ABR_I-O_Driver_Manual.pdf

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ABR I/O Driver Manual

O c t o b e r 2 0 0 8

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying and recording, without permission in writing from GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc.

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The information contained in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. assumes no responsibilities for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies whatsoever. Without limiting the foregoing, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. disclaims any and all warranties, expressed or implied, including the warranty of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the information contained in this manual and the equipment or software described herein. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of such information, equipment and software, is upon the buyer or user. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. shall not be liable for any damages, including special or consequential damages, arising out of the user of such information, equipment and software, even if GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. has been advised in advance of the possibility of such damages. The user of the information contained in the manual and the software described herein is subject to the GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. standard license agreement, which must be executed by the buyer or user before the use of such information, equipment or software.

Proprietary Notice: The manual and software contain confidential information which represents trade secrets of GE Fanuc Automation and/or its suppliers, and may not be copied or disclosed except as provided in the license with GE Fanuc Automation. The information in this manual is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by GE Fanuc Automation. GE Fanuc Automation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may be in this document.

Notice

©2008 GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. All rights reserved. *Trademark of GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc.

Microsoft® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, in the United States and/or other countries.

All other brands or names are property of their respective holders.

Version 7.29 – 09.05

We want to hear from you. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions about our documentation, send them to the following email address:

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Table of Contents

About the I/O Driver .......................................................................................................................... 1

OLE Automation Technology .................................................................................................... 1

Integration with the FIX ............................................................................................................. 1

Event-Driven Architecture ......................................................................................................... 1

OPC Compliance ...................................................................................................................... 2

How the I/O Driver Works ............................................................................................................. 2

Features ........................................................................................................................................ 4

The ABR I/O Driver Features ................................................................................................... 4

Feature: Using the OLE for Process Control (OPC) Functionality ........................................... 5

Feature: Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder ..................................... 6

Feature: Configuring the Driver from Custom COM/OLE Automation Applications ................. 7

Feature: Using the ABR I/O Driver Graphical User Interface ................................................... 7

Feature: Remote Control and Configuration ............................................................................ 7

Feature: Using Exception-Based Processing ........................................................................... 8

Feature: Using Secondary Poll Rates ...................................................................................... 9

Feature: Phasing Poll Rates ..................................................................................................... 9

Feature: Enabling or Disabling Individual Channels, Devices, and Datablocks ....................... 9

Feature: QuickFail Logic ......................................................................................................... 10

Feature: Using Simulation Mode ............................................................................................ 10

Feature: Using Latched Data .................................................................................................. 11

Feature: Time/Date Stamp for Data and Alarms .................................................................... 11

Feature: Running as a Windows Service ............................................................................... 11

Feature: Block Writes ............................................................................................................. 14

Feature: Advanced Diagnostics .............................................................................................. 14

Feature: Validating Datablocks ............................................................................................... 15

Feature: Generating Multiple Datablocks ............................................................................... 15

Feature: Digital Pictures of Sample Configurations ................................................................ 16

Setting up the I/O Driver ................................................................................................................. 17

Supported Hardware .................................................................................................................. 17

Supported KT Interface Cards .................................................................................................... 20

Supported Interface Modules ..................................................................................................... 21

Supported Memory Types .......................................................................................................... 21

Supported PLC 3 Memory Types ........................................................................................... 21

Supported PLC 5 Series Memory Types ................................................................................ 22

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Supported PLC 5/250 (Pyramid Integrator) Memory Types ................................................... 22

Supported SLC 5 Series Memory Types ................................................................................ 23

Supported MicroLogix PLC Memory Types ............................................................................ 23

Supported ControLogix Gateway Module Memory Types...................................................... 24

Setting Datablock Address Properties: Start, End, and Length ................................................. 24

Example .................................................................................................................................. 24

Example .................................................................................................................................. 25

ASCII, Binary, BCD, and Integer Datablock Maximum Lengths ............................................ 25

Input, Output, and Status Datablock Maximum Lengths ........................................................ 26

Float Datablock Maximum Lengths ........................................................................................ 26

Maximum Datablock Lengths for Binary, Internal Storage, Output, Input, Integer, String, Block Transfer Data, and Unsolicited File Types (PLC 5/250 only) ....................................... 26

Valid PLC 3 Addresses ........................................................................................................... 26

Valid PLC 5 Addresses ........................................................................................................... 27

Valid PLC 5/250 Addresses .................................................................................................... 28

Valid SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses ............................................................ 29

Valid SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses ................................................................... 30

Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses* ................................................................. 30

Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses* ............................................................ 31

Supported ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Memory Types .................................................. 31

Supported Mnemonics ................................................................................................................ 31

Adapter Status Mnemonics .................................................................................................... 32

Counter Mnemonics................................................................................................................ 32

ControlNet Transfer Mnemonics ............................................................................................. 32

Message Control Mnemonics ................................................................................................. 33

PID Mnemonics ...................................................................................................................... 34

Control Mnemonics ................................................................................................................. 36

String Mnemonics ................................................................................................................... 36

Timer Mnemonics ................................................................................................................... 36

Block Transfer Read and Block Transfer Write Mnemonics (PLC5/250 only) ....................... 37

Block Transfer Mnemonics (PLC5 only) ................................................................................. 37

Required Software ...................................................................................................................... 38

Operating System ................................................................................................................... 38

Rockwell Software .................................................................................................................. 38

Using the ABR I/O Driver with Windows XP Service Pack 2 ..................................................... 39

Cabling ........................................................................................................................................ 39

Configuring the Hardware ........................................................................................................... 44

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Programming the Hardware ....................................................................................................... 44

Upgrading to ABR 7.x from ABR 6.x .......................................................................................... 44

Upgrading to ABR 7.x from ABR 7.x .......................................................................................... 45

Sample Configurations ................................................................................................................... 49

Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................... 49

Configuring a 1784-KT Interface Card........................................................................................ 49

Configuring a 1784-KTX or KTXD Interface Card ...................................................................... 50

Cabling .................................................................................................................................... 51

MicroLogix Cabling ................................................................................................................. 53

ControLogix Cabling ............................................................................................................... 53

Establishing a Serial Connection to Process Hardware ............................................................. 53

Connecting a 1785-KE Module to Your Computer ..................................................................... 56

Communicating with a 1770-KF2 Device ................................................................................... 59

Using a 1785-KA Module ........................................................................................................ 61

Communicating with a 1770-KF3 Device ................................................................................... 63

Communicating with a 1747-KE or a 1761 NET AIC Converter to a SLC 5/03.......................... 66

Setting up a 1747-KE Converter ............................................................................................. 66

Setting up a 1761 NET AIC Converter ................................................................................... 68

Configuring a PLC 5/250 Pyramid Integrator with an Ethernet Module ..................................... 69

Establishing an Ethernet Connection to Process Hardware ...................................................... 72

Offlinking to Remote Devices ..................................................................................................... 73

Using KT, KTX, and KTXD Cards ........................................................................................... 73

1785-KE Settings .................................................................................................................... 74

Using Ethernet Cards ............................................................................................................. 76

Offlinking with ControLogix Gateways .................................................................................... 77

Configuring MicroLogix PLCs ..................................................................................................... 78

Using the Serial Port ............................................................................................................... 78

Using a KF3 Device ................................................................................................................ 80

Using a KTX or KTXD Interface Card ..................................................................................... 82

Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway ............................................................................ 83

Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway to a ControlNet Module ...................................... 85

Configuring the 1756-L1 ControLogix Processor ....................................................................... 86

Using the Power Tool ..................................................................................................................... 89

Overview: About the I/O Driver Power Tool ............................................................................... 89

Features .................................................................................................................................. 89

Access Methods ..................................................................................................................... 89

Understanding the Power Tool's Graphic Interface .................................................................... 90

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Using the Power Tool’s Properties Viewer ............................................................................. 90

Using the Power Tool’s Browser ............................................................................................ 91

Using the Power Tool’s Menu Bar .......................................................................................... 92

Using Shortcut Keys ............................................................................................................... 93

The Status Bar ........................................................................................................................ 93

Using the Power Tool’s Main Toolbar..................................................................................... 94

Using the Power Tool’s Run-time Toolbar .............................................................................. 94

Using the Power Tool’s Configuration Toolbar ....................................................................... 95

Setting up the Power Tool's Environment .................................................................................. 95

Setting the Statistics Refresh Rate ......................................................................................... 96

Setting Defaults for I/O Driver Configuration File Name and Path ......................................... 96

Making Advanced Settings ..................................................................................................... 97

Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection ............................................................................ 98

Setting the I/O Server for Automatic Connection ................................................................... 99

Configuring Channels, Devices, and Datablocks ......................................................................... 101

Choosing a Method for Configuring Your Driver ...................................................................... 101

Configuring the I/O Driver with the Power Tool ........................................................................ 101

Channels ............................................................................................................................... 102

Devices ................................................................................................................................. 106

Datablocks ............................................................................................................................ 106

Setting Default Values .......................................................................................................... 117

Configuring from FIX Applications ............................................................................................ 119

Overview: Creating Datablocks Inside FIX Applications ...................................................... 119

Entering Driver Information in FIX Database Builder ........................................................... 120

Specifying the I/O Driver in FIX Database Builder ............................................................... 121

Specifying I/O Addresses in FIX Database Builder .............................................................. 121

Specifying Signal Conditioning in Database Builder ............................................................ 123

Specifying Hardware Options in FIX Database Builder ........................................................ 125

Opening the Power Tool from FIX Database Builder ........................................................... 125

Setting Up for Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder ........................ 125

Verifying New Datablocks Created in FIX Database Builder ............................................... 125

Saving Datablocks Created in FIX Database Builder to the Configuration File ................... 127

Making Reports ......................................................................................................................... 128

Using I/O Driver Report Files ................................................................................................ 128

Running the I/O Driver .................................................................................................................. 131

Viewing Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 131

Viewing I/O Driver Statistics ................................................................................................. 131

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Viewing Channel Statistics ................................................................................................... 131

Viewing Device Statistics ...................................................................................................... 131

Viewing Datablock Statistics ................................................................................................. 131

Starting and Stopping the I/O Driver ......................................................................................... 132

Starting the I/O Driver from the Power Tool ......................................................................... 132

Starting the I/O Driver from the FIX SCU ............................................................................. 132

Setting the I/O Driver for Automatic Startup in FIX ............................................................... 133

Starting the I/O Driver Manually from Mission Control ......................................................... 134

Stopping the I/O Driver ......................................................................................................... 135

Checking Driver Communication .............................................................................................. 135

Optimizing the Driver .................................................................................................................... 139

Optimizing Your System ........................................................................................................... 139

Optimizing Message Lengths ................................................................................................... 139

Example ................................................................................................................................ 139

How do I eliminate excess datablocks? ................................................................................... 140

Using Primary and Secondary Poll Rates with Access Time ................................................... 141

Example 1 ............................................................................................................................. 141

Example 2 ............................................................................................................................. 141

Example 3 ............................................................................................................................. 141

Example 4 ............................................................................................................................. 141

Understanding Outstanding Message Allocation at the Channel Level ................................... 142

Example ................................................................................................................................ 142

Understanding and Configuring the Maximum Outstanding Messages per Device ................. 142

Configuring the Maximum Number of Outstanding Messages ............................................. 143

Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 143

Troubleshooting Your System ...................................................................................................... 145

How Do I? ................................................................................................................................. 145

How do I choose poll rates? ................................................................................................. 145

How do I eliminate excess datablocks? ............................................................................... 146

How do I set up for remote configuration and control?......................................................... 146

How do I prevent the driver from writing to the hardware? .................................................. 146

How do I create reports of my driver configuration files? ..................................................... 148

How do I save datablocks created in FIX Database Builder to the I/O driver configuration file? ....................................................................................................................................... 148

How do I open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool in FIX Database Builder? ........................... 148

How do I configure my driver for demand polling? ............................................................... 148

How do I poll a device only when data is being accessed? ................................................. 149

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What is the difference between access time and scan time? .............................................. 149

How do I set up security for using the I/O Server remotely? ................................................ 150

How do I set up security when the driver runs as a service? ............................................... 153

How do I force a switch between primary and back-up channels or devices using FIX? .... 155

How do I enable or disable channels, devices or datablocks using FIX? ............................ 155

How do I write data to a datablock? ..................................................................................... 155

Tools for Troubleshooting the ABR I/O Driver ...................................................................... 156

How do I run the driver in simulation mode? ........................................................................ 158

How do I generate multiple datablocks? .............................................................................. 158

Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................ 159

The driver does not load ....................................................................................................... 160

The driver loads but does not start polling ........................................................................... 161

The driver does not communicate to any devices ................................................................ 161

The driver is not transmitting messages ............................................................................... 163

The driver transmits messages but does not receive messages ......................................... 163

The driver communicates to some but not all of my devices ............................................... 164

The driver communicates to some but not all the datablocks for a device........................... 165

What is the difference between access time and scan time? .............................................. 165

I cannot connect to a remote server ..................................................................................... 166

I cannot see the driver in the FIX Database Builder ............................................................. 166

I am receiving old data in my display .................................................................................... 167

I am receiving overruns ........................................................................................................ 167

My message rate is slow ...................................................................................................... 167

My driver stops running after a period of time ...................................................................... 168

I do not receive driver messages in Alarm History ............................................................... 168

Automatic driver startup does not work ................................................................................ 168

I receive an error about DTL32.DLL when I start FIX or the Power Tool ............................. 169

RSWho does not work .......................................................................................................... 170

My device has a high number of timeouts ............................................................................ 170

The Most Common I/O Driver Problems .................................................................................. 170

Error Codes .............................................................................................................................. 170

DRVSTA Error Codes ........................................................................................................... 171

DRVSTB Error Codes ........................................................................................................... 178

DRVSTD Error Codes .......................................................................................................... 180

DRVSTE through DRVSTH Error Codes ............................................................................. 180

Tools for Troubleshooting the ABR I/O Driver .......................................................................... 181

The Statistics View in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool ......................................................... 181

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The Statistics in FIX Mission Control .................................................................................... 181

The Windows Event Viewer .................................................................................................. 181

The Alarm History Window in FIX ......................................................................................... 181

The Message Log in the I/O Server program ....................................................................... 181

Getting Technical Support ........................................................................................................ 183

Support for the ABR I/O driver .............................................................................................. 183

Support for the process hardware ........................................................................................ 183

Creating a Custom Client Application ........................................................................................... 185

Creating a Custom Application Using Microsoft Visual Basic .................................................. 185

Creating a Custom Application Using C or C++ ....................................................................... 186

Accessing the ABR Server with OPC ....................................................................................... 186

Accessing ABR Server Data Using an OPC Client .............................................................. 186

Using A Files with an OPC Client ......................................................................................... 186

Accessing Information .................................................................................................................. 188

Using F1 Help ........................................................................................................................... 188

Using the Help Index ................................................................................................................ 188

Using the Help Full-Text Search ............................................................................................... 189

Using the Help Table of Contents ............................................................................................. 189

Navigating in the Online Help ................................................................................................... 189

Using the Help Button Bar .................................................................................................... 190

Using Help Links ................................................................................................................... 190

Using the See Also List ........................................................................................................ 190

Using the Help Menus .............................................................................................................. 190

Customizing the Online Help .................................................................................................... 191

Annotations ........................................................................................................................... 191

Bookmarks ............................................................................................................................ 191

Printing the Online Help ............................................................................................................ 192

Index ............................................................................................................................................. 193

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About the I/O Driver The ABR I/O driver is a GE Fanuc version 7.x I/O driver that provides the interface and communications protocol between Allen-Bradley process hardware and your process control software. GE Fanuc version 7.x drivers incorporate the following attributes to provide flexibility and ease-of-use:

• OLE Automation technology.

• FIX integration.

• Event-driven architecture.

• OLE for Process Control compliance.

OLE Automation Technology

Version 7.x drivers incorporate OLE Automation technology and can therefore expose their features to scripting tools and other applications. Because the drivers are OLE Automation applications, you can:

• Create and manipulate objects exposed in the I/O Server from another application.

• Create tools that access and manipulate driver objects. These tools can include embedded macro languages or external programming tools.

The I/O driver consists of the following OLE components:

• The I/O Server – The core executable program. The I/O Server maintains the driver's channel, device, and datablock objects, performs all required functions for communicating with the process hardware, and exposes the methods and properties to other applications.

• The I/O Driver Power Tool – A client application to the I/O Server with a graphical user interface. The Power Tool accesses the I/O Server and lets you view and modify channel, device, and datablock properties.

You can also view and modify driver properties with a custom client application developed specifically for your system. Refer to Creating Custom Client Applications to learn more about creating your own client application.

Integration with the FIX

GE Fanuc version 7.x drivers let you automatically add addresses to the driver configuration while you are configuring your FIX database. When you add a block to the database that accesses a point in the hardware that you have not configured, the point is automatically added to the I/O Server and polled for data. Refer to Feature: Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder to learn how to use this feature.

Event-Driven Architecture

Version 7.x drivers are event-based rather than time-based, reducing CPU time and increasing performance.


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OPC Compliance

Version 7.x drivers also comply with the OLE for Process Control (OPC) v1.0a standard. Any 1.0a-compliant OPC client application can access process hardware data through the I/O Server. The ABR I/O Server is also compliant with the v2.0 standard and with the OPC Alarm and Events v1.0 specification. Refer to Using OLE for Process Control (OPC) Functionality to learn more about the advantages of OPC.

How the I/O Driver Works


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1. I/O Server

Is the I/O driver core. The I/O Server contains objects and interfaces that perform the following tasks:

• Maintain the I/O driver configuration.

• Read and write process hardware data.

• Expose the driver functionality through OLE Automation.

2. Server Objects

The I/O Server consists of the following objects:

• Driver Object – Manages Channel Objects and the overall state of the driver.

• Channel Object – A channel is an I/O driver’s communication path. The Channel Object contains the properties and methods that govern the behavior of a channel.

• Device Object – A device is a hardware device or station that exists on a channel. The Device Object contains the properties and methods that govern the behavior of a device.

• Datablock Object – A datablock is an addressable portion of a device. The Datablock Object contains the properties and methods that manage the behavior of a datablock. Datablocks in the Server’s local memory correspond to data areas in the Common Memory DLL. When you add new datablocks to the Server’s local memory, you also add new data areas to the Common Memory DLL.

3. OLE Interfaces

Exposes the data and functionality of the Server to other applications.

4. I/O DLL

Provides functions for sending and receiving data to and from RSLinx software.

5. Common Memory DLL

Builds common memory, exposes its functionality to the Server and the NIO DLL, and stores and maintains process data.

6. NIO DLL

Contains the I/O driver’s data access API. The NIO DLL has direct access to the Common Memory DLL, providing fast and efficient read/write capability.

7. Signal Conditioning DLL

Contains the API that scales raw data to the specified engineering units.

8. I/O Driver Power Tool

Serves as a high-performance client to the I/O Server with a graphical user interface for configuring and monitoring the driver.


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9. OPC Server DLL

Accesses configuration data through the Server’s OLE Interfaces and reads or writes data through the NIO DLL. The OPC Server DLL is a fully compliant OLE for Process Control v1.0a and v2.0 in-process server.

10. FIX Applications

Communicates with the I/O driver through the NIO DLL. Because the NIO DLL accesses the Common Memory DLL directly, reading data from and writing data to FIX applications is fast and efficient.

11. OPC Client Applications

Communicates with the I/O driver through the OPC Server DLL. Because the OPC Server DLL communicates with the NIO DLL, OPC Client applications can take advantage of the high-performance read/write capability that the NIO DLL provides.

12. Automation Controller and COM Client Applications

Communicates with the I/O driver through the OLE Interfaces. You can design custom applications with a COM/OLE Automation programming application such as Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, or Visual C++.

13. Process Hardware

Includes any type of I/O device that controls a process.

14. RSLinx

Provides communication to and from the process hardware. RSLinx is available from Rockwell Software. Contact them at 440-646-7800.

Features

The ABR I/O Driver Features

In addition to performance improvements, version 7.x GE Fanuc I/O drivers:

• Support OLE for Process Control (OPC).

• Let You Automatically Create Datablocks from FIX Database Builder.

• Let You Configure Custom COM/OLE Automation Applications.

• Supply a New, Easy-to-Use Graphical User Interface.

• Provide Remote Configuration and Control.

• Provide Exception-Based Processing.

• Incorporate Secondary Poll Rates.

• Provide Phasing.

• Let You Enable or Disable Individual Channels, Devices, and Datablocks.


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• Provide QuickFail Logic.

• Provide Simulation Mode.

• Provide Latched Data.

• Provide a Time/Date Stamp for Data and Alarms.

• Can run as a Windows Service.

• Support Block Writes.

• Provide Advanced Diagnostics.

• Validate Datablocks.

• Generate Multiple Datablocks.

• Digital Pictures of Sample Configurations.

Feature: Using the OLE for Process Control (OPC) Functionality

OLE for Process Control (OPC) is a software standard that provides a method for business applications to access plant floor data. The standard was developed specifically for the process control industry to provide robust, high speed, client/server communication. The standard establishes consistency between applications, thus simplifying system integration into a heterogeneous computing environment. The OLE for Process Control Standard defines:

• A set of custom COM interfaces for OPC client and server writers.

• A set of OLE Automation interfaces for OPC clients developed with higher-level business applications, such as Excel and Visual Basic. 7.x drivers do not support the Automation interfaces.

Because OPC interfaces are designed in accordance with the OPC specification to provide a common interface, an OPC client can connect and communicate with multiple OPC servers from one or more different vendors, as the following figure shows.

The code that your vendor writes defines the difference between servers and specifies the following server information:

• The devices and data that the server has access to.

• The names of data items.

• The details about how the server physically accesses the data.

The ABR I/O driver supplies an OPC v1.0a Server DLL that serves as the OPC Interface between OPC-aware client applications and all GE Fanuc 7.x drivers. The ABR I/O Server has interfaces that let the OPC Server DLL access ABR I/O Server data. The following figure illustrates how OPC clients work with GE Fanuc I/O Servers and the OPC Server DLL.


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The ABR Server is also v2.0 compliant and supports the OPC Alarms and Events 1.0 specification. For more information on these standards, refer to the OPC foundation web site at www.opcfoundation.org.

Feature: Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder

By enabling the Auto Create option in the I/O Driver Power Tool, you can automatically create datablocks from your process control software by specifying an undefined I/O address for a database block. Once you enter the address, the ABR I/O driver automatically creates a datablock for it and adds the new datablock to your driver configuration. As a result, you do not have to start the I/O Driver Power Tool and create your datablocks before you design your process database; you only need to create the required channels and devices.

Example

1. Start the I/O Driver Power Tool and click the Setup button from the Run-time toolbar.

2. Click the Advanced tab and select Auto Create On in the Server area.

3. Close the Setup dialog box and click the Templates button from the Run-time toolbar.

4. Enter the default values you want to use for your channels, devices, and datablocks in the Templates dialog box.

5. Using the buttons on the Configuration toolbar, add Channel0 and select an RSLinx driver for the channel.

6. Add Device0 but do not create any datablocks.

7. Exit from the Power Tool and close all remote connections to the I/O Server.

8. Open FIX Database Builder and create five database blocks with valid I/O points using Device0 as the device name.

9. Open the Power Tool; the Tree Browser displays the following:


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Feature: Configuring the Driver from Custom COM/OLE Automation Applications

In concert with the growing trend towards using custom programs to access plant floor data, GE Fanuc version 7.x drivers enable you to connect easily with custom applications. You do not have to use the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool to configure the driver. Instead, you can create your own COM or OLE application or use an existing OLE application (such as Microsoft's Excel) to configure the driver and access data.

Your driver may include a custom Visual Basic application. You can use this application in place of the Power Tool to configure your driver. You can also refer to it when creating your own custom application. Typically, custom Visual Basic applications are created for specific needs such as:

• Customizing the way you gather and view statistics.

• Automatically building a project.

• Creating applications that control the way the driver operates.

Feature: Using the ABR I/O Driver Graphical User Interface

The ABR I/O Driver Power Tool is an OLE application that functions as a client to the ABR I/O Server and is your main graphical driver-configuration tool. It provides a graphical user interface (GUI) and graphical aids for configuring the driver to communicate with your process hardware.

Features of the Power Tool

• Runs as a stand-alone program or can be launched from FIX.

• Lets you view channels, devices, and datablocks graphically from the Tree Browser.

• Displays run-time statistical and diagnostic information for the driver, and its channels, devices, and datablocks.

• Provides templates for configuring default channel, device, and datablock settings.

• Provides options for customizing the Power Tool’s appearance.

• Supports remote configuration.

Refer to the following topics for a description of the Power Tool and how to use it to configure your driver:

• About the I/O Driver Power Tool

• Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection

• Adding and Modifying Channels

• Adding and Modifying Devices

• Adding and Modifying Datablocks

Feature: Remote Control and Configuration

You can control and configure the ABR I/O Server remotely using the Power Tool or any other client application. To set up remote control of the I/O Server, you can install the Power Tool or your client application on a computer that does not have the server software installed. However, you must install the I/O Server on the computer used to communicate with the process hardware.

To install the Power Tool for remote communication:


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1. Insert the I/O Drivers and OPC Server CD into the remote computer’s CD-ROM drive.

2. When the start-up screen appears, click the Install Driver button.

3. Select the ABR 7.x Driver from the list and click the Install Now button.

4. Click the I Agree button to accept the user license and continue with the installation.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. When the Install program prompts you for the node type, select Client.

6. After installation is complete, open the Power Tool and connect to the I/O Server using the Network list box. Refer to Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection to learn more about establishing a connection to the ABR I/O Server.

Feature: Using Exception-Based Processing

GE Fanuc version 7.x drivers support exception-based processing when used with FIX products for process control. Exception-based processing means that the software application processes data only when the data changes beyond a datablock’s dead band.

Exception-based processing also applies to database blocks. You can enable exception-based processing for any block in the process database. Once you enable this feature, the I/O driver reports any data change that exceeds a datablock’s dead band to the FIX Scan, Alarm, and Control (SAC) program. This program resides in the background and works to maintain the process database continuously. Upon receiving notification of an exception, SAC polls for information on the affected database block and updates that block’s value.

To configure a database block for exception-based processing

1. Start the Power Tool and enter a value in the Deadband field of the datablock you want to modify. For a digital datablock, enter a dead band of 0.

2. Start FIX Database Builder.

3. Double-click the block you want to modify from the program’s spreadsheet or select Add


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from the Blocks menu and select the type of block you want to create.

4. Enter the datablock’s address in the I/O Address field of the database block.

5. Enter E in the Scan Time field of the database block.

If you have many database blocks, using exception-based processing can help reduce the demand on SAC.

NOTE: Analog Register and Digital Register blocks in FIX databases do not support exception-based processing. In addition, the ABR 7.x driver does not support using the Text block with exception-based processing.

Feature: Using Secondary Poll Rates

With the ABR I/O driver, you can specify a secondary poll rate. The driver polls a datablock at its secondary poll rate once its access time expires. The driver remains polling at the secondary poll rate until there is another request for data from FIX.

Using this feature, you can enter a secondary poll rate that is longer than the primary poll rate. This configuration lets you reduce CPU time and communication requests to the process hardware while ensuring that the datablock is always polled.

Feature: Phasing Poll Rates

Phasing staggers the times at which the I/O driver scans your datablocks. This feature prevents overruns that may occur when the I/O driver cannot collect all the data at the specified poll rate. Use phasing to maximize the efficiency of your driver.

How It Works

By specifying a phase, you delay the driver’s first attempt to read data from the datablock. When the phase time expires, the driver resumes reading the datablock at the specified primary or secondary poll rate.

Feature: Enabling or Disabling Individual Channels, Devices, and Datablocks

You can enable or disable messaging to channels, devices, or datablocks at any time. This is a very useful feature for debugging, maintenance, and for making preliminary configurations.

Disable a channel if

• You are removing devices on a channel for repair or maintenance and do not want to display errors.

Disable a device if

• You are removing a device for repair or maintenance and do not want to display errors.

• You want to reduce the communications load when you do not need to collect data from that device.


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• You want to isolate the device for debugging.

Disable a datablock if

• You only want to intermittently view data for a datablock.

• You are experiencing a problem with a datablock.

Feature: QuickFail Logic

QuickFail Logic is inherent to GE Fanuc 's version 7.x I/O drivers. Drivers with QuickFail do exactly that – quickly determine if there is a communication problem with a device and, if there is, bypass all datablocks on the device. The driver intermittently attempts to read or write to the device but does not linger on the device if it still has a communication failure. The QuickFail feature significantly increases the efficiency of your process, especially if you have many datablocks configured on one device.

How It Works

The driver polls a datablock on the device and experiences a communication timeout. If the driver polls the datablock the specified number of retries and still experiences a communication timeout, it marks the datablock as failed and sends a message to the next datablock in the queue. Any outstanding messages for the bad device are failed immediately. Likewise, any messages in the queue intended for the bad device and all new messages are sent once without retries. The driver continues this process until the communication problem with the device is resolved.

Purpose

Typically, when a message fails because of a timeout, the cause is a communication problem with the device. QuickFail lets the driver bypass the problem device to quickly handle other device messages. Because the driver is not spending unnecessary time on a failed device, it performs more efficiently.

Example

Reply Timeout = 05 (5 seconds)

Retries = 5

Delay Time = 5:00 (5 minutes)

Backup Device = none

The driver attempts to send a message to the process hardware. After 5 seconds, the device still has not responded so the driver re-sends the message.

The driver tries to send the message 6 times (the first time and then the 5 retries) with 5-second intervals between each attempt.

Each attempt fails; consequently, the driver marks the datablock as failed. If the driver has messages for other datablocks on the same device, it sends them only once without retries.

The driver waits 5 minutes before attempting to re-establish communication with the failed device.

Feature: Using Simulation Mode

Simulation mode lets you simulate the connection of the ABR server to the process hardware. This


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allows you to develop a process database that reads and writes values to the datablock addresses that you configure in the Power Tool without using actual process hardware. Later, when you want to switch to real process hardware, you can do so without changing your datablocks or process database.

Simulating a connection to the process hardware is accomplished by writing values directly to the datablocks themselves instead of sending a request to the ABR server to write the data to the process hardware. Likewise, values are read directly from each datablock and do not require a read request sent to the ABR server. These reads always return good data quality.

NOTE: Whenever you enable or disable simulation mode, close all remote connections to the I/O Server and restart the Power Tool in order for your changes to take effect.

Feature: Using Latched Data

You can preserve a datablock’s last read by enabling the Latch Data option. Should a communication failure occur, Data links to unlatched datablocks display a series of question marks (?????) while Data links to latched datablocks display the last data polled. This feature is very useful when you need to create reports about your process and require data at all times. You can also use this option to preserve the last values on the screen after a communication failure occurs.

Example

Your control system communicates with remote devices by radio transmission. You know that radio transmission is not always reliable (particularly during inclement weather); however, you must provide daily reports from your process hardware.

By enabling the Latch Data option for your datablocks, you ensure data is always available for reports.

NOTES: FIX 6.15 does not support latched data. However, you can add support for latched data by downloading the SAC Software improvement Module (SIM) from GE Fanuc’s web site.

Analog Register and Digital Register blocks do not support latched data. Consequently, we do not recommend using these blocks with the Latch Data option.

Feature: Time/Date Stamp for Data and Alarms

GE Fanuc version 7.x I/O drivers record the time and date of the following events:

• The driver reads data from the process hardware.

• The driver writes data to the process hardware.

• An error occurs.

The driver time-stamps the data and errors at the datablock level. To view time and date stamps in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool:

1. Select a datablock from the Tree Browser.

2. Click the Statistics button from the Run-time toolbar.

Feature: Running as a Windows Service

Version 7.x drivers can run as a Windows Service. Running your driver as a service lets users log on and off the operating system without shutting down the driver.

By default, an I/O Server does NOT run as a Windows service. To set up the I/O Server to run as a


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service, you must register it as a service. During installation, the Setup wizard automatically registers the server as a regular server process. To register it to run as a service, you must run the server on the command line, specifying that you wish to register it as a service. Once the server is running as a service, you may need to re-register it in certain situations, such as when you need to change the logon account.

Before you register the I/O Server to run as a service, follow these steps to ensure that it is not currently running:

• If the driver is currently running as a regular server, you must stop the process by shutting down all clients to the server, such as the PowerTool or iFIX.

• If the driver is currently running as a service, you must stop the process by shutting down all clients to the server, and you must also perform these tasks on your operating system:

• Windows XP and Windows 2000 – from Control Panel, select Administrative Tools, then select Services. A list of all services configured on the machine displays. Locate ABR Server. If the status is Started, right click and Stop the server.

• Windows NT – from Control Panel, select the Services icon. A list of all services configured on the machine displays. Locate ABR Server. If the status is Started, click the Stop button.

Once you stop the server from running, select the Process tab from the Task Manager and verify that the ABRDRV.exe process is no longer listed.

Registering the I/O Server as a Service

To register the I/O Server as a service:

1. Select Run from the Windows Start menu.

2. Enter the following text and click OK:

ABRDrv REGSERVICE

The registration process now allows the user to specify a logon account. This provides flexibility with the user’s choice of security settings.

The Logon Account for Running As A Service dialog box appears after the user enters the command and clicks OK:


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This dialog box allows the user to select one of these accounts when registering the ABR driver to run as a service:

• FixIOUser Account – uses the FixIOUser account to log on the I/O Server. This conventional account uses a hard-coded password and has the necessary privileges to log on as a service. You should not modify this account if one or more 7.x drivers use this as the logon account when running the I/O Server as a service. If you do modify this account, those drivers will not be able to start as a Windows service.

The FixIOUser account may not be created if it does not conform to your local IT department’s security policies. If this account does not exist, you must select one of the other two options.

NOTE: If you previously ran the I/O Server as a service without incident, you should continue to run it using the FixIOUser account.

• System Account uses the local system account to log on the I/O Server. This pre-defined account is useful when your local IT department’s security policy requires password expiration.

• This Account – uses an account specified by the user to log on the I/O Server. This account is useful if you need to specify a domain account. The account used here must be an existing account with both Administrator and Logon as a Service privileges to run the server as a service. To determine if the account has Administrator privileges, refer to the manual provided with your operating system. For example, to determine Administrator privileges in Windows 2000, select Administrative Tools from Control panel, and then select Users and Passwords. Use the Local Security Policy Setting tool to grant the account Logon as a Service privilege.

NOTE: In earlier versions of the ABR driver, the I/O Server was automatically logged on with the FixIOUser account. This logon was transparent to the user.

Once you register the driver, complete these steps:

1. Start the Power Tool and make sure the Auto Start option is enabled. Refer to Starting the I/O Driver from the Power Tool to learn how.

2. Configure DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model). Refer to How do I set up security for using the I/O Server remotely? to learn more.

3. If your Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software is FIX or iFIX, start FIX or iFIX. When either program runs, it will start the ABR Server as a service.

4. If your HMI is a third-party package, then complete the following steps instead:

a. Open the Services icon in Control Panel and change the ABR Server startup from Manual to Automatic.

b. Start your HMI software.

You can reset the server to be a regular server process again, by re-registering it as: ABRDrv REGSERVER

NOTE: Before you register the I/O Server to run as a regular server, you must ensure that it is not currently running.


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When registering the server this way, it will run, perform the necessary registration work, and then exit. You can then start the server by using more conventional methods such as starting FIX, starting the Power Tool, or any client program capable of communicating with the server.

NOTE: You cannot display the ABR Server window using Alt + Shift + S when running as a service.

Feature: Block Writes

Block writes let you send data to various registers in the hardware at one time by using a special "send" command. This command instructs the driver to send all outstanding writes in a single protocol message. Block writes are useful in batch situations where multiple setup parameters are required by the hardware at one time.

The ABR I/O driver supports block writes for the following file types: A, D, O, L, N, B, and F. On a PLC5/250, the driver also supports blocks writes for BTD file types. When the driver sends its outstanding writes, it also sends any unmodified values in the datablocks that are changing using the last known value. Consequently, we recommend relatively short poll times for datablocks you are writing to so that the driver will have the most up-to-date data.

To send block writes through FIX

1. Enable block writes in the datablock you want to use.

2. Create a Digital Output block with the following address:

!Send:DataBlockName

Note that only datablock names are valid with the !Send control address. You cannot trigger block writes using any of the following items:

• Channel and device names in place of a datablock name.

• Analog Output blocks in place of a Digital Output block.

Feature: Advanced Diagnostics

The ABR I/O driver supports statistics and a data scope to help you troubleshoot any errors or problems you may encounter. The statistics provide timeout, retries, and overruns for the driver and each channel, device, and datablock defined. The data scope lets you see the transactions between RSLinx and the ABR driver. The specific protocol characters are not displayed. To display the data scope, click the Datascope button from the Run-time toolbar.

The ABR driver also provides a data monitoring utility used to view raw data stored in common memory. To access this utility:

1. Right-click a datablock in the Tree Browser.


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2. Select Data Viewer from the pop-up menu that appears.

Feature: Validating Datablocks

Using the ABR driver, you can verify that each datablock is configured correctly by clicking the Validate Datablock button. When you select this button, the driver polls the current datablock to ensure the file number specified in I/O address is valid and that the datablock can communicate with the driver. If the driver receives data from the I/O address, the associated datablock is validated. However, if data is not received, the driver displays an error on the screen.

By using this feature you can quickly determine which datablocks are properly configured in the process hardware, saving you time troubleshooting your driver configuration.

NOTE: Validating the datablock does not ensure the file type specified is valid.

Feature: Generating Multiple Datablocks

One time-saving feature that the ABR driver provides is the ability to generate multiple consecutive datablocks. Generating datablocks lets you create many similar datablocks in one step instead of creating each datablock individually.

Example

For example, suppose you want to access integer data starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks for this range of values, click the Generate Datablocks button and complete the following fields as shown:

Enter Start Address: N7:0

Enter Address Length: 500

When the Power Tool creates the datablocks to your configuration, it adds the following:

Name Address Range

Datablock 1 N7:0 - N7:117






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NOTE: This example assumes you are communicating on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network. Under Ethernet, only one block would be generated because Ethernet allows up to 1000 words per block.

Feature: Digital Pictures of Sample Configurations

The ABR 7.x driver provides digital pictures of sample configurations to help you setup your hardware. These pictures show where to connect your cables and the accompanying descriptions explain how to configure RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool so that you can begin receiving data.

The sample configurations provided include:

• Configuring a 1784-KT Interface Card

• Configuring a 1784-KTX or KTXD Interface Card

• Establishing a Serial Connection to Process Hardware

• Connecting a 1785-KE Module to Your Computer

• Communicating with a 1770-KF2 Device

• Communicating with a 1770-KF3 Device

• Communicating with a 1747-KE or a 1761 NET AIC Converter to a SLC 5/03

• Configuring a PLC5/250 Pyramid Integrator with an Ethernet Module

• Establishing an Ethernet Connection to Process Hardware

• Offlinking to Remote Devices

• Configuring MicroLogix PLCs

• Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway

• Configuring the 1756-L1 ControLogix Processor

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Setting up the I/O Driver The following is a general overview of the steps necessary for setting up your I/O driver.

Stage Description

1. Know your process hardware

What device does RSLinx communicate with?

How will the driver communicate with the device? DH+? DH485? Ethernet? ControLogix?

What type of cable are you using?

What is the address of each device?

What addresses do you want to access and what data do you want to retrieve?

What are the bandwidth limitations of your network and hardware?

2. Choose the method of configuration

Choosing a Method for Configuring Your Driver

3. Configure the I/O driver

Configuring Channels

Configuring Devices

Configuring Datablocks

Setting Default Values for Driver, Channels, Devices, and Datablocks

4. Check the I/O driver status

Using Statistics Mode

5. Test driver communication with the process hardware

Getting Basic Communication

Supported Hardware The ABR I/O driver works with many different types of process hardware. This hardware communicates with an interface card installed in your SCADA server or through the server’s serial port. Below we list the supported hardware and the types of interface cards that the ABR I/O driver can directly communicate with.


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PLC 3

• KT interface cards.

• KTX and KTXD interface cards (Data Highway Plus (DH+) only).

PLC 5/20C, PLC 5/40C, PLC 5/60C, and PLC 5/80C

• KT and KTC interface cards.

• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).

• Serial communication through an interface card or the computer’s built-in ports.

PLC 5/20E, PLC 5/40E, and PLC 5/80E

• KT and Ethernet interface cards.



PLC 5/250 PI with an Ethernet interface module*

• KT and Ethernet interface cards.


SLC 5/00, 5/01, and 5/02

• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH485 only).

• Serial communication through an interface card or the computer’s built-in ports to a 1770-KF3 (DH485 only).

SLC 5/03

• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH485 only).


SLC 5/04




SLC 5/05

• Ethernet interface cards.



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MicroLogix 1761-L10BWA and 1761-L20BWA-5A PLCs with a 1761-NET-AIC module

• KTXD interface cards (DH485 only).


• Serial communication through an interface card or the computer’s built-in ports to a 1770-KF3 (DH485 only).

1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-DHRIO module



1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway with a 1756 DHRIO module and a 1756 Lx processor in the same chassis



1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-DHRIO module to a 1756-DHRIO module



1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-DHRIO module to a 1756-CNB module



1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-ENET module to a 1756-DHRIO module


1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-ENET module to a 1756 Lx processor in the same chassis


1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-ENET module to a 1756-CNB module


1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway using a 1756-CNB module to a 1756-Lx processor in the same chassis

• KTC interface cards.


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1747-KE network device**


1785-KA5 network device**



1785-KE, 1770-KF2, and 1770-KF3 network devices**




1761 Net AIC network devices**

• KTXD interface cards (DH485 only).


*Non-Ethernet devices are accessible only through a PLC 5/250 Pyramid Integrator as a gateway. These devices include an RM (resource manager) module and up to four KA modules (KA1 through KA4).

**These devices let you connect hardware that communicates with different protocols. For example, you can use a 1770-KF2 to connect your computer (serial) to a PLC 5 (DH+). A 1770-KF3, on the other hand, lets you connect your computer (serial) to a SLC 5 (DH485).

Supported KT Interface Cards The ABR I/O driver communicates with the following Allen-Bradley KT interface cards through RSLinx. These cards reside in your SCADA server and communicate with your process hardware:

• 1784-KT Data Highway Plus XT/AT Interface Module. GE Fanuc recommends that you use the Series B version of this card.

• 1784-KTX Communications Interface Card, Data Highway (DH)/DH+ port, or DH485 port.

• 1784-KTXD Communications Interface Card, the DH/DH+ ports, and/or DH485 port.

• 1784-KTCX Communications Interface Card

• 1784-PCMK Communications Interface Card. The PCMCIA version of the KT card.

• 1784-PKTX-D Interface Card. The PCI version of the 1784-KTXD card.

• 1784-PKTX Interface Card. The PCI version of the 1784-PKTX card.

• 1784-PCIC Interface Card. The PCI version of the 1784-PTCX card. This card is untested with the ABR driver.

When you install one of these interface cards, make sure that no other device in the computer uses the same memory location as the KT card. In addition, if you are using a Gateway Pentium, do not use the B000 memory area. GE Fanuc recommends that you use the D000 area instead.


21

Supported Interface Modules

Module Description

1747-KE RS-232 to DH485 converter for SLC processors that connects to the SLC’s chassis.

1770-KF2 RS-232 to Data Highway Plus (DH+) external converter.

1770-KF3 RS-232 to DH485 external converter.

1785-KE PLC 5 module that connects to the PLC 5’s chassis. (RS-232 to DH+).

1785-KA DH to DH+ converter for a PLC 5 that connects to the PLC’s chassis.

1785-KA5 DH+ to DH485 gateway that connects to the PLC’s chassis.

1747-AIC DH485 Link Coupler for SLC processors.

1761 Net AIC MicroLogix external converter.

Supported Memory Types NOTE: ASCII writes are supported for A, ST, and N memory types only.

Supported PLC 3 Memory Types

Memory Type Description

B Binary

C Counter

D BCD

F Float

I Input

N Integer

O (read only) Output

S Status

T Timer

UN Unsolicited (used to receive PLC 2 unprotected writes)


22

Supported PLC 5 Series Memory Types


A ASCII

B Binary

BT Block Transfer

C Counter

CT ControlNet Transfer (ControlNet processors only)

D BCD

F Float

I (read only) Input

MG Message Control

N Integer


PD PID Control

R Control

S Status

ST String

T Timer


Supported PLC 5/250 (Pyramid Integrator) Memory Types


B Binary

BR Block Transfer Read

BTD Block Transfer Data

BW Block Transfer Write

C Counter

F Float

I (read only) Input

IS Internal Storage


23


L Long

MSG Message Control

N Integer


PD PID Control

R Control

S Status

ST String

T Timer


Supported SLC 5 Series Memory Types


A (SLC 5/03 OS301 or greater) ASCII

B Binary

C Counter

F (SLC 5/03 OS301 or greater) Float

I (SLC 5/03 OS301 or greater) Input (read only)

N Integer

O (SLC 5/03 OS301 or greater) Output (read only)

R Control

S Status

ST (SLC 5/03 OS301 or greater) String

T Timer


Supported MicroLogix PLC Memory Types


B Binary


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C Counter

I (read only) Input

N Integer


R Control

S Status

T Timer

Supported ControLogix Gateway Module Memory Types


B Binary

F Float

N Integer

Setting Datablock Address Properties: Start, End, and Length The Starting Address, Ending Address, and Address Length fields define the memory location in the device that the datablock represents.

You must always enter a starting address. This is the point in the device that the datablock starts from. You can then enter either an ending address or an address length to complete the entire block.

Example

You want to create a datablock named DATABLOCK-C that starts at address N7:5 and has a length of 8.

To do this, enter N7:5 in the Starting Address field and 8 in the Address Length field. The Power Tool automatically completes the Ending Address field with the value N7:12.

DATABLOCK-C reads the following addresses in the N7 file of the device:

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

1920 IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII

You can also create multiple consecutive datablocks using the Generate Datablocks button on the Configuration toolbar.


25

Example

Suppose you want to create datablocks starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks for this range of values, click the Generate Datablocks button and complete the following fields as shown:




Name Address Range







Valid addresses and address ranges supported by the ABR driver include:

• PLC 3 Addresses

• PLC 5 Addresses

• PLC 5/250 Addresses

• SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses

• SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses

• MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses

• MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses

• ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Addresses

NOTE: ASCII writes are supported for A, ST, and N memory types only.

In most cases, when using a KT, KTX, KTXD, or KTC interface card, a datablock’s maximum length varies depending on the file number or address specified, as the following tables show.

ASCII, Binary, BCD, and Integer Datablock Maximum Lengths

When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...

Less than 256 Less than 256 118

Less than 256 Greater than 255 117


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Greater than 255 Less than 256 117

Greater than 255 Greater than 255 116

Input, Output, and Status Datablock Maximum Lengths

And the starting address is... The maximum length is...

Less than 256 118

Greater than 255 117

Float Datablock Maximum Lengths






Maximum Datablock Lengths for Binary, Internal Storage, Output, Input, Integer, String, Block Transfer Data, and Unsolicited File Types (PLC 5/250 only)






Valid PLC 3 Addresses

Memory Type & File Number

Description Address Range

Maximum Length for KT Cards

Maximum Length for Ethernet

Example

B0-B9999 Binary 0-9999 Varies 1000 B10:30


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Maximum Length for KT Cards

Maximum Length for Ethernet

Example

C Counter 0-9999 39 333 C:2

D0-D9999 BCD 0-9999 Varies 1000 D5:75

F0-9999 Float 0-9999 Varies 500 F8:10

I Input 0-23417 Octal

Varies 1000 I12:50

N0-N9999 Integer 0-9999 Varies 1000 N7:30

O (read only) Output 0-23417 Octal

Varies 1000 O21:15

S Status 0-9999 Varies 1000 S20:6

T Timer 0-9999 39 333 T:3

UN Unsolicited 0-23417 Octal

118 1000 UN:0


Mem

ory Type &

File N

umber

Description

Address R

ange

Max. L

ength - KT

C

ards

Max. L

ength - KT

C

Cards

Max. L

ength - KT

C

ards through Interface M

odules

Max. L

ength - E

thernet

Max. L

ength - O

fflinking

Max. L

ength - U

nsolicited

Exam

ple

A3-A9999 ASCII 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 116 A12:250

B3-B9999 Binary 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 B3:100

BT3-BT9999

Block Transfer

0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 BT20:200

C3-C9999 Counter 0-9999 39 39 37 333 39 38 C5:900

CT3-9999 ControlNet Transfer

0-9999 N/A 5 N/A N/A N/A N/A

D3-D9999 BCD 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 D44:3

F3-F9999 Float 0-9999 Varies Varies 56 500 59 57 F8:500

I (read only)

Input 0-23417 Octal

Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 I:50


28

Mem

ory Type &

File N

umber

Description

Address R

ange

Max. L

ength - KT

C

ards

Max. L

ength - KT

C

Cards

Max. L

ength - KT

C


odules

Max. L

ength - E

thernet

Max. L

ength - O

fflinking

Max. L

ength - U

nsolicited

Exam

ple

MG3-MG9999

Message Control

0-9999 2 2 1 17 1 MG5:90

PD3-PD9999

PID Control 0-9999 1 1 1 12 1 1 PD6:18

N3 - N9999 Integer 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 N7:300

O (read only)

Output 0-23417 Octal

Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 O:50

R3-R9999 Control 0-9999 39 39 37 333 39 38 R6:20

S Status 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 S:30

ST3-ST9999

String 0-9999 2 2 2 23 2 ST34:38

T3-T9999 Timer 0-9999 39 39 37 333 39 22 T4:3


N/A 2000 112 2000 118 114 UN:0

*Values represent the maximum size in elements as configured in the PLC 5 Typed Write message control block.

Valid PLC 5/250 Addresses



Max. Length - Ethernet

Max. Length - Offlinking

Example

B3-B9999 Binary 0-9999 1000 Varies B13:5

BR3-BR9999 Block Transfer Read

0-9999 1 1 BR24:8

BTD0-254 Block Transfer Data

0-254 255 Varies BTD2:0

BW3-BW9999 Block Transfer Write

0-9999 1 1 BW25:70

C3-C9999 Counter 0-9999 333 40 C35:2


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Example

F3-F9999 Float 0-9999 500 60 F45:12

I (read only) Input 0-23417 Octal

1000 Varies I:6

IS Internal Storage

0-23417 Octal

1000 Varies IS:7

L0-L9999 Long 0-9999 500 60 L92:1

MSG3- MSG9999

Message Control

0-9999 17 1 MSG53:4

N0-N9999 Integer 0-9999 1000 Varies N7:0


1000 Varies O:64

PD3-PD999 PID Control 0-9999 12 1 PD200:29

R3-R9999 Control 0-9999 333 40 R76:35

S Status 0-9999 1000 Varies S:306

ST3-ST9999 String 0-9999 23 2 ST89:38

T3-T9999 Timer 0-9999 333 19 T4:10


2000 Varies UN:8

Valid SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses



Max. Length - KT Cards

Example

B3, B10-B255

Binary 0-255 41 B3:10

C5, C10-C255

Counter 0-255 13 C5:15

N7, N10-N255

Integer 0-255 41 N7:20

R6, R10-R255

Control 0-255 13 R6:25

S Status 0-15 41 S:0


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Example

T4, T10-T255

Timer 0-255 13 T:30

Valid SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses




Max. Length - Ethernet (SLC 5/05 only)

Example

A3-A9999 ASCII 0-9999 Varies 1000 A11:6


C3-C9999 Counter 0-9999 39 333 C5:20

F3-F9999 Float 0-9999 Varies 500 F8:30

I (read only) Input 0-9999 Varies 1000 I:2


O (read only) Output 0-9999 Varies 1000 O:1

R3-R9999 Control 0-9999 39 333 R6:21

S:0 Status 0-9999 Varies 1000 S:12

ST3-ST9999 String 0-9999 2 23 ST12:34

T3-T9999 Timer 0-9999 39 333 T4:8

UN Unsolicited 0-9999 118 1000 UN:50

Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses*




Example

B3 Binary 0-255 Varies B3:31

C5 Counter 0-255 39 C5:25

I (read only) Input 0-1 2 I:0

N7 Integer 0-255 Varies N7:0

O (read only) Output 0-0 1 O:0

R6 Control 0-255 39 R6:13

S Status 0-24 Varies S:21


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Example

T4 Timer 0-255 39 T4:39

* Consult your MicroLogix hardware manuals for any hardware limits on the address range.

Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses*




Example


C5 Counter 0-255 39 C5:25




R6 Control 0-255 39 R6:13


T4 Timer 0-255 39 T4:39


Supported ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Memory Types





Example

F0-F999 Float 0-9999 Varies 500 F8:500

N0 - N999 Integer 0-9999 Varies 1000 N7:300

Supported Mnemonics The ABR driver supports the following mnemonics:

• Adapter Status

• Block Transfer

• Block Transfer Read and Block Transfer Write

• Control

• ControlNet Transfer

• Counter


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• Message Control

• PID

• String

• Timer

Adapter Status Mnemonics

Mnemonic Example Database Builder Address Description Block Type

CF Device1:AS10:0.CF Fault Digital

OI Device1:AS10:0.OI Output Inhibit Digital

RC Device1:AS10:0.RC Retry Count Analog

Counter Mnemonics

Mnemonic Example Database Builder Address

Description Block Type

ACC Device1:C5:52.ACC Counter Accumulated Value

Analog

CD (read only)

Device1:C5:52.CD Counter Down Enabled Digital

CU (read only)

Device1:C5:52.CU Counter Up Enabled Digital

DN

(read only)

Device1:C5:52.DN Counter Done Digital

OV (read only)

Device1:C5:52.OV Counter Overflow Digital

PRE Device1:C5:52.PRE Counter Preset Value Analog

UN (read only)

Device1:C5:52.UN Counter Underflow Digital

ControlNet Transfer Mnemonics



CO Device1:CT12:0.CO Continuous Mode of Operation Bit

Digital

DATA0 through DATA15

Device1:CT12:0.DATA0 Data Word 1 through Data Word 15

Analog


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DLEN Device1:CT12:0.DLEN Done Length Word Analog

DN Device1:CT12:0.DN Done Bit Digital

ELEM Device1:CT12:0.ELEM File Transfer Element Number Word

Analog

EN Device1:CT12:0.EN Enable Bit Digital

ER Device1:CT12:0.ER Error Bit Digital

ERR Device1:CT12:0.ERR Error Code Word Analog

EW Device1:CT12:0.EW Enable Waiting Bit Digital

FILE Device1:CT12:0.FILE File Transfer Number Word

Analog

RLEN Device1:CT12:0.RLEN Requested Length Word Analog

ST Device1:CT12:0.ST Start Bit Digital

TO Device1:CT12:0.TO Timeout Bit Analog

Message Control Mnemonics



AD (PLC5/250 only)

Device1:MSG0:1.AD Asynchronous Done Digital

AE (PLC5/250 only)

Device1:MSG0:1.AE Asynchronous Error Digital

CO Device1:MSG0:1.CO Continuous Digital

DLEN Device1:MSG0:1.DLEN Received Data Length Analog

DN Device1:MSG0:1.DN Message Done Digital

EN Device1:MSG0:1.EN Message Enabled Digital

ER Device1:MSG0:1.ER Error Digital

ERR Device1:MSG0:1.ERR Error Code (valid when ER is set)

Analog

EW Device1:MSG0:1.EW Awaiting Execution Digital

NR* Device1:MSG0:1.NR No Response from Target Processor

Digital


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RLEN Device1:MSG0:1.RLEN Requested Data Length Analog

ST Device1:MSG0:1.ST Start Message Transmitting Digital

TO* Device1:MSG0:1.TO Timeout Bit (stops message from processing)

Digital

*These mnemonics are not supported by a PLC5/250.

PID Mnemonics



BIAS Device11:PD18:0.BIAS Output Bias % Analog

CA Device11:PD18:0.CA Control Action Digital

CL Device1:PD18:0.CL Cascaded Loop Digital

CT Device1:PD18:0.CT Cascaded Type Digital

DB Device1:PD18:0.DB Dead band Analog

DO Device1:PD18:0.DO Derivative Of Digital

DVDB Device1:PD18:0.DVDB Deviation Alarm Dead band Analog

DVNA (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.DVNA Deviation Negative Alarm Digital

DVPA (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.DVPA Deviation Positive Alarm Digital

EN Device1:PD18:0.EN Status Enabled Digital

ERR Device1:PD18:0.ERR Error Analog

EWD (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.EWD Error Within Dead band Digital

INI Device1:PD18:0.INI PID Initialization Digital

KD Device1:PD18:0.KD Derivative Gain Analog

KI Device1:PD18:0.KI Integral Gain Analog

KP Device1:PD18:0.KP Proportional Gain Analog

MAXI Device1:PD18:0.MAXI Input Range Maximum Analog

MAXO Device1:PD18:0.MAXO Output Limit High % Analog


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MAXS Device1:PD18:0.MAXS EGU Maximum Analog

MINI Device1:PD18:0.MINI Input Range Minimum Analog

MINO DEVICE1:PD18:0.MINO Output Limit Low % Analog

MINS Device1:PD18:0.MINS EGU Minimum Analog

MO Device1:PD18:0.MO Mode Digital

OLH (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.OLH Output Limit High Digital

OLL (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.OLL Output Limit Low Digital

OUT Device1:PD18:0.OUT Output % Analog

PE Device1:PD18:0.PE PID Equation Digital

PV Device1:PD18:0.PV Process Variable Analog

PVDB Device1:PD18:0.PVDB PV Alarm Dead band Analog

PVH Device1:PD18:0.PVH PV Alarm High Analog

PVHA (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.PVHA PV High Alarm Digital

PVL Device1:PD18:0.PVL PV Alarm Low Analog

PVLA (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.PVLA PV Low Alarm Digital

DVN Device1:PD18:0.DVN Deviation Alarm - Analog

DVP Device1:PD18:0.DVP Deviation Alarm+ Analog

PVT Device1:PD18:0.PVT PV Tracking Digital

SO Device1:PD18:0.SO Set Output % Analog

SP Device1:PD18:0.SP Set Point Analog

SPOR (read only)

Device1:PD18:0.SPOR SP Out Of Range Digital

SWM Device1:PD18:0.SWM Software Auto/Manual Mode

Digital

TIE Device1:PD18:0.TIE Tieback % Analog

UPD Device1:PD18:0.UPD Update Time Analog


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Control Mnemonics


DN Device1:R6:0:DN Done Digital

EM Device1:R6:0:EM Empty Digital

EN Device1:R6:0.EN Enable Digital

ER Device1:R6:0:ER Error Digital

EU Device1:R6:0:EU Enable unloading Digital

FD Device1:R6:0:FD Found Digital

IN Device1:R6:0:IN Inhibit comparisons Digital

LEN Device1:R6:0:LEN Length Analog

POS Device1:R6:0:POS Position Analog

UL Device1:R6:0:UL Unload Digital

String Mnemonics


LEN (read only)

Device1:ST10:0.LEN Text Length Analog

TEXT Device1:ST10:0.TEXT Text Data Text

Timer Mnemonics


ACC Device1:T4:52.ACC Timer Accumulated Value Analog

DN (read only)

Device1:T4:52.DN Timer Done Digital

EN Device1:T4:52.EN Timer Enabled Digital

PRE Device1:T4:52.PRE Timer Preset Value Analog

TT (read only)

Device1:T4:52.TT Timer Running Digital


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Block Transfer Read and Block Transfer Write Mnemonics (PLC5/250 only)


AD Device1:BR:1.AD Device1:BW:1:AD

Asynchronous Done Digital

AE Device1:BR:1.AE Device1:BW:1:AE

Asynchronous Error Digital

CO Device1:BR:1.CO Device1:BW:1:CO

Continue Digital

DLEN Device1:BR:1:DLEN Device1:BW:1:DLEN

Transmitted word count Analog

DN Device1:BR:1.DN Device1:BW:1:DN

Transfer Done Digital

EC Device1:BR:1.EC Device1:BW:1:EC

Error Code Analog

EN Device1:BR:1.EN Device1:BW:1:EN

Transfer Enabled Digital

ER Device1:BR:1.ER Device1:BW:1:ER

Error Digital

EW Device1:BR:1.EW Device1:BW:1:EW

Awaiting Execution Digital

FILE Device1:BR:1.FILE Device1:BW:1:FILE

File Number Analog

IDX Device1:BR:1.IDX Device1:BW:1:IDX

File Index Analog

PLEN Device1:BR:1.PLEN Device1:BW:1:PLEN

Requested word count Analog

ST Device1:BR:1.ST Device1:BW:1:ST

Start Transfer Digital

TOUT Device1:BR:1.TOUT Device1:BW:1:TOUT

Timeout Analog

Block Transfer Mnemonics (PLC5 only)


CO Device1:BT:1.CO Continue Digital

DLEN Device1:BT:1:DLEN Transmitted word count Analog


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DN Device1:BT:1.DN Transfer Done Digital

ELEM Device1:BT:1.ELEM Element Number Analog

EN Device1:BT:1.EN Transfer Enabled Digital

ER Device1:BT:1.ER Error Digital

EW Device1:BT:1.EW Awaiting Execution Digital

FILE Device1:BT:1.FILE File Type Number Analog

NR Device1:BT:1.NR No response Digital

RGS Device1:BT:1.RGS Rack/Group/Slot Analog

RLEN Device1:BT:1.PLEN Requested word count Analog

RW Device1:BT:1.RW Read/write bit Digital

ST Device1:BT:1.ST Start Transfer Digital

TO Device1:BT:1.TO Timeout Digital

Required Software

Operating System

• Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or greater

• Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1 or greater

• Windows Server 2003

• Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or greater. If you are using Windows XP with Service Pack 2, refer to the Support for Windows XP SP2 topic in your RSLinx 2.43 or greater online help. It contains important information regarding the configuration of the Windows Firewall.

Rockwell Software

RSLinx version 2.10.118 through version Classic 2.50.00.20. Consult the requirements for your operating system to determine the appropriate version. RSLinx requires an activation file. You can determine if you have an activation file by starting the application and examining the title bar. If the text RSLinx Lite appears in the title bar you need an activation file, DTL32.DLL. Contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800 to obtain an activation file.

Rockwell programming software. This software is needed to configure the communication parameters of your hardware, the memory types available to the ABR driver, and any ladder logic you require. For more information on available programming software, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.

NOTE: Using a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software package is not required to use the ABR driver. However, if you choose to use an HMI software package, select one of the following:


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• FIX version 6.15 or greater for Windows NT.

• Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX version 2.1 or greater.

• Proficy HMI/SCADA CIMPLICITY version 6.0 or greater

• A third-party HMI software package.

Using the ABR I/O Driver with Windows XP Service Pack 2 Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes many changes and security enhancements that will directly affect all iFIX drivers that use DCOM for remote connectivity. In addition, any iFIX Ethernet driver that supports the receipt of unsolicited messages (UDP or TCP) from the hardware (PLC, controller, or some other remote machine) can also be affected.

NOTE: For information about settings for Windows XP with Service Pack 2, go to http://globalcare.gefanuc.com. and click the link to Important Information Regarding Microsoft XP Service Pack 2.

Cabling The network protocol used by your process hardware and your SCADA server determines the type of cable you require. For example, if the hardware communicates using Ethernet, you need a standard Ethernet cable.

However, if you plan to use Data Highway Plus (DH+), DH485, or ControlNet, refer to your process hardware documentation to determine the type of cable you need. Likewise, when the SCADA server communicates using its serial port to an interface module (such as, a 1770-KF2), refer to the sample configurations described in this help system.

Use the following diagrams to help guide you as you connect and cable your hardware.


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Serial Connections


41

Ethernet Connections


42

Data Highway Plus Connections


43

Data Highway 485 Connections

ControlNet Connections


44

Data Highway Connections

Configuring the Hardware In order to communicate with the ABR driver, you need to create RSLinx drivers using a configuration utility, RSLinx. This program lets you configure the communication settings of each RSLinx driver to match the settings of your process hardware. These communication settings are provided to the ABR Power Tool under a specific name. For example, the communication parameters for a PLC 5 residing on an Ethernet network might all be available to the ABR driver with the name AB_ETH1.

RSLinx does not allow you to set the value of each device’s attributes; it just reads the current value and provides access to them. To configure your process hardware or enter ladder logic, use programming software, such as RSLogix. For more information about RSLinx and RSLogix, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.

Programming the Hardware You can program your process hardware to execute ladder logic programs with your PLC’s programming software. To learn more about your process hardware’s programming tools, refer to your process hardware programming documentation.

Upgrading to ABR 7.x from ABR 6.x If you are upgrading from a version 6.x ABK, ABE, or ABR driver, use the following steps as a guide. Also refer to The Differences Between 6.x and 7.x Drivers to learn what has changed.

1. Uninstall the previous version of the driver. Do not install the new version over the old version.

2. Install the new version.

3. Add the driver to the SCADA configuration and the Task list in the System Configuration Utility (SCU) so that the driver automatically starts when you start FIX or iFIX

4. If you have no process database to import, use the Auto Create option to create datablocks


45

automatically.

• If you have a process database to import and you want Database Builder to create datablocks for you, you can configure the driver using the Auto Create option. Do not import a CSV version of your old driver configuration. Create a new one with the Power Tool.

• If you have a process database to import and you do not want Database Builder to create datablocks for you automatically, you can create the datablocks with the Power Tool. Typically, you create datablocks manually when your driver configuration uses many different data types for the same file type. For example, if you have unsigned data for N7:101 through N7:200 and signed data for N7:0 through N7:100 and N7:201 through N7:300, you do not want to use the Auto Create option because it creates datablocks with one data type, based on the selected datablock defaults.

Upgrading to ABR 7.x from ABR 7.x You can upgrade from one version of the ABR 7.x driver to another using the steps provided below.

Before you begin:

1. Create a directory on your hard disk and copy:

a. Your process database file (databasename.PDB).

b. Your ABR configuration file (filename.ABR).

Typically, the process database resides in your Database path. The ABR configuration file resides in the default file name path defined in the Power Tool.

2. Save the existing driver configuration file as a Text (*.csv) file. To do this:

a. Select Save As from the File menu in the Power Tool.

b. Select Text Files (*.CSV) from the Save File as Type field.

The Power Tool saves the CSV file in the default file name path.

3. Export the process database as follows:

a. Start Database Builder.

b. Select Export from the Database menu. If you are using FIX32, the exported database resides in a *.GDB file in the \PDB directory. However, if you are using iFIX, you can export the database to a CSV file. Regardless of the format, the exported file resides in the \PDB directory.

4. Rename the existing filename.ABR and DEFAULT.ABR files residing in the default file name path to filename.OLD and DEFAULT.OLD.


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Upgrading the ABR 7.x driver:

1. Create a temporary directory on your hard drive, for example, C:\upgrade.

2. Uninstall the existing ABR driver:

a. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel.

b. Locate and highlight the ABR I/O Server.

c. Click the Add/Remove button to uninstall it.

3. If you are installing a new version from the Driver CD, click the Install Driver button, select the ABR 7.x driver, and click the Install Now button. Follow the instructions on the screen and when the installation completes, refer to After Upgrading.

However, if you downloaded a SIM from the GE Fanuc web site, extract your driver files to the temporary directory:

a. If the downloaded file is a *.EXE file, copy it to the temporary directory, and double click it to extract the files.

b. If this downloaded file is a *.ZIP file, run WinZip and extract the files to the directory.

c. If you have individual driver files, copy them to your temporary directory.

4. Install the new version of the ABR driver from the temporary directory you created:

a. Double-click the Setup.exe icon.

b. Click Next until prompted for the location of FIX or iFIX on your computer.

c. Verify that the location of FIX or iFIX is correct and click Next. Otherwise, enter the correct location.

d. Select Server as the Node Type.

e. Enter the FIX node name of this computer as specified in the System Configuration Utility (SCU).

f. Enter the name of the folder in the Windows Start menu that you want the ABR driver to be placed in. By default, the ABR driver and its help file are placed in the FIX or iFIX folder.

g. Click Finish to install the ABR driver.

After upgrading:

1. Start the new version of the Power Tool.


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2. Enter the default configuration file name and verify the default path:

a. Click the Setup button in the Run-time toolbar.

b. Select the Default Path tab.

d. Enter the configuration file’s default name in the field provided.

e. Confirm the default path is correct. If it is not, change it.

3. Select Open from the File menu.

4. Select Text Files (*.CSV) from the List Files of Type field. The previously saved *.CSV file should appear in the file list.

5. Double-click the CSV file to read your old configuration back into the Power Tool.

6. Select Save As from the File menu.

7. Enter filename.ABR as the file name.

8. Close the Power Tool and start FIX or iFIX.

Once you import the OPC Server configuration, we recommend that you import your process database as follows:

1. Save and reload the driver configuration.

2. Start Database Builder and select Reload from the Database menu.

3. Select the local node and double-click the file EMPTY.PDB.

4. Select Import from the Database menu.

5. Select the *.GDB or *.CSV file that you saved before the upgrade. After the import is complete, a window appears and tells you if there were any import errors. If there were they will be described in a file named IMPORT.ERR. This file resides in the \PDB directory.

6. Select Save As from the Database menu.

7. Save the database with the name specified in the SCU.

8. Select Reload from the Database menu.

9. Select the local node and double-click the database you just saved.

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Sample Configurations

Disclaimer Important Note: The sample configurations provided in this document are for informational purposes only. GE Fanuc does not warrant the accuracy of the information and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions to the instructions provided.

GE Fanuc recommends that you contact the manufacturer of the hardware to answer any specific questions or to clarify possible inconsistencies.

Configuring a 1784-KT Interface Card With a 1784-KT interface card installed in your SCADA server, the ABR driver can communicate with process hardware on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network. These devices include a PLC 3, a PLC 5, a SLC 5/04, or a ControLogix Gateway. Note that a PLC 3 requires a 1775-S5 module installed in its chassis in order to communicate on a DH+ network; likewise, the ControLogix Gateway requires a 1756-DHRIO module.

The following figures show how to set the address switches and jumpers on the 1784-KT interface card.

Location of 1784-KT Switches and Jumpers


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Valid 1784-KT Addresses and Switch Settings

To establish communication with a 1784-KT card:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the interface card.

2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct baud rate, memory address, device type, station number, station name, interrupt level, and network type.

3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Notice the device’s address.

4. Start the Power Tool and add a channel.

5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.

6. Add a device, select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC Type field, and enter the device’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.

7. Add the datablocks you need.

Configuring a 1784-KTX or KTXD Interface Card 1784-KTX or KTXD interface cards installed in your SCADA server enable the ABR driver to communicate over a Data Highway Plus (DH+) or DH485 network, depending on how your configure the interface cards. Once installed and configured, 1784 KTX and KTXD cards enable the ABR driver to communicate with a wide variety of devices including PLC 5s, PLC 5/250s, SLC 5s, MicroLogix processors, and ControLogix hardware.


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Location of the 1784-KTX and KTXD Dials and Jumpers

Dial... Selects...

SW1 and SW2

Base address for channel 2.

SW3 and SW4

Base address for channel 1. Channel 1A communicates using DH+. Channel 1B uses DH485.

Cabling

Use a 3-pin phoenix cable to connect the interface card to your process hardware on a DH+ network, as the following figure shows.


52

Use a 6-pin phoenix cable to connect the card to hardware on a DH485 network as shown below.


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MicroLogix Cabling

If you are connecting to MicroLogix hardware, use a 6-pin phoenix (DH485) cable to connect the card to a 1761 NET AIC device. Next, use 1761-CBL-HM02 Series B cable to connect the 1761 NET AIC to the MicroLogix processor. Refer to Configuring MicroLogix PLCs to learn how to configure RSLinx and the ABR driver.

ControLogix Cabling

To connect ControLogix hardware to the interface card, refer to Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway.

After cabling your hardware, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool to establish communication with the interface card.

To establish communication with a 1784-KTX or KTXD card:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the interface card.


3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note the device’s address.



6. Add a device and select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC Type field.

7. Enter the address of the target device in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Establishing a Serial Connection to Process Hardware You can establish a serial connection between your SCADA server and any of the following hardware:

• PLC 5

• SLC 5/03

• SLC 5/04

• SLC 5/05

• MicroLogix processor

You can connect any of these devices to your SCADA server as the following figures show.


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55

The pin outs for the 1747 CP3 cable are:

To complete the serial connection:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for an RS-232 device.

2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the driver with settings similar to the following configuration:

Setting Value

Device • SLC-CH0/Micro/PanelView for SLC devices

• PLC-CH0 for PLC 5


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Setting Value

Duplex Full

Baud Rate 19200

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking • CRC for SLC 5/03 or 5/04

• BCC for SLC 5/05 or PLC 5

3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note the device’s station address.


5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the serial port.


7. Enter the device’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


NOTE: You can establish half-duplex communication to a SLC processor with RSLinx. Set the RSLinx driver’s protocol to half duplex and the station ID of the RSLinx driver and the SLC processor to 0. Refer to the Allen-Bradley technical note number P845 for more information.

Connecting a 1785-KE Module to Your Computer You can connect a 1785-KE module to your SCADA server using a serial cable and 3-pin phoenix connector cable (Data Highway Plus (DH+) network cable). Use the following figures as a guide. To offlink with a 1785-KE module, refer to the topic Offlinking to Remote Devices.


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The pin outs for the serial cable are:

Set the 1785-KE module’s dip switches as follows:


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Switch Value Function

SW1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 4 5 6

BCC error checking, no parity, Embedded Response No

SW2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Station 10

SW3 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6

DH+; 57.6K baud, RS-232, 9600, Local Address

SW4 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4

Reserved

Off = 0; On=1

Once the dip switches are set, configure RSLinx to establish a connection.

To configure RSLinx and the Power Tool for a 1785-KE module:



Setting Value

Device 1770-KF2/1785-KE

Duplex Full

Baud Rate 9600

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking BCC



5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the 1785-KE module.


7. Enter the address of the SLC or PLC 5 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.



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Communicating with a 1770-KF2 Device A 1770-KF2 is a serial device that lets your SCADA server communicate with a SLC 5/04 or PLC 5 over a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network, as the following figures show.


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Set the KF2’s dip switches as follows. You can access the switches through a door on the bottom on the device.

Switch Setting Function

SW1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5

Full duplex, BCC error checking, none

SW2 through SW4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3

Address = 2

SW5 1 1 1 2

Net rate, 57.6K baud, DH+

SW6 0 1 1 1 1 2 3 4

RS-232, 9600

SW7 1 0 1 2

Peer link

SW8 0 1 1 2

Protocol, RS-232/422

Off = 0; On=1

Next, configure RSLinx to establish a connection.


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To configure RSLinx and the Power Tool for a 1770-KF2 device:



Setting Value


Duplex Full

Baud Rate 9600

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking BCC



5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the KF2.


7. Enter the address of the SLC or PLC 5 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Using a 1785-KA Module

You can also connect a KF2 device to a Data Highway (DH) to DH+ converter (1785-KA module). This module enables DH networks to communicate with a PLC 5 over DH+, as the following figure shows.


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Connecting the hardware and configure it is very similar to using a KF2 device alone. The main difference is that SW7 on the KF2 is set as follows:

Switch Setting Function

SW7 0 0 1 2

Peer link

The 15-pin to 15-pin cable between the KF2 and the 1785-KA module has the following pin outs.

Once you connect the hardware, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool.


1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the KF2.


Setting Value



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Setting Value

Duplex Full

Baud Rate 9600

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking BCC





7. Enter the address of the PLC 5 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Communicating with a 1770-KF3 Device 1770-KF3 devices enable the ABR driver to communicate with MicroLogix processors, SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, SLC 5/02, and SLC 5/03 hardware over a Data Highway (DH) 485 network. For information on configuring MicroLogix hardware, refer to Configuring MicroLogix PLCs.

You can establish communication with SLC 5s and a 1770-KF3 device by connecting your hardware as the following figures show.


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Use the buttons and information on the bottom of the KF3 and configure the device as follows:

Option Data Description

0 03 Node Address

1 19 DH485, 19200 Baud

2 01 Diagnostic command execution

3 19 RS-232 Baud Rate 19200

4 00 No parity

5 00 DF1 Protocol, Full Duplex

6 01 Error Detection, CRC

7 00 Modem Handshake disabled

8 01 Duplicate message detection enabled

9 -- AC


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Next, configure RSLinx to establish a connection.



2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the driver with the settings similar to the following configuration:

Setting Value


Duplex Full

Baud Rate 19200

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking CRC




6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.

7. Enter the SLC’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Communicating with a 1747-KE or a 1761 NET AIC Converter to a SLC 5/03 Using a rack-mounted DF1 to DH485 converter (1747-KE) or an external MicroLogix converter (1761 NET AIC), the ABR driver can communicate with a SLC 5/03 using your SCADA server’s serial port.

Setting up a 1747-KE Converter

You can connect a 1747-KE converter as the following figure shows.


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Once you have cabled the hardware together, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool.

To configure RSLinx and the Power Tool for a 1747-KE Converter:


2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the following settings:

Setting Value


Duplex Full

Baud Rate 9600

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking BCC



5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the converter.


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Setting up a 1761 NET AIC Converter

A 1761 NET AIC converter connects to a SLC 5/03 as shown below.

After cabling the hardware together, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool.

To configure RSLinx and the Power Tool for a 1761 NET AIC Converter

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the 1761 NET AIC Converter by selecting the 1747-PIC/AIC+ driver from RSLinx.



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Setting Value


Baud Rate 19200

Station Number 00

Max Station Number 31



5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured.




Configuring a PLC 5/250 Pyramid Integrator with an Ethernet Module A PLC 5/250 chassis consists of eight slots (0 through 7) and a power supply. Typically, when an Ethernet module is installed in the chassis, communicating with the PLC 5/250 is handled using the module’s AUI port and a 10-Base-T connection.

You can use a PLC 5/250 as a gateway to other devices on the Data Highway Plus (DH+) network or you can communicate directly to the modules installed in the device. The following figures show each configuration.


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When communicating to devices on DH+ network, the Resource Manager (RM) or a KA module in the PLC 5/250 chassis establishes the connection between the DH+ devices and the SCADA server. Each module communicates through Channel 2 or 3. You can configure each channel with programming software.

When communicating directly to a module in the chassis, the Ethernet module handles communication.


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Use these figures to connect your hardware. Once you have connected the hardware together, use the PLC’s programming software to configure its IP address. Be sure to ping the PLC to ensure the device is communicating and that the IP address is configured correctly. Next, configure RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool.

To configure a PLC 5/250 as a gateway to DH+ devices:

1. Start RSLinx and add an Ethernet driver to communicate with the controller.

2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct IP address to establish communication with RSLinx.


4. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured to communicate with the controller.

5. Add a device and set the following device properties:

Set the property... To...

PLC Type PLC5250

Primary Routing PLC5250 ENET to DH+

PLC5/250 Routing The module and the channel (2 or 3) your DH+ network is connected to.

Destination DH+ Addr The destination device’s network (station) address.

Destination PLC Type The type of device you want to access through the PLC 5/250.

Primary Channel Primary Address

The IP address of the PLC 5/250.


To configure a direct connection to a module in the PLC 5/250 chassis:

1. Start RSLinx and add an Ethernet driver to communicate with the controller.

2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct IP address.


4. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured to communicate with the controller. Typically, this driver is AB_ETH1.

5. Add a device and select PLC5250 as the PLC Type.

6. Select None from the Primary Routing field.


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7. Enter the module number you want to communicate with in the PLC 5/250 Module field.

8. Enter the IP address of the PLC 5/250 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Establishing an Ethernet Connection to Process Hardware You can establish an Ethernet connection between your SCADA server and any of the following hardware:

• SLC 5/05

• PLC 5/20E

• PLC 5/40E

• PLC 5/80E

• PLC 5/250 with an Ethernet interface module

You can connect any of these devices, except a PLC 5/250, as the following figure shows. To learn about connecting a PLC 5/250, refer to Configuring a PLC 5/250 Pyramid Integrator with an Ethernet Module.

Once you have connected the hardware together, use the PLC’s programming software to configure its IP address. Be sure to ping the PLC to ensure the device is communicating and that the IP address is configured correctly. Next, configure RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool.

To configure RSLinx and the Power Tool for an Ethernet connection:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for an Ethernet connection to a PLC 5.



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5. Add a device and select your hardware from the PLC Type field.

6. Enter the device’s IP address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Offlinking to Remote Devices Offlinking enables you to access data from PLCs on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) that are configured on a physically separate network from the SCADA server’s network. Offlinking is possible with KT, KTX, KTXD, and Ethernet interface cards.

NOTES: Offlinking is not supported for any DH485 configuration.

The ABR 7.x driver supports unsolicited messages with offlinking addressing when communicating to a ControLogix Gateway on an Ethernet network. The devices sending the unsolicited messages must be a PLC5 or a PLC5/250 and must reside on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network. For more information about receiving unsolicited messages from an offlinking address, refer to Offlinking with ControLogix Gateways below.

Using KT, KTX, and KTXD Cards

With a KT, KTX, or KTXD interface card installed in your SCADA server, you can off link to a DH+ device as the following figure shows:


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1785-KE Settings

Settings for the first (source) 1785-KE device

Switch Setting Description

SW1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

BCC error checking, no embedded responses, accept all messages, ignore handshaking, pass through diagnostics.

SW2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3

Address 11

SW3 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

DH+ at 57.6 Kbaud, RS-232 at 9600 baud, remote mode.

SW4 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4

Reserved

Off = 0; On=1


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Settings for the second (destination) 1785-KE device

Switch Setting Description

SW1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 4 5 6

BCC error checking, no embedded responses, accept all messages, ignore handshaking, execute diagnostics.

SW2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3

Address 10

SW3 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

DH+ at 57.6 Kbaud, RS-232 at 9600 baud, remote mode.

SW4 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4

Reserved

Off = 0; On=1

With these bridged configurations, each of the source and destination bridges reside on their own DH+ networks and route read and write requests across the network bridges to the appropriate devices.

Next, start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the KTX or KTXD interface card. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct baud rate, memory address, device type, station number, station name, interrupt level, and network type. This driver communicates with the first (source) 1785-KE device. It cannot communicate with the second device.

To complete the configuration:





PLC Type PLC5

Primary Routing DH+ to 1785 KA/KE

Source Bridge The address of the bridge device (network router) that transmits the request to the destination bridge. In our example, this is 11.

Destination Bridge The address of the destination bridge. In our example, this is 10.


The address of the destination PLC.


NOTE: The most significant bit of the Source Bridge address is ignored under DH+. As a result, the largest address you can assign is 77 octal.


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Using Ethernet Cards

To off link with an Ethernet card, you need the Allen-Bradley Resource Manager (5130-RM) module and/or the DH/DH+ Communication Interface (5130-KA) module. Each of these modules can support 2 DH/DH+ highway connections. A Pyramid Integrator (PLC 5/250) chassis can hold one RM module and up to 4 KA modules allowing for a maximum of 10 DH/DH+ connections. You can assign a unique address to each RM and KA module using the push button at the top of the module. Consult your associated Allen-Bradley documentation for addressing information on these modules.

Example

Using the following figure, connect your hardware. Use an E1 module with either an RM module or a KA module. Connect the PLC 5/250 to your SCADA server with an Ethernet (10BaseT twisted pair) cable. Connect your DH+ devices to the RM or KA module with a multi-drop network, 3-pin phoenix connector cable.

Once you have connected the hardware together, use the PLC’s programming software to configure its IP address. Be sure to ping the PLC to ensure the device is communicating and that the IP address is configured correctly.

Next, assuming you want to access data from Link 3, shown below, configure RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool.

To configure the RSLinx and ABR Power Tool:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for an Ethernet connection to a PLC 5.




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PLC Type PLC5250

Primary Routing PLC5250 ENET to DH+

PLC5/250 Routing KA 2 Chan 3

Destination Address The address of the destination PLC. In our example, this is 40.

Destination PLC Type The type of device you want to access through the PLC 5/250. In our example, this is PLC 5.


The IP address of the PLC 5/250.


Offlinking with ControLogix Gateways

You can receive unsolicited messages from an offlinking address using a ControLogix Gateway that communicates to a PLC5 or a PLC5/250. When communicating on a DH+ or Ethernet network, refer to Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway. When communicating on a ControlNet network, refer to Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway to a ControlNet Module.

Once the hardware is connected, you can Create a processor configuration to establish communication between RS-Linx and the process hardware.

After you configure RS-Linx, start the Power Tool and do the following:

1. Add a channel and select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card in your SCADA server.

2. Select the Receive Unsolicited Messages check box.



PLC Type PLC5 or PLC5250 (depending on the device you are receiving unsolicited messages from)

PLC5/250 Module (used only when offlinking to a PLC5/250)

0 (for the Resource Manager)

1-4 (for module in PLC 5/250)

Primary Routing 1756-GTWY

Primary Channel Primary Address The address of the PLC 5 or PLC 5/250.


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Primary Gateway Path ENET -> DH+

Primary Destination Link ID The link ID of the destination DHRIO (used to communicate with the PLC 5 or the PLC5/250).

Slot The slot number of the destination module.

Channel Channel number of the destination module.

4. Create datablocks you need.

Configuring MicroLogix PLCs The v7.x ABR driver supports MicroLogix PLCs 1761-L10BWA and 1761-L20BWA-5A using RSLinx. You can establish communication between the ABR driver and a MicroLogix PLC using many different types of configurations. Refer to the following sections to locate the configuration that applies best to you.

Using the Serial Port

You can establish communication between the ABR driver and a MicroLogix PLC by connecting the hardware as the following figure shows:


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Configure the PLC with the following settings using RSLogix 500 programming software:

DH485 baud rate 19200

DF1 baud rate 9600

DF 1 protocol Full duplex

Next, configure an RSLinx driver and the Power Tool.

To configure an RSLinx driver for a MicroLogix PLC and the Power Tool:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the MicroLogix PLC by selecting the RS-232 DF1 Devices driver from RSLinx.


Setting Value

Device SLC-CH0/Micro/PanelView

Duplex Full

Baud Rate 9600

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking CRC






8. Add the datablocks you need. For a list of supported memory types, refer to MicroLogix 1761-L10BWA addresses and MicroLogix 1761-L20BWA-5A addresses.

NOTE: You can establish half-duplex communication to a MicroLogix PLC with RSLinx by connecting the MicroLogix PLC directly to the SCADA server, setting the RSLinx driver’s protocol to half duplex, and setting the station ID of the RSLinx driver and the MicroLogix processor to 0. Refer to the Allen-Bradley technical note number P845 for more information.


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Using a KF3 Device

You can use a 1770-KF3 device to communicate with MicroLogix processors. When this is done, the ABR driver can communicate with two MicroLogix processors through one serial port on your SCADA server.

You can begin to establish the connection by programming your MicroLogix PLCs with RSLogix 5000 software as follows:

DH485 baud rate 19200

DF1 baud rate 19200

DF 1 protocol Full duplex

Next, configure the KF3 with the following settings:


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Option Data Description

0 03 Node Address

1 19 DH485, 19200 Baud

2 01 Diagnostic command execution

3 19 RS-232 Baud Rate 19200

4 00 No parity

5 00 DF1 Protocol, Full Duplex

6 01 Error Detection, CRC

7 00 Modem Handshake disabled

8 01 Duplicate message detection enabled

9 -- AC

Next, configure an RSLinx driver and the Power Tool.

To configure an RSLinx driver for a MicroLogix PLC and the Power Tool:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the serial port.


Setting Value

Device 1770-KF3/1747/KE

Duplex Full

Baud Rate 19200

Stop Bits 1

Parity None

Error Checking CRC






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8. Add the datablocks you need. For a list of supported memory types, refer to MicroLogix 1761-L10BWA addresses and MicroLogix 1761-L20BWA-5A addresses.

Using a KTX or KTXD Interface Card

When a KTX or KTXD interface card is used to communicate with MicroLogix PLCs, you connect the hardware as shown below:

After cabling your hardware, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool to establish communication with the interface card.

To establish communication with a 1784-KTX or KTXD card:

1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the interface card by selecting the 1784-KT/KTX(D)/PKTX(D) driver from RSLinx.






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7. Enter the address of the PLC in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.


Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway The v7.x ABR driver can communicate with a SLC 5 or PLC 5 using a ControLogix Gateway. The gateway holds modules that allow the SCADA server and your SLC 5 or PLC 5 to communicate with each other. The exact modules you need depends on the hardware you are connecting. In general, 1756-DHRIO modules communicate with Data Highway Plus (DH+) devices and 1756-ENET modules communicate with Ethernet devices.

For example, if you want to communicate with a PLC 5 or SLC 5/03 on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network, you need a KTX or KTXD interface card in your SCADA server and two 1756-DHRIO modules in the ControLogix Gateway, as the following figure shows.

However, if you want to communicate from an Ethernet network to a DH+ network, you can cable your hardware as shown below.


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To establish communication with a ControLogix Gateway:

1. Create a processor configuration.





PLC Type PLC5


Primary Gateway Path DH+ -> DH+ or ENET -> DH+

Source Bridge The address of the first DHRIO module or your ENET module. In our example, this is 21.


The address of the PLC 5. In our example, this is 6.


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Primary Destination Link ID

The link ID of the destination DHRIO module (used to communicate with the PLC 5).


NOTE: You should be able to communicate with the far end of the second DHRIO module by expanding the RSLinx tree browser.

Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway to a ControlNet Module The v7.x ABR driver can communicate with PLC 5 using a ControLogix Gateway. The gateway holds modules that allow the SCADA server and PLC 5 to communicate with each other. For example, when the gateway is on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network and the PLC-5 is communicating using the ControlNet protocol, install a 1756-DHRIO module to handle communication between the gateway and the SCADA server and install a 1756-CNB module to handle communication between the gateway and the PLC-5. If the gateway is on an Ethernet network, install a 1756-ENET module in place of the DHRIO module.

Once you install and connect the hardware, you can establish communication by configuring RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool.

To configure RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool:



3. Select the RSLinx driver (AB_KT-1) that you configured for the interface card.


Set the property...

To...

PLC Type PLC5


Primary Gateway Path

DH+ -> CNET or ENET ->CNET

Source Bridge The address of the first DHRIO module or your ENET module. In our example, this is 21.

Primary CNet Address

The address of the PLC-5. In our example, this is 6.


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Set the property...

To...

Primary Destination Link ID

The link ID of the destination CNB module (used to communicate with the PLC 5). You can locate this information in the routing table of the ControLogix Gateway’s programming software.


Configuring the 1756-L1 ControLogix Processor The v7.x ABR driver can communicate with the 1756-L1 processor using a KTX or KTXD interface card residing in the local SCADA server. This interface card communicates with the processor through a 1756-DHRIO module. Both the module and the 1756-L1 processor must reside in the same 1756-GTWY chassis. Connect your SCADA server to the DHRIO module using a 3-pin phoenix connector Data Highway Plus (DH+) network cable. Plug the cable into the DH+ port on the KTX or KTXD card and one of the ports on the DHRIO module, as the following figure shows.

If you want to communicate from an Ethernet network to a 1756-L1 processor, you can connect your SCADA server’s Ethernet port to an Ethernet hub and then connect the hub to a 1756-ENET module residing in your ControLogix Gateway. Likewise, you can communicate from a ControlNet network to a 1756-L1 processor by connecting a KTC interface card (installing in your SCADA server) to a 1756-CNV module residing in your ControLogix Gateway.

The processor supports binary, integer, and float data types. You configure these data types in the processor and then map them to a PLC 5 message format. This format allows the ABR driver to process the device’s data.


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To configure a 1756-L1 processor:


2. Create global data arrays.

3. Map each data array to a PLC 5 message.





PLC Type PLC5


The address of the DHRIO, CNB, or ENET module. In our example, this is 21.


Primary Gateway Path DH+ -> 1756-Lx Cnet -> 1756Lx or ENET ->1756Lx

Primary Slot The slot number of the destination controller. In our example, this is 6.

7. Create datablocks for each mapped data array. Refer to 1756-L1 addresses for a list of supported memory types you can use when creating datablocks.

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Using the Power Tool

Overview: About the I/O Driver Power Tool The ABR I/O Driver Power Tool is your main configuration utility for setting up and maintaining the ABR I/O driver. It provides fields for specifying the properties of channels, devices, and datablocks.

Features

The Power Tool provides:

• The Template dialog box for specifying channel, device, and datablock defaults.

• The Setup dialog box for defining the default name and default path for configuration files.

• The Server Connection dialog box for connecting to a remote or local I/O Server.

• The Tree Browser for an overall view of your system configuration.

• A statistics mode for displaying the statistics of your I/O driver while it is running. Statistics are provided for all levels: driver, channel, device, and datablock.

• A configuration mode for displaying and modifying driver, channel, device, and datablock properties.

Access Methods

From the Windows Start menu:

1. Select Programs.

2. Select FIX, Dynamics, or iFIX from the Programs menu.

3. Select ABR Power Tool from the context menu.

From FIX Database Builder:

• Select ABR from the Drivers menu.

From the FIX System Configuration Utility (SCU):

1. Select SCADA from the Configure menu.

2. Double-click your driver from the Configured I/O Drivers list box.

When you first start the Power Tool, the Server Connection dialog box appears. This dialog box lets you choose the server that the Power Tool communicates with. You can choose either the local server (on your computer) or a remote server (on the network).


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Once you choose a server, the I/O Driver Power Tool attempts to connect to it. If the connection is successful, a message appears telling you that the connection is established. Then the main window of the Power Tool appears. This window is comprised of:

• The Properties Viewer

• The menu bar

By default, the following additional components also appear:

• Tree Browser

• Main toolbar

• Configuration toolbar

• Run-time toolbar

• Status bar

You can show or hide any of the components by selecting a command from the View menu. You can also customize the Power Tool’s appearance by dragging the toolbars or the Tree Browser to the location you want. For example, you can make the toolbars or the Tree Browser float above the Power Tool by dragging them to the center of the screen. Later, you can dock them or resize them, as needed.

Understanding the Power Tool's Graphic Interface

Using the Power Tool’s Properties Viewer

The Properties Viewer displays the statistics or configuration properties of the selected item in the Tree Browser.


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Properties Viewer Displaying Channel Statistics Properties

To display the configuration properties for a driver, channel, device, or datablock:

• Select an item in the Tree Browser and click the Configuration button in the Run-time toolbar.

To modify an item’s configuration:

1. Select the item you want to modify in the Tree Browser.

2. Click the Configuration button in the Run-time toolbar.

3. Modify the item’s properties in the fields provided.

To view statistics for a driver, channel, device, or datablock:

• Select an item in the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar.

Using the Power Tool’s Browser

The Tree Browser displays a hierarchical list of the I/O driver and its channels, devices, and datablocks. The I/O driver appears at the top of the tree.


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Power Tool Tree Browser

When you select an item in the Tree Browser, the item’s properties display in the Properties Viewer. You can choose to view the item's configuration or statistics properties by clicking buttons on the Run-time toolbar.

Changing Items in the Tree Browser

When you add or modify channels, devices, or datablocks in the Power Tool or in FIX Database Builder, changes are made immediately to the I/O Server. Changes you make to the driver configuration while working with the I/O Driver Power Tool automatically display in the Tree Browser. For changes from Database Builder to take effect, the Auto Create option must be enabled.

Refreshing the Tree Browser

To view changes made from another client application (such as FIX Database Builder, another I/O Driver Power Tool accessing the server, or a custom client application accessing the server), refresh the Tree Browser display by selecting an item in the Tree Browser and pressing the F5 key.

Collapsing and Expanding the Tree Browser

You can collapse or expand the tree under an item by double-clicking it. You can also use the right arrow key to expand an item and the left arrow key to collapse it.

Navigating in the Tree Browser

Navigating through the Tree Browser can be done by selecting items with a mouse or by using the keyboard. Use the up or left arrow keys to move up in the Tree Browser. Similarly, use the down or right arrow keys to move down in the Tree Browser. You can also press a letter key to jump to the nearest item that begins with that letter.

Additional Tree Browser Features

Connection lines show the relationship between channels, devices, and datablocks by displaying which devices are on a channel and which datablocks belong to a device. The plus and minus buttons indicate whether items are fully expanded or collapsed. The plus button shows the item is collapsed and the minus buttons indicates that the item is expanded. For example, a channel with a plus sign next to it means that there are devices and possibly datablocks configured on that channel.

Using the Power Tool’s Menu Bar

The Power Tool menu bar includes a title bar, a Minimize button, a Maximize button, a Control-menu


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box, and menus you can use to configure the driver. The menu bar is displayed at the top of the screen.

The Power Tool has the following menus:

• File

• Edit

• View

• Display Mode

• Options

• Help

To open a menu and display its commands:

• Click the menu name.

To choose a command:

• Open the command's menu and click the command name or press the command’s shortcut keys. You can find the shortcut keys for a command next to the command on its pull-down menu. For example, select the File menu and note that the shortcut key for the New command is Ctrl + N.

Using Shortcut Keys

The following is a list of shortcut keys for working with the I/O Driver Power Tool:

Shortcut Keys

Description

The F5 key Refreshes the Tree Browser.

Ctrl + N Opens a new I/O driver configuration file.

Ctrl + O Lets you open an existing file.

Ctrl +S Saves the current file.

Alt + Shift + S

Opens and closes the server window when an item in the Tree Browser is selected. Use the server window for troubleshooting. When you are not debugging a problem, leave the server window closed.

The Status Bar

Displays Power Tool status messages. It is located under the Properties Viewer.

Example


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Using the Power Tool’s Main Toolbar

The Power Tool’s Main toolbar is shown below:

The Main toolbar buttons are shortcuts to some commonly-used menu items.

Icon Description

New –Creates a new I/O driver configuration file.

Open –Opens an existing I/O driver configuration file.

Save –Saves the current I/O driver configuration file. If the current configuration is new, the Save As dialog box appears with fields for naming the file, selecting a path, and choosing a file type.

Save As–Saves the current configuration file:

• With a different file name.

• In a different path.

• As a configuration file.

• As a comma separated value (CSV) file.

Help Topics–Displays the ABR I/O driver online help.

Using the Power Tool’s Run-time Toolbar

The Run-time toolbar is shown below:

The Run-time toolbar contains buttons that are shortcuts to dialog boxes for viewing driver configurations and statistics.

Icon Description

Start – Starts the driver. Enabled only when the driver is not running.

Stop – Stops the driver. Enabled only when the driver is running.

Configuration – Displays the properties of the item selected in the Power Tool’s browser. These properties appear in the Properties Viewer.

Statistics – Displays the statistics of the item selected in the Power Tool’s browser. The statistics appear in the Properties Viewer and are read-only.


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Icon Description

Reset – Resets the statistics of the item currently selected in the Tree Browser. This button is only accessible when the Power Tool is in Statistics mode. Click the Statistics button, shown above to enable Statistics mode.

Template – Lets you enter defaults for the driver’s channels, devices, and datablocks.

Setup – Lets you select the statistics refresh rate, enter defaults for the I/O driver configuration file name and path, and make advanced settings.

OLE Server – Lets you select an OLE server.

Data Scope – Displays the data scope for this server. Any objects that have the data scope enabled send messages to the Data scope window.

To enable the data scope for an object

1. Right-click an object in the Tree Browser.

2. Select Datascope On from the pop-up menu that appears.

Using the Power Tool’s Configuration Toolbar

The Configuration toolbar is shown below:

The Configuration toolbar buttons are shortcuts to the driver configuration dialog boxes.

Icon Description

Add Channel – Lets you add a new channel and define its properties.

Add Device – Lets you add a new device and define its properties.

Add Datablock – Lets you add a new datablock and define its properties.

Generate Datablocks – Creates multiple datablocks with a range of I/O addresses. For example, you could create 10 datablocks with the addresses N7:0 to N7:9999.

Delete – Deletes the channel, device, or datablock currently selected in the Tree Browser.

Setting up the Power Tool's Environment You can set up the Power Tool’s environment by displaying the Setup dialog box and completing each tab. The Setup dialog box lets you do the following:

• Set the statistics refresh rate.


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• Set the default configuration file name and default path for the configuration file.

• Make advanced settings for your I/O driver.

To open the Setup dialog box:

• Click the Setup button in the Run-time toolbar.

Setting the Statistics Refresh Rate

To set the refresh rate:

1. Click the Setup button in the Run-time toolbar.

2. Select the Display Setup tab.

3. Enter the refresh rate in the field provided.

IMPORTANT: The Power Tool reads the refresh rate whenever you switch into Statistics mode. Consequently, if you change the refresh rate while in Statistics mode, your changes do not take effect immediately. In order for the new refresh rate to take effect, you must switch into Configuration mode and then back to Statistics mode.

Setting Defaults for I/O Driver Configuration File Name and Path

The default path for the configuration file is the same path where you installed the I/O Server. The ABR driver requires you to specify the default path and file name when you automatically start the driver.

To set the default configuration file name and change the default path:


2. Select the Default Path tab.

3. Enter the configuration file’s default name and default path in the fields provided.


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NOTE: A configuration file named nodename.ABR is saved in the root iFIX directory when you install the driver. If you are using FIX, the file resides in the Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). Do not delete this file. FIX and iFIX use this file to load the driver.

If you subsequently change the name of your SCADA server after installing the ABR driver, FIX cannot automatically start the driver because the name of the node does not match the name of the configuration file. To correct this, rename the configuration file to match the name of your SCADA server. For example, if you change the name of the SCADA server from SCADA1 to SCADA9, rename the configuration file from SCADA1.ABR to SCADA9.ABR.

Making Advanced Settings

You can make more detailed settings for your driver using the Advanced tab in the Setup dialog box. Advanced settings are for fine-tuning your driver and should not be changed unless you have an intimate knowledge of how the driver operates and know that you need to make some adjustments.

To make advanced driver settings:

1. Click the Setup button, in the Run-time toolbar.

2. Select the Advanced tab. The Advanced fields display as shown below.


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3. Complete the Advanced fields by making selections for the following fields.

• DTL Init Size

• Simulation Mode

• Last Error Display

• Auto Create

• Auto Start

Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection

The Power Tool is a client of the ABR I/O Server. The Server maintains the driver's channel, device, and datablock objects and performs all required functions for communicating with the process hardware. The Power Tool accesses the Server and lets you view and modify channel, device, and datablock properties.

The ABR I/O Server Connection dialog box displays when you first start the Power Tool. This dialog box lets you choose whether to set up the Power Tool to communicate with a Local I/O Server (on your computer) or a Remote I/O Server (a computer on the network). If you choose a remote I/O Server, you must enter or select the remote machine name or address.

To change the ABR I/O Server connection:

• You can display the ABR I/O Driver Server Connection dialog box and change the settings

at any time by clicking the ABR I/O Server button in the Power Tool's Run-time toolbar.

To connect to the server on the local machine:

1. Start the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool or click the Server button in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool.


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2. Select the Use Local Server option and click Connect.

The Power Tool attempts to connect to the local server. If the connection is successful, the Connection dialog displays the message Connection Established and then the main window of the Power Tool displays. If the connection is not successful, the Connection dialog boxes displays the message Connection Not Established and you receive the following message:

Connection to the selected server has failed. Do you want to select another server?

3. Click Yes if you want to try connecting to a remote server. If you cannot connect to the local server, there is a problem with the server start-up. Refer to Using the Event Viewer for details on how to display any errors that the server or RSLinx may have generated.

To connect the server on a remote machine:

1. Start the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool or click the Server button in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool.

2. Select the Use Remote Server option and enter the remote machine name or TCP/IP address in the Remote Machine Name or TCP/IP Address field.

You must enter the machine name or address exactly. If you do not know the exact machine name, select it using the Network list box. If the connection is successful, the Connection dialog displays the message Connection Established and then the main window of the Power Tool displays. If the connection is not successful, the Connection dialog boxes displays the message Connection Not Established and you receive the following message:

Connection to the selected server has failed. Do you want to select another server?

3. Click Yes, if you want to try another server. If you cannot connect to the machine that the server is on, you may not have an account to that machine or your DCOM settings may be incorrect. Refer to How do I Set up Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more information.

Use the Show this Dialog on Startup check box, to select whether to display the ABR I/O Driver Server dialog box every time you start the driver.

Setting the I/O Server for Automatic Connection

To set your I/O Driver Power Tool to connect automatically to the I/O Server on either a local or remote machine:

1. From the Windows Explorer, open your FIX folder, typically C:\FIX32, and select ABRDidw.exe.

2. Create a shortcut by right-clicking the mouse and selecting Create Shortcut from the menu displayed.


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3. Select the Shortcut to the ABR Power Tool.

4. Right-click the mouse and select Properties from the menu displayed.

5. Select the Shortcut tab.

6. In the Target field, add one of the following command line parameters after ABRDidw.exe as shown in the examples:

Remote Connection Example

/N remote_machine_name ABRDIDW.EXE/ N Jake

/N remote_ip_address ABRDIDW.EXE/ N 199.103.251.114

Local Connection Example

/L ABRDIDW.EXE/ L

This setup suppresses the I/O Driver Server Connection dialog box on Power Tool start-up. This is a good practice if you plan to always use the same server on the same computer.

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Configuring Channels, Devices, and Datablocks

Choosing a Method for Configuring Your Driver You can configure the ABR I/O driver in several ways. The best method for you depends on how you decide to configure your process control system. The following table lists the driver configuration methods to choose from:

Method When to use

Using the Power Tool If you are familiar with your process hardware and want to make a detailed configuration.

Creating Datablocks from FIX Database Builder

If you are using FIX for process control and you know:

• The names of the devices you want the driver to access.

• The registers and addresses in the devices that you want to access.

Using a Visual Basic Client Application

If you are using a custom automation application built with a scripting language such as Visual Basic to configure the driver and access data.

Configuring the I/O Driver with the Power Tool

To configure the ABR I/O driver with the Power Tool:

1. Click the Add Channel button on the Configuration toolbar to add a channel to the Tree Browser.

2. Select the RSLinx driver that you want to use to communicate with the devices on the current channel.

3. Click the Add Device button to add a device.

4. Select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC Type field and enter an address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.

5. Click the Add Datablock button to add a datablock.

6. Add channels, devices, and datablocks as needed. If you need to create multiple datablocks with a range of I/O addresses, click the Generate Datablocks button and enter the address range you want for the datablocks you require.


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7. Modify the fields in the Properties Viewer as needed.

To modify the fields in the Properties Viewer:

1. Select a channel, device, or datablock from the Tree Browser. The fields for the selected item appear in the Properties Viewer.

2. Edit the fields you want to change.

Channels

Adding and Modifying Channels

To add a new channel to your driver configuration:

1. Click the Add Channel button on the Configuration toolbar. The new channel appears in the Tree Browser and the fields for entering channel properties appear in the Properties Viewer.

2. Enter the properties for the new channel. Edits to a field do not take effect until you remove the focus (the cursor) from the field.

3. Select the Enable check box to enable communication for the new channel.

You can add up to 40 channels with the ABR driver.

To modify an existing channel:

1. Select the channel you want to modify from the Tree Browser.

2. Edit the channel’s fields as needed. If the Enable check box is selected, the new channel settings take effect immediately once you remove focus (the cursor) from the current field.

Receiving Unsolicited Messages

Typically, messages from the process hardware are responses to requests from the ABR driver. However, certain process hardware can send data messages to the ABR driver. These messages are not requested by the ABR driver and are called unsolicited messages.

The ABR driver supports the following types of unsolicited messages:

• PLC 2 Unprotected Write.

• PLC 5 Typed Write.

• Typed Write from a PLC 5/250.

An unsolicited message occurs when the source PLC sends a write command to the ABR driver. Typically, the PLC sends this command when it transmits data to the ABR driver without the driver generating a request for the data.

When the ABR driver receives an unsolicited message, it must have allocated space to store the transmitted data. For PLC 2 unprotected writes, the driver allocates this space when you create a datablock of type UN. Consequently, by creating datablocks with this data type in your driver


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configuration, you enable the driver to allocate memory and store PLC 2 unprotected writes.

For PLC 5 typed writes or typed writes from a PLC 5/250, creating UN datablocks is not necessary because the driver can use the datablocks you create for a PLC 5 or a PLC 5/250 to read data from the hardware or accept writes from the hardware. For example, assume you create a datablock for a PLC 5 with the address N7:1 and a length of 50. This datablock can be used to receive unsolicited messages or poll the hardware for data.

The datablocks you create to receive unsolicited messages must be big enough to hold the largest possible message. If the datablocks are not big enough, the driver attempts to extend the target datablock to accommodate the incoming data. However, if there is another datablock using the addresses required by the target datablock, the driver cannot resize it to store the message and marks the message as bad.

Example

Suppose you have two datablocks.

Name Starting Address Length

Datablock A N7:1 50

Datablock B N7:51 50

In this configuration, the driver can store unsolicited messages for Datablock A that are up to 50 words long. If the driver receives a message that is 75 words long, the message is marked as bad since Datablock A cannot be resized.

However, if Datablock B receives an unsolicited message that is 75 words long, the driver resizes the datablock to accommodate the data.

Creating datablocks with the correct data type and length by itself does not allow the driver to receive unsolicited messages. You must also select the Receive Unsolicited Messages check box for the datablock’s channel. This check box enables the channel to receive unsolicited messages. When you clear the check box, the channel ignores unsolicited messages.

Receiving Unsolicited Typed Write Messages from a PLC 5/250

I and O information in a PLC 5/250 is global to the entire rack. Consequently, Typed Write messages from a PLC 5/250 containing I or O information does not contain any data regarding the module that sent it.

When the ABR 7.x driver parses the message, it uses the station number to identify the message source and ignores the module number. Now consider the following driver configuration:

Name PLC Type PLC 5/250 Module Station Address Enabled

Device0 PLC 5/250 0 199.103.251.49 No

Device1 PLC 5/250 0 199.103.251.49 Yes

Device2 PLC 5/250 1 199.103.251.49 Yes


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Device Name Start Address Length Enabled

Device1 Block1 I:0 100 Yes

Device2 Block2 I:0 200 Yes

Using this configuration, when the driver receives an unsolicited message from station 199.103.251.49 containing information from I:0, it traverses the device list on the channel looking for a device that matches the source station address. The first device found is Device0; however, Device0 is disabled and cannot accept any unsolicited messages.

Next, the driver finds Device1 in the list. This device is enabled and its station address matches the source address of the unsolicited message. Consequently, the driver examines Device1’s datablock list and finds Block1. Since the datablock is enabled, the driver does the following:

1. The driver examines the start address and the size of the block. The datablock starts at I:0 for a length of 100 elements.

2. The driver accepts the data from the unsolicited message because the message contains 50 elements and can be stored in Block1. If the message contained 200 elements, the driver would continue searching the datablock list because Block1 cannot store the unsolicited message. Upon examining Block2, the driver would then accept the data because this datablock can store the message’s data. However, if no match was found, the driver would ignore the incoming message and send text to the Server window to indicate the unsolicited message was ignored.

3. The driver places the data from the unsolicited message in the read area for Block1 and sets the data quality to GOOD.

Notice that once the driver finds a valid device and datablocks, it does not continue searching for any additional matching device/datablock pairs. In addition, even though Device2 is enabled and it’s station address matches the source address of the incoming message, and Block2 can hold the data from the unsolicited message, the driver does not update Block2 with the data because a match for the received message has already been found.

NOTES: Unsolicited messages are supported on the local link (network). Messages from remote links (offlinking addresses) are supported when communicating to a ControLogix Gateway on an Ethernet network. The devices sending the unsolicited messages must be a PLC5 or a PLC5/250 and must reside on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network. Refer to Offlinking to Remote Devices for more information.

Only one channel for a given RSLinx driver can receive unsolicited messages. If you configure two channels for an RSLinx driver, only the last channel configured receives the messages.

Setting Channel Timing Properties: Reply Timeout, Retry, and Delay Time

Reply Timeout, Retries, and Delay Time are timing properties of the driver and are set for each channel.

The timing sequence is as follows:

1. The I/O driver sends a message to the process hardware and waits the length of time specified in the Reply Timeout field for a response.


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2. If the process hardware does not respond, the driver re-sends the message for the number of times specified in the Retries field.

3. The driver marks the datablock as failed after all retries have been sent and the device has not responded.

a. If a back-up channel is specified, the driver uses the Failover Logic field to determine the device to switch to. For example, if Channel First is selected, the driver switches to the primary device on the back-up channel, waits the length of time specified in the Delay Time field, and sends the message to the datablock on the back-up channel. The message is sent once. If the primary device on the back-up channel does not respond, the driver switches to the back-up device on the back-up channel and the message is sent again. If the back-up device on the back-up channel does not respond, the driver switches to the back-up device on the primary channel, waits the delay time, and the message is sent again. If this device does not respond, the driver switches back the primary device on the primary channel and the cycle repeats.

b. If a back-up channel is not specified, the driver waits the delay time and switches to the back-up device specified in the Primary Channel Backup Address field. The message is sent once. If the back-up device does not respond, the driver switches back to the primary device on the primary channel, waits the delay time, and sends the message again. This cycle repeats until one of the devices responds.

c. If a back-up channel and a back-up device on the primary channel are not specified, the driver waits the delay time and re-initiates the polling process with the primary device on the primary channel.

4. The device may have multiple datablocks. In this situation, the driver uses its Quick Fail logic and only performs one cycle through the Timeout, Retries, and Delay process for the messages currently in the Read queue. It then marks the datablock and all subsequent datablocks on that device as failed and moves on to the next device. The next time the driver attempts to send the message to the failed device, it ignores the Retries and only makes one attempt. If the attempt is successful, the driver recovers all datablocks on the device and marks them ready for messages.

By using Quick Fail, the driver saves time and bypasses the problem device, thereby increasing its efficiency.

NOTE: RSLinx can communicate with only the first Ethernet interface card you configure. It provides no support for selecting and establishing communication with multiple Ethernet cards. Consequently, should the first Ethernet interface card fail, RSLinx cannot failover to another Ethernet card. As a result, you cannot failover from one Ethernet device to another Ethernet device with the ABR driver.

Example

Reply Timeout = 05 (5 seconds)

Retries = 5

Delay Time = 5:00 (5 minutes)

Back-up channel = none

Back-up device on primary channel = none


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The driver attempts to send a message to the process hardware. After 5 seconds, the device still has not responded so the driver re-sends the message.

The driver tries to send the message 6 times (the first time and then the 5 retries) with 5-second intervals between each attempt.

Each attempt fails; consequently, the driver marks the device as failed. If the driver has messages for other datablocks on the same device, it sends them only once without retries.

The driver waits 5 minutes before attempting to re-establish communication with the failed device.

Devices

Adding and Modifying Devices

To add a new device to your driver configuration:

1. From the Tree Browser, select the channel you want to add the device to.

2. Click the Add Device button on the Configuration toolbar. The new device appears in the Tree Browser and the fields for entering device properties appear in the Properties Viewer.

3. Enter the properties for the new device. Edits to a field do not take effect until you remove the focus (the cursor) from the field.

4. Select the Enable check box to enable communication for the new device.

To modify an existing device:

1. Select the device you want to modify from the Tree Browser.

2. Edit the device’s fields as needed. The device updates automatically once you remove the focus (the cursor) from the current field.

Datablocks

Adding and Modifying Datablocks

To add a new datablock to your driver configuration:

1. From the Tree Browser, select the device you want to add a datablock to.

2. Click the Add Datablock button on the Configuration toolbar. The new datablock appears in the Tree Browser and the fields for entering datablock properties appear in the Properties Viewer.

3. Enter the properties for the new datablock. Edits to a field do not take effect until you remove the focus (the cursor) from the field.

4. Select the Enable check box to enable communication for the new datablock.


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To modify an existing datablock:

1. Select the datablock you want to modify from the Tree Browser.

2. Edit the datablock’s fields as needed. If the Enable check box is selected, your changes take effect as soon as you remove focus from the field.

To add multiple consecutive datablocks to your driver configuration:

1. Click the Generate Datablocks button on the Configuration toolbar.

2. Enter the starting address for the datablocks you want to create in the Enter Start Address field.

3. Enter the total length for all the datablocks you want to create in the Enter Address Length field.

4. Select the Enable Generated Datablocks check box to enable the generated datablocks. The Power Tool creates as many datablocks as needed.

Example

Suppose you want to create datablocks starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks for this range of values, complete the following fields as shown:




Name Address Range







The ABR driver examines your configuration for possible errors when you enable a back-up channel and device. If the primary and back-up device do not use the same network protocol, the maximum length of the datablocks you can create is limited by whichever protocol is more restrictive. For example, if the primary device uses Ethernet and the back-up device use Data Highway Plus (DH+) you can only create datablocks with a length of 118 words because this is the maximum size allowed under DH+.


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Setting Datablock Address Properties: Start, End, and Length

The Starting Address, Ending Address, and Address Length fields define the memory location in the device that the datablock represents.

You must always enter a starting address. This is the point in the device that the datablock starts from. You can then enter either an ending address or an address length to complete the entire block.

Example

You want to create a datablock named DATABLOCK-C that starts at address N7:5 and has a length of 8.

To do this, enter N7:5 in the Starting Address field and 8 in the Address Length field. The Power Tool automatically completes the Ending Address field with the value N7:12.

DATABLOCK-C reads the following addresses in the N7 file of the device:

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

1920 IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII IIIIII

You can also create multiple consecutive datablocks using the Generate Datablocks button on the Configuration toolbar.

Example

Suppose you want to create datablocks starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks for this range of values, click the Generate Datablocks button and complete the following fields as shown:




Name Address Range







Valid addresses and address ranges supported by the ABR driver include:

• PLC 3 Addresses

• PLC 5 Addresses


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• PLC 5/250 Addresses

• SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses

• SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses

• MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses

• MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses

• ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Addresses

NOTE: ASCII writes are supported for A, ST, and N memory types only.

In most cases, when using a KT, KTX, KTXD, or KTC interface card, a datablock’s maximum length varies depending on the file number or address specified, as the following tables show.

ASCII, Binary, BCD, and Integer Datablock Maximum Lengths






Input, Output, and Status Datablock Maximum Lengths

And the starting address is... The maximum length is...

Less than 256 118

Greater than 255 117

Float Datablock Maximum Lengths







110

Maximum Datablock Lengths for Binary, Internal Storage, Output, Input, Integer, String, Block Transfer Data, and Unsolicited File Types (PLC 5/250 only)











Example


C Counter 0-9999 39 333 C:2

D0-D9999 BCD 0-9999 Varies 1000 D5:75

F0-9999 Float 0-9999 Varies 500 F8:10

I Input 0-23417 Octal

Varies 1000 I12:50



Varies 1000 O21:15

S Status 0-9999 Varies 1000 S20:6

T Timer 0-9999 39 333 T:3


118 1000 UN:0


Mem

ory Type &

File N

umber

Description

Address R

ange

Max. L

ength - KT

C

ards

Max. L

ength - KT

C

Cards

Max. L

ength - KT

C


odules

Max. L

ength - E

thernet

Max. L

ength - O

fflinking

Max. L

ength for U

nsolicited M

essages*

Exam

ple

A3- ASCII 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 116 A12:250


111

Mem

ory Type &

File N

umber

Description

Address R

ange

Max. L

ength - KT

C

ards

Max. L

ength - KT

C

Cards

Max. L

ength - KT

C


odules

Max. L

ength - E

thernet

Max. L

ength - O

fflinking

Max. L

ength for U

nsolicited M

essages*

Exam

ple

A9999

B3-B9999

Binary 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 B3:100

BT3-BT9999

Block Transfer

0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 BT20:200

C3-C9999

Counter 0-9999 39 39 37 333 39 38 C5:900

CT3-9999

ControlNet Transfer

0-9999 N/A 5 N/A N/A N/A N/A

D3-D9999

BCD 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 D44:3

F3-F9999

Float 0-9999 Varies Varies 56 500 59 57 F8:500

I (read only)

Input 0-23417 Octal

Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 I:50

MG3-MG9999

Message Control

0-9999 2 2 1 17 1 MG5:90

PD3-PD9999

PID Control

0-9999 1 1 1 12 1 1 PD6:18

N3 - N9999

Integer 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 N7:300

O (read only)

Output 0-23417 Octal

Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 O:50

R3-R9999

Control 0-9999 39 39 37 333 39 38 R6:20

S Status 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 S:30

ST3-ST9999

String 0-9999 2 2 2 23 2 ST34:38

T3-T9999

Timer 0-9999 39 39 37 333 39 22 T4:3


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Mem

ory Type &

File N

umber

Description

Address R

ange

Max. L

ength - KT

C

ards

Max. L

ength - KT

C

Cards

Max. L

ength - KT

C


odules

Max. L

ength - E

thernet

Max. L

ength - O

fflinking

Max. L

ength for U

nsolicited M

essages*

Exam

ple


N/A 2000 112 2000 118 114 UN:0

*Values represent the maximum size in elements as configured in the PLC 5 Typed Write message control block.

Valid PLC 5/250 Addresses





Example

B3-B9999 Binary 0-9999 1000 Varies B13:5

BR3-BR9999 Block Transfer Read

0-9999 1 1 BR24:8

BTD0-254 Block Transfer Data

0-254 255 Varies BTD2:0

BW3-BW9999 Block Transfer Write

0-9999 1 1 BW25:70

C3-C9999 Counter 0-9999 333 40 C35:2

F3-F9999 Float 0-9999 500 60 F45:12

I (read only) Input 0-23417 Octal

1000 Varies I:6

IS Internal Storage

0-23417 Octal

1000 Varies IS:7

L0-L9999 Long 0-9999 500 60 L92:1

MSG3- MSG9999

Message Control

0-9999 17 1 MSG53:4

N0-N9999 Integer 0-9999 1000 Varies N7:0


1000 Varies O:64

PD3-PD999 PID Control 0-9999 12 1 PD200:29

R3-R9999 Control 0-9999 333 40 R76:35


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Example

S Status 0-9999 1000 Varies S:306

ST3-ST9999 String 0-9999 23 2 ST89:38

T3-T9999 Timer 0-9999 333 19 T4:10


2000 Varies UN:8

Valid SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses




Example

B3, B10-B255

Binary 0-255 41 B3:10

C5, C10-C255

Counter 0-255 13 C5:15

N7, N10-N255

Integer 0-255 41 N7:20

R6, R10-R255

Control 0-255 13 R6:25

S Status 0-15 41 S:0

T4, T10-T255

Timer 0-255 13 T:30

Valid SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses





Example

A3-A9999 ASCII 0-9999 Varies 1000 A11:6


C3-C9999 Counter 0-9999 39 333 C5:20

F3-F9999 Float 0-9999 Varies 500 F8:30

I (read only) Input 0-9999 Varies 1000 I:2


O (read only) Output 0-9999 Varies 1000 O:1


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Example

R3-R9999 Control 0-9999 39 333 R6:21

S:0 Status 0-9999 Varies 1000 S:12

ST3-ST9999 String 0-9999 2 23 ST12:34

T3-T9999 Timer 0-9999 39 333 T4:8

UN Unsolicited 0-9999 118 1000 UN:50

Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses*




Example


C5 Counter 0-255 39 C5:25




R6 Control 0-255 39 R6:13


T4 Timer 0-255 39 T4:39


Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses*




Example


C5 Counter 0-255 39 C5:25




R6 Control 0-255 39 R6:13



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Example

T4 Timer 0-255 39 T4:39


Supported ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Memory Types





Example

F0-F999 Float 0-9999 Varies 500 F8:500

N0 - N999 Integer 0-9999 Varies 1000 N7:300

Setting Datablock Timing Properties: Rate, Phase, and Access Time

The Primary Rate, Secondary Rate, Phase, and Access Time fields determine the timing of the driver's polling process. Polling is the process of sending or receiving messages between the driver and a specific datablock. The timing sequence works as follows:

1. The driver polls the datablock at the specified primary poll rate. For example, if you enter 2 seconds in the Primary Rate field, the driver polls for data every 2 seconds.

2. The process control software no longer requests data from the datablock. The driver continues polling at the primary poll rate until the access time expires.

a. If the process control software makes a request on the same datablock before the access time expires, the access time resets and the driver continues polling at the primary poll rate.

b. If the access time expires, the driver starts polling the datablock at the secondary poll rate. To maximize the efficiency of the driver, specify a secondary poll rate that is longer than the primary poll rate. This configuration ensures that the driver polls the datablock at a slower rate when there are no requests.

c. If the process control software stops its request, the access time expires, and you do not specify a secondary poll rate, the driver stops polling the datablock.

d. When the process control software requests data from the datablock again, the access time resets and the driver polls at the primary poll rate.

Refer to Using Primary and Secondary Poll Rates with Access Time for examples of primary and secondary poll rates with access times.

Typically, you phase datablocks when you are collecting information from many points on a single device. Phasing means staggering the first time at which the driver polls its datablocks. When the phase time expires, the driver resumes reading its datablocks at the specified primary or secondary poll rate. Refer to Using Phasing with Poll Rates for an example of phasing datablocks.


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Using Primary and Secondary Poll Rates with Access Time

Below practical examples for combining your primary poll rates, secondary poll rates, and access times are provided to help you configure your datablocks.

Example 1

PollRec1

Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds

Secondary Poll Rate = Disabled

Access Time = 5 minutes

In this datablock, when the access time expires, the driver attempts to poll with the secondary poll rate then stops because this poll rate is disabled.

Example 2

PollRec2


Secondary Poll Rate = 1 minute


In PollRec2, when the access time expires, the driver switches to the secondary poll rate and then polls the datablock every minute.

Example 3

PollRec3



Access Time = Disabled

The driver always polls PollRec3 at 10 seconds with this configuration because the access time is disabled.

Example 4

PollRec4

Primary Poll Rate = Disabled



The driver does not read messages from PollRec4 on the device. This is the configuration for a write-only datablock.

Using Phasing with Poll Rates

Below a practical example for phasing the primary poll rate is provided to help you configure your datablocks.


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In situations where the mode of transmission is slow, such as serial communication to a SLC 5, we recommend phasing one or more datablocks to prevent overruns. Overruns can occur when the driver attempts to process (read data from) more datablocks at one time than it can handle. By using phasing, you can stagger when the driver processes a datablock.

Example

The following table shows an example of 10 datablocks processing every 10 seconds.

Name Primary Poll Rate Phase

Datablock0 10 0

Datablock1 10 1

Datablock2 10 2

Datablock3 10 3

Datablock4 10 4

Datablock5 10 5

Datablock6 10 6

Datablock7 10 7

Datablock8 10 8

Datablock9 10 9

The driver processes the first datablock immediately after starting up. Each subsequent datablock message is processed one second later instead of all at once.

NOTE: When transmission errors, retries, or other errors occur, the phasing you set may not remain consistent. You may have to stop and restart the driver.

Setting Default Values

Setting Default Values for Channels, Devices, and Datablock Properties

You can enter defaults for driver, channel, device, and datablock properties by clicking the Templates

button, , in the Run-time toolbar and displaying the Templates dialog box.


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The driver uses the defaults you enter when you:

• Add addresses to the driver configuration from FIX Database Builder or an OLE application, or

• Configure the driver from the Power Tool.

The Power Tool stores the default driver, channel, device, and datablock properties in the registry of the computer on which you installed the ABR I/O Server. For example, if you run the Power Tool and connect to a server on another computer, the default values you enter are written to the remote server.

Setting default values can significantly decrease I/O driver configuration time. For example, if you have 100 devices that have the same property settings except for the device name and IP address, you can use the default settings for each device and modify only the two unique fields.

Example

Entering the following as channel default values:

Channel Description: Channel1

Channel Name: Channel1

Sets the registry on the server as shown below:


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Configuring from FIX Applications

Overview: Creating Datablocks Inside FIX Applications

You do not have to use the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool to create all of the driver datablocks. If you have the right information, you can add datablocks while configuring your database in FIX Database Builder.

To configure the driver from FIX Database Builder, you must know the following information about the driver:

• The three-letter acronym for the driver. For the ABR driver, the acronym is ABR.

• The data type of the data you want to receive.

• The name of the field device or process hardware that you want to collect data from, as defined in the driver configuration.

• The register in the device that you want to collect data from.

• The type of signal conditioning you want to apply to the data.

• The specific digital point in the register you want to access. This information is only necessary for digital database blocks. The ABR driver accepts bit entries of 0 to 15.

Datablocks are automatically created for devices that already exist in the Power Tool. Devices are not automatically created. Remember that the Device field in FIX Database Builder accepts the three-letter driver acronym. The I/O Address field uses the device name assigned in the Power Tool followed by the memory location in the device.

Refer to Entering Driver Information in FIX Database Builder for details on entering driver data in Database Builder for automatic datablock creation.

IMPORTANT: Always stop any 7.x driver you have running before you import a database, reload a database, or create multiple database blocks with the Generate command. If you leave the driver running while you complete any of these tasks, the database may not load or import properly, or you may have to restart FIX or Database Builder.


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Entering Driver Information in FIX Database Builder

To enter driver specifications for a database block in FIX Database Builder:

1. Select Add from the Blocks menu in the FIX Database Builder to add a database block. Database Builder prompts you to select the type of database block.

2. Select the type of block and click OK. The block's dialog box appears as shown below.

Database Block Dialog Box

3. Enter a name in the Tag Name field.

4. Complete the driver fields with the appropriate information for your driver.

I/O Driver Fields

Refer to the following topics for valid entries for each field:

• Specifying I/O Drivers in the Device Field


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• Specifying Hardware Options

• Specifying I/O Addresses

• Specifying Signal Conditioning

Specifying the I/O Driver in FIX Database Builder

The Device field in Database Builder identifies the I/O driver that the database block accesses. This field accepts your driver’s three-letter acronym. The default for this field is the first driver listed in the Configured I/O Driver list box in the SCADA Configuration dialog box of the System Configuration Utility (SCU). For the ABR driver, enter ABR in this field.

Specifying I/O Addresses in FIX Database Builder

You can specify the datablock address that the database block accesses in the Database Builder I/O Address field. ABR I/O addresses typically consist of the device name and the datablock element. The I/O address is specific to the driver. This field is not case sensitive.

NOTE: When accessing file type D, the signal conditioning is assumed to be 4BCD with no scaling. Entries in the Signal Conditioning and Engineering Units fields are ignored.

ABR I/O addresses have the following format: DEVICE_NAME:ADDRESS [:BIT] or

DEVICE_NAME:ADDRESS.MNEMONIC


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Where:

Parameter Description

DEVICE_NAME Is the name of the field device or process hardware that you want to collect data from. This name must match the device name in the driver configuration file.

ADDRESS Is a register in the device. This address matches the address defined by a datablock, such as N7:3.

BIT Is a specific digital point in the register. This entry is only necessary for digital database blocks. The driver accepts bit entries of 0 to 15. For a PLC 3, bits values range from 0 to 7 and 10 to 17.

MNEMONIC Is a particular field in a data structure. Each mnemonic may return an analog or digital value and is analog and digital sensitive. For example, if you use the following syntax for an analog block:

Device1:PD13:1.INI

FIX returns an error message since INI is a digital mnemonic. To display a list of mnemonics, refer to Supported Mnemonics.

If you enter an I/O address that is not defined by a datablock, the driver performs one of the following operations if you enabled the Auto Create option:

• Adds the datablock to the specified device, or

• Extends an existing datablock to include the new address.

If you have not enabled the Auto Create option:

• Database Builder prompts you to start the Power Tool so that you can add the nonexistent datablock to your driver configuration. You can then continue configuring the database block.

NOTE: You are also prompted to start the Power Tool whenever you enter the name of an undefined device.

The driver optimizes the building of datablocks by automatically determining whether to extend an existing datablock or add a new one. If you want to modify the datablock default values, open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool and make the changes to the configuration file.

You can enter the following special addresses into the I/O Address field of a Digital Output or Analog Output block to perform certain events:

!SWITCH:NAME

!MODE:NAME

!POLL:NAME

!SEND:DATABLOCK

!START

Where NAME is the name of the channel, device, or datablock you want to perform the event on.


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Special Address Events

Command Description

!SWITCH Triggers the failover logic by switching to a back-up device when any value is written to a Digital Output or Analog Output block. For the order in which the driver switches among your devices, refer to the Failover Logic field.

!MODE Enables polling to the channel, device, or datablock specified when a value of 1 is written to a Digital Output block (Analog Output blocks are not supported). Disabling a specified object occurs when a value of 0 is written to a Digital Output block.

!POLL Triggers a demand (one-shot) poll of:

A channel and all of its devices and datablocks,

A device and all its datablocks, or

a specified datablock

when any value is written to a Digital Output or Analog Output block.

!SEND Sends a special command to the specified datablock when any value is written to a Digital Output block. The command is sent only if the Block Writes option is enabled in the datablock. The command instructs the driver to send all outstanding writes in a single message to the process hardware.

When the driver sends its outstanding writes, it also sends any unmodified values in the datablocks that are changing using the last known value. Consequently, we recommend relatively short poll times for datablocks you are writing to so that the driver will have the most up-to-date data.

The ABR driver supports block writes with the following file types: A, B, D, O, N, L, and F. On a PLC5/250, the driver also supports blocks writes for BTD file types. You cannot use an Analog Output block to trigger block writes.

!START Starts the driver when a value of 1 is written to a Digital Output block (Analog Output blocks are not supported). To stop the driver, write a value of 0 to a Digital Output block.

Specifying Signal Conditioning in Database Builder

With the Database Builder Signal Conditioning field, you can specify the method for converting raw data to a value that FIX applications can use. Once you select a signal conditioning, the driver scales (converts) the data to a value within the specified range.


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Unsigned data types support many types of signal conditioning; signed values only support LIN signal conditioning. The type of signal conditioning you select must match the range of incoming values from the process hardware. By matching the range of values in the process hardware, you ensure the driver can properly convert the raw data values to the database block’s EGU range. For example, if the incoming values are between 0 and 255, you would select 8BN signal conditioning.

ABR Supported Signal Conditioning Types

• NONE Signal Conditioning

• RNDF Signal Conditioning

• 12BN Signal Conditioning

• 12AL Signal Conditioning (with alarming)

• 12LZ Signal Conditioning (with alarming)



• LIN Signal Conditioning

• 3BCD Signal Conditioning

• 4BCD Signal Conditioning





• 14LZ Signal Conditioning (with alarming)



IMPORTANT: Most signal conditioning types with alarming return values with all 16 bits and generate an OVER or UNDER range alarm if a value is outside the EGU range of the database block. For example, if a database block using 8AL signal conditioning receives a value of 300, an OVER range alarm is generated and the value 300 is displayed.

When 3BCD or 4BCD signal conditioning is used, out of range values are not displayed. For example, if a database block using 3BCD signal conditioning receives a value of 1000, an OVER range alarm is


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generated and question marks are displayed instead of the out of range value.

When accessing file type D, the signal conditioning is assumed to be 4BCD with no scaling. Entries in the Signal Conditioning and Engineering Units fields are ignored.

Signal conditioning is supported for Timer and Counter mnemonics ACC and PRE. These are the only structured memory types that the ABR driver supports with signal conditioning.

Specifying Hardware Options in FIX Database Builder

The ABR driver ignores entries into the Database Builder Hardware Options field. In other drivers, the field is used to override the data type of the associated datablock.

Opening the Power Tool from FIX Database Builder

To open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool from FIX Database Builder:

• Select ABR from the Drivers menu. Any devices or datablocks that you added appear in the Tree Browser.

Setting Up for Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder

FIX Database Builder uses the default settings for datablocks when you add a new database block that refers to an undefined address. Default values may already be set for your application. To find out what the default values are, open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool and click the Templates button in the Run-time toolbar. When the Templates dialog box appears, you can display the default channel, device, and datablock values by selecting a tab. To change a value, refer to Setting Default Values for Channels, Devices, and Datablock Properties.

Verifying New Datablocks Created in FIX Database Builder

When you create a datablock in FIX Database Builder, it automatically adds to the driver server.

To verify that the datablock was added to the run-time configuration:

1. Open the ABR Power Tool and select an item in the Tree Browser.

2. Press the F5 key to refresh the Tree Browser.

3. Expand the device containing the datablock you added.

Example

If you enter the following in the FIX Database Builder driver-specific fields:


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And the default settings for datablocks entered in Power Tool's Templates dialog box are:

The Power Tool Tree Browser displays:

Press the F5 key to refresh the Tree Browser, and the Tree Browser displays:


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And the properties for the datablock are:

Use the following I/O driver-specific fields in FIX Database Builder to set up the driver:

• Device

• Hardware Options

• I/O Address

• Signal Conditioning

Saving Datablocks Created in FIX Database Builder to the Configuration File

Creating a datablock with Database Builder only adds the datablock to the run-time configuration, not the driver configuration file.

To save the datablock to the configuration file, you can:

• Save the configuration file in the Power Tool at any time while FIX is running by clicking the


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Save button.

• Let the datablock automatically add to the configuration file when you shut down FIX by clicking an item in the Tree Browser and pressing Alt + Shift + S. When the Server window appears select Save on FIX Exit from the Server menu.

Making Reports

Using I/O Driver Report Files

You can use I/O driver report files (.CSV files) to document, create, or upgrade I/O driver configuration binary files. .CSV files are Comma Separated Value files that you can view and edit in a text editor or Microsoft Excel.

Driver .CSV files have the following sections:

• Report header

• Channel header

• Channel data

• Device header

• Device data

• Datablock header

• Datablock data

.CSV File Section

Description

Report Header

Informational and contains the driver name and the date of the report.

Channel Header

Contains a list of all the channel properties. The channel header must start with an exclamation point (!).

Channel Data

Contains the values of the channel properties for your driver configuration. The number of data values must match the number of channel properties listed in the channel header. If you do not specify a value for a property, it uses the default value for that property.

Device Header

Contains a list of all the device properties. The device header must start with an at-sign (@).

Device Data Contains the values of the device properties for your driver configuration. The number of data values must match the number of device properties listed in the device header. If you do not specify a value for a property, it uses the default value for that property.

Datablock Header

Contains a list of all the datablock properties. The datablock header must start with a pound sign (#).


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.CSV File Section

Description

Datablock Data

Contains the values of the datablock properties for your driver configuration. The number of data values must match the number of datablock properties listed in the datablock header. If you do not specify a value for a property, it uses the default value for that property.

Example .CSV file displayed in a text editor

.CSV File Section

Example

Report Header

[ I/O Driver Configuration Report, Wednesday May 14 1999, 11:26 AM]

Channel Header

!Name,Description,Enabled,PrimaryRSLinxDriverName,PrimaryReceiveUnsolicited, BackupRSLinxDriverName,BackupReceiveUnsolicited,SwitchOverMethod,PrimaryReplyTimeout, PrimaryRetries,PrimaryDelay,BackupReplyTimeout,BackupRetries,BackupDelay

Channel Data

Channel0,"This,Is,The,Description",1,AB_ETH1,0,,0,Device First,1,3,10,1,3,10 Channel14,"This,Is,The,Description 1",0

Device Header

@Channel,Name,Description,PlcType,PyramidIntegratorSlot,PyramidIntegratorRouting, PyramidIntegratorDestPlcType,PrimaryChannelPrimaryStation,PrimaryChannelBackupStation, BackupChannelPrimaryStation,BackupChannelBackupStation,Enabled,PrimaryRoutingOption, BackupRoutingOption,DestinationBridge,SourceBridge,PrimaryGatewayDestinationLink, PrimaryGatewayChannel,PrimaryGatewaySlot,PrimaryGatewayPath,BackupGatewayDestinationLink,BackupGatewayChannel,BackupGatewaySlot,BackupGatewayPath,OutstandingMessagesMax

Device Data

Channel0,Device2,"This,Is,The,Description 2",PLC5,0,None,PLC5,100.100.100.100, 100.100.100.101,,,1,None,None,0,0,,2,,"ENet,->,DH+",,2,,"ENet,->,DH+",40 Channel0,Device6,"This,Is,The,Description 3",PLC5250,1,RM Chan 2,PLC5, 100.100.100.101,100.100.101.101,,,1,None,None,0,0,,2,,"ENet,->,DH+",,2,,"ENet,->,DH+",40 Channel14,Device8,"This,Is,The,Description 4",SLC500,0,SLC500,None,100.100.100.102, 100.100.102.101,,,1,None,None,0,0,,2,,"ENet,->,DH+",,2,,"ENet,->,DH+",40

Datablock Header

#Device,Name,Description,StartAddress,Length,PrimaryPollTime,SecondaryPollTime, Phase,AccessTime,DeadBand,Enabled,LatchData,OutputDisabled,DataType

Datablock Data

Device2,Block13,,N7:0,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block14,,N7:50,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block15,,N7:100,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block16,,N7:150,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block17,,N7:200,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block18,,N7:250,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block19,,N7:300,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2 Device2,Block20,,N7:350,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2

You can import a .CSV file from the Power Tool or the I/O Server. Regardless of the method you select, any errors in the .CSV file appear in the I/O Server window when you import it. To view the errors, click an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S.


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Example of Errors Displayed in I/O Server

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Running the I/O Driver

Viewing Statistics

Viewing I/O Driver Statistics

The I/O Driver Statistics display shows statistics for the I/O driver. This is the highest level of driver statistics and provides information about the entire system. The number of transmits, receives, timeouts, retries, errors, and overruns are displayed for all channels, devices, and datablocks in the current configuration.

To display the driver’s statistics, select the I/O driver icon from the Tree Browser and then click the

Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar.

Viewing Channel Statistics

The Channel Statistics display shows statistics for the selected channel. The number of transmits, receives, timeouts, retries, errors, and overruns displayed are for all devices and datablocks configured for the channel. You can also see the number of messages waiting for a response, the number of messages waiting to be parsed, and the number of requests pending for the channel.

To display a channel’s statistics, select the channel from the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar.

Viewing Device Statistics

The Device Statistics display shows statistics for the selected device. The number of transmits, receives, timeouts, retries, errors, and overruns are displayed for all datablocks configured for the device. You can also see the number of unsolicited messages received, the number of messages processed per second, and the number of outstanding messages for the device.

To display a device’s statistics, select the device from the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button

on the Run-time toolbar.

Viewing Datablock Statistics

The Datablock Statistics display shows statistics for the selected datablock. The number of transmits, receives, timeouts, retries, errors, and overruns are displayed. Other available statistics include the last time the driver successfully read data from and wrote data to the datablock, the OPC quality of the datablock, and the number of pending datablock writes.

To display a datablock’s statistics, select the datablock from the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar.


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Starting and Stopping the I/O Driver

Starting the I/O Driver from the Power Tool

To start the I/O driver from the I/O Driver Power Tool:

1. Specify a default path and configuration file name for the driver:



c. Enter the configuration file’s default name and default path in the fields provided.

2. Configure your channels, devices, and datablocks. Click the Enable check box for each channel, device, and datablock you want to start.

3. Click the Start button from the Run-time toolbar. The driver processes all enabled channels, devices, and datablocks.

If you want to start the driver automatically, you should also turn on the Auto Start option:

1. Select the Setup button in the Power Tool’s Run-time toolbar.

2. Select the Advanced tab in the Setup dialog box.

3. Click the Auto Start On option button from the Server area.

Starting the I/O Driver from the FIX SCU

IMPORTANT: You must install the ABR driver in your root FIX or iFIX directory to start it from the SCU. If you have not installed the driver in this directory, uninstall it and then re-install it in the proper path.

To start the ABR I/O driver from FIX SCU:

1. Start the System Configuration Utility (SCU):

a. Select Programs from the Start menu.

b. Select FIX, Dynamics, or iFIX from the Programs menu.

c. Select System Configuration from the context menu.

2. Click the SCADA button from the SCU toolbox.

3. Click the ? button next to the I/O Driver Name field for a list of available drivers.


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4. Select the ABR I/O driver.

5. Click Add.

6. Click Configure.

7. Click the Start button from the Power Tool.

NOTE: You must have an ABR configuration file in your root iFIX directory with a name of nodename.ABR. This file is necessary for iFIX to load the driver and is created by the installation program when you install the ABR driver. You also need a configuration file with a different name that defines your channels, devices, and datablocks.

If you are using FIX, nodename.ABR resides in your Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). Do not delete this file. FIX uses this file to load the driver. Use nodename.ABR to define your channels, devices, and datablocks.

Setting the I/O Driver for Automatic Startup in FIX

You can configure a driver to start automatically by adding the I/O Control program to the list of programs that are defined in the System Configuration Utility (SCU) to start automatically. FIX or iFIX may have already added this program to the list if you had one or more drivers installed when you installed FIX. However, if you do not have any drivers installed, or I/O Control is not listed, add the program to the Configured Tasks list in the SCU.

IMPORTANT: You must install the ABR driver in your root FIX or iFIX directory to automatically start it from the SCU. If you have not installed the driver in this directory, uninstall it and then re-install it in the proper path.

To set the I/O driver for automatic startup:





2. Click the Tasks button from the SCU toolbox.

3. Enter the Base path and IOCNTRL.EXE in the Filename field.

4. Enter the following command lines as needed, separated by a space:


/A Starts all I/O drivers identified in the SCADA configuration.

/Sxxx Starts one I/O driver where xxx is the three-letter I/O driver acronym.


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5. Select the Background option button and click Add.

If you are connecting datablocks to one or more database blocks and need to access data with SAC, add the ABR I/O driver to the SCADA Configuration dialog box, as follows:


2. Select the ? button next to the I/O Driver Name field.

3. Select the ABR driver from the dialog box and click OK. The following text appears in the I/O Driver Name field:

ABR - Allen-Bradley RSLinx 7.x

4. Click Add to add the selected I/O driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list box.



If you change the name of your SCADA server after installing the ABR driver, FIX cannot automatically start the driver because the name of the node does not match the name of the configuration file. To correct this, rename the configuration file to match the name of your SCADA server. For example, if you change the name of the SCADA server from SCADA1 to SCADA9, rename the configuration file from SCADA1.ABR to SCADA9.ABR.

Starting the I/O Driver Manually from Mission Control

To start the I/O driver manually from Mission Control:

1. Start Mission Control:



c. Select Mission Control from the context menu.

2. Click the I/O Control tab. This tab displays a list of each driver installed on your system, along with the driver’s status (ACTIVE or STOPPED).

3. Select the driver you want to start from the Drivers list box.

4. Click Start. If the selected I/O driver is already running, the Start button becomes a Stop


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button.



Stopping the I/O Driver

To stop the I/O driver manually from Mission Control:

1. Start Mission Control:



c. Select Mission Control from the context menu.

2. Click the I/O Control tab. This tab displays a list of each driver installed on your computer, along with the driver’s status (ACTIVE or STOPPED).

3. Select the driver you want to stop from the Drivers list box.

4. Click Stop.

To stop the I/O driver from the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool:

• Click the Stop button from the Run-time toolbar.

To stop the driver from a FIX application:

1. Open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool. Refer to Opening the Power Tool from FIX Database Builder to learn how.

2. Click the Stop button from the Run-time toolbar.

Checking Driver Communication The following step-by-step procedure details how to set up a single Data link and enabling communication between FIX software and the process hardware with the ABR I/O driver.


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To add the ABR I/O driver to a SCADA configuration and launch the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool:






3. Click the question mark (?) next to the I/O Driver Name field. A list of drivers installed on the local node appears.

4. Select the ABR I/O driver and click Add. The ABR I/O driver adds to the Configured I/O Drivers list.

5. Save and exit the SCU.

6. Start or restart FIX.

7. Start the ABR Power Tool:



c. Select ABR Power Tool from the context menu.

NOTE: When you start the ABR driver, it automatically starts RSLinx for you. If you have not configured RSLinx, do so now before you proceed. For more information on configuring RSLinx, refer to your RSLinx documentation.

To configure a device with the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool:

1. With the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool open, click the Add Channel button from the Configuration toolbar.

2. Select an RSLinx driver and select the Enable check box.

3. Select the channel that you added from the Tree Browser, and select the Add Device button from the Configuration toolbar.

4. Enter the appropriate information. Change the device’s name to TESTPOINT.

5. Enter an address for the device in the Primary Channel Primary Address field. If you selected a Data Highway Plus (DH+) or DH485 RSLinx driver, enter a DH+ station number. If you


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selected an Ethernet RSLinx driver, enter an IP address.

6. Select the Enable check box.

To add a link that accesses the configured device from FIX Draw:

1. From the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool, click the Setup button in the Run-time toolbar.

2. Click the Advanced tab and select Auto Create On from the Server area.

3. Open FIX Draw.

4. If the Toolbox does not appear on your screen, select Toolbox from the Tools menu.

5. Click the Data Link button on the Toolbox. A stamp appears.

6. Position the stamp on the screen and click once.

7. Enter a tagname.

8. Select Allow Data Entry in the Data Entry area of the dialog box. When the Choose Data Entry method dialog box appears, click OK.

9. Select Controllable in the Data Link dialog box.

10. Click OK. A message box appears stating that the tagname does not exist and prompting you to add it.

11. Click Add.

12. Select Analog Input and click OK.

13. Enter ABR in the Device field.

14. Enter TESTPOINT:N7:15 in the I/O Address field.

Where TESTPOINT is the device name you entered in the Power Tool, and N7:15 is the register in the device that you want to access for the tag.

15. Select OK. Database Builder automatically adds a datablock for the address N7:15.

16. Select Quickview from the View menu.

17. Data from the hardware appears in the link. If it does not, refer to the Troubleshooting section.

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Optimizing the Driver

Optimizing Your System The following topics provide tips for optimizing your process.

• Optimizing message lengths.

• Cleaning up datablocks while using the Auto Create option in FIX applications.

• Using the secondary poll rate with access time.

• Understanding outstanding message allocation at the channel level.

• Understanding and configuring the maximum outstanding messages per device.

Optimizing Message Lengths Automatically creating datablocks from FIX Database Builder is an easy way to reference device addresses without having to use both an I/O driver configuration program (Power Tool, VB Client application, or other) and FIX software. When you use this feature, you may find it necessary to modify the datablock address properties to optimize throughput. By using this approach, you ensure that all of the requested data can be retrieved from the process hardware with the fewest number of datablocks. Since each datablock represents a message request, the more data that can be retrieved with the fewest requests, the more bandwidth on your network will be available for other uses, such as peer-to-peer communications or additional PLCs and SCADA servers.

Example

The following example assumes that the communication protocol of the selected RSLinx driver has a limit of 120 registers per datablock, and the ABR driver configuration has not been loaded.

1. Create a FIX tag referencing address N7:130.

Once this tag is added, the driver configuration has a datablock (we will call it DataBlock1 in this example) with a start address of N7:130, an end address of N7:130, and a length of 1.


When this tag is added, the driver configuration has another datablock (we will call it DataBlock2 in this example) with a start address of N7:5, end address of N7:5, and a length of 1.


When this tag is added, DataBlock2 in the driver configuration starts at register N7:5, ends at register N7:120, and has a length of 116.


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This behavior may not have a major impact on small configurations; however, for large configurations, it is more efficient to extend DataBlock1 to start at N7:120 and end at N7:130 and change DataBlock2 to start at N7:5 and end at N7:5 because the first scenario generates the following messages:

• Message 1: N7:5, length 116


The second scenario, by comparison, generates these messages:



In both cases, the same three registers of data are polled. However, by requesting smaller groups of contiguous data, as in the second scenario, the driver configuration uses less bandwidth.

You should periodically start the I/O Driver Power Tool, examine the driver configuration datablock address properties, and modify them for optimization.

How do I eliminate excess datablocks? Use the following procedure to eliminate excess datablocks if you enabled the Auto Create option in your I/O driver configuration and you created FIX database blocks that required new datablocks. This procedure removes any incorrectly configured or unused datablocks.

Using the Auto Create option also adds datablocks with default values. If you have modified the poll rate or access time of one or more datablocks, use the procedure at the end of this topic.

NOTE: You may not be able to delete datablocks from the driver configuration because another computer may start accessing them.

To eliminate excess datablocks:

1. With FIX running, open Mission Control, click the SAC tab, and click Stop, to stop SAC.

2. Open the I/O Driver Power Tool and delete all the datablocks. Do not delete the channels and devices.

3. Return to Mission Control and the SAC tab. Click Start. The driver automatically adds the necessary datablocks with the default settings defined in the Power Tool.

This procedure guarantees that the I/O driver configuration in the Power Tool matches what you are accessing in your FIX database.

If you made specific modifications to one or more datablocks, such as a different poll rate for each datablock on a device, use the following procedure.

To eliminate excess datablocks for specialized configuration files:

1. Export the current driver configuration file by saving it as a .CSV file.


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2. Perform the three steps above for removing excess datablocks.

3. Compare the export file to the new configuration. Note any differences.

4. Modify the export file as needed.

5. Import the modified export file and save it as a driver configuration file.

Using Primary and Secondary Poll Rates with Access Time Below practical examples for combining your primary poll rates, secondary poll rates, and access times are provided to help you configure your datablocks.

Example 1

PollRec1




In this datablock, when the access time expires, the driver attempts to poll with the secondary poll rate then stops because this poll rate is disabled.

Example 2

PollRec2


Secondary Poll Rate = 1 minute


In PollRec2, when the access time expires, the driver switches to the secondary poll rate and then polls the datablock every minute.

Example 3

PollRec3




The driver always polls PollRec3 at 10 seconds with this configuration because the access time is disabled.

Example 4

PollRec4

Primary Poll Rate = Disabled


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The driver does not read messages from PollRec4 on the device. This is the configuration for a write-only datablock.

Understanding Outstanding Message Allocation at the Channel Level Whenever the poll time expires on a datablock, the ABR driver builds a message for the datablock to send to the PLC. RSLinx limits the maximum number of pending messages the ABR driver can have at any time to 40. This limit means that RSLinx allows up to 40 simultaneous message transactions at any time across all channels. Once the driver has 40 pending message requests, it cannot send another message request until it receives a reply or a timeout for one or more of the outstanding messages.

Because of the RSLinx limit, the ABR driver automatically distributes the number of allowable outstanding messages among the configured channels to ensure an effective distribution for optimum performance. The distribution of the messages depends on the channel’s method of communication. For example, the ABR driver allocates 1 messages to DF1 (serial) channels. For all other channels, the ABR driver attempts to evenly divide the remaining outstanding message count among them.

Example

A configuration of 1 Ethernet, 1 Data Highway Plus (DH+), and 1 DF1 channel would divide the outstanding message count as follows:

Channel Method of Communication Message Allocation

1 DH+ 20

2 Ethernet 19

3 DF1 1

You may not need all the messages the ABR driver automatically allocates for a given device. For this reason, the ABR Power Tool also lets you configure the maximum of outstanding messages for each device. To learn more about configuring the maximum outstanding messages for a device, refer to “Understanding and Configuring the Maximum Outstanding Messages per Device.”

Understanding and Configuring the Maximum Outstanding Messages per Device Your specific network configuration may require you to modify the number of outstanding messages that any one device has pending at a given time. For example, any of the following circumstances may require you to make changes to a device’s maximum outstanding messages:

• Buffering limitations of a device.

• The user-defined rate at which information is sent to or received from a device on a particular channel.


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• Your attempts to evenly distribute message requests across all devices.

The ABR Power Tool automatically allocates a maximum number of outstanding messages for each channel. However, the Power Tool also lets you fine-tune these values on a per device basis. To learn more about how outstanding messages are allocated at the channel level, refer to Understanding and Outstanding Messages at the Channel Level.

Configuring the Maximum Number of Outstanding Messages

Configuring a maximum number of outstanding messages per device does not ensure that a specific device always has the configured maximum number of messages outstanding at any time. However, it does ensure that the device never has more outstanding messages. In this way, the value you enter acts as a limit.

The actual number of outstanding messages per device can be any value from 1 to 30. The following factors affect how many messages that are outstanding on a device:

• Datablock poll rates.

• The frequency of requests to write data to a specific device.

• The available bandwidth of the network (Ethernet, DH+, serial, and so on).

• The turnaround time of the device.

• Peer-to-peer communications

It is possible for you to configure the maximum number of outstanding messages for each device on a given channel that, when added together, exceed the maximum number of outstanding messages available for the channel. Typically, this happens in configurations with multiple channels and multiple devices per channel. When the total number of outstanding messages per device exceeds the maximum at the channel level, some devices will not be able to send and retrieve messages at all times. These devices will have to wait for another device to complete its message request before space becomes available. This situation is called starving and can be minimized by adjusting the maximum outstanding message property for each device.

Recommendations

Ideally, the maximum number of outstanding messages for all devices on a channel should not exceed the maximum for the channel. Such a configuration ensures that no devices are starved. However, enforcing this restriction may be impractical or impossible for certain configurations.

By default, the maximum outstanding message property is set to 5. We suggest that you begin with this default value and closely observe the ABR driver’s device statistics. If you see a large number of overruns, the driver may be requesting the data from the device faster than the device can handle. To correct this situation, consider adjusting the poll rates of the device’s datablocks.

If you consider the data from the device more important than data from other devices, you can increase the number of outstanding messages for the device. Please keep in mind that by increasing the number of messages for one device means that the remaining devices on the channel will be able to send fewer messages.

If you see a device’s Transmits and Receives statistics counters temporarily pause, it could indicate that the device is being starved. In this situation, you may want to adjust the outstanding message property of unaffected devices to free up messages for the starved device.


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Above all, some experimentation may be necessary to adequately fine-tune your configuration for the desired throughput. No hard and fast rules exist, however, because of the varied network configurations possible. Nonetheless, the ABR driver contains the flexibility you need to tune your system correctly.

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Troubleshooting Your System

How Do I? The following list details procedures available to help you troubleshoot your system:

• Choose poll rates?

• Eliminate excess datablocks?

• Set up for remote configuration and control?

• Prevent the driver from writing to the hardware?

• Create reports of my driver configuration files?

• Save datablocks created in FIX Database Builder to the I/O driver configuration file?

• Open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool in FIX Database Builder?

• Configure my driver for demand polling?

• Poll the device only when data is being accessed?

• What is the difference between access time and scan time?

• Set up security for using the I/O Server remotely?

• Set up security when the driver runs as a service?

• Force a switch between primary and back-up channels or devices using FIX?

• Enable or disable channels, devices or datablocks using FIX?

• Write data to a datablock?

• View my driver statistics?

• Run the driver in simulation mode?

• Generate multiple datablocks?

How do I choose poll rates?

Make the datablock’s poll rate shorter than your scan time. For example, if you have a database block with a 5-second scan time, set the poll rate of the datablock it accesses to 2 or 3 seconds. Keep in mind that if you set datablock poll rates to values that are shorter than needed, you impose unnecessary stress on your system.

Zero Poll Rate

You can set the poll rate to zero; this setting forces the driver to run at its maximum rate and disables overruns. In general, you should set the poll rate equal to 0 if it is more important to run the driver at its maximum speed than to detect overruns.


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How do I eliminate excess datablocks?

Use the following procedure to eliminate excess datablocks if you enabled the Auto Create option in your I/O driver configuration and you created FIX database blocks that required new datablocks. This procedure removes any incorrectly configured or unused datablocks.

Using the Auto Create option also adds datablocks with default values. If you have modified the poll rate or access time of one or more datablocks, use the procedure at the end of this topic.

NOTE: You may not be able to delete datablocks from the driver configuration because another computer may start accessing them.

To eliminate excess datablocks:

1. With FIX running, open Mission Control, click the SAC tab, and click Stop, to stop SAC.

2. Open the I/O Driver Power Tool and delete all the datablocks. Do not delete the channels and devices.

3. Return to Mission Control and the SAC tab. Click Start. The driver automatically adds the necessary datablocks with the default settings defined in the Power Tool.

This procedure guarantees that the I/O driver configuration in the Power Tool matches what you are accessing in your FIX database.

If you made specific modifications to one or more datablocks, such as a different poll rate for each datablock on a device, use the following procedure.

To eliminate excess datablocks for specialized configuration files:

1. Export the current driver configuration file by saving it as a .CSV file.

2. Perform the three steps above for removing excess datablocks.

3. Compare the export file to the new configuration. Note any differences.

4. Modify the export file as needed.

5. Import the modified export file and save it as a driver configuration file.

How do I set up for remote configuration and control?

The ABR I/O Server configures the necessary remote settings when it is installed. However, before you can use the server, your network administrator must set up security for using the server remotely. Refer to How do I Set up Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more information.

Once security is configured, you can select a remote server using the I/O Driver Power Tool. Refer to Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection to learn more.

If you cannot connect remotely, refer to the topic, I cannot connect to a remote server.

How do I prevent the driver from writing to the hardware?

You can use one of the following methods to stop output to the hardware:


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Use the Disable Outputs option:

1. From the I/O Driver Power Tool Tree Browser, select the datablock that you want to disable.

2. Click the Configuration button from the Run-time toolbar.

3. Select the Disable Outputs check box for the datablock.

Use the Enable option:

1. In the I/O Driver Power Tool Tree Browser, select the channel, device, or datablock you want to disable.

2. Click the Configuration button from the Run-time toolbar.

3. Clear the Enable check box for the channel, device, or datablock.

-Or-

• In FIX, create a link to a Digital Output block whose I/O address is !MODE:NAME, where NAME is the channel, device, or datablock name you want to disable. Write a value of 0 to disable the channel, device, or datablock.

This approach stops communication for the selected channel, device, or datablock.

Stop the I/O driver:

• Click the Stop button in the Power Tool’s Run-time toolbar.

-Or-

• In FIX Mission Control, highlight your driver and click Stop.

This approach stops all driver communication.

Use Simulation Mode:

1. Click the Setup button in the Power Tool’s Run-time toolbar.

2. Click the Advanced tab.

3. Click the Simulation Mode On option from the Simulation area.

4. Restart the server.

This approach stops all writes to the process hardware.


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How do I create reports of my driver configuration files?

You can create reports from your driver configuration files by saving them as Comma Separated Value (.CSV) files. Once you create .CSV files, you can edit them in any third-party application that supports .CSV files, such as Microsoft® Excel™ or a text editor. You can also create .CSV files in a third-party application and open them with the I/O Driver Power Tool.

Refer to Using I/O Driver Report Files for details on creating reports.

How do I save datablocks created in FIX Database Builder to the I/O driver configuration file?

You can use one of the following methods to save datablocks that you create in FIX:

• Click an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S. When the I/O Server window appears, select SaveOnFIXExit from the Server menu. This selection enables the server to save the driver configuration automatically when you exit FIX.

• Open the Power Tool and select Save from the File menu.

• Click an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S. When the I/O Server window appears, select Save from the File menu.

How do I open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool in FIX Database Builder?

To open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool from FIX Database Builder:

1. Select ABR from the Drivers menu in Database Builder. When the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool opens, any devices or datablocks that you added appear in the Tree Browser.

2. Modify and add channels, devices, and datablocks as needed.

How do I configure my driver for demand polling?

By entering a special I/O address in a Digital Output or Analog Output block, you can poll:

• Individual datablocks.

• Devices and all their datablocks.

• Channels and all their devices and datablocks.

This one-shot poll is called a demand poll.

You may want to set your driver up for demand polling if:

• The driver’s poll time is slow and you want to get data without having to wait for the next update.

• You want to poll a device after opening a FIX operator display.


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• You want to poll a device just before generating a report.

The poll occurs when you write any value to the block.

The I/O address syntax is: !POLL: NAME

Where NAME is the name of the datablock, device, or channel you want to demand poll.

How do I poll a device only when data is being accessed?

To poll the device only when data is being accessed:

1. From the I/O Driver Power Tool Tree Browser, select the datablock that you want to modify.

2. Enter DISABLED in the Secondary Rate field.

3. Enter a value in the Access Time field. Do not enter DISABLED in the field.

4. In the Primary Rate field, enter a value that is close to the time that the data in the device is being updated.

What is the difference between access time and scan time?

Although the scan time is not a property of any driver object, it is important to know how it affects driver throughput and data integrity. Whether using FIX View, or a Visual Basic Client, the rate at which the data is being read or written is usually referred to as the scan time.

Example

Assume a Visual Basic Client has a timer function that calls the I/O Server’s ReadData method. The ReadData interval is a property you can configure in a Visual Basic Timer. If the interval is set to 30 seconds, the Visual Basic Client calls the ReadData method every 30 seconds and accesses data every 30 seconds.

The data returned from the ReadData method is directly from the I/O driver memory. The data in memory updates only when the driver polls. The ReadData method does not poll for data and waits for a memory update before returning a value. Therefore, having a scan time longer than the access time always returns old data and the driver flags the data quality as NO_DATA.

To resolve this problem, select a scan time that is shorter than the access time and enter an access time that is longer than the primary or secondary poll time. For example, if you select a scan time of 30 seconds, you could use an access time of 45 seconds and a primary poll rate of 15 seconds.

If the secondary poll time is used, you may want to lengthen the scan time and access time to ensure the driver has updated the datablock. For example, you could set the secondary poll time to 30 seconds, the scan time to 45 seconds, and the access time to 60 seconds.

NOTE: Specifying an access time that is shorter than the primary poll time forces the driver to poll at the access time interval; however, the data received is always old and is marked with the NO_DATA quality flag.

Similarly, entering a scan time that is longer than the access time also results in old data. The data scanned each interval is as old as the access time minus the scan time and is marked with the NO_DATA quality flag.


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How do I set up security for using the I/O Server remotely?

The I/O Server supports DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model). If you want to grant only certain users permission to launch or access the ABR I/O Server, you can use the Windows utility, DCOMCNFG.EXE, for configuring DCOM applications. DCOMCNFG.EXE is usually located in your Windows \system32 directory.

IMPORTANT: We recommend that you allow client applications such as the FIX or the I/O Driver Power Tool to automatically start the I/O Server rather than opening the Server independently from the Windows environment. This is the intended method for Server start-up.

The I/O Server re-registers every time you double-click the I/O Server icon or use a shortcut to open it from Windows or any Windows application such as Explorer. By re-registering, you reset the server’s registry settings. When the I/O Server starts automatically from a client application, the registry settings do not change.

If you start the I/O Server independently by selecting its icon or shortcut while the server is already running, you overwrite the current custom security settings.

Example

The following procedures describe how to configure your system for the following conditions:

• Only the user that is logged on to the computer where the I/O Server resides can launch the Server.

• Only administrators of the I/O Server host computer can access the server.

Use these procedures as a guide to implement security for your needs under Windows NT and Windows 2000:

To allow only Administrators access to the I/O Server:

1. Start DCOMCNFG.EXE and select the driver application from the list in the Applications tab. The ABR application name is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.

2. Click Properties.

3. Click the Security tab to display the three modes of DCOM security.

4. Select the Use Custom Access Permissions option, and click the Edit button for access permissions.

5. If Administrators and SYSTEM appears in the list on the Registry Value Permissions dialog box, skip to step 9. Otherwise, if Administrators or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add.

6. Select the local computer name in the List Names From field.

7. Double-click Administrators and SYSTEM in the Names list to add it to the Add Names list at the bottom of the dialog box.

8. Click OK to accept the selection and close the dialog box.


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9. Select Administrators from the Name list and Allow Access from the Type of Access field. Repeat this step for SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the Name list, select Deny Access from the Type of Access field.

To allow only the local user to launch the I/O Server:

1. Start DCOMCNFG.EXE and select the driver application from the list in the Applications tab. The ABR application name is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.

2. Click Properties.


4. Select the Use Custom Launch Permissions option and click the Edit button for launch permissions.

5. If INTERACTIVE and SYSTEM appears in the list on the Registry Value Permissions dialog box, skip to step 9. Otherwise, if INTERACTIVE or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add.


7. Double-click INTERACTIVE and SYSTEM in the Names list to add it to the Add Names list at the bottom of the dialog box.

8. Click OK to accept the selection and close the dialog box.

9. Select INTERACTIVE from the Name list and Allow Access from the Type of Access field to allow launch access to the local user only. Repeat this step for SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the Name list, select Deny Launch from the Type of Access field to deny launch access on the network.

After completing these steps, only users who have Administrator rights to the driver server host computer can access the server. You can assign administrator rights with the Windows User Manager.

Use the following procedures as a guide to implement security for your needs under Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP:

NOTE: For information about firewall settings for Windows XP with Service Pack 2, go to http://globalcare.gefanuc.com. and click the link to Important Information Regarding Microsoft XP Service Pack 2.

To allow only Administrators access to the I/O Server:

1. Using the Start Menu, launch DCOMCNFG.EXE. The Component Services dialog box appears.

a. Select Run from the Start Menu.

b. Type DCOMCNFG in the field provided and click OK.

2. Double-click the folder Component Services from the system tree.


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3. Double-click the folder Computers from the system tree.

4. Double-click the folder My Computer from the system tree.

5. Double-click the folder DCOM Config from the system tree.

6. Locate the driver application in the system tree and right-click it. The ABR application name is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.

7. From the context menu, select Properties. The driver’s Properties dialog box appears.


9. Select Customize from the Access Permissions area and click the Edit button for access permissions. The Access Permissions dialog box appears.

10. If Administrators and SYSTEM appears in the list, skip to step 15. Otherwise, if Administrators or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add. The Select User, Computers, or Groups dialog box appears.

11. Click Locations. Windows XP prompts you to log in.

12. Click Cancel. The Locations dialog box appears.

13. Select the local computer name in the Locations field and click OK to return to the Select User, Computers, or Groups dialog box.

14. Enter Administrator in the Enter the Objects Name to Select field. Repeat this step for SYSTEM, if necessary and click OK to return to Access Permissions dialog box.

15. Select Administrator from the list and select the Allow check box. Repeat this step for SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the list, select the Deny check box.

To allow only the local user to launch the I/O Server:









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8. Select Customize from the Launch Permissions area and click the Edit button for launch permissions. The Launch Permissions dialog box appears.

9. If Administrators and SYSTEM appears in the list, skip to step 14. Otherwise, if Administrators or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add. The Select User, Computers, or Groups dialog box appears.




13. Enter INTERACTIVE in the Enter the Objects Name to Select field. Repeat this step for SYSTEM, if necessary and click OK to return to Launch Permissions dialog box.

14. Select INTERACTIVE from the list and select the Allow check box. Repeat this step for SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the list, select the Deny check box.

After completing these steps, only users who have Administrator rights to the driver server host computer can access the server. You can assign administrator rights with the User Accounts applet in Control Panel.

How do I set up security when the driver runs as a service?

To set up security for the ABR driver, you must configure DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model). Configuring DCOM can be difficult. To simplify the process, we recommend that you grant access to everyone to get started. Later, when security is configuring correctly, you can reconfigure DCOM and restrict access.

You can grant everyone of access to the ABR Server using the Windows utility, DCOMCNFG.EXE, for configuring DCOM applications. DCOMCNFG.EXE is usually located in your Windows \system32 directory.

To configure DCOM when the ABR driver runs as a service under Windows NT or Windows 2000:

1. Start DCOMCNFG.EXE and double-click the ABRDrv I/O Server from the list in the Applications tab.


3. Select the Use Custom Access Permissions option, and click the Edit button for access permissions. The Registry Value Permissions dialog box appears.


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4. Click Add. The Add Users and Groups dialog box appears.


6. Double-click Everyone (All Users) in the Names list to add it to the Add Names list at the bottom of the dialog box.

7. Click OK to accept the selection and return the Registry Value Permission dialog box.

8. OK to accept the changes to the access permission properties.

9. Select the Use Custom Launch Permissions option and click the Edit button for launch permissions. The Registry Value Permissions dialog box appears.

10. Repeat steps 4 through 9 for launch permission properties.

11. Click OK to accept your changes to ABR Server properties and return to the Applications tab.

12. Click OK to close the DCOMCNFG.EXE utility.

To configure DCOM when the ABR driver runs as a service under Windows XP:











9. Select Customize from the Access Permissions area and click the Edit button for access permissions. The Access Permissions dialog box appears.

10. Click Add. The Select User, Computers, or Groups dialog box appears.



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14. Enter Everyone (All Users) in the Enter the Objects Name to Select field and click OK to return to Access Permissions dialog box.

15. Select Everyone from the list and select the Allow check box and click OK to return to the Properties dialog box.

16. Select Customize from the Launch Permissions area and click the Edit button for launch permissions. The Launch Permissions dialog box appears.

17. Repeat steps 10 through 15 for launch permission.

18. Click OK to accept your changes to ABR Server.

To learn more about configuring DCOM for specific users, refer to How do I set up security for using the I/O Server remotely?.

How do I force a switch between primary and back-up channels or devices using FIX?

You can force the driver to switch to the next channel and device in the selected failover logic by entering a special I/O address into a Digital Output or Analog Output block. The driver switches when you write a value to the block.

I/O address syntax: !SWITCH:NAME

Where NAME is the name of the channel or device you want to switch.

NOTE: RSLinx can communicate with only the first Ethernet interface card you configure. It provides no support for selecting and establishing communication with multiple Ethernet cards. Consequently, should the first Ethernet interface card fail, RSLinx cannot failover to another Ethernet card. As a result, you cannot failover from one Ethernet device to another Ethernet device with the ABR driver.

How do I enable or disable channels, devices or datablocks using FIX?

You can enable or disable a channel, device, or datablock by entering a special I/O address into a Digital Output block. Write a value of 1 to the block to enable it, or write a value of 0 to disable it.

I/O address syntax: !MODE:NAME

Where NAME is the name of the channel, device, or datablock you want to enable or disable.

How do I write data to a datablock?

You can write data to various registers in the hardware at one time using the Block Writes option. This option provides a special "send" command that instructs the driver to send all outstanding writes in a single protocol message.

The ABR I/O driver supports block writes for the following file types: A, D, O, L, N, B, and F. On a PLC5/250, the driver also supports blocks writes for BTD file types. When the driver sends its


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outstanding writes, it also sends any unmodified values in the datablocks that are changing using the last known value. Consequently, we recommend relatively short poll times for datablocks you are writing to so that the driver will have the most up-to-date data.

To send block writes:

1. Enable block writes in the datablock you want to use.

2. Create a Digital Output block with the following address:

!Send:DataBlockName

When any value is written to the Digital Output block, it sends a command to the specified datablock and instructs the driver to send the writes to the process hardware.

Note that only datablock names are valid with the !Send control address. You cannot trigger block writes using any of the following items:

• Channel and device names in place of a datablock name.

• Analog Output blocks in place of a Digital Output block.

Tools for Troubleshooting the ABR I/O Driver

The Statistics View in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool

The Power Tool displays communication statistics for each datablock, device, channel, and the entire driver. Displaying these statistics is useful for narrowing down which part of the driver is not functioning. To view the statistics, select a datablock, device, or channel from the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button on the Run-time toolbar.

The Statistics in FIX Mission Control

Mission Control is the main FIX tool for monitoring background tasks, such as SAC, Historical Collect, and I/O drivers. Using Mission Control, you can start and stop a driver, and view driver error numbers. This is useful for quickly determining if the driver is having a problem.

Mission Control also provides a summary of driver-level statistics. To see the statistics for each channel, use the ABR Power Tool.

The Windows Event Viewer

The driver reports any major errors to the Windows Event Viewer. To learn more about using this application, refer to Using the Event Viewer.

The Alarm History Window in FIX

Because the I/O driver reports event messages to the Alarm History application in FIX, you can use this program for debugging your driver. The events reported include when the driver:

• Starts and stops.


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• Connects and disconnects.

• Switches channels and devices.

• Fails to communicate and subsequently recovers.

Refer to the FIX documentation for details on enabling alarm services.

The Message Log in the I/O Server program

The message log in the I/O Server program tracks the following events:

• The date and time a configuration file loads.

• Which configuration file loads. If the driver is not loading the configuration file you want, you can change the default file name and location in the Power Tool’s Setup dialog box.

• The date and time other applications attach to the server. This data can help you determine if someone is attached and making changes to the server you are working on.

• CSV import errors.

To view the I/O Server program:

1. Open the Power Tool.

2. Select an item from the Tree Browser.

3. Press Alt + Shift + S.

The options in the program’s View menu let you choose the types of messages to display. The message priority is as follows:

1. Errors

2. Warnings

3. Information

4. Debug1

5. Debug2

6. Debug3

7. OPC DLL

The default setting for the Server is to display errors, warnings, and informational messages. You can also enable debug and OPC DLL messages. The following table summarizes the contents of these messages.


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Message Type Contains Information About…

Debug 1 • Creating and deleting channel, device, and datablock objects.

• NIO, Poll stub, and OPC connections to the server.

Debug 2 RSLinx define strings.

Debug 3 Internal run-time errors. Debug 3 messages also provide important run-time information, such as when an object is created or when a device is marked bad using the quickfail logic.

OPC DLL Run-time and configuration time "trace" and error messages sent by the OPC DLL. We recommend you disable this selection during normal operation of the driver.

To close the I/O Server program:



How do I run the driver in simulation mode?

To run the I/O driver in simulation mode:

1. Start the Power Tool.

2. Select the Setup button in the Run-time toolbar.

3. Select the Advanced tab in the Setup dialog box.

4. Click the Simulation Mode On option button.

5. Restart the server.

To restart the server:

1. Shut down all server clients including the FIX. This action shuts down the server.

2. Restart the FIX.

Once the server restarts, you can create your operator displays and process databases with real I/O addresses. Later, when you want to switch to real process hardware, turn off simulation mode and restart the server again. You can do this without changing your configured I/O addresses.

How do I generate multiple datablocks?

With the ABR driver, you can generate multiple consecutive datablocks. Generating datablocks lets


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you create many similar datablocks in one step instead of creating each datablock individually.

To generate multiple datablocks:

1. Click the Generate Datablocks button from the Configuration toolbar.

2. Enter the starting address of the first datablock you want to create in the Enter Start Address field.

3. Enter the number of addresses you want to assign to these datablocks.

The Power Tool adds the datablocks to your configuration.

Example

If you want to assign 500 addresses starting with N7:0, the Power Tool adds the following datablocks:

Name Address Range







Troubleshooting The following Troubleshooting tips are offered to help you correct problems with your I/O driver. If you have a problem with RSLinx, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.

To enter new support issues, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW support site.

To search for an updated version of your driver, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW SIM site.

• My driver doesn’t load.

• My driver loads but does not start polling

• My driver doesn’t communicate to any devices or I receive ????? in my operator display links.

• The driver is not transmitting messages.

• The driver is transmitting messages but not receiving any messages.

• My driver communicates to some but not all of my devices or I receive ????? in some of my


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operator display links.

• The driver communicates to some but not all of the datablocks for a device.

• My driver is communicating but I am receiving question marks. When I look in alarm history, the data quality is marked with a NO_DATA flag. (Access Time Versus Scan Time)

• I can’t connect to a remote server.

• I can’t see the driver in FIX Database Builder.

• I am receiving old data in my HMI display.

• I am receiving overruns.

• My message rate is slow.

• My driver stops running after a period of time.

• I do not receive driver messages in Alarm History.

• Automatic driver startup does not work.

• I receive an error about DTL32.DLL when I start FIX or the Power Tool.

• RSWho does not work.

• My device has a high number of timeouts.

The driver does not load

If you think the driver didn’t load:

• Start the Event Viewer in Windows. The Event Viewer displays specific messages regarding loading and starting the driver. Problems loading the driver are logged to this file. To learn more about using this application, refer to Using the Event Viewer.

• If you see the following text in the Event Viewer log:

Unable to start driver: No RSLinx activation file was found

you may have RSLinx Lite installed. The ABR driver does not support RSLinx Lite because that version of RSLinx does not have an activation file. The ABR driver requires an activation file in order to function correctly. To determine which version of RSLinx you have installed, start the application and examine the title bar. If the text RSLinx Lite appears in the title bar you need an activation file. Contact Rockwell Software to obtain an activation file and upgrade your copy of RSLinx.

If you have been loading the driver from a FIX application:

• Shut down the FIX application and try starting the driver without FIX running. This removes problems associated with applications other than the I/O driver.

If you are starting a driver on a remote computer and it does not load:

• Try starting the driver on your local node. If it loads correctly on the local computer, you may be experiencing network problems or security issues. You must configure DCOM


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(Distributed Component Object Model) to provide access to a remote server. Refer to How do I Set up Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more information.

If the driver still does not load:

• Rename the default configuration file so the driver loads a blank configuration. If the configuration file is corrupt, it may prevent the driver from loading. You can retrieve a corrupted configuration file if you save it as a .CSV file; otherwise, you have to rebuild the driver configuration.

The driver loads but does not start polling

If the driver loads but does not start:

1. Verify that the channels, devices, and datablocks are enabled. You can examine these properties in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool.

2. If FIX is not your Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software, make sure the Auto Start option is turned on:

a. Select the Setup button in the Power Tool’s Run-time toolbar.

b. Select the Advanced tab in the Setup dialog box.

c. Click the Auto Start On option button from the Server area.

If you are starting the driver from FIX:

1. Verify that IOCNTRL starts from the System Configuration Utility (SCU). You should have /a on the command line for IOCNTRL to start the driver automatically.





The driver does not communicate to any devices

Or I receive ?????? in my operator display links.

If the driver loads and starts but you are not getting any information from your devices, examine the statistics in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool for information about the driver’s current state. Start at the highest level of the driver statistics:

1. Select the I/O driver icon from the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool’s Tree Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar. The I/O driver’s statistics display in the Power Tool.


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2. If you see errors, examine the channel statistics to find which channel(s) has the problem device(s).

3. Examine the device(s) statistics as well. The device statistics may help to narrow your search.

If you have multiple devices and the driver is not communicating with any of them, you most likely have one of the following problems:

• You have a problem with your cable.

• An incorrect station or IP address.

• A configuration error in RSLinx.

To help you pinpoint where the error is, the Power Tool provides the Validate Datablock button. When you click this button, the Power Tool polls the selected datablock. If the application cannot read data from your process hardware, it displays an error describing the problem.

If you are receiving error numbers in the device statistics Errors field:

• Examine the station or IP address in the device properties and verify that it is correct.

• If you are communicating with Ethernet, use the ping program to ensure you can communicate with the device.

• If you receive error 51, your process hardware’s memory buffer cannot hold all the requests they are receiving or the process hardware could not process all its messages because the network bandwidth is too small. When the PLC cannot process the message properly, RSLinx sends error 51 and clears memory.

You can aggravate these problems by:

• Using peer-to-peer communications between PLCs.

• Configuring multiple redundant SCADA servers on the Data Highway.

• Implementing multiple script-triggered, digital or analog writes from any SCADA server.

To determine if this is a bandwidth or memory buffering issue, reduce the traffic on the highway. For example, disconnect redundant SCADA servers and stop peer-to-peer communications. In addition, complete the following tasks to further reduce highway traffic:

1. Phase datablocks by prime numbers.

2. Consolidate any datablocks you can to reduce their overall number.

3. Lengthen the poll times of less critical datablocks.

4. Reduce the number of SCADA servers on the highway by using FIX networking, if possible.


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• Refer to the topic Error Codes for a list of errors are returned from RSLinx. If they are not listed in the table, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.

The driver is not transmitting messages

If the driver is not transmitting messages:

1. Examine the green arrow in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool to ensure the driver starts; the arrow should be selected. If it is, select the Stop button and click the Start button again.

2. Select an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S. to display the Server window. Make sure the window contains a message the driver has started.

3. Make sure the device can communicate over the network using by clicking the Validate Datablock button. When you click this button, the Power Tool polls the selected datablock. If the application cannot communicate with RSLinx, it displays an error describing the problem.

4. Monitor the server’s display window or start the FIX Alarm History application to ensure the driver connects to the device.

5. Examine the cable to ensure it is plugged in.

6. If you are running the driver with FIX, make sure you have a configuration file with the name nodename.ABR in the Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). If you are using iFIX, the file resides in the root iFIX directory. This file is needed for FIX and iFIX to load the driver; do not delete it.

The driver transmits messages but does not receive messages

To find out why your driver is transmitting but not receiving messages:

1. When communicating with an Ethernet device, attempt to ping the IP address and make sure that you can reach the device from your computer.

2. Examine your process hardware. See if any diagnostic lights on the device indicate what the problem is.

3. Examine RSLinx and use the RSWho utility to determine if it can communicate with your hardware. If RSLinx cannot communicate, neither will the driver. Consult your hardware and RSLinx documentation to resolve the problem.

4. If you are also receiving DRVSTA error 102 in Mission Control, the specified device address may reference hardware that does not exist. Verify the address exists with the RSWho utility.

If you are offlinking, you must complete the Source Bridge and Destination Bridge fields with the correct addresses. If you are not offlinking, keep the fields blank.

At this point, we strongly recommend reducing the configuration to one channel, one device, and one datablock. This makes it easier to focus on the problem.


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To reduce the configuration to one channel, one device, and one datablock:

1. Disable all but one channel.

2. On the enabled channel, disable all but one device.

3. On the enabled device, disable all but one datablock.

4. Verify that the device’s address is correct. Usually, the wrong address returns an error message; however, some hardware devices do not reply at all if you enter the wrong address.

The driver communicates to some but not all of my devices

Or I receive ?????? in some of my operator display links.

If you are receiving errors in the device statistics Errors field:

1. Verify that the device’s address is correct.

2. Examine RSLinx and use the RSWho utility to determine if it can communicate with your hardware. If RSLinx cannot communicate, neither will the driver. Consult your hardware and RSLinx documentation to resolve the problem.

3. If it is an Ethernet device, try to ping it.

To examine device statistics in the Errors field:

1. Select the device that is not communicating from the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool’s Tree Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar. The device’s statistics display in the Power Tool Properties Viewer.

2. If there are error numbers in the Errors field, look up the error number in the table Error Codes. These errors are returned from the hardware. The Power Tool can display these errors as either a hexadecimal number or an ASCII string. You can configure the error output with the Last Error Display option.

To configure the Last Error Display option:


2. Select the Advanced tab.

3. Select the ASCII or HEX option from the Errors area. If you select the ASCII option, errors appear as ASCII text. If you select the HEX option, the hexadecimal error number appears in the Errors field.


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The driver communicates to some but not all the datablocks for a device

If you are receiving errors for datablocks in the statistics section of the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool:

1. Verify that each datablock address is valid and exists. The most common error for datablocks is requesting memory locations that are not configured in the hardware.

2. Look up the error number in the table Error Codes. These errors are returned from the hardware. The Power Tool can display these errors as either a hexadecimal number or an ASCII string. You can configure the error output with the Last Error Display option. To do so:


b. Select the Advanced tab.

c. Select the ASCII or HEX option from the Errors area. If you select the ASCII option, errors appear as ASCII text. If you select the HEX option, the hexadecimal error number appears in the Errors field.

3. You can identify the device and datablock requesting the data and causing the error with the DRVSTE and DRVSTF fields in Mission Control. If the values in these fields change, you have more than one improperly configured datablock. To correct each datablock, click the Validate Datablock button. As part of the validation process, the Power Tool displays an error message about the source of the problem if it cannot read data from one or more datablocks.

If you are not receiving errors in the statistics section:

• Refer to What is the Difference between Access Time and Scan Time to ensure the datablock’s access time is set correctly.

What is the difference between access time and scan time?

Although the scan time is not a property of any driver object, it is important to know how it affects driver throughput and data integrity. Whether using FIX View, or a Visual Basic Client, the rate at which the data is being read or written is usually referred to as the scan time.

Example

Assume a Visual Basic Client has a timer function that calls the I/O Server’s ReadData method. The ReadData interval is a property you can configure in a Visual Basic Timer. If the interval is set to 30 seconds, the Visual Basic Client calls the ReadData method every 30 seconds and accesses data every 30 seconds.

The data returned from the ReadData method is directly from the I/O driver memory. The data in memory updates only when the driver polls. The ReadData method does not poll for data and waits for a memory update before returning a value. Therefore, having a scan time longer than the access time always returns old data and the driver flags the data quality as NO_DATA.

To resolve this problem, select a scan time that is shorter than the access time and enter an access time that is longer than the primary or secondary poll time. For example, if you select a scan time of 30


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seconds, you could use an access time of 45 seconds and a primary poll rate of 15 seconds.

If the secondary poll time is used, you may want to lengthen the scan time and access time to ensure the driver has updated the datablock. For example, you could set the secondary poll time to 30 seconds, the scan time to 45 seconds, and the access time to 60 seconds.

NOTE: Specifying an access time that is shorter than the primary poll time forces the driver to poll at the access time interval; however, the data received is always old and is marked with the NO_DATA quality flag.

Similarly, entering a scan time that is longer than the access time also results in old data. The data scanned each interval is as old as the access time minus the scan time and is marked with the NO_DATA quality flag.

I cannot connect to a remote server

If you cannot connect to a remote server:

• Make sure you have entered the correct name or IP address for the remote server. Also verify that the security for using the server remotely has been set up. Refer to How do I Set up Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more information.

If you cannot see the remote server from Microsoft Explorer or by using the Ping program:

• You have a networking problem. You may want to speak to your network administrator.

If you were running the Power Tool and you changed the server location:

1. Exit the Power Tool and restart it. If this is not the problem, proceed with the following steps.

2. Physically go to the server and verify that it started successfully.

3. If the server does not start, refer to My driver does not load.

4. If the server does start, leave the server running and try to connect to it from another computer.

I cannot see the driver in the FIX Database Builder

FIX has not loaded the driver. Make sure you have installed the driver in the root FIX or iFIX directory. If the driver is installed in a different path, uninstall it and then re-install it in the root FIX or iFIX directory.

Next, configure FIX to load your driver:

1. Start the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and verify that the driver is listed in the SCADA Configuration dialog box. If it is not listed, add it.

2. Verify that the SCU is configured to start the IOCNTRL program with the command line parameter /a in the Task Configuration dialog box.


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Refer to Setting the I/O Driver for Automatic Startup in FIX to learn how to complete both tasks.

I am receiving old data in my display

Data returned from a datablock read comes directly from I/O driver memory. The data in memory updates when the driver polls. A read from SAC or View does not prompt the I/O driver to poll for data. If you enter a scan time that is longer than the datablock’s access time, the I/O driver always returns old data and the driver flags the data quality as NO_DATA.

To resolve this problem, select a scan time that is shorter than the access time and enter an access time that is longer than the primary or secondary poll rate.

Example

To receive up-to-date data, you could set the poll rate, access time, and scan time as follows:

Poll rate: 1 second

Access time: 3 seconds

Scan time: 2 seconds

If this is not the problem, you may have the Latch Data option enabled while experiencing a communication failure. To determine if this is the problem, turn off the Latch Data option. If the links on the screen change to question marks, you are experiencing a communication failure. Refer to the topic Troubleshooting to resolve this issue.

You also receive old data if your exception deadband is larger than the change in data. For example, if your deadband is 20 but your data fluctuates between 5 and 15, the deadband is never exceeded and no new data is sent. To correct this problem, reduce the deadband value.

I am receiving overruns

Overruns do not necessarily indicate an error condition. They merely indicate that the driver is trying to process more data requests than the process hardware can handle. You can minimize the number of overruns you receive by changing the driver configuration.

To reduce overruns:

1. Try increasing the poll times for the individual datablocks.

2. If the overruns are sporadic or only occur when the driver starts, try phasing the datablocks so that the driver does not attempt to poll all the datablocks at the same time.

3. If your datablocks are phased, try stopping and restarting the driver since phasing only happens when the driver starts.

My message rate is slow

If you have a slow message rate:

• Examine your devices for incorrect addresses. If the driver is sending messages to devices that


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are offline or do not exist, the driver performs a series of timeouts and retries reducing message throughput. If you plan to have a device offline for a period of time, disable the device until it is back online.

• Also, if a device’s receive buffer is limited in size, it is possible to send more data requests than the device is capable of processing. When the receive buffer is full, the device may respond to further received requests by discarding them, causing timeouts and retries. To avoid these timeouts, decrease the device’s number of outstanding messages.

My driver stops running after a period of time

You may have a power-saving option enabled in your computer’s BIOS. Power-saving utilities may put the hard drive in sleep mode and turn off the monitor to save power. If you do have a power-saving utility, disable it.

Likewise, screen savers can stop your driver from running, depending on the screen saver. If you have a screen saver enabled, disable it and turn off your monitor when no one is actively using your SCADA server.

I do not receive driver messages in Alarm History

You may have started the I/O Server before starting FIX. Typically, the I/O Server starts when you start a driver configuration program, such as I/O Driver Power Tool or a Visual Basic client application.

To make sure you receive driver messages in Alarm History:

1. Shut down FIX and the I/O Driver Power Tool.

2. Start the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and click the Tasks button from the SCU toolbox. (bmc task.bmp}

3. Enter the Base path and IOCNTRL.EXE in the Filename field.

4. Enter the /a command line parameter in the Command Line field.

5. Select the Background option button and click Add.

6. Save the SCU configuration and start FIX. The ABR Server automatically starts and you should see a message that the driver started.

Automatic driver startup does not work

NOTE: To automatically start the driver, install it in your root FIX or iFIX directory. If you have not installed the driver in this directory, uninstall it and then re-install it in the proper path.

Next, start the Power Tool and verify that it is configured correctly:

1. Verify that the channels, devices, and datablocks are enabled.

2. Make sure the Auto Start option is turned on:


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a. Select the Setup button in the Power Tool’s Run-time toolbar.

b. Select the Advanced tab in the Setup dialog box.

c. Click the Auto Start On option button from the Server area.





Lastly, start the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and verify it is configured correctly:

1. Click the SCADA button from the SCU toolbox. You should see the following text in the dialog box that appears:

ABR - Allen-Bradley RSLinx 7.x

2. If you do not see this text, Select the ? button next to the I/O Driver Name field.

3. Select the ABR driver from the dialog box and click OK.

4. Click Add to add the selected I/O driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list box.

5. Click OK again to close the SCADA Configuration dialog box.

6. Click the Task Configuration button from the SCU toolbox. You should see IOCNTRL.EXE /a listed in the dialog box that appear.

7. If you do not see this text, enter the Base path and IOCNTRL.EXE /a in the Filename field.

8. Click OK to save your changes and save your SCU configuration.

9. Restart FIX. The driver should automatically start.

I receive an error about DTL32.DLL when I start FIX or the Power Tool

The DTL32.DLL is an RSLinx file. Be sure you have installed RSLinx on your computer before starting the FIX or the Power Tool. You can find the file in your Windows system32 directory.

If RSLinx is installed and you cannot find DTL32.DLL, you may have RSLinx Lite installed. The ABR driver does not support RSLinx Lite because this version of RSLinx does not have an activation file. The ABR driver requires an activation file in order to function correctly. To determine which version of RSLinx you have installed, start the application and examine the title bar. If the text RSLinx Lite appears in the title bar you need an activation file. Contact Rockwell Software to obtain an activation file and upgrade your copy of RSLinx.


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RSWho does not work

RSWho is an application released and supported by Rockwell Software. If you have problems with this application, you can contact Rockwell at (440) 646-7800.

My device has a high number of timeouts

Lower the number of outstanding messages in the device statistics. If that does not correct the problem, lengthen the reply timeout for the device’s channel.

The Most Common I/O Driver Problems Some of the most common problems people encounter when setting up and using I/O drivers are caused by one or more of the following:

• Using incorrect or faulty cable connections. To verify your connections, refer to the cable diagram in your hardware documentation. Another test that usually verifies that the cable is correct is to attempt to communicate to the hardware with the programming software through the same cable.

You can also refer to the topic Cabling.

• Specifying an incorrect Data Highway Plus (DH+) station number or IP address for the process hardware in your driver configuration. Review your driver configuration and your process hardware. You can also obtain this information from RSWho.

• Failing to run SAC. You cannot access data from your I/O driver in View until SAC is running.

• Setting the write protect switch on the hardware. If the I/O driver reads values but does not write values, make sure the switch is not set. Also, start the Power Tool and verify that the Disable Output option is not enabled for the datablock.

• Attempting to communicate to areas of memory not defined in the controller. Verify that each datablock’s address is valid.

• Using the same interrupts for a KT (KTC, KTX, or KTXD) or Ethernet interface card and the computer’s serial ports (COM 1 and COM 2). Most personal computers assign IRQ4 to COM port 1 and IRQ3 to COM port 2. If a conflict occurs, change the interrupt of the conflicting expansion board. The most common expansion conflict is the network adapter. Use the Windows Event Viewer and Windows Diagnostics programs to troubleshoot these problems.

Error Codes Error codes display in the Errors field of the Power Tool’s statistics display and in the Mission Control’s DRVST fields. DRVSTA and DRVSTB errors are RSLinx errors. For more information about these errors, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.

The following types of error codes are covered:

• DRVSTA Error Codes

• DRVSTB Error Codes

• DRVSTD Error Codes

• DRVSTE through DRVSTH Error Codes


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DRVSTA Error Codes

Code Description

01 I/O operation in progress.

02 Invalid DEFINE string.

03 Invalid number of elements to define.

04 Invalid data type.

05 Invalid access rights.

06 Invalid module, pushwheel or channel.

07 Invalid remote station address.

08 Invalid PLC processor type.

09 Invalid number of DEFINE parameters.

0A Conflicts in DEFINE parameter number 5.

0B DEFINE table full.

0C Loading DEFINE table ID conflict.

0D DEFINE input file error.

0E Invalid DTSA atype member.

0F Data item is read only.

10 Data invalid for operation (bit, RMW operation write to float, bit or structured data item).

11 Not enough memory available.

12 Operation did not complete in time.

13 DEFINE table not initialized.

14 DEFINE ID out of range.

16 PLC processor type not supported.

17 NOS timer error.

18 I/O completed with errors.

19 Bad parameter value.

1A Expected parameter is missing.

1B I/O operation not attempted.

1D NOS message packet error.

1F Data item is greater that maximum allowed.


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Code Description

20 No such data item defined.

21 Wait ID out of range.

22 Too many pending I/O requests.

23 NOS initialization error.

25 NOS initialization error.

26 Bad DEFINE address.

27 DTL system already initialized.

28 Input string too long.

29 Data conversion error.

2A PLC 5/250 time invalid.

2B VMS error setting time.

2C Error getting symbol expansion.

2D Bad application address.

2E Invalid network interface identifier.

2F Network interface already connected.

30 Bad IP address.

31 Symbol expansion invalid.

32 Invalid use of definition.

33 Invalid number of elements.

34 Invalid host data type keyword.

35 Invalid PLC data type.

36 Invalid network interface identifier.

38 Invalid network interface identifier.

39 No connection to network interface.

3A Receive operation already pending.

3B Conversion error for read data.

3C Conversion error for write data.

3D Data comparison failure.

3F Receive operation was canceled.


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Code Description

40 Receive operation is not pending.

41 Session to network interface was lost.

42 Session to network interface was established.

43 DTL_SET_FDS nfds parameter is too small.

44 Operation not supported.

45 Bad DTSA_TYPE station address.

46 Bad DTSA_TYPE communication channel.

47 Bad DTSA_TYPE module type.

49 Cannot specify DTL_REJECT for both handlers.

4A Address specified is not supported by DTL function.

4B Bad DTSA_TYPE Pushwheel.

4C Operation cancelled by DTL_DISCONNECT.

4D Network interface cannot support more connections.

4E Network interface software revision incompatible.

4F Duplicate application address.

50 Application address in use by other user.

51 I/O was canceled by DTL_UNDEF.

52 Access mode reserved for PLC-2.

54 Archive file format error.

5A Error accessing disk.

60 PLC types do not match.

61 Internal error initializing VRNA.386.

65 Compare failed.

66 PLC has invalid mode for attempted operation.

67 PLC is faulted.

68 Compare utility - compare failed.

69 Compare utility - compare success.

6A Get faults utility - found faults.

6B Get faults utility - found no faults.


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Code Description

6C Sense mode utility - run mode.

6D Sense mode utility - remote run mode.

6E Sense mode utility - test mode.

6F Sense mode utility - remote test mode.

70 Sense mode utility - program mode.

71 Sense mode utility - remote program mode.

72 DLL detected WM_QUIT message.

73 Can't copy PLC image.

74 Can copy image but with warnings.

75 PLC mode not changed to request mode.

76 Invalid DTSA_TYPE file type.

77 DTSA structure file name is NULL or zero.

78 DTSA_TYPE file length is zero.

79 Invalid DTSA_TYPE File Type

7A Server is not loaded.

7B Server is not running.

7C Reply buffer is too small.

7D Bit mask contains illegal bits.

7E PCCC packet handler is NULL.

7F Invalid option parameter.

80 Invalid backlog value.

81 Can't find subprogram to execute.

82 Invalid option name parameter.

83 Invalid option value parameter.

84 U/D/C operation terminated by user.

85 DTL_UNSOL_GETALL already active.

86 DTL_UNSOL_GETALL and DTL_UNSOL_DEF used.

87 Sense Mode Utility – test cont scan mode.

88 Sense Mode Utility – test sing scan mode.


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Code Description

89 Sense Mode Utility – test sing step mode.

8A Uninterpretable path in DTSA_ASA.

8B Invalid connection ID in DTSA_CONN.

8C Disallowed ASA service code.

8D Invalid ASA Internal Object Identifier.

8E Data exceeds maximum size allowed.

8F No more ASA connections can be opened.

90 Connection not ready to send.

91 Connection lost.

92 Invalid connection structure.

93 Invalid ASA mode.

94 Invalid ASA trigger.

95 Invalid ASA transport.

96 Invalid ASA timeout multiplier.

97 Invalid ASA network connection type.

98 Invalid ASA connection priority.

99 Invalid ASA connection packet type.

9A Invalid ASA connection max packet size.

9B Driver ID was illegal.

9C Driver ID was invalid.

9D Driver ID is already in use.

9E Driver name is invalid.

9F Failed attempt to register/unregister broadcast unsolicited request.

A0 Failed attempt to register/unregister PLC2 memory unsolicited request.

A1 Failed attempt to register/unregister virtual link unsolicited request.

A2 PLC-2 address not in use by this application.

A3 Virtual link node not in use by this application.

A4 DTL_C_DEFINE pushwheel parameter was specified more than once.

A5 DTL_C_DEFINE pushwheel parameter was out of range.


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Code Description

A6 DTL_C_DEFINE module parameter was specified more than once.

A7 DTL_C_DEFINE module parameter was out of range.

A8 DTL_C_DEFINE channel parameter was specified more than once.

A9 DTL_C_DEFINE channel parameter was out of range.

AA DTL_C_DEFINE El station parameter was specified more than once.

AB DTL_C_DEFINE El station parameter was out of range.

AC DTL_C_DEFINE bridge parameter was specified more than once.

AD DTL_C_DEFINE bridge parameter was out of range.

AE DTL_C_DEFINE link parameter was specified more than once.

AF DTL_C_DEFINE link parameter was out of range.

B0 DTL_C_DEFINE gateway parameter was specified more than once.

B1 DTL_C_DEFINE gateway parameter was out of range.

B2 DTL_C_DEFINE ka flag parameter was specified more than once.

B3 Cannot find RSLinx in INI file.

B4 Cannot find WinLinx in INI file.

B5 Error sending message to server.

B6 Specified host name is not mapped to a station address.

B7 Unable to create RSLinx process.

B8 Unable to communicate with RSLinx process.

B9 Unable to find activation key.

BA One or more pointers were NULL.

BB Who active struct type is invalid.

BC Who active struct type is illegal.

BD Who active struct size is wrong for struct type.

BE Who active manufacturer type is invalid.

BF Who active manufacturer type is illegal.

C0 Specified request id was bad.

C1 Unable to create WinLinx process.

C2 Unable to communicate with WinLinx process.


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Code Description

C3 Unable to find activation key.

C4 RSLinx CIP subsystem not found.

C5 No response to CIP registration.

C6 Invalid registration ID.

C7 CIP Symbol exceeds max length allowed.

C8 CIP Symbol has invalid format.

C9 Invalid transaction ID.

CA DDE Topic already exists.

CB Failed attempt to register/unregister source unsolicited request.

CC DDE Topic exists with different name.

CD DDE Topic exists with different poll mode.

CE DDE Topic exists with different poll rate.

CF DDE Topic exists with different manufacturer type.

D0 DDE Topic exists with different process type.

D1 DDE Topic exists with different process station.

D2 DDE Topic exists with different route.

D3 DDE Topic exists with different driver.

D4 DDE Topic exists with different communication timeout.

D5 Version does not match WinLinx version.

D6 Version does not match RSLinx version.

D7 The connection to WinLinx server is broken.

D8 The connection to RSLinx server is broken.

D9 CIP link address was already registered.

DA CIP symbol was already registered.

DB Invalid link address.

DC Invalid return status code.

DD No INTERCHANGE compatibility mappings exist.

DE DDE Topic is active.

DF DDE Topic has no project.


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Code Description

E0 Could not initialize RSHarmony sub-system.

E1 Operation not supported by server.

E2 Could not open RSHarmony project.

E3 Could not bind to RSHarmony object.

E4 Could not invoke method on RSHarmony object.

E5 Could not get property of RSHarmony object.

E6 Could not set property of RSHarmony object.

E7 INTERCHANGE mapping exists for specified pushwheel.

E8 Target struct type is invalid.

E9 Target struct type is illegal.

EA Target struct size is wrong for struct type.

EB DTL32.DLL version mismatch with Linx server.

EC Reply is too short or is incorrectly formatted.

DRVSTB Error Codes

Code Description

101 Station cannot buffer command.

102 Cannot guarantee delivery; link layer timed out or received a NAK.

103 Duplicate token holder detected by link layer.

104 Local port is disconnected.

105 Timed out waiting for a response from remote station.

106 Duplicate node detected.

107 Station is offline.

108 Hardware fault.

110 Illegal command or format, including an odd address.

120 Host has a problem and will not communicate.

130 Remote station host is not there, disconnected or shutdown.

140 Host could not complete function because of a hardware fault.

150 Addressing problem or memory protect rungs.


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Code Description

160 Function disallowed because of a command protection selection.

170 Processor is in program mode.

180 Compatibility mode file missing or communication zone problem.

190 Remote station cannot buffer command.

1A0 No ACK received.

1A2 Network is dead.

1A4 COM port hardware problem.

1A5 Packet is too large.

1A7 Illegal station address seen.

1A8 Not getting solicited.

1A9 Service/LSAP not supported.

1B0 Remote station problem because of a download.

1C0 Cannot execute command because of IBPs.

201 Illegal address format - a field has an illegal value.

202 Illegal address format - not enough fields specified.

203 Illegal address format - too many fields specified.

204 Illegal address format – symbol not found.

205 Illegal address format – symbol is 0 or greater than 8 characters.

206 Illegal address format – address does not exist.

207 Illegal file size.

208 Cannot complete request – situation changed during multi-packet operation.

209 Data or file is too large.

20A Data or file is too large.

20B Access denied, privilege violation.

20C Resource is not available.

20D Resource is already available.

20E Command cannot be executed.

20F Overflow - histogram overflow.

210 No access.


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Code Description

211 Incorrect data type.

212 Invalid parameter.

213 Address reference exists to deleted area.

214 Command execution failure for unknown reason.

215 Data conversion error.

216 1771 rack adapter not responding.

217 1771 module not responding to rack adapter.

218 1771 module response was not valid.

219 Duplicate label.

21A File is open - another node owns it.

21B Another node is the program owner.

2746 Connection reset by Peer, possibly caused by disconnecting the cable.

DRVSTD Error Codes

Code Description

E0 Unsupported data type.

E1 Unconfigured datablock.

E2 Improperly sized datablock.

FD You have configured RSLinx with a driver name that does not exist. Consequently, the ABR driver could not establish a connection and read data from the process hardware.

FE You have configured RSLinx with a driver name that does not exist. Consequently, the ABR driver could not establish a connection and write digital data to the specified address.

FF You have configured RSLinx with a driver name that does not exist. Consequently, the ABR driver could not establish a connection and write analog data to the specified address.

DRVSTE through DRVSTH Error Codes

Value Displays the...

DRVSTE Device number of last protocol error.

DRVSTF Datablock number of last protocol error.

DRVSTH Number of unsolicited write messages received (PLC sent data).


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Tools for Troubleshooting the ABR I/O Driver

The Statistics View in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool

The Power Tool displays communication statistics for each datablock, device, channel, and the entire driver. Displaying these statistics is useful for narrowing down which part of the driver is not functioning. To view the statistics, select a datablock, device, or channel from the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button on the Run-time toolbar.

The Statistics in FIX Mission Control

Mission Control is the main FIX tool for monitoring background tasks, such as SAC, Historical Collect, and I/O drivers. Using Mission Control, you can start and stop a driver, and view driver error numbers. This is useful for quickly determining if the driver is having a problem.

Mission Control also provides a summary of driver-level statistics. To see the statistics for each channel, use the ABR Power Tool.

The Windows Event Viewer

The driver reports any major errors to the Windows Event Viewer. To learn more about using this application, refer to Using the Event Viewer.

The Alarm History Window in FIX

Because the I/O driver reports event messages to the Alarm History application in FIX, you can use this program for debugging your driver. The events reported include when the driver:

• Starts and stops.

• Connects and disconnects.

• Switches channels and devices.

• Fails to communicate and subsequently recovers.

Refer to the FIX documentation for details on enabling alarm services.

The Message Log in the I/O Server program

The message log in the I/O Server program tracks the following events:

• The date and time a configuration file loads.

• Which configuration file loads. If the driver is not loading the configuration file you want, you can change the default file name and location in the Power Tool’s Setup dialog box.

• The date and time other applications attach to the server. This data can help you determine if someone is attached and making changes to the server you are working on.

• CSV import errors.

To view the I/O Server program:

1. Open the Power Tool.


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The options in the program’s View menu let you choose the types of messages to display. The message priority is as follows:

1. Errors

2. Warnings

3. Information

4. Debug1

5. Debug2

6. Debug3

7. OPC DLL

The default setting for the Server is to display errors, warnings, and informational messages. You can also enable debug and OPC DLL messages. The following table summarizes the contents of these messages.

Message type

Contains information about...

Debug 1 • Creating and deleting channel, device, and datablock objects.

• NIO, Poll stub, and OPC connections to the server.

Debug 2 RSLinx define strings.

Debug 3 Internal run-time errors. Debug 3 messages also provide important run-time information, such as when an object is created or when a device is marked bad using the quickfail logic.

OPC DLL Run-time and configuration time "trace" and error messages sent by the OPC DLL. We recommend you disable this selection during normal operation of the driver.

To close the I/O Server program:




183

Getting Technical Support

Support for the ABR I/O driver

By World Wide Web

To enter new support issues, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW support site.

To search for an updated version of your driver, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW SIM site.

By Phone

GE Fanuc Technical Support:

(Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time).

Within the United States: 1-800-GEFANUC (1-800-433-2682)

Option 3 for Support

International: 1-434-978-5100

Option 2 for Support

Support for the process hardware

By World Wide Web

Click the shortcut to visit Rockwell Software’s web site.

By Email

Click the shortcut to mail Rockwell Software’s support staff.

By Phone

(440) 646-7800 Technical Support

(440) 646-7801 Tech Support Fax

(440) 646-7777 AutoFax Product Info

185

Creating a Custom Client Application The ABR I/O Server is an OLE application that you can control programmatically. It exposes its functionality to other OLE applications through its interfaces, which means you can create custom OLE applications to access or control the driver.

For example:

• You can use Visual Basic to programmatically enable channels, device, or datablocks depending on user input.

• You can use VBA in Excel to create a program that generates reports comparing device statistics within a driver.

• You can write programs that control the driver with higher performance using C or C++.

Refer to the following topics for steps on getting started with creating custom applications:

• Creating a Custom Application Using Microsoft Visual Basic

• Creating a Custom Application Using C or C++

• Accessing ABR Server Data Using an OPC Client

Creating a Custom Application Using Microsoft Visual Basic Microsoft Visual Basic is one of many applications that you can use to develop custom OLE applications for use with the ABR I/O driver.

To start designing a Visual Basic application that accesses the ABR I/O driver objects:

1. Start Visual Basic and select References from the Projects menu. The ABRDRV OPC Server 7.20 Library should display in the Available References list box. If it does, select it. If it does not, browse your directories for .TLB files and add ABRDRV.TLB to the Available References list box.

2. Select Object Browser from the View menu and select ABRDRV from the Libraries/Projects drop-down list at the top of the browser.

3. Select Help on the Properties and Methods to learn how to use the driver objects for creating your application.

The type library, ABRDRV.TLB, is installed in the same path that you installed the ABR I/O Server.

NOTE: To use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) instead of the VB Compiler, select References from the Tools menu in step 1 and follow steps 2 and 3 above.


186

Creating a Custom Application Using C or C++ You can create a custom client application for use with the I/O Server using Microsoft Visual C or C++.

To get started creating an client application with C or C++:

1. Add a call to CoCreateInstance to load the server and get a pointer to the driver interface.

2. Include InterfaceDef.h in the source from your driver.

3. Add Interfacedef_i.obj to the project.

You can obtain copies of InterfaceDef.h and Interfacedef_i.obj from GE Fanuc. Contact your local GE Fanuc sales representative for more information.

Accessing the ABR Server with OPC

Accessing ABR Server Data Using an OPC Client

You can use any v1.0a or 2.0 OPC-compliant client to access data from your process hardware through the ABR OPC server using the ABR driver. In order to access this data, your client must use the OPC Custom interface to communicate with the ABR OPC server. The ABR OPC server does not support the OPC Automation interface.

You can begin accessing OPC data from the ABR OPC server by using the Power Tool to enter the default driver configuration file name for the server. To learn how to enter this information, refer to Setting Defaults for the I/O Driver Configuration File Name and Path.

Once you specify the default configuration file name, you can use the following syntax for the OPC Item ID: devicename:address (analog or ASCII values)

devicename:address:bit (digital values)

devicename:address|bytes (ASCII values)

For an explanation of analog and digital syntax, refer to Specifying I/O Addresses. For an explanation of ASCII syntax, refer to Using A Files with an OPC Client.

If your OPC client supports browsing, you can also browse the ABR OPC server.

NOTE: The ABR Server does not allow you to browse down to bit level unless you are accessing a structured mnemonic. Consequently, when browsing the ABR Server for digital data, make sure you add the bit you want to access to your Item ID.

Using A Files with an OPC Client

You can read text values with an OPC client using the following syntax: devicename:address|bytes (ASCII values)

Where:


187


device_name Is the name of the field device or process hardware that you want to collect data from.

address Is a register in the device. This address matches the address defined by a datablock, such as A9:3

bytes Is the number of bytes (characters) you want to read. Specifying the number of bytes is optional. When omitted, the client reads 20 bytes.

Using this feature, you can read text values of any size you need. However, you cannot read passed the boundary of a datablock. For example, if you create a datablock with the address range A9:0 to A9:4 on device D1 then the following address is invalid and returns no data because it reads past the boundary of the datablock: D1:A9:0

To correct this, specify the number of bytes to read as shown below: D1:A9:0|10

You can also change the default number of bytes the client reads by modifying the registry of your computer.

CAUTION: Do not modify the registry unless you are familiar editing registry values. You can seriously affect the performance of your computer if you accidentally change or delete a registry setting.

To change the default number of bytes to read:

1. Select Run from the Windows Start menu.

2. Enter REGEDT32 in the field provided to start the Registry Editor.

3. Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window from the Window menu.

4. Locate and select the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intellution\Drivers\ABR\OPC\ItemDefaults

5. Select Add Value from the Edit menu.

6. Enter StringLength in the Value Name field. This text is case-sensitive and must be entered as shown.

7. Select REG_DWORD from the Data Type field and click OK. The DWORD Editor dialog box appears.

8. Select Decimal from the Radix area.

9. Enter the default number of bytes you want your OPC client to read in the Data field and click OK. The new default is added to the ItemDefaults registry key. The default value is displayed as a hexadecimal number


188

Accessing Information The ABR I/O driver help consists of independent topics with specific information on I/O driver concepts and procedures. You can access these topics using one of the following methods:

• F1 help

• The index

• The full-text search

• The table of contents

The index, full-text search, and table of contents are all located in the Help Topics dialog box. You can display this dialog box by using one of the following methods:

• Selecting Help Topics from the Power Tool’s Help menu.

• Selecting ABR Help from the Start menu as follows:

1. Select Programs from the Start menu.

2. Select FIX, Dynamics, or iFIX from the Programs menu.

3. Select ABR Help from the context menu.

Using F1 Help The fastest way to get help using the Power Tool fields is by pressing the F1 key. To display F1 help, select the field or control you want information on and press the F1 key. The topic that appears is specific to the selected field or control and usually explains what happens when you enter information in the field, which entries are valid, and provides examples of valid entries when applicable.

Using the Help Index The online help provides an index to all its topics. This index is similar to the index in a printed book.

To search the index:

1. Select the Index tab in the Help Topics dialog box.

2. Type or select the word you want information on.

3. Double-click the indexed item in the lower part of the Index tab to display the associated topic. If the word you entered is associated with more than one topic, a list box appears displaying all the topics indexed under the word you entered.

4. Double-click the topic you want to display.


189

Using the Help Full-Text Search If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the index, you can use the full-text search capability. A full-text search finds every occurrence of a selected word or phrase anywhere within the online help.

To use the full-text search:

1. Select the Find tab in the Help Topics dialog box.

2. Follow the prompts for creating the word list for the Help file.

3. Enter the word or phrase you want to locate in lower case text.

4. Double-click the associated topic you want to display from the list at the bottom of the Find tab.

NOTE: Do not enter your search string with all upper case text. Using upper case text locates only words and phrases in upper case. Using lower case text, on the other hand, finds all matching words and phrases.

Using the Help Table of Contents The table of contents provides an overview of what’s available in the ABR online help. It displays the titles of the books and the topics within each book.

To use the Table of Contents:

1. Select the Contents tab in the Help Topics dialog box.

2. To open a book, double-click it.

3. Double-click the topic you want to read.

4. To close a book, double-click it again.

Navigating in the Online Help When you access a topic in the ABR I/O driver online help, it may not provide all the information you need. To learn more about a topic, you can:

• Use the Help Button Bar.

• Use help links.


190

Using the Help Button Bar

The button...

Lets you...

Help Topics

Display the Help Topics dialog box.

Back Return to the last topic you viewed. The default keyboard shortcut is CTRL + B. You can also see a list of previously viewed topics by selecting Display History Window in the Options Menu. Refer to Using the Help Menus for details on ABR Help menu commands.

Print Print the current topic. See Printing the Online Help for information on how to print the entire help system.

Using Help Links

Green words or phrases are links. Clicking a link either displays another topic or a pop-up window on top of the current topic. If you are using the keyboard, press the Tab key to move to the next link in the topic and press the Enter key to activate the link.

Links to other topics are green with a solid underline and are called jumps. Jumps take you out of viewing the current topic to viewing a new topic. Links that display pop-up windows are green with a dotted underline. Pop-up windows display over the current window and are usually definitions of terms.

Using the See Also List

Most topics have a See Also button located directly under the topic title. Click the button to display a dialog box with a list of topics related to the current topic. If you select one of the topics from the list, that topic displays. To get back to your original topic, click the Back button on the button bar.

Using the Help Menus The following menus appear at the top of every Help topic:

Each menu contains a list of commands. To display the commands, click the menu name. The following table explains the function of each command.

Command Description

File

Open Opens another help file.

Print Topic Prints the currently displayed topic.

Exit Exits the ABR online help.

Edit


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Command Description

Copy Copies the selected text.

Annotate Makes an annotation to a topic. When you select this command, a dialog box appears with a space for entering your annotation.

Help inserts a green paperclip icon at the top, left corner of the topic to indicate that an annotation exists for the topic. To view an annotation, click the green paperclip. Annotations remain with topics after you exit and re-open the online help.

Bookmark

Define Bookmarks topics for reference during a Help session.

Options

Keep on Top Chooses whether to display the ABR I/O driver help on top of all open applications or to cover the ABR help as other applications open.

Display History Window

Displays all the topics you have viewed during a Help session.

Font Lets you choose the font size used by the online help.

Use System Colors

Directs the online help to use the system colors of your computer.

Help

Version Displays the version of the ABR I/O driver online help.

Customizing the Online Help The ABR online help lets you annotate and bookmark topics.

Annotations

Select the Annotations command from the ABR Help Edit menu to add your own annotations to a topic.

Bookmarks

Select the Define command from the Bookmark menu to mark the topics that you want to refer back to during a Help session.

Refer to the Microsoft Windows Help for details on making annotations and bookmarks.


192

Printing the Online Help

To print one ABR Help topic at a time:

• Click Print from the Help Button Bar.

To print the entire online help as a book:

1. Open the Help Topics dialog box and select the Contents tab.

2. Double-click the Print Version book.

3. Double-click the ABR Help Print Version topic.

4. Click Print from the Help Button Bar to print the entire help system

193

Index !

!MODE ........................................................... 121

!POLL ............................................................. 121

!SEND ...................................................... 14, 121

!START .......................................................... 121

!SWITCH ....................................................... 121

1

1747 AIC link coupler ................................ 63, 66

1747 C11 cable ................................................. 63

1747 C13 cable ................................................. 66

1747 KE converter ............................................ 66

1747-CP3 cable ........................ 53, 59, 63, 66, 78

1756-DHRIO module ................................. 83, 85

1756-ENET module.................................... 83, 85

1756-L1 ControLogix processor ...................... 86

1761 NET AIC converter ........................... 66, 78

1761-CBL-HM02 Series B cable ..................... 78

1770-KF2 devices ............................................. 59

1770-KF3 devices ............................................. 63

1784 CP14 cable ............................................... 63

1784 KT interface card ..................................... 49

1784-KTD interface card .................................. 50

1784-KTXD interface card ............................... 50

1785 KA module .............................................. 59

1785-KE module .............................................. 56

A

ABR I/O driver features ..................................... 4

access time .............................................. 115, 116

accessing ABR data ........................................ 186

accessing documentation ................................ 188

accessing the Power Tool ................................. 89

adding channels ........................................ 95, 102

adding datablocks ............................... 15, 95, 106

adding devices .......................................... 95, 106

address length ........................................... 24, 108

addressing format in Database Builder ...........121

addressing format in the Power Tool ........ 24, 108

advanced settings ............................................. 97

automatic datablock creation ............................. 6

automatic server connection ............................ 99

automatic startup ...................................... 96, 133

B

binary files ......................................................128

block transfers .............................. 21, 24, 31, 108

block writes ..................................................... 14

browser ............................................................ 91

C

C++ custom client applications ......................186

cabling ........................................................ 21, 39

changing servers .............................................. 98

channels

adding ................................................... 95, 102

enabling ......................................................... 9

properties ............................................ 102, 104

statistics ......................................................131

viewing statistics.........................................131

choosing commands ........................................ 92

CNB module .................................................... 85

command line parameters ................................ 99

communicating locally .................................... 98

communicating remotely ................................. 98

communicating with

a 1747 KE converter .................................... 66

a 1761 NET AIC converter .......................... 66

a 1770-KF2 device ....................................... 59

a 1770-KF3 device ....................................... 63


194

a 1785KE module ......................................... 56

a ControLogix Gateway ......................... 83, 85

a MicroLogix processor .......................... 53, 78

a PLC 5 ................................................... 53, 72

a PLC 5/250 ............................................ 69, 72

a SLC 5 ................................................... 53, 72

communicating with ......................................... 49

communication errors ....................................... 10

communication modules ................................... 21

conditioning data ............................................ 123

Configuration button ........................................ 94

configuration file default settings ................... 117

configuration file name ..................................... 96

configuration file path ...................................... 96

configuration methods .................................... 101

configuration mode ........................................... 89

Configuration toolbar ....................................... 95

configuring a 1784 KT interface card ............... 49

configuring a PLC 5/250 .................................. 69

configuring a Pyramid Integrator ..................... 69

configuring channels ...................................... 102

configuring datablocks ................................... 106

configuring datablocks automatically ................. 6

configuring devices ........................................ 106

configuring drivers

from custom applications ............................... 7

remotely .......................................................... 7

configuring drivers ........................................... 94

configuring drivers ........................................... 95

configuring drivers ......................................... 101




configuring local communication ..................... 98

configuring MicroLogix PLCs ......................... 78

configuring remote communication .................. 98

configuring the 1756-L1 ControLogix

processor ...................................................... 86

configuring the hardware ................................. 44

configuring the Power Tool ............ 7, 94, 95, 101

connecting to local servers .......................... 94, 98

connecting to remote servers ...................... 94, 98

ControlNet ....................................................... 85

ControLogix ................................... 50, 83, 85, 86

creating custom applications using C or C++ .186

creating custom applications with Visual Basic ...........................................................185

creating custom client applications .................185

creating datablocks .......................................... 15

creating datablocks automatically from client applications .......................................... 6

creating datablocks in FIX Database Builder .125

creating datablocks with FIX ..........................119

creating new files ............................................. 94

creating reports ...............................................128

CSV files ........................................................128

custom applications ........................................... 7

custom client applications....................... 185, 186

customizing help .............................................191

D

data monitoring ................................................ 14

data scope ........................................................ 14

Data Scope button ............................................ 94

database blocks ...............................................120

datablocks

adding ................................................... 95, 106

addresses ............................................... 24, 108

block writes ................................................. 14

configuring .................................................106

creating automatically in Database Builder ................................................ 6, 125

creating with FIX applications ....................119

enabling ......................................................... 9

modifying ...................................................106

properties ...................... 24, 106, 108, 115, 116


195

saving ................................................. 125, 127

statistics ...................................................... 131

viewing statistics ........................................ 131

datablocks ......................................................... 15

datablocks ......................................................... 15

date stamp for data and alarms ......................... 11

default configuration file name ................... 89, 96

default configuration file path .................... 89, 96

default settings ........................................ 117, 125

delay time property ......................................... 104

devices

1770-KF2...................................................... 59

1770-KF3...................................................... 63

adding ................................................... 95, 106

configuring the hardware .............................. 44

enabling .......................................................... 9

modifying ................................................... 106

properties .................................................... 106

statistics ...................................................... 131

viewing statistics ........................................ 131

diagnostics ........................................................ 14

disclaimer ......................................................... 49

Display Mode menu ......................................... 92

documentation ........................................ 188, 189

driver alarms ..................................................... 11

driver messages ................................ 97, 102, 181

drivers

architecture ..................................................... 2

configuration ...................... 7, 94, 95, 101, 120

error numbers ............................................. 170

features ........................................................... 4

how they work ................................................ 2

manual start-up ........................................... 134

remote configuration ...................................... 7

running as a service ...................................... 11

sample configurations16, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 78, 83, 85, 86

selecting an account to run as a service ....... 11

setting up 16, 17, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 73, 78, 83, 85, 86

starting ................................................ 132, 181

statistics .............................................. 131, 181

stopping ........................................ 94, 135, 181

upgrading ................................................ 44, 45

viewing statistics.........................................131

DRVST ...........................................................170

DTL initialization size ..................................... 97

E Edit menu......................................................... 92

enabling channels .............................................. 9

enabling datablocks ........................................... 9

enabling devices ................................................ 9

end address ............................................... 24, 108

entering driver information in FIX Database Builder ........................................................120

error display format ......................................... 97

error numbers .......................................... 170, 181

establishing a serial connection ....................... 53

establishing an ethernet connection ................. 72

ethernet ............................................................ 72

Event Viewer ..................................................181

exception-based processing ............................... 8

F

F1 help ............................................................188

features .............................................................. 4

File menu ......................................................... 92

file path ............................................................ 96

finding information ................................. 188, 189

FIX applications 6, 119, 120, 121, 125, 127, 134, 135

FIX Database Builder

addressing format .......................................121

FIX Database Builder ................. 6, 119, 120, 121

FIX Database Builder .....................................121

FIX Database Builder .....................................123


196

FIX Database Builder ..................................... 125





FIXIOUser Account ......................................... 11

format for I/O addresses ................................. 121

full text search ................................................ 189

G

generating multiple datablocks ......................... 15

getting technical support ................................. 183

graphical user interface ....................................... 7

H

handling exceptions ............................................ 8

hardware16, 17, 21, 44, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 73, 78, 83, 85, 86

hardware options ............................................ 125

help ................................................. 159, 188, 189

Help menu ........................................................ 92

help menus ...................................................... 190

help printing ................................................... 192

how the driver works .......................................... 2

how to use the driver ...................................... 145

I

I/O address format .................................... 31, 121

I/O Server ............................................... 2, 98, 99

index ............................................................... 188

information ..................................................... 189

Interfacdef_i.obj ............................................. 186

interface cards ................................................... 20

interface modules ............................................. 21

InterfaceDef.h ................................................. 186

K

KF2 devices ...................................................... 59

KF3 devices ...................................................... 63

L last error display buttons .................................. 97

latched data ...................................................... 11

local communication ........................................ 98

local connection ............................................... 98

local server ....................................................... 98

logging messages ............................................181

M

main toolbar ..................................................... 94

making new files .............................................. 94

manual start-up ...............................................134

maximum memory size ................................... 97

maximum outstanding messages ..................... 97

memory growth increment ............................... 97

memory types ............................................. 21, 31

menu bar .......................................................... 92

message log ....................................................181

MicroLogix PLCs ....................................... 50, 78

Mission Control .............................. 134, 135, 181

mnemonics ....................................................... 31

modifying channels .........................................102

modifying configurations ...............................139

modifying datablocks .....................................106

modifying devices...........................................106

N

navigating in the ABR Help system ...............189

new files........................................................... 94

nodename.ABR ............................................... 96

O

offlinking ......................................................... 73

OLE for Process Control ................................... 5

OLE Server button ........................................... 94

OPC client ......................................................186

OPC servers ....................................................... 5

opening files .................................................... 94

opening menus ................................................. 92

opening the Power Tool ............ 94, 125, 132, 181

optimization techniques ..................................139

Options menu ................................................... 92


197

overrun buffer ................................................... 97

overview

About the Power Tool .................................. 89

creating datablocks with FIX applications . 119

Setting Up the Driver .................................... 17

P

path to configuration files ................................. 96

path to error resource DLL ............................... 97

path to signal conditioning DLL ....................... 97

performance .................................................... 139

phasing ............................................... 9, 115, 116

pictures 16, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 73, 78, 83, 86

PLC 3 ................................................................ 49

PLC 5 .............................................. 50, 53, 59, 72

PLC 5 rack ........................................................ 56

PLC 5/250 .................................................. 50, 69

poll rate ....................................................... 9, 115

Power Tool

addressing format ................................. 24, 108

browser ......................................................... 91

configuring ........................... 7, 94, 95, 96, 101

opening ....................................................... 132

setup ............................................................. 96

starting ........................................................ 132

status bar ....................................................... 93

Power Tool ......................................................... 2

Power Tool ....................................................... 89

Power Tool ....................................................... 90

Power Tool ....................................................... 92

primary poll rate ............................................. 116

printing ABR documentation.......................... 192

printing help ................................................... 192

process hardware ... 16, 17, 44, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 73, 78, 83, 85, 86

programming hardware .................................... 44

Properties Viewer ............................................. 90

Pyramid Integrator ............................................ 69

Q

QuickFail logic ................................................ 10

R

refresh rate ....................................................... 96

refreshing the browser ..................................... 91

remote communication .................................... 98

remote configuration .......................................... 7

remote connection............................................ 98

remote control .................................................... 7

remote server ................................................... 98

reply timeout property ....................................104

report files .......................................................128

required software ............................................. 38

Reset button ..................................................... 94

resetting statistics ............................................. 94

retries property ................................................104

running the driver as a service ......................... 11

S

SAC ............................................................ 8, 133

sample configurations .. 16, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 78, 83, 85, 86

saving configuration changes .........................127

saving datablocks ............................................127

saving files .................................................. 94, 96

SCADA configuration ............................ 132, 133

scaling data .....................................................123

SCU ........................................................ 132, 133

searching help .................................................189

secondary poll rate .............................. 9, 115, 116

server connection ........................................ 98, 99

service under Windows

running the driver as .................................... 11

setting default values ......................................117

setting up drivers ... 17, 49, 50, 53, 56, 59, 63, 66, 69, 72, 73, 78, 83, 85, 86

setting up the default configuration file path ... 96

setting up the Power Tool ................................ 16

Setup dialog box ......................................... 89, 96


198

short cut keys .................................................... 93

signal conditioning ......................................... 123

simulation mode ......................................... 10, 97

SLC 5 .......................................................... 50, 53

SLC 5/00 .......................................................... 63

SLC 5/01 .......................................................... 63

SLC 5/02 .......................................................... 63

SLC 5/03 .................................................... 63, 66

SLC 5/04 .......................................................... 59

SLC 5/05 .......................................................... 72

software ............................................................ 38

specifying hardware options in FIX Database Builder ........................................ 125

specifying I/O addresses in FIX Database Builder ........................................................ 121

specifying signal conditioning in FIX Database Builder ........................................ 123

specifying the I/O driver in FIX Database Builder ........................................................ 121

start address .............................................. 24, 108

Start button ....................................................... 94

starting drivers .................. 94, 132, 133, 134, 181

starting drivers from FIX ................................ 132

starting drivers manually ................................ 132

starting the driver automatically ..................... 133

starting the driver manually ............................ 134

starting the Power Tool .................................. 132

statistics ............................................ 14, 131, 181

Statistics button ................................................ 94

statistics mode .................................................. 89

statistics refresh rate ......................................... 96

status bar ........................................................... 93

Stop button ....................................................... 94

stopping drivers ................................ 94, 135, 181

support .................................................... 159, 183

supported hardware .......................................... 17

supported interface cards .................................. 20

supported interface modules ............................. 21

supported memory types .................................. 21

supported mnemonics ...................................... 31

supported signal conditioning .........................123

switching channels ..........................................121

switching devices ............................................121

system account ................................................. 11

system optimization ........................................139

T table of contents ..............................................189

technical support ..................................... 159, 183

Templates dialog box .................. 89, 94, 117, 125

time stamp for data and alarms ........................ 11

timing properties .............................................104

Tree Browser ................................................... 89

troubleshooting ............................... 159, 170, 181

U

unsolicited messages .......................................102

upgrading the driver .................................... 44, 45

user interface ..................................................... 7

using a logon account when running the driver as a service ........................................ 11

using an OPC client ........................................186

using default driver settings ............................125

using drivers remotely ....................................... 7

using help........................................................189

using phasing with poll rates ..........................116

using the ABR I/O Driver with Windows XP Service Pack 2 ....................................... 39

using the menus in help ..................................190

using the Power Tool .................................. 89, 90

V validating datablocks ....................................... 15

verifying datablocks created from Database Builder ........................................................125

View menu ....................................................... 92

viewing datablocks created from Database Builder ........................................................125

viewing statistics ...................................... 94, 131


199

Visual Basic custom applications ................... 185

W

Windows service

running the driver as one ............................. 11

Windows XP Service Pack 2 ........................... 39

writing to a datablock ...................................... 14

Date post:	22-Dec-2015
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ABR_I-O_Driver_Manual.pdf

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