Working with the OPC Classic HDA Collector

The OPC Classic HDA Collector

The OPC Classic HDA collector collects data from any OPC HDA 1.2 - compliant OPC HDA server (such as CIMPLICITY). The OPC Classic HDA server automatically determines the capability of the OPC Classic HDA server to which it is connected, and supports the appropriate features based on this information.

This document describes the installing, uninstalling, configuring and troubleshooting of the OPC Classic HDA collector.

Summary of the OPC Classic HDA collector Features

The OPC Classic HDA collector is a 64-bit compatible collector and it does not support 32-bit operating systems. The following table outlines the features of the OPC Classic HDA collector.

FeatureCapability
Browse Source for TagsYes (on an OPC Classic HDA server that supports browsing)
Browse Source for Tag AttributesYes
Polled CollectionNo
Minimum Poll IntervalNA
Unsolicited CollectionYes

If you are using an OPC Classic HDA collector with unsolicited data collection and have collector compression disabled, all new values should produce an exception. When the OPC Classic HDA collector is doing unsolicited collection, the deadband percentage is determined by the collector deadband percent. You can only configure the collector deadband percent by enabling compression.

Timestamp Resolution1ms
Accept Device TimestampsYes
Floating Point DataYes
Integer DataYes
String DataYes
Binary DataYes
Python Expression TagsNo
Note: You must set the Time Assigned by field to Source if you have unsolicited tags getting data from an OPC Classic HDA collector.

Tag Attributes Available in Browse (OPC HDA Collectors)

The following table outlines the tag attributes available when browsing.

Attribute Capability
Tagname Yes
Source Address Yes
Engineering Unit Description Yes, varies by the OPC UA HDA server vendor.
Data Type Yes. See Data Types.
Hi Engineering Units Yes, varies by the OPC UA HDA server vendor.
Lo Engineering Units Yes, varies by the OPC UA HDA server vendor.
Hi Scale No
Lo Scale No
Is Array Tag Yes
Note: While some of these attributes are queried on a browse, they are not shown in the browse interface. These attributes are used when adding a tag, but whether all attributes come from the server or not is not visible to you.

Data Types

The following table lists the data types recommended for use with Historian.

The OPC Classic HDA collector Data TypeRecommended Data Type in Historian
I1- 16 bit signed integer Single Integer
I4- 32 bit signed integer Double Integer
R8- 64 bit double floatSingle Float
UI2- 16 bit unsigned single integer Double Float
UI4- 32 bit unsigned double integer Unsigned Integer
UI8- 64 bit unsigned quad integerUnsigned Double Integer
I8- 64 bit quad integerQuad Integer
BSTRVariable Sting
BOOLBoolean
I1- 8 bit single integerByte
Note: The OPC Classic HDA collector requests data from the OPC Classic HDA server in the native data type. The OPC Classic HDA collector then converts the received value to a Historian Data Type before sending it to the data archiver.

Configuration Section for an OPC HDA Collector

To access the Configuration section for the OPC Classic HDA collector, select an OPC Classic HDA collector from the list on the left of the Administrator Tool Collectors section and select Configuration. The following page appears.



Enter the value for the OPC Classic HDA collector-specific field parameters as described in Configuration of the OPC HDA Collector.

Note: Enable the CreateOfflineArchives flag in the Destination Historian as the OPC Classic HDA collector pushes the old data. This can be set through the SDK sample, which is part of the Historian Client tool, and you can also set this through the System API programs. Refer to the Historian SDK help for more information.

Configuration of the OPC HDA Collector

Enter the value for the OPC Classic HDA collector-specific field parameters through the OPC HDA Collector Maintenance - Configuration section of Historian Administrator.

Descriptions for collector-specific fields are listed in the following table.

Note: If the following fields are updated, then the collector must be restarted for the update to take effect.
Field Description
The OPC Classic HDA server This field represents the OPC Classic HDA server ProgID to which the collector connects. By default, it points to the OPC Classic HDA server ProgID that was entered at the time of installation.
Recovery Time (in hours) This field is used by the collector on start up to get the specified number of hours of data of the added tags from the OPC Classic HDA server, and then pushes the data to Historian.
  • Min Time = 1 hour
  • Max Time = 150 hour. By default, the Max Time field is set to 24 hours.

Data Recovery

This topic explains auto and manual data recovery.
Note: It is recommended that the collector for which the data recovery is intended is in the same time zone as the server. If there is a mismatch, there is a possibility that data recovery will be incomplete.

Auto Data Recovery

When the auto recovery logic is executed, the collector first determines how long it has been since the last write. It compares the current time to data in the registry key LastSampleWriteTime, which stores the last time data was written to the archive. The collector compares this to the Max Recovery Time that is specified in the user settings and performs a raw data query on the shorter of these two periods. Then it takes the shorter of these two and do a raw data query for all tags. It then processes the returned samples in sequential order based on time.

For example, if the collector was shut down for 8 hours, but Max Recovery Time was 4 hours, only 4 hours of data would be recovered.

Recovery logic places an end-of-collection marker at the point in time where the collector was shut down. This end-of-collection marker may or may not be there once the recovery is complete. As part of recovery logic, if recovery data point time exactly at that timestamp where the end-of-collection marker is there, then it is overwritten with the recovered good data.

Manual Data Recovery

About this task

Manual recovery can be performed from Historian Administrator. Initiate manual recovery by following these steps:

To initiate manual data recovery:

Procedure

  1. In Historian Administrator, select the OPC Classic HDA collector.
  2. Select Recalculate. The Recalculate window appears.
  3. Enter start and end time and choose all or selected tags based on criteria from Recalculate window.
  4. Select Recalculate.
    Once manual recalculation starts, the collector recovers selected tags data from OPC Classic HDA server to GE Historian between start time and end time.

    It is advised to choose small time intervals, so that load on OPC Classic HDA server/collector will be reduced.

    At the time of recovery, if the connection to OPC Classic HDA server is lost, and if the Reconnect mechanism is enabled, the collector will try to connect to the server and pull the data once connection re-establishes.

    Manual recalculate is for filling the data gaps not for filling old data.

    For example:

    Assume that the collector is connected to GE Historian for the first time today and the archive was created at 10 am. The user initiates manual recalculation from 1am to 2 am. For that time interval, the archives were not even created. With respect to Historian it is old unknown data and the data write fails. If there is a data gap between 1pm to 2 pm, manual recalculation successfully fills the data gap.

Hierarchical Browsing

About this task

If your OPC Classic HDA server supports hierarchical organization of your tags in a tree structure, then Historian will use the server's hierarchy when browsing an OPC Classic HDA collector in the Non-Web Administrator.

Procedure

  1. Browse your OPC HDA data source for new tags.
    From the Collector list, select the OPC Classic HDA collector you wish to browse. A hierarchical tree appears in the Browse Results window.
  2. To limit the displayed tags to only those that are not collected, from the Show Only list select Source Tags Not Collected.
  3. To limit the displayed tags to match a tag name or tag description, enter the value to match in the Source Tag Name or Description text boxes.
  4. Navigate to the node in the tree you want to browse, and then select Browse. The tags within the selected portion of the OPC UA DA tag hierarchy will be displayed.
    • To browse automatically, select the AutoBrowse check box. The available tags display in the Browse Results window whenever a node is selected in the tree.
    • The Show All Children option is not supported.
  5. Select the tag(s) you want to add to Historian, and select Add Selected Tags. Collected tags appear in black text in the tag list.

Remote Setup Prerequisite

The OPC Classic HDA collector and the OPC Classic HDA server support remote connectivity. If the OPC Classic HDA server and the OPC Classic HDA collector are on different machine, make sure following are performed:

  • The DCOM setting has to be provided for both the OPC Classic HDA server and the OPC Classic HDA collector machines.
  • Before starting the OPC Classic HDA collector service, ensure that "NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM" has "SysAdmin" privileges.

Reconnecting to the OPC HDA Server

About this task

The OPC Classic HDA collector supports auto reconnect to the OPC Classic HDA collector. If the connectivity between the OPC Classic HDA server and the collector is down due to network connectivity issues, the collector will auto reconnect to the server when the server is back and running. The collector polls for the server connection for a set timer of every 5 seconds.

To enable Auto Reconnect to the OPC Classic HDA server:

Procedure

  1. From the Start menu, select Run and type Regedit. Then, select OK. The Registry Editor appears.
  2. Open the key folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GE Digital\iHistorian\Services\ OPCHDACollector.
  3. Locate the Key created with the ProgID of the OPC Classic HDA server, which you entered while installing the OPC Classic HDA collector.
  4. Create a new DWORD labelled, EnableOPCHDAReconnect.
  5. Enter the decimal value 1.
    Note: If this registry is not created and set to a value of 1, then the Auto Reconnect functionality will not be enabled.

Configuring the Timer

Procedure

  1. From the Start menu, select Run and type Regedit. Then, select OK. The Registry Editor appears.
  2. Open the key folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GE Digital\iHistorian\Services\OPCHDACollector.
  3. Locate the Key created with the ProgID of the OPC Classic HDA server, which you entered while installing the OPC Classic HDA collector.
  4. Create a new DWORD labelled, OPCReconnectInterval.
  5. Enter a decimal value greater than 5. This value represents the number of seconds for the collector to wait before trying to re-connect to the OPC Classic HDA server. Select OK, and then edit the Registry Editor.
    • MinValue = 5 seconds (default)
    • MaxValue = 60 seconds
  6. Select OK, and then edit the Registry Editor.
  7. Restart the OPC Classic HDA collector for the change to take effect.

Offline Configuration

This section contains a sample offline XML file that is located in the install directory: \Program Files\GE Digital\Historian OPC HDA Collector\Config\OPCHDA_Offline_Config.xml.

When multiple instances of the OPC Classic HDA collector are installed in single machine, a different offline XML file must be created with a unique name for each service. Also, the path of the XML file must be updated in the registry ???OfflineTagConfigurationFile???.

Updating the Registry

Procedure

  1. From the Start menu, select Run, type Regedit, and then select OK. The Registry editor appears.
  2. Open the following key folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GE Digital\iHistorian\Services\OPCHDACollector\.
  3. Locate the Key created with the ProgID of the OPC Classic HDA server, which you entered during the installation of the OPC Classic HDA collector.
  4. Locate the registry OfflineTagConfigurationFile.
  5. Enter the full path of the offline XML file. For example, c:\ Program Files\GE Digital\Historian OPC HDA Collector\Config\OPCHDA_Kepware_Offline_Config.xml.
  6. Restart the OPC Classic HDA collector for the change to take effect.