AN-FSE-NDS-1-277-C: OpenLab CDS Workstation Basics

Control Panel Projects and Instr Exercise

Purpose
• Configure Projects, Instruments
• Know how to setup, connect, and configure an instrument in OpenLab CDS

Refer to the Control Panel section in OpenLab Help & Learning to review the Control Panel User
Interface.

Prerequisite
1. Verify instrument is available and LAN connection is active
2. Completed Agilent Virtual GC or LC Simulator exercises and start them

Exercise 1 - Create a CDS Project

Refer to OpenLab Help & Learning for additional information about Projects

1. Double click the OpenLab Control Panel desktop icon to launch OpenLab Control Panel.
2. Login to OpenLab Control Panel as administrator or user who has instrument
administration privileges. An Admin user, “admin” and Password, “admin” were define
during installation:

3. Go to “Projects” panel. Select “Projects”, click “Create” and select “Create Project”.
4. Under the “Properties” tab in “Create Project” screen, enter the information provided
below:
▪ Name: DA-01
▪ Project folder path: /DA-01
▪ Applications: OpenLab CDS (check box is selected)
5. Select the “CDS Settings” tab and review:
a. File Locations
b. Project Options
i. Allow printing of unsaved processing methods and results.
ii. Enforce method approval (new in v2.5)
c. Audit Trail Settings

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d. Sample Custom Parameters

e. Compound Custom Parameters
6. Click “OK” to create “DA-01” project.

➔ Complete exercise 2 to create a GC

➔ Complete exercise 3 to create a LC

Exercise 2 – Create a GC Instrument (Virtual or with GC Hardware)

Resource: OpenLab CDS Workstation Plus Installation and Configuration Guide or OpenLab
Help and Learning

1. From OpenLab Control Panel Click “Instruments” panel and select “Instruments”. Click
“Create” and select “Create Instrument”.

2. Under “Create Instrument” screen, enter the information provided below:

For GC:
▪ Name: GC-01 (virtual GC), 8890-01 (for GC HW)
▪ Instrument type: Agilent GC & GC/MS Systems
▪ Default project: DA-01

To prevent users from storing methods, data, sequences, and templates used for this
instrument to a different project, select Always use Default project.

3. Click “OK” to create the GC, which is now highlighted under “Instruments”.
4. Click “Configure Instrument” to configure the highlighted GC instrument.

5. In “Agilent GC & GC/MS Systems” window, select “Agilent 7890 GC” or “8890” on the left
and click the green arrow to add the module. Double-click “Agilent 7890 GC or 8890” on
the right side to open “Agilent x890 GC Configuration” window.
6. In the “GC Configuration” window, enter the IP address that is shown in your “VirtualGC
78Series” window or IP address of 8890 GC in lab and click “Get GC Configuration”. After
you see message “Successful connection to GC – Config available”, click “OK”.

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7. In the “Agilent GC & GC/MS Systems” window, “Agilent 7890 GC” , “8890” is shown on
the right. Click “OK”.
8. OpenLab Control Panel now shows “GC-01, 8890-01. Click “Launch” to launch the GC
instrument. Acquisition will open.
9. In the Acquisition window, you should see your GC in the title bar. The Status layout is
showing 3 windows (Run Queue, Instrument Status, and Online Signals).
10. Close the “Acquisition” window to exit Acquisition.
11. Click “Exit, don’t save” in “Unsaved changes” window to exit without saving changes.
12. In Control Panel, click “Close Connection” to terminate connection between the GC and
the CDS. When you see GC has been closed, click “OK”.

Important: Always remember to “Close Connection” after the Acquisition window is closed so
that the instrument is available for another Workstation to connect to it.

Exercise 3 – Create a LC Instrument (Virtual or with LC Hardware)

Resource: OpenLab CDS Workstation Plus Installation and Configuration Guide or OpenLab
Help and Learning

1. From OpenLab Control Panel Click “Instruments” panel and select “Instruments”. Click
“Create” and select “Create Instrument”.

2. Under “Create Instrument” screen, enter the information provided below:

▪ Name: LC-01 or LC1A for LC Hardware
▪ Instrument type: Agilent LC & LC/MS
▪ Default project: DA-01
3. Click “OK” to create “LC-01” instrument, which is now highlighted under “Instruments”.
4. Click “Configure Instrument”.
5. In “Agilent LC & LC/MS” window, click “Auto Configuration” button.
6. In “Auto Configuration” window, enter IP address of LC or for the LC simulator, enter
either localhost or the computer name of the Workstation in the “Hostname” field and
click “OK” to auto configure the LC.
Note: You can find the name of the computer (i.e., Workstation) by opening Windows
Explorer, right-click on “This PC” and select “Properties.

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7. In the “Agilent LC & LC/MS” window, the LC or simulator is successfully configured when
“LC System [G4290B]” is showing on the right, for example. Click “OK”.

8. OpenLab Control Panel now shows “LC-01. Click “Launch” to launch the “LC-01”
instrument. Acquisition will open.

9. In the Acquisition window, you should see your LC in the title bar. The Status layout is
showing four windows (Run Queue, Instrument Status, Online Signals, and Spectrum).
10. Close the “Acquisition” window to exit Acquisition.
11. Click “Exit, don’t save” in “Unsaved changes” window to exit without saving changes.
12. In Control Panel, click “Close Connection” to terminate connection between the
instrument and the CDS. When you see Instrument has been closed, click “OK”.

Important: Always remember to “Close Connection” after the Acquisition window is closed so
that the instrument is available for another Workstation to connect to it.

Exercise 3 - Organizing Projects by Product

1. Double click the OpenLab Control Panel desktop icon to launch OpenLab Control Panel
and log-in.
2. Create 3 Projects organized by the products produced in the lab. Check the OpenLab
CDS application check box.
a. Paracetamol
b. Theraflu
c. Tylenol

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3. For the Tylenol project, expand Audit Trail Settings. On the Method, Sequence, and
Results tabs, select Automatically enable audit trail.
4. Select the checkbox to allow users to type their own reason why saving methods and
check automatically enable audit trail.
5. “Custom” reasons can be added for saving the method, for example, “Oven Temperature
Updated”

Exercise 4 – Organizing Projects by Instrument

1. Create a Project Group, QC Lab

2. Under the QC Lab Project Group, create 2 projects: GC-01 and LC-01
3. Discuss with the customer the different ways to organize their data.

Exercise 5 – Duplicate Projects

User can “Duplicate Project” from the context menu of an existing project, i.e. Tylenol. This lets
the user to quickly create new projects with the same settings.

1. Right-click on the Tylenol project and select duplicate project. A default file name and
folder path are applied. Give the project a new name. Will this new project have the
audit trail enabled? ____________________
2. All project related settings will be duplicated in new project:
a. Description
b. Customized File Locations
c. Project Options
d. Audit Trail Settings
e. E-Signature Level Settings
f. Privileges Settings

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Exercise 6 – Sharing Report Templates across projects

To share report templates across projects, all projects must have the same audit trail settings.

1. Create a project “Report Templates” as a CDS Project. Do not check the OpenLab CDS
Application checkbox. This makes the project “generic” and not specific to the CDS
application.

2. Select DA-01 and select Edit Project. Select CDS Settings and go to Report Templates

3. Select browse and select the “Report Templates” Project. Select OK.
4. Report templates can be copied to this folder for easy access.
5. Repeat the steps above to share Sequence Templates.

Exercise 7 – Instrument View

Refer to Help & Learning for instructions on creating an instrument shortcut on the desktop and
locking and unlocking instruments.

1. Create a shortcut on your desktop for your instrument to quickly launch that instrument.
2. Launch Instrument. Launching the instrument starts the Acquisition User Interface.
Is it possible to launch an instrument without a project?

When you first launch the software, you begin on the Status layout. You can see the
Title Bar at the top of the window which lets you know that you are in the Acquisition
Software; the Title Bar also indicates which instrument you are connected to.
3. In OpenLab Acquisition, open the Status layout and check the Instrument status
4. Open the Control tab for the instrument and review the control and maintenance
features
5. Why would a user lock an instrument? _____________________________________________

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