GENESIS64 Basic SCADA

GENESIS64 Basic SCADA was introduced in version 10.96.2 as a customizable entry-level package of GENESIS64. It contains many of the same components as the GENESIS64 Advanced Application Server such as alarming, trending, and visualization, but has simplified some pieces and made others optional.

Note: GENESIS64 Basic SCADA is sometimes referred to as just "Basic SCADA". GENESIS64 Advanced Application Server is sometimes referred to as "GENESIS64 Advanced" or just "GENESIS64".

The largest difference between Basic SCADA and GENESIS64 Advanced is the tag counting method. GENESIS64 Advanced uses on-demand tag counting, meaning tags are counted live in runtime and when a tag is no longer used it is also no longer counted. Basic SCADA uses AssetWorX tag counting, which requires most tags be configured as AssetWorX equipment properties.

The following sections will detail the differences between GENESIS64 Advanced and GENESIS64 Basic SCADA and provide instructions for creating AssetWorX equipment properties and using them in clients such as GraphWorX64.

GenDemo with GENESIS64 Basic SCADA

Many of the GenDemo examples will not work with a system licensed as Basic SCADA. GENESIS64 Basic SCADA Users who wish to use GenDemo can do so using the http://gendemo.iconics.com/ example site. (Note, Internet Explorer is required.)

GENESIS64 Basic SCADA Versus Advanced

GENESIS64 Basic SCADA and GENESIS64 Advanced Application Server are two separate packages of the GENESIS64 suite. They cannot be installed or licensed on the same system. A system with GENESIS64 must be either Basic SCADA or Advanced, not both.

The following table outlines features that are common and different between GENESIS64 Basic SCADA and GENESIS64 Advanced Application Server.

The table entries mean the following:

• A checkmark (✓) – The feature is included in the base license for this product.

• Add-on – The feature is not included in the base license but can be purchased as an additional add-on.

• Can be combined – This feature is not included in the base license but can be purchased as an additional license and combined on the same system.

• NA - This feature is not available with this package and cannot be combined with this license on the same system.

Using Tags with AssetWorX Tag Counting

In GENESIS64 Advanced Application Server, which uses on-demand tag counting, users can place any real-time tag anywhere that accepts real-time tags (such as in a GraphWorX64 process point).

GENESIS64 Basic SCADA works differently. It uses AssetWorX tag counting, where most real-time tags must be configured as AssetWorX equipment properties, and those properties are the tags that must be used in the rest of GENESIS64.

The following sections describe how to create and use these equipment properties and what sorts of tags do not need to go through AssetWorX in this fashion.

Changing Tag Counting Mode

The tag counting mode used by GENESIS64 is determined by a configuration setting. Users with a GENESIS64 Advanced license may choose either tag counting mode (Advanced or AssetWorX tags), whereas users with a Basic SCADA license are limited to AssetWorX tag counting mode. A Basic SCADA user whose GENESIS64 is configured to run in Advanced tag counting mode will receive license errors.

Users who chose GENESIS64 Basic SCADA during the installation should already be in AssetWorX tag counting mode and require no additional configuration changes. Users who installed GENESIS64 Advanced will be in Advanced tag counting mode by default and will need to change this tag counting mode using the steps below if they are using or plan to use a GENESIS64 Basic SCADA license. Aside from this case, users may also need to change their tag counting mode if they change their installed license or if they want to simulate having a different license. For example, a systems integrator may wish to put their system into AssetWorX tag counting mode if they are configuring a system for an end user who will be using a Basic SCADA license.

To change the configured tag counting mode, follow these steps.

1. Open Platform Services Configuration from the start menu or from Workbench under Tools > Platform Services Configuration.

2. Go to the License tab.

3. Change the Tag Counting Mode.

   1. Advanced is what most ICONICS licenses use, including GENESIS64 Advanced Application Server.

   2. AssetWorX Tags is what a GENESIS64 Basic SCADA license requires but can also be used with other licenses.

4. Select OK or Apply.

5. You will be advised that your server requires a restart. This is to ensure that all applicable processes and services are using the new setting. You can choose to postpone the restart, but your system may perform unexpectedly until restarted.

Creating and Using an AssetWorX Equipment Property

In AssetWorX tag counting mode, tags must be configured as AssetWorX equipment properties before they can be used in GraphWorX64 displays, KPIWorX dashboards, or other Workbench providers like AlarmWorX64 Server.

The steps below guide you through configuring an example equipment property and adding it as a process point in GraphWorX64.

1. Open Workbench.

2. Expand Assets.

3. Under Equipment, add a new Equipment Property.

4. Name the equipment property MyProperty.

5. Go to the Real-time Data tab.

6. Change the Source type to Dynamic Tag.

7. Select the tag button next to Real-time data tag.

8. Browse to a data source. For example, My Computer > Data Connectivity > OPC Data Access > Simulations > Double > Random > FastL000.

9. Select the data source and then select OK in the data browser.

10. Apply the changes. You have now created an AssetWorX equipment property usable in other areas of GENESIS64 Basic SCADA.

11. Open GraphWorX64.

12. Add a process point to your display.

13. Open the data browser from the DataSource field.

14. In the data browser, select My Computer > Assets > MyProperty.

15. Select OK.

16. The DataSource should now show the tag name of ac:MyProperty.

17. Go into runtime. Observe that your process point is showing good quality data.

Counting AssetWorX Tags

AssetWorX equipment properties are only counted as tags for the purposes of licensing if their Real-time Data tab is configured with a Source type of Dynamic Tag or Expression and the Enabled box is selected on the General tab.

If the number of counted equipment properties exceeds the allowed GENESIS64 tags in the license, a warning message will appear in Workbench. All AssetWorX equipment property tags will show bad quality until the issue is resolved. Equipment properties can be disabled or deleted to bring the number of counted equipment properties under the limit. AssetWorX will resume functioning in real time once the license is no longer exceeded. A restart of the point manager is not required.

Figure 1 - Warning Message when equipment properties exceed license

To see how many equipment properties will count towards the license:

1. Open Workbench.

2. Expand Assets > Product Configuration.

3. Open Other Settings.

4. Find Counted Equipment Properties and select its refresh button.

5. Counted Equipment Properties will refresh with the updated number of properties that would count towards the license on a system using AssetWorX tag counting.

This method works for all AssetWorX configurations, regardless of whether they are the active configuration, and also works regardless of the configured tag counting mode on the system.

Note: A system running in Advanced tag counting mode will not consider this count in runtime, but the user may want to see the count if they plan to deploy this configuration to a GENESIS64 Basic SCADA node in the future.

Tags That Don't Need to Go Through AssetWorX

Certain providers are allowed to provide data to all client applications (such as GraphWorX64 or ReportWorX64). Tags from these providers are referred to as "Special Exception Tags" and can be used directly without configuring an AssetWorX equipment property.

Tags from these sources are special exception tags:

• Localsim (local variables for GraphWorX64 displays)

• AlarmWorX64 Server

• AlarmWorX64 Logger

• BridgeWorX64

• Diagnostics (such as licensing and health monitoring)

• Recipes

• ReportWorX64

• ScheduleWorX64

• Triggers

• Workflow

Browsing for Tags

When running in AssetWorX tag counting mode, the tag browser in GraphWorX64 will only show AssetWorX and the special exception tags described in the previous section.

Workbench has two tag browsers. The lateral tag browser is available in a panel usually docked to the right side of Workbench. This tag browser will show the same tags as GraphWorX64.

The other browser in Workbench is the one that appears when selecting the tag button in various forms. This is referred to as the pop-up tag browser. When launched from a form that is not part of AssetWorX, only the tags that are available to GraphWorX64 and the lateral tag browser will be shown.

When launched from inside an AssetWorX form, the pop-up tag browser will usually show the entire address space, allowing the user to map any tag to an equipment property. The pop-up tag browser, launched from an AssetWorX form, is the only way to browse the entire address space in AssetWorX tag counting mode.

Expressions in AssetWorX equipment property expressions can only use other equipment properties or the special exception tags, so the pop-up tag browser will only show those tags when launched from the expression editor. This is the only place inside AssetWorX where the pop-up tag browser will not show the entire address space.

Hyper Historian Standard or Enterprise

While Hyper Historian Standard or Enterprise can be combined with GENESIS64 Basic SCADA, in this situation the Hyper Historian tags must be configured in AssetWorX equipment properties with an associated real-time tag. This means that every Hyper Historian tag requires one GENESIS64 tag and one Hyper Historian tag in the licensing.

Because of this, most systems tend to use GENESIS64 Basic SCADA with Hyper Historian Express and only use Hyper Historian Standard or Enterprise with GENESIS64 Advanced.

Using Data Manipulators or Web Manipulators with Basic SCADA

Because all tags must go through AssetWorX properties, GridWorX data manipulators (configured under Databases) and Web Services web manipulators have to be executed in a particular way in GENESIS64 Basic SCADA. See the application note entitled GridWorX Server - Using Data Manipulators via Call Method for more information.

See Also:

Welcome to ICONICS Automation Suite

Welcome to GENESIS64