# Configuring alarm for OPC server connection failure

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [July 8, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687 "2014-07-08T17:37:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@chache](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/chache)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687/1 "2014-07-08T17:37:40Z")

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Hi there,

Anyone know how to trigger an alarm if the connection to the OPC server fails? Ignition is connected to a Kepserver installation, but occasionally the connection fails until the system is restarted. That’s a whole other issue, but I’d like to have something in place so that I know that the connection has failed as soon as it goes down.

Thanks,  
Charles

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**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687/2 "2014-07-08T17:58:20Z")

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You can subscribe to Server/ServerStatus/CurrentTime and put a Bad Quality alarm on it.

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**Author:** ![chache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@chache](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/chache)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687/3 "2014-07-08T18:13:02Z")

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Hmmm, I tried that but it didn’t seem to work. I assumed it was because the quality code itself is supposed to come from the OPC server, so if the OPC server can’t say “this is bad quality” then Ignition didn’t know. Ignition just reports ‘Not Connected’, not ‘Bad Quality’. Have you tried this?

Charles

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**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687/4 "2014-07-08T18:38:05Z")

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I think what you’re seeing is a Bad\_NotConnected quality, which should trigger a bad quality alarm.

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**Author:** ![chache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@chache](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/chache)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/configuring-alarm-for-opc-server-connection-failure/8687/5 "2014-07-08T18:52:56Z")

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Ah, so it does. I think perhaps I didn’t leave the connection down long enough before the alarm was generated or something.

Thanks for the help, Kevin,

Charles