Server Options and Directory

The Server Directory feature helps SCADA administrators and support personnel to work more efficiently when handling multiple ACM instances.  It provides two primary functions:

• Maintains a list of ACM instances for quick access
• Allows searching of objects across multiple ACM instances

Configure Database Location of Directory

Before using the server directory, it is necessary to configure the database location where the directory will be saved. This is configured in the Options area of the ACM Configuration Client connection dialog. 

The options will need to be configured for each user that will be using the server directory.

Server information is entered once for each ACM instance.  Entries can be updated or removed as necessary with infrastructure changes.  The directory listing shows the current status of each ACM instance and allows a user to connect to an instance quickly.

Creating a New Server Entry

Right-clicking and selecting ‘Add New’ from the context menu will open the following form.

New Server Entry Properties

Server Group – is a friendly name used for grouping servers.

Host Name – is the actual name or IP of the server where ACM is running.

Server Region – is a friendly name used for grouping servers.

Server Role – is not configurable.  The server state is determined by ACM.

Port Fields - The individual Port fields contain the TCP Port settings for the required services.  The default ports are listed, but if it is necessary to override a port due to another application using the default, that can be changed here.   More information about the port information can be found on the ACM Monitor Properties page.  More information about each individual service can be found on the ACM Services Descriptions page.

After entering all the required information, click Save to save the entry to the list.  An icon will appear as a reminder to save the new entry to the database. 

Click Update Directory Server to commit the changes to the database.

After committing changes to the database, the button will change to Refresh.  Click Refresh to update the server states. 

The possible server states are as follows:

• Active – the ACM instance is currently in the running state
• InActive – the ACM instance is currently offline (asiDATA not running)
• Unknown – the ACM instance state cannot be determined. This usually means multiple services are not running

Right-clicking an entry in the list will show additional options for Edit and Delete.  Using these options, it is possible to update an existing entry or to remove an entry that is no longer needed.

After making changes it will be necessary to commit the changes to the database as described above.

Multiple Server Search

From the server directory dialog it is also possible to search for objects across multiple instances of ACM.  This is beneficial because it negates the need to memorize which instance has a particular object.  For example, someone may ask about Device XYZ or Meter ABC and you need to look at its configuration.  Rather than try to remember which instance of ACM it is in, it is possible to let the search function find it.

How to Search

1. Check the boxes for servers to search on
2. Enter any part of an object name
3. Hit the enter key or click the Find button

A search will be done across all enabled servers to find matches.  After all servers have been searched another dialog will show the results of the search.  The result shown here is based on the text ‘roc’.  The list can be filtered by entering any text into the filter box to narrow the list or the list can be scrolled.  After locating the object of interest, double-clicking the item will cause the ACM Configuration Client to connect to the appropriate server, open the object for editing and select the object in the database hierarchy automatically.