Bi Modal Cloud Data Collectors

In principle, all Historian Data Collectors read data values from a specified source and write them to a Historian Server. Some 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.

The Predix cloud destination (via a secure Web socket) supports APM, Automation, or Brilliant Manufacturing Cloud subscription. The Collector Toolkit is updated as well. Hence, a custom collector created using the toolkit has the same capabilities.

The Bi-modal connectivity can be done by changing the Collectors destination configuration either as Historian or Time Series at the time of collector installation. The configuration/installation screens would vary based on the selection.
Note: Bi-modal Collectors support up to Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2.

Most, if not all, features available in the Historian Data Collectors are applicable to cloud collectors. The features such as tag configuration, store and forward, compression, recalculation are all available in cloud collectors if same functionality is available in the same data collector sending data to Historian. See Historian Data Collectors for additional information.

There are a few differences in the working of a Bi-Modal collector based on whether the destination is Historian or Time Series service. Following table explains the key differences.

FunctionalityDestination - HistorianDestination - Predix Time Series Service
HISTORIANNODENAME registry keyContains the destination Historian Servers name/ IP Address.

Contains the cloud destination settings as well as proxy historian server name or IP if applicable (configServer).

Cloud destination format: CloudDestinationAddress|configServer|IdentityIssuer|ClientID|ClientSecret|ZoneID|Proxy

Mapping Source Tags

with Destination Tags

(Add Tags)

You must map tags in Historian Server to Data Source tags using one of the Admin tools (VB Admin/Web Admin). The data gets stored in IHA files and the Tag configurations are stored in IHC files.

As it is not possible to map tags in the Cloud with tags in the Data Source, user must select if mapping should be done through Historian (works as a proxy) or through Offline Configuration File at the time of installation.

If the user selects Historian, then tags will be created in the Cloud which in turn may have been mapped through one of the Admin tools (VB Admin/Web Admin).

If Offline Configuration File is selected, the user must provide an XML configuration file containing tag configurations that need to be created in the Cloud for mapping them with the Source tags.

Other Tag Management Operations such as Delete, Rename, Data cleaningIt is possible to do all tag management operations.No tag management operations are allowed. Collector must be restarted after updating the offline XML file or once tags are modified via Historian Administrator when using proxy historian server.
Data Type supportAll standard data types are supported.All other data types, excepting arrays, enums and User defined types (UDT), BLOB, are supported.
The following collectors support Bi-Modal connectivity through installation:
  • OPC DA Collector
  • OPC HDA Collector
  • MQTT Collector
  • OSI PI Collector
  • Server-to-Server Collector (S2S/S2C)
  • Wonderware Collector
  • Cygnet Collector
  • ODBC Collector