GE RX3i User Manual page 71

Chapter 4. Configuration
Server Port : This parameter typically is left at the default of 7938. If changed, it must be changed on both the
programming software and on the server. This value is not stored in the project but is stored in the computer. It
will be used as the default by other projects created on that computer and by other tools such as the EGD
Management Tool that require access to the server.
Timeout : The number of milliseconds the programming software will wait for a reply from the server before
deciding that the server is not going to respond.
Configuration Server : This read-only parameter displays the value "Located" if the configuration server can be
accessed and "Unable to Locate" if the server is not accessible.
When using the configuration server, the producer of data normally defines the exchange. See below for a
step-by-step description of defining an exchange in the producer. After the producer of the data defines the
exchange, consumers may make use of the exchange. Each consumer selects the desired exchange from the
list of produced exchanges and defines the local PLC memory to be used for the variables of interest from the
exchange. Consumers can be resynchronized with any changes in the producer on request. Consistency
between the producer and consumer(s) is verified during the build and validate process.
Enabling the use of the EGD Configuration Server for a Device
To enable the use of the configuration server for a device, right-click the Ethernet Global Data node and choose
Properties. The Use Configuration Server option is displayed in the properties Inspector window. This parameter
may be set to True to enable using the configuration server for the device or to False to not use the server.
In some cases you may want to work offline from the configuration server for a while, for example when you
want to work disconnected from the network and the configuration server is located on another computer. In
this case, you can select the Work Offline parameter and set it to True. The programmer keeps a local copy or
cache of the EGD configuration information at a configurable path. Setting this path to a location on the local
machine and selecting Work Offline to True allows EGD configuration data to be updated using the cached
information without accessing the server. Setting the Work Offline parameter to False and performing a
Validate will synchronize the server with the data from the cache.
Network Names and Collections
In order to perform validation between producers and consumers, it is necessary to know whether the
producer and the consumer are on the same network. The EGD Configuration Server and its validation libraries
use the network name to perform this check. The validation assumes that two devices that have the same
network name are connected to the same network. To set the network name, right-click the Ethernet Global
Data node and choose Properties. The Network Name option is displayed in the properties Inspector window.
This parameter may be set to the name of the network to which the device is connected.
Setting up Collections for the EGD Management Tool
The EGD Management Tool is an optional utility that can be used to provide a system-level look at all the
Ethernet Global Data devices in a system. Installation and use of the EGD Management Tool are described in
Chapter 12.
The EGD Management Tool can look at subsets of EGD devices, called collections. A collection is a logical
grouping of EGD devices (for example a manufacturing cell or a machine). To make an EGD device part of a
collection, right-click the Ethernet Global Data node and choose Properties. The Collection option is displayed in
the Properties Inspector window. This parameter may be set to the name of the collection for the device (by
default the collection for a device is the Machine Edition project name).
Configuring an Ethernet Global Data Exchange for a Producer
The information to be sent by the producer and the exchange details are defined in the Properties for each
produced exchange. When an individual produced exchange is selected, the Properties Inspector window
permits user configuration of the following information.
Name
A name assigned for this exchange. Defaults to "ProdExchX" where X is a sequential
number.
Exchange ID A number that identifies a specific exchange to be sent by the producing device.
58 PACSystems* RX7i & RX3i TCP/IP Ethernet Communications User Manual GFK-2224Q