Enhanced Failover and Upgrading

If upgrading from previous versions prior to iFIX 5.0 with failover enabled, and you want to use the Enhanced Failover feature in iFIX, be aware that:

  • The Enhanced Failover feature is a keyed option. You must purchase the additional Enhanced Failover option (SCADA Failover) if you plan to use SCADA Failover in iFIX. If you had purchased the Ack Failover option in your previous version of iFIX, your key upgrade will include the new SCADA Failover option.
  • If you purchased the Failover feature when you bought a previous version of iFIX, then your iFIX .plic license file update will enable the Enhanced Failover option automatically. Be aware, when you use the GE License Viewer in iFIX, that the part description changed from "ACK Failover" to "SCADA Failover."
  • Before installing iFIX, it is recommended that you confirm that the SCADA Failover option is enabled on your key. iFIX software checks the Enhanced Failover option at startup. Without this option enabled, the Enhanced Failover functionality will not work. An error message appears if you try to run iFIX with the SCADA Failover feature.
  • If your SCADA key does not show the SCADA Failover functionality enabled, and you purchased this additional option, please contact you sales representative before upgrading.
  • When you upgrade your iFIX SCADA node to the latest version of iFIX, you will need to make configuration changes on your iFIX SCADA nodes for the Enhanced Failover feature to work properly. For example, the Data Sync Transport dialog box in the System Configuration Utility (SCU) is new in iFIX 5.0 and greater. It requires that you enter the partner's IP address on both the primary and secondary SCADA nodes.
  • Be aware that in an Enhanced Failover pair, both server computers in the failover pair must be at the same iFIX version. So, if you update one computer in the Enhanced Failover pair, you must update the other. Both computers must be identical in configuration.
  • An iFIX network that contains Enhanced Failover SCADA nodes and also contains older iFIX client nodes may not be supported.  Refer to the Enhanced Failover and Legacy Clients section on the Release Notes tab of the Important Product Information (IPI) topic for details.
  • The Alarm Acknowledgement synchronization feature from previous iFIX versions is NOT supported on upgraded SCADA nodes. The Alarm Acknowledgement functionality is replaced by the database synchronization and alarm area files.
  • It is required that you use a dedicated network between the primary and secondary SCADA nodes for dedicated SCADA-to-SCADA traffic. If the SCADA nodes are physically close to each other, then a crossover cable can be used.
  • It is strongly recommended that the network components (LAN adapters, hubs, switches, cables, etc.) used for SCADA-to-SCADA connection of the SCADA pair support a minimum 1 Gigabit Ethernet. This allows for a higher rate of speed for data transfer between the primary and secondary SCADA nodes.
  • You will need to configure a primary and a "secondary" SCADA node. One SCADA will be in Active mode (processing data and alarms) while the other will be in Standby mode. This is unlike previous versions of iFIX, where you configured a primary and "backup" SCADA node and both nodes were processing data and alarms. The concept of the SCADA pair still exists in iFIX, but GE does not support using your standby SCADA as a development machine (for example, for database or picture development). However, there is a maintenance mode that allows you to upgrade your SCADA configuration without requiring a SAC restart.
  • Stratus solutions will continue to be supported in iFIX. Any Stratus SCADA nodes that you want to upgrade to use Enhanced Failover will require configuration changes on your iFIX SCADA nodes for the Enhanced Failover feature to work properly (the same configuration changes as the non-Stratus nodes).
  • Custom applications or scripts that were written to synchronize databases or alarms on previous versions of iFIX will no longer be required with Enhanced Failover enabled. So as not to interfere with the SCADA failover, you should remove these custom applications or scripts from your failover configuration.

The following steps describe how to upgrade your failover system.

To configure your iFIX SCADA nodes after an upgrade, if failover was used in a release prior to iFIX 5.0:

  1. On the primary SCADA node, on the Start menu, point to Programs, then iFIX, and then System Configuration. The System Configuration Utility (SCU) appears.
  2. On the Configure menu, click SCADA. The SCADA Configuration dialog box appears.
  3. In the Failover area, select the Enable check box if it is not already selected.
  4. In the Node area, verify or select the node type: Primary or Secondary.
  5. In the SCADA Name field, verify or enter the name of your partner SCADA node.
  6. Click the Data Sync Transport button. The Data Sync Transport dialog box appears.
  7. From the Description list, select the LAN adapter(s) to use for data synchronization between the SCADA pair, then select the Enable check box. Make sure that the LAN adapters you will not be using for data synchronization are not enabled.
  8. In the Partner's Address field, enter the IP address of the partner node.
  9. Use the default settings for the rest of the fields.

NOTE: The Bandwidth Limit field in the Data Sync Transport dialog box allows you to enter a value to throttle down or limit the synchronization rate or bandwidth used. It is recommended when using a corporate, non-dedicated or shared network (10/100 or 1GB), that you "throttle" network traffic to limit bandwidth that the data synchronization process will consume.

  1. Click OK.
  2. Repeat steps 1-10 on the secondary SCADA node.

 

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