I have an Ignition architecture with 2 redundant servers (a master node and a backup node) and more than 10 Edge panels, each panel being connected to a PLC. Every gateway is set with Ignition 8.1.5.
Today, we have set up one Remote tag provider for each Edge panel and data is being stored directly to the database. The problem is shutting down the Edge panel leads to lose the visualization to the corresponding PLC. Instead, I would be able to keep the visualization of the PLC even if the Edge panel is out.
If we lose the connection between the Edge panel and the master/backup servers, current configuration allows to retrieve data from the Edge panel when the connection is back.
So I would be able to keep the best of both worlds :
If the Edge panel crashes, PLC’s data is available on the Ignition master and it is being stored to the database (as well as alarms and events generated by the devices). The visualization is done through a vision client on master/backup nodes ;
If the connection between Edge panel and master/backup nodes is lost, the Edge stores data (up to 7 days) and syncs it back with master/backup nodes when the connection is back again. In that case, the visualization is done thought a vision local vision client.
Do you have any tips for me ?
The idea is to keep the Realtime providers and add a sort of backup tag provider for each Edge which stores tags directly from each corresponding PLC.
If the Master and Backup are in the same facility as the Edge panels, then I would ditch the Edge panels. If they are not in the same facility, then you will suffer greatly trying to read the PLCs at the same pace as a local connection. PLC Request-Response protocols are very sensitive to network latency.
Master and Backup are in two different datacenters ;
MSSQL database is in another datacenter.
Today Master and Backup are reading data from Edge panels as well as reading data from other PLCs (without any Edge panel between). Effectively, we encounter sometimes a lost of connection with one or another PLC, which might be linked to the network latency you are talking about…
If I understand well, the best is to keep Edge panels in this case. But if the Edge panels, I lose every data from that PLC because Master and Backup are not connected to it. Can you confirm there is no way to read data from the PLC if the Edge panel crashes ?
Correct. If the solo system in the plant that connects to the PLC(s) dies, then there will be no data collection. Edge doesn’t have any kind of redundancy. But internet problems kill remote data collection, too. There’s no magic wand. If you absolutely have to collect everything, then you should have full Ignition w/ Master & Backup & reliable Database in the facility. And your PLCs should have handshaking logic to stop production when data isn’t collected.
