hi guys,

I'm trying to figure out whats happening with my system. I've experienced some alarm flooding in a third party dcs (which gets the data via a OPC server by GSM). when checking tci logs (gsm.log) i've found several "queue full" messages (no additional coding). These alarms time matches with flooding events. Since its a very incomplete message i am difficult to understand whats happening. Please help.

 

Esganfia,

Hmmm..... Is this something that just started recently, or has it been ongoing for a long time? Is it a Mark VI or a Mark VIe? Some early "hybrid" HMIs used for Mark VIe used TCI. Most Mark VIe HMIs don't use TCI; they use WorkstationST.

I'm kind of confused by the reference to TCI.LOG, and GSM.LOG, and OPC. They're all kind of separate (except that both must use TCI to get data from the Mark VI). I think you're saying that a third control system is getting data via from an intermediate control system that's getting data from a Mark VI via GSM.?.?.?

GSM errors usually occur for one of a couple of reasons. First, if the "master" device (the DCS) is repeatedly asking for one or more data points that don't exist in the Mark VI (or Mark VIe) things like this can happen.

Second, the "master" device can request data to be sent in one of at two ways: on demand, or in periodic lists (and the rate of each list can even be specified in the request). I think Alarms from the Mark VI (Process and Diagnostic) are broadcast by the HMI on GSM; some control systems don't do anything with the information, others do.

Third, if the "master" isn't fast enough in processing the data and isn't ready for the last transmission then it can cause the Speedtronic to stop sending (this happens a lot).

If these are true Alarms (Process- and/or Diagnostic) that are being detected and annunciated by the Mark VI, then they should be showing up in the HMI Alarm Windows (or, for Mark VIe, the WorkstationST Alarm Viewer). And, they would be recorded on the printer .... or on the HMI hard disk (I think, by default, seven days of Alarms are stored on the the HMI hard disk).

If this is something that just recently started, it's a likely bet that something was done to trigger the problem. Someone did a "Build" in Toolbox; or someone made changes to the "master."

But we'll need more information and details to be of much more help.

Hope this helps!

 

Hi!

- its a Mark vi system (one of te last sold out)

- it has been happening by esporadically by 2-3 month periods

- i'm talking about gsm.log file in ~tcilog folder

- the gsm interface is done by redundant servers running opcmark application (by honeywell)

- those are totally false alarms (anything is mentioned in the hmi)

- i've hundreds of false alarms in the third party dcs

Hope this helps! Thanks!