Alarm Management

B0700AT
REV C
I/A Series® System

Workstation Alarm Management
November 30, 2008
Message System Monitor

Manager (SMON)
Horns
Alarm
Messages
Alarm Alert
Database
Annunciator Keyboard
Control Station Historian FoxPanels
(FCP270 or Database
ZCP270)
Alarm Displays
Alarm Message Printer
Alarm History Display
Process Displays
Invensys, Foxboro, AIM*Historian, FoxDraw, FoxPanels, FoxView, and I/A Series are trademarks of
Invensys plc, its subsidiaries, and affiliates.
All other brand names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright 2004-2008 Invensys Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved
SOFTWARE LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Before using the Invensys Systems, Inc. supplied software supported by this documentation, you
should read and understand the following information concerning copyrighted software.
1. The license provisions in the software license for your system govern your obligations
and usage rights to the software described in this documentation. If any portion of
those license provisions is violated, Invensys Systems, Inc. will no longer provide you
with support services and assumes no further responsibilities for your system or its
operation.
2. All software issued by Invensys Systems, Inc. and copies of the software that you are
specifically permitted to make, are protected in accordance with Federal copyright
laws. It is illegal to make copies of any software media provided to you by
Invensys Systems, Inc. for any purpose other than those purposes mentioned in the
software license.
Contents
Figures.................................................................................................................................... ix
Tables..................................................................................................................................... xi
Preface................................................................................................................................. xiii
Audience ................................................................................................................................ xiii
Revision Information ............................................................................................................. xiii
Reference Documents ............................................................................................................ xiv
Related Software Packages ...................................................................................................... xiv
Document Conventions .......................................................................................................... xv
Configurable Options ......................................................................................................... xv
Platform Specific Information ............................................................................................ xv
Windows and Dialog Boxes ........................................................................................... xv
Path and File Names ...................................................................................................... xv
Terminology ...................................................................................................................... xv
Conventions Used in Procedures ....................................................................................... xvi
Alarm Management Documents and On-Line Help .............................................................. xvi
1. Introduction to Alarm Management.................................................................................. 1

Alarm Management Overview ................................................................................................... 1
Types of Alarms ........................................................................................................................ 2
System Alarms ...................................................................................................................... 2
System Alarm Generation ................................................................................................ 2
System Alarm Notification .............................................................................................. 2
Viewing and Responding to System Alarms ..................................................................... 2
Process Alarms ...................................................................................................................... 3
Process Alarm Generation ................................................................................................ 3
Process Alarm Notification .............................................................................................. 3
Viewing Process Alarms ................................................................................................... 3
Responding to Process Alarms ......................................................................................... 4
Alarm Management Subsystem Processes and External Interfaces .............................................. 4
Configuration Files ................................................................................................................... 7
2. Process Alarming............................................................................................................... 9
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 9
Alarm Generation ..................................................................................................................... 9
Examples of Process Alarms .................................................................................................. 9
Initiation of Process Alarms .................................................................................................. 9
iii
B0700AT – Rev C Contents
Alarm Destinations ............................................................................................................. 10

Alarm Messages Sent Directly to the Printer .................................................................. 10
Historian Interface ......................................................................................................... 10
Alarm Notification .................................................................................................................. 10
Process Button ................................................................................................................... 10
Horns ................................................................................................................................. 11
Hardware Annunciator Keyboards and Soft Alarm Panels .................................................. 11
Alarm Viewing ........................................................................................................................ 12
Relationship between FoxView and Alarm Managers ......................................................... 12
Viewing Process Alarm Status ............................................................................................. 12
Alarm Displays ................................................................................................................... 13
FoxView Displays ............................................................................................................... 13
How Alarm Entries are Sorted ............................................................................................ 14
Alarm Response ....................................................................................................................... 15
Annunciator Keys and Soft Alarm Panel Buttons ............................................................... 16
Working with Horns .......................................................................................................... 16
3. Alarm Manager Displays ................................................................................................. 17

Overview ................................................................................................................................. 17
Alarm Manager User Interface ................................................................................................ 17
Alarm Display Capabilities ...................................................................................................... 18
Alarm Display Window ........................................................................................................... 19
Application Title Bar .......................................................................................................... 19
Menu Bar ........................................................................................................................... 19
Display Title Bar ................................................................................................................ 19
Current Date and Time ................................................................................................. 20
Alarm Display Type ...................................................................................................... 20
New Alarms Button ....................................................................................................... 20
Alarm Area ......................................................................................................................... 21
Button Area ........................................................................................................................ 21
Status Bar ........................................................................................................................... 22
Alarm Display Types ............................................................................................................... 23
Current Alarms Display ...................................................................................................... 24
Most Recent Alarms Display .............................................................................................. 25
Summary Displays .............................................................................................................. 26
View All Mode .............................................................................................................. 28
Alarm History Display ....................................................................................................... 28
Operations Display ............................................................................................................. 29
Alarm Color and State Information ......................................................................................... 30
4. Working with Alarm Displays ......................................................................................... 31

Accessing and Exiting Alarm Manager Displays ...................................................................... 31
Accessing the Alarm Manager Initial Display ...................................................................... 32
Exiting the Alarm Manager ................................................................................................ 32
iv
Contents B0700AT – Rev C
Default Menus and Buttons in Alarm Displays ....................................................................... 33

AM Menu Bar .................................................................................................................... 33
File Menu ...................................................................................................................... 33
Edit Menu ..................................................................................................................... 33
View Menu .................................................................................................................... 34
Displays Menu .............................................................................................................. 35
Horns Menu .................................................................................................................. 36
Help Menu .................................................................................................................... 36
Pop-up Menus ................................................................................................................... 36
Buttons .............................................................................................................................. 37
Working with Alarm Manager Windows ................................................................................ 38
Showing, Minimizing, and Dismissing Windows ............................................................... 38
Resizing a Window ............................................................................................................. 39
Moving a Window ............................................................................................................. 39
Alarm Area .............................................................................................................................. 39
Limiting Alarm Entries ....................................................................................................... 39
Hiding Menus and Buttons in an Alarm Display ................................................................ 40
Alarm Message Fields ......................................................................................................... 40
Responding to Alarms ............................................................................................................. 41
Navigating Alarm Displays ................................................................................................. 41
Scrolling Through Alarm Entries ................................................................................... 41
Navigating to a Page ...................................................................................................... 41
Refreshing an Alarm Display .............................................................................................. 42
Accessing Other Alarm Manager Displays .......................................................................... 42
Operating on an Alarm Entry ............................................................................................. 42
Viewing Additional Alarm Information .............................................................................. 43
View All Mode ................................................................................................................... 44
Acknowledging Alarms ....................................................................................................... 45
Clearing Alarms .................................................................................................................. 46
Accessing a Display Specific to an Alarm ............................................................................ 46
Finding, Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms ................................................................... 47
Alarm Find vs. Alarm Match/Filter/Sort ............................................................................. 47
Match vs. Filter vs. Sort ...................................................................................................... 47
Locating Alarms using Alarm Find ..................................................................................... 51
Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms Using Alarm Match ............................................. 52
Field Entry Specification Rules ........................................................................................... 53
Creating and Saving an Alarm Find or Alarm Match Specification ..................................... 54
Loading an Alarm Match or Alarm Find Specification File ................................................. 55
Deleting an Alarm Match or Alarm Find Specification File ................................................ 55
Examples - Using Alarm Match/Filter Specification Files ................................................... 56
Customizing an AM Button to Perform a Match ............................................................... 58
Working with Historical Alarm Information ........................................................................... 59
Accessing an Historian Other Than the Default ................................................................. 59
Accessing an Archived History File ..................................................................................... 59
Saving Alarm Display Information .......................................................................................... 59
Examples of Text and Comma Separated Value Formats .................................................... 60
v
Printing Alarm Display Information ....................................................................................... 60

Working with Horns ............................................................................................................... 62
Silencing Horns .................................................................................................................. 62
Muting/Unmuting Horns .................................................................................................. 62
Muting/Unmuting Horns for an Individual Workstation .............................................. 63
Muting/Unmuting Horns within a Common Alarm Group .......................................... 63
5. Relationship Between AMS and FoxView........................................................................ 65

FoxView Display Managers and Alarm Managers .................................................................... 65
Calling Up an Alarm Manager from FoxView ......................................................................... 65
Configuring a Button on a FoxView Display ...................................................................... 65
Customizing the Process Button ......................................................................................... 65
FoxView and Alarm Manager Relationships ............................................................................ 66
FoxViews and Alarm Managers at Startup .......................................................................... 66
Process Button ............................................................................................................... 66
Accessing the Process and System Button States ............................................................ 66
Instances of Alarm Managers ......................................................................................... 68
DM/AM Licensing ............................................................................................................. 68
Dedicated and Undedicated Licenses ............................................................................. 68
DM Usage Summary ..................................................................................................... 69
Restrictions .................................................................................................................... 69
DM/AM Association ............................................................................................................... 70
Alarm Manager Access ................................................................................................... 70
Instances of Alarm Managers ......................................................................................... 70
FoxView Display Manager/Alarm Manager Access Rules ............................................... 71
Relationship Between FoxPanels and FoxView ........................................................................ 71
FoxPanels Default Behavior ................................................................................................ 71
Redirecting Default Behavior at Run Time ........................................................................ 72
Process Display Call-Up ..................................................................................................... 72
Button Configuration ......................................................................................................... 72
Horn Management ............................................................................................................. 72
6. Common Alarm Groups.................................................................................................. 75

Common Alarm Group File Contents .................................................................................... 75
Creating a Common Alarm Group File ................................................................................... 77
Adding Additional Workstations ............................................................................................. 78
Process Display Call-Up .......................................................................................................... 78
Process Display Call-Up Rules ........................................................................................... 79
Overriding Process Display Call-Up ................................................................................... 79
7. Advanced Operations Topics........................................................................................... 81

Operator Action Journal ......................................................................................................... 81
Security ................................................................................................................................... 81
Environments ..................................................................................................................... 81
vi
Contents B0700AT – Rev C
Security Access ................................................................................................................... 82

Changing the AM Environment and Default Security Access ............................................. 82
Executing an Environment Script ....................................................................................... 83
Changing Access Level Settings for the AM ........................................................................ 83
Changing the AM Environment .................................................................................... 83
Changing the FoxView Environment ............................................................................ 84
AM Startup ................................................................................................................... 84
Changing the AM Environment to the FoxView Environment .......................................... 84
AM is Running .............................................................................................................. 84
AM is Not Running ...................................................................................................... 85
Windows Off Mode (Solaris Only) ......................................................................................... 85
Current Alarms Display ...................................................................................................... 86
Alarm History Display ....................................................................................................... 86
Alarm History Display and AIM*AT Software Restrictions ..................................................... 87
Manual Display Call-Up ......................................................................................................... 87
Top Priority Display ............................................................................................................... 87
Configuring the User Display Button ...................................................................................... 88
8. AMS Features Requiring Configuration .......................................................................... 89

Workstation Properties ........................................................................................................... 89
Overview ............................................................................................................................ 89
Retaining Acknowledged Returned-to-Normal Alarm Messages ......................................... 89
Sizing Parameters .................................................................................................................... 90
Colors and Blinking ................................................................................................................ 91
Timeouts ................................................................................................................................. 92
Pause Timeout ................................................................................................................... 92
Mute Timeout .................................................................................................................... 92
Refresh Rate ............................................................................................................................ 93
Confirmation Dialog Box ........................................................................................................ 93
Flexible Display Layout ........................................................................................................... 94
Configurable Display Title and Status Bar .............................................................................. 94
Printing ................................................................................................................................... 95
Saving to a File ........................................................................................................................ 95
Remote Alarm Source ............................................................................................................. 96
View All Alarms from Any Workstation ............................................................................. 97
Monitor Alarms from a Different Plant Area ...................................................................... 99
Monitor Alarms in More than One Plant Area ................................................................. 100
Alarm Message Redundancy ............................................................................................. 102
Multi-State Buttons .............................................................................................................. 102
Button States .................................................................................................................... 103
Button Conditionals ......................................................................................................... 103
Run-Time Behavior .......................................................................................................... 105
vii
MSB Example 1: Pause/Unpause Button ..................................................................... 105

MSB Example 2: Print/Cancel Print Button ................................................................ 106
9. Commands and Keywords............................................................................................. 107

Alarm Manager Commands and Keywords ........................................................................... 107
Alarm Server Task Commands .............................................................................................. 111
Alarm Manager Command Interface ..................................................................................... 111
Configuring a Command that Uses Keywords ...................................................................... 111
Customizing Your Displays ................................................................................................... 113
10. Behind the Scenes........................................................................................................ 117

When a Process Alarm Occurs .............................................................................................. 117
Alarm Messages ................................................................................................................ 118
Alarm Updates ...................................................................................................................... 119
Alarm Display OM Connections ........................................................................................... 120
OM Connection Points .................................................................................................... 121
Alarm Alert Database ............................................................................................................ 122
Configurable Options ....................................................................................................... 122
Invensys Foxboro Supplied Defaults ................................................................................. 122
New Alarms Button ......................................................................................................... 123
Alarm Recovery ..................................................................................................................... 124
Configuring the Workstation for Alarm Recovery ............................................................ 124
Recovering Alarms from APT ........................................................................................... 125
Recovering Alarms from MM ........................................................................................... 125
Current State Update (CSU) ............................................................................................ 125
Appendix A. Configuration Options.................................................................................. 127
Index .................................................................................................................................. 135
viii
Figures
1-1. Process Alarm Overview ................................................................................................ 1
1-2. Alarm Management Subsystem Architecture ................................................................. 6
2-1. Hardware Annunciator Keyboard ................................................................................ 11
2-2. Software Emulation of an Annunciator Keyboard (Windows System) ......................... 12
2-3. Block Detail Display ................................................................................................... 14
2-4. Default Alarm Discard Sort Order .............................................................................. 15
3-1. Parts of an Alarm Display ............................................................................................ 19
3-2. Current Alarms Display .............................................................................................. 24
3-3. Most Recent Alarms Display ....................................................................................... 25
3-4. New Alarms Summary Display ................................................................................... 26
3-5. Unacknowledged Returned Alarms Summary ............................................................. 27
3-6. Acknowledged Alarms Summary Display .................................................................... 27
3-7. Alarm History Display ................................................................................................ 28
3-8. Default Operations Display ......................................................................................... 29
4-1. FoxView Display Manager .......................................................................................... 31
4-2. Goto Page Dialog Box ................................................................................................. 41
4-3. Alarm Details Display ................................................................................................. 44
4-4. Alarm Match Dialog Box (Match Tab) ....................................................................... 48
4-5. Alarm Match Dialog Box (Filter Tab) ......................................................................... 48
4-6. Alarm Match Dialog Box (Sort Tab) ........................................................................... 49
4-7. Set Time Dialog Box ................................................................................................... 49
5-1. FoxView Usage Summary Display ............................................................................... 69
5-2. Display Manager Association with Alarm Managers .................................................... 70
5-3. FoxPanels Behavior ..................................................................................................... 72
8-1. FoxView Color Palette ................................................................................................ 91
8-2. Confirmation Message Dialog Box .............................................................................. 93
8-3. Set Alarm Sources Dialog Box ..................................................................................... 96
8-4. Remote Alarm Sources ................................................................................................ 98
8-5. Multiple Alarm Sources ............................................................................................. 101
9-1. Alarm Display Customized with a Trend Point Button ............................................. 112
9-2. Trend Generated for a Selected Alarm ....................................................................... 112
10-1. Information Movement ............................................................................................. 118
ix
B0700AT – Rev C Figures
x
Tables
1-1. System Button States ..................................................................................................... 2
1-2. AMS Software Processes ................................................................................................ 4
1-3. AMS Configurators ....................................................................................................... 5
1-4. AMS External Interfaces ................................................................................................ 5
1-5. Alarm Management Subsystem Configuration Files ...................................................... 7
2-1. Process Button States .................................................................................................. 10
2-2. Annunciator Light Status ............................................................................................ 12
2-3. Alarm Displays ............................................................................................................ 13
3-1. Display Title and Status Bar Indicators ....................................................................... 20
3-2. New Alarms Button States .......................................................................................... 21
3-3. Default Alarm Display Buttons ................................................................................... 22
3-4. Default Fields in the CAD Status Bar .......................................................................... 22
3-5. Alarm Display Types ................................................................................................... 23
3-6. Default Colors and Indicators for Alarm State and Alarm Status Fields ....................... 30
4-1. File Menu ................................................................................................................... 33
4-2. Edit Menu .................................................................................................................. 33
4-3. View Menu ................................................................................................................. 34
4-4. Displays Menu ............................................................................................................ 35
4-5. Horns Menu ............................................................................................................... 36
4-6. Help Menu ................................................................................................................. 36
4-7. Default Pop-up Menus for Alarm Displays ................................................................. 37
4-8. Default Command Buttons for Alarm Displays ........................................................... 37
4-9. Iconized Window Information .................................................................................... 38
4-10. Alarm Message Fields - Type and Text ........................................................................ 40
4-11. Acknowledge Buttons .................................................................................................. 45
4-12. Alarm Find and Alarm Match Fields ........................................................................... 50
4-13. Alarm Find and Alarm Match Buttons ........................................................................ 51
5-1. Process Button States .................................................................................................. 66
5-2. ALMSTATE Variable ................................................................................................. 67
6-1. Common Alarm Group Configurator File (commgrp.cfg) Fields ................................ 76
6-2. Process Display Call-Up .............................................................................................. 78
6-3. Environment Variable Assignments ............................................................................. 79
7-1. CAD Windows On/Off Configured Actions ............................................................... 86
8-1. Sizing Parameters ........................................................................................................ 91
8-2. Timeouts ..................................................................................................................... 92
8-3. Refresh Rates ............................................................................................................... 93
8-4. Confirmation Dialog Box Button ................................................................................ 93
8-5. Display Title and Status Bar Indicators ....................................................................... 94
8-6. Button State Attributes ............................................................................................. 103
8-7. Multi-State Button Operators ................................................................................... 104
8-8. Multi-State Button Operands .................................................................................... 104
8-9. Pause/Unpause Multi-State Button ........................................................................... 106
8-10. Print/Cancel Print Multi-State Button ...................................................................... 106
9-1. Alarm Manager Command Summary ....................................................................... 108
xi
B0700AT – Rev C Tables
9-2. Alarm Server Task Command Summary ................................................................... 111

10-1. Alarm Display Updates ............................................................................................. 120
10-2. Object Manager Delays ............................................................................................. 122
10-3. Alarm Alert Default Settings for Alarm Displays ....................................................... 123
10-4. New Alarms Button States ........................................................................................ 123
10-5. Workstation Global Variables for Qualifying Alarms ................................................ 123
10-6. Attributes to Determine a Qualifying Alarm ............................................................. 124
A-1. Workstations - Configuration Options ...................................................................... 127
A-2. Workstation Properties - Configuration Options ...................................................... 127
A-3. Display Managers - Configuration Options ............................................................... 129
A-4. DM Properties - Configuration Options ................................................................... 129
A-5. Alarm Managers - Configuration Options ................................................................. 130
A-6. AM Properties - Configuration Options .................................................................... 130
A-7. AM Properties: Alarm Manager Display Types - Configuration Options .................. 131
A-8. User Interfaces - Configuration Options ................................................................... 132
A-9. Alarm Formats - Configuration Options ................................................................... 132
A-10. Alarm Format: Cell Format Editor - Configuration Options ..................................... 133
A-11. Screen Lists - Configuration Options ........................................................................ 134
A-12. Associations - Configuration Options ....................................................................... 134
xii
Preface
The I/A Series system provides flexibility in the presentation of process alarms. This document
focuses on the relationship of the Alarm Management Subsystem (AMS) with respect to:
♦ FoxView™ displays (“FoxView”)
♦ Workstation properties
♦ Common Alarm Groups (CAGs)
♦ FoxPanels™ Configurator (hardware annunciator keyboards, soft alarm panels, and
internal and external horns)
♦ FoxPanels™ Run-Time (soft alarm panels)
♦ Graphics Console I/O (hardware annunciator keyboards)
♦ Horns
Audience
This document is intended for process engineers for Windows® based and Solaris® based work-
stations. The document assumes that the process engineer has configured the control database
and the devices to receive process alarms (workstations, historians, and printers) using the Inte-
grated Control Configurator (ICC) or I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC), and that
the process engineer is familiar with the configured control database and the process alarm
requirements. It is also assumed that the process engineer is familiar with FoxView software.
Revision Information
For this revision of the document (B0700AT-C), the following changes have been made:
Chapter 1 “Introduction to Alarm Management”
♦ Minor edits to “Process Alarm Generation” on page 3 and Table 1-2 “AMS Software
Processes” on page 4.
Chapter 2 “Process Alarming”
♦ In “Historian Interface” on page 10, clarified that Solaris-based and Windows-based
workstations cannot access classic historians.
Chapter 6 “Common Alarm Groups”
♦ Minor edits to the chapter introduction on page 75 and to “Common Alarm Group
File Contents” on page 75.
Chapter 8 “AMS Features Requiring Configuration”
♦ Added “Retaining Acknowledged Returned-to-Normal Alarm Messages” on page 89.
xiii
B0700AT – Rev C Preface
Reference Documents
♦ Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM)
♦ Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP)
♦ Control Processor 270 (CP270) Integrated Control Software Concepts (B0700AG)
♦ FoxPanels Annunciator Keyboard and Alarm Panel Software (B0700BB)
♦ Integrated Control Blocks Description (B0193AX)
♦ Integrated Control Configurator (B0193AV)
♦ I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC) User's Guide (B0400BP)
♦ Learning to Use IACC (B0400BT)
♦ Display Commands (B0193DF)
♦ System Management Displays (B0193JC)
♦ System Operations (B0193CR)
♦ FoxView Software (B0700BD)
♦ FoxDraw Software (B0700BE)
♦ Display Engineering for FoxView Software and Display Manager Software (B0193MQ)
♦ Workstation Configuration (B0193AG)
♦ Operator Action Journal (B0193CW)
♦ Process Operations and Displays (B0700BN)
♦ Message Manager Configurator (B0700AJ)
Most are available on the I/A Series Electronic Documentation CD-ROM (K0173TQ or
K0173WT). The latest revisions may also be available through the IPS Global Client Support
Center at http://support.ips.invensys.com.
Related Software Packages

Besides having a knowledge of the control database and alarming scheme, become familiar with
the interrelationship of the following software packages and the alarm scheme:
♦ I/A Series System Definition settings for workstation letterbugs, logical names, and
software parameters for AIM*Historian and system monitor packages and annuncia-
tor keyboard address configuration
♦ I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC) or Integrated Control Configurator
(ICC), to configure the control database with compound and block alarming parame-
ters (alarm types, alarm priorities, alarm inhibit) and alarm destination devices
♦ AIM*Historian™ for maintaining the historized alarm messages
♦ Process displays, including system-supplied Block Detail Displays, and user-defined
process operation displays
♦ Display trending for viewing the value or status of variables over a period of time.
♦ FoxDraw for building and configuring user-defined process displays
xiv
Preface B0700AT – Rev C
♦ Process Summary Reporter Configurator for configuring reports containing informa-

tion related to the state of compound and blocks, such as blocks off scan, in-alarm,
inhibited, and so on
♦ Operator Action Journal Configurator for reporting operator actions specific to pro-
cess control operations
♦ System Management displays for analyzing and responding to system alarms (hard-
ware/network failures)
♦ FoxPanels Configurator and FoxPanels Run-Time Manager.
Document Conventions
Configurable Options
The symbol † identifies a configurable option, whose default value and alternate configuration
settings are described in Appendix A “Configuration Options” in this document, and in Alarm
and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM).
Platform Specific Information

The software described in this document can be run on Solaris and Windows platforms. Because
of this, this document describes the behavior of the software on both platforms. Although most of
the software’s capabilities are similar, there are slight differences.
Windows and Dialog Boxes

Most of the illustrations of windows and dialog boxes in this document show the Windows ver-
sion of displays. Windows and dialog boxes on Solaris platforms are slightly different, but contain
the same information.
Path and File Names

File paths differ between Windows and Solaris operating systems. This document states path and
file names using Windows conventions, and in some cases assumes the drive designation for sim-
plicity. When a path and file name apply to the Solaris based platform, the only difference (unless
otherwise noted) is “/” rather than “\”.
NOTE
I/A Series software typically resides on the D: drive in Windows based workstations.
The term drive: is used to denote the letter of the drive where the I/A Series software
resides.
For example, the file:

drive:\usr\fox\alarms\horn.cfg (on a Windows platform)
is equivalent to:
/usr/fox/alarms/horn.cfg (on a Solaris platform)
Terminology
The term display manager and the abbreviation DM refer to the FoxView display manager.
xv
Conventions Used in Procedures

This document uses an abbreviated format for menu bar and taskbar commands, and button
selections.
Menu Bar Example:

Click Edit > Find Alarms.
means:
Click Edit in the top menu bar.
Move the cursor to Find Alarms, and click to select it.
Task Bar Example:

From the taskbar, click Start > Programs > Command Prompt.
means:
Click Start in the taskbar; then move the cursor to Programs.
Move the cursor to Command Prompt, and click to select it.
Button Example:
Click Import.
means:
Click the Import button.
Alarm Management Documents and On-Line Help

The primary focus of this document is process alarm management from the perspective of the
workstation. Other user documents that provide information relating to alarm management
include:
♦ Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM)
♦ Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP)
♦ FoxPanels Annunciator Keyboard and Alarm Panel Software (B0700BB)
The following help files provide procedural information, dialog box field descriptions, and quick-
reference information on alarm management:
Help File Description

am.hlp Alarm Management Help
admc.hlp Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) Help
foxpancf.hlp FoxPanels Configurator Help
foxpanel.hlp FoxPanels Run-Time Help
xvi
Preface B0700AT – Rev C
To access on-line Help from the application it supports, do one of the following:
♦ From the application, click Help > Help Topics.
-Or-
♦ If supported, click Help in the dialog box or window to obtain field descriptions and
links to other topics.
The on-line Help information is most useful while you are running the application. You can,
however, explore information in Help files without running the associated application.
To view an application’s on-line Help from a Windows workstation, perform one of these
operations:
1. From the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.
2. In the Open field, type:
winhlp32 filespec
where: filespec is the drive, path, and file name of the Help file you want to view.
For example, to view Alarm Manager on-line Help (assuming I/A Series software is
stored on the D: drive), type:
winhlp32 d:\usr\fox\wp\ams\bin\am.hlp
3. Click OK.
- Or -
1. From the Windows taskbar, right-click Start and click Explore.
2. Using Explorer, navigate to the particular on-line Help (.hlp) file of interest.
3. Double-click the help file.
The application’s on-line Help window opens.
To view on-line Help from a Solaris workstation:
1. Open a VT100 window.
2. Type the following command:
/opt/windu/bin/hyperhelp [filespec]
where: filespec refers to the path and filename of the on-line Help file.
The application’s on-line Help window opens.
NOTE
Omitting filespec calls up a browser window, allowing you to locate the file.
xvii
xviii
1. Introduction to Alarm
Management
This chapter provides an overview of alarm management, including information about system
and process alarms, Alarm Management Subsystem (AMS) processes and external interfaces,
and configuration files.
Alarm Management Overview

Figure 1-1 shows information routing, yielding visible and/or audible alarm notification for pro-
cess and system alarms.
Message System Monitor

Manager (SMON)
Horns
Alarm
Messages
Alarm Alert
Database
Annunciator Keyboard
Control Station Historian FoxPanels
(FCP270 or Database
ZCP270)
Alarm Displays
Alarm Message Printer
Process Displays
Figure 1-1. Process Alarm Overview
1
B0700AT – Rev C 1. Introduction to Alarm Management
Types of Alarms
The I/A Series system supports two types of alarms:
♦ System alarms, indicating hardware failures from network or station equipment
♦ Process alarms, indicating alarm conditions generated by the software (compounds
and blocks) resident in control stations.
System Alarms
This section provides an overview of system alarming. For more information, refer to System
Management Displays (B0193JC).
System Alarm Generation

The System Monitor (SMON) subsystem monitors the health, current status, and performance of
each station and its peripherals. The System Monitor supplies status information retrieved from
each station in its domain to the operator via the appropriate displays in the System Management
and Display Handler (SMDH) subsystem.
System Alarm Notification

The System Monitor routes standard error messages and system management alarm messages to
the designated workstations, logging devices (printers and system terminals), and historians.
When a system alarm related to the health of I/A Series equipment is received, the following
occurs:
♦ The System button in FoxView changes as described in Table 1-1.
♦ Designated printers and historians receive the alarm message.
♦ Annunciator keyboard, console, and external horns may sound.
Table 1-1. System Button States
Button State Meaning

Blinking red At least one unacknowledged equipment failure exists.
Steady red At least one acknowledged equipment failure exists.
Blinking green No current equipment failures exist, but a previous failure
remains unacknowledged.
Steady green No equipment failures exist and all previous failures have been
acknowledged.
Viewing and Responding to System Alarms

The System Monitor responds to operator actions and reports those actions to the SMDH soft-
ware. Click the System button to access SMDH. Refer to Process Operations and Displays
(B0193MM) and System Management Displays (B0193JC) for information on viewing and
acknowledging system alarms. Horns, including system horns, can be silenced via the workstation
AM.
2
1. Introduction to Alarm Management B0700AT – Rev C
Process Alarms
This section provides an overview of process alarming. For more detailed information, refer to
Chapter 2 “Process Alarming”.
Process Alarm Generation

Process alarm and event messages can be delivered to the Workstation Alarm Management Sub-
system (AMS) in one of three ways.
♦ Process alarm and event messages originating from an CP270 can be delivered directly
from the control stations to the workstations and received by the Alarm Pass-Through
(APT) task where they are converted and passed on to the Alarm Alert (AA) task for
further processing and display. This is the default method of delivery for CP270s (also
known as APRINT).
♦ Process alarm and event messages originating from an CP270 can be delivered from
the control stations to the Message Manager (MM). The MM collects, stores, and dis-
tributes these messages directly to the Alarm Alert (AA) task of the AMS. This
method of delivery is optional for CP270 and should be chosen when guaranteed
alarm delivery is required.
♦ Process alarm and event messages originating from a Control Processor (a CP60, for
example) can be delivered directly to the workstations and received by the Alarm Pass-
Through (APT) task where they are converted and passed on to the Alarm Alert (AA)
task in the Alarm Management Subsystem (AMS). This is the only method of delivery
available from control stations other that CP270s.
Process Alarm Notification

When alarm information is sent to a workstation, you are notified as follows:
♦ The Process button in FoxView changes color and/or blinks. For Process button
states, refer to Table 2-1 on page 10.
♦ If the block in alarm is associated with a hardware annunciator keyboard or soft alarm
panel light, the light blinks.
♦ Horn(s) sound depending on the information in the horn configuration file.
♦ The alarm status is updated on the faceplate of the Block Detail Display and group
displays.
♦ If configured, the alarm status is updated on user graphics indicating alarm
conditions.
♦ Alarm displays such as the Current Alarms Display (CAD) indicate the alarm
message.
♦ Designated printers and historians receive the alarm message.
Viewing Process Alarms

You can view process alarm status on:
♦ Alarm displays
♦ Faceplates of the associated Block Detail display or group displays
♦ Custom FoxView displays.
3
Responding to Process Alarms

You can respond to process alarms by:
♦ Clicking the Process button in FoxView to access an alarm display from which you
can perform activities such as acknowledging or clearing alarms.
♦ Pressing a key on the hardware annunciator keyboard or clicking a button on soft
alarm panel.
Alarm Management Subsystem Processes and

External Interfaces
Figure 1-2 on page 6 is an overview block diagram of the AMS architecture.
Table 1-2 describes the run-time processes that comprise a workstation’s alarm subsystem soft-
ware, Table 1-3 describes the configurators, and Table 1-4 describes the external interfaces.
Table 1-2. AMS Software Processes
Process Function
Alarm Alert (AA) Receives process alarm messages from the control stations via the
Message Manager (MM) or Alarm Pass-Through Task (APT)
and maintains the workstation’s list of alarms in the Alarm Alert
(AA) database. This process also maintains status information for
setting hardware annunciator keyboard and soft alarm panel
lights, and horn operation. Maintains backup files of the alarms
for recovering alarms in the event of a workstation reboot.
Recovers alarms from the backup file first and then from either
MM or APT depending on how the workstation was configured.
Alarm Server Task (AST) Distributes alarm information maintained by AA to each of the
alarm display processes (AMs) as information is updated by AA.
Interfaces with FoxPanels Run-Time to process soft alarm panel
button clicks and with GCIO to process annunciator key presses.
Alarm Manager (AM) Displays alarm information in a graphical user interface using a
set of pre-configured displays. Provides the interface from with
the operator can respond to alarms.
Alarm Pass-Through Task Distributes alarms received from CP270s (non-MM option
(APT) only) or classic controllers to the workstation Alarm Manage-
ment Subsystem. Recovers alarms from the designated backup
workstation on a workstation reboot.
Alarm History Task Provides the interface between the Alarm Manager Alarm His-
(AHT) tory Display (AHD) and AIM*Historian for displaying historical
alarms.
FoxPanels Run-Time Used to display soft alarm panels and set run-time preferences on
Windows based workstations.
4
Table 1-3. AMS Configurators
Process Function
Alarm and Display Provides a user interface to customize workstation, FoxView dis-
Manager Configurator play manager (DM), and Alarm Manager properties and alarm
(ADMC) display preferences. Although you can use ADMC to configure
both Windows and Solaris workstations, ADMC only runs on
Windows-based workstations.
FoxPanels Configurator Used to configure horns and hardware annunciator keyboards on
Windows and Solaris based workstations, and soft alarm panels
on Windows based workstations. Although you can use the Fox-
Panels configurator to configure both Windows and Solaris
workstations, the FoxPanels configurator only runs on Win-
dows-based workstations.
Table 1-4. AMS External Interfaces
Process Function
Message Manager (MM) Provides message collection, storage, and distribution. Receives
process alarm messages from an FCP270 or ZCP270 control sta-
tion and distributes them to the Alarm Alert task in the Alarm
Management Subsystem.
System Monitor Monitors the health of the stations (processor modules) config-
(SMON) ured in its domain. The SMON supplies status information
retrieved from each station in its domain to the operator, via the
appropriate displays in the System Management Display Han-
dler (SMDH) subsystem.
Graphics Console Provides for I/O support for hardware annunciator keyboards
Input/Output (GCIO) and touchscreen CRT monitors.
AIM*Historian Provides the capability for collection, storage, and retrieval of
historical process information.
Operator Action Journal Maintains a record of specific operator actions taken during pro-
(OAJ) cess control operations.
Object Manager (OM) Provides services to user applications for data creation, location,
and access of objects (for example, tasks and variables).
File Replication Service Distributes files produced by the ADMC configuration process
(FRS) to the designated workstations.
FoxView Provides an interface to I/A Series process displays, allowing the
operator to interact with real-time plant data, operator settings
and process menus, and historical process data available in the
system.
5
Figure 1-2. Alarm Management Subsystem Architecture
6
Configuration Files
Table 1-5 lists and describes configuration files that affect the alarm subsystem.
NOTE
In cases where files are shared between platforms, observe case sensitivity. To con-
figure a Solaris workstation, you must perform the configuration from a Windows
workstation and transfer the files to a Solaris workstation. Refer to Alarm and Dis-
play Manager Configurator (B0700AM) and FoxPanels Annunciator Keyboard and
Alarm Panel Software (B0700BB).
Table 1-5. Alarm Management Subsystem Configuration Files
File Description/Purpose
\usr\fox\alarms\horn.cfg Configuration of horns
\usr\fox\alarms\commgrp.cfg Common Alarm Group (group name,
workstation used for alarm recovery, Block
Detail Display, top priority display, and user
display call-up) created by running a script
\usr\fox\alarms\logical_nameAAtab1 Annunciator keyboard light or soft alarm
-or- panel button control assignments
\usr\fox\alarms\cag_nameAAtab2
\usr\fox\alarms\logical_nameAApan Annunciator key press or soft alarm panel but-
ton press actions
\usr\fox\alarms\logical_name.apc FoxPanels configuration file
\usr\fox\customer\alarms\cfg\wp_am.cfg Workstation configuration data
\usr\wp\data\foxboro.cdf Standard templates and schemes provided by
Invensys Foxboro
\usr\fox\cus- Default Alarm Manager configuration
tomer\alarms\cfg\am_def.cfg
\usr\fox\cus- User-defined Alarm Manager configuration
tomer\alarms\cfg\am_name.cfg3
\usr\fox\customer\config\foxboro.am Standard database file that includes both dis-
play management and alarm management
information
\usr\fox\customer\config\filename.am An AM database file that includes both
FoxView display manager and Alarm Manager
information
\usr\fox\customer\hi\dmcfg Configuration data describing DM and AM
properties
7
Table 1-5. Alarm Management Subsystem Configuration Files (Continued)
File Description/Purpose
\usr\fox\wp\data\init.user The latest available set of system-provided
configuration parameters and their default set-
tings, including AMS parameters. The AMS
parameters are overridden by settings in the
ADMC-created configuration files (for exam-
ple, wp_am.cfg)
\usr\fox\wp\data\sta_ip.cfg Defines IP addresses for workstations
\usr\fox\sp\sta_sw.cfg Defines I/A Series workstations by letterbug
(includes other information as well)
\usr\fox\sp\amssta_sw.cfg Stripped version of sta_sw.cfg for AMS use
(contains only letterbugs)
1. logical_name is the workstation logical name.
2.
cag_name is the Common Alarm Group logical name for Common Alarm Group 1 only.
3. am_name is the Alarm Manager name.
8
2. Process Alarming
This chapter describes how the Alarm Manager receives process alarm information and what
happens when an alarm occurs.
NOTE
The symbol † identifies a configurable option, whose default value and alternate
configuration settings are described in Appendix A “Configuration Options”.
Introduction
The chapter describes process alarm generation, notification, viewing, and response. Refer to
Chapter 1 “Introduction to Alarm Management” for an overview of system and process alarming.
Alarm Generation
Examples of Process Alarms
Process alarms include:
♦ Out-of-range conditions
♦ Deviation alarms
♦ Measurement alarms
♦ State alarms
♦ Confirmation messages (I/A Series Batch)
♦ Sequence of Events
♦ IOBAD alarms.
Initiation of Process Alarms

Process alarms are initiated by the compounds and blocks residing in control stations. Control
stations generate these types of alarm messages:
♦ In-alarm messages
♦ Return-to-normal messages
♦ Alarm acknowledge messages
♦ Alarm enable/disable messages.
Each block within a control station maintains an alarm status parameter (ALMSTA) to which
both I/A Series graphics and user graphics can be connected. The ALMSTA parameter indicates
current outstanding alarm conditions within the block and the alarm acknowledge state of the
block. Refer to Integrated Control Software Concepts (B0193AW) and Integrated Control Block
Descriptions (B0193AX) for more information.
9
B0700AT – Rev C 2. Process Alarming
NOTE
Be aware that alarm message generation and detection can be inhibited.
Alarm Destinations
The destinations for alarm messages are configured using the Integrated Control Configurator
(ICC) or I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC). Standard alarm destinations are worksta-
tions, printers, and historians.
Alarm Messages Sent Directly to the Printer

Following is an example of a printed process alarm message (with some variations depending on
the type of alarm) sent to an alarm printer:
UC01_CNTROL01:REALM1.POINT1 DESCRIPTION HIABS
04-16-03 11:53:29 76.6% (75.0) ALM
The format of this printed message is not related to the layout and format of alarm messages in
alarm displays.
Historian Interface
Alarm messages can be configured with the Integrated Control Configurator or I/A Series Config-
uration Component to be directed to a historian database.
Any historian on the I/A Series system can supply alarm information to the Alarm History Dis-
play. On Windows and Solaris based workstations, a list of historians is available for selection.
The default historian is located on the logical host of the workstation.
An I/A Series workstation:
♦ Can host a local or remote AIM*Historian
♦ Cannot access classic historians
Alarm Notification
Depending on the type of alarm and the alarm configuration implemented, an alarm message is
sent to the alarm destination devices (workstations, printers, and historians). When an alarm mes-
sage is sent to a workstation, you are notified as follows:
♦ The Process button changes state.
♦ Horns may sound.
♦ Annunciators may blink.
Process Button
FoxView’s Process button indicates the current status of alarm(s) in the workstation’s database, as
shown in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1. Process Button States

Blinking red One or more unacknowledged alarms exist.
10
2. Process Alarming B0700AT – Rev C

Steady red One or more acknowledged alarms exist. There are no unacknowledged
alarms.
Blinking green One or more alarms have returned-to-normal, but are still unacknowl-
edged. There are no current alarm conditions.
Steady green No process alarms exist in the database.
Horns
Depending on the information in the horn configuration file (horn.cfg), three types of horns may
sound when a process alarm occurs:
♦ Annunciator keyboard horns – Two (four per workstations with dual-headed CRTs)
♦ Console horns – One (two per workstations with dual-headed CRTs). On a Win-
dows based workstation configured with a sound card and speakers, a horn may
sound, or a sound (.WAV) file may be played.
♦ External horns – Six horns external to the I/A Series equipment.
Hardware Annunciator Keyboards and Soft Alarm Panels

To increase an operator’s awareness of alarm conditions, hardware annunciator keyboard(s) can
be attached to a Solaris or Windows based workstation, or soft alarm panel(s) can be displayed on
a Windows based workstation. By associating control blocks to the individual lights on the
annunciator keyboard or alarm panel, the workstation’s Alarm Alert subsystem turns on individ-
ual lights to indicate outstanding alarm conditions for associated control assignments.
NOTE
The annun built-in command provides the capability to transition annunciator
lights to indicate an application-generated error rather than block-generated error.
Refer to the Display Commands (B0193DF) for details.
Figure 2-1 shows an annunciator keyboard that can be attached to a Windows or Solaris worksta-
tion. A Windows based workstation can display soft alarm panels that emulate an annunciator
keyboard, as shown in Figure 2-2. You can also configure a Windows based workstation to dis-
play a custom alarm panel.
Figure 2-1. Hardware Annunciator Keyboard
11
Figure 2-2. Software Emulation of an Annunciator Keyboard (Windows System)
NOTE
Windows XP workstations support a maximum of two annunciator keyboards.
Solaris workstations support two annunciator keyboards per CRT with a maximum
of four annunciator keyboards.
Annunciator lights display the conditions described in Table 2-2.
Table 2-2. Annunciator Light Status
Light Status Means

Blinking One or more alarms for a compound:block assigned to the annunciator
light are unacknowledged.
Steady On Acknowledged alarms are associated with one or more compound:blocks
assigned to the annunciator light.
Off All compound:blocks assigned to the annunciator light are in a non-
alarm state or have been inhibited.
Alarm Viewing
Relationship between FoxView and Alarm Managers
The FoxView display manager provides access to process displays and applications, including
Alarm Manager (AM) display windows, in the I/A Series environments. From FoxView, you
access alarm displays by clicking the Process button. The AM provides a graphical user interface
in which to view and respond to alarms. By default, each workstation has one FoxView and one
AM. The workstation letterbug is used as the name of both this FoxView and AM.
For more information on the relationship between FoxView display managers and Alarm
Managers, refer to Chapter 5 “Relationship Between AMS and FoxView”.
Viewing Process Alarm Status

View process alarm status on:
♦ Customizable Alarm Manager windows (alarm displays).
12
♦ Faceplate of the associated Block Detail Display and group displays, indicating alarm
type, priority, and acknowledgment state.
♦ Custom FoxView displays, which are configured to indicate alarm conditions.
Alarm Displays
Table 2-3 lists and describes the alarm display types.
Table 2-3. Alarm Displays
Display Type Description

Current Alarms Display Dynamic1 A multi-page list of all the existing and/or
(CAD) unacknowledged alarm conditions
Most Recent Alarms Display Dynamic1 A single page of the most recent unacknowl-
(MRA) edged/in-alarm alarms
New Alarm Summary Static2 A multi-page list of all active, unacknowl-
(NEWALM) edged alarms
Unacknowledged Alarm Summary Static2 A multi-page list of all unacknowledged
(UNACK) alarms that have returned to normal
Acknowledged Alarm Summary Static2 A multi-page list of all active acknowledged
(ACKED) alarms
Alarm History Display Static2 A multi-page list of all the historized in-alarm
(AHD) and return-to-normal messages from the
selected historian
Operations Display — Allows you to access other alarm displays,
(OPR) silence horns, mute/unmute horns, and
change user environments
1.
The display updates automatically based on an update period.†
2. The display is static and must be refreshed to update the list of alarms, but alarm entries dynamically
reflect up-to-date status and value information.
FoxView Displays
The Block Detail display shows the alarm type, priority, and acknowledgment state. The Block
Alarm Summary Area in the Block Detail display shows all outstanding block alarms identified
with a mnemonic (such as LOABS or LODEV) and, if applicable, the alarm name and alarm text.
Alarm priority and acknowledgment status are indicated by a change in foreground and back-
ground color.
The Alarm Indicator in the Block Detail Display visually indicates the alarm priority and
acknowledge state. The Block Alarm Summary provides alarm text and messages. For example,
for a Priority 1 HIABS alarm that has been acknowledged, the alarm indicator is white text on a
red background.
13
Figure 2-3. Block Detail Display
How Alarm Entries are Sorted

Figure 2-4 shows an example of a site’s Alarm Alert database. In this example the default discard
sort order† (RTN/ALM - ACK STATE - PRIORITY - TIME) is used.
The alarms are sorted first by in-alarm versus return-to-normal. Then each group is sorted into
acknowledged and unacknowledged alarms. Return to normal, acknowledged alarms are dis-
carded. Next, the alarms in each of the three remaining groups are sorted by priority. Last, the
alarms within each of the priority groups are sorted by time. The alarm indicated as Time 1 at the
top of the illustration is the top priority alarm.†
14
Time 1
Time 2 Highest
Priority 1
Time 3
Priority 2 .
Time 4
Unacknowledged Priority 3 Time N
Priority 4 .
Priority 5
In-Alarm
Priority 1
Priority 2
Priority 3
Acknowledged Priority 4
Priority 5
Alarms in the
Alarm Alert Database Priority 1
Priority 2
Unacknowledged Priority 3
Returned-to- Priority 4
Lowest
Normal Priority 5
Figure 2-4. Default Alarm Discard Sort Order
Alarm Response
The I/A Series software not only provides alarm notification, but also provides a means to
respond to alarms. At the workstation, FoxView manages I/A Series environments and provides
access to specific applications, utilities, and the displays functionally grouped to represent the
tasks performed by each type of user. Menu bar commands for each environment determine the
tasks that can be performed. The Process button in FoxView provides direct access to an Alarm
Manager and its associated displays.
Separate windows control the display of alarm information. FoxView handles process displays;
Alarm Manager handles alarm displays.
Depending on the configuration of the workstation, you can respond to process alarms by:
♦ Clicking the Process button to silence the horn and access an alarm display, from
which to:
♦Acknowledge/clear the alarm
♦ View additional information about the alarm
♦ Access another alarm display or a process display
♦ Pressing any key/button on the annunciator keyboard or soft alarm panel to silence
the horn(s). Pressing a configured key/button accesses a process display, initiates a
program, and/or executes a command.
15
Annunciator Keys and Soft Alarm Panel Buttons

Pressing an annunciator key or soft alarm panel button can initiate a previously configured dis-
play, program, or display manager command(s), or any combination of the three. This capability
is achieved by configuring an annunciator key or button to invoke the assigned program(s) and
display(s). Customized graphics for the particular set of compounds and blocks (control assign-
ments) enable an operator to quickly address alarm conditions.
Use the FoxPanels Configurator graphical user interface to create Annunciator and FoxPanels
configuration files. The configuration task is further simplified, if desired, by permitting the con-
figurator software to automatically extract control assignments from a user graphic being assigned
to the key and assigning them to the annunciator light or soft alarm panel button.
For more information on FoxPanels software, refer to FoxPanels Annunciator Keyboard and Alarm
Panel Software (B0700BB)
Working with Horns

By default, you can silence and mute horns using commands from the Horns menu in the Oper-
ations display. Silencing temporarily turns off the horns until the next alarm occurs. Muting turns
off the horns until a time-out† occurs or the horns are unmuted. The alarm display’s status area
shows the status of horn actions. This action can be configured to any display for convenience.
You can silence or mute/unmute annunciator/workstation horns, both locally or throughout the
Common Alarm Group (CAG) of which the workstation is a member. For more information on
Common Alarm Groups, refer to Chapter 6 “Common Alarm Groups”.
16
3. Alarm Manager Displays
This chapter describes the Alarm Manager displays.
NOTE
Overview
The Alarm Manager’s multiple windows provide alarm displays, which in turn provide access to
process displays in a FoxView window. By default, there are six alarm displays and an operations
display, but you can configure only the displays you need.
Use alarm displays to assess the criticality of process alarm(s) before acknowledging and resolving
alarm condition(s). Unlike FoxView, which provides information in a single display window, one
instance of an Alarm Manager can display alarm information to distinct alarm display windows.
The alarm displays include:
♦ Current Alarms Display (CAD)
♦ Most Recent Alarms Display (MRA)
♦ Alarm History Display (AHD)
♦ Summary displays:
♦ New Alarm Summary (NEWALM)
♦ Unacknowledged Alarm Summary (UNACK)
♦ Acknowledged Alarm Summary (ACKED)
♦ Operations Display (OPR)
Alarm Manager User Interface

You can use the Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) to configure aspects of alarm
display and alarm entries, such as:
♦ Alarm display position on the screen
♦ Menu bar items and commands, submenus, and pop-up menus
♦ Buttons
♦ New Alarms button action
♦ Display title contents
♦ Presence or absence of the display title
♦ Status bar contents
♦ Presence or absence of the status bar
♦ Presence or absence of scroll bars
17
B0700AT – Rev C 3. Alarm Manager Displays
♦ Sort criteria for alarm lists

♦ Alarm entry layout (number of rows and columns)
♦ Double-click action on alarm entry selection
♦ Button size, and space between buttons
♦ Alarm cell size and spacing
♦ Alarm indicators in the display title and status bar
♦ Alarm format (message position and content)
♦ Alarm field contents and location
♦ Font and color
♦ Return-to-normal action
♦ Clear button action
♦ Printing options (default printer, standard header in printout, print cancel)
♦ Primary and backup source for alarms at run time
♦ Local time and date display.
Refer to Appendix A “Configuration Options” for a list of the configurable options, and to
Chapter 8 “AMS Features Requiring Configuration” and Alarm and Display Manager Configura-
tor (ADMC) (B0700AM) for detailed information.
Alarm Display Capabilities

Alarm displays provide capabilities such as:
♦ Access to detail information for an alarm
♦ Access to process displays
♦ Match/filter and find capability to locate particular alarms
♦ Dynamic sorting
♦ Acknowledging and clearing alarms
♦ Operation of horns
♦ Navigating through displays
♦ Printing and saving alarms
♦ Selection of multiple alarms to perform an action on them (such as acknowledgment)
♦ The ability to print or save the entire alarm history database file or any subset of the
file, based on applied matches/filters
♦ The ability to save real-time and historical file information in Comma-Separated
Value (CSV) or text format (TXT) for easy import into other applications such as
Excel.
18
3. Alarm Manager Displays B0700AT – Rev C
Alarm Display Window

Figure 3-1 shows the major parts of an alarm display window (with the exception of the Opera-
tions Display).
Dynamic Alarm New
Application Control
Time Display Alarms
Title Bar Menu Indicator
and Date Type
Menu Bar
Display
Title Bar
Scroll
Bar
Alarm Area
(Alarm
Displays
only)
Button Area
Status Bar
Time and Date Display

was Called Up/Refreshed
Figure 3-1. Parts of an Alarm Display
Application Title Bar

The application title bar (shown in Figure 3-1) displays the Alarm Manager name, its associated
workstation letterbug, and the display title (an acronym).
Menu Bar
The menu bar† differs for each alarm display type and is configurable from ADMC. For informa-
tion on configuring menus, submenus, and commands, refer to Alarm and Display Manager Con-
figurator (ADMC) (B0700AM).
Display Title Bar

The display title bar† (shown in Figure 3-1) can be configured from ADMC to display one or
more of the indicators listed in Table 3-1 or can be removed from the alarm display.
19
Table 3-1. Display Title and Status Bar Indicators
Indicators Description Width

Alarm data source Alarm data source 20%
Alarm number Alarm index number of the first alarm and the 20%
total number of alarms (for example, Alarm 5 of
542)
Alarm page number Alarm page number and the total number of 20%
pages (for example, Page 3 of 17)
Current date and time Current date and time 20%
Current environment Current AM environment (for example, 20%
Operator)
Display call-up time The time of alarm display call-up or refresh 20%
Dynamic display title The filter used for match/filter (Alarm State, 80%
Ack State, CMP:BLK Filter, Sort, and Priority)
Historian Historian associated with the Alarm History 20%
Display
Horns muted Status of muted horns 20%
Match active Status of active filter matching 20%
New alarms New alarms status 20%
Paused Status of display paused 20%
Sort order Current alarm sort order 20%
Standard display title Standard display title 60%
The following indicators are displayed by default in the display title bar:
♦ Current date and time
♦ Standard display title
♦ New alarms.
Current Date and Time

The current time and date is expressed relative to the local time zone.
Alarm Display Type

This field displays the alarm display type. However, if a match is active, the name changes to indi-
cate the type of display and a description, if provided (for example, CAD:Priority 1 Alarms).
New Alarms Button

The New Alarms button† is configured by default to indicate the receipt of new Priority 1 or
Priority 2 alarms that have occurred while an alarm display is active. The button changes color or
blinks (as shown in Table 3-2) to notify you that an alarm condition has occurred while an alarm
display is active.To indicate that you are aware of the receipt of new alarm(s), click the New
Alarms button.
20
NOTE
Clicking the New Alarms button does not acknowledge the alarm. It only resets the
button state.
Summary displays are not automatically updated with new alarms. Therefore, when notified, you
can access an MRA or CAD display or refresh a summary display to view the new alarm(s).
Table 3-2. New Alarms Button States
Workstation State Button Appearance

Windows No new alarms “Alarms” in black text on gray background
New alarm(s) “New Alarms” in black text on red background
Solaris No new alarms “Alarms” in red text on gray background
New alarm(s) “New Alarms” in red blinking text on gray
background
The function of the New Alarms button differs from the Process button as follows:
♦ The Process button represents every alarm in the entire Alarm Alert database. By
default, the New Alarms button indicates the receipt of a new Priority 1 or Priority 2
alarm.
♦ Clicking the Process button silences the horn; clicking the New Alarms button does
not.
Alarm Area
Within alarm displays, alarm entries provide information such as the time and date of the alarm,
source of the alarm, the process alarm type, the alarm priority, the return-to-normal state, and the
alarm acknowledge state.
All the alarm displays (except for the MRA and AHD) use the same default sort order (see
Appendix A “Configuration Options”), but you can customize each alarm display’s properties,
such as displaying alarms from bottom to top, to affect the display. For more information, refer to
Chapter 8 “AMS Features Requiring Configuration” and Alarm and Display Manager Configura-
tor (ADMC) (B0700AM).
This area can have a vertical scroll bar.† If you resize the alarm display and make the window nar-
rower, a horizontal scroll bar may be displayed at the bottom of the alarm area.
The default sort order is: first by in-alarm or return-to-normal state (R), then by acknowledgment
state (A), then by priority (P), and last by time (T). The sort order is configured in ADMC
(Workstation properties).
Button Area
You can use buttons to perform functions, such as:
♦ Acknowledging and clearing alarms
♦ Accessing Alarm Details and Top Priority displays
♦ Accessing Block Details
21
♦ Accessing a user display, if configured.

Table 3-3 lists the default buttons for each alarm display type.
Table 3-3. Default Alarm Display Buttons
Alarm Display Types

Button CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD OPR
Ack Alarm X X X X
Ack Compound X X X X
Ack Page X X X X
Clear Alarm X X X X X
Clear Page X X X X X
Historian X
Alarm Detail X X X X X X
Top Priority X X X X X X X
User Display X X X X X
Block Detail X X X X X X
Environments X
You can configure button functions, size, and spacing as described in Chapter 8 “AMS Features
Requiring Configuration”, Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM), and
Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP).
Status Bar
The status bar† (shown in Figure 3-1) can be configured from ADMC to display one or more of
the indicators listed in Table 3-1 or can be removed from the alarm display. Table 3-4 lists and
describes the indicators that are displayed by default on the CAD.
Table 3-4. Default Fields in the CAD Status Bar
Message/Information Meaning
Match Active A match/filter specification has been applied to the display, limiting
the displayed alarm entries.
Horns Muted Horns have been muted for the local workstation or the Common
Alarm Group.
Paused New alarm entries to the MRA or CAD will not appear until you issue
an Unpause command. This message appears briefly during alarm
selection and while a Find dialog box is active.
Alarm n of m This is the sequential position of the alarm (n) that appears at the top
of the current page compared to the total number of alarms (m) associ-
ated with the display type.
Display call-up time The time and date the display was initiated or refreshed: HH:MM:SS
(Hours:Minutes:Seconds) and MM-DD-YY (Month- Day-Year).
22
Alarm Display Types

An Alarm Manager can concurrently display one instance of up to seven display types, described
in Table 3-5.
Table 3-5. Alarm Display Types
Alarm Display Description

Current Alarms Display A dynamic, multi-page listing of active and unacknowledged, active
(CAD) and acknowledged, and inactive but unacknowledged process alarms.
Alarms that are inactive and acknowledged are not displayed. The
CAD is the default display when an AM is started by FoxView.†
Most Recent Alarms A single page listing of the most recent, unacknowledged process
(MRA) alarms. As new alarm messages are added to the display, previous
alarm messages are not repositioned. The effect is a one-page “rolling”
display. When the window becomes full, each new alarm replaces the
oldest alarm in the window.
New Alarms Summary All active, unacknowledged alarms. Entries in this display are not
(NEWALM) removed or added until the Alarm Alert database is reread with a man-
ual refresh; however, values and statuses are dynamically updated.
Unacknowledged Alarms All unacknowledged alarms that have returned to normal. Entries in
Summary this display are not removed or added until the Alarm Alert database is
(UNACK) reread with a manual refresh; however, values and statuses are dynam-
ically updated.
Acknowledged Alarms All active acknowledged alarms. Entries in this display are not
Summary removed or added until the Alarm Alert database is reread with a man-
(ACKED) ual refresh; however, values and statuses are dynamically updated.
Alarm History Display A reverse chronological listing of all process alarm transition states, for
(AHD) up to 5000 alarm messages† by default.
Operations Display Used to perform actions that are concerned with the overall function-
(OPR) ing of the AM.
23
Current Alarms Display

The Current Alarms Display (CAD) (Figure 3-2), by default, appears when you click the Process
button in FoxView. This display provides a multi-page list of all the existing and/or unacknowl-
edged alarm conditions.
Figure 3-2. Current Alarms Display
By default:
♦ The display is updated every 3 seconds with new alarms and changes in alarm state
(Alarm Refresh Rate option†).
♦ The alarm sort order is: first by in-alarm or return-to-normal state (R), then by
acknowledgment state (A), then by priority (P), and last by time (T) (Discard Sort
Order option†).
As an alarm’s active state or acknowledge state changes, depending on the sort order, it may be re-
ordered in the list.
The size of the Alarm Alert database is indicated in the display's status area as “Alarm # of #”,
which indicates the sequential number of the alarm entry at the top of the current page with
respect to the total number of alarms.
24
Most Recent Alarms Display

The Most Recent Alarms (MRA) display (Figure 3-3) shows a single page of the most recent
alarms that are unacknowledged and in-alarm. By default, new alarms (as applicable) appear every
second.
Figure 3-3. Most Recent Alarms Display
By default:
♦ The MRA is a “rolling” display, which means that new alarm entries originate in the
upper left of the display and add to the display each update period overwriting the
oldest alarm entry. An alarm remains on the screen in its original location until it is
overwritten by a newer alarm.
♦ The most recent (newest) alarm entry on the display is bounded by a box and has a
striped background (diagonal lines), distinguishing it from other alarms on the screen.
In the case of a point re-alarming, if the alarm returns to normal and then goes back
into alarm, the current alarm entry, if still visible, is rewritten (by default) with the
new alarm information.
Alarms that are acknowledged and returned-to-normal or cleared are grayed and cannot be
selected. You can mark alarms as acknowledged with the Ack Alarm, Ack Compound, and Ack
Page buttons, or you can clear alarms with the Clear Alarm and Clear Page buttons.
Refreshing the display queries the Alarm Alert database for in-alarm unacknowledged alarms and
removes alarm entries marked cleared or acknowledged and returned-to-normal from the display.
As changes occur in a control station, the AM software connections to the control database imme-
diately update the alarm state, alarm acknowledgment status, and alarmed analog measurement
and output values on the screen. Digital, state, trip, and sequence alarms are not updated.
25
Summary Displays
Summary displays, listed and described in Table 3-5 on page 23, provide a stable viewing envi-
ronment from which to perform analysis and to take action (for example, acknowledging or clear-
ing alarms).
Alarm entries dynamically reflect up-to-date status and value information. Upon invoking a sum-
mary display, an implicit match specification is applied and the alarms are displayed according to
the configured sort order.
Three summary displays are available. Each summary display is a snapshot of the Alarm Alert
database entries that met the summary display criteria at the time the summary display was
invoked or refreshed.
The order of the alarm entries in the display depends on the dynamic sort order† (discard sort
order by default) and the use of View All mode.
Figure 3-4. New Alarms Summary Display
26
Figure 3-5. Unacknowledged Returned Alarms Summary
Figure 3-6. Acknowledged Alarms Summary Display
The number of entries and the position of the entries on the display does not change. Following
the initial display call-up or a refresh, no new entries are added to or removed from the display.
The AM software connections to the control database provide immediate update to the alarmed
analog measurement and output values on the screen as their values change in the control station.
Digital, state, trip, and sequence alarms are not updated. Additionally, the alarm priority and the
block alarm status information, such as UNACK state, are immediately updated.
27
When a returned-to-normal alarm is acknowledged by clicking the Ack Alarm, Ack Compound,
or Ack Page button or when an alarm is cleared by clicking the Clear Alarm or Clear Page button,
the entry is “grayed” until the display is manually refreshed.
View All Mode

You can place a summary display in View All mode, which represents a snapshot of all alarms in
the Alarm Alert database, regardless of the summary criteria from which the display is invoked.
Use this mode to display all of the alarms in the Alarm Alert database independent of alarm and
acknowledge states.
View All mode provides a comprehensive perspective on the alarms in the workstation’s Alarm
Alert database at the time when the View All mode was invoked. You can perform further analysis
by using the AM’s alarm match/filter and find capability to locate alarms of particular interest.
For more information, refer to “View All Mode” on page 44.
View All Mode is available from any summary display by choosing Enable View All Mode from
the View menu. No dynamic updating is performed at this time. The display’s bottom-right cor-
ner shows the “No Updates” message. Upon disabling View All Mode, a new snapshot is taken,
and the originating display shows a new time/date stamp.

By default, the multi-page Alarm History Display (AHD) (Figure 3-7) lists all the historized in-
alarm and return-to-normal messages from the selected historian in reverse chronological order
(newest to oldest).
Click here
to access
the list of
historians
Figure 3-7. Alarm History Display
You can click the Historian button to select a remote historian on the system. The historian name
appears by default in the display's status area. The default historian is the historian associated with
the workstation's logical host. Use the Alarm History Display to select the historian from which
to retrieve alarm messages.
28
NOTE
Although not recommended, you can acknowledge alarm entries from the AHD if a
customized button has been configured. This, however, is not efficient due to
increased system loading.
Use the AHD’s scroll bar to move through the alarm entry list, or the Go To Page command
from the View menu.
To view an archived alarm history file, specify the file name with the AM hist_file command.
For more information, refer to Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP).
Operations Display
The Operations display (Figure 3-8) provides access to AM functions, such as:
♦ Changing the AM’s working environment
♦ Changing the active user ID
♦ Accessing alarm displays
♦ Terminating the AM
♦ Silencing the horn at the workstation
♦ Muting or unmuting the horns locally or throughout the CAG.
Application
Title Bar
Menu Bar
Display
Title Bar
Button Bar
Status Bar
Figure 3-8. Default Operations Display
29
Alarm Color and State Information

Alarm entries appear with the default colors and indicators for the alarm state and alarm status
fields shown in Table 3-6.
Table 3-6. Default Colors and Indicators for Alarm State and Alarm Status Fields
Acknowledg Color Foreground

Alarm e Alarm (Text)/ Alarm Acknowledgment
State State Priority Background Indication Indication
In-alarm UNACK 1 White/Red 1 U
2 White/Magenta 2 U
3 White/Brown 3 U
4 White/Cyan 4 U
5 White/Dark gray 5 U
ACK 1 Red/Gray 1 gray box
2 Magenta/Gray 2 gray box
3 Brown/Gray 3 gray box
4 Cyan/Gray 4 gray box
5 Dark gray/Gray 5 gray box
RTN UNACK 1 White/Red R U
2 White/Magenta R U
3 White/Brown R U
4 White/Cyan R U
5 White/Dark gray R U
NOTE
There is no entry for an acknowledged return-to-normal alarm because this state
does not exist.
The foreground/background colors are determined by alarm state, acknowledge state, and alarm
priority. These rules apply:
♦ On the Alarm History Display, the acknowledge state is not indicated; the default pri-
ority color appears in the background. This field takes the same color as the
background color of the alarm priority field.
♦ Colors are configured in the Workstation Property Scheme dialog box in ADMC.
♦ Alarms that have returned to normal and are also acknowledged no longer exist. They
are “grayed” on the display (except for CAD). When the MRA or summary displays
are manually refreshed, these entries are removed and the previously filled slots are re-
used.
♦ Cleared alarms are “grayed” and removed when the MRA or a summary display is
manually refreshed.
30
4. Working with Alarm Displays
This chapter describes how to access and exit the Alarm Manager, and work with alarm
displays.
NOTE
Accessing and Exiting Alarm Manager Displays

Figure 4-1 shows an example of the FoxView display manager (with a Group display).
System Management Display Scrollable Message Field

Date Stamp
Alarm Manager Windows
FoxSelect Title Bar Time Stamp
Initial Display
Status Bar Environment Historian

Name
Figure 4-1. FoxView Display Manager
31
B0700AT – Rev C 4. Working with Alarm Displays
Accessing the Alarm Manager Initial Display

To access the alarm display associated with the FoxView Process button, perform one of these
actions:
♦ Click the FoxView Process button.
♦ (Solaris only) With the cursor positioned on the screen background, press the right
mouse button. The workspace pop-up menu appears. From the Program menu,
choose I/A Series Alarm Manager.
By default, the Current Alarms Display (CAD) appears. One Alarm Manager license is supplied
per FoxView license.
NOTE
You can change the initial alarm display from the CAD to another alarm display
using the Initial Display parameter† in ADMC.
Exiting the Alarm Manager

NOTE
Bootable AMs are not quittable. If an operator tries to exit a non-quittable AM, a
message dialog box indicates that the AM is not quittable.
To exit a quittable Alarm Manager, perform one of these actions:

♦ From the Operations display, click File > Exit.
♦ From the last open Alarm Manager display window, click File > Dismiss. From
the subsequent dialog box, click Yes (OK on Solaris) to confirm the exit.
NOTE
(Solaris only) In Windows Off mode, the Alarm Manager does not terminate when
you dismiss the display. For more information, refer to Chapter 7 “Advanced Oper-
ations Topics”.
♦ Click .
♦ From the Control menu (in the top left corner of the window) in the last open Alarm
Manager display window, choose Close (Quit on Solaris). From the subsequent dia-
log box, click Yes (OK on Solaris) to confirm the exit.
! CAUTION
Do not turn off Alarm Manager from Windows Task Manager (Windows) or by
killing the process (Solaris). Doing this can leave Object Manager (OM) lists open.
For information on the OM, refer to Chapter 10 “Behind the Scenes”.
32
4. Working with Alarm Displays B0700AT – Rev C
Default Menus and Buttons in Alarm Displays

The following menus and buttons are available from alarm displays. You can customize menus
and buttons from ADMC as described in Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC)
(B0700AM).
NOTE
Button and menu accessibility depend on user access level assignments and the
appropriateness of the action. For example, if an acknowledged alarm entry is
selected, the ACK ALARM button or menu item is “grayed” (unavailable).
AM Menu Bar
File Menu
Table 4-1. File Menu
Command Description Displays Reference

Save Save the contents of all the alarm entries asso- MRA “Saving Alarm Dis-
ciated with the display to a file in TXT or Summary play Information”
CSV format. Alarm information in CSV for- AHD on page 59
mat can be imported into spreadsheets (such
as Lotus or Excel) or databases (such as Access)
for further analysis. (This command can be
added to the CAD.)
Print Print all the alarm entries associated with the MRA “Printing Alarm Dis-
specified display. A Print dialog box allows Summary play Information”
you to specify the file and the desired printer. AHD on page 60
(This command can be added to the CAD.)
Dismiss Close the current alarm display window. Acts All displays “Showing, Minimiz-
like Exit if the alarm display is the last open ing, and Dismissing
window. Windows” on
page 38
Exit Exit the Alarm Manager. The default bootable OPR “Exiting the Alarm
Alarm Manager cannot be exited. Manager” on
page 32
Edit Menu
Table 4-2. Edit Menu

Select All Select all the alarms in the current alarm window. MRA “Operating on
You might do this before performing an opera- Summary an Alarm
tion such as Acknowledge Alarms or Clear AHD Entry” on
Alarms. page 42
33
Table 4-2. Edit Menu (Continued)

Deselect All Deselect all previously selected alarms. MRA “Operating on
Summary an Alarm
AHD Entry” on
page 42
Find Alarms Access the Find Alarms dialog box to specify the MRA “Locating
criteria for selecting alarms on the display. You Summary Alarms using
can then perform a subsequent action, such as AHD Alarm Find”
acknowledging or clearing the alarms. on page 51
View Menu
Table 4-3. View Menu

Refresh Refresh the information on the alarm display. CAD “Refreshing an
The AM retrieves an up-to-date snapshot of MRA Alarm Display”
alarm information from the Alarm Alert data- Summary on page 42
base. Cleared and acknowledged/return-to- AHD
normal alarm entries, as appropriate, are
removed from the MRA and summary dis-
plays. Refreshing the display updates the call-
up time and date from the Alarm Alert data-
base (CAD, MRA, or summary displays) or
Alarm History database (AHD).
Match Alarms Access the Alarm Match dialog box to specify CAD “Matching, Fil-
criteria for selecting a subset of alarms. After MRA tering, and Sort-
running this command, the alarm display pre- Summary ing Alarms
sents only the alarms that meet the specified AHD Using Alarm
criteria (for example, specific type within Match” on
timeframe, or a specific control station and page 52
compound).
Enable View All Access a snapshot of the entire Alarm Alert Summary “View All
Mode database. The alarm entries are sorted as Mode” on
defined in the Sort tab of the Alarm Match page 44
dialog box. This mode is accessible from sum-
mary displays. Alarm indicators and values are
not updated. Use this command, for example,
to save and/or print the alarm entries in the
database or apply a match/filter specification
to the entire database at the time of access for
analysis.
34
Table 4-3. View Menu (Continued)

Disable View Dismiss the View All mode from a summary Summary “View All
All Mode display. An automatic refresh is performed, Mode” on
and the alarms that meet the display's criteria page 44
are displayed.
Go To Page Access a dialog box for paging through the CAD “Navigating to a
alarm list. This command is available on sum- Summary Page” on
mary displays, the AHD, and the CAD. Use AHD page 41
this command on touchscreens as an alterna-
tive to using the scroll bar.
Hide Controls Hide all menus and buttons from the selected CAD “Hiding Menus
display. The number of alarms per screen MRA and Buttons in
automatically increases. To redisplay the con- Summary an Alarm Dis-
trols, issue the Show Controls command from AHD play” on
the pop-up menu. page 40
Displays Menu
Table 4-4. Displays Menu

Current Alarms Access the Current Alarms All “Current Alarms Dis-
Display. play” on page 24
Most Recent Alarms Access the Most Recent Alarms All “Most Recent Alarms
display. Display” on page 25
New Alarm Summary Access the New Alarm Sum- All “Summary Displays” on
mary display. page 26
Unacknowledged Access the Unacknowledged All “Summary Displays” on
Alarm Summary Alarm Summary display. page 26
Acknowledged Alarm Access the Acknowledged Alarm All “Summary Displays” on
Summary Summary display. page 26
Alarm History Access the Alarm History All “Alarm History Dis-
Display. play” on page 28
Operations Access the Operations display. All “Operations Display” on
page 29
NOTE
When you open a new alarm display, the current display remains open.
35
Horns Menu
By default, the Horns menu is available from the Operations Display.
Table 4-5. Horns Menu
Command Description Reference

Silence Horns† Silence annunciator, workstation, and external “Silencing Horns”
horns. If the station is in a Common Alarm on page 62
Group, silence all horns within the group.
Mute Horns Temporarily mute (until unmuted† or the work- “Muting/Unmut-
station is rebooted) annunciator, workstation, and ing Horns” on
external horns. A “Horns Muted” message appears page 62
in the status area.
Mute CAG Horns Temporarily mute (until unmuted† or the work- “Muting/Unmut-
station is rebooted) all annunciator, workstation, ing Horns” on
and external horns in the Common Alarm page 62
Group(s) of which the workstation is a member.
“Horns Muted” appears in the status area. If the
workstation is not a member of a Common Alarm
Group, this command is ignored.
Unmute Horns† Unmute local annunciator, workstation, and exter- “Muting/Unmut-
nal horns. ing Horns” on
page 62
Unmute CAG Horns Unmute all horns in the Common Alarm “Muting/Unmut-
Group(s) of which the workstation is a member. ing Horns” on
page 62
Help Menu
The Help menu is available from all alarm displays.
Table 4-6. Help Menu
Command Description
Help Topics Invokes the Help system, providing access to the “Alarm Manage-
Contents, Index, and Find tabs. ment Documents
and On-Line Help”
on page xvi
About Alarm Manager Invokes the About dialog box, providing version —
information.
Pop-up Menus
Pop-up menus associated with each of the alarm display windows (with the exception of the
Operations display) provide quick access to frequently used functions.
The pop-up menu appears within the corresponding display when you press the right mouse
button.
36
To access a pop-up menu:

1. Place the cursor within the alarm area of an alarm display.
2. Press the right mouse button.
The pop-up menu associated with the alarm display window appears. Select the
desired command.
Table 4-7 lists the default commands in the pop-up menu for each display.
Table 4-7. Default Pop-up Menus for Alarm Displays
NEWAL
CAD MRA M UNACK ACK AHD
Refresh X X X X X X
Pause X X
Unpause X X
Most Recent Alarms X X X X X
Silence Horns X X X X X X
Ack Alarm X X X X
Ack Page X X X X
Top Priority X X X X X X
Show Controls X X X X X X
Buttons
An alarm display's button area contains buttons to perform commands in the selected window.
Table 4-8 lists the default set of command buttons for each alarm display.
Table 4-8. Default Command Buttons for Alarm Displays
NEW- UNAC
CAD MRA ALM K ACKED AHD OPR
Ack Alarm X X X X
Ack Page X X X X
Clear Alarm X X X X X
Clear Page X X X X X
Top Priority X X X X X X X
37
Table 4-8. Default Command Buttons for Alarm Displays
NEW- UNAC
CAD MRA ALM K ACKED AHD OPR
Historian X
Environments X
Working with Alarm Manager Windows

You can minimize (close), resize, and move Alarm Manager windows.
Showing, Minimizing, and Dismissing Windows

Common activities include bringing up a window and removing a window from view.
To open an iconified (minimized) display window perform one of these actions:
♦ From the Displays menu, select the desired display.
♦ (Windows based workstations) Click the display’s icon in the task bar.
♦ (Solaris based workstations) Double-click the icon representing the window, or click
the icon using the right mouse button to access the Control menu, and choose Open.
♦ (Solaris based workstations) Position the cursor on the icon and click Open.
To dismiss a display window perform one of these actions:
♦ Click File > Dismiss.
♦ (Windows based workstations) From the Control menu, choose Close.
♦ (Solaris based workstations) From the Control menu, choose Quit.
To iconify (minimize) a display window, perform one of these actions:
♦ (Windows based workstations) From the Control menu, choose Minimize.
Move the mouse pointer over the icon in the task bar to display the information listed
in Table 4-9.
♦ Click the Minimize button in the upper right corner.
♦ (Solaris based workstations) From the Control menu of the display window, choose
Close. An icon appears with the information listed in Table 4-9.
Table 4-9. Iconized Window Information
Item What it means

# A number (0 through 3), indicating the status of the Process
button:
0 = Normal state (no alarms)
1 = No alarms; previous alarm(s) still unacknowledged
2 = Acknowledged process alarm condition
3 = Unacknowledged process alarm condition
Horn state “Not Muted” or blank (horns are unmuted)
Display type OPR, MRA, CAD, AHD, NEWALM, UNACK, or ACKED
Name Alarm Manager name
38
Resizing a Window
The capability to resize an AM window is configurable from ADMC. Resizing can be enabled or
disabled using the Display is Resizeable† option; if enabled, resizing limits can be imposed using
the Fixed Minimum Size† option.
Windows
To automatically expand a window’s size to full screen:
♦ Click the Maximize button ( ) located in the window's upper-right corner.
To restore a window to its previous size:
♦ Click the Restore button ( ) located in the window's upper-right corner.
To resize a window vertically, horizontally, or both, on a Windows based workstation:
♦ Drag the bottom, side, or corner of the window's frame to a different position.
Solaris
To automatically expand a window's size to full screen:
♦ Double-click the mouse in the application title bar of the Alarm Manager window.
To restore a window to its previous size:
♦ Double-click the window.
To resize a window vertically, horizontally, or both:
1. Position the cursor on the corner of the display window and press the left mouse but-
ton until the resizing circle appears.
2. Grab the corner and move the window to the desired width or height.
The text size remains unaltered.
Resizing vertically changes the number of alarms on the display, snapping to the closest alarm.
Resizing horizontally displays or removes a column, depending on the available room. If you
resize a window horizontally (making the window narrower), a horizontal scroll bar may be
displayed.
Moving a Window
To move an alarm display window:
♦ With the cursor in the application title bar, press the left mouse button and drag the
window to the desired location.
The window or dialog box does not change size.
Alarm Area
The alarm area lists alarm entries associated with the selected alarm display.
Limiting Alarm Entries

You can limit alarm entries for displays by applying a match/filter specification to the display. For
example, you can change the Unacknowledged Alarms display to show only those unacknowl-
edged alarms that relate to the compounds and/or blocks within a particular control station.
“Match Active” appears in the status area, indicating that only those alarms meeting the applied
39
match/filter specification are shown. For more information, refer to “Finding, Matching, Filter-
ing, and Sorting Alarms” on page 47.
In summary displays, which provide filtered views of the Alarm Alert database, View All mode
(from the View menu) allows you to view the entire database without updating alarm indicators
and values. This information can be saved to a file or printed for analysis.
Hiding Menus and Buttons in an Alarm Display

To hide all menus and buttons and increase the number of alarms per screen:
♦ Click View > Hide Controls.
To redisplay the menus and buttons:
♦ Right-click, and choose Show Controls from the pop-up menu.
Alarm Message Fields

Alarm entries (messages) contain these default fields with variable fields related to alarm type:
♦ Time (HH:MM:SS) and date (MM/DD)
♦ Compound name
♦ Block name
♦ Block descriptor
♦ Variable text, dependent upon the alarm type (see Table 4-10).
Table 4-10. Alarm Message Fields - Type and Text
Alarm Type Text

HIABS, LOABS, HHABS (TARG), LLABS, HIDEV, Alarm text
LODEV, RATE, HIOUT (PTARG), and LOOUT
BADIO, STATE, and TRIP State text
RANGE, DISABL, ENABLE, SPCALM Alarm text
State text
INFO, MON, EXC, CONF, SEQ6, and IND/DEP Alarm text
NOTE
Depending on the alarm type, other fields will be present (for example, units, alarm
limit, OPER, STEP/STM/SUB/SBX, or CASENO).
♦ Alarm status information

♦ Alarm state (priority 1 - 5, or return-to-normal)
♦ Acknowledge state (unacknowledged or acknowledged).
40
Responding to Alarms
Use alarm display windows to respond to process alarm conditions by:
♦ Navigating to alarm entries in alarm displays, as described in “Navigating Alarm Dis-
plays” on page 41
♦ Accessing process displays (user graphics and Block Detail Displays, for example) to
resolve alarm conditions, as described in “Accessing a Display Specific to an Alarm”
on page 46
♦ Acknowledging alarms, as described in “Acknowledging Alarms” on page 45
♦ Clearing alarms from the Alarm Alert database, as described in “Clearing Alarms” on
page 46.
Navigating Alarm Displays

Scrolling Through Alarm Entries
Alarm messages appear on the screen with the default update direction of down and to the right.
The default format is one column of 10 two-line (CAD, summary, AHD) or 15 one-line (MRA)
alarm message rows per display page.
Use the vertical scroll bar to move through the alarm list on multi-page displays:
♦ Click the appropriate arrow button to advance or backtrack one entry at a time, cross-
ing pages as needed.
♦ Drag the scroll bar quickly through multiple entries.
♦ (Solaris only) Using the middle mouse button, click anywhere in the trough to go
directly to that position.
♦ Using the left mouse button, click ahead or behind the slider to page ahead or back.
The status area (by default) indicates “Alarm # of #”, the sequential number of the alarm entry at
the top of the current page in relation to the total number of alarms.
Navigating to a Page
To go to a selected page on summary displays, AHD, and CAD:
1. Click View > Go To Page.
Figure 4-2. Goto Page Dialog Box
2. Type the desired page number in the entry field, or use the arrow buttons to advance
or backtrack one page at a time and click Apply.
-Or-
41
(Windows) Click First or Last to go to the first page or last page, respectively.
(Solaris) Click First Page, Last Page, Previous Page, or Next Page.
Refreshing an Alarm Display

Refresh re-qualifies all alarms for the display by rereading the current entries in the alarm data-
base. Alarms tagged “Clear” or “Acknowledged and Return-to-Normal” are removed from the
display that is refreshed. Qualified new alarms (those received by the workstation since the display
was invoked) appear in the display. The time and date the display was invoked/refreshed is pre-
served in the display call-up time indicator.
To refresh an alarm display, perform one of these actions:
♦ Click View > Refresh.
-Or-
♦ Right-click the mouse to display a pop-up menu, and choose Refresh.
Accessing Other Alarm Manager Displays

The Alarm Manager consists of a set of seven displays.
To access another display:
1. From the menu bar, choose Displays.
2. Choose the desired display from the list.
TIP
You can also access the Most Recent Alarms display by right-clicking and selecting
it from the pop-up menu.
Operating on an Alarm Entry

Clicking an alarm entry selects that alarm for a subsequent action, such as acknowledging or clear-
ing. A yellow highlight box (by default) around an alarm entry indicates a selected alarm entry.
You can select one, more than one, or all the alarms. You can also select alarms using Alarm Find
as described in “Finding, Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms” on page 47.
Double-clicking an alarm entry, by default, accesses the Alarm Details display, which allows you
to view additional information about the block in alarm. For more information, refer to “Viewing
Additional Alarm Information” on page 43. Double-clicking also deselects all other previously
selected items. The double-click action† is configurable in ADMC.
(MRA and CAD only) Highlighting an alarm automatically stops the display of new alarms. For
safety reasons, the status area shows “Paused” in colored text, indicating that the display is in the
paused state. The alarm remains selected for five seconds during which time you can execute an
action (ACK, for example). No new alarms are written to the screen; however, the system updates
values, alarm states, and acknowledge states for existing alarms.
NOTE
Although the display is paused for only five seconds, the highlight box remains until
the screen is actually updated with new alarms.
42
NOTE
Some commands, such as ACK, can operate on one or more alarms. Other com-
mands, such as Alarm Detail only operate on one alarm. For these alarms, if more
than one alarm is selected, the action is applied to the first alarm only.
Alarms are automatically deselected when they are overwritten by new alarm entries (MRA or
CAD) or an action is taken on the selected alarm.
To individually select one or more alarms:
1. Position the cursor on the desired alarm.
2. Click the left mouse button.
A highlight box appears around the alarm, indicating selection.
To individually deselect one or more selected alarms:
1. Position the cursor on the selected alarm.
2. Click the left mouse button.
The highlight box is removed.
To select all the alarms on a single page or multi-page display:
♦ Click Edit > Select All.
All alarms related to the display type are selected.
To deselect all alarms on a single page or multi-page display:
♦ Click Edit > Deselect All.
All the selected alarms related to the display are deselected.
Viewing Additional Alarm Information

An alarm display is typically configured to show only portions of an alarm entry. At times you
may want to view additional information about a particular alarm by accessing the Alarm Details
display.
To open the Alarm Details window (Figure 4-3), do one of the following:
♦ Select the alarm entry, and click Alarm Detail in the button area (Figure 4-3).
♦ Right-click an alarm entry, and choose Alarm Detail from the pop-up menu.
-Or-
♦ Double-click an alarm entry. (The Alarm Details display is the default setting for the
double-click action†, configured from ADMC.)
43
Figure 4-3. Alarm Details Display
View All Mode

The summary displays are invoked with preset alarm and acknowledgement states. Use View All
mode to display a snapshot of all the alarms in the Alarm Alert database independent of alarm and
acknowledge states.
View All mode provides a comprehensive perspective on the alarms in the workstation's Alarm
Alert database at the time when View All mode was invoked. You can perform further analysis by
using the AM's alarm match/filter/sort and find capabilities to locate alarms of particular interest.
While in View All Mode:
♦ The order of entries is consistent with the dynamic sort order. (For more information,
refer to “Finding, Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms” on page 47.)
♦ Ack Alarm, Ack Page, Clear Alarm, and Clear Page functions are not available.
♦ Alarm values and statuses are not dynamic.
♦ Alarms that become cleared while the display is active transition to “gray”.
44
To enable View All Mode for any summary display:

♦ Click View > Enable View All Mode.
The Disable View All Mode command re-reads the Alarm Alert database and presents alarm
entries that correspond to the summary display's criteria.
To disable View All Mode for any summary display:
♦ Click View > Disable View All Mode.
Acknowledging Alarms
You can acknowledge alarms from alarm displays using the Ack Alarm, Ack Compound, and Ack
Page buttons. Table 4-11 describes the function of these buttons.
Table 4-11. Acknowledge Buttons
This Button Acknowledges

Ack Alarm The alarms associated with all blocks selected
Ack Compound The alarms associated with all blocks in the selected compounds
Ack Page All alarms associated with the blocks on the selected page
Acknowledgment is performed at the control processor. All the Alarm Managers receive the
updated acknowledge status. Alarm displays on other workstations that receive the same alarms
are also updated.
To acknowledge all alarms associated with the block containing the selected alarm(s):
1. Select the alarm(s) to be acknowledged.
2. Click Ack Alarm.
To acknowledge all alarms associated with the same compound(s) as the selected alarm(s):
1. Select the alarm(s) to be acknowledged.
2. Click Ack Compound.
To acknowledge all alarms on the current page:
♦ Click Ack Page.
TIP
You can also acknowledge alarms by right-clicking and choosing Ack Alarm, Ack
Page, or Ack Compound from the pop-up menu.
When an alarm is acknowledged using the Ack Alarm function on any Alarm Manager display,
the selected alarm is marked as acknowledged and all alarms in the same block are also marked as
acknowledged. The smallest granularity for alarm acknowledgement is the block; individual
alarms cannot be acknowledged.
When an alarm is acknowledged using the Ack Compound function, the selected alarm is marked
as acknowledged and all alarms in all blocks in the compound are also marked as acknowledged.
More than one alarm can be selected for either the Ack Alarm or Ack Compound function.
45
In addition, if alarms are acknowledged using the Ack Page function, all alarms displayed on the
Alarm Manager display page are acknowledged. For each alarm on the page, all alarms in the same
block as those alarms will also be acknowledged.
Clearing Alarms
Clearing an alarm removes it from the Alarm Alert database, regardless of its active or acknowl-
edged state. In summary and MRA displays, cleared alarms are “grayed” and unselectable until a
manual or automatic refresh of the display is performed. In the CAD, alarms are removed.
NOTE
If you select more than 1000 alarms, a dialog box appears stating that the first 1000
alarm entries will be cleared. Repeat the selection and clearing process as many
times as needed.
To clear a single alarm or multiple alarms from a display:

1. Select the alarm(s) to be cleared.
2. Click Clear Alarm.
To clear a page of alarms:
♦ Click Clear Page.
Alarms cleared from a display are also “grayed” on all the other alarm displays.
If you configure the Clear Alarm Option† in ADMC to clear the alarms within the Common
Alarm Group, the selected alarms are cleared from the Alarm Alert databases of the other Alarm
Alert subsystems within the Common Alarm Group. Alarms that have been acknowledged and
returned-to-normal are also cleared, but this action cannot be forced like a “clear”.
Accessing a Display Specific to an Alarm

To access a display specific to the highest priority alarm or the selected alarm:
♦ Click the appropriate command button described below.
NOTE
You must first select an alarm before clicking Block Detail or User Display.
The display appears in an open FoxView window.
When You Click This Happens

Top Priority The display associated with the highest priority alarm is presented
as defined according to the discard sort order†. The Block Detail
Display is the default; however, you can associate a user-defined
display with the block using the FoxPanels Configurator, as
described in Chapter 5 “Relationship Between AMS and Fox-
View”. You need not select an alarm to access the top priority dis-
play.
46
When You Click This Happens

Block Detail The standard Block Detail Display for the selected alarm is pre-
sented. If more than one alarm is selected, the display pertains to
the first selected alarm.
User Display A user-defined display configured for the selected alarm is pre-
sented. If more than one alarm is selected, the display pertains to
the first selected alarm. For information on configuring the User
Display button, refer to “Configuring the User Display Button”
on page 88.
Finding, Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms

Alarm Find vs. Alarm Match/Filter/Sort
The Alarm Find function highlights alarms in an alarm display that meet the criteria that you
specify. The Alarm Match function creates a subset of alarms that meets the criteria you specify,
listed in the sort order that you specify. The criteria are specified using the Match tab, Filter tab,
and Sort tab (Alarm Match only) in the Alarm Match or Alarm Find dialog boxes (see Figure 4-4,
Figure 4-5, and Figure 4-6).
Match vs. Filter vs. Sort

When you choose the Match Alarms command (View menu):
♦ Alarm match criteria (Match tab) specifies information that includes alarm entries in
the list
♦ Alarm filter criteria (Filter tab) specifies information that excludes alarm entries from
the list
♦ Sort criteria (Sort tab) specifies the display order of the alarms.
For example, an alarm display includes the following compound names:
CMP1, CMP2, CMP3, and CMP4
If CMP3 is specified for Compound in the Match tab, then only CMP3 compounds are dis-
played in the resulting alarm list.
If CMP3 is specified for Compound in the Filter tab, then only CMP1, CMP2, and CMP4 com-
pounds are displayed, and CMP3 compounds are excluded from the list.
Figure 4-4, Figure 4-5, and Figure 4-6 show the three tabs of this dialog box. Figure 4-7 shows
the dialog box that is displayed when Set Time is clicked.
47
Figure 4-4. Alarm Match Dialog Box (Match Tab)
Figure 4-5. Alarm Match Dialog Box (Filter Tab)
48
Figure 4-6. Alarm Match Dialog Box (Sort Tab)
Figure 4-7. Set Time Dialog Box
49
Table 4-12. Alarm Find and Alarm Match Fields
Alarm Find Alarm Match

Match Filter Match Filter
Field Description Tab Tab Tab Tab
Find/Match Optional description that appears at X X
Description the top of the alarm display when you
perform a match operation
Blocks1
CP Letterbugs Control Processor letterbug(s) X X X X
Compounds Compound(s) X X X X
Blocks Block(s) X X X X
Block Description Block description(s) X X X X
Alarm Text2 Alarm text X X X X
State Text3 State text X X X X
Point Name Point name X X X X
Loop ID Loop ID X X X X
Time 4
Set Time A button that accesses the Set Time dia- X X X X
log box
Clear Time A button that accesses the Clear Time X X X X
dialog box
Start Time Start date/time (mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss) X X X X
End Time End date/time (mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss) X X X X
Alarm Types X X
Alarm State5
Don’t Care Returned-to-normal or in-alarm state X X
Returned Returned-to-normal state only X X
In Alarm Currently has active alarm(s) X X
Don’t Care Unacknowledged or acknowledged state X
Unacked Unacknowledged state (only) X
Acknowledged Acknowledged state (only) X
Alarm Priority
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Alarm priority X X
Find Status Results of the Alarm Find X X
1. You can supply information in lists (separated with commas) and use wildcard characters in one or
more of the Block group entry fields. For more information, refer to “Field Entry Specification
Rules” on page 53.
2.
Refer to Table 4-10 for a list of alarm types that contain and can display “Alarm Text”. Only these
types of alarms will have matching or filtering applied when text is entered in the “Alarm Text” field
of the Match/Filter dialog box.
50
3. Refer to Table 4-10 for a list of alarm types that contain and can display “State Text”. Only these
types of alarms will have matching or filtering applied when text is entered in the “State Text” field
of the Match/Filter dialog box.
4.
A 30-day month is used in the time calculation. If the duration is two months, the end date is equal
to the start date plus 60 days. For example, a March 1 start date plus 60 days results in an April 29
end date.
5. You cannot select Alarm State options on summary displays. However, if you create and save an
Alarm Match Specification (.ams) file from a display that permits the entry of alarm state, you can
read that .ams file from a summary display. You cannot select the Unacknowledged and Acknowl-
edged options from an Alarm History Display.
Table 4-13. Alarm Find and Alarm Match Buttons
Alarm Alarm
Button Find Match Description
Next X Find the next alarm that meets the criteria
Previous X Find the previous alarm that meets the criteria
Find All X Find all alarm entries that meet the criteria
OK X Apply the match/filter/sort specification to the display and dis-
miss the dialog box
Apply X Apply the match/filter/sort specification to the display and
maintain the dialog box
Stop X Remove the applied match/filter/sort specification from the dis-
play and maintain the dialog box
Load X X Access the File Selection dialog box so you can select an existing
specification file to be loaded
Save X X Access the File Selection dialog box to save the specification to a
file
Clear X X Remove the match/filter specifications from the fields in both
the Match and Filter tabs in the dialog box.
Close X X Dismiss the dialog box without applying or saving the find
specification
Locating Alarms using Alarm Find

Within an alarm display, you can locate specific alarms that match various criteria. Alarms that do
not meet the criteria are unselected. After locating alarms, you can then perform an action, such
as acknowledging alarms or clearing alarms on the selected entries.
NOTE
The Alarm Find function is not available in the Current Alarms Display.
To find alarms in an alarm display (MRA, summary displays, or AHD):

1. Click Edit > Find Alarms.
2. In the Match tab, enter the criteria that alarms are to meet.
51
3. In the Filter tab, enter the criteria for excluding alarms.
NOTE
There is no Sort tab for Find Alarms.
Refer to Table 4-12 on page 50 for Match and Filter tab field descriptions. You need
not enter information in every field. Only enter criteria pertaining to the alarms you
choose to locate.
4. Click:
♦ Find All to find all alarm entries that meet the criteria
♦ Next to find the next alarm entry in the list that meets the criteria
♦ Previous to find the previous alarm entry in the list that meets the criteria.
Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms Using Alarm Match

The criteria specified in the Match tab specify alarms to include, and the criteria in the Filter tab
specify alarms to exclude. Alarms that do not meet the criteria are not shown. For static displays
(summary displays and AHD), you are always guaranteed to be working with the same snapshot
until you dismiss the display or perform a refresh. To cancel the default match and filter specifica-
tions in static displays, use View All Mode. An auto refresh occurs when you transition from View
All mode to Disable View All mode. Dynamic displays (CAD and MRA) always update informa-
tion based on the update period.
By design, the MRA and summary displays (NEWALM, ACKED, and UNACKED) filter
alarms; however, you can apply additional filters to any of these displays. The CAD does not have
any implicit filter.
NOTE
On summary displays, you can choose View All mode to obtain a snapshot of the
entire Alarm Alert database at a given time.
When a match/filter/sort specification is applied to a display, for safety reasons, “Match Active”
appears in the status area, indicating all the alarms associated with the display are not visible. Also,
the match description, if present, is shown in the display title (for example, “CAD: Priority 1
Alarms”).
NOTE
View All Mode is not available from the AHD. To display matched and filtered
alarms on AHD, you must perform a refresh.
To match, filter, and sort alarms in an alarm display:

1. From an alarm display, click View > Match Alarms.
2. In the Match tab, enter the criteria that alarms are to meet.
3. In the Filter tab, enter the criteria for excluding alarms.
Refer to Table 4-12 on page 50 for Match and Filter tab field descriptions.
52
NOTE
You need not enter information in every field. Only enter criteria pertaining to the
alarms you choose to locate.
4. In the Sort tab, choose the sort criteria (see Figure 4-6 on page 49).
NOTE
The Sort option is not available on MRA or AHD.
5. Click:
♦ to apply the match/filter/sort criteria and close the dialog box
OK
♦ Apply to apply the match/filter/sort specification to the display and leave the dia-
log box open
♦ Stop to remove the applied match/filter/sort specification from the display and
leave the dialog box open.
Field Entry Specification Rules

Match/filter and Find specification field entries support these wildcard characters:
Character Refers to
? (question mark character) A single character
* (asterisk character) Multiple characters
Use a comma (,) to separate multiple entries in the CP letterbug, Compounds, Blocks, Block
Description, Point Name, Alarm Text, and Loop ID fields.
Multiple entries within a field are ORed. Entries between fields are ANDed.
NOTE
You can enter a maximum of 625 characters in the text fields of an Alarm Filter or
Alarm Match tab. Each comma (used to separate items in a list) counts as two char-
acters (comma followed by space) whether or not you enter a space after each
comma.
Example Field Entries

The following examples start with these compounds and blocks in the alarm display:
Compnd1:Block1 Compnd2:Block1 Compnd23:Block1

Compnd1:Block2 Compnd2:Block2 Compnd23:Block2
Compnd1:Block3
Compnd1:Block4
Compnd1:Block5
53
Example 1
Entering these criteria in the Match tab:
Compounds: Compnd1, Compnd2
Blocks: Block1, Block2
locates these alarms:

Compnd1:Block1, Compnd1:Block2, Compnd2:Block1, and Compnd2:Block2.
Example 2
Compounds: Compnd?
Blocks: Block1, Block2

Compnd1:Block1, Compnd1:Block2, Compnd2:Block1, and Compnd2:Block2.
Example 3
Compounds: Compnd*
Blocks: Block2

Compnd1:Block2, Compnd2:Block2, Compnd23:Block2.
Example 4
Compounds: Compnd*
Blocks: Block2,Block3
and this criteria in the Filter tab:

Compounds: Compnd2

Compnd1:Block2, Compnd1:Block3, Compnd23:Block2, Compnd23:Block3.
Creating and Saving an Alarm Find or Alarm Match Specification

Use a match specification (.ams) file for an Alarm Find or Alarm Match operation.
To create a match specification for filtering alarms on the associated alarm display:
2. Enter the match, filter, and sort criteria in the respective tabs as described in “Match-
ing, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms Using Alarm Match” on page 52.
3. Click Save.
The File Selection (or Save As) dialog box appears.
54
From the appropriate directory, select an existing file in which to save the match/filter
information, or type a new filename in the Selection text box.
-Or-
On Solaris based systems, select a directory (or type a directory path in the Filter text
box and click Filter) to display a list of the files in that directory.
By default, a match/filter specification (.ams) file is stored in the \usr\fox\customer
\alarms\amspec directory.
4. Click OK or Apply. The corresponding display presents “Match Active” in the left
corner of the status bar.
Loading an Alarm Match or Alarm Find Specification File

Use a pre-configured alarm match specification (.ams) file to quickly generate a subset of alarms.
To load an existing alarm match specification file:
1. Click View > Match Alarms.
2. From the Alarm Match dialog box, click Load.
The File Selection or Open dialog box appears.
NOTE
If you set up a match for the alarm type TARG, save the alarm match information
to a file, and load the .ams file, both TARG and HHABS are pre-selected. Selecting
HHABS, saving to a file, and loading the .ams file pre-selects TARG. Similarly,
selecting alarm type PTARG or HIOUT pre-selects the other option.
3. Select an alarm match specification file and click Open.

When selected, the configured information appears in the Alarm Match dialog box
fields.
4. If desired, edit the existing configuration information.
5. Click:
♦ Apply to apply a match specification to a display and maintain the dialog box
♦ OK to invoke the match specification and dismiss the dialog box
♦ Save to save the new information to a new file
♦ Close to end the session without making changes to the alarm match specifica-
tion file.
Deleting an Alarm Match or Alarm Find Specification File

Alarm match specification files, by default, are located in the \usr\fox\customer\alarms\amspec
directory and have the .ams extension.
To delete an alarm match specification file:
Windows
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Locate and select the file(s) you want to delete (typically, in \usr\fox\customer
\alarms\amspec).
55
3. Click File > Delete.

Solaris
1. Access the VT100 mode or cmdtool.
2. Change the current directory to the amspec directory:
cd /usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec
3. Delete the file by typing:
rm filename
Examples - Using Alarm Match/Filter Specification Files

The following examples demonstrate how to create match specification files.
Example 1
You can focus on critical alarms, such as Priority 1 and Priority 2 alarms, by applying a match to
a summary display or CAD so you can quickly view the list of critical alarms.
To create and save a match specification file for critical alarms:
1. From an alarm display click View > Match Alarms.
2. In the Alarm Priority box of the Match tab, select 1 and 2.
3. Click Apply.
The alarm display shows only Priority 1 and Priority 2 alarms.
4. Click Save.
5. Type critical as the filename.
The match/filter specification is saved to:
\usr\fox\customer\alarms\amspec\critical.ams
Example 2
You can view sequence alarms for specific units, such as UNIT23 and UNIT24, by applying a
match based on the compound names with a UNIT23 or UNIT24 preface and the alarm type.
To create and save a match specification file to view specific alarms for specific compounds:
The Alarm Match dialog box appears.
2. Type the following Find/Match description:
Units 23/24 Sequence Alarms
3. In the Compounds field of the Match tab, type UNIT23*, UNIT24*.
Be sure to include the asterisks (*), which represents any number of characters.
4. In the Alarm Types list box, select CONF, EXC, IND/DEP, INFO, MON, and SEQ6.
5. Click Apply.
The alarm display shows only the sequence alarms for blocks with compound names
beginning with “UNIT23”or “UNIT24” and the display title shows the match
description text of step 2.
6. Click Save and type units23_24 as the filename.
56
The match specification is saved to:

\usr\fox\customer\alarms\amspec\units23_24.ams
Example 3
You can filter out nuisance low alarms during a startup condition by applying a match based on
the alarm type. Since you cannot choose alarm types from the Filter tab in the Match Alarms dia-
log box, this example shows you how to filter based on alarm types.
To create and save a filter that eliminates low alarms:
The Match/Filter dialog box appears.
2. In the Alarm Types list box (Match tab), select all alarm types except LLABS,
LOABS, LODEV, and LOOUT.
3. Click Apply.
4. Click Save and type nolows as the filename.
The match specification file is saved to:
\usr\fox\customer\alarms\amspec\nolows.ams
Example 4
You can filter out alarms from particular compounds, such as FLOW5a, FLOW57, FLOW58,
during a certain condition by applying a match based on the compound name.
To create and save a filter to eliminate certain conditions on particular compounds:
2. Click the Filter tab.
3. In the Compounds field, type:
FLOW5?
The “?” is a wildcard that represents a single character.
4. Click Apply.
The alarm display does not show any alarms from compounds with FLOW5 in the
name.
NOTE
Alarms from a compound named FLOW571 would not be filtered out.
5. Click Save and type noflow5 as the filename.

\usr\fox\customer\alarms\amspec\noflow5.ams
Example 5
You can create an alarm list that includes BLR001, BLR003, and BLR004 compounds by apply-
ing a match and a filter based on the compound name.
To create and save a match and filter to on particular compounds:
57

BLR*
3. Click the Filter tab
BLR002
5. Click Apply.
The alarm display shows all alarms with a compound name starting with BLR, with
the exception of BLR002.
6. Click Save and type mf_ex as the filename.
\usr\fox\customer\alarms\amspec\mf_ex.ams
Customizing an AM Button to Perform a Match

You can automate the viewing of matched alarms, eliminating the need to invoke the Match
Alarms dialog box, by configuring buttons or menu commands that invoke the match specifica-
tion.
To invoke a match on the active display:
1. Set up the alarm match specification file and save it to a file as described in “Examples
- Using Alarm Match/Filter Specification Files” on page 56.
2. Configure a command button from ADMC with the action:
match /pathname/filename
For the examples in the preceding section, you could configure the command buttons as follows:
Button Label Command Function

Critical Alarms match /usr/fox/cus- Run the critical.ams
tomer/alarms match specification file
/amspec/critical.ams
Sequence Unit 23/24 match /usr/fox/cus- Run the
tomer/alarms unit23_24.ams match
/amspec/units23_24.ams
specification file
Filter Lows match /usr/fox/cus- Run the nolows.ams
/amspec/nolows.ams
Filter Flow5 match /usr/fox/cus- Run the noflow5.ams
/amspec/noflow5.ams
To clear a match from a display:

♦ Configure a command button (called CLR MATCH, for example) with the action:
stop_match
To invoke a display with a match active or refresh a display if the display is already active:
1. Set up an alarm match specification and save it to a file, as described in “Examples -
Using Alarm Match/Filter Specification Files” on page 56.
58
2. Configure a button (called MATCH ACTIVE DISP, for example) with the action:
almdisp disp -match pathname/filename [-refresh]
For more information on the match, stop_match, and almdisp commands, refer to Alarm
Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP).
Working with Historical Alarm Information

Use the Alarm History Display to view alarms saved to an alarm history database by the historian.
Matching and filtering criteria can be applied to the AHD to affect what alarms are displayed.
The default historian, containing the alarms displayed on the Alarm History Display (AHD), is
located on the workstation's logical host, which is defined during system configuration.
You can access a remote historian on the I/A Series system to provide the alarm entries for the
AHD.
Accessing an Historian Other Than the Default

To access the alarm history database on a remote host:
1. From the Alarm History Display, click the Historian button.
2. From the Historian Selection dialog box, perform one of these actions:
♦ Select the desired historian from the scrollable list box.
♦ Type the name of the historian in the text box.
Accessing an Archived History File

You can access an archived history file and display alarms that were previously archived and
removed from the historian database. Use the hist_file command, described in Alarm Manage-
ment Commands and Keywords (B0700AP).
Saving Alarm Display Information

You can save the alarm entry contents of an alarm display to a file for future reporting or refer-
ence. The file can be in text (TXT) or Comma Separated Value (CSV) format. CSV format is
intended for importing into other applications, such as spreadsheets (like
Lotus 1-2-3 or Excel) or databases (like Access).
If the match/filter specification is active at the time the display information is saved, the specifica-
tion is also included in the text format file.
NOTE
To cancel the save function from the CAD or MRA, use the AM save_cancel
command. For more information, refer to Alarm Management Commands and Key-
words (B0700AP).
To save alarm display information:

1. Click File > Save.
The default directory is:
\usr\fox\customer\alarms\reports
59
If you want to save to a different directory, choose it.

2. Choose an existing filename to overwrite the file, or type a new filename to save
alarms to a new file.
3. (Windows) Choose Text Files (*.txt) or Comma Separated Value (*.csv)
from the Save as Type list box.
(Solaris) Choose Normal or Comma Separated.
4. Type a file name.
5. Click Save (or OK).
NOTE
You cannot perform a save from a CAD or MRA while printing from the CAD or
MRA, and vice versa.
Examples of Text and Comma Separated Value Formats

Text Format
Alarm Manager: X1AW70:X1AW70 Display: MRA
Display Call Up Time: 04/29/03 09:07:10
Report Date: 04/29/03 09:11:30
09:15:02 UC01_LEAD:COSINE GEN COSINE WAVEFORM 9.12 PCT LOABS
4 U
09:14:05 UC01_LEAD:SINE GEN SINE WAVEFORM 77.24 PCT LODEV
R U
09:14:20 UC01_LEAD:COSINE GEN COSINE WAVEFORM 12.60 PCT
HIDEV R U
Comma Separated Value Format

Compound,Block,Block Descriptor,Alarm Type,Date,Time,Milliseconds,Prior-
ity,Alarm Name,Parameter Name,CP Letterbug,Alarm State,Ack
State,Value,Units,Limit,Alarm Text,State Text,Point Number,Oper,Case
No,Timeout,Step,Stm,Sub,Sbx
UC01_LEAD,COSINE,GEN COSINE WAVE-
FORM,LOABS,04/28/2003,09:12:55,800,4,MEASNM
,MEAS,N3AW70,ALM,UNACK,9.596574,PCT,10.000000,MEASLT,,0,,,,,,,
UC01_LEAD,SINE,GEN SINE WAVEFORM,LODEV,04/28/2003,09:13:02,300,2
,MEAS,MEAS,N3AW70,ALM,UNACK,43.137062,PCT,45.000000,LDATXT,,0,,,,,,,
UC01_LEAD,COSINE,GEN COSINE WAVE-
FORM,HIDEV,04/28/2003,09:13:17,800,5,MEASNM
,MEAS,N3AW70,ALM,UNACK,57.708221,PCT,56.000000,HDATXT,,0,,,,,,,
Printing Alarm Display Information

You can print the alarm entry information associated with an alarm display from either the alarm
display or from a previously saved file. Printing options differ for Windows and Solaris based
workstations.
On workstations running Windows, you can customize your printed document by using the Page
Setup and set print options using Print Setup. Use ADMC to add the Page Setup and Print Setup
60
commands, typically to the File menu. You can then specify layout, header, and footer informa-
tion using Page Setup and print options using Print Setup. You can also use the AM
print_preview, print_cancel, and page_setup commands (with pref ) to view the docu-
ment before printing. For more information, refer to Alarm Management Commands and Key-
words (B0700AP).
To print alarm entry information from a Windows based workstation:
1. Click File > Print.
2. Select the printer to which the information is to be sent.
3. Choose OK.
NOTE
By default, the CAD has no printing commands configured.
To cancel a print request, once spooled, from a Windows based workstation:

1. Click Start > Settings > Printers and Faxes.
2. Double-click the entry for the printer that is printing the report.
3. Select the report you want to cancel.
4. Click Document > Cancel.
To print alarm entry information from Solaris based workstations:
1. Click File > Print.
2. Select the print source of the alarm entry information (an existing file or the current
display).
3. Select the desired format (Normal or Comma Separated).
4. Select the printer to which the information is to be sent.
5. If desired, select a print script. This script determines the print format:
Select To
no script or lpr Send alarms directly to the printer
mp Using a PostScript printer, print alarms in two columns,
representing two alarm pages
pr Print each page with a header that includes the page num-
ber and time and date of printing
a2ps Using a PostScript printer, print alarms on the PostScript
printer within a box, and print the time and date of the
printing
NOTE
Optional print scripts use UNIX utilities to customize the print format. Print
scripts are defined in the /usr/fox/customer/alarms/reports/pscripts file
(Solaris) and may be edited with a text editor.
61
6. Click OK.
To cancel a print request, once spooled, from a Solaris workstation:
♦ In VT100 mode, type:
cancel lpstat -d
Working with Horns

You can silence the horns and mute (or unmute) horns. Silencing temporarily turns off the horns
until the next alarm occurs. Muting turns off the horns until a time-out† occurs or the horns are
unmuted.
Silencing Horns
You can silence the hardware annunciator keyboard horns and console horns associated with a
workstation and external horns.
If the workstation is configured in a Common Alarm Group, by default† all the horns throughout
the Common Alarm Group are silenced.
To silence a local horn or horns throughout the CAG, perform one of these actions:
♦ From the Operations display, click Horns > Silence Horns.
♦ From displays other than the Operations display, right-click in the alarm display and
choose Silence Horns from the pop-up menu.
By default, horns are also silenced when you:
♦ Click the Process button in FoxView
♦ Press any annunciator panel key†
♦ Click any soft alarm panel button†
♦ Press the ACK button on an annunciator panel or engineering keyboard.
The Horn Silence Option† (ADMC Workstation Property Scheme) affects how horn silencing
operates. The default setting is manual silence of horns via displays and the annunciator keyboard
ACK button. For more information, refer to Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC)
(B0700AM).
Muting/Unmuting Horns
You may choose to temporarily override the pre-configured sounding of alarm horns during sys-
tem startup and testing. Muting a horn shuts off the horn.
Horns can be muted or unmuted locally from your workstation or throughout the entire CAG.
For more information, refer to Chapter 6 “Common Alarm Groups”.
For safety reasons, the alarm display's status area shows “Horns Muted” when you select either
muting option.
The default value of the Horn Resound Option† (ADMC Workstation Property Scheme) is to
not resound horns after unmuting horns (if any alarms causing a horn to sound occurred during
the period the horns were muted). For more information, refer to Alarm and Display Manager
Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM).
For a recovery reboot, the mute horn status is retained for members of a Common Alarm Group.
However, individual stations are initialized to come up with horns sounding (unmuted).
62
Muting/Unmuting Horns for an Individual Workstation

To mute/unmute horns for an individual workstation:
♦ From the Horns menu in the Operations display, choose Mute Horns or Unmute
Horns.
If Mute Horns is selected, “Horns Muted” appears in the status bar.
Muting/Unmuting Horns within a Common Alarm Group

To mute/unmute horns within a Common Alarm Group:
♦ From the Horns menu in the Operations display, choose Mute CAG Horns or
Unmute CAG Horns.
If Mute CAG Horns is selected, “Horns Muted” appears in the status line.
NOTE
If the workstation is not a member of a Common Alarm Group, the Mute CAG
Horns command is ignored.
63
64
5. Relationship Between AMS and
FoxView
This chapter describes the relationship between FoxPanels and FoxView display managers.
FoxView Display Managers and Alarm Managers

A display manager (DM) provides access to process displays and applications in the I/A Series
environments including Alarm Manager display windows. Each DM is a window and is indepen-
dent of other DMs. The I/A Series system display manager is FoxView. Refer to Display Engineer-
ing for FoxView Software and Display Manager Software (B0193MQ) for more information.
An Alarm Manager (AM) provides a graphical user interface in which to view alarm information.
The view is comprised of a set of customizable display windows representing different views of a
workstation’s Alarm Alert database. Each AM’s set of display windows is independent of the set of
display windows on other AMs. For each AM, all AM display windows can be simultaneously
open, providing multiple views of the Alarm Alert database.
Calling Up an Alarm Manager from FoxView

Click the Process button to access the Alarm Manager by default.
Configuring a Button on a FoxView Display

You can customize buttons on a FoxView display to open the AM with matching or other criteria.
To call up the AM with matching, you could enter this command:
dmcmd rcntalms -match filename
For information on customizing a FoxView environment and assigning displays to the display
bar, refer to Display Commands (B0193DF) and Display Engineering for FoxView Software and
Display Manager Software (B0193MQ).
Customizing the Process Button

You may want to modify the Process button entry in an environment file to invoke the Alarm
Manager with non-default characteristics, for example, using a match specification file.
In init.user, enter the following command:
PROC_BTN=dmcmd rcntalms -match $DMNAME.ams
to customize the Process button for all the AMs on the workstation. This would apply the match-
ing and filtering criteria specified in a file name for the DM starting the AM. Each DM/AM com-
bination could have its own file.
65
B0700AT – Rev C 5. Relationship Between AMS and FoxView
FoxView and Alarm Manager Relationships

FoxViews and Alarm Managers at Startup
On Windows based workstations, a default FoxView display manager is automatically created on
startup when the workstation is booted. When you click the Process button on the default
FoxView, an Alarm Manager is called up.
On Solaris based workstations, a default DM and AM are automatically created and started up
when a workstation is booted. Although the AM is started, it is iconized (minimized). When you
click the Process button, the AM window opens.
FoxView accesses the Alarm Manager with which it is associated. Each workstation must have a
letterbug named DM associated with a letterbug named AM.
NOTE
Each workstation must have a letterbug named DM and AM. This cannot be
changed.
You click the Process button in the default FoxView to call up the Alarm Manager.
Process Button
The color and blink state of FoxView's Process button represents the entire contents of the run-
time database of the alarm subsystem. The button is updated according to the alarms being
received by the workstation and is not affected by any match/filters applied by the Alarm Man-
ager to its displays.
When a block or group of blocks goes into alarm, the Process button blinks and/or changes color,
based upon the set of alarms being held in the memory-resident Alarm Alert database. The state
of the button summarizes the set of alarms in the Alarm Alert database, as shown in Table 5-1.
Button State Description

Blinking red One or more unacknowledged alarms exist.
Steady red One or more acknowledged alarms exist. There are no unacknowledged
alarms.
Blinking green One or more alarms have returned-to-normal, but are still unacknowl-
edged. There are no current alarm conditions.
Steady green No process alarms exist in the database.
Clicking the Process button silences the horn(s) and accesses the initial alarm display for analyz-
ing, acknowledging, and clearing alarms.
Accessing the Process and System Button States

Each workstation has an ALMSTATE variable that is written by the Alarm Alert task based on
the process alarms in the AA database, the rolled-up states of system alarms, and the states of the
horns. FoxView reads this variable and uses it to drive changes to the Process and System buttons.
66
5. Relationship Between AMS and FoxView B0700AT – Rev C
Buttons can be created on FoxView displays that reflect the state of the Process and System but-
tons by configuring those buttons to read the workstation ALMSTATE variable. ALMSTATE, or
more specifically ALMSTATEwsname, is an OM variable that contains three pieces of informa-
tion:
♦ the state of the Process button
♦ the state of the System button
♦ the state of the horns
BITS 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
unused horn state System Process
Table 5-2. ALMSTATE Variable
Bit Description
0 Process alarm acknowledge state
0 – no unacknowledged process alarms
1 – at least one unacknowledged process alarm
1 Process alarm state
0 – no active process alarms, only RTNs
1 – at least one active process alarm
2 Unused (0)
3 Unused (0)
4 System alarm acknowledged state
0 – no unacknowledged system alarms
1 – at least one unacknowledged system alarm
5 System alarm state
0 – no active system alarms, only RTNs
1 – at least one active system alarm
6 Unused (0)
7 Unused (0)
8 Local horn mute
0 – local horns are not muted
1 – local horns are muted
9 CAG1 horn mute
0 – CAG1 horns are not muted
1 – CAG1 horns are muted
10 CAG2 horn mute
0 – CAG2 horns are not muted
1 – CAG2 horns are muted
11 Unused (0)
12 Unused (0)
13 Unused (0)
14 Unused (0)
67
Table 5-2. ALMSTATE Variable
Bit Description
15 Unused (0)
For example, if your ALMSTATE variable is 0x0023, FoxView would change the Process button
to flashing red (active, unacknowledged alarms) and the System button to flashing green (unac-
knowledged alarms, but all RTNs). No horns are muted, either locally or in either CAG.
Instances of Alarm Managers

When a workstation is booted, a configured bootable FoxView or Alarm Manager starts up and
displays its initial window(s).
When FoxView displays on a remote workstation, the first time its Process button is clicked, an
Alarm Manager begins to display on that remote workstation. This Alarm Manager runs until ter-
minated by the remote user or the user logs off the remote workstation.
Refer to Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM) for information about
configuring remote workstations.
DM/AM Licensing
Each Windows or Solaris workstation has a single license for the FoxView display manager (DM)
and Alarm Manager (AM) software, both of which automatically use default naming conventions
(letterbugs).
You can purchase additional display manager licenses. For each additional display manager license
purchased, you are provided with an additional Alarm Manager license. Additionally purchased
display manager licenses provide DM windows and sets of AM display windows on:
♦ The workstation screen (or screens, if dual-headed)
♦ Remote workstations and X terminals.
The title bar of a FoxView or Alarm Manager window shows the name of that DM or AM as:
StationLetterbug:FVname
-Or-
StationLetterbug:AMname
Dedicated and Undedicated Licenses

Each AM and DM can be configured as dedicated or undedicated.
Dedicated DMs and AMs have reserved licenses. Exiting an AM or DM with a reserved license
does not free up a license for use by another AM or DM.
Undedicated (floating) AMs and DMs share the remainder of the configured licenses on a first-
come/first-served basis. Exiting a floating AM or DM frees a license for use by another undedi-
cated AM or DM. A configuration with floating licenses enables personnel with different security
access levels to use the same workstation (or the same person to access the appropriate informa-
tion from a local or remote workstation or an X terminal).
68
DM Usage Summary
The number of licenses available for the Solaris workstations appears at the bottom of the Display
Manager Usage Summary display (Figure 5-1).
Figure 5-1. FoxView Usage Summary Display
Figure 5-1 shows nine licenses, all of which are dedicated (as indicated with *).
Restrictions
Although licensing allows one AM to be run per DM on a workstation, memory constraints and
the computing power of an individual workstation may require that multiple DMs access a single
instance of an AM.
NOTE
With the functional capabilities of a single AM (seven display windows), configur-
ing multiple DMs to access a single AM is appropriate for most sites.
Before you can use an additional license, you must configure the additional DM(s) and AM(s)
using ADMC. For flexibility, you can configure more FoxView display managers and Alarm
Managers than the number of available licenses. At any given time, however, the number of DMs
running on a Windows or Solaris based workstation is limited to the number of licenses available
on that station. Refer to Display Engineering for FoxView Software and Display Manager Software
(B0193MQ) for size considerations.
69
DM/AM Association
Although you are not required to configure one AM per DM, there are times when it is advanta-
geous to call up a specific AM when the FoxView’s Process button is pressed.
Each FoxView can access its own dedicated AM, or multiple FoxViews can access the same AM,
as shown in Figure 5-2. Associating multiple FoxView display managers with a single Alarm Man-
ager, however, offers the best use of a workstation’s memory and computing power.
Each FoxView (DM) accesses its own AM.
FoxView Alarm Manager
FoxView Alarm Manager
Two FoxViews share the same AM.
FoxView
Alarm Manager
FoxView
Figure 5-2. Display Manager Association with Alarm Managers
NOTE
You cannot associate one FoxView display manager with more than one Alarm
Manager.
Alarm Manager Access

Use DM/AM association to access the appropriate Alarm Manager when the Process button in a
FoxView I/A Series environment is clicked.
When you have multiple FoxViews, you must configure the associations between the FoxViews
(DMs) and the available Alarm Managers. Do this using ADMC Associations, described in Alarm
and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM). DM/AM association is not bidirec-
tional. Association refers only to a FoxView display manager having access to an Alarm Manager.
Instances of Alarm Managers

To add additional instances of the Alarm Manager, refer to “Adding Additional Workstations” on
page 78. Display Engineering for FoxView Software and Display Manager Software (B0193MQ)
also provides information on adding additional Alarm Managers.
70
FoxView Display Manager/Alarm Manager Access Rules

NOTE
There is always a letterbug named DM and AM even if one is not explicitly config-
ured. If your workstation, for example, X4AW70, has three DM licenses and three
DMs are configured in the following order DM0001, DM0002, and DM0003,
then DM003 is never accessible. The three available DMs are: X4AW70, DM0001,
DM0002.
The bootable FoxView display manager (DM) is associated with a dedicated Alarm Manager.
Both FoxView and AM are named with their respective letterbugs. On Solaris, the letterbug-
named AM starts up iconized at workstation boot.
These rules apply to a configured DM/AM association:
♦ A DM (whether displaying locally or remotely) sends commands to the AM with
which it is associated.
♦ If the AM is locally configured, it is started up if it is not already running.
♦ If the DM is running locally, it defaults to using the letterbug AM when no explicit
DM-to-AM association has been made.
♦ If the AM it is not locally configured, it is assumed to be running remotely, and com-
mands are sent to it.
These rules apply when there is no configured DM/AM association:
♦ A DM on a local head (CRT) checks for an AM as follows:
♦ If the AM is running, the DM uses the letterbug AM.
♦ If the letterbug AM is not running, the DM starts it up.
By default, the letterbug AM displays on a local CRT.
♦ A DM on a remote workstation checks for an AM as follows:
♦ If an AM with the same name is allowed to display on the server, the DM starts it
up or brings it forward.
♦ If no AM of the same name exists, the DM determines whether there is an AM
already displaying to the screen. If so, the DM brings it forward.
♦ If no AM is running, the DM starts any AM available that is configured to display
to the workstation.
Relationship Between FoxPanels and FoxView

FoxPanels Default Behavior
By default commands and displays are directed to the default FoxView (assigned the letterbug
name). You can override this default setting and, for example, direct actions associated with a sub-
panel and/or an individual key to another FoxView, as shown in Figure 5-3.
71
Default FoxView
(letterbug) FoxView 1 FoxView 2
Default Direction Individual Key Subpanel

for Alarm Panel Redirection Redirection
Soft Alarm Panel

Figure 5-3. FoxPanels Behavior
Redirecting Default Behavior at Run Time

You can override the default configured behavior at run time, redirecting the alarm panel config-
uration to another DM. Refer to FoxPanels Annunciator Keyboard and Alarm Panel Software
(B0700BB) for more information. You can use commands (such as addalmpnl) to add tempo-
rary redirection. Other commands allow you to save, load, and clear redirection settings; the syn-
tax for these commands is described in Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP).
Process Display Call-Up

For workstations with multiple FoxView display managers (DM), the alarm panel configuration
associates each annunciator keyboard panel or soft alarm panel with a target DM name.
Pressing a button/key on that panel sends the associated key configuration to the target DM for
execution. If no target DM name is specified in the configuration, the target DM defaults to the
letterbug DM.
An individual alarm panel key/button can be configured with a target DM, overriding any exist-
ing panel redirection. The key is not redirected when the panel is redirected, and the key’s com-
mands are sent to the configured DM name, regardless of annunciator panel redirection.
Button Configuration
The Top Priority, Block Detail, and User Display buttons can be configured to call up process
displays to another workstation or to a specified FoxView. FoxView process display call-up is con-
trolled by the Common Alarm Group configuration file and redirection variables. Refer to “Top
Priority Display” on page 87 and “Configuring the User Display Button” on page 88 for more
information. Refer to Chapter 6 “Common Alarm Groups” for information on Common Alarm
Groups.
Horn Management
The keyboard and console horns for alarm priority or system alarms have up to three configurable
tone levels. The horn tone changes only when the priority of the new alarm is higher than the pri-
ority of the alarm that previously caused the horn to sound. Windows based workstations config-
ured with a sound board and speakers can additionally play a .WAV file.
72
External horns, which do not support configurable tone levels, require that you specify a separate
digital output parameter for each of the alarm priorities and the system alarm.
NOTE
By default, you can mute a horn from the Alarm Manager’s Operations display.
When muted, “Horns Muted” appears in the status area of an alarm display.
You configure horn options using ADMC workstation properties. Refer to Alarm and Display
Manager Configurator (B0700AM).
NOTE
Maintain a consistent configuration scheme for alarming options across all the
workstations in your I/A Series system.
73
74
6. Common Alarm Groups
This chapter describes Common Alarm Groups and how to create and use them.
NOTE
Configuration settings are described in Appendix A “Configuration Options”.
You can logically group workstations throughout the I/A Series system into Common Alarm
Groups (CAGs). By default, all the workstations within a Common Alarm Group are affected
when one workstation within the CAG issues a CAG-directed command:†
♦ Silence horns
♦ Clear alarms
♦ Mute CAG horns
♦ Unmute CAG horns.
Each workstation can be part of a maximum of two CAGs or none at all. If a workstation is a
member of two CAGs, issuing a CAG-directed command from that workstation affects all the
workstations in both CAGs. This configuration enables one workstation to control many others.
Although a workstation can be a member of no more than two CAGs, there is no limit to the
number of Common Alarm Groups in an I/A Series system.
CAGs are configured using the CAG Configurator (commgrp.cfg). The configurator is used to
configure:
♦ CAGs
♦ Workstation alarm recovery (alarms delivered via APRINT only; no MM delivered
alarms)
♦ Process display call-up for User Detail displays.
Common Alarm Group File Contents

The commgrp.cfg file contains a list of all workstations throughout the system. It defines for
each workstation:
♦ CAG names
♦ Workstation for alarm recovery
♦ Process display call-up.
75
B0700AT – Rev C 6. Common Alarm Groups
Following is an example of the initial commgrp.cfg file :

#
# Common Alarm Group (CAG) Configuration File
#
# (CAD Redirection)
# WP CAG Backup BLK TOP USER CAG
# LBUG NAME1 LBUG DTL PRIO DISP NAME2
BXC362 ------------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------
Table 6-1 describes the fields in commgrp.cfg.
Table 6-1. Common Alarm Group Configurator File (commgrp.cfg) Fields
Field Description
WP LBUG Letterbug for workstation being defined
CAG NAME1 Name of CAG 1 (exactly 12 characters padded with “-” as needed)
Backup Letterbug for backup workstation (recovery of APRINT alarms)
LBUG
BLK DTL FoxView Block Detail display
TOP PRIO FoxView Top Priority display
USER DISP FoxView User display
CAG NAME2 Name of CAG 2 (exactly 12 characters padded with “-” as needed)
Settings in the Common Alarm Group file (commgrp.cfg) direct:

♦ Back up for recovering alarms delivered by APRINT
♦ Process display call-up (display redirection).
NOTE
A workstation need not be a member of a Common Alarm Group to configure
alarm backup or process display call-up.
The following information can be optionally configured for every workstation listed in the config-
uration file:
♦ The name of the CAG with which the workstation is associated.
♦ The name of a second CAG with which the workstation is associated.
♦ The letterbug of a backup workstation from which to recover the current alarm list
and annunciator panel LED settings, should a reboot be required. (Reboot clears
alarm information for APRINT alarms.)
♦ The names of DMs to which the following alarm displays are redirected when
accessed from an alarm display: Block Detail Display, top priority display, and user
display.
76
6. Common Alarm Groups B0700AT – Rev C
Creating a Common Alarm Group File

One CAG file is created per I/A Series system:
/usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg (Solaris)
drive:\usr\fox\alarms\commgrp.cfg (Windows)
The commgrp.cfg file contains information for all the workstations on the system. Distribute
this file to all workstations configured in the file and all hosts for remote workstations (X Termi-
nals and Server 70s).
To create, configure, and install the file containing the CAG information:
1. Create the commgrp.cfg file as follows:
(Solaris workstation) In VT100 mode or from the CmdTool, type:
cd /usr/fox/alarms
CAGinit
(Windows workstation) From a command prompt window, type:
drive: (The letter of the drive where the I/A Series software resides, typically D:)
cd \usr\fox\alarms
sh CAGinit.ksh
The commgrp.cfg file contains a list of configurable fields and a list of all the work-
station letterbugs in the I/A Series network to which the alarm features apply. Each
workstation letterbug entry defaults to no assignment, for example:
--------------
2. Using a text editor, open the /usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg (Solaris) or
drive:\usr\fox\alarms\commgrp.cfg (Windows) file, and type the configuration
information for each workstation.
You can use display manager names in place of workstation letterbugs for display
coordination. Following is an example of a previously configured CAG configuration
file.
#
# Common Alarm Group (CAG) Configuration File
# (CAD Redirection)
# WP CAG Backup BLK TOP USER CAG
# LBUG NAME1 LBUG DTL PRIO DISP NAME2
###### ############ ###### ###### ###### ###### ############
WP20D1 TOWER1_NORTH WP30D1 WP30D1 WP30D2 WP30R3 ------------
WP30D1 TOWER1_NORTH WP20D1 ------ ------ ------ ------------
.
.
WP30R1 TOWER1_NORTH ------ ------ ----- ------ CENTRL_CNTRL
NOTE
The CAG NAME1 field and CAG NAME2 field must be exactly 12 characters, padded
with “-” to make up the 12 characters.
3. After creating and configuring the information, copy the commgrp.cfg file to each
workstation or host.
77
4. Reboot each workstation or host.
Adding Additional Workstations

The CAGinit script, when run, appends new workstation letterbugs to an existing Common
Alarm Group configuration file (commgrp.cfg). Refer to “Common Alarm Group File Con-
tents” on page 75.
You can edit commgrp.cfg to configure the new workstations for inclusion in a CAG or to con-
figure display coordination.
To add workstations to the I/A Series system configuration:
1. Create the commgrp.cfg file as described in “Creating a Common Alarm Group
File” on page 77 (steps 1 and 2). The script appends the new workstation letterbugs to
the Common Alarm Group configuration file (/usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg).
2. Edit the commgrp.cfg configuration file to configure the new workstation for inclu-
sion in a CAG or to configure display coordination.
Take the following into consideration:
♦ Although a workstation can be a member of up to two CAGs, the CAGinit file can
contain any number of Common Alarm Group names.
♦ The actual display associated with a Top Priority display or User display command
that is directed to another workstation must reside in the workstation to which it is
directed or on the workstation’s host.
♦ Maintain a consistent configuration scheme for alarming options across all the work-
stations in your I/A Series system. Each workstation should have the same values for
these workstation properties: Clear Alarm Option,† Return-to-Normal Actions,† Dis-
card Sort Order,† Horn Silence Option,† and Horn Resound Option.†
Process Display Call-Up

Process display call-up allows the Alarm Manager to direct each of the following process-related
displays to other FoxViews on the same workstation or different workstations.
Table 6-2. Process Display Call-Up
Button Display
Block Detail Block Detail Display for the selected alarm
Top Priority User display or Block Detail Display for the highest priority alarm
in the Alarm Alert database (based on the discard sort order†)
User Disp User display for the selected alarm
If not otherwise configured, process displays (Block Detail displays, Top Priority displays, and
user displays) accessed from alarm displays are sent to a FoxView with the same name as the AM
running on the same server. If no FoxView with the same name is found, any FoxView running
on the same server is used. Otherwise, an error message occurs.
Each AM on the workstation directs displays and commands according to the display configura-
tion specified in the Common Alarm Group file (commgrp.cfg). You can override this configu-
78
6. Common Alarm Groups B0700AT – Rev C
ration for any instance of AM by issuing commands that alter the process display call-up variables.
You can configure buttons on alarm displays to dynamically alter process display call-up.
Process Display Call-Up Rules

The following rules apply to process display call-up on Solaris based and Windows based worksta-
tions (in the Common Alarm Group file):
♦ The display file must reside on the workstation or remote workstation host to which it
is being directed.
♦ The configuration information in the commgrp.cfg file for a workstation applies to
all FoxViews that are activated on that workstation. This means that the same process
display call-up applies to all alarm displays for all Alarm Managers on the workstation
independent of the DM menu bar from which it was called.
♦ The configuration file can contain DM names instead of letterbugs for the process
display call-up assignments. The DMs can be configured on the local workstation or a
remote workstation.
♦ Each DM and AM configured on a workstation has an individual set of read/write
environment variables, as shown in Table 6-3. You can configure these variables in
the commgrp.cfg file (“Common Alarm Group File Contents” on page 75) or by
assigning values at run time by means of pref commands (refer to setenv command
description in Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP)).
Table 6-3. Environment Variable Assignments
Environment Variable Assignment

CADDD Block Detail display
CADTP Top priority display
CADUS User display
♦ An AM displaying remotely will not use these variables. It will direct the display to a
DM also displaying to that screen.
Overriding Process Display Call-Up

You can override the process display call-up specified in the Common Alarm Group file.
Each DM has its own set of variables that can be dynamically changed (see Table 6-3). Variables
can contain DM names instead of letterbug names. When a workstation boots up, each dedicated
DM has the configuration specified in commgrp.cfg file.
The AM process display call-up variables may be:
♦ Changed dynamically from the VT100 window or Windows command prompt
♦ Assigned to a menu
♦ Attached to an Alarm Manager button; for example,
setenv CADTP dm0002
This is a temporary override of the process display call-up as configured for the workstation as a
whole in the commgrp.cfg file. The assignment made with the above example applies only while
79
am0001 remains active. Upon quitting and restarting am0001, the default process display call-up
assignments are active again.
On systems with multiple display managers and Alarm Managers, rules determine which display
manager presents the process display(s).
When the Alarm Manager runs locally on Head 0 or Head 1 (Solaris only) or remotely, the fol-
lowing occurs:
1. The Alarm Manager checks for a display manager with the same name on the same
X window server and Head 0. If the DM is running and displaying, the requested
process display appears there.
2. If a DM is not found, the Alarm Manager checks for a DM with the same name run-
ning and displaying on the same X window server and Head 1. If the DM is running
and displaying, the requested process display appears there.
3. If a DM is not found, the Alarm Manager looks for a floating DM with the same
name running on the same X window server. If the DM is running and displaying,
the requested process display appears there.
4. If a DM is not found, the Alarm Manager finds any DM running on the same
X window server and displays to that DM.
NOTE
If no DM is found, an error message appears.
When horns are muted across the CAG, the horns are shut off entirely and the “Horns Muted”
message appears in the status bar of the Alarm Manager displays on all workstation in the CAG.
A local mute/unmute overrides a previous CAG unmute/mute on the local station. Horns occur-
ring during a horns muted period are not resounded after horns are unmuted unless otherwise
configured using the Horn Resound† option. Backup recovery of a workstation within a CAG
passes the CAG muting setting to the recovered workstation. Recovery of a workstation not a
member of a CAG is always booted with horn sounding enabled.
80
7. Advanced Operations Topics
This chapter describes advanced topics including the Operator Action Journal, security, AM
customization, Windows Off Mode, and the User Display button.
NOTE
Operator Action Journal

The Operator Action Journal (OAJ) is a record of specific operator actions taken during process
control operations. Operator actions recorded in the OAJ may be configured for printing on a
system printer as they occur, or they may be stored in the historian database for retrieval at a later
date, or both. For more information, refer to Operator Action Journal (B0193CW).
When an Operator Action Journal is configured and enabled for a display manager, alarm-related
operator actions performed from the Alarm Manager with the same name are logged to the OAJ.
The AM sends messages to the same printer and historian that was configured for the DM with
the same name. If no DM has the same name, the AM follows the behavior of the letterbug DM.
The following alarm-related operations are included in the OAJ with other process-related opera-
tions:
♦ Alarm acknowledgment
♦ Horn muting/unmuting
♦ Environment changes
♦ Program/script execution.
When the DM processes an ojinit command (following a change to the OJLOG variable), it
notifies the appropriate AMs so they will respond to the logging behavior changes.
Security
You can control AM security by using I/A Series environments and by setting access levels and
passwords. Use ADMC to configure access levels for buttons, menu items, etc.
Environments
The AM uses the same environments and environment files as FoxView. The following environ-
ment files are installed with the I/A Series System and reside in the directory \opt\fox\env:
♦ Initial.env Initial Environment
♦ Operator.env Operator’s Environment
♦ Process_Eng.envProcess Engineer’s Environment
♦ Softw_Eng.env Software Engineer’s Environment.
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B0700AT – Rev C 7. Advanced Operations Topics
Normally, an AM is started in the Initial Environment. The different working environments,

listed above, provide more or less security depending on the current user.
Security Access
The Alarm Manager and display manager use password protection to limit user access to particu-
lar I/A Series environments. This type of protection enables access to menus, menu items, and
buttons within an environment via access codes and protect/unprotect/setacl commands
described in Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP).
By default, remote Alarm Managers and view-only Alarm Managers disable the security-sensitive
capability to:
♦ Acknowledge alarms
♦ Clear alarms
♦ Silence horns
♦ Mute and unmute horns.
The AM commands enable and disable control these security functions. Disabling these fea-
tures makes any buttons or menu items configured to execute these commands inactive (grayed
out). Only certain AM menu and button commands are enabled on remote Alarm Managers.
By default, remote and view-only FoxView display managers disable:
♦ The ability to set Control Processor parameters
♦ Access to all configurators and most applications
♦ Call up of process displays from an alarm display.
Only certain DM menu commands are enabled on remote display managers.
Changing the AM Environment and Default Security Access

The Alarm Manager enables you to change the current working environment (for example,
change from Process Engineering to Software Engineering). If an environment is password pro-
tected, you must supply the password before entering the new environment.
Environments can be viewed and changed via the AM Operations display. The status bar of this
display shows the name of the current environment and includes an Environments button that
accesses the list of configured environments, thus allowing the operator to change the AM’s envi-
ronment.
To change the current working environment of the AM for the appropriate user:
1. From the Operations display, click Environments.
2. Select the desired environment from the list, or type the environment name.
3. If the environment is password protected, type the appropriate password.
4. Click OK.
The status bar displays the name of the new current environment.
When the DM executes a change environment, the commands in the associated environment
script are executed by the DM only. The AM is not affected.
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7. Advanced Operations Topics B0700AT – Rev C
NOTE
Changing the AM environment does not change the DM environment and user
access, and the reverse is true as well. Each AM and each DM can be operating in a
different environment.
Executing an Environment Script

The AM, like the display manager, uses a set of built-in commands. These commands can be exe-
cuted via an environment script. Some commands such as protect, unprotect, setacl, and
run are both AM and display manager commands.
Upon entering the new AM environment, the corresponding DM environment script is read by
the AM and commands recognized by the AM are executed. The AM attempts to execute the fol-
lowing types of commands:
♦ Any commands prefaced by the keyword amcmd.
♦ The commands protect, unprotect, and setaclif prefaced by the keyword
dmcmd. All other commands prefaced by dmcmd will be ignored.
♦ Any command not prefaced by either amcmd or dmcmd. If the command is recognized
as an AM command it will be executed, otherwise it will not be executed.
The most common commands in environment files that are executed by the AM are the pro-
tect, unprotect, and setacl commands. These commands are read and executed by the AM
to update the access level locks states This, in turn, affects the availability of the alarm display but-
tons and menu items.
Changing Access Level Settings for the AM

Set AM access levels when:
♦ the AM environment is changed
♦ the FV environment is changed
♦ an AM is started.
By default, the Ack Alarm and Clear Alarm buttons are pre-configured with an access code of
100. The AM environment must enable security access for these buttons to be accessible on the
AM displays (e.g. CAD).
Changing the AM Environment

If the following commands:
dmcmd protect all
dmcmd unprotect value 0
are included in an environment script (such as, \opt\fox\env\Initial.env), whenever the
script is executed by an AM change environment, the Ack Alarm and Clear Alarm buttons remain
inactive on the CAD and other alarm displays.
Include the following command to make the Ack Alarm and Clear Alarm buttons active on these
displays:
dmcmd unprotect value 100
83
Changing the FoxView Environment

When the user changes the FoxView environment, FoxView and the associated AM should have
the same levels of protection. Set the same levels for the AM as are set for FoxView. Changing the
FoxView environment does not change the AM environment.
The following commands:
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “protect all”
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “unprotect value 100”
included in an environment script, say \opt\fox\env\Initial.env would execute the AM
“protect” and “unprotect” commands for the AM represented by the variable $DMTOAM. When-
ever the script is executed by a FoxView change environment, the Ack Alarm and Clear Alarm
buttons would be made active on the CAD and other alarm displays.
$DMTOAM is a variable that represents the AM associated with the FoxView whose environment is
being changed. This allows the command to work for any FoxView/AM association. For more
information on associating a FoxView with an AM, refer to Alarm and Display Manager Configu-
rator (ADMC) (B0700AM).
Use $GCLBUG, instead of $DMTOAM, to specifically execute the commands for the letterbug-named
AM.
NOTE
Do not hard code the actual alarm manager name (e.g. AM0001) in the commands.
AM Startup
Commands to set access levels can also be placed in the file \usr\fox\wp\data\am_cmds. This
file is read by the AM on startup. Setting protection levels in this file would be applied to the AM
when it is executed.
To make the Ack Alarm and Clear Alarm buttons accessible on the AM at startup include the fol-
lowing in \usr\fox\wp\data\am_cmds:
unprotect value 100
Alternately, the access code for the buttons or menu items can be changed† (configured in the
User Interface scheme) with ADMC.
Changing the AM Environment to the FoxView Environment

By default changing the FoxView environment will not change the AM environment.
AM is Running
To change the AM environment whenever the FoxView environment changes, add a line to the
end of each environment file of the form:
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “chngenv
$ENV_DIR/<envname>.env”
For example, add the following line to the end of the \opt\fox\env\Initial.env file:
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “chngenv $ENV_DIR/Ini-
tial.env”
84
NOTE
It is critical to preface the “run” command with “dmcmd” because run is recognized
as both a FoxView and an AM command. If not prefaced with “dmcmd”, you end up
with the AM looping forever changing the environment. First, the FoxView exe-
cutes the “run” command which sends the “chngenv” command to the AM. The
AM then executes the same “run” command, sends the same “chngenv” command
to the same AM, and so forth.
AM is Not Running
To change the AM environment to the FoxView environment when the AM is started, add the
following line to the end the file \usr\fox\wp\data\am_cmds:
chngenv $ENV
Since this file is read and executed by each AM when it is started, the “chngenv” command is
executed for the AM. $ENV is a variable that contains the name of the FoxView environment that
started the AM.
Windows Off Mode (Solaris Only)

If a workstation is operating in Windows Off mode, only one window is visible. The Alarm Man-
ager runs behind the display manager and becomes visible only when the Process button is
clicked. Windows Off mode affects the way you configure and interact with the Alarm Manager.
♦ In Windows Off mode, the AM maintains only one of its display windows open at a
time.
♦ In Windows On mode, up to seven AM windows may be open at the same time.
To operate in Windows Off mode:
1. From VT100 mode, type:
windows off
2. Reboot the workstation by clicking SftMnt > Reboot_Station > REBOOT.
To return to Windows On mode:
1. From VT100 mode, type:
windows on
2. Reboot the workstation by clicking SftMnt > Reboot_Station > REBOOT.
Depending on whether a workstation is in Windows On mode or Windows Off mode, certain
Alarm Manager characteristics operate differently. The AM understands that it is running in
Windows Off mode. Separate default configurations have been created to operate in each of these
two modes.
Unlike the display manager, the Alarm Manager supports up to seven open display windows at a
time. The DM maintains only one display window. Dismissing an alarm display closes only that
display, and the others remain open.
The system considers an AM configured as an Operator (boot) AM as a critical process. Attempt-
ing to dismiss the only display open by an AM, that is, an Operator AM, yields a message dialog
box, indicating that the AM is “not quittable”.
85
Current Alarms Display

On stations running in Windows On mode, buttons that call up a DM graphic display are modi-
fied as shown in Table 7-1. The desired effect is to call up the desired display and have its window
move to the front.
Compare this to the button configuration used in Windows Off mode (see Table 7-1). The AM
knows that it is running in Windows Off mode, and instead of attempting to close the Current
Alarm Display window, the AM automatically moves the DM window forward.
/usr/fox/alarms/show_dm is a Display Manager script that brings the DM’s display window
forward (to the front of the AM’s CAD window). The CAD window is still active behind the DM
window.
This script file contains the following code:
dmcmd script
dmcmd run /usr/fox/wp/bin/tools/show_win "FOXBORO: Display Manager
$GCLBUG:$DMNAME"
Table 7-1. CAD Windows On/Off Configured Actions
Configured Action
Button Windows On Windows Off
PREV DISP send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG dismiss
/usr/fox/alarms/show_dm
TOP PRIO top_prio; send_to_dm -dm top_prio
$GCLBUG
BLK DTL blk_dtl; send_to_dm -dm blk_dtl
$GCLBUG
USER DISP user_disp; send_to_dm -dm user_disp
$GCLBUG

Alarm History Display buttons require the dismiss command to close the Alarm History Dis-
play.
Button Windows On Configured Action

PREV DISP send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm; dismiss
TOP PRIO top_prio; send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm;
dismiss
BLK DTL blk_dtl; send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm;
dismiss
USER DISP user_disp; send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm;
dismiss
86
Alarm History Display and AIM*AT Software

Restrictions
Following are some details to consider when using the Alarm History Display with AIM*AT
software.
1. Reading the alarm messages from the AIM*Historian database can take several min-
utes. The message This Display is busy... will appear when you recall or refresh
the Alarm History Display (AHD) while it is updating.
2. If the number of alarm messages in the AIM*Historian database gets too large, you are
not able to view them on the AHD. The following message appears:
Too many historian alarms in database <histname> on <wsname>.
Please archive your database
The AIM*API calls may timeout if there are too many alarms and return an error with
no data to the AM. The AM displays the above message instructing you to archive.
It is difficult to determine how many alarms are “too many” since it is timing based.
The call may timeout on different numbers of alarms depending on what else is hap-
pening on the system. A couple of things that will allow you to have more alarms are:
♦ When you configure the AIM*Historian for alarm messages, only configure it
for “alarmmesg”. Do not include the specific types, such as “hiabsmesg”.
Including both means each alarm message is actually stored twice in the data-
base. The AMS only reads the “alarmmesg” type.
♦ Dedicate a historian to collecting alarm messages, if possible. AIM*Historian
stores all messages in the same files so the API call may timeout sooner if it
must skip over messages that are not alarm messages. At the very least, do not
store multiple types of messages (that is, alarm, system monitor, and so forth)
in the same historian.
Refer to AIM*Historian User’s Guide (B0193YL) for more information on how to archive your
database.
Manual Display Call-Up

You can manually control process display call-up using a command window and pref commands
and the Alarm Manager command interface, described in Alarm Management Commands and Key-
words (B0700AP). Refer also to Display Commands (B0193DF) for information about defining
CADUS, CADTP, and CADDD.
Top Priority Display

The Top Priority display is a Block Detail display (default) or User display associated with the
highest priority alarm.
If the block with the highest priority alarm has the FoxPanels annunciator or soft alarm panel
configuration, the actions from that configuration are performed. Otherwise, the Block Detail
display is initiated.
87
The highest priority alarm is determined by ADMC Workstation Property Scheme options:
♦ Discard Sort Order†
♦ Top Priority Processing.†
NOTE
A Find operation has no bearing on determining the highest priority alarm.
When the Top Priority alarm is selected, if configured to do so, the alarm system sets a global
variable called LIA_CB to the name of the compound and block of the highest priority alarm.
This option is configured in \usr\fox\wp\bin\init.user. If configured, one LIA_CB variable is cre-
ated for each FoxView. The format of LIA_CB is a string consisting of the compound name, a
colon, and the block name. For example LIA_CB could contain the string “UC01_LEAD:SINE”.
This variable can be used when configuring the displays as described in FoxView Software
(B0700BD).
Configuring the User Display Button

The User Display button is associated with FoxPanels settings. You use the FoxPanels Configura-
tor to associate an annunciator or soft panel key with an alarm (compound:block) and a display.
To do this you use the Key Properties dialog box (Alarms tab and Displays tab). When this com-
pound:block goes into alarm, clicking this alarm entry in an alarm display causes the User Display
button to become active. Clicking the User Display button calls up the display configured in the
FoxPanels Configurator. For more information, refer to FoxPanels Annunciator Keyboard and
Alarm Panel Software (B0700BB).
NOTE
Even if you do not use annunciator keyboards or soft alarm panels, you must associ-
ate an annunciator or soft panel key with an alarm and a display in order to use the
User Display feature.
88
8. AMS Features Requiring
Configuration
This chapter describes many of the configurable features for the Alarm Management Subsystem
(AMS).
The features described in this chapter are not part of the default AMS user interface. However, all
are available through configuration. Unless otherwise noted, refer to Alarm and Display Manager
Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM) for more information on configuring these features.
NOTE
Workstation Properties
Overview
AMS Workstation properties, such as alarm database size (MAX_CAD), once configured in
\usr\fox\wp\data\init.user, are now configured in ADMC. For the most part these prop-
erties, when changed, no longer require a workstation reboot but simply an application restart.
Changes to the following still require a reboot:
♦ Alarm database size
♦ Number of annunciator assignments
♦ Addition of, deletion of, or certain changes to FoxViews or Alarm Managers (that is,
\usr\fox\customer\hi\dmcfg changes).
When the configuration files are distributed in ADMC, Distribute Configuration Files dialog
boxes are displayed on the affected workstations prompting you to take action. This action could
be to restart a specific AMS component (for example, AM) or to reboot the workstation. You are
always given the option of restarting or rebooting immediately or at a later time.
Retaining Acknowledged Returned-to-Normal Alarm Messages

Normally once an alarm has returned-to-normal and been acknowledged, the alarm message is
deleted from the Alarm Alert (AA) database. With the I/A Series AMS version 8.2 and above,
these alarm messages can be retained in the AA database until they are manually cleared.
To enable this feature, use ADMC to edit the “Workstation Property Scheme”. Configure the
following in the Database tab:
♦ “Return-To-Normal Action” as “Keep alarm independent of state.” The default is
“Keep alarm until acknowledged.”
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B0700AT – Rev C 8. AMS Features Requiring Configuration
♦ “Return-To-Normal Resort” to use either the original time the alarm occurred or the
time the alarm returned to normal for sorting the alarm messages on the display. The
default is to use the original time the alarm occurred.
In the Color/Blink Rate tab for status “ACK RTN” configure:
♦ Foreground (text) and background colors for alarms. The default colors are shown in
the dialog box.
♦ Blink rate. The default is no blinking.
You must reboot for these changes to be active.
With these options configured, by default, all alarms will be retained in the AA database and
shown on the AM displays. The concept of auto-clearing selected alarms is available by adding the
Compound:Block names to the file \usr\fox\alarms\autoclear.dat:
♦ Create the file if it does not already exist.
♦ Add the Compound:Block names of blocks whose alarms you want to automatically
clear when the alarm is both acknowledged and returned-to-normal, one per line.
♦ Blank lines are allowed for readability.
♦ Lines beginning with a “#” character are treated as comments.
If the AA database reaches its capacity when an alarm needs to be added to the database, another
alarm will need to be deleted from the database. The order to select the alarm to be deleted is:
♦ Oldest acknowledged returned-to-normal alarm.
♦ If none, then the oldest unacknowledged returned-to-normal alarm.
♦ Alarm selected based on the discard sort order.
Sizing Parameters
Table 8-1 shows the sizing parameters that are available to alter the number of current alarms
available on the alarm displays (excluding the AHD), the number of historical alarms available
(AHD), and the number of annunciator assignments that can be made. Changes to these parame-
ters, with the exception of the alarm history size, alter the size of the shared memory segment and
therefore require a reboot.
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8. AMS Features Requiring Configuration B0700AT – Rev C
Table 8-1. Sizing Parameters
Default
Parameter Value Possible Values Where Configured
Alarm Database Size (current) 200 200 - 32000 Workstation Property Scheme
(Database tab)
Alarm History Size 5000 5000 - 40000 Workstation Property Scheme
(Miscellaneous tab)
Number of Annunciator 2000 2000 - 10000 Workstation Property Scheme
Assignments (Miscellaneous tab)
Colors and Blinking

You can configure color and blink attributes for the alarm fields, alarm cells, and alarm display
buttons. In addition, you can configure the color of the alarm selection rectangle.
One of the following blink attributes can be associated with any one item:
♦ No blinking
♦ Slow blinking (1 HZ)
♦ Fast blinking (3 HZ).
The AM uses the FoxView color palette for configuring and displaying the color attributes.
Figure 8-1 shows the FoxView color palette.
Figure 8-1. FoxView Color Palette
You can configure the color and blink attribute for alarm cells and alarm fields as well as the color
of the alarm selection rectangle in the Workstation Property Scheme. For alarm cells and fields,
the displayed color is based on the alarm priority, while the display blink rate is based on the
alarm state and acknowledged state of the alarm.
91
In addition in the User Interface Scheme, you can configure the following attributes for buttons:
♦ Foreground (text) color
♦ Background color
♦ Blink rate.
Timeouts
Automatic timeouts can be configured for the following:
♦ Pausing updates to an alarm display
♦ Muting horns.
In each case the default is no timeout but one or both can be configured. Table 8-2 provides more
information on timeouts.
Table 8-2. Timeouts
Type Default Value Possible Values Where Configured

Pause 5 seconds 1 - 300 seconds Alarm Manager Property scheme for the CAD
and MRA
Mute 30 seconds 1 - 900 seconds Workstation Property scheme
Pause Timeout
By default there is no timeout associated with the pause command. When a dynamic display
(CAD or MRA) is paused, the display remains paused until the unpause command is executed.
The only exception to this is when an alarm is selected. On selection of an alarm the display will
be paused for five seconds to allow the operator ample time to select an action to apply to the
alarm (for example, acknowledge the alarm).
If a pause timeout is configured, a timer will begin counting down whenever the pause command
is executed. In this case the display will remain paused until either the timeout period elapses or
the unpause command is executed, whichever occurs first.
Mute Timeout
The mute timeout is similar to the pause timeout but is used for muting the horns. By default
there is no timeout associated with the mute_horns command. When the horns are muted, they
remain muted until the unmute_horns command is executed.
If a mute timeout is configured, a timer begins counting down whenever the mute_horns com-
mand is executed. In this case the horns remain muted until either the timeout period elapses or
the unmute_horns command is executed, whichever occurs first.
Since horns can be muted across a CAG, using the mute_all_horns, a timer is started for each
workstation in the CAG on a mute_all_horns. In this case the horns on the workstations in the
CAG will remain muted until either the timeout period elapses, the unmute_all_horns com-
mand is executed, or the unmute_horns command is executed, whichever occurs first.
92
Refresh Rate
The refresh rate for dynamic displays (CAD and MRA) is configurable in milliseconds (see
Table 8-3).
Table 8-3. Refresh Rates
Display Default Value Where Configured

CAD 3000 milliseconds Alarm Manager Property scheme for the CAD
MRA 1000 milliseconds Alarm Manager Property scheme for the MRA
Confirmation Dialog Box

Any action associated with a button, menu item, or double-click can be configured to require
confirmation. If so configured, when the action is selected, a dialog box is displayed allowing the
operator to proceed or cancel the action. The default confirmation message dialog box is shown in
Figure 8-2.
Figure 8-2. Confirmation Message Dialog Box
The confirmation message is configurable. See Table 8-4 for a description of the buttons.
Table 8-4. Confirmation Dialog Box Button
Button Description
OK Execute the action
Cancel Terminate without executing the action
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Flexible Display Layout

The layout of the AM displays is configurable in the User Interface Scheme. Generally, for each
display, this includes:
♦ Number and size of alarm cells
♦ Number and size of buttons
♦ Separation size between selectable items (alarm cells and buttons) as small, medium,
or large
♦ Presence or absence of scroll bars
♦ Presence or absence of menus, including pop-up menus.
Configurable Display Title and Status Bar

The display title and status bar are configurable in the User Interface Scheme. Table 8-5 lists the
indicators that may be placed in either the display title area, status bar area, or both, along with
the percentage of space used by each indicator.
Table 8-5. Display Title and Status Bar Indicators
Indicator Percentage Description Example

Alarm Number 20% Alarm number of the first alarm on the Alarm 15 of 432
page and the total number of alarms.
Alarm Page Num- 20% Current page number and the total Page 3 or 48
ber number of pages of alarms.
Alarm Data Source 20% Name of the workstation sourcing BLR00A
alarms for the AM.
Current Date and 20% Current time and date. 16:43 7-1-03
Time
Current Environ- 20% Current AM operating environment. Process_Eng
ment
Display Call-Up 20% Time and date that the display was 8:47 7-1-03
Time opened or refreshed.
Dynamic Display 80% Dynamically generated title based on
Title the matching criteria specified. Includes
priority, sort order, alarm state,
acknowledge state, compound block
matching.
Historian 20% Name of the historian from which hist01
alarms are displayed (usually on AHD
only)
Horns Muted 20% Indicator turns red when horns are Horns Muted
muted.
Match Active 20% Indicator turns red when a match/filter Match Active
is applied to the display.
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Table 8-5. Display Title and Status Bar Indicators (Continued)
Indicator Percentage Description Example

Paused 20% Indicator turns red when the display is Paused
paused (only for CAD and MRA).
Sort Order 20% Abbreviation for the sort order applied RAPT
to the display.
Standard Display 60% Standard title for each display or a mod- Current Alarms
Title ified title if a match/filter specification is CAD: Priority 1
used and a description is provided.
Printing
Alarms can be printed from any display using the print command. There are two options that
can be used with the print command:
♦ -standard_header – displays a preformatted header on each page printed
♦ -default_printer – bypasses the printer selection dialog box on a Windows based
workstation.
Printing alarms from the CAD uses more resources than from the other displays. Use the
print_cancel command to cancel printing from the CAD before it completes spooling to the
printer. Otherwise, printing can be canceled using the standard system Cancel dialog box
(Windows) or command (Solaris).
NOTE
Printing from the CAD cannot be performed at the same time as saving from the
CAD. Any attempt to do this will result in a message box stating that printing can-
not occur while a save is in progress.
Auxiliary print commands include print_preview, print_setup, and page_setup. See Alarm
Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP) for more information on these commands.
Saving to a File
Alarms can be saved to a file from any display using the save_to_file command. Saving alarms
from the CAD uses more resources than from the other displays. The alarms can be saved to a
standard text file or to a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file. Use the save_cancel command to
cancel the save before it completes.
NOTE
Saving from the CAD cannot be performed at the same time as printing from the
CAD. Any attempt to do this will result in a message box stating that saving cannot
occur while a print is in progress.
See Alarm Management Commands and Keywords (B0700AP) for more information on these
commands.
95
Remote Alarm Source

By default, the AMs on a workstation are set up to get alarm data from the local alarm database.
This database is created and updated by AA based on alarm messages it receives from the control
stations. The AST on the workstation services the AMs running on that workstation, reading the
requested set of alarms from the alarm database and delivering them to the AM display that
requested them.
However, AMs can get the alarms to display from an alarm database on a remote workstation.
This can be accomplished by changing the alarm data source in one of two ways:
♦ The AM can be configured to request alarms from a remote alarm data source. The
AM is then serviced by the AST running on the remote workstation. This becomes a
semi-permanent connection in that, whenever the AM is opened, it will get its alarms
from the configured remote alarm data source.
♦ At run time an AM can be switched over to access a remote alarm database using the
set_alarm_source command. This will open up the Set Alarm Sources dialog box
shown in Figure 8-3.
Figure 8-3. Set Alarm Sources Dialog Box
There are several reasons why it may be advantageous to be able to access alarms from a remote
database, including to:
♦ Allow all alarms to be viewable from any workstation
♦ Allow users normally monitoring alarms for one area of the plant to be able to switch
over and monitor alarms from a different area of the plant
♦ Allow users to monitor alarms from more that one area of the plant from a single
workstation
♦ Provide for alarm message redundancy, thus eliminating single point of failure.
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View All Alarms from Any Workstation

Scenario: A customer wants to set up their I/A Series system so that any alarm that occurs can be
viewed from any of 100 workstations. In addition, the alarms must be sent to one
AIM*Historian and one alarm printer.
Challenge: Control stations on the I/A Series system can send alarms to at most 16 devices. These
devices must include all workstations, historians, and printers. Given the scenario alarms would
only be able to be sent to 14 workstations maximum.
Solution: Logically divide your workstations into two types: those that have an alarm database
and those that do not. The AMs running on the workstations without an alarm database will read
their alarms from a configured remote workstation. Refer to Figure 8-4.
97
Figure 8-4. Remote Alarm Sources
98
System Setup:
1. Select a small number of workstations that will receive alarm messages. For example,
in the above scenario, 10 workstations might actually receive the alarm messages.
These workstations will host the alarm database and make these alarms available to
the remaining workstations. The remaining workstations, 90 in this case, will not
receive any alarm messages. They will be blind and their database will be empty.
2. Configure your control schemes such that every alarm is sent to the 10 host worksta-
tions, the AIM*Historian, and the alarm printer.
3. With ADMC configure the AA configuration parameters (for example, database size)
exactly the same for each of the hosting workstations.
4. With ADMC configure each of your local AMs that will run on one of the hosting
workstations to have no primary or backup alarm data source. That is, these AMs will
read their alarms from the database on the same workstation where they are executing.
5. With ADMC configure each of your remote AMs executing on the blind worksta-
tions to have both a primary and a backup alarm data source. If the primary alarm
data source becomes unavailable, the AM will automatically switch to its configured
backup.
NOTE
Care must be taken when configuring the primary and remote alarm data sources so
that no workstation becomes overloaded trying to service its local and remote AMs.
Distribute the work.
Monitor Alarms from a Different Plant Area

Scenario: The customer plant is divided into logical areas that are monitored by different opera-
tors. For example, Boiler Room A is monitored by the operator on workstation BLR00A, and
Reactor 72 is monitored by the operator on workstation RCT072. The operator monitoring
alarms for Boiler Room A wants to look at the alarms for Reactor 72.
Challenge: Temporarily switch the AM from viewing the alarms from BLR00A’s database to
viewing the alarms on RCT072’s database.
Solution: Execute the set_alarm_source AM command to switch the alarm data source from
BLR00A to RCT072. This command can be assigned to a button or menu item. Alternately it
can be executed from a command line via the pref command:
pref -BLR00A amcmd "set_alarm_source"
This assumes the AM name is BLR00A.
System Setup:
1. Configure alarms for Boiler Room A to be directed to workstation BLR00A.
2. Configure alarms for Reactor 72 to be directed to workstation RCT072.
3. On BLR00A, call up the CAD on AM BLR00A.
4. For that AM execute the set_alarm_source command. This will open up the Set
Alarm Sources dialog box where both the primary and backup data sources can be set.
5. Select RCT072 as the Primary Alarm Source and click OK. The AM will automati-
cally display alarms from RCT072.
99
NOTE
If this scheme will be commonly used, the Alarm Source indicator should be config-
ured on either the display title or status bar so the operator knows from which
workstation alarms are being displayed.
Monitor Alarms in More than One Plant Area

Scenario: The operator on BLR00A is actually a supervisor who oversees Boiler Room A and
Reactor 72 and needs to be able view alarms from both areas of the plant on the single worksta-
tion, BLR00A. The operator does not want to keep switching data sources, as is the situation in
“Monitor Alarms from a Different Plant Area” on page 99.
Challenge: Set up two AMs on BLR00A, one to view alarms from Boiler Room A (BLR00A) and
the other to view alarms from Reactor 72 (RCT072).
Solution: In ADMC configure two AMs for the BLR00A workstation, each with its own primary
data source.
100
Figure 8-5. Multiple Alarm Sources
101
This assumes the AM names are BLR00A and AM0001 on workstation BLR00A.
System Setup:
1. Configure alarms for Boiler Room A to be directed to workstation BLR00A.
2. Configure alarms for Reactor 72 to be directed to workstation RCT072.
3. In ADMC, configure AM AM0001’s primary alarm data source as RCT072. By not
configuring an alarm data source for AM BLR00A, it will use the local alarm data
source.
4. (Optional, but recommended) Create a new User Interface (UI) scheme, for instance,
AlmSrcUI, and configure the status bar to include the Alarm Source indicator.
5. (Optional, but recommended) Ensure the two AMs use the AlmSrcUI User Interface
scheme so the alarm data source will be displayed in the status bar.
Alarm Message Redundancy

Scenario: The alarm system for the plant must be made redundant to eliminate a single point of
failure. This redundancy must extend to blind workstations (with no alarm database).
Challenge: Set up the alarm system such that if a workstation fails or is rebooted, the alarms
viewed from that workstation can be viewed from another workstation.
Solution: The AMS is not in itself a redundant application; however, redundancy can be achieved
through engineering and configuration.
System Setup:
1. Configure all alarms so they are sent to a minimum of two of the workstations.
2. Configure the AMs on blind workstations to have a primary and a backup alarm data
source selected from the workstations receiving alarms.
For Example:
♦ Alarms from Boiler Room A can be sent to BLR00A and BLR001. If one of these
workstations fails or reboots the alarms can still be viewed on the other workstation.
♦ Similarly, alarms for Reactor 72 can be sent to RCT072 and RCT172 and can be
viewed from either workstation.
♦ Workstation SUP001 is a blind workstation, meaning that it has no local alarm data-
base. It does have two AMs configured, SUP001 and SUP101, to view alarms from
Boiler Room A and Reactor 72, respectively.
♦ Configure SUP001 to have a primary data source of BLR00A and a backup data
source of BLR001. If BLR00A fails or reboots, SUP001 will automatically switch over
and get its alarms from BLR001.
♦ Configure SUP101 to have a primary data source of RCT072 and a backup data
source of RCT172. If RCT072 fails or reboots, SUP101 will automatically switch
over and get its alarms from RCT172.
Multi-State Buttons
All buttons defined on the default displays (CAD, MRA, AHD, and summary displays) are con-
sidered single-state buttons, meaning each button has one label and one action associated with it.
In general these buttons do not change; they always look the same. The only exceptions are but-
102
tons configured with actions requiring an alarm to be selected. These buttons are enabled if an
alarm is selected, and disabled if an alarm is not selected.
The button area of an AM display is configurable. Buttons can be added, deleted, and changed:
♦ Buttons can be single-state buttons, as described above, or multi-state buttons.
♦ An access code is associated with each button. The same access code is associated with
each button state.
♦ A multi-state button (MSB) has more than one state associated with it Single-state
buttons are defined as a multi-state button with only one state.
Multi-state buttons are very useful for handling sets of commands that are mutually exclusive
(that is, only one state is possible at any given time). This allows a single button to be configured
to perform multiple tasks instead of using more than one button to do the same thing. An exam-
ple of this is a Pause/Unpause button. The display is either in the paused state or it is not. If it is
paused the Pause button is not necessary. Similarly, if it is unpaused the Unpause button is not
necessary. Refer to the examples below.
Button States
Each button state can be configured with the attributes described in Table 8-6.
Table 8-6. Button State Attributes
Attribute Description
Conditional expression An expression that evaluates to true or false. If true, the button state
becomes the active state. See Button Conditionals below.
Label The text displayed for the button.
Mnemonic A shortcut to execute the button action.
Action The AM command or commands to be executed when the button state is
active.
Foreground color The text (label) color of the button.
Background color The button color.
Blink rate Button blink rate; either none, slow (1 HZ), or fast (3 HZ).
Confirmation flag Flag indicating whether or not a confirmation dialog box will be dis-
played before the button action is executed.
Confirmation text The text of the message to be displayed in the confirmation dialog box if
message the flag is set. The default message is “Are you sure?”.
See Chapter 9 “Commands and Keywords” and Alarm Management Commands and Keywords
(B0700AP) for more information on using AM commands.
Button Conditionals
The conditional is a simple Boolean expression of one operator and two operands with the follow-
ing format:
<operator> <operand1> <operand2>
Table 8-7 lists the valid operators and Table 8-8 lists the valid operands.
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Table 8-7. Multi-State Button Operators
Operator Meaning Evaluated to TRUE If

== equal to <operand1> and <operand2> evaluate to the same
value.
!= not equal to <operand1> and <operand2> evaluate to the different
values.
gt greater than <operand1> is numerically greater than <operand2>.
lt less than <operand1> is numerically less than <operand2>.
ge greater than or equal to <operand1> is numerically greater than or equal to
<operand2>.
le less than or equal to <operand1> is numerically less than or equal to
<operand2>.
Table 8-8. Multi-State Button Operands
Class Operand Description

Numeric value Decimal or Any decimal (for example, 55) or hexadecimal (for
Hexadecimal number example, 0x3FA) number.
AM Variable TRUE A constant data item with the value 1 (TRUE/ON).
FALSE A constant data item with the value 0 (FALSE/OFF).
ALARM_COUNT The total number of alarms that match the current
match/filter criteria.
ALARM_SEL A Boolean indication of whether an alarm is selected.
ALARM_SEL_COUNT The number of alarms currently selected.
ALARM_SEL_INDEX The index of the selected alarm (one base) if
ALARM_SEL is equal to 1.
ALARM_PAGE_COUNT The number of pages of alarms that match the current
match/filter criteria.
ALARM_PAGE_INDEX The index of the current page (one base).
HORN_SOUNDING A Boolean value that indicates whether the horn is
currently sounding. This is only available if the Horn
Feedback† is configured in ADMC.
HORN_MUTED A Boolean value that indicates if the horn is muted.
This is available to the AM and the user as an OM
variable.
AT_TOP_OF_LIST A Boolean value that indicates if the display is show-
ing the set of alarms at the top of the list.
AT_BOTTOM_OF_LIST A Boolean value that indicates if the display is show-
ing the set of alarms at the bottom of the list.
IS_PRINTING A Boolean value that indicates if printing is in
progress.
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Table 8-8. Multi-State Button Operands (Continued)
Class Operand Description

IS_SAVING A Boolean value that indicates if saving to a file is in
progress.
PAUSED A Boolean value that indicates if the current display is
paused.
MATCH_ACTIVE A Boolean value that indicates if matching or filtering
is currently applied to the display.
SYS_BUTTON_STATE A set of enumerated values that represent the set of
possible states the System button may occupy.
PROC_BUTTON_STATE A set of enumerated values that represent the set of
possible states the Process button may occupy.
System/ FAILED_UNACK At least one unacknowledged alarm exists.
Process Button FAILED_ACKED At least one acknowledged alarm exists.
State Values 1 RTN_UNACK No alarms exist, but at least one alarm condition is
unacknowledged.
OK No alarms exist.
1. Only for use with SYS_BUTTON_STATE or PROC_BUTTON_STATE.
See Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM) for more information on
configuring multi-state buttons.
Run-Time Behavior
At run time, the appearance and behavior of the button (text, colors, action, for instance) will be
determined by its current state. The current button state is determined by the conditional
expression.
At run time the AM evaluates the conditional expressions to determine the appropriate button
state. That state is then displayed. The following rules apply when determining the correct button
state:
♦ The order of the buttons is important. The conditional expressions are evaluated in
the order in which they are defined from the first state (State 0) to the last state.
♦ The first button conditional that evaluates to true becomes the active button state.
♦ If no conditional evaluates to true, the active button state is the last state. This is the
default state.
♦ Any conditional that is syntactically incorrect will evaluate to false. This button state
will never be active unless it is the last configured state and no preceding state evalu-
ates to true.
MSB Example 1: Pause/Unpause Button

The pause and unpause commands are good candidates for a multi-state button, actually a tog-
gle button (two-states) since the display is either in one state or the other. Both commands are not
needed at the same time. Set up the Pause/Unpause button as indicated in Table 8-9.
105
Table 8-9. Pause/Unpause Multi-State Button
State 0 State 1
Label PAUSE UNPAUSE
Mnemonic P U
Conditional Expression == PAUSED FALSE == PAUSED TRUE
Action pause unpause
Foreground Color Black (16) Yellow (27)
Background Color Gray (72) Dark Blue (20)
Blink Rate None Slow (1 HZ)
Confirmation Flag No No
Confirmation Text N/A N/A
MSB Example 2: Print/Cancel Print Button

The print and cancel_print commands are good candidates for a true multi-state button
(three-states), the third state being an inactive state. The print and save_to_file commands
are mutually exclusive: you cannot start a print while a save_to_file is executing and vice versa.
Set up the Print/Cancel Print button as shown in Table 8-10.
Table 8-10. Print/Cancel Print Multi-State Button
State 0 State 1 State 2

Label PRINT PRINT CANCEL\nPRINT 1
Mnemonic N/A P C
Conditional == IS_SAVING TRUE == IS_PRINTING == IS_PRINTING
Expression FALSE TRUE
Action (none - disables button) print print_cancel

Foreground Color Dark Gray (55) default Black (16) White (31)
Background Color Light Gray (70) - Gray (72) Red (25)
default
Blink Rate None None None
Confirmation Flag N/A No No
Confirmation Text N/A N/A N/A
1. The \n in CANCEL\nPRINT is a new line character. It forces the label to appear on two lines:
CANCEL on the first line and PRINT on the second line.
NOTE
In the Print/Cancel Print example it is very important for State 0 to be first since
two states could possibly evaluate to true (State 0 and 1).
Similarly, a three-state Save/Cancel Save button could be created.
106
9. Commands and Keywords
This chapter provides examples for using Alarm Manager commands and keywords and Alarm
Server Task commands.
Alarm Manager Commands and Keywords

Built-in Alarm Manager (AM) commands and keywords extend the AM functionality beyond
that provided by the user interface. They can facilitate a link from the AM to your own applica-
tions to meet your plant-specific needs.
All Alarm Manager button actions, menu items, and new alarm actions are configured using AM
commands. From a command prompt, you can use:
♦ AM commands to implement alarm features not provided with the configured user
interface
♦ AM keywords to pass data from the selected alarm message to the AM command.
For example, use commands and keywords to:
♦ Call up operator instructions for a selected alarm from a user-defined alarm response
manual application
♦ Select a point in alarm and automatically trend the point.
Keywords are delimited by “<“ and “>” and correspond to data in the selected alarm message. The
set of valid keywords varies by alarm type. At run time, the Alarm Manager replaces the keywords
with text copied or derived from the corresponding fields in the alarm message.
For details about command and keyword syntax, refer to Alarm Management Commands and Key-
words (B0700AP).
Table 9-1 lists and describes the AM built-in commands organized by functional category.
107
B0700AT – Rev C 9. Commands and Keywords
Table 9-1. Alarm Manager Command Summary
Category Command Description

AM almdisp Calls up the specified display (CAD, AHD, OPR, for
Displays example) with possible matching and filtering.
detail_alm Calls up the Alarm Detail display for the selected alarm.
dismiss Dismisses the active alarm display. By default, the last AM
window of the letterbug-named AM cannot be dismissed.
exit Terminates the AM. By default, the letterbug-named AM
cannot be exited.
hide Hides the specified display component (for example, but-
ton area) on the associated alarm display.
minimize Minimizes (iconizes) the active or specified alarm display.
pause Pauses the alarm updates to the associated CAD or MRA.
quitam Enables or disables the ability to exit from (quit) an Alarm
Manager. Usually used in an AM script.
refresh Refreshes the alarm display with the latest set of alarms.
setdisp Sets the current display for future AM commands. Usu-
ally used in an AM script.
show Shows the specified display component (for example, but-
ton area) on the associated alarm display.
unpause Resumes the alarm updates to the associated CAD or
MRA.
FoxView blk_dtl Calls up the Block Detail display on the associated
Displays FoxView display manager for the selected alarm.
send_to_dm Sends the specified command to the associated FoxView.
top_prio Calls up the user graphic or detail display associated with
the highest priority alarm on a FoxView display.
user_disp Calls up a user graphic on the associated FoxView for the
selected alarm.
Alarm deselect Deselects all previously selected alarms.
Selection find Displays the Find Alarms dialog box, which allows the
operator to locate and select specific alarms on the alarm
display.
select Selects all the alarms on the associated display. For the
CAD only the visible alarms are selected.
Acknowledge ackalm Acknowledges all process alarms in the selected
Alarms Compound:Block(s).
ackcmp Acknowledges all process alarms in the selected
Compound(s).
ackpage Acknowledges all process alarms for all
Compound:Block(s) on the display page.
ackpage_cmp Acknowledges all process alarms for all Compound(s) on
the display page.
108
9. Commands and Keywords B0700AT – Rev C
Table 9-1. Alarm Manager Command Summary (Continued)

Clear Alarms clear_alm Clears the select alarm(s) from the display and the AA
database of the local workstation and any other worksta-
tion within its CAGs.
clear_page Clears all the alarms on the current page from the display
and the AA database of the local workstation and any
other workstation within its CAGs.
Navigation page Allows paging through an alarm list (for example, first
page, last page, next page, previous page, specific page
number).
scroll_by_time Scrolls the active alarm display, forward or backward, by a
time interval in minutes. Only available when the primary
sort criteria is time.
Match, Filter, match Applies matching, filtering, and sorting to the alarm dis-
Sort play. Criteria may be selected from the Match dialog box
or specified in a file.
match_ts Displays a touchscreen-enabled dialog box for selecting
match and sort criteria. More restricted than match.
stop_match Clears the current match criteria from the display.
view_all Enters or exits the View All mode, which shows all alarms
in the database regardless of matching or filtering criteria.
Available on summary displays only.
Horns mute_all_horns Disables the sounding of the alarm horns at all worksta-
tions in the CAG.
mute_horns Disables the sounding of the alarm horns for the local
workstation only.
silence_horns Silences the alarm horns on the local workstation or all
workstations in the CAG.
unmute_all_horns Enables the sounding of the alarm horns at all worksta-
tions in the CAG.
unmute_horns Enables the sounding of the alarm horns for the local
workstation only.
Printing page_setup (Windows only) Calls up the AM Page Setup dialog box
to setup the page layout, headers, and footers in prepara-
tion for printing.
print Calls up a print dialog to print from the alarm display.
Options are available for using a standard header and a
default printer.
print_cancel From the CAD, cancels a print request that is in progress.
print_preview (Windows only) Displays a preview of what will be
printed. This command is not available on the CAD.
print_setup (Windows only) Calls up the standard Windows Print
Setup dialog box.
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Table 9-1. Alarm Manager Command Summary (Continued)

Saving to File save_cancel Cancels saving to a file from the CAD.
save_to_file Saves the contents of the associated alarm display to a file
in either text or CSV format.
Alarm hist_file Displays alarm messages on the AHD from a specified
History archived historian.
historian Selects an alternate historian. The historian may be
selected from the Historian Selection dialog box.
historian_ts Displays a touchscreen-enabled dialog box for selecting a
historian.
Security chngenv Changes the AM environment.
disable Disables specific AM functions, namely acknowledging
alarms, clearing alarms, and horn operations. All or some
of the functions can be disabled.
enable Enables specific AM functions, namely acknowledging
alarms, clearing alarms, and horn operations. All or some
of the functions can be enabled.
ojinit Reads the updated OAJ logging directives. Usually used in
an AM script.
protect Adds the specified access key lock protections.
setacl Sets access key locks to be protected, unprotected, or
unchanged.
unprotect Removes the specified access key lock protections.
Environment getenv Sets a variable to the value of an environment variable.
Variables Usually used in an AM script.
setenv Sets an environment variable to a specified value. Usually
used in an AM script.
setenv_default Resets an environment variable to its default value. Usu-
ally used in an AM script.
Help about Displays the AM About dialog box.
help Displays the topic listing for the AM Help file.
Miscellaneous = Assignment operator. Usually used in an AM script.
Commands == Equality operator. Usually used in an AM script.
!= Inequality operator. Usually used in an AM script.
run Executes the specified program or script.
script Executes the specified AM script containing other AM
built-in commands.
set_alarm_source Sets the primary and/or backup alarm data source for the
active AM. The Set Alarm Source dialog box may be used
to enter the alarm data sources.
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Alarm Server Task Commands

Built-in Alarm Server Task (AST) commands can be used during run time to redirect output
when a hardware annunciator keyboard key or a soft alarm panel button is pressed.
Table 9-2 lists and describes the AST commands.
Table 9-2. Alarm Server Task Command Summary
Command Description
addalmpnl For alarm panel configuration at run time, adds a path for a chain of annunciator
key (or soft alarm panel button) actions.
clralmpnl Clears alarm panel definitions from AST memory.
loadalmpnl Loads the specified alarm panel configuration into AST memory.
prtalmpnl Prints (saves to file) alarm panel definitions from AST memory.
Alarm Manager Command Interface

The following example shows how to use Alarm Manager commands to acknowledge a page of
alarms.
These commands select the alarm display and acknowledge all alarms on the page.
pref -AM0001 amcmd “setdisp NEWALM”
pref -AM0001 amcmd “ackpage”
Configuring a Command that Uses Keywords

Notice in the following examples how the Alarm Manager replaces keywords (Compound, Block,
and ParamName) with actual data when the command is invoked.
Trend Point Example

For example, you can assign the following command to a button labeled Trend Point on an alarm
display.
send_to_dm “”trend -name <Compound>:<Block>.<ParamName>”ParamName>””
After having configured the Trend Point button, you can display a trend by selecting an alarm on
the alarm display and then clicking the Trend Point button. Figure 9-1 shows an alarm display
with a Trend Point button, and Figure 9-2 shows a trend display generated from the selected
alarm entry.
111
For an alarm with the settings of:

Compound TREND_LEAD
Block SINE
ParamName MEAS
the AM would execute the following:

send_to_dm ““trend -name TREND_LEAD:SINE.MEAS””
Trend Point
Button
Figure 9-1. Alarm Display Customized with a Trend Point Button
Figure 9-2. Trend Generated for a Selected Alarm
112
WordPad Example
This next user-supplied application is executed with the compound name, block name, and alarm
type of the selected alarm as arguments to the application. You could assign the following com-
mand to a button labeled WordPad:
run C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories\wordpad.exe
\tmp\<Compound>-<Block>.<AlarmType>
Assuming the same alarm was selected as shown in the “Trend Point Example” on page 111
(HIABS alarm), selecting the WordPad button would execute the following:
run C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories\wordpad.exe
\tmp\TREND_LEAD-SINE.HIABS
Shell Script Example

Another user-supplied shell script is executed with the compound name and block name of the
selected alarm as arguments to the script. You could assign the following command to a button
labeled LogScript:
run d:\nutc\mksnt\sh.exe
/usr/fox/customer/script/LogScript.sh <Compound>-<Block>
Assuming the same alarm was selected as shown in the “Trend Point Example” on page 111,
selecting the LogScript button would execute the following:
run d:\nutc\mksnt\sh.exe
/usr/fox/customer/script/LogScript.sh TREND_LEAD-SINE
Customizing Your Displays

The Alarm Manager provides a means to customize the manner in which your site views and
interacts with the set of alarms being received and maintained by the workstation. For example,
you can save alarm entries to a file, view a small subset of the entire Alarm Alert database, tempo-
rarily exclude any alarm from a particular control station, or temporarily stop horns from going
off.
Following are some examples of how sites use the Alarm Manager’s customization capability
to suit their needs.
Example 1
Objective: Pressing the Clear Alarm button does not clear the alarm unless the alarm is either
already acknowledged or the condition has returned to normal.
This is accomplished by:
♦ Changing the acknowledge indicator to “A” (via an edit to the Alarm Format scheme)
♦ Replacing the existing command defined for the CAD’s Clear Alarm button with the
following:
== <AckState> A clear_alm
== <AlarmState> R clear_alm
== <AckState> U deselect
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NOTE
The Clear Alarm button could also be set up to apply this restriction only to
Priority 1 alarms.
Example 2
Objective: For a selected alarm, inhibit alarms of a particular type.
The following UNIX shell script, called do_in, executes the script from a summary display.
# Inhibit Individual Alarms
CB=”$1”
TYPE=”$2”
LBUG=”$3”
# Determine which bit mask to use
case $TYPE in
HIABS)
MSK=”HMA” ;;
LOABS)
MSK=”LMA” ;;# etc., etc.
*)
MSK=”MSK=””
esac
if [ "$MSK” != “” ]
then
/usr/local/pref -$LBUG dmcmd “setb $CB:INHALM.$MSK FFFFFFFF”
fi
A new button is assigned to this action:
run /usr/fox/alarms/do_in <Compound>.<Block> <AlarmType> $GCLBUG
This command causes the AM run the do_in script, passing to it the compound name, the block
name, and the alarm type fields from the selected alarm. Compound, Block, and AlarmType are
Alarm Manager keywords for the selected alarm’s subfields.
This example shows how the AM can pass portions of alarm information originally received from
the control station associated with a selected alarm to a subsequently started script or application.
Besides passing the compound and block names, the AM can also pass the block descriptor text,
date, time, priority, or any other information sent to the workstation or derived from the alarm
sent to the workstation.
More Examples
Following are some more examples of capabilities you can implement by extending the interface
to the Alarm Manager:
♦ Selecting an alarm and displaying a trend graphic of the alarmed parameter in the dis-
play manager window
♦ Selecting an alarm, and saving an operator’s comment to be recalled at a later time
♦ Showing all OUTPUT alarms in yellow, and showing all MEAS alarms in red
♦ Differentiating HIGH-HIGH alarm entries from HIGH alarm entries by setting
their background color to red for the entire expanse of the alarm entry
114
♦ Viewing alarms by priority on a summary display, from oldest to newest

♦ Pre-defining a set of buttons, with matching and filtering, such that clicking one of
the buttons quickly zooms in on only the alarms associated with a small subset of
alarms at your site.
115
116
10. Behind the Scenes
This chapter describes the movement of process alarm information within the
I/A Series system.
When a Process Alarm Occurs

When a process alarm occurs, the Alarm Management Subsystem (AMS) notifies the operator
(audibly and visibly) of the alarm event and provides an interface from which the operator can
respond to the alarm. Information movement (behind the scenes activity) within the I/A Series
system makes this notification and response possible.
Workstations, historians, and printers can be configured as alarm destinations to receive alarm
updates in the form of alarm messages from the control stations (controllers). The workstation
destinations receive two types of alarm information from the controllers:
♦ Alarm messages
♦ Alarm updates.
Figure 10-1 shows the alarm subsystem information movement with relation to the Alarm Alert
and Alarm Manager tasks.
117
B0700AT – Rev C 10. Behind the Scenes
CP Workstation Passes alarm information

possibly including an
Sends a message analog value parameter Alarm Display
Block Alarm
Alert
Database
CP OM connections are set up to

reflect changes in the ALMSTA and
analog value parameters, such as MEAS Alarm Display
Block
When a block goes

CP out of alarm, it sends Workstation
a return-to-normal
message
Block Alarm
Alert
Database The alarm sees the
transition of the
ALMSTA parameter
(except for CAD) Alarm Display
Figure 10-1. Information Movement
Alarm Messages
The AA task receives a new alarm message from the controller whenever any one of the following
events occur:
♦ A new alarm condition occurs in a control block executing in the control station.
♦ An alarm condition returns to normal.
♦ A compound or block in alarm is acknowledged.
♦ A compound or block is disabled.
Messages of new alarm conditions, including a value parameter, are stored by AA in its database.
Messages of return-to-normal conditions or alarm acknowledgement effect a change to that data-
base, updating the original alarm message. An alarm condition that has both been acknowledged
and returned-to-normal is removed from the database.
When a disable message is received for a compound or a block, AA removes all alarms for that
compound or block from its database. For example, a disable message for a compound will be
generated when the compound is turned off, and a disable message for a block will be generated
when alarms for the block are inhibited.
118
10. Behind the Scenes B0700AT – Rev C
All alarm messages are sorted as they are entered into the database in the following six ways:
♦ Return-to-Normal/In Alarm - Acknowledge State - Priority - Time (RAPT)
♦ Acknowledge State - Priority - Time (APT)
♦ Acknowledge State - Time (AT)
♦ Priority - Time (PT)
♦ Time - Priority (TP)
♦ Time (T).
This enables quick resorting of the displays by the AM.
The Alarm Managers are set up on the workstations to present the alarm messages from the AA
database to the operator on the various alarm displays (CAD, for example). Opening or refreshing
an alarm display presents all the alarms from the database that meet the display's criteria. The dis-
play's call-up timestamp is updated to reflect the time of the open or refresh.
NOTE
By default, this is the only way the CAD gets alarm information.
Alarm Updates
For the MRA and summary displays (New Alarms, Acknowledged Alarms, and Unacknowledged
Alarms), direct Object Manager (OM) connections to the controller are set up. Via these connec-
tions the AM immediately updates these alarm displays with changes to:
♦ Alarm state and acknowledge state of the alarms (that is, the block's ALMSTA
parameter)
♦ Measurement or output values associated with analog alarm conditions.
NOTE
Values associated with digital, state, trip, and sequence alarms are not updated.
As these changes occur in the control station, the AM updates the corresponding fields on the
displays.
The CAD, when optionally configured, can form an OM connection to the analog parameter
values only (not to the ALMSTA status parameter of the block). CAD updates representing
return-to-normal and acknowledge status changes are dependent upon the reception of return-to-
normal and acknowledge messages (as described above) being received from the control station.
NOTE
If a connection cannot be made, such as when a cable disconnects, the color of the
value, alarm state, and acknowledge state fields turn cyan.
119
Alarm Display OM Connections

The MRA and summary displays automatically form Object Manager connections with the con-
trol stations to receive updates to the alarm status, acknowledge status, and analog parameter
values. For these displays, the AM monitors the block's alarm status parameter (ALMSTA) to
determine the acknowledge state and the alarm state (in-alarm or returned-to-normal), which is
shown on these alarm displays.
The CAD can optionally form a connection to the control station to receive updates to the analog
parameter values. The AHD and OPR display do not form OM connections to the control
stations.
Table 10-1 describes how CAD, MRA, and summary displays are updated.
Table 10-1. Alarm Display Updates
Alarm Display Updating

Current Alarms Display Updates are based on alarm messages sent by control stations to the
(CAD) Alarm Alert database in the workstation via the Message Manager. By
default, no Object Manager (OM) connections are formed. Alarm
acknowledge status and return-to-normal state are derived from the
receipt of separate messages sent from the control stations.
Note: By means of the Dynamic CAD Updates† option in ADMC
(AM Properties), you can configure the CAD to form Object Manager
connections to update the alarmed value of an alarm entry for analog
alarms.
Most Recent Alarms As new alarm messages are added to the display, previous alarm mes-
(MRA) sages are not repositioned. The effect is a one-page “rolling” display.
When the window becomes full, each new alarm replaces the oldest
alarm in the window. The value of parameters in alarm are updated by
change-driven connections to control stations.
Summary displays Upon invoking a summary display, the alarm entries on the display are
(NEWALM, ACKED, positionally static. Entries in this display are not removed or added
UNACK) until the Alarm Alert database is reread with a manual refresh; how-
ever, values and statuses are dynamically updated via direct connec-
tions to the control software in the control stations. If an alarm
condition has been acknowledged and returned-to-normal, the entry
is grayed and becomes unselectable.
♦ The New Alarm Summary (NEWALM) displays all active, unac-
knowledged alarms.
♦ The Acknowledged Alarm Summary (ACKED) displays all active
acknowledged alarms.
♦ The Unacknowledged Alarm Summary (UNACK) displays all
unacknowledged alarms that have returned to normal.
120
The Alarm Manager, similar to FoxView, forms Object Manager connections to control stations,
enabling rapid presentation of a change to the alarm status information. When an alarm is
acknowledged, the MRA and summary displays are not impacted by delays caused by:
♦ The time required for a control station to send alarm acknowledge messages to each
alarm destination
♦ The time latency due to the internal workstation processing through the AMS
♦ The display’s refresh rate.
Each connectable AM display is limited to one OM list, which holds a maximum of 255 points.
Each alarm can require up to two points in the list:
♦ One for the block’s alarm status parameter (ALMSTA)
♦ One for the analog parameter in alarm, such as MEAS.
If multiple alarms exist within the block, the AM optimizes the number of points in the list by
sharing the ALMSTA point between two or more alarm entries.
Unlike FoxView, which connects to a fixed set of control stations based upon the control parame-
ters configured in a graphic display, AM connections are dynamic. AM connections depend upon
the control stations that have generated alarms to the workstation at a particular time and are cur-
rently in view on a workstation. The situation at that moment dictates the control stations to
which the AM will establish connections. An hour later, for example, the same AM display may
be connected to a different set of control stations.
OM Connection Points
Background information on the following OM connection points is provided to help you apply
match/filter criteria to a display to limit the number of control station connections established by
the Alarm Manager for any of its connected alarm displays. For information on applying
match/filter criteria, refer to “Finding, Matching, Filtering, and Sorting Alarms” on page 47.
The AM adds OM connection points only to the open list for alarms shown in the display. For
example, a New Alarms Summary Display might contain 436 alarm entries, but only 30 are in
view at any one time. The AM adds points to the list associated with only those 30 alarm entries.
When an alarm has a connection that is no longer displayed, the AM deletes the connection for
that alarm, but not immediately.
Because alarms can oscillate, the following rules prevent the unnecessary addition (or deletion) of
connection points, which would place a burden on the system:
♦ An alarm must be present in the display window for a minimum of 2 seconds before
the AM adds connection points for it. This prevents extraneous connections from
being made when an operator scrolls through a display.
♦ An alarm must be off the display window for a minimum of 30 minutes before the
AM removes a connection point.
♦ Any time the OM list becomes full, the entire list is closed and refreshed. Closing the
entire list and reopening it uses fewer system resources than performing a multitude of
dynamic deletions from the list.
121
♦ When an alarm appears in a display window, a delay of up to 8 seconds is possible

before the first update occurs. The delay is equivalent to the sum of:
OmConnectDelay + OmActivateDelay + OmRefRate
See Table 10-2 for a description of the OM variables.
Table 10-2. Object Manager Delays
Delay Specifies
OmConnectDelay How long an alarm must be in the display window before the AM
starts to add points for it to the OM list (2 second default).
OmActivateDelay How often the AM is allowed to perform an “activate” on the list;
essentially, an add must be followed by an activate to make it occur.
This allows the AM to optimize the number of activates needed for
multiple additions (1 second default).
OmRefRate How often the OM should provide updates regardless of how often
the data is actually changing in the control station (5 second default).
Although each AM display is limited to one OM list, this maps to a variable number of worksta-
tion connections, each for a different control processor from which alarms have been received and
are displayed. From the control station perspective, consider the number of workstations and
associated Alarm Manager displays from which alarm conditions are to be viewed when establish-
ing alarm destinations.
Alarm Alert Database

Each workstation can have an Alarm Alert database. (The exception is when the workstation is
blind and displays alarms from a remote workstation only.) The database includes all the alarm
messages it has received from the control stations. This in-memory database is the source of alarm
information presented to all the Alarm Managers connected to the database.
Workstation properties, configured in ADMC, determine the alarm information stored in the
database and the order in which the information is presented on the Alarm Manager displays.
Configurable Options
You customize an Alarm Alert database from ADMC by modifying the values in the Workstation
Property scheme. For more information, refer to Alarm and Display Manager Configurator
(ADMC) (B0700AM).
NOTE
Maintain a consistent configuration scheme for alarming options across all the
workstations in your I/A Series system.
Each workstation’s Alarm Alert database initially contains default attributes listed in Table A-2.
These attributes affect information in alarm displays and horn notification.
122
Invensys Foxboro Supplied Defaults

Based on default settings in the Alarm Alert database, Table 10-3 shows how alarm displays
behave.
Table 10-3. Alarm Alert Default Settings for Alarm Displays
Feature CAD MRA Summary AHD

Dynamic display of new alarms Yes Yes No No
Operator acknowledgement of alarms Yes Yes Yes No
Alarm entry update (status and analog value) No * Yes Yes No
Maximum number of entries† 200 20 200 5000
* Modifiable parameter in ADMC, AM Properties, CAD, Dynamic CAD Updates setting (analog
values only).
NOTE
Whether or not you see the alarm on the display depends on the size of the alarms
database†, the type of alarm (new, acknowledged, or return-to-normal), the sort
order†, and the alarm priority.
New Alarms Button

With the exception of the MRA, the New Alarms button is located by default in the top-right
corner of the alarm displays. This button changes as listed in Table 10-4 whenever ALNCNT is
updated.
Table 10-4. New Alarms Button States
Workstation State Button Appearance

Windows No new alarms “Alarms” in black text on gray background
New alarm(s) “New Alarms” in black text on red background
Solaris No new alarms “Alarms” in red text on gray background
New alarm(s) “New Alarms” in red blinking text on gray background
Two workstation global variables, ALMCNT and ALMTXT, are updated whenever a qualifying
alarm is received at the workstation. See Table 10-5 for a description of these variables.
Table 10-5. Workstation Global Variables for Qualifying Alarms
Variable Description
ALMCNT Workstation global variable containing a running count of alarms. ALMCNT is
incremented whenever a qualifying alarm is received at the workstation.
ALMTXT Workstation global variable containing a formatted text string of data from the
most recent alarm message. The format of this string is predetermined and cannot
be changed. ALMTXT is updated whenever a qualifying alarm is received at the
workstation.
123
To show the preformatted alarm text string (ALMTXT) and the current number of alarms
(ALMCNT) on a FoxView display, connect the ALMTXT and ALMCNT workstation globals to
display objects. Refer to FoxDraw Software (B0700BE). See Table 10-6 for a description of the
attributes that determine qualifying alarms.
Table 10-6. Attributes to Determine a Qualifying Alarm
Attribute Default
Alarm Text Priority Update Option Only priority 1 and 2 alarms cause updates.
(ALMPRI)
Alarm Text Update Option (ALMRTN) Only in-alarm messages cause updates.
These attributes are set in ADMC Workstation Properties. For more information, refer to Alarm
and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) (B0700AM).
Configure the action of the New Alarms button from the AM Property Scheme dialog box in
ADMC, New Alarms Action†. Upon a change to the ALMCNT workstation global, the state of
the New Alarms button changes. The configured New Alarms Action is the action that occurs
when a new alarm is recorded by the workstation, not the action taken when the New Alarms
button is clicked.
Alarm Recovery
Whenever there is an upset in the alarm system, such as a workstation reboot or MM switch over,
the system will recover the alarm state for the affected workstations.
Configuring the Workstation for Alarm Recovery

For V8.0, there are two different types of alarm recovery that can occur. The type of alarm recover
used will depend on how the workstation is configured. The workstation can be configured for
alarm recovery in one of three ways†:
♦ Recover alarms from the APT (default)
Choose this option when you want to recover alarms via APT. This option should
only be used when all alarms are delivered to the workstation directly from the CP270
(i.e. no MM). For this option, you must also configure a backup workstation in the
Common Alarm Group (CAG) file. See “Creating a Common Alarm Group File” on
page 77.
♦ Recover alarms from MM
Choose this option when you want to recover alarms via the MM. This option should
only be used when all alarms are delivered to the workstation via the MM from the
CP270.
♦ Do not recover alarms
Choose this option when you do not want to recover alarms.
124
NOTE
Alarms can be sent to workstations either directly from the CP270 or via the MM,
but not both. In other words you cannot have some CP270s deliver alarms directly
to the workstation and other CP270 deliver alarms to the workstation via the MM.
Recovering Alarms from APT

For alarms recovered via APT, the alarms will be recovered from the AA database of the backup
workstation as configured in the CAG configuration file, commgrp.cfg.
When a workstation needs to recover alarms, APT will transfer the alarms from the AA database
on the backup workstation and send them to AA on the workstation performing the recovery. For
this recovery to work properly, the control stations must be configured to send the same set of
alarms to both workstations. This way each workstation maintains the same set of active alarms in
the AA database.
Recovering Alarms from MM

For alarms recovered from MM, the AA task will first recover the alarms from a backup file. This
file is written once per minute. After recovering the alarms from the backup file, AA will request
an update from the MM, enabling it to recover alarms that occurred after the last time the file was
written.
For alarms recovered from MM, MM maintains a queue of the last 30,000 packets of alarms (up
to 90,000 alarm messages). Each alarm message includes a time/date stamp. AA keeps track of the
time/date stamp of the last alarm message processed and backs up the time/date stamp to the file.
When AA requests alarm recovery from MM, it requests only those alarms that have occurred
after the time/date stamp. To ensure no alarms have been missed MM actually subtracts 15 sec-
onds from the time/date stamp and recovers all alarms that occurred after this adjusted time/date
stamp.
Current State Update (CSU)

Under certain conditions, such as the MM loses its connection to a CP270, the MM may have
invalid or incomplete alarm information for one or more CPs. When this occurs the MM requests
a CSU from the suspect CPs. The CPs will then transmit their current alarm state to the MM.
When the CSU is initiated, the MM notifies the AMS and the AMS removes all alarm messages
from its database for the CP involved.
New alarm messages will be generated by the CP for all active alarm conditions. In addition for
each block in alarm once the alarm conditions are transmitted the acknowledge state for the block
is transmitted.
As a result of a CSU, the alarms displayed on the CAD may be different than those before the
CSU. Specifically:
♦ Return-to-normal, unacknowledged alarms will no longer be displayed. No message is
transmitted from the CP for this state.
♦ Some previously acknowledged alarms may appear as unacknowledged. For example
if all alarms for C1:B1 have been acknowledged and then a new alarm occurs for that
block the acknowledge state of the block becomes unacknowledged. This will be the
state transmitted by the CP during a CSU.
125
126
Appendix A. Configuration Options
This appendix is a quick reference to Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (ADMC)
configuration options.
Table A-1. Workstations - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Station Letterbug
Workstation Property Scheme
Table A-2. Workstation Properties - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Database tab
Maximum Number of Alarms 200 (default) to 32,000
Discard Sort Order RTN/ALM - ACK STATE - PRIORITY - TIME (default)
ACK STATE - PRIORITY - TIME
ACKSTATE - TIME
PRIORITY - TIME
TIME
TIME - PRIORITY
Return-to-Normal Action Keep alarm until acknowledged (default)
Remove alarm independent of state
Clear Alarm Option Delete alarm on current WP (default)
Delete alarm throughout the CAG
Delete alarm throughout the CAG, mark alarm as RTN, and
ack alarm
CONF Message Option Ignore RTN for CONF messages (default)
Remove CONF messages on RTN
Alarm Recovery Recover alarms (default)
Do not recover alarms
Horn tab
Horn Mute Timeout (sec) Not checked (no timeout specified) (default)
If checked: 1 to 900 seconds; 30 seconds (default)
Horn Silence Option Manual silence only (default)
All blocks acknowledged or manual silence
All blocks RTN or manual silence
All blocks ACK or RTN or manual silence
Manual silence only, no propagation to CAG
Horn Resound Option Do not resound when horns are unmuted (default)
Resound when horns are unmuted
127
B0700AT – Rev C Appendix A. Configuration Options
Table A-2. Workstation Properties - Configuration Options (Continued)
Field Settings
Horn Silence Key Option Silence Horn with Silence Horn key only 1
Silence horn with any annunciator key keyboard (default)
Horn Feedback
Text tab
Alarm Text Update Option ALMTXT will be updated for:
In-Alarm messages only (default)
In-Alarm and Return-to-Normal messages
Alarm Text Update Priority Turn feature off
Option Update ALMTXT for priority 1 alarms only
Update ALMTXT for alarms with priority 1 and 2 (default)
Update ALMTXT for alarms with priority 1 to 3
Color/Blink Rate tab
UNACK ALM Blink rate: None (default), Slow, Fast
Default foreground color:
Priority 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5: White (31)
Default background colors:
Priority 1 – Red (17)
Priority 2 – Magenta (21)
Priority 3 – Brown (19)
Priority 4 – Cyan (22)
Priority 5 – Dark Gray (24)
ACK ALM Blink rate: None (default), Slow, Fast
Default foreground colors:
Priority 1 - Red (17)
Priority 2 - Magenta (21)
Priority 3 - Brown (19)
Priority 4 - Cyan (22)
Priority 5 - Dark Gray (24)
Default background color:
Priority 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5: Gray (23)
UNACK RTN Blink rate: None (default), Slow, Fast
Default foreground color:
Priority 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5: White (31)
Default background colors:
Priority 1 – Red (17)
Priority 2 – Magenta (21)
Priority 3 – Brown (19)
Priority 4 – Cyan (22)
Priority 5 – Dark Gray (24)
Alarm Rectangle Selection Color Yellow (27) (default)
128
Appendix A. Configuration Options B0700AT – Rev C
Table A-2. Workstation Properties - Configuration Options (Continued)
Field Settings
Miscellaneous tab
Maximum Annunciator Table 2000 (default) - 10,000
Assignments
Maximum Number of Historical 5000 - 40,000; default is 5000
Alarms
Top Priority Processing When “Top Priority” command is processed by the worksta-
tion, the display will associate with:
♦ Highest priority, newest Unacknowledged Alarm
condition (default)
♦ Highest priority, oldest Unacknowledged Alarm
condition
1. The Horn Silence Key Option only works for annunciator keyboards, not for Soft Alarm panels.
Table A-3. Display Managers - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Display Manager Name
Station Letterbug
Screen Local Station
Remote Station
Screen List
Undedicated (default)
Display Manager Property Scheme
Create Alarm Manager unchecked (default)
Table A-4. DM Properties - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Display Manager Property Scheme
Name
Display Manager Class Boot-up
Engineer
Operator (default)
Remote
View Only
Environment Script
Initial Display Size and Position:
Display is Re-Sizable checked (default)
Fixed Minimum Size checked (default)
Top, Bottom, Right, Left (Intermediate and quarter-screen sizes only) Default is
bottom right
129
Table A-5. Alarm Managers - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Alarm Manager Name
Station Letterbug
Screen Local Station
Remote Station
Screen List
Undedicated (default)
Alarm Manager Property Scheme
Alarm Data Source: Primary
Alarm Data Source: Backup
Match/Filter Clear/Reset Option Enable Clear button only
Enable Reset button only
Enable both Clear and Reset buttons (default)
Table A-6. AM Properties - Configuration Options
Field Settings
AM Properties Scheme Name
Alarm Manager Class Boot-up
Engineer
Operator
View Only
Initial Display MRA
NEWALM
OPR
ACK
UNACK
AHD
CAD (default)
Environment Script
New Alarms Action
Configure Display Type See Table A-7.
130
Table A-7. AM Properties: Alarm Manager Display Types - Configuration Options
Field Display Type Description

User Interface Scheme MRA foxMRA (default)
NEWALM foxNEWALM (default)
OPR foxOPR (default)
ACKED foxACKED (default)
UNACK foxUNACK (default)
AHD foxAHD (default)
CAD foxCAD (default)
Scroll Origin MRA Top Left (default)
NEWALM Top Right
ACKED Bottom Left
UNACK Bottom Right
AHD
CAD
Scroll Direction MRA By Rows (default)
NEWALM By Columns
ACKED
UNACK
AHD
CAD
List Order NEWALM New -> Old (default)
ACKED Old -> New
UNACK
Dynamic CAD Updates CAD No Updates (default)
Update
Overlay on Re-Alarm MRA checked (default)
Refresh Data MRA checked (default)
NEWALM
ACKED
UNACK
Alarm Refresh Rate MRA 500 msec (default)
CAD
Alarm Cache Size AHD No longer used
Alarm Pause Timeout MRA Not checked (no timeout specified) (default)
CAD If checked: 1 to 300 seconds; 5 seconds (default)
131
Table A-8. User Interfaces - Configuration Options
Field Settings
User Interface Scheme Name
Alarm Format Scheme emptyAF
foxCAD
foxMRA
Pop Up Menu
Display Title
Status Bar
Double Click Access Code 0 (default) to 255
Confirmation Dialog No (default)
Yes/Message: Are you sure? (default)
Button/Alarm Cells Separation Small (default)
Medium
Large
Display Area
Alarm Rows 15 one-line (default) (MRA);
10 two-line (default) (CAD, summary displays, and AHD)
Alarm Columns 1 (default)
Button Rows 2 (default)
Button Columns 5 (default)
No Scroll Bars unchecked (default)
Table A-9. Alarm Formats - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Alarm Format Scheme Name
Default Font Lucida Console (default)
Color Type Use System Dynamic Colors
Configure Static Colors (default)
Static Colors Foreground: White (31) (default)
Background: Black (16) (default)
Indicator Font Lucida Console (default)
Color Type Use System Dynamic Colors (default)
Configure Static Colors
132
Table A-9. Alarm Formats - Configuration Options (Continued)
Field Settings
Time/Date Format mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss Local Time & Date (default)
mm/dd/yy Local Date
hh:mm:ss Local Time
hh:mm:ss 12 hr. HH:MM:SS
hh:mm 12 hr. HH:MM
hh:mm:ss 24 hr. HH:MM:SS
hh:mm 24 hr. HH:MM
Alarm State Indicators
Return to Normal R (default)
Priority 1 1 (default)
Acknowledgement State Indicators
Unacknowledged U (default)
Acknowledged
Cell Format Editor
User Interface Scheme Template
emptyUI
foxACKED
foxAHD
foxCAD (default)
foxMRA
foxNEWALM
foxOPR
foxUNACK
Cell Format Editor See Table A-10.
Table A-10. Alarm Format: Cell Format Editor - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Cell Font Override Lucida Console (default)
Use System Dynamic Colors
Foreground: White (31) (default)
Background: Black (16) (default)
Color Type
Static Colors
133
Table A-10. Alarm Format: Cell Format Editor - Configuration Options (Continued)
Field Settings
Field Font Override Lucida Console (default)
Use System Dynamic Colors
Foreground: White (31) (default)
Background: Black (16)) (default)
Color Type
Static Colors
Character Rows 2 (default)
Character Columns 85 (default)
AlarmType [ANALOG] [DIGITAL] [MESSAGE] [OTHER]
HIABS BADIO INFO DISABL
LOABS STATE MON ENABLE
HHABS EVENT EXC
LLABS TRIP IND/DEP
HIDEV RANGE CONF
LODEV CHANGE SEQ6
RATE SPCALM
HIOUT
LOOUT
TARG
PTARG
Table A-11. Screen Lists - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Screen List
Head First (default)
Second
Both
Table A-12. Associations - Configuration Options
Field Settings
Display Manager
Alarm Manager
134
Index
.am file 7
.apc file 7
A
AApan file 7
AAtab file 7
Access
changing security 82
security 82
Ack Alarm button 45
Ack Compound button 45
Ack Page button 45
Acknowledged Alarm Summary (ACKED)
description 23
detailed description 26
overview 13
updates to 120
Adding workstations 78
ADMC
configurable options 17
configuration options (tables) 127
description 5
AIM*Historian
description 5
overview xiv
Alarm Alert (AA)
description 4
information movement 118
Alarm Alert (AA) database
configurable options 122
default settings for alarm displays 122
description 122
sorting 14
Alarm and Display Manager Configurator. See ADMC
Alarm area, description 39
Alarm cell format editor, configuration options 133
Alarm color information 30
Alarm Details display 42
accessing 43
Alarm display buttons, function 21
Alarm display window
alarm area 21, 39
application title bar 19
135
B0700AT – Rev C Index
button bar 21
current time and date 20
display title bar 19
menu bar 19
parts of 19
status bar 22
Alarm displays
accessing other 42
Alarm Alert default settings 122
buttons 37
capabilities 18
configuration options 131
customizing 113
default menus 33
dismissing 38
Displays menu 35
Edit menu 33
File menu 33
Help menu 36
hiding menus and buttons 40
Horns menu 36
iconifying (minimizing) 38
iconized window information 38
invoking with match active 58
layout 94
moving 39
navigating 41
OM connections with control stations 120
printing information 60
redisplaying menus and buttons 40
refreshing 42
refreshing an active display 58
resizing 39
saving information 59
shortcut menus 36
showing 38
types 13, 23
updates 120
View menu 34
windows 19
Alarm entries
deselecting all in a display 43
deselecting individual 43
limiting 39
operating on 42
selecting all in a display 43
selecting individual 43
sorting 14
Alarm Find
136
Index B0700AT – Rev C
buttons 51
criteria 47
fields 50
function 47
Alarm formats, configuration options 132
Alarm history database
accessing 59
Alarm History Display (AHD)
description 23
overview 13
working with information 59
Alarm History Task (AHT) 4
Alarm information
historical 59
viewing additional 43
Alarm Management Subsystem. See AMS
Alarm management, overview 1
Alarm Manager (AM)
access from FoxView Process button 70
access rules 71
accessing initial display 32
at startup 66
command interface 111
command summary 108
commands and keywords 107
commands and keywords, examples 113
database file 7
default configuration 7
description 4
exiting 32
function 65
instances 68, 70
licensing 68
OM connections 120
overview 17
relationship with FoxView 12
user interface 17
user-defined configuration file 7
windows 12
Alarm Manager (AM) keywords 111
Alarm Manager display types, configuration options 131
Alarm Manager properties, configuration options 130
Alarm Match
buttons 51
criteria 47
fields 50
137
Alarm messages
fields 40
processing of 118
redundancy 102
sent to printer 10
set to Historian 10
types 9
Alarm n of m field 22
Alarm Pass-Through Task (APT)
description 4
Alarm Server Task (AST)
command summary 111
commands 111
description 4
Alarm state information 30
Alarm status (ALMSTA) parameter 9
Alarm updates, processing of 119
Alarms
acknowledging 45
clearing 46
critical, matching 56
destinations 10
filtering 52
finding, matching, filtering, and sorting 47
locating 51
matching 52
monitoring from a different plant area 99
monitoring in more than one plant area 100
nuisance, filtering out 57
remote source 96
responding to 15, 41
sizing parameters 90
sorting 52
types 2
viewing for any workstation 97
viewing status 12
ALMCNT global variable 123
almdisp command 58
ALMPRI global variable 123
ALMRTN global variable 123
ALMSTA (alarm status) parameter 9
ALMTXT global variable 123
AM/DM association 70
am_def.cfg file 7
am_name.cfg 7
AMS
architecture 6
overview 1
138
processes and external interfaces 4

amssta_sw.cfg file 8
annun command 11
Annunciator assignments, sizing parameters 90
Annunciator keyboard
function 15
keys 16
Annunciators
for process alarms 10
light status 12
Archived history file, accessing 59
Associations
FoxView and AM 70
B
Blinking, configuring 91
Block Detail display 13, 47
button configuration 72
Buttons
conditionals 103
configuration 72
configuring on a FoxView display 65
configuring the User Display button 88
customizing to perform a match 58
default in alarm displays 37
hiding in alarm displays 40
redisplaying in alarm displays 40
states 103
C
CAG configurator 75
fields 76
file contents 75
CAG configurator file
configuring 77
creating 77
installing 77
optional settings 76
settings 76
CAGs
function 75
workstations in 75
Call-up, process display 72
directing to other FoxViews 78
overriding 79
rules 79
cancel_print command 106
139
Clear Alarm command 46

Clear Page command 46
Clearing alarms 46
Colors
alarms 30
configuring 91
Comma Separated Value. See CSV.
Commands
Alarm Manager 107
Alarm Server Task (AST) 111
commgrp.cfg file 7
contents 75
fields 76
function 75
settings 76
Common Alarm Groups. See CAGs.
Conditionals
buttons 103
Configurable
options, Alarm Alert database 122
parameters, how denoted xv
Configuration files 7
Configuration options
alarm cell format editor 133
alarm formats 132
Alarm Manager display types 131
Alarm Manager properties 130
Alarm Managers 130
associations 134
display manager properties 129
display managers 129
screen lists 134
user interfaces 132
workstation properties 127
workstations 127
Confirmation dialog box 93
Console horns 72
Conventions in document xvi
Critical alarms
matching 56
CSV format
alarm display information 60
Current alarms
Current Alarms Display (CAD)
description 23
overview 13
updates to 120
Customizing a button 58
140
D
Dedicated licenses 68
Defaults, Invensys Foxboro supplied 122
Delays, Object Manager (OM) 122
Deselecting
all alarm entries in a display 43
individual alarm entries 43
Display call-up
manual 87
process displays 72
time field 22
Display layout, configuring 94
Display manager properties, configuration options 129
Display managers
function 65
licensing 68
used for FoxView xv
Display title
configuring 94
indicators 94
Displays
process xiv
System Management xv
trending xiv
Displays command 42
Displays menu, alarm displays 35
DM Usage Summary screen 69
DM/AM association 70
dmcfg file 7
E
Edit menu, alarm displays 33
Environments
initial 81
Examples
customizing displays using commands and keywords 113
match and filter 53
using alarm match/file specification files 56
External horns 72
F
Faceplates 13
File menu, alarm displays 33
File Replication Service (FRS) 5
Files
configuration 7
naming conventions xv
141
Filter
specification fields 53
Find
criteria 47
Find Alarms command 51
Find specification fields 53
Formats
Comma Separated Value (.CSV) 60
text (.TXT) 60
foxboro.am file 7
foxboro.cdf file 7
FoxDraw xiv
FoxPanels
configuration file (.apc) 7
Configurator xv
Configurator, description 5
default behavior 71
redirecting default behavior at run time 72
Run-Time xv
Run-Time, description 4
FoxView
access rules 71
at startup 66
configuring a button on a display 65
default Initial display 31
description 5
displaying alarm conditions 13
displays 13
function 65
licensing 68
relationship with AM 12
G
Go To Page command 41
Graphics Console Input/Output (GCIO) 5
H
Hardware annunciator keyboards 11
Help
accessing xvii
file names xvi
Help menu, alarm displays 36
Historian
destination for alarm messages 10
Historical alarm information, working with 59
Historical alarms
History database, accessing 59
142
History file, accessing an archived 59

horn.cfg file 7
Horns
for process alarms 10
management 72
muting 62
silencing 62
types 11
unmuting 62
working with 16
Horns menu
alarm displays 36
Horns Muted field 22
I
I/A Series A² Configuration Component (IACC) xiv
Iconized alarm display information 38
Indicators
display title and status bar 94
init.user file 8, 89
Integrated Control Configurator (ICC) xiv
K
Keyboard horns 72
Keywords, Alarm Manager 107
L
Licenses, dedicated and undedicated 68
Licensing
DMs and AMs 68
restrictions 69
M
Match
clearing 58
specification fields 53
Match Active field 22
Match Alarms
command 47, 52
creating a file 54
deleting a file 55
loading a file 55
match command 58
Match/filter criteria
description 47
limiting the control station connections 121
Match/filter specifications 39
143
creating 54
deleting 55
loading 55
Menus
hiding in alarm displays 40
redisplaying in alarm displays 40
Message Manager (MM)
description 5
Most Recent Alarms display (MRA)
description 23
overview 13
updates to 120
Multi-state buttons
configuring 102
operands 104
operators 104
Mute CAG Horns command 63
Mute Horns command 63
Mute timeout 92
mute_all_horns command 92
mute_horns command 92
Muting horns
for an individual workstation 63
within a Common Alarm Group (CAG) 63
N
Naming conventions for files xv
New Alarm Summary (NEWALM)
description 23
overview 13
updates to 120
New Alarms button 20
compared to Process button 21
states 21, 123
updates to 123
Nuisance alarms, filtering out 57
O
Object Manager (OM)
connection points 121
connections between alarm displays and control stations 120
connections to AM 120
delays 122
description 5
limiting connection points 121
On-line Help, accessing xvii
144
Operands
multi-state buttons 104
Operations display (OPR)
description 23
overview 13
silencing and muting horns from 16
Operator Action Journal (OAJ)
configurator xv
description 5
Operators
multi-state buttons 104
P
pause command 92, 105
Pause timeout 92
Paused field 22
Pop-up menus
accessing 37
default 37
in alarm displays 36
print command 95, 106
Printer, destination for alarm messages 10
Printing
Printing alarm display information 60
Procedures, conventions xvi
Process alarm
generation 3
Process alarms 3
acknowledging 45
behind the scenes 117
destinations 10
display types 13
examples 9
initiation 9
notification 3, 10
overview 1
responding to 4, 15, 41
viewing 3
viewing status 12
Process button 10
compared to New Alarms button 21
customizing 65
functions 15
states 10, 66
Process display call-up 72
directing to other FoxViews 78
145
overriding 79
rules 79
Process displays xiv
Process Summary Reporter Configurator xv
protect command 82
R
Rate, refresh, configuring 93
Reboots
when required 89
Redundancy
alarm messages 102
Refresh rate, configuring 93
Refreshing alarm displays 42
Remote alarm source 96
Run-time behavior 105
S
save_cancel command 95
save_to_file command 95
Saving alarm display information 59
Saving to a file 95
Screen lists, configuration options 134
Security 81
access 82
changing access 82
Selecting
all alarm entries in a display 43
individual alarm entries 43
set_alarm_source command 96
Shortcut menus
in alarm displays 36
Silence Horns command 62
Sizing parameters 90
SMON 2
Soft alarm panels 11
buttons 16
function 15
Sort criteria 47
sta_ip.cfg file 8
sta_sw.cfg file 8
States
buttons 103
States, alarm 30
Status bar
configuring 94
indicators 94
Status bar, default fields 22
stop_match command 58
146
Summary displays
detailed descriptions 26
updates to 120
System alarms 2
generation 2
notification 2
viewing and responding to 2
System button states 2
System Definition settings xiv
System Management displays xv
System Monitor (SMON) 2
description 5
System security 81
T
Text format
alarm display information 60
Timeouts, configuring 92
Top Priority display 46
button configuration 72
description 87
Trend displays xiv
U
Unacknowledged Alarm Summary (UNACK)
description 23
overview 13
updates to 120
Undedicated licenses 68
Unmute CAG Horns command 63
Unmute Horns command 63
unmute_all_horns command 92
unmute_horns command 92
Unmuting horns
for an individual workstation 63
within a Common Alarm Group (CAG) 63
unpause command 92, 105
unprotect command 82
Usage
FoxView, summary 69
User Display 47
User Display button
configuration 72
configuring 88
User interfaces, configuration options 132
147
V
View All mode 28, 44
disabling 45
enabling 45
View menu, alarm displays 34
W
Wildcard characters in match, filter, and find 53
Windows
moving 39
resizing 39
Windows Off mode
Alarm History Display 86
Current Alarms Display 86
description 85
Workstation global variables for qualifying alarms 123
Workstation properties
configurable 122
configuring 89
Workstations
adding additional 78
configuration file 7
in CAGs 75
rebooting 89
wp_am.cfg file 7
IPS Corporate Headquarters Foxboro Global Client Support

5601 Granite Parkway Suite 1000 Inside U.S.: 1-866-746-6477
Plano, TX 75024 Outside U.S.: 1-508-549-2424 or
United States of America contact your local Foxboro
www.ips.invensys.com representative.
Facsimile: 1-508-549-4999

Alarm Management

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Alarm Management

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B0700AT

I/A Series® System

Message System Monitor

Alarm Message Printer

Alarm History Display

Copyright 2004-2008 Invensys Systems, Inc.

SOFTWARE LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

1. Introduction to Alarm Management.................................................................................. 1

Alarm Destinations ............................................................................................................. 10

3. Alarm Manager Displays ................................................................................................. 17

4. Working with Alarm Displays ......................................................................................... 31

Default Menus and Buttons in Alarm Displays ....................................................................... 33

Printing Alarm Display Information ....................................................................................... 60

5. Relationship Between AMS and FoxView........................................................................ 65

6. Common Alarm Groups.................................................................................................. 75

7. Advanced Operations Topics........................................................................................... 81

Security Access ................................................................................................................... 82

8. AMS Features Requiring Configuration .......................................................................... 89

MSB Example 1: Pause/Unpause Button ..................................................................... 105

9. Commands and Keywords............................................................................................. 107

10. Behind the Scenes........................................................................................................ 117

Appendix A. Configuration Options.................................................................................. 127

Index .................................................................................................................................. 135

9-2. Alarm Server Task Command Summary ................................................................... 111

Related Software Packages

♦ Process Summary Reporter Configurator for configuring reports containing informa-

Platform Specific Information

Windows and Dialog Boxes

Path and File Names

For example, the file:

Conventions Used in Procedures

Menu Bar Example:

Task Bar Example: