Version 9

October 1, 2009

by

Project Planning Guide

Copyright 2009
ExperTune Inc.

This is the first of a set of four user guidance documents.

1. Project Planning Guide

Provides details on hardware, software, network, and communications
requirements. Discusses the type of information/data needed for
configuration. Suggests personnel resources that should be involved.

2. Installation Guide
Procedural manual for installing the software. Installing new versions
and upgrades of PlantTriage. Instructions for configuring the server
computer; networking, user IDs, OPC connectivity, and security.
Establishing communications to OPC server. Verifying installed
software is operating. Build first unit operation and point.

3. Application Guide
How to organize the system plants/units/points. Decide on key
assessments, and economic priority selection based on site business
drivers. Setting baselines and thresholds. Selection of sampling rate,
and assessment frequency.

4. Continuous Improvement Guide

Repository for your site specific configuration information, and
project basis. Some thoughts on training resource types and skill sets.
Integrating PlantTriage into the existing work processes. Suggestions
for a configuration maintenance plan. Benchmark reporting.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

Table of Contents
I.

Overview ...................................................................................... 4

II. Computer Hardware ..................................................................... 5

A.
B.
C.

III.
A.
B.
C.
D.

PlantTriage Server .................................................................................................. 5

PlantTriage Shadow Server..................................................................................... 6
PlantTriage Enterprise Server ................................................................................. 6

Software .................................................................................... 8
PlantTriage Server .................................................................................................. 8
PlantTriage Shadow Server..................................................................................... 8
PlantTriage Enterprise Server ................................................................................. 8
PlantTriage Browser User Desktop ........................................................................ 8

IV.

Communications ....................................................................... 9

V.

Network Topology ................................................................... 10

VI.

PlantTriage Point Configuration .............................................. 15

VII.

Resources and Skill sets ......................................................... 16

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

I.

Overview

This document is designed to assist in the planning and preparation for a PlantTriage
installation. It covers hardware and software requirements for each of the different types
of PlantTriage server systems, and user workstations. It discusses the communication
methods that PlantTriage uses, and some network configurations. The types of point
information that PlantTriage needs to properly configure a point (loop) in the system is
explained. And finally some suggestions for personnel or skill sets to have involved in
the implementation process.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

II. Computer Hardware

PlantTriage is a server type application. It requires services and operating system
functionality normally available on a server class computer. This section is broken into 3
parts; one for each type of PlantTriage server (Server, Shadow, Enterprise).

A. PlantTriage Server
These recommendations are based on a 200 point server. ExperTune Inc recommends
a faster system for any system over 200 points. Serious computer lag time will occur on
any system over 700 points if the preferred values are not met or exceeded. This piece of
hardware should be dedicated to the PlantTriage application only. Avoid placing any
other software applications on this computer.
Minimum Recommendations:
RAM: >= 2 GB (4 GB preferred, and required over 1000 points)
Processor: >= 2.0 GHz ((2)Xeon Dual Core 2.5 GHz or greater preferred)
Storage: Type
Hard Drives
7200 RPM minimum recommended (10K RPM or higher preferred)
SATA or SCSI interface
RAID 5 recommended
RAID 1 minimum recommended
Separate physical drive from the OS
Storage: Capacity
300 GB (500 GB Preferred)
This varies by the speed of sampling. Using 1 second as a worst case, 10 GB per
100 points is required (this assumes short-term data storage is 6 months).
Uninterruptible Power Supply
CD/DVD drive (software installation, may be shared from another computer)
Network card
USB port (PlantTriage key dongle)
Monitor / Keyboard / Mouse
Many options are available, including sharing with other server computers.
ExperTune Inc. has no specific recommendations.
Backup capability
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There are many ways to provide computer system backups. ExperTune Inc. does
not require this ability, but it is highly recommended. Because of the multitude of
methods for system backup we suggest you discuss the matter with your IT
department.

B. PlantTriage Shadow Server

Minimum Recommendations:
RAM: 1 GB
Processor: 1.8 GHz
Storage: Type
Hard Drives
7200 RPM minimum recommended
SATA or SCSI interface
Storage: Capacity
16 GB
Uninterruptible Power Supply
CD/DVD drive (software installation, may be shared from another computer)
Network card
Monitor / Keyboard / Mouse
Many options are available, including sharing with other server computers.
ExperTune Inc. has no specific recommendations.
Backup capability
There are many ways to provide computer system backups. ExperTune Inc. does
not require this ability, but it is highly recommended. Because of the multitude of
methods for system backup we suggest you discuss the matter with your IT
department.

C. PlantTriage Enterprise Server

This piece of hardware should be dedicated to the PlantTriage application only.
Avoid placing any other software applications on this computer.
Minimum Recommendations:
RAM: >= 2 GB (4 GB preferred for over 1000 points)
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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

Processor: >= 2.0 GHz ((2)Xeon Dual Core 2.5 GHz or greater preferred)
Storage: Type
Hard Drives
7200 RPM minimum recommended (10K RPM or higher preferred)
SATA or SCSI interface
RAID 5 recommended
RAID 1 minimum recommended
Storage: Capacity
160 GB minimum
Uninterruptible Power Supply
CD/DVD drive (software installation, may be shared from another computer)
Network card
USB port (PlantTriage key dongle)
Monitor / Keyboard / Mouse
Many options are available, including sharing with other server computers.
ExperTune Inc. has no specific recommendations.
Backup capability
There are many ways to provide computer system backups. ExperTune Inc. does
not require this ability, but it is highly recommended. Because of the multitude of
methods for system backup we suggest you discuss the matter with your IT
department.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

III. Software
A. PlantTriage Server
Microsoft Windows 2003 Server or Microsoft Windows 2008 Server
IIS - needs to be installed.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Java - JRE version required is 1.6.0 or newer (supplied with PlantTriage)
Adobe Reader - to view reports, read manual

B. PlantTriage Shadow Server

Microsoft Windows 2003 Server or Microsoft Windows 2008 Server
IIS - needs to be installed.
Java - JRE version required is 1.6.0 or newer
Adobe Reader - to view reports, read manual

C. PlantTriage Enterprise Server

Microsoft Windows 2003 Server or Microsoft Windows 2008 Server
IIS - needs to be installed.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Java - JRE version required is 1.6.0 or newer
Adobe Reader - to view reports, read manual

D. PlantTriage Browser User Desktop

Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/XP Pro/Vista
Internet Explorer 7 or higher
Java - JRE version required is 1.6.0 or newer
Microsoft Excel - to view reports, or work with exported data
Adobe Reader - to view reports

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

IV. Communications
A PlantTriage server has five communication methods DCOM OPC (OLE for
Process Control), HTTP, SMTP, SQL, and web services.
The PlantTriage server must collect data from the control system or process
historian. These communications are DCOM based using OPCDA & OPCHDA
depending on the type of server managing the data. ExperTune does not provide OPC
server applications for your process control system. Most control system vendors and
several third parties have OPC server software applications. A single PlantTriage system
can access data on multiple OPC servers. When PlantTriage is collecting data it is an
OPC client. PlantTriage may also operate as an OPC server. PlantTriage manages a
considerable amount of assessment information that is available to other applications via
OPC.
The second communication method is HTTP. This is used when PlantTriage is
communicating with users. A user with a web browser (Internet Explorer for example)
enters the address of the PlantTriage server in the address bar of the browser. This is the
main way information that PlantTriage has collected is made available to users.
A closely related method is SMTP; this is an Email protocol. PlantTriage is able to
send alerts and reports to users via Email.
The last two types of communication SQL, and web services are only used in
communications between PlantTriage Servers. For example: a shadow server and its host
PlantTriage server. A user must make a choice, either SQL or web services when
configuring a shadow or enterprise servers. The primary difference between these two
methods is the number of ports that must be opened at the firewall. For web services
there is only one port opened; multiple ports must be opened for the other method.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

V. Network Topology
For PlantTriage to perform its functions it must be able to communicate with the
control system(s) servers, and must be accessible by the population of users. ExperTune
has three types of configuration to support different size systems and user communities.
This section will discuss each of these configurations from the network traffic, security
and system maintenance (including initial setup) perspectives.
PlantTriage Server
All of the architectures will start with the basic PlantTriage server. It is required
that PlantTriage be installed on a server class computer as the only application on that
computer. This computer can be located on any network segment (process control LAN,
business LAN, Corporate LAN).

The PlantTriage software must establish OPC client connections to the control
systems OPC servers, likely located on a secure process control LAN. This is how
PlantTriage obtains the data needed for the performance assessments. The process
control LAN is usually a very secure network, protected by a firewall with significant
access restrictions. The closer this computer is to the OPC server the fewer network
hops there are for the data to traverse.
Crossing domains and traversing routers to other networks will add loading to
more parts of the corporate network. The data traffic between the PlantTriage computer
and the OPC server is minimized to the extent possible using on-data-change callback
mechanisms between the OPC server and client. But, ultimately the level of traffic will
depend on process variability. ExperTunes experience has been that the control system10
PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

to-OPC server communication tends to be the bottleneck for data communications. We

have not seen any cases of PlantTriage OPC communications noticeably affecting plantlevel or corporate-level LAN network traffic.
The next area to address is how the user community interacts with PlantTriage.
All of the performance data and assessments are made available to the user community
through web pages served by the PlantTriage computer. When casual users want to
access information from the PlantTriage server they connect their desktop browser to the
PlantTriage server. The casual user's desktop computer is likely to be on a business
network on the other side of a firewall from the control network. The only users able to
access the PlantTriage information are those on the same side of the firewall as the
PlantTriage server. There will have to be a reduction in security level between the
control network and the other networks to permit other users to access data. This is not a
desirable situation and ExperTune recommends the implementation of a PlantTriage
Shadow Server (discussed later), to maintain the secure control network environment.
The third area of concern would be the management of the system itself, and the
project initial implementation. Someone will need to be responsible for maintaining the
server computer. These tasks include:
keeping the machine clean
checking for system faults
monitoring performance
backing up the system
These activities are no different than would be performed on any network server. In
addition, operating system maintenance needs to be considered. Over time there will be
need to apply operating system updates, patches, driver updates, virus signature files, etc.
Depending on staff skill sets this may be a factor in selecting the most convenient
location for the server. The installation of PlantTriage software updates also need to be
considered. The web interface provides a view of the performance assessments, analysis
reports, and tools. But, PlantTriage system configuration and management can only be
performed on the server computer. This is where:

points are added/deleted/modified,

assessment baselines and thresholds defined,
loop optimization (tuning) is performed,
equations built/modified.

These tasks are typically the responsibility of control engineers, and control system
technicians.
The PlantTriage server also acts as the engineering station for detailed analysis of
plant problems. For example, control loop tuning, Active Model Capture, control valve
analysis, and detailed analysis for root cause are all accomplished from the engineering
interface on the server machine. Additional Engineering Seat licenses are available to
allow access to these tools on a physically distant machine.
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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

If it is difficult or time consuming for any of these system management activities

to be performed, this will result in loss of system usefulness, and reduced value returned
to the business. Some of the virtual machine connectivity tools available maybe a
solution to the problems of ones proximity to the server. It is ExperTunes view that the
controls engineer/technician will require the most frequent access to the server for
performing their job functions.
One final concern in the management area is that of initial system implementation.
Please keep in mind that some project delay and additional costs could be incurred
depending on the architecture selected. For example, work needs to be done on the OPC
server computer to set access permissions and user ids for PlantTriage to be able to
communicate with the server. If the PlantTriage server and the OPC server are physically
distant, either with a large plant, or if hosted at remote locations, then there is likely to be
time wasted in traveling between these machines.
Initial configuration is often done with bulk loading of control loop information
obtained from the control system. And, finally some user training is best facilitated at the
server computer itself. This is most easily accomplished when both computers are in the
same room. The caution here is more towards the extreme case where travel (car,
airplane) would be needed to get from the control system to the PlantTriage server.
PlantTriage Shadow Server
As mentioned earlier when casual users want to access information from the
PlantTriage server they need to connect their desktop browser to the PlantTriage server.
This can present a security problem when the two systems are on different security level
networks.
The solution is to use a Shadow Server that is situated on the office network.
Users connect their desktop browser to the Shadow Server. The Shadow Server is
allowed specific limited access through the firewall to one PlantTriage server's database.
The PlantTriage browser interface is therefore readily and safely available to casual
users. From a network loading perspective this arrangement keeps the data collection
hops to a minimum. The network security is significantly improved. This connection
can be configured using web services in which case there is only one port open through
the firewall. The other option requires additional ports to be opened.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

Maintenance is more involved in this situation primarily because a second server

has been added to the package. The same discussion applies here as did with the
PlantTriage server alone. The only exception is engineer/technician access to maintain
the assessments does not apply to the shadow computer. The PlantTriage shadow server
application may be installed with other applications on a server class computer.
PlantTriage Enterprise Server
An Enterprise server is a full function PlantTriage server and multi-shadow
servers in one package. [Note: It is a shadow server for other PlantTriage servers, not
itself] Users may access data, reports and displays focused on the PlantTriage server
itself or they may combine data from multiple PlantTriage servers. The network traffic
for this architecture is the same as would exist for a standard PlantTriage server
collecting process information plus the load required to serve the casual user web
browser requests. Network security issues will depend on what network hosts the
PlantTriage server. See the discussion presented in the PlantTriage Server section.
This connection can be configured using web services in which case there is only one
port opened at the firewall. The other option requires additional ports to be opened.
The same maintenance concerns apply here as with the PlantTriage server alone.
The PlantTriage Enterprise server should be the only application on a server class
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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

computer. As with the PlantTriage server the controls engineer/technician will require
the most frequent access to the server for performing their job functions.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

VI. PlantTriage Point Configuration

This section will discuss the data that PlantTriage can read from the control system.
Its purpose is to alert the user to the parameters that are important for PlantTriage
assessment calculations. This information is useful when setting up some OPC servers
(particularly with PLC systems). These items might need to be exposed in the control
system so the OPC server is aware and can address them. [Generally not applicable to
DCS systems].
Minimum required to configure a point:
Process Variable (PV)
for an indicator only tag
For a loop point:
Process Variable (PV)
Setpoint
Controller Output
Mode
Fully configured loop point:
Process Variable (PV)
Setpoint
Controller Output
Mode
Proportional Band or Gain setting
Integral setting
Derivative setting
PV filter
Status (in or out of service)
Output limits (Low & High)

Note: PlantTriage must be able to read these values from the OPC server. These
are not simply data values that are collected manually and entered.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.

VII. Resources and Skill sets

Depending on the size and complexity of the manufacturing operation at the site some
of the rolls mentioned below maybe combined. These are typical manufacturing
resources that can contribute to the setup and configuration of the PlantTriage system as
well as benefit from the system once operational.
Control systems addressing the performance of the control system, diagnose and
resolve control problems. Administration of the PlantTriage application.
Operations assistance in setting economic importance, provide information on product
target specifications. Interest in unit performance metrics, and system alert capabilities.
Process Engineering review and evaluate performance of system as per design, address
constraints.
Maintenance provide resources for hardware repair, better planning of routine
maintenance. Interested in wear & tear and reliability metrics of the system. Potential
benefactor of savings in this area.
Financial or Planning Personnel provide insight on economic importance and provide
key energy and product values where appropriate.
IT System administration, resolve networking issues (IDs, security), backups, virus
protection.

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PlantTriage and the PlantTriage logo are registered trademarks of ExperTune, Inc.