Create a Server-to-Server Collector

Before you begin

  1. Deploy Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud.
  2. Install collectors. You can install them on-premises or on a VNet (which can be different from the one on which Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud is deployed).

About this task

Using the Server-to-Server collector, you can send data as described in the following table.
Source Destination
On-premises Historian server Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud
Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud On-premises Historian server
Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud
Important: If you want to send data from cloud to on-premises, you must disable TLS encryption by setting the following registry entry to 0: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\GE Digital\iHistorian\Services\ServerToServerCollector\<collector instance>\TLSEnable
Features:
  • You can browse the source for tags and their attributes.
  • Only unsolicited data collection is supported.
  • The supported timestamp resolution is 100 milliseconds.
  • Data compression is supported.
  • Floating point, integer, and string data are supported.
  • Device timestamps are accepted.

When a time-based or an event-based trigger of a destination tag occurs:

  1. The calculation formula for the destination tag is executed.

    This typically involves fetching data from one or more tags on the source server.

  2. A raw sample or calculation error is determined.

    You can use conditional logic in your calculation formula to determine if a sample should be sent to the destination.

  3. The raw sample is delivered to the destination server, utilizing store and forward when necessary.
  • When a tag is added by browsing, only certain tag properties are copied from the source tag to the destination tag. Consider what properties are necessary for your application and configure them manually. For information on which properties are copied, refer to Tag Properties that are Copied.
  • If you change a tag property on the source tag (EGU Limits, descriptions, and so on), the property does not automatically change on the destination tag. You can manually change the properties of a destination tag.

Best Practices

  • We recommend that you install the Server-to-Server collector on the source Historian machine. When you do so, the collector can preserve the collected data (store and forward) even if the collector and the destination server become disconnected.
  • Collection on a tag-by-tag basis is preferred, according to scheduled poll times or upon data changes. One sample is collected for each trigger.
  • The Server-to-Server collector can perform calculations on multiple input tags as long as the input tags are on the same source Historian.
  • Use polled triggers to perform scheduled data transformations like daily or hourly averages. Use unsolicited triggers to replicate data in real time, as it changes.
  • Use event-based triggers to replicate data throughout the day. The samples can be held incoming and outgoing store and forward buffer when necessary. You cannot schedule batch replication of raw samples. For example, you cannot, at the end of the day, send all raw samples for tags to the destination.
  • All input source tags for the calculations must originate from the source archiver. For instance, you cannot directly add a tag from server1 plus a tag from server2 and place the result on server2. You can, however, collect tags from server1 to server2, and then use the Server-to-Server collector to accomplish this. This requires two Server-to-Server collector instances, one running on each machine.

Procedure

  1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Run the AzureCloudHistorianConfigurationUtility.exe file. It is provided along with the collectors installer. After you install collectors, it will be available in the C:\Program Files\GE Digital\Historian Cloud Config folder by default.
  3. Enter the number corresponding to creating a collector instance.
  4. Enter the following details:
    Field Description
    Interface Name Enter the name that you want to provide for the collector instance.
    User Password Masking Enter Y if you want to mask the password, or N if you want to proceed without masking the password.
    Destination Historian Server Enter the host name or IP address where the destination Historian server is installed.
    Destination Historian Username Enter the username to connect to the destination server.
    Destination Historian Password Enter the password to connect to the destination server.
    Source Server Enter the host name or IP address where the source Historian server is installed.
    Username Enter the username to connect to Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud. If you want to send data to an on-premises Historian server, press ENTER.
    Password Enter the password to connect to Proficy Historian for Azure Cloud. If you want to send data to an on-premises Historian server, press ENTER.
    Tip: For the default user, ihCloudHistAdmin, this is the value you entered in the Password field at the time of deployment.
    The Server-to-Server collector is created and started.