Avtron Industrial Automation, Inc. Support Library
TIER 1: FREE Data: PERFORMANCE VIEW FAQ's

Login Tier 2 or Tier 3  |  Logout

HOW DO I?

• What? FAQ's  Click to reveal questions.
  • Click on question to reveal answers. (Re-clicking an item will collapse it.)
  • What is Linux Console?
    • The Linux Console icon on the Viewers desktop is just a HyperTerminal setup to connect through a serial cable (generally COM1 of the Viewer) to the Collectors COM2 at 19200 N81 no flow control. This allows simple command line access to the Collector and allows viewing of the bootup sequence for troubleshooting purposes. It is also the only access if network or other problems prevent the use of WebMin.
      NOTE: 2850’s have only 1 COM port which is used for the UPS on the Collector, no Console access exists. If boot up or network problems exist, you MUST have someone onsite with a monitor/keyboard/mouse connected to the Collector.
  • What is WebMin?
    • WebMin is an administration tool running on the Collector. To access it, use the WebMin icon on the Viewer desktop or through Internet Explorer go to URL http://(IP address):100000, for example http://10.1.206.111:10000. WebMin allows nearly full access to the Collector. It allows configuration of IP addresses, time/date, and many other items. You can do almost everything you could do with a monitor/keyboard/mouse on the Collector.
  • What is the Configurator?
    • The Configurator is a tool used to create/edit/verify a set of CSV and configuration files for a Performance View system. It has the ability to verify that devices and channels are consistent between the device and events files, and to find any syntax errors. If it is not used to create the CSV’s, use it to verify them after created through other means. It should be available under the Screens menu of any PV V15+.
  • What are the UPS Console, Agent, and Server?
    • The UPS software consists of 3 components. The Agent resides on the Collector where the UPS serial cable is connected. The Agent program is what activates a shutdown sequence under certain conditions. A Console may reside on each Viewer, and a Server will reside on the primary Viewer, NOT on the Collector. The UPS Server is merely the program that will allow various Consoles to communicate with the Agent. The Server MUST be installed with the same user/password as the Agent. If you cannot log in, you must re-install either the Agent, Server, or both, as this is where the user/password are assigned.
  • What is Linux, what commands can I use?
    • Linux is an open source operating system similar to Unix. The following are some useful commands along with their DOS equivalent where applicable.
    • ls (DOS dir, list files)
    • cd (DOS cd, change directory)
    • rm (DOS delete) (-f will not prompt for each file deletion, be careful, ex rm –f filename)
    • chmod 777 file = gives file all permissions
    • chown = change file ownership (chown username filename)
    • chgrp = change file group (chgrp groupname filename)
    • service network restart = shut down Ethernet ports and start up again with any changes, can also just start or stop instead of restart
    • smbd restart = process samba config changes without rebooting
    • ipcs –m = list all shared memory segments (also use ‘ps –ef’)
    • cat = displays text file on screen
    • reboot = stops collector tasks and does a “Windows restart”
    • halt = stops collector tasks and prepares system for power off
    • ./stop = stop collector tasks
    • ./start = start collector tasks
    • ./restart = does a ./stop then ./start, used to process CSV changes
    • pico = (DOS edit) command line editor
    • uptime = runtime since last powerup or reboot
    • locate filename = displays all paths containing filename
    • ps = PID or process ID list (Windows task manager)
    • tar –xvf filename.tar (equivalent to pkzip/Winzip, uncopresses filename.tar into the current path)
    • NOTE: Linux uses / instead of \ in pathnames
      Depending on your current path, sometimes a ./ or . is needed before a command, for instance stop, start, and restart or any filename.sh script files.
  • What is trace.txt?
    • Trace.txt is a log file located on C:\ of the Viewer. This log file contains a history of all tasks performed by the user, startup log, as well as internal vsystems commands, etc., and is a valuable tool in troubleshooting Viewer issues.
  • What data type do I use?
    • For V18+, the data type issues have been corrected, do not use Analog and Digital anymore.
    • For sub-V16 systems, don’t update the data types, stick with Analog and Digital even though the Configurator does not support them. As far as choosing data types for your data, you will generally use Boolean 16 for bits and match the data type of the incoming data for Float or Integer.
  • What files do I archive?
    • The simplest way to get all the required files (and then some) is to use the getcal batch file. Typically named getcallite for Lites and getcalxx for ADDvantage-32 drives. The ADDvantage-32 drive will require either the PerformanceView.exe to be running, or you must use Explorer to look at the Collector and log in. Otherwise getcal may fail to access the collector, it will indicate if you are not connected.
    • Run the batch file, it will create a folder C:\PV_Archive, zip this entire folder and copy the zip onto floppy or USB drive. The batch files can be found in the PV section of ADD_HELP and are on most Viewer’s desktops.
    • Otherwise, copy the CSV files, license, record the IP addresses, subnet mask, and gateways, record the computer names and configured users, and get all the files in Debug and db_err for proof the system was running without errors.

• Where? FAQ's  Click to reveal questions.
  • Click on question to reveal answers. (Re-clicking an item will collapse it.)
  • Where do I get the Configurator?
    • PN 683840, should be installed in the AV_Data/Screens folder on PV for V15+ systems.
  • Where is the new Alarm Panel?
    • It will not be available unless alarms are configured through the Events.csv file using V12 or greater of the Configurator.
  • Where do these serial cables go?
    • On an ADDvantage-32 drive, the standard setup is a null modem cable from Viewer COM1 to Collector COM2 and a proprietary UPS cable from the UPS to Collector COM1. On a Lite, see the system drawings. Lite systems may use a COM port for K885/PLC or other communications, there may even be a 3rd COM port. Standard is K885 to COM1 and UPS to COM2, but see system drawing or Kepware/UPS setup to be sure.
    • NOTE: 2850’s have only 1 com port used for the UPS, thus no Linux Console serial cable exists.
  • Where did the RealTime Display go?
    • Newer versions of PV disable the menu selection if no RealTime data is defined in the CSV files. Define the speeds, currents, and aux. channels via *S, *I, and *A respectively in at least one device CSV file and the RealTime Display will return as a menu option.

• How do I...? FAQ's  Click to reveal questions.
  • Click on question to reveal answers. (Re-clicking an item will collapse it.)
  • How do I change the Collector name manually?
    • You will have to edit the following files: on the Viewer, edit \AV_Data\sys_base.def. on the Collector, edit /etc/hosts, /etc/samba/smb.conf, /etc/samba/lmhosts, /etc/samba/sysconfig/network and reboot. See "How do I edit files?"
  • How do I change the name of the Viewer?
    • Change the Windows computer name and on the Collector, edit /etc/samba/lmhosts. See "How do I edit files?"
  • How do I change the Collectors IP settings?
    • The easiest is through WebMin’s network configuration section. The alternative is to edit the etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg* files and reboot.
  • How do I reinstall the UPS Agent on the Collector?
    • You cannot run the setup in non-graphical mode or by clicking it from the file manager. You must execute the install from a command prompt with the GUI running. Type startx to begin the GUI, from a command shell execute the UPS install which is somewhere like usr\PowerChuteBusinessEdition\Agent\.......\......\****.rpm.
  • How do I copy files to the Collector?
    • The best way is through Windows Explorer. In Linux a floppy must be mounted and unmounted making it a pain, filenames can also get messed up, so stick with Windows when possible. When dealing with a .tar file, DO NOT unzip to Windows and then copy to the Collector, this route loses the file permission and ownership settings. With .tar files, it is best to copy the tar file to the location desired on the Collector, then use ‘tar –xvf filename.tar’ after you cd to that location.
  • How do I edit files?
    • CSV’s MUST be edited from Windows, using the Configurator. Linux files like hosts, lmhosts, smb.conf, etc MUST be edited from Linux (or through WebMins File Manager on Windows). NEVER, NEVER, NEVER edit Linux files from Wordpad or CSV’s from Linux or WebMin’s File Manager. The reason for this is that Windows and Linux treat end of line characters and line feeds differently. Editing the wrong way will leave the file corrupt, but possibly repairable.
  • How do I add an event with the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” In the Edit menu, select Add Events and fill in the information, you must manually type out the complete channels in the format device::channelname, for instance DRIVE_1::ACT_SPEED, the Type refers to the Read channel. Click Add and Append. VERY IMPORTANT - this new event MUST be grouped with the other events for this particular Device or tabular sort by device will not function. The V10-11 Configurator will not do this, the Edit - Sequence Events will alter the numbering, but will not regroup events. Use Wordpad to cut and paste the event where it belongs and correct the EV number so that the events are still sequenced chronologically.
  • How do I add a device with the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?" Edit - Add Section does not work correctly in V11, however Clone does. Either clone a section by highlighting a section in the 2nd quadrant and select Clone, or edit the Dev_ids.csv via Wordpad.
  • How do I add a channel with the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” Highlight a device, in the Edit menu select Add Signals, and manually enter the required data.
  • How do I rename a channel with the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” Highlight the device containing the channel you would want to rename, in the 3rd quadrant, double click the channel, edit the name, select Save.
  • How do I error check a configuration with the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” if you are checking a live configuration. If checking an offline configuration, open Sys_base.def and Cust_Data from where you have placed them. In the Test menu, select Cfg Test, then select the green E icon. Ignore most data type errors as the configurator does not understand Analog and Digital types, yet some PV functionality still requires these types. (may be corrected in V18, try updating the data types with the menu option)
  • How do I set the Collector Time?
    • Run Webmin, it will look like an Internet Explorer icon on the Viewer desktop. Go to the Hardware section. Click on the System Time icon. Note that there is a System Time and a Hardware Time section in the System Time page. Adjust the Hardware Time and click Save under Hardware time, then under System Time, click Set system time to hardware time.
  • How do I sync the Viewer time to the Collector?
    • Any time you want to sync the Viewer time with the Collector time, type the following from a Command Prompt, "net time \\pv_server /set" and you will be prompted if you want to set the local computers time to the specified computers time. If you get a System error 53, some older or custom systems may have a different Collector computer name than PV_Server. In those cases use "net time \\computername /set". To determine your Collector computername open Explorer, goto My Network Places - Computers Near Me and the Collector will be one of the computers listed ending with _Server. Another method is to run the Linux Console on the Viewer desktop, log in as root, enter "password" if prompted, and you will get a command prompt of the format [root@computername root]#.
    • Be aware that altering the Collector time will cause either a gap or an overlap of data. When setting the Collector back in time the Trend will stop scrolling for that amount of time and will begin scrolling again when the Collector time reaches the original time prior to the change. The data during the overlap may not appear as expected. When setting the Collector time ahead, creating a gap in data, the trend will show a flat line throughout the data gap.
    • Some systems were configured with a time server on the Collector that Windows would sync with. Problems were discovered with this time server and it should be removed. See the V18 682980 for removal procedures. It consists of removing ntpd from the startup tasks through WebMin. You might also disable the Windows Time service to prevent entries into the Windows Event logs when it fails to sync.
  • How do I get started with the Configurator?
    • Run the Configurator. For online edits, Click File-Open and open C(or D):\AV_Data\Sys_Base.def, click File-Network and check the boxes to Connect for both L and V if available. Highlight Cust_Data in the 1st quadrant and click the green open folder icon, browse to Computers Near Me/Pv_server/Linux/AddTrackCollector/Cal, open Cust_Data.csv. Now Cust_Data, Dev_ids, Events, and Hist_Pens should have green checks instead of red X’s. Now you are ready to begin editing or error checking. Note the quadrants of the Configurator, 1 shows what configuration is loaded, 2 shows all devices, 3 shows channels from a selected device, and 4 shows events. For offline edits, open Sys_base.def and Cust_Data from where you have placed them.
  • How do I remote access a PV?
    • That depends on the configuration. Lites will typically be setup for pcAnywhere to answer the modem, in this case, dial up with pcAnywhere. ADDvantage-32 drives typically have the Viewer(s) setup with an Incoming Network Connection so Windows will answer the modem and assign an IP address just like an Internet Provider. You use a Dial-up Network connection to dial in and then you are on the PV network and have access to multiple computers, PLC’s, etc. with one dial up. Once dialed in, run pcAnywhere using TCP/IP to control the desired computer on the network. For both cases, all user/password = Avtron/64183.
  • How do I know if a license was ever installed, did this PV ship blank?
    • In Windows, look in Program files\Vista\vsys\license, if there is a license.dat file then a license was installed. If there is only a VLS file then the license has not been imported yet. In Linux, look in /AddTrackCollector/vsys-4.3/license for license.dat. The text file containing the ‘keys’ may have been copied to the computer, or just imported. In Windows, try a search for *.vls. If the vls file exists, do an import from Vconfig.
  • How do I save Trend data?
    • Use either the Section or Displayed Exports to create a VARC file. To view the VARC, run Vtrend (Start-Progams-Vsystems-VTrend) after closing the Viewer. Open your VARC and choose the desired channels or let it default to the first 10. You may open multiple VARC’s and select the channels you want; however there is no Pen Setup type functionality. PV does not contain an “offline” viewer capability. You may also use the Convert to Spreadsheet function in PV to convert the VARC to a CSV file. The CSV file may be opened in Excel however will generally have more channels then Excel has columns.
  • How do I create a new CSV from a template with the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” Load a template and in the File menu, select Save As CSV. Now open in Wordpad and delete all unneeded Analogs since the Configurator did not give you a way to choose the 24 needed. Now that you have the 24 you wanted, either manually or through the Configurator, correct the addressing for the Analogs, ModBus will be 280-303 for Analogs and EGD will be 0,4,8……92 for Analogs.
  • How do I rescale/convert data into other units/formats?
    • If using EMB_TCP, Extended ModBus, there are scaling parameters that may be set. The Configurator will allow you to choose the type of conversion. This is also possible with the V18+ GE_EGD driver, along with integer conversion. The most common is rescale where you use the SPAN_AND_ZERO option where the span is actually the gain so DisplayValue=ReadValue*SPAN+ZERO. There are also logical operations, byte/word swaps, etc. available.
  • How do I enter Descriptions in the Configurator?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” You’ll need V12 or greater Configurator, V11 will only display, not edit the description. Go to the device CSV file, add descriptions for each channel desired.
  • How do I configure the Alarm Panel?
    • First, see “How do I get started with the Configurator?” You’ll need V12 or greater Configurator. Go to the event configuration, add alarm configuration.
  • How do I verify OPC data if I have PV problems?
    • To verify OPC data. The KepWare OPC QuickClient is used. This is accessed by starting KepWare from:
    • Start/Programs/KepWare Products/KepServerEx/KepServerEx.   See screen capture --> <-- click to enlarge
    • The QuickClient is then launched using the toolbar icon OPC (hammer icon).   See screen capture --> <-- click to enlarge
    • This can be used to verify that the Kepware Server is reading data from the requested source.

• Errors FAQ's  Click to reveal questions.
  • Click on question to reveal answers. (Re-clicking an item will collapse it.)
  • Network Error 1231!
    • There is no physical connection to the Collector, either direct, through a switch, or the IP address and/or subnet mask are incompatible. Attempts to ping the Collector would result in a destination host unreachable.
  • Network Error 53!
    • This indicates that a physical connection exists to the Collector, however some other problem is preventing communications from the Collector. Attempts to ping the Collector should be successful.
  • No communication to Drive after I changed ESBX
    • Look at the System Status screen to determine which drives PV is not getting data from. The system is likely using EGD for Drive-to-PV communication. Each ESBX board contains a configuration defining what data to send and from who and to where. When swapping/replacing boards, the from IP address no longer corresponds to the Drive the ESBX board is currently installed on, or no configuration is present for a new board. Find EGDcfg.exe, usually under Custom Screens in PV, open the .egd file for the machine, select the drive(s) in question, and select Send 1. If no file is present, see your 682980 CD for EGD for PV.doc or in Add_help for instructions on configuration. Note that the number of registers*16 should equal the number of digitals defined for the Drive CSV files, otherwise EGD Driver errors may result.
  • “Kernel Panic”
    • Cycle power then call Avtron. Note, without a Linux Console, you cannot see this without having the customer connect a monitor and keyboard to the collector.
  • SQL error on Viewer and PV shuts down!
    • This can be caused by corrupted VARC file resulting from an improper shutdown, lockup, disk error, etc. If corrupt VARCS exist, they must be deleted. Before continuing, first try a ./restart from the Linux Console, then a reboot, in case the problem is not corrupt VARCS. Determining which are corrupt can be difficult, so you must decide whether to try to save the valid data or simply delete it all. The simple, but slow, method is to go to My Network Places on the Viewer, find PV_Server\Linux, open the \Vista folder and delete all the files. Another method is through the command prompt, do a ‘cd \Vista’ then a ‘rm –f *.*’ IN THE VISTA directory. On a large system, you may receive an error that too many files exist. In this case, you must delete some of the files manually. For instance, ‘rm –f couch*.*’ will delete everything beginning with couch. Do this for a few drives and try the ‘rm –f *.*’ again.
    • Check the most recent vacc_xyz.log files in vsys/servername/log, if any errors mention permissions, check the permissions on the vsys/servername/db folder using WebMin-File Manager-Info.
  • No Route to Host for all devices!
    • From the Linux Console, do an ‘ifconfig eth1 down’, then an ‘ifconfig eth1 up’. If this does not work, try a ./restart from the Linux Console. Next, try the command “service network restart” and note the PASS/FAIL state of each port. Next, try a reboot from the Linux Console. Call Avtron.
  • Vista License error message box!
    • Vista License error Machine ID=xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx License Host ID=yy-yy-yy-yy-yy-yy enet0=yy-yy-yy-yy-yy-yy indicates that Windows has chosen the physical port that was eth1 to be eth0 and vice versa. The Viewer typically has two Ethernet ports, one of which the Vista license is keyed to. If this Windows swap occurs, the license is not valid for the current eth0 port. If you do not require 2 network connections simply disable the port which the license is not keyed to. Otherwise, disable both ports and enable the correct port first and the remaining port second. To physically identify the correct port, do an “ipconfig /all” from a DOS prompt to display each IP address and its corresponding MAC (or machine) address. If Windows decides it likes the wrong port more often than not, change the environment variable VSYS_LICENSE_DEVICE from enet:0 to enet:1.
  • Event errors?
    • Utility – System Status shows errors, Display Event Configuration shows
    • “                           Analog                               AL High                         0                     ” for the last event(s). Delete the excess blank lines at the end of Events.csv. You must be able to cursor to the beginning of the first space of the line past the last entry and no further. Or with the cursor at the end of the last entry, hit delete until you can not go down a line, then hit enter once and save.
  • “\\PV_Server\L_1 network resources busy”
    • If you have a Collector folder displayed in Explorer, close that tree, and try again. If any drives are mapped to the Collector, delete the mappings. Run again.
  • “Missing Cal file in Get_Channels: L:\AddTrackCollector\Cal\.csv”
    • Delete the blank line at the end of the Dev_ids.csv file.
  • Device Configuration Errors, but driver and status ok.
    • In Display Channel Configuration, check the last channels for each device. Any blank lines will show as no channel name, type=analog, and no address. For these devices, delete the blank lines at the end of the CSV files. You must be able to cursor to the beginning of the first space of the line past the last entry and no further. Or with the cursor at the end of the last entry, hit delete until you can not go down a line, then hit enter once and save.
  • All EGD device drivers show status down!
    • Sometimes you may even appear to have several seconds of data after a restart/reboot. Verify there is no missing line feed at the end of the device CSV files. You must be able to cursor to the beginning of the first space of the line past the last entry and no further. Or with the cursor at the end of the last entry, hit delete until you can not go down a line, then hit enter once and save.
  • Shared memory errors during a stop/restart!
    • Reboot the Collector. Install vaccess_43_129.tar.Z to fix the memory leaks and no more corrupt VARCS. Should only be present on unpatched sub-V18 versions.
  • PLC comm. problems and IP address starts with # > 127.
    • Open plcdevicename.lst in \AddTrackCollector\Debug, a few lines down note the IP address, and look at the “Attempting to connect to” line near the bottom. If the IP address shows 127.255.255.255, you must upgrade V16. You must use V17 for PLC5/SLC500, or V18 for Control Logix. The V17 release is V16 new ab_csp. V18 should fix ab_cip for Control Logix.
  • My RealTime Screen displays analog values and weird units for auxiliary sheet breaks.
    • RealTime does not understand the Boolean data type which the Configurator uses. Manually edit your sheet break CSV file and replace Boolean with Digital. This should be fixed in V18.
  • ModBus error ‘Exception 2 at 1293’
    • Symptoms are all analog data is 1 and not changing the above error. ModBus can’t read D319, delete the lines past D318. In fact, you may question why you are reading more that D255 or D287 if using ModBus instead of EGD. D256-D287 is ELOC BITS and D288+ is EGD timeout bits, neither of which is of any use unless EGD is being used.
  • No communication to a block of devices.
    • If consecutive devices are not communicating, determine what the source of the data is. There could be several drives worth of data from an ABB black box, or EGD PLC in which case if one black box or PLC comm died, several drives would be down. There could also be multiple Ethernet ports for the data on large systems. Check Dev_ids.csv to see if all drives from one port are down, if so you have a bad port, cable, etc. Before pursuing cables, do a “service network restart” on the Collector to see of the port was dead and if it starts up ok.
  • EGD data skew problems.
    • If your CSV does not exactly match the produced exchange, the data will be consumed incorrectly and will result in some very strange values. You’ll likely end up with bits shifted by 16, or floats that consist of two bytes from one float and two bytes from another float which would generally look like numbers with large +/- exponents. Rather than use the Trend to determine where values go bad, use Db_view in Start-Programs-Vsystems. The channel list provided for the device will be in alphabetical order so you will have to jump around. Spot check your data and narrow in to where the mismatch occurs then verify your CSV with the Producer configuration and correct errors as necessary. This could also occur with an ADD-32 if there are floats after an odd number of registers in the exchange.
  • Yellow devices on System Status.
    • The yellow indicates that the maximum length of data has not been reached, i.e. 30 days of events and 7 days of fast data for devices. Hovering over the yellow area will display a tool tip indicating the length of data currently available. This is normal for the first 7 days on devices and 30 for events, or if any VARCS have been deleted. If you see this on an established system, check Computers Near Me/Pv_server/Linux/AddTrackCollector/Cal/Cust_data.csv and verify the disk size is set correctly. To determine disk size, with PV running, go to explorer, and look at the properties of V:. Enter the size into Cust_data.csv in GB, i.e. 100 for a 100GB drive. Also verify that there are no files in Computers Near Me/Pv_server/Linux/Vista that are older than 30 days. Changing device names will leave all the old files in place. Upgrades could possibly not cycle out the data prior to the upgrade. Delete any VARCS older than 30 days. If Windows won’t allow you to delete them, see chmod under Linux commands or delete them from the Console or WebMin. Also check that there are no folders containing backups of old VARCS leftover from troubleshooting, upgrades, etc. The only subfolder in /Vista should be lost+found, delete any other folders.
  • /Vista is full
    • Verify the disk size is set correctly. To determine disk size, with PV running, go to explorer, and look at the properties of V:. Enter the size into Cust_data.csv in GB, i.e. 100 for a 100GB drive. Also verify that there are no files in Computers Near Me/Pv_server/Linux/Vista that are older than 30 days. Changing device names will leave all the old files in place. Upgrades could possibly not cycle out the data prior to the upgrade. Delete any VARCS older than 30 days. If Windows won’t allow you to delete them, see chmod under Linux commands or delete them from the Console or WebMin. Also check that there are no folders containing backups of old VARCS leftover from troubleshooting, upgrades, etc. The only subfolder in /Vista should be lost+found, delete any other folders.
  • Descriptions/Units aren’t updated after changing them.
    • You must restart the Collector. See restart.
  • No Descriptions column on the Trend, but I added descriptions.
    • You must enable Descriptions in the Cust_Data.csv file using Configurator.
  • Tabular won’t come up at all (times out) and ev_mon won’t run on Linux.
    • Verify the vlog path entry in Cust_Data.csv is capital V:\ and not lower case v:\. ADDvantage-32 only.
  • PV locks on “Loading Trending Package”.
    • Verify the correct server name in Cust_Data.csv.
  • Nothing works after upgrade.
    • Verify all replaced files have permissions 777 and are owned by root and NOT admin. This can be done in WebMin’s File Manager under Others. Highlight the file and click on the Info icon. To set permissions on multiple files, from a Linux prompt, change to the desired directory and enter the command “chmod 777 *”
  • I installed the CSV files from a floppy into the Collector using the script file and some drives aren’t working in PV!
    • When Linux copies short filenames from the mounted floppy, it usually changes the case. Files greater than 8.3 will copy correctly; short ones will be lower case. Linux is case sensitive so now the collector software can’t find those drives. Correct the filenames through Linux or through WebMin. It may be necessary to rename the file twice to get the case to change. For example, change dryer.csv to xdryer.csv, then to DRYER.csv (renaming dryer.csv to DRYER.csv will remain lower case). Files copied via Windows Explorer will not have this problem.
  • I added a device or channel and it doesn’t show up.
    • There are likely syntax errors in the new channels or device. All device names and channel names must be upper case letters and underscores only, no special characters. There cannot be any blank lines at the end of a CSV file, but you should be able to move the cursor to the beginning of the last blank line, no further. Additions like this should be done through the Configurator to avoid errors, or at least tested in the Configurator for errors.
  • The Viewer won’t work, how can I tell if the Collector is functioning?
    • From DOS on the Viewer, use the vlogsql command to directly access a VARC file, example vlogsql "select top 10 time,cname,value from data @ v:\SLC500.varc where (cname='SLC500::ANALOG01') order by time desc" will display the last 10 entries for channel ANALOG01 of the SLC500 device. If the time stamps are current, then the Collector is still collecting. Simply looking at the lights on the Vista drives would also be a good indication, they should flash several times per second. You need to access/login PV_Server through My Network Places first.
  • The Viewer won’t work, how can I verify incoming data is correct?
    • Use Db_View, add a database/filter \\PV_SERVER\devicename, this will give an alphabetical list of all data. You may refresh the value to verify it is changing and/or correct. This is a good tool for verifying EGD data from a PLC to check for skew, faster than making lots of pen files, or for when the Viewer isn’t even installed yet.
  • I think my Collector is locked up!
    • To determine if the Collector functional, attempt to access it via Linux Console and WebMin. If neither of these work, try to ping the Collector. If none of these are successful, cycle power. See SQL error.
  • One of the hard drives has an amber light.
    • This indicates a disk error. Try a reboot, then call Avtron.
  • I just upgraded pre-15 to post-15, now nothing works!
    • There are changes in some of the configuration files. Verify files such as Sys_base.def, Cust_Data.csv, etc. have been updated to the correct format, edit accordingly. Some very old systems may not have units, add units in CSV’s for all Analogs/Floats. Verify all devices and channel names are legal; some early versions ignored case which led to worse problems. Verify computer names are still consistent between configuration files, Collector, and Viewer. Verify IP addresses are correct.
  • One or two drives won’t come back, ModBus/TCP ([EMB_TCP).
    • If a drive will not come back online even after restarting, chances are the drive may have stopped communicating. Check for ModBus errors under Diagnostics in the drive to see if multiple errors exist. Multiple PV restarts/reboots and the existence of other ModBus devices (touch screens) communicating with the drives can cause too many ModBus connects in a short period of time. Under normal operating circumstances, this will not happen and the drive should eventually allow new ModBus connections. Resetting the drive should solve the problem immediately. If you are not sure if the PV-to-Drive communication is ModBus/TCP or not, open Dev_ids.csv and look at the driver type, it will either be MB_TCP, EMB_TCP, or GE_EGD.
  • KepServerEx starts up then disappears after changes/OPC devices down after changes.
    • The address’s defines in the CSV file must perfectly match the KepWare tags or they both will crash. Generally, export your Kepware tags and create your CSV file from that, this will minimize possible address errors.

• General FAQ's  Click to reveal questions.
  • Click on question to reveal answers. (Re-clicking an item will collapse it.)
  • reboot VS ./restart
    • ./restart will stop the running tasks, reprocess the CSV files, and start the tasks again. ./restart is generally ok for minor CSV changes like units, descriptions, and channel name changes. A full reboot is recommended for adding whole new devices, or additional channels to a device, new events etc. It never hurts to reboot after any change, however if you are continuously making changes on a startup, rebooting will take approx. 10 minutes each time and is not practical. ALWAYS reboot after you are finished with all your changes and verify functionality after the reboot, regardless of the changes you have made.
  • I need a license quick; can I get the MAC address before installing hours of software?
    • Yes, you can usually find the onboard Ethernet MAC address in BIOS, use the first listed port. Watch the monitor just after power up, and look for what key will enter “Setup”, typically F12.
  • I dialed up and connected, but pcAnywhere can’t find any Hosts!
    • If default IP’s (10.1.xxx.yyy) are used and you are on the Avtron network, pcAnywhere is not smart enough to look at the PPP connection (dial-up) versus the NIC (Avtron CAT5) connection to find Hosts. Per Avtron policy, disconnect from the Avtron network and try the Host again. If the PV is not using default IP’s, you can still find the Host(s) while connected to Avtron, but you are violating company policy. If you still cannot connect, try to ping the computer you are attempting to control to verify it is at least on the network, chances are the customer has shutdown the pcAnywhere Host, and/or has disabled the “Run with Windows” option. The customer will have to launch pcAnywhere.
  • Does the Viewer connect to the Collector via x-over cable or to the switch?
    • Either, each has advantages/disadvantages. For best performance, a x-over should run directly from the Collector to Viewer, through 1GB ports where possible. If ADDAPT will be installed on the Viewer, the Viewer must be connected to the switch through at least one of its ports. Depending on network architecture, both Viewer ports may need to go to the switch (or one to switch and one to Collector via x-over). ADDAPT must have a port with a drive compatible IP address, which may not be compatible with Collector-to-Viewer IP’s requiring multiple connections. See system drawings or contact the PE.
  • I am installing Viewer software on a non-Avtron computer; do I follow the normal setup procedure?
    • NO. The normal Viewer setup procedure has steps which may wipe out some customer configuration. Before proceeding, review the setup procedure with the customer (or the IT person who initially set up the computer). There may already be UPS software and sophisticated remote access setup and following the procedure may wipe these out.
  • Is there any real advantage to using default IP address and Computer names?
    • YES. Using custom IP addresses and names complicates the startup, and further complicates future upgrades, as well as remote access.  If at all possible, stick with defaults. There is a script file to change these but it is not foolproof and running the script file more than once can cause very undesirable results.
  • Should the switch have an IP address?
    • While it does not need one to operate, it SHOULD be given one before leaving Avtron (or startup) to make diagnosing in the field simpler. It only takes a minute to do, but once installed at the customer site and the cable is lost, it’s next to impossible to do anything with the switch. None of the diagnostics or settings can be accessed remotely without it having been assigned an IP address. This only requires the serial cable supplied with the switch, and accessing via HyperTerminal. See documentation provided with the switch for configuration.
  • Usernames and passwords associated with Performance View.
    • Windows login:         administrator/64183
    • UPS:                        administrator/64183
    • Linux Console:          root/password
    • WebMin:                  root/no password or root/password
    • Dialup network:        avtron/64183
    • pcAnywhere:            avtron/64183
    • Explorer to Server:   administrator or root, no password
  • I made changes with the Configurator, it looks like it saved them, but all my changes disappeared.
    • By default, Configurator uses the read only mapping to the Collector (L_1 on collectorname) when opening Cust_Data, instead use Computers Near Me/Pv_server/Linux/AddTrackCollector/Cal for Cust_Data.csv. Now when you save, it will really save.
  • I created a drive CSV with the Configurator using ModBus and I don’t get any data.
    • Symptoms are all analog data is 1 and not changing the above error. ModBus can’t read D319, delete the lines past D318. In fact, you may question why you are reading more that D255 or D287 if using ModBus instead of EGD. D256-D287 is ELOC BITS and D288+ is EGD timeout bits, neither of which is of any use unless EGD is being used.
  • My new EGD device created in the Configurator has -------- for Digital data.
    • Make sure that the data type is NOT Boolean; it must be Boolean 16 or Digital. Boolean 16 is not supported by the RealTime Data screen, however Configurator does not support Digital. The reason for Boolean 16 being that the bits are packed as registers in the EGD exchange.
  • Viewer crashes after adding Event, no errors in /AddTrackCollector/Debug/ev_gen.log
    • Open Events.csv and verify that every event has an EVxxxx number in the first field. If this is missing, ev_gen will substitute EV0000 in its place when processing the events, but the Viewer software crashes when loading the missing field in the Events file. Any other missing field will not cause a crash, at least through V17.
  • I added multiple WEB_MONITOR devices, but only the last one shows up on the Sheet Break screen.
    • The V10-V11 Configurator will allow more than one with no error, but only one is legal.
  • I made changes through Configurator but can’t find a restart to process my changes.
    • You must manually restart the Collector, either through Linux Console or WebMin.
  • Slow performance on the ADDvantage-32.
    • Verify that Viewer-Collector comm is going from the correct Windows port (if multiple in use) to the correct Collector port. Use an x-over between 1GB ports where possible for maximum performance.
  • User Account Issues
    • It is possible to configure any username as a Power User to be able to access PV. The following things must be done to get full menus and access.
    1. Use regedt32 and give Full access to the Avtron and Vista Control System folders in Program Files.
    2. For full menus, all users who are Power Users must also be members of the group Users. In Administrative Tools-Computer Management-Local Users and Groups-Users, go to the properties of each desired user, go to the Member of Tab, click Add and add “Users”, OK.
    3. Using WebMin, go to the Users page, Add, enter the user name, no password required, primary group is adm, secondary is root, and check all No’s at the bottom and Submit.
    4. Log into Windows as this user(s) and verify operation of PV.
  • Viewer wants a password to run as Power User.
    • Enter 64183 for full access, or nothing for limited menus (no pen changes, saves, etc.)
  • ModBus VS EGD for ADD32
    • Both have advantages and disadvantages when obtaining data from the ADD-32. ModBus requires no drive configuration other than the MOV ELOCS. EGD requires the use of EGDcfg to configure the ESBX board to produce exchanges containing the desired data. This configuration must match the CSV file in PV. The downside is that any ESBX board swapping or replacement must be reconfigured or PV will receive no data for the drive. EGD is consistent at 20ms and does ok at 10ms. ModBus only ok at 20ms. EGD also produces less network traffic than ModBus. If converting from ModBus to EGD, you must re-address the floats, instead of 280-303, you will start at 0 and go in steps of 4 bytes, 0,4,8,12, and so on.