Thank you for your info. Yes your assumption is correct that we will use the ALMSTA parameter, so that will work in an OPC DA server. Followup questions please: 1. After you confirmed that FBM232 works to read/write to "any" OPC DA server, then I loaded FoxOPCDiagnostic tool on the (local) iFIX pc and OPCDiagnosticTool browsed/found the iFIX OPC DA server and CLSID (no OPC tags built yet). So thank you for giving me the confidence to try that. Although ultimately the FBM232 has to connect via DCOM to iFIX. 2. If possible could you clarify or direct to any standards/info please how to make sense of data types? For example, with our DELTAV OPC server then 2 of 2 (we only built 2 discrete so far to Foxboro) then what is a DeltaV"Boolean" (an on/off pushbutton and output to valve) had to be added as a RIN. In one of those 2 examples the DeltaV actually showed the datatype as floating point. 3. When is the Foxboro OPC Server required (ie, outside of historian). You are saying that the FBM 232 doesn't need to have a Foxboro OPC Server to "write out" data? Thank you very much. -----Original Message----- From: foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Johnson, Alex P (IPS) Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 6:39 PM To: foxboro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [I] Re: [foxboro] FBM232 OPC to iFIX's "native" OPC server Sheri, The FDSI OPC DA Client FBM can drive real-time values with their associated OPC status bits and time tag into any OPC DA Server. Since the data that can be sent out the FDSI OPC DA Client FBM comes from a block - ROUT or BOUT for example - in the CP owning the FBM, you will need to arrange for it to be transferred using the peer-to-peer capabilities of the CP if the values do not originate in the CP. However, I'd like to pursue something that you wrote: I need to send Foxboro "alarms" to an iFIX PC. By this, I assume that you want to send our Boolean alarm indicators as opposed to our actual alarm messages. Is this assumption correct? If this assumption is correct, you might find using the ALMSTA parameter connected to a PAKOUT block as the most efficient approach since it includes all of the alarm status bits for a given block. If this assumption is incorrect and you really need the alarm messages, we will have to do something different since the FDSI OPC DA Client FBM does not support this type of service. Regards, Alex Johnson Invensys Process Systems 10900 Equity Drive Houston, TX 77041 713 329 8472 (desk) 713 329 1600 (operator) 713 329 1944 (SSC Fax) 713 329 1700 (Central Fax) alex.johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- From: foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Liptock, Sheri A Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 3:35 PM To: foxboro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [foxboro] FBM232 OPC to iFIX's "native" OPC server Does anyone know if the OPC (client) FBM works to send info to intellution's (GE Fanuc) iFIX 3.0 server? I need to send Foxboro "alarms" to an iFIX PC. Can anyone explain how an OPC server is embedded in iFIX HMI? Sheri Liptock Eastman Chemical Jefferson Site West Elizabeth, PA 15088 412.384.2520.x2242 or sliptock@xxxxxxxxxxx _______________________________________________________________________ This mailing list is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Invensys Process Systems (formerly The Foxboro Company). 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