The runtime information fields for Enhanced Failover reside within the SCADASync tags (also known as Enhanced Failover tags) on SCADA nodes configured for Enhanced Failover. These fields are very helpful for troubleshooting your Enhanced Failover configuration.
If you do not have an iFIX license on your computer, you will not be able to access the SCADASync tags or fields. This is because in Demo mode, iFIX does not allow you to enable Enhanced Failover. You must have a license on your computer that supports Enhanced Failover in order to display the SCADASync information within iFIX. SCADASync tags and fields are not supported in iFIX Demo mode.
What are SCADASync Tags?
SCADASync tags contain diagnostic and network information pertaining to your Enhanced Failover configurations. These tags are designated solely for Enhanced Failover and are not database blocks. SCADASync tags are special tags residing on the SCADA nodes associated with your Enhanced Failover configuration. These tags include Enhanced Failover specific information such as the name of the currently active node, whether the Primary node is in Maintenance Mode, the logical SCADA name, the failover status, and so on. SCADASync tags and field names can be inserted into an iFIX picture as a datalink, for instance.
How to Use and View SCADASync Tags in iFIX
You can use SCADASync tags in the iFIX WorkSpace or EDA-based applications. To view SCADASync tags in the iFIX WorkSpace, you must first enable Enhanced Failover in the SCU (in the SCADA Configuration dialog box) on the SCADA nodes. In this same dialog box, to fully configure Enhanced Failover, you need to set your Primary and Secondary nodes, and Data Sync Transports. For more on Enhanced Failover configuration, refer to the Configuring a SCADA Server Pair for Enhanced Failover section
From within an iFIX picture, you can view the SCADASync tag using a datalink. It is important to use the physical node name, not the logical node name of the SCADA node in the datalink. Refer to the Reading Data in iFix Pictures on iClients section for more information about physical and logical node names.
There are two SCADASync tags:
- SCADASync[0] refers to the node specified in the datalink.
- SCADASync[1] refers to the partner of the node specified in the datalink.
SCADASync[0]
SCADASync[0] refers to the node specified in the datalink. For example, say you wanted to enter a data source that allows you to force the primary node into Maintenance Mode. In the datalink, you could enter a data source like this:
Fix32.PrimaryPhysicalNodeName.SCADASync[0].A_MAINTENANCEMODE
In this example, you would replace PrimaryPhysicalNodeName with the physical name of the primary SCADA node as configured in the SCU (the Local Node Name in the Local Startup Definition dialog box). Since, it is an A_ tag, a True or False entry appears in your picture in run mode (as opposed to the F_ tag which displays a 1 or a 0).
SCADASync[1]
SCADASync[1] refers to the partner of the node specified in the datalink. For example, say you want to determine what remaining disk space is available on the secondary SCADA node. You could enter a data source like the following in your picture.
Fix32.PrimaryPhysicalNodeName.SCADASync[1].E_SYSTEMDISK
This data source is equivalent:
Fix32.SecondaryPhysicalNodeName.SCADASync[0].E_SYSTEMDISK
In these examples, you would replace PrimaryPhysicalNodeName or SecondaryPhysicalNodeName with the physical names of the primary and secondary SCADA nodes as configured in the SCU (in the Local Node Name in the Local Startup Definition dialog box). Since, it's an E_ tag, a value of up to 40 whole number digits and 16 decimal digits can display in run mode to describe the available system disk space left on your Windows system disk drive.
Field Descriptions
The following table lists the SCADASync fields that are available for use with the Enhanced Failover feature.
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
A_AVAILMEM |
The available memory, in bytes, on the specified node. Use this field along with the "A/E_SYSTEMDISK" and "A/E_TOTALMEM" fields to troubleshoot disk space errors. A_AVAILMEM represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_AVAILMEM represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_AVEPDBACK |
The average time, in seconds, that it took for the last database synchronization. A_AVEPDBACK represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_AVEPDBACK represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. F_AVEPDBACK represents a floating point value can be displayed in your picture. |
|
A_IFIXVERSION |
The version of iFIX running on the node you specify. For example, if a Primary node referencing this tag was running iFIX 5.1, Fix32.PrimaryNode.SCADASync[0].A_IFIXVERSION, then 5.1.6846 would display in run mode. |
|
A_LASTACKTIME |
The last time a network handshaking acknowledgement was sent from the partner node. This timestamp is based on the local regional settings from the computer receiving the acknowledgement. |
|
A_LASTMSG[0-63] |
Displays any of the last 64 messages related to partner SCADA communications. Each message includes a timestamp. If you do not specify an index number, the A_LASTMSG field represents the most current message in the log. However, if you want to identify a specific message number (for instance, the message before the most recent one in the list – the second to last message), you would use the field: A_LASTMSG[1], since the index starts at 0. 0 is the last message in the queue displayed in the SCADA Sync Monitor's message list, while 63 is the first message in the queue. Once 64 messages are reached, the queue resets. For more information, refer to the Overview of the SCADA Node Synchronization History section. If you need to review messages older than the last 64, you can review the SCADASync .log file, in your iFIX LOCAL directory. If you installed iFIX to the default location, this directory location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Proficy\iFIX\LOCAL. |
|
A_LOCPATHDISK |
The available disk space where iFIX is installed, in bytes. If the available disk space is zero, it causes a failover. A_LOCPATHDISK represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_LOCPATHDISK represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_LOGICALNODE |
The logical node name for the SCADA pair. The logical node name represents both the active and standby SCADA pair. This field can be used to determine if the active and standby pair was configured properly in the Local Startup Definition dialog box in the SCU of the specified node. |
|
A_MAINTENANCEMODE |
Provides a way for you to disable or enable Maintenance Mode on the Primary node. In Maintenance Mode, database modifications are done on the Primary node. This means that you can only write to the Primary node's A_MAINTENANCEMODE or F_MAINTENANCEMODE field. For more information on Maintenance Mode, refer to the Maintenance Mode section. For A_MAINTENANCEMODE, the value of TRUE is enabled, while FALSE is disabled. For F_MAINTENANCEMODE, the value of 1 is enabled, while 0 is disabled. |
|
A_MSG[0-63] |
Displays any of the last 64 messages related to partner SCADA communications. Each message includes a timestamp. If you do not specify an index number, using A_MSG, the very first message in the log displays. However, if you want to identify a specific message, for instance the second message in the list, you would use the field: A_MSG[1], since the index starts at 0. 0 is the first message in the queue displayed in the SCADA Sync Monitor's message list, while 63 is the last message in the queue. Once 64 messages are reached, the queue resets. For more information, refer to the Overview of the SCADA Node Synchronization History section. If you need to review messages older than the last 64, you can review the SCADASync .log file, in your iFIX LOCAL directory. If you installed iFIX to the default location, this directory location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Proficy\iFIX\LOCAL. |
|
A_MSGTIMEOUT |
The number of times that a synchronization message had no response from the partner node. |
|
A_NUMOFTPORT |
The number of data synchronization transports configured. Typically, this number is 3, which represents the Primary, Secondary, and tertiary data transports. |
|
A_PDBCOMPLETEMSG |
The total number of times it took to send the synchronized data to the partner node over the active network connection. |
|
A_PDBLASTERROR |
The last error message that appeared during a database synchronization. If you need to review more than just the most recent synchronization error message, you can review the SCADASync.log file in your iFIX LOCAL directory. If you installed iFIX to the default location, this directory location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Proficy\iFIX\LOCAL. |
|
A_PDBNUMOFBLOCKS |
The number of database blocks included in the last synchronization sent from this node to its partner. |
|
A_PDBNUMOFSYNCS |
The number of synchronizations that were sent since you started iFIX. |
|
A_PDBNUMRECVD |
The total number of synchronizations received since iFIX started and a successful synchronization communication occurred. The maximum number that can appear in this field is 4,294,967,296. After this number is reached, the number is reset to zero and the counter restarts. |
|
A_PDBRCVDDATE |
The last date that the iFIX database was received by the partner node. |
|
A_PDBRCVDTIME |
The last time that the iFIX database was received by the partner node. This time is based on the local regional settings of the computer receiving the information. |
|
A_PDBSECBTWNSYNC |
The total number of seconds it takes to synchronize the active database with the standby database, from beginning to end. This field is a very valuable field to monitor. The value of this field is always greater than the A/E_PDBCOMPLETEMSG field. A_PDBSECBTWNSYNC represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_PDBSECBTWNSYNC represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_PDBSENTDATE |
The last date that the iFIX database was sent to the partner node. |
|
A_PDBSENTTIME |
The last time that the iFIX database was sent to the partner node. This time is based on the local regional settings of the computer requesting the information. |
|
A_PDBSIZEINBYTES |
The size of the entire iFIX database that is being synchronized, in bytes. A_PDBSIZEINBYTES represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_PDBSIZEINBYTES represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_PDBSYNCDURATION |
The total number of seconds it took to send the synchronized data from the active database to the standby database, over the active network connection. A_PDBSYNCDURATION represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_PDBSYNCDURATION represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_PHYSICALNODE |
The physical node name of the specified iFIX node. |
|
A_PRIMARYNODE |
The primary physical node name configured on the specified node. This field can be used to determine if the active and standby pair was configured properly in the Local Startup Definition dialog box in the SCU. |
| A_PROTOCOL | The protocol used for synchronization by the specified iFix node. The value will be either UDP or TCP. |
|
A_RCVMSGTIMEOUT |
The number of times that the SCADA node received an incomplete synchronization message. |
|
A_SACACTIVE |
The status indicating whether the Scan, Alarm, and Control (SAC) is processing the database. A value of 0 represents standby (not processing the database), while 1 means it is actively processing the database. |
|
A_SACSTATUS |
The status indicating whether the Scan, Alarm, and Control (SAC) program is Running or Stopped. 1=Running, 0=Stopped). |
|
A_SACTICK |
The number of times the Scan, Alarm, and Control (SAC) program sent and/or received data. |
|
A_SACTICKISRUNNING |
The status indicating whether the Scan, Alarm, and Control (SAC) program is healthy or not. (1=Alive, 0=Dead). |
|
A_SECONDARYNODE |
The secondary physical node name configured on the specified node. This field can be used to determine if the active and standby pair was configured properly in the Local Startup Definition dialog box in the SCU. |
|
A_STATUS |
The status of the specified node: STANDBY (0), ACTIVE (1), or MAINTENANCE (2). |
|
A_SYSTEMDISK |
The available system disk of the Windows system disk drive, in bytes, left on the specified node. Use this field along with the "A/E_TOTALMEM" and "A/E_AVAILMEM" fields to troubleshoot disk space errors. If the available disk space is zero, a failover occurs. A_SYSTEMDISK represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_SYSTEMDISK represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_TOTALGOODCON |
The number of good iFIX network connections on the specified node. |
|
A_TOTALMEM |
The total memory, in bytes, on the specified node. Use this field along with the "A/E_SYSTEMDISK" and "A/E_AVAILMEM" fields to troubleshoot disk space errors. A_TOTALMEM represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_TOTALMEM represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_TPORTACKCNT[0-2] |
The number of times the specified SCADA node acknowledged the network communication status for the specified data transport. A [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the Secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTACKCNT[0] represents the number of acknowledgements on the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTAVEACK[0-2] |
The average time it takes the specified SCADA node to acknowledge the communication status on the network for the specified data transport. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. For example, A_TPORTAVEACK[0] represents the average time for acknowledgements from the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. A_TPORTAVEACK[] represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_TPORTAVEACK[] represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_TPORTBYTESASEC[0-2] |
The number of bytes processed, per second, on the network for the specified data transport. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTBYTESASEC[0] represents the number of bytes processed by the primary data transport. A_TPORTBYTESASEC[] represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_TPORTBYTESASEC[] represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_TPORTBYTESREVD[0-2] |
Displays the total number of bytes received on the network for the specified data transport. If the value for the bytes received is incrementing, that indicates good health of the network. The maximum number that can appear in this field is 4,294,967,296. After this number is reached, the number is reset to zero and the counter restarts. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTBYTESREVD[0] represents the total number of bytes received by the primary data transport. A_TPORTBYTESREVD[] represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_TPORTBYTESREVD[] represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_TPORTBYTESSENT[0-2] |
The total number of bytes sent on the network for the specified transport. The maximum number that can appear in this field is 4,294,967,296. After this number is reached, the number is reset to zero and the counter restarts. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTBYTESSENT[0] represents the total number of bytes sent over the primary data transport. A_TPORTBYTESSENT[] represents a whole number, restricted only by the number of characters you select when you add the field to your picture. E_TPORTBYTESSENT[] represents a value with up to 15-digit precision that can be displayed, depending on how many digits you enable for viewing. |
|
A_TPORTDESC[0-2] |
The description of the specified data transport. This description also displays in the Data Sync Transport dialog box in the SCU. You can access this dialog box from the SCADA Configuration dialog box. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTDESC[0], represents description of the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTDOGCOUNT[0-2] |
The number of times that the watchdog timer has checked the network connection between the SCADA pair for the specified data transport. Every time the watchdog updates, it is assumed that the connection is active. If after some period of time, the primary network does not receive a watchdog update from the partner SCADA Server, the connection is considered not running and the Watchdog times out. The Watchdog Timeout field is configured in the Timers area of the Data Sync Transport dialog box in the SCU. You access this dialog box from the SCADA Configuration dialog box. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTDOGCOUNT[0] represents the watchdog count of the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTIP[0-2] |
The local TCP/IP network address of the specified data transport. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTIP[0], represents the local TCP/IP address of the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTMSGREVD[0-2] |
The number of times that a communication message was received on the specified data transport. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTMSGREVD[0] represents the number of times a message was received over the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTMSGSENT[0-2] |
The number of times that a communication message was sent on the specified data transport. [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTMSGSENT[0] represents the number of times a message was sent over the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTNAKCNT[0-2] |
The number of times that the specified transport did not acknowledge a communication message (sent a NAK). [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTNAKCNT[0] represents the number NAKs sent to the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTNAKRCV[0-2] |
The number of times that the specified transport received a communication message that was not acknowledged (received a NAK). [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTNAKRCV[0] represents the number of NAKs received on the primary data transport. |
|
A_TPORTSTATUS[0-2] |
Displays the status of the network: Good, Bad, Undefined (disabled). [0] following the field name refers to the primary data transport. [1] refers to the secondary data transport. [2] refers to the tertiary data transport. For example, A_TPORTSTATUS[0] represents the network status of the primary data transport. For A_TPORTSTATUS[], the status is represented as words, such as Good, Bad, or Undefined. F_TPORTSTATUS[], the status is represented as a number, such as 1 for Good, 0 for Bad, or 2 for Undefined. |
Field Formats
The format of the tag indicates the type of data that the field stores. The following table provides an overview of the available formats:
