Configuration of the protocol server

The configuration of the protocol server enables the following settings:

History index card

Setting Description of the
File path Specifies the path for all historical alarm or log files. The path specification can be both absolute (the button opens a dialogue for selecting a directory) and relative to the project directory (the keyword <ProjectDir>initiates the relative path specification, e.g: <ProjectDir>\Alarme) can be specified.
File name
Specifies a file name. The file name is set either automatically or manually:
Automatic
The file name is formed from the current date (and possibly also the current time) at which the file was created.
Manual
Similar to a language-related text in the index text editor, the file name can contain a dynamically integrated process variable value. The button opens a dialogue for integrating a dynamic process variable value.
File change event
The file change event is used to determine when a new file is created. The following settings are possible here:
Daily
A new alarm history file is created on the date change.
Weekly
A new file is created at the change of week.
Monthly
A new file is created at the end of the month.
Yearly
A new file is created at the turn of the year.
Trigger
A new file is created when the trigger variable is set.
Never
The system does not carry out a file change independently. However, it is possible to trigger a file change from the programme code using the functions in the VisiWin.Alarm or VisiWin.Logging namespace.
Time period
A new file is created cyclically after a period of time has elapsed. The time period is defined via the fields Day, Hour, Min.
Trigger variable Specifies the name of a binary variable that serves as a trigger for the file change. The field is only active if the Trigger setting has been made in the file change event.
File mode
Describes whether the file should be saved quickly or securely:
Fast
The historical alarm or log file is kept open until the swap event. This increases the performance of file access. However, in the event of a crash, it is not guaranteed that the content of the file is correct.
Secure
If this option is activated, the historical alarm or log file is closed again by the alarm or log server after each write access. This increases security in the event of a system crash, but can slow down the system under certain circumstances.
Bypass Windows write cache If this option is activated, the data is written directly to the hard drive without being buffered in the Windows write cache (deactivated by default).
Max. Number of files Defines the maximum number of historical alarm files or log files that can be created on the hard drive. If the number specified here is exceeded, the oldest files are deleted. This serves to protect the hard drive from overflowing. Specifying the value 0 (default) means that no limit is executed.
Max. Total file size

Specifies the maximum storage space that the historical alarm files or log files may occupy on the hard drive. If the size specified here (in kilobytes) is exceeded, the oldest files are deleted. This serves to protect the hard disk from overflowing. If the File mode parameter is set to Fast, the size specified here may be exceeded. The size comparison is only carried out after the data held in the internal buffer has been written to the file. If the amount of data buffered internally is very large, this may result in several older files having to be deleted in order to comply with the maximum total file size. Specifying the value 0 (default setting) means that no limit is executed.

Index card file format

Setting Description of the
file format Defines the format in which the log databases are saved. You can choose between Microsoft Access 2000 databases and MS SQL Server databases.
SQL server name If the SQL server is selected in the file format, the computer name of the computer on which the SQL server was installed and on which the log databases are created can be specified here.
  • Use integrated Windows NT security /
  • Use a specific user name and password
 The selection of the settings available here depends on the authorisations in the database. The integrated security uses the role of the logged-in user in the network to authenticate themselves. The user name and password must be administered in the database.
User name Name of the user to authenticate to the database
password Password of the user to authenticate to the database
Connection TimeOut Specifies the time-out for the connection to the SQL server in milliseconds. The field is only active if SQL server has been selected in the File format parameter. The time-out specified by the SQL server is usually quite high (e.g. 60 seconds), which delays the start time of the visualisation and leads to the incorrect assumption that the visualisation has crashed. This parameter can be used to reduce the time-out for establishing a connection to the SQL server to a few seconds.
Include the computer name of the VisiWin server in the database name If this option is activated, the computer name is inserted before the names of the databases created by the SQL server. This option is useful if a central SQL server saves the files of several EASY UI Designer applications running in the network. The source of the recording can then be read from the computer name in the database name.

Runtime behaviour tab

Setting Description of the
Save user name This option determines whether the name of the user currently logged in is recorded when a log entry is recorded.
Text for 'no user logged in' Defines the text that is saved as the user name if no user is logged into the application. The text defined in the parameter is only used if the Save user name option is activated.
Do not record initial values of the variables If this option is activated, the initial values read/set by the PLC during the initialisation phase are not written to the log file.
Do not record variable changes from the process (PLC) If this option is activated, only the variable values set by the visualisation are written to the log file. Variable changes from the PLC are not taken into account.

See also