Installing configurations

Introduction

When you install a configuration, its validity and logical completeness is checked. What takes place outside IGSS and the relationships to the PLC remain the user’s responsibility. A configuration must be error-free and approved, before it can be put into operation. The installation program automatically checks the whole configuration and reports on the installation result.

Many basic control functions are incorporated in the Definition program, such as preventing duplicate object names, unnamed objects, references to non-existent objects, etc.

Before you begin

Even though the installation program reports any errors encountered during the installation, it is recommended to go through the following checklist before installing.

It is recommended to install the configuration regularly to check your definitions and correct possible errors. This is not achieved when you use the Save function.

Is the configuration complete?
Have you specified an external type for analog, table, digital, counter and string objects?
Have you supplied PLC addresses for all object atoms (I/O points) which are not defined as local?
Have you defined and linked an alarm text to each alarm atom, for example, High Alarm and Low Alarm for an analog object?
Have you stopped the data collection?

What does the installation program control?

The installation program primarily checks the connection to the physical process, internal deficiencies in the configuration and consistency between alarm atoms and alarm texts.

The installation program checks the following.

Are all PLC addresses specified for object atoms defined as in, out and in/out?
Are all alarm atoms linked to an alarm text?

The result of the installation is reported on-screen as soon as the installation is complete. See “Installing the configuration” below.

Typical installation errors

The most typical installation errors are:

Missing external type for analog, table, digital, counter and string objects
Missing PLC addresses for object atoms defined as in, out and in/out
No alarm text linked to an alarm atom

Installing the configuration

Installing a configuration is very simple. Do one of the following:

If the configuration is running, select File ® Online Update to save the changes and update the running configuration.
If the configuration is not running, select File ® Install Configuration and the installation program automatically starts.

In both cases, the Installation Options dialog box appears. Click here for details.

If the installation is successful, a message prompt appears informing you of how many objects the installed configuration holds. From the message prompt, you can access the configuration installation report (<MyConfig>.prt).
If there are any errors in the configuration, the error log file, <MyConfig>.err, appears. By using the information supplied in this file, you can easily correct any errors and then repeat the installation.

Installation backup files

The latest valid configuration is always backed up in the configuration backup folder, \7TBackup. If something goes wrong, you can always go back to the latest valid version.

The core configuration files are kept here:

The object database (<MyConfig>.elm)
The descriptor database <MyConfig>.dsc)
The configuration database (<MyConfig>.mdb)
VBA, ActiveX and OLE information file (<MyConfig>.ocf)