Alarm Management

Alarms are used to alert the operator to a potential issue within a facility. For example, a camera that has lost its connection to Runtime. While Designer projects do come with preset Alarm Types, you can add new ones, or change the existing Alarm Types. Creating different alarm types will assist in providing context surrounding an alarm event which is displayed in the Alarm Grid. Rules may then be used to allow only alarms for certain assets to be displayed based on the Workstation.

Designer provides two preset Alarm Types:
  • Fault — This is normally used to indicate that there has been an issue detected with an asset connected to Runtime.
  • No Communication — This is normally used to indicate that Runtime is unable to connect to an asset.
Important: There must always be at least one Alarm Type.

Alarm Types

Add a New Alarm Type

To add a new Alarm Type:
  1. Go to Alarm Management. The page that opens shows the Alarm Types settings.
  2. Under the list of Alarm Types, click Add.
  3. Set the alarm Configuration. The available settings are below.
Table 1. Alarm Type Configuration Settings
Alarm Type The name to use for this Alarm Type.
ID The unique identifier of the selected alarm.
Priority The order this alarm will be pushed if multiple alarms have been triggered. The smallest numbered priority alarm will be pushed first, the largest, last.
Processing Mode Controls how alarms are handled across Workstations, determining which Workstations or Processing Group sees them and how they are acknowledged.
Color and Flash Color The colors the asset Background and Text flash between when the alarm is active.
Sound File Click the ellipsis (...) button to select a sound file to play when this alarm is active.
Time Between Sounds Add a pause in seconds after the sound file ends and before it loops again.
Note: Text to Speech and higher or same priority Play Sound Commands will play regardless.

Link an Alarm Type to an Asset

By default, Designer will use either the Fault or No Communication Alarm Types. To apply a non-default Alarm Type, you will need to bind it to the asset type via a Status Table.

To link the alarm created to an asset:
  1. In Project Explorer go to Integrated Systems and right-click the system to update. Click Configure.
  2. Under Status Tables, click the table to update.
  3. Select the Status (or create a new one) to add the Alarm Type to.
  4. Check Bind to Alarm.
  5. Select your Alarm Type from the Alarm drop-down.
Note: An asset can only have one alarm active at a time. The alarm shown in the Alarm Grid is the one with the highest priority.

Processing Modes

Add a New Processing Mode

A Processing Mode defines how alarms are handled across Workstations during daily operations. It ensures alarms are handled by the appropriate operators by controlling how alarm visibility and alarm actions are shared across Workstations. For example, a Processing Mode named Unit-based Alarming limits alarm handling to a specific unit or control area.

To add a new Processing Mode:
  1. Go to Alarm Management.
  2. Under the list of Processing Modes, click + New Processing Mode.
  3. Edit the configuration of the Processing Mode. The available settings are below.
Table 2. Edit Processing Mode
Name The name used to describe the Processing Mode.
ID The unique identifier of the Processing Mode.
Selection Behavior Defines how alarm selection affects visibility on other Workstations.
  • None — Selecting an alarm on a Workstation has no effect on alarm visibility on other Workstations.
  • Group Handler — When a Workstation selects an alarm, the alarm is temporarily suppressed on other Workstations within the same Processing Group.
  • Single Handler — When a Workstation selects an alarm, the alarm is temporarily suppressed on all other Workstations.
Alarm Status Behavior Defines how acknowledge, mask, and reset actions extend across Workstations.
  • Independent — Acknowledging, masking, or resetting an alarm affects only the local Workstation.
  • Share with Group — Acknowledging, masking, or resetting an alarm on one Workstation applies the same action to other Workstations within the same Processing Group.
  • Share with All — Acknowledging, masking, or resetting an alarm on one Workstation applies the same action to all Workstations.
Note: If a group-based option is selected and a Workstation is not assigned to a Processing Group, that Workstation behaves as a group of one. Alarm selection and alarm status actions are not shared.

Add a New Processing Group

A Processing Group defines which Workstations handle alarms together so alarms are shared only among the operators responsible for that area. For example, a Processing Group named Unit A1 would include all Workstations assigned to Unit A1.

To add a new Processing Group:

  1. Go to Alarm Management.
  2. Under the list of Processing Modes, click + New Processing Mode.
  3. To access Processing Modes, you can either:
    1. Select Group Handler under Selection Behavior
    2. Select Share with Group under Alarm Status Behavior
  4. Under the list of Processing Groups, click + New Processing Group.
  5. Edit the configuration of the Processing Mode. The available settings are below.
Table 3. Processing Groups
Name The name to use for this group of Workstations.
ID The unique identifier of Processing Group.
Workstation The Workstation(s) to be included in the group.
Note: While each Processing Mode can have a different set of Processing Groups, a Workstation can appear in only one Processing Group per mode.