® B0193RV

REV E

I/A Series®
Workstation Alarm Management
March 30, 2001

Horns
Alarm
Messages

Alarm Alert Annunciator Keyboard

Database
FoxPanels
Control Historian
Processor Database

Alarm Displays

Alarm Message Printer

Alarm History Display

Process Displays
Foxboro, Fox, and I/A Series are registered trademarks of The Foxboro Company.
Invensys is a trademark of Invensys plc.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
Solaris and SunOS are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
UNIX is a registered trademark of X/O Open Company, Ltd.
VENIX is a trademark of VenturCom, Inc.
Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc.
All other brand names may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Copyright 1996-2001 The Foxboro Company

All rights reserved

SOFTWARE LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Before using the Foxboro supplied software supported by this Foxboro documentation, you
should read and understand the following information concerning copyrighted software.
1. The license provisions in the Foxboro 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, The Foxboro Company will no longer
provide you with support services and assumes no further responsibilities for your sys-
tem or its operation.
2. All software issued by The Foxboro Company, 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 The Fox-
boro Company for any purpose other than those purposes mentioned in the Foxboro
Software License.
Contents
Figures.................................................................................................................................... xi

Preface................................................................................................................................. xiii
Audience ........................................................................................................................... xiii
Revision Information ........................................................................................................ xiii
Reference Documents ........................................................................................................ xiii
Document Conventions .................................................................................................... xiv
Typographical Conventions ........................................................................................... xv
Terms ........................................................................................................................... xvi

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

Alarm Management ................................................................................................................... 1
Workstations ........................................................................................................................ 2
Document Content ................................................................................................................... 2
On-Line Help ...................................................................................................................... 2
Viewing On-Line Help Information ................................................................................ 3
Considerations .......................................................................................................................... 4
Instances of Alarm Managers ................................................................................................ 4
Environments and Access Classes ......................................................................................... 4
Windows Off Mode ............................................................................................................. 4
Pre-V4.2 CAD Emulation .................................................................................................... 4
Object Manager Connections ............................................................................................... 4
Related Software Packages ......................................................................................................... 5

2. Alarm Subsystem ............................................................................................................... 7

Alarm Subsystem ....................................................................................................................... 7
Alarm Notification .................................................................................................................... 7
Types of Alarms ................................................................................................................... 8
Notification and Response ................................................................................................... 8
Process Alarms ...................................................................................................................... 8
Process Alarm Initiation .................................................................................................. 8
When a Process Alarm Occurs .............................................................................................. 9
Physical Notification ....................................................................................................... 9
Alarm Subsystem Information Movement ..................................................................... 10
Responding to Process Alarms ............................................................................................ 12
Alarm Messages Sent Directly to the Printer ....................................................................... 13
Historian Interface ............................................................................................................. 13
Alarm Alert Database .............................................................................................................. 13
Configurable Options ......................................................................................................... 13
Foxboro Supplied Defaults ............................................................................................ 14

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B0193RV – Rev E Contents

New Alarms Button ........................................................................................................... 15

Configurable Options .................................................................................................... 15
Recovering Alarm Information ........................................................................................... 15
Requirements ................................................................................................................ 15
Alarm Manager ....................................................................................................................... 16
Current Operating Environment ................................................................................... 16
Alarm Displays ................................................................................................................... 17
Alarm Display Capabilities ................................................................................................. 17
Alarm Display Configuration Capabilities .......................................................................... 17
Configurable Display Options ....................................................................................... 17
Alarm Manager Command Interface .................................................................................. 18
Example AM Commands using Keywords ..................................................................... 19
Alarm Display Object Manager Updates ............................................................................ 20
Alarm Manager’s Object Manager Connections ................................................................. 21
Connection Points ............................................................................................................. 22
OM Connection Points ................................................................................................. 22
Display Managers and Alarm Managers .................................................................................. 23
DM/AM Association .......................................................................................................... 23
Display Manager Process/Alarm Button State .................................................................... 24
Process/Alarm Button States .......................................................................................... 24
Display Manager Licenses .................................................................................................. 24
Restrictions .................................................................................................................... 25
Alarm Manager Access ................................................................................................... 26
License – Dedicated vs. Undedicated ............................................................................. 26
Display Managers and Alarm Managers at Startup ............................................................. 26
Display Manager/Alarm Manager Access Rules ............................................................. 27
Security ................................................................................................................................... 27
Security Access ................................................................................................................... 27
Changing the Default Security Access ................................................................................ 28
Setting the AM Access Level in an Environment File .......................................................... 29
Customizing the Process/Alarm Button ......................................................................... 29
Operator Action Journal ..................................................................................................... 29
Annunciator Keyboards and FoxPanels Windows ................................................................... 30
Annunciator Keyboards ...................................................................................................... 31
Annunciator Lights ........................................................................................................ 32
Process Display Call-Up ................................................................................................ 32
FoxPanels ........................................................................................................................... 33
Horn Management ................................................................................................................. 33
Working with Horns ............................................................................................................... 34
Configurable Horn Options ............................................................................................... 34
Common Alarm Groups ......................................................................................................... 35
Configuring Common Alarm Groups ................................................................................ 35
Process Display Call-Up ..................................................................................................... 36
Process Display Call-Up Rules ....................................................................................... 36
Overriding Process Display Call-Up .............................................................................. 37
Configuring the Alarm Alert Database .................................................................................... 38

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Contents B0193RV – Rev E

Alarm Alert Database ......................................................................................................... 39

Alarm Alert Database Options ............................................................................................ 39
Configurable Items ............................................................................................................. 40
Number of Alarm Entries in Memory ............................................................................ 40
Alarm Entry Sort ........................................................................................................... 40
Maximum Number of Annunciator Assignments .......................................................... 41
Initial Alarm Manager Display ...................................................................................... 41
Return-to-Normal Action .............................................................................................. 41
Clear Alarm Button Action ............................................................................................ 42
Alarm Priority Colors .................................................................................................... 43
Configuring Blinking Colors ......................................................................................... 44
Resound Horn ............................................................................................................... 45
Horn Silence ................................................................................................................. 46
Updating Alarm Text in a Process Display ..................................................................... 46
Updating the Alarm Text String .................................................................................... 46
Top Priority Function ................................................................................................... 47
FoxBatch Confirm Messages .......................................................................................... 48
CAD Updates Function ................................................................................................. 49
ALMCNT Variable ....................................................................................................... 49
Recovering Alarm Information ................................................................................................ 49
Configuring a Command that uses Keywords ..................................................................... 50
Creating a Common Alarm Group File .............................................................................. 50
Adding Additional Workstations ........................................................................................ 51
Alarm Manager Command Interface ....................................................................................... 51
Configuration Files ................................................................................................................. 52
Keywords ................................................................................................................................ 52
List of Keywords ................................................................................................................. 53
Keyword Modifiers ........................................................................................................ 54
Keyword Examples ........................................................................................................ 54
Alarm Manager Built-In Commands ....................................................................................... 54
Time/Date Modifiers ......................................................................................................... 59
Alarm Server Task Commands ................................................................................................ 60

3. Alarm Manager Displays ................................................................................................. 63

Configuring Alarm Displays ............................................................................................... 63
Alarm Display Window ...................................................................................................... 63
Alarm Entries ................................................................................................................ 64
New Alarms Button ....................................................................................................... 64
Operator Actions from an Alarm Display ...................................................................... 65
Current Alarm Display ....................................................................................................... 65
Most Recent Alarm Display ................................................................................................ 67
Summary Displays .............................................................................................................. 68
View All Mode .............................................................................................................. 69
Alarm History Display ....................................................................................................... 70
Operations Display ............................................................................................................. 70
Environments ..................................................................................................................... 71

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B0193RV – Rev E Contents

Accessing Alarm Displays ................................................................................................... 71

Accessing the Initial Alarm Manager Display ................................................................. 71
Exiting the Alarm Manager ............................................................................................ 72
Accessing Another Alarm Display Window ................................................................... 72
Working with Displays ........................................................................................................... 72
Changing Displays ............................................................................................................. 73
Alarm Display Icons ...................................................................................................... 73
Acknowledging Alarms ....................................................................................................... 73
Selecting the Top Priority Alarm ................................................................................... 73
Specifying Matches and Finds ............................................................................................ 74
Locating a Specific Alarm ................................................................................................... 75
Saving Match/Filter Specifications ...................................................................................... 77
Obtaining Detail Information on a Particular Alarm .......................................................... 78
Saving/Printing Alarm Entry Information ..................................................................... 78
Working in the Alarm Area ..................................................................................................... 79
Scrolling Alarm Entries ....................................................................................................... 79
Limiting Alarm Entries ....................................................................................................... 79
Operating on an Alarm Entry ............................................................................................. 79
Alarm Message Fields ......................................................................................................... 80
Alarm Entries ................................................................................................................ 80
Pop-Up Menus .............................................................................................................. 81
Customizing Your Displays ................................................................................................ 82
Example ........................................................................................................................ 82
Example ........................................................................................................................ 83
More Examples .............................................................................................................. 83
Parts of the Alarm Manager User Interface .............................................................................. 84
Application Title Bar .......................................................................................................... 84
Display Title ...................................................................................................................... 84
Menu Bar ........................................................................................................................... 85
File Menu ...................................................................................................................... 85
Edit Menu ..................................................................................................................... 85
View Menu .................................................................................................................... 86
Display Menu ................................................................................................................ 86
Status Area .................................................................................................................... 87
Button Area ........................................................................................................................ 87
Parts of the Operations Display .......................................................................................... 88
Working with Alarm Manager Windows ................................................................................ 89
Showing and Dismissing Windows .................................................................................... 89
Moving an Alarm Display Window .................................................................................... 90
Resizing an AM Window ................................................................................................... 90
Accessing a Pop-Up Menu ................................................................................................. 91
Responding to Alarms ............................................................................................................. 91
Viewing Alarms and Alarm Detail Information .................................................................. 91
Refreshing an Alarm Display .............................................................................................. 92
Viewing Additional Alarm Information .............................................................................. 92
Selecting Alarms for Subsequent Actions ............................................................................ 93
Locating Alarms ................................................................................................................. 94

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Contents B0193RV – Rev E

Find vs. Match .............................................................................................................. 94

View All Mode ................................................................................................................... 95
Working with Alarms .............................................................................................................. 96
Acknowledging Alarms ....................................................................................................... 96
Accessing a Display Specific to an Alarm ............................................................................ 97
Clearing Alarms .................................................................................................................. 98
Analyzing Alarm Conditions .............................................................................................. 98
Working with Historical Alarm Information ...................................................................... 98
Changing the Historian ................................................................................................. 99
Saving Alarm Display Information ..................................................................................... 99
Examples of Normal and Comma-Separated Value Formats .......................................... 99
Printing Alarm Entry Information .................................................................................... 100
Using Match Filters ............................................................................................................... 101
Creating an Alarm Match Specification File ..................................................................... 102
Saving an Alarm Match Specification ............................................................................... 103
Loading an Alarm Match Specification File ...................................................................... 104
Clearing a Match/Filter Specification ............................................................................... 104
Deleting an Alarm Match Specification File ..................................................................... 105
Customizing a Button to Perform a Match ....................................................................... 105
Example – Using Alarm Match Specification Files ........................................................... 105
Working with the Operations Display ................................................................................... 107
Working with Horns ........................................................................................................ 108
Silencing Horns ........................................................................................................... 108
Muting/Unmuting Horns ........................................................................................... 108
Changing the Environment .............................................................................................. 109

4. Configuring Alarm Managers and Display Managers .................................................... 111

What is the ADMC ? ............................................................................................................ 111
Configuration Philosophy ................................................................................................ 112
Schemes ................................................................................................................................ 112
Relationship of Alarm Manager Schemes .......................................................................... 113
Templates ............................................................................................................................. 115
Standard/Default DM and AM Configuration ...................................................................... 115
Configuring Templates and Schemes .................................................................................... 117
Examples of Schemes ........................................................................................................ 117
Alternative Alarm Manager Schemes ................................................................................ 118
Invoking and Exiting the ADMC Configurator ................................................................ 122
Accessing the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator .................................................... 122
Exiting the AM/DM Configurator .............................................................................. 123
Items that can be Configured ........................................................................................... 123
Pre-Configuration Decisions ................................................................................................. 125
Display Manager Configuration ....................................................................................... 126
Alarm Manager Configuration ......................................................................................... 128
Local vs. Master Configuration Files ..................................................................................... 129
Using a New AM Database File ........................................................................................ 130

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B0193RV – Rev E Contents

Configuring an Alarm Manager ............................................................................................ 130

5. Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator........................................................... 133

ADMC Main Browser Window ............................................................................................ 134
ADMC Menu Bar ............................................................................................................ 134
File Menu .................................................................................................................... 135
Edit Menu ................................................................................................................... 135
ADMC List Box ............................................................................................................... 136
ADMC Command Buttons .............................................................................................. 136
AM/DM Configuration – Major Steps .................................................................................. 136
Creating and Initializing a Configuration File with Default Records and Templates .... 137
Accessing an Existing AM Database File ...................................................................... 138
Importing Existing dmcfg Information into an AM Database File ............................... 139
Saving the Current AM Database File ......................................................................... 139
Saving Changes to Templates and Schemes ................................................................. 140
Validating the AM Database File ................................................................................. 140
Creating AM/DM Install Files for Each Workstation .................................................. 141
Distributing Configuration Files to Individual Workstations ....................................... 142
AM/DM Customization ....................................................................................................... 143
Modifying an Alarm Manager’s Default User Interface ................................................ 143
Associating a DM with an AM .................................................................................... 144
Associating the Default AM to an AM Property Scheme ............................................. 145
Changing Access Class for a Button or Command ....................................................... 145
Positioning an Alarm Display ...................................................................................... 145
Saving AM Database Changes ..................................................................................... 146
Testing AM Database Changes .................................................................................... 147
Changing the Current Template .................................................................................. 147
Importing a Default Scheme ........................................................................................ 148
Customizing a Screen List ................................................................................................ 148
Operating on an Existing Display Manager ...................................................................... 149
Editing a Display Manager .......................................................................................... 149
Duplicating a Display Manager ................................................................................... 150
Deleting a Display Manager ........................................................................................ 150
Customizing a Display Manager ....................................................................................... 150
Creating a New DM Property Scheme ........................................................................ 151
Editing a DM Property Template ................................................................................ 152
Creating a New Display Manager from Existing Templates and Schemes .................... 152
Importing Existing Display Manager Information ....................................................... 154
Working with Alarm Managers ............................................................................................. 154
Customizing an AM Property Scheme or Template ..................................................... 155
Alarm Manager Property Scheme ..................................................................................... 155
Operating on an Existing Alarm Manager ........................................................................ 155
Editing an Alarm Manager .......................................................................................... 155
Duplicating an Alarm Manager ................................................................................... 156
Deleting an Alarm Manager ......................................................................................... 156
Configuring a New Alarm Manager with Default Settings ............................................... 156
Customizing an Alarm Manager ....................................................................................... 157

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Contents B0193RV – Rev E

Importing Existing Alarm Manager Information ......................................................... 158

Configuring AM Properties .............................................................................................. 158
Configuring Alarm Manager Class and Environment Properties .................................. 158
Customizing the Action of the New Alarms Button ..................................................... 159
Configuring a Display Type’s Properties ...................................................................... 160
Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Command Buttons ......................................... 162
Customizing Alarm Display Menus ....................................................................................... 163
Customizing Pop-Up Menus ............................................................................................ 164
Previewing a Pop-Up Menu ........................................................................................ 164
Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Pop-Up Menu ................................................ 164
Editing Pop-Up Menu Commands ............................................................................. 165
Creating a Submenu for a Pop-Up Menu .................................................................... 166
Creating a Separator for a Pop-Up Menu .................................................................... 166
Repositioning an Entry in a Pop-Up Menu ................................................................. 166
Customizing Menu Bars ................................................................................................... 166
Modifying a Command in a Menu .............................................................................. 166
Creating a Submenu within a Menu ............................................................................ 168
Creating a Menu Separator .......................................................................................... 169
Repositioning a Menu Entry ....................................................................................... 169
Previewing a Configured Menu Separator ................................................................... 169
Configuring a User Interface Scheme or Template ................................................................ 170
Customizing a User Interface Scheme .......................................................................... 170
Configuring Double-Click Action ............................................................................... 171
Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar ........................................................ 172
Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme .................................................................................. 173
Alarm Format Information .......................................................................................... 174
Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme’s Fonts ............................................................ 174
Configuring Foreground and Background Colors for Alarm Cells ............................... 175
Configuring Indicators for Alarm States and Acknowledge States ................................ 176
Configuring Time and Date Format ............................................................................ 177
Configuring an Alarm Cell .......................................................................................... 177
Configuring Alarm Cell Font Grid .............................................................................. 177
Configuring Alarm Cell Contents ................................................................................ 178
Configuring Alarm Entry Field Location and Size ....................................................... 179
Overriding the Font for a Selected Alarm Entry Field .................................................. 180
Overriding the Font for an Entire Cell ........................................................................ 180
Clearing an Override and Returning to the Default Font and Color ............................ 181
Formatting with Keywords .......................................................................................... 181
Alarm Manager Displays – Default Settings .......................................................................... 182
Default Command Buttons ......................................................................................... 182
Default Menus ............................................................................................................ 183
Default Pop-Up Menus ............................................................................................... 184
Alarm Manager Property Defaults ............................................................................... 184
Alternative Configurations ............................................................................................... 185
Alternative Alarm Manager Schemes ............................................................................ 186
Configuring Alternative Pre-V4.2 Defaults .................................................................. 188
Alternative Set of Configuration Files .......................................................................... 189

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B0193RV – Rev E Contents

Windows On Mode vs. Windows Off Mode .................................................................... 189

6. Tutorial – Configuring AMs and DMs with Standard Defaults .................................... 191
Alarm/Display Manager Configurator ................................................................................... 191
Default dmcfg File ........................................................................................................... 191
Accessing the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator ........................................................ 192
Initializing a New dmcfg Configuration File .................................................................... 192
Configuring the Display Managers ................................................................................... 193
Configuring the Alarm Managers ..................................................................................... 195
Creating the Second Alarm Manager ........................................................................... 196
Associating the DMs and AMs ......................................................................................... 197
Saving the Alarm Manager Configuration File .................................................................. 198
Creating the AM/DM Install Files from the .am File ........................................................ 198
Contents of the Configured dmcfg File ............................................................................ 199
Distributing the Install Files to the Workstations ............................................................. 200

7. Tutorial – Customizing an Alarm Manager ................................................................... 203

After Editing an AM Database File ................................................................................... 203
Adding a Command Button to the CAD .............................................................................. 203
Deleting a Button ............................................................................................................. 211
Changing a Button’s Access Class .......................................................................................... 212
Changing the Number of Alarm Entries ................................................................................ 213
Adding a Tenths of a Second Field to an Alarm Entry ........................................................... 215
Adding a Command to a Menu ............................................................................................ 218
Creating a Submenu ......................................................................................................... 220
Creating a Menu Separator ............................................................................................... 222
Repositioning a Menu Entry ............................................................................................ 223

8. Emulating Pre-V4.2 Alarm Displays.............................................................................. 225

If You Like the Pre-V4.2 Alarm Displays ..................................................................... 225
Default User Interface Scheme .............................................................................................. 225
Before Software V4.2 ........................................................................................................ 226
Alternative Default Configuration Files ............................................................................ 226
Operations Display ............................................................................................................... 228

Index .................................................................................................................................. 231

x
Figures
Example of the Traditional (Pre-V4.2) Display Manager’s Environment Menu Bar ... xiv
Example of the new (FoxView) Display Manager ........................................................ xv
2-1. Process Alarm Overview .............................................................................................. 10
2-2. Information Movement ............................................................................................... 12
2-3. Sort Option ................................................................................................................. 14
2-4. Alarm Display Customized with a Trend Point Button ............................................... 19
2-5. Trend Generated for a Selected Alarm ......................................................................... 20
2-6. Display Manager Association with Alarm Managers .................................................... 23
2-7. Example Display Manager Usage Summary Display ................................................... 25
2-8. Standard Annunciator Keyboard on (50 Series System) ............................................... 31
2-9. Software Emulation of an Annunciator Keyboard (70 Series System) .......................... 31
3-1. Parts of an Alarm Display ............................................................................................ 64
3-2. Example of Current Alarm Display ............................................................................. 66
3-3. Example of Most Recent Alarm Display ...................................................................... 67
3-4. Example of Alarm Summary Displays ........................................................................ 69
3-5. Example of Alarm History Display .............................................................................. 70
3-6. Default Operations Display ......................................................................................... 71
3-7. Using the Find Command to Locate Particular Alarms ............................................... 76
3-8. Using the Match Command to Locate Particular Alarms ............................................ 77
3-9. Alarm Detail Window ................................................................................................. 78
3-10. Parts of an Alarm Display ............................................................................................ 84
4-1. ADMC Main Browser Window ................................................................................ 112
4-2. Relationship of Alarm Manager Schemes .................................................................. 113
4-3. Alarm Manager Schemes ........................................................................................... 114
4-4. Schemes used by the Foxboro Supplied Default Alarm Manager ............................... 116
4-5. Example of foxFullScreen AM Property Scheme (MRA) ........................................... 119
4-6. Examples of foxQuarter AM Property Scheme (CAD and MRA) .............................. 119
4-7. Examples of foxOldCAD AM Property Scheme (CAD and AHD) ........................... 120
4-8. Example of foxFullSq AM Property Scheme (NEWALM) ........................................ 120
4-9. Examples of foxStrips AM Property Scheme (CAD and NEWALM)
used with a Foxboro Default-Size Display Manager .................................................. 121
4-10. Examples of foxGrids AM Property Scheme (CAD, MRA, and NEWALM) ............. 122
4-11. ADMC Main Browser Window ................................................................................ 124
4-12. Configuring a New Alarm Manager .......................................................................... 131
4-13. Alarm Manager Property Scheme and Alarm Manager Display Type Dialog Boxes ... 132
5-1. ADMC Main Browser Window ................................................................................ 134
6-1. A Portion of the Default dmcfg File .......................................................................... 192
8-1. Emulation of Current Alarm Display ........................................................................ 227
8-2. Current Alarm Display with Operations Button ....................................................... 228
8-3. Operations Display Window ..................................................................................... 229

xi
B0193RV – Rev E Figures

xii
Preface
The I/A Series system provides flexibility in the presentation of process alarms. This document
focuses on the relationship of the Alarm Manager with respect to:
♦ Display managers
♦ Alarm alert database
♦ Common Alarm Groups
♦ Annunciator keyboards, FoxPanels, and internal and external horns

Audience
This document is intended for process engineers for Model 51 and 70 Series workstations. The
document assumes that the process engineer has configured the control database and devices to
receive process alarms (workstations, Historians, and printers) using the Integrated Control Con-
figurator (ICC), or 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 display
managers.
System alarming is addressed as it relates to the alarm alert database resident in each workstation.

Revision Information
For Release 6.3, the following changes were made:
Chapter 7 “Tutorial – Customizing an Alarm Manager”
♦ Modified the instructions for customizing alarm displays indicating that you should
not customize the Alarm History format for a 10th of a second alarm value.

Reference Documents
Display Engineering for 50 Series Workstations (B0193MQ)
Display Engineering (Windows NT Operating System) (B0400MQ)
Display Manager/FoxView Calls (B0193DF)
FoxView (B0193WH)
FoxDraw (B0193WG)
Display Builder for 50 Series Workstations (B0193MP)
Display Configurator for 50 Series Workstations (B0193NL)
Process Alarm Configuration FoxPanels Configurator for Windows NT and Solaris (B0400AU)
Process Alarm Configuration (non-51 and non-70 Series workstations) (B0193AU)
Workstation Configuration (B0193AG)
Integrated Control Blocks Description (B0193AX)
Integrated Control Software Concepts (B0193AW)
Integrated Control Configurator (B0193AV)

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B0193RV – Rev E Preface

Operator Action Journal (B0193CW)

Process Operations And Displays (B0193MM)
Process Summary Reporter Configurator (B0193DG)
System Management Displays (B0193JC)
System Operations (B0193CR)

Document Conventions
The configurator software and run-time software described in this document can be run on mul-
tiple platforms: UNIX and Windows NT. 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.
♦ Most of the illustrations of windows and dialog boxes in this document show the
UNIX version of displays. Windows and dialog boxes on a Windows NT platform are
slightly different, but contain the same information. Significant differences between
the two versions are noted.
♦ File paths are different between the two operating systems. Examples in this document
show UNIX file paths. When necessary, differences between the two operating sys-
tems are noted.
This document refers to the FoxView display manager. Optionally, your system may be config-
ured to use the display manager of previous software releases (called Display Manager).
The following illustrations show the traditional (pre-Version 4.2) Display Manager and the Fox-
View display manager.

Click here

Example of the Traditional (Pre-V4.2) Display Manager’s Environment Menu Bar

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Preface B0193RV – Rev E

System Management Display Scrollable Message Field

Date Stamp
Windows Title Bar
Select Screen Current Alarm Display Time Stamp

Status Bar Environment Printer Logging Historian

Name Name

Example of the new (FoxView) Display Manager

Typographical Conventions
The paper form of this document uses these typographical conventions (fonts).
Example Purpose
Enter date (mm/dd/yy): In an example, shows the workstation’s output
or display
AMNAME 54AW51 54AW51 .- foxDefault In an example, shows actual content of a file
almack or dmcmd In a paragraph, identifies the name of a
command or utility
compound:block.parameter.bitextension In a syntax statement, shows parts of a
command
cd \usr\display In an example, shows a user entry
Process or File or Save In a paragraph, identifies a button, field, or
menu item on the workstation’s user interface.

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B0193RV – Rev E Preface

Example Purpose
bold text In a paragraph, emphasizes a word
Workstation Alarm Management In a paragraph, identifies the name of a
document. In a note, however, a document’s
title is not italicized

The on-line form of this document uses these typographical conventions (fonts).
Example Purpose
Enter date (mm/dd/yy): In an example, shows the workstation’s output
or display
AMNAME 54AW51 54AW51 .- foxDefault In an example, shows actual content of a file
almack or dmcmd In a paragraph, identifies the name of a
command or utility
compound:block.parameter.bitextension In a syntax statement, shows parts of a
command
cd \usr\display In an example, shows a user entry
Process or File or Save In a paragraph, identifies a button, field, or
menu item on the workstation’s user interface.
bold text In a paragraph, emphasizes a word
Workstation Alarm Management In a paragraph, identifies the name of a
document. In a note, however, a document’s
title is not italicized

Terms
This document uses the following terms.
Term Meaning
display manager The workstation’s display manager (either the traditional
Display Manager or the FoxView display manager)
Display Manager The traditional (Pre V5.0) display manager
FoxView The new (V5.0) display manager
Remote terminal A terminal running X windows

These terms are used differently between the two platforms.

UNIX Windows NT Meaning
Gray, grayed Dim, dimmed An item (such as a selection, button, or command)
is not available

These action terms are used throughout this document and the on-line help.
Term Meaning
Click Move the mouse pointer over an item and quickly press and release the left
button.

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Preface B0193RV – Rev E

Term Meaning
Choose Carry out an action. You usually click the left mouse button on an item to:
Designate a menu bar field from a menu bar
Run a command from a drop-down menu
Run a command from a button
Select Mark an item (often shown when the item is highlighted, or boxed).
Sometimes you can use the TAB key or an arrow key to move the cursor to
the item. Selection does not start an action.

Also, the terms control station and control processor are used interchangeably.

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B0193RV – Rev E Preface

xviii
1. Introduction to Workstation
Alarm Management
This chapter defines the terms “display manager” and “Alarm Manager”. It also describes the
available on-line help.
The I/A Series system offers many ways to manage the receipt of alarm information. From the
perspective of the workstation, you configure the presentation of alarm displays to meet your site’s
objectives.
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 includes two display managers: Display Manager and Fox-
View. Refer to Display Engineering documentation 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 display windows are independent of the display
windows on other AMs. For each AM, all AM display windows can be simultaneously open, pro-
viding multiple views of the alarm alert database.
Users of Pre-V4.2 versions of the I/A Series software are familiar with the Display Manager, which
handled the Current Alarm Display (CAD) and Alarm History Display (AHD). The Alarm Man-
ager now handles these displays and five additional displays. Refer to Chapter 3 “Alarm Manager
Displays”.
This document focuses on Alarm Managers and display managers, which are two software tasks
that you can configure. In general, you set up properties for the display managers and Alarm
Managers that determine the presentation of alarm information at the workstations. This docu-
ment is supplemented by on-line Help available while you are running various applications.
This chapter introduces the information in this document and provides a starting point for learn-
ing how to configure your site’s workstations with regard to the presentation of process alarms
information.

Alarm Management
Each site has its own objectives and needs. Depending on your system’s hardware configuration
(number and type of workstations, CRTs or heads, Annunciator keyboards or FoxPanels,
and printers) and software licences, you can configure these alarm-related items:
♦ Alarm alert database attributes
♦ Environments and access levels
♦ Workstation groupings (Common Alarm Groups)
♦ Annunciator keyboards, FoxPanels windows, and workstation horns
♦ Display coordination (also called display redirection)
♦ Alarm recovery

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B0193RV – Rev E 1. Introduction to Workstation Alarm Management

♦ Alarm display presentation

Control database configuration, which is described in other I/A Series user documents (Integrated
Control Configurator (B0193AV)), enables the receipt of messages at the workstations.

Workstations
Each site has its own array of hardware (workstations). Your site can include these UNIX-based
and Windows NT-based workstations:
♦ 50 Series workstations (single- or dual-headed)
♦ 70 Series workstations (single-, dual-, or quad-headed)
♦ Remote X terminals
♦ WP20, WP30, or PW workstations

Document Content
The primary focus of this document is process alarm management from the perspective of the
workstation. The document includes conceptual information and tutorials. Much of the how-to
information you will need to configure your system is in this document and also in on-line Help.
Descriptions of options within windows and dialog boxes are available in this document and also
through on-line Help.
This document is split into these parts:
Subject Refer to
Alarm subsystem background information Chapter 2 “Alarm Subsystem”
Alarm Manager displays Chapter 3 “Alarm Manager Displays”
Configuring Alarm Managers and display managers Chapter 4 “Configuring Alarm Managers
and Display Managers”
Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator Chapter 5 “Using the Alarm/Display
Manager Configurator”
Setting up additional display managers and Alarm Chapter 6 “Tutorial – Configuring AMs
Managers using default values and DMs with Standard Defaults”
Customizing Alarm Manager displays Chapter 7 “Tutorial – Customizing an
Alarm Manager”
Emulating Pre-V4.2 alarm displays Chapter 8 “Emulating Pre-V4.2 Alarm
Displays”

On-Line Help
Many I/A Series applications include on-line Help, which provide how-to and reference informa-
tion.
These are the help files associated with Alarm Managers and the Alarm/Display manager Config-
urator:

2
1. Introduction to Workstation Alarm Management B0193RV – Rev E

Help File Name Description

am.hlp How to use Alarm Manager windows
admc.hlp How to use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC)

Each of these help files describe customizing the alarm alert database, working with CAGs, pro-
cess display call-up, and include other workstation-related information.

NOTE
The Annunciator Configurator/FoxPanels Configurator’s help file is
foxpancf.hlp. The FoxPanels Runtime Manager’s help file is foxpanel.hlp.

Viewing On-Line Help Information

The on-line Help information (how-to and reference material) is typically of interest only while
you are running the application. You can, however, explore help-file information without running
the associated application.

NOTE
Alarm Manager help is currently not available from the Alarm Manager application
(that is, there is no method of entry such as a help menu or button). Use one of the
following methods to view Alarm Manager help file (am.hlp), which is located in
the /usr/fox/wp/bin directory.

To view an application’s on-line Help from a 70 Series workstation

Perform one of these operation.
1. From the Windows NT taskbar, choose Run.
A dialog box opens.
2. Type winhlp32 and the filespec.
For example, to view Alarm Manager help, type:
winhlp32 /usr/fox/wp/bin/am.hlp
- Or -
1. Locate the on-help file (.hlp file) by running the Search command (from
Windows Explorer’s File menu).
2. Using Explorer, navigate to the particular help file of interest.
3. Double-click the help file.
The application’s on-line Help window opens.

To view on-line Help from a 50 Series workstation

1. Bring up a VT100 window.
2. Type the following UNIX command:

Document Content 3
B0193RV – Rev E 1. Introduction to Workstation Alarm Management

/opt/windu/bin/hyperhelp filespec
filespec refers to the path and filename of the on-line help file.

NOTE
Omitting filespec calls up a browser window, allowing you to locate the file.

The application’s on-line Help window opens.

Considerations
Read and become familiar with the following considerations.

Instances of Alarm Managers

A default DM and AM are automatically created and start up when a workstation is booted. To
quickly add additional instances of the Alarm Manager, refer to Chapter 6 “Tutorial – Configur-
ing AMs and DMs with Standard Defaults”. The display engineering documents also provides
information on adding additional Alarm Managers.

NOTE
Review your resource needs when adding additional Alarm Managers.

Environments and Access Classes

If you currently use display manager environments in conjunction with access class protections on
your graphic display buttons, review the information in “Security” on page 27.

Windows Off Mode

(UNIX only) If you operate in Windows Off mode, during which only one window is visible,
review the information in the ADMC on-line Help to understand how this affects the way you
configure and interact with the Alarm Manager.

Pre-V4.2 CAD Emulation

The default configuration of the Current Alarm Display (CAD) provided with the Alarm Man-
ager is different from the configuration of the Display Manager’s Pre-V4.2 CAD. Should you
choose to emulate the older style CAD, a set of alternative configurations are provided. Refer to
Chapter 8 “Emulating Pre-V4.2 Alarm Displays” for a description and to the on-line Help for
how-to information.

Object Manager Connections

Four of the Alarm Manager displays automatically form Object Manager connections to receive
analog parameter value updates and alarm status updates. Optionally, you can also configure the
CAD to form an Object Manager connection to also receive analog parameter updates. Refer to
“Alarm Manager’s Object Manager Connections” on page 21.

4
1. Introduction to Workstation Alarm Management B0193RV – Rev E

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 hardware letterbugs, logical names, and soft-
ware parameters for Historian and system monitor packages and annunciator
keyboard address configuration.
♦ Integrated Control Configurator (ICC), to configure the control database with com-
pound and block alarming parameters (alarm types, alarm priorities, alarm inhibit)
and alarm destination devices.
♦ Historian for maintaining the historized alarm messages.
♦ Process displays, including system supplied Block Detail Displays, user-defined group
displays, and process operation displays.
♦ Display trending for viewing the value or status of variables over a period of time.
♦ Display Builder and Display Configurator for 50 Series workstations for building and
configuring user-defined process displays.
♦ FoxDraw for 50/70 Series workstations for building and configuring user-defined
process displays.
♦ 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).
♦ FoxAMI (Fox Alarm and Message Interface software) (optional) for convenient
retrieval of alarms and other messages generated by I/A Series systems and applica-
tions stored on the hard drive of the AMI host station.
♦ FoxPanels Configurator (50 Series and 70 Series) and FoxPanels Runtime Manager
(70 Series).

Related Software Packages 5

B0193RV – Rev E 1. Introduction to Workstation Alarm Management

6
2. Alarm Subsystem
This chapter describes how the alarm system operates.
These topics are described:
♦ Alarm subsystem
♦ Alarm notification
♦ Process alarms
♦ Responding to alarms
♦ Alarm alert database defaults
♦ Alarm Manager
♦ Display managers
♦ Security
♦ Alarm Manager Object Manager connections
♦ Annunciator keyboards and lights and FoxPanels windows
♦ Horn management
♦ Common Alarm Groups
Read this chapter before configuring the display managers and Alarm Managers at your site.

Alarm Subsystem
A workstation’s alarm subsystem software comprises three distinct key processes:

Process Function
Alarm Alert (AA) Receives process alarm messages from the control stations and
maintains the workstation’s list of alarms in a database (alarm
alert database). This process also maintains status information
for setting Annunciator keyboard and FoxPanels lights.
Alarm Server Task (AST) Distributes alarm information maintained by AA to each of the
alarm display processes (AMs) as it is updated by AA.
Alarm Manager (AM) Displays alarm information in a graphical user interface using a
set of pre-configured displays.

Alarm Notification
Develop an understanding of how the Alarm Manager receives alarm information and what hap-
pens when an alarm occurs.

7
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Types of Alarms
The I/A Series system supports two types of alarms:
♦ Process alarms, indicating alarm conditions generated by the software (compounds
and blocks) resident in control stations.
♦ System alarms, indicating hardware failures from network or station equipment. Refer
to System Management Displays (B0193JC) for information about system alarms.

Notification and Response

Depending on the type of alarm and the alarm configuration implemented, the system generates a
notification when a new alarm occurs. Additionally:
♦ Horn(s) may sound
♦ Configured printers and Historians receive a message
The I/A Series software not only provides alarm notification, but also provides a means to respond
to alarms. At the workstation, the display manager (DM) manages I/A Series environments and
provides access to specific applications, utilities, and the displays functionally grouped to repre-
sent the tasks performed by each type of user. Menu bar commands for each environment deter-
mine the tasks that can be performed. Each FoxView’s Process button (“Alarm” field on Display
Manager) provides direct access to an Alarm Manager and its associated displays. The display
manager’s Process/Alarm button is different from Alarm Manager displays’ New Alarms button;
refer to “New Alarms Button” on page 15.
Separate windows control the display of alarm information. FoxView handles process displays.
Alarm Manager handles alarm displays.

Process Alarms
There are many potential process alarms, such as:
♦ Out-of-range conditions
♦ Deviation alarms
♦ Measurement alarms
♦ State alarms
♦ Confirmation messages (FoxBatch)
The destinations for these alarm messages are configured using the Integrated Control Configura-
tor (ICC). Standard I/A Series alarm destinations are workstation(s), printer(s), and Historian(s).

Process Alarm Initiation

Process alarms are initiated by the control 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

8
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Each block within a control station maintains an alarm status parameter (ALMSTA) to which
both I/A Series system 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.

NOTE
Be aware that alarm message generation and detection can be inhibited. Refer to
Integrated Control Block Descriptions for more information.

When a Process Alarm Occurs

When a process alarm occurs, there is information movement (behind the scene activity)
and physical alarm notification.
Figure 2-1 shows information routing, yielding physical (visible and audible) alarm notification.
Figure 2-2, which focuses on behind-the-scene activity, shows how Object Manager connections
quickly deliver updated information from the control processors to the alarm displays.

Physical Notification
The Process button (FoxView) or Alarm button (Display Manager) indicates the current status
of alarm(s) in the workstation’s database. Clicking the Process/Alarm button accesses the alarm
displays from which to access these process displays:
♦ Block Detail Displays
♦ The top priority display
♦ User-built displays
On a 70 Series workstation configured with a sound circuitry and speakers, a horn may sound, or
a sound file (.WAV file) may be played. Also, an Annunciator key or FoxPanels button may light
up.
In response to an outstanding alarm condition, an operator may initiate an action from the work-
station using:
♦ Alarm displays
♦ Annunciator keys (or FoxPanels buttons on 70 Series workstations)
♦ Process displays (Block Detail Displays and user-defined graphics)

Alarm Notification 9
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Horns
Alarm
Messages

Alarm Alert Annunciator Keyboard

Database
FoxPanels
Control Historian
Processor Database

Alarm Displays

Alarm Message Printer

Alarm History Display

Process Displays

Figure 2-1. Process Alarm Overview

View process alarm status on:

♦ Customizable Alarm Manager windows (alarm displays).
♦ The faceplate of the associated Block Detail Display and group displays, indicating
alarm type, priority, and acknowledgment state.
♦ User-defined displays, indicating alarm conditions. These are updated if configured
with FoxDraw.
♦ Annunciator lights (LEDs) or FoxPanels buttons that flash. Pressing an annunciator
key (or FoxPanels button) accesses process-related displays, initiates a program, or
both.

Alarm Subsystem Information Movement

Figure 2-2 shows alarm subsystem information movement with relation to the Alarm Manager.
When a control block goes into alarm, a control processor sends an alarm message (including an
analog value such as MEAS) to designated destinations, one of which may be a workstation’s
alarm alert database. The Alarm Manager receives alarm information from the alarm alert data-
base and displays the alarm on an alarm display.

10
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Certain alarm displays set up Object Manager connections to the control processor. These alarm
displays are immediately updated with changes to the alarmed analog parameter value and status
information, that is, the return-to-normal and block acknowledgment state transitions. The
CAD, when optionally configured, can form an Object Manager connection only to a control
processor’s analog value parameter (not to the ALMSTA status parameter). CAD updates repre-
senting return-to-normal and acknowledge status changes are dependent upon the reception of
return-to-normal and acknowledge messages being received from the control stations.

NOTE
If a connection cannot be made, such as when a cable disconnects, the color of the
value and alarm tag turn cyan; refer to Process Operations And Displays.

Therefore, when the block comes out of the alarm state, the control processor sends a return-to-
normal message to the alarm alert database. Due to their Object Manager connection to the
ALMSTA parameter, certain alarm displays reflect this returned-to-normal transition.

Alarm Notification 11
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

CP Workstation
Sends a message
Block Alarm
Alert
Database

Passes alarm information

Workstation possibly including an
analog value parameter Alarm Display
Alarm
Alert
Database

CP O.M. connections are set up

to reflect changes in the ALMSTA
and analog value parameters such as MEAS Alarm Display
Block

When a block goes

out of alarm, it sends
CP a return-to-normal Workstation
message
Alarm
Block
Alert
Database
The alarm display sees
the transition of the
Alarm Display
ALMSTA parameter

Figure 2-2. Information Movement

Responding to Process Alarms

Depending on the configuration of the workstation, the operator can respond to process alarms
by:
♦ Clicking the Process/Alarm 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
♦ (Annunciator keyboard) Pressing the ACK button to silence the horn(s)

12
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

♦ (Annunciator keyboard or FoxPanels display) Pressing any key/button to silence the

horn(s). Pressing a configured key accesses a process display and/or initiate a program.

Alarm Messages Sent Directly to the Printer

This 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
09-16-96 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 may be configured with the Integrated Control Configurator to be directed to an
Historian database.
Any Historian on the I/A Series system may supply alarm information to the Alarm History Dis-
play. On 50 Series and 70 Series stations, a list of Historians is available for selection. The default
Historian is located on the logical host of the workstation.

Alarm Alert Database

Each workstation has an alarm alert database. 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 configuration parameters 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 by modifying the values of options in a workstation’s
init.user start-up file. Refer to the Alarm Manager on-line help for information for configuration
procedures, available options, and the valid values each option can take.

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. These attributes affect
information in alarm displays and horn notification.
These are the init.user file default attributes:

Attribute Default
Number of alarm entries in 200
memory (MAX_CAD)

Alarm Alert Database 13

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Attribute Default
Alarm entry sort By in-alarm versus return-to-normal, by acknowledged, by
(SORT_CFG) priority, and then by time
Clear alarm button option Clear the alarm from the database only on the workstation
(CLR_OPT) initiating the action. The associated annunciator light or any
control block is unaffected
Return-to-normal action Maintain the alarm entry in the list and designate it as returned-
(RTN_DROP) to-normal and unacknowledged. The annunciator light associated
with the block continues to flash until acknowledged

Figure 2-3 shows an example of a site’s alarm alert database. In this example, the alarms are sorted
first by in-alarm vs. return-to-normal, then each group is sorted into acknowledged and unac-
knowledged alarms. Next, the alarms in each of the four 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 would be the top priority alarm. Also note that the group of alarms
shown as Time 1 through Time N is the most recent alarms.

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 2-3. Sort Option

NOTE
Acknowledged return-to-normal alarms are removed from the alarm alert database.

Foxboro Supplied Defaults

Based on default settings in the init.user file, this table shows how alarm displays behave.

14
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Feature CAD MRA Summary AHD

New alarms dynamically appear Yes Yes No No
You can acknowledge alarms Yes Yes Yes No
Alarm entry update (status and analog value) No * Yes Yes No
Maximum number of entries (MAX_CAD) 2000 20 2000 5000

* Refer to the CAD_UPD value in the init.user file.

New Alarms Button

The New Alarms button is located in the top-right corner of alarm displays. Upon a change
to ALMCNT, the state of the New Alarms button changes.

Configurable Options
The values of the ALMPRI and ALMRTN alarm alert database attributes affect the ALMTXT
and ALMCNT workstation globals.

Attribute Default
Alarm text string save priority option (ALMPRI) Only alarm Priorities 1 and 2 cause updates
Alarm message types save option (ALMRTNS) Only in-alarm messages cause updates

To indicate the alarm text string and the current number of alarms, connect the ALMTXT and
ALMCNT workstation globals to display objects. For more information about these globals, refer
to the Alarm Manager on-line help.

Recovering Alarm Information

For security, another workstation with the same alarm alert database (and AAtab and AApan) con-
figuration can act as an alarm backup station for a 50 Series or 70 Series workstation. When a
workstation is rebooted, its backup workstation supplies the alarm list and annunciator lights (or
FoxPanels buttons) information.
When a workstation configured for alarm recovery is rebooted, the alarm alert database is trans-
ferred over the network from the backup workstation. Alarm recovery occurs in 50 Series or
70 Series workstation results in Alarm Manager notification of alarm recovery with a message dia-
log box. All displays are automatically refreshed with the recovered alarm information, and
annunciator LEDs (or FoxPanels buttons) are set or reset as appropriate.
To set up alarm recovery for a workstation, refer to “Common Alarm Groups” on page 35.

Requirements
Proper use of alarm recovery requires that the control stations are configured to send the same set
of alarms to both workstations. This way, each workstation maintains the same active alarm alert
database information.

Alarm Alert Database 15

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

In addition, the backup workstation must also be configured with the same Annunciator key-
board (or FoxPanels window) control block assignments as the requesting workstation.

NOTE
If a 50 Series or 70 Series station recovers alarm alert database information from a
non-50 Series or non-70 Series station (such as a WP20/30), the alarm timestamp
does not include the number of milliseconds.

Alarm Manager
The Alarm Manager (AM) is the entity running on a workstation that provides a set of display
windows (alarm displays) from which to view:
♦ Alarm alert database information
♦ Alarm status information from control processors
An Alarm Manager provides a set of displays (six alarm displays and an Operations display) that
work in conjunction with the workstation’s display managers, allowing easy access to process dis-
plays through alarm display menu commands and buttons. You can respond to process alarm con-
ditions using customized graphics for your needs.
The Object Manager connection updates the parameter value in alarm on an alarm display.
The AM, which is modeled after the workstation’s display manager, incorporates these display
manager features:
♦ User-specific environments and security access
♦ Operator Action Journaling (OAJ)
♦ The ability to process AM-specific built-in commands

Current Operating Environment

Similar to the display manager, the Alarm Manager includes a current working environment, such
as Proc_Eng_Env or Proc_Op_Env. When a password is configured, the password must be sup-
plied before the Alarm Manager changes environment. When an environment is successfully
entered, the AM reads the corresponding DM environment script and reads and executes the
access key lock commands (setacl, protect, unprotect) to update its access key lock states. This, in
turn, affects the user’s access to alarm display functions (menus, commands, and buttons).

NOTE
If you have assigned access classes to Pre-V4.2 displays, make similar assignments to
Alarm Manager alarm displays. For more information, refer to the Alarm Manager
on-line help.

You associate an environment script with an Alarm Manager by means of the Alarm Manager’s
property scheme. Similar to the DM, you may assign the Alarm Manager an operating class, such
as Boot or Operator. By means of the Alarm Manager’s user interface scheme, you set an access
code (protection code from 0 to 255) that restricts the use of display functions.

16
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Alarm Displays
Unlike the display manager, which provides information in a single display window, one instance
of an Alarm Manager can display alarm information to six distinct display windows:
♦ Current Alarm Display (CAD)
♦ Most Recent Alarm Display (MRA)
♦ New Alarm Display (NEWALM)
♦ Acknowledged Alarm Display (ACKED)
♦ Unacknowledged/Returned-to-Normal Alarm Display (UNACK)
♦ Alarm History Display (AHD)
The NEWALM, ACKED, and UNACK displays are referred to as summary displays.
You can customize most of the alarm displays’ aspects to suit your site’s requirements. Alarm dis-
plays are described in Chapter 3 “Alarm Manager Displays”, and the Alarm/Display Manager
Configurator used to customize the alarm displays is described in Chapter 4 “Configuring Alarm
Managers and Display Managers” and Chapter 5 “Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configura-
tor”.

Alarm Display Capabilities

Alarm displays provide these capabilities:
♦ Access to detail information for an alarm
♦ Access to process displays
♦ Match/filter and find capability to locate particular 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) format for easy import into other applications such as Excel

Alarm Display Configuration Capabilities

You can configure alarm displays to control these visual and interactive aspects:
♦ Alarm display position on the screen
♦ Alarm format (message position and content)
♦ Menu bar items and commands
♦ Buttons
♦ Pop-up menu and mouse double-click actions
♦ New Alarms button action

Configurable Display Options

You customize an alarm alert database by modifying the values of options in a workstation’s
init.user start-up file. Refer to Chapter 5 “Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator” and

Alarm Manager 17
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

the Alarm Manager on-line help for information about configuration procedures and the available
options and the valid values each option can take.

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 which affect informa-
tion in alarm displays and the horn configuration. These are the default display attributes:

Default Color
Attribute Priority (foreground/background)
Unacknowledged alarm priority colors Priority 1 White/Red
Priority 2 White/Magenta
Priority 3 White/Brown
Priority 4 White/Cyan
Priority 5 White/Dark gray
Acknowledged alarm priority colors Priority 1 Red/Gray
Priority 2 Magenta/Gray
Priority 3 Brown/Gray
Priority 4 Cyan/Gray
Priority 5 Dark gray/Gray
Return-to-normal priority colors Priority 1 White/Red
Priority 2 White/Magenta
Priority 3 White/Brown
Priority 4 White/Cyan
Priority 5 White/Dark gray

Alarm Manager Command Interface

Similar to the display manager, the Alarm Manager has a command interface. You can use Alarm
Manager built-in commands and keywords to utilize alarm tasks and information in other appli-
cations. Built-ins commands and keywords extend Alarm Manager functionality and facilitate a
link from the Alarm Manager to your own applications to meet your plant-specific needs. The
command interface, for example, allows you 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
AM built-ins are normally used to configure button actions, menu items, and new alarm actions.
Refer to the Alarm Manager on-line help for a list of Alarm Manager built-in commands.
Use Alarm Manager keywords and modifiers to configure the content of each alarm type message.
At runtime, the Alarm Manager replaces the keywords with text derived from alarm messages gen-
erated by the control software. Refer to the Alarm Manager on-line help for a list of Alarm Man-
ager keywords, modifiers, and field codes.

18
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Example AM Commands using Keywords

Notice in the following example how the Alarm Manager replaces keywords (Compound, Block,
ParamName, and AlarmType) with actual data, which is then presented on displays.
This example sends a selected alarm point from an alarm display to the first trend line on the first
trend of a display manager display. You could assign the following command to a button labeled
“Trend Point” on an alarm display:
send_to_dm ””trend -name <Compound>:<Block>.<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 2-4 shows an alarm dis-
play with a Trend Point button, and Figure 2-5 shows a trend display generated from the selected
alarm entry.

Figure 2-4. Alarm Display Customized with a Trend Point Button

Alarm Manager 19
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Figure 2-5. Trend Generated for a Selected Alarm

This next user-supplied application with the compound name, block name, and alarm type of the
selected alarm as arguments to the application. You could assign the following command to a but-
ton labeled “Notepad”:
run /opt/bin/attach_notes <Compound> <Block> <AlarmType>

Alarm Display Object Manager Updates

Similar to the way display manager graphics “connect” to control stations, certain alarm displays
(MRA and the three summary displays) form Object Manager connections with control stations.
The Alarm Manager monitors the block’s alarm status parameter (ALMSTA) to determine the
alarm’s acknowledge state and the alarm’s in-alarm/returned-to-normal state, which is shown on
these alarm displays.

NOTE
The Current Alarm Display can optionally be configured to form an Object Man-
ager connection to update the alarmed parameter of an analog alarm entry.

Here’s how alarm display are updated.

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2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Alarm Display Updating

Current Alarm Display Updates are based entirely upon connectionless alarm messages sent by
(CAD) control stations to the alarm alert database in the workstation.
No Object Manager (OM) connections are formed. Alarm acknow-
ledge status and return-to-normal state are derived from the receipt of
separate messages sent from control stations. By means of the init.user
file, you can optionally configure the CAD to form Object Manager
connections to update only the alarmed value of an alarm entry.
Most Recent Alarm As new alarm messages are added to the display, previous alarm
(MRA) 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. 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
positionally static. New alarm entries are not added to the display, and
alarms are not deleted from the display. Alarm entries dynamically
reflect up-to-date status and value information.

Alarm Manager’s Object Manager Connections

Four of the six alarm displays (Most Recent Alarm display and the three summary displays) form
Object Manager (OM) connections with control stations.

NOTE
The Current Alarm Display can optionally be configured to form an Object Man-
ager connection to update the alarmed parameter of an analog alarm entry.

The Alarm Manager, similar to the display manager, forms Object Manager connections
to control stations, enabling rapid presentation of a change to the alarm status information. When
an alarm becomes 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 Alarm Alert
subsystem
♦ 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) and 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 the display manager, which connects to a fixed set of control stations based upon the con-
trol parameters 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 currently in view on a workstation. The situation at that moment dictates the con-

Alarm Manager 21
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

trol stations to which the AM will establish connection. An hour later, for example, the same AM
display may be connected to a different set of control stations.

Connection Points
The following OM connection points background information 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.

OM Connection Points
The AM adds OM connection points only to the open list for alarms shown in the display. For
example, a New Alarm 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 two 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 thirty minutes before the
AM removes a connection point.
♦ Any time the OM list becomes full, the entire list is closed and is reopened afresh.
Closing the entire list and reopening it uses fewer system resources than performing
a multitude of dynamic deletions from the list.
♦ 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

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).

Though each AM display is limited to one OM list, this maps to a variable number of workstation
IPC connections, each for a different control processor from which alarms have been received and

22
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

are displayed. Take these considerations into account when determining the number of AMs to
display alarms on a given workstation.
♦ From the control station perspective, consider the number of workstations and associ-
ated Alarm Manager displays from which alarm conditions are to be viewed when
establishing alarm destinations.

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 provides a single window
and is independent of other DMs.
An Alarm Manager (AM) provides a set of display windows, representing different views of a
workstation’s alarm alert database. Each of the AM’s display windows is independent of the dis-
play windows on other AMs. For each AM, all AM display windows can be simultaneously open,
providing multiple views of the alarm alert database.

DM/AM Association
A display manager accesses the Alarm Manager with which it is associated.
Each DM can access its own dedicated AM, or multiple DMs can access the same AM; refer to
Figure 2-6. Associating multiple display managers with a single Alarm Manager, however, offers
the best use of a workstation’s memory and computing power.

Display Manager Alarm Manager

Display Manager Alarm Manager

Each DM accesses its own AM

Display Manager
Alarm Manager
Display Manager

Two DMs share the same AM

Figure 2-6. Display Manager Association with Alarm Managers

NOTE
Associating one display manager with two Alarm Managers is not a valid associa-
tion.

Display Managers and Alarm Managers 23

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Display Manager Process/Alarm Button State

The color and flash state of the display manager’s Process/Alarm button represents the entire
runtime 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 Manager
to its displays.

Process/Alarm Button States

When a block or group of blocks related to the process goes into alarm, the Process/Alarm button
flashes 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 data-
base, as follows:

Button State Description

Blinking red One or more unacknowledged alarms exist
Solid red One or more acknowledged alarms exist
Blinking normal One or more alarms have returned-to-normal, but are still unacknowledged
Solid normal No process alarms exist in the database

Clicking the Process/Alarm button silences the horn(s) and accesses the alarm displays for analyz-
ing, acknowledging, and clearing alarms.

Display Manager Licenses

Each 50 Series or 70 Series workstation has a single license for the display manager (DM) and
Alarm Manager (AM) software, both of which are automatically configured with default naming
conventions.
You may purchase additional display manager licenses. For each additional display manager
license purchased, you are provided with an additional Alarm Manager license. Additionally pur-
chased 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 display manager or Alarm Manager window shows the name of that DM or AM
as:
StationLetterbug:DMname
-Or-
StationLetterbug:AMname
The number of licenses available for the 50 Series appears at the bottom of the Display Manager
Usage Summary display (Figure 2-7).

24
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Figure 2-7. Example Display Manager Usage Summary Display

For example, Figure 2-7 shows the station letterbug as DMWP50, and the display manager as
DMWP50.

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).
The minimum information required are the names of additional DMs and AMs.
For flexibility, you can configure more display managers and Alarm Managers than the number of
available licenses. At any given time, however, the number of DMs running on a 50 Series or
70 Series station is limited to the number of licenses available on that station. Refer to the display

Display Managers and Alarm Managers 25

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

engineering documents for size and style considerations. Refer to the System Operations Guide
(B0193CR) document for information on starting and stopping additional DMs.

Alarm Manager Access

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 DM’s Process/Alarm button is pressed.
Use DM/AM association to access the appropriate Alarm Manager when the Process/Alarm but-
ton in a display manager I/A Series environment is clicked.
An AM can access multiple alarm displays. Because of the AM’s multiple display capability, many
sites choose to associate multiple DMs to a single instance of an AM.
When you have multiple display managers, you must configure the associations between the dis-
play managers and the available Alarm Managers. These associations are recorded in the dmcfg
file located in the \usr\fox\customer\hi directory. You can modify the dmcfg file with the
Alarm/Display Manager Configurator.

! CAUTION
Observe caution if you use a text editor to modify the dmcfg file.

The information in the dmcfg file determines where each DM window and each set of AM dis-
play windows appears (the same monitor, either monitor of a dual-headed workstation, or a
remote terminal running X Windows).
DM/AM association is not bidirectional. Association refers only to a display manager having
access to an Alarm Manager.

License – Dedicated vs. Undedicated

Each AM and DM may 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).

Display Managers and Alarm Managers at Startup

When a workstation is booted, a configured bootable display manager or Alarm Manager
starts up and displays its initial window(s).
If a workstation is operating in “Windows Off” mode, the Alarm Manager runs behind the dis-
play manager and becomes visible only when the Process/Alarm button is clicked.
When a display manager displays on a remote X terminal, the first time its Process/Alarm button
is clicked, an Alarm Manager begins to display on that remote workstation. This Alarm Manager
runs until terminated by the remote user or the user logs off the remote workstation.
Refer to the ADMC help for information about configuring remote X terminals.

26
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Display Manager/Alarm Manager Access Rules

The bootable display manager should be associated with a dedicated Alarm Manager configured
to start up 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:
a. If the AM is running, the DM uses the letterbug AM.
b. 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:
a. If an AM with the same name is allowed to display on the server, the DM starts it
up or brings it forward.
b. 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.
c. If no AM is running, the DM starts any AM available that is configured to display
to the workstation.

Security
You can control your system’s security by using the I/A Series environments and by setting up
access levels and passwords.

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 commands.
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
Disabling this capability disables (grays) the buttons.
By default, remote display managers and view-only DMs disable:

Security 27
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

♦ 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. For additional infor-
mation, refer to the 50 Series X Client/Server Support (B0193NV) document and to the Model 51
X Terminal System Administration Guide (Solaris 2.x) (B0193UB) document.

Changing the Default Security Access

Similar to the Display Manager of the Pre-V4.2 software, the Alarm Manager enables you
to change the current working environment (for example, changing from Proc_Eng_Env
to Proc_Op_Env). If a password is configured for the new environment, you must supply it
before entering the new environment.
Upon entering the new environment, the corresponding DM environment script is read by the
AM and the access key lock commands (setacl, protect, and unprotect) are read and executed by
the AM to update its access key lock states. This, in turn, affects the availability of alarm display
buttons.
By default, when a workstation is booted, the AM executes the Init_Env environment script. The
Alarm Ack and Alarm Clear buttons are pre-configured with an access class of 100. If the follow-
ing commands are included in the /usr/fox/sys/Change_Env/Init_Env script, the Alarm Ack and
Alarm Clear buttons remain inactive when the AM’s Current Alarm Display is invoked.
dmcmd protect all
dmcmd unprotect value 0
For this initial boot-up situation, resolve the issue by:
♦ Adding an additional “dmcmd unprotect value 100” statement to the initial envi-
ronment script
♦ Changing the access code for buttons or menus by changing their access code (config-
ured in the User Interface scheme)
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.
The Operations display provided with the default Alarm Manager includes an Environments but-
ton that accesses the list of configured I/A Series environments, thus changing the AM’s environ-
ment.
As an alternative, you may add commands to environment scripts executed by the DM to force a
change in the protection classes within the AM. Similar to the DM, the AM has a command
interface variable as shown in the following three examples.
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$GCLBUG amcmd “unprotect value 100”
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -AM0001 amcmd “chngenv AM_Oper_Env”
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “setacl 1 +++--”
The specification of the AM above (-$GCLBUG, -AM0001, or -DMTOAM) depends entirely
upon the specific configuration of the AMs on the workstation.

28
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Setting the AM Access Level in an Environment File

When a user changes display manager environments, the DM and AM should have the same lev-
els of protection.
The Init_Env file should have a line like this:
dmcmd setacl 1 ----------
The Proc_Eng_Env file should have a line like this:
dmcmd setacl 1 ++++++++++
These lines set a minimal access level (security access = 0) for the initial environment and a maxi-
mal access level (security access = 255) for the Engineer environment. Set the same access levels
for the Alarm Manager as set for the display manager to have the same restrictions.

To set the AM access levels

Edit the DM environment files in the /usr/fox/sys/Change_Env directory. For example, add these
lines:
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “setacl 1 ----------”
dmcmd run /usr/local/pref -$DMTOAM amcmd “setacl 1 ++++++++++”
$DMTOAM allows the command to work for any display manager. Do not hard code the actual
display manager name.
The location of the line in the file is not critical, but it displays a “Local Application Startup” mes-
sage on the screen’s top line, so place it before any “dmcfg msglin” command (if present) in the
environment file.

Customizing the Process/Alarm Button

You may want to modify the Process/Alarm button entry in an environment file to invoke the
Alarm Manager with non-default characteristics. If such changes are made to the environment
file, you must make an additional change to the display manager(s) initial command file to ensure
that the Process/Alarm button is properly updated (for example, set flashing) upon the arrival of
alarms to the workstation.
For example, if the following command were associated with the Process button in the
/usr/fox/sys/Change_Env/Init_Env file:
dmcmd button 1 Alarm “dmcmd rcntalms -match boiler.ams”
insert this DM command:
setenv ALMP “dmcmd rcntalms -match boiler.ams”
in one of these two files:
/usr/fox/wp/data/wp51_cmds (for all DMs on the workstation)
/usr/fox/wp/data/<WPLBUG>/<DMNAME/dm_init (for an individual DM)
If this change is being made to the “wp51_cmds” file, insert this command before the command
line: “dmcmd ojinit”; otherwise, it has no effect.

Operator Action Journal

When an Operator Action Journal (OAJ) 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

Security 29
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

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.
These alarm-related operations are included in the OAJ with other process-related operations:
♦ Alarm acknowledgment
♦ Horn muting/unmuting
♦ Environment changes

NOTE
When configuring AMs and DMs, carefully consider the naming conventions used
if one or more OAJs are to be used.

The logging of alarm-related actions is configured per Alarm Manager. An Alarm Manager’s log-
ging behavior is based on the logging behavior of the same-named display manager. An AM logs
to the printer and Historian configured for the same-named DM.
When the DM processes an ojinit command (following a change to the OJLOG variable), it noti-
fies the appropriate AMs so they will respond to the logging behavior changes.

Annunciator Keyboards and FoxPanels Windows

To increase an operator’s awareness of alarm conditions, an optional annunciator keyboard may
be attached to a 50 Series or 70 Series workstation (or an optional FoxPanels windows may dis-
play on a 70 Series workstation). By associating control blocks to the individual lights on the
annunciator keyboard or FoxPanels window, the workstation’s alarm alert subsystem turns on
individual lights to indicate outstanding alarm conditions for associated control assignments.
As of the V4.2 release, the number of assignments that may be assigned to the set of annunciator
lights is configurable up to 10,000, with a default of 2,000.
The annunciator keyboards and FoxPanels displays also work with the system horns. Refer to
“Horn Management” on page 33.
Figure 2-8 shows an annunciator keyboard on a 50 Series or 70 Series system. A 70 Series system
can emulate an annunciator keyboard, as shown in Figure 2-9. You can configure a 70 Series sys-
tem to display a customized soft alarm panel. Annunciator keyboards and FoxPanels rely on con-
figuration files; refer to Annunciator Configuration and FoxPanels Configuration on-line help for
more information.

30
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Figure 2-8. Standard Annunciator Keyboard on (50 Series System)

Figure 2-9. Software Emulation of an Annunciator Keyboard (70 Series System)

Pressing an annunciator key (or clicking a FoxPanels button) can run a program, display a
graphic, or both. This capability is achieved by configuring an annunciator key (or FoxPanels but-
ton) to invoke the assigned program(s) and display(s). Customized graphics for the particular set
of compounds and blocks (control assignments) enable an operator to quickly address alarm con-
ditions.
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 FoxPanels button). Complete descrip-
tions of configuration tasks are in the FoxPanels Configurator on-line help.

Annunciator Keyboards
WP51 and AW51 workstation support a maximum of two annunciator keyboards (four for
WP/AW51 workstations with dual CRTs). The keyboards may be annunciator keyboards
or annunciator/numeric keyboards, or one of each. Each workstation has a console horn,
and each keyboard has a horn.

Annunciator Keyboards and FoxPanels Windows 31

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

When configured with the FoxPanels Configurator, horns may sound and the lights associated
with keys on the annunciator panels may flash or go steady to indicate the following process alarm
conditions:
♦ A block alarm condition
♦ A block return-to-normal
♦ An unacknowledged or acknowledged block
When an annunciator light flashes, pressing the associated annunciator key initiates a previously
configured display and/or program and/or display manager command(s).
If nothing is configured, a Block Detail Display appears, depending on the block(s) assigned
to the light in alarm.
If multiple blocks assigned to a light are in alarm, the Block Detail Display associated with the
highest priority block alarm (according to the sort option in the alarm alert database) is accessed.
The FoxPanels Configurator can also associate process displays with the block(s) for direct access
and for alarm display access. Assignment can be made to the AAtab file to call up user displays
from alarm displays without requiring the user to push an Annunciator key or press a FoxPanels
button. Refer to the FoxPanels Configurator on-line help.

NOTE
You can achieve the same display call-up without Annunciator hardware if assign-
ments are made in the AAtab file.

Annunciator Lights
Annunciator lights display theses conditions:

Light Status Means

Blinking One or more alarms for a compound:block assigned to the annunciator
light are unacknowledged.
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.

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 engineering documentation for details.

Process Display Call-Up

For 50 Series and 70 Series workstations with multiple display managers (DMs), the alarm panel
configuration associates each annunciator keyboard panel (or FoxPanels soft alarm panel) with a
target DM name.

32
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

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. Refer to
Process Alarm Configuration (B0193AU) for more information.

Redirecting Default Behavior at Runtime

You can override the default configured behavior at runtime, redirecting the alarm panel configu-
ration to another DM. Refer to Process Alarm Configuration (B0193AU) for more information.
You can use commands (such as addalmpnl) to add temporary redirection. Other commands
allow you to save, load, and clear redirection settings; the syntax for these commands is described
in Display Manager/FoxView Calls (B0193DF).

FoxPanels
The FoxPanels Configurator supports any combination of soft alarm panels. The total number of
alarm keys and buttons cannot exceed 192.

Horn Management
Three types of optional horns can sound when a system alarm or process alarm occurs:
♦ Two keyboard horns per WP/AW51 (four keyboard horns per a dual-headed CRT
WP/AW51
♦ One console horn per WP/AW51 (two console horns per WP/AW51s with dual-
headed CRTs)
♦ Six horns external to the I/A Series equipment
Depending on the alarm priority, a horn can sound for a system alarm, process alarm, or both.
The keyboard and console horns for alarm priority or system alarms have up to three configurable
tone levels. 70 Series systems configured with a sound board and speakers can additionally play a
.WAV file. The horn tone changes only when the priority of the new alarm is higher than the pri-
ority of the alarm that originally caused the horn to sound.
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, the capability to mute a horn is accessible from the Alarm Manager’s
Operations display. When muted, “Horns Muted” appears in the status area of an
alarm display on 50 Series and 70 Series stations. If non-50 Series or non-70 Series
stations are members of the same Common Alarm Group, the Horns Muted mes-
sage appears on the message line when the CAD is active or refreshed.

Horn Management 33
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Working with Horns

By default, you can silence and mute horns using commands from the Operations display’s Horns
menu. Silencing temporarily turns of the horns until the next alarm occurs. Muting permanently
turns off the horns. The alarm display’s status area shows the status of horns actions. This action
can be configured to any display for convenience.
The operator can silence or mute/unmute annunciator/workstation horns, both locally or
throughout the Common Alarm Group (CAG) of which the workstation is a member.
A horn mute/unmute action can be initiated only by the Alarm Manager on a 50 Series
or 70 Series workstation. Non-50 Series or non-70 Series workstations cannot initiate a
mute/unmute action throughout the CAG, but will respond to the action.
When horns are muted across the CAG, the horn is shut off entirely and the “Horns Muted” mes-
sage appears in the:
♦ Status area of the Alarm Manager displays on WP/AW51 stations.
♦ Display manager message line on non-50 Series workstations in the CAG with the
Current Alarm Display displayed. The message appears each time the screen is
refreshed.
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 alarm alert database’s Resound option (refer to the on-line help). Backup
recovery of a workstation within a CAG passes the CAG muting setting to the recovered worksta-
tion. Recovery of a workstation not a member of a CAG is always booted with horn sounding
enabled.

Configurable Horn Options

You customize an alarm alert database by modifying the values of options in a workstation’s
init.user start-up file. Refer to the Alarm Manager on-line help for information about configura-
tion procedures and the available options and the valid values each option can take.

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 which affect informa-
tion in alarm displays and the horn configuration. These are the default horn attributes:

Attribute Default
Horn option Manual silencing via the display. Regardless of the configured
(HORN_OPT) horn option, the ACK button on an annunciator keyboard
continues to silence horns.
Resounding option The action of the horns when unmuted (if alarms have
(RESOUND) occurred during the muted period). The default is to not
resound the horn.

34
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Common Alarm Groups

You can logically group workstations throughout the I/A Series system into Common Alarm
Groups (CAGs). All the workstations within a Common Alarm Group are affected when one
workstation issues a Silence Horns command or a Clear Alarm command.

NOTE
If a 50 Series or 70 Series station recovers alarm alert database information from a
non-50 Series or non-70 Series station (such as a WP20/30), the alarm timestamp
does not include the number of milliseconds.

Each workstation in the system can be configured as part of one large Common Alarm Group,
one smaller subgroup, or two smaller subgroups. If a workstation is a member of two CAGs, issu-
ing a Clear Alarm command or Silence Horn 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 Group names in an I/A Series system.
Settings in the Common Alarm Group file (commgrp.cfg) direct workstation alarm recovery
backup and the process display call-up.

Configuring Common Alarm Groups

You must initially run /usr/fox/alarms/CAGinit to create the configuration file for CAGs
(/usr/fox/alarm/commgrp.cfg).

To run CAGinit
1. Type:
cd /usr/fox/alarmsx (on a UNIX workstation)
cd \usr\fox\alarms (on a Windows NT workstation)
2. Type:
CAGinit (on a UNIX workstation)
sh CAGinit.ksh (on a Windows NT workstation)
The commgrp.cfg file then contains a list of all workstations throughout the system and the infor-
mation for these capabilities:
♦ CAG-related common horn silence
♦ CAG-related common horn mute
♦ CAG-related alarm clear (using the CLR ALM button)
♦ Workstation alarm recovery
♦ Process display call-up

NOTE
A workstation need not be a member of a Common Alarm Group to configure WP
alarm backup or process display call-up.

Common Alarm Groups 35

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

The following information may be optionally configured for every workstation listed in the con-
figuration 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.)
♦ The names of DMs to which the following alarm displays may be redirected when
accessed from an alarm display: Block Detail Display, top priority alarm display, and
user display.
Each workstation’s alarm alert database initially contains default attributes. These attribute in the
init.user file that affects Common Alarm Groups is:

Attribute Default
Clear alarm button option Clear the alarm from the database only on the workstation
(CLR_OPT) initiating the action. The associated annunciator light or any
control block is unaffected.

Process Display Call-Up

Process display call-up allows the Alarm Manager to direct each of the following process-related
displays to other display managers on the same workstation or different workstations.

Display Button
Block Detail Display for the selected alarm Block Detail
User display or Block Detail Display for the highest priority alarm Top Priority
in the alarm alert database (based on the sort order)
User display for the selected alarm User Disp

Process displays (Block Detail Displays, top priority displays, and user displays) accessed from
alarm displays are sent to a display manager (DM) with the same name running on the same
server as the Alarm Manager (AM). If no DM with the same name is found, any DM 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 file). You can override this default
configuration 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.
An AM displaying on a remote station directs its displays and commands to the display manager
displaying on the same remote station unless otherwise overridden.

Process Display Call-Up Rules

The following rules apply to process display call-up on 50 Series and 70 Series stations (in the
Common Alarm Group file):

36
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

♦ The display file must reside on the workstation or host AP of the workstation to
which it is being directed.
♦ The configuration information in the commgrp.cfg file for a workstation applies to all
display managers that are activated on that workstation, that is, the same process dis-
play 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 may contain DM names instead of WP letterbugs for the pro-
cess display call-up assignments. The DMs may be configured on the local
workstation or a remote workstation.
♦ Each DM and AM configured on a workstation has an individual set of WP
read/write environment variables. You can configure these variables in the com-
mgrp.cfg file (“Configuring Common Alarm Groups” on page 35) or by assigning
values at runtime by means of pref commands (refer to setenv built-in commands in
the Alarm Manager on-line help).

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 in the Common Alarm Group file.
Each DM has its own set of variables that may be dynamically changed. Variables may contain
DM names instead of letterbug names. When a workstation boots up, each dedicated DM has the
configuration specified in commgrp.cfg file. Each unassigned DM has process display call-up
turned off.
The AM process display call-up variables may be:
♦ Changed dynamically from the VT100 window (or Windows NT command prompt)
♦ Assigned to a menu
♦ Attached to an Alarm Manager button; for example,
pref -am0001 amcmd “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
“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 or remotely, the following occurs:

Common Alarm Groups 37

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

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 pro-
cess 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.

Configuring the Alarm Alert Database

Unless you have customized the configuration of your alarm alert database, the system uses
default values. You can customize your system by using the alarm alert database options in these
workstation-dependent configuration files:
♦ /usr/fox/wp/data/init.user (a customized file)
♦ /usr/fox/wp/data/init.user.rel (a Foxboro supplied file)
The init.user.rel file contains the most recent set of configurable options available in the current
software release for the 50 Series and 70 Series workstations.

To access the most recent optional enhancements

NOTE
If you have an existing customized init.user file, compare the init.user file against
the init.user.rel file to determine whether there are differences. Decide whether to
copy the init.user.rel file to the init.user file or to append/enter enhancements to the
init.user file.

1. Copy the init.user.rel to the existing init.user file.

2. Make edits directly to the init.user file.

To change alarm alert database options

1. Open the /usr/fox/wp/data/init.user file using a text editor.
For UNIX, use the VT100 mode.
2. At the line for the desired option, remove the pound (#) sign.
For example, change # CLR_OPT=<value> to CLR_OPT=<value>
3. Replace the current value with a desired value.
4. Reboot the workstation.

38
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

The changes take effect when the revised start-up file is read.
In the above example, if the workstation is part of a CAG, perform the same edits at the CAG
members.

Alarm Alert Database

Each workstation has an alarm alert database. The database includes all the alarm messages it has
received from the control stations. This in-memory database is the source of alarm information
that is presented to all the Alarm Managers connected to the database.
Alarms are directed to specific alarm alert databases according to the alarm’s control block config-
uration.
Workstation configuration parameters determine the alarm information stored in the database
and the order the information is presented on Alarm Manager displays.
You customize an alarm alert database by modifying the values of options in a workstation’s
init.user start-up file.

NOTE
Maintain a consistent configuration scheme for alarming options across all the
workstations in your I/A Series system. Each workstation should have the same val-
ues for the CLR_OPT, RTN_DROP, SORT_CFG, HORN_OPT, and
RESOUND options.

Each workstation’s alarm alert database initially contains default attributes. These attributes affect
information in alarm displays and the horn configuration.

Alarm Alert Database Options

These are the alarm alert database options you can set.
♦ Alarm entry sort order
♦ Number of alarm entries in memory
♦ Maximum number of Annunciator keyboard or FoxPanels assignments
♦ Initial Alarm Manager display
♦ Return-to-normal action
♦ Clear Alarm button action
♦ Alarm priority colors
♦ Horn silence
♦ Resound horn
♦ Updating the Alarm Text String
♦ FoxBatch confirm messages
♦ Top Priority function
♦ CAD updates function

Configuring the Alarm Alert Database 39

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

NOTE
To indicate the alarm text string and the current number of alarms, you can connect
the ALMTXT and ALMCNT workstation globals to display objects. Refer to the
display engineering documentation for information.

Configurable Items
You can configure the following items in the alarm alert database.

Number of Alarm Entries in Memory

The value of the MAX_CAD option in the init.user.rel file sets the number of alarms that can be
stored and used in alarm displays and alarm recovery. The range is 200-1000. The default is 200.

Format
MAX_CAD=<value>
For example, MAX_CAD=1000 sets the number of alarm entries at 1000.
To accommodate new alarms received after the list is full, alarms are dropped based on the config-
ured sort option (SORT_CFG) as follows:
First Lowest ordered unacknowledged return-to-normal entry
Next Lowest ordered acknowledged alarm
Last Lowest ordered alarm, if and only if the new alarm would be placed
higher in the list, in accordance with the configured sort option.

The drop order depends on the sort option. For example, if the sort option is by time only
(SORT_CFG=4), the oldest alarm is dropped without regard to acknowledge state or return-to-
normal state.
Dropping an alarm to accommodate a new alarm results in Annunciator/FoxPanels light process-
ing as usual and the sounding of a horn, if appropriate/configured. The block is not acknowl-
edged; the block’s UNACK parameter remains unchanged in the control station.

NOTE
For FoxBatch, active suspended alarms remain in the database at the risk of losing
higher priority alarms (when CONF_RTN=Y).

Alarm Entry Sort

The value of the SORT_CFG option in the init.user.rel file sets the alarm entry sort order.

40
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Format
SORT_CFG=<value>

<value> Description
0 (default) Sort first by in-alarm or return-to-normal, then acknowledge
state, then priority, and last by time.
1 Sort first by acknowledge state, then priority, and then time.
2 Sort first by acknowledge state and then time.
3 Sort first by priority and then time.
4 Sort by time.

Maximum Number of Annunciator Assignments

The value of the MAX_ACTIONS option in the init.user.rel file sets the maximum number of
assignments that can be made to the Annunciator keys on a 50 Series workstation or the FoxPan-
els buttons on a 70 Series workstation.

Format
MAX_ACTIONS=<value>

<value> Description
2000 The maximum number of block assignments that can be assigned
to the Annunciator keys is 10,000. The range is 2000 to 10,000.
The default number is 2000.

Initial Alarm Manager Display

The value of the AM_DISP option in the init.user.rel file sets the initial Alarm Manager display.

Format
AM_DISP=<value>

<value> Description
CAD (default) Current Alarm Display
MRA Most Recent Alarms Display
NEWALM New Alarms Display
ACKED Acknowledged Alarms Display
UNACK Unacknowledged Returned-to-Normal Alarms Display
AHD Alarm History Display
OPR Operations Display

Return-to-Normal Action
The value of the RTN_DROP option in the init.user.rel file sets the return-to-normal action.

Configuring the Alarm Alert Database 41

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Format
RTN_DROP=<value>

<value> Description
0 (default) The returned-to-normal alarm is kept in the Alarm Alert internal
database. Based on the sort configuration (SORT_CFG), the alarm entry
may also be repositioned in the database. When the block is
acknowledged, this alarm entry is removed from the database. In
addition, the Annunciator light associated with a block that has returned
to normal continues to flash until the block has been acknowledged.
1 The returned-to-normal alarm is removed from the Alarm Alert internal
database regardless of the block acknowledgment state. As a result of this
configuration option, the Unacknowledged Return-to-Normal Alarms
Summary display is always empty. In addition, the Annunciator light
blinking or solid) associated with a block that has returned to normal is
extinguished regardless of the block acknowledgment state.

If an Annunciator key has more than one block assignment currently in alarm, the Annunciator
light is affected by all the block conditions associated with that key.

NOTE
When the Alarm Alert subsystem receives a DISABL message (for example, when a
compound is turned off), all alarms in its internal database for the designated com-
pound:block are removed. The system no longer expects return-to-normal messages
for those alarms.

Refer to Process Operations And Displays for additional information regarding disabled blocks with
outstanding alarms and return-to-normal conditions.

Clear Alarm Button Action

The value of the CLR_OPT option in the init.user.rel file sets the action of the Clear Alarm but-
ton.

Format
CLR_OPT=<value>

<value> Description
0 (default) The selected alarm entry is deleted from the Alarm Alert internal
database only on the workstation from which the selection is made.
The associated Annunciator LED (if configured) or any block
parameter is unaffected.
1 The selected alarm entry is deleted from the Alarm Alert internal
database on all workstations defined in the same Common Alarm
Group(s) as the workstation from which the selection is made.

42
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

<value> Description
2 The selected alarm entry is deleted from all the Alarm Alert internal
database on all workstations defined in the same Common Alarm
Group(s) as the workstations from which the selection is made. In
addition, the block is marked as acknowledged, and the alarm
condition of the Annunciator LED associated with the block (if
configured) is set to returned-to-normal.

A Clear Alarm button configured with CLR_OPT=1 or CLR_OPT=2 clears (on CAD) or grays
(on MRA and summary displays) the selected alarm from the alarm displays on all workstations in
the same Common Alarm Group as the requesting workstation.

Alarm Priority Colors

The following table lists color values permitted for alarm priority color options.
Under the "Color Values" column, the first number is reserved, the next five numbers set the
background colors, and the last five numbers set the foreground colors.

Format
ALMCLR=<value>
ACKCLR=<value>
RTNCLR=<value>

Alarm Priority
Color Option Color Values Description
ALMCLR= 00,07,07,07,07,07, Unacknowledged alarm priority colors – the
01,05,03,06,08 color associated with each unacknowledged
alarm priority displayed in alarm displays. The
priority number and the background color for
the Unacknowledged indicator are shown in
default colors. The default foreground color for
each of the alarm priority is white (07). The
default background colors are:
Priority 1 – Red (01)
Priority 2 – Magenta (05)
Priority 3 – Brown (03)
Priority 4 – Cyan (06)
Priority 5 – Dark Gray (08)

Configuring the Alarm Alert Database 43

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Alarm Priority
Color Option Color Values Description
ACKCLR= 00,01,05,03,06,08, Acknowledged alarm priority colors - the color
15,15,15,15,15 associated with each acknowledged alarm
priority displayed in alarm displays. The priority
number is shown in the default color. The
default background color for each of the prior
ties is gray (15). The default foreground colors
are:
Priority 1 - Red (01)
Priority 2 - Magenta (05)
Priority 3 - Brown (03)
Priority 4 - Cyan (06)
Priority 5 - Gray (08)
RTNCLR= 00,07,07,07,07,07, Return-to-normal priority colors - the color
01,05,03,06,08 associated with each unacknowledged return-to-
normal alarm priority displayed in alarm
displays. The priority number and background
for return-to-normal and the unacknowledged
indicators are shown in default colors. The
default foreground color for each of the alarm
priorities is white (07). The default background
colors are:
Priority 1 – Red (01)
Priority 2 – Magenta (05)
Priority 3 – Brown (03)
Priority 4 – Cyan (06)
Priority 5 – Dark Gray (08)

On UNIX systems, besides setting the colors, you can make them blink.

Configuring Blinking Colors

(UNIX systems only. Currently, Windows NT systems cannot use blinking). The standard color
palette file for 50 Series workstations (WP/AW50 and WP/AW51)
is /usr/fox/wp/data/sys_pal.wp50. If alarm blink attributes are desired, the color palette file
/usr/fox/wp/data/sys_pal.blink has the following additional settings:
♦ Five blinking colors representing the default alarm colors
♦ The blink off color is set to gray, which is the default background screen color for the
CAD.
You can implement alarm text blinking (foreground blink) or alarm background blinking (back-
ground blink). Either color palette file can be customized on a WP30 workstation and con-
verted/transferred to a 50 Series workstation. Refer to the display engineering documents for
conversion information.
The UNIX /usr/include/fox/hicolors.h file contains the correlation between the system default
colors and the associated standard system palette numbers; for example 4 is for low-intensity blue.

44
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

To configure the alarm type field colors with blink attributes

1. Back up sys_pal.wp50 by copying it to the file sys_pal.wp50.save.
2. Copy the sys_pal.blink file to the sys_pal.wp50 file.
This provides access to the default blink colors.
3. Open /usr/fox/wp/data/init.user in the VT100 mode using a text editor.
4. Remove pound signs (#) from the alarm color and acknowledged alarm color lines.
The lines have the following format
OptionName=00,b1,b2,b3,b4,b5,f1,f2,f3,f4,f5
00 is reserved for future use
bn indicates background color for alarm priority 1
fn indicates foreground color for alarm priority 1
Initially, the lines in the init.user.rel file contain the system default values for blinking
which are accessed by uncommenting the lines and having the sys_pal.blink file avail-
able. The defaults for ALMCLR, ACKCLR, and RNTCLR are:
Option Value Indicates
ALMCLR= The five background and five
00,07,07,07,07,07,17,21,19,22,24 text foreground blink colors for
unacknowledged alarms
ACKCLR= The five text background and
00,07,07,07,07,07,01,05,03,06,08 five text foreground colors for
acknowledged alarms
RTNCLR= The five background and five
00,07,07,07,07,07,17,21,19,22,24 text foreground blink colors for
return-to-normal alarms

5. Set the desired text background and foreground color for each process alarm when
unacknowledged (ALMCLR), when acknowledged (ACKCLR), when returned-to-
normal (RTNALM).
6. Reboot the workstation to make the changes take effect.

Resound Horn
The value of the RESOUND option in the init.user.rel file sets the resound horn action when the
mute condition is cleared.

Format
RESOUND=<value>

<value> Description
0 (default) Horns do not resound when the mute condition is cleared
(Mute command from Operations display).
1 Horns resound when the mute condition is cleared (if alarms
arrived during the mute period, horns will sound).

Configuring the Alarm Alert Database 45

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Horn Silence
The value of the HRN_OPT option in the init.user.rel file sets the horn silencing action for man-
ual or automatic horn silencing. This applies to the local workstation horn or the horns through-
out the Common Alarm Group.

Format
HRN_OPT=<value>

<value> Description
0 (default) Horn is silenced manually only via the ACK button on
Annunciator or alphanumeric keyboard, any Annunciator
panel key, and accessing the Alarm field in a display manager
I/A Series environment.
1 Horn is silenced automatically when all blocks are acknowl-
edged regardless of priority. Manual silence is also allowed.
2 Horn is silenced automatically when all blocks are returned
to normal. Manual silence is also allowed.
3 Horn is silenced automatically when all blocks are acknowl
edged regardless of priority or all blocks are returned to
normal. Manual silence is also allowed.

NOTE
The HRN_OPT option applies only to alarms of compound:blocks that have an
Annunciator assignment.

Updating Alarm Text in a Process Display

You can embed the ALMTXT variable in a process display. A process display that uses an
ALMTXT variable automatically updates the alarm text when the ALMCNT variable updates.
When an alarm is saved in ALMTXT, the ALMCNT variable is incriminated. On the process
graphic, configure a text field to show {GCLBUG} ALMTXT with ALMCNT {GCLBUG} as the
trigger for updates.

Updating the Alarm Text String

The value of the ALMPRI option in the init.user.rel file sets the priority of alarms to be saved for
use with the alarm text {$GCLBUG}ALMTXT string variable and the alarm count ALM-
CNT{$GCLBUG} integer variable.

Format
ALMPRI=<value>

<value> Description
0 No saves are performed.
1 Priority 1 alarms are saved.

46
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

<value> Description
2 (default) Priority 1 and 2 alarms are saved.
3 Priority 1, 2, and 3 alarms are saved.
4 Priority 1, 2, 3, and 4 alarms are saved.
5 Priority 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 alarms are saved.

The value of the ALMRTNS option defines the type(s) of alarm messages saved for alarm text
string updates and the alarm count (ALMCNT) variable.

Format
ALMRTNS=<value>

<value> Description
0 (default) The ALMTXT string and ALMCNT variable are updated for
in-alarm messages only.
1 The ALMTXT string and ALMCNT variable are updated for
both in-alarm and return-to-normal messages.

The ALMTXT variable is a 60-character text string with this format:

Compound Block Parameter hh:mm:ss Pri State AlmType PointName
where:
Pri Priority of the message
State A (in-alarm) and R (return-to-normal)
PointName May not be present if not configured

For non-analog alarms, such as STATE, an asterisk (*) appears in place of the parameter.

Top Priority Function

Set the value of the LIA_OLDEST option in the init.user.rel file to indicate how the Top Priority
button is to operate.

Format
LIA_OLDEST=<value>

<value> Description
Y Selects the oldest highest priority alarm.
N (default) Selects the most recent highest priority alarm.

NOTE
The top priority display is a Block Detail Display or user-defined display that per-
tains to the highest priority alarm, according to the sort configuration of the alarm
alert database.

Configuring the Alarm Alert Database 47

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Considerations
♦ The LIA_OLDEST option invokes displays for alarm entries in the workstation’s
alarm alert database that are unacknowledged and in-alarm based on oldest-to-newest
priority. When all the in-alarm unacknowledged alarms have been traversed, pressing
the Top Priority button displays the oldest, highest priority, unacknowledged, return-
to-normal alarm entry in the database. When all the unacknowledged return-to-nor-
mal alarms have been acknowledged, the oldest, highest priority acknowledged alarm
entry is used to call up a graphic.
♦ If the alarm is not acknowledged at the time the Top Priority button graphic is pre-
sented, a subsequent selection of Top Priority recalls the same display.
♦ If no user graphic is associated with the alarm, the Block Detail Display is called up.
♦ The standard CAD display continues to show the newest, highest priority alarm at the
top with the oldest, lowest priority alarm at the bottom (which is the default for the
SORT_CFG option).

FoxBatch Confirm Messages

Set the value of the CONF_RTN option in the init.user.rel file to instruct the Alarm Alert sub-
system how to handle FoxBatch confirm (CONF) messages.
In FoxBatch, when a block sends a confirm message, the block’s logic is suspended until an oper-
ator issues an unsuspend command or a timeout occurs. When CONF_RTN=Y, an active CONF
message, that is, an alarm entry indicating a suspended block, cannot be cleared from the alarm
alert database.
When a FoxBatch block is unsuspended, the control processor generates a return-to-normal
(RTN) message.
When a CONF message displays on an MRA or summary display, the Alarm Manager monitors
the block’s SUSPND parameter to determine whether the block is still suspended. The suspended
state is treated like an in-alarm state, and the unsuspended state is treated like a return-to-normal
state. This state information is used in coloring dynamic alarm fields and is also used in alarm
matching and filtering.

Format
CONF_RTN=<value>

<value> Description
Y The Alarm Manager monitors a suspended FoxBatch block’s
SUSPND parameter and prevents the clearing of the CONF
message. When an unsuspend command is issued (or a timeout
occurs), the CONF message is removed.
N (default) The Alarm Manager does not monitor FoxBatch block SUSPND
parameters and allows an operator to clear a CONF message.

48
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

CAD Updates Function

Set the value of the CAD_UPDATES option in the init.user.rel file to indicate whether real-time
updates are to be performed on the CAD. Analog values are updated; alarm status values are not
updated. CAD_UPDATES uses Object Manager connections.

Format
CAD_UPDATES=<value>

<value> Description
Y Turns on real-time parameter updates to the CAD.
N (default) Turns off real-time parameter updates to the CAD.

For information about Object Manager connections, refer to Workstation Alarm Management.

ALMCNT Variable
The Alarm Manager monitors the ALMCNT variable. When the ALMCNT variable changes:
♦ The Alarm Manager executes a user-defined action
♦ The New Alarms button on alarm displays indicates that new alarms have arrived in
the internal alarm alert database since the display has been called up. On a UNIX
workstation, the button illuminates and flashes. On an Windows NT workstation, the
button illuminates.

Recovering Alarm Information

For security, another workstation with the same alarm alert database configuration can act as an
alarm backup station for a 50 Series or 70 Series workstation. When a workstation is rebooted,
the alarm list and Annunciator lights (or FoxPanels buttons) information are supplied from the
backup workstation.

NOTE
Proper use of alarm recovery requires that the control stations are consistent in
Alarm Manager configuration options and in Annunciator/FoxPanels configurator
options. This way, each workstation maintains the same active alarm alert database
information. Refer to “Creating a Common Alarm Group File” on page 50.

The backup workstation must also be configured with the same Annunciator keyboard
(or FoxPanels window) assignment as the requesting workstation.
When a workstation requires rebooting, the alarm alert database is transferred over the network
from the backup workstation. Alarm recovery to a 50 Series or 70 Series workstation results in
Alarm Manager notification of alarm recovery with a message dialog box. All displays are auto-
matically refreshed with the recovered alarm information, and Annunciator LEDs (or FoxPanels
buttons) are reset.

Recovering Alarm Information 49

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

NOTE
If a 50 Series or 70 Series station recovers alarm alert database information from a
non-50 Series or non-70 Series station (such as a WP20/30), the alarm timestamp
does not include the number of milliseconds.

Configuring a Command that uses Keywords

Notice in the following example how the Alarm Manager replaces keywords (Compound, Block,
ParamName, and AlarmType) with actual data when the command is invoked.
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>""
After having configured the "Trend Point" button, you can perform a trend by selecting an alarm
on the alarm display and clicking the "Trend Point" button.

Creating a Common Alarm Group File

One /usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg file is created per I/A Series system. You create this file by run-
ning the CAGinit script, as described below. The commgrp.cfg file contains information for all
the workstations on the system. Distribute this file to all the APs hosting workstations and to the
PWs and 50 Series workstations configured in the file.

To create, configure, and install the file containing the CAG information
1. On a UNIX-based workstation, in the VT100 mode, run the
/usr/fox/alarms/CAGinit script.
-or-
On a Windows NT-based workstation, from the \usr\fox\alarms directory, type:
sh CAGinit.ksh
This creates the /usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg file, which contains a list of config-
urable fields and a list of all the workstation letterbugs on the I/A Series network
to which the alarm features apply (all non-WP10 workstations). Each workstation let-
terbug entry defaults to no assignment, for example, "--------------".
2. Using a text editor, open the /usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg file and type the configura-
tion information for each workstation.
You can use display manager names in place of workstation letterbugs for display
coordination. This is an example of a previously configured CAG configuration file.
# (CAD Coordination)
# 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 ------ ------ ------ -------
.
.

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2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

WP30R1 TOWER1_NORTH ------ ------ ----- ------ CENTRL_CNTRL

NOTE
The CAG NAME1 field and CAG NAME2 field may include up to 12 characters.

3. After creating and configuring the information, install the file on all APs, 50 Series,
and 70 Series workstations hosting the member workstations throughout the network.
Copy the /usr/fox/alarms/commgrp.cfg file to each AP, PW, and 50 Series worksta-
tion.
4. Reboot each workstation.

Adding Additional Workstations

To add workstations to the I/A Series system configuration
1. On a UNIX-based system, in the VT100 mode, run the /usr/fox/alarms/CAGinit
script.
On a Windows NT-based system, from the \usr\fox\alarms directory, type:
sh CAGinit.ksh
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.

Considerations
♦ Although a WP may be a member of up to two CAGs, the CAGinit file may contain
any number of Common Alarm Group names per system.
♦ A top priority display or user display that is directed to another WP must reside in the
AP hosting the WP to which it is directed.
♦ 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
CLR_OPT, RTN_DROP, SORT_CFG, HRN_OPT, and RESOUND.

Alarm Manager Command Interface

Similar to the display manager, the Alarm Manager has a command interface.
The following example shows how to use Alarm Manager built-ins commands to acknowledge an
alarm.
This first command selects the alarm display.
pref -AMNAME amcmd “setdisp NEWALM”
Then you select an alarm message on the display, and issue the following command.
pref -AMNAME amcmd “ackalm”

Alarm Manager Command Interface 51

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Configuration Files
These configuration files affect the alarm subsystem:

NOTE
In case files are shared between platforms, observe case sensitivity.

File Description/Purpose
/usr/fox/alarms/horn.cfg Configuration of horns.
Refer to the Foxpanels Configurator on-line Help.
/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/wp/data/init.user Alarm sorting options
Return-to-normal message processing
Alarm clearing options
Alarm type text colors
/usr/fox/alarms/<LNNAME>AAtab Annunciator keyboard LED control assignments
-or- -or-
/usr/fox/alarms/<CAGNAM>AAtab FoxPanels button control assignments.
Refer to the Foxpanels Configurator on-line Help.
/usr/fox/alarms/<LNNAME>AApan Annunciator key press or FoxPanels button press
actions.
Refer to the Foxpanels Configurator on-line Help.
/usr/fox/wp/data/foxboro.cdf Standard templates and schemes provided by The
Foxboro Company
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/am_def.cfg Default AM configuration
/usr/fox/ A configured Alarm Manager configuration; also
customer/alarms/cfg/AMNAME.cfg called an install file
/usr/fox/customer/config/filename.am An AM database file that includes both display
manager and Alarm Manager information
usr/fox/customer/hi/dmcfg Lists the properties for display managers and
Alarm Managers

Keywords
Use Alarm Manager built-in commands and keywords to use alarm tasks and alarm information
in other applications.
AM built-ins are normally used to configure button actions, menu items, and new alarm actions.
Use keywords and modifiers to configure the content of each alarm type message. At runtime, the
Alarm Manager replaces keywords with text derived from alarm messages generated by the control
software.
Built-ins and keywords extend Alarm Manager functionality and facilitate a link from the Alarm
Manager to your own applications to meet your plant-specific needs. Example uses include

52
2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

calling up operator instructions for a selected alarm from a user-defined alarm response manual
application, or selecting a point in alarm and automatically trending the point.
Keywords are delimited by “<“ and “>” and correspond to data in the alarm message. The set of
valid keywords varies by alarm type. At runtime, the Alarm Manager replaces the keywords with
text copied or derived from the corresponding fields in the alarm message.

List of Keywords
These are the valid Alarm Manager keywords.
Keyword Width Displayed As Description
AckState - Formatted indicator Acknowledged state
AlarmName 12 Text User-defined alarm text
AlarmNumber - Integer text Index of the alarm entry in the
display's alarm list
AlarmState - Formatted indicator Alarm state and Priority
AlarmType 6 Text Type of alarm, for example,
HIABS
BadIO 32 Text BADIO, State, or Trip state text
Block 12 Text Block name
BlockDesc 32 Text Block description
BlockException 1 Integer text Standard block exception handler (0-5)
Case 2 Integer text Case number
Compound 12 Text Compound name
Date - Formatted string Date
DisSpc 32 Text Disable or SPC alarm text
Limit - Floating-point string Alarm limit
Operational 4 Text Operational text for MON, EXC,
IND, DEP alarms
OptionText 32 Text User-defined optional text
ParamName 7 Text Name of the Parameter in alarm
Point 2 Integer text Boolean input Parameter number
Priority 1 Integer text Alarm Priority 1 - 5
Range 4 Text Optional text
RangeAlarm 32 Text User-defined text
SPCAlarm 6 Text SPC state text
Statement 4 Integer text Statement number
Step 3 Integer text Step number
Subroutine 3 Integer text Subroutine number
SystemTime 14 Text System-formatted time/date
Tenths 1 Integer text The tenths of a second part of the
time-stamp
Time - Formatted string Time

Keywords 53
B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Keyword Width Displayed As Description

Timeout 5 Integer text Timeout value
Units 6 Text Engineering units
Value - Floating-point string Alarm trip value

Keyword Modifiers
Keyword modifiers are delimited by [ and ]. Modifiers vary by keyword.
Keyword Field Description
Text A modifier of the form [x-y] specifies a range of characters
(from x to y) to display from the alarm message text. If no
modifier is specified, the entire string displays.
Time and Date A modifier configures the time/date format. For example,
<time[%H:%M]> specifies the hour and minute separated by a
colon (:). Most common American and international formats
are selectable. Access to this field is provided for special-purpose
formats or local overrides of the default for the display.

Keyword Examples
This Specifier Displays this Text
<Time[%H-%M-%S %p]> 05-22-56 A.M.
<BlockDesc[1-32]> Stand 4 Tension Control
<Value> <Units[1-6]> 1545 Deg. C
<BlockDesc[1-17]>-<AlarmName1-12> Laying Head Entry-Cobble
<Compound[1-12]>:<Block[1-6]> Feedwater:FIC101

Alarm Manager Built-In Commands

Use Alarm Manager built-in commands and keywords to use alarm tasks and alarm information
in other applications.
AM built-ins are normally used to configure button actions, menu items, and new alarm actions.
Use keywords and modifiers to configure the content of each alarm type message. At runtime, the
Alarm Manager replaces keywords with text derived from alarm messages generated by the control
software.
Built-ins and keywords extend Alarm Manager functionality and facilitate a link from the Alarm
Manager to your own applications to meet your plant-specific needs. You can use Alarm Manager
built-in commands from a command line. Example uses include calling up operator instructions
for a selected alarm from a user-defined alarm response manual application, or selecting a point in
alarm and automatically trending the point.
The following table lists AM built-in commands and describes their use.
Similar to the display manager’s built-in language, $ expansion of variables is supported. For more
information, refer to the display engineering documents.

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2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Conventions (for the following table)

♦ Arguments in square brackets [ ] are optional.
♦ A vertical line ( | ) indicates “OR”. For example, a | b means “a” or “b”.
♦ Multiple commands are separated with semicolons.
♦ The display names that can be used in place of [disp] are: MRA, CAD, NEWALM,
UNACK, ACKED, AHD and OPR.
♦ In all cases, the text in the Command column is one continuous string (no embedded
carriage returns, and so on).

NOTE
Commands without a [disp] parameter are performed on the initial alarm display or
the active display set with the setdisp command.

Command Descriptions
= wp-var value Sets the WP variable to that value
== value1 value2 command Compares value 1 with value 2. If equal, the specified
command is run.
!= value1 value2 command Compares value 1 with value 2. If not equal, the specified
command is run.
ackalm Acknowledges the blocks associated with the user-selected
alarms.
ackcmp Acknowledges the compounds associated with the user
selected alarms.
ackpage [disp] Acknowledges the alarms present in the alarm display;
defaults to initial alarm display if disp is not specified.
ackpage_cmp [disp] Acknowledges the compounds present in the alarm window;
defaults to initial alarm display if disp is not specified.
almdisp disp [-match Initiates the specified alarm display, if not already active.
filename][-historian If already active, but obscured, this command raises the dis-
histname][-refresh]
play to the front of the screen.
[stop_match]
If already active but iconified, the command opens it and dis-
plays it on the front of the screen.
If an alarm match is specified, then it is applied to the display.
If filename has no path, the default path/usr/fox/cus-
tomer/alarms/amspec is searched for the file.
The historian (histname) can be specified if disp specifies
AHD.
Refresh is used by AM to refresh the display, if active.
Stop match turns off the matching associated with the display.
blk_dtl Calls up the Block Detail Display of the selected alarm on the
DM identified by the display direction (process display call-
up) configuration. If more than one alarm is selected, the
command is applied to the first selected alarm.

Alarm Manager Built-In Commands 55

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Command Descriptions
chngenv [env_name] Changes to the environment identified by the env_name
path.
If env_name is not an absolute path, $ENV_DIR is
prepended to env_name to form the complete path to the
environment file.
If env_name is not specified, an environment selection
dialog box is popped up, with $ENV_DIR as the directory
root, allowing the user to select an environment name.
If env_name specifies an absolute directory path, an
environment selection dialog box is popped up, with the spec-
ified directory as the root, allowing the user to select an envi-
ronment name.
If a password is configured for the environment, the user must
supply it. If verified, then the new environment is entered,
otherwise the environment is not entered.
clear_alm Clears user selected alarms from the Alarm Alert alarm
database on the active display.
clear_page [disp] Clears all alarms visible in the alarm window of the specified
display.
If disp is not specified, it defaults to the initial alarm display, if
active.
deselect Deselects all alarms in the display.
detail_alm Invokes the Alarm Detail window for the selected alarm.
If more than one alarm is selected, only the first in the list is
shown.
disable function Disables the Alarm Manager from performing the specified
function. The function parameter may be:
ack alarm acknowledgment
clear alarm clearing
horns silencing/muting/unmuting horns
all all functions
dismiss Dismisses the associated display. All OM connections are
closed and the alarm display is removed from the screen.
enable function Enables the Alarm Manager to perform the specified
function. The function parameter may be:
ack alarm acknowledgment
clear alarm clearing
horns silencing/muting/unmuting horns
all all functions
exit[exit_num origina- Terminates the AM. When exit_num and originator are speci-
tor] fied, the AM exits with the specified exit code.
Originator is a text string used to specify the originator of the
exit request. If you choose to include exit_num and
originator, you must specify both parameters.

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2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Command Descriptions
find Invokes the Find Alarms dialog box, allowing you to locate
specific alarms on the associated alarm display.
getenv env-var wp-var Sets the WP variable wp-var to the value of the environment
variable env-var.
hide MenuBar | Title | Removes component from active display. Use the show com-
ButtonArea | StatusArea mand to restore the component to the active display.
hist_file [name] Displays the specified history archive file.
This command applies only to the active AHD.
historian [name] If name is specified, the named Historian is used as the source
of historized alarms for the associated AHD display.
If name is not specified, a dialog box is popped up, allowing
you to select a Historian name.
If you select an Historian name and press OK, the named
Historian is used as the source of historized alarms for the
associated AHD display.
If you press Cancel, the Historian selection is canceled.
match [filename] If filename is specified, the alarm match criteria in the file is
applied to the associated alarm display.
If filename is not specified, the alarm dialog window is
popped up allowing you to configure/apply/clear alarm
matching for the associated alarm display.
If filename has no path, the default path /usr/fox/cus-
tomer/alarms/amspec is searched.
minimize [disp] Iconifies (minimizes) the associated alarm display.
The optional disp parameter minimizes the active or default
display.
mute_all_horns Disables the sounding of alarm horns at this WP/AW and
throughout the Common Alarm Group(s), if configured.
mute_horns Disables the sounding of alarm horns at this workstation.
ojinit Re-reads OJLOG to get updated logging directives.
page [+/-][num/last] If no arguments are provided, this command pops up the "Go
To Page" dialog box which allows you to page through the
alarm list.
If num is specified, page num is displayed the alarm window.
The syntax +num is used to page ahead num pages, and -num
is used to page back num pages.
The last argument means to go to the last page. The pages are
1-based.
page_setup (Windows NT only) Invokes a Page Setup dialog box,
allowing you to set margins and add header and footer infor-
mation to the printed pages.
pause Pauses the alarm updates to the associated MRA or CAD dis-
play.

Alarm Manager Built-In Commands 57

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Command Descriptions
print (Solaris systems) Prints alarm entries or a saved file to a system
printer.
A dialog box allows you to choose: whether to print a file or
alarm entries, the name of the system printer, and a print
script.
(Windows NT systems) Invokes the standard Windows Print
dialog box, allowing you to select the printer and choose vari-
ous print options.
print_preview (Windows NT only) Shows the report as it will appear when
printed.
print_setup (Windows NT only) Invokes the standard Windows Print
Setup dialog box, allowing you to select a printer and choose
options such as the number of copies and the paper
orientation.
protect type locks Protects the specified access key locks.
This command has the same syntax and meaning as the Dis-
play Manager protect command.
quitam on | off Enables or disables the user from exiting the Alarm Manager.
refresh Refreshes an alarm display with the latest set of alarms.
This is useful to get the latest "snapshot" of the alarm database
on summary displays or the MRA display.
run prog [args...] Runs the specified program with the specified arguments.
save_to_file [filename] If filename is specified, the contents of the associated alarm
[-format CSV] window are saved to the file.
If filename is not specified, then a file dialog window is
popped up, allowing you to specify a file to which the alarms
are saved.
After the filename is chosen, the alarms are saved to the file.
The -format CSV option specifies that the alarms should be
written in comma-separated value (CSV) format.
select Selects all alarms in the display.
send_to_dm [-dm dmname] Sends the specified DM built-in command to the DM
dm-builtin-command specified by dmname.
If a DM name is not specified, the DM defaults to the name
specified by the CADUS variable.
If the dmcmd contains a variable (var) that is to be evaluated
by the DM, express the variable as $$var to avoid evaluation
by AM.
setacl number <+-> Changes the specified access key locks.
This command has the same syntax and meaning as the dis-
play manager setacl command.
setdisp disp Identifies the default alarm display to receive commands from
an external source, such as a pref command.
setenv var value Sets AM’s environment variable (var) to the value (value).

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2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

Command Descriptions
setenv_default var Resets the AM’s environment variable (var)to its configured
value.
show MenuBar | Title | Shows (makes visible) the specified display component.
ButtonArea |StatusArea This is the opposite of the hide command.
silence_horns Silences horns at this WP and throughout CAG(s), if
configured.
stop_match Clears the current match from the display.
top_prio Calls up user graphic or Block Detail Display on the DM
identified by display direction (process display call-up)
configuration.
unmute_all_horns Enables the sounding of alarm horns at this WP/AW and
throughout the Common Alarm Group(s), if configured.
unmute_horns Enables the sounding of alarm horns at this workstation.
unpause Unpauses the alarm updates to the associated MRA or CAD
display.
unprotect type locks Unprotects the specified access key locks.
This command has the same syntax and meaning as the dis-
play manager unprotect command.
user_disp Calls up the user graphic on DM identified by display
direction (process display call-up) configuration.
view_all on|off Enters or exits the View All alarms mode (all entries in alarm
database) available on summary displays.

Time/Date Modifiers
You can also use these time/date modifiers:
Format String Meaning
%a Abbreviated weekday name
%A Full weekday name
%b Abbreviated month name
%B Full month name
%c Date and time representation appropriate for locale
%d Day of month as decimal number (01 - 31)
%H Hour in 24-hour format (00 - 23)
%I Hour in 12-hour format (01 - 12)
%j Day of year as decimal number (001 - 366)
%m Month as decimal number (01 - 12)
%M Minute as decimal number (00 - 59)
%p Current locale’s A.M./P.M. indicator for 12-hour clock
%S Second as decimal number (00 - 59)

Alarm Manager Built-In Commands 59

B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

Format String Meaning

%U Week of year as decimal number (00 - 51), with Sunday as
first day of week
%w Weekday as decimal number (0 - 6; Sunday is 0)
%W Week of year as decimal number (00-51), with Monday as
first day of week
%x Date representation for current locale
%X Time representation for current locale
%y Year without century, as decimal number (00 - 99)
%Y Year with century, as decimal number
%z, %Z Time-zone name or abbreviation; no characters if time zone
is unknown
%% Percent sign

Alarm Server Task Commands

The following Alarm Server Task (AST) commands can be used during runtime. They are used
on Model 51 workstations and 70 Series workstations to redirect output when an Annunciator
keyboard key or a soft panel button is pressed.

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2. Alarm Subsystem B0193RV – Rev E

AST Command Description

addalmpnl For alarm panel configuration at runtime, adds a path for a chain of
annunciator key (or soft alarm panel button) actions
Syntax:
addalmpnl panel key type path
where:
panel equals 1-12, identifying the soft panel
key equals 1-16, identifying the panel’s key
type equals the category of definition
P equals Program
C equals Command
D equals Display
T equals Target Display Manager Name
path equals definition to be added to the specified category. If definition
is null, all definitions for the key are deleted.
Refer to Process Alarm Configuration (B0193AU) for usage information.
Example
pref -WRKSTN ascmd “addalmpnl 1 3 D D:\path\file.ext”
The above command temporarily stores a soft panel assignment until a
reboot command or clralmpnl command is issued. After entering this
addalmpnl command, pressing the annunciator key at panel 1 key 3
presents “file.ext” at the designated display manager.
You can save temporary key assignment(s) to a file for future use. To save
a temporary assignment (so it can be used after a reboot), issue the
prtalmpnl command to the AST.
Example
pref -WRKSTN ascmd “prtalmpnl
\usr\fox\alarms\SAVECFG.PRT”
If a reboot occurs, the WRKSTNAApan file remains untouched, and
the \usr\fox\alarms\SAVECFG.PRT file, which contains both the
WRKSTNAApan data and the temporary configuration data, is
available.
To load a previously saved alarm panel configuration file, perform the
following:
pref -WRKSTN ascmd “loadalmpnl
\usr\fox\alarms\SAVECFG.PRT”
Doing this is a fast way to temporarily configure soft panel assignments
using the definitions that were saved.
At runtime, to clear out all temporary alarm panel definitions, issue the
clralmpnl command.
Example
pref -WRKSTN ascmd “clralmpnl”
clralmpnl Clears alarm panel definitions from AST memory.
Format:
clralmpnl

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B0193RV – Rev E 2. Alarm Subsystem

AST Command Description

prtalmpnl Prints (saves to file) alarm panel definitions from AST memory.
Format:
prtalmpnl [filename]
If no filename is specified, the following default is used:
/usr/fox/alarms/<WPL>AApan.prt
loadalmpnl Loads the specified alarm panel configuration into AST memory
Format:
laodalmpnl [filename]
If no file is specified, the name defaults to the value of $ALMPAN form
the wp51_glbls file.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays
This chapter describes Alarm Manager displays and how you work with them.
The Alarm Manager’s multiple windows provide alarm displays, which in turn provide access to
process displays in a display manager window. By default, there are seven alarm displays, but you
can configure your site to use only the displays that you need.
The alarm displays include:
♦ Current Alarm Display (CAD)
♦ Most Recent Alarm Display (MRA)
♦ Alarm History Display (AHD)
♦ Summary displays:
♦ New Alarms Display (NEWALM)
♦ Unacknowledged Alarms Display (UNACK)
♦ Acknowledged Alarms Display (ACKED)
In addition, an Operations display provides access to horn silencing, horn muting/unmuting, and
to other user environments.
Use alarm displays to assess the criticality of process alarm(s) before acknowledging and resolving
alarm condition(s).
Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator, you can configure many aspects, such as appear-
ance, of these displays.

Display manager and Alarm Manager Start-Up

Upon start-up, the Alarm Manager attempts to read its configuration (.cfg file), searching for a
configuration file of the same name. AM configuration files reside in the /usr/fox/cus-
tomer/alarms/cfg directory. If the AM is unsuccessful at locating the AM configuration file, the
Alarm Manager opens the default AM configuration file named am_def.cfg, located in the same
directory.

Configuring Alarm Displays

Use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) to configure aspects of alarm entries:
number of rows and columns, alarm indicators, alarm field contents and location, font, color, and
so on. Refer to chapter 4 and to ADMC on-line Help for information.
Alarm alert database attributes such as alarm entry sort options, return-to-normal action,
and Clear button action, affect the contents of all the alarm displays for all the Alarm Managers
running on that workstation. Refer to “Alarm Alert Database” on page 13 for a list of configurable
attributes.

Alarm Display Window

Figure 3-1 shows the major parts of an alarm display window.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Window System Menu Display Title Application Title Bar

Menu Bar
New
Alarms
Dynamic Indicator
Time
and Date Scroll
Bar
Alarm
Area
(Alarm
Displays
only)

Button Area

Status Area

Time and Date display

was called up/refreshed

Figure 3-1. Parts of an Alarm Display

Alarm Entries
Within alarm displays, alarm entries provide information such as the time/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 use the same sort order (“Configurable Options” on page 13), but you can
customize each alarm display’s properties “Items that can be Configured” on page 123) such as
displaying alarms from bottom to top, to affect the display.
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 by an option
entry the init.user file. Refer to “Alarm Entries” on page 80 for information about default color
codes and indicators for the alarm state and alarm status fields.

New Alarms Button

The alarm display title bar has a button labeled New Alarms, which by default, is configured to
indicate the receipt of new Priority 1 or Priority 2 alarms that has occurred while an alarm display
is active. If a new alarm arrives while viewing an alarm display, the New Alarms button blinks.
When you click a blinking New Alarms button, you are recognizing that a new alarm has
occurred, which stops the blinking.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

NOTE
Clicking the New Alarms button does not acknowledge the alarm.

The New Alarms button is different from the Process (or Alarm) button. The Process button
represents every alarm in the entire alarm alert database. Unlike the Process button, the
New Alarms button does not silence a horn.
The action of the New Alarms button is controlled by configurable values of the ALMPRI and
ALMRTN options in the init.user file.

Operator Actions from an Alarm Display

Besides clearing or acknowledging alarms, by default, you can:
♦ Access process displays (Block Detail Displays and user displays)
♦ View alarms with a match/filter specification to focus on a subset of alarm entries
♦ Save alarm information to a file
♦ Send the alarm information to a printer
Any and all of these actions are customizable.

Current Alarm Display

The Current Alarm Display (CAD), by default, appears when the Process button is clicked. This
display emulates the non-51 workstation Current Alarm Display in a windows environment and
provides a multi-page list of all the existing and/or unacknowledged alarm conditions.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Figure 3-2. Example of Current Alarm Display

By default, alarm entries appear every three seconds.

Acknowledging an alarm shifts the alarm entry to a new position in the display.

Click this Button To Acknowledge

Ack Alarm A selected block of alarms
Ack Compound The alarms associated with all blocks in the selected compounds
Ack Page All alarms associated with the blocks on the selected page

The Clear Alarms and Clear Page buttons clear the alarms from the alarm alert database regardless
of state.
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. Use the Go To Page command from the View menu or the scroll bar
to move through the pages.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

Most Recent Alarm Display

The Most Recent Alarm (MRA) display is a single page display of the most recent unacknowl-
edged alarms. By default, new alarms may appear every second.

Figure 3-3. Example of Most Recent Alarm Display

By default, 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.
By default, the most recent (newest) alarm entry on the display is bounded by a box and has a
striped background (diagonal lines) to distinguish 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 and is consid-
ered a new alarm entry.
Alarms that are both acknowledged and returned-to-normal result in the alarm entries being
“grayed”. Additionally, the operator can mark alarms as acknowledged with the Ack Alarm, Ack
Compound, and Ack Page buttons or can clear alarms with the Clear Alarm and Clear Page but-
tons.
Refreshing the display removes alarm entries marked cleared or acknowledged/returned-to-normal
from the alarm display. The alarm alert database is reread and the current information is dis-
played.

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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.

Summary Displays
Summary displays provide a stable environment from which to perform analysis and to take
action (for example, acknowledging or clearing alarms). Alarm entries dynamically reflect up-to-
date status and value information.
The three multi-page summary displays provide snapshots of the alarm alert database in the
default order (newest to oldest) with new alarm entries originating in the upper left of the display.

Display Shows
New Alarms All active, unacknowledged alarms. Entries in this display are not removed
Display or added until the alarm alert database is reread by a manual refresh;
(NEWALM) however, values and statuses are dynamically updated via direct connections
to the control software in the control stations.
Unacknowledged All unacknowledged alarms that have returned to normal. Entries in this
Alarms Display display are not removed or added until the alarm alert database is reread
(UNACK) with a manual refresh; however, values and statuses are dynamically updated
by direct connections to the control software in the control stations.
Acknowledged All active acknowledged alarms. Entries in this display are not removed or
Alarms Display added until the alarm alert database is reread with a manual refresh;
(ACKED) however, values and statuses are dynamically updated by direct connections
to the software in the control stations.

Entry order depends on the alarm entry list order selected for the AM properties (via the
Alarm/Display Manager Configurator) and the sort order configured for the alarm alert database.

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Figure 3-4. Example of Alarm Summary Displays

The number of entries and the position of those entries on the display do not change. Following
the initial display call-up, no new entries are added to or removed from the display. The AM soft-
ware connections to the control database provide immediate update to the alarmed analog mea-
surement 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.
When a returned-to-normal alarm is acknowledged by clicking 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.
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.

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Alarm History Display

The multi-page Alarm History Display (AHD) lists all the historized in-alarm and return-to-nor-
mal messages from the selected Historian in normal order (newest to oldest).

Click here
to access
the list of
Historians

Figure 3-5. Example of Alarm History Display

Use the Alarm History Display (AHD) to select the Historian from which to retrieve alarm mes-
sages. The Historian name appears in the display’s status area. The default Historian is the Histo-
rian associated with the workstation’s logical host. Click the Historian button to select a remote
Historian on the system.
Use the display’s scroll bar to move through the alarm entry list.

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.

Operations Display
Use the Operations display to operate horns and access another environment. Refer to “Environ-
ments” on page 71.

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Window System Menu Display Title Application Title Bar New Alarm Status

Menu Title
Dynamic Time
and Date
Button Area

Status Area Current Environment Time and Date

of Display Callup

Figure 3-6. Default Operations Display

Environments
You can configure an Alarm Manager to start up in a specified I/A Series environment. By default,
the initial environment is the Init_Env (Initial Environment). The Operations display provides
access to a list of configured I/A Series environments that can be selected to provide additional
security or less security, depending on the current user.

Accessing Alarm Displays

This chapter describes how you invoke an alarm display and how to exit a display.

Accessing the Initial Alarm Manager Display

To access the alarm display associated with the Process or Alarm button
Perform one of these actions:
♦ Click the Process button (FoxView) Alarm button (Display Manager).
♦ (UNIX 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.
♦ Initiate the Alarm Manager (\usr\fox\wp\bin\am.exe) from a command line.
By default, the Current Alarm Display window appears. The number of Alarm Managers you are
allowed to start up depends on licensing and the number of active Alarm Managers currently run-
ning.

NOTE
You can change the initial alarm display from the CAD to another alarm display by
changing the value of the AM_DISP option in the init.user file.

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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, choose Exit from the File menu.
♦ From the last open Alarm Manager display window, choose Dismiss from the File
menu. From the subsequent dialog box, choose OK to confirm the exit.

NOTE
Solaris only. In Windows Off mode, the Alarm Manager does not terminate when
you dismiss the display.

♦ From the last open Alarm Manager display window, choose Quit from the Control
menu. From the subsequent dialog box, choose OK to confirm the exit.

Accessing Another Alarm Display Window

To access another display window

1. From the Operations Display’s menu bar, choose Displays.
2. Choose the desired display from the list.

TIP
You can also access displays from pop-up menus.

One set of display windows is available per Alarm Manager.

Working with Displays

From Alarm Manager displays, you can:
♦ Change displays
♦ Acknowledge alarms
♦ View the top priority alarm
♦ Specify matches and filters
♦ Locate a specific alarm
♦ Obtain information about a particular alarm
♦ Select another user environment
♦ Work with horns

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These capabilities are described next.

Changing Displays
Although certain Alarm Manager displays may be on a screen, depending on your configuration,
you can call up other displays. In addition, you can dismiss a display and iconify/minimize a dis-
play.

Alarm Display Icons

On UNIX-based systems, when an alarm display is iconified, the icon displays the following sta-
tus information:
♦ State of the DM’s Alarm button:

Number Button State Meaning

0 Steady green No alarm
1 Flashing green Return-to-normal unacknowledged
2 Steady red In-alarm acknowledged
3 Flashing red In-alarm unacknowledged

♦ State of the horns (Muted, or Not muted)

♦ Display type (CAD, MRA, AHD, NEWALM, UNACK, ACKED, or OPR)
♦ Name of the Alarm Manager
On Windows NT-based systems, moving the mouse pointer over a task bar item indicates: the
state of the horns (Muted, or Not muted), the display type (CAD, MRA, AHD, NEWALM,
UNACK, ACKED, or OPR), and the name of the Alarm Manager.

Acknowledging Alarms
From alarm displays, you can click buttons to acknowledge alarms. You can acknowledge:
♦ One or more alarms selected manually
♦ Particular alarms using the Find Alarms command from the Edit menu
♦ The entire page of alarms
♦ All alarms related to blocks in the same compound
Access process displays by clicking the Top Priority, Block Detail, or User Display button. Analyze
alarm information on the resulting displays to respond to the alarm condition.

Selecting the Top Priority Alarm

The top priority display is a Block Detail Display (default) or user display associated with the
highest priority alarm. Clicking the “Top Priority” button performs the action configured on the
Annunciator Configurator or FoxPanels Configurator.
The highest priority alarm is determined by the sort order of alarm entries in the alarm alert data-
base.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

NOTE
A Find operation has no bearing on determining the highest priority alarm.

If the sort order is by time, the top priority display is the display associated with the most recent
alarm.
The value of the init.user file’s LIA_OLDEST option also affects the operation of the Top Priority
button.
Attribute Default
Operation of the Top Priority button (LIA_OLDEST) Most recent highest priority alarm

Specifying Matches and Finds

Obtain a subset of the alarms on a particular alarm display by applying a match/filter specification
to the display. You can perform a match operation or a find operation on the display.

Use To
Match Display only alarms that meet the match/filter criteria
Find Highlight the alarms that meet the match/filter criteria. The same
alarms appear on the display, but the found alarms are selected.

NOTE
You do not have to re-invoke a match to a dynamic alarm display (CAD, MRA) to
view newly added alarm entries.

Use any of these match or filter specifications to limit the display of alarms:
♦ Match specifications
♦ Blocks (letterbugs, compounds, blocks)
♦ Time (start time and end time)
♦ Alarm types
♦ Alarm state (in-alarm/returned-to-normal, acknowledged/unacknowledged,
alarm priority)
♦ Filter specifications
♦ Blocks (letterbugs, compounds, blocks)
♦ Time (start time and end time)
♦ Alarm types
♦ Alarm state (in-alarm/returned-to-normal, acknowledged/unacknowledged,
alarm priority)

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

NOTE
Alarm State fields are available only on the CAD, MRA, and AHD (no Ack state).
Summary displays no not use the data in the Alarm State fields located in a Find
dialog box or Match dialog box.

After applying a match/filter, the alarm display shows only those alarms that meet the match crite-
ria and pass the filter criteria. The status area, for safety reasons, indicates that there is an alarm
match specification active for the display. Use the match capability to focus on a particular group
of alarms or to filter out nuisance alarms.

Locating a Specific Alarm

The Find and Match commands (Figure 3-7 and Figure 3-8) each invoke a dialog box for the
specification of match/filter criteria. Although these displays are similar, they have different com-
mand buttons. An alarm display is not dynamically updated when you perform a Find operation.
In addition to manually selecting one or more alarms or selecting all the alarms on a page, you can
use the Alarm Manager’s match/filter capabilities to locate alarms.
The first alarm that matches the find specification is selected. You can perform an action on the
selected alarm or move to the next or previous alarm matching the criteria. You can also select all
of the alarms with the Find All button in the Find dialog box.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Figure 3-7. Using the Find Command to Locate Particular Alarms

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Figure 3-8. Using the Match Command to Locate Particular Alarms

Saving Match/Filter Specifications

You can save match/filter criteria to a file (a match specification file) and use the specifications to
perform a match or find operation on any alarm display. Match specification files are given an
.ams extension (alarm match specification) and, by default, are stored and loaded from the
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec directory.

TIP
A handy method of invoking a match specification is by configuring the match
specification file (.ams) to a button or menu item.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Obtaining Detail Information on a Particular Alarm

You can view additional information on the selected alarm at the time of selection.
To not clutter an alarm display, the display may be configured to show only a small portion of the
alarm alert database’s information about a particular alarm. You can easily display all the alarm
alert database information on the particular alarm. This might be used, for example, to show the
“tenths” portion of the time, even if tenths does not appear on the alarm display. Refer to the
example alarm detail information in Figure 3-9.
If multiple alarms are highlighted, the information in the Alarm Detail window is for the first of
the highlighted alarm entries. Updates to the alarm’s analog values and status are reflected at the
bottom of the Alarm Detail window for the MRA and summary displays. Updates are not
reflected for CAD, AHD, and summary displays in View All Mode.

Figure 3-9. Alarm Detail Window

Saving/Printing Alarm Entry Information

You can save or print alarm entry information for the alarms on the corresponding display. Saving
the information places it into an ASCII file (in normal or Comma Separated Value format) or
sends it to a printer. The resultant normal file contains the same fields displayed on the alarm dis-
play. The resultant CVS file contains all the alarm fields.Using the same filename overwrites the
file.

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NOTE
You cannot save/print this information from the CAD. Instead, use a summary dis-
play.

If a match specification had been applied to the display, that information is also saved or printed.
By default, the file is saved to the /usr/fox/customer/alarms/reports directory. On UNIX-based
systems, you can obtain different report formats by applying print scripts. On Windows NT sys-
tems, use the page setup feature to choose items that will appear in the printed pages’ header and
footer positions.

Working in the Alarm Area

The alarm area lists alarm entries associated with the selected alarm display.

Scrolling 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 or 15 one-line alarm message rows per display
page.
Use the vertical scroll bar to move through the alarm list on multi-page displays. Summary dis-
plays provide a Go To Page command from the View menu to advance to a specified page. The
status area 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.

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 matching the applied
match/filter specification are shown.
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.

Operating on an Alarm Entry

Clicking an alarm entry selects that alarm for a subsequent action such as acknowledging or clear-
ing. After selection, a highlight box encloses the alarm entry. You can select one, more than one,
or all the alarms. Additionally, you can select alarms using an alarm find or match/filter specifica-
tion.
Double-clicking an alarm entry, by default, accesses the Alarm Details window, which allows you
to view additional information about the block in alarm. Double-clicking also deselects all other
previously selected items. The double-click action is user-configurable.
XXXXXX insert a screen capture of Alarm Details window XXXXXX

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Alarm Message Fields

Alarm entries (messages) contain these default fields with variable fields related to alarm type:
♦ Time (HH:MM:SS)
♦ Compound name
♦ Block name
♦ Block descriptor
♦ Variable text, dependent upon the alarm type:

Alarm Type Text

HIABS, LOABS, HHABS, LLABS, HIDEV, LODEV, Updating value
RATE, HIOUT, and LOOUT
BADIO, STATE, and TRIP State text
RANGE Optional text
State text
INFO, MON, EXC, CONF, SEQ6, and SPCALM State 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 (active or return-to-normal)
♦ Acknowledge state (unacknowledged or acknowledged)

Alarm Entries
Alarm entries appear with the following default colors and indicators for the alarm state and alarm
status fields:

Color
Alarm Acknowledge Alarm Foreground/ Alarm Acknowledgment
State State Priority Background Indication Indication
In-alarm UNACK 1 White/Red 1 U
In-alarm UNACK 2 White/Magenta 2 U
In-alarm UNACK 3 White/Brown 3 U
In-alarm UNACK 4 White/Cyan 4 U
In-alarm UNACK 5 White/Dark gray 5 U
In-alarm ACK 1 Red/Gray 1 gray box
In-alarm ACK 2 Magenta/Gray 2 gray box
In-alarm ACK 3 Brown/Gray 3 gray box
In-alarm ACK 4 Cyan/Gray 4 gray box
In-alarm ACK 5 Dark gray/Gray 5 gray box

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

Color
Alarm Acknowledge Alarm Foreground/ Alarm Acknowledgment
State State Priority Background Indication Indication
In-alarm UNACK 1 White/Red 1 U
RTN UNACK 1 White/Red R U
RTN UNACK 2 White/Magenta R U
RTN UNACK 3 White/Brown R U
RTN UNACK 4 White/Cyan R U
RTN UNACK 5 White/Dark gray R U

NOTE
There is no entry for an acknowledged return-to-normal alarm because this state
does not exist.

Default Colors and State Information

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 set by the ALMCLR, ACKCLR, and RTNCLR options for the alarm alert
database.
♦ Alarms that have returned to normal and are also acknowledged no longer exist. They
are “grayed” on the display. 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.

Pop-Up Menus
Each alarm window has its own pop-up menu. The pop-up menu associated with each of the
alarm display windows provides quick access to frequently used functions.
The pop-up menu appears within the corresponding display when you press the right mouse but-
ton. These are the default commands in the pop-up menu for each display.
MRA CAD NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD
Refresh Refresh Refresh Refresh Refresh
Pause/Unpause Pause/
Unpause
Most Recent Most Most Recent Most Most
Alarms Recent Alarms Recent Recent
Alarms Alarms Alarms

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

MRA CAD NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD

Silence Horns Silence Silence Silence Silence Silence
Horns Horns Horns Horns Horns
Ack Alarm Ack Alarm Ack Alarm Ack Alarm
Ack Compound Ack Ack Ack
Compound Compound Compound
Ack Page Ack Page Ack Page Ack Page
Alarm Detail Alarm Alarm Detail Alarm Alarm Alarm
Detail Detail Detail Detail
Top Priority Top Priority Top Priority Top Top Top
Priority Priority Priority
User Display User User Display User User
Display Display Display
Block Detail Block Block Detail Block Block Block
Detail Detail Detail Detail
Show Controls Show Show Show Show Show
Controls Controls Controls Controls Controls

Customizing Your Displays

The Workstation Alarm Manager (AM) 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 may save alarm entries to a file, view a small subset of the entire alarm alert data-
base, temporarily exclude any alarm from a particular control station, or temporarily stop horns
from going off.
Here are some examples of how sites use the Alarm Manager’s customization capability to suit
their needs.

Example
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 behind the CAD’s “Clear Alarm” button with the
following:
== <AckState> A clear_alm
== <AlarmState> R clear_alm
== <AckState> U deselect

NOTE
The Clear Alarm button could just as easily have been set up to apply this restric-
tion only to priority 1 alarms.

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Example
Objective: For a selected alarm, inhibit alarms of a particular type.
The following UNIX shell script, called do_in, was written, and an Alarm Manager command
button was set up to execute 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 was added was assigned this action:
run /usr/fox/alarms/do_in <Compound>.<Block> <AlarmType> $GCLBUG
This command makes 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 Alarm-
Type are Alarm Manager keywords for the selected alarm’s sub-fields.
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.

More Examples
Here 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 alarms entries from HIGH alarm entries by setting
their background color to red for the entire expanse of the alarm entry
♦ 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

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Parts of the Alarm Manager User Interface

With the exception of the Operations Display, alarm displays comprise the following parts.
♦ Application title bar
♦ Display title
♦ Menu bar
♦ Status area
♦ Alarm (message) area
♦ Button area

Window System Menu Display Title Application Title Bar

Menu Bar
New
Alarms
Dynamic Indicator
Time
and Date Scroll
Bar
Alarm
Area
(Alarm
Displays
only)

Button Area

Status Area

Time and Date display

was called up/refreshed

Figure 3-10. Parts of an Alarm Display

Application Title Bar

The application title bar shows the Alarm Manager name, its associated workstation letterbug,
and the display title (an acronym).

Display Title
The display title shows the current time and date, the name of the display, and the New Alarms
button.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

If a match is active and the match includes a match description, the match description text dis-
plays in the display title.
The New Alarms button illuminates to notify you that an alarm condition has occurred while an
Alarm Manager display (regardless of the display type) is active. To indicate that you are aware of
the receipt of new alarms(s), click the New Alarms button. This stops the illumination.
Summary displays are not automatically updated with new alarms. Therefore, when notified,
an operator can access an MRA or CAD display or refresh a summary display to view the new
alarm(s).

NOTE
The values of ALMPRI, ALMRTNS, and ALMCNT in the init.user file affect the
New Alarms button. By default, only Priority 1 alarms and Priority 2 alarms, and
in-alarm messages cause this button to change color.

The New Alarms button is different from the FoxView Process button. Unlike the Process button,
the New Alarms button does not silence a horn.

Menu Bar
These are the default menu bar entries:
♦ File Menu
♦ Edit Menu
♦ View Menu
♦ Display Menu

File Menu

Choose To
Save Save the contents of all the alarm entries associated with the display to a file
in normal or CVS format. Alarm information in CSV format can be
imported into spreadsheets such as Lotus or Excel or databases such as Access
for further analysis. (Not available for CAD display.)
Print Print all the alarm entries associated with the specified display or print a
previously saved file. A Print dialog box allows you to specify the file and the
desired printer. (Not available for CAD display.)
Dismiss Close the current alarm display window

Edit Menu

Choose To
Select All Select all the alarms in the current alarm window. You might do this before
performing an operation such as Acknowledge Alarms or Clear Alarms.
Deselect All Deselect all previously selected alarms.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Choose To
Find Alarms Access the Find Alarms dialog box to specify the criteria for selecting alarms
on the display. You can then perform a subsequent action, such as
acknowledging or clearing the alarms.

View Menu

Choose To
Refresh Refresh the information on the alarm display. The AM retrieves an up-to-
date snapshot of alarm information from the alarm alert database. Cleared
and acknowledged/return-to-normal alarm entries, as appropriate, are
removed from the MRA and summary displays. Refreshing the display
updates the time and date in the status area.
Match Alarms Access the Match Alarm dialog box to specify criteria for filtering alarms.
After running this command, the alarm display presents only the alarms that
match the specified criteria (for example, specific type within timeframe, or
a specific control station and compound). Use Match Alarms to filter out
nuisance alarms or analyze specific alarms. For example, you can analyze
alarm activity within a timeframe for auditing purposes or quality assurance.
When saved to a file in Comma-Separated Value (CSV) format, the infor-
mation can be imported into Lotus 1-2-3 to be presented in graph or chart.
Enable View All Access a snapshot of the entire alarm alert database in the configured order.
Mode This mode is accessible from summary 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.
Disable View Dismiss the View All mode from a summary display. An automatic refresh is
All Mode performed, and the alarms that meet the display’s criteria are displayed.
Go To Page Access a dialog box for paging through the alarm list. This command is
available on summary displays, the Alarm History Display, and the CAD.
Use this command on touchscreens as an alternative to using the scroll bar.
Hide Controls Hide all menus and buttons from the selected display. The number of alarms
per screen automatically increases. To redisplay the controls, issue the Show
Controls command from the pop-up menu.

Display Menu

Choose To Access the

Current Alarms Current Alarm Display
Most Recent Alarms Most Recent Alarms display
New Alarm Summary New Alarm summary display
Unacknowledged Alarm Summary Unacknowledged Alarm summary display

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

Choose To Access the

Acknowledged Alarm Summary Acknowledged Alarm summary display
Alarm History Display Alarm History Display
Operations Operations display

Status Area
This is a horizontal portion near the bottom of the alarm display that provides the following
information:
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
Number of Alarms This is the sequential position of the alarm that appears at the top of
the current page compared to the total number of alarms associated
with the display type. When resizing displays, these numbers help
you determine the number of alarms per screen load
% Number Displays while the Historian database is being read into an Alarm
History Display.
Historian Name The Historian associated with the Alarm History Display.
Time and Date The time and date the display was initiated or refreshed:
HH:MM:SS (Hours:Minutes:Seconds) and MM-DD-YR (Month-
Day-Year)
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.
No Updates Appears when a Find dialog box is visible for the MRA, NEWALM,
ACKED, and UNACK displays, indicating that Object Manager
updates are postponed until the Find dialog box is removed. This
message also appears when View All mode is enabled.

Button Area
An alarm display’s button area contains buttons to perform commands in the selected window.
Button accessibility depends on user access level assignments and the appropriateness of the
action. For example, if an acknowledged alarm entry is selected, the ACK ALARM button is not
available.
These are each display’s default set of command buttons.
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

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD OPR

Clear Page X X X X 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
Historian X
Environments X

Parts of the Operations Display

Menu Bar
The commands available from the Operations display menu bar are described next.
File Menu
Choose To
Dismiss Close the current display window.
Exit Exit the Alarm Manager. The default bootable
Alarm Manager cannot be exited.

Displays Menu
Choose To Access the
Current Alarms Current Alarm Display
Most Recent Alarms Most Recent Alarms display
New Alarm Summary New Alarm summary display
Unacknowledged Alarm Summary Unacknowledged Alarm summary display
Acknowledged Alarm Summary Acknowledged Alarm summary display
Alarm History Display Alarm History Display
Operations Operations display

Horns Menu
Choose To
Silence Horns Silence local Annunciator/workstation horns. If the station is
in Common Alarm Group, silence all horns within the group.
Mute Horns Temporarily mute (until unmute is issued or reboot)
Annunciator/workstation local horns. A “Horns Muted”
message appears in the status area.
Mute CAG Horns Temporarily mute (until unmute is issued or reboot) all
Annunciator/workstation horns in the Common Alarm
Group to 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.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

Choose To
Unmute Horns Unmute local Annunciator/workstation horns.
Unmute CAG Horns Unmute all horns in the Common Alarm Group.

Button Area
The button area includes these buttons:
Choose To
Top Priority Access the top priority alarm, depending on the sort order
(SORT_CFG and LIA_OLDEST) of the alarm alert database.
Environments Access another I/A Series environment with alarm-related permissions

Working with Alarm Manager Windows

You can do these things to display manager windows:
♦ Show and dismiss
♦ Move a window
♦ Resize a window
♦ Access a pop-up menu

Showing 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 Display menu, select the desired display.
♦ (UNIX workstations) Double-click the icon representing the window, or click the
icon using the right mouse button to access the Window System menu and choose
Open.
♦ (UNIX workstations) Position the cursor on the icon and press the Open key.
♦ (Windows NT workstations) Select an icon from the task bar.

To dismiss a display window

Perform one of these actions.
♦ From the File menu, choose Dismiss.
♦ (UNIX workstations) From the Window System menu, choose Quit.
♦ (Windows NT workstations) From the Window System menu, choose Close.

To iconify (minimize) a display window

Perform one of these actions.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

♦ (UNIX workstations) From the Window System menu of the display window, choose
Close.
♦ (Windows NT workstations) From the Window System menu, choose Minimize.
An icon appears with the following information:
Item What it means
# (UNIX workstations) 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 (UNIX workstations) “not muted” or blank (horns are unmuted)
Display type OPR, MRA, CAD, AHD, NEWALM, UNACK, or ACKED
Name Alarm Manager name

On Windows NT workstations, move the mouse pointer over the application name in the task
bar. The display will show the name of the letterbug:AMNAME and the name of the alarm dis-
play.

Moving an Alarm Display Window

To move an alarm display window
♦ With the cursor in the application title bar, press the left button and drag the window
or dialog box to the desired location.
The window or dialog box does not change size.

Resizing an AM Window
The capability to resize an AM window is configurable from the Alarm/Display Manager Config-
urator. Resizing can be enabled or disabled; if enabled, resizing limits can be imposed.

NOTE
The ability to resize depends on how the display is configured; for example, whether
the Resize option is selected.

To automatically expand or reduce a window’s size on a UNIX workstation

1. Double-click the mouse in the application title bar of the Alarm Manager window.
The window expands to full screen.
2. Double-click to restore the window to its previous size.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

To resize a window vertically, horizontally, or both on a UNIX workstation

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.

To automatically expand or reduce a window’s size on a Windows NT workstation

♦ Click the maximize/minimize button located in the window’s upper-right corner.

To resize a window vertically, horizontally, or both on a Windows NT workstation

♦ Drag the bottom, side, or corner of the window’s frame to a different position.

Accessing a Pop-Up Menu

User-configurable pop-up menus provide quick access to often used functions for each of the
alarm display windows.

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 function.

Responding to Alarms
Use alarm display windows to respond to process alarm conditions by:
♦ Viewing a list of alarms and viewing an alarm’s detail information
♦ Accessing process displays (for example, resolving an alarm condition from a user
graphics display or a Block Detail Display)
♦ Acknowledging alarms
♦ Clearing alarms from the alarm alert database

Viewing Alarms and Alarm Detail Information

You can view a list of alarms or view detailed information about a particular alarm.

To advance through a list of alarms on a multi-page display

Perform any of these actions:
♦ Use the View menu's Go To Page command.
♦ Perform a Find Alarms command from the Edit menu.

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B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

♦ Use the scroll bar to advance through the list of alarms.

♦ Click the appropriate arrow button to advance or backtrack one entry at a time
crossing pages as needed.
♦ Drag the scroll bar to quickly scroll through multiple entries.
♦ (UNIX 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.
Alarm # of # will appear on the display, indicating the number of the alarm entry at the top of the
page relative to the total number of entries in the alarm database.

To go to a selected page on summary displays, AHD, and CAD

1. From the View menu, choose Go To Page.
The Page Selection dialog box appears.
2. Type the desired page number in the entry field, or use the arrow buttons to advance
or backtrack one page at a time.
3. Windows NT: Click the First Page button or Last Page button.
Solaris: Click the First Page, Last Page, Previous Page, or Next Page button.

Refreshing an Alarm Display

Refresh re-qualifies all alarms for the display by rereading the current entries in the alarm data-
base.
Depending on the display type, alarms that have been tagged “Clear” or “Acknowledged and
Return-to-Normal” are removed from the display and from the alarm database. Qualified new
alarms received by the workstation since the display was invoked appear in the display.
The time the display was invoked/refreshed is preserved in the lower-right corner of the display's
status area.

To refresh an alarm display

♦ From the View menu, choose Refresh.
♦ Right click the mouse to view a pop-up menu, and choose Refresh.

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 all the information about a particular alarm.

To view additional alarm information

1. Select the alarm entry.
2. Click the Alarm Detail button.
The Alarm Details window appears.
3. Click Close to dismiss the window.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

TIP
You can also view additional alarm information by double-clicking an alarm entry.
(This is the default setting for the double-click action.

TIP
Or right click the mouse to view a pop-up menu, and choose Alarm Details.

Selecting Alarms for Subsequent Actions

You can select alarm entries for acknowledgment or clearing from the alarm alert database.
A highlight box around an alarm entry indicates a selected alarm entry.
(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 to indicate that the display is in the
paused state. This state lasts for 5 seconds. No new alarms are written to the screen; however, the
system updates values, alarm states, and acknowledge states for existing alarms.
Alarms are automatically deselected when they are overwritten by new alarm entries (MRA/CAD
display) or an action is taken on the selected alarm.

To individually select one or more alarms

♦ Position the cursor on the desired alarm.
♦ Click the left mouse button.
A highlight box appears around the alarm, indicating selection.

To individually deselect one or more 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

♦ From the Edit menu, choose Select All.
All alarms related to the display type are selected.
From this Display Type These Alarms are Selected
MRA All alarms
Summary displays All alarms (on all pages)
AHD All alarms
CAD Only the alarms on the active page

To deselect all alarms on a single page or multi-page display

♦ From the Edit menu, choose Deselect All.
All the selected alarms related to the display are deselected.

Responding to Alarms 93
B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

To select or find alarms related to a specific match criteria and/or filtering criteria
♦ Refer to “Locating Alarms” on page 94.

Locating Alarms
Within an alarm display, you can locate specific alarms that match various criteria. After locating
alarms, you can then perform an action, such as acknowledging alarms or clearing alarms on the
selected entries.
If you must repetitively locate specific alarms that match various criteria, you can save time by sav-
ing match/filter criteria to a match specifications file (.ams file) and using this file to perform a
match or find operation. Alarm displays offer two commands for locating alarms.

Find vs. Match

The Find Alarms command differs from the Match Alarms command.
Perform To
Find Alarms (Edit menu) Highlight the alarms on the alarm display that match the
selected criteria. Alarms that do not match the criteria
display are still presented as unselected.
You are always guaranteed to be working with the same
snapshot until you dismiss the display or perform a refresh.
Match Alarms (View menu) Re-display the alarm window, showing only the alarms that
meet the match specifications.
An auto refresh occurs when you transition from View All
mode to Disable View All mode.

Each command brings up a dialog box for match criteria and filter criteria. You can specify multi-
ple entries and wildcards in the dialog box. The two dialog boxes are virtually identical, but have
some slight differences with regard to control buttons at the bottom of each dialog box. You can
use an .ams file in a Find or Match dialog box.

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.

Example Field Entries

Example 1 Entering these criteria

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

Compounds: Compnd1, Compnd2

Blocks: Block1, Block2
would locate these alarms:
Compnd1:Block1, Compnd1:Block2, Compnd2:Block1, and Compnd2:Block2.
Example 2 Entering these criteria
Compounds: Compnd?
Blocks: Block1, Block2
would locate these alarms:
Compnd1:Block1, Compnd1:Block2, Compnd2:Block1, Compnd2:Block2,
and Compnd3:Block1.
Example 3 Entering these criteria
Compounds: Compnd1
Blocks: Block*
would locate these alarms:
Compnd1:Block1, Compnd1:Block2, Compnd1:Block3, Compnd1:Block4,
and Compnd1:Block5.

View All Mode

You can place a summary display in View All mode, which displays all alarms in the alarm alert
database, regardless of the summary criteria from which the display is invoked. 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 the View All mode was invoked. You can perform further analysis
by using the AM’s alarm match/filter capability and find capability to locate alarms of particular
interest.
View All Mode is available from any summary display by choosing the Enable View All Mode
command from the View menu.

While in View All Mode

♦ The order of entries is consistent with the SORT_CFG option.
♦ 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”.

Disable View All Mode

The Disable View All Mode command is available from any summary display's View menu.
This command re-reads the alarm alert database and presents alarm entries that correspond to the
summary display's criteria.

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Working with Alarms

Besides clearing or acknowledging alarms, the operator can:
♦ Access a process display (Block Detail Display and user display)
♦ View alarm detail Information
♦ Locate alarms with a match/filter specification to focus on a subset of alarm entries
♦ Save alarm information to a file
♦ Print alarm information

Acknowledging Alarms
From alarm displays, you can select an alarm and click a command button to acknowledge the
alarm. You can acknowledge:
♦ One or more alarms selected manually
♦ Particular alarms using the Find Alarms command from the Edit menu
♦ The entire page of alarms
♦ All alarms related to blocks in the same compound
The following table describes button functions.
Button Acknowledges
Ack Alarm All alarms associated with the block containing the selected alarm(s)
Ack Compound All alarms located in the same compound as the selected alarm(s)
Ack Page All alarms associated with the blocks on the current page

Acknowledgment is achieved at the control processor, therefore all the connected Alarm Managers
will receive the updated acknowledge status. Alarm displays on other workstations that receive the
same alarms are also updated.

To acknowledge a single alarm or multiple alarms

1. Select the alarm(s) to be acknowledged.
2. Click the Ack Alarm button.

TIP
You can also acknowledge alarms by clicking the right mouse button, which invokes
a pop-up menu. Choose an acknowledge command from the menu.

To acknowledge a page of alarms

♦ Click the Ack Page button.

To acknowledge all alarms associated with a particular compound(s)

1. Select the alarm(s) to be acknowledged.
2. Click the Ack Compound button.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

All alarms located in the same compound as the selected alarm(s) are acknowledged.

TIP
You can also acknowledge alarms by clicking the right mouse button, which invokes
a pop-up menu. Choose an acknowledge command from the menu.

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.

TIP
You must first select an alarm before clicking Block Detail or User Display.

When you click This happens

Top Priority The display associated with the highest priority as defined
according to the sort order is presented. The Block Detail Dis-
play is the default; however, you can associate a user-defined
display with the block using the FoxPanels Configurator. You
need not select an alarm to access the top priority display.
Block Detail The standard Block Detail Display for the selected alarm is
presented. 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. Use
the FoxPanels Configurator to associate a display with a
compound:block. If more than one alarm is selected, the
display pertains to the first selected alarm.

The display appears in an open Display Manager/FoxView window.

Button Configuration
The Top Priority, Block Detail, and User Display buttons can be configured to call up process dis-
plays to another workstation or to a specified display manager. Process display call-up is controlled
by the Common Alarm Group configuration file and redirection variables.

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. Refer also to Display Manager/FoxView Calls
(B0193DF) for information about defining the value of the CADUS, CADTP, and CADDD
environment variables.

Working with Alarms 97

B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

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 an Annunciator or FoxPanels configuration, the
actions from that configuration are performed. Otherwise, the Block Detail Display is initiated.
The highest priority alarm is determined by the SORT_CFG and LIA_OLDEST options in the
init.user file.
If the sort order is by time, the top priority display is the display associated with the most recent
alarm.

Clearing Alarms
Clearing an alarm removes the alarm from the alarm alert database, regardless of its active or
acknowledged state. Cleared alarms are grayed and are unselectable until a manual or automatic
refresh of the display is performed.

To clear a single alarm or multiple alarms from a display

1. Select the alarm(s) to be cleared.
2. Click the Clear Alarm button.

To clear a page of alarms

♦ Click the Clear Page button.
Alarms cleared from a display are also grayed on all the other alarm displays. If the Alarm Alert
subsystem is configured (by setting the CLR_OPT option in the init.user file to 1 or 2) 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”.

Analyzing Alarm Conditions

You can focus on alarm conditions by:
♦ Specifying match/filter criteria to locate alarms
♦ Viewing detailed alarm information on a particular alarm

Working with Historical Alarm Information

Use the Alarm History Display to view alarms saved to an alarm history file by a Historian.
You can:
♦ Change the Historian alarm source used for the Alarm History Display
♦ Save alarm entry information in a readable format or Comma-Separated Value (CSV)
format for use in spreadsheets or databases
♦ Print an alarm information report

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Changing the Historian

The default Historian that holds 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. To access a historized file, use the hist_file command.

To access the alarm history file on a remote host

1. From the Alarm History Display, click the Historian button.
A Historian dialog box appears.
2. Perform one of these actions:
♦ Select the desired Historian from the scrollable list box.
♦ Type the name of the Historian in the text box.
3. Perform one of these actions:
Choose To
Apply Confirm the Historian and retain the dialog box
OK Confirm the Historian and dismiss the dialog box
Cancel Dismiss the Historian dialog box without making changes

Saving Alarm Display Information

You can save the alarm entry contents of an alarm display (except CAD) to a flat ASCII file (text
file) for future reporting or reference. The file can be normal 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 normal format file.

To save
1. From the File menu, choose Save.
The default directory is /usr/fox/customer/alarms/reports. If you want to save to a dif-
ferent 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. Choose Normal or CSV.
On a UNIX workstation, choose the Normal or Comma Separated radio button.
On a Windows NT workstation, name the file with a .CSV extension for CSV for-
mat; otherwise, the file defaults to Normal format.
4. Choose OK.

Examples of Normal and Comma-Separated Value Formats

This is what normal and CSV-formatted data looks like.

Working with Alarms 99

B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

Normal format
Alarm Manager: Y1AP51:SAMENM Display: MRA
Date: Fri Oct 27 08:49:08 1995
08:48:22 Y16CP3_01:PID_10. 77.08 LOABS 5 U
08:48:22 Y16CP3_02:PID_10. 77.08 LOABS 5 U

Comma-Separated Value format

Compound,Block,Block Descriptor,Alarm Type,Time,Tenths,Priority,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
Y16CP3_01,PID_10,PID_BLOCK10,LOABS ,Fri Oct 27 08:48:22 1995,8,5,
,MEAS,Y16CP3,ALM,UNACK,84.166763,% ,85.000000, , ,0,,,,,,,
Y16CP3_02,PID_10,PID_BLOCK10,LOABS ,Fri Oct 27 08:48:22 1995,8,5,
,MEAS,Y16CP3,ALM,UNACK,84.166763,% ,85.000000, , ,0,,,,,,,

Printing Alarm Entry 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 are different for UNIX and Windows NT
workstations.

To print alarm entry information from a UNIX workstation

1. From the File menu, choose Print.
A Print dialog box appears.
2. Select the print source of the alarm entry information (an existing file or the current
display).
3. Select the desired formats (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 number 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.

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3. Alarm Manager Displays B0193RV – Rev E

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 and may be
edited with a text editor.

6. Choose OK.

To print from a Windows NT workstation

On systems running Windows NT, you may customize your printed document by using the File
menu’s Page Setup command to specify layout, header, and footer information. You are presented
with a list from which you choose the items (such as the letterbug and AM name) for placement
on the left, center, and right portions of the printed document.
Use the AM built-in print_preview command (with -pref) to view the document before printing.

NOTE
You can also use the page_setup and print_setup Alarm Manager built-in com-
mands to set page margins and set print options, respectively.

1. From the File menu, choose Print.

A Print dialog box appears.
2. Select the printer to which the information is to be sent.
3. Choose OK.

Using Match Filters

You can view a subset of the alarms associated with a selected alarm display. Although, by design,
the MRA and summary displays (NEWALM, ACKED, and UNACKED) already filter alarms,
you can also apply customized filters to any of these displays.

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 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.
Match/filter and Find operations follow 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

Using Match Filters 101

B0193RV – Rev E 3. Alarm Manager Displays

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.

Creating an Alarm Match Specification File

Use a alarm match specification (.ams) file for an alarm find or alarm match operation. You can
choose match criteria to select specific alarm entries from the alarm alert database. You can choose
filter criteria to eliminate undesired alarms from the alarms entries retrieved by the match criteria
fields.

To create a match specification for filtering alarms on the associated alarm display

NOTE
You need not enter information in every field. Only enter criteria pertaining to the
alarms you choose to locate.

1. From an alarm display, choose Match Alarm from the View menu.
The Alarm Match dialog box appears.

NOTE
You can optionally type a description in the Find/Match description field at the top
of the dialog box. This description text appears at the top of the alarm display when
you perform a match operation but does not appear when you perform a find oper-
ation.

2. In the Match Specification block fields, type the information as required to create a
subset of the alarms currently associated with the display.
You can supply information (separated with commas) in one or more of these entry
fields: CP Letterbugs, Compounds, Blocks, Block Description, Alarm Text,
Point Name, and Loop ID).
3. Type the Time specifications.
The Select Date and Time dialog box appears to aid in the entry of date and time
information.
Time Fields Description
Set Time Enter the start time.
Clear Time Enter the end time.

Depending on the entered criteria (start time, duration, end time), information is
automatically generated. For example, entering the start time and duration results in
the end time being supplied.
A 30-day month is used in the 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.
4. Scroll through list of alarm types and select desired alarm type(s).

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5. Select the alarm state.

♦ Don’t Care, Return-to-Normal, or In-Alarm
♦ Don’t Care, Unacknowledged, or Acknowledged
♦ Alarm Priority – select appropriate number(s) from 1 to 5.

NOTE
You cannot select Alarm State options on summary displays. However, if you create
and save an .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 Acknowledged options from an Alarm History Display.

6. Type the desired filtering specifications to limit the included alarms. Filtering passes
alarms that do not match the filter criteria.
You can supply information (separated with commas) in one or more of these entry
fields: CP Letterbugs, Compounds, Blocks, Block Description, Alarm Text,
Point Name, and Loop ID).
7. Set Time filter options.
Click the Set Time and Clear Time buttons to bring up a dialog box for time filter cri-
teria entry.
8. Click the necessary command buttons:
Choose To
OK Apply the match/filter specification to the display and dismiss the dialog
box
Apply Apply the match/filter specification to the display and maintain the
dialog box
Stop Remove the applied match/filter specification from the display and
maintain the dialog box.
Load Access the File Selection dialog box so you can select an existing
specification file to be loaded and applied to the display
Save Access the File Selection dialog box to save the specification to a file.
Clear Remove the match/filter specifications from the fields in the dialog box.
Close Dismiss the Alarm Match dialog box without applying or saving the
matching/filtering specification

Once you have entered a match specification and chosen OK or Apply, the corresponding display
presents “Match Active” in the left corner of the status bar.

Saving an Alarm Match Specification

When you perform a match or find operation often, you can save time by saving the match/filter
criteria to an alarm match specification (.ams) file and loading the .ams file for re-use.

To save a match/filter specification to a file

1. With the match/filter specification on the screen, click the Save button.

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The File Selection (or Save As) dialog box appears.

2. 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 UNIX-based systems, select a directory (or type a directory path in the Filter text
box and click the Filter button) to display a list of the files in that directory.
By default, a match/filter specification file (.ams file) is stored in the /usr/fox/cus-
tomer/alarms/amspec directory.
3. Choose OK.

Loading an Alarm Match Specification File

Use a pre-configured alarm match specification (.ams) file to quickly locate alarms.

To load an existing alarm match specification file

1. From the View menu, choose Match Alarms.
2. From the Alarm Match dialog box, choose Load.
The File Selection or Open dialog box appears.

NOTE
If you set up a match for 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
PTARG or HIOUT pre-selects the other option.

3. Select an alarm match specification file.

When selected, the configured information appears in the Alarm Match dialog box
fields.
4. If desired, edit the existing configuration information.
5. Perform one of these actions:
Choose To
Apply Apply a match specification to a display and maintain the dialog box
OK Invoke the match specification and dismiss the dialog box
Save Save the new information to a new file
Close End the session without making changes to the alarm match
specification file

Clearing a Match/Filter Specification

To clear an alarm match specification for an associated display
1. From the View menu, choose Match Alarms.
2. Within the dialog box, click the Clear button.

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The alarm match specification information is removed from the dialog box.

Deleting an Alarm Match Specification File

You can delete unnecessary .ams files.

To delete an alarm match specification file

Alarm match specification (.ams) files, by default, are located in the /usr/fox/cus-
tomer/alarms/amspec directory.
1. On a UNIX-based system, access the VT100 mode.
On a Windows NT system, bring up Explorer.
2. Change the current directory to the amspec directory.
3. On a UNIX-based system, type rm and the filename.
On a Windows NT system, select the file and choose Delete from the File menu.

Customizing a Button to Perform a Match

Buttons on alarm displays can be customized to suit your site’s needs.
A button configured on an alarm display can be used, for example, to:
♦ Invoke a match
♦ Clear a match specification from a display
♦ Invoke a display with an existing match specification
The following example shows how to customize a button.

To invoke a match on the active display

1. Set up an alarm match specification and save it to a file.
2. Configure a command button (for example, called MATCH) with the action:
match /<pathname>/<filename>

To clear a match from a display

♦ Configure a command button (for example, called CLR MATCH) 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.
2. Configure a button (for example, called MATCH ACTIVE DISP) with the action:
almdisp <name of display> -match <pathname>/<filename> [-refresh]

Example – Using Alarm Match Specification Files

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.

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The following procedures demonstrate how to create alarm match specification files for use from
a customized pull-down menu.

To create and save an alarm match specification file for critical alarms
1. From an alarm display’s View menu, choose Match Alarms.
The Alarm Match dialog box appears.
2. In the Alarm Priority box, select 1 and 2.
3. Choose Apply.
The alarm display shows only Priority 1 and Priority 2 alarms.
4. Click the Save button.
5. Type critical as the filename.
The match/filter specification is saved to
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/critical.ams

To create and save a match specification file to view specific alarms for specific compounds
This example shows how 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 pref-
ace and the alarm type.
1. From an alarm display’s View menu, choose Match Alarms.
The Alarm Match dialog box appears.
2. Type a match description such as Units 23/24 Sequence Alarms.
3. In the Compounds field, 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. Choose 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 the Save button and type units23_24 as the filename.
The alarm match specification is saved to
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/units23_24.ams

To create and save a filter that eliminates low alarms

This example shows how you can filter out nuisance low alarms during a start-up condition by
applying a match based on the alarm type.
1. From an alarm display's View menu, choose Match Alarms.
The Match/Filter dialog box appears.
2. In the Alarm Types list box, select all alarm types except LLABS, LOABS, LODEV,
and LOOUT.
3. Choose Apply.

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The display shows only alarms other than the low alarms that were not specified.
4. Click the Save button and type nolows as the filename.
The alarm match specification file is saved to
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/nolows.ams

To create and save a filter to eliminate certain conditions on particular compounds

This example shows how 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.
1. From an alarm display’s View menu, choose Match Alarms.
The Match/Filter dialog box appears.
2. In the Compounds field in the Filter Specification area, type FLOW5?.
The “?” is a wildcard that represents a single character.
3. Choose Apply.
The alarm display does not show any alarms from compounds with FLOW5 in the
name.
4. Click the Save button and type noflow5 as the filename.
The alarm match specification file is saved to
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/noflow5.ams

Creating buttons or menu commands to automate match specification

You can automate the viewing of matched alarms, eliminating the need to invoke a Match dialog
box, by configuring buttons (or menu commands) that invoke the alarm match specification file.
Having performed the previous procedures, the following table lists buttons you can configure to
run the alarm match specifications files.
Button Label Runs this Command
Critical Alarms match /usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/critical.ams
Sequence Unit 23/24 match /usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/units23_24.ams
Filter Lows match /usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/nolows.ams
Filter Flow5 match /usr/fox/customer/alarms/amspec/noflow5.ams

Working with the Operations Display

The Operations Display offers access to horn functions and other environments.
From the Operations display, you can:
♦ Access the other alarm display windows; refer to “Accessing Another Alarm Display
Window” on page 72.
♦ Mute or Unmute alarm horns (either locally or throughout a Common Alarm
Group); refer to “Working with Horns” on page 108.
♦ Change Alarm Manager user environments; refer to “Changing the Environment” on
page 109.

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Working with Horns

When a horn sounds, you can:
♦ Silence the horns
♦ Mute the horn

Silencing Horns
The operator can silence the Annunciator keyboard (or FoxPanels) horn, console horn, and exter-
nal horns associated with a workstation.
If the workstation is configured in a Common Alarm Group, all the horns throughout the Com-
mon Alarm Group are silenced.

To silence a local horn or horns throughout the CAG

Perform one of these actions:
♦ From the Operations display’s Horns menu, choose Silence Horns.
♦ Bring up the display’s pop-up menu (right mouse click), and choose Silence Horns.
Horns are additionally silenced when:
♦ The Process button (FoxView) or Alarm button (Display Manager) is clicked
♦ An Annunciator panel key is pressed
♦ A FoxPanels button is pressed
♦ The ACK button on an Annunciator panel or engineering keyboard is pressed
The value of the init.user file’s HRN_OPT option affects how horn silencing operates. The
default setting is manual silence of horns via displays and the Annunciator keyboard ACK button.

Muting/Unmuting Horns
You may choose to temporarily override the pre-configured sounding of alarm horns during sys-
tem start-up and testing. Muting a horn shuts off the horn.
Muting and unmuting can be directed to an individual workstation or throughout an entire
Common Alarm Group of which the workstation is a member. You can mute a Current Alarm
Group and unmute locally.
For safety reasons, the alarm display's status area shows “Horns Muted” when either muting
option is selected.
Be cautious when muting horns within a Common Alarm Group. 50 Series and 70 Series work-
stations within the CAG display “Horns Muted”. Other workstations (WP20/30s) display the
message in the message line each time the Current Alarm Display is refreshed.
Use a pref command to determine the status of alarm horns on non-50 Series and non-70 Series
workstations. For example, pref -DMNAME dmcmd “horns -2 0 0".
The default value of the init.user file’s RESOUND option is to not resound horns (if any alarms
causing a horn(s) to sound occurred during the period the horns were muted) after unmuting
horns.
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).

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To mute/unmute horns for an individual workstation

♦ From the Horns menu, choose Mute Horns or Unmute Horns.
If Mute Horns is selected, “Horns Muted” appears in the display's status bar.

To mute/unmute horns within a Common Alarm Group

♦ From the Horns menu, choose Mute All Horns or Unmute All Horns.
If Mute 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 All
Horns command is ignored.

Changing the Environment

The status area at the bottom of the Operations display shows the name of the current environ-
ment.

To change the current working environment for the appropriate user

1. From the Operations display, click the Environments button.
The Environment dialog box appears.
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. Choose OK.
The status area displays the name of the new current environment.

NOTE
Protection classes (access levels) are applied to the AM display.

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4. Configuring Alarm Managers and
Display Managers
This chapter provides conceptual information about the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator
(ADMC).
The chapter describes:
♦ The items that you can configure
♦ Schemes and templates
♦ Invoking the ADMC
♦ The AM database (.am file) used in Alarm Manager configuration
♦ Configuration philosophy and decisions you need to make
Refer also to Chapter 5 “Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator”, which is composed of
how-to (procedural information) found in the ADMC’s on-line Help.

What is the ADMC ?

The Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) is a user interface tool you use to configure
multiple instances of Alarm Managers and display managers. The term “display managers” refers
to FoxViews and traditional Display Managers.
The ADMC (Figure 4-1) includes a main window and many dialog boxes. Refer to Chapter 5
“Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator” and the on-line Help for details about the user
interface.
In addition to configuring Alarm Managers and display managers, you can use the ADMC
to customize most of the aspects of the alarm displays. Refer to the tutorial in Chapter 6 “Tutorial
– Configuring AMs and DMs with Standard Defaults”.
The interactive ADMC user interface eliminates the need to manually edit the dmcfg file.
For more information about the dmcfg file, refer to the display engineering documents.

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ADMC Title Bar File Name

Control Menu
Main Menu

List Box Command Button Box Select Box

Figure 4-1. ADMC Main Browser Window

Configuration Philosophy
There are three general categories of users:
♦ Most users are satisfied using the Foxboro supplied schemes. These users need only
configure the Alarm Manager names and display manager names, stations, and so on,
as described in Chapter 5 “Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator”. This
category of user does not need to develop customized schemes.
♦ Some users want to make minor changes to their user interface, display positions, or
alarm formats. The recommended approach they should take is to copy existing
schemes and edit the copies. They should not directly edit the Foxboro supplied
schemes. These users must understand the relationships among scheme types.
♦ Some users want to create their own schemes. These users will copy and edit existing
schemes, or create entirely new schemes. These users must understand how schemes
are employed. They may chose to create and use templates.

Schemes
A scheme is a named set of configuration settings.
Each Alarm Manager (AM) uses configuration data in an Alarm Manager (AM) property scheme.
The AM property scheme specifies settings such as:
♦ The action to be taken upon the receipt of a new alarm
♦ The initial I/A Series environment in which the AM starts up

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♦ The initial size and position of each alarm display type

♦ The name of the user interface scheme used by each display type
A user interface scheme specifies the layout of menus, buttons, and pop-up menus, as well as the
action taken when an alarm entry is doubled-clicked. The user interface scheme also dictates the
alarm format presentation by specifying the name of the alarm format scheme.
An alarm format scheme specifies how each process alarm will be depicted at runtime, in terms of
the alarm fields and the fonts and colors used to illustrate them.

Relationship of Alarm Manager Schemes

Each Alarm Manager must be assigned an AM property scheme. The AM property scheme
defines the user interface (UI) scheme used for each alarm display window. You can use one UI
scheme for all of the display windows, or use a unique UI scheme for each display window (each
display window having its own set of menu selections and buttons).
Each UI scheme must be associated with an alarm format scheme, defining the information (what
and how) displayed for each alarm entry. Refer to Figure 4-2 and Figure 4-3.

Alarm Manager Property Scheme

User Interface Scheme

Alarm Format Scheme

Figure 4-2. Relationship of Alarm Manager Schemes

Schemes 113
B0193RV – Rev E 4. Configuring Alarm Managers and Display Managers

Alarm Manager Settings

Name
Station Letterbug
Screen
AM Property Scheme

AM Property Scheme
Class
Initial Environment
New Alarm Action
Most Recent Alarm Display Settings
Current Alarm Display Settings
New Alarm Display Settings
Unacknowledged Alarm Display Settings
Acknowledged Alarm Display Settings
Alarm History Display Settings
Operations Display Settings

User Interface Scheme - MRA

User Interface Scheme - CAD
User Interface Scheme - NEWALM
User Interface Scheme - UNACK
User Interface Scheme - ACKED
User Interface Scheme - AHD
User Interface Scheme - OPR

• Menu Configuration
• Button configuration
• Pop-up menu configuration
• Double-click action
• Button row/column layout
• Alarm row/column layout
• Alarm Format Settings

Alarm Format Scheme

• Alarm field positions and lengths
• Alarm field colors and fonts

Figure 4-3. Alarm Manager Schemes

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Templates
Templates are provided as a configuration aid for advanced users. A template provides default val-
ues when you create a new “object” with the ADMC main browser window’s New button. For
example, choosing Alarm Managers from the select list on the ADMC main browser window and
clicking the New button creates a new Alarm Manager object.
When you create a new display manager or Alarm Manager, a name is automatically generated,
and default settings/record names from the template are automatically provided.
The template provides default information that automatically appears in DM or AM configura-
tion dialog boxes or in newly created schemes.
By means of a single set of templates, you can quickly and easily configure multiple DMs and
AMs to use a common set of settings or records.
Each DM or AM template represents a default record that is part of the DM or AM configura-
tion. You can use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) to customize the set of the
Foxboro supplied templates. Templates can be saved and used in new configurations.

Standard/Default DM and AM Configuration

The standard display manager (DM) and Alarm Manager (AM) configuration supplied
with every workstation includes:
♦ DM properties that include automatic start-up of the display manager on the
first head when the station is booted
♦ AM properties that include start-up of the Alarm Manager on the first head
♦ Operator privileges available in the Initial I/A Series environment
♦ AM display user interface formats and alarm formats for each type of alarm display
Besides the standard/default configurations, Foxboro supplies schemes that complement the sup-
plied template information. Figure 4-4 shows the schemes used by the Foxboro supplied default
Alarm Manager. Refer to “Alternative Alarm Manager Schemes” on page 118 and to the ADMC
on-line help for alternative schemes that you can import into an Alarm Manager configuration.
If you want your alarm displays to be different from the Foxboro supplied default displays, use the
Alarm/Display Manager Configurator to customize your system.

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Alarm Manager Settings

Name
Station Letterbug
Screen
AM Property Scheme: foxDefault

AM Property Scheme: foxDefault

Class
Initial Environment
New Alarm Action
Most Recent Alarm Display User Interface Scheme: foxMRA
Current Alarm Display User Interface Scheme: foxCAD
New Alarm Display User Interface Scheme: foxNEWALM
Unacknowledged Alarm Display User Interface Scheme: foxUNACK
Acknowledged Alarm Display User Interface Scheme: foxACKED
Alarm History Display User Interface Scheme: foxAHD
Operations Display User Interface Scheme: foxOPR

foxMRA foxCAD foxNEWALM foxUNACK foxACKED foxAHD foxOPR

User Interface User Interface User Interface User Interface User Interface User Interface User Interface
Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme
• Menu Config • Menu Config • Menu Config • Menu Config • Menu Config • Menu Config • Menu Config
• Button config • Button config • Button config • Button config • Button config • Button config • Button config
• Pop-up menu • Pop-up menu • Pop-up menu • Pop-up menu • Pop-up menu • Pop-up menu • Pop-up menu
config config config config config config config
• Double-click • Double-click • Double-click • Double-click • Double-click • Double-click • Double-click
action action action action action action action
• Button • Button • Button • Button • Button • Button • Button
row/column row/column row/column row/column row/column row/column row/column
layout layout layout layout layout layout layout
• Alarm • Alarm • Alarm • Alarm • Alarm • Alarm • Alarm
row/column row/column row/column row/column row/column row/column row/column
layout layout layout layout layout layout layout
• Alarm Format • Alarm Format • Alarm Format • Alarm Format • Alarm Format • Alarm Format • Alarm Format
Scheme: foxMRA Scheme: foxCAD Scheme: foxCAD Scheme: foxCAD Scheme: foxCAD Scheme: foxCAD Scheme: foxMRA

foxMRA foxCAD
Alarm Format Scheme Alarm Format Scheme
• Alarm field positions and lengths • Alarm field positions and lengths
• Alarm field colors and fonts • Alarm field colors and fonts

Figure 4-4. Schemes used by the Foxboro Supplied Default Alarm Manager

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Configuring Templates and Schemes

The ADMC provides the means to customize alarm displays. It employs an AM database
(.am file) that contains all of a site’s customization choices. The database is composed of schemes.
A scheme is a special type of record within the AM database. There are four types of schemes:
♦ AM property schemes
♦ User interface schemes
♦ Alarm format schemes
♦ DM property schemes
Refer to “Items that can be Configured” on page 123 for a list of the configurable items contained
in a scheme.
Schemes are configured records that you may optionally select during AM/DM configuration.
Unlike templates, which automatically supply default values when a new DM or AM configura-
tion or lower-level scheme is created, schemes provide a means to customize your displays. For
information about templates, refer to “Templates” on page 115.
You can use a combination of template information and pre-configured schemes (supplied by
Foxboro and/or user-defined) to configure DMs and AMs.

Examples of Schemes
Give each scheme a unique name that characterizes the information that it contains. For example,
an AM property scheme named “Cascade” could be a scheme in which alarm displays are defined
to come up in an overlapping fashion.

UNACK

NEWALM

AHD

MRA

CAD

An AM alarm format scheme, “BlockType”, for example, could be a scheme that displays alarm
text information as follows.

BOILER1
10:12:06 HIABS
A user interface scheme named “VertStrip”, for example, may provide an alarm window that dis-
plays to the right of the standard display manager window.

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Alternative Alarm Manager Schemes

User Interface schemes and Alarm Format schemes provide different effects, such as different
alarm formats, square buttons, strips, and grids. You can use elements of these schemes as a start-
ing point for customizing schemes.
Alternative Alarm Manager schemes, supplied by The Foxboro Company, are available for cus-
tomizing Alarm Manager displays. These schemes are located in the file:
/usr/fox/customer/config/foxboro.am
You can import any or all of these schemes into an AM database (.am file).

NOTE
The foxFullSq, foxStrips, and foxGrids schemes illustrate how you can achieve dif-
ferent effects, such as different alarm formats, square buttons for Touchscreens,
strips and grids.

The following figures show examples of displays associated with various AM Property Schemes.

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Figure 4-5. Example of foxFullScreen AM Property Scheme (MRA)

Figure 4-6. Examples of foxQuarter AM Property Scheme (CAD and MRA)

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Figure 4-7. Examples of foxOldCAD AM Property Scheme (CAD and AHD)

Figure 4-8. Example of foxFullSq AM Property Scheme (NEWALM)

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Figure 4-9. Examples of foxStrips AM Property Scheme (CAD and NEWALM)

used with a Foxboro Default-Size Display Manager

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Figure 4-10. Examples of foxGrids AM Property Scheme (CAD, MRA, and NEWALM)

Invoking and Exiting the ADMC Configurator

Accessing the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator
Depending on the workstation’s platform (UNIX or Windows NT), perform these steps to invoke
the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator.

To access the Alarm/Display Configurator on a UNIX workstation

1. From the I/A Series menu bar, choose Sys.
2. Choose Change_Env (Change Environment).
3. From the Environment dialog box, choose Proc_Eng_Env (Process Engineer's envi-
ronment).
Type a password if required.
4. From the Config menu, choose DispAlarmCfg.
The ADMC main browser window appears.
The following illustration shows how you access ADMC from the Display Manager.

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From the Config menu in the

Process Engineer’s environment,
choose DispAlarmCfg.

To access the Alarm/Display Configurator on a Windows NT workstation

1. From the I/A Series menu bar, choose File.
2. Choose Change_Env (Change Environment).
3. From the Environment dialog box, choose Proc_Eng_Env (Process Engineer’s envi-
ronment).
Type password if required.
4. From the Config menu, choose DispAlarmCfg.
The ADMC main browser window appears.

Exiting the AM/DM Configurator

To exit the AM/DM Configurator

♦ From the File menu, choose Exit.
The configurator closes and the previous I/A Series environment appears.
A confirmation dialog box will be presented. Choose the appropriate button to exit
with or without saving the session’s work.

Items that can be Configured

The ADMC main browser window provides access to configurable items.

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Figure 4-11. ADMC Main Browser Window

Items you can configure are grouped under buttons in the Select box buttons (right side of win-
dow). The following list shows the name of the button and its configurable items.

Display Managers
♦ Display manager name
♦ Station letterbug
♦ Screen (local station, remote station, screen list, or undedicated)
♦ Display manager property scheme
♦ Create Alarm Manager (checkbox)

DM Properties
♦ Display manager class (Boot-Up, Operator, Engineer, or View Only)
♦ Environment script
♦ Initial display size and position

Alarm Managers
♦ Alarm Manager name
♦ Station letterbug
♦ Screen (local station, remote station, screen list, or undedicated)
♦ Alarm Manager property scheme

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AM Properties
♦ Alarm Manager class (Boot-Up, Operator, Engineer, or View Only)
♦ Environment script
♦ New Alarms button action
♦ For each display type (for example, MRA):
♦ Scroll origin
♦ Scroll direction
♦ Initial display size and position
♦ Additionally, some display types allow further definition (overlay on re-alarm,
refresh data, data refresh rate, alarm entry list order)

User Interfaces
♦ Alarm format scheme
♦ Menu bar items and commands
♦ Pop-up menu commands
♦ Number of alarm rows and alarm columns
♦ Number of button rows and button columns
♦ Double-click action (required access code, and the command to be run)

Alarm Formats
♦ Default font for an alarm cell and the indicator font
♦ Alarm cell foreground and background color
♦ Format used for time and date
♦ Alarm cell contents (font grid, cell contents, field location and size)
♦ Alarm state indicators and acknowledgement state indicators

Screen Lists
♦ Groups of screens

Associations
♦ DM/AM association

Pre-Configuration Decisions
Before using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator, you should decide how many display
managers and Alarm Managers your system requires.
The Foxboro Company recommends that you photocopy the attached worksheets. Use one set of
worksheets for each display manager or Alarm Manager. Fill in the blanks on the worksheets so
you will be prepared to make selections while using the ADMC.

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Display Manager Configuration

Configuring a display manager involves the use of several dialog boxes. Fill in the following work-
sheets for each display manager.

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Configure the Display Manager: Configure Property Scheme Name:

Configure the property scheme’s environment and
Display Manager Dialog Box
display’s size and position.
Display Manager Name Display Manager
Property Scheme Name
Station Letterbug
Display Manager Class (choose one):
Screen (choose one):
Boot-up Engineer
Local (choose one):
Operator View Only
1st Head
Environment Script (choose one):
2nd Head
Display Manager
Both Heads
/usr/fox/sys/Change_Env/
Remote
FoxView
Screen List /opt/fox/env/
Undedicated (goes to any monitor)
Initial Display Size and Position (choose one):
Property Scheme Name Default (3/4 screen size)
Full Display
Create Alarm Manager (choose one):
Intermediate (make 2 choices):
Yes
Top/Bottom Right/Left
No Quarter Display (make 2 choices):
Top/Bottom Right/Left
Display is Re-Sizable (if applicable): Yes/No
Fixed Minimum Size (if applicable): Yes/No

Configure Screen List Dialog Box: Display/Alarm Manager Associations

Dialog Box:
Configure the screen(s) to which the display
manager may appear. Build a list of stations. For
Configure associations between display managers
each station, designate the head(s) to which the
and Alarm Managers.
display manager will appear.

Screen List (name)

.
Station Name (choose one):
Display Manager (name) Alarm Manager (name)
1st Head 2nd Head Both Heads

Station Name (choose one):

1st Head 2nd Head Both Heads

Station Name (choose one):

1st Head 2nd Head Both Heads

Station Name (choose one):

1st Head 2nd Head Both Heads

Station Name (choose one):

1st Head 2nd Head Both Heads

Station Name (choose one):

1st Head 2nd Head Both Heads

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Alarm Manager Configuration

Configuring an Alarm Manager involves the use of several dialog boxes. For each Alarm Manager,
you must configure Alarm Manager properties for each alarm display. Use one worksheet for each
Alarm Manager.

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Alarm Manager Name ______

NEW UN
MRA ALM OPR ACK ACK AHD CAD
Scroll Origin Top Left N/A
Top Right N/A
Bottom Left N/A
Bottom Right N/A
Scroll Direction By Rows N/A
By Columns N/A
Alarm Cache Size Size N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
List Order New->Old N/A N/A N/A N/A
Old->New N/A N/A N/A N/A
Overlay on Re-Alarm Yes N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Refresh Data Yes N/A N/A N/A
No N/A N/A N/A
Data Refresh Rate # of seconds N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Init. Display Size/Position Full
just > 1/4
1/4 @ top right
1/4 @ top left
1/4 @ bottom right
1/4 @ bottom left
Vertical Disp
Banner Disp
Custom Disp
Display is Re-Sizable Yes
No
Fixed Minimum Size Yes
No
Use Interface Scheme

Local vs. Master Configuration Files

The Alarm/Display Manager Configurator produces a single AM database (.am file), containing
all the AM/DM configuration information for the system. You use this database file to create the
workstation configuration data files.
Depending on your configuration philosophy, an AM database may be local to the workstation,
or it may be a master database file that contains the configuration information for all the 50 Series
and 70 Series workstations throughout the system.

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The Foxboro Company recommends using a single (master) database file. A single source file for
all the workstations simplifies many aspects of file maintenance (file naming, archiving, and mul-
tiple versions in many locations). Maintaining a single file and configuring all the workstations
from that file helps to avoid potential problems at a later date.

If your site uses Then

Local database files Each workstation has its own database file. You must generate and copy
install files to the appropriate local directories on the workstation.
A master database file You configure the information for all of the system’s workstations in the
master file on one workstation and then manually distribute install files
to the appropriate workstations. Any changes in workstation
configuration requires that you update the master file and manually
install the files on the appropriate workstation(s).

Using a New AM Database File

When a new AM database (.am file) is initialized with the default configuration information sup-
plied by Foxboro, the database contains:
♦ Templates (records) with default settings for creating additional display managers and
Alarm Managers
♦ Optional schemes (records) supplied by Foxboro for use with the standard templates.
These schemes are loaded via the ADMC Import button.
After modifying a database, use the ADMC to:
♦ Verify that the AM database file includes all the referenced records
♦ Create workstation (dmcfg) and AM .cfg files
After creating the install files, manually distribute the install files to the appropriate workstation
directories for start-up access, and reboot the stations.

NOTE
An update to the AM .cfg file can be realized without a reboot.

Configuring an Alarm Manager

You can use the default Alarm Manager (AM) settings supplied with the I/A Series software.

NOTE
You need not reconfigure the default Alarm Manager supplied with each worksta-
tion unless you want to customize default settings for that Alarm Manager. AM
configuration is required to run multiple Alarm Managers on one workstation.

Use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator to configure a set of alarm displays to meet your
site’s needs. You can configure multiple Alarm Managers, however, the number of Alarm Manag-
ers running at one time must be equal to or less than the number of purchased display manager
licenses.

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NOTE
A workstation without optionally purchased display manager and Alarm Manager
licenses has one letterbug display manager and one letterbug Alarm Manager. You
do not have to configure this workstation, but may customize it.

You can configure these Alarm Manager items:

♦ The Alarm Manager’s name and its associated workstation letterbug
♦ Dedicated or undedicated screen(s) on which the Alarm Manager can appear
♦ The Alarm Manager’s properties (via the Alarm Manager property scheme)
The Alarm Manager property scheme (Figure 4-13) controls these options:
♦ AM user class (Boot-up operator, Operator, Engineer, or View only)
♦ Initial start-up environment script, indicating protection classes and password
♦ New Alarms button actions (action performed upon the receipt of new alarms)
The Alarm Manager’s property scheme derives information from a User Interface scheme, which
derives information from an Alarm Format scheme.
Figure 4-12 and Figure 4-13 show some ADMC configuration windows that you use to configure
an Alarm Manager. Chapter 6 provides a tutorial that shows how to customize displays.

Main Browser Window

Alarm Manager Dialog Box

Figure 4-12. Configuring a New Alarm Manager

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Figure 4-13. Alarm Manager Property Scheme and Alarm Manager Display Type Dialog Boxes

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5. Using the Alarm/Display
Manager Configurator
This chapter describes the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) used to configure all
aspects of alarm displays: menus, buttons, alarm entries, position of displays, and so on.
You also use the ADMC to configure multiple instances of Alarm Managers and display manag-
ers.
You use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) to configure all aspects of alarm dis-
plays: menus, buttons, alarm entries, position of displays, and so on. You also use the ADMC to
configure multiple instances of Alarm Managers and display managers.

NOTE
Alarm alert database attributes such as alarm entry sort options, return-to-normal
action, and Clear button action, affect the contents of all the alarm displays for all
the Alarm Managers running on that workstation. You do not use the ADMC to
configure these attributes; refer to the init.user file located in the /usr/fox/wp/data
directory.

You customize your site’s presentation of alarm displays. You can customize schemes and/or tem-
plates for use in configuring display managers and Alarm Managers, refer to “Working with
Alarm Managers” on page 154.
This chapter contains information from the ADMC’s on-line Help. Refer to Chapter 4 for a con-
ceptual description of the ADMC. This chapter describes:
Information Location
ADMC window “ADMC Main Browser Window” on
page 134
Steps used to configure Alarm Managers “AM/DM Configuration – Major Steps”
and display managers on page 136
Customizing Alarm Managers and display “AM/DM Customization” on page 143
managers
Operations you can perform on Alarm “Working with Alarm Managers” on
Managers page 154
Customizing the menus available from an “Customizing Alarm Display Menus” on
alarm display page 163
Customizing an Alarm Manager’s User “Configuring a User Interface Scheme or
Interface scheme Template” on page 170
Configuring the presentation of alarm “Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme”
messages on page 173
Alarm Manager default settings “Alarm Manager Displays – Default Set-
tings” on page 182

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ADMC Main Browser Window

Use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) main browser window to access dialog
boxes, an existing template, or an optional scheme. The window also allows you to access alarm
formats, AMs, DMs, and associations. Figure 5-1 shows the ADMC main browser window and
identifies its parts.

ADMC Title Bar File Name

Control Menu
Main Menu

List Box Command Button Box Select Box

Figure 5-1. ADMC Main Browser Window

The ADMC main browser window enables you to customize the template set and/or create new
customized schemes before configuring Display Managers and Alarm Managers.
The main browser window includes these parts:
♦ Menu bar
♦ List box
♦ Command buttons
♦ AM/DM title bar
♦ Select box

ADMC Menu Bar

The ADMC menu bar provides access to these drop-down menus:
♦ File
♦ Edit

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File Menu
Choose To
New Create a new unnamed AM database (.am) file using standard the
Foxboro supplied templates, or using existing customized templates.
Optionally, you can include or exclude existing display manager
information from the file.
Open Open an existing AM database file (.am file) for viewing or editing.
Import "dmcfg" Import an existing dmcfg file into the current AM database (.am) file.
This overwrites records with the same name. You use this to import a
"local" dmcfg file from \usr\fox\customer\hi to a master file.
Save Save the information to an existing or new AM database (.am) file. If the
-or- database file is unnamed, the Save Configuration As dialog box appears.
Save As
Save Defaults Save customized templates, schemes, or both as a .cdf file for use in other
AM database files. Do not overwrite the standard templates provided by
The Foxboro Company which are located in
/usr/fox/up/data/foxboro.cdf.
Validate Records Verify the names and referenced records in the AM database file (.am file).
Create Install Create subdirectories for each workstation and place the required display
Files manager and Alarm Manager configuration information in these worksta-
tion subdirectories. Note that these subdirectories are on the local work-
station and that the files will have to be copied to the destination worksta-
tions. The AM database (.am) file is validated before creating install files.
Exit Leave the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator. If changes have been
made, a dialog box queries whether to save the AM database information
before exiting. (An asterisk in the title bar indicates that un-saved changes
have been made to the .am file.)

Edit Menu
Choose To
Template Edit a template required for the DM/AM database. Templates include
default values for: display manager properties, Alarm Manager properties,
a user interface scheme for each type of alarm display, alarm entry formats,
and screen lists.

NOTE
Changing a template does not affect existing display manager or Alarm Manager
configurations.

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ADMC List Box

The list box (left side of the main browser window) displays existing schemes or records pertain-
ing to the scheme type specified in the select box. Existing configured DMs, AMs, or schemes
appear in the list box with the following associated information:
When the Select box is set to The List Box shows
Display Managers Display Manager Name Letterbug
Display Manager Properties Display Manager Name Class
Alarm Managers Alarm Manager Name Letterbug
AM Property Scheme Alarm Manager Name Class
User Interfaces User Interface Name Alarm Format Name
Alarm Formats Alarm Format Name N/A
Screen Lists List Name N/A
Associations Display Manager Name Alarm Manager Name

ADMC Command Buttons

The command buttons (located in the middle of the main browser window) work in conjunction
with the item selected in the ADMC main browser window’s Select box and the list box.
Click To
Edit Edit the selected record appearing in the List box
New Create a new scheme (record) or template
Import Import an existing configuration scheme into the current configuration file.
Import looks in the \usr\fox\customer\hi directory for the local dmcfg file.
Duplicate Duplicate a selected record type. The new name is the next sequential
numeric name. Automatically generated scheme names end in four digits
and are "1" unit more than the previous name. If a previously generated
scheme name has been deleted, the name is re-used.
Delete Delete a selected record type

AM/DM Configuration – Major Steps

These are the major steps to configure and install display manager and Alarm Manager
configuration files.
Step Task Refer to
1 Initializing a new AM “Creating and Initializing a Configuration File with
database file or opening Default Records and Templates” on page 137
an existing AM database “Accessing an Existing AM Database File” on page 138
file

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Step Task Refer to

2 Selecting a default “Accessing an Existing AM Database File” on page 138
template, or using a “Modifying an Alarm Manager’s Default User Interface” on
customized scheme. page 143
“Customizing an Alarm Manager” on page 157
“Alarm Manager Displays – Default Settings” on page 182
3 Configuring the display “Creating a New Display Manager from Existing Templates
managers or Alarm Man- and Schemes” on page 152
agers for each worksta-
tion, using the templates
and/or named schemes
4 Saving the AM database “Saving the Current AM Database File” on page 139
5 Validating the “Validating the AM Database File” on page 140
information in the AM
Database file
6 Creating install files for “Creating AM/DM Install Files for Each Workstation” on
each workstation page 141
referenced in the AM
database file
7 Distributing the configu- “Distributing Configuration Files to Individual Worksta-
ration files to the appro- tions” on page 142
priate workstations
8 Rebooting each N/A
workstation that had new
configuration files
installed

These procedures are described next. It is assumed that the ADMC window is open on your
workstation. The remainder of this chapter is a text copy of the ADMC on-line Help’s “how to”
information.
Refer also to “Tutorial – Configuring AMs and DMs with Standard Defaults” on page 191
to learn how to quickly configure AMs and DMs using default values.

Creating and Initializing a Configuration File with Default Records

and Templates

To load default records and templates

1. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose New.
The New Alarm Configuration Default File dialog box appears.
2. From the Templates/Default Records box, choose one of the following:

Click To
Standard Include standard default information (supplied by Foxboro).

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Click To
Other Display the Load Configuration Defaults dialog box to select another
set of previously saved customized templates/defaults (.cdf) file.

Your choice is loaded into the Templates/Default Records text box.

3. From the dmcfg File box, choose one of the following:

Click To
None Include no existing dmcfg file (display manager) information
Local Include the local dmcfg file information to provide additional DM
property scheme information and previously configured DM/AM
information
Other Display the Load DMCFG File dialog box to include another dmcfg
file in the configuration file.

NOTE
The Load DMCFG File dialog box loads only one dmcfg file into the configuration
file. To load multiple dmcfg files, issue the Import dmcfg command.

4. Choose OK.
The information loads into the configuration file.
The template/default information is available from the main browser window.
5. Perform one of these actions:
♦ Configure the display managers and Alarm Managers.
♦ Customize the appropriate display manager or Alarm Manager schemes before
configuring the display managers and Alarm Managers.

Accessing an Existing AM Database File

To open an existing AM database file

1. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Open.
The Open Configuration dialog box appears.
The configuration file directory (/usr/fox/customer/config) and files appear.

NOTE
If install files have previously been generated from the AM database (.am) file,
a <filename>.dir directory appears in the /usr/fox/customer/config directory.

2. Select the name of the AM database file or the workstation configuration file: <file-
name>.am.
3. Choose OK to confirm the file name.

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Existing DM or AM configuration records (schemes) appear in the main browser win-

dow’s list box.

Importing Existing dmcfg Information into an AM Database File

When you create an AM database file (.am) on a previously installed workstation, you can import
existing dmcfg files from remote workstations.
Before you can import the existing dmcfg files, you must copy each remote dmcfg file to a local
directory on the workstation. By default, the Import dmcfg dialog box accesses the /usr/tmp
directory. Copy the dmcfg files to this directory with unique file names, such as dmcfg.<letter-
bug>.

To import additional dmcfg information (other than local dmcfg) into the AM database file
1. Copy each remote dmcfg file to a unique file name in a local directory (for example,
/usr/tmp/dmcfg.<letterbug>).
2. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Import dmcfg.
The Import dmcfg dialog box appears.
The dialog box defaults to the /usr/tmp directory.
3. Select the desired dmcfg file to be imported.
4. Choose OK to confirm the file name.
5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for each required dmcfg file.

Saving the Current AM Database File

The AM database file (.am file) contains the display manager and Alarm Manager configuration
information. Use the .am file to create install files for each workstation for which DMs and AMs
are created. By default, the file is saved as:
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.am

To save the current AM database file

♦ From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Save.
The file is saved with the same name.
If the file is unnamed, the Save Configuration As dialog box appears. See below.
-Or-
1. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Save As.
The Save Configuration As dialog box appears
2. Type a filename.
The database file is assigned a new name. The ".am" extension is automatically added.
The default path name is /usr/fox/customer/config.
3. Choose OK to confirm the file name.

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Saving Changes to Templates and Schemes

Save customized templates and schemes for future use.

! CAUTION
The standard templates and schemes provided by Foxboro are stored
in /usr/fox/wp/data/foxboro.cdf. Do not alter this file.

To save customized templates and schemes

1. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Save Defaults.
The file directory (/usr/fox/customer/config) and files appear.
2. Select (or type) the name of the customized default file.
The .cdf extension is automatically assigned.

NOTE
A saved AM database file (.am file) includes the set of defaults used in the configu-
ration.

3. Choose OK.

Validating the AM Database File

For a successful install, all configuration records pertaining to display manager and Alarm Man-
ager configurations must be available in the AM database file (/usr/fox/customer/config/<file-
name.am>).
Each configuration (.am file) must use valid schemes (records).

NOTE
When left blank, referenced names default to the Foxboro supplied values. For
example, leaving the “Alarm Manager Property Scheme” blank (rather than entering
“foxDefault”) automatically uses the foxDefault scheme. Note, however, using the
default (thus, not typing the name of the scheme) produces a smaller .am file. To
conserve diskspace, do not type the name of the default scheme.

To validate the named schemes and referenced schemes

This procedure guarantees the validity of all referenced schemes.
1. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Validate.
If all records are properly referenced, the "Validation Complete" message appears.
Choose OK.
If the database file contains invalid references, the Validate Database dialog box
appears.

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The Validate Database dialog box describes problem and shows the record name
requiring correction. These action buttons may be available:
Choose To
Clear Clear the reference from the Record Name box
Select Access a list of records. Click a record to replace the invalid
reference. Select the replacement and choose OK.
Create Create a new record with the listed record name. Choose OK.
Ignore Ignore this validation problem and searches for the next invalid
record.

NOTE
Only screen lists and DM/AM property schemes can be cleared from the reference
box if invalid. Once cleared, the Screen option is set to Undedicated, and the DM
or AM property scheme reverts to the Foxboro supplied DM or AM defaults.

NOTE
The Ignore button is not accessible if invalid records are found when running the
Create Install Files command.

2. Perform one of these actions:

♦ Choose Continue to continue viewing and correcting invalid records
♦ Choose Quit.

Creating AM/DM Install Files for Each Workstation

After validating records in the database file (/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.am), you may
create the install files. The following procedure creates a configuration file directory called <file-
name>.dir for each workstation and creates the install files.
The /usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir directory contains the dmcfg file and individual sta-
tion letterbug directories, each containing the Alarm Manager configuration files
(<AMNAME>.cfg) associated with that station.
For example, the directory with install files for a single workstation (WP5001) with multiple
DMs and AMs might appear as:
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/dmcfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/WP5001/AM0000.cfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/WP5001/AM0001.cfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/WP5001/AM0002.cfg

To create the individual configuration files (.cfg) for each workstation

1. From the ADMC’s File menu, choose Create Install Files.

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If created/saved during “Create/Install files”, the AM database (.am) file is checked for
valid record names. If the configuration file records are valid, a Progress Log message
box indicates the information related to the creation of the install files.

NOTE
If a scheme (record) is invalid or has an invalid scheme (record) associated with it,
the Validate Database dialog box appears.

2. Choose Save to File to record the information in a file.

3. In the subsequent dialog box, type the name of the file to be saved and choose OK.
By default, the <filename>.log file is saved in the same directory as the install files.
4. Choose Done to dismiss the dialog box.

Distributing Configuration Files to Individual Workstations

You must manually distribute the individual AM configuration files (.cfg files and the dmcfg file)
created from a successful run of the Create Install Files command to each of the workstations.

NOTE
The AM database file (<filename>.am) is required when adding or reconfiguring
DM and AM information for a workstation. The AM database file contains the
information required to create the install files.

To distribute the configuration files to the appropriate workstations

1. On the configuration workstation, locate the directory (<filename>.dir) containing
the AM database (.am file).
2. Within the directory, find the DM configuration file (dmcfg) and the AM configura-
tion (.cfg) file(s) associated with the workstation letterbug to which the files must be
copied.
These are the files:
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/dmcfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/<letterbug>/<am_name1>.cfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/<filename>.dir/<letterbug>/<am_name2>.cfg
The progress log (.log file) indicates the letterbug of the workstation, the DM config-
uration (dmcfg) file and the AM configuration files (.cfg) associated with that work-
station.
3. Copy the dmcfg file and .cfg files to the appropriate directories on the destination
workstation.
These are the destination filenames:
/usr/fox/customer/hi/dmcfg
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/<am_name1>.cfg
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/<am_name2>.cfg
4. For each workstation, repeat Steps 2 through 3.

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For UNIX, use the rmount command to remotely mount and copy files to the appro-
priate remote workstation directories.

! CAUTION
Do not manually update the dmcfg file after using the Alarm/Display Manager
Configurator (ADMC) to configure the dmcfg file. Use the ADMC to change the
<filename>.am file, then generate the install files and distribute the files to the
appropriate workstation(s).

Preserving the Original Configuration

In the following example procedure, the /usr/fox/customer/config/<customer.dir> directory now
exists. Under this directory, each unique letterbug in the database is also given its own subdirec-
tory. The default was taken, so the letterbug subdirectory now exists under the /usr/fox/cus-
tomer/config/<customer.dir> directory. In this subdirectory, AM0000.cfg is the installable AM
configuration file that is read by the Alarm Manager.

NOTE
Only perform this procedure to use a customized configuration. For details about
Alarm Manager start-up, refer to “Display manager and Alarm Manager Start-Up”
on page 63.

1. From a VT100 window or DOS window, type these commands to preserve the origi-
nal AM database file:
cd /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg
cp am_def.cfg am_def.cfg.fox
You must now install this file from a VT100 window.
2. Type these commands:
cd /usr/fox/customer/config/<filename.dir>/<letterbug>
cp <am_name1>.cfg /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/am_def.cfg

AM/DM Customization
Use the following procedures to customize Alarm Managers and display managers.

Modifying an Alarm Manager’s Default User Interface

The AM database (.am file) from which the default AM user interface has been created is
/usr/fox/customer/config/foxboro.am. This database contains no instances of specific Alarm Man-
agers (AMs). To change the AM’s user interface, you must define a specific AM within the data-
base.

! CAUTION
Back up the default database file (foxboro.am) before making edits.

On a UNIX workstation, bring up a VT100 window and type these commands.

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cd /usr/fox/customer/config
cp foxboro.am customer.am
compress foxboro.am

To modify the AM’s default user interface

1. Invoke the ADMC
The ADMC main browser window appears.
2. From the File menu, choose Open.
A list appears.
3. Select customer.am.
4. Click OK.
The customer.am database file is read into the ADMC.
5. Click the Alarm Managers button.
A list of Alarm Managers and associated letterbugs in the database appears. Since the
foxboro.am database file contains no AM specifications, the list is empty.
6. Click New.
The Alarm Manager dialog box appears with a default AM name (AM0000) in the
Alarm Manager Name field.
A letterbug of “XXXXXX” appears, and the Screen List specification is “Undedi-
cated”.
You can use these default values to create a generic change to the AM user interface.
The remaining steps of this procedure assume the use of these defaults.

Associating a DM with an AM
A display manager can be associated with one Alarm Manager only. This association determines
the Alarm Manager called when the display manager's Process (or Alarm) button is pressed. To
better utilize a workstation's memory and computing power, associate multiple display managers
with the same Alarm Manager.

To associate a DM with an AM for Alarm Manager call-up

1. From the ADMC main browser window, choose Associations and choose New.
The Display/Alarm Manager Associations dialog box appears.
2. Select the Display Manager drop-down box, and select the display manager to be asso-
ciated (or type the name of the display manager).
3. Select the Alarm Manager drop-down box and select the appropriate Alarm Manager
(or type the name of the Alarm Manager).

NOTE
The ADMC prohibits you from assigning multiple AMs to the same DM.

4. Choose OK.

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Associating the Default AM to an AM Property Scheme

This procedure assumes you have just modified an Alarm Manager’s default user interface as
described in “Modifying an Alarm Manager’s Default User Interface” on page 143.
The AM Property Scheme field is blank. You must associate the default AM to an AM property
scheme that is defined within the AM database.

To associate the AM to an AM property scheme

1. Click the combo box (triangle to the right of the empty Alarm Manager Property
Scheme field).
The names of all the AM property schemes in the database appear.
2. Leave the entry box empty.
This associates the Alarm Manager to the foxDefault AM property scheme (the
default AM property scheme) and saves disk space.
You now can make changes to the user interfaces assigned to each of the AM display types, such as
the MRA display. After making the changes, create the installable AM configuration files (.cfg).

Changing Access Class for a Button or Command

You can change the access class of a button or command, limiting its use. You might, for example,
change the access class of the Ack Alarm button in the Current Alarm Display (CAD), which, by
default, is set to a value of 0.

To change a button’s access class

The ADMC displays a User Interface Scheme dialog box and an EDIT window. You use the
EDIT window to customize buttons and menu bar commands.
1. From the ADMC main browser window, choose User Interfaces.
2. Select a scheme name or click the Edit button.
3. From the EDIT window, click the button whose access class you wish to modify (for
example, the Ack Alarm button).
To set a command's access class, refer to “Modifying a Command in a Menu” on
page 166.
The Pushbutton Editor dialog box appears.
4. From this dialog box, change the access class.
5. Click OK to preserve the pushbutton edit.
6. Click OK to preserve the User Interface scheme edit.

Positioning an Alarm Display

You can configure each alarm display to appear in a unique position. An example of this capability
is a cascade formation of alarm displays. You must modify the AM's property scheme to produce
this cascade effect. The following procedure shows how to edit foxDefault, the default AM prop-
erty scheme.

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To create cascading AM displays

1. From the ADMC main browser window, choose AM Properties.
2. From the left side of the window, select the AM property scheme name (for example,
foxDefault).
3. Click the Edit button.
The Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box appear.
4. Select an AM display type (for example, select CAD).
The Alarm Manager Display Type dialog box and the EDIT window appear.
5. In the Initial Display Size and Position area of the dialog box, click the icon of the
monitor with the question mark (?).

NOTE
If you plan to cascade several displays, choose the quarter screen size.

6. In the EDIT window, click the top window border.

7. While pressing and holding down the mouse button, move the window to the loca-
tion on the screen where you want it to appear.
8. In the Alarm Manager Display Type dialog box, click OK.
For each of the remaining alarm displays, repeat Steps 4 through 8.

Saving AM Database Changes

Once you have made all of the changes, save the AM database file (.am) and generate the install-
able dmcfg file and AM configuration (.cfg) file(s).
The following example procedure assumes that a generic configuration is being made. For details
about Alarm Manager start-up, refer to “Display manager and Alarm Manager Start-Up” on
page 63.

To save the AM database changes

1. From the ADMC main browser window's File menu, choose Validate Records.
Validation ensures that no errors have been introduced into the database. Errors typi-
cally result from referencing a scheme that does not exist in the database. A dialog box
indicates whether the database is OK. If errors are detected, a Validation Correction
dialog box appears.
2. From the File menu, choose Create Install Files.
Installable configuration files are generated. The Alarm Manager can read these
installable files. You will later have to manually install these files on each workstation.
A dialog box shows the names of the configuration files as they are generated.
The ADMC creates a subdirectory under /usr/fox/customer/config for each .cfg file.
3. From this dialog box, click Done.
Next, distribute the configuration file(s) to Individual workstations

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Testing AM Database Changes

Test the changes to the Alarm Manager’s user interface by executing the following steps from a
command (VT100) window.

To test the changes

1. If an Alarm Manager is running at the workstation to receive the new configuration,
type:
pref -AMNAME amcmd “quitam on; exit”
Similar to the display manager, the Alarm Manager has a command interface variable,
amcmd. In the pref command, AMNAME refers to the name of the running Alarm
Manager. Unless configured otherwise, AMNAME is the station's letterbug.
The pref command causes the Alarm Manager to exit, even if it is a bootable AM.
2. If you are going to use this AM configuration file on other workstations in the system,
copy it to those workstations.

NOTE
You can copy it remotely. You need not physically be on each individual worksta-
tion.

On a UNIX workstation, bring up a VT100 window and type:

cd /usr/fox/customer/config/<customer.dir>/<letterbug>
rmount WP0002 /rem/r0
cp AM0000.cfg /rem/r0/usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/AM0000.cfg
On a Windows NT workstation, bring up a command window and type:
cd \usr\fox\customer\config\<customer.dir>\<letterbug>
copy AM0000.cfg \rem\r0\usr\fox\customer\alarms\cfg\am_def.cfg

NOTE
To test only the new dmcfg file, reboot the workstation. To test only the
AMNAME.cfg file, restart the Alarm Manager.

3. Click the Process (or Alarm) button on the display manager window.
This initiates the same Alarm Manager to start again with the new configuration.

Changing the Current Template

The set of DM and AM templates provides the defaults required to create each new DM, AM, or
referenced scheme.
Refer to “Templates” on page 115 for information about templates.

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To change the current template configuration information

1. From Alarm/Display Manager Configurator main browser window’s Select box, select
the type of template to be edited: DM Properties, AM Properties, User Interfaces, or
Alarm Formats.
2. From the Edit menu, choose Template.
The appropriate dialog box appears with the current template settings. For example,
the Display Manager Properties Scheme dialog box appears.
3. Change the current settings as desired for the template.
4. Choose OK.
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for each template that requires change.

NOTE
You cannot edit the template name.

6. When you have completed editing the templates, perform one of these actions:
♦ Configure the required display managers and/or Alarm Managers.
♦ Save the templates for configuring DMs and AMs at a later date.

NOTE
Previously created external .cfg files that had been based on the edited template do
not automatically acquire the updates.

Importing a Default Scheme

The Foxboro Company provides schemes from which you can build custom schemes.
The foxboro.am scheme is the default scheme.

To import a scheme
1. From the ADMC main browser window, select the scheme type from the Select box.
2. From Alarm/Display Manager Configurator main browser, click the Import button.
The Import dialog box appears.
3. Click the Library button.
The Open Configuration dialog box appears.
4. Depending on your system’s AM database, select foxboro.am or <customer.am>.
The Import dialog box appears.
5. Indicate the records to be imported into your AM database.

Customizing a Screen List

To create a customized screen list
1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Screen Lists and New.

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The Screen List Editor dialog box appears.

An automatically generated screen list name appears with "SL" and a four-digit num-
ber (0000-9999), starting at 0000 and skipping any existing SL names with four-digit
numbers.
You can accept this screen list name or type a name. The name can have up to 14
characters. Valid characters include upper or lowercase alphanumeric characters,
period (.), hyphen (-), and underscore (_).
2. From the Stations box, select the desired station.
3. Choose Add.
4. Select the Head configuration (First, Second, or Both).
The station configuration transfers to the screen list.
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 as required.

NOTE
To have X terminal names appear in the station list for selection, type X terminal
names (one per line) in the /usr/fox/customer/config/xterms file. Restart the
Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) each time you change this file.

To remove a station from the configuration, select the name in the list box and choose
Remove. The name of the station returns to the station list.
6. Choose OK.

To edit the screen list template

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Template from the Edit menu.
The Screen List Editor dialog box appears.

NOTE
You cannot edit the name of a Screen List template.

2. Continue with Step 2 under "Creating a customized screen list" above.

Operating on an Existing Display Manager

You can perform these actions on an existing display manager
♦ Editing
♦ Duplication
♦ Deletion

Editing a Display Manager

To edit an existing display manager

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Display Managers.
A list of the display managers and workstation letterbugs appears.

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2. If the display manager that you want is not listed, from the File menu, choose Open.
The Open Configuration dialog box appears.
3. Select the desired AM database file in which the display manager resides.
4. From the list box, perform one of these actions:
♦ Double-click the name of the display manager to be edited.
♦ From the list box, select the name of the display manager to be edited and choose
Edit.
The Display Manager dialog box appears.
5. Make the appropriate changes.
6. Choose OK.

Duplicating a Display Manager

To duplicate an existing display manager configuration

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Display Managers to access a list of
current display managers.
2. From the list box, select the name of the display manager to be duplicated.
3. Choose Duplicate.
A new DM record is automatically created with the same display manager settings and
an automatically generated DM name starting with "DM" followed by a four-digit
number (0000-9999).
4. You can edit/rename the automatically generated DM name.

Deleting a Display Manager

To delete an existing display manager

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Display Managers to access a list of
current display managers.
2. From the list box, select the name of the display manager to be deleted.
3. Choose Delete.
A dialog box appears for confirmation of the deletion.
4. Choose Yes or No.

Customizing a Display Manager

Customizing a display manager involves customizing these templates or schemes:
♦ DM property
♦ Screen list (refer to “Customizing a Screen List” on page 148)

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NOTE
A display manager can use a screen list created for an Alarm Manager configuration.

Use standard (default) templates as a starting point for customizing templates or individual dis-
play managers.

Creating a New DM Property Scheme

To create a new display manager property scheme

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose DM Properties and New.
The Display Manager Property Scheme dialog box appears.
An automatically generated DM Property Scheme name appears with "DP" and a
four-digit number (0000-9999) starting at 0000 and skipping any existing DP names
with four-digit numbers. You can accept this name or type a display manager Property
Scheme name. The name can have up to 14 characters. Valid characters include upper
and lowercase alphanumeric characters, period (.), hyphen (-), and underscore (_).
2. Choose the appropriate class for this DM property scheme
To Choose
Start automatically at boot time Boot
Start manually Operator
Start manually (displays more slowly than Operator class) Engineer
Start manually (for viewing process information only, or for View Only
remote users where process security is an issue). Process
variables cannot be set; they can only be read.

3. Click the Environment Script prompt button.

The Open dialog box appears.
4. Perform one of these actions:
♦ Select a DM environment script file.
♦ Type the name of an environment script.
The ADMC defaults to \user\fox\sys\Change.Env.

NOTE
Environment script files contain access code information and passwords to ensure
security access. Refer to Workstation Configuration (B0193AG) and Display Man-
ager/FoxView Calls (B0193DF) for information on environment script files.

5. Choose OK.
6. From the Display Manager Property Scheme dialog box, set the initial display size and
position as follows:
a. Click the button associated with the monitor to select the DM window size:
♦ Foxboro default size

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♦Full size
♦ Intermediate size
♦ Quarter screen
b. For the intermediate size or quarter screen, choose the display window’s initial
location (Top/Bottom, Right/Left).
c. If desired, select one or both of these check boxes:
♦ Display is Re-Sizable
♦ Resizable to a Fixed Minimum Size (for font readability)
7. Choose OK.

Editing a DM Property Template

To edit a DM Property Template

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Template from the Edit menu.
The Display Manager Property Scheme dialog box appears.

NOTE
You cannot edit the name of a Display Manager Property Scheme template.

2. Continue with Step 2 under “Creating a New DM Property Scheme” on page 151.

Creating a New Display Manager from Existing Templates and

Schemes

NOTE
The following procedure assumes the availability of appropriate DM property
schemes and screen lists. If they are not available, configure the desired schemes
before configuring the DM.

To configure a new display manager in the AM database file

1. From the ADMC’s Select box, choose Display Managers.
Choose New to configure a new DM, or select Template from the Edit menu to edit
the template.
The Display Manager dialog box appears.
Choosing New automatically generates a display manager name with “DM” and a
four-digit number. DM names starts with DM0000 and skips existing DM names
with four-digit numbers. As a DM is deleted, the number is reused. In place of this
name you may type a display manager name, which can be up to six alphanumeric
uppercase characters and must be unique throughout the network.

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NOTE
Selecting Template does not allow you to edit the DM name.

2. Click the Station Letterbug combo box button and select the station to which the
DM is assigned, or type the letterbug.
3. Click the Screen prompt button to select the station or screens on which the DM can
display.
The Station Screen Selector dialog box appears.
The first three options indicate dedicated screens:
To Choose
Choose First Head, Second Head, or Both Heads. Local Station
Enter the name of a remote station Remote Station
Select (or type) the name of a pre-configured screen Screen list
list, indicating the workstations on which the DM
can appear. If an appropriate screen list is not
available, customize a screen list.
Display the DM on any screen Undedicated

NOTE
To include X Terminal names in the station list, type the X Terminal names (one per
line) in the /usr/fox/customer/config/xterms file. Restart the ADMC each time you
change the xterms file to make the changes available.

Choose OK to confirm the selection and return to the Display Manager dialog box.
4. If the default display manager Property Scheme is not appropriate:
a. Click the combo box button.
A list of available DM Property Schemes appears.
b. Type a DM Property Scheme name, or leave it blank to use a default DM prop-
erty scheme. If an appropriate scheme is not available, refer to “Importing Exist-
ing dmcfg Information into an AM Database File” on page 139.
5. Select the Create Alarm Manager check box to create an Alarm Manager with the
same name.
Without a DM/AM association, a display manager automatically accesses (via the
Process/Alarm button in the I/A Series environment) an Alarm Manager with the
same name or the letterbug AM.
A display manager can be associated (at most) with one Alarm Manager. Multiple
DMs can invoke the same Alarm Manager. Refer to “Associating a DM with an AM”
on page 144. Multiple DMs access the same Alarm Manager via DM/AM association
on a first-come/first-served basis.
6. Choose OK.

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Importing Existing Display Manager Information

You can easily copy information from one AM database file to another AM database file.

To import existing Alarm Manager information from another AM database file

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Display Managers, DM Properties,
or Screen Lists.
2. Choose Import.
The Import dialog box appears.
3. Click the Library button.
The Open Configuration dialog box appears.
4. Select the desired AM database (.am) file.
5. Choose OK.
6. In the Import dialog box:
To Choose
Select only the selected schemes or records Selected Records Only
Select lower-level referenced records within the All Referenced
schemes. For example, the AM Property Scheme Documents
references a UI Scheme for each display, and each
UI Scheme references an Alarm Format Scheme.

7. In the Referenced Records box:

To Choose
Keep all the existing record definitions Ignore Duplicate Names
Present duplicate names and offer the opportunity to Replace Duplicate
select another name. By default, the Ask Before Name
Replacing check box is automatically selected, display-
ing a dialog box for name entry. Uncheck this box to
automatically replace duplicate names.

8. Choose Import to import the selection made in Step 1.

Working with Alarm Managers

NOTE
When you create a display manager, you can automatically create an Alarm Man-
ager with the same name that has the standard Alarm Manager defaults.

If the AM was previously created during display manager configuration, refer to “Editing an
Alarm Manager” on page 155.
You can create a new Alarm Manager using existing defaults, or you can customize a new Alarm
Manager.

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Customizing an AM Property Scheme or Template

An AM property scheme or template uses a user interface scheme for each type of alarm display.
A user interface scheme references an alarm format scheme.

NOTE
If appropriate user interface schemes are not already configured, configure them for
each alarm display type (such as CAD) before configuring the AM property scheme.
Refer to “Customizing an AM Property Scheme or Template” on page 155.

Alarm Manager Property Scheme

The AM property scheme controls these items:
♦ Alarm Manager properties (user class and environment script)
♦ The action of the New Alarms button
For each display window, the Alarm Manager property scheme defines its:
♦ Scroll origin and direction
♦ Refresh rate
♦ Display resizability
♦ Display size and position
♦ The associated User Interface scheme

Scheme Relationships
Each Alarm Manager must be assigned an AM property scheme.
An AM property scheme references one or more User Interface schemes, one for each alarm dis-
play window. You can use the same UI scheme for all the display windows, or a unique UI scheme
for each display window (each display window having its own set of menu selections and but-
tons).
Each UI scheme must be associated with an Alarm Format scheme, which defines each alarm
entry’s information and presentation.

Operating on an Existing Alarm Manager

You can perform these actions on an existing Alarm Manager
♦ Editing
♦ Duplication
♦ Deletion

Editing an Alarm Manager

To edit an existing Alarm Manager

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Alarm Managers.
A list of the current Alarm Managers and associated workstation letterbugs appears.

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2. Select the name of Alarm Manager to be edited.

If the Alarm Manager is not listed, choose Open from the File menu and open the
AM database (.am) file in which the Alarm Manager resides.
3. Perform one of these actions:
♦ From the list box, double-click the name of the Alarm Manager to be edited.
♦ From the list box, select the name of the DM to be edited and choose Edit.
The Alarm Manager dialog box appears.
4. Make the appropriate changes.
5. Choose OK to confirm the Alarm Manager configuration record.

Duplicating an Alarm Manager

To duplicate and rename an existing Alarm Manager configuration

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Open from the File menu.
2. Select the appropriate AM database file (.am) and choose OK.
3. Choose Alarm Managers to access a list of current Alarm Managers in the list box.
4. Select the name of the Alarm Manager to be duplicated.
5. Choose Duplicate.
A new AM record is automatically created with the same display manager settings and
an automatically generated AM name starting with “AM” followed by a four-digit
number (0000-9999). The next automatically generated number is used.
The newly created Alarm Manager receives the same letterbug, screen assignments,
and AM property scheme.

Deleting an Alarm Manager

To delete an Alarm Manager

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose Alarm Managers to access a list of
current Alarm Managers in the list box.
2. Select the name of the Alarm Manager to be deleted.
3. Choose Delete.
A dialog box appears for confirmation of the deletion.
4. Choose Yes.

Configuring a New Alarm Manager with Default Settings

This procedure configures a new Alarm Manager using default settings.

To configure a new Alarm Manager with existing defaults

1. From the ADMC main browser window, choose Alarm Managers and New.
The Alarm Manager dialog box appears with template entries.

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The Alarm Manager name is automatically generated with “AM” and a four-digit
number (0000-9999). The automatic generation of AM names starts with AM0000
and skips existing AM names with four-digit numbers. Or, you can type an Alarm
Manager name (up to six alphanumeric uppercase characters and unique throughout
the network).
2. Click the Station Letterbug combo box button, or type a letterbug.
3. Click the Screen prompt button.
The Station Screen Selector dialog box appears.
4. Indicate the type of station or screens on which the AM can display.
Click a button to indicate the screen to which the AM is to appear.
To Choose
Choose First Head, Second Head, or Both Heads. This Local Station
is a dedicated screen.
Type the name of a remote station Remote Station
Select (or type) the name of a pre-configured screen list, Screen list
indicating the workstations on which the DM can
appear. This is a dedicated screen. If an appropriate
screen list is not available, customize a screen list.
Display the DM on any screen Undedicated

5. Choose OK to confirm your selection and return to the Alarm Manager dialog box.
6. If the default Alarm Manager Property Scheme is not appropriate, click the combo
box button to access the list of available AM Property Schemes, then type the name of
an AM Property Scheme (or it leave blank to use AM Property default values).
If an appropriate scheme is not available, Refer to “Customizing a Screen List” on
page 148 or “Associating a DM with an AM” on page 144.
7. Choose OK to confirm the Alarm Manager configuration record.

Customizing an Alarm Manager

When standard defaults are not appropriate, you can customize templates or create new schemes.
When used in the DM/AM database, these templates or schemes have the following
hierarchical relationship:
♦ Screen list (refer to “Customizing a Screen List” on page 148)
♦ AM property scheme
♦ User Interface Scheme for each alarm displays and the Operations display
♦ Alarm Format Scheme for each user interface, including an alarm entry format
for each alarm type

NOTE
You can use a screen list created for a display manager configuration in an Alarm
Manager configuration.

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Importing Existing Alarm Manager Information

To import existing Alarm Manager information from another AM database file

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose the appropriate Alarm Manager
option.
2. Choose Import.
The Import dialog box appears.
3. Choose Library.
The Open Configuration dialog box appears.
4. Select the desired AM database file.
5. Choose OK.
6. In the Import dialog box:

To Import Choose
Only the selected schemes or records Selected Records
Only
Lower-level referenced records within the schemes. All Referenced
For example, the Alarm Manager property scheme ref- Records
erences a User Interface Scheme for each display, and
each UI Scheme references an Alarm Format Scheme.

7. In the Referenced Records box:

To Choose
Keep all the existing record definitions Ignore Duplicate
Names
Present duplicate names and offer the opportunity to Replace Duplicate
select another name. By default, the Ask Before Replac- Name
ing check box is automatically selected. Uncheck the
box to automatically replace duplicate names

8. Choose Import to import the information as designated in Step 1.

The schemes appear in the list box.

Configuring AM Properties
Configuring Alarm Manager Class and Environment Properties

To configure Alarm Manager Class and Environment Properties

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, do one of the following:
♦ Choose AM Properties and New to create a new AM property scheme.
♦ Choose Template from the Edit menu to edit the template.

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The Alarm Manager dialog box appears.

When choosing New, the AM property scheme name is automatically generated with
“AP” and a four-digit number (0000-9999). The AP name starts with 0000 and skips
any existing AP names with four-digit numbers. If you choose, type the name (up to
14 characters). Valid characters include upper and lowercase alphanumeric characters,
period (.), hyphen (-), and underscore (_).
When choosing Template, you cannot edit the name of an AM Property Scheme tem-
plate.
2. Click the Alarm Manager Class prompt button to view the list of classes.
3. Choose the class for this AM property scheme:

To Choose
Start automatically at boot time Boot
Start manually Operator
Start manually (displays more slowly than Operator class) Engineer
Start manually (for viewing process information only, or for View Only
remote users where process security is an issue). Process
variables cannot be set; they can only be read.

4. Click the Environment Script prompt button.

The Open dialog box appears.
5. Perform one of these actions:
♦ Select an AM environment script file.
♦ Type the environment script name.

NOTE
Environment script files contain access code information and passwords to ensure
security access. Refer to Workstation Configuration (B0193AG) and Display Man-
ager/FoxView Calls (B0193DF) to learn about environment script files.

6. Choose OK.

Customizing the Action of the New Alarms Button

You can configure the properties of the New Alarms button, which is part of the Alarm Manager
property scheme.

To configure the action of the New Alarms button

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose AM Properties and Edit.
The Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box appears.
2. Click the Action button.
The Alarm Action Editor dialog box appears.
3. Click the prompt button.

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The Command List dialog box appears, listing all the Alarm Manager commands.
4. Perform an action:

To Do This
Add a Select the appropriate command. The command appears in
command the Edit box. Select the line in the list box where the com-
mand is to be added and click the Add button. Click OK.
Edit a In the list box, double-click the command to display it in the
command Edit box. Edit as required in the Edit box. Click the Replace
button to replace the command. Click OK.
Replace a Click the prompt button to access the list of commands.
command Select the appropriate command. Select the command in the
list box to be replaced and click the Replace button. Click
OK.
Delete a Select the entry in the list box and click the Delete button.
command Click OK.

5. Repeat Step 4 to configure multiple commands to the New Alarms button.

6. Click OK.

Configuring a Display Type’s Properties

For each of the seven types of Alarm Manager displays, you can configure these attributes:
Attribute CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD OPR
UI scheme X X X X X X X
Scroll origin X X X X X X
Scroll direction X X X X X X
List order X X X
Overlay on re-alarm X
Refresh data X X X X
Alarm refresh rate X
Initial display
size and position X X X X X X X
Display is resizable X X X X X X X
Fixed minimum size X X X X X X X
Alarm cache size X

To configure a display type’s properties

Repeat this procedure for each display type (CAD, MRA, and so on) that you want to customize.
1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose AM Properties and New.
The Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box appears.

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2. Choose the display type (such as Most Recent Alarm).

The Alarm Manager Display Type dialog box appears, showing the name of the dis-
play type in the title bar.

NOTE
The options in the Alarm Manager Display Type dialog box will vary, depending on
the display type. Refer to the above table.

3. Configure this information as desired for the display type.

Field Description
User Interface Select the desired scheme. If the desired scheme is not
Scheme available, refer to “Configuring a User Interface Scheme
or Template” on page 170.
Scroll Origin Choose the position of the first alarm entry (Top Left,
Top Right, Bottom Left, or Bottom Right). The default
is Top Left.
Scroll Direction Choose the direction for displaying alarm entries (By
Rows, or By Columns). The default is By Rows.
List Order (summary displays only) Choose the desired order (Old
to New, or New to Old). The default is New to Old.
The alarm alert database's sort order also affects the list
order.
Overlay on Re- (MRA only) The default is Yes.
Alarm
Refresh Data (MRA and summary displays only) Select this option to
dynamically update parameter values. The default is Yes.
Alarm Refresh (MRA and CAD only) Enter a time (in seconds) for
Rate updating alarm display entries. The default for MRA is
1 second, and for CAD is 3 seconds.
Alarm Cache Size (AHD only) Type a number indicating the maximum
number of stored alarms (default is 0). If 0, the alarm
entries are read from the Historian database for each
screen load. Setting a cache size allows that number of
alarm entries to be read into memory, providing faster
paging; however, additional memory is required.

NOTE
Each User Interface scheme uses information (records) from a customizable Alarm
Format scheme.

4. Set the initial Display Size and Position:

a. Choose the AM window size by clicking the button associated with the monitor:
♦ Full size
♦ Foxboro default size

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♦ Quarter Screen size

♦ Vertical Narrow Strip (to fit beside a Foxboro default-sized DM or AM)
♦ Horizontal Narrow Strip (to fit below a Foxboro default-sized DM or AM)
♦ Custom sizing and positioning
b. Choose the initial location of the display window:
♦ Top or Bottom
♦ Right or Left
c. If desired, select the following:
♦ Display is Resizable
♦ Fixed Minimum Size (not smaller than chosen size)
d. For custom sizing and positioning, click the Preview button.
The EDIT window appears.
e. Size the window using the resizing arrows, and position the window.

NOTE
Click the EDIT window or the title bar of the Alarm Manager Display Type dialog
box (or border) to bring the EDIT window to the foreground for sizing or entering
configuration information.

5. Choose OK to confirm the configuration.

6. Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for each Alarm Manager display type as required.

Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Command Buttons

An alarm display’s command buttons (buttons) provide quick access to process displays and often
used functions. You can configure a UI scheme’s buttons to meet your site’s needs.

To configure a command button for a User Interface scheme

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, perform one of these actions:
To Do This
Begin with a Choose User Interface and New. The User Interface
new User Scheme name is automatically generated with "UI" and a
Interface scheme four-digit number (0000-9999) starting with 0000 and
skipping any existing UI names with four-digit numbers.
If you choose, type a User Interface Scheme name. Valid
characters include upper or lowercase alphanumeric
characters, period (.), hyphen (-), and underscore (_).
Edit an existing Choose User Interface, select a scheme name from the
User Interface list box, and choose Edit.
scheme
Edit a the tem- Choose Template from the Edit menu. When editing a
plate's User template, you cannot edit the name of a User Interface
Interface scheme Scheme.

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2. From the User Interface Scheme dialog box, click on the EDIT window to bring it to
the foreground.
3. In the EDIT window, click the command button to be configured.
The Pushbutton Editor dialog box appears.
4. In the Pushbutton Editor dialog box’s Label field, type the button name (up to 32
characters). For example, type “Ack Alarm”.
5. In the Label field, type the button name (up to 32 characters). For example, type
“Ack Alarm”.
For multi-line button names, use “\n” (a backslash character and an lower-case N) in
the button name to indicate the start of a new line in the character string.
6. In the Access Code field, type the desired protection code associated with the button.
Valid access codes are 0-255. For example, type “0”.
7. Perform one of these actions.
♦ Type the desired command.
♦ Choose the prompt button to access the list of available commands.
a. Select the appropriate command(s) for the button. For example, select “ackalm”.
The command appears in the Edit box.
b. Perform an action:
To Do This
Add a Select the line in the list box where the command is to
command be added and click the Add button. Click OK.
Edit a Double-click the command in the list box to display it
command in the Edit box. Edit as required in the Edit box. Click
the Replace button to replace the command. Click
OK.
Replace a Select the command in the list box to be replaced and
command click the Replace button. Click OK.
Delete a Select the entry in the list box and click the Delete
command button. Click OK.

c. To add additional commands to an entry, choose the prompt button again and
select the additional command for the menu entry action. Choose OK. Select the
position of the new command and choose Add. Repeat as required.
8. Choose OK to confirm the button command.

Customizing Alarm Display Menus

Use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator to configure pop-up menus and menu bar items,
which are attributes of a user interface scheme.

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NOTE
The following procedures assume that the ADMC is open, you have opened an AM
database, and you have selected a particular user interface scheme.

Customizing Pop-Up Menus

You can configure a pop-up menu for each alarm display.

Previewing a Pop-Up Menu

To preview a User Interface scheme’s configured pop-up menu

This procedure assumes you have made selections on the User Interface Scheme dialog box.
1. Click EDIT window’s title bar or the window border to make the window active.
2. Position the cursor within the alarm area.
3. Press the right mouse button.
The configured pop-up menu appears.

Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Pop-Up Menu

Each alarm display has a configurable pop-up menu. The list of commands in the pop-up menu
are derived from the referenced user interface scheme. You can customize the pop-up menu to
your site’s needs.

NOTE
A menu entry can have a command or a lower-level submenu associated with it.

To configure a User Interface scheme’s pop-up menu

1. From the User Interface Scheme dialog box, click the Pop Up Menu button.
The Menu Editor dialog box appears.
2. Perform one of these actions:
To Do This
Create the first (top of the menu) Choose New Command.
entry in the pop-up menu.
Position a new entry other than Click the location for the new entry.
at the top of the menu Then click the New Command button.
Create a submenu Click the location for the new submenu.
Then choose New Submenu. Refer to
“Creating a Submenu for a Pop-Up
Menu” on page 166.
Edit an existing menu entry Click the entry in the list box and choose
Edit. Refer to “Editing Pop-Up Menu
Commands” on page 165.

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The Menu Command Editor dialog box appears.

By default, a new entry appears at the bottom of the current list.
3. In the Label field, type a label up to 32 characters, (for example, “Refresh”).
4. In the Access Code field, type the desired protection code associated with the Menu
entry. Valid access codes are 0-255.
Refer to “Changing Access Class for a Button or Command” on page 145.
5. In the Mnemonic field, type the letter (for example, “R”) for alternate access to the
menu entry. This letter must be a character in the label and unique for the menu.
6. Click the prompt button to access the list of available commands.
7. Select the appropriate command(s) for the menu entry label.
To add additional commands to an entry, choose Command List again and select the
additional command for the menu entry action. Choose OK. Choose Add.
The new command is entered at the end. Repeat as required.
8. Choose OK to confirm the command.
9. Repeat Steps 6 through 8 for each command entry in the pop-up menu.

Editing Pop-Up Menu Commands

To edit a command(s) associated with an entry

1. From the Menu Editor dialog box, select an entry in the list box.
2. Choose Edit.
The Menu Command Editor dialog box appears.
3. Perform an action:
To Do This
Add a Click the prompt button to access the list of commands. Select
command the appropriate command(s). The command appears in the
Edit box. Select the line in the list box where the command is
to be added and click the Add button.
Edit a Double-click the command in the list box to display it in the
command Edit box. Edit as required in the Edit box. Click the Replace
button to replace the command in the desired location.
Replace a Click the prompt button to access the list of commands. Select
command the appropriate command(s). Select the command in the list
box to be replaced and click the Replace button.
Delete a Select the entry in the list box and click the Delete button.
command

4. Choose OK to confirm the button command.

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Creating a Submenu for a Pop-Up Menu

A menu can be comprised of both commands and submenus. A submenu is an entry in a menu
that unfolds, yielding more commands.

To create a submenu
After having chosen New Submenu, the Menu Editor dialog box appears. Enter the data associ-
ated with that submenu.
1. In the Name field, enter the name of the submenu.
2. Define the entries for the submenu by clicking the New Command button.
3. In the subsequent dialog boxes, enter the required information and choose OK for
each entry required.
4. Choose OK to confirm the new submenu name and the associated entries.
5. Choose OK to return to the Menu Editor dialog box, displaying the configured
menu bar or pop-up field entries.

Creating a Separator for a Pop-Up Menu

Use a separator as a usability aid to divide a menu into groupings.

To create a separator
1. From the appropriate Menu Editor dialog box, select the list box entry over which the
separator is to appear.
2. Choose New Separator.

Repositioning an Entry in a Pop-Up Menu

To reposition an entry
1. From the appropriate Menu Editor dialog box, select an entry in the list box.
This is the entry that you want to reposition.
2. Choose Cut.
3. Select the new location in the list box.
4. Choose Paste.
5. Choose OK to confirm the change.

Customizing Menu Bars

You can configure the menu bar for each user interface scheme.

Modifying a Command in a Menu

Any number of alarm displays can reference a single user interface scheme. You can customize the
commands available from the menu bar.

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To modify a command in a User Interface scheme’s menu bar field

This procedure assumes that the Menu Editor dialog box is open, as described in “Configuring a
User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar” on page 172.
1. From the Menu Entries list box, select a menu bar field (for example, File) and choose
Edit.
A dialog box appears with the name of the selected menu bar field in the title bar
(for example, the title bar shows File).
2. Click the New Command button.
The Menu Command Editor dialog box appears.
3. Select fields as follows:
a. In the Label field, type a label of up to 32 characters (for example, Save).
b. In the Access Class field, type the desired protection code associated with the
menu entry. Valid access codes are 0-255.

NOTE
Access codes enable or disable command availability, depending on the Environ-
ment script file associated with the Alarm Manager using this user interface. Plan
your security measures accordingly. Refer to Workstation Configuration
(B0193AG) and Display Manager/FoxView Calls (B0193DF).

c. In the Mnemonic field, type the letter (for example, S) for alternate access to the
menu entry. This letter must be a character in the label.
4. Click the prompt button.
A list of available commands appears in a Command List dialog box.
5. Select the appropriate command(s) for the menu entry label (for example,
save_to_file) and choose OK.
The command appears in the Button Actions box on the Menu Command Editor
dialog box.
6. Perform an action:

NOTE
If you do not select the position of a new command, it is added at the end.

To Do This
Add a Select the line in the list box where the command is to be added
command and click the Add button. Click OK.
Edit a Double-click the command in the list box to display it in the
command Edit box. Edit as required in the Edit box. Click the Replace
button to replace the command in the desired location.
Replace a Click the prompt button to access the list of commands. Select
command the appropriate command. Select the command in the list box
to be replaced and click the Replace button. Click OK.

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To Do This
Delete a Select the entry in the list box and click the Delete button.
command

7. Repeat as required to assign/delete additional commands to a button.

8. Choose OK to confirm the command entry(s).
The Menu Editor dialog box re-appears.
If you choose to add another menu entry field, repeat the above procedure.

Creating a Submenu within a Menu

You can customize a menu to include a submenu, which contains commands or more submenus.
You do this to group commands. You can add a submenu to a pull-down menu from the menu
bar or to any cascading menu.
This procedure assumes that the Menu Editor dialog box is open, as described in “Configuring a
User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar” on page 172.

To assign an entry in a menu bar’s pull-down menu that accesses a submenu

NOTE
This example shows how to add a submenu to one of the menu bar's fields. Use the
same procedure to add a submenu to a cascading menu by first navigating to the
menu position.

1. From the Menu Editor dialog box, perform one of these actions:
♦ Select the menu and choose Edit.
A dialog box opens with the name of the selected menu in the title bar.
Select a position and click New Submenu button.
♦ Select the location for the new entry and then click the New Submenu button.
The Menu Editor dialog box for that entry appears.
By default all new entries appear at the bottom of the current list.
2. Select fields as follows:
a. In the Name field, type the name of the menu.
b. Choose New Submenu.
c. In the subsequent Menu Command Editor and Command List dialog boxes,
enter the required information and choose OK.
d. Repeat for each entry required in the submenu.
e. Choose OK to confirm the new menu name and the associated entries.
f. Choose OK.
The Menu Editor dialog box appears, displaying the configured menu bar field
entries.

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Creating a Menu Separator

A menu separator is a horizontal line that visually divides items into groups. You can customize
your menus to include separators.
This procedure assumes that the Menu Editor dialog box is open, as described in “Configuring a
User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar” on page 172.

To create a separator
1. From the Menu Editor dialog box, select the entry over which the separator is to
appear.
2. Choose New Separator.
The separator appears above the selected entry.

Repositioning a Menu Entry

Menus are collections of commands. One way to customize a menu is to reposition commands.
This procedure assumes that the Menu Editor dialog box is open, as described in “Configuring a
User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar” on page 172.

To reposition an entry
1. From the Menu Editor dialog box's list box, select the entry to be repositioned.
2. Choose Cut.
3. Select the new location in the list box.
4. Choose Paste.
5. Choose OK to confirm the change.

Previewing a Configured Menu Separator

As you customize a UI scheme's menu offerings, you should incrementally build and view the
new menu.
This procedure assumes that the Menu Editor dialog box is open, as described in “Configuring a
User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar” on page 172.

To preview a configured menu

This procedure assumes that the User Interface Scheme dialog box is open.
1. From the User Interface Scheme dialog box, choose Pop Up Menu.
The EDIT window appears.
2. Position the pointer on the menu bar entry.
3. Click the mouse in the alarm area in the EDIT window.

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Configuring a User Interface Scheme or Template

If you want to create a new scheme that is similar to an existing scheme, you can save time by
using a template as a starting point. The I/A Series software includes alternative Alarm Manager
schemes that you can use.
If standard defaults are not appropriate, you may customize templates, create new customized
schemes, or both.
Each Alarm Manager display type (such as Most Recent Alarm) references one user interface (UI)
scheme. Any number of alarm displays may reference the same user interface scheme.
A user interface scheme references an alarm format scheme. It is assumed that the appropriate
alarm format schemes are available for selection.
The configurable options in the user interface scheme include:
♦ Access class for configurable items
♦ Display layout
♦ Menu bar items
♦ Buttons
♦ Double-click action
♦ Pop-up menu
You can configure these parameters for buttons and menu commands.
♦ Label (the text on the button or menu item)
♦ Action (the action taken when the button is pressed or the command is chosen)
♦ Access (the access key lock)
If you want to customize alarm displays, you have to configure a user interface scheme.

Customizing a User Interface Scheme

The layout of a user interface scheme dictates the number the rows, columns, and buttons in an
alarm display.

NOTE
This procedure assumes that appropriate Alarm Format Scheme are available. If
they are not, refer to “Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme” on page 173.

To customize a User Interface scheme’s layout (rows and columns) and Alarm Format Scheme
1. From the ADMC’s main browser window:
♦ Choose User Interface and New.
♦ Choose Template from the Edit menu to customize the template.
♦ Choose User Interface, selecting a scheme from the list box, and choosing Edit to
edit an existing User Interface scheme.
The User Interface Scheme name is automatically generated with “UI” and a four-
digit number (0000-9999) starting with 0000 and skipping any existing UI names
with four-digit numbers. You can type the User Interface Scheme name. Valid charac-

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ters include upper or lowercase alphanumeric characters, period (.), hyphen (-), and
underscore (_).
You cannot edit the name of a User Interface Scheme template.
2. Click the Alarm Format Scheme combo box.
A list of available schemes appears.
3. Select the desired Alarm Format scheme, or type a name.
If the desired scheme(s) are not available, refer to “Configuring an Alarm Format
Scheme” on page 173.
4. From the Alarm Rows box and Alarm Columns box, type the number of alarm rows
and alarm columns for the display.
5. From the Button Rows box and Button Columns box, type the number of button
rows and button columns for the display.
6. Choose Preview to view the layout in the EDIT window.
Refer to:
♦“Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Command Buttons” on page 162
♦ “Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Pop-Up Menu” on page 164
♦ “Configuring Double-Click Action” on page 171
♦ “Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar” on page 172
7. Choose OK to confirm the UI Scheme configuration.

Configuring Double-Click Action

Double-click action refers to the default action taken when you double-click the mouse in an
alarm display during Alarm Manager runtime. For example, the default setting (detail_alm) calls
up the Alarm Detail window when a double-click is performed.
Double-click action is controlled by the User Interface scheme.

To configure a User Interface scheme’s double-click action

1. From the ADMC’s main browser, perform one of these actions:
♦ Choose User Interface and New.
The User Interface Scheme name is automatically generated with “UI” and a four-
digit number (0000-9999) starting with 0000 and skipping any existing UI names
with four-digit numbers. You may choose to type a User Interface Scheme name.
Valid characters include upper or lowercase alphanumeric characters, period (.),
hyphen (-), and underscore (_).
♦ Choose Template from the Edit menu.
♦ Choose User Interface, select a scheme from the list box, and choose Edit to edit
an existing User Interface scheme.

NOTE
You cannot edit the name of a User Interface Scheme template.

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2. Click the Action button.

The Double-Click Action dialog box appears.
3. Perform one of these actions:
♦ Select the command from the Command list.
♦ Type the command.
The command appears in the Edit box.
4. Perform an action:

To Do This
Add a Select the line in the list box where the command is to be added
command and click the Add button. Click OK.
Edit a Double-click the command in the list box to display it in the
command Edit box. Edit as desired. Click the Replace button to replace
the command. Click OK.
Replace a Select the appropriate command. Select the command in the
command list box to be replaced and click the Replace button. Click OK.
Delete a Select the entry in the list box and click the Delete button.
command Click OK.

5. If you require that multiple commands be performed for the double-click action,
repeat Steps 3 through 4.
6. Choose OK to confirm the command assignment.

Configuring a User Interface Scheme’s Menu Bar

A user interface (UI) scheme can be used by any number of alarm displays. Each UI scheme
includes a customizable menu bar. You can add menu bar fields to the menu bar or delete menu
bar fields from the menu bar.
During runtime, from within an alarm display, you can pull down a menu bar field to reveal com-
mands and submenus. A submenu allows “cascading” menus and commands, providing the abil-
ity to place functions in meaningful groupings.

To customize a User Interface scheme’s menu bar

1. From the ADMC’s main browser window, choose User Interfaces and New (or Edit).
The User Interface Scheme dialog box and EDIT window appear.
2. Click the EDIT window's title bar to activate the EDIT window.
3. In the EDIT window's menu bar, click the arrow ( --> ).

NOTE
The arrow is to the right of the menu bar entry fields.

The Menu Editor dialog box appears. Without any defaults, <empty> appears in the
menu bar.

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4. Choose New Submenu.

5. Type a label for the first menu bar field (for example, File).
6. In the Mnemonic field, type the letter (for example, F) for alternate access to the menu
entry. The letter must be a character in the label and must also be unique across the
menu bar.
7. Choose OK to confirm the entry.
8. From initial Menu Editor dialog box, choose New Submenu to create the next entry
for the menu bar field.
9. Type the label for the next menu bar field (for example, Display).
10. In the Mnemonic field, type the letter (for example, D) for alternate access to the
menu entry. The letter must be a character in the label.
11. Choose OK to confirm the entry.
12. Repeat Steps 8 through 11 to enter additional menu bar entries (such as View and
Edit).

Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme

Each Alarm Manager display window (such as a Current Alarms display) references a User Inter-
face scheme, which in turn references information in an Alarm Format scheme. You can configure
the Alarm Format scheme’s:
♦ Default font and default color for:
♦ Alarm cells
♦ Alarm states and status indicators
Refer to “Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme’s Fonts” on page 174
Refer to “Configuring Foreground and Background Colors for Alarm Cells” on
page 175
♦ Indicators that specify the alarm state and acknowledgment status
Refer to “Configuring Indicators for Alarm States and Acknowledge States” on
page 176
♦ Time and date format within the window
Refer to “Configuring Time and Date Format” on page 177
♦ Cell content for each alarm type (generic alarm class or specific alarm type)
Refer to “Configuring an Alarm Cell” on page 177
♦ Cell and field font and color overrides
Refer to “Overriding the Font for a Selected Alarm Entry Field” on page 180
Refer to “Overriding the Font for an Entire Cell” on page 180
An alarm format scheme provides the layout and information of an alarm message. You can use
keywords to customize the presentation of the information. Refer to the tutorial in Chapter 6
“Tutorial – Configuring AMs and DMs with Standard Defaults”.

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Alarm Format Information

♦ Default font for an alarm cell and the indicator font
♦ Alarm cell foreground and background color
♦ Format used for time and date
♦ Alarm cell contents (font grid, cell contents, field location and size)

Examples
These examples show how keywords and text are used to create alarm messages on alarm displays.
The text between “<” and “>” is interpreted as a keyword. Other text is simply echoed.
The following is displayed as indicated below the formatted text:

Format: <Block> - <Alarm Type [1-6]> at <Time>

Displays as: FIC101 - HIABS at 10:22:54

If a message item is to be displayed starting in a certain column location, it must be the first item
in a separate field. A single concatenated field, for example, is formatted and appears as follows
(time information does not start in specific location):

Format: <Block> - <Alarm Type [1-6]> at <Time>

Displays as: FIC101 - HIABS at 10:22:54
Or as: FIC101 - RATE at 10:22:62

Multiple fields are formatted and appear as follows (time field starts in the specified location):

Format Field 1: <Block> - <Alarm Type [1-6]>

Format Field 2: at <Time>
Displays as: FIC101 - HIABS at 10:22:54
Or as: FIC101 - RATE at 10:22:62

Configuring an Alarm Format Scheme’s Fonts

The alarm display’s fonts are derived from the Alarm Format scheme. To customize the fonts in
your alarm displays, you must customize the Alarm Format scheme.

To configure the default font for the alarm cell and the indicator font
1. Perform one of these actions:
♦ To edit alarm format fonts, from the ADMC’s main browser window, click the
Alarm Formats button, select an existing alarm format from the list box, and
choose Edit.
♦ To create a new Alarm Format scheme, from the ADMC’s main browser window,
click the Alarm Formats button and New.

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The Alarm Format Scheme name is automatically generated with “AF” and a four-
digit number (0000-9999) starting with 0000 and skipping any existing AF
names with four-digit numbers. If you choose, type an Alarm Format name. Valid
characters include uppercase and lowercase alphanumeric characters, period (.),
hyphen (-), and underscore (_).
The Alarm Format Scheme dialog box appears.
2. From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, click the Default Font button.
The Fonts and Colors dialog box appears.
3. From the Fonts and Colors dialog box, click the Font Selection button.
The Font dialog box appears.
4. Select the default font for alarm cells.
5. Choose OK to return to Fonts and Colors dialog box.
6. If you do not want to change the foreground and background colors, choose OK.
to return to the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box. If you want to change these colors,
refer to “Configuring Foreground and Background Colors for Alarm Cells” on
page 175.
7. From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, click the Indicator Font button to change
the default font for the indicator for the alarm state (alarm priority or return-to-nor-
mal indicators) and acknowledgment state (acknowledged or unacknowledged indica-
tors).
8. From the Fonts and Colors dialog box, click the Font Selection button.
The Font dialog box appears.
9. Select the default font for the indicators.
10. Choose OK to return to Fonts and Colors dialog box.
If the Alarm Format scheme configuration is complete, choose OK. Otherwise, configure the
other configurable items such as alarm cell colors, indicators for alarm states and acknowledge
states, and time and date format.

Configuring Foreground and Background Colors for Alarm Cells

The alarm display's foreground and background colors are derived from the Alarm Format
scheme. To customize the these attributes, you must customize the Alarm Format scheme.
The following procedures assume that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, and that you have selected an alarm format scheme.

To configure the system dynamic colors (as set in the init.user file)
1. From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, click the Default Font button or the Indi-
cator Font button.
The Fonts and Colors dialog box appears.
2. From the Fonts and Colors dialog box, select Use System Dynamic Colors.

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NOTE
Options in the init.user file define alarm priority colors for unacknowledged and
acknowledged alarms.

3. Choose OK.
If the Alarm Format scheme configuration is complete, choose OK. Otherwise, configure the
other configurable items such as alarm cell fonts, indicators for alarm states and acknowledge
states, and time and date format.

To customize foreground and background colors for alarm cells

1. From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, click the Default Font button or the Indi-
cator Font button.
The Fonts and Colors dialog box appears.
2. From the Fonts and Colors dialog box, select Configure Static Colors.
3. Click the Foreground box
The Color dialog box appears.
4. Click the desired color
a. For custom colors, select Define Custom Colors from the Color dialog box. Select
the area in the map with the desired color. Use the scroll bar to the right of the
map to indicate the desired shade.
b. With the desired color selected, choose Add Custom Color to add the color to one
of the custom color boxes at the bottom of the Color dialog box. Create all of the
required custom colors. Choose OK.
5. Choose OK.
6. Select the background box.
The Color dialog box appears.
7. Select the desired color.
If you want custom colors, see Step 4.
8. Choose OK.
If the Alarm Format scheme configuration is complete, choose OK. Otherwise, configure the
other configurable items such as alarm cell fonts, indicators for alarm states and acknowledge
states, and time and date format.

Configuring Indicators for Alarm States and Acknowledge States

The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, and that you have selected an alarm format scheme.

To configure indicators for the alarm states and acknowledgment states

♦ From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, select each indicator field and type the
appropriate character or enter the desired string.

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The indicators are displayed in the current font. The keywords in the alarm cell that
represent indicators are:

<AlarmState> Alarm priorities and return-to-normal states

<AckState> Acknowledged or unacknowledged alarm states

If the Alarm Format scheme configuration is complete, choose OK. Otherwise, configure the
other configurable items such as alarm cell fonts, colors, and time and date format.

Configuring Time and Date Format

The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, and that you have selected an alarm format scheme.

To select the format for the time and date

1. From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, click the Time/Date Format drop-down
box.
A list of formats appears.
2. Select the desired format.
3. If you have completed configuring the Alarm Format scheme, choose OK. Otherwise,
configure the other configurable items.
If the Alarm Format scheme configuration is complete, choose OK. Otherwise, configure the
other configurable items such as alarm cell fonts, colors, and indicators for alarm states and
acknowledge states.

Configuring an Alarm Cell

Use the Cell Format Editor dialog box and the EDIT window to design the content and format of
an alarm entry.

NOTE
Default cell formats are used unless you have customized alarm cell contents.

You can configure an alarm cell’s:

♦ Font grid
♦ Contents

Configuring Alarm Cell Font Grid

To configure the alarm cell font grid

The font grid size divides the alarm cell into a character cell grid for aligning fields on the basis of
font size. If desired, configure each alarm class, alarm type, or both with a unique alarm cell font
grid. The default setting is 2 rows by 80 columns.

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The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, that you have selected an alarm format scheme, and that you have the Alarm Format
Scheme dialog box and EDIT window open.
1. In the Alarm Format Scheme Name box, type the name of the alarm format scheme
you want to configure.
2. Click the Cell Format Editor button.
The Cell Format Editor dialog box appears.
3. In the Character Rows field, type the font grid size (cell height) of the alarm cell.
4. In the Character Columns field, type the font grid size cell width.

NOTE
The columns assume average-size characters. There are limitations in the aspect
ratio when proportional fonts are used.

5. Click Apply.
6. View the grid in the EDIT window.
Configure the alarm entry information as needed.

Configuring Alarm Cell Contents

The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, that you have selected an alarm format scheme, and that you have the Alarm Format
Scheme dialog box and EDIT window open.

To customize alarm cell contents

1. From the Cell Format Editor dialog box, click the Alarm Type drop-down box.
Four generic classes of alarms appear in brackets: Message, Analog, Digital,
and Other. Specific alarm types are listed after these generic types.
Analog Digital Message Other
HIABS BADIO INFO DISABLE
LOABS STATE MON ENABLE
HHABS EVENT EXC
LLABS TRIP IND/DEP
HIDEV RANGE CONF
LODEV CHANGE SEQ6
RATE SPCALM
HIOUT
LOOUT
TARG
PTARG

2. Click the Prev button and the Next button to move through the list of alarm classes
and alarm types within those classes.

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3. Select the alarm class or alarm type to be configured.

NOTE
Alarm types initially default to the settings in the generic alarm classes. When cus-
tomizing alarm types, click the Initialize button to view a copy of the generic alarm
classes as a starting point for customization. An alarm type with no configured fields
uses the defaults of the alarm class to which it belongs. Changing generic alarm class
defaults affects only default alarm types. Previously customized alarm types are not
affected.

4. Click the Create Field button.

An empty field is created in the Select Field list box.
5. Select the keyword from the Alarm Message Items list box.
Refer to “Formatting with Keywords” on page 181.
6. Choose Add.
The information appears on the right and also in the Alarm Field Editor box.
7. Stretch and position the newly added field at the alarm cell in the EDIT window.
8. If needed, edit the entry in the Alarm Field Editor box.
If multiple alarm message items are to appear in a field, select the items and click Add
Item .
View the alarm cell in the EDIT window. Adjust the location and size as needed.
9. Repeat Steps 1 through 8 as required to create each field, concatenating and editing
field entries as required.

Configuring Alarm Entry Field Location and Size

You can customize alarm entry fields. To do so, you must configure an Alarm Format scheme.
The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, that you have selected an alarm format scheme, and that you have the Alarm Format
Scheme dialog box and EDIT window open.

To configure alarm entry field locations and size

1. Select and resize the EDIT window (located behind the Cell Format Editor dialog
box) as needed for easier viewing.
2. In the Cell Format Editor dialog box, click the field to be positioned in the EDIT
window, or click the field in the EDIT window.
3. Click the highlighted field in the EDIT window to display the row, column,
field width, and column height of the selected field.
4. Drag the field to the desired location within the grid.
5. Stretch the field horizontally to accommodate the number of characters required for
the field. The EDIT window presents information, indicating the column position
and the width of the field.

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NOTE
To expand characters for emphasis, grab handles and stretch vertically. The font size
increases in proportion to the height of the rows. For example, if the characters are
two rows high, the characters become twice as wide due to the aspect ratio.

6. Repeat for each field in the cell.

NOTE
The configured cell fills the screen. The next configured cell displays alternately
with the previous cell(s).

7. If you want to change the font and/or colors for a selected field or alarm type cell,
refer to “Overriding the Font for a Selected Alarm Entry Field” on page 180.
8. When all of the cell entry information for the various alarm types have been config-
ured as needed, choose OK.

Overriding the Font for a Selected Alarm Entry Field

You can customize alarm entry fields. To do so, you must configure an Alarm Format scheme.
Clicking the Cell Format Editor button displays the Cell Format Editor dialog box.
The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, that you have selected an alarm format scheme, and that you have the Cell Format
Editor dialog box open.

To override the font for a selected alarm entry field

1. From the Cell Format Editor dialog box, select the alarm type field for which a differ-
ent font and/or foreground and background colors are required.
2. Click the Field Font Override button.
3. From the Font dialog box, select the desired font and/or colors for the field.
4. Choose OK.
5. From the Cell Format Editor dialog box, choose OK when all the desired information
has been configured.

Overriding the Font for an Entire Cell

The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, that you have selected an alarm format scheme, and that you have the Cell Format
Editor dialog box open.

To override the font for the entire cell

1. From the Cell Format Editor dialog box, select the alarm type cell for which a differ-
ent font and/or foreground and background colors are required.
2. Click the Cell Font Override button.

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3. From the Fonts and Colors dialog box, select the desired font and/or colors for the
entire alarm cell.
4. Choose OK.
5. From the Cell Format Editor dialog box, choose OK when all the desired information
has been configured.

Clearing an Override and Returning to the Default Font and Color

The following procedure assumes that the ADMC window is open, you have opened an AM con-
figuration, that you have selected an alarm format scheme, and that you have the Cell Format
Editor dialog box open.

To clear the override (field or cell) and return to the default font and color
1. From the Cell Format Editor dialog box, select the field or cell with a font override
assignment.
2. Click the Cell Font Override button or the Field Font Override button.
The Fonts and Colors dialog box dialog box appears.
3. Choose Clear.

Formatting with Keywords

The following examples show how you can use Alarm Manager keywords to display Alarm Man-
ager information in your applications.

NOTE
The text between angle brackets (< and >) is interpreted as a keyword. Other text
is echoed.

This example format

<Block> - <Alarm Type [1-6]> at <Time>
displays as:
F1C101 - HIABS at 10:22:54
If a message item is to be displayed starting in a certain column location, it must be the first item
in a separate field. A single concatenated field, for example, is formatted and appears as follows
(time information does not start in specific location):

This Specifier Displays as

<Block> - <Alarm Type [1-6]> at <Time> F1C101 - HIABS at 10:22:54
-or as-
FIC101 - RATE at 10:22:62
<Block> - <Alarm Type [1-6]> at <Time> F1C101 - HIABS at 10:22:54
*** See the NOTE below *** -or as-
FIC101 - RATE at 10:22:62

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NOTE
In the above example, multiple fields are formatted.

Alarm Manager Displays – Default Settings

You can customize your Alarm Manager displays to show only the information your site requires.
Often, the fastest way to customize your displays is by starting with a template of default proper-
ties and then adding/editing properties.
The following tables list default menus, buttons, and Alarm Manager properties for Alarm Man-
ager displays.

Default Command Buttons

Command
Buttons 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
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
Historian X
Environments X

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Default Menus
Menu/Menu Options CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD OPR
File X X X X X X X
Save X X X X X
Print X X X X X
(NT)
Dismiss X X X X X X X
Exit X
Edit X X X X X
Select All X X X X X
Deselect All X X X X X
Find Alarms X X X X X
View X X X X X X
Refresh X X X X X X
Enable View All
Mode X X X
Disable View All
Mode X X X
Match Alarms X X X X X X
Go To Page X X X X X
Hide Controls X X X X X X
Displays X X X X X X X
Current Alarms X X X X X X X
Most Recent Alarms X X X X X X X
New Alarms Summary X X X X X X X
Unacknowledged Alarm X X X X X X X
Summary
Acknowledged Alarm X X X X X X X
Summary
Alarm History X X X X X X X
Operations X X X X X X X
Horns X
Silence Horns X
Mute Horns X
Mute CAG Horns X
Unmute Horns X
Unmute CAG Horns X

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Default Pop-Up Menus

Functions CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD
Refresh X X X X X
Pause/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
Ack Compound X X X X
Alarm Detail X X X X X X
Top Priority X X X X X X
User Display X X X X X
Block Detail X X X X X X
Show Controls X X X X X X

Alarm Manager Property Defaults

CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD OPR
Scroll Origin
Top Left X X X X X X N/A
Top Right N/A
Bottom Left N/A
Bottom Right N/A
Scroll Direction
By Rows X X X X X X N/A
By Columns
Alarm Cache Size
<#> size N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0 N/A
List
New to Old N/A N/A X X X N/A N/A
Old to New N/A N/A N/A N/A
Overlay On Re-alarm
Yes N/A X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Refresh Data
Yes N/A X X X X N/A N/A
No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Alarm Refresh Rate
<#> of seconds 3 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

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CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD OPR

Initial Display Size and
Position
Full
Foxboro Default X X X X X X
1/4 @ Top Right
1/4 @ Top Left
1/4 @ Bottom Right
1/4 @ Bottom Left
Vertical Display
Banner Display
Custom Display X
Display Resizable
Yes X X X X X X X
No
Fixed Minimum Size
Yes X X X X X X X
No
User Interface Scheme fox- fox fox- fox- fox- fox- fox-
CAD MRA NEWALM UNACK ACKED AHD MRA

Alternative Configurations
Foxboro provides alternative User Interface schemes and AM Property schemes located in the
/usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg directory. These have been created for alternative Pre-V4.2 configu-
rations. Select these schemes for additional customization.
Alarm Format schemes are named foxCADdbl (2-line entry) or foxCADsgl (1-line entry).
Alarm Display AM Property User Interface
Configuration File Type Scheme Scheme
CAD1WN.cfg CAD oldCAD1wn foxCAD1wn
AHD foxAHD10wn
CAD2WN.cfg CAD oldCAD2wn foxCAD2wn
AHD foxAHD20wn
CAD3WN.cfg CAD oldCAD3wn foxCAD3wn
AHD foxAHD10wn
CAD4WN.cfg CAD oldCAD4wn foxCAD4wn
AHD foxAHD20wn
CAD1WF.cfg CAD oldCAD1wf foxCAD1wf
AHD foxAHD10wf
CAD2WF.cfg CAD oldCAD2wf foxCAD2wf
AHD foxAHD20wf

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B0193RV – Rev E 5. Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator

Alarm Display AM Property User Interface

Configuration File Type Scheme Scheme
CAD3WF.cfg CAD oldCAD3wf foxCAD3wf
AHD foxAHD10wf
CAD4WF.cfg CAD oldCAD4wf foxCAD4wf
AHD foxAHD20wf
CAD5WN.cfg CAD newCAD5wn foxCAD5wn
AHD foxAHD5wn
MRA foxMRA5wn
NEWALM foxNEW5wn
ACKALM foxACK5wn
UNACKALM foxUNACK5wn
OPERATIONS foxOPR5wn
CAD5WF.cfg CAD newCAD5wf foxCAD5wf
AHD foxAHD5wf
MRA foxMRA5wf
NEWALM foxNEW5wf
ACKALM foxACK5wf
UNACKALM foxUNACK5wf
OPERATIONS foxOPR5wf

Alternative Alarm Manager Schemes

User Interface schemes and Alarm Format schemes provide different effects, such as:
♦ Different alarm formats
♦ Square buttons
♦ Strips (for touchscreens)
♦ Grids
You can use elements of these schemes as a starting point for customizing schemes.
The following schemes, supplied by The Foxboro Company, are available for customizing Alarm
Manager displays. Refer to “Examples of Schemes” on page 117 for illustrations of displays com-
posed with these templates.
These schemes are located in the /usr/fox/customer/config/foxboro.am file.
The foxboro.am database file is a repository for many different schemes from which you may pick
and choose schemes to create an AM configuration (.cfg) file. You can import any or all of the fol-
lowing schemes into an Alarm Manager database (.am file).

AM Property
Scheme Description
foxDefault Foxboro defaults. The foxDefault AM Property scheme appears in the
list box when a new file is initialized with standard defaults.

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AM Property
Scheme Description
foxFullScreen Full screen (recommended for Windows Off Mode)
foxQuarter Quarter screens
foxOldCAD Old style CAD/AHD
foxFullSq Full screen with large square buttons and alternative alarm formats
foxStrips Vertical and horizontal strip displays
foxGrids Grid-type displays

NOTE
The foxFullSq, foxStrips, and foxGrids schemes achieve effects, such as different
alarm formats, square buttons for touchscreens, strips and grids. Use elements of
schemes as a starting point for customizing your site’s schemes.

These are the User Interface schemes and Alarm Format schemes referenced in the alternative AM
property schemes:
User Interface Referenced Alarm
Scheme Format Scheme Description
foxHStrip1 foxMRA Horizontal strip with one alarm
foxHStrip2 foxShort1 Horizontal strip with column of five alarms
foxHStrip3 foxShort3 Horizontal strip with one alarm
foxMRAGrid foxShort1 Grid with column of five alarms
foxVStrip foxNumbered Vertical strip w/numbered alarms

Alarm Format
Scheme Description
foxCAD Default for CAD, AHD, and summary displays*
foxMRA Default for MRA*
foxSummary1 Alternative format for CAD, AHD, and summary displays
foxSummary2 Same as foxSummary 1 using Dingbats;
Compound:Block.Parameter fields--dynamic color
foxShort1 Block name, alarm type, statuses--dynamic color for all
foxShort2 Alarm state, optional text
foxShort3 Compound:Block, alarm type, statuses--dynamic color for all
foxShort4 Block name--dynamic color
foxNumbered Simple example showing how to number alarm entries

*These default Alarm Format schemes automatically appear in the list box when a new file is initialized
with the standard defaults.

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B0193RV – Rev E 5. Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator

Configuring Alternative Pre-V4.2 Defaults

To take advantage of one of the alternative Pre-V4.2 defaults

♦ From a VT100 window or a command tool window, type:
cd /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg
cp am_def.cfg alm_def.SAVE
(this preserves the original)
uncompress CADnWx.cfg
(where n is 1 to 5; x is F or N)
cp CADnWx.cfg alm_def.cfg

To see the effect of this configuration

♦ From a VT100 window or a command tool window, type:
pref -AMNAME amcmd “quitam on; exit”
(where AMNAME is the name of the Alarm Manager to receive the command)
Clicking the DM's Process (or Alarm) button restarts the AM using this configura-
tion.

NOTE
This is a pref to the AM's command variable (amcmd), not to the display manager's
command variable (dmcmd).

The /usr/fox/customer/config/oldFoxboro.am.Z file is the compressed version of the Display and

Alarm Manager's configuration database file from which this alternative set of CAD user inter-
faces were derived.

To use these as the basis upon which to add or modify the base configuration
♦ Type:
cd /usr/fox/customer/config
uncompress oldFoxboro.am
cp oldFoxboro.am <yourname>.am
(this preserves the original)
Refer to “Alternative Configurations” on page 185 for the names of the User Interface Scheme
and Alarm Property Scheme created for this alternative set of configurations. Select these schemes
for additional customization. The Alarm Format Schemes are named either foxCADdbl (2 line
entry) or foxCADsgl (1 line entry).
Modify the User Interface Schemes for these items:
♦ Button labels
♦ Button commands
♦ Button access classes

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Modify the Alarm Format Schemes for these items:

♦ Designation of acknowledge state
♦ Designation of return-to-normal state
♦ Alarm text fonts
♦ Alarm text colors
When opening a configuration in the Display/Alarm Manager Configurator (ADMC), use the
<yourname.am> database file.
The /usr/fox/customer/config/foxboro.am file is the database file representing the as-shipped
CAD (and other alarm displays).

Alternative Set of Configuration Files

The following alternative set of configuration files, located in the /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg
directory, may be used to emulate the Pre-V4.2 Display Manager alarm displays.
Alarm Information Windows Off Windows On
Pre-V4.2 Templates Entries Lines Configuration File Configuration File
CAD1, AHD10 10 2 CAD1WF.cfg CAD1WN.cfg
CAD2, AHD20 20 1 CAD2WF.cfg CAD2WN.cfg
CAD3, AHD10 10 2 CAD3WF.cfg CAD3WN.cfg
CAD4, AHD20 20 1 CAD4WF.cfg CAD4WN.cfg
CAD1, AHD10, 10 2 CAD5WF.cfg CAD5WN.cfg
with access to some
4.2 features

The CAD5WF.cfg and CAD5WN.cfg configuration emulates the V4.1 CAD, but adds access to
many of the new Alarm Manager features through the additional Operations button located at the
bottom-right of the CAD window. Clicking the Operations button displays the References

Windows On Mode vs. Windows Off Mode

UNIX workstations only. If you choose to emulate the Pre-V4.2 Current Alarm Display on a
UNIX-based workstation by using alternative CAD schemes, be aware of the workstation’s opera-
tion with regard to Windows On mode vs. Windows Off mode.
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 Win-
dows Off mode. Separate default configurations have been created to operate in each of these two
modes.
Unlike the display manager (DM), the Alarm Manager (AM) 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 to be a critical process.
Attempting to dismiss the only display open by an AM (that is, the Operator AM) yields a mes-
sage dialog box, indicating that the AM is “not quitable”.

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B0193RV – Rev E 5. Using the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator

Current Alarms Display – Windows On Mode

On stations running in Windows On mode, buttons that call up a DM graphic display were
modified as shown in the following table. The desired effect was to call up the desired display, and
have its window move to the front.
Button Configured Action
PREV DISP send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm
TOP PRIO top_prio; send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm
BLK DTL blk_dtl; send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm
USER DISP user_disp; send_to_dm -dm $GCLBUG /usr/fox/alarms/show_dm

Compare this to the button configuration used in Windows Off mode.

Current Alarms Display – Windows Off Mode

Button Configured Action

PREV DISP dismiss
TOP PRIO top_prio; dismiss
BLK DTL blk_dtl; dismiss
USER DISP user_disp; dismiss

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 for-
ward (to the front of the AM’s CAD window). The CAD window is still active behind the DM
window.
The contents of this script file is:
dmcmd script
dmcmd run /usr/fox/wp/bin/tools/show_win "FOXBORO: Display
Manager $GCLBUG:$DMNAME"
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.

Alarm History Display – Windows On Mode

Alarm History Display buttons require the “dismiss” command to close the Alarm History Dis-
play.
Button 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

190
6. Tutorial – Configuring AMs and
DMs with Standard Defaults
This chapter is a tutorial that shows how to use standard defaults to quickly configure display
managers and Alarm Managers on a local Model 51 Application Workstation.
The steps in this tutorial configure a dual-headed AW51 (letterbug 54AW51) with:
♦ Three display managers (DMs)
♦ A bootable DM for an operator dedicated to both heads (54AW51)
♦ A DM for an auxiliary operator; undedicated (DM0000)
♦ A DM an for engineer; undedicated (DM0001)
♦ Two Alarm Managers (AMs)
♦ An AM for an operator dedicated to both heads (54AW51)
♦ An undedicated AM for an operator (AM0000)
Refer to other parts of this document for a description of the Alarm/Display Manager Configura-
tor and detailed procedural information.

Alarm/Display Manager Configurator

Use the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) to create the required DMs and AMs
and the appropriate DM/AM associations. A DM and AM with the same letterbug name are sup-
plied with the workstation in a start-up file. When multiple DMs and AMs are configured, the
dmcfg file and <amname>.cfg files (rather than the start-up file) provide DM/AM configuration
information.

Default dmcfg File

The initial dmcfg file (before performing Alarm/Display Manager configuration) provides initial
default DM properties and default AM properties. If not already in the dmcfg file, a NAME entry
for each workstation allowed to run multiple DMs is automatically created during bootup. The
following is a portion of the default dmcfg file.

NOTE
Only the end of the file is shown; the initial descriptive information has been omit-
ted to save space.

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#
#SCREEN <screen_variable> <monitor1> <monitor2> . . . .
#
#TYPE <type> <window attributes> <class> <environment>
#
TYPE Operator - B Proc_Op_Env
TYPE AuxillaryOper QLRSM O Proc_Op_Env
TYPE RemoteOperator - O Proc_Op_Env
TYPE Engineer - E Proc_Eng_Env
TYPE View_Only - V -
#
#AMTYPE <type> <class> <environment>
#
AMTYPE Operator B Proc_Op_Env
AMTYPE AuxillaryOper O Proc_Op_Env
AMTYPE RemoteOperator O Proc_Op_Env
AMTYPE Engineer E Proc_Eng_Env
AMTYPE View_Only V - -
#
#NAME <lbug> <dmname> <dedicated monitor(s)> <type>
NAME 54AW51 54AW51 .0 -

Figure 6-1. A Portion of the Default dmcfg File

Accessing the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator

From the Config menu in the

Process Engineer’s environment,
choose DispAlarmCfg.

The Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) window appears.

Initializing a New dmcfg Configuration File

From the ADMC’s main browser window, initialize the dmcfg configuration file with standard
Foxboro defaults and with the default Display Manager Property schemes and the Alarm Manager
Property scheme found in the dmcfg file.

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NOTE
If the local dmcfg file had previously been configured (pre-Release 4.2) with multi-
ple DMs, the DM names and configuration information is loaded into the dmcfg
configuration file with the default DM property schemes.

1. From the File menu,

choose New.
2. Choose Standard to initialize
the configuration with Foxboro
supplied default templates and
schemes. 3
3. Choose Local to load the default
DM Property Scheme options
from the local dmcfg file to the
new dmcfg file.
4. Choose OK.

Configuring the Display Managers

From the ADMC main browser window, configure a letterbug display manager as shown below.

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3 8

a c
b

1. From the Select box, choose Display Manager.

2. Choose New.
3. Type the workstation letterbug for the display manager name (e.g. 54AW51).
4. Select the Station Letterbug (e.g. 54AW51) from the list.
5. Click the Screen prompt button: a. Choose Local Station.
b. Choose Both Heads.
c. Choose OK.
6. From the DM Property Schemes, choose Operator (bootable operator).
7. Select the Create Alarm Manager check box to create an AM with the same
name (e.g. 54AW51).
8. Choose OK.

Leaving the Display Manager Property Scheme field blank automatically supplies Foxboro
defaults.
A display manager accesses the Alarm Manager with the same name or the Alarm Manager with
which it is associated. See “Associating the DMs and AMs” on page 197.
Configure the other two display managers and associate them with the same Alarm Manager
(AM0000).

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6. Tutorial – Configuring AMs and DMs with Standard Defaults B0193RV – Rev E

To configure the second display manager

1. Choose Display Manager and New.
2. Enter the following information in the Display Manager dialog box:

Field Setting
Display Manager Name DM0000 (this is automatically generated)
Station Letterbug 54AW51
Screen Undedicated
Display Manager Property Scheme Auxiliary Operator

To configure the third display manager

1. Choose Display Manager and New.
2. Enter the following information in the Display Manager dialog box:

Field Setting
Display Manager Name DM0001 (automatically generated)
Station Letterbug 54AW51
Screen Undedicated
Display Manager Property Scheme Engineer

Configuring the Alarm Managers

From the ADMC main browser window, configure the letterbug Alarm Manager and a second
Alarm Manager.

NOTE
An Alarm Manager named 54AW51 was automatically created earlier by having
selected the Create Alarm Manager check box on the Display Manager dialog box
when you configured the 54AW51 display manager. Refer to “Configuring the Dis-
play Managers” on page 193.

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2 54AW51 3
54AW51
1

a c
b

1. From the Select box, choose Alarm Managers.

2. From the list box, select the letterbug Alarm Manager (54AW51).
3. Choose Edit. The Alarm Manager dialog box appears.
4. From the Station Letterbug drop-down list, select 54AW51
5. Click the Screen prompt button. The Station Screen Selector dialog box appears.
a. Choose Local Station.
b. Choose Both Heads.
c. Choose OK.
6. From the Alarm Manager Property Scheme drop-down list, select foxDefaults.
7. Choose OK.

Creating the Second Alarm Manager

To create the second Alarm Manager

1. Choose Alarm Manager and New.
2. Enter the following information in the Alarm Manager dialog box:

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Field Setting
Alarm Manager Name AM0000 (automatically generated)
Station Letterbug 54AW51
Screen Undedicated
Alarm Manager Property Scheme FoxDefaults

Leaving the Alarm Manager Property Scheme field blank automatically supplies Foxboro defaults.

Associating the DMs and AMs

From the ADMC main browser window, associate both DM0000 and DM0001 with AM0000.

NOTE
The display manager named 54AW51 and the Alarm Manager named 54AW51 are
already associated.

5
3 4

1. From the Select box, choose Associations.

2. Choose New. The Display/Alarm Manger Associations dialog box appears.
3. Select or type the display manager name (DM0000) using the combo box.
4. Select or type the Alarm Manager name (AM0000) using the combo box.
5. Choose OK.

Note: Repeat Steps 1-5 to associate DM0001 with AM0000.

The Display/Alarm Manager Associations dialog box creates an association between a display
manager and an Alarm Manager for alarm display call-up when the Alarm button in an I/A Series

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environment is pressed. When configured, multiple display managers can access the same Alarm
Manager.

Saving the Alarm Manager Configuration File

From the ADMC main browser window, save the Alarm Manager configuration file
as boiler1.am.

3
2

1. From the File menu, choose Save. The Save Configuration As dialog box
appears.
2. Type the name of the configuration file (/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1) in
the File Name text box. An .am extension is automatically supplied.
3. Choose OK.

A new directory (boiler1.dir) is created. It contains the dmcfg file.

Creating the AM/DM Install Files from the .am File

From the ADMC main browser window, create the workstation install files from the Alarm Man-
ager configuration file (.am file). The steps include validating configuration records and creating
the display manager and Alarm Manager files required for each workstation.

To validate the records

♦ From the File menu, choose Validate Records.

NOTE
If an error is located during validation, the install files are not created.

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To create the install files

This step yields a progress log that you can view, save, or both.

1. From the File menu, choose Create Install Files. A Progress Log
message box appears.
2. Choose Save to File to save a record of the installation file names and
locations in a log file. Type the filename and choose OK in the subsequent dialog
box. The.log file is written in the directory created for the install files for each
workstation (usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir/boiler1.log).
3. Choose Done.

Contents of the Configured dmcfg File

Here are the contents of part of the dmcfg file after the example configuration:

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# ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------

# “dmcfg” Fri Dec 1 09:35:31 GMT 1995
# --------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
#TYPE <type> <window <class> <environment>
# attributes>
TYPE -DEFAULT DSM O Proc_Op_Env
TYPE Operator DSM B Proc_Op_Env
TYPE AuxillaryOper QLRSM O Proc_Op_Env
TYPE RemoteOperator DSM O Proc_Op_Env
TYPE Engineer DSM E Proc_Eng_Env
# --------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
TYPE View_Only DSM- V -
TYPE foxDefault DS O -
# --------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
#AMTYPE <type> <class> <environment>
AMTYPE _DEFAULT O Proc_Op_Env
AMTYPE foxDefault O -
# --------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
#NAME <letter <dmname> <dedicated <type>
# bug> monitor(s)>
NAME 54AW51 54AW51 .- Operator
NAME 54AW51 DM0000 - AuxillaryOper
NAME 54AW51 DM0001 - Engineer
# --------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
AMNAME 54AW51 54AW51 .- foxDefault
AMNAME 54AW51 AM0000 - foxDefault
# --------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
DMTOAM DM0000 AM0000
DMTOAM DM0001 AM0000

Distributing the Install Files to the Workstations

These files were created/generated during the example configuration procedure.

Files Description
/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.am Alarm Manager
database file
/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir/dmcfg display manager
configuration file
/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir Letterbug AM
/54AW51/54AW51.cfg configuration file
/usr/fox/customer/con- Second AM
fig/boiler1.dir/54AW51/AM0000.cfg configuration file

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Files Description
/usr/fox/customer/con- Log file of generated
fig/boiler1.dir/boiler1.log install files (optional)

To distribute the install files to the workstations

1. Copy the following source files, which were created on the 54AW51 station, to the
appropriate destination directories on the 54AW51:

Destination Directories
Source Files and Files
/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir/dmcfg /usr/fox/customer/hi/dmcfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg
/54AW51/54AW51.cfg /54AW51.cfg
/usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg
/54AW51/AM0000.cfg /AM0000.cfg

The “hi” destination directory is the human interface directory.

On UNIX, type:
cd /usr/fox/customer/config/boiler1.dir
cp dmcfg /usr/fox/customer/hi
2. Back up the /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/am_def.cfg file to am_def.cfg.bak
3. To use the AM0000.cfg file as the default for all Alarm Managers, type:
cd boiler1.dir/54AW51
cp AM0000.cfg /usr/fox/customer/alarms/cfg/am_def.cfg
4. Reboot each workstation to read its new AM/DM install files.
The newly configured dmcfg file provides the required AM/DM start-up information and refer-
ences the individual AM files.

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202
7. Tutorial – Customizing an Alarm
Manager
This tutorial shows you how to customize an Alarm Manager.
The AM database (.am file) is used to create Alarm Manager configuration (.cfg) files for your
site. The following tutorial uses the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator (ADMC) to edit the
.am file. The tutorial shows you how to:
♦ Add a command button to an alarm display
♦ Change a button’s access class
♦ Change the number of alarms on an alarm display
♦ Add a tenths of a second field to the timestamp of an analog alarm message
♦ Add a command to a menu and create a submenu with a separator
The tutorial assumes that you have the Alarm/Display Manager Configurator’s main browser win-
dow open and that you are going to modify the foxDefault AM property scheme.

! CAUTION
Verify that you open the correct .am file before making modifications. There may
be many .am files in the directory.

After Editing an AM Database File

After editing the AM database file:
♦ Save the changes
♦ Validate the changes
♦ Create the install files
♦ Distribute the install files
♦ Restart the Alarm Manager to view and use the new changes
These steps are described in this document and in the ADMC on-line help.

Adding a Command Button to the CAD

This procedure shows you how to add a command button to an alarm display. The example shows
how to configure a new button on the Current Alarm Display (CAD), which will be labeled “First
Page, Silence Horns”.
1. Choose AM Properties.
2. Under Scheme Name, choose foxDefault.

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3. Click the Edit button.

The Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box appears.

4. Under Configure Display Type, choose the Current Alarms button.

The Alarm Manager Display Type dialog box appears with the code for the alarm dis-
play (for example, CAD) in the title bar. A second window, the EDIT window, also
appears.

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5. Look at the User Interface Scheme field in the Alarm Manager Display Type dialog
box and record the name of the User Interface scheme used by the CAD.
In this example, the CAD uses the foxCAD User Interface scheme.
6. Click OK to close the dialog box.
7. Click OK to close the Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box.
8. From the main browser window, choose User Interfaces.
9. Under “User Interface Scheme Name”, choose foxCAD.
10. Click Edit.
The User Interface Scheme dialog box and EDIT window appear.

11. Click the EDIT window’s title bar.

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The EDIT window is bought to the front.

12. In the EDIT window, click the unlabeled button that you want to make into a com-
mand button. In this example, the button is the right-most button in the bottom row.
The Pushbutton Editor dialog box appears.

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13. In the Label field, type a label for the button.

Typing “\n” inserts a new line, splitting the label into two lines.
In this example, type First Page\nSilence Horns.
14. In the Access Code field, type an access class, such as 2 if access restriction is desired.
15. In the Mnemonic field, type a Windows shortcut key for the button. For example,
type S. This character must be a character in the button’s label.
16. Click the Button Actions prompt button.

The Command List dialog box appears.

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17. Scroll to the page command.

18. Click page.
The page command highlights.
19. Click OK.
The page command appears in the edit field of the Pushbutton Editor dialog box.

20. Delete the descriptive information and type 1, which indicates the first page.

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21. Click the Add button.

The page command moves from the edit field into the text box.
22. Click the Button Actions prompt button.

The Command List dialog box appears.

23. Scroll down the list to the silence_horns command.
24. Click OK.
The silence_horns command appears in the edit field of the Pushbutton Editor dialog
box.
25. Click the Add button.
The silence_horns command moves to the text box.

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26. Click OK.

The Pushbutton Editor dialog box closes, and First Page Silence Horns appears as the
label on the button.

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27. From the User Interface Scheme dialog box, click OK.
28. From the Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box, click OK.

Deleting a Button
Deleting a button follows many of the steps previously described under “Adding a Command
Button to the CAD” on page 203. When you delete a button, you can:
♦ Delete the command associated with the button, which disables the button
♦ Delete both the command that the button runs and the button’s label
Either way, clicking the button runs no command.

To delete a button
1. Choose a user interface scheme from the ADMC’s main browser window.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. From the EDIT window, click the button that you want to delete. For example, click
the Clear Page button.
The Pushbutton Editor dialog box appears.

4. Delete the label and mnemonic. Set the access code to 0.

5. Click clear page in the Button Actions list box.
In this example, clear page is the command associated with the button. Your button
may run more than one command. If so, delete each command.
6. Click the Delete button.
7. Click OK.
The EDIT window no longer shows the Clear Page button.

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Changing a Button’s Access Class

This procedure shows how you change a button’s access class. Use a similar procedure to change a
menu command’s access class. A menu command is selectable from an alarm display’s pull-down
menu or an alarm display’s pop-up menu.
Most likely you will use this procedure while creating a new command button; refer to “Adding a
Command Button to the CAD” on page 203.
1. From the main browser window, choose User Interfaces.
2. Under “User Interface Scheme Name”, choose the desired UI scheme (foxCAD in this
example).

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3. Click Edit.
The User Interface Scheme dialog box and EDIT window appear.
4. In the EDIT window, click the button whose access class you want to change.
The Pushbutton Editor dialog box appears.
5. In the Access Code field, type an access class.
For example, change the access class from 0 to 1 to restrict the button’s use.
6. Click OK.
7. From the User Interface Scheme dialog box, click OK.

Changing the Number of Alarm Entries

This procedure changes the number of alarm entries on “a page” of an alarm display.
You may want to change the number of alarm entries on an alarm display after changing the num-
ber of buttons on a display or after decreasing the size of the display (such as changing a display’s
size from full screen to quarter screen).
Most likely you will use this procedure while increasing or decreasing the number of command
buttons; refer to “Adding a Command Button to the CAD” on page 203.
1. Choose User Interfaces.
2. Under “User Interface Scheme Name”, choose the desired UI scheme (foxCAD in this
example).
3. Click Edit.
The User Interface Scheme dialog box and EDIT window appear.
4. In the EDIT window, click the dark line (located above the command buttons), and
drag it vertically.
Moving the dark line upward increases the size of the buttons and decreases the size of
the alarm entry area.

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Moving the dark line downward decreases the size of the buttons and increases the size
of the alarm entry area.
The number of alarm entries remains the same.

5. In the User Interface Scheme dialog box’s Alarm Rows field, type the number of alarm
rows. Use 6 in this example.
6. In the User Interface Scheme dialog box’s Alarm Columns field, type the number of
alarm columns. Use 3 in this example.

NOTE
The product of the number of rows and number of columns yields the number of
alarm entries on the display.

7. In the User Interface Scheme dialog box, click OK.

The EDIT window shows the result.

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8. From the Alarm Manager Property Scheme dialog box, click OK.

Adding a Tenths of a Second Field to an Alarm Entry

This procedure adds another field to an alarm entry. To configure this additional field, you will
have to modify an Alarm Format scheme. Refer to the on-line Help to learn how to move alarm
entry data and to change their size and color.
1. Choose Alarm Formats.
The Display and Alarm Managers dialog box appears.
2. In the Alarm Format Scheme Name list box, select the UI scheme (foxCAD in this
example).
3. Click Edit.
The Alarm Format Scheme dialog box appears.

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4. Click the Cell Format Editor button.

The EDIT window appears.

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5. In the Alarm Type field at the bottom of the Cell Format Editor dialog box, select
ANALOG.
6. In the Select Field list box, select <SystemTime[1-14]>.
<SystemTime[1-14]> is copied to the Alarm Field Editor text box.
7. In the Alarm Field Editor text box, type . (a period) after <SystemTime[1-14]>.
The period is the separator between the units and tenths digits.
Note that while the same display mechanism is used for the Alarm History display as
for other displays, only a subset of alarm data fields is valid for historian alarms. This
means that you should not customize the Alarm History format for a 10th of a second
alarm value. If you do, a 0 (zero) is displayed for the 10th of a second alarm value
when called up in Alarm History. The return to normal 10th of a second value will
not display the intended data in Alarm History. The Alarm History display does not
integrate with this feature of the AMDM.
8. In the Alarm Message Items list box, select Tenths.
9. Click the Add Item button.
<Tenths> appears after the period after <SystemTime[1-14]>.
10. Click the Apply button.

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NOTE
Since two additional characters (a period and a digit) have been added to the Sys-
temTime field, as follows, you must now adjust the fields to the right of the System-
Time field to accommodate the addition of two new characters.

11. Click the title bar of the EDIT window to activate this window.
12. Click the window’s handle (corner of window) and drag it to increase the window’s
size.
This is necessary to view the details in this window.
13. Using the mouse, select the bottom-right corner of the SystemTime field and drag it
to the right.

NOTE
Dragging the side of this field moves this field, but does not change its size.

Watch as the field’s Width indicator (below the menu bar) changes to 16.

14. Click OK in the Cell Format Editor dialog box.

15. From the Alarm Format Scheme dialog box, click OK.

Adding a Command to a Menu

This procedure shows how to modify a User Interface scheme to add a command to a an existing
menu. It also shows how to create submenus and how to add a separator (horizontal line) for easy
viewing.
1. From the ADMC main browser window, choose User Interfaces.
2. Select a UI scheme, such as FoxCAD.
3. Click the Edit button.
The User Interface Scheme dialog box and EDIT window appear.
4. In the EDIT window’s menu bar, click the arrow ( --> ).
The Menu Editor dialog box appears.

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5. In the Menu Entries list box, click the menu bar field (for example, File) in which to
add a new command.
6. Click the Edit button.
A dialog box appears with the name of the menu bar field in the title bar.

7. Click the New Command button.

The Menu Command Editor dialog box appears.
8. Select fields as follows:
a. In the Label field, type a label of up to 32 characters (for example, Save).
b. In the Access Code field, type the desired protection code (for example, 5) associ-
ated with the menu entry. Valid access codes are 0-255.

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NOTE
Access codes enable or disable command selectability, depending on the Environ-
ment script file associated with the Alarm Manager using this user interface scheme.
Plan your security measures accordingly. Refer to Workstation Configuration
(B0193AG) and Display Manager/FoxView Calls (B0193DF).

c. In the Mnemonic field, type the letter (for example, S) for alternate access to the
menu entry. This letter must be a character in the label.
9. Click the prompt button.

A list of available commands appears in a Command List dialog box.

10. Select the appropriate command(s) for the menu entry label (for example,
save_to_file) and choose OK.

The command appears in the Menu Entries list box in the File dialog box.
If you did not select the position of the new command, it is added at the bottom of
the list.
11. Click OK.
The Menu Editor dialog box appears.

Creating a Submenu
This procedure creates a menu item that opens into a submenu.
1. From the Menu Editor dialog box, select the menu (for example, File).
2. Click the Edit button.
The Menu Editor dialog box for that entry appears.

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3. Click the New Submenu button.

The Menu Editor dialog box appears with the name of the menu bar field in the title
bar.

4. Select fields as follows:

a. In the Name Field, Type the name of the submenu (for example, Special).
Optionally, assign a mnemonic.
b. Click the New Command button.
c. In the subsequent Menu Command Editor dialog box and Command List dialog
box, enter the subordinate command name, for example, Change Env. Refer to
“Adding a Command to a Menu” on page 218.
d. Click OK.
e. Repeat Steps b through d for each command required in the submenu.
f. Click OK.
g. Click OK.
The Menu Editor dialog box appears, displaying the configured menu bar field
entries.

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Creating a Menu Separator

A separator in a menu helps you group commands and aids menu readability.
This procedure is a continuation of the previous menu configuration procedures and assumes that
you have the Menu Editor dialog box open.
1. From the Menu Editor dialog box, select the entry over which the separator is to
appear.
In this example, the separator will be placed above the Find command.

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2. Select “Find”.
The new separator will be placed above the selected command.
3. Exit the dialog boxes by clicking OK.
The separator appears above the selected entry as a light gray line.

Repositioning a Menu Entry

1. From the Menu Editor dialog box’s list box, select the entry to be repositioned.
2. Click the Cut button.
3. Click the new location in the list box.
4. Click the Paste button.
5. Click OK.

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224
8. Emulating Pre-V4.2 Alarm
Displays
This chapter describes options available to sites that choose to emulate the Current Alarm
Display (CAD) and the Alarm History Display (AHD) of the pre-V4.2 software.
Refer to Chapter 4 “Configuring Alarm Managers and Display Managers” to learn how to config-
ure alternative defaults.

If You Like the Pre-V4.2 Alarm Displays

The Alarm Manager makes it easy to interface into the workstation’s alarm subsystem. Another
example of the AM’s flexibility is the set of optional AM configuration files shipped with the stan-
dard software. These configurations are provided for customers who wish to maintain the look of
the older-style (pre-V4.2) Current Alarm Display (CAD) window, before adding any of the new
AM functionality.
The configurations incorporate a CAD user interface that emulates the pre-V4.2 CAD templates
(CAD1-4). These configurations do not incorporate the new command buttons, the new display
menus, or the new window pop-up menus.
The displays’ command buttons are positioned as they were on the Display Manager’s version of
the CAD display templates. Their use and quick installation are described in detail in chapter 4.
Refer to Chapter 5 for illustrations of example uses. You do not need to use a configurator to take
advantage of these older-styled CAD emulations.
An extra CAD emulation within this set, CAD5, is based on CAD1 but has a new button. Click-
ing the new “Operations” button displays a new style of AM display, from which you can then
jump into other new AM display windows to experience some of the new features now being
offered.

Default User Interface Scheme

The User Interface Scheme for the default Current Alarm Display (CAD) incorporates these V4.2
features:
♦ A window pop-up menu for quick access to commonly used functions (for example,
Ack Alarm)
♦ Access to all six types of alarm displays from the Alarm Manager’s Display menu
♦ Access to the Operations display from which Horn Muting and Change Environment
are easily accessible
♦ Ability to print and save alarm information from the AM’s File menu
♦ Access to alarm matching or selection capabilities from the AM’s View menu
Your site may not desire these features. Foxboro provides an alternative set of configurations for
the Current Alarm Display (CAD) and Alarm History Display (AHD) user interfaces. You may

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elect to use these alternative configurations to emulate the old style (pre-V4.2) Display Manager
CAD and AHD.

NOTE
Using these alternative configurations greatly reduce access to many of the Alarm
Manager’s powerful features such as access to the alarm summary displays, which
show updating alarm parameters.

Before Software V4.2

Before V4.2, the user interface to the CAD and AHD displays was achieved through the use of
one of the four CAD display templates (/usr/fox/tmplts/CADn, where n is a value from 1 to 4) and
one of two AHD display templates (AHD10 or AHD20).
In addition to the CAD templates, the Display Manager (DM) would also read the alarm text
configuration in the /usr/fox/alarms/alarms.cfg file to override the default presentation of the
alarm fields in each of the alarm entries.

Alternative Default Configuration Files

The alternative set of default Alarm Manager configuration files emulate these four CAD tem-
plates in combination with the two AHD templates (see Figure 8-1).
These alternate configurations:
♦ Remove the presence of the AM display menu items (File, View, and Display)
♦ Disable the window pop-up menu
♦ Adjust the size of the control buttons to be used with touch screens
♦ Restore the button set of the traditional CAD and AHD displays

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Figure 8-1. Emulation of Current Alarm Display

The following table identifies the alternative set of configuration files, located in the /usr/fox/cus-
tomer/alarms/cfg directory, that may be used to emulate the Pre-V4.2 Display Manager alarm
displays.

Pre-V4.2 Alarm Information Windows Off Windows On

Templates Entries Lines Configuration File Configuration File
CAD1, AHD10 10 2 CAD1WF.cfg CAD1WN.cfg
CAD2, AHD20 20 1 CAD2WF.cfg CAD2WN.cfg
CAD3, AHD10 10 2 CAD3WF.cfg CAD3WN.cfg
CAD4, AHD20 20 1 CAD4WF.cfg CAD4WN.cfg
CAD1, AHD10, with 10 2 CAD5WF.cfg CAD5WN.cfg
access to some 4.2 features

The CAD5WF.cfg/CAD5WN.cfg configuration emulates the V4.1 CAD, but adds access to many
of the new V4.2 features through the additional Operations button located at the bottom-right of
the CAD window (see Figure 8-2). Clicking the Operations button displays the new Operations
Display window (see Figure 8-3).

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Operations Display
From the Operations display, you can:
♦ Access the four new alarm display windows
♦ Mute or unmute alarm horns (either locally or throughout the Common Alarm
Group)
♦ Change Alarm Manager user environments

Figure 8-2. Current Alarm Display with Operations Button

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Figure 8-3. Operations Display Window

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230
Index

.am File 52, 129, 198

local vs. master 129
modifying 143
.cfg File 191, 201
creating 141
saving 146

A
AApan File 52
AAtab File 52
Access Class 4, 28
changing 145
Access Key Lock Commands 28
Access Level
setting 29
ACKCLR 43
ACKED 68
Acknowledge State
customizing indicators 176
Acknowledged Alarms Display 68
addalmpnl 60
ADMC 111
accessing 192
description of 111
AHD 70
Alarm
accessing a specific display 97
acknowledging 73
adding a tenths field 203
analyzing alarm conditions 98
backing up 49
configuration overview 8
database attributes 1
default color codes 64
detail information 78
entries in an alarm display 64
fields in the message 80
finding 74
invoking another application 18
message 13
notification 7
printing detail information 78
process 8, 9

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recovering information 15
saving detail information 78
state and status indicators 64
suing a different format 186
top priority alarm 73
updating alarm text in a process display 46
viewing detailed information 91
Alarm Alert
subsystem 7
Alarm Alert Database 52
changing options 38
configurable options 13
configuring 13, 38
customizing 18, 39
description of 39
Alarm Cell
configuring contents 178
configuring font grid 177
customizing color 175
Alarm Detail Button 78
Alarm Display
accessing another window 72
Alarm History Display 70
capabilities 17
configuring 63
configuring attributes 160
configuring capabilities 17
current 65
Current Alarm Display 21
iconified 73
Most Recent Alarm 21
parts of 63
positioning 145
refreshing 92
setting Clear Alarm button action 42
setting the initial 41
Alarm Displays 225
alarm area 79
customizing 82
description of 20
examples of 119
list of 63
multiple 26
pop-up menu 81
printing information 100
saving 99
working with 72
Alarm Entry
configuring location and size 179

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overriding font 180

overriding font for the entire cell 180
setting font and color 181
Alarm Format
setting 186
Alarm Format Scheme
customizing 173
selecting 170
Alarm History Display 70
emulating the pre-V4.2 version 226
Windows On mode 190
Alarm Manager
access to 26
access to process displays 37
associating with a DM 23
at startup 26
built-in commands 18, 54
buttons 87
command interface 18, 28, 51
command that uses keywords 50
configuring 130, 136, 154, 195
configuring properties 158
considerations 4
customizing 157, 170, 182
customizing a template 155
customizing an AM property scheme 155
database file 52, 129
default 4
default attributes for displays 182
default configuration file 52
default properties 184
deleting 156
description of 16
duplicating 156
editing 155
exiting 72
features 16
flexibility 225
interface 83
keywords 52
licenses 24
licensing 24
list of displays 63
list of windows 17
monitoring ALMCNT 49
Object Manager connections 21
parts of the user interface 84
properties 131
relationship with AM property scheme 155

233
B0193RV – Rev E Index

saving an AM database file 198

schemes 117
security access 27
startup properties 131
subsystem 7
testing changes 147
worksheet 125
Alarm Manager Schemes
alternative 186
Alarm Match Specification File
creating 102
deleting 105
loading 104
saving 103
Alarm Server Task
subsystem 7
Alarm State
customizing indicators 176
Alarm Status
viewing 10
Alarm Subsystem 7
information movement 10
Alarm Text
exporting to other applications 18
Alarm/Display Manager Configurator 111
accessing 122, 192
description of 111
exiting 123
main browser window 134
overview of 133
purpose 191
Alarming 8
Alarms
acknowledging 96
Annunciator key assignments 41
backup and recovery 15
changing the number 203
clearing 98
configuring alarm alert database 13
default colors and indicators 80
finding 94
FoxPanels button assignments 41
limiting the view of 79
locating 14, 94
matching 94
overview of 7
printing 100
recovering 49
recovery from another workstation 16

234
Index B0193RV – Rev E

responding to 8, 11, 12, 91

saving displayed information 99
selecting 93
setting priority colors 43
setting priority of alarms to be saved 46
setting return-to-normal action 41
setting the number 40
setting the number of rows and columns 171
sorting 40
types of 8
viewing a list of 91
viewing a subset 101
viewing saved alarms 98
working with 96
alarms.cfg File 226
ALMCLR 43
ALMCNT 46, 49
ALMPRI 46
ALMSTA 9
updating 21
ALMTXT 46
AM Configuration File
saving 146
AM Database
local vs. master 129
using 130
AM Database File
accessing 138
copying portions 154
importing 158
new 130
saving 139, 146
validating 140
AM Properties
configuring 158
AM Property Scheme
customizing 155
relationship with Alarm Manager 155
AM/DM Configuration Files
creating 199
AM/DM Configuration Records
validating 198
am_def.cfg File 52
AM_DISP 41
Annunciator
display call up 33
annunciator 32
Annunciator Configurator 30
Annunciator Keyboard 29, 31
configuring 30

235
B0193RV – Rev E Index

control assignments 52
display call up 32
keypress actions 52
lights 32
Associating DMs and AMs 197
AST commands 60

B
Block
ALMSTA parameter 9
Built-In Commands 18
Alarm Manager 54
Button
adding 203
Alarm Detail 78
changing access class 145, 203
customizing for match/filter operation 105
New Alarms 8, 15, 64, 65, 131, 159
Operations 227
Process 9, 24
Buttons
ADMC 136
Alarm Manager 87
alternative shapes 186
configuring 162
default 182
setting the number of rows and columns 171

C
CAD 65
setting update preference 49
CAD_UPDATES 49
CAG 35
File 50
Change Environment
enabling/disabling 28
Class
configuring for Alarm Manager 158
CLR_OPT 42
clralmpnl 60
Color
customizing for alarm cells 175
Colors
configuring blinking 44
Comma Separated Value Format 17
Command
access key lock 28
adding to a menu 203

236
Index B0193RV – Rev E

AST 60
changing access class 145
Command Buttons
adding 203
ADMC 136
changing access class 203
configuring 162
default 182
Command Interface
Alarm Manager 18, 28
Commands
Alarm Manager 51
Comma-Separated Value Format 99
commgrp.cfg File 50, 52
Common Alarm Group 35
configuring 35
horns 34, 46
Common Alarm Group File 50, 52
CONF_RTN 48
Configuration
alarm 1
decisions 125
Configuration Files
distributing 142
Connection Point
Object Manager 22
CSV Format 17, 99
Current Alarm Display 65
emulating the pre-V4.2 version 225
setting update preference 49
Windows On/Off Mode 190

D
Database
alarm alert 13, 18, 34, 36, 38
Database File
AM 129
Date
configuring format 177
Default AM
associating to an AM property scheme 145
default values 115
Detail Information
alarm 78
Display
Acknowledged Alarms Display 68
alarm 20
Alarm History Display 70
call up 36

237
B0193RV – Rev E Index

Current Alarm Display 65

Most Recent Alarm 67
New Alarm Summary 68
New Alarms Display 68
Operations 228
Operations Display 70
summary 68
top priority 74, 98
Unacknowledged Alarms Display 68
Display Call Up
overriding 37
Display Manager
access to an Alarm Manager 23
associating with an AM 23, 144
at startup 26
configuring 136, 193
creating 152
customizing 150, 170
default 4
deleting 150
display call up 36
duplicating 150
editing 149
floating 38
overriding display call up 37
schemes 117
starting and stopping 26
worksheet 125
Displays
alarm 63
summary 21
DM Property Scheme
customizing 151
DM/AM
access rules 27
association 23, 144
at startup 26
distributing install files 200
dmcfg properties file 52
DM/AM Configuration
standard 115
dmcfg File 26, 52, 129, 191, 201
contents of 199
default 191
importing 139
initializing 192
saving 146
Double-Click Action
configuring 171

238
Index B0193RV – Rev E

E
Edit Menu
ADMC 135
Emulating pre-V4.2 displays 225
Environment
changing 109
configuring for Alarm Manager 158
current operating 16
selecting another 71
Environments 4

F
File
.am 52, 129, 198
.ams 103
.cfg 191, 201
AApan 52
AAtab 52
alarm match specification 102
alarms.cfg 226
am_def.cfg 52
commgrp.cfg 50, 52
Common Alarm Group 50
DM/AM properties 52
dmcfg 26, 52, 129, 191, 192, 199, 201
foxboro.cfd 52
horn.cfg 52
init.user 13, 14, 17, 18, 34, 38, 52
init.user.rel 38
File Menu
ADMC 135
Filter Specification
saving 77
Finding Alarms 74
Fonts
customizing for an Alarm Format Scheme 174
FoxBatch
handling of Confirm messages 48
foxboro.cfd File 52
FoxPanels
buttons 33
configurator 30, 31
control assignments 52
keypress actions 52

G
Grids
alternative 186

239
B0193RV – Rev E Index

H
Help
on-line 2, 3
Historian
accessing a remote 99
changing 99
interface 13
selecting a remote 70
Horn
external 33
internal 33
Horn Configuration File 52
horn.cfg File 52
Horns
setting resound action 45
setting silence action 46
working with 34, 108
HRN_OPT 46

I
init.user File 13, 14, 17, 18, 34, 38, 52
init.user.rel File 38
Init_Env Script 28
Install Files
creating 141
creating.am File
creating install files 198
distributing 200

K
Keyboard
annunciator 29, 31
Keyword
commands that use a keyword 50
customizing alarm messages 18
Keywords
Alarm Manager 52
formatting with 181
modifiers 54

L
LED
annunciator 32
LIA_OLDEST 47
Licenses
AM and DM 24
dedicated vs. undedicated 26
number of 24

240
Index B0193RV – Rev E

Light 32
Annunciator keyboard 32
List Box
ADMC 136
loadalmpnl 60

M
Main Browser Window
ADMC 134
Match Active 101
Match Criteria
for locating alarms 94
Match Filters
using 101
Match Specification
saving 77
Match/Filter Specification
clearing 104
Matching Alarms 74
MAX_ACTIONS 41
MAX_CAD 40
Menu
accessing a pop-up 91
creating a separator 169
creating a submenu 168
previewing a separator 169
repositioning an entry 169
Menu Bar
ADMC 134
Alarm Manager 85
assigning an entry 168
configuring 172
modifying a command 166
Menus
default 183
Message
alarm 13
Mode
View All 69, 78
Most Recent Alarm Display 67
Mouse
configuring double-click action 171
MRA 67

N
New Alarms Button 8, 15, 64, 65, 131
configuring 159
New Alarms Display 68
NEWALM 68

241
B0193RV – Rev E Index

O
OAJ 30
Object Manager
connection points 22
connections 4, 11, 21
updates 20
On-Line Help 2, 3
Operations Button 227
Operations Display 228
changing environment 28
parts of 70, 88
Operator
actions 9, 65
Operator Action Journal 30

P
Password 16
Pop-Up Menu
accessing 91
configuring 164
creating a separator 166
creating a submenu 166
editing commands 165
repositioning entries 166
Pop-up Menu
previewing 164
Pop-Up Menus
alarm display 81
default 184
Pre-Configuration
decisions 125
Pre-V4.2
differences 225
Pre-V4.2 CAD Emulation 4
Pre-V4.2 Configuration
alternative set of files 189
using 188
Pre-V4.2 Configurations 185
Printer
alarm message 13
Printing Alarm Information 100
Process Alarm 8, 9
Process Button 9, 24
configuring 29
state 24
Process Display
updating alarm text 46
Protection Class
changing 28

242
Index B0193RV – Rev E

prtalmpnl 60

R
RESOUND 45
RTN_DROP 41
RTNCLR 43

S
Scheme
definition of 112
importing the default 148
Schemes
alternative 118
AM and DM 117
examples of 117
relationship 113
saving 140
types of 117
Screen List
customizing 148
Security 27
Software
used with alarming 5
SORT_CFG 40
Strips
for touchscreens 186
Submenu
creating 203
Subsystem
alarm 7
Summary Displays 21, 68
examples of 69

T
Template 115
customizing 155
definition of 115
description of 117
editing 147
emulating pre-V4.2 displays 226
Templates
saving 140
using 137
Time
configuring format 177
Time/Date Modifiers 59
Top Priority Alarm
selecting 73

243
B0193RV – Rev E Index

Top Priority Button

setting operation of 47
Top Priority Display 74, 98
Touchscreens
strips 186
Tutorial
AM database configuration 203
customizing an Alarm Manager 203

U
UNACK 68
Unacknowledged Alarms Display 68
User Class 131
User Environment
changing 71
User Interface
Alarm Manager 84
User Interface Scheme
configuring 170
configuring buttons 162
configuring double-click action 171
configuring the menu bar 172
customizing 115
User Interface Schemes
alternative 185

V
V4.1
alarm displays 225
View All Mode 69, 78, 95

W
Window
dismissing 89
iconifying/minimizing 89
moving 90
opening 89
resizing 90
Windows
icon 90
Windows Off Mode 4, 26, 189
Windows On Mode 189
Worksheets
configuration 125
Workstation
alarm recovery 16

244
Index B0193RV – Rev E

245
B0193RV – Rev E Index

The Foxboro Company

33 Commercial Street
Foxboro, Massachusetts 02035-2099
United States of America
http://www.foxboro.com
Inside U.S.: 1-508-543-8750 or 1-888-FOXBORO (1-888-369-2676)
Outside U.S.: Contact your local Foxboro representative.

Printed in U.S.A. 0301

An Invensys company