Our Ethernet network is to be based around Allen Bradleys Stratix 8300 layer3 switches. Speaking to Rockwell Automation there appears to be lots of useful diagnostics available (ideal for network status screens/alarms) which they say can be read with an Ethernet/IP driver (i.e. RSLinx). Is there any way Ignition can directly read this without first going through a ControlLogix PLC?
You can also pull all this data via SNMP
Does this mean Ignition can access it??? I don’t know what SNMP is.
I was kind of hoping that other users of Ignition using AB Stratix’s had maybe found a method to directly monitor the network diagnostics. Looked kinda neat when viewed in Rockwells SCADA system.
@dravik. I was going to suggest SNMP, but Ignition doesn’t natively support it. This thread on the next driver lists it as an option:
@Brett. SNMP, simple network management protocol, is an IT standard way of displaying and monitoring management information from routers, switches, and other networking equipment.
I’m curious if Tom or Bobby can find a way for the Rockwell driver to talk to the switch natively. That would be pretty sweet.
Oh I know it doesn’t support it natively… (yet!)
We have our entire network infrastructure brought into both Solarwinds and Nagios, I just point Ignition at their databases to read network status for everything I have.
“Natively” may have been the wrong term. I meant communicating with the switch via a Rockwell protocol - CIP or Ethernet/IP or whatever. (I’m obviously not a driver guy).
I’m very excited about the possibility of an SNMP driver in Ignition. (I’m more of an IT guy).
What database(s) do Solarwinds and Nagios use? Is it simply a matter of executing SQL queries to get any status that the monitoring software tracks for your network equipment? Very cool!
Solarwinds uses a MsSQL backend and I have our Nagios setup to use MySql(though you can use MsSQL, PostGre, whatever).
Yeah, I have a couple queries to check the status on various things.
I wear both the process control and infrastructure hats as well.
kepware has a snmp to opc driver.
Dravik - very cool.
Diat150 - I’ve seen the Kepware SNMP driver, but have never used it. Have you tried it?
Nope, sure havent. You could always download it and run in trial mode.