FactoryTalk
Services Platform
FactoryTalk Alarms and Events
FactoryTalk® Alarms and Events, combined with RSLogix 5000 alarm instructions, can help eliminate the issues traditionally associated with alarming. FactoryTalk® Alarms and Events allows multiple FactoryTalk products to participate together in a common, consistent view of alarms and events occurring throughout an entire FactoryTalk system.
Features
FactoryTalk Alarms and Events:
- Provides a single, integrated set of alarm information. All participating FactoryTalk products work together to provide a consistent way to define, manage, log, and view alarm and event information across a FactoryTalk application.
- Streamlines alarm programming and eliminates polling with device-based alarm monitoring. If your automation system includes RSLogix 5000 controllers, you can use pre-built alarm instructions, available in RSLogix 5000 v. 16 or later, to simplify coding, and then download them to the controller. Device-based alarm monitoring eliminates the need for duplicating alarm tags in an HMI server and requires fewer controller communication resources by eliminating polling.
- Allows other controllers to participate in the integrated system with tag-based alarm monitoring. If your automation system includes other Rockwell Automation controllers, such as PLC 5s or SLC 500s, or if you prefer not to use the new alarm instructions with RSLogix 5000 controllers, software-based tag servers monitor controllers for alarm conditions and publish event information.
- Allows monitoring alarms and events from third-party controllers. Tag-based alarm monitoring also makes it possible to monitor alarm conditions from third-party controllers, which communicate through OPC-DA servers.
- Provides accurate time stamps on alarm conditions that are generated from RSLogix 5000 controllers using device-based alarm monitoring. With device-based alarm monitoring, time stamps are applied immediately in the controller and are not delayed until alarms reach an HMI server. (To ensure accurate time stamps on device-based alarm messages, synchronize the clocks of all controllers that produce alarms. The event time is propagated all the way up through the system to alarm history logs, so inaccurate timestamps can affect reports and audit messages.
- Sends process data with events and messages. You can associate up to four tags with each alarm to include process data with event information and alarm messages.
- Secures access to alarm and event operations through integration with FactoryTalk Security.
- Generates messages for logging, including audit messages that track operator actions, system-related diagnostic messages, and historical alarm and event messages.
- Other features
- Alarm and Event Banner Displays up to 5 of the most recent, active alarms with the highest priority. The Alarm and Event Banner is a graphic object that can be added to a graphic display. The graphic display can then be docked at the bottom of the operator’s screen. Once docked, the alarm and event banner display reserves its space in the FactoryTalk View SE Client window. From the Alarm and Event Banner an operator can execute specific commands linked to the alarm, act on the alarm (for example, suppress or acknowledge the alarm), or open a graphic display containing the Alarm and Event Summary.
- Alarm and Event Summary This object displays up to 2000 of the most recent alarm transitions. It shows details about the selected alarm, its source, and other configurable items. From the Alarm and Event Summary the operator can execute specific commands linked to the alarm and act on the alarm (for example, suppress or acknowledge the alarm). The Alarm and Event Summary also contains a full suite of filter and sorting options to allow the operator to see exactly what's important.
- Alarm and Event Log Viewer This object is used to view the history of alarms and events that have been logged to a database. The Alarm and Event Log Viewer object also has a full suite of filter and sorting options to allow the operator to view data from the historical SQL database. From this screen, an operator can easily reconstruct the sequence of events occurring in time that lead to a process failure.
Alarm Status Explorer is a graphic object users can add to graphic displays. The graphic display then can show the status of all alarms in the FactoryTalk system and allows an operator to suppress, unsuppress, disable and enable alarms. From this graphic display an operator can quickly identify what alarms are currently suppressed or disabled.
Benefits
With FactoryTalk Alarms and Events:
- Alarm instructions are programmed only once, and then downloaded to the controller, reducing programming effort and errors.
- Alarm conditions are detected more quickly.
- Real-time alarming is performed in the controller.
- HMI tags or alarms in a Tag Alarm and Event Server are not required, reducing overhead and potential tag mapping errors.
- Alarm state is managed, processed, and preserved by controllers, even if a computer goes down.
- Data polling is eliminated; alarm status is communicated only when state changes, reducing network overhead, controller processing, and improving overall system performance.
- Time stamps on alarm conditions are accurate, because they are applied in the controller, and not delayed until they reach the HMI software or Tag Alarm and Event Server.