Process Modules (Connect & Collect)

Overview

Process Modules form the industrial integration layer of FrameworX, connecting your solution to the physical world. These modules handle all aspects of field device communication, event detection and management, and time-series data collection. Working together, they collect raw data from your process, monitor conditions, generate notifications, and store historical records - providing the real-time and historical data foundation for your industrial application.

Where Process Modules Fit

Process Modules bridge the gap between field equipment and your application:

The Three Core Process Modules

Devices Module - Field Communication

The Devices module manages all communication with industrial equipment:

Alarms Module - Event Management

The Alarms module provides comprehensive event detection and notification:

Historian Module - Time-Series Storage

The Historian module captures and stores process data over time:

Devices Module Configuration

Channel Configuration

Channels define the communication method:

  1. Navigate to Devices → Channels
  2. Click New Channel
  3. Select protocol type (Modbus TCP, Allen-Bradley, OPC UA, etc.)
  4. Configure channel properties:

Node Configuration

Nodes represent individual devices:

  1. Right-click channel → New Node
  2. Configure device-specific settings:

Points Mapping

Points link device data to tags:

  1. Right-click node → Import Points or New Point
  2. Configure point properties:

Communication Optimization

Alarms Module Configuration

Alarm Groups

Organize alarms logically:

  1. Navigate to Alarms → Groups
  2. Create hierarchy:

Alarm Items Configuration

Define alarm conditions:

  1. Select group → New Item
  2. Configure alarm properties:

Condition Types

Notification Configuration

  1. Go to Alarms → Notification
  2. Create notification groups:

Alarm Properties

Historian Module Configuration

Storage Configuration

  1. Navigate to Historian → Storage Locations
  2. Define storage targets:

Table Configuration

Create historian tables:

  1. Click New Table
  2. Configure table properties:

Tag Configuration for Historian

  1. Go to Historian → Tags
  2. Select tags to historize:

Storage Types

Data Retrieval

Integration Patterns

Pattern 1: SCADA Collection

Typical SCADA data collection setup:

Field Devices → Channels → Nodes → Points → Tags
     ↓              ↓         ↓        ↓        ↓
   PLCs        Protocols  Devices  Mapping  Values
                                              ↓
                                     Alarms & Historian

Pattern 2: Redundant Communication

High-availability configuration:

Pattern 3: Multi-Rate Collection

Optimized data collection:

Pattern 4: Event-Driven Architecture

Minimize polling with events:

Runtime Behavior

Device Communication Runtime

Alarm Processing Runtime

Historian Runtime

Performance Optimization

Device Communication

Alarm Management

Historian Optimization

Best Practices

Device Integration

Alarm Philosophy

Data Collection Strategy

Troubleshooting

SymptomLikely CauseSolution
No device communicationWrong IP or portVerify network settings and device configuration
Intermittent dataNetwork issuesCheck cable, switches, and network load
Alarm floodingLimits too tightReview and adjust alarm limits and deadbands
Missing historical dataStorage fullCheck database size and retention settings
Slow pollingToo many pointsOptimize scan groups and polling rates
Quality "Bad"Communication timeoutIncrease timeout or check device response
Notifications not sentSMTP configurationVerify email server settings
Historian gapsBuffer overflowIncrease buffer size or reduce collection rate

Module Dependencies

Data Flow Dependencies

Devices → Tags (Write values)
Tags → Alarms (Monitor conditions)
Tags → Historian (Store values)
Alarms → Notification (Send alerts)
All → Displays (Visualization)

Configuration Dependencies


Introduction

In this guide, we’ll explore concepts when utilizing the Devices module in FrameworX for communication and data exchange with field devices. We’ll present the typical configuration workflow and links to related topics in the documentation. 

On this page:




Design Concepts

The following main concepts are key when setup the devices Communication. 

Configuration Workflow

  1. Creating Device Channels

  2. Defining Nodes and Stations:

  3. Mapping Tags to the Device Addresses

Related Topics

AI Assistant Data

<details> <summary>Structured Information for AI Tools</summary>

json

{
  "module": "Process Modules",
  "pillar": "Connect & Collect",
  "purpose": "Industrial equipment integration and data collection",
  "modules": {
    "devices": {
      "purpose": "Field communication",
      "components": ["Channels", "Nodes", "Points"],
      "drivers": 70,
      "protocols": ["Modbus", "OPC UA", "EtherNet/IP", "BACnet"]
    },
    "alarms": {
      "purpose": "Event detection and notification",
      "components": ["Groups", "Items", "Notifications"],
      "conditions": ["Limits", "Deviation", "Rate of Change", "Digital"],
      "standards": "ISA-18.2 compliant"
    },
    "historian": {
      "purpose": "Time-series data storage",
      "components": ["Storage", "Tables", "Tags"],
      "types": ["Periodic", "On Change", "Compressed"],
      "databases": ["SQL Server", "PostgreSQL", "InfluxDB"]
    }
  },
  "commonTasks": [
    "Configure device channels",
    "Map points to tags",
    "Set alarm limits",
    "Configure notifications",
    "Setup historian storage",
    "Create collection groups"
  ],
  "integrationFlow": "Devices → Tags → Alarms/Historian → Application/UI",
  "performanceFactors": [
    "Polling rates",
    "Block read optimization",
    "Compression settings",
    "Network bandwidth",
    "Database capacity"
  ]
}

</details>

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