Crimson Cloud Connectors: Creating an Outline Database

Abstract:

This document explains how to create an outline database that is referenced in the cloud connector Tech Notes.

Products:

CR3000 HMIs / DA Series Data Stations (except DA10D) / Graphite^® HMI / Graphite Controllers

Use Case: Creating an Outline Database

Creating a simple database to test cloud connectors.

Required Software:

Crimson 3.1

Required Firmware:

Build 3106.000 or higher

Crimson Configuration

Open Crimson 3.1 and create a new database for your device. Before we configure the Connector, we shall need to perform a few steps to create the infrastructure used for testing. Red Lion will soon be making these so-called outline databases available via its website and including them in the Crimson installation. In the meantime, to manually create an outline database, start by navigating to the Communications category and selecting the Ethernet 1 tab in the Network settings…

Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, if the device is connected to a network that automatically allocates IP addresses via a DHCP server, you may leave these settings unchanged. If you are manually specifying an IP address, you must also define a default gateway and manually provide DNS servers. The gateway is necessary for your device to push data to the Internet and the DNS servers are used to convert the cloud server name into an IP address. The default server addresses of 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 will be suitable for most applications, but the DNS Mode must be explicitly set to Manual if the Port Mode is set to Manual Configuration.

Next, select the Time Manager settings within the Services group.

Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 2, perform the following actions…

1. In the Control section, set the Enable Time Manager property to Yes.
2. In the Time Client section, set the Enable SNTP setting to Yes.

The other settings may be left at their default values. These settings enable time synchronization, allowing your device to set its real-time clock from the Internet. Having an accurate real-time clock is important not only for time-stamping data but also for ensuring the correct operation of certain security algorithms. Once you have downloaded your outline database for the first time, select the Send Time option from the Link menu within Crimson to set the device’s time zone to that of your PC. If you need to set it to a different time zone, refer to the Crimson manuals for information on the time zone system variables.

Next navigate to the Data Tags category and press the New button five times…

Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 3, select Tag5 in the Navigation pane and then rename it to Status.

Next navigate to the Display Pages category…

Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 4, perform the following actions…

1. Select the Hello World text and press Delete to remove it from the screen.
2. In the Resource Pane, select the Data Tags
3. In the Resource Pane, click on Tag1 and, while holding down Shift + Ctrl, click on Status.
4. All five data tags should be selected.
5. Drag the resulting selection on to your display page.
6. Grab the bottom-right resizing handle and expand the data fields to a suitable size.
7. Click away from the data fields to deselect them.
8. Click on Tag1 and check the Data Entry box in the floating toolbar. Alternatively, right-click and select Data followed by Data Entry.
9. Repeat this operation for Tag2.

Your display page should now look like Figure 5.

Figure 5.

Next right-click on the page and select Properties…

Figure 6.

Referring to Figure 6, perform the following actions…

1. Select the Actions
2. Enter Tag3++,Tag4++ in the On Update box.
3. Press OK to save the changes.

Next navigate to the Web Server category…

Figure 7.

Referring to Figure 7, perform the following actions…

1. Select the Features
2. In the Remove View section, set the Remote Control property to enabled.

You have now created an outline database. Press F9 to download this to your device, and if this is the first time you are doing so, select the Send Time option from the Link menu to set the device’s time and time zone. If the device has a display, you should be able to see the five tags. You will be able to edit the first two tags using the touchscreen, and the next two will be incrementing steadily as the display updates.

If your device does not have a display, open your web browser. In the address bar, enter http:// followed by the IP address that you have allocated to your device to access the Crimson web server. Within the Crimson web server, select Remote View to view the device’s virtual display and again note the behavior of the tags.

Disclaimer

It is the customer's responsibility to review the advice provided herein and its applicability to the system. Red Lion makes no representation about specific knowledge of the customer's system or the specific performance of the system. Red Lion is not responsible for any damage to equipment or connected systems. The use of this document is at your own risk. Red Lion standard product warranty applies.