How To - Test iFIX & Historian Redundancy / Make edits to redundant iFIX SCADA Servers

How To - Test iFIX & Historian Redundancy / Make edits to redundant iFIX SCADA Servers

Overview 

This is a guide on how to test a redundant iFIX and Historian iFIX collector environment. As well as preforming development updates to a redundant iFIX server pair. 

Pre-Requisites 

  1. iFIX 5.X redundant SCADA servers configured.
  2. Historian collectors configured for redundancy. 

Testing iFIX and Historian Redundancy

  • Open SCADASYNCMONITOR.exe on both secondary and Primary iFIX servers
    • Check which SCADA server is ACTIVE
  • Open Historian Administrator
    • Check which iFIX collector is in ACTIVE status
  • For this document I will assume that the Primary node is ACTIVE in both SCADASYNCMONITOR and Historian Administrator (iFIX collector)
  • With SCADASYNC monitor open Enable Maintenance Mode to make the Secondary SCADA node ACTIVE
    • Ensure all data is coming into iFIX
  • Within Historian Administrator Select Collectors > select Secondary iFIX collector > select Redundancy Tab > Make Active Collector Now
    • Navigate back to Main and ensure the Secondary collector is now Active and Primary collector is Standby
    • Navigate to Tags and ensure Tags are still collecting good data
  • We have now confirmed that the Secondary iFIX node should be able to run the SCADA environment and collect good Historical DATA without the Primary Node.
    • Ensure Maintenance Mode is no longer enabled.

If preforming development updates

When using Maintenance Mode, the following events must occur:

  • Make the secondary node the active node using the NSD fields. Wait for the iClient nodes to switch to the secondary node.
  • You place the primary node into Maintenance Mode by clicking the Enable Maintenance Mode button. 
  • You enter your database changes on the primary node. 
  • You take the primary node out of Maintenance Mode by clicking the Disable Maintenance Mode button.
  • The primary node becomes the active node. The secondary node becomes standby.
  • You save your database. The databases are re-synchronized.


If preforming a simulation of SCADA failure

  • To do this ensure the secondary node is still active within SCADASYNCMONITOR and Historian Administrator
    • Ensure Maintenance Mode is no longer enabled.
      • I.E. Primary Node is in Standby for both iFIX and Proficy Historian
  • Once that is complete SHUT DOWN the secondary node.
  • Within ~30 seconds the Primary SCADA node should become ACTIVE within SCADASYNCMONITOR and Historian administrator
    • Check iFIX Workspace and ensure that data is populating and there are no @@@ signs.
    • Check Historian Administrator > Tags to see data is collecting with a good value

 



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