I am currently troubleshooting an issue with my ALMD alarm system, which is driven by a Controllogix PLC. The alarm message is set with a priority of 300 in my FTView application and functions correctly. When the ALMD is triggered, the alarm message displays as expected. However, after acknowledging the alarm on the HMI, an additional 'in alarm' status message with a priority of 100 appears in the historic alarms page. This unexpected message references the alarm server and is not part of the original ALMD setup. I am puzzled by this occurrence and suspect it may be related to a timing issue. While not consistent, this unexpected status message only appears sporadically and not with every ALMD trigger.
It's been some time, but is there a feature in the historian logger that allows for the activation or deactivation of events? It seems that you are currently logging both system events and alarms in the historian.
AlastairMcMurray voiced his confusion regarding a ControlLogix PLC driving ALMD. Despite setting the message with a priority of 300 for driving and alarm-style messages in the FTView app, everything works smoothly. However, the issue arises in the historical alarms page. Alongside the expected alarm messages, there is an unexpected status priority 100 message indicating alarm acknowledgment and a reference to the alarm server. Alastair wonders where this extra message is coming from, speculating it may be a timing issue. This occurrence is intermittent and does not happen with every ALMD call. In hindsight, Alastair acknowledges that the correct term to use is Severity, not Priority.
It sounds like an intriguing issue you've pointed out. While I'm not sure, it seems like it could be a race condition in the PLC code or the alarm handler in FTView. Given that the "in alarm" status message comes up sporadically and only after the alarm has been acknowledged, it could be a case where the acknowledgment message is being processed before the PLC finishes updating the alarm status. I have had similar issues, and ensuring a respect of processing order seemed to help significantly. You may want to cross-check your ladder logic and investigate any delays or asynchronicities that might be causing this.
It sounds like you're dealing with an unforeseen hiccup in your alarm configuration or maybe a software glitch. Although you've associated the problem with timing, consider also that the Controllogix PLC could be conflicting with the FTView application causing the additional status message to appear. Also, double-check the communication settings between your PLC and HMI, as a slight misconfiguration might result in unexpected status messages. You might want to contact tech support for both systems to assist in pinpointing the root cause. Sporadic issues like these can be tricky but insistent troubleshooting often reveals the culprit.
That does sound like a puzzling issue. One thing I'd recommend looking into is whether you've checked your alarm system setup thoroughly. It's possible that the high priority status message is a "heartbeat" message or a default message coming from the alarm server. The sporadic nature of it could stem from a communications lag between the PLC and the server. This sometimes happens when the system is waiting for an acknowledgement and, in the absence of one, sends out that high priority status message as a "safe mode" reaction.
It sounds like you're dealing with a tricky situation! Given that the unexpected 'in alarm' status message appears sporadically, it could indeed be a timing issue related to how the PLC processes the acknowledgment of the primary alarm. Have you checked the PLC's logic to see if there's any overlap or communication happening between the ALMD alarm and the alarm server? Sometimes, certain conditions might trigger that secondary message if the acknowledgment takes too long or if there’s a brief interruption in communication. Also, reviewing the communication settings and any potential delays in how the alarm states update in your FTView application might shed some light on this. Good luck, and I hope you sort it out soon!
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Answer: Answer: The unexpected 'in alarm' status message could be related to a timing issue within the Controllogix PLC or FTView application. It may be triggered sporadically and not consistently with every ALMD alarm.
Answer: Answer: To troubleshoot the phantom alarms, you can check the alarm configuration settings in both the Controllogix PLC and FTView application to ensure they are correctly configured. Additionally, reviewing the alarm server settings and checking for any timing discrepancies may help identify the source of the unexpected status messages.
Answer: Answer: The unexpected status message referencing the alarm server could indicate a potential communication or configuration issue between the Controllogix PLC, FTView application, and the alarm server. Reviewing the integration and setup of these components may help resolve the discrepancy.
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