedicated computer to act as a gateway. Many other remote access
products require some kind of dedicated computer to perform the gateway function between the LAN and
the asynchronous line.
For more information about Remote Access, refer to the following topics:
Microsoft's Remote Access Service (RAS) provides TCP/IP over phone lines by treating your modem as a
network adapter. TCP/IP applications that run over a network can run over a serial connection. iFIX can use
the TCP/IP interface provided by RAS to communicate with other iFIX nodes over asynchronous lines.
RAS client and server software are standard with Windows. In general, a RAS client node dials into a RAS
server node. A RAS client can dial in and access resources on a Windows RAS server's network. The Win-
dows software allows multiple RAS clients to be connected simultaneously.
Although RAS allows up to 256 clients to dial into a server simultaneously, the practical limit when RAS is
used with the iFIX is significantly less. This is due to the additional resources that iFIX requires to com-
municate. Each simultaneous connection requires a separate modem on the server. Before you incor-
porate RAS into your production environment, it is strongly recommended that you test the configuration
using multiple connections.
Using iFIX in conjunction with a RAS server provides the following capabilities:
Use the following guidelines when incorporating RAS into your iFIX network:
l Only use modems with a minimum speed of 9600 baud. Verify that when the RAS connection is
made that the modems are connected at a high speed. The faster the baud rate, the better per-
formance you can expect.
l Use the Port Status on both the RAS client and server to troubleshoot connection problems and
monitor ongoing communication. Refer to the RAS documentation for more information on using
Port Status to troubleshoot communication.
The steps that follow explain how to increate the refresh rate of an object.
To increase the refresh rate of an object:
Network Paths
As described in the chapter Getting Started, iFIX supports the TCP/IP network protocol. If an iClient should
lose its connection to another node, the local computer attempts to re-establish its connection over all
available network paths in parallel.
The computer's network protocol determines the specific network paths. When the computer's protocol is
TCP/IP, each IP address is a valid path. IP addresses bound to RAS are also valid but will not start a RAS con-
nection. If there is no RAS connection at the time the computer tries to connect, the attempt for that
address fails.
The first successful connection is the one that the iClient uses. Although you cannot specify which network
path to use, you can exclude network paths in the SCU. For more information about using network paths,
refer to the section Understanding LAN Redundancy in the Mastering iFIX manual.
By default, iFIX enables all available network paths. You can disable any network path you do not want to
use. If you subsequently discover you need the path, you can re-enable it later.
You may have communication requirements in addition to iFIX communications that must be considered.
These network and communication requirements fall into the following categories:
Integrating solutions to each of these requirements can be a difficult task. It is recommended that you
ensure that all the software required to address these requirements works together.
By default, iFIX nodes accept connections from any remote node over TCP/IP, given adequate resources.
However, you may want to prevent unknown or unauthorized nodes from obtaining a connection to a
SCADA server by entering specific settings into a network initialization file called NETWORK.INI. This file
contains a parameter, accept_unknown_host, which controls whether the SCADA server accepts con-
nections from other computers.
When the parameter is set to ON, the SCADA node accepts connections from any computer. However,
when the parameter is set to OFF, access is restricted to the View clients you specify. The exact nodes that
can access the SCADA server are defined by listing them in the NETWORK.INI file using the following syn-
tax:
hostn=nodename
For example, to provide access for the iClients, View01 and View05, to a remote SCADA server, your
NETWORK.INI file on the SCADA server should be:
[TCPIP]
accept_unknown_host=OFF
host1=VIEW01
host2=VIEW05
Later, if you want to restrict access to only View01, you can remove the View05 line from the file. Likewise
if you want to provide View04 access to the SCADA server, you can add the following line to the file:
host2=VIEW04
Notice that View04 is given the same host number that View05 had. This is necessary because all host
numbers must be consecutive. For example, you cannot define host1 as View01 and host3 as View04
unless host2 is already defined in the file.
2. Add the View clients that can access the local SCADA node.
3. Save the file as NETWORK.INI. Make sure you save the file to the FIX Local path on the SCADA
server.
When the accept_unauthorized_writes parameter is not present in the NETWORK.INI file or set to ON, the
SCADA server accepts write requests from any computer. When the parameter is set to OFF, access is
restricted to the View clients you specify regardless of who is logged into the remote nodes. The exact
nodes that can access a SCADA server's database are defined by listing them in the NETWORK.INI file
using the following syntax:
writenode#=nodename
For example, to provide access for the View clients, VIEW01 and VIEW05, to a remote server, configure
your server's NETWORK.INI file as follows:
[WRITEACCESS]
accept_unauthorized_writes=OFF
writenode1=VIEW01
writenode2=VIEW05
If you subsequently want to restrict database access to VIEW01 only, you can remove VIEW05 from the file.
Likewise, if you want to provide VIEW10 access to the SCADA server's database, you can add the following
line to the file:
writenode2=VIEW10
Notice that VIEW10 is assigned the same number that VIEW05 had. This is necessary because all node
numbers must be consecutive. You cannot define writenode1 and writenode3 without also defining writen-
ode2.
When the accept_unauthorized_writes parameter is OFF, the SCADA server treats all failed (unau-
thorized) write attempts as operator alarms and records these write attempts to all the alarm destinations
enabled on the SCADA server. Using the parameter log_unauthorized_writes, you can disable the logging
of failed writes by setting the parameter to OFF. When the parameter is not present in the NETWORK.INI
file or set to ON, the SCADA logs all unauthorized write attempts.
Once you create or modify the NETWORK.INI file, you changes take effect immediately.
You can also restrict database write access by assigning security areas to specific groups and users. For
more information about security areas and how to use them with the accept_unauthorized_writes para-
meters, refer to the Configuring Security Features manual.
1. Open the NETWORK.INI on your SCADA server using a text editor. If available, this file resides in the
iFIX Local path. If the file does not exist, create it in the iFIX Local path with your text editor.
2. Enter the following text:
[WRITEACCESS]
accept_unauthorized_writes=OFF
3. Add the following text if you want to disable the logging of unauthorized writes:
log_unauthorized_writes=OFF
4. Add the View clients that can access the local SCADA server. Use the format:
writenode#=nodename
5. Save the file and make sure the file resides in the iFIX Local path.
Troubleshooting
iFIX provides an extremely secure software interface for controlling your process. Certain conditions, how-
ever, such as insufficient memory and computer failure, can cause problems when your system operates.
This chapter provides descriptions of these and other typical problems operators may experience. It also
lists potential courses of action that you can take to quickly resume normal operation.
l Overview
l Computer Failures
l Problems with Establishing or Losing Sessions
l Troubleshooting Networks
l Troubleshooting Microsoft Networking
l Troubleshooting TCP/IP
l Network Error Codes
Overview
Two key characteristics of your operating system that you must consider if problems occur while iFIX is
running include:
Memory management — handling the usage of RAM and, in the case of virtual memory, hard disk space.
Your operating system provides the Control Panel to configure these characteristics. If components within
the Control Panel are not configured correctly, your computer may behave strangely or stop working. For
more information, refer to the following topics:
Your operating system's Control Panel lets you set up the following computer components:
l Video driver
l Network card
l Mouse
l Keyboard
l System (used to set up virtual memory)
l Drivers (used to set up sound boards and the timer driver)
l Services
These configuration components are critical to troubleshooting insufficient memory and computer failure
problems. Instructions for accessing and implementing changes to these components are provided in your
operating system's documentation.
Avoiding Problems
You can avoid problems by configuring your system properly before operation. When troubleshooting,
always try to simplify your system and remove any unnecessary hardware or software.
The following list is the minimum recommended configuration you should adhere to while troubleshooting
problems:
Make sure that all iFIX nodes comply with these recommendations.
Computer Failures
Computers can sometimes stop working without warning. In these cases, the computer may or may not
display error messages to help you determine what happened. These failures can be caused by:
l See what other boards may be in the machine, such as a video board or a memory-resident inter-
face card. Find out the memory addresses and interrupts that these boards are using and resolve
any conflicts.
l If you have a network card installed, make sure that it is listed in the Control Panel.
You can lose communication sessions because your network times out. These time-outs usually occur on
the client side of a session. The primary reason for time-outs is that iFIX network tasks on the SCADA
server or iClient did not get enough CPU time to service a request.
NOTE: Network sessions may be lost when you open large pictures. iFIX re-establishes the session after the picture
finishes opening. To eliminate this problem, use the information in the section Working with Configurable Session
Timers.
The following factors prevent the network task on the SCADA server or iClient from getting enough CPU
time:
Troubleshooting Networks
If you are experiencing network problems while trying to run iFIX, use the following steps to identify the
problem area.
1. Refer to the Networking iFIX Nodes section to ensure that the network hardware and software are
properly configured. Unless otherwise indicated, it is recommended that you use the latest version
The NETDIAG program creates the file, NETDIAG.DAT, in the Application path. This file can be sent
to Technical Support for further assistance.
If you experience network problems with iFIX, verify that the network software is loaded and working prop-
erly. The test described in this section must work in order for iFIX networking to function properly. This test
uses the file sharing capabilities inherent in Microsoft networking to test the network. You do not need to
start iFIX in order to run this test.
This test must run successfully. If it does not, refer to the chapter Networking iFIX Nodes and ensure that
the network is configured properly.
Troubleshooting TCP/IP
l Using PING
l Working with TCPTEST
l Working with NETDIAG
Using PING
PING is a TCP/IP diagnostic utility that helps to isolate network hardware problems and incompatible con-
figurations by allowing you to verify a physical connection to a remote computer. PING must run suc-
cessfully before iFIX can run properly. To run PING, type the following from the command line:
PING SCU_nodename<Enter>
For example, to test a connection from a View node to the local SCADA node, SCADA01, type the following:
PING SCADA01<Enter>
Another utility, provided by GE Intelligent Platforms, is the TCPTEST diagnostic program. To run TCPTEST,
click the Start button, click Run, and then type the following into the command line:
TCPTEST parameters <Enter>
where parameters are one or more of the following command parameters in the table. To display a list of
parameters on the screen, type the following:
TCPTEST <Enter>
The program requires two nodes to run, one as a client and one as a server. Set up the server node first,
as follows:
TCPTEST /S <Enter>
The client node must use as a minimum the following TCPTEST parameters:
TCPTEST /C /Rnodename <Enter>
where nodename is the SCU node name of the server node. For example, to make VIEW01 a server, run
TCPTEST with the /S parameter, as shown above. To communicate with VIEW01, go to another node and
type the following:
TCPTEST /C /RVIEW01 <Enter>
TCPTEST Parameters
The para- Lets you...
meter...
It is recommended that you run TCPTEST without iFIX running. If you need to run both at the same time, be
sure to change the port number (/P) that TCPTEST uses. Otherwise, a conflict may occur with the data
being passed because, by default, TCPTEST uses the same port number as iFIX. Note that the client and
server must use identical port numbers when using TCPTEST.
NETDIAG provides comprehensive network diagnostic information and stores its information in the file
NETDIAG.DAT. This file resides in the Application path.
To run NETDIAG, click the Start button, click Run, and then type the following on the command line:
NETDIAG<Enter>
The following sections list the error codes, messages, and explanations for the network errors you can
encounter if you experience problems with your network.
If a network problem exists that prevents sessions from establishing or causes sessions to be terminated,
one of the error codes listed in the following table may appear in the NETDIAG program.
The following sections describe the functions of dialog fields, diagnostics, and statistics found in the tabbed
pages of Mission Control. Refer to the Monitoring the Environment with Mission Control chapter for
detailed information on how Mission Control works.
The table below lists the available options on the I/O Control tabbed page.
The following fields are used on the HTC (Historical Collect) tab:
Overruns – displays the number of overruns that occurred while collecting data. The overrun counter
increments by one each time an historical collection is unable to collect data at the rate you configured.
You can determine if there is a problem in your collection scheme by examining the number of HTC
overruns. When Historical Collect cannot collect all of the data at the rate specified, a historical collect
overrun can occur. When an overrun occurs, values for some tagnames in the group are not collected
at the configured rate. Temporary conditions, such as heavy network traffic, network upsets or off-line
nodes, can cause overruns. However, a repeated number of overruns may indicate that the phase
value for the group needs adjustment. You can prevent overruns by phasing the data collection rate.
Refer to the Defining a Collection Group section of the Trending Historical Data manual for information
on phasing to prevent overruns.
NOTE: Preventing overruns by phasing applies only to Classic Historian; it does not apply to Proficy His-
torian.
For more information on how HTC works, refer to the Trending Historical Data manual.
For specific information on using data collection with Proficy Historian, refer to the Proficy Historian Admin-
istration Manual.
There are several buttons on the SQL tabbed page. These buttons are described as follows:
Status – displays the status of your SQL configuration. The statistics correspond to the SQL setup inform-
ation you configured in the SCU.
Acct. Status – re-queries your SQL account and displays the status of that account as configured in the
SCU. Lists how many SQL accounts are currently connected.
You can start and stop SAC from running using the Stop and Start toggle buttons on the SAC tab of Mission
Control. The Status field indicates if SAC is running or stopped. All other fields are used internally by Tech-
nical Support for debugging purposes.
The following fields on the AAM tab in Mission Control allow you to monitor and troubleshoot the Auto
Alarm Manager:
Alarms failed Block Alarm Filter – the number of non-block alarms (for example, event messages and
operator messages) retrieved from the Auto Alarm Manager's alarm queue. The Auto Alarm Manager
only sends block alarms to the Receiving node.
Alarms failed Alarm Area Filter – the number of alarms that have been filtered out based on their alarm
area. You can control the alarm areas to filter on by selecting them from the Send Alarm Filters dialog
box.
Alarms failed Alarm Priority Filter – the number of alarms that have been filtered out based on their alarm
priority. You can control the alarm priority to filter on by selecting one from the Send Alarm Filters dia-
log box.
Alarms Packaged – the number of alarms the Auto Alarm Manager has prepared for delivery to the Receiv-
ing node.
Primary Delivery Attempts – the number of transmissions the Sending node has attempted to deliver to
the primary contact.
Secondary Delivery Attempts – the number of transmissions the Sending node has attempted to deliver
to the secondary contact.
Retries – the number of times the Sending node has redialed the primary or secondary contact.
Successful Deliveries – the number of transmissions the Sending node delivered to the Receiving node.
Failed Deliveries – the number of transmissions the Sending node failed to deliver to the Receiving node.
When a failure occurs, the Auto Alarm Manager sets the emergency tag.
Alarm Pkt Received – the number of alarm packets that have been delivered to the Receiving node. An
alarm packet contains up to six alarms.
Alarms Received – the number of alarms the local node has received.
The fields on the Alarm Synchronization tabbed page are described below.
Num Alarms Processed – the number of alarms that were processed by the alarm acknowledgement syn-
chronization task. An alarm packet contains more than one alarm.
Num Alarms Failed Tag Resolution – the number of times the alarm acknowledgement synchronization
task could not determine the tagname for an alarm.
Num Alarms Failed Local Status Read – the number of times the alarm acknowledgement syn-
chronization task could not determine whether the local tag was already acknowledged.
Num Not In Alarm – the number of times the alarm acknowledgement synchronization task detected that
the tag did not need to be acknowledged.
Num Alarms Failed Local Ack – the number of times the alarm acknowledgement synchronization task
failed to acknowledge an alarm.
Num Alarms Acknowledged – the number of alarms acknowledged by the alarm acknowledgement syn-
chronization task.
The fields on the Alarm ODBC tabbed page are described below:
Connection State – displays either CONNECTED to indicate a successful ODBC connection to the data-
base, or LOST CONNECTION to indicate that the connection was not successful or was lost.
Table Name – the table name in the database as entered in the SCU.
Logging State – Displays either Active, indicating that alarms are taken from the queue and logged to the
ODBC database, or Paused, indicating that alarms are taken from the queue and dropped (and thus
are not logged to the ODBC database).
Alarms Pending – the number of alarms in the user queue waiting to be processed.
Alarms Logged – the number of alarms successfully logged to the ODBC database.
customizing services 25
Alarm areas 41 B
Creating reports 61 E
starting automatically 31 L
multi-tasking 129
M
possible cause of problems 129
mapping IP addresses
nodes 127 Q
configuring remote 17
quick keys 108
disabling connections 127
described 125
O
relational database 32
ODBC data sources 82
configuring iFIX 32
options 14
remote access 124
local startup 14
programs described 124
overview 95
providing 124
Network button 17
S
Security button 16
SAC 117
Task button 30
alarm condition detection 122
security 16
controlling startup status 30
Security button 16
tabbed page fields 137
SCU toolbox 16
viewing information 119
Security Configuration program 16
saving startup profiles 109
configuring security 16
SCADA servers 127
Send Alarm Filters dialog box 53
enabling support 29
service under Windows 14
grouping 14
running iFIX as 14
polled by objects in an operator display 121
session timers
restricting access to 127
configuring 124
SCU 3
determining values 123
advanced alarm configuration
function 123
functionality 27
sessions 122
configuring tips 9
problems establishing or losing 131
implementing in iFIX, list of general tasks 13
temporary loss 122
main window 9
working with configurable timers 122
opening a new file 11
setting default startup profile 110
report described 11
setup 6
starting 9
network overview 5
SCU file 14
sharing information among computers 16
adding a file description 11
Show History 113
creating a report 11
shutdown 114
described 3
site-specific authentication 21, 80
naming 11
SQL 117
operations 10
configuring service 32
read by iFIX Startup program 110
T U
Windows
Windows registry 14
specifying names 14
Windows service 93