CONFIGURATION GUIDE

CG39APS-9
Rev: 1
May 1999

 ) Historian
Plant Information (PI
for APS Version 2.63 or Higher
CG39APS-9 CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION AND TITLE PAGE

1.0 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................1-1
1.1 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................1-1
1.1.1 Product Implementation................................................................................................1-2
1.1.1.1 Configuration ........................................................................................................1-2
1.1.1.2 Execution ..............................................................................................................1-3
1.1.1.3 Operation ..............................................................................................................1-3
1.1.2 Platforms .....................................................................................................................1-3
1.1.3 License Modules ..........................................................................................................1-4
1.2 RELATED LITERATURE ......................................................................................................1-5

2.0 CONFIGURATION .........................................................................................................2-1

2.1 BASIC CONCEPTS ................................................................................................................2-1
2.1.1 Tag Name....................................................................................................................2-1
2.1.2 Engineering Units, Zero and Span.................................................................................2-1
2.1.3 Descriptor....................................................................................................................2-2
2.2 PIBUILDER ............................................................................................................................2-2
2.2.1 Starting the PIBuilder...................................................................................................2-2
2.2.1.1 Terminal Session Command...................................................................................2-3
2.2.1.2 Accessing PIBuilder from the APS Banner .............................................................2-3
2.2.2 Permissions..................................................................................................................2-4
2.2.3 PIBuilder Dialog Box...................................................................................................2-4
2.2.3.1 APS Point List.......................................................................................................2-4
2.2.3.2 PI Point List ..........................................................................................................2-4
2.2.3.3 Adding Items to PI Point List .................................................................................2-4
2.2.3.4 Sorting PI Point List ..............................................................................................2-5
2.2.3.5 Deleting Items from PI Point List ...........................................................................2-6
2.2.4 APS Point Filter...........................................................................................................2-6
2.2.4.1 Starting the APS Point Filter..................................................................................2-6
2.2.4.2 Using the APS Point Filter .....................................................................................2-7
2.2.5 Previewing PI Points ....................................................................................................2-8
2.2.6 Updating the PI Point Database ....................................................................................2-9
2.2.6.1 PI Server .............................................................................................................2-10
2.2.6.2 Operation Mode...................................................................................................2-11
2.2.6.3 Ok and Close Buttons ..........................................................................................2-11
2.3 PIEDITOR.............................................................................................................................2-12
2.3.1 Starting the PIEditor ..................................................................................................2-12
2.3.1.1 Terminal Session Command.................................................................................2-12
2.3.1.2 Accessing PIEditor from the APS Banner.............................................................2-12
2.3.2 Permissions................................................................................................................2-12
2.3.3 PIEditor Dialog Box...................................................................................................2-12
2.3.4 Searching For PI Points..............................................................................................2-14
2.3.5 Modifying PI Points ...................................................................................................2-15

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CONTENTS CG39APS-9

2.3.5.1 Changing Attribute Values...................................................................................2-16

2.3.5.2 Deleting a PI Point...............................................................................................2-16

3.0 EXECUTION ...................................................................................................................3-1

3.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................3-1
3.1.1 APS2PI .......................................................................................................................3-1
3.1.2 Rtap2Pi .......................................................................................................................3-1
3.1.3 Master Versus Slave ....................................................................................................3-1
3.2 APS AND PI NETWORK ARCHITECTURES .......................................................................3-2
3.2.1 Embedded PI in Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi .......................3-3
3.2.2 Embedded PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi.......................................3-4
3.2.3 Stand-Alone PI in Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi ....................3-5
3.2.4 Stand-Alone PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi ...................................3-6

4.0 OPERATION ...................................................................................................................4-1

A.0 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI..............................................................A-1

A.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. A-1
A.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.................................................................................................. A-1
A.2.1 General Requirements ................................................................................................. A-1
A.2.2 Hardware Requirements .............................................................................................. A-2
A.2.3 Software Requirements ............................................................................................... A-2
A.2.4 Data Movement Requirements..................................................................................... A-2
A.2.5 Data Quality Requirements ......................................................................................... A-3
A.2.5.1 Data Quality Movement from RTAP to PI ............................................................ A-3
A.2.5.2 Data Quality Movement from PI to RTAP ............................................................ A-3
A.3 RTAP ENVIRONMENT CONFIGURATION ........................................................................ A-3
A.4 RTAP/Plus DATABASE CONFIGURATION ........................................................................ A-5
A.4.1 APS2PI Point Header.................................................................................................. A-5
A.4.2 APS2PI Attributes ...................................................................................................... A-6
A.4.3 Rtap2Pi Example Point ............................................................................................. A-12
A.5 PI DATABASE GENERAL CONFIGURATION.................................................................. A-17
A.6 PI DATABASE POINT CONFIGURATION ........................................................................ A-17
A.6.1 Point Attributes......................................................................................................... A-18
A.7 PROCESS STARTUP SEQUENCE...................................................................................... A-19
A.7.1 Program Initiation ..................................................................................................... A-19
A.7.2 Process Operation ..................................................................................................... A-20
A.7.2.1 Polled Mode ....................................................................................................... A-20
A.7.2.2 Polled Mode with Event Trigger.......................................................................... A-20
A.7.2.3 Exception Mode.................................................................................................. A-20

B.0APPENDIX B—WORKING WITH VMS VERSION OF PI 2.0.................................. B-1

B.1 PI POINTS CONFIGURATION ............................................................................................. B-1
B.2 APS2PI INTERFACE EXECUTION ...................................................................................... B-1

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CG39APS-9 CONTENTS

B.3 OPERATION TRENDING ..................................................................................................... B-2

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE AND TITLE PAGE

FIGURE 1-1 Overview of APS-PI Implementation ................................................................................1-2

FIGURE 2-1 PIBuilder Dialog Box.......................................................................................................2-3
FIGURE 2-2 PIBuilder Dialog Box with Selected PI Points ...................................................................2-5
FIGURE 2-3 APS Point Filter Dialog Box ............................................................................................2-6
FIGURE 2-4 Example Search Entries....................................................................................................2-7
FIGURE 2-5 PTYPE LIST Filter Dialog Box .......................................................................................2-8
FIGURE 2-6 PI Attribute Viewer Window ............................................................................................2-9
FIGURE 2-7 Update PI DataBase Dialog Box.....................................................................................2-10
FIGURE 2-8 PIEditor Dialog Box.......................................................................................................2-13
FIGURE 2-9 Sample Search Listing....................................................................................................2-15
FIGURE 2-10 Attribute Editor Dialog Box..........................................................................................2-17
FIGURE 3-1 Embedded PI in Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi ...........................3-3
FIGURE 3-2 Embedded PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi...........................................3-4
FIGURE 3-3 Stand-Alone PI with Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi.....................3-5
FIGURE 3-4 Stand-Alone PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi........................................3-7

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE AND TITLE PAGE

TABLE 1-1 APS-PI Historian Platform Compatibility...........................................................................1-4

TABLE 2-1 PI Tag Name Examples .....................................................................................................2-1
TABLE A-1 Point Header Item Definitions........................................................................................... A-5
TABLE A-2 Database Point Attributes................................................................................................. A-6
TABLE A-3 Poll Rate Definitions for Poll Groups ............................................................................... A-9
TABLE A-4 quality_trans Table .......................................................................................................... A-9
TABLE A-5 quality_proxy_trans Table ............................................................................................. A-10
TABLE A-6 RTAP/Plus Attribute Type Examples ............................................................................. A-18
TABLE A-7 Poll Actions Based on Location 1 Values........................................................................ A-19

Moore Process Automation Solutions assumes no liability for errors or omissions in this document or for the application and
use of information included in this document. The information herein is subject to change without notice.

The Moore logo, APACS+, 4-mation, and ProcessSuite are trademarks of Moore Products Co.
All other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.

© Copyright 1999 Moore Products Co. All rights reserved

May 1999 iii

CG39APS-9 INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Plant Information (PI) Historian is an optional software package for APS, the workstation-based
operator interface for the APACS+ process control system. It consists of a set of software modules
designed to provide plant-wide monitoring and analysis. APS and the PI Historian run on standard DEC®
Alpha AXP and Hewlett-Packard PA-RISC stations.

This Guide provides information on the preparation required to use the software. It is organized into the
following sections:

• Section 1, Introduction—Summarizes the information presented in this Guide, gives a product

description, and lists reference literature to consult for more information.

• Section 2, Configuration—Describes the configuration phase of the three-step APS-PI implementation

procedure that entails using the PIBuilder and the PIEditor.

• Section 3, Execution—Describes the execution (second) phase of APS-PI implementation. Explains

the setup and use of the APS2PI interface to accommodate different APS and PI network architectures.

• Section 4, Operation—Provides procedures for the third phase of APS-PI implementation. Explains
how to start up and use APSTrend and its features.

• Appendix A, Configuring Rtap2Pi—Provides detailed information to set up and configure the Rtap2Pi
programmatic interface.

• Appendix B, Working with the VMS Version of PI 2.0—Provides additional configuration information
that is needed when using the VMS Version of PI 2.0.

1.1 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

APS-PI Historian is an optional software package for the APACS+ Process Supervisor (APS), the
workstation-based operator interface for the APACS+ process control system. Plant Information (PI), a
product of OSI Software, Inc., consists of a set of software modules designed to provide plant-wide
monitoring and analysis.

APS-PI Historian provides data-compressing historical capability to APS. It allows you to configure the
PI point database from the APS database, to store data from the APS real-time database in PI’s historical
data archive, and to retrieve historical data from PI’s data archive. FIGURE 1-1 shows an overview of
APS-PI implementation, consisting of three steps: Configuration, Execution, and Operation. Section
1.1.1 describes the implementation of APS-PI Historian.

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INTRODUCTION CG39APS-9

APS DATABASE

PIBuilder APS2PI APS-Trend

PI Point PI
Database Data
Archive

PI-ProcessBook
PI-DataLink
PIEditor MS Excel Add-
in

CONFIGURATION EXECUTION OPERATION

FIGURE 1-1 Overview of APS-PI Implementation

1.1.1 Product Implementation

1.1.1.1 Configuration

Configuration involves the use of PIBuilder and PIEditor.

PIBuilder PIBuilder is a graphical configuration tool used to create PI points from an APS database.
These PI points can reside in a local or remote PI point database. PIBuilder includes a
powerful tool called point filter so you can choose any single or group of APS points from
a selection of point mask, controller source, value, and point type. Section 2 describes in
detail how to use this tool to create your PI point database.

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CG39APS-9 INTRODUCTION

PIEditor PIEditor lets you delete PI points, modify attribute values, and view the snapshot value
and status of any PI point, which can also reside in a local or remote PI server. Section
2.3 explains this tool in more detail.

1.1.1.2 Execution

Execution involves the use of APS2PI.

APS2PI APS2PI is an interface between the APS database and the PI database. It obtains point
information from the PI point database, collects point values from the APS database, and
puts the information into the PI data archive as historical data. Like PIBuilder and
PIEditor, APS2PI uses the client/server model, which means it can poll APS point values
and send them to any local or remote PI data archive server. Fully redundant and fault-
tolerant architecture is a key feature of APS2PI. Section 3 explains how to setup this
interface for different APS and PI network architectures.

1.1.1.3 Operation

Operation consists of the retrieval and display of historical data by use of the APS-Trend and other PI PC
clients.

APS-Trend APS-Trend can display real-time and historical data from either APS historical or PI
data archives.

PI-ProcessBook These are PC-based client software modules from OSI Software, Inc. (formerly Oil
PI-DataLink Systems, Inc.) that run under Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11 for Workgroups,
and Windows 95/NT. They let you access, report, and trend PI historical data from
your PC. PI-DataLink is an add-in for Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3. Each
licensed APS Embedded PI Historian software comes with two sets of PI-
ProcessBook and PI-DataLink diskettes and their own manuals.

1.1.2 Platforms

Platform and operating system compatibility of APS-PI Historian modules are shown in TABLE 1-1.

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INTRODUCTION CG39APS-9

TABLE 1-1 APS-PI Historian Platform Compatibility

Platform and PIBuilder PIEditor APS2PI APSTrend PI 3.0 PI-ProcessBook

Operating System Server PI-DataLink

DEC Alpha
Digital UNIX 3.2 YES YES YES YES YES
or later

HP 9000/700, 800
HP-UX 9.0x YES YES YES YES YES
or later

Intel Processor
MS Windows 3.1, YES *
MS WFW 3.11

Intel Processor YES

MS Windows 95
MS Windows NT

* TCP/IP Winsock is required on Windows 3.1 and WFW 3.11 for running PI-ProcessBook and PI-DataLink.

1.1.3 License Modules

Each element of APS-PI Historian works in a client/server mode, allowing it to handle many different
network architectures. Since a PI system is licensed by the number of PI points, APS-PI Historian can be
categorized into two packages: APS Embedded PI and Fully Licensed PI.

APS Embedded PI An APS Embedded PI system is licensed for 2000 PI points in PI 3.0 server,
including two sets of PI-ProcessBook and PI-DataLink modules. Typically, the
PI 3.0 server is the same as the APS server, which improves system efficiency,
reduces network traffic, and facilitates redundant PI servers. You can also
separate the PI 3.0 server and the APS server into two different servers, in which
case PIBuilder, APS2PI, and APS-Trend must be installed on the APS server,
while PIEditor can be installed on both servers.

Fully Licensed PI Any PI server, PI 3 or PI 2, with over 2000 PI points requires a Fully Licensed
PI. As with the APS Embedded PI module, you can also put the APS server and
the PI 3.0 server on the same server, or you can separate them.

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CG39APS-9 INTRODUCTION

1.2 RELATED LITERATURE

The following list identifies literature that is appropriate and should be available for additional information
relating to the APACS+ Process Supervisor (APS).

• Configuring APACS+ Process Supervisor (APS) Version 2.63 or Higher (CG39APS-6)

• APS Trending Using CPU PlotServer Version 1.9 or Higher (CG39APS-7)

• APS Archive Manager Version 2.63 or Higher (CG39APS-19)

• Reference and technical manuals received with the workstation on which the APS software is installed

• Reference and technical manuals received with printers, adapter cards, and other peripheral equipment
connected directly to the workstation on which APS software is installed

• Reference manuals received with the operating system and X Window software being used on the
workstation

• Hewlett-Packard Getting Started with RTAP/Plus

• Hewlett-Packard RTAP/Plus Building Blocks

• Hewlett-Packard RTAP/Plus User’s Guide

• Hewlett-Packard RTAP/Plus Integration

• PI Data Archive

• PI-ProcessBook

• PI-DataLink

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CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

2.0 CONFIGURATION
The configuration phase of the three-step APS-PI implementation (see FIGURE 1-1) entails using the
PIBuilder and PIEditor. This section provides some basic concepts needed to perform the configuration
and describes the startup and utilization of the PIBuilder and PIEditor.

2.1 BASIC CONCEPTS

Some basic concepts must be understood before being able to proceed with the configuration of APS-PI
Historian. The following subsections provide this information.

2.1.1 Tag Name

Each APS point contains a set of attributes, each of which has its own attribute type and value. A PI point
database’s tag name must be specified to the APS database scalar level. Which means that a scalar
attribute must be specified to the attribute level, a vector attribute must be specified to the record level, and
a table attribute must be specified to the record-field level. Some PI tag name examples are shown in
TABLE 2-1.

TABLE 2-1 PI Tag Name Examples

APS Attribute Type PI Tag Name Example

Scalar PT1001.PROCESS_VALUE
Vector PT1001.TIMESTAMP(0)
Table PT1001.VARIABLE(0,VALUE)

From one APS point, you can generate more than one PI point. Each APS point attribute can become one
PI point. By default, PIBuilder configures the first attribute of an APS point into the PI point database.
You can configure or unconfigure all or some of the other attributes by selecting or deselecting the check
button. However, only those attributes above the PTYPE attribute in an APS point can be configured into
the PI point database.

2.1.2 Engineering Units, Zero and Span

PIBuilder reads ENGUNITS, EU_LOW and EU_HIGH from the APS database. The formulas for ZERO
and SPAN are as follows:

DIFF = EU_HIGH - EU_LOW

ZERO = EU_LOW -Ratio * DIFF

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CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

SPAN = (EU_HIGH + Ratio * DIFF) - (EU_LOW - Ratio * DIFF)

= EU_HIGH - EU_LOW + 2 * Ratio * DIFF

By default, PIBuilder defines Ratio = 5%, which means PI will store data value from 5% lower than
EU_LOW to 5% higher than EU_HIGH. Any value other than this range will not be stored into the PI
archive.
IMPORTANT
For any APS points whose EU_LOW and EU_HIGH are referencing
another attribute in the RTAP database, you MUST FIRST configure
those referenced attributes in the PI point database.

For example, in APS database:

TIC515.PV(0,EU_LOW) = [.:CONTROLLER.EINL(0,VALUE)]
TIC515.PV(0,EU_HIGH) = [.:CONTROLLER.EINH(0,VALUE)]

Therefore, before you can put TIC515.PV(0,VALUE) into the PI point database, you MUST configure
APS point TIC515:CONTROLLER.

For PI to store APS point values properly, you MUST finish all the APS configuration details. Make sure
that the EU_LOW and EU_HIGH values are configured for any APS points that will be stored in the PI
historical archive.

2.1.3 Descriptor

PIBuilder uses the DESC attribute of the APS point for each PI point it generates. You will find this very
useful for searching or sub-grouping PI points with the PIEditor described in section 2.3.

2.2 PIBUILDER

The process of converting APS points to PI points and updating the PI point database is performed by use
of the PIBuilder.

2.2.1 Starting the PIBuilder

You can start PIBuilder by either typing a command in a terminal window or by selecting PIBuilder from
the APS banner.

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CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

2.2.1.1 Terminal Session Command

To start PIBuilder, access a terminal window by clicking Maintenance | Terminal Window from the APS
banner and enter the following command:

/usr/moore/tcl/scripts/PIBuilder

The PIBuilder dialog box shown in FIGURE 2-1 will appear on the screen.

2.2.1.2 Accessing PIBuilder from the APS Banner

To start PIBuilder from the APS banner, select Configuration | Optional Packages | PI Historian |
PIBuilder.

The PIBuilder dialog box shown in FIGURE 2-1 will appear on the screen.

FIGURE 2-1 PIBuilder Dialog Box

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CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

2.2.2 Permissions

Only users in the APSadmin group have permission to build a PI point database. If you are not in the
APSadmin group, you can run PIBuilder, but you will not be able to update the PI point database. For
information on setting up user groups refer to document Configuring APACS+ Process Supervisor (APS)
(CG39APS-6) section 9.5.2 “Create a User Account”

2.2.3 PIBuilder Dialog Box

After you issue the command or access PIBuilder from the APS banner, the PIBuilder dialog box shown in
FIGURE 2-1 will appear on the screen.

2.2.3.1 APS Point List

On the left side of the PIBuilder dialog box is the APS Point list, which lists all available APS points. By
default, when you start PIBuilder, this list gives you all the valid APS points that satisfy the following
conditions:

• Located under the “process data” branch in the RTAP database

• Has a PTYPE attribute
• The PTYPE attribute value is not “PLACEHOLDER”

You can view these APS points either by full path name or by alias name by selecting Full Path Name or
By Alias from the VIEW menu. The list is sorted in alphabetical order. You can also filter the list using
the point filter tool (see section 2.2.4).

2.2.3.2 PI Point List

On the right side of the PIBuilder dialog box is the PI point list area. When you add APS points to PI,
those points are listed in this box as APS point names. Each APS point name is followed by a list of
attributes above PTYPE for that APS point. Each selected attribute will become one PI point.

The number of PI points (in this sample, 17) indicates how many attributes are currently selected. These
attributes are slated to become PI points. If an attribute’s data type is not numeric (LOGICAL, INT8,
UINT8, INT16, UINT16, INT32, UINT32, FLOAT, DOUBLE), it will appear grayed, which means it
cannot be added into the PI point database.

2.2.3.3 Adding Items to PI Point List

To add all the available APS points shown in the APS point list (on the left side) to the PI point list (on the
right side), click the Add All button in the main PIBuilder dialog box (see FIGURE 2-2). Note that this
process could take a significant amount of time for a large RTAP database.

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CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

FIGURE 2-2 PIBuilder Dialog Box with Selected PI Points

To add APS points selectively to the PI point list, you can single click on a point to select one or more APS
points, then click on the Add>> button to add all the selected points to the PI point list on the right side.

To move any APS point individually from the left side to the PI point list (right side), double click on the
desired APS point.

As another option to add APS points to the PI point list, you can single-click on individual point(s) to select
one or more APS points, then select FUNCTION | Add Point to PI from the menu.

2.2.3.4 Sorting PI Point List

After moving the APS points from the APS point list (left side) to PI point list (right side), the points are
listed unsorted in the PI point list. To sort the PI point list into alphabetical order, click the Sort PI Pts
button.

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CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

2.2.3.5 Deleting Items from PI Point List

To delete all the PI points from the PI point list (on the right side) and move them over to the APS point list
(on the left side), click the Delete All button in the main PIBuilder dialog box (see FIGURE 2-2).

To delete an individual PI point and move it to the APS point list, you can single-click on the desired PI
point, then click on the Delete << button to move it to the APS point list on the left side.

As another option to delete a PI point from the PI point list and move it to the APS list, you can single-click
on the desired PI point, then select FUNCTION | Delete Point from the menu.

2.2.4 APS Point Filter

The APS point filter lets you construct your own set of APS points in the APS point list.

2.2.4.1 Starting the APS Point Filter

To initiate the APS Point Filter, click CONFIG | PointFilter from the menu of the PIBuilder dialog box.
The APS Point Filter dialog box, shown in FIGURE 2-3, will appear on the screen.

FIGURE 2-3 APS Point Filter Dialog Box

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CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

2.2.4.2 Using the APS Point Filter

The APS Point Filter dialog box is divided into four areas: Tag Name, Controller, Ptype, and Attribute.
Each area has an entry box, where you can type search words, a Browse or Filter button that allows you to
browse a full list for that specified field, and some pre-defined, frequently used values for that field.

The matching logic among these four searching blocks is AND. The matching logic within each searching
block is OR.

The search function includes the following features:

• The search words in each entry box are not case-sensitive

• Empty entry box is equivalent to the wildcard *
• Use * to represent any number of characters
• Use ? to represent one character
• Use * and ? combined with other characters to find a range of matches

The example entries shown in FIGURE 2-4 will search using the following criteria:

• Points that have a tag name matching “T*”

• Under the APACS branch in the APS database
• Ptype is either Analog, SINGLE_LOOP, or matching “*SS”, and has the attribute PV or
VARIABLE above PTYPE

FIGURE 2-4 Example Search Entries

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CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

The Filter button works only with the PTYPE search. Instead of using Browse to browse the entire APS
database every time, you can use PTYPE LIST Filter (see FIGURE 2-5) to select your frequently used
PTYPE values and save them to the APS Point Filter window in the PTYPE block.

Clicking the APPLY button will initiate a search for all the APS points that match the criteria in the four
blocks. The results of the search will be listed in the APS point list in the PIBuilder main window.

Clicking the EXIT button will close APS Point Filter dialog box.

FIGURE 2-5 PTYPE LIST Filter Dialog Box

2.2.5 Previewing PI Points

Use one of the following techniques to display an attribute window that displays details about a PI point.

• Single click on an attribute name in the PI point list, then click the View Tag button.

• Double-click on the attribute name in the PI point list.

• Single click on the attribute name in the PI point list, then choose FUNCTION | View Pi Attr from the
menu.

A typical PI Attribute Viewer window is shown in Figure 2-6. As you can see in this window, the tag name
of the PI point is down to the APS point scalar level. The APS point is TIC515 and the PI point is
TIC515.PV(0,VALUE). PIBuilder reads ENGUNITS, EU_LOW, and EU_HIGH from the APS database
and generates ZERO and SPAN according to the formula described in section 2.1 “BASIC CONCEPTS”.

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CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

PIBuilder takes PI defaults for the rest of attributes for this PI point. If you want to change the value of
any attribute after you have put the point into the PI database, you can use the PIEditor as described in
section 2.3 “PIEDITOR”.

To close the PI Attribute Viewer window, press the CLOSE button.

FIGURE 2-6 PI Attribute Viewer Window

2.2.6 Updating the PI Point Database

All the tasks described in the previous subsections, such as adding, deleting, and previewing PI points,
prepared the PI point list that must now be entered into the PI database. The PI points in the PI point list do
not yet reside in PI point database. This section describes the procedure of updating the PI point database
with your current PI point list.

To update the PI point database, select FUNCTION | Update PI DB from the menu in the PIBuilder
dialog box. This action will bring up the Update PI DataBase dialog box shown in FIGURE 2-7. It is
divided into two areas: PI Server and Operation Mode, which are described in the following sections.

May 1999 2-9

CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

FIGURE 2-7 Update PI DataBase Dialog Box

2.2.6.1 PI Server

The PI Server area in the Update PI DataBase dialog box shows a list of available PI servers that can be
selected for updating.
IMPORTANT
You must be very careful to select the correct PI server that you want to
update with the new PI points.

The following information is provided for proper updating of different servers.

Redundant PI Server

By default, all PI servers in this list are selected, which means that when you click OK, you will update
all PI servers with same set of PI points.

Non-Redundant PI Server

You must deselect the PI server that you do not want updated. Select only the PI servers into which
you want to put the PI points. When you are finished choosing servers, click on OK.

VMS Version of PI 2.0 Server

This is only for remote VMS version of PI 2 home node, after you select the PI server and click OK,
the program will generate an ASCII data file containing all the points selected in PI point list in the

2-10 May 1999

CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

PIBuilder dialog box. This file will be the input data file when you run PIDIFF on VMS PI 2 home
node. For details see Appendix B “WORKING WITH VMS VERSION OF PI 2.0”.

Windows/NT Version of PI 3.0 Server

Since releasing SDK for PI 3 which supports PI point table editing, this works like the VMS version of
PI 2 server. After click on OK, PIBuilder will generate an ASCII data file containing all the points
selected in PI point list in PIBuilder window. This file will be the input data file when you run
PICONFIG on Windows/NT version of PI 3.

2.2.6.2 Operation Mode

The Operation Mode area in the Update PI DataBase dialog box permits you to use different modes for
updating the PI database. The available modes are described below.

Add New Points

This option adds those PI points that are not in PI point database. If certain points are already in the PI
point database, this mode will not affect those points.

Update Exist Points

This option updates those PI points that are already in the PI point database. This mode is very useful
when the APS points’ EU_LOW and EU_HIGH value have been changed after those points have been
put into the PI point database. Using this mode, you can update those PI points to match the current
APS data value. If certain points are not in the PI point database, this mode will not affect those
points.

All of Above

This option will add any points that do not exist in the PI point database and update any points that
already exist.

2.2.6.3 Ok and Close Buttons

Ok

After carefully making the correct selection(s) in PI Server and Operation Mode areas in the Update PI
DataBase dialog box, pressing the Ok button will update the selected PI server database(s).

Close

Pressing the Close button will not update any servers, it will only close the Update PI DataBase dialog
box.

May 1999 2-11

CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

2.3 PIEDITOR

The PI point database can be edited by use of the PIEditor. The following sections describe the startup and
use of the PIEditor.

2.3.1 Starting the PIEditor

You can start the PIEditor by either typing a command in a terminal window or by selecting PIEditor from
the APS banner menu.

2.3.1.1 Terminal Session Command

To start the PIEditor, access a terminal window by clicking Maintenance | Terminal Window from the
APS banner and enter the following command:

/usr/moore/tcl/scripts/PIEditor

The PIEditor dialog box shown in FIGURE 2-8 will appear on the screen.

2.3.1.2 Accessing PIEditor from the APS Banner

To start PIEditor from the APS banner, select Configuration | Optional Packages | PI Historian |
PIEditor from the menu.

The PIEditor dialog box shown in FIGURE 2-8 will appear on the screen.

NOTE
If you cannot start PI Editor or don’t get updated PI data, make sure the
action type for the PI Editor action is “Execute” not “RtapRunCmd”.
Refer to section 9.4.1 of document Configuring APACS+ Process
Supervisor (APS) CG39APS-6.

2.3.2 Permissions

Only users in the APSadmin group have permission to edit a PI point database. If you are not in the
APSadmin group, you will not be able to edit any PI point database.

2.3.3 PIEditor Dialog Box

After you issue the proper command or click on the PIEditor from the APS banner, the PIEditor dialog box
shown in FIGURE 2-8 will appear on the screen.

2-12 May 1999

CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

The PI Server area shows all the PI servers that you can access. By default, the first one (which is typically
your localhost) is selected. The number that follows each PI server indicates how many PI points are found
by matching Tag Mask in that PI server.

FIGURE 2-8 PIEditor Dialog Box

May 1999 2-13

CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

When entering a search word in the Tag Mask entry box to search TAGs in the selected PI server(s),
conform to the following:

• Enter one word at a time

• Text is not case-sensitive
• An empty Tag Mask is equivalent to wildcard *
• Use * to represent any number of characters
• Use ? to represent one character
• Use * and ? combined with other characters to find a range of matches

The following characters are not allowed in a search word:

/ forward slash
\ backward slash
, comma
non-printable characters

Most search rules for the Descriptor entries are the same as for the Tag Mask described above, except for
the following:

• Empty Descriptor represents zero or any number of characters

• Wildcard * represents any number of characters but zero

2.3.4 Searching For PI Points

Select the PI server(s) that you want to search, type in a search word in the Tag Mask entry box and/or a
search word in the Descriptor entry box, then click on the Search button.

2-14 May 1999

CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

FIGURE 2-9 Sample Search Listing

The PI points matching the search word for each selected PI server are listed in the list box in the form of
//PIserver/TAGNAME, Pointid (see FIGURE 2-9).

For example, //aps1/TIC2108.PV(0,VALUE),449 represents:

PI server = aps1
TAG name = TIC2108.PV(0,VALUE)
Pointid = 449

In the above example, we searched all the PI points on PI server aps1 and PI server aps2 with a tag name
matching “T*”. The window shows that 9 points were found in aps1 and 0 points were found in aps2.

2.3.5 Modifying PI Points

In the PIEditor dialog box, single-click on a PI point, then click on the Attribute button to display the
Attribute Editor dialog box (see FIGURE 2-10). For the selected point, it will list its PI server name,
snapshot value, status, and timestamp attributes.

PI Server Indicates which PI server this PI point belongs to.

Value Current snapshot value of this PI point.
Status Current snapshot status of this PI point.
TimeStamp Current snapshot time stamp.

May 1999 2-15

CONFIGURATION CG39APS-9

The attribute name and attribute value are listed in the list box. For the meaning of each PI attribute, see
Chapter 2, PI SYSTEM DATABASE, in the PI Data Archive manual.

2.3.5.1 Changing Attribute Values

Double-click on an attribute and the data value of that attribute will appear in the entry box on the bottom.
You can change this value and press Enter.

Clicking on the Apply button modifies this PI point with the present value listed in the window. Tag,
PointID, Ptclass, pointtype, and pointsource cannot be changed, because they are reserved by APS.

Clicking on the Exit button exits Attribute Editor.

2.3.5.2 Deleting a PI Point

Single-click on the point you want to delete, then click on the Delete button to delete this point
permanently from PI point database.

By clicking on the Delete All button, you delete all currently listed PI points from the PI point database.
IMPORTANT
This function not only clears the list box, but also deletes those points
from the PI point database permanently.

2-16 May 1999

CG39APS-9 CONFIGURATION

FIGURE 2-10 Attribute Editor Dialog Box

May 1999 2-17

CG39APS-9 EXECUTION

3.0 EXECUTION
The execution phase of the three-step APS-PI implementation (see FIGURE 1-1) is handled by APS2PI.
This section explains how to setup this interface for various APS and PI network architectures.

3.1 INTRODUCTION

3.1.1 APS2PI

APS2PI is an interface between the APS database and the PI database. It obtains point information from
the PI point database, collects point values from the APS database, and puts the information into the PI
data archive as historical data. Like PIBuilder and PIEditor, APS2PI uses the client/server model, which
means it can poll APS point values and send them to any local or remote PI data archive server.

APS2PI uses the Rtap2Pi interface process and includes a fault-tolerant mechanism to control Rtap2Pi
instances among APS databases. The Rtap2Pi process is described below.

3.1.2 Rtap2Pi

Rtap2Pi is an interface process running in a local APS database environment. It obtains point information
from the PI point database, collects point values from the APS database, and puts these values into the PI
data archive as historical data. Each Rtap2Pi process instance has one APS2PI point associated with it in
the APS database. It contains initialization parameters for each Rtap2Pi instance to connect to the PI
server. Appendix A, CONFIGURING RTAP2PI, provides detailed information on Rtap2Pi
implementation.

3.1.3 Master Versus Slave

Rtap2Pi by itself only feeds data values from one APS environment to one PI archive, there is no
intelligent mechanism in it to handle real redundancy and fault-tolerance. APS2PI uses master/salve
Rtap2Pi instance checking to handle redundancy and fault-tolerance for all kinds of APS and PI
architectures.

Master Environment

A master environment checks its own Rtap2Pi process periodically. If it finds the local master Rtap2Pi
is not running, it simply starts it up.

May 1999 3-1

EXECUTION CG39APS-9

Slave Environment

A slave environment checks the master’s Rtap2Pi process periodically. If it finds the master Rtap2Pi
process is not running, it starts the local slave Rtap2Pi process. When the master environment’s
Rtap2Pi process comes back, it stops the local slave Rtap2Pi process.

Configuration File

Each pair of Master/Slave Rtap2Pi instance is defined in the APS2PI configuration file. The name of
the configuration file is APS2PI.conf and it is located in the /usr/local/moore/etc/pi directory. In
this file, each line defines one pair of Master/Slave Rtap2Pi instances using the following syntax:

master:master envName:master APS2PI Point;slave:slave envName:Slave APS2PI Point;interval time

The individual fields are defined below:

master This field indicates the following environment is a master environment.

master envName This field should be filled with the name of master environment.

master APS2PI Point This field should be filled with the APS2PI point that the master Rtap2Pi will
be running on in the master environment.

slave This field indicates the following environment is a slave environment.

slave APS2PI Point This field should be filled with the APS2PI point that the slave Rtap2Pi
will be running on in the slave environment.

interval time This field should be filled with the checking interval time by seconds.

3.2 APS AND PI NETWORK ARCHITECTURES

APS2PI supports many kinds of APS and PI network architectures. The following subsections describe
four such typical network architectures.

• Embedded PI in single/redundant APS without fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi

• Embedded PI in redundant APS with fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi
• Stand-alone PI with single/redundant APS without fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi
• Stand-alone PI with redundant APS with fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi

3-2 May 1999

CG39APS-9 EXECUTION

3.2.1 Embedded PI in Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

This is the default configuration for all single or redundant APS workstations with embedded PI. Each PI
archive only takes data values from its own APS database.

Network Structure

As shown in FIGURE 3-1 Embedded PI in single/redundant APS without fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi, each APS
workstation has a embedded PI in it, only one Rtap2Pi process instance running in each APS environment.

APS Workstation APS Workstation

APS2PI APS2PI
Rtap2Pi Rtap2Pi

APS2PIPT APS2PIPT

PI Snapshot PI Snapshot

PI Data Archive PI Data Archive

Embedded PI Embedded PI

FIGURE 3-1 Embedded PI in Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

APS2PI.conf File In this situation, there is no APS2PI configuration file needed. APS2PI treats its
own Rtap2Pi process as the master instance.

APS2PI Point APS2PIPT.pi_server = localhost:5450

This means Rtap2Pi supplies data to the local embedded PI server.

May 1999 3-3

EXECUTION CG39APS-9

APS1 Workstation APS2 Workstation

APS2PI APS2PI
Rtap2Pi (Master) Rtap2Pi (Slave) Rtap2Pi (Slave) Rtap2Pi (Master)

APS2PIPT APS2PIPT2 APS2PIPT2 APS2PIPT

PI Snapshot PI Snapshot

PI Data Archive PI Data Archive

Embedded PI Embedded PI

FIGURE 3-2 Embedded PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

3.2.2 Embedded PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

This architecture handles the Rtap2Pi fault-tolerant function between redundant APS workstations. It will,
of course, take more system resources. In return, each PI archive can take data values from each APS
database, alternately.

Network Structure

FIGURE 3-2 shows an Embedded PI in a redundant APS with fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi. Each APS
workstation has embedded PI with two Rtap2Pi processes configured in each APS environment. APS2PI
keeps watching the master Rtap2Pi process in the other environment. If APS2PI detects a remote master
Rtap2Pi process failure, it will start a local slave Rtap2Pi process. Once APS2PI sees the remote master
back in operation, it will stop local slave Rtap2Pi process.

APS2PI.conf File In this case, the APS2PI.conf on both APS workstations should be configured the
same as follows:

3-4 May 1999

CG39APS-9 EXECUTION

master:aps1:APS2PIPT;slave:aps2:APS2PIPT2;5
master:aps2:APS2PIPT;slave:aps1:APS2PIPT2;5

APS2PI Points On aps1: APS2PIPT.pi_server = localhost:5450

APS2PIPT2.pi_server = aps2:5450

On aps2: APS2PIPT.pi_server = localhost:5450

APS2PIPT2.pi_server = aps1:5450

Where 5450 is the port number that the PI server is running on.

3.2.3 Stand-Alone PI in Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

Stand-alone PI is a VMS version of PI 2 or an NT/UNIX version of PI 3 with an over 2000 tag license. It
could be on a local APS workstation or on a remote VMS, UNIX, or Windows NT workstation.

Network Structure

FIGURE 3-3 shows stand-alone PI with a single/redundant APS without fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi. Each APS
workstation has one Rtap2Pi process configured in each APS environment. APS2PI only monitors its own
Rtap2Pi process in the local environment. One stand-alone PI server gathers data from all APS
workstations.

APS Workstation APS Workstation

APS2PI APS2PI
Rtap2Pi Rtap2Pi

PI Snapshot

PI Data Archive

Stand-Alone PI Server (VMS, UNIX, Windows NT)

FIGURE 3-3 Stand-Alone PI with Single/Redundant APS without Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

May 1999 3-5

EXECUTION CG39APS-9

APS2PI.conf File There is no APS2PI.conf configuration file needed for a single APS to stand-
alone PI server architecture. For redundant APS, if no fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi
feature is needed, there is no need for APS2PI.conf file, but ONLY ONE APS
WORKSTATION CAN RUN APS2PI AT A TIME, otherwise, it has to be
configured as Stand-alone PI with single/redundant APS with fault-tolerant
Rtap2Pi as described below.

APS2PI Point APS2PIPT.pi_server = piserver:5450

Where, piserver is the host name of the PI server.

5450 is the port number on which the PI server is running.

VMS PI 2 Same as above. See Appendix B, WORKING WITH VMS VERSION OF PI 2.0
for details.

Windows/NT PI 3 Same as above.

3.2.4 Stand-Alone PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

For redundant APS workstations that are working with local/remote stand-alone PI server, this structure
will guarantee that there is always one and only one Rtap2Pi process instance running in each pair of
master/slave Rtap2Pi.

Network Structure

FIGURE 3-4 shows a stand-alone PI with redundant APS with fault-tolerant Rtap2Pi. Each APS
workstation has one Rtap2Pi process configured in each APS environment. The slave APS2PI on aps2
monitors its master Rtap2Pi process in a remote environment on aps1. If Rtap2Pi fails on aps1, the slave
Rtap2Pi will take over from aps2. Once the master Rtap2Pi comes back, the slave Rtap2Pi will stop.

3-6 May 1999

CG39APS-9 EXECUTION

APS1 Workstation APS2 Workstation

APS2PI APS2PI
Rtap2Pi (Master) Rtap2Pi (Slave)

PI Snapshot

PI Data Archive

Stand-Alone PI Server (VMS, UNIX, Windows NT)

FIGURE 3-4 Stand-Alone PI in Redundant APS with Fault-Tolerant Rtap2Pi

APS2PI.conf File In this case, APS2PI.conf on both APS workstations should be configured the
same as follows:

master:aps1:APS2PIPT;slave:aps2:APS2PIPT;5

APS2PI Point APS2PIPT.pi_server = piserver:5450

Where, piserver is the host name of the PI server.

5450 is the port number that the PI server is running on.

VMS PI 2 Same as above. See Appendix B, Working with VMS Version of PI 2.0 for
details.

Windows/NT PI 3 Same as above.

May 1999 3-7

CG39APS-9 OPERATION

4.0 OPERATION
The operation phase of the three-step APS-PI implementation (see FIGURE 1-1) involves APS Trending
display. Prior to APS 2.63 release, APS used a trend tool called cpuTrendServer. Starting with APS 2.63,
an enhanced version called PlotServer has been implemented. For configuring and using PlotServer
trending, refer to document APS Trending Using CPU PlotServer Version 1.9 or Higher (CG39APS-7).

May 1999 4-1

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

A.0 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

A.1 INTRODUCTION

The Rtap2Pi Bidirectional Interface application program is an integrated product designed by

Computerized Processes Unlimited, Inc. and Moore Process Automation Solutions to move data values
from/to a Hewlett-Packard RTAP/Plus database to/from an OSI Software, Inc. Plant Information (PI)
system database (PI2 and PI3).

With the Rtap2Pi Bidirectional Interface, real-time RTAP/Plus data can be transferred and stored in a PI
database. Then, historical and real-time data is available to be displayed and manipulated by the PI system
client tools such as PI Process Book or CPU’s SCL Plot Server. Thus, this real-time data can be stored
with less hardware requirements and displayed and queried more easily than with typical relational
databases. Moreover, this interface gives you the means to look at trends in the data with the trending tools
such as APSTrend.

This appendix provides the necessary information to set up and configure the Rtap2Pi Bidirectional
Interface. It contains the system requirements for setting up the Rtap2Pi Bidirectional software, the
installation instructions for the software, the configuration specifications for the RTAP and PI database
systems, and start-up processes for the software.

A.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

A.2.1 General Requirements

Rtap2Pi utilizes the Hewlett-Packard (HP) RTAP/Plus application programming interface (RTAP-API)
and the OSI PI application programming interface (PI-API). Only documented API functions are used; no
undocumented features of either API have been exploited to achieve the stated functionality.

RTAP/Plus and PI System adhere to the client/server software model. Rtap2Pi is constructed in the spirit
of this model. That is, Rtap2Pi is capable of executing on any properly configured network node, including
but not limited to the node(s) where the RTAP/Plus database and the PI System snapshot database reside.
Rtap2Pi executes in an RTAP/Plus database environment, as a child of the RTAP process scheduler. The
node where Rtap2Pi executes must have all the supporting software required by RTAP/Plus, PI System,
and CPU, Inc. installed, configured, and operating correctly.

May 1999 A-1

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

A.2.2 Hardware Requirements

Rtap2Pi is capable of executing on the following hardware platforms:

• Hewlett-Packard HP9000 Series 700, HP-UX 9.0X

• Digital Equipment Corporation Alpha, Digital UNIX Release 3.2

A.2.3 Software Requirements

The following Hewlett-Packard software is required:

Hewlett-Packard RTAP/Plus Release A.06.6 (for HP-UX)

The following OSI Software, Inc. software is required:

PI-API Release 2.0

VMS version of PI Server release 2.0 or later, or, NT/UNIX version of PI Server release 3.0 or later

The following Computerized Processes Unlimited, Inc. software is required:

SCL(R) Release 3.6 and higher

SCL(P) Release 1.5 and higher

A.2.4 Data Movement Requirements

Rtap2Pi supports any valid RTAP/Plus numeric data element type (LOGICAL, INT8, UINT8, INT16,
UINT16, INT32, UINT32, FLOAT, DOUBLE), and the PI System data types (FLOAT16, FLOAT32,
FLOAT64, UINT8, INT8, UINTL6, INTL6, UINT32, INT32, UINT64, INT64, and digital). When
necessary, data being collected from the RTAP/Plus data- base will be coerced into the PI point database
data type. Data being transferred from the PI System will be coerced into an RTAP/Plus database data
type when necessary. The PI point database defines what data is to be collected from/sent to the
RTAP/Plus database, as well as the collection mode (i.e., polled or exception). The RTAP/Plus database
address value and quality is propagated to the PI snapshot for the PI data type Real. Only the RTAP/Plus
database address value is allowed for the other PI data types.

The source for RTAP/Plus’ data quality is the RTAP attribute quality by default. The user can optionally
define a quality “proxy”; that is, an RTAP/Plus database address value to use in lieu of the RTAP attribute
quality. This proxy is defined in the PI point database. The translation table between RTAP/Plus data
quality (or the user-defined proxy) and PI digital state codes is defined in a table attribute in the
RTAP/Plus database.

A-2 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

A.2.5 Data Quality Requirements

Data quality within an RTAP/Plus database can only be set programmatically. The RTAP/Plus qualities of
0 and 2 correspond to the PI statuses of 0 and 2 respectively. The quality or status value of 0 represents an
OK or normal state and a quality or status of 2 represents a suspect state.

Optionally, a user can define extra qualities in RTAP/Plus called quality proxies. A quality proxy in
RTAP/Plus corresponds to a digital state code in the PI database. The digital state codes must be
configured in the digital state table in the PI database. Also, when a value is written to PI using a digital
state code as the status, the PI database will replace the value with 0. See the PI documentation for further
explanation of digital state codes. See the RTAP/Plus documentation for further discussion on attribute
qualities.

A.2.5.1 Data Quality Movement from RTAP to PI

The source for the RTAP/Plus’ data quality for a defined PI point value is the RTAP/Plus attribute quality
by default. The user may optionally define a quality “proxy ,” that is, an RTAP/Plus database address
value to use in lieu of the RTAP/Plus attribute quality. The translation between the RTAP/Plus data
quality and PI digital state codes is defined in the quality_proxy_trans table attribute in the RTAP/Plus
database. The value for the quality proxy is read from the RTAP/Plus database point defined in the exdesc
(extended descriptor) attribute of the PI database point.

A.2.5.2 Data Quality Movement from PI to RTAP

A status associated with a PI point value can only be provided to an RTAP/Plus database through the use
of a PI digital state code, which is associated with a quality proxy in RTAP/Plus as described in section
2.6. If a PI point defined with a quality proxy has a status of 0 or 2, the PI point value will be written to its
defined RTAP/Plus database address. The translated quality, as defined in the quality_proxy_trans table
attribute, will be written to its RTAP/Plus database quality proxy address.

If a PI point configured with a quality proxy has a status of anything other than 0 or 2, the PI point value
of 0 will not be written to the RTAP/Plus database. Its associated quality proxy will be updated with the
translated quality as defined in the quality_proxy_trans table attribute.

For PI points that are not configured to have a quality proxy and have a status of 0, the value will be
written to its defined RTAP/Plus database address. If the status is other than 0 and a quality proxy is not
defined for this point, the write_all_pi_pts attribute, found in the RTAP/Plus configuration point, will
determine if the value should be updated in the defined RTAP/Plus database address.

A.3 RTAP ENVIRONMENT CONFIGURATION

Rtap2Pi executes in an RTAP/Plus database environment as a child of the RTAP process scheduler.
Multiple invocations of Rtap2Pi shall be allowed in an RTAP/Plus environment. Each invocation will be

May 1999 A-3

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

named Rtap2Pi-xxx where xxx is the plin of the Rtap2Pi database point in the RTAP/Plus database (see
section A.5).

The RTAP database to be read from can be specified in the following ways (in order of increasing
precedence).

• Environment variable RTAPENV

• Environment variable RTAPDB
• As a command line argument to Rtap2Pi

A point containing Rtap2Pi configuration data must exist in the RTAP/Plus database for each instance of
an Rtap2Pi interface managed by RtapScheduler (see section A.5, PI Database Configuration, for the full
description of this point). The RTAP alias of the point is specified via an Rtap2Pi command line argument.

The command line arguments available for Rtap2Pi besides the RTAP/Plus point that contains the Rtap2Pi
configuration attributes are:

-h Display brief help information on available command line options.

-E The name of 'the RTAP environment that the database will execute under. The RTAP database will
default to this qualifier in the absence of the “rtapDbName” qualifier. This qualifier takes
precedent over the RTAPENV environment variable setting.

-e The name of the RTAP database to locate the Rtap2Pi_Point and associated data points. This
qualifier takes precedent over RTAPDB and RTAPENV environment variable settings.

-t The time that this process will sleep prior to exiting with an error status. The sleep time is
necessary to avoid constant cycling of this process by the RTAP environment when the process is
failing with an error. This qualifier is 600 seconds by default.

-v The level of debugging messages that are directed to standard out. The levels of verbosity are
currently defined as follows:

0 No messages other than error messages

1 Process start and stop messages
2 “Major” module start and exit
3 “Minor” module start and exit
4 “Major” module inter-module status messages
5 “Minor” module inter-module status messages
6 Undefined
7 Procedure execution timing messages
8 Command level execution timing messages
9 RTAP read and PI write messages

A-4 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

Rtap2Pi can be started automatically by the RTAP/Plus database environment scheduler by

adding the following line to its RtapEnvTable file.

xx a Y P b Y N 50 128 CmdSequence

Where:
xx - This is the RTAP/Plus “PROCNlJM.” This should be set to be zero if
multiple copies allowed.
a- The “Autostart Phase” after the database and MQDBM have started.
b- Multiple copies allowed.
CmdSequence - The Rtap2Pi initiation command sequence.

A.4 RTAP/PLUS DATABASE CONFIGURATION

An instance of an <Rtap2Piconfig> class point must exist in the RTAP/Plus database for each Rtap2Pi
interface managed by RtapScheduler. This point is used by the Rtap2Pi interface for initialization and poll
information. The user may subclass this point to add attributes supporting alarms, statistics, and the like.
The RTAP database table “class config.names” must have an entry for this class and any subclasses. All
attributes beginning with the prefix pi_refer to controls and information found within the PI database.
Please refer to the PI documentation for further information on the functions within the PI environment.

A.4.1 APS2PI Point Header

The APS2PI point header item definitions are listed in TABLE A-1.

TABLE A-1 Point Header Item Definitions

Header Item Value

Alias Undefined

Name Undefined

CE Operation Indicator Enabled, Opt A

CE Order Undefined

Class 10000 (<RTAP2PICONFIG> or Valid

Subclass ID)

Categories Undefined

May 1999 A-5

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

A.4.2 APS2PI Attributes

A list of APS2PI point attributes by name and DE type is given in TABLE A-2. A detailed description of
each attribute follows this table.

TABLE A-2 Database Point Attributes

Attribute Name DE Type

control rtLOGICAL
status rtINT8
reset rtLOGICAL
pi_server rtBYTESXX
pi_username rtBYTESXX
pi_password rtBYTESXX
pi_point_source rtBYTESXX
pi_ptdb_update rtINT32
pi_db_update_status rtUINT8
pi_attr_select_flag rtUINT8
pi_iorate_counters Vector(2) rtUINT8
poll_types Table (see below)
src_addr_errors rtINT32
quality_trans Table (see below)
quality_proxy_trans Table (see below)
com_fail_threshold rtUINT16
pt_fail_threshold rtUINT16
write_all_pi_pts rtLOGICAL
disable_pi_queue rtLOGICAL

control This attribute enables (value 1) and disables (value 0) the sending of data to and
the retrieving of data from the PI server. Changing this value from 0 to 1 does not
normally cause a re-initialization sequence to occur except in the case when the
status attribute is 3, which indicates a PI server failure, or when the status
attribute is 4, which indicates an RTAP/Plus connection failure.

A-6 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

status This attribute is used by the Rtap2Pi process to indicate the state of the interface.
A status value of 0 indicates that the interface is disabled. A status value of 1
indicates that the interface is enabled, and data processing from the RTAP/Plus
database to the PI server or from the PI server to the RTAP/Plus database is
active. A status value of 2 indicates Rtap2Pi has encountered a problem during
initialization. A status value of 3 indicates a problem exists in attempting to send
information to the PI server. A status value of 4 indicates a problem exists in
attempting to send information to the RTAP/Plus database environment. The
description of the problem shall be logged using RtapMonitor. The user may wish
to configure an alarm triggered by this attribute.

reset Writing the value 1 to this attribute will signal the Rtap2Pi interface to perform an
initialization sequence. Upon completion, Rtap2Pi will write the value 0 to this
attribute.

pi_server This attribute is used when connecting to the PI server. Any rtBYTES data
element type is allowed.

pi_username This attribute defines which “user” to register as when connecting to the PI server.
Any rtBYTES data element type is allowed. If null, the effective user will be
Rtap2Pi.

pi_password This attribute contains the password for the user account defined in the
pi_username attribute. Any rtBYTES data element type is allowed.

pi_point_source This attribute is used to define the subset of PI points involved in a Rtap2Pi
transaction. The code should correspond to the PI point database “point source”
code (configured in the PI point source table) that represents an RTAP/Plus
database interface. There should be a unique PI point source defined for each
distinct RTAP/Plus database involved in data movement to a PI server. Any
rtBYTES data element type is allowed.

pi_ptdb_update This attribute controls how the Rtap2Pi interface signs up for PI point database
updates. If set to the value 0, no PI point database updates shall be processed. If
set to a non-zero value, PI point database updates will be processed every
pi_ptdb_update seconds.

pi_db_update_status Updated by the Rtap2Pi interface to allow the user to view the state of PI
updates. A 0 indicates that PI updates are disabled because the pi_ptdb_update
attribute is 0. A 1 in this field indicates that PI updates are enabled and processing
normally. A 2 in this field indicates that an error has occurred during PI update
initialization or subsequent updating calls.

May 1999 A-7

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

pi_attr_select_flag This attribute is used by the Rtap2Pi process to identify which PI point field
contains the RTAP/Plus attribute reference to which the PI point will link. If the
value is set to 0, the PI Tag is used. If the value is set to 1, the PI Instrument
Tag is used. For backwards compatibility, this attribute is optional. The PI Tag
field will be used by default if this attribute is not defined in the Rtap2Pi point.

pi_iorate_counters This vector is used by Rtap2Pi to specify which PI iorate counters to increment.
The PI database counter number identified in pi_iorate_counters(0) will be
incremented for each successful transaction of data from RTAP/Plus to PI. The
PI database counter number identified in pi_iorate_counters(1) will be
incremented for each successful transaction of data from PI to RTAP/Plus. If the
value of a pi_iorate_counters’ record is zero, the counter will not increment. For
backwards compatibility, this attribute is optional. By default, the increment will
not take place.

poll_types This table defines the poll rates for each poll group found in the PI point database.
The poll_types table uses the same time keeper conventions as used in an
RTAP/Plus communications port poll types table (see the RTAP/Plus
documentation). A maximum of 16 records is allowed. TABLE A-3 shows a
layout of the table fields.

The fields “trigger_address” and “trigger_event” can optionally be filled out to

allow RTAP database events to trigger Rtap2Pi to send all values associated with
a poll type to the PI server.

The field “src_addr_count” is updated by the Rtap2Pi interface based on the

number of PI points found in the PI point database configured for this poll type.

The “transaction_count” field is updated by the Rtap2Pi interface as it completes

a valid transaction with the PI server.

A-8 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

TABLE A-3 Poll Rate Definitions for Poll Groups

Value Field Field Name DE Type Possible

Number Values
Required 0 poll_start_day rtINT8 -128 to +127
Required 1 poll_start_hour rtINT8 -128 to +127
Required 2 poll_start_minute rtINT8 -128 to +127
Required 3 poll_start_second rtINT8 -128 to +127
Required 4 poll_interval_days rtUINT8 0 to 255
Required 5 poll_interval_hrs rtUINT8 0 to 255
Required 6 poll_interval_mins rtUINT16 0 to 65,535
Required 7 poll_interval_secs rtUINT32 0 to
4,294,967,295
Optional 8 trigger_address rtBYTES80
Optional 9 trigger_event rtBYTES4 >, =, <, >=,
<>, <=
Reserved 10 src_addr_count rtUINT16 0 to 65,535
Reserved 11 transaction_count rtUINT32 0 to
4,294,967,295

src_addr_errors The Rtap2Pi interface will update this attribute upon detection of a PI source address
error. A detailed error message will be logged using RtapMonitor. The user may wish
to configure an alarm triggered by this attribute.

quality_trans This table defines the mapping of RTAP/Plus attribute quality values to PI digital
state codes. The table contains the following fields (see TABLE A-4).

TABLE A-4 quality_trans Table

Field Field Name DE Type

0 name rtBYTES32
1 quality rtUINT8
2 state code rtINT16
3 normal rtLOGICAL

May 1999 A-9

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

NOTE
Setting the bit in the normal field for a quality status of “OK” will assist
Rtap2Pi in faster processing of quality information. There should only be
one normal quality, but it is not necessary to have the bit set.

quality_proxy_trans This table defines the mapping of RTAP/Plus attribute quality proxy values to PI
digital state codes. The table contains the following fields (see TABLE A-5).

TABLE A-5 quality_proxy_trans Table

Field Field Name DE Type

0 name rtBYTES32
1 quality rtUINT8
2 state code rtINT16
3 normal rtLOGICAL

NOTE
Setting the bit in the normal field for a quality status of “OK” will assist
Rtap2Pi in faster processing of quality information. There should only be
one normal quality, but it is not necessary to have the bit set.

com_fail_threshold Controls the number of “communication” failures that can occur either during an
RTAP/Plus communication sequence or during a PI server communications
sequence before disabling the interface from further processing.

NOTE
A restart or re-initialization of the Rtap2Pi interface is necessary for
Rtap2Pi to attempt to re-establish communications.

pt_fail_threshhold Controls the number of “per point” failures than can occur either during
RTAP/Plus database read/write or during PI server read/write before disabling the
point from further processing.

NOTE
A restart or re-initialization of the Rtap2Pi interface is necessary to enable
disabled points.

A-10 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

write_all_pi_points This attribute is used when data is being transferred from the PI server to the
RTAP/Plus database and a quality proxy is not defined in the PI point. If the
write_all_pi_points attribute value is set to 0, the RTAP/Plus database will not
be updated if the PI status is anything but 0. If the write_all_pi_points attribute
value is set to 1, the current value will be written to RTAP/Plus no matter what
the PI status is.

disable_pi_queue This attribute is used to determine whether the writes to PI will use the queue. A
value of 0 indicates that the queue is to be utilized and a value of 1 indicates that
the queue is to be disabled by the Rtap2Pi process.

May 1999 A-11

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

A.4.3 Rtap2Pi Example Point

Here is an example of an RTAP/Plus text file defining an APS2PI database point.

#####################################
### Hewlett Packard (Canada) Ltd. ###
### RTAP Database ###
### Point Configuration File ###
#####################################

Name = RTAP2PI
Alias = RTAP2PI
Residence = Ram
Categories = 11111111111111111111111111111111
CE Indicator = Enabled
CE Order = Natural
Class = 0

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = description
De Type = rtBYTES48
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = control
De Type = rtLOGICAL
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = status
De Type = rtINT8
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = reset
De Type = rtLOGICAL
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

A-12 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_server
De Type = rtBYTES32
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_username
De Type = rtBYTES32
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_password
De Type = rtBYTES32
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_point_source
De Type = rtBYTES4
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_ptdb_update
De Type = rtINT32
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_db_update_status
De Type = rtUINT8
Write Groups = 0100
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

May 1999 A-13

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_attr_select_flag
De Type = rtUINT8
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pi_iorate_counters
De Type = rtUINT8
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtVECTOR
Record Count = 2
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = poll_types
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtTABLE
Record Count = 16
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_start_day
De Type = rtINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_start_hour
De Type = rtINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_start_minute
De Type = rtINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_start_second
De Type = rtINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_interval_days
De Type = rtINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_interval_hrs
De Type = rtINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_interval_mins
De Type = rtINT16
END

A-14 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

BEGIN FIELD
Name = poll_interval_secs
De Type = rtINT32
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = trigger_address
De Type = rtBYTES80
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = trigger_event
De Type = rtBYTES4
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = src_addr_count
De Type = rtUINT16
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = transaction_count
De Type = rtUINT32
END
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = src_addr_errors
De Type = rtINT32
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = quality_trans
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtTABLE
Record Count = 16
BEGIN FIELD
Name = name
De Type = rtBYTES32
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = quality
De Type = rtUINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = state_code
De Type = rtINT16
END

May 1999 A-15

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

BEGIN FIELD
Name = normal
De Type = rtLOGICAL
END
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = quality_proxy_trans
Write Groups = 0010
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtTABLE
Record Count = 16
BEGIN FIELD
Name = name
De Type = rtBYTES32
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = quality
De Type = rtUINT8
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = state_code
De Type = rtINT16
END
BEGIN FIELD
Name = normal
De Type = rtLOGICAL
END
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = com_fail_threshold
De Type = rtINT8
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = pt_fail_threshold
De Type = rtUINT16
Write Groups 0100
Read Groups 1111
Type rtSCALAR
END

A-16 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = write_all_pi_pts
De Type = rtINT8
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

BEGIN ATTRIBUTE
Name = disable_pi_queue
De Type = rtLOGICAL
Write Groups = 1111
Read Groups = 1111
Type = rtSCALAR
END

A.5 PI DATABASE GENERAL CONFIGURATION

The Rtap2Pi interface requires a standard PI installation. This will include creating three environment
variables:

• PIHOME - The root directory of the PI installation

• SHLIB_PATH - Standard UNIX environment variable must include $PIHOME/lib
• USER - Should be set to the current user, usually piadmin when interacting with the PI
database

The PI IORates program can be used to monitor the activity of an Rtap2Pi interface. This functionality is
optional.

• Add entries to the file $PIHOME/dat/iorates.dat file describing the iorate counter points.
• Add the points described in the $PIHOME/dat/iorates.dat file to the PI archive database.
• Start the PI-API, independently of the PI database.

A.6 PI DATABASE POINT CONFIGURATION

A PI database point must be configured per the PI instructions. In addition, the following information is
used in defining a PI point that supports the Rtap2Pi client.

May 1999 A-17

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

A.6.1 Point Attributes

Tag The information found in the PI Tag of the PI point database is used by the Rtap2Pi interface
to acquire information from the RTAP/Plus database, if the Rtap2Pi configuration point’s
pi_attr_select_flag attribute is set to 0. The information found in the Tag will be interpreted
as a fully qualified RTAP symbolic address (see the RTAP/Plus Documentation for definitions
on qualified symbolic addresses and environment naming). There is an 80 character limit on
the Tag field in the PI point database. A PI point database Tag must be specified to the
RTAP/Plus database scalar level.

• A scalar attribute must be specified to the attribute level.

• A vector attribute must be specified to the record level.
• A table attribute must be specified to the record-field level.

See TABLE A-6 for some examples.

TABLE A-6 RTAP/Plus Attribute Type Examples

RTAP/Plus Attribute Type Example

Scalar <alias>PT101.process_value

Vector <alias>PT101.timestamp(0)

Table <alias>PT101.alarm_msg(0,msg_type)

Instrument Tag The information found in the PI Instrument Tag of the PI point databasc is uscd by
the Rtap2Pi interface to acquire information from the RTAP/Plus database if the
Rtap2Pi configuration point’s pi_attr_select_flag attribute is set to 1. For more
details refer to the Point Attribute description of PI Tag.

Exdesc Used to define the RTAP symbolic address of a data quality proxy. This can be an
RTAP/Plus symbolic address, relative to the RTAP point containing the data value, or an
absolute address. The same symbolic address rules as stated in the above section on Tag
apply. There is an 80 character limit on this field.

Pointsource This code should be the same as the pi_point_source attribute value found in the APS2PI
point (see APS2PI Point Attributes).

Pointtype The PI point types float16, float32, float64, uint8, int8, uint16, int16, uint32, int32,
uint64, int64, and digital may be specified.

Location1 This parameter is used by the Rtap2Pi interface to determine if a PI database point should
be polled periodically or data should be moved to the PI Snapshot database based on a
change event. See TABLE A-7 for poll action descriptions.

A-18 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI

TABLE A-7 Poll Actions Based on Location 1 Values

Location1 Value Poll Action

0 The PI database point value will be placed in the PI

Snapshot database based on the poll type found in
Location2 (see definition below).

1 The PI database point value will be placed in the PI

Snapshot database based on a change event at the
address specified by Tag in the RTAP/Plus database
environment. The Location2 value is ignored.

Location2 The Location2 field is used by the Rtap2Pi interface to form poll groups. A PI point will
be included in a poll group if it is defined with a 0 in the Location1 field. Each Location2
field will contain an index into the poll_types table attribute found in the APS2PI database
point (see Section A.4, RTAP Database Configuration), where the actual poll start times
and intervals are defined. The index should be a valid record found in the poll_types table.
The interface will poll the RTAP database based on the group scan times. If a point fails
the poll (it does not exist in the RTAP database), it will be removed from the group until
the next re-initialization. A message will be logged via RtapMonitor indicating the error,
and the src_addr_errors attribute found in the APS2PI database point (see section A.4.2)
will be incremented.

Location3 The Location3 field is used by the Rtap2Pi interface to determine the direction of the data
transfer. Data will be read from RTAP/Plus and written to PI if the value is 0. Data will
be read from PI and written to RTAP/Plus if the value is 1. PI to RTAP/Plus transfers are
only valid if the transfer is defined in the Rtap2Pi configuration point’s poll_types
attribute table. If Location1 is set to 1, which defines an event driven transfer, then
Location3 is never read. By default, the transfer is automatically defined to read from the
RTAP/Plus database and write to the PI server.

A.7 PROCESS STARTUP SEQUENCE

A.7.1 Program Initiation

Upon initialization, the Rtap2Pi interface will interrogate the PI point database for the information it
requires to read values from the RTAP/Plus database environment specified in the RTAP Environment
Configuration section. The interface will register with the PI server for notification when the PI point
database is modified, if configured to do so in the APS2PI database point. The Rtap2Pi interface will

May 1999 A-19

APPENDIX A-CONFIGURING RTAP2PI CG39APS-9

clear the reset attribute and update the status and src_add_errors attributes. The poll_types table field
src_addr_count will be updated for each poll type upon any (re-)initialization.

A.7.2 Process Operation

Upon receipt of a PI point update, the Rtap2Pi interface will re-initialize any data associated with the PI
point and log the change event via RtapMonitor. If the pi_pt_update attribute is set to zero, re-
initialization will not be performed. The Rtap2Pi interface will re-initialize when a user writes a 1 to the
reset attribute located in the APS2PI point in the RTAP/Plus database environment.

Three types of data movement shall be processed by Rtap2Pi: Polled Mode, Polled Mode with Event
Trigger, and Exception Mode. These three types will be discussed independently below.

A.7.2.1 Polled Mode

The Rtap2Pi interface will group points found in the PI database based on the PI point Location2 attribute.
Each PI point’s Location2 attribute will contain an index into the APS2PI database point poll_types table,
where the actual poll start times and intervals are defined. The Rtap2Pi interface will poll the RTAP/Plus
database based on the poll type criteria. If a point fails the poll (it does not exist in the RTAP/Plus
database), it will be removed from the poll group until the next re-initialization. The APS2PI database
point’s src_addr_errors attribute will be incremented, and a message will be logged via RtapMonitor,
indicating the cause of the error. The user must remedy the failed point situation. The Rtap2Pi interface
will not remove the erroneous point from the PI point database.

A.7.2.2 Polled Mode with Event Trigger

A database event, defined by the poll type record’s trigger address and trigger event fields, will force a
sample of the poll group.

A.7.2.3 Exception Mode

The PI snapshot will be updated based on an RTAP/Plus database change event at the location specified by
Tag. Since the RTAP/Plus event manager only recognizes database events at the attribute level, care must
be taken when using this mode with table and vector attributes. Any change in the table/vector will cause
a database event. If an event cannot be placed on the RTAP/Plus database address (it does not exist in the
RTAP/Plus database), the src_add_errors attribute will be incremented, and a message will be logged via
RtapMonitor, indicating the cause of the error. The user must remedy the failed point situation. The
Rtap2Pi interface will not remove the point from the PI point database.

A-20 May 1999

CG39APS-9 APPENDIX B-WORKING WITH VMS VERSION OF PI 2.0

B.0 APPENDIX B—WORKING WITH VMS VERSION OF PI 2.0

The following sections provide additional configuration information that must be used when working with
the VMS version of PI 2.0.

B.1 PI POINTS CONFIGURATION

piserver.host This file is located in /usr/local/moore/etc/pi directory. The VMS PI home node's
hostname needs to be added into it. For example, if vmspi2 is the hostname for VMS PI 2
home node in the /etc/hosts file, then the content of file
/usr/local/moore/etc/pi/piserver.host should be:

vmspi2
localhost

pipoint.input After finishing building the PI point list with the PIBuilder, the PIBuilder will proceed to
generate an ASCII file called pipoint.input in the /usr/local/moore/etc/pi
directory. This is the input data file that will be used by PIDIFF on the VMS PI 2 home
node. The structure of this file should be:

TAG, DESCRIPTOR, PTCLASS, POINTTYPE, EXCDEVPERCENT,

COMPDEVPERCENT, ENGUNITS, ZERO, SPAN, POINTSOURCE

Users will then transfer this file to VMS PI 2 home node by means of ftp or NFS. PIDIFF
is then used to build a PI point database based on this data file. You can modify this file in
any way necessary before running PIDIFF.

TAG This must be the LongTagName in PI 2

POINTSOURCE This may need to be changed to meet your plant standard.

B.2 APS2PI INTERFACE EXECUTION

APS2PI point Several attribute values may have to be changed. Make sure the values comply with the
following information.

APS2PIPT.pi_server

Change the value of APS2PIPT.pi_server from localhost:5450 to vmspi2:545, where

vmspi2 is the hostname of VMS PI 2 home node, 545 is port number of PI 2. This change
will allow the APS2PI interface to collect point values from the local RTAP database and
then push them into the remote VMS PI 2 home node.

May 1999 B-1

APPENDIX B-WORKING WITH VMS VERSION OF PI 2.0 CG39APS-9

APS2PIPT.pi_point_source

By default, PIBuilder generates all pi points with a X as their POINTSOURCE. If you

change the X in pipoint.input to Y before running PIDIFF in the above configuration
step, you will have to change the APS2PIPT.pi_point_source to Y so that the APS2PI
interface can recognize them.

APS2PIPT.username

By default, the APS2PI interface connects the PI server as user piadmin. This can be
changed. If you have security turned on in PI 2 server, the user must have read and write
permission while the APS2PI is accessing the PI server.

B.3 OPERATION TRENDING

Perform the following configuration changes to set up the APSTrend historian correctly.

For Generic Trend

The default generic configuration of the embedded PI APSTrend is localhost:5450. Change it to

vmspi2:545, where vmspi2 is the hostname of the VMS PI 2 home node and 545 is the port number of PI
2. This change will allow APSTrend to retrieve the historical data from the remote VMS PI 2 home node.

For Custom Trend

The change described above also applies to the custom trend configuration. If you want to display a
point’s history from the VMS PI 2 home node, the entry for the historian should be vmspi2:545.

B-2 May 1999