Page History

Key Concepts

Below is a list of key concepts essential to understanding the Alarms Module.

Alarm Item

An Alarm Item is a tag or expression monitored by the Alarms module. It contains information such as the tag name, the alarm condition (the trigger of the alarm), and the associated Alarm Group. Each Alarm Item can have its configuration properties, such as Limit, Deadband, and Message, that define the alarm behavior and characteristics.

Alarm Group

An Alarm Group is a collection of Alarm Items with common properties and characteristics. Each Alarm Group can have configuration properties, such as Ack Required, Auto Ack Time, and Sound, that apply to all its Alarm Items. 

Alarm Area

An Alarm Area is a hierarchical grouping of Alarm Group that allows for a more organized and structured approach to managing alarms. An Alarm Area can have a child Alarm Area, allowing for a hierarchical structure of Alarm Group and Alarm Items.

Audit Trail

The Audit Trail is a feature of the Alarms Module that logs all changes made to the Alarm Group and Alarm Item, including creation, modification, and deletion events. It is a way to track and record the history of changes made to the alarm configuration, providing a clear audit trail of who made what changes and when.

Alarms Functionality

The Alarms Module is crucial for real-time monitoring and immediate notification of events, continuously assessing tag values to detect when predefined limits or conditions are met and generating alarms accordingly. It ensures swift identification and response to critical events, enhancing flexibility and control in managing alarms.

Features Highlights

The Alarms Module offers the following key features:

• The Alarm Historian allows the Alarms module to save alarms and their state changes in a separate database. It differs from the Audit Trail, which only saves when editing the settings.
• The Alarm Window object displays active alarms and their state changes on display.
• Real-time alarm processing to quickly identify and respond to critical events.
• Hierarchy organization and management of alarms for greater flexibility and control.
• It considers universal time and daylight saving time for accurate timestamps.
• Dynamic language localization of alarm messages for easy understanding.
• High-precision timestamps up to 0.1ms for accurate and reliable data.

Configuring the Alarms Module

The basic process to configure the Alarms Module follows the sequence below:

1. Create Alarm Items to generate the alarms. 
2. Create Alarm Groups to define common attributes between a group of alarms.
3. Create Alarm Areas to enhance the organization and management of alarms.
   

The above steps are a simplified explanation of the configuration process.  For additional information on how to configure the Alarms Module, access Configuring the Alarms Module.

and Terms

AlarmItem

A tag monitored by the Alarm Module, containing information such as tag name, alarm condition, AlarmGroup, Limit, Deadband, and Message.

AlarmGroup

Collection of AlarmItems sharing properties such as AckRequired and AutoAckTime.

AlarmArea

Hierarchical grouping of AlarmGroups for better organization.

Audit Trail

Logs changes and events when executing the solution, tracking who made changes and when. Useful for troubleshooting, analysis, and compliance.

Understanding the Alarms Module

Module Features

• AlarmViewer Control and AlarmAreas Control for displays.
• Real-time alarm processing
• Hierarchical alarm management
• Dynamic language localization for messages
• High-precision timestamps
• Custom notifications (e.g., SMS, email)
• Store and Forward archiving
• Automated replication in hot-standby scenarios

Monitoring Tags and Evaluating Conditions

When the Module Alarm is execution, all tags defined on AlarmItems are subscribed, so the alarm conditions are evaluated every time the tag as new value. 

If a condition is reached, the alarm is issued, according to the behavior defined by its AlarmGroup. Notifications are sent if enabled to that group.

Configuring the Alarms Module

Configuration Workflow

Pre-Defined AlarmGroups

The Alarms module provides a predefined AlarmGroup to quickly configure alarms for common applications. These groups have pre-configured properties that make it easier to create and configure alarms for standard purposes.

To use a predefined AlarmGroup, you simply need to select it from the list of available groups and configure additional properties as needed. 

The pre-defined AlarmGroups are:

• Critical: High Priority Alarms that requires acknowledgement and History logging.
• Warning: Medium Priority Alarms and Low Priority Alarms, which don't require acknowledgment, but are logged.
• Audit Trail: Alarms and Events that don't show on Operator Displays, but are records on the History log.

AlarmHistorian Database on Datasets

The Alarm Historian database is where the Alarms module stores all alarm events and audit trail information. The AlarmHistorian database can be defined using datasets, which allows for easy configuration and modification of the database properties. The datasets can define the database connection settings, the schema of the database tables, and the properties of the alarm events and audit trail entries.

Working with the Alarms Module

Once you have set up your AlarmGroup, AlarmArea, and AlarmItem, you can use the Alarms module to monitor your process and respond to any changes in conditions.

Runtime Execution

You can control the Alarms Module execution while running your solution. You can Run, Pause, or Stop the Alarms Module directly from the platform. 

Access Runtime / Runtime Diagnostics to find the tools you can use to control the module.

Image Added

Monitoring the Alarms Module Execution

The Alarms Monitor lets you see real-time information about the module when the solution is running. It showcases total, unacknowledged, active alarms, their priority, and the most recent alarm notification.

→ Read more about Alarms Monitor.

Visualizing Alarms on Displays

The Displays module can be used to create displays that visualize alarms in real-time. The alarms can be displayed in tables, custom graphics, objects and others with the ability to sort and filter based on various alarm properties. The displays can also include interactive components, such as acknowledging alarms and displaying alarm details, to allow operators to quickly respond to alarms.

→ Read more about the AlarmViewer Control and AlarmAreas Control.

Handling Notifications with Scripts

The Scripting module can be used to create custom scripts that handle alarm notifications. These scripts can define the behavior of the Notification Method property of the AlarmGroup, allowing for more customized notifications based on the type and severity of the alarm. The scripts can also define notification methods beyond the built-in options, such as sending emails or SMS messages. 

→ Read more about  Alarm Email Notifications.

Customizing Alarm Sounds

Sets the sound played when an alarm goes off.

→ Read more about at AlarmGroup Sounds.

Alarms Advanced Topics

Alarm Execution Process

Presents in the detail the processes when executing the Alarm Engine. 

→ Read more about Alarm Execution Process

Alarm Runtime Attributes

The Alarms Namespace exposes properties and methods from the .NET objects used by the Alarm Module execution.

→ Read more about Alarms Runtime Attributes

Anchor
BestPractices BestPractices

Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Best Practices and Recommendations

To ensure the smooth operation of the Alarms module, follow these best practices:

• Use clear and descriptive names for Alarm Group, Alarm Area, and Alarm Item.
• Configure alarms with proper priority and severity levels.
• Use deadbands and delays to prevent alarm flooding.
• Regularly check and maintain the alarm configuration.
• Configure notifications and acknowledge alarms in a timely manner.

Common Issues and Solutions

The Alarms module may encounter some issues in its operation. Here are some common issues and their solutions:

Alarm not firing

Check the tag name, condition, and alarm item configuration. Ensure the tag is valid and the condition is met.

Alarm not acknowledged

Check the alarm acknowledgement configuration. Ensure that the alarm acknowledges property is set and the acknowledgement timeout is not expired.

Database connection error

Check the database connection string and ensure that the database is reachable.

Alarm flooding

Check the alarm configuration and ensure that the deadband settings are properly configured.

Notification not received

Check the notification configuration and ensure that the notification method is properly set

More on the Alarms Module

To learn more about the Historian module, you can use the additional pages available on the documentation:

.

In this section: