T315-16 Alarm and Events - RevA

System 800xA training

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Chapter 16 Alarm and Events

TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 16 Alarm and Events........................................................................................................................................................ 1

16.1 General Information........................................................................................................................................................... 3 16.1.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 16.1.2 Legend ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3

16.2 Alarm and Events .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 16.2.1 General........................................................................................................................................................................ 5 16.2.2 Data Flow.................................................................................................................................................................... 6 16.2.3 Storage ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7

16.3 Alarm and Event Presentation ........................................................................................................................................... 9 16.3.1 Alarm List................................................................................................................................................................... 9 16.3.2 Graphic Display ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 16.3.3 Faceplate ................................................................................................................................................................... 11 16.3.4 Alarm Band............................................................................................................................................................... 11 16.3.5 Alarm Sequence Bar ................................................................................................................................................. 12 16.3.6 Event List.................................................................................................................................................................. 12

16.4 Alarm Operations............................................................................................................................................................. 13 16.4.1 Navigation................................................................................................................................................................. 14 16.4.2 How to Acknowledge Alarms................................................................................................................................... 15 16.4.3 How to Silence Alarms ............................................................................................................................................. 15 16.4.4 Alarm Status Indications in Faceplates..................................................................................................................... 16 16.4.5 How to Add Comments ............................................................................................................................................ 16

16.5 Creating Alarms and Events in Control Logic................................................................................................................ 17 16.5.1 AlarmEventLib ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 16.5.2 AlarmCond and AlarmCondM ................................................................................................................................. 18 16.5.3 Transmission of Alarm Data..................................................................................................................................... 20

16.6 Alarm and Event Service Configuration.......................................................................................................................... 21 16.6.1 Alarm Manager Service ............................................................................................................................................ 22 16.6.2 How to Reduce the Alarm List ................................................................................................................................. 23 16.6.3 How to Setup the Event Collector Service................................................................................................................ 24

16.7 Name Uploader................................................................................................................................................................ 25 16.7.1 Problem Description ................................................................................................................................................. 25 16.7.2 Names and Description Texts ................................................................................................................................... 26 16.7.3 How to Run the Name Uploader............................................................................................................................... 27

16.8 Configuring Alarm and Event List Template .................................................................................................................. 28 16.8.1 Library Structure....................................................................................................................................................... 28 16.8.2 How to Create a New Template................................................................................................................................ 29 16.8.3 The Sort Tab ............................................................................................................................................................. 30 16.8.4 The Priorities Tab ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 16.8.5 The Column Tab ....................................................................................................................................................... 33 16.8.6 The Time/Date Tab................................................................................................................................................... 34 16.8.7 The Filter Tab ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 16.8.8 Event List Template Configuration........................................................................................................................... 36

16.9 Alarm and Event Lists ..................................................................................................................................................... 37 16.9.1 Alarm List Configuration.......................................................................................................................................... 37

16.10 External Alarms ............................................................................................................................................................. 39 16.10.1 External Alarm Configuration ................................................................................................................................ 39

T315-16 Alarm and Events - RevA

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16.10.2 External Alarm Silence ........................................................................................................................................... 40 16.11 Hide Alarms ................................................................................................................................................................... 41 16.12 Alarm Logger (Printer) .................................................................................................................................................. 43

16.12.1 Alarm and Event Logger Configuration.................................................................................................................. 43 16.12.2 Alarm Logger Service ............................................................................................................................................. 44


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16.1 General Information

16.1.1 Objectives

On completion of this chapter you will be able to:

• Describe how alarms and events are distributed

• Handle alarms (operation)

• Create alarms in control logic

• Configure alarm and event lists

• Configure annunciation of alarms (external alarm)

• Set up an alarm logger (printer)

16.1.2 Legend

< > Indicates a key name.

| Indicates when you go from one menu to a sub-menu.

Bold Indicates a menu name or an option in a menu, or file structures

“ “ Indicates dialog box buttons, tabs, instructions etc.

Indicates start/explanation of student activity


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16.2 Alarm and Events

16.2.1 General

Alarms and events are used to inform the operator of the status of processes and systems.

Events

They give information regarding changes in the process state and other operational occurrences in the plant.

• Process events e.g. pressure in the reactor back to normal, etc.

• Object events e.g. motor was set to manual mode, valve opened, PID-controller set point was changed, etc.

• Alarms are also presented in the Event List

• The Event List is the log book that indicates what happened in the plant

Alarms

They are a subset of events that alert you to an abnormal process or system state.

• Process alarms e.g. pressure too high in a reactor, level too high in a tank, etc.

• Object alarms e.g. motor temperature too high, etc.

• Alarms need to be acknowledged

NOTE! All alarms are events, but not all events are alarms.

In general an event is the transition of a Boolean variable from one state to another (False to True or True to False). In an alarm condition, the operator is able to monitor status changes of a certain signal.

When such a signal changes value, it causes a change in the alarm condition. The alarm condition also changes if any of the following actions are carried out locally on an alarm:

• acknowledgement

• disabling

• enabling


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16.2.2 Data Flow

An Alarm system is an important element in almost all modern operator interfaces to industrial plants.

Alarms are signals announced to the operator by an audible sound, some form of visual indication, and/or with a message of some kind. The alarm indicates a problem and the purpose is to direct the operator’s attention towards plant conditions, so he can correct potentially dangerous situations in time.

Client/serverNetwork

Control Network

Field bus

Controllers

ConnectivityServer

Field devices

AspectServer

Workplaces (clients)

1

2

Beep! Beep!

3Client/server

Network

Control Network

Field bus

Controllers

ConnectivityServer

Field devices

AspectServer


Client/serverNetwork

Control Network

Field bus

Controllers

ConnectivityServer

Field devices

AspectServer


11

22

Beep! Beep!Beep!Beep! Beep!Beep!

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1. An alarm limit in the process is exceeded. See later in this section for how to create alarms in control logic.

2. A message is sent from the controller, via the OPC server (Connectivity Server), to the alarm (Aspect) server in the operator station.

3. The alarm is displayed on the Operator Workplace.


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16.2.3 Storage

Alarms

All alarms are stored, by default, in the main storage. The Alarm Server is capable to save the 10000 (default) most recent alarms in a “circular” file but the size can be changed.

By clicking the “Edit” button in the Alarm Storage area you can configure the alarm storage.

You can set the maximum number of alarms which can be stored in the Alarm Manager.


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Events / System Messages

The System Message server handles messages from the server, connected systems, and workplace clients. Normally you do not need to alter the defaults of the System Message Server.

NOTE! Please refer to the manual for more detailed information.

The two reasons to change the default values for the system message configuration are to increase/decrease the number of stored messages, or make sure the system messages do not overflow the disc.


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16.3 Alarm and Event Presentation

There are many indications of an alarm in the operator workplace. You can access the alarm functionality as part of the configuration (Application Bar, Status Bar, display shortcuts) or through aspects selectable from a workplace.

16.3.1 Alarm List

An alarm list only includes the alarms that an operator needs to pay attention to, normally:

• unacknowledged

• still active alarms

This is the most familiar presentation, alarms end events are presented in a list format with one line for each alarm:


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16.3.2 Graphic Display

Process and object alarms are normally also indicated on the process graphic displays by red blinking.

Red blinking

Alarm Line

The figure shows that there are alarm indications in the graphic display, and there is an Alarm Line in the application bar at the top of the screen.

Alarm Line

The indications in the application bar are the most important because the only alarms visible in a graphic will be the set of tag objects in that graphic.

It is very similar to any other alarm list, but it is always on the screen and it only has the latest three alarms in it. The designers of the system can filter this alarm list so that only a selection of the alarms for the system show up if they want to.


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16.3.3 Faceplate

Faceplates have by default an alarm indication and the alarm can be acknowledged.

Alarm indication

16.3.4 Alarm Band

The Alarm Band Aspect is usually configured to appear in the Application Bar of the workplace. It appears as a group of buttons, each button represents one alarm list. Click on the Alarm Band (button) to call up the associated Alarm List.

The number within the button represents the number of unacknowledged alarms. The color of the button indicates the highest priority alarm that is active in that list. If the button is flashing, at least one alarm is not acknowledged.


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16.3.5 Alarm Sequence Bar

Here each alarm is represented by a single button. The bar is usually sized and arranged horizontally across a screen.

16.3.6 Event List

The Event List is the log book that indicates what happened in the plant.


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16.4 Alarm Operations

The picture below displays a typical view of an Alarm and Event List aspect. The information presented in each list is organized in a way defined by its configuration (what columns show up in what order and how the list is sorted).

Sorting Columns

To sort a column double click on the column header. Repeat this action to reverse the sorting. For example, sorting Source Name once may cause the items in the list to be sorted in alphabetical order (A...Z). Sorting a second time will cause the sorting to be reversed (Z...A).

These changes are not remembered. Each time the lists are called up again they will come up as the default order they are configured with. You can also return to this order by clicking the Rest button on the toolbar.

Tool bar

Use the “Page Down” button to show the next 500 alarms in the list.


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Stop/Start Alarm and Event Updates

You can stop or restart list updates using the “Stop” button.

16.4.1 Navigation

If you double-click on an alarm line in the alarm list the default aspect for the process object/alarm will appear, most common a faceplate.

Context Menu

You can right-click on an alarm line in the alarm list to bring up the context menu. By using the context menu you can perform some actions on this alarm line for example acknowledge the selected alarm, silence the audible alarm or add a note.


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16.4.2 How to Acknowledge Alarms

You can acknowledge alarms for an Aspect Object in the following ways:

• Click on the “Ack State” box for the alarm in the list to acknowledge the one alarm. If not logged on as operator blink behavior around check box will not occur.

• Select a group of individual alarms and then, - select “Acknowledge Selected” in the context menu or - press the “Acknowledge” button (green check mark)

• Right click on an object in, for example, a process display or process graphic, then click on the Acknowledge verb in the context menu.

• Click on the alarm status button in a faceplate

NOTE! To be allowed to acknowledge an alarm you need to be granted permission for this operation.

Alarms can also be acknowledged in a process graphic display or a faceplate. The following figure shows these options:

16.4.3 How to Silence Alarms

To silence an audible alarm, click on the “Silence” button or select “Silence” in the context menu. This is a one shot type action that silences the current audible alarm. If a new audible alarm then occurs, that alarm must be silenced again.

NOTE! To silence an alarm does not mean that the alarm is acknowledged.


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16.4.4 Alarm Status Indications in Faceplates

Faceplates provide a set of symbols for alarm status. Of course this is only an indication that the object is in alarm or not. The operator would normally take a closer look to see whether it is a high alarm, low alarm, deviation alarm, etc.

16.4.5 How to Add Comments

To add a comment for an alarm do as follows:

1. Right-click on the alarm to which you want to add a comment.

2. Select “Comment” from the context menu.

3. The Message Comment dialog box is displayed and you can type a message.


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16.5 Creating Alarms and Events in Control Logic

Alarms and events are generated in three ways:

• by using objects based on library types containing alarm and event functions

• by using objects especially made for alarm and event handling (based on the types in the Alarm and Event library)

• by hardware units throughout the system (system alarms)

NOTE! All alarms and events follow the OPC Alarm and Event specification.

Alarm and event handling also requires time synchronization, in order for time stamps to be reliable when trying to analyze a sequence of events.

When an alarm is generated it is time stamped in the controller in which the detector is executing. Time stamping is done to a resolution of 1 ms.

16.5.1 AlarmEventLib

Process alarms are generated by functions blocks or control modules which are defined in AlarmEventLib. These modules will generate an alarm to the OPC server on the rising edge of a boolean input. Alarm text is configured here along with severity (priority).

These are placed in the application within the objects that require alarm monitoring. For example the ValveUniM is defined with an Alarm handling module within it.

The user may create alarms by using alarm detectors/generators in a similar manner.

The SimpleEventDetector function block type is also located in the AlarmEventLib. It can be used to generate an event on the rising edge of a boolean input. Settings for severity and class are provided.


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16.5.2 AlarmCond and AlarmCondM

The two basic types for creating alarm conditions are the function block type AlarmCond and the control module type AlarmCondM. The principle behind the two is the same.

The following figure is an example on how to configure an alarm using function in a controller.

The CondState parameter indicates the status of the alarm.


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The following parameters are the most important ones:

Signal Internal monitored Signal. The parameter Inverted can be used to invert the in signal.

SrcName Identifies the alarm source, for example, “Motor101”.

CondName Identifies the alarm condition, for example, “Level_High“.

Name of the source has to be unique together with the condition name. The condition name is normally the name of the alarm condition function block or control module instance.

Message Can be used to add a textual description of the alarm condition, for example, “temperature low”.

Severity Indicates the degree of severity, where 1 is the least severe, and 1000 is the most severe level. This parameter is very useful when filtering alarms and events.

AckRule Determines which acknowledgement rule is used. The acknowledgement rule decides the behavior of the alarm condition when an alarm has been created.

• AckRule = 1 “normal handling”, alarms must be acknowledged and inactive before the “normal” state is resumed

• AckRule = 2 alarms need no acknowledgement

• AckRule = 3 alarms return to “normal” state on acknowledgement

• AckRule = 5 alarms return to “normal” state when a sum system alarm is acknowledged and returns to its normal state


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16.5.3 Transmission of Alarm Data

The data associated with an alarm must be transmitted up to the 800xA System and then on to the clients for inclusion in alarm lists etc. Similarly, operator acknowledgement must be transmitted back down from the client to the controller.

NOTE! Thus alarm handling involves two way data exchange.

Considering the transmission of an alarm up to the client, a simplified diagram is shown below:

The first link in the chain is the MMS Server; it handles the subscription to alarms in one or more controllers on the control network.

The OPC Server is connected to the MMS Server. It is configured in the OPC Panel, in the Alarm and Event Tab:

OPC Server

Alarm and Event Server

Client Application: Alarm List

Controller 1 Controller 2 Controller n

MMS Server


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16.6 Alarm and Event Service Configuration

Prior to configuring the Alarm and Event List display, the user must setup the service provider and service group definition. The services for Alarm and Event are found in the Service Structure.


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16.6.1 Alarm Manager Service

The services are arranged into ‘Service Groups’ and within any group there may be one or more ‘Service Providers’. The service provider is the program that provides the service to the group as a whole. There may be one or more service providers in a group.

Each Service Provider has a Definition which gives it its name and also sets its running status.

The Service Group object points to this provider in its own Service Group Definition. During installation a Service Group (called Basic) and a Service Provider (called Alarm_Manager_Basic <PCName> object is created.

The Configuration Tab of the Service Group Definition aspect points to the Service Provider (The Alarm and Event Server running as part of the 800xA system).

A second Service Group called SoftAlarms is also created. This also has a service provider. Soft Alarms are those generated in the 800xA Server rather than the controllers.


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16.6.2 How to Reduce the Alarm List

If one alarm occurs several times you can reduce your alarm list so that this alarm is presented only once. The setting for this is located at the Special Configuration tab on the Alarm Manager Service.

If the check box Make new alarm entry each time a condition gets active is marked, each inactive to active state change will result in a new alarm.

NOTE! For reducing your alarm list please disable this setting.


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16.6.3 How to Setup the Event Collector Service

You have to connect to an OPC Alarm Server (collector) before you can get any alarms and events. You do this as follows:

1. Open the Service Structure in the Engineering Workplace and expand Services.

2. Open Event Collector, Service and select Basic, Service Group.

3. Select Service Group Definition in the aspect list.

4. Select the “Special Configuration” tab in the preview area.

5. Select the OPC Server that is your collector (supplier of alarm and event information) under “Alarm Server”.

6. Click “Apply”.


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16.7 Name Uploader

There are two different name aspects in Plant Explorer for representing a control object name.

The first is the Control Builder Name (CBName) aspect, which always is synchronized with the present name in Project Explorer, and therefore always follows IEC 61131-3 naming conventions.

The second is the Name aspect, which contains the corresponding aspect object name in Plant Explorer.

Name uploading can be used to secure unique names for control objects that are embedded in type solutions.

NOTE! If there are no unique names, the object name in an alarm list will be presented with a GUID number!

16.7.1 Problem Description

When a function block type or control module type is used to create an object, only the top-level of the type is assigned a new and unique name.

Tank Name

Relative name

Valve1 (type “Valve”)

Valve

myTank Tank

Valve1 Valve

Tank

Valve1

NameValve

Control BuilderLibraries

Engineering WorkplaceObject Type Structure

Control BuilderApplications

In the example above, the tank contains one or more valves created from other control module object types. When the instance is created it must be given a name such as Valve1.

When the Tank control module object type is instantiated several times in the application it will also be possible to name the instance e.g. myTank but the valve will still have the same name!

NOTE! The valve can therefore not be identified by a unique name and have its own faceplate.


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The Name Uploader tool solves this problem by going through all objects further down in the Control Structure, looking for Name properties. The Name Uploader then fetches the names via the OPC server so that each object has a system-unique name.

16.7.2 Names and Description Texts

If there is more than one instance of the Tank type, it will result in equal faceplates for the valves below these instances.

The solution is entering appropriate strings for the name and description variables on the Control Modules.

NOTE! For the Name Uploader to work, all objects must have a Name and a Description parameter.

myTank Tank

Valve1 Valve

VariablesName = V047Description = Text

VariablesName = P01Description = Text

Control Structure before Name Upload

Control Structure after Name Upload

Control BuilderApplications

Engineering WorkplaceControl Structure

After running the Name Uploader this will result in unique name and description in the name aspect on the Control Structure instances.


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16.7.3 How to Run the Name Uploader

To start a Name Upload for an application:

1. In the Control Structure, select your application and click on the Name Uploader aspect.

2. Click “Start Upload”.

3. Verify the name changes in the Control Structure.

NOTE! The Name Uploader aspect is by default placed on all control networks and on all applications.


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16.8 Configuring Alarm and Event List Template

16.8.1 Library Structure

The appearance of an Alarm and Event List is controlled by an Alarm and Event List Configuration aspect. This is always defined in the Library Structure of the Engineering Workplace:

There are default Alarm and Trend Configurations delivered with the system and they are used if no other configuration is defined. We can also create our own objects by adding a new object from the list as we have done previously, or we can copy an existing object and modify it.

NOTE! Copying the defaults to new objects or inserting new templates is the most preferable option.

It is never a very good idea to modify system default objects because in a future revision upgrade our customization could be overwritten.

The main philosophy is that all configuration templates shall be in the Library Structure and from there be instantiated to objects. If so, the instantiated aspects will change or update at the same time as the aspect in the Library structure. This reduces the cost of maintenance and secure that all aspects will be updated or changed.

The actual Alarm and Event List aspect is then set up to use a particular configuration.


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16.8.2 How to Create a New Template

You can make your own set of default Alarm and Event Lists in the Library structure, for use in your plant. Do as described below:

1. Go to the Library Structure.

2. Select the Alarm & Event Configurations folder and open it.

3. Add a new object to create a group for all your project specific templates. This will now be a new group besides the Default Configurations, Alarm & Event List Configuration Group.

4. To this new group add a new object.

Now you created your own default plant Alarm and Event template, which you can use now for your Alarm & Event List aspects.


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Whether we use the ‘default’ templates or we use the newly created object on the in the Library Structure, we will configure it in the same way.

For configuration select your project Alarm & Event List Template object in the Library Structure. If you select the Alarm and Event List Configuration aspect of this object then you have access to five different tab cards in the “Config View”:

• Sort

• Priorities

• Column

• Time/date

• Filter

16.8.3 The Sort Tab

We can select how the alarms will be sorted in the list. For example, it is pretty common to sort by event time with the newest events at the top of the list, but this is not rigidly defined.

We could sort by priority or alphabetically by name, and so on. In fact multiple criteria can be used (max. three). The default is to sort first by event time newest events at the top. Then, in case of two events with the same time, we sort alphabetically by name and so on.

NOTE! To remove an item from the list, select the blank area in

the Sort Criteria area.


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16.8.4 The Priorities Tab

800xA system supports 1000 different priority levels, but we only use 16 priority levels for simple discussion. For this reason, the sixteen priorities are mapped to the one thousand 800xA priorities in the following figure. Of course we don’t have to use that many priorities.

NOTE! Three or four levels are very common.

It is not obvious from above figure, but the colors under the heading ‘Unack Text /AckBox Bg’ are blinking. Of course we can change any of the colors and also change whether they blink or not.

The top priority row, 938-1000 maps to Priority 1. If we select that level in our tag for some condition such as the active state of high alarm, then these are the colors that will show up in the alarm list. The text will be in red and the background will be in black. It will be blinking when unacknowledged, and steady when acknowledged.

Notice that we can assign background color to each priority, perhaps for readability, and we can also assign a background color to the entire list. This will be the color where there are no alarms.


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Some colors need to be the same in all places, to give the system a user friendly look (for example the background colors). You also want to be able to change these colors in one operation for all occurrences.

Logical color is the concept used in System 800xA to be able to fulfill these needs. A logical color is defined once, and the user of the color refers to it by its name.

Setting Sound

Click on the Sound column to preview or associate an individual .WAV file, with each priority and set the duration of the sound:

• OFF = no sound

• Momentary = one sound when a new alarm gets active

• Continuous = a constant sound as long as the alarm is unacknowledged

One important thing to know about this is that these sounds are part of the Alarm List Display. They do not send the tone to the sound card unless the display is on the screen. For this reason, it is important to do one of two things if this form of annunciation will be used:

• One is to keep a dedicated alarm screen with this alarm list up all the time. Many plants do have one screen that always has the alarm list on it anyway so this is a good plan for them.

• The other thing is to enable the annunciation from the Alarm Line. We will see in the next section that this is a special Alarm List that stays in one place on the screen all the time.


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16.8.5 The Column Tab

It provides the means to define exactly what fields show up what order for an alarm in the list. There are many more details about a tag and about the alarm condition than will fit on the screen at one time. Of course scroll bars allow us to have access to more than a screen of data, but it is preferable that an operator sees what is most important at a glance.

There are a few configurable options on this tab such as font and blink and whether to make the column and row headings visible.

Viewable Messages

Enter a number, 1 to 500, to set how many messages that shall appear in the list.

Setting Order of Columns

Move a column either by selecting the Message Field and using the positioning arrows to move the column up (left) or down (right) or drag and drop the column to the proper position within the Message Layout area.

Changing Column Header Names

Select the row to be changed and then click on the column header name. An edit box will appear where you can change the name. The customized name appears in the column heading. Another way to change the name is to select the row to be changed and then press F2.

Changing Column Size

Select the row to be changed and then click on the column with. An edit box will appear, in which you can change the size. It is also possible to change the width by dragging the columns to the right size in the Message Layout area.


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16.8.6 The Time/Date Tab

There is not much that needs to be said about the Time/Date tab once you look at it. It is self explanatory.

NOTE! If the time shown is a long format, the space left for other information is reduced.

Regional differences in the format that people are used to seeing are important because the operators need to react quickly to this information.

Use the same time separator as defined in Windows Regional Options, to be able to copy data to other applications such as Excel.


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16.8.7 The Filter Tab

Be aware that there are many options that may not be shown when the tab is first called up. Some choices will simply not be visible if the window is too small.

The Filter tab provides a means to select what events to display in the list. The first selection, Message Type is the main difference between an alarm list and an event list. If you pull down the selection, these are the choices:

• Process Alarms

• Events

• everything coming from the OPC AE server

This tab allows the list to have a defined start and end time or to be simply oldest to newest. It allows a selection of which priority levels to include in the list so that we could define separate lists for different levels.

It allows us to have only active and unacknowledged alarms so that when we acknowledge, the alarm disappears or to include acknowledged alarms so that they remain until they are both inactive and acknowledged.

These options provide a lot of flexibility. Many users have a strong preference for one or the other of these options and there is no one way that works best for all situations.

NOTE! The options ‘Process Section’ apply to AC400 Connect.

Please note that if you change the Message Type from Process Alarms to Events, or vice versa, categories must be selected.


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16.8.8 Event List Template Configuration

An Event List uses the same configuration object with a couple of different options. Events are not considered to have an abnormal condition as alarms have. The event list is simply a record of what is happening. Many users never bother with an event list because they are only interested in responding to abnormal conditions.

The major difference between the alarm and event lists, if you look at the default lists, is that on the filter tab, the message type is set to ‘Events’.

This adds many more categories of messages to the selection list, and it grays out choices for active or inactive and enabled or disabled since these choices apply to alarms. Some of the additional message types are audit trail types such as configuration and operator actions. There are also many types of system messages.

To filter Event Categories, select each category to be included in the Event List (shown with blue line). A selection can be deselected by another click.

Example of Categories

(Storage Class) Description

AE Condition Event Used for condition process events (the event carries information about a condition of the process object, for example, the condition PVLEVEL and the subcondition can be HI_HI).

AE Simple Event Used for simple process events (does not include any state or condition of the object).

AE Tracking Event Used for acknowledgement of alarms and other kinds of tracking events.

Audit Event Used for Security tracking events. Default Class/Storage Used to store messages that haven't been defined in the

system yet.

Network Messages Used for important events that are not directly related to a process object.

Operation Used to log operator interaction.

Services Used by the Service Manager and Services.

System Administration Used to log administrate actions in the system. This can, for example, be that an aspect system is loaded to the system.

System Status Used to log status events regarding hardware.

User Annotation Used to log annotations that have been made by a user. This can be an annotation associated with a process alarm.

The Priorities tab has all events in a single color because there are no priority levels for events. There are also some differences on the Column tab since we do not need some of the ones that apply to alarms such as the acknowledgement related fields.


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16.9 Alarm and Event Lists

Alarm and Event list aspects may be placed in any structure and configured to list the Alarms for that object or else that object and its children. Alarms and Events may be passed up the hierarchy to a ‘collector’ list near the top.

Typically an Alarm / Event aspect is placed in the Functional Structure. Only in this structure you can use the filter options in an efficient way. Anyway, you can place the aspect in the Control Structure as well.

In this way it is easy to have as many alarm lists as you like, and to arrange for the alarms in each list to be organized.

16.9.1 Alarm List Configuration

The Alarm and Event List aspect have two views - the Main View and the Config View. Use the Config View to set up the association of the list to a selected configuration aspect and what elements are to be displayed on the list.

The Alarm and Event list aspect base on a template used in the Library Structure. The option Local will allow you to set all the template settings locally at your Alarm / Event aspect.

Define an alarm filter in the Alarm filter area:

• All alarms Allow this aspect to display alarms and events for all objects.

• Object Alarms Show the alarms and events related to the object the Alarm List aspect belongs to.

• Object and descendents Show the alarms and events related to the object the Alarm List aspect belongs to and to all its descendents independent of structure.

• Object and descendents in structure Show the alarms and events related to the object the Alarm List aspect belongs to and to all its descendents in the selected structure.

NOTE! Using this option increases CPU load.


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Additional Settings

The Config View of an Alarm / Event aspects offers some additional settings.

• List Title The list title name is displayed in the Alarm Band of the operator workplace.

• Play Alarm Sounds For getting knowledge about new alarms by a sound. This sound is defined in the alarm template

• Show Tool Bar Enables the tool bar in the Main View of the Alarm / Event aspect.


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16.10 External Alarms

The External Alarm function makes it possible to setting a digital output when a specific alarm list gets an active alarm. For example a horn can sound if a new alarm gets active in the alarm list.

When alarms fulfilling the filtering criteria are received by the external alarm function the destination output is set.

The operator can silence the external alarm through the silence view. Silence can be done for all configured alarms or for one explicit external alarm.

16.10.1 External Alarm Configuration

In the External Alarm Configuration View you select the Alarm List and which filter criteria the external alarm uses to subscribe alarms. You also configure the path to the destination output.

1. Select the object you want to add an External Alarm Configuration aspect to.

NOTE! This aspect needs to be added to the same object as the Alarm List aspect where the alarms will appear.

2. Add a new aspect from the context menu and select the “External Alarm Configuration”.

3. In the External Alarm Configuration dialog box, select the alarm list in the Alarm List drop-down menu.

4. Write the destination output to be used in the Destination text field. The destination can be an alterable OPC property. The syntax for the destination is: <Object:Aspect:Property>.

5. Click “Apply”.


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16.10.2 External Alarm Silence

The other aspect we need to define is the External Silence aspect. This simply provides a button to silence any one or all of the external alarms we have configured.

NOTE! A default aspect is provided in the Library Structure.

It provides an interface in the Engineering Workplace as shown below where we can do that. But since it is an aspect, it can be called up with an Aspect Link in a graphic also.


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16.11 Hide Alarms

Hiding is a way of avoiding alarm situations where numerous alarms make it hard to determine what is the problems root cause. By using the hiding function in 800xA, it is possible to hide non-important alarms.

The hiding of alarms is initiated by hiding rules, which can be process conditions or logical expressions. All the hiding rules are kept in the Hiding Mask Manager.

Hiding affects the presentation of the alarm list. If an alarm is irrelevant it should not be shown in an alarm list. An alarm is irrelevant if it doesn't require an action from the operator. The Hiding alarm function will help the operator to get the alarm lists clearer from irrelevant alarms.

For example, during start-up or a shut-down of a process or plant, it is common that alarms, which are relevant during a normal operation, are totally irrelevant.

NOTE! To configure the Hiding Mask Manager, refer to the Instruction Manual for more information.


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16.12 Alarm Logger (Printer)

An Alarm Logger is an alarm printer. Any device that can be configured as a Windows printer device will work, but since the alarms print out one at a time as they occur, it is recommended that the print device be a line printer rather than an Ink-Jet or Laser-Jet.

The line printer used has to be added to a Windows node on which you run the System. The printer has to be connected as a local printer to the node in Windows.

16.12.1 Alarm and Event Logger Configuration

The first is to configure the Alarm & Event Logger Configuration object in the Library Structure. This is one of the default objects there along with the Alarm and Event Lists. You can create a new one or use the default, called Common Logger Config, just as with alarm and event lists.

In fact, it is very similar to an alarm list because it is a special case of an alarm list. There are just several things that are not supported on the printer that are supported in an alarm list. For example, since the alarms print out as they occur, there is no need to sort them so no sort options are supported. Also on the priorities tab, colors and sounds are not supported.


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16.12.2 Alarm Logger Service

The next thing that needs to be done is to configure the Alarm Logger Service. In the Service Structure, if you expand the Alarm Logger Service, there is a basic group. In the group there will be at least one node. First, on the Basic Service Group’s Special Configuration tab, we specify which Alarm & Event Logger Configuration object from the Library Structure to use.

The next thing is to select the Special Configuration tab of the Service Provider inside the Basic Group. This is where a printer is assigned.

Documents

T315-16 Alarm and Events - RevA