Historian Overview
Historian Overview
- Historian Server
- The Historian server is the central point for managing all of the client and collector interfaces, storing and (optionally) compressing data and retrieving data. All tag data (numbers, strings, blobs) are stored in a proprietary format in Data Archives. Each Data Archive represents a specific time period of historical data. You can further segregate your tags and archives into Data Stores.
A Data Store is a logical collection of tags used to store, organize, and manage tags according to the data source and storage requirements. A Data Store can have multiple data archives, and includes logical and physical storage definitions.
The primary use of data stores is segregating tags by data collection intervals. For example, you can put name plate or static tags where the value rarely changes in one data store, and put process tags in another data store. This can improve query performance.
Historian data archives are data files with the extension *.iha, each of which contains data gathered during a specific period of time. Archives are generally time-based, such as daily archives.
The Historian Data Archiver is a service that indexes all information by Tagname and Timestamp and stores the result in an *.iha file. The Tagname is a unique identifier for a specific measurement attribute. For iFIX users, a Historian Tagname normally represents a Node.Tag.Field (NTF). Searching by Tagname and Time Range is a common and convenient way to retrieve data from Historian. If you use this technique to retrieve data from the Archiver, you do not need to know which archive file on the Historian server contains the data. You can also retrieve data using a filter tag.
Historian is capable of storing many different data types, such as Float, Integer, Strings, Byte, Boolean, Scaled, and BLOB (binary large object data type). The source of the data defines the ability of Historian to collect specific data types. If licensed for the Alarm and Event option, then the server also manages the storage and retrieval of OPC alarms and events in a SQL Server Express.
- Collectors
- The Historian includes several types of data collectors for collecting data from a wide variety of applications including: iFIX, OPC, OPC HDA, OPC UA Data Access (Windows), OPCUA (Linux), OPC Alarms & Events, Text Files (.csv or .xml), and OSI PI.Note: To collect data from CIMPLICITY, you must use the Historian OPC collector with the CIMPLICITY OPC Server.
The Calculation collector is designed to perform math and analysis on Historian data and store the results in tags, on the server. The Server-to-Server collector has the same calculation capabilities as the Calculation collector, but it stores the results in tags, on a remote server.
Most collectors are capable of performing first-order deadband compression as well as a browse and add configuration, and store and forward buffering.
Note: Standard Collectors that are included as part of the product will not consume a CAL (Client Access License). Other interfaces developed by customers or system integrators using the Collector Toolkit or APIs will consume a CAL for each instance or connection.Historian Data Collector Cloud (Bi Modal) Connectivity:
In principle, all Historian Data Collectors read data values from a specified source and write them to a Historian Server. Some of the Historian Data Collectors are Bi-Modal collectors. This means most of the Collectors have the capability to write Time Series data either to GE Historian Server or to a Predix Time Series Service on Cloud. This can be done by changing the Collectors destination configuration either as Historian or Time Series at the time of collector installation.
- Clients
- All client applications retrieve archived data through the Historian API. The Historian API is a client/server programming interface that maintains connectivity to the Historian Server and provides functions for data storage and retrieval in a distributed network environment.
Historian System Architecture
System Components
- One or more Historian Data or Alarm Collectors to data sources
- One or more Historian Servers for data or alarms
- One or more Historian Administrators
- One or more Historian Admin Consoles
- Historian OLE DB provider
- One or more Historian HDA Servers
- One or more Historian Diagnostic Manager
- One or more Historian Client Manager (Mirror systems only)
- Historian Configuration Manager (Mirror systems only)
- Historian Embedded PostgreSQL Database
- Historian Embedded Tomcat Container
- Historian Indexing Service
- One or more Excel Add-In packages, installed on any client node
- Programs using Historian User API
- Programs using Historian Web REST API
- Programs using Software Development Kit (SDK)
- Historian Alarms and Events
- Historian Alarms and Events provides tools to collect, archive, and retrieve alarm and event data in Historian.
Refer to the Historian Alarms and Events e-book for more information.
- Historian Data Collectors
- Data Collectors gather data from a data source on a schedule or event basis, process it, and forward it to the Historian Server or a Web socket for archiving. The following collector functions are common across all types of collectors (except the File Collector):
- Maintaining a local cache of tag information to sustain collection while the server connection is down.
- Automatically discovering available tags from a data source and presenting them to the Historian Administrator.
- Buffering data during loss of connection to the server and forwarding it to the server when the connection is restored.
- Optionally, automatically adjusting timestamps for synchronizing collector and archiver timestamps.
- Supporting both collector and device time stamping, where applicable.
- Scheduling data polling for polled collection.
- Performing a first level of data compression (collector compression).
- Responding to control requests, such as requests to pause or resume collection.
- Options to send data to Historian or Cloud service through a Web socket connection
For mission-critical data collection, redundant collectors are possible. Historian includes a mirroring option for high availability and load balancing, so the data is available for the organization all the time.
Refer to the
Historian Data Collectors
e-book for more information. - Historian File Collector
- File Collectors import .CSV or .XML files into Historian. The files can contain data, alarms, tagnames, or other configuration information, and messages that you can import with a File Collector.
Refer to the Historian Data Collectors manual for more information.
- Historian Administrator
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A Historian Administrator provides a graphical user interface for performing Historian maintenance functions in a Windows environment including:
- Tag addition, deletion, and configuration.
- Maintaining and backing up archive files.
- Data collector configuration.
- Security configuration.
- Searching and analyzing system alerts and messages.
- A Calculation Collector with the ability to create a new tag based on calculations, and stores the result as time series data available with the Historian Administrator only.
- Setting up your OPC HDA Server available with the Historian Administrator only.
Refer to the Using the Historian Administrator manual for more information.
- Historian Web Admin Console
- The Historian Web Admin now operates in a web-based environment. The Historian Web Admin Console provides an enhanced Dashboard that displays the health of the system in one convenient location. The Dashboard is available in the Web Admin Console only. You can view the following diagnostics details:
- Data Node Diagnostics Displays the Historian servers connected to the system.
- Collector Diagnostics Displays the details of the faulty collectors.
- Client Diagnostics Displays the top five busiest clients connected to the system.
The Dashboard provides Interactive Configuration management, which helps you configure mirror nodes (available in the Web Admin Console only), Tags, Collectors, Data Stores and Archives. The functionality of the Calculation Collector and the ability to configure your OPC HDA Web server are not included in the Web Administrator.
The Historian Admin Console uses a client-access license (CAL).
- Historian Server
- Historian Server performs the following tasks:
- Manages all system configuration information.
- Manages system security, audit trails, and messaging.
- Services write and read requests from distributed clients.
- Performs final data compression.
- Manages archive files.
- Historian Diagnostics Manager
- The Historian Diagnostics Manager monitors the health of the Historian system and executes a few rules on the nodes, collectors, and clients, and generates the appropriate fault record. The details of these faults are displayed in the Admin Console Dashboard.The following are the faults and their severity level:
Fault Type Fault Description Fault Level Collector Status Fault Generated when the collector goes to the Unknown or Stopped state. Error Collector Overrun Fault Generated when at least one overrun occurs on a collector in last 24 hours. Warning Collector OutOfOrder Fault Generated when at least one OutOfOrder occurs on a collector in last 24 hours. Information Collector StoreForward Fault Generated when the collector Last Data Sample Time Stamp is delayed by more than an hour. Information Collector ConnectDisconnect Fault Generated when the collector is Disconnected and connected at least once in last 24 hours. Information Service DiskSpace Fault Generated when a node disk space is about to reach its free space limit. Warning Client InActive Fault Generated when a client is not active for the last one hour. Information Client BusyRead Fault Generated when the client makes relatively more number of reads per minute. Information Client BusyWrite Fault Generated when the client makes relatively more number of writes per minute. Information Client TimedOutRead Fault Generated when the client makes a timed out read query. Warning - Historian Client Manager
- The Historian Client Manager acts as the client connection manager and message router for the system. The Client Manager will examine messages and forward them to the correct Data Archiver or to the Configuration Manager. This service is deployed only for mirrored systems.
- Historian Configuration Manager
- The Historian Configuration Manager maintains and distributes the entire System configuration. There can be multiple Historian nodes but only one Configuration Manager. This Configuration Manager node is used to store system configuration, such as tag names, collector names and Historian Node names. This service is deployed only for mirrored systems.
- Historian Embedded Tomcat Container
- An instance of Tomcat is used exclusively by Historian as an open source Java-based Web server to support the Historian Web Administrator and Trend tool. It supports SSL and the use of certificates for enhanced security.
- Historian Embedded PostgreSQL Database
- An instance of PostgreSQL is used exclusively by Historian to store tag names to improve searching for tags in the Trend tool and Web Admin Console.
- Historian Indexing Service
- This is an indexing service that periodically runs against the Historian tag database, creates a tag index, and stores information in the PostgreSQL database instance, a preferred method to allow for quick search results.
- Excel Add-In
- The Historian Excel Add-In is a very useful tool for presenting and analyzing data stored in archive files. Using this tool, you can design custom reports of selected data, automatically process the information, and analyze the results. You can also use it for performing tag maintenance functions in Historian, such as adding tags, importing or exporting tags, or editing tag parameters.
For more information, refer to the Using the Historian Excel Add-In e-book.
- Historian OPC HDA Server
- The Historian OPC HDA Server reads the raw data stored in Historian and sends it to the connected OPC HDA clients. The Historian OPC HDA Server is in compliance with OPC Server HDA 1.20 standards.
Refer to the Historian OPC HDA Server manual for more information.
- Historian User API
- The Historian User API is intended to provide high speed read/write access to Historian data and read access to Historian tags. There is no access to alarms, events, or messages.
Use the API to develop applications in C or C++, which read and write data to the Historian server when the Historian SDK and Historian OLEDB do not meet your project requirements for performance or programming language.
Historian allows you to develop both 32-bit and 64-bit User API programs.Note: If you want to build a 32-bit User API program on a 64-bit operating system, then you need to rename the ihuapi32.lib to ihuapi.lib and include it in your program.Refer to the ihUserApi Help system for more information.
- Historian Web REST API
- Historian includes a REST API to connect your Java Web Client with Historian data. Refer to the Historian REST API Reference Manual in the /Additional Documentation folder of your installation directory for more information.
- Historian SDK
- The Software Development Kit (SDK) is designed for writing Visual Basic (VB) or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Scripts. Using the SDK, you can develop your own scripts to perform selected repetitive or complex tasks or to make your own custom user interface. To use the SDK, create a VB/VBA project with the SDK as a project reference. Refer to the SDK Help system for more information.
- Historian Client Access API
- Most applications today rely on .NET based development platforms from Microsoft. To enable easier integration with Historian, a .NET API is provided. The Client Access API supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Operating Systems.
- Collector Toolkit
- The Collector Toolkit allows you to write programs that integrate tightly with Historian and leverage the same configuration tools, redundancy schemes, and health monitoring as collectors that ship with Historian. A custom collector is a collector developed using the Collector Toolkit. It collects data and messages from a data source and writes them to a Data Archiver. Each deployment of a Collector developed on the Collector Toolkit consumes a CAL.
- Historian Migration Tools
- Historian provides migration tools to allow you to migrate your existing Classic Historian configurations and data and your iFIX Alarm and Event data into the Historian environment. Tags, collection rates, and dead bands for tags configured in Classic Historian can be transferred into Historian by the migration tools.
For more information, refer to the Migrating Advanced and Classic Historian Data e-book.
Related Documents
- Historian Getting Started Guide
- Historian Important Product Information (IPI)
- Using the Historian Administrator
- Historian Data Collectors
- Using the Historian Excel Add-In
- Historian Alarms and Events
- Migrating Advanced and Classic Historian Data
- Using the Historian OLE DB Provider
- Historian Software Development Kit (SDK) Online Help System
- Historian REST APIs Reference Manual