opc bad quality

[cgele]

I am using Lookout V6.1 communication with an SNMP/OPC Server.  I am reading the status of the communications port on a network router.  If the physical link between my computer (where the OPC Server is) and the router I'm checking goes down, the OPC server shows bad quality of the data point, but the data shows a good or connected status (I can use the ping command and confirm the status).  The alarm properties window for the bad quality alarm shows the information that I need to correctly display the status of the connected device. Under the description area, the Item information is what I need access to.  I have included a screen capture of the Alarm Properties window.  If the alarm system can read this information, where is it, so I can use it?

Chris Gele 

[Ryan.S]

The alarm system doesn't read the information. Lookout asks OPC Server for the item data, if quality bad, OPC Server returns error message. It doesn't return the whole message, but the error code, such as 3, 20, etc.

[cgele]

Then why does the alarm banner show the description from the OPC server? Where does it get this information?

Chris

[Ryan.S]

Lookout queries the item,  opc server returns the error code if bad quality.

The description is defined in Lookout, actually it's defined in opc standard. For example, Lookout gets error type code 3, it knows 3 means bad quality. 20 is the operational error, Lookout knows it means "reading from opc server" error. Sometimes there is another extended error code.