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this document.
Notice
©2008 GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc. All rights reserved. *Trademark of GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, Inc.
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Version 7.29 – 09.05
We want to hear from you. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions about our documentation, send them to the
following email address:
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Table of Contents
About the I/O Driver ..........................................................................................................................1
OLE Automation Technology....................................................................................................1
Integration with the FIX .............................................................................................................1
Event-Driven Architecture .........................................................................................................1
OPC Compliance ......................................................................................................................2
How the I/O Driver Works .............................................................................................................2
Features........................................................................................................................................4
The ABR I/O Driver Features ...................................................................................................4
Feature: Using the OLE for Process Control (OPC) Functionality ...........................................5
Feature: Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder .....................................6
Feature: Configuring the Driver from Custom COM/OLE Automation Applications .................7
Feature: Using the ABR I/O Driver Graphical User Interface ...................................................7
Feature: Remote Control and Configuration ............................................................................7
Feature: Using Exception-Based Processing ...........................................................................8
Feature: Using Secondary Poll Rates ......................................................................................9
Feature: Phasing Poll Rates .....................................................................................................9
Feature: Enabling or Disabling Individual Channels, Devices, and Datablocks .......................9
Feature: QuickFail Logic .........................................................................................................10
Feature: Using Simulation Mode ............................................................................................10
Feature: Using Latched Data..................................................................................................11
Feature: Time/Date Stamp for Data and Alarms ....................................................................11
Feature: Running as a Windows Service ...............................................................................11
Feature: Block Writes .............................................................................................................14
Feature: Advanced Diagnostics..............................................................................................14
Feature: Validating Datablocks...............................................................................................15
Feature: Generating Multiple Datablocks ...............................................................................15
Feature: Digital Pictures of Sample Configurations................................................................16
Setting up the I/O Driver .................................................................................................................17
Supported Hardware ..................................................................................................................17
Supported KT Interface Cards ....................................................................................................20
Supported Interface Modules .....................................................................................................21
Supported Memory Types ..........................................................................................................21
Supported PLC 3 Memory Types ...........................................................................................21
Supported PLC 5 Series Memory Types ................................................................................22
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Supported PLC 5/250 (Pyramid Integrator) Memory Types ...................................................22
Supported SLC 5 Series Memory Types ................................................................................23
Supported MicroLogix PLC Memory Types ............................................................................23
Supported ControLogix Gateway Module Memory Types......................................................24
Setting Datablock Address Properties: Start, End, and Length .................................................24
Example ..................................................................................................................................24
Example ..................................................................................................................................25
ASCII, Binary, BCD, and Integer Datablock Maximum Lengths ............................................25
Input, Output, and Status Datablock Maximum Lengths ........................................................26
Float Datablock Maximum Lengths ........................................................................................26
Maximum Datablock Lengths for Binary, Internal Storage, Output, Input, Integer, String,
Block Transfer Data, and Unsolicited File Types (PLC 5/250 only) .......................................26
Valid PLC 3 Addresses ...........................................................................................................26
Valid PLC 5 Addresses ...........................................................................................................27
Valid PLC 5/250 Addresses....................................................................................................28
Valid SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses ............................................................29
Valid SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses ...................................................................30
Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses* .................................................................30
Valid MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses*............................................................31
Supported ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Memory Types ..................................................31
Supported Mnemonics ................................................................................................................31
Adapter Status Mnemonics ....................................................................................................32
Counter Mnemonics................................................................................................................32
ControlNet Transfer Mnemonics.............................................................................................32
Message Control Mnemonics .................................................................................................33
PID Mnemonics ......................................................................................................................34
Control Mnemonics .................................................................................................................36
String Mnemonics ...................................................................................................................36
Timer Mnemonics ...................................................................................................................36
Block Transfer Read and Block Transfer Write Mnemonics (PLC5/250 only) .......................37
Block Transfer Mnemonics (PLC5 only) .................................................................................37
Required Software ......................................................................................................................38
Operating System ...................................................................................................................38
Rockwell Software ..................................................................................................................38
Using the ABR I/O Driver with Windows XP Service Pack 2 .....................................................39
Cabling ........................................................................................................................................39
Configuring the Hardware ...........................................................................................................44
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Programming the Hardware .......................................................................................................44
Upgrading to ABR 7.x from ABR 6.x ..........................................................................................44
Upgrading to ABR 7.x from ABR 7.x ..........................................................................................45
Sample Configurations ...................................................................................................................49
Disclaimer ...................................................................................................................................49
Configuring a 1784-KT Interface Card........................................................................................49
Configuring a 1784-KTX or KTXD Interface Card ......................................................................50
Cabling ....................................................................................................................................51
MicroLogix Cabling .................................................................................................................53
ControLogix Cabling ...............................................................................................................53
Establishing a Serial Connection to Process Hardware .............................................................53
Connecting a 1785-KE Module to Your Computer .....................................................................56
Communicating with a 1770-KF2 Device ...................................................................................59
Using a 1785-KA Module ........................................................................................................61
Communicating with a 1770-KF3 Device ...................................................................................63
Communicating with a 1747-KE or a 1761 NET AIC Converter to a SLC 5/03..........................66
Setting up a 1747-KE Converter.............................................................................................66
Setting up a 1761 NET AIC Converter ...................................................................................68
Configuring a PLC 5/250 Pyramid Integrator with an Ethernet Module .....................................69
Establishing an Ethernet Connection to Process Hardware ......................................................72
Offlinking to Remote Devices .....................................................................................................73
Using KT, KTX, and KTXD Cards...........................................................................................73
1785-KE Settings ....................................................................................................................74
Using Ethernet Cards .............................................................................................................76
Offlinking with ControLogix Gateways ....................................................................................77
Configuring MicroLogix PLCs .....................................................................................................78
Using the Serial Port ...............................................................................................................78
Using a KF3 Device ................................................................................................................80
Using a KTX or KTXD Interface Card .....................................................................................82
Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway ............................................................................83
Communicating with a ControLogix Gateway to a ControlNet Module ......................................85
Configuring the 1756-L1 ControLogix Processor .......................................................................86
Using the Power Tool .....................................................................................................................89
Overview: About the I/O Driver Power Tool ...............................................................................89
Features..................................................................................................................................89
Access Methods .....................................................................................................................89
Understanding the Power Tool's Graphic Interface ....................................................................90
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Using the Power Tool’s Properties Viewer .............................................................................90
Using the Power Tool’s Browser ............................................................................................91
Using the Power Tool’s Menu Bar ..........................................................................................92
Using Shortcut Keys ...............................................................................................................93
The Status Bar ........................................................................................................................93
Using the Power Tool’s Main Toolbar.....................................................................................94
Using the Power Tool’s Run-time Toolbar ..............................................................................94
Using the Power Tool’s Configuration Toolbar .......................................................................95
Setting up the Power Tool's Environment ..................................................................................95
Setting the Statistics Refresh Rate .........................................................................................96
Setting Defaults for I/O Driver Configuration File Name and Path .........................................96
Making Advanced Settings .....................................................................................................97
Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection ............................................................................98
Setting the I/O Server for Automatic Connection ...................................................................99
Configuring Channels, Devices, and Datablocks .........................................................................101
Choosing a Method for Configuring Your Driver ......................................................................101
Configuring the I/O Driver with the Power Tool ........................................................................101
Channels...............................................................................................................................102
Devices .................................................................................................................................106
Datablocks ............................................................................................................................106
Setting Default Values ..........................................................................................................117
Configuring from FIX Applications ............................................................................................119
Overview: Creating Datablocks Inside FIX Applications ......................................................119
Entering Driver Information in FIX Database Builder ...........................................................120
Specifying the I/O Driver in FIX Database Builder ...............................................................121
Specifying I/O Addresses in FIX Database Builder ..............................................................121
Specifying Signal Conditioning in Database Builder ............................................................123
Specifying Hardware Options in FIX Database Builder ........................................................125
Opening the Power Tool from FIX Database Builder ...........................................................125
Setting Up for Creating Datablocks Automatically in FIX Database Builder ........................125
Verifying New Datablocks Created in FIX Database Builder ...............................................125
Saving Datablocks Created in FIX Database Builder to the Configuration File ...................127
Making Reports.........................................................................................................................128
Using I/O Driver Report Files................................................................................................128
Running the I/O Driver ..................................................................................................................131
Viewing Statistics ......................................................................................................................131
Viewing I/O Driver Statistics .................................................................................................131
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Viewing Channel Statistics ...................................................................................................131
Viewing Device Statistics ......................................................................................................131
Viewing Datablock Statistics.................................................................................................131
Starting and Stopping the I/O Driver.........................................................................................132
Starting the I/O Driver from the Power Tool .........................................................................132
Starting the I/O Driver from the FIX SCU .............................................................................132
Setting the I/O Driver for Automatic Startup in FIX...............................................................133
Starting the I/O Driver Manually from Mission Control .........................................................134
Stopping the I/O Driver .........................................................................................................135
Checking Driver Communication ..............................................................................................135
Optimizing the Driver ....................................................................................................................139
Optimizing Your System ...........................................................................................................139
Optimizing Message Lengths ...................................................................................................139
Example ................................................................................................................................139
How do I eliminate excess datablocks? ...................................................................................140
Using Primary and Secondary Poll Rates with Access Time ...................................................141
Example 1 .............................................................................................................................141
Example 2 .............................................................................................................................141
Example 3 .............................................................................................................................141
Example 4 .............................................................................................................................141
Understanding Outstanding Message Allocation at the Channel Level ...................................142
Example ................................................................................................................................142
Understanding and Configuring the Maximum Outstanding Messages per Device.................142
Configuring the Maximum Number of Outstanding Messages .............................................143
Recommendations ................................................................................................................143
Troubleshooting Your System ......................................................................................................145
How Do I? .................................................................................................................................145
How do I choose poll rates? .................................................................................................145
How do I eliminate excess datablocks? ...............................................................................146
How do I set up for remote configuration and control?.........................................................146
How do I prevent the driver from writing to the hardware? ..................................................146
How do I create reports of my driver configuration files? .....................................................148
How do I save datablocks created in FIX Database Builder to the I/O driver configuration
file? .......................................................................................................................................148
How do I open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool in FIX Database Builder? ...........................148
How do I configure my driver for demand polling? ...............................................................148
How do I poll a device only when data is being accessed? .................................................149
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What is the difference between access time and scan time? ..............................................149
How do I set up security for using the I/O Server remotely? ................................................150
How do I set up security when the driver runs as a service? ...............................................153
How do I force a switch between primary and back-up channels or devices using FIX? ....155
How do I enable or disable channels, devices or datablocks using FIX? ............................155
How do I write data to a datablock? .....................................................................................155
Tools for Troubleshooting the ABR I/O Driver ......................................................................156
How do I run the driver in simulation mode? ........................................................................158
How do I generate multiple datablocks? ..............................................................................158
Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................159
The driver does not load .......................................................................................................160
The driver loads but does not start polling ...........................................................................161
The driver does not communicate to any devices ................................................................161
The driver is not transmitting messages ...............................................................................163
The driver transmits messages but does not receive messages .........................................163
The driver communicates to some but not all of my devices ...............................................164
The driver communicates to some but not all the datablocks for a device...........................165
What is the difference between access time and scan time? ..............................................165
I cannot connect to a remote server .....................................................................................166
I cannot see the driver in the FIX Database Builder .............................................................166
I am receiving old data in my display....................................................................................167
I am receiving overruns ........................................................................................................167
My message rate is slow ......................................................................................................167
My driver stops running after a period of time ......................................................................168
I do not receive driver messages in Alarm History ...............................................................168
Automatic driver startup does not work ................................................................................168
I receive an error about DTL32.DLL when I start FIX or the Power Tool .............................169
RSWho does not work ..........................................................................................................170
My device has a high number of timeouts ............................................................................170
The Most Common I/O Driver Problems ..................................................................................170
Error Codes ..............................................................................................................................170
DRVSTA Error Codes ...........................................................................................................171
DRVSTB Error Codes ...........................................................................................................178
DRVSTD Error Codes ..........................................................................................................180
DRVSTE through DRVSTH Error Codes .............................................................................180
Tools for Troubleshooting the ABR I/O Driver ..........................................................................181
The Statistics View in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool .........................................................181
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The Statistics in FIX Mission Control ....................................................................................181
The Windows Event Viewer..................................................................................................181
The Alarm History Window in FIX.........................................................................................181
The Message Log in the I/O Server program .......................................................................181
Getting Technical Support ........................................................................................................183
Support for the ABR I/O driver..............................................................................................183
Support for the process hardware ........................................................................................183
Creating a Custom Client Application ...........................................................................................185
Creating a Custom Application Using Microsoft Visual Basic ..................................................185
Creating a Custom Application Using C or C++ .......................................................................186
Accessing the ABR Server with OPC .......................................................................................186
Accessing ABR Server Data Using an OPC Client ..............................................................186
Using A Files with an OPC Client .........................................................................................186
Accessing Information ..................................................................................................................188
Using F1 Help ...........................................................................................................................188
Using the Help Index ................................................................................................................188
Using the Help Full-Text Search...............................................................................................189
Using the Help Table of Contents.............................................................................................189
Navigating in the Online Help ...................................................................................................189
Using the Help Button Bar ....................................................................................................190
Using Help Links ...................................................................................................................190
Using the See Also List ........................................................................................................190
Using the Help Menus ..............................................................................................................190
Customizing the Online Help ....................................................................................................191
Annotations ...........................................................................................................................191
Bookmarks ............................................................................................................................191
Printing the Online Help ............................................................................................................192
Index .............................................................................................................................................193
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About the I/O Driver
The ABR I/O driver is a GE Fanuc version 7.x I/O driver that provides the interface and
communications protocol between Allen-Bradley process hardware and your process control software.
GE Fanuc version 7.x drivers incorporate the following attributes to provide flexibility and ease-of-
use:
• OLE Automation technology.
• FIX integration.
• Event-driven architecture.
• OLE for Process Control compliance.
Event-Driven Architecture
Version 7.x drivers are event-based rather than time-based, reducing CPU time and increasing
performance.
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
OPC Compliance
Version 7.x drivers also comply with the OLE for Process Control (OPC) v1.0a standard. Any 1.0a-
compliant OPC client application can access process hardware data through the I/O Server. The ABR
I/O Server is also compliant with the v2.0 standard and with the OPC Alarm and Events v1.0
specification. Refer to Using OLE for Process Control (OPC) Functionality to learn more about the
advantages of OPC.
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1. I/O Server
Is the I/O driver core. The I/O Server contains objects and interfaces that perform the following tasks:
• Maintain the I/O driver configuration.
• Read and write process hardware data.
• Expose the driver functionality through OLE Automation.
2. Server Objects
3. OLE Interfaces
4. I/O DLL
Provides functions for sending and receiving data to and from RSLinx software.
Builds common memory, exposes its functionality to the Server and the NIO DLL, and stores and
maintains process data.
6. NIO DLL
Contains the I/O driver’s data access API. The NIO DLL has direct access to the Common Memory
DLL, providing fast and efficient read/write capability.
Contains the API that scales raw data to the specified engineering units.
Serves as a high-performance client to the I/O Server with a graphical user interface for configuring
and monitoring the driver.
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Accesses configuration data through the Server’s OLE Interfaces and reads or writes data through the
NIO DLL. The OPC Server DLL is a fully compliant OLE for Process Control v1.0a and v2.0 in-
process server.
Communicates with the I/O driver through the NIO DLL. Because the NIO DLL accesses the Common
Memory DLL directly, reading data from and writing data to FIX applications is fast and efficient.
Communicates with the I/O driver through the OPC Server DLL. Because the OPC Server DLL
communicates with the NIO DLL, OPC Client applications can take advantage of the high-
performance read/write capability that the NIO DLL provides.
Communicates with the I/O driver through the OLE Interfaces. You can design custom applications
with a COM/OLE Automation programming application such as Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, or Visual
C++.
14. RSLinx
Provides communication to and from the process hardware. RSLinx is available from Rockwell
Software. Contact them at 440-646-7800.
Features
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The code that your vendor writes defines the difference between servers and specifies the following
server information:
• The devices and data that the server has access to.
• The names of data items.
• The details about how the server physically accesses the data.
The ABR I/O driver supplies an OPC v1.0a Server DLL that serves as the OPC Interface between
OPC-aware client applications and all GE Fanuc 7.x drivers. The ABR I/O Server has interfaces that
let the OPC Server DLL access ABR I/O Server data. The following figure illustrates how OPC clients
work with GE Fanuc I/O Servers and the OPC Server DLL.
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The ABR Server is also v2.0 compliant and supports the OPC Alarms and Events 1.0 specification. For
more information on these standards, refer to the OPC foundation web site at www.opcfoundation.org.
Example
1. Start the I/O Driver Power Tool and click the Setup button from the Run-time toolbar.
2. Click the Advanced tab and select Auto Create On in the Server area.
3. Close the Setup dialog box and click the Templates button from the Run-time toolbar.
4. Enter the default values you want to use for your channels, devices, and datablocks in the
Templates dialog box.
5. Using the buttons on the Configuration toolbar, add Channel0 and select an RSLinx driver for
the channel.
7. Exit from the Power Tool and close all remote connections to the I/O Server.
8. Open FIX Database Builder and create five database blocks with valid I/O points using
Device0 as the device name.
9. Open the Power Tool; the Tree Browser displays the following:
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1. Insert the I/O Drivers and OPC Server CD into the remote computer’s CD-ROM drive.
2. When the start-up screen appears, click the Install Driver button.
3. Select the ABR 7.x Driver from the list and click the Install Now button.
4. Click the I Agree button to accept the user license and continue with the installation.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. When the Install program
prompts you for the node type, select Client.
6. After installation is complete, open the Power Tool and connect to the I/O Server using the
Network list box. Refer to Setting Up the ABR I/O Server Connection to learn more about
establishing a connection to the ABR I/O Server.
1. Start the Power Tool and enter a value in the Deadband field of the datablock you want to
modify. For a digital datablock, enter a dead band of 0.
3. Double-click the block you want to modify from the program’s spreadsheet or select Add
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
from the Blocks menu and select the type of block you want to create.
4. Enter the datablock’s address in the I/O Address field of the database block.
If you have many database blocks, using exception-based processing can help reduce the demand on
SAC.
NOTE: Analog Register and Digital Register blocks in FIX databases do not support exception-based
processing. In addition, the ABR 7.x driver does not support using the Text block with exception-based
processing.
How It Works
By specifying a phase, you delay the driver’s first attempt to read data from the datablock. When the
phase time expires, the driver resumes reading the datablock at the specified primary or secondary poll
rate.
Disable a channel if
• You are removing devices on a channel for repair or maintenance and do not want to display
errors.
Disable a device if
• You are removing a device for repair or maintenance and do not want to display errors.
• You want to reduce the communications load when you do not need to collect data from that
device.
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Disable a datablock if
How It Works
The driver polls a datablock on the device and experiences a communication timeout. If the driver
polls the datablock the specified number of retries and still experiences a communication timeout, it
marks the datablock as failed and sends a message to the next datablock in the queue. Any outstanding
messages for the bad device are failed immediately. Likewise, any messages in the queue intended for
the bad device and all new messages are sent once without retries. The driver continues this process
until the communication problem with the device is resolved.
Purpose
Typically, when a message fails because of a timeout, the cause is a communication problem with the
device. QuickFail lets the driver bypass the problem device to quickly handle other device messages.
Because the driver is not spending unnecessary time on a failed device, it performs more efficiently.
Example
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
allows you to develop a process database that reads and writes values to the datablock addresses that
you configure in the Power Tool without using actual process hardware. Later, when you want to
switch to real process hardware, you can do so without changing your datablocks or process database.
Simulating a connection to the process hardware is accomplished by writing values directly to the
datablocks themselves instead of sending a request to the ABR server to write the data to the process
hardware. Likewise, values are read directly from each datablock and do not require a read request sent
to the ABR server. These reads always return good data quality.
NOTE: Whenever you enable or disable simulation mode, close all remote connections to the I/O
Server and restart the Power Tool in order for your changes to take effect.
Example
Your control system communicates with remote devices by radio transmission. You know that radio
transmission is not always reliable (particularly during inclement weather); however, you must provide
daily reports from your process hardware.
By enabling the Latch Data option for your datablocks, you ensure data is always available for reports.
NOTES: FIX 6.15 does not support latched data. However, you can add support for latched data by
downloading the SAC Software improvement Module (SIM) from GE Fanuc’s web site.
Analog Register and Digital Register blocks do not support latched data. Consequently, we do not
recommend using these blocks with the Latch Data option.
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
service, you must register it as a service. During installation, the Setup wizard automatically registers
the server as a regular server process. To register it to run as a service, you must run the server on the
command line, specifying that you wish to register it as a service. Once the server is running as a
service, you may need to re-register it in certain situations, such as when you need to change the logon
account.
Before you register the I/O Server to run as a service, follow these steps to ensure that it is not
currently running:
• If the driver is currently running as a regular server, you must stop the process by shutting down
all clients to the server, such as the PowerTool or iFIX.
• If the driver is currently running as a service, you must stop the process by shutting down all
clients to the server, and you must also perform these tasks on your operating system:
• Windows XP and Windows 2000 – from Control Panel, select Administrative Tools, then
select Services. A list of all services configured on the machine displays. Locate ABR Server.
If the status is Started, right click and Stop the server.
• Windows NT – from Control Panel, select the Services icon. A list of all services configured
on the machine displays. Locate ABR Server. If the status is Started, click the Stop button.
Once you stop the server from running, select the Process tab from the Task Manager and verify that
the ABRDRV.exe process is no longer listed.
ABRDrv REGSERVICE
The registration process now allows the user to specify a logon account. This provides
flexibility with the user’s choice of security settings.
The Logon Account for Running As A Service dialog box appears after the user enters the
command and clicks OK:
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This dialog box allows the user to select one of these accounts when registering the ABR
driver to run as a service:
• FixIOUser Account – uses the FixIOUser account to log on the I/O Server. This
conventional account uses a hard-coded password and has the necessary privileges to
log on as a service. You should not modify this account if one or more 7.x drivers
use this as the logon account when running the I/O Server as a service. If you do
modify this account, those drivers will not be able to start as a Windows service.
The FixIOUser account may not be created if it does not conform to your local IT
department’s security policies. If this account does not exist, you must select one of
the other two options.
NOTE: If you previously ran the I/O Server as a service without incident, you should
continue to run it using the FixIOUser account.
• System Account uses the local system account to log on the I/O Server. This pre-
defined account is useful when your local IT department’s security policy requires
password expiration.
• This Account – uses an account specified by the user to log on the I/O Server. This
account is useful if you need to specify a domain account. The account used here
must be an existing account with both Administrator and Logon as a Service
privileges to run the server as a service. To determine if the account has
Administrator privileges, refer to the manual provided with your operating system.
For example, to determine Administrator privileges in Windows 2000, select
Administrative Tools from Control panel, and then select Users and Passwords. Use
the Local Security Policy Setting tool to grant the account Logon as a Service
privilege.
NOTE: In earlier versions of the ABR driver, the I/O Server was automatically
logged on with the FixIOUser account. This logon was transparent to the user.
1. Start the Power Tool and make sure the Auto Start option is enabled. Refer to Starting the I/O
Driver from the Power Tool to learn how.
2. Configure DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model). Refer to How do I set up security
for using the I/O Server remotely? to learn more.
3. If your Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software is FIX or iFIX, start FIX or iFIX. When
either program runs, it will start the ABR Server as a service.
4. If your HMI is a third-party package, then complete the following steps instead:
a. Open the Services icon in Control Panel and change the ABR Server startup from
Manual to Automatic.
You can reset the server to be a regular server process again, by re-registering it as:
ABRDrv REGSERVER
NOTE: Before you register the I/O Server to run as a regular server, you must ensure that it is not
currently running.
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
When registering the server this way, it will run, perform the necessary registration work, and then
exit. You can then start the server by using more conventional methods such as starting FIX, starting
the Power Tool, or any client program capable of communicating with the server.
NOTE: You cannot display the ABR Server window using Alt + Shift + S when running as a service.
!Send:DataBlockName
Note that only datablock names are valid with the !Send control address. You cannot trigger block
writes using any of the following items:
• Channel and device names in place of a datablock name.
• Analog Output blocks in place of a Digital Output block.
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
By using this feature you can quickly determine which datablocks are properly configured in the
process hardware, saving you time troubleshooting your driver configuration.
NOTE: Validating the datablock does not ensure the file type specified is valid.
Example
For example, suppose you want to access integer data starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create
the datablocks for this range of values, click the Generate Datablocks button and complete the
following fields as shown:
Enter Start Address: N7:0
Enter Address Length: 500
When the Power Tool creates the datablocks to your configuration, it adds the following:
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ABR I/O Driver Manual
NOTE: This example assumes you are communicating on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network.
Under Ethernet, only one block would be generated because Ethernet allows up to 1000 words per
block.
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Setting up the I/O Driver
The following is a general overview of the steps necessary for setting up your I/O driver.
Stage Description
1. Know your process hardware
How will the driver communicate with the device? DH+? DH485? Ethernet?
ControLogix?
What addresses do you want to access and what data do you want to retrieve?
Configuring Channels
Configuring Devices
Configuring Datablocks
Supported Hardware
The ABR I/O driver works with many different types of process hardware. This hardware
communicates with an interface card installed in your SCADA server or through the server’s serial
port. Below we list the supported hardware and the types of interface cards that the ABR I/O driver can
directly communicate with.
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PLC 3
• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (Data Highway Plus (DH+) only).
SLC 5/03
SLC 5/04
• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
• Serial communication through an interface card or the computer’s built-in ports.
SLC 5/05
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• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
1756-GTWY ControLogix Gateway with a 1756 DHRIO module and a 1756 Lx processor in
the same chassis
• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
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• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
• KT interface cards.
• KTX and KTXD interface cards (DH+ only).
• Serial communication through an interface card or the computer’s built-in ports.
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1785-KA DH to DH+ converter for a PLC 5 that connects to the PLC’s chassis.
C Counter
D BCD
F Float
I Input
N Integer
S Status
T Timer
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B Binary
BT Block Transfer
C Counter
D BCD
F Float
MG Message Control
N Integer
PD PID Control
R Control
S Status
ST String
T Timer
C Counter
F Float
IS Internal Storage
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N Integer
PD PID Control
R Control
S Status
ST String
T Timer
B Binary
C Counter
N Integer
R Control
S Status
T Timer
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N Integer
R Control
S Status
T Timer
F Float
N Integer
Example
You want to create a datablock named DATABLOCK-C that starts at address N7:5 and has a length of
8.
To do this, enter N7:5 in the Starting Address field and 8 in the Address Length field. The Power Tool
automatically completes the Ending Address field with the value N7:12.
DATABLOCK-C reads the following addresses in the N7 file of the device:
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
You can also create multiple consecutive datablocks using the Generate Datablocks button on the
Configuration toolbar.
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Example
Suppose you want to create datablocks starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks
for this range of values, click the Generate Datablocks button and complete the following fields as
shown:
Enter Start Address: N7:0
Enter Address Length: 500
When the Power Tool creates the datablocks to your configuration, it adds the following:
NOTE: This example assumes you are communicating on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network.
Under Ethernet, only one block would be generated because Ethernet allows up to 1000 words per
block.
Valid addresses and address ranges supported by the ABR driver include:
• PLC 3 Addresses
• PLC 5 Addresses
• PLC 5/250 Addresses
• SLC 5/00, SLC 5/01, and SLC 5/02 Addresses
• SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05 Addresses
• MicroLogix PLC 1761-L10BWA Addresses
• MicroLogix PLC 1761-L20BWA-5A Addresses
• ControLogix 1756 Lx Processor Addresses
NOTE: ASCII writes are supported for A, ST, and N memory types only.
In most cases, when using a KT, KTX, KTXD, or KTC interface card, a datablock’s maximum length
varies depending on the file number or address specified, as the following tables show.
When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Less than 256 Less than 256 118
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When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Greater than 255 Less than 256 117
When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Less than 256 Less than 256 59
When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Less than 256 Less than 256 117
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Description
Address Range
Cards
Max. Length - KT
Cards
Max. Length - KTC
Interface Modules
Cards through
Max. Length - KT
Ethernet
Max. Length -
Offlinking
Max. Length -
Unsolicited
Max. Length -
Example
A3-A9999 ASCII 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 116 A12:250
B3-B9999 Binary 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 B3:100
D3-D9999 BCD 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 D44:3
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Number
Memory Type & File
Description
Address Range
Cards
Max. Length - KT
Cards
Max. Length - KTC
Interface Modules
Cards through
Max. Length - KT
Ethernet
Max. Length -
Offlinking
Max. Length -
Unsolicited
Max. Length -
Example
MG3- Message 0-9999 2 2 1 17 1 MG5:90
MG9999 Control
N3 - N9999 Integer 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 N7:300
*Values represent the maximum size in elements as configured in the PLC 5 Typed Write message
control block.
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* Consult your MicroLogix hardware manuals for any hardware limits on the address range.
* Consult your MicroLogix hardware manuals for any hardware limits on the address range.
Supported Mnemonics
The ABR driver supports the following mnemonics:
• Adapter Status
• Block Transfer
• Block Transfer Read and Block Transfer Write
• Control
• ControlNet Transfer
• Counter
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• Message Control
• PID
• String
• Timer
Counter Mnemonics
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PID Mnemonics
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Control Mnemonics
String Mnemonics
Timer Mnemonics
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Block Transfer Read and Block Transfer Write Mnemonics (PLC5/250 only)
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Required Software
Operating System
• Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or greater
• Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1 or greater
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or greater. If you are using Windows XP with Service Pack 2,
refer to the Support for Windows XP SP2 topic in your RSLinx 2.43 or greater online help. It
contains important information regarding the configuration of the Windows Firewall.
Rockwell Software
RSLinx version 2.10.118 through version Classic 2.50.00.20. Consult the requirements for your
operating system to determine the appropriate version. RSLinx requires an activation file. You can
determine if you have an activation file by starting the application and examining the title bar. If the
text RSLinx Lite appears in the title bar you need an activation file, DTL32.DLL. Contact Rockwell
Software at 440-646-7800 to obtain an activation file.
Rockwell programming software. This software is needed to configure the communication parameters
of your hardware, the memory types available to the ABR driver, and any ladder logic you require. For
more information on available programming software, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.
NOTE: Using a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software package is not required to use the ABR
driver. However, if you choose to use an HMI software package, select one of the following:
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Cabling
The network protocol used by your process hardware and your SCADA server determines the type of
cable you require. For example, if the hardware communicates using Ethernet, you need a standard
Ethernet cable.
However, if you plan to use Data Highway Plus (DH+), DH485, or ControlNet, refer to your process
hardware documentation to determine the type of cable you need. Likewise, when the SCADA server
communicates using its serial port to an interface module (such as, a 1770-KF2), refer to the sample
configurations described in this help system.
Use the following diagrams to help guide you as you connect and cable your hardware.
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Serial Connections
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Ethernet Connections
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ControlNet Connections
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1. Uninstall the previous version of the driver. Do not install the new version over the old
version.
3. Add the driver to the SCADA configuration and the Task list in the System Configuration
Utility (SCU) so that the driver automatically starts when you start FIX or iFIX
4. If you have no process database to import, use the Auto Create option to create datablocks
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automatically.
• If you have a process database to import and you want Database Builder to create
datablocks for you, you can configure the driver using the Auto Create option. Do
not import a CSV version of your old driver configuration. Create a new one with the
Power Tool.
• If you have a process database to import and you do not want Database Builder to
create datablocks for you automatically, you can create the datablocks with the
Power Tool. Typically, you create datablocks manually when your driver
configuration uses many different data types for the same file type. For example, if
you have unsigned data for N7:101 through N7:200 and signed data for N7:0 through
N7:100 and N7:201 through N7:300, you do not want to use the Auto Create option
because it creates datablocks with one data type, based on the selected datablock
defaults.
Typically, the process database resides in your Database path. The ABR configuration file
resides in the default file name path defined in the Power Tool.
2. Save the existing driver configuration file as a Text (*.csv) file. To do this:
b. Select Text Files (*.CSV) from the Save File as Type field.
The Power Tool saves the CSV file in the default file name path.
b. Select Export from the Database menu. If you are using FIX32, the exported
database resides in a *.GDB file in the \PDB directory. However, if you are using
iFIX, you can export the database to a CSV file. Regardless of the format, the
exported file resides in the \PDB directory.
4. Rename the existing filename.ABR and DEFAULT.ABR files residing in the default file
name path to filename.OLD and DEFAULT.OLD.
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3. If you are installing a new version from the Driver CD, click the Install Driver button, select
the ABR 7.x driver, and click the Install Now button. Follow the instructions on the screen
and when the installation completes, refer to After Upgrading.
However, if you downloaded a SIM from the GE Fanuc web site, extract your driver files to
the temporary directory:
a. If the downloaded file is a *.EXE file, copy it to the temporary directory, and double
click it to extract the files.
b. If this downloaded file is a *.ZIP file, run WinZip and extract the files to the
directory.
c. If you have individual driver files, copy them to your temporary directory.
4. Install the new version of the ABR driver from the temporary directory you created:
b. Click Next until prompted for the location of FIX or iFIX on your computer.
c. Verify that the location of FIX or iFIX is correct and click Next. Otherwise, enter the
correct location.
e. Enter the FIX node name of this computer as specified in the System Configuration
Utility (SCU).
f. Enter the name of the folder in the Windows Start menu that you want the ABR
driver to be placed in. By default, the ABR driver and its help file are placed in the
FIX or iFIX folder.
After upgrading:
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2. Enter the default configuration file name and verify the default path:
4. Select Text Files (*.CSV) from the List Files of Type field. The previously saved *.CSV file
should appear in the file list.
5. Double-click the CSV file to read your old configuration back into the Power Tool.
Once you import the OPC Server configuration, we recommend that you import your process database
as follows:
2. Start Database Builder and select Reload from the Database menu.
5. Select the *.GDB or *.CSV file that you saved before the upgrade. After the import is
complete, a window appears and tells you if there were any import errors. If there were they
will be described in a file named IMPORT.ERR. This file resides in the \PDB directory.
9. Select the local node and double-click the database you just saved.
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Sample Configurations
Disclaimer
Important Note: The sample configurations provided in this document are for informational purposes
only. GE Fanuc does not warrant the accuracy of the information and assumes no responsibility for
errors or omissions to the instructions provided.
GE Fanuc recommends that you contact the manufacturer of the hardware to answer any specific
questions or to clarify possible inconsistencies.
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1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the interface card.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct baud rate, memory address, device type, station
number, station name, interrupt level, and network type.
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Notice
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.
6. Add a device, select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC Type
field, and enter the device’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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Dial... Selects...
SW1 and Base address for channel 2.
SW2
SW3 and Base address for channel 1. Channel 1A communicates using DH+. Channel 1B
SW4 uses DH485.
Cabling
Use a 3-pin phoenix cable to connect the interface card to your process hardware on a DH+ network,
as the following figure shows.
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Use a 6-pin phoenix cable to connect the card to hardware on a DH485 network as shown below.
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MicroLogix Cabling
If you are connecting to MicroLogix hardware, use a 6-pin phoenix (DH485) cable to connect the card
to a 1761 NET AIC device. Next, use 1761-CBL-HM02 Series B cable to connect the 1761 NET AIC
to the MicroLogix processor. Refer to Configuring MicroLogix PLCs to learn how to configure
RSLinx and the ABR driver.
ControLogix Cabling
To connect ControLogix hardware to the interface card, refer to Communicating with a ControLogix
Gateway.
After cabling your hardware, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool to establish communication with
the interface card.
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the interface card.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct baud rate, memory address, device type, station
number, station name, interrupt level, and network type.
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.
6. Add a device and select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC
Type field.
7. Enter the address of the target device in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device • SLC-CH0/Micro/PanelView
for SLC devices
• PLC-CH0 for PLC 5
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Setting Value
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s station address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the serial port.
6. Add a device and select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC
Type field.
7. Enter the device’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
NOTE: You can establish half-duplex communication to a SLC processor with RSLinx. Set the RSLinx
driver’s protocol to half duplex and the station ID of the RSLinx driver and the SLC processor to 0.
Refer to the Allen-Bradley technical note number P845 for more information.
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Off = 0; On=1
Once the dip switches are set, configure RSLinx to establish a connection.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device 1770-KF2/1785-KE
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s station address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the 1785-KE module.
6. Add a device and select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC
Type field.
7. Enter the address of the SLC or PLC 5 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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Set the KF2’s dip switches as follows. You can access the switches through a door on the bottom on
the device.
Off = 0; On=1
Next, configure RSLinx to establish a connection.
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2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device 1770-KF2/1785-KE
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s station address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the KF2.
6. Add a device and select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC
Type field.
7. Enter the address of the SLC or PLC 5 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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Connecting the hardware and configure it is very similar to using a KF2 device alone. The main
difference is that SW7 on the KF2 is set as follows:
The 15-pin to 15-pin cable between the KF2 and the 1785-KA module has the following pin outs.
Once you connect the hardware, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device 1770-KF2/1785-KE
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Setting Value
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s station address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the KF2.
6. Add a device and select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC
Type field.
7. Enter the address of the PLC 5 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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Use the buttons and information on the bottom of the KF3 and configure the device as follows:
4 00 No parity
9 -- AC
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2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with the settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device 1770-KF3/1747-KE
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the KF3.
6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.
7. Enter the SLC’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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Once you have cabled the hardware together, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool.
Setting Value
Device 1770-KF3/1747-KE
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the converter.
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6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.
7. Enter the SLC’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
After cabling the hardware together, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool.
To configure RSLinx and the Power Tool for a 1761 NET AIC Converter
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the 1761 NET AIC Converter by selecting the
1747-PIC/AIC+ driver from RSLinx.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
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Setting Value
Device 1770-KF3/1747-KE
Station Number 00
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.
7. Enter the SLC’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
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When communicating to devices on DH+ network, the Resource Manager (RM) or a KA module in the
PLC 5/250 chassis establishes the connection between the DH+ devices and the SCADA server. Each
module communicates through Channel 2 or 3. You can configure each channel with programming
software.
When communicating directly to a module in the chassis, the Ethernet module handles communication.
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Use these figures to connect your hardware. Once you have connected the hardware together, use the
PLC’s programming software to configure its IP address. Be sure to ping the PLC to ensure the device
is communicating and that the IP address is configured correctly. Next, configure RSLinx and the ABR
Power Tool.
1. Start RSLinx and add an Ethernet driver to communicate with the controller.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct IP address to establish communication with
RSLinx.
4. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured to communicate with the controller.
PLC5/250 Routing The module and the channel (2 or 3) your DH+ network is
connected to.
Destination PLC Type The type of device you want to access through the PLC 5/250.
1. Start RSLinx and add an Ethernet driver to communicate with the controller.
4. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured to communicate with the controller. Typically,
this driver is AB_ETH1.
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7. Enter the module number you want to communicate with in the PLC 5/250 Module field.
8. Enter the IP address of the PLC 5/250 in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
Once you have connected the hardware together, use the PLC’s programming software to configure its
IP address. Be sure to ping the PLC to ensure the device is communicating and that the IP address is
configured correctly. Next, configure RSLinx and the ABR Power Tool.
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for an Ethernet connection to a PLC 5.
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5. Add a device and select your hardware from the PLC Type field.
6. Enter the device’s IP address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
The ABR 7.x driver supports unsolicited messages with offlinking addressing when communicating to a
ControLogix Gateway on an Ethernet network. The devices sending the unsolicited messages must be a
PLC5 or a PLC5/250 and must reside on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network. For more information
about receiving unsolicited messages from an offlinking address, refer to Offlinking with ControLogix
Gateways below.
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1785-KE Settings
SW3 110110 DH+ at 57.6 Kbaud, RS-232 at 9600 baud, remote mode.
123456
Off = 0; On=1
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SW2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Address 10
1
1212312
3
SW3 110110 DH+ at 57.6 Kbaud, RS-232 at 9600 baud, remote mode.
123456
Off = 0; On=1
With these bridged configurations, each of the source and destination bridges reside on their own DH+
networks and route read and write requests across the network bridges to the appropriate devices.
Next, start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the KTX or KTXD interface card. Configure the
RSLinx driver with the correct baud rate, memory address, device type, station number, station name,
interrupt level, and network type. This driver communicates with the first (source) 1785-KE device. It
cannot communicate with the second device.
2. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.
Source Bridge The address of the bridge device (network router) that transmits the
request to the destination bridge. In our example, this is 11.
Destination Bridge The address of the destination bridge. In our example, this is 10.
NOTE: The most significant bit of the Source Bridge address is ignored under DH+. As a result, the
largest address you can assign is 77 octal.
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Example
Using the following figure, connect your hardware. Use an E1 module with either an RM module or a
KA module. Connect the PLC 5/250 to your SCADA server with an Ethernet (10BaseT twisted pair)
cable. Connect your DH+ devices to the RM or KA module with a multi-drop network, 3-pin phoenix
connector cable.
Once you have connected the hardware together, use the PLC’s programming software to configure its
IP address. Be sure to ping the PLC to ensure the device is communicating and that the IP address is
configured correctly.
Next, assuming you want to access data from Link 3, shown below, configure RSLinx and the ABR
Power Tool.
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for an Ethernet connection to a PLC 5.
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Destination Address The address of the destination PLC. In our example, this is 40.
Destination PLC Type The type of device you want to access through the PLC 5/250. In our
example, this is PLC 5.
1. Add a channel and select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card in your
SCADA server.
Primary Channel Primary Address The address of the PLC 5 or PLC 5/250.
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Configure the PLC with the following settings using RSLogix 500 programming software:
DH485 baud rate 19200
DF1 baud rate 9600
DF 1 protocol Full duplex
To configure an RSLinx driver for a MicroLogix PLC and the Power Tool:
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the MicroLogix PLC by selecting the RS-232 DF1
Devices driver from RSLinx.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device SLC-CH0/Micro/PanelView
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured to communicate with the controller.
6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.
7. Enter the SLC’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
8. Add the datablocks you need. For a list of supported memory types, refer to MicroLogix
1761-L10BWA addresses and MicroLogix 1761-L20BWA-5A addresses.
NOTE: You can establish half-duplex communication to a MicroLogix PLC with RSLinx by connecting
the MicroLogix PLC directly to the SCADA server, setting the RSLinx driver’s protocol to half duplex,
and setting the station ID of the RSLinx driver and the MicroLogix processor to 0. Refer to the Allen-
Bradley technical note number P845 for more information.
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You can begin to establish the connection by programming your MicroLogix PLCs with RSLogix
5000 software as follows:
DH485 baud rate 19200
DF1 baud rate 19200
DF 1 protocol Full duplex
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4 00 No parity
9 -- AC
To configure an RSLinx driver for a MicroLogix PLC and the Power Tool:
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the serial port.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver by clicking the Auto Configure button. It should set up the
driver with settings similar to the following configuration:
Setting Value
Device 1770-KF3/1747/KE
Duplex Full
Stop Bits 1
Parity None
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured to communicate with the controller.
6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.
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7. Enter the SLC’s address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
8. Add the datablocks you need. For a list of supported memory types, refer to MicroLogix
1761-L10BWA addresses and MicroLogix 1761-L20BWA-5A addresses.
After cabling your hardware, configure RSLinx and the Power Tool to establish communication with
the interface card.
1. Start RSLinx and add an RSLinx driver for the interface card by selecting the 1784-
KT/KTX(D)/PKTX(D) driver from RSLinx.
2. Configure the RSLinx driver with the correct baud rate, memory address, device type, station
number, station name, interrupt level, and network type.
3. Expand the RSLinx tree browser and locate the device you want to communicate with. Note
the device’s address.
5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.
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6. Add a device and select SLC5 from the PLC Type field.
7. Enter the address of the PLC in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
However, if you want to communicate from an Ethernet network to a DH+ network, you can cable
your hardware as shown below.
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3. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.
Source Bridge The address of the first DHRIO module or your ENET module. In
our example, this is 21.
Primary Channel Primary The address of the PLC 5. In our example, this is 6.
Address
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NOTE: You should be able to communicate with the far end of the second DHRIO module by
expanding the RSLinx tree browser.
3. Select the RSLinx driver (AB_KT-1) that you configured for the interface card.
Source Bridge The address of the first DHRIO module or your ENET module. In our
example, this is 21.
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If you want to communicate from an Ethernet network to a 1756-L1 processor, you can connect your
SCADA server’s Ethernet port to an Ethernet hub and then connect the hub to a 1756-ENET module
residing in your ControLogix Gateway. Likewise, you can communicate from a ControlNet network to
a 1756-L1 processor by connecting a KTC interface card (installing in your SCADA server) to a 1756-
CNV module residing in your ControLogix Gateway.
The processor supports binary, integer, and float data types. You configure these data types in the
processor and then map them to a PLC 5 message format. This format allows the ABR driver to
process the device’s data.
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5. Select the RSLinx driver that you configured for the interface card.
Primary Channel Primary The address of the DHRIO, CNB, or ENET module. In our
Address example, this is 21.
Primary Slot The slot number of the destination controller. In our example, this
is 6.
7. Create datablocks for each mapped data array. Refer to 1756-L1 addresses for a list of
supported memory types you can use when creating datablocks.
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Using the Power Tool
Features
The Power Tool provides:
• The Template dialog box for specifying channel, device, and datablock defaults.
• The Setup dialog box for defining the default name and default path for configuration files.
• The Server Connection dialog box for connecting to a remote or local I/O Server.
• The Tree Browser for an overall view of your system configuration.
• A statistics mode for displaying the statistics of your I/O driver while it is running. Statistics are
provided for all levels: driver, channel, device, and datablock.
• A configuration mode for displaying and modifying driver, channel, device, and datablock
properties.
Access Methods
1. Select Programs.
2. Double-click your driver from the Configured I/O Drivers list box.
When you first start the Power Tool, the Server Connection dialog box appears. This dialog box lets
you choose the server that the Power Tool communicates with. You can choose either the local server
(on your computer) or a remote server (on the network).
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Once you choose a server, the I/O Driver Power Tool attempts to connect to it. If the connection is
successful, a message appears telling you that the connection is established. Then the main window of
the Power Tool appears. This window is comprised of:
• The Properties Viewer
• The menu bar
By default, the following additional components also appear:
• Tree Browser
• Main toolbar
• Configuration toolbar
• Run-time toolbar
• Status bar
You can show or hide any of the components by selecting a command from the View menu. You can
also customize the Power Tool’s appearance by dragging the toolbars or the Tree Browser to the
location you want. For example, you can make the toolbars or the Tree Browser float above the Power
Tool by dragging them to the center of the screen. Later, you can dock them or resize them, as needed.
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• Select an item in the Tree Browser and click the Configuration button in the Run-time toolbar.
• Select an item in the Tree Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar.
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When you select an item in the Tree Browser, the item’s properties display in the Properties Viewer.
You can choose to view the item's configuration or statistics properties by clicking buttons on the Run-
time toolbar.
When you add or modify channels, devices, or datablocks in the Power Tool or in FIX Database
Builder, changes are made immediately to the I/O Server. Changes you make to the driver
configuration while working with the I/O Driver Power Tool automatically display in the Tree
Browser. For changes from Database Builder to take effect, the Auto Create option must be enabled.
To view changes made from another client application (such as FIX Database Builder, another I/O
Driver Power Tool accessing the server, or a custom client application accessing the server), refresh
the Tree Browser display by selecting an item in the Tree Browser and pressing the F5 key.
You can collapse or expand the tree under an item by double-clicking it. You can also use the right
arrow key to expand an item and the left arrow key to collapse it.
Navigating through the Tree Browser can be done by selecting items with a mouse or by using the
keyboard. Use the up or left arrow keys to move up in the Tree Browser. Similarly, use the down or
right arrow keys to move down in the Tree Browser. You can also press a letter key to jump to the
nearest item that begins with that letter.
Connection lines show the relationship between channels, devices, and datablocks by displaying which
devices are on a channel and which datablocks belong to a device. The plus and minus buttons indicate
whether items are fully expanded or collapsed. The plus button shows the item is collapsed and the
minus buttons indicates that the item is expanded. For example, a channel with a plus sign next to it
means that there are devices and possibly datablocks configured on that channel.
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box, and menus you can use to configure the driver. The menu bar is displayed at the top of the screen.
The Power Tool has the following menus:
• File
• Edit
• View
• Display Mode
• Options
• Help
To choose a command:
• Open the command's menu and click the command name or press the command’s shortcut
keys. You can find the shortcut keys for a command next to the command on its pull-down
menu. For example, select the File menu and note that the shortcut key for the New command
is Ctrl + N.
Shortcut Description
Keys
The F5 key Refreshes the Tree Browser.
Alt + Shift + Opens and closes the server window when an item in the Tree Browser is selected.
S Use the server window for troubleshooting. When you are not debugging a problem,
leave the server window closed.
Example
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The Main toolbar buttons are shortcuts to some commonly-used menu items.
Icon Description
New –Creates a new I/O driver configuration file.
Save –Saves the current I/O driver configuration file. If the current configuration is new,
the Save As dialog box appears with fields for naming the file, selecting a path, and
choosing a file type.
The Run-time toolbar contains buttons that are shortcuts to dialog boxes for viewing driver
configurations and statistics.
Icon Description
Start – Starts the driver. Enabled only when the driver is not running.
Stop – Stops the driver. Enabled only when the driver is running.
Configuration – Displays the properties of the item selected in the Power Tool’s
browser. These properties appear in the Properties Viewer.
Statistics – Displays the statistics of the item selected in the Power Tool’s browser. The
statistics appear in the Properties Viewer and are read-only.
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Icon Description
Reset – Resets the statistics of the item currently selected in the Tree Browser. This
button is only accessible when the Power Tool is in Statistics mode. Click the Statistics
button, shown above to enable Statistics mode.
Template – Lets you enter defaults for the driver’s channels, devices, and datablocks.
Setup – Lets you select the statistics refresh rate, enter defaults for the I/O driver
configuration file name and path, and make advanced settings.
Data Scope – Displays the data scope for this server. Any objects that have the data
scope enabled send messages to the Data scope window.
To enable the data scope for an object
1. Right-click an object in the Tree Browser.
2. Select Datascope On from the pop-up menu that appears.
The Configuration toolbar buttons are shortcuts to the driver configuration dialog boxes.
Icon Description
Add Channel – Lets you add a new channel and define its properties.
Add Device – Lets you add a new device and define its properties.
Add Datablock – Lets you add a new datablock and define its properties.
Generate Datablocks – Creates multiple datablocks with a range of I/O addresses. For
example, you could create 10 datablocks with the addresses N7:0 to N7:9999.
Delete – Deletes the channel, device, or datablock currently selected in the Tree
Browser.
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• Set the default configuration file name and default path for the configuration file.
• Make advanced settings for your I/O driver.
IMPORTANT: The Power Tool reads the refresh rate whenever you switch into Statistics mode.
Consequently, if you change the refresh rate while in Statistics mode, your changes do not take effect
immediately. In order for the new refresh rate to take effect, you must switch into Configuration mode
and then back to Statistics mode.
Setting Defaults for I/O Driver Configuration File Name and Path
The default path for the configuration file is the same path where you installed the I/O Server. The
ABR driver requires you to specify the default path and file name when you automatically start the
driver.
To set the default configuration file name and change the default path:
3. Enter the configuration file’s default name and default path in the fields provided.
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NOTE: A configuration file named nodename.ABR is saved in the root iFIX directory when you install
the driver. If you are using FIX, the file resides in the Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). Do
not delete this file. FIX and iFIX use this file to load the driver.
If you subsequently change the name of your SCADA server after installing the ABR driver, FIX
cannot automatically start the driver because the name of the node does not match the name of the
configuration file. To correct this, rename the configuration file to match the name of your SCADA
server. For example, if you change the name of the SCADA server from SCADA1 to SCADA9,
rename the configuration file from SCADA1.ABR to SCADA9.ABR.
2. Select the Advanced tab. The Advanced fields display as shown below.
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3. Complete the Advanced fields by making selections for the following fields.
• You can display the ABR I/O Driver Server Connection dialog box and change the settings
at any time by clicking the ABR I/O Server button in the Power Tool's Run-time
toolbar.
1. Start the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool or click the Server button in the ABR I/O Driver Power
Tool.
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The Power Tool attempts to connect to the local server. If the connection is successful, the
Connection dialog displays the message Connection Established and then the main
window of the Power Tool displays. If the connection is not successful, the Connection dialog
boxes displays the message Connection Not Established and you receive the
following message:
Connection to the selected server has failed. Do you want to select another
server?
3. Click Yes if you want to try connecting to a remote server. If you cannot connect to the local
server, there is a problem with the server start-up. Refer to Using the Event Viewer for details
on how to display any errors that the server or RSLinx may have generated.
1. Start the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool or click the Server button in the ABR I/O Driver Power
Tool.
2. Select the Use Remote Server option and enter the remote machine name or TCP/IP address
in the Remote Machine Name or TCP/IP Address field.
You must enter the machine name or address exactly. If you do not know the exact machine
name, select it using the Network list box. If the connection is successful, the Connection
dialog displays the message Connection Established and then the main window of
the Power Tool displays. If the connection is not successful, the Connection dialog boxes
displays the message Connection Not Established and you receive the following
message:
Connection to the selected server has failed. Do you want to select another
server?
3. Click Yes, if you want to try another server. If you cannot connect to the machine that the
server is on, you may not have an account to that machine or your DCOM settings may be
incorrect. Refer to How do I Set up Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more
information.
Use the Show this Dialog on Startup check box, to select whether to display the ABR I/O Driver
Server dialog box every time you start the driver.
To set your I/O Driver Power Tool to connect automatically to the I/O Server on either
a local or remote machine:
1. From the Windows Explorer, open your FIX folder, typically C:\FIX32, and select
ABRDidw.exe.
2. Create a shortcut by right-clicking the mouse and selecting Create Shortcut from the menu
displayed.
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4. Right-click the mouse and select Properties from the menu displayed.
6. In the Target field, add one of the following command line parameters after ABRDidw.exe as
shown in the examples:
This setup suppresses the I/O Driver Server Connection dialog box on Power Tool start-up. This is a
good practice if you plan to always use the same server on the same computer.
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Configuring Channels, Devices, and
Datablocks
Creating Datablocks from If you are using FIX for process control and you know:
FIX Database Builder
• The names of the devices you want the driver to access.
• The registers and addresses in the devices that you want to
access.
Using a Visual Basic Client If you are using a custom automation application built with a
Application scripting language such as Visual Basic to configure the driver and
access data.
1. Click the Add Channel button on the Configuration toolbar to add a channel to the Tree
Browser.
2. Select the RSLinx driver that you want to use to communicate with the devices on the current
channel.
4. Select the type of hardware you want to communicate with from the PLC Type field and enter
an address in the Primary Channel Primary Address field.
6. Add channels, devices, and datablocks as needed. If you need to create multiple datablocks
with a range of I/O addresses, click the Generate Datablocks button and enter the address
range you want for the datablocks you require.
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1. Select a channel, device, or datablock from the Tree Browser. The fields for the selected item
appear in the Properties Viewer.
Channels
1. Click the Add Channel button on the Configuration toolbar. The new channel appears in the
Tree Browser and the fields for entering channel properties appear in the Properties Viewer.
2. Enter the properties for the new channel. Edits to a field do not take effect until you remove
the focus (the cursor) from the field.
3. Select the Enable check box to enable communication for the new channel.
1. Select the channel you want to modify from the Tree Browser.
2. Edit the channel’s fields as needed. If the Enable check box is selected, the new channel
settings take effect immediately once you remove focus (the cursor) from the current field.
Typically, messages from the process hardware are responses to requests from the ABR driver.
However, certain process hardware can send data messages to the ABR driver. These messages are not
requested by the ABR driver and are called unsolicited messages.
The ABR driver supports the following types of unsolicited messages:
• PLC 2 Unprotected Write.
• PLC 5 Typed Write.
• Typed Write from a PLC 5/250.
An unsolicited message occurs when the source PLC sends a write command to the ABR driver.
Typically, the PLC sends this command when it transmits data to the ABR driver without the driver
generating a request for the data.
When the ABR driver receives an unsolicited message, it must have allocated space to store the
transmitted data. For PLC 2 unprotected writes, the driver allocates this space when you create a
datablock of type UN. Consequently, by creating datablocks with this data type in your driver
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configuration, you enable the driver to allocate memory and store PLC 2 unprotected writes.
For PLC 5 typed writes or typed writes from a PLC 5/250, creating UN datablocks is not necessary
because the driver can use the datablocks you create for a PLC 5 or a PLC 5/250 to read data from the
hardware or accept writes from the hardware. For example, assume you create a datablock for a PLC 5
with the address N7:1 and a length of 50. This datablock can be used to receive unsolicited messages
or poll the hardware for data.
The datablocks you create to receive unsolicited messages must be big enough to hold the largest
possible message. If the datablocks are not big enough, the driver attempts to extend the target
datablock to accommodate the incoming data. However, if there is another datablock using the
addresses required by the target datablock, the driver cannot resize it to store the message and marks
the message as bad.
Example
Datablock B N7:51 50
In this configuration, the driver can store unsolicited messages for Datablock A that are up to 50 words
long. If the driver receives a message that is 75 words long, the message is marked as bad since
Datablock A cannot be resized.
However, if Datablock B receives an unsolicited message that is 75 words long, the driver resizes the
datablock to accommodate the data.
Creating datablocks with the correct data type and length by itself does not allow the driver to receive
unsolicited messages. You must also select the Receive Unsolicited Messages check box for the
datablock’s channel. This check box enables the channel to receive unsolicited messages. When you
clear the check box, the channel ignores unsolicited messages.
I and O information in a PLC 5/250 is global to the entire rack. Consequently, Typed Write messages
from a PLC 5/250 containing I or O information does not contain any data regarding the module that
sent it.
When the ABR 7.x driver parses the message, it uses the station number to identify the message source
and ignores the module number. Now consider the following driver configuration:
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Using this configuration, when the driver receives an unsolicited message from station 199.103.251.49
containing information from I:0, it traverses the device list on the channel looking for a device that
matches the source station address. The first device found is Device0; however, Device0 is disabled
and cannot accept any unsolicited messages.
Next, the driver finds Device1 in the list. This device is enabled and its station address matches the
source address of the unsolicited message. Consequently, the driver examines Device1’s datablock list
and finds Block1. Since the datablock is enabled, the driver does the following:
1. The driver examines the start address and the size of the block. The datablock starts at I:0 for
a length of 100 elements.
2. The driver accepts the data from the unsolicited message because the message contains 50
elements and can be stored in Block1. If the message contained 200 elements, the driver
would continue searching the datablock list because Block1 cannot store the unsolicited
message. Upon examining Block2, the driver would then accept the data because this
datablock can store the message’s data. However, if no match was found, the driver would
ignore the incoming message and send text to the Server window to indicate the unsolicited
message was ignored.
3. The driver places the data from the unsolicited message in the read area for Block1 and sets
the data quality to GOOD.
Notice that once the driver finds a valid device and datablocks, it does not continue searching for any
additional matching device/datablock pairs. In addition, even though Device2 is enabled and it’s
station address matches the source address of the incoming message, and Block2 can hold the data
from the unsolicited message, the driver does not update Block2 with the data because a match for the
received message has already been found.
NOTES: Unsolicited messages are supported on the local link (network). Messages from remote links
(offlinking addresses) are supported when communicating to a ControLogix Gateway on an Ethernet
network. The devices sending the unsolicited messages must be a PLC5 or a PLC5/250 and must
reside on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network. Refer to Offlinking to Remote Devices for more
information.
Only one channel for a given RSLinx driver can receive unsolicited messages. If you configure two
channels for an RSLinx driver, only the last channel configured receives the messages.
Setting Channel Timing Properties: Reply Timeout, Retry, and Delay Time
Reply Timeout, Retries, and Delay Time are timing properties of the driver and are set for each
channel.
The timing sequence is as follows:
1. The I/O driver sends a message to the process hardware and waits the length of time specified
in the Reply Timeout field for a response.
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2. If the process hardware does not respond, the driver re-sends the message for the number of
times specified in the Retries field.
3. The driver marks the datablock as failed after all retries have been sent and the device has not
responded.
a. If a back-up channel is specified, the driver uses the Failover Logic field to
determine the device to switch to. For example, if Channel First is selected, the
driver switches to the primary device on the back-up channel, waits the length of
time specified in the Delay Time field, and sends the message to the datablock on the
back-up channel. The message is sent once. If the primary device on the back-up
channel does not respond, the driver switches to the back-up device on the back-up
channel and the message is sent again. If the back-up device on the back-up channel
does not respond, the driver switches to the back-up device on the primary channel,
waits the delay time, and the message is sent again. If this device does not respond,
the driver switches back the primary device on the primary channel and the cycle
repeats.
b. If a back-up channel is not specified, the driver waits the delay time and switches to
the back-up device specified in the Primary Channel Backup Address field. The
message is sent once. If the back-up device does not respond, the driver switches
back to the primary device on the primary channel, waits the delay time, and sends
the message again. This cycle repeats until one of the devices responds.
c. If a back-up channel and a back-up device on the primary channel are not specified,
the driver waits the delay time and re-initiates the polling process with the primary
device on the primary channel.
4. The device may have multiple datablocks. In this situation, the driver uses its Quick Fail logic
and only performs one cycle through the Timeout, Retries, and Delay process for the
messages currently in the Read queue. It then marks the datablock and all subsequent
datablocks on that device as failed and moves on to the next device. The next time the driver
attempts to send the message to the failed device, it ignores the Retries and only makes one
attempt. If the attempt is successful, the driver recovers all datablocks on the device and
marks them ready for messages.
By using Quick Fail, the driver saves time and bypasses the problem device, thereby
increasing its efficiency.
NOTE: RSLinx can communicate with only the first Ethernet interface card you configure. It provides
no support for selecting and establishing communication with multiple Ethernet cards. Consequently,
should the first Ethernet interface card fail, RSLinx cannot failover to another Ethernet card. As a
result, you cannot failover from one Ethernet device to another Ethernet device with the ABR driver.
Example
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The driver attempts to send a message to the process hardware. After 5 seconds, the device still has not
responded so the driver re-sends the message.
The driver tries to send the message 6 times (the first time and then the 5 retries) with 5-second
intervals between each attempt.
Each attempt fails; consequently, the driver marks the device as failed. If the driver has messages for
other datablocks on the same device, it sends them only once without retries.
The driver waits 5 minutes before attempting to re-establish communication with the failed device.
Devices
1. From the Tree Browser, select the channel you want to add the device to.
2. Click the Add Device button on the Configuration toolbar. The new device appears in the
Tree Browser and the fields for entering device properties appear in the Properties Viewer.
3. Enter the properties for the new device. Edits to a field do not take effect until you remove the
focus (the cursor) from the field.
4. Select the Enable check box to enable communication for the new device.
1. Select the device you want to modify from the Tree Browser.
2. Edit the device’s fields as needed. The device updates automatically once you remove the
focus (the cursor) from the current field.
Datablocks
1. From the Tree Browser, select the device you want to add a datablock to.
2. Click the Add Datablock button on the Configuration toolbar. The new datablock appears in
the Tree Browser and the fields for entering datablock properties appear in the Properties
Viewer.
3. Enter the properties for the new datablock. Edits to a field do not take effect until you remove
the focus (the cursor) from the field.
4. Select the Enable check box to enable communication for the new datablock.
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1. Select the datablock you want to modify from the Tree Browser.
2. Edit the datablock’s fields as needed. If the Enable check box is selected, your changes take
effect as soon as you remove focus from the field.
2. Enter the starting address for the datablocks you want to create in the Enter Start Address
field.
3. Enter the total length for all the datablocks you want to create in the Enter Address Length
field.
4. Select the Enable Generated Datablocks check box to enable the generated datablocks. The
Power Tool creates as many datablocks as needed.
Example
Suppose you want to create datablocks starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks
for this range of values, complete the following fields as shown:
Enter Start Address: N7:0
Enter Address Length: 500
When the Power Tool creates the datablocks to your configuration, it adds the following:
NOTE: This example assumes you are communicating on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network.
Under Ethernet, only one block would be generated because Ethernet allows up to 1000 words per
block.
The ABR driver examines your configuration for possible errors when you enable a back-up channel
and device. If the primary and back-up device do not use the same network protocol, the maximum
length of the datablocks you can create is limited by whichever protocol is more restrictive. For
example, if the primary device uses Ethernet and the back-up device use Data Highway Plus (DH+)
you can only create datablocks with a length of 118 words because this is the maximum size allowed
under DH+.
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The Starting Address, Ending Address, and Address Length fields define the memory location in the
device that the datablock represents.
You must always enter a starting address. This is the point in the device that the datablock starts from.
You can then enter either an ending address or an address length to complete the entire block.
Example
You want to create a datablock named DATABLOCK-C that starts at address N7:5 and has a length of
8.
To do this, enter N7:5 in the Starting Address field and 8 in the Address Length field. The Power Tool
automatically completes the Ending Address field with the value N7:12.
DATABLOCK-C reads the following addresses in the N7 file of the device:
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
You can also create multiple consecutive datablocks using the Generate Datablocks button on the
Configuration toolbar.
Example
Suppose you want to create datablocks starting at N7:0 and ending at N7:499. To create the datablocks
for this range of values, click the Generate Datablocks button and complete the following fields as
shown:
Enter Start Address: N7:0
Enter Address Length: 500
When the Power Tool creates the datablocks to your configuration, it adds the following:
NOTE: This example assumes you are communicating on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network.
Under Ethernet, only one block would be generated because Ethernet allows up to 1000 words per
block.
Valid addresses and address ranges supported by the ABR driver include:
• PLC 3 Addresses
• PLC 5 Addresses
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In most cases, when using a KT, KTX, KTXD, or KTC interface card, a datablock’s maximum length
varies depending on the file number or address specified, as the following tables show.
When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Less than 256 Less than 256 118
When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Less than 256 Less than 256 59
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Maximum Datablock Lengths for Binary, Internal Storage, Output, Input, Integer, String,
Block Transfer Data, and Unsolicited File Types (PLC 5/250 only)
When the file number is... And the starting address is... The maximum length is...
Less than 256 Less than 256 117
Description
Address Range
Cards
Max. Length - KT
Cards
Max. Length - KTC
Interface Modules
Cards through
Max. Length - KT
Ethernet
Max. Length -
Offlinking
Max. Length -
Messages*
Unsolicited
Max. Length for
Example
A3- ASCII 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 116 A12:250
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File Number
Memory Type &
Description
Address Range
Cards
Max. Length - KT
Cards
Max. Length - KTC
Interface Modules
Cards through
Max. Length - KT
Ethernet
Max. Length -
Offlinking
Max. Length -
Messages*
Unsolicited
Max. Length for
Example
A9999
B3- Binary 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 B3:100
B9999
D3- BCD 0-9999 Varies Varies 112 1000 118 114 D44:3
D9999
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File Number
Memory Type &
Description
Address Range
Cards
Max. Length - KT
Cards
Max. Length - KTC
Interface Modules
Cards through
Max. Length - KT
Ethernet
Max. Length -
Offlinking
Max. Length -
Messages*
Unsolicited
Max. Length for
Example
UN Unsolicited 0- N/A 2000 112 2000 118 114 UN:0
23417
Octal
*Values represent the maximum size in elements as configured in the PLC 5 Typed Write message
control block.
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* Consult your MicroLogix hardware manuals for any hardware limits on the address range.
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* Consult your MicroLogix hardware manuals for any hardware limits on the address range.
The Primary Rate, Secondary Rate, Phase, and Access Time fields determine the timing of the driver's
polling process. Polling is the process of sending or receiving messages between the driver and a
specific datablock. The timing sequence works as follows:
1. The driver polls the datablock at the specified primary poll rate. For example, if you enter 2
seconds in the Primary Rate field, the driver polls for data every 2 seconds.
2. The process control software no longer requests data from the datablock. The driver continues
polling at the primary poll rate until the access time expires.
a. If the process control software makes a request on the same datablock before the
access time expires, the access time resets and the driver continues polling at the
primary poll rate.
b. If the access time expires, the driver starts polling the datablock at the secondary poll
rate. To maximize the efficiency of the driver, specify a secondary poll rate that is
longer than the primary poll rate. This configuration ensures that the driver polls the
datablock at a slower rate when there are no requests.
c. If the process control software stops its request, the access time expires, and you do
not specify a secondary poll rate, the driver stops polling the datablock.
d. When the process control software requests data from the datablock again, the access
time resets and the driver polls at the primary poll rate.
Refer to Using Primary and Secondary Poll Rates with Access Time for examples of primary and
secondary poll rates with access times.
Typically, you phase datablocks when you are collecting information from many points on a single
device. Phasing means staggering the first time at which the driver polls its datablocks. When the
phase time expires, the driver resumes reading its datablocks at the specified primary or secondary poll
rate. Refer to Using Phasing with Poll Rates for an example of phasing datablocks.
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Below practical examples for combining your primary poll rates, secondary poll rates, and access times
are provided to help you configure your datablocks.
Example 1
PollRec1
Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds
Secondary Poll Rate = Disabled
Access Time = 5 minutes
In this datablock, when the access time expires, the driver attempts to poll with the secondary poll rate
then stops because this poll rate is disabled.
Example 2
PollRec2
Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds
Secondary Poll Rate = 1 minute
Access Time = 5 minutes
In PollRec2, when the access time expires, the driver switches to the secondary poll rate and then polls
the datablock every minute.
Example 3
PollRec3
Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds
Secondary Poll Rate = Disabled
Access Time = Disabled
The driver always polls PollRec3 at 10 seconds with this configuration because the access time is
disabled.
Example 4
PollRec4
Primary Poll Rate = Disabled
Secondary Poll Rate = Disabled
Access Time = Disabled
The driver does not read messages from PollRec4 on the device. This is the configuration for a write-
only datablock.
Below a practical example for phasing the primary poll rate is provided to help you configure your
datablocks.
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In situations where the mode of transmission is slow, such as serial communication to a SLC 5, we
recommend phasing one or more datablocks to prevent overruns. Overruns can occur when the driver
attempts to process (read data from) more datablocks at one time than it can handle. By using phasing,
you can stagger when the driver processes a datablock.
Example
Datablock1 10 1
Datablock2 10 2
Datablock3 10 3
Datablock4 10 4
Datablock5 10 5
Datablock6 10 6
Datablock7 10 7
Datablock8 10 8
Datablock9 10 9
The driver processes the first datablock immediately after starting up. Each subsequent datablock
message is processed one second later instead of all at once.
NOTE: When transmission errors, retries, or other errors occur, the phasing you set may not remain
consistent. You may have to stop and restart the driver.
You can enter defaults for driver, channel, device, and datablock properties by clicking the Templates
button, , in the Run-time toolbar and displaying the Templates dialog box.
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Example
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1. Select Add from the Blocks menu in the FIX Database Builder to add a database block.
Database Builder prompts you to select the type of database block.
2. Select the type of block and click OK. The block's dialog box appears as shown below.
4. Complete the driver fields with the appropriate information for your driver.
Refer to the following topics for valid entries for each field:
• Specifying I/O Drivers in the Device Field
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Where:
Parameter Description
DEVICE_NAME Is the name of the field device or process hardware that you want to collect data
from. This name must match the device name in the driver configuration file.
ADDRESS Is a register in the device. This address matches the address defined by a datablock,
such as N7:3.
BIT Is a specific digital point in the register. This entry is only necessary for digital
database blocks. The driver accepts bit entries of 0 to 15. For a PLC 3, bits values
range from 0 to 7 and 10 to 17.
MNEMONIC Is a particular field in a data structure. Each mnemonic may return an analog or
digital value and is analog and digital sensitive. For example, if you use the
following syntax for an analog block:
Device1:PD13:1.INI
FIX returns an error message since INI is a digital mnemonic. To display a list of
mnemonics, refer to Supported Mnemonics.
If you enter an I/O address that is not defined by a datablock, the driver performs one of the following
operations if you enabled the Auto Create option:
• Adds the datablock to the specified device, or
• Extends an existing datablock to include the new address.
If you have not enabled the Auto Create option:
• Database Builder prompts you to start the Power Tool so that you can add the nonexistent
datablock to your driver configuration. You can then continue configuring the database block.
NOTE: You are also prompted to start the Power Tool whenever you enter the name of an undefined
device.
The driver optimizes the building of datablocks by automatically determining whether to extend an
existing datablock or add a new one. If you want to modify the datablock default values, open the ABR
I/O Driver Power Tool and make the changes to the configuration file.
You can enter the following special addresses into the I/O Address field of a Digital Output or Analog
Output block to perform certain events:
!SWITCH:NAME
!MODE:NAME
!POLL:NAME
!SEND:DATABLOCK
!START
Where NAME is the name of the channel, device, or datablock you want to perform the event on.
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Command Description
!SWITCH Triggers the failover logic by switching to a back-up device when any value is
written to a Digital Output or Analog Output block. For the order in which the driver
switches among your devices, refer to the Failover Logic field.
!MODE Enables polling to the channel, device, or datablock specified when a value of 1 is
written to a Digital Output block (Analog Output blocks are not supported).
Disabling a specified object occurs when a value of 0 is written to a Digital Output
block.
!SEND Sends a special command to the specified datablock when any value is written to a
Digital Output block. The command is sent only if the Block Writes option is
enabled in the datablock. The command instructs the driver to send all outstanding
writes in a single message to the process hardware.
When the driver sends its outstanding writes, it also sends any unmodified values in
the datablocks that are changing using the last known value. Consequently, we
recommend relatively short poll times for datablocks you are writing to so that the
driver will have the most up-to-date data.
The ABR driver supports block writes with the following file types: A, B, D, O, N,
L, and F. On a PLC5/250, the driver also supports blocks writes for BTD file types.
You cannot use an Analog Output block to trigger block writes.
!START Starts the driver when a value of 1 is written to a Digital Output block (Analog
Output blocks are not supported). To stop the driver, write a value of 0 to a Digital
Output block.
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Unsigned data types support many types of signal conditioning; signed values only support LIN signal
conditioning. The type of signal conditioning you select must match the range of incoming values from
the process hardware. By matching the range of values in the process hardware, you ensure the driver
can properly convert the raw data values to the database block’s EGU range. For example, if the
incoming values are between 0 and 255, you would select 8BN signal conditioning.
When 3BCD or 4BCD signal conditioning is used, out of range values are not displayed. For example,
if a database block using 3BCD signal conditioning receives a value of 1000, an OVER range alarm is
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generated and question marks are displayed instead of the out of range value.
When accessing file type D, the signal conditioning is assumed to be 4BCD with no scaling. Entries in
the Signal Conditioning and Engineering Units fields are ignored.
Signal conditioning is supported for Timer and Counter mnemonics ACC and PRE. These are the only
structured memory types that the ABR driver supports with signal conditioning.
To open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool from FIX Database Builder:
• Select ABR from the Drivers menu. Any devices or datablocks that you added appear in the
Tree Browser.
1. Open the ABR Power Tool and select an item in the Tree Browser.
Example
If you enter the following in the FIX Database Builder driver-specific fields:
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And the default settings for datablocks entered in Power Tool's Templates dialog box are:
Press the F5 key to refresh the Tree Browser, and the Tree Browser displays:
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Use the following I/O driver-specific fields in FIX Database Builder to set up the driver:
• Device
• Hardware Options
• I/O Address
• Signal Conditioning
• Save the configuration file in the Power Tool at any time while FIX is running by clicking the
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Save button.
• Let the datablock automatically add to the configuration file when you shut down FIX by
clicking an item in the Tree Browser and pressing Alt + Shift + S. When the Server window
appears select Save on FIX Exit from the Server menu.
Making Reports
Channel Contains a list of all the channel properties. The channel header must start with an
Header exclamation point (!).
Channel Contains the values of the channel properties for your driver configuration. The
Data number of data values must match the number of channel properties listed in the
channel header. If you do not specify a value for a property, it uses the default value
for that property.
Device Contains a list of all the device properties. The device header must start with an at-
Header sign (@).
Device Data Contains the values of the device properties for your driver configuration. The
number of data values must match the number of device properties listed in the
device header. If you do not specify a value for a property, it uses the default value
for that property.
Datablock Contains a list of all the datablock properties. The datablock header must start with a
Header pound sign (#).
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.CSV Example
File
Section
Report [ I/O Driver Configuration Report, Wednesday May 14 1999, 11:26 AM]
Header
Channel !Name,Description,Enabled,PrimaryRSLinxDriverName,PrimaryReceiveUnsolicited,
BackupRSLinxDriverName,BackupReceiveUnsolicited,SwitchOverMethod,PrimaryReplyTimeout,
Header PrimaryRetries,PrimaryDelay,BackupReplyTimeout,BackupRetries,BackupDelay
Device @Channel,Name,Description,PlcType,PyramidIntegratorSlot,PyramidIntegratorRouting,
PyramidIntegratorDestPlcType,PrimaryChannelPrimaryStation,PrimaryChannelBackupStation,
Header BackupChannelPrimaryStation,BackupChannelBackupStation,Enabled,PrimaryRoutingOption,
BackupRoutingOption,DestinationBridge,SourceBridge,PrimaryGatewayDestinationLink,
PrimaryGatewayChannel,PrimaryGatewaySlot,PrimaryGatewayPath,BackupGatewayDestinationLink,
BackupGatewayChannel,BackupGatewaySlot,BackupGatewayPath,OutstandingMessagesMax
Datablock #Device,Name,Description,StartAddress,Length,PrimaryPollTime,SecondaryPollTime,
Phase,AccessTime,DeadBand,Enabled,LatchData,OutputDisabled,DataType
Header
Datablock Device2,Block13,,N7:0,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Data Device2,Block14,,N7:50,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Device2,Block15,,N7:100,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Device2,Block16,,N7:150,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Device2,Block17,,N7:200,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Device2,Block18,,N7:250,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Device2,Block19,,N7:300,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
Device2,Block20,,N7:350,1,00,01,00,01:00:00,1,1,0,0,2
You can import a .CSV file from the Power Tool or the I/O Server. Regardless of the method you
select, any errors in the .CSV file appear in the I/O Server window when you import it. To view the
errors, click an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S.
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Running the I/O Driver
Viewing Statistics
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To start the I/O driver from the I/O Driver Power Tool:
1. Specify a default path and configuration file name for the driver:
c. Enter the configuration file’s default name and default path in the fields provided.
2. Configure your channels, devices, and datablocks. Click the Enable check box for each
channel, device, and datablock you want to start.
3. Click the Start button from the Run-time toolbar. The driver processes all enabled
channels, devices, and datablocks.
If you want to start the driver automatically, you should also turn on the Auto Start option:
3. Click the Auto Start On option button from the Server area.
3. Click the ? button next to the I/O Driver Name field for a list of available drivers.
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5. Click Add.
6. Click Configure.
NOTE: You must have an ABR configuration file in your root iFIX directory with a name of
nodename.ABR. This file is necessary for iFIX to load the driver and is created by the installation
program when you install the ABR driver. You also need a configuration file with a different name that
defines your channels, devices, and datablocks.
If you are using FIX, nodename.ABR resides in your Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). Do
not delete this file. FIX uses this file to load the driver. Use nodename.ABR to define your channels,
devices, and datablocks.
Parameter Description
/A Starts all I/O drivers identified in the SCADA configuration.
/Sxxx Starts one I/O driver where xxx is the three-letter I/O driver acronym.
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If you are connecting datablocks to one or more database blocks and need to access data with SAC,
add the ABR I/O driver to the SCADA Configuration dialog box, as follows:
3. Select the ABR driver from the dialog box and click OK. The following text appears in the
I/O Driver Name field:
4. Click Add to add the selected I/O driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list box.
NOTE: You must have an ABR configuration file in your root iFIX directory with a name of
nodename.ABR. This file is necessary for iFIX to load the driver and is created by the installation
program when you install the ABR driver. You also need a configuration file with a different name that
defines your channels, devices, and datablocks.
If you are using FIX, nodename.ABR resides in your Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). Do
not delete this file. FIX uses this file to load the driver. Use nodename.ABR to define your channels,
devices, and datablocks.
If you change the name of your SCADA server after installing the ABR driver, FIX cannot
automatically start the driver because the name of the node does not match the name of the
configuration file. To correct this, rename the configuration file to match the name of your SCADA
server. For example, if you change the name of the SCADA server from SCADA1 to SCADA9, rename
the configuration file from SCADA1.ABR to SCADA9.ABR.
2. Click the I/O Control tab. This tab displays a list of each driver installed on your system,
along with the driver’s status (ACTIVE or STOPPED).
3. Select the driver you want to start from the Drivers list box.
4. Click Start. If the selected I/O driver is already running, the Start button becomes a Stop
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button.
NOTE: You must have an ABR configuration file in your root iFIX directory with a name of
nodename.ABR. This file is necessary for iFIX to load the driver and is created by the installation
program when you install the ABR driver. You also need a configuration file with a different name that
defines your channels, devices, and datablocks.
If you are using FIX, nodename.ABR resides in your Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). Do
not delete this file. FIX uses this file to load the driver. Use nodename.ABR to define your channels,
devices, and datablocks.
2. Click the I/O Control tab. This tab displays a list of each driver installed on your computer,
along with the driver’s status (ACTIVE or STOPPED).
3. Select the driver you want to stop from the Drivers list box.
4. Click Stop.
To stop the I/O driver from the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool:
1. Open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool. Refer to Opening the Power Tool from FIX Database
Builder to learn how.
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To add the ABR I/O driver to a SCADA configuration and launch the ABR I/O Driver
Power Tool:
3. Click the question mark (?) next to the I/O Driver Name field. A list of drivers installed on the
local node appears.
4. Select the ABR I/O driver and click Add. The ABR I/O driver adds to the Configured I/O
Drivers list.
NOTE: When you start the ABR driver, it automatically starts RSLinx for you. If you have not
configured RSLinx, do so now before you proceed. For more information on configuring RSLinx, refer
to your RSLinx documentation.
1. With the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool open, click the Add Channel button from the
Configuration toolbar.
3. Select the channel that you added from the Tree Browser, and select the Add Device button
from the Configuration toolbar.
5. Enter an address for the device in the Primary Channel Primary Address field. If you selected
a Data Highway Plus (DH+) or DH485 RSLinx driver, enter a DH+ station number. If you
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To add a link that accesses the configured device from FIX Draw:
1. From the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool, click the Setup button in the Run-time toolbar.
2. Click the Advanced tab and select Auto Create On from the Server area.
4. If the Toolbox does not appear on your screen, select Toolbox from the Tools menu.
7. Enter a tagname.
8. Select Allow Data Entry in the Data Entry area of the dialog box. When the Choose Data
Entry method dialog box appears, click OK.
10. Click OK. A message box appears stating that the tagname does not exist and prompting you
to add it.
Where TESTPOINT is the device name you entered in the Power Tool, and N7:15 is the
register in the device that you want to access for the tag.
15. Select OK. Database Builder automatically adds a datablock for the address N7:15.
17. Data from the hardware appears in the link. If it does not, refer to the Troubleshooting section.
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Optimizing the Driver
Example
The following example assumes that the communication protocol of the selected RSLinx driver has a
limit of 120 registers per datablock, and the ABR driver configuration has not been loaded.
Once this tag is added, the driver configuration has a datablock (we will call it DataBlock1 in
this example) with a start address of N7:130, an end address of N7:130, and a length of 1.
When this tag is added, the driver configuration has another datablock (we will call it
DataBlock2 in this example) with a start address of N7:5, end address of N7:5, and a length of
1.
When this tag is added, DataBlock2 in the driver configuration starts at register N7:5, ends at
register N7:120, and has a length of 116.
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This behavior may not have a major impact on small configurations; however, for large configurations,
it is more efficient to extend DataBlock1 to start at N7:120 and end at N7:130 and change DataBlock2
to start at N7:5 and end at N7:5 because the first scenario generates the following messages:
In both cases, the same three registers of data are polled. However, by requesting smaller groups of
contiguous data, as in the second scenario, the driver configuration uses less bandwidth.
You should periodically start the I/O Driver Power Tool, examine the driver configuration datablock
address properties, and modify them for optimization.
1. With FIX running, open Mission Control, click the SAC tab, and click Stop, to stop SAC.
2. Open the I/O Driver Power Tool and delete all the datablocks. Do not delete the channels and
devices.
3. Return to Mission Control and the SAC tab. Click Start. The driver automatically adds the
necessary datablocks with the default settings defined in the Power Tool.
This procedure guarantees that the I/O driver configuration in the Power Tool matches what you are
accessing in your FIX database.
If you made specific modifications to one or more datablocks, such as a different poll rate for each
datablock on a device, use the following procedure.
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3. Compare the export file to the new configuration. Note any differences.
5. Import the modified export file and save it as a driver configuration file.
Example 1
PollRec1
Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds
Secondary Poll Rate = Disabled
Access Time = 5 minutes
In this datablock, when the access time expires, the driver attempts to poll with the secondary poll rate
then stops because this poll rate is disabled.
Example 2
PollRec2
Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds
Secondary Poll Rate = 1 minute
Access Time = 5 minutes
In PollRec2, when the access time expires, the driver switches to the secondary poll rate and then polls
the datablock every minute.
Example 3
PollRec3
Primary Poll Rate = 10 seconds
Secondary Poll Rate = Disabled
Access Time = Disabled
The driver always polls PollRec3 at 10 seconds with this configuration because the access time is
disabled.
Example 4
PollRec4
Primary Poll Rate = Disabled
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Example
A configuration of 1 Ethernet, 1 Data Highway Plus (DH+), and 1 DF1 channel would divide the
outstanding message count as follows:
2 Ethernet 19
3 DF1 1
You may not need all the messages the ABR driver automatically allocates for a given device. For this
reason, the ABR Power Tool also lets you configure the maximum of outstanding messages for each
device. To learn more about configuring the maximum outstanding messages for a device, refer to
“Understanding and Configuring the Maximum Outstanding Messages per Device.”
• The user-defined rate at which information is sent to or received from a device on a particular
channel.
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The ABR Power Tool automatically allocates a maximum number of outstanding messages for each
channel. However, the Power Tool also lets you fine-tune these values on a per device basis. To learn
more about how outstanding messages are allocated at the channel level, refer to Understanding and
Outstanding Messages at the Channel Level.
• The available bandwidth of the network (Ethernet, DH+, serial, and so on).
• Peer-to-peer communications
It is possible for you to configure the maximum number of outstanding messages for each device on a
given channel that, when added together, exceed the maximum number of outstanding messages
available for the channel. Typically, this happens in configurations with multiple channels and multiple
devices per channel. When the total number of outstanding messages per device exceeds the maximum
at the channel level, some devices will not be able to send and retrieve messages at all times. These
devices will have to wait for another device to complete its message request before space becomes
available. This situation is called starving and can be minimized by adjusting the maximum
outstanding message property for each device.
Recommendations
Ideally, the maximum number of outstanding messages for all devices on a channel should not exceed
the maximum for the channel. Such a configuration ensures that no devices are starved. However,
enforcing this restriction may be impractical or impossible for certain configurations.
By default, the maximum outstanding message property is set to 5. We suggest that you begin with this
default value and closely observe the ABR driver’s device statistics. If you see a large number of
overruns, the driver may be requesting the data from the device faster than the device can handle. To
correct this situation, consider adjusting the poll rates of the device’s datablocks.
If you consider the data from the device more important than data from other devices, you can increase
the number of outstanding messages for the device. Please keep in mind that by increasing the number
of messages for one device means that the remaining devices on the channel will be able to send fewer
messages.
If you see a device’s Transmits and Receives statistics counters temporarily pause, it could indicate
that the device is being starved. In this situation, you may want to adjust the outstanding message
property of unaffected devices to free up messages for the starved device.
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Above all, some experimentation may be necessary to adequately fine-tune your configuration for the
desired throughput. No hard and fast rules exist, however, because of the varied network
configurations possible. Nonetheless, the ABR driver contains the flexibility you need to tune your
system correctly.
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Troubleshooting Your System
How Do I?
The following list details procedures available to help you troubleshoot your system:
You can set the poll rate to zero; this setting forces the driver to run at its maximum rate and disables
overruns. In general, you should set the poll rate equal to 0 if it is more important to run the driver at
its maximum speed than to detect overruns.
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1. With FIX running, open Mission Control, click the SAC tab, and click Stop, to stop SAC.
2. Open the I/O Driver Power Tool and delete all the datablocks. Do not delete the channels and
devices.
3. Return to Mission Control and the SAC tab. Click Start. The driver automatically adds the
necessary datablocks with the default settings defined in the Power Tool.
This procedure guarantees that the I/O driver configuration in the Power Tool matches what you are
accessing in your FIX database.
If you made specific modifications to one or more datablocks, such as a different poll rate for each
datablock on a device, use the following procedure.
3. Compare the export file to the new configuration. Note any differences.
5. Import the modified export file and save it as a driver configuration file.
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1. From the I/O Driver Power Tool Tree Browser, select the datablock that you want to disable.
1. In the I/O Driver Power Tool Tree Browser, select the channel, device, or datablock you want
to disable.
3. Clear the Enable check box for the channel, device, or datablock.
-Or-
• In FIX, create a link to a Digital Output block whose I/O address is !MODE:NAME, where
NAME is the channel, device, or datablock name you want to disable. Write a value of 0 to
disable the channel, device, or datablock.
This approach stops communication for the selected channel, device, or datablock.
-Or-
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How do I save datablocks created in FIX Database Builder to the I/O driver
configuration file?
You can use one of the following methods to save datablocks that you create in FIX:
• Click an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S. When the I/O Server window
appears, select SaveOnFIXExit from the Server menu. This selection enables the server to
save the driver configuration automatically when you exit FIX.
• Open the Power Tool and select Save from the File menu.
• Click an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S. When the I/O Server window
appears, select Save from the File menu.
How do I open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool in FIX Database Builder?
To open the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool from FIX Database Builder:
1. Select ABR from the Drivers menu in Database Builder. When the ABR I/O Driver Power
Tool opens, any devices or datablocks that you added appear in the Tree Browser.
• Individual datablocks.
• The driver’s poll time is slow and you want to get data without having to wait for the next
update.
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The poll occurs when you write any value to the block.
The I/O address syntax is: !POLL: NAME
Where NAME is the name of the datablock, device, or channel you want to demand poll.
1. From the I/O Driver Power Tool Tree Browser, select the datablock that you want to modify.
3. Enter a value in the Access Time field. Do not enter DISABLED in the field.
4. In the Primary Rate field, enter a value that is close to the time that the data in the device is
being updated.
Example
Assume a Visual Basic Client has a timer function that calls the I/O Server’s ReadData method. The
ReadData interval is a property you can configure in a Visual Basic Timer. If the interval is set to 30
seconds, the Visual Basic Client calls the ReadData method every 30 seconds and accesses data every
30 seconds.
The data returned from the ReadData method is directly from the I/O driver memory. The data in
memory updates only when the driver polls. The ReadData method does not poll for data and waits for
a memory update before returning a value. Therefore, having a scan time longer than the access time
always returns old data and the driver flags the data quality as NO_DATA.
To resolve this problem, select a scan time that is shorter than the access time and enter an access time
that is longer than the primary or secondary poll time. For example, if you select a scan time of 30
seconds, you could use an access time of 45 seconds and a primary poll rate of 15 seconds.
If the secondary poll time is used, you may want to lengthen the scan time and access time to ensure
the driver has updated the datablock. For example, you could set the secondary poll time to 30 seconds,
the scan time to 45 seconds, and the access time to 60 seconds.
NOTE: Specifying an access time that is shorter than the primary poll time forces the driver to poll at
the access time interval; however, the data received is always old and is marked with the NO_DATA
quality flag.
Similarly, entering a scan time that is longer than the access time also results in old data. The data
scanned each interval is as old as the access time minus the scan time and is marked with the
NO_DATA quality flag.
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The I/O Server re-registers every time you double-click the I/O Server icon or use a shortcut to open it
from Windows or any Windows application such as Explorer. By re-registering, you reset the server’s
registry settings. When the I/O Server starts automatically from a client application, the registry
settings do not change.
If you start the I/O Server independently by selecting its icon or shortcut while the server is already
running, you overwrite the current custom security settings.
Example
The following procedures describe how to configure your system for the following conditions:
• Only the user that is logged on to the computer where the I/O Server resides can launch the
Server.
• Only administrators of the I/O Server host computer can access the server.
Use these procedures as a guide to implement security for your needs under Windows NT and
Windows 2000:
1. Start DCOMCNFG.EXE and select the driver application from the list in the Applications tab.
The ABR application name is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click the Security tab to display the three modes of DCOM security.
4. Select the Use Custom Access Permissions option, and click the Edit button for access
permissions.
5. If Administrators and SYSTEM appears in the list on the Registry Value Permissions dialog
box, skip to step 9. Otherwise, if Administrators or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add.
6. Select the local computer name in the List Names From field.
7. Double-click Administrators and SYSTEM in the Names list to add it to the Add Names list
at the bottom of the dialog box.
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9. Select Administrators from the Name list and Allow Access from the Type of Access field.
Repeat this step for SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the Name list, select Deny
Access from the Type of Access field.
1. Start DCOMCNFG.EXE and select the driver application from the list in the Applications tab.
The ABR application name is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click the Security tab to display the three modes of DCOM security.
4. Select the Use Custom Launch Permissions option and click the Edit button for launch
permissions.
5. If INTERACTIVE and SYSTEM appears in the list on the Registry Value Permissions dialog
box, skip to step 9. Otherwise, if INTERACTIVE or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add.
6. Select the local computer name in the List Names From field.
7. Double-click INTERACTIVE and SYSTEM in the Names list to add it to the Add Names list
at the bottom of the dialog box.
9. Select INTERACTIVE from the Name list and Allow Access from the Type of Access field
to allow launch access to the local user only. Repeat this step for SYSTEM as well. For the
other entries in the Name list, select Deny Launch from the Type of Access field to deny
launch access on the network.
After completing these steps, only users who have Administrator rights to the driver server host
computer can access the server. You can assign administrator rights with the Windows User Manager.
Use the following procedures as a guide to implement security for your needs under Windows Server
2003 or Windows XP:
NOTE: For information about firewall settings for Windows XP with Service Pack 2, go to
http://globalcare.gefanuc.com. and click the link to Important Information Regarding Microsoft XP
Service Pack 2.
1. Using the Start Menu, launch DCOMCNFG.EXE. The Component Services dialog box
appears.
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6. Locate the driver application in the system tree and right-click it. The ABR application name
is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.
7. From the context menu, select Properties. The driver’s Properties dialog box appears.
8. Click the Security tab to display the three modes of DCOM security.
9. Select Customize from the Access Permissions area and click the Edit button for access
permissions. The Access Permissions dialog box appears.
10. If Administrators and SYSTEM appears in the list, skip to step 15. Otherwise, if
Administrators or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add. The Select User, Computers, or
Groups dialog box appears.
13. Select the local computer name in the Locations field and click OK to return to the Select
User, Computers, or Groups dialog box.
14. Enter Administrator in the Enter the Objects Name to Select field. Repeat this step for
SYSTEM, if necessary and click OK to return to Access Permissions dialog box.
15. Select Administrator from the list and select the Allow check box. Repeat this step for
SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the list, select the Deny check box.
1. Using the Start Menu, launch DCOMCNFG.EXE. The Component Services dialog box
appears.
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6. Locate the driver application in the system tree and right-click it. The ABR application name
is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.
7. From the context menu, select Properties. The driver’s Properties dialog box appears.
8. Select Customize from the Launch Permissions area and click the Edit button for launch
permissions. The Launch Permissions dialog box appears.
9. If Administrators and SYSTEM appears in the list, skip to step 14. Otherwise, if
Administrators or SYSTEM is not in the list, click Add. The Select User, Computers, or
Groups dialog box appears.
12. Select the local computer name in the Locations field and click OK to return to the Select
User, Computers, or Groups dialog box.
13. Enter INTERACTIVE in the Enter the Objects Name to Select field. Repeat this step for
SYSTEM, if necessary and click OK to return to Launch Permissions dialog box.
14. Select INTERACTIVE from the list and select the Allow check box. Repeat this step for
SYSTEM as well. For the other entries in the list, select the Deny check box.
After completing these steps, only users who have Administrator rights to the driver server host
computer can access the server. You can assign administrator rights with the User Accounts applet in
Control Panel.
To configure DCOM when the ABR driver runs as a service under Windows NT or
Windows 2000:
1. Start DCOMCNFG.EXE and double-click the ABRDrv I/O Server from the list in the
Applications tab.
2. Click the Security tab to display the three modes of DCOM security.
3. Select the Use Custom Access Permissions option, and click the Edit button for access
permissions. The Registry Value Permissions dialog box appears.
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4. Click Add. The Add Users and Groups dialog box appears.
5. Select the local computer name in the List Names From field.
6. Double-click Everyone (All Users) in the Names list to add it to the Add Names list at the
bottom of the dialog box.
7. Click OK to accept the selection and return the Registry Value Permission dialog box.
9. Select the Use Custom Launch Permissions option and click the Edit button for launch
permissions. The Registry Value Permissions dialog box appears.
11. Click OK to accept your changes to ABR Server properties and return to the Applications tab.
To configure DCOM when the ABR driver runs as a service under Windows XP:
1. Using the Start Menu, launch DCOMCNFG.EXE. The Component Services dialog box
appears.
6. Locate the driver application in the system tree and right-click it. The ABR application name
is ABRDrv I/O Driver Server.
7. From the context menu, select Properties. The driver’s Properties dialog box appears.
8. Click the Security tab to display the three modes of DCOM security.
9. Select Customize from the Access Permissions area and click the Edit button for access
permissions. The Access Permissions dialog box appears.
10. Click Add. The Select User, Computers, or Groups dialog box appears.
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13. Select the local computer name in the Locations field and click OK to return to the Select
User, Computers, or Groups dialog box.
14. Enter Everyone (All Users) in the Enter the Objects Name to Select field and click OK to
return to Access Permissions dialog box.
15. Select Everyone from the list and select the Allow check box and click OK to return to the
Properties dialog box.
16. Select Customize from the Launch Permissions area and click the Edit button for launch
permissions. The Launch Permissions dialog box appears.
To learn more about configuring DCOM for specific users, refer to How do I set up security for using
the I/O Server remotely?.
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outstanding writes, it also sends any unmodified values in the datablocks that are changing using the
last known value. Consequently, we recommend relatively short poll times for datablocks you are
writing to so that the driver will have the most up-to-date data.
!Send:DataBlockName
When any value is written to the Digital Output block, it sends a command to the specified
datablock and instructs the driver to send the writes to the process hardware.
Note that only datablock names are valid with the !Send control address. You cannot trigger block
writes using any of the following items:
The Power Tool displays communication statistics for each datablock, device, channel, and the entire
driver. Displaying these statistics is useful for narrowing down which part of the driver is not
functioning. To view the statistics, select a datablock, device, or channel from the Tree Browser and
click the Statistics button on the Run-time toolbar.
Mission Control is the main FIX tool for monitoring background tasks, such as SAC, Historical
Collect, and I/O drivers. Using Mission Control, you can start and stop a driver, and view driver error
numbers. This is useful for quickly determining if the driver is having a problem.
Mission Control also provides a summary of driver-level statistics. To see the statistics for each
channel, use the ABR Power Tool.
The driver reports any major errors to the Windows Event Viewer. To learn more about using this
application, refer to Using the Event Viewer.
Because the I/O driver reports event messages to the Alarm History application in FIX, you can use
this program for debugging your driver. The events reported include when the driver:
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The message log in the I/O Server program tracks the following events:
• Which configuration file loads. If the driver is not loading the configuration file you want,
you can change the default file name and location in the Power Tool’s Setup dialog box.
• The date and time other applications attach to the server. This data can help you determine if
someone is attached and making changes to the server you are working on.
The options in the program’s View menu let you choose the types of messages to display. The message
priority is as follows:
1. Errors
2. Warnings
3. Information
4. Debug1
5. Debug2
6. Debug3
7. OPC DLL
The default setting for the Server is to display errors, warnings, and informational messages. You can
also enable debug and OPC DLL messages. The following table summarizes the contents of these
messages.
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OPC DLL Run-time and configuration time "trace" and error messages sent by
the OPC DLL. We recommend you disable this selection during
normal operation of the driver.
1. Shut down all server clients including the FIX. This action shuts down the server.
Once the server restarts, you can create your operator displays and process databases with real I/O
addresses. Later, when you want to switch to real process hardware, turn off simulation mode and
restart the server again. You can do this without changing your configured I/O addresses.
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you create many similar datablocks in one step instead of creating each datablock individually.
2. Enter the starting address of the first datablock you want to create in the Enter Start Address
field.
Example
If you want to assign 500 addresses starting with N7:0, the Power Tool adds the following datablocks:
NOTE: This example assumes you are communicating on a Data Highway Plus (DH+) network.
Under Ethernet, only one block would be generated because Ethernet allows up to 1000 words per
block.
Troubleshooting
The following Troubleshooting tips are offered to help you correct problems with your I/O driver. If
you have a problem with RSLinx, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.
To enter new support issues, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW support site.
To search for an updated version of your driver, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW SIM site.
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• Start the Event Viewer in Windows. The Event Viewer displays specific messages regarding
loading and starting the driver. Problems loading the driver are logged to this file. To learn
more about using this application, refer to Using the Event Viewer.
you may have RSLinx Lite installed. The ABR driver does not support RSLinx Lite because
that version of RSLinx does not have an activation file. The ABR driver requires an activation
file in order to function correctly. To determine which version of RSLinx you have installed,
start the application and examine the title bar. If the text RSLinx Lite appears in the title bar
you need an activation file. Contact Rockwell Software to obtain an activation file and
upgrade your copy of RSLinx.
• Shut down the FIX application and try starting the driver without FIX running. This removes
problems associated with applications other than the I/O driver.
If you are starting a driver on a remote computer and it does not load:
• Try starting the driver on your local node. If it loads correctly on the local computer, you may
be experiencing network problems or security issues. You must configure DCOM
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(Distributed Component Object Model) to provide access to a remote server. Refer to How do
I Set up Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more information.
• Rename the default configuration file so the driver loads a blank configuration. If the
configuration file is corrupt, it may prevent the driver from loading. You can retrieve a
corrupted configuration file if you save it as a .CSV file; otherwise, you have to rebuild the
driver configuration.
1. Verify that the channels, devices, and datablocks are enabled. You can examine these
properties in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool.
2. If FIX is not your Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software, make sure the Auto Start option
is turned on:
c. Click the Auto Start On option button from the Server area.
1. Verify that IOCNTRL starts from the System Configuration Utility (SCU). You should have
/a on the command line for IOCNTRL to start the driver automatically.
2. Specify a default path and configuration file name for the driver:
c. Enter the configuration file’s default name and default path in the fields provided.
1. Select the I/O driver icon from the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool’s Tree Browser and click the
Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar. The I/O driver’s statistics display in the Power Tool.
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2. If you see errors, examine the channel statistics to find which channel(s) has the problem
device(s).
3. Examine the device(s) statistics as well. The device statistics may help to narrow your search.
If you have multiple devices and the driver is not communicating with any of them, you most likely
have one of the following problems:
To help you pinpoint where the error is, the Power Tool provides the Validate Datablock button. When
you click this button, the Power Tool polls the selected datablock. If the application cannot read data
from your process hardware, it displays an error describing the problem.
If you are receiving error numbers in the device statistics Errors field:
• Examine the station or IP address in the device properties and verify that it is correct.
• If you are communicating with Ethernet, use the ping program to ensure you can
communicate with the device.
• If you receive error 51, your process hardware’s memory buffer cannot hold all the requests
they are receiving or the process hardware could not process all its messages because the
network bandwidth is too small. When the PLC cannot process the message properly, RSLinx
sends error 51 and clears memory.
To determine if this is a bandwidth or memory buffering issue, reduce the traffic on the
highway. For example, disconnect redundant SCADA servers and stop peer-to-peer
communications. In addition, complete the following tasks to further reduce highway traffic:
4. Reduce the number of SCADA servers on the highway by using FIX networking, if
possible.
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• Refer to the topic Error Codes for a list of errors are returned from RSLinx. If they
are not listed in the table, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.
1. Examine the green arrow in the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool to ensure the driver starts; the
arrow should be selected. If it is, select the Stop button and click the Start button again.
2. Select an item in the Tree Browser and press Alt + Shift + S. to display the Server window.
Make sure the window contains a message the driver has started.
3. Make sure the device can communicate over the network using by clicking the Validate
Datablock button. When you click this button, the Power Tool polls the selected datablock. If
the application cannot communicate with RSLinx, it displays an error describing the problem.
4. Monitor the server’s display window or start the FIX Alarm History application to ensure the
driver connects to the device.
6. If you are running the driver with FIX, make sure you have a configuration file with the name
nodename.ABR in the Database path (C:\FIX32\PDB, by default). If you are using iFIX, the
file resides in the root iFIX directory. This file is needed for FIX and iFIX to load the driver;
do not delete it.
To find out why your driver is transmitting but not receiving messages:
1. When communicating with an Ethernet device, attempt to ping the IP address and make sure
that you can reach the device from your computer.
2. Examine your process hardware. See if any diagnostic lights on the device indicate what the
problem is.
3. Examine RSLinx and use the RSWho utility to determine if it can communicate with your
hardware. If RSLinx cannot communicate, neither will the driver. Consult your hardware and
RSLinx documentation to resolve the problem.
4. If you are also receiving DRVSTA error 102 in Mission Control, the specified device address
may reference hardware that does not exist. Verify the address exists with the RSWho utility.
If you are offlinking, you must complete the Source Bridge and Destination Bridge fields with
the correct addresses. If you are not offlinking, keep the fields blank.
At this point, we strongly recommend reducing the configuration to one channel, one device, and one
datablock. This makes it easier to focus on the problem.
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To reduce the configuration to one channel, one device, and one datablock:
4. Verify that the device’s address is correct. Usually, the wrong address returns an error
message; however, some hardware devices do not reply at all if you enter the wrong address.
2. Examine RSLinx and use the RSWho utility to determine if it can communicate with your
hardware. If RSLinx cannot communicate, neither will the driver. Consult your hardware and
RSLinx documentation to resolve the problem.
1. Select the device that is not communicating from the ABR I/O Driver Power Tool’s Tree
Browser and click the Statistics button in the Run-time toolbar. The device’s statistics display
in the Power Tool Properties Viewer.
2. If there are error numbers in the Errors field, look up the error number in the table Error
Codes. These errors are returned from the hardware. The Power Tool can display these errors
as either a hexadecimal number or an ASCII string. You can configure the error output with
the Last Error Display option.
3. Select the ASCII or HEX option from the Errors area. If you select the ASCII option, errors
appear as ASCII text. If you select the HEX option, the hexadecimal error number appears in
the Errors field.
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The driver communicates to some but not all the datablocks for a device
If you are receiving errors for datablocks in the statistics section of the ABR I/O
Driver Power Tool:
1. Verify that each datablock address is valid and exists. The most common error for datablocks
is requesting memory locations that are not configured in the hardware.
2. Look up the error number in the table Error Codes. These errors are returned from the
hardware. The Power Tool can display these errors as either a hexadecimal number or an
ASCII string. You can configure the error output with the Last Error Display option. To do
so:
c. Select the ASCII or HEX option from the Errors area. If you select the ASCII option,
errors appear as ASCII text. If you select the HEX option, the hexadecimal error
number appears in the Errors field.
3. You can identify the device and datablock requesting the data and causing the error with the
DRVSTE and DRVSTF fields in Mission Control. If the values in these fields change, you
have more than one improperly configured datablock. To correct each datablock, click the
Validate Datablock button. As part of the validation process, the Power Tool displays an error
message about the source of the problem if it cannot read data from one or more datablocks.
• Refer to What is the Difference between Access Time and Scan Time to ensure the
datablock’s access time is set correctly.
Example
Assume a Visual Basic Client has a timer function that calls the I/O Server’s ReadData method. The
ReadData interval is a property you can configure in a Visual Basic Timer. If the interval is set to 30
seconds, the Visual Basic Client calls the ReadData method every 30 seconds and accesses data every
30 seconds.
The data returned from the ReadData method is directly from the I/O driver memory. The data in
memory updates only when the driver polls. The ReadData method does not poll for data and waits for
a memory update before returning a value. Therefore, having a scan time longer than the access time
always returns old data and the driver flags the data quality as NO_DATA.
To resolve this problem, select a scan time that is shorter than the access time and enter an access time
that is longer than the primary or secondary poll time. For example, if you select a scan time of 30
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seconds, you could use an access time of 45 seconds and a primary poll rate of 15 seconds.
If the secondary poll time is used, you may want to lengthen the scan time and access time to ensure
the driver has updated the datablock. For example, you could set the secondary poll time to 30 seconds,
the scan time to 45 seconds, and the access time to 60 seconds.
NOTE: Specifying an access time that is shorter than the primary poll time forces the driver to poll at
the access time interval; however, the data received is always old and is marked with the NO_DATA
quality flag.
Similarly, entering a scan time that is longer than the access time also results in old data. The data
scanned each interval is as old as the access time minus the scan time and is marked with the
NO_DATA quality flag.
• Make sure you have entered the correct name or IP address for the remote server. Also verify
that the security for using the server remotely has been set up. Refer to How do I Set up
Security for using the I/O Server Remotely for more information.
If you cannot see the remote server from Microsoft Explorer or by using the Ping
program:
• You have a networking problem. You may want to speak to your network administrator.
If you were running the Power Tool and you changed the server location:
1. Exit the Power Tool and restart it. If this is not the problem, proceed with the following steps.
3. If the server does not start, refer to My driver does not load.
4. If the server does start, leave the server running and try to connect to it from another
computer.
1. Start the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and verify that the driver is listed in the
SCADA Configuration dialog box. If it is not listed, add it.
2. Verify that the SCU is configured to start the IOCNTRL program with the command line
parameter /a in the Task Configuration dialog box.
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Refer to Setting the I/O Driver for Automatic Startup in FIX to learn how to complete both tasks.
Example
To receive up-to-date data, you could set the poll rate, access time, and scan time as follows:
Poll rate: 1 second
Access time: 3 seconds
Scan time: 2 seconds
If this is not the problem, you may have the Latch Data option enabled while experiencing a
communication failure. To determine if this is the problem, turn off the Latch Data option. If the links
on the screen change to question marks, you are experiencing a communication failure. Refer to the
topic Troubleshooting to resolve this issue.
You also receive old data if your exception deadband is larger than the change in data. For example, if
your deadband is 20 but your data fluctuates between 5 and 15, the deadband is never exceeded and no
new data is sent. To correct this problem, reduce the deadband value.
I am receiving overruns
Overruns do not necessarily indicate an error condition. They merely indicate that the driver is trying
to process more data requests than the process hardware can handle. You can minimize the number of
overruns you receive by changing the driver configuration.
To reduce overruns:
2. If the overruns are sporadic or only occur when the driver starts, try phasing the datablocks so
that the driver does not attempt to poll all the datablocks at the same time.
3. If your datablocks are phased, try stopping and restarting the driver since phasing only
happens when the driver starts.
• Examine your devices for incorrect addresses. If the driver is sending messages to devices that
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are offline or do not exist, the driver performs a series of timeouts and retries reducing
message throughput. If you plan to have a device offline for a period of time, disable the
device until it is back online.
• Also, if a device’s receive buffer is limited in size, it is possible to send more data requests
than the device is capable of processing. When the receive buffer is full, the device may
respond to further received requests by discarding them, causing timeouts and retries. To
avoid these timeouts, decrease the device’s number of outstanding messages.
2. Start the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and click the Tasks button from the SCU
toolbox. (bmc task.bmp}
6. Save the SCU configuration and start FIX. The ABR Server automatically starts and you
should see a message that the driver started.
Next, start the Power Tool and verify that it is configured correctly:
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c. Click the Auto Start On option button from the Server area.
3. Specify a default path and configuration file name for the driver:
c. Enter the configuration file’s default name and default path in the fields provided.
Lastly, start the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and verify it is configured correctly:
1. Click the SCADA button from the SCU toolbox. You should see the following text in the
dialog box that appears:
2. If you do not see this text, Select the ? button next to the I/O Driver Name field.
3. Select the ABR driver from the dialog box and click OK.
4. Click Add to add the selected I/O driver to the Configured I/O Drivers list box.
6. Click the Task Configuration button from the SCU toolbox. You should see IOCNTRL.EXE
/a listed in the dialog box that appear.
7. If you do not see this text, enter the Base path and IOCNTRL.EXE /a in the Filename field.
I receive an error about DTL32.DLL when I start FIX or the Power Tool
The DTL32.DLL is an RSLinx file. Be sure you have installed RSLinx on your computer before
starting the FIX or the Power Tool. You can find the file in your Windows system32 directory.
If RSLinx is installed and you cannot find DTL32.DLL, you may have RSLinx Lite installed. The
ABR driver does not support RSLinx Lite because this version of RSLinx does not have an activation
file. The ABR driver requires an activation file in order to function correctly. To determine which
version of RSLinx you have installed, start the application and examine the title bar. If the text RSLinx
Lite appears in the title bar you need an activation file. Contact Rockwell Software to obtain an
activation file and upgrade your copy of RSLinx.
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Error Codes
Error codes display in the Errors field of the Power Tool’s statistics display and in the Mission
Control’s DRVST fields. DRVSTA and DRVSTB errors are RSLinx errors. For more information
about these errors, contact Rockwell Software at 440-646-7800.
The following types of error codes are covered:
• DRVSTA Error Codes
• DRVSTB Error Codes
• DRVSTD Error Codes
• DRVSTE through DRVSTH Error Codes
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Code Description
01 I/O operation in progress.
10 Data invalid for operation (bit, RMW operation write to float, bit or structured data item).
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Code Description
20 No such data item defined.
30 Bad IP address.
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Code Description
40 Receive operation is not pending.
65 Compare failed.
67 PLC is faulted.
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Code Description
6C Sense mode utility - run mode.
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Code Description
89 Sense Mode Utility – test sing step mode.
91 Connection lost.
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Code Description
A6 DTL_C_DEFINE module parameter was specified more than once.
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Code Description
C3 Unable to find activation key.
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Code Description
E0 Could not initialize RSHarmony sub-system.
Code Description
101 Station cannot buffer command.
102 Cannot guarantee delivery; link layer timed out or received a NAK.
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Code Description
160 Function disallowed because of a command protection selection.
210 No access.
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Code Description
211 Incorrect data type.
Code Description
E0 Unsupported data type.
E1 Unconfigured datablock.
FD You have configured RSLinx with a driver name that does not exist. Consequently, the
ABR driver could not establish a connection and read data from the process hardware.
FE You have configured RSLinx with a driver name that does not exist. Consequently, the
ABR driver could not establish a connection and write digital data to the specified address.
FF You have configured RSLinx with a driver name that does not exist. Consequently, the
ABR driver could not establish a connection and write analog data to the specified address.
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The options in the program’s View menu let you choose the types of messages to display. The message
priority is as follows:
1. Errors
2. Warnings
3. Information
4. Debug1
5. Debug2
6. Debug3
7. OPC DLL
The default setting for the Server is to display errors, warnings, and informational messages. You can
also enable debug and OPC DLL messages. The following table summarizes the contents of these
messages.
Debug 3 Internal run-time errors. Debug 3 messages also provide important run-time
information, such as when an object is created or when a device is marked bad using
the quickfail logic.
OPC DLL Run-time and configuration time "trace" and error messages sent by the OPC DLL.
We recommend you disable this selection during normal operation of the driver.
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To search for an updated version of your driver, go to GE Fanuc’s WWW SIM site.
By Phone
By Email
By Phone
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Creating a Custom Client Application
The ABR I/O Server is an OLE application that you can control programmatically. It exposes its
functionality to other OLE applications through its interfaces, which means you can create custom
OLE applications to access or control the driver.
For example:
• You can use Visual Basic to programmatically enable channels, device, or datablocks depending
on user input.
• You can use VBA in Excel to create a program that generates reports comparing device statistics
within a driver.
• You can write programs that control the driver with higher performance using C or C++.
Refer to the following topics for steps on getting started with creating custom applications:
• Creating a Custom Application Using Microsoft Visual Basic
• Creating a Custom Application Using C or C++
• Accessing ABR Server Data Using an OPC Client
To start designing a Visual Basic application that accesses the ABR I/O driver
objects:
1. Start Visual Basic and select References from the Projects menu. The ABRDRV OPC Server
7.20 Library should display in the Available References list box. If it does, select it. If it does
not, browse your directories for .TLB files and add ABRDRV.TLB to the Available
References list box.
2. Select Object Browser from the View menu and select ABRDRV from the Libraries/Projects
drop-down list at the top of the browser.
3. Select Help on the Properties and Methods to learn how to use the driver objects for creating
your application.
The type library, ABRDRV.TLB, is installed in the same path that you installed the ABR I/O Server.
NOTE: To use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) instead of the VB Compiler, select References from
the Tools menu in step 1 and follow steps 2 and 3 above.
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1. Add a call to CoCreateInstance to load the server and get a pointer to the driver interface.
You can obtain copies of InterfaceDef.h and Interfacedef_i.obj from GE Fanuc. Contact your local GE
Fanuc sales representative for more information.
For an explanation of analog and digital syntax, refer to Specifying I/O Addresses. For an explanation
of ASCII syntax, refer to Using A Files with an OPC Client.
If your OPC client supports browsing, you can also browse the ABR OPC server.
NOTE: The ABR Server does not allow you to browse down to bit level unless you are accessing a
structured mnemonic. Consequently, when browsing the ABR Server for digital data, make sure you
add the bit you want to access to your Item ID.
Where:
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Parameter Description
device_name Is the name of the field device or process hardware that you want to collect data
from.
address Is a register in the device. This address matches the address defined by a datablock,
such as A9:3
bytes Is the number of bytes (characters) you want to read. Specifying the number of bytes
is optional. When omitted, the client reads 20 bytes.
Using this feature, you can read text values of any size you need. However, you cannot read passed the
boundary of a datablock. For example, if you create a datablock with the address range A9:0 to A9:4
on device D1 then the following address is invalid and returns no data because it reads past the
boundary of the datablock:
D1:A9:0
You can also change the default number of bytes the client reads by modifying the registry of your
computer.
CAUTION: Do not modify the registry unless you are familiar editing registry values. You can
seriously affect the performance of your computer if you accidentally change or delete a registry
setting.
6. Enter StringLength in the Value Name field. This text is case-sensitive and must be entered
as shown.
7. Select REG_DWORD from the Data Type field and click OK. The DWORD Editor dialog
box appears.
9. Enter the default number of bytes you want your OPC client to read in the Data field and click
OK. The new default is added to the ItemDefaults registry key. The default value is displayed
as a hexadecimal number
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Accessing Information
The ABR I/O driver help consists of independent topics with specific information on I/O driver
concepts and procedures. You can access these topics using one of the following methods:
• F1 help
• The index
• The full-text search
• The table of contents
The index, full-text search, and table of contents are all located in the Help Topics dialog box. You can
display this dialog box by using one of the following methods:
• Selecting Help Topics from the Power Tool’s Help menu.
• Selecting ABR Help from the Start menu as follows:
1. Select Programs from the Start menu.
Using F1 Help
The fastest way to get help using the Power Tool fields is by pressing the F1 key. To display F1 help,
select the field or control you want information on and press the F1 key. The topic that appears is
specific to the selected field or control and usually explains what happens when you enter information
in the field, which entries are valid, and provides examples of valid entries when applicable.
3. Double-click the indexed item in the lower part of the Index tab to display the
associated topic. If the word you entered is associated with more than one topic, a list
box appears displaying all the topics indexed under the word you entered.
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2. Follow the prompts for creating the word list for the Help file.
3. Enter the word or phrase you want to locate in lower case text.
4. Double-click the associated topic you want to display from the list at the bottom of
the Find tab.
NOTE: Do not enter your search string with all upper case text. Using upper case text locates only
words and phrases in upper case. Using lower case text, on the other hand, finds all matching words
and phrases.
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Back Return to the last topic you viewed. The default keyboard shortcut is CTRL + B. You
can also see a list of previously viewed topics by selecting Display History Window
in the Options Menu. Refer to Using the Help Menus for details on ABR Help menu
commands.
Print Print the current topic. See Printing the Online Help for information on how to print
the entire help system.
Each menu contains a list of commands. To display the commands, click the menu name. The
following table explains the function of each command.
Command Description
File
Edit
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Command Description
Copy Copies the selected text.
Annotate Makes an annotation to a topic. When you select this command, a dialog box
appears with a space for entering your annotation.
Help inserts a green paperclip icon at the top, left corner of the topic to indicate
that an annotation exists for the topic. To view an annotation, click the green
paperclip. Annotations remain with topics after you exit and re-open the online
help.
Bookmark
Options
Keep on Top Chooses whether to display the ABR I/O driver help on top of all open
applications or to cover the ABR help as other applications open.
Display History Displays all the topics you have viewed during a Help session.
Window
Font Lets you choose the font size used by the online help.
Use System Directs the online help to use the system colors of your computer.
Colors
Help
Version Displays the version of the ABR I/O driver online help.
Annotations
Select the Annotations command from the ABR Help Edit menu to add your own annotations to a
topic.
Bookmarks
Select the Define command from the Bookmark menu to mark the topics that you want to refer back to
during a Help session.
Refer to the Microsoft Windows Help for details on making annotations and bookmarks.
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1. Open the Help Topics dialog box and select the Contents tab.
4. Click Print from the Help Button Bar to print the entire help system
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Index
! adding devices ..........................................95, 106
!MODE ........................................................... 121 address length ...........................................24, 108
!POLL............................................................. 121 addressing format in Database Builder ...........121
!SEND ...................................................... 14, 121 addressing format in the Power Tool ........24, 108
!START .......................................................... 121 advanced settings ............................................. 97
!SWITCH ....................................................... 121 automatic datablock creation ............................. 6
1 automatic server connection ............................ 99
1747 AIC link coupler ................................ 63, 66 automatic startup ......................................96, 133
1747 C11 cable ................................................. 63 B
1747 C13 cable ................................................. 66 binary files ......................................................128
1747 KE converter............................................ 66 block transfers .............................. 21, 24, 31, 108
1747-CP3 cable ........................ 53, 59, 63, 66, 78 block writes ..................................................... 14
1756-DHRIO module ................................. 83, 85 browser ............................................................ 91
1756-ENET module.................................... 83, 85 C
1756-L1 ControLogix processor ...................... 86 C++ custom client applications ......................186
1761 NET AIC converter ........................... 66, 78 cabling ........................................................21, 39
1761-CBL-HM02 Series B cable ..................... 78 changing servers .............................................. 98
1770-KF2 devices............................................. 59 channels
1770-KF3 devices............................................. 63 adding ...................................................95, 102
1784 CP14 cable ............................................... 63 enabling ......................................................... 9
1784 KT interface card ..................................... 49 properties ............................................102, 104
1784-KTD interface card .................................. 50 statistics ......................................................131
1784-KTXD interface card ............................... 50 viewing statistics.........................................131
1785 KA module .............................................. 59 choosing commands ........................................ 92
1785-KE module .............................................. 56 CNB module .................................................... 85
A command line parameters ................................ 99
ABR I/O driver features ..................................... 4 communicating locally .................................... 98
access time.............................................. 115, 116 communicating remotely ................................. 98
accessing ABR data ........................................ 186 communicating with
accessing documentation ................................ 188 a 1747 KE converter .................................... 66
accessing the Power Tool ................................. 89 a 1761 NET AIC converter .......................... 66
adding channels ........................................ 95, 102 a 1770-KF2 device....................................... 59
adding datablocks ............................... 15, 95, 106 a 1770-KF3 device....................................... 63
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Visual Basic custom applications ................... 185 running the driver as one ............................. 11
W Windows XP Service Pack 2 ........................... 39
Windows service writing to a datablock ...................................... 14
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