HistorianHistorian Administrator - Pages
The Main Page
The System Statistics Section
The following table describes the fields in the System Statistics section.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Receive Rate (a time-based chart in events/minute) | Displays how busy the server is at a given instance and the rate at which the server is receiving data from collectors. |
| Archive Compression (% compression) | Displays the current effect of archive data compression. If the value is zero, it indicates that archive compression is either ineffective or turned off. To increase the effect of data compression, increase the value of archive compression deadbands on individual tags in the Tag Maintenance section to activate compression. In calculating the effect of archive compression, Historian counts internal system tags as well as data source tags. Therefore, when working with a very small number of tags and with compression disabled on data source tags, this field may indicate a value other than zero. If you use a realistic number of tags, however, system tags will constitute a very small percentage of total tags and will therefore not cause a significant error in calculating the effect of archive compression on the total system. |
| Write Cache Hit | Displays the hit ratio of the write cache in percentage of total writes. It is a measure of how efficiently the system is collecting data. Typically, this value should range from 95 to 99.99%. If the data is changing rapidly over a wide range, however, the hit percentage drops significantly because current values differ from recently cached values. More regular sampling may increase the hit percentage. Out-of-order data also reduces the hit ratio. |
| Failed Writes | Displays the number of samples that failed to be written. Since failed writes are a measure of system malfunctions or an indication of offline archive problems, this value should be zero. If you observe a non-zero value, investigate the cause of the problem and take corrective action. Historian also generates a message if a write fails. Note that the message only appears once per tag, for a succession of failed writes associated with that tag. For example, if the number displayed in this field is 20, but they all pertain to one Historian tag, you will only receive one message until that Historian tag is functional again. |
| Messages Since Startup | Displays a count of system messages generated since the last startup. The system resets the value to zero on restart. The message database, however, may contain more messages than this value. |
| Alerts Since Startup | Displays a count of system warnings or alerts generated since the last startup. A high value here may indicate a problem of some kind. You should review the alerts and determine the probable cause. The count resets to zero on restart. The message database, however, may contain more alerts than this value. |
| Calculations | Displays the value Enabled if the Calculation collector is licensed on the software key. |
| Server-to-Server | Displays the value Enabled if the Server-to-Server collector is licensed on the software key. |
| Alarms since Startup | Displays a count of alarms received by the data archiver since starting up. |
| Server Memory | Displays how much of the server memory the data archiver consumes. |
| Free Space (MB) | Displays how much disk space (in MB) is left in the current archive. |
| Consumption Rate (MB/day) | Displays how fast the archive disk space is consumed. If the value is too high, you can reduce it by slowing the poll rate on selected tags or data points or by increasing the filtering on the data (widening the compression deadband to increase compression). |
| Est. Days to Full (Days) | Displays how much time is left before the archive is full, based on the current consumption rate. This value is dynamically calculated by the server and becomes more accurate as an archive file gets closer to completion. This value is only an estimate and will vary based on a number of factors, including the current compression effectiveness. The System sends messages notifying you at 5, 3, and 1 days until full. After the archive is full, a new archive must be created (could be automatic). To increase this value, you must reduce the consumption rate. To ensure that collection is not interrupted, make sure that the Automatically Create Archives option is enabled in the Data Store Maintenance section (under Global Options). You may also want to enable the Overwrite Old Archives option if you have limited disk capacity. Enabling overwrite, however, means that some old data will be lost when new data overwrites the data in the oldest online archive. Use this feature only when necessary. |
| Active Tags | Displays number of tags in your configuration. |
| Licensed Tags | Displays the number of tags authorized for this Historian installation by the software key and license. Note: If this field displays 100 tags and the licensed users field displays 1 client, you are likely running in demonstration mode and may have incorrectly installed your hardware key. |
| Active Users | Displays the number of users currently accessing the Historian system. |
| Licensed Users | Displays the number of users authorized to access Historian using the software key and license. The number of users that are authorized to access Historian is strictly based on the software key and license. However, if you have utilized your available Client Access Licenses (CAL) and need an additional one to administer the system in an emergency, you have an option to reserve a CAL. This reserved CAL allows you to access the server. To do so, provide the reserved CAL to the system administrators and add them to the ih Security Admins group. A system administrator can then connect to Historian in an emergency. This facility is optional and does not provide a guaranteed connection. It only eliminates the emergency situations when a CAL is preventing you from accessing the system and may not work if there are other conditions. For example, if the Historian server is busy, you will not be able to connect using this feature. Note: If this field displays 1 client and the Licensed Tags field displays 100 tags, you are likely running in demonstration mode and you may have incorrectly installed your hardware key. |
| Alarm Rate | Displays the rate at which Historian is receiving alarms and events data. |
| SCADA Tags | Displays the number of CIMPLICITY or iFIX tags. |
| Tags Consumed by Arrays | Indicates the total number of Array tags consumed by Historian. |
The Collectors Section
- Access the Collector Maintenance page of a collector by selecting the collector name. You can also access the Collector Maintenance page by selecting the collector link at the beginning of the System Statistics section.
- Automatically refresh the data every 45 seconds by selecting the Auto check box.
- Manually refresh the data by selecting Refresh.
The following table describes the fields in the Collectors section.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Collector | Displays the collector ID, which is used to identify the collector in Historian. |
| Status | Displays the current status of collection. This field contains one of the following values:
|
| Computer | Displays the name of the computer on which the collector is running. |
| Report Rate | Displays the number of samples per minute that the server is receiving data from the collector. It is a measure of the collection rate and data compression. If the collector compression percent is zero, and if the value in this field is equal to the data acquisition rate, it indicates that every data point received from the collector is being reported to the server. This means that the collector is not performing any data compression. You can lower the report rate, and make the system more efficient, by increasing the data compression at the collector. To do this, widen the collection compression deadbands for selected tags. |
| Overruns | Displays the overruns in relation to the total events collected since startup. This value is calculated by using the following equation: OVERRUN_PCT = OVERRUNS / ( OVERRUNS + TOTAL_EVENTS_COLLECTED ) Overruns are a count of the total number of data events not collected on their scheduled polling cycle. In normal operation, this value should be zero. You may be able to reduce the number of overruns on the collector by increasing the tag collection intervals (per tag). |
| Compression % | Displays the percentage of how effective compression is at present for the specific collector since collector startup. A value of zero indicates that compression is either turned off or not effective. To increase the value, enable compression on the collector's associated tags and increase the width of the compression deadband on selected tags. The collector keeps track of how many samples it collected from the data source (for example, the OPC server) and keeps track of how many samples it reported to the Historian Data Archiver (after collector compression is complete). A low number or zero means almost everything coming from the data source is being sent to the data archiver. The reason for the low number or zero is that too many samples are exceeding compression or you are not using collector compression. A high number or 100 means you are collecting a lot of samples, but they are not exceeding collector compression and therefore are not being sent to server. |
| Out of Order | Displays the number of samples within a series of timestamped data values normally transmitted in sequence that have been received out of sequence since collector startup. This field applies to all collectors. Even though events are still stored, a steadily increasing number of out-of-order events indicates a problem with data transmission that you must investigate. For instance, a steadily increasing number of out-of-order events when you are using the OPC collector means that there is an out-of-order connection between OPC Server and the OPC collector. This may also cause out-of-order connection between the OPC collector and the data archiver although that is not what this statistic indicates. |
| Redundancy | Displays the current redundancy status of the collector. This field contains one of the following values:
|
The Alerts Section
- Stop automatic updating of the data by clearing the Show Alerts check box. However, the check box will be selected automatically when you restart Historian Administrator.
- Automatically refresh the data every 25 seconds by selecting the Auto check box.
- Manually refresh the data by selecting Refresh.
The following table describes the fields in the Alerts section.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Timestamp | The timestamp associated with the message or alert. |
| Topic | The type of alert message. Only the services and performance alerts appear in this field. |
| Message | The content of the message or alert. |
The Data Store Page
Using the Data Store page, you can read and modify the parameters of archives, data stores, global options, security, and alarms.
The Archive Details Section
- Close an archive by selecting Close Archive.
- Back up an archive by selecting Backup, and then providing the file name and path for the backup.
- Remove an archive by selecting Remove. The archive is then placed in the \Archives\Offline folder. However, the archive is not deleted.
This topic describes the fields in each subsection in the Archive Details section.
The Status Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | The current operating state of the archive. This field contains one of the following values:
|
| Start Time | The time of the oldest sample in the archive. |
| End Time | The time the archive is closed (automatically or manually). |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Last Backup | The date and time the last backup was performed on the archive. |
| Backup User | The username of the user who performed the last backup of the archive. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| File Location | The path and name of the archive file. |
| File Size | The size (in MB) of the archive file. Note: Historian supports a maximum archive size of 256 GB per archive. |
| File Attribute | The attribute to set a closed archive to read-only or read/write. Note: To create multiple archives at the same time, set the value of this field to Read/Write.
|
The Data Store Details Section
The Statistics Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Archive Compression (% compression) | Displays the current effect of archive data compression. If the value is zero, it indicates that archive compression is either ineffective or turned off. To increase the effect of data compression, increase the value of archive compression deadbands on individual tags in the Tag Maintenance section to activate compression. In calculating the effect of archive compression, Historian counts internal system tags as well as data source tags. Therefore, when working with a very small number of tags and with compression disabled on data source tags, this field may indicate a value other than zero. If you use a realistic number of tags, however, system tags will constitute a very small percentage of total tags and will therefore not cause a significant error in calculating the effect of archive compression on the total system. |
| Write Cache Hit | Displays the hit ratio of the write cache in percentage of total writes. It is a measure of how efficiently the system is collecting data. Typically, this value should range from 95 to 99.99%. If the data is changing rapidly over a wide range, however, the hit percentage drops significantly because current values differ from recently cached values. More regular sampling may increase the hit percentage. Out-of-order data also reduces the hit ratio. |
| Receive Rate | Displays how busy the server is at a given instance and the rate at which the server is receiving data from collectors. |
| Free Space (MB) | Displays how much disk space (in MB) is left in the current archive. |
| Consumption Rate (MB/day) | Displays how fast the archive disk space is consumed. If the value is too high, you can reduce it by slowing the poll rate on selected tags or data points or by increasing the filtering on the data (widening the compression deadband to increase compression). |
| Messages Since Startup | Displays a count of system messages generated since the last startup. The system resets the value to zero on restart. The message database, however, may contain more messages than this value. |
| Failed Writes | Displays the number of samples that failed to be written. Since failed writes are a measure of system malfunctions or an indication of offline archive problems, this value should be zero. If you observe a non-zero value, investigate the cause of the problem and take corrective action. Historian also generates a message if a write fails. Note that the message only appears once per tag, for a succession of failed writes associated with that tag. For example, if the number displayed in this field is 20, but they all pertain to one Historian tag, you will only receive one message until that Historian tag is functional again. |
| Est Days to Full (Days) | Displays how much time is left before the archive is full, based on the current consumption rate. This value is dynamically calculated by the server and becomes more accurate as an archive file gets closer to completion. This value is only an estimate and will vary based on a number of factors, including the current compression effectiveness. The System sends messages notifying you at 5, 3, and 1 days until full. After the archive is full, a new archive must be created (could be automatic). To increase this value, you must reduce the consumption rate. To ensure that collection is not interrupted, make sure that the Automatically Create Archives option is enabled in the Data Store Maintenance section (under Global Options). You may also want to enable the Overwrite Old Archives option if you have limited disk capacity. Enabling overwrite, however, means that some old data will be lost when new data overwrites the data in the oldest online archive. Use this feature only when necessary. |
| Alerts Since Startup | Displays a count of system warnings or alerts generated since the last startup. A high value here may indicate a problem of some kind. You should review the alerts and determine the probable cause. The count resets to zero on restart. The message database, however, may contain more alerts than this value. |
The User Settings Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Data Store State | The current state of the data store. The value in this field is Running until you delete the data store. |
| Is System | Indicates whether this data store is the system data store. Note: By default, the Is System value of the system data store is set to yes. You cannot set the Is System value of any historical data store to yes. |
| Number of Tags | Displays the number of tags the data store contains. |
| Is Default (Yes/No) | Indicates whether the data store is the default store. Select Yes to set this data store as default one. |
| Storage Type | Indicates whether the storage type is historical or SCADA buffer. |
| Description | The description of the data store. |
The Data Store Options Section
The Archive Creation or the SCADA BufferSubsection
The Archive Creation subsection appears only if the data store type is historical. The SCADA Buffer subsection appears only if the data store type is SCADA buffer.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Automatically Create Archives | Identifies whether the server must automatically create an archive file whenever the current archive file is full. The archive files are created in the default path directory. Note: If you plan to create multiple archives at the same time, select the Disabled option.
|
| Overwrite Old Archives | When enabled, the system replaces the oldest archived data with new data when the default size has been reached. Since this action deletes historical data, exercise caution in using this feature. We recommend that you back up the archive so that you can restore it later. Note: To create multiple archives at the same time, select the Disabled option. If both the Automatically Create Archives and Overwrite Old Archives are enabled, set the ihArchiveFreeSpaceHardLimit parameter to TRUE using the Historian APIs. |
| Default Size (MB) | The default size of a newly created archive or the duration of a newly created archive in days or hours. Select one of the following options:
|
| SCADA Buffer Duration (Days) | Indicates the maximum number of days you want to store the trend data. The maximum number of days is 200. |
| Archive Duration (Days/Hours) | Indicates the days or hours for which the duration of the archive is set. |
The Maintenance Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Archive Path | The folder path to store newly created archives. Note: We recommend not to use a period in the default archive path field. If you do so, you will not be able to specify a default archive name. |
| Default Backup Path | The location to which the backup file will be saved. |
| Base Archive Name | A prefix that you want to add to all the archive files. |
| Free Space Required (MB) | Indicates the remaining disk space required after a new archive is created. If the available space is less than the requirement, a new archive is not created. The default value is 5000 MB. This field is not applicable to alarms and events archives. The alarms and events archiver will continue writing to the alarms and events archive until the drive is full. If this occurs, the alarms and events archiver will buffer incoming alarms and events data until the drive has free space. An error message is logged in the Historian message log. |
| Store OPC Quality | Indicates whether to store the OPC data quality. Note: To create multiple archives at the same time, select the Disabled option. |
| Use Caching | Indicates whether caching must be enabled. When reading data from the archiver, some data is saved in the system memory and retrieved using caching. This results in faster retrieval as the data is already stored in the buffer. Note: This option is not available for SCADA Buffer data stores. |
The Security Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Data is Read-only After (Hours) | The number of hours for data to be stored in a read/write archive. After the time lapses, that portion of the archive file is automatically made read-only. Incoming data values with timestamps prior to this time are rejected. A single archive file, therefore, may have a portion made read-only, another portion that is read/write containing recently written data, and another that is unused free space. Note: If an archive file is read-only, you cannot move the file in Windows File Explorer. To be able to move a read-only archive file, you must first remove the archive by selecting the file and selecting Remove in the Archive Maintenance page. |
| Generate Message on Data Update | Indicates whether an audit log entry will be made any time the value of a previously archived data point is overwritten. This log entry will contain both the original and new values. Note: To create multiple archives at the same time, select the Disabled option. This option is not available for SCADA Buffer data store. |
The Global Options Section
The Data Queries Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Maximum Query Time (seconds) | Specifies the maximum time that a data point or message query can take before it is terminated. Use this setting to limit query time and provide balanced read access to the archiver. This is applicable to all query types. |
| Maximum Query Intervals | Specifies the maximum number of samples per tag that Historian can return from a non-raw data query. Use this setting to throttle query results for non-raw data queries. This setting is not applicable to filtered data queries or raw data queries. If the number of returned samples exceeds the value in this field, the query fails and no data is returned. |
The Memory/Recovery Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Buffer Memory Max (MB) | The maximum memory buffer size that an archiver queue will use before starting to use disk buffering. The default value is 100 MB. Note:
|
| Archiver Memory Size (MB) | The target memory usage of the archive. The default value is 0, which indicates the system will manage the memory usage. If the archiver is running on a 32-bit operating system and you want to keep more data in memory, you can enter a value up to 1800 MB. If the archiver is running on a 64-bit operating system, we recommend that you use the default value. |
| Maintain Auto Recovery Files | Indicates whether high availability of the latest archive (.iha) and Historian configuration (.ihc) files must be enabled. When enabled, a copy of the latest .iha and .ihc file is made once every hour. These recovery files do not include alarms and events data. Note: These files are managed internally by Historian, and should not be used as backup files. To create multiple archives at the same time, select the Disabled option. By default, this field is set to Disabled on a 64-bit operating system. On a large-scale system, we recommend that you disable this option for better performance. |
The Data Store Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Data Store For Tag Add | The name of the default data store to which you want to add tags. |
The Security Section
.
The Global Security Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Security Groups | Indicates whether to use the local security groups or the domain security groups. Note: To ensure a secure environment when using Historian, do not create any local user accounts unless Historian is set up on a standalone computer and the guest account is disabled. |
| Enforce Strict Client Authentication | Indicates whether to use strict client authentication. If you enable this option, only clients using the security-token-based authentication protocol can connect. Clients using Historian versions prior to 6.0 and other Proficy software they connect to may not be able to connect unless they have the latest updates for that version. If you disable this option, clients of any version can connect if they use a valid user name and password. For more information, refer to Strict Authentication. |
| Enforce Strict Collector Authentication | Indicates whether to use strict collector authentication. If you enable this option, only collectors using the security-token-based authentication protocol can connect. Collectors using Historian versions prior to 6.0 and the other Proficy software they connect to may not be able to connect unless they have the latest updates for that version. If you disable this option, collectors of any version can connect. For more information, refer to Strict Authentication. |
The Electronic Signatures / Records Subsection
The electronic signatures/records option assists users with government regulations such as the United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 21 CFR Part 11 regulation or any site interested in added security by providing the ability to require a signature and password every time a change in data or configuration is requested. If you did not purchase the Electronic Signatures and Electronic Records option, the Electronic Signatures/Records field is disabled. For more information on Electronic Signatures and Records, refer to the Using Historian in a Regulated Environment section.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Require Point Verification | Indicates whether you must enter identifying information whenever you attempt a restricted action. Whenever you attempt to change the system configuration (for the tag, archive, or collector), a tag value, or another record, you must electronically sign the action with a username and password. If the user is authorized to make this change, the identity of the person, the action performed, and the time it was performed, are all recorded in the audit trail. Note:
Enabling electronic signatures and electronic records also requires you to reverify your identity when you use the Historian Excel add-in, modify or create a tag, or import data or messages. Note: This feature is available only if you have purchased the Electronic Signatures and Electronic Records option. |
| Verification Message | When point verification is enabled, you are prompted to enter the username and password whenever you attempt to perform an action specified as requiring point verification. |
The Alarms Section
In the Alarms section, you can back up, purge, and restore alarms. This topic describes the fields in each subsection in the Alarms section.
The Alarms tab contains the following action buttons. Select a button to perform the action indicated by the name.
In the Alarms, you can set the following parameters:
The Backup / Purge Alarms Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Start Time | The start time for backing up, purging, or restoring alarms. Enter a value in the following format: mm-dd-yyyy hh:mm:ss |
| End Time | The end time for backing up, purging, or restoring alarms. Enter a value in the following format: mm-dd-yyyy hh:mm:ss |
The Restore Alarms Subsection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Select File | The backup file that you want to restore. |
Searching in Message Panel
About this task
Procedure
Searching for Tags
About this task
Procedure
- Select the Search Historian Tag Database link in the Tag Maintenance pageThe Search Historian Tag Database window in the following figure appears.
