Application

A collection of objects within a Galaxy Repository that performs an automation task. Synonymous with Galaxy.
There may be one or more applications within a Galaxy Repository.
Application Engine (AppEngine)
A scan-based engine that hosts and executes the runtime logic contained within Automation Objects.
ApplicationObject
An AutomationObject that represents some element of your application. This may include things such as (but not
limited to) an automation process component (for instance, a thermocouple, pump, motor, valve, reactor, or tank)
or associated application component (for instance, function block, PID loop, Sequential Function Chart, Ladder
Logic program, batch phase, or SPC data sheet).
Application Views
The Applications Views pane displays the object-related contents of the Galaxy in three different ways: Model,
Deployment, and Derivation Views. The Model View is the default display when the IDE is first opened.
ArchestrA
The distributed architecture for supervisory control and manufacturing information systems. It is an open and
extensible technology based on a distributed, object-based design.
ArchestrA Object Toolkit
A programmer's tool used to create new ApplicationObjects and Device Integration Object Templates, including
their configuration and run-time implementations. Includes a developer tool used to build DI Objects and create
unique Domain Objects that interact with DI Objects in the ArchestrA environment.
Area
A logical grouping of AutomationObjects that represents an area or unit of a plant. It is used to group related
AutomationObjects for alarm, history, and security purposes. It is represented by an Area AutomationObject.
Area Object
The System Object that represents an Area of your plant within a Galaxy. The Area Object acts as an alarm con
centrator, and is used to place other Automation Objects into proper context with respect to the actual physical
automation layout.
Assignment
The designation of a host for an AutomationObject. For example, an AppEngine AutomationObject is assigned to
a WinPlatform AutomationObject.
Attribute
An externally accessible data item of an AutomationObject.
Attribute Reference String
A text string that references an attribute of an AutomationObject.
AutomationObject
A type of object that represents permanent things in your plant (such as Application Objects or Device Integration
Objects) as objects with user-defined, unique names within the Galaxy. It provides a standard way to create,
name, download, execute, and monitor the represented component.
Automation Object Server (AOS)
A computer that hosts one or more application engines and associated automation objects. An Industrial Application
Server Galaxy Namespace can contain several Automation Object Servers, each which requires a Platform.

Backup Application Engine

The object created by the ArchestrA infrastructure when the Primary object has been enabled for redundancy.
See Redundancy for further detail.
Base Template
A root template at the top of a derived hierarchy. Unlike other templates, a base template is not derived from
another template but developed with the Application Object Toolkit and imported into a Galaxy. Base templates
and derived templates always have a $ before their name in the IDE.
Block Read Group
A DAGroup that is triggered by the user or another object. It reads a block of data from the external data source
and indicates the completion status.
Block Write Group
A DAGroup that is triggered by the user or another object after all the required data items have been set.
The block of data is then sent to the external data device. When the block write is complete, it indicates the
completion status.
Bootstrap
The base ArchestrA service which is required on all ArchestrA computers. It provides the base software environment to enable a platform and allows a computer to be included in the Galaxy Namespace.
Change Log
The revision history that tracks the life cycle activities of ArchestrA Objects, such as object creation, checkin/check-out, deployment, and import/export.
Change Propagation
The ability to create templates which will allow each component template to support changes such that a change
in one of the elements can be automatically propagated to all - or select, related - instances.
Check-In
IDE operation for making a configured object available for other users to Check-Out and use.
Check-Out
IDE operation for the purpose of editing an object. It makes the item unavailable for other users to Check-Out.
Checkpoint
The act of persisting to disk the configuration, state, and all associated data necessary to support automatic
restart of a running AutomationObject. The restarted object has the same configuration, state, and associated
data as the last checkpoint image on disk.
Compound Object.
An Application Object that contains at least one other Application Object.
Contained Name
An alternate naming convention that when combined with the tag name of the root container object, results in the
Hierarchical Name. For instance, for a given object, it's Hierarchical Name = Line1.Tank1.InletValve and its
Contained Name= InletValve
Containment
The notion of hierarchical grouping that allows one or more AutomationObjects to exist within the name space of
a parent AutomationObject and be treated like parts of the parent AutomationObject. This functionality allows for
relative referencing to be defined at the template and instance level
DAGroup
A data access group associated with Device Integration Objects. It defines how communications is achieved with
external data sources. It can be a ScanGroup, Block Read or Block Write groups.
DAServer Manager (DAS Manager)
The System Management Console (SMC) snap-in supplied by the DAServer that provides the required user
interface for activation, configuration, and diagnosis of the DAServer.

Data Access Server (DAServer)

The server executable that handles all communications between field devices and client applications. Similar in
function to I/O Servers but with more advanced capabilities.
Data Access Server Toolkit (DAS Toolkit)
A developer tool used to build Data Access Servers (DAServers).
Deployment
The operation which instantiates an automation object instance in the ArchestrA runtime. This action involves
installing all the necessary software and instantiating the object on the target platform with the objects default
attribute data from Galaxy Repository.
Deployment View
The part of the Applications View in the IDE that shows how objects are physically dispersed across Platforms,
Areas and Engines. This is a view of how the application is spread across computing resources.
Derivation
The creation of a new Template based on an existing Template.
Derivation View
The part of the Applications View in the IDE that shows the parent-child relationship between base templates,
derived templates and derived instances. A view into the genealogy of the application.
Derived Template
Any template with a parent template.
Device Integration Object (DIObjects)
An AutomationObject that represents the communication with external devices or software. DIObjects run on an
Application Engine, and include DINetwork and DIDevice objects.
DIDevice Object
An object that represents the actual external device (for example, a PLC or RTU) that is associated with a
DINetwork Object. It provides the ability to diagnose and browse data registers of the DAGroups for that device.
DINetwork Object
An object that represents the network interface port to the device via the Data Access Server or the object that
represents the communications path to another software application. It provides diagnostics and configuration for
that specific network card.
Engine Object
An ArchestrA system enabled object that contains Local Message Exchange and provides a host for Application
objects, Device Integration objects and Area objects.
Event Record
The data that is transferred about the system and logged when a defined event changes state (for instance, an
analog crosses its high level limit, an acknowledgement is made, or an operator logs in to the system).
Export
The act of generating a Package file (.aaPKG file extension) from persisted data in the Galaxy Database. The
resulting .aaPKG file can be imported into another Galaxy through the IDE import mechanism.
FactorySuite Gateway
FactorySuite Gateway is a Microsoft Windows application program that acts as a communications protocol con
verter. Built with the ArchestrA DAS Toolkit, FS Gateway can be used to link clients and data sources that
communicate using different data access protocals.
Galaxy
The entire application. The complete ArchestrA system consisting of a single logical name space (defined by the
Galaxy Database) and a collection of Platforms, Engines and objects. One or more networked PC's that
constitute an automation system. This is referred to as the Galaxy Namespace.

Galaxy Database
The relational database containing all persistent configuration information like Templates, Instances, Security,
etc. in a Galaxy Repository.
Galaxy Database Manager
The Galaxy Database Manager is a utility you can use to manage your Galaxies. It can back up and restore
Galaxies should they become corrupted or to reproduce a Galaxy on another computer. The Galaxy Database
Manager is part of the System Management Console (SMC).
GalaxyObject
The object that represents a Galaxy.
Galaxy Repository
The software sub-system consisting of one or more Galaxy Databases.
Hierarchical Name
The name of the object in the context of its container object. For instance, Tank1.OutletValve, where an object
called Tank1 contains the OutletValve object.
Host
The parent instance of a child instance in the deployment view. (Example: a Platform instance is a Host for an
AppEngine instance).
Import
The act of reading a .aaPKG File and using it to create AutomationObject instances and Templates in the Galaxy
Repository.
InFusion Application Environment (IAE)
Refers to the InFusion branded Supervisory Control Platform, commonly known as the Application Server. The
IAE is sized by (a) the number of Workstation / Server Platforms, (b) by real I/O in the system, and (c) the
number of Terminal Services sessions. The Application Server license is per Galaxy. An Application Server can
be distributed across multiple computers as part of a single Galaxy Namespace. The IAE is designed to utilize
InFusion View as the HMI InFusion Historian as its historian, and the device Integration product line (I/O Servers)
for device communications. The IAE uses the InFusion Engineering Environment as the Configurator for
developing real-time applications.
InFusion Engineering Environment (IEE)
The InFusion Engineering Environment (IEE) is the multi-user interface for the configuration side of the
Application Environment. It accesses the Galaxy repository to manage templates, create object instances, deploy
and un-deploy objects and a host of other functions associated with the development and maintenance of the system.
InFusion View
InFusion View Clients are graphical, runtime clients that access data from the system for real-time views of the
system. InFusion View clients can be deployed as single network stations or used as remote stations in Terminal
Services mode.
InFusion Historian
The time series data storage system, used to compress and store high volumes of time series data for latter
retrieval. It is available in a range of sizes and is the standard Historian for InFusion.
InFusion System Manager
The InFusion System Manager is the systems management display subsystem used to monitor and report on the
status of the InFusion system components. A variety of tabs within a multi-pane window provides both a hierarchical view of the hardware as well as a detailed summary of a selected component.
Instance
An object, which is a unique representation of a template that can exist in runtime.
Instantiation
The creation of a new object instance based on a corresponding Template.

I/O Count
Number of I/O points being accessed into the Galaxy. I/O points are real I/O and are not equivalent to InTouch
tags. I/O count is based on the number of I/O points that are configured through an OPC Server, I/O Server, DA
Server or InTouch Proxy Object, over the whole Application Server namespace, regardless of how many PCs are
in the system.
Life Cycle Cost
The cost of a Supervisory Control System attributed to initial development, application changes and on-going
maintenance. The Industrial Application Server reduces these costs through the use of a component objectbased development environment and automated change propagation capabilities.
Live Mode
An action in ActiveFactory that enables the configuration of a Runtime application to be refreshed at a
designated interval.
Log Viewer
A Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that provides a user interface for viewing messages reported
to the LogViewer.
Message Exchange
The object to object communications protocol used by ArchestrA and the Industrial Application Server.
Model View
The part of the Applications View in the IDE that shows how objects are arranged to describe the physical layout
of the plant and supervisory process being controlled.
Object
Any template or instance found in a Galaxy Database. A common characteristic of all objects is they are stored
as separate components in the Galaxy Repository.
Object Extensions
The capability to add additional functions to an Automation Object while not altering the objects original behavior.
Can be added to derived templates and object instances. They include Scripts, User Defined Attributes (UDAs)
and Attribute Extensions.
Object Viewer
A utility in which you can view the attribute values of the selected object in run-time. This utility is only available
when an object is deployed. Object Viewer provides the user with diagnostic information on Application Objects
for the purpose of detecting performance parameters, resource consumption and reliability measurements. In
addition to viewing an object's data value, data quality and the communication status of the object, you can also
modify some of it's attributes for diagnostic testing. Modifications can include adjusting timing parameters and
setting objects in an execution or idle mode.
OffScan
The state of an Object that indicates it is idle and not ready to execute its normal runtime processing.
OnScan
The state of an Object in which it is performing its normal runtime processing based on a configured schedule.
Package Definition File (.aaPDF)
The standard description file that contains the configuration data and implementation code for a base template.
File extension is .aaPDF.
Package File (.aaPKG)
The standard description file that contains the configuration data and implementation code for one or more object
instances or Templates. File extension is .aaPKG.

Platform Count
Number of PCs in the Galaxy. Each Workstation and/or Server communicating directly with the Application
Server requires a platform to be part of the Galaxy Namespace. This includes each InFusion View 8.0 or higher
client Each InFusion View for Terminal Services session needs IAS Terminal Services Session License. A
Platform License includes a per seat FSCAL2000 with Microsoft 2000 SQL Server CAL. Stand-alone computers
that only host InSQL Servers or remote DA Servers do not need a platform license.
Platform Manager
The Platform Manager provides Galaxy application diagnostics by allowing you to view the runtime status of
some system objects and to perform actions upon those objects. Actions include setting platforms and engines in
an executable or idle mode and starting and stopping platforms and engines. This utility is an extension snap-in
to the ArchestrA System Management Console (SMC).
Platform Object
An object that represents a single computer in a Galaxy, consisting of a system wide message exchange
component and a set of basic services. This object hosts all Application Engines.
PLC
Programmable logic controller.
Properties
Data common to all attributes of objects, such as name, value, quality, and data type.
Proxy Object
A Proxy Objects is an Automation Object that represents an actual product for the purpose of device integration
with the Industrial Application Server or InTouch HMI. For example, there is a Proxy Object that enables the
Industrial Application Server to access an OPC server.
Redundancy
During Configuration
Primary object: The object intended as the main or central provider of the functionality in the run-time. For
AppEngines, it is the object you enable for redundancy. For data acquisition, it is the DIObject you intend to use
first as your data source in the run-time.
Backup object: The object that provides the functionality of the Primary object when it fails. For AppEngines, it
is the object created by the ArchestrA infrastructure when the Primary object has been enabled for redundancy.
For data acquisition, it is the DIObject you do not intend to use first as your data source in the run-time.
During Run-Time
Active object: The object that is currently executing desired functions. For AppEngines, it is the object that is
hosting and executing ApplicationObjects. For data acquisition, it is the object that is providing field device data
through the RedundantDIObject.
Standby object: The passive object; that is, it is waiting for a failure in the Active object's condition or for a
force-failover. For AppEngines, it is the object that monitors the status of the Active AppEngine. For data
acquisition, it is the object that is not providing field device data through the RedundantDIObject.
Redundant DI Object
The RedundantDIObject monitors and controls the redundant DIObject data sources. Unlike redundant
AppEngines, individual DIObject data sources do not have redundancy-related states. For all intents and purposes,
they function as standalone objects.
Reference
A string that refers to an object or to data within one of its attributes.
Relational Reference
A reference to an object's attributes that uses a keyword in place of an object's tagname. These keywords allow
a reference to be made by an object's relationship to the target attribute. Examples of these keywords are "Me",
"MyPlatform", and "MyContainer".

Remote Reference
The ability to redirect ArchestrA object references or references to remote InTouch tags. The new script function
used to redirect remote references at runtime is IOSetRemoteReferences.
Runtime
The InTouch (WindowViewer) function that provides the viewing of data from the configuration of the
application in InTouch development (WindowMaker).
Scan Group
A DAGroup that requires only the update interval be defined and the data will be retrieved at the requested rate.
Scan State
The Scan State of an object in run-time. This can be either off-scan or on-scan.
Security
Industrial Application Server security is applied to IDE, SMC, and the runtime data level. At the runtime data level
which centralizes the definition of all permissions to the ApplicationObjects. These ApplicationObjects can be
accessed by a variety of clients but the security is centrally defined allowing ease of maintenance. The users that
are allowed to modify these ApplicationObjects at runtime are mapped to the objects by user defined roles.
These roles can be mapped directly to existing groups in a Microsoft Domain or workgroup.
SmartSymbols
SmartSymbols are objects that integrate object-oriented technology with InTouch graphics to transform them into
reusable templates. Changes made to the templates automatically propagate throughout an application - even
across multiple networked PC nodes. They are created from a graphic in an InTouch window that has been
made into a cell and converted into a SmartSymbol. In addition, libraries of SmartSymbols can be exported to
other applications and plants, enabling companies to standardize on graphics throughout the entire organization.
System Management Console (SMC)
The central runtime system administration/management user interface in which all required runtime administration
functions can be accomplished.
System Objects
Objects that represent an Area, Platform or Engine.
TagName
The unique name given to an object. For instance, for a given object, its TagName = V1101 and its
HierarchicalName = Line1.Tank1.InletValve.
Template
An object containing configuration information and software templates used to create new Derived Templates
and/or Instances.
Template Toolbox
The part of the IDE Main Window that hosts template toolsets, which contain object templates. The Template
Toolbox contains a tree view of template categories in the Galaxy.
Toolset
A named collection of Templates displayed together in the IDE Template ToolBox. User Defined Attributes (UDA)
The purpose of a User Defined Attribute is to allow users to add new functionality to an object. An attribute which
is added to an object at configuration time
UserDefined object
An AutomationObject created from the $UserDefined template. This template does not have any applicationspecific attributes or logic. Therefore, the user must define these attributes and associated logic.
WinPlatform object
An object that represents a single computer in a Galaxy, consisting of a systemwide message exchange component,
a set of basic services, the operating system, and the physical hardware. This object hosts all AppEngines.
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