Troubleshoot Data Collector Configuration

Troubleshooting Data Collector configuration and/or performance requires a thorough understanding of how Historian works and how the various parameters affect system operation. Armed with this knowledge, you can usually localize a problem to one or more functions or parameter settings and take effective corrective action.

Historian offers several tools to help find the cause of an operating problem.

LOG files

The system creates a new log file each time an archiver or collector is started. You can open these files in Notepad or another text editor. The -nn suffix in the file name indicates the place of each log file in the time sequence.

• The data collector log files, located in the LogFiles folder within the Historian program folder, are a historical journal of every event affecting operation of the collector.
• The DataArchiver-nn.LOG files are sequential files for the archiver only.
• The iFIX collector-nn.LOG files contain performance information on iFIX collector functioning.

SHW file

The Data Collector .SHW file shows configuration data for collectors and is also located in the LogFiles directory under Historian. Verify that the parameter and configuration settings match what you configured. You can open this file in Notepad or another text editor.

Collector Maintenance Performance Indicators

These performance and status indicators can be a major aid in identifying, localizing, and diagnosing a problem with a collector.

Collector Maintenance pages

The Collector Maintenance pages can provide useful information about settings and selections of various options and parameter values. Examine each field and verify that it is appropriate for the current application.