Add and Configure an OSI PI Distributor

Before you begin

Install PI AF SDK version 2.7.5 or later.

About this task

An OSI PI distributor collects data from a Historian server and sends it to an OSI PI server. For more information, refer to Overview of the OSI PI Distributor.

This topic describes how to add a collector instance using Configuration Hub. You can also add a collector instance using the RemoteCollectorConfigurator utility, which does not require you to install Web-based Clients.

Procedure

  1. Access Configuration Hub.
  2. In the NAVIGATION section, under the Configuration Hub plugin for Historian, select Collectors.
    A list of collectors in the default system appears.
  3. If needed, select the system in which you want to add a collector instance.
  4. In the upper-right corner of the main section, select .
    The Add Collector Instance: <system name> window appears, displaying the Collector Selection section. The MACHINE NAME field contains a list of machines on which you have installed collectors.
  5. In the MACHINE NAME field, select the machine in which you want to add a collector instance.
  6. In the COLLECTOR TYPE field, select OSI PI Distributor Collector, and then select Get Details.
    The INSTALLATION DRIVE and DATA DIRECTORY fields are disabled and populated.
  7. Select Next.
    The Source Configuration section appears.
  8. Enter values as described in the following table.
    Field Description
    HISTORIAN SOURCE SERVER Enter the host name or IP address of the Historian server from which you want to collect data. A value is required.
    USERNAME Enter the username to connect to the Historian server. A value is required.
    PASSWORD Enter the password to connect to the Historian server. A value is required.
  9. Select Next.
    The Destination Configuration section appears. Under CHOOSE DESTINATION, the PI Server option is selected by default; the other options are disabled.
  10. Enter values as described in the following table.
    Field Description
    PI SERVER Enter the host name or IP address of the OSI PI server to which you want to send data. A value is required.
    PI USERNAME Enter the username to connect to the OSI PI server.
    PI PASSWORD Enter the password to connect to the OSI PI server.
  11. Select Next.
    The Collector Initiation section appears.
  12. If needed, modify the value in the COLLECTOR NAME field.
    The value that you enter:
    • Must be unique.
    • Must not exceed 15 characters.
    • Must not contain a space.
    • Must not contain special characters except a hyphen, period, and an underscore.
  13. In the RUNNING MODE field, select one of the following options.
    • Service - Local System Account: Select this option if you want to run the collector as a Windows service using the credentials of the local user (that is, the currently logged-in user). By default, this option is selected, and the USERNAME and PASSWORD fields are disabled.
    • Service Under Specific User Account: Select this option if you want to run the collector as a Windows service using a specific user account. If you select this option, you must enter values in the USERNAME and PASSWORD fields.
      If you have enabled the Enforce Strict Collector Authentication option in Historian Administrator, you must provide the credentials of a user who is added to at least one of the following security groups:
      • iH Security Admins
      • iH Collector Admins
      • iH Tag Admins

    You can also configure the collector to start automatically when you start the computer.

  14. Select Add.
    The collector instance is added. The fields specific to the collector instance appear in the DETAILS section.
  15. Under Collector Specific Configuration, enter values in the following table.
    Field Description
    Max Recovery Time (hours) Enter the maximum time, in hours, for which the collector will attempt to recover data after the collector is started or when connection between the collector and the OSI PI server is re-established. This time is calculated as the duration between the current time and the last known write time.

    Continuous data collection is resumed only after the previous data has been recovered.

    The default value is 4 hours.
    Data Source Specify whether you want to collect data from PI archive or PI snapshot:
    • Archive: Stores timeseries-based data.
    • Snapshot: Stores the most recent values of tags.
  16. If needed, enter values in available fields.
  17. In the upper-left corner of the page, select Save.
    The changes to the collector instance are saved.
  18. If needed, restart the collector.

What to do next

Specify the tags whose data you want to collect using the collector.