GEI-100629B

GE Energy
WorkstationST* HMI Configuration
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 2006 - 2008 General Electric Company, USA. All rights reserved.

Revised: 080910
Issued: 060302

g
* Trademark of General Electric Company
CIMPLICITY is a registered trademark of GE Fanuc Automation North
America, Inc.
OPC is a registered trademark of OPC Foundation.
 Contents

Section Page
Introduction .................................................................................................... 3
HMI Configuration......................................................................................... 3
Imported Data .......................................................................................... 5
HMI Importer Error and Log Files ................................................................. 5
Hmi File Util .................................................................................................. 6
Hmi File Util Log File.................................................................................... 9
Terms............................................................................................................ 10

2 • WorkstationST HMI Configuration GEI-100629B

 Introduction
The WorkstationST* application includes a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Config
feature and an HMI File Utility feature. These features are edited from the HMI
Config tab in the ToolboxST* application. The HMI Config feature is used to run the
Importer, which allows you to import device, variable, and other data into a
®
CIMPLICITY database. It is started from the WorkstationST Status Monitor by
selecting the HMI feature and the subfeature Importer. The HMI File Utility feature
is used to control the download mode of the HMI screen file maintenance function.
It is controlled from the WorkstationST Status Monitor by selecting the HMI File
Utility and the sub-feature Auto Download.

Refer to GEH-6706, ToolboxST Guide for WorkstationST, Chapter 3.

HMI Configuration
The Status Monitor is configured to run at startup, with an icon that displays in the

notification area . When a warning or an error exists with the WorkstationST

Service or any feature, a warning or error icon displays .

From the Status Monitor, double-click the icon to display the HMI feature,or right-
click and select the Open Detail Status menu item. The WorkstationST Status of
Features window displays with the HMI feature selected.

This tool tip displays the

progress of the import.

GEI-100629B WorkstationST HMI Configuration• 3

 To start an import
1 From the Status of Features window, right-click on HMI, then select Start
Sub-Feature.

Note The Sub-Feature Importer can be stopped before an import is finished by

selecting the Stop Sub-Feature option from the shortcut menu. Features (such as

HMI or OPC DA Server), can also be started and stopped with the Start and

Stop buttons on the toolbar.

2 From the Select sub-features to start dialog box, select Importer, then
click OK.

Note When the WorkstationST Service is started, it attempts to start all configured
features, and keep them running. If a feature is stopped from the Status Monitor,
WorkstationST Service will not attempt to restart it. The feature is restarted from the
Status Monitor or when WorkstationST Service is restarted. (Stopping and starting
the HMI feature will not, by itself, restart the Importer.)

Note The HMI Importer sub-feature is started automatically whenever the

Workstation is downloaded.

4 • WorkstationST HMI Configuration GEI-100629B

 Imported Data
The WorkstationST application runs on a specific computer in a system. In the case
of a CIMLICITY HMI, the workstation is configured for that HMI. One of the
configuration items for a workstation is the list of Consumed devices. These devices
®
define the Ethernet Global Data (EGD) exchanges from which the CIMPLICITY
system will read data. Additional data collected by the HMI Importer for the
CIMPLICITY database includes:

• Device variables (all variables on each produced exchange for all Consumed
devices)
• Device ports
• Devices (CIMPLICITY)
• Resources
• Enumerations
• Measurement units (format specifications)
• Alarms, SOEs, Holds, and Events
• Alarm classes

HMI Importer Error and Log Files

Common errors associated with the WorkstationST HMI Importer include the
following:

• The CIMPLICITY software is not installed.

• The CIMPLICITY version is not V6.1 or greater.
• The WorkstationST HMI was not configured through the ToolboxST
application.
• The CIMPLICITY project name is mispelled or in the wrong location (defined
in the HMI Config tab).
• The WorkstationST application has not been downloaded, or was downloaded
incorrectly.
To display errors
From the WorkstationST Status Monitor, right-click on the HMI feature
and select View Additional Status Detail. A list of actions and any errors
display.
The HMI Importer also writes a log file, called GeCssHmiServer.txt. It is located in
the installation location for WorkstationST features (typically C:\Program
Files\GE Energy\WorkstationST Features). The most recent messages
are at the bottom of the file.

GEI-100629B WorkstationST HMI Configuration• 5

Hmi File Util
The Hmi File Util is a program that runs on the WorkstationST application. The
program is used to automatically (or manually) copy HMI Screen Files from a master
location to the local HMI directory, where they are used by the HMI user screen
display system (for CIMPLICITY, this is CIMView). The Hmi File Util program is
also used to obtain file status information from the local HMI location and the master
location to show the status of screen files to the user via the ToolboxST.

The primary functionality of the HMI Screen File Maintenance feature is performed
from the ToolboxST application (Refer to GEH-6706, ToolboxST Guide for
WorkstationST, Chapter 3). However, if it becomes necessary to turn the HMI
Screen File Auto Download on or off without downloading the WorkstationST
application, this can be accomplished from the WorkstationST Status Monitor.

The Status Monitor is configured to run at startup, with an icon that displays in the

notification area . When a warning or an error exists with the WorkstationST

Service or any feature, a warning or error icon displays .

From the Status Monitor, double-click the icon to display the Hmi File Util, or right-
click and select the Open Detail Status menu item. The WorkstationST Status of
Features window displays which includes the Hmi File Util feature.

6 • WorkstationST HMI Configuration GEI-100629B

 To turn Auto-Download off
1 From the Status of Features window, right-click on Hmi File Util, then
select Stop Sub-Feature.

2 From the Select sub-features to stop dialog box, select Auto Download,
then click OK.

GEI-100629B WorkstationST HMI Configuration• 7

 To turn Auto-Download on
1 From the WorkstationST Status of Features window, right-click on Hmi
File Util, then select Start Sub-Feature.

2 From the Select sub-features to start dialog box, select Auto Download,
then click OK.

8 • WorkstationST HMI Configuration GEI-100629B

 Hmi File Util Log File
To display the Hmi File Util log file
From the WorkstationST Status of Features screen, right-click on the Hmi
File Util feature, select Advanced, then click View Detail Log.

Hmi File Util feature writes the log file called GeCssHmiFileUtil.txt, to the
installation location for WorkstationST features (typically C:\Program
Files\GE Energy\WorkstationST Features). The most recent messages
are at the bottom of the file.

GEI-100629B WorkstationST HMI Configuration• 9

Terms
Bind - To establish the correspondence between the data in an exchange and
variables in a component.

Bind/Build - To bind the configuration for each consumed exchange and

create/update the configuration for any produced exchange.

Collection - More formally, an EGD Collection. Is a group of components that

constitutes a formal subset of the components participating in a particular EGD
installation. This arbitrary grouping allows users to subdivide the system to make
some tasks easier.

Consume - To receive an EGD data message (exchange).

Consumer - An EGD node configured to receive an EGD data message.

EGD - A mechanism that provides access to global data between nodes supporting
the EGD protocol.

Exchange - An EGD data message consisting of a header and a body of data. The
header contains the producer ID and the exchange ID that uniquely identifies the
message. The body of data is a block of bytes in a format agreed upon by the
producer and all consumers.

Feature - An element of the WorkstationST runtime system, which can be

optionally enabled through ToolboxST. Examples include OPC Server, Recorder,
and Alarm Viewer.

Global Data - A concept in which multiple controllers on a network can share

information by exchanging portions of their local memory with peer controllers.

OPC (OLE for Process Control) - A standard for data exchange in the industrial
environment (OLE is Microsoft’s Object Language Embedding). The OPC
foundation provides specifications for various OPC standards such as OPC DA (Data
Access) and OPC AE (Alarm and Event).

Produce - To send an EGD data message (exchange).

Producer - The EGD node configured to send data messages. The source of the
data samples for an exchange.

Refresh - To bind the configuration for each consumed exchange for a particular
consumed component.

Runtime - Software stored in the controller’s Flash memory that converts

application code (pcode) to executable code.

Unbound Variables - Variables required by a consumer that were not found in the
producer configuration during the bind.

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10 • WorkstationST HMI Configuration GEI-100629B