How to configure PcVue servers for data display in FrontVue 

The architecture and the process of configuring FrontVue-PcVue connectivity are based on the mechanisms for using OPC servers. However some of the properties have special or default settings in the FrontVue-PcVue context. There are three types of data display that can be configured in FrontVue: Real-time, Alarm and Historical Log/Trend data. Refer to PcVue usage with FrontVue topic to learn about FrontVue compatibility with PcVue. Refer to How to configure server communication topic to learn more about the configuration process.

Once you have completed following the steps below, you can then use data from PcVue in FrontVue such as real-time data in animations, alarm data in Alarm Viewer, and historical data in Log Viewer.

To enable FrontVue to access alarm and historical data from PcVue, you must activate the corresponding COM servers in PcVue. Refer to the topic Security settings in the PcVue help for further information.

  1. Open the Server Editor from the menu Tools then Servers in FrontVue.

  2. Right-click on SERVERTYPES and click New. A new server type will be created with default settings.

  3. Change the Name field to something applicable to the current configuration. This name is used when referencing the communication manager later in the configuration process.

  4. Select the server type in the Type field and leave selection at default setting of My Computer in the Communication Manager section.

  5. Set the appropriate Access Type depending on the server type and before clicking Set enter in Prog ID field either:

    •  FrontVue  .OPCCM for real-time data access server.

    • PlantVue.AlmMgrfor alarm data server.

    • PlantVue.HisMgr for historical data access server.

  6. Right-click on a communication manager and click Add Server then select the name of the computer on which the server configured resides in Run Time section and enter in Prog ID field either:

    • SV.OPCDAServer.1 for real-time data access server.

    • SV.RTASListServer.1 for alarm data server.

    • SV.HisSrv.1 for historical data access server.

    You can configure server advanced settings the same way it is configured for an OPC server.

  7. Set Access to By Subscription in Server Properties section then click Set.

  8. Right-click on CLUSTERS and select New then select the name of the server type previously configured. If you want to configure display of trend data, enter the name of the historical server in the Associated Trend Cluster field.

    You can configure server redundancy the same way it is configured for an OPC server.

  9. Enter the identity of the FrontVue station in Options section. This is used to inform PcVue of the FrontVue station number from which any actions have taken place then click Set.

    The Station ID is handled differently for real-time data. That is because access to real-time data uses standard OPC interfacing whereas the Alarm and Historical accesses use proprietary COM interfaces. For real-time data the Station ID takes the form FrontVue(StationNumber:XX) where XX is the station number.

  10. Right-click on the configured cluster and select Add Member then select the name of the server instance previously configured.

  11. Select the Rank for redundant operation. If you are using one server the rank is left at the default setting of 1.

To display historical trend data from PcVue, you can configure a real-time /historical server and cluster pointing to the PcVue node where the Trend data is located. Trend Viewer is configured in FrontVue as described in Creating a Trend Viewer and Configuring the Main Features.

To acknowledge or mask an alarm in FrontVue, the user rights' number of levels must be 30 for the Alarm acknowledgment and Alarm Mask categories in FrontVue's Profile configuration dialog.

In VBA, by default the methods for acknowledging and masking alarms operate without taking account of user rights. However you can use the new property CheckUserRights to force a check of the user's rights before taking the action. CheckUserRights must be set to True to force the check.

Once you have completed the FrontVue-PcVue configuration, you can then use data from PcVue such as:

  • Real-time data in animations by applying them to a drawing element in FrontVue and using the Variable Selector to select variables in the PcVue clusters that you have configured for access to real-time values. Refer to Animation help to learn more.

  • Alarm data in Alarm Viewer by configuring an Alarm Viewer in FrontVue.

  • Historical data in Log Viewer by configuring a Log Viewer in FrontVue.