DATA SHEET BENEFITS Alarm Printers, Report Printer Replacement Better Operator Attention Alarm Rationalization Remote Viewing of Alarms Unlimited Archiving of Alarms\Event Messages Alarm Consolidation User-Friendly Alarm Filtration and Grouping Powerful Wizards and Express Configurations Industry Standard Alarm Report Capturing Production and Analysis Reports on Website Transfer Alarms over E-mail Paperless Data Warehouse OPC Enabled CURRENT CHALLENGES Managing alarms is a mission-critical task that can help ensure profitability by avoiding abnormal situations. Most of the Monitoring and Control systems, such as DCS, SCADA, PLC, and DDC invariably require printers for printing the alarms, events, reports, and graphics. Being the basic requirement it is mandatory to maintain it for various reasons though it comes with its own issues. In a given day, an Operator may be confronted with hundreds of alarms. During a catastrophic event a control system may generate thousands of alarms, each one competing for the Operator s attention. In many situations, the volume of alarms tends to do more harm than good. Many alarms are habitually silenced, automatically acknowledged, or simply ignored. To ensure that alarms contribute to a resolution, alarm configurations must be continuously evaluated and adjusted. Ideally, a Distributed Control System (DCS) alarm system provides Operators with the correct sequence that helps them to respond quickly and effectively to issues before they have a negative impact on the business requirements. SSM INFOTECH S X-FORCE AMS - THE IDEAL SOLUTION X-force AMS offers a series of alarm analysis tools that help diagnose alarm configuration weak spots. You can use these simple tools to effectively improve your alarm system. As alarms are fine-tuned, they become more meaningful and maintain a higher priority with the Operator. X-Force AMS magically converts the challenges outlined to an optimized and well balanced alarm system. X-Force AMS is a complete alarm, messages, event and report handling software package. It provides complete solution for alarm management and user collaboration over various messaging system.
Its in-depth and straight forward analysis reports make problem analysis a simple task. X-Force AMS helps to capture, retrieve, analyze, rationalize, and notify data related to process events and reports. This system is implemented in a phased approach: Alarm System Performance Study and Report Generate a baseline report of alarm system performance Establish a performance target based on best practices Recommend alarm system improvement methodology Alarm Performance Improvement Develop alarm system philosophy Perform alarm rationalization Implement alarm system changes in control Implement advanced alarming in control system Issue final report documenting the resultant alarm system performance systems Life Cycle Alarm Maintenance SSM InfoTech Filed Service Technicians maintain alarm system performance as one of their standard site support activities through service agreement
HOW X-FORCE AMS WORKS This section describes about X-Force AMS workflow. At the start, the alarm is generated in DCS, SCADA or PLC system and sent to AMS through the serial or TCP/IP (Ethernet) printer port or OPC/AE. The data is subsequently filtered for unwanted characters and the alarm fields are segregated in the appropriate columns. The segregated data are then stored in MS-SQL database for future reference. Data is captured by capture application and stored in file buffer with received time stamp. File buffers are used for handling data from different system as well as quick time stamping at local end. Data link applications analyze the data; segregate it in different fields and stores in MS-SQL database.
AMS is a multi-vendor input system and all the required configuration is taken care by configurator application with powerful wizards and express configurations. The retrieval, analysis, and computed alarm applications take the data from MS-SQL server and provide the front-end to users. Users can view and analyze alarms and reports at their desk using X-Force AMS over campus area network. Data can be captured from any device which supports Serial, OPC-AE, Network SNMP or Syslog interface. SSM InfoTech recommends serial interface as it reduce the risk of network connection with DCS system. You can view the data on campus area network using windows application, such as viewer and analysis client. Alternatively, you can view over intranet using web browser interface. Pre-recorded voice or synthesized voice can be produced over speakers connected to AMS to provide voice feedback to Operators. All the captured and analysis reports can be configured to send over E-mail. When something goes wrong with AMS, the system proactively generate alarms which can be configured to view in viewer, send it through E- mail messaging system.
AMS can generate digital relay output using any modbus enabled PLC or IO device. If you need to integrate AMS with other software, it provides ActiveX component. ActiveX components can be easily inserted in any ActiveX container system, such as SCADA or DCS front-end. This enables other software to show alarms from other systems without taking physical IO to it.
CONNECTIVITY X-Force AMS can be connected in place of serial, parallel or network printer to capture alarms. It can be configured to get data from TCP/IP, ODBC, OPC-DA or OPC-AE connectivity if required. X-Force AMS is capable of handling n number of Alarm Generator Device (DCS, PLC or SCADA) only limited by physical configuration of the server. X-FORCE AMS SERVER CLIENT SPECIFICATIONS This section describes X-Force AMS server and client software requirements. Server Software Requirement o Windows XP SP2 / Windows XP SP3 / Windows 2003 / Windows Server 2008 o Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Edition. o Office Suite with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for Report and data file viewing o Mail Client for sending e-mail o Office Outlook 97 or Lotus Notes version 4.0 o Anti-virus software as per client IT Policy and requirement Client Software Requirement o Windows 2000 Professional with SP4 / Windows XP SP2 / Windows XP SP3 / Windows 7 o Office Suite with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for Report and data file viewing o Anti-virus software as per client IT Policy and requirement
X-FORCE AMS BASIC MODULES This section lists the basic X-Force AMS modules and their respective functionalities. X-Force Alarm Suite Server Windows 32 bit application that captures information from various sources Identifies the alarm elements and reports Stores the data in MS-SQL Server database for reporting Supports time stamp up to the milliseconds level and captures time from control system as well as local system X-Force Alarm Configurator Specifies the types of alarm and its elements Configures report capturing parameters Configuration is a onetime activity and not required in normal run of system X-Force Alarm Viewer View alarm on-the-fly Extensive search facility Effective mail support
X-Force Alarm Analysis Analyses and filters alarms instantly with familiar tabular form Prints filtered report directly for effective management reporting Quickset helps to update filter parameters for regular use Supports customized query builder, mail support, and web publishing
Frequency Analysis Reporting Generates alarm frequency information Facilitates customized analysis Enables mail support to send mails using different channels Bar chart data representation
Duration or In Time Analysis Reporting Helps to analyze average, maximum, minimum time taken to acknowledge or return of alarm Helps to identify the wrongly defined alarms Easy detection of chattering alarms or long retaining of alarms X-Force Scheduler Manages the mailing Schedules the run of report, backup, and so on. X-Force Web Portal No application installation required Views alarms instantly over web Provides security options to restrict website access Supports all the functions of standard viewer and analysis package
X-Force Computed Alarms Presents logical alarm information to the plant operator in case of unit start-up and upset condition Provides operational alternatives to plant operators during emergency situations Monitors all defined tags for number of events based on preset rules Integration with SMS or voice messages Computed Alarm Module: Diagnosis
X-FORCE AMS SPECIAL MODULES This section lists the special X-Force AMS modules and their respective functionalities. SOE Hot Standby Server SOE Software is a special solution developed by SSM InfoTech with Schneider Electric Unity-Quantum PLC and ERT Module. The following list describes the SOE technical challenges and how X-Force AMS handles those challenges. Time stamp resolution required is 1 msec Time stamp process must be done inside PLC Time must be synchronized to GPS Hot-Standby redundancy for servers receiving data Alarm data preferably integrated with SCADA system and should provide ACK functionality Data must be available for long duration of time based on end user s requirement On-Line printing of alarms with single printer using redundant servers
Enterprise Server With new ver.10 it is possible to connect all AMS systems to enterprise server and get consolidated alarms at site/corporate level. Moreover SMS alerts can be sent for critical alarms. OPC- Connectivity Collects data from printer port and provide Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) Data Access OPC AE Server for third party applications OPC AE Client for getting Alarms and events from alarm source
X-FORCE AMS FEATURES Standard PC hardware and Industry Standard Win32 application Up to 16 control systems can be connected to effectively capture alarms Capture alarms, messages, reports printed from control systems Stores and archives data in MS-SQL Server, limited only by media size Alarm analysis tools help diagnose alarm configuration weak spots Provides ODBC Connectivity By pass Alarm Server to print screen capture directly to printer connected parallel or serial port Notification through public announcement system, mobile, and e-mail systems Publish information over network through Window based application and standard web browser Analyze alarms automatically send reports over e-mail Focus on issues, not alarms and hence better Operator reaction No changes required to your existing control system configuration Continuous alarm evaluation for best possible optimization Automatic backup at predefined interval GET MORE FROM ONE WITH SSM INFOTECH SSM InfoTech s X-Force AMS is a perfect solution for storage, visualization, analysis, and optimization of alarms, messages, and reports. Importantly, X-Force AMS provides you the easiest way to fulfill all requirements of alarm management system with open architecture system irrespective of your main control system and that too without any modifications to it. FOR MORE INFORMATION Ask your SSM InfoTech Sales Representative how X-Force AMS can improve your asset availability and utilization while driving optimal Return of Investment (ROI). SSM InfoTech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ADDRESS: C502 President Plaza, Nr.RTO, Ring Road, Surat-395001 Ph: 99740-42150 Mob: +918128653001 ams@ssminfotech.com