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Data transfer from CODESYS to the Management System

The kit sends data that is generated in CODESYS from the MFN 100 to the Management System using variables. The kit has a pre-configured Gateway configuration for the Data Services that can be further configured to send new values to the Management System. This chapter gives a quick overview on how to configure new variables.

Overview

The CODESYS runtime has an integrated OPC UA server which can be configured via the CODESYS Development System. The data from the OPC UA server is received by an OPC UA client, ingested by the Data Services and written into the database in the Management System.

The Data Services are pre-configured to transmit a set of different kinds of CODESYS variables to the Management System. Use the following global variables to transmit data to the Management System:

Global Variables
BOOL_1 Integer_1 Real_1 STRING_1
BOOL_2 Integer_2 Real_2 STRING_2
BOOL_3 Integer_3 Real_3 STRING_3
BOOL_4 Integer_4 Real_4 STRING_4
BOOL_5 Integer_5 Real_5 STRING_5

The following instructions are only needed if new variables are added or a completely new CODESYS project is created.

Configuring the CODESYS OPC UA server

In the CODESYS Development System it is possible to configure which variables are available in the OPC UA server. Configuring variables requires an object called Symbol Configuration. 

  1. Open a CODESYS project to configure variables.
  2. Expand Device (Nerve_MFN_100) > PLC Logic.
  3. Right click Application.
  4. Select Add Object.

  5. Click Symbol Configuration...

    !Symbol Configuration

  6. Tick Support OPC UA Features.

    !Support OPC UA Features

  7. Click Add. 

Adding variables to the OPC UA server

Before adding variables to the OPC UA server, add the object Symbol Configuration to the tree structure. Refer to the instructions above on how to add the Symbol Configuration to the tree structure.

  1. Open a CODESYS project to configure variables.
  2. Expand Device (Nerve_MFN_100) > PLC Logic > Application.
  3. Double-click Symbol Configuration.

  4. Click Build.

    !Build

  5. Expand GVL.

  6. Tick the variables to add to the OPC UA server.

    !Add Variables

Adding variables to the Data Services Gateway

The Nerve Data Services Gateway has a pre-configured Gateway configuration loaded. This configuration needs to be adapted when new values are added through sensors, actuators and in the CODESYS Development System.

  1. Connect the workstation to the console port P1 of the MFN 100.

  2. Configure the network adapter through which the workstation is connected to the MFN 100 the following way:
    IP address 172.20.2.90
    Subnet mask 255.255.255.0

  3. Follow this link to reach the Local UI: http://172.20.2.1:3333.

  4. Log in with the credentials from the customer profile.
  5. Select Data in the navigation on the left.

  6. Select Gateway.

    !Local Data Visualization

  7. Look for the following part of the currently loaded Gateway configuration:

    "samplingIntervalAtServer_ms": 500,
 "nodes": [
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.iCountButton",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.iCountNumber",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.BOOL_1",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.BOOL_2",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.BOOL_3",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.BOOL_4",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.BOOL_5",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Integer_1",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Integer_2",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Integer_3",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Integer_4",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Integer_5",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Real_1",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Real_2",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Real_3",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Real_4",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.Real_5",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_1",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_2",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_3",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_4",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_5"

  8. Edit the last line the following way to add a new variable called myVar1:

        "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_2",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_3",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_4",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.STRING_5",
    "ns=4;s=|var|Nerve_MFN_100 .Application.GVL.myVar1"

    The variable is added as a fully qualified nodeId. Refer to Unified Automation for more information.

    Note

    This NodeId can be found out with an OPC UA Client such as UA Expert. Connect a workstation to P1 of the MFN 100 and connect to opc.tcp://172.20.2.2:4840 in the OPC UA Client.

  9. Select Apply to save the Gateway configuration. The Gateway will restart automatically.

    ![!Apply Gateway configuration]../img/data_opcua-ms01.png)

The data is automatically stored in the local TimescaleDB and also sent to the Management System. Refer to Nerve Data Services for more information.

Visualizing new variables

Newly added variables can also be visualized through the visualization element of the Data Services. The instructions below describe how to add new variables to the existing dashboard by adding a query. New dashboards can also be created for the new variables. Refer to Creating a dashboard for more information.

Adapting the local data visualization on the node

  1. Connect the workstation to the console port P1 of the MFN 100.

  2. Configure the network adapter through which the workstation is connected to the MFN 100 the following way:
    IP address 172.20.2.90
    Subnet mask 255.255.255.0

  3. Follow this link to reach the Local UI: http://172.20.2.1:3333.

  4. Log in with the credentials from the customer profile.
  5. Select Data in the navigation on the left.

  6. Select Data.

    !Local Data Visualization

    Note

    The visualization element can also be reached from the Data Services UI. When in the Data Services UI, select Data in the navigation on the left and select Open to reach the Grafana UI.

    !Alternative visualization access

  7. Select Home in the upper-left corner.

    !Grafana Dashboard

  8. Select Nerve Kit underneath the search bar.

    !Grafana Dashboard

  9. Select Add Query to the right to add a query for the new variable.

  10. Fill in the following query information:

    Setting Value
    FROM Codesys_to_localdb

    Time column: "timestamp"
    SELECT Column: myVar1
    Format as Time series

  11. Select the save icon in the upper-right corner to save the dashboard.

    !Save dashboard

Adapting the central data visualization in the Management System

  1. Log in to the Management System.

  2. Select Data in the navigation on the left.

    Note

    If the menu item Data is not available, make sure the logged in user has the permission to access the Data Services. Refer to Assigning a role to a user for more information.

  3. Select Data.

    !Central Data Visualization

    Note

    The visualization element can also be reached from the Data Services UI. When in the Data Services UI, select Data in the navigation on the left and select Open to reach the Grafana UI.

    !Alternative visualization access

  4. Select Home in the upper-left corner.

    !Grafana Dashboard

  5. Select Nerve Kit underneath the search bar.

    !Grafana Dashboard

  6. Select Add Query to the right to add a query for the new variable.

  7. Fill in the following query information:

    Setting Value
    FROM ms_mqtt_broker_to_cloud_timescale_db

    Time column: "timestamp"
    SELECT Column: myVar1
    Format as Time series

  8. Select the save icon in the upper-right corner to save the dashboard.

    !Save dashboard