Lookout Hangs When Loading a Process with an OPCClient

["lookout 6.0"]

I'm upgrading my Lookout process from 5.1 to 6.0.  However, Lookout hangs or locks up when I load the process with an OPCClient connected. I'm using Control Microsystems - SCADAServer Host as the OPC server. I search your internet site and found the document titled "Lookout Hangs When Loading a Process With an OPCClient Connected to a Bad OPC Server". I changed the browsing parameter as instructed in the document from flat to disabled. Then the lookout process loaded but all the data was blank. I believe the SCADAServer Host must have the browsing set to flat.  Any suggestions?

[Ricardo_SR]

Hello,

Are you able to see the tags using another OPC client like the Server Explorer? Does it give you any type of alarms?

The reason why you need to disable the hierarchy is so that if there is anything wrong with the server, Lookout doesn't hang trying to find things that are not available.  If your OPC server works, then the flat hierarchy should work.  That is why it is important to check if you are able to see your OPC server and the objects in it from another OPC client.

Ricardo S.

National Instruments

["lookout 6.0"]

I tested the OPC server and have two bad OPC connections that caused Lookout to hang.  We use wireless GPRS modems to communicate with our PLC and occasionaly I will have a bad (or loose) my connections to the OPC server.  Is there a way to prevent Lookout from hanging when an the OPC server goes bad?

[reandy]

I have noticed this also. The OPC server I am using is RSLinx. If the OPC server is down, and you launch the Lookout application, Lookout will wait for an indefinete amount of time to connect to the OPC server. A 'time-out' on this would be helpful, with an alarm message. Before I diagnosed this problem, I thought the problem was that Lookout was 'hanging' when opening the application. However with extensive experimentation, I was able to confirm that Lookout "waits" to connect to the OPC server.

Rich

[Khalid]

Does it timeout after about 7 minutes?  I remember reading this as what the OPC spec recommended (quite some time back though). 

Regards,

-Khalid

["lookout 6.0"]

When loading a process with a bad OPC connection, Lookout 6 will hang up indefinitely.  However, if a bad OPC connection develops after the process has loaded, then Lookout hangs for about 5-7 seconds before the OPC connection timeout.  Is there a way to start/load a Lookout process with a bad OPC connection without Lookout hanging up indefinitely?

[DimensionFinder]

Check out this link:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/5EA441AE7034B52186256C1B0070046D?OpenDocument

Regards,

Jaideep

[Ricardo_SR]

Hello,

Something that might work on the mean time is to assign a poll device to the poll parameter in the OPC client.  That way it will not try to poll at the begining. So you could generate a pulse object that will not start counting unless someone turns it on.  Then you use that pulse as the polling rate.

Hope this helps

Ricardo S.

National Instruments.