WestNET/WDPF

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Thread Starter

Vic Ellescas

Hello Control Friends,
Anybody in the list uses or have experiences with Westinghouse DataHighway/WDPF or Ovation control system? It's a Unix (Sun Sparc - Solaris) based control system. Any comparative opinion with other control system/network will be appreciated. Thanks.
Vic Ellescas
Sverdrup Technology
Moffett Field, Ca.
 
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Arnold Dillon

My experience with the WDPF communications may be useful, but a bit dated.

The present Ovation system I'm told uses similar communication protocols with the older WDPF system. The down side of the WestNET technology is that the maximum number of system points may be somewhat smaller than other networks. However, it is a time sliced token passing scheme. The throughput of the the system is the same for every operational case. If every alarm in the plant from every DPU is coming into the system, the data communications will handle it. With some exception reporting networks, the normal network update to the console may be a little faster. But let a big plant upset happen, and the whole network slows down or faults out if not properly designed.

These pro's and con's really apply only in some of the larger system applications (something like 20,000 data tags and larger). Smaller systems of a few hundred to a few thousand points probably can't tell the difference between the points I mention. There may be other issues that other list users can comment on better than I.

Regards,

Arnold Dillon
I.C. Thomasson Associates
 
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Vic Ellescas

Thanks Arnold,
Sorry takes this long to reply. I guess WDPF is not a very popular control system in this group. It's a very robust system but expensive. I
learned that it is typically used on nuclear plants and other power generating plants.
Vic Ellescas
Sverdrup Technology
Moffett Field, Ca
 
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Gene Perazzo

Had been working with WDPF W/WEStations since about '91 at a WWTP in Mi. Recently began contracting on an Ovation project doing Control and Graphic development. Unfortunately it is on an NT platform. The Ovation apps seem to work well but the MS garbage doesnt belong in an industrial environment. It unreasonable to demand daily/At most weekly, reboots of servers or mmi's in a 24/7 operation. I administrated an NT mis network and had the same results. NT, typical of MS operating systems, is not robust enough to support a realtime process control system. The Sun Boxes of my past were in production for months before a reboot suggested or required. Too bad Billy has convinced the world of OS prowess. UNIX has over 30 years experience in the multiuser world and it's stability is the result. Other than the NT stuff I beleve the Ovation software is as useable and strong as WDPF and somewhat easier to develope control on.
 
Ovation is not used in nuclear applications, most popular solutions are found in the power and waste water industries, usually with a minimum of 1500 IO points. I've worked on Ovation systems with over 60,000 total points distribued over 6 controllers with little trouble, but the Solaris system is more reliable than NT.
 
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