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Problem Statement: In Aspen Recipe Explorer, the Initiate Download button seems to be missing. How can I get it back? | Solution: If Aspen Process Sequencer is installed, then, by design, the Initiate Download button does not appear in Aspen Recipe Explorer. It is assumed that the downloads would be done via Aspen Process Sequencer. However, if it is determined that Aspen Process Sequencer is not needed or won't be used, a registry key can be changed to reinstate the Initiate Download button into Recipe Explorer. The registry key to change is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE|SOFTWARE|AspenTech|ProcessRecipe|DownloadMode. *Change it from Transition to Standard.
*NOTE: If ATM will be used, this registry key should NOT be changed as it will affect other functionality within the application.
Keywords: download
Initiate Download button
missing
download recipe
References: None |
Problem Statement: When an offline archive is added to a reserved fileset in a repository, IP.21 does not recognize the change without deliberate action on the part of the system administrator. An IP.21 Stop/Start is one way to gain access to the data, but read on for a less intrusive method... | Solution: Use the h21mon MOUNT and DISMOUNT commands to reinitialize filesets and force IP.21 to pick up the changes without stopping the overall application.
Example procedure:
Fileset is initially reserved and contains no data.
Copy a valid, off-line archive into the reserved archive folder.
Using h21mon (%h21%\bin folder) run the MOUNT command. Use the -sr parameter to make the data read-only if desired. With multiple repositories the -r<repository_name> parameter is also necessary. Note that the repository name is case-sensitive. For example, mount fileset # 9 in repository TSK_DHIS using the following command: h21mon> mount -a9 -sr -rTSK_DHIS
After the mount is complete, run the DATES command in h21mon to verify that the data is viewable. The data is immediately retrievable in SQLplus, although the changes aren't reflected in the IP.21 Administrator until five or so minutes later.
To remove the data, simply run the DISMOUNT command (e.g. h21mon> dismount -a9 -si -rTSK_DHIS) and then move or delete the arc files from the Windows folder. Again, the h21mon>dates command immediately reflects the change while the IP.21 Administrator shows a 5 minute delay.
Keywords: mount
initialize
access
References: None |
Problem Statement: I would like to restore and or mount filesets to my InfoPlus.21Database which have been backed up using TSK_HBAK, is it possible to achieve this using SQL+? | Solution: It is possible to achieve this using the Aspen InfoPlus.21 History Admin 1.0 Type Library.
Using SQL+
To load the History Administration Scripting Interface into SQLplus:.
Click Start | Programs | AspenTech | Aspen Manufacturing Suite | SQLplus to open SQLplus.
Click View |
Keywords: TSK_HBAK
Fileset
References: s?. The SQLplus References dialog box is displayed.
Select the Aspen InfoPlus.21 History Admin 1.0 Type Library check box.
Select a security level for the library.
System Accessible only by users who have SQLplus System privilege.
Write Accessible only by users who have SQLplus Write privilege.
Read Accessible by any user with Read privileges.
Click OK. You can use the History Administration Scripting Interface objects.
An example script is provided:
LOCAL ats, objReposCollection, objrepos, status, runstatus, objFileSetsCollection;
LOCAL nrepos INTEGER;
LOCAL nfilesets INTEGER;
ats = createobject('Aspen.IP21.AtIP21HistAdmin');
objReposCollection = ats.getRepositoriesCollection;
nRepos = objReposCollection.count;
FOR EACH objRepos in objReposCollection
DO
objFileSetsCollection = objRepos.GetFilesetsCollection;
nFileSets = objFileSetsCollection.count;
status = objRepos.GetRepositoryQueueSummary.QueueState;
runstatus = objRepos.GetRepositoryQueueSummary.RunningStatus;
END;
WRITE 'Number of repositories = ' || nRepos;
WRITE ' ';
WRITE 'Repository: ' || objRepos || ', Status = ' || status ||
', Run Status = ' || runstatus || ', Number of filesets = ' || nFilesets;
Using VB
To load the History Administration Scripting Interface into Visual Basic for Applications:
Open Excel.
Open Visual Basic for Applications in Excel.
Select References on the Tools menu.
Select Aspen InfoPlus.21 History Admin 1.0 Type Library.
Click OK. You can use the History Administration Scripting Interface objects.
To load the History Administration Scripting Interface into Visual Basic:
Open Visual Basic.
Open a new Visual Basic project.
Select References from the Project menu.
Select Aspen InfoPlus.21 History Admin 1.0 Type Library.
Click OK. You can use the History Administration Scripting Interface objects.
An example script is provided:
To add a repository to InfoPlus.21 database:
Dim ObjHistoryAdmin as AtIP21HistAdmin
Set ObjHistoryAdmin = New AtIP21HistAdmin
Dim ObjRepository as AtIP21SingleRepository
Set ObjRepository = ObjHistoryAdmin.CreateSingleRepository(Repository1)
ObjRepository.RepositoryPath = C:\Repos1
ObjRepository.NumberOfPoints = 1000000
ObjRepository.InsertSize = 256
ObjRepository.Update()
Set ObjRepository = Nothing
Set ObjHistoryAdmin = Nothing |
Problem Statement: Archiver crashes. The error log show entries like:
03 Sep 03 09:30:42 - ARCHIVE: update_tree() btree_update failure: 1
03 Sep 03 09:30:42 - ARCHIVE: program shutdown | Solution: This condition may result from two InfoPlus.21 systems trying to simultaneously write data to the same set of history files. Typically this happens if a customer decides to set up a test system, and loads a snapshot from the production server on the test system. Commonly UNC filepaths are designated for the history system, such as
REPOS_FILE_PATH \\IP21SERVERA\IP21g200His\
So when the test server is brought online, it has the same entry in it's snapshot:
REPOS_FILE_PATH \\IP21SERVERA\IP21g200His\
So both systems are now going to be writing data to the same files at the same time, which can cause archive corruption and cause the archive process to quit.
To avoid this problem, use the CHGPATHS utility (seeSolution 106366) to edit the CONFIG.DAT file before starting up the test system. For example, if the test system name is TESTSERVER, CHGPATHS will allow you to string-substitute IP21SERVERA for TESTSERVER. Then when the CONFIG.DAT information is read on start-up, the fixed area field of the history repository will be updated with the new information:
REPOS_FILE_PATH \\TESTSERVER\IP21g200His\
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: By default the snapshot used by the live, running InfoPlus.21 database is stored in the following directory:
<drive>:\Program Files\Aspentech\InfoPlus.21\db21\group200
In the SAVE_SNAP record's FILE_NAME field, the name of the default snapshot is recorded for the purpose of being saved on a regular interval into the group200 directory. One directory below group200 is a folder named 'SAVE_SNAPS'. What is this directory for? | Solution: Before the regular interval snapshot listed in the SAVE_SNAP record is saved, a copy of the last snapshot saved is copied from the group200 directory to the SAVE_SNAPS directory and a suffix of _SAVE is added to the snapshot name. Then the regular snapshot is taken and saved into the group200 directory. Therefore the most recent snapshot is located in the group200 directory and the next most recent is located in the SAVE_SNAPS directory.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Some customers obtained the following error when opening Recipe Explorer:
Transition Server node of is invalid.
Please Adjust in Tools|Options and restart Process Recipe (client).
even though they are not using Transition Manager, or do not have it installed. If they insert the recipe server nodename in the field, the following errors will appear:
Not able to create object, ATM_Admin.System, on [nodename]
and: Error accessing Transition Manage Service. Do you want to open Process Recipe without Transition Manager? | Solution: If you are not using ATM, the cause of this error is that the Download Mode key in the registry is set to Transition. To resolve this, open registry editor and navigate to HKey Local Machine\Software\AspenTech\Process Recipe\Download Mode. The Download Mode key should be set to Standard if you are not using Transition Manager. Also stop any ATM* tasks that are running in the NT Task Manager, and stop or disable the ATM_Manager service if you have one.
Keywords: Transition server node
ATM_Admin.System
Transition Manager
Recipe Explorer
References: None |
Problem Statement: Getting error: Download destination does not exist for the specified parameter. | Solution: Check the Include non-strategy data in package checkbox.
Keywords: control
recipe
binding
References: None |
Problem Statement: When starting Recipe Explorer, ATM_EXEC.EXE process uses 100% CPU. Try killing ATM_EXEC.EXE from the NT Task Manager and it comes back! | Solution: This may be a symptom of having too many packages running or packages left on the system after completion. ATM_EXEC.exe is the process that handles the package(s) that are created in RUN mode by ATM_ADMIN. If there are no packages running, there is/should be no ATM_EXEC process.
If ATM_EXEC.exe has 100% CPU, do the following:
Shutdown ANY Recipe Explorer clients that may be connected to the recipe/ATM server.
Stop the Transition Manager service in the Control Panel | Services.
Stop the Aspen Calc service in the Control Panel | Services.
Kill any ATM_xxx (ATM_ADMIN, ATM_EXE, ATM_IP21) process in the NT Task Manager.
Kill any RecipeExplorer.exe processes in the NT Task Manager.
If Infoplus.21 is on a separate machine than the ATM server, go to that machine and kill ATM_IP21.exe in the NT Task Manager.
Once all processes are down, start the Transition Manager service in the Control Panel | Services.
Start up a Recipe Explorer client and go to RUN mode. If ATM_EXEC.exe runs up to 100% again, repeat steps 1-6 and move on to step 9.
Go into MS SQL Server Enterprise Manager. Expand the SQL Server group and then the node that holds the recipe database. Expand databases and expand the actual recipe database. Single click on TABLES view of the recipe database. In the right pane, locate the table RT_STRATEGY. Right click on this table, choose OPEN TABLE and then RETURN ALL ROWS. There will be one or more rows of data, each row holding information about a package. One or more of these packages has a problem and the packages must be deleted. Once deleted, this is permanent!!! Highlight a row, right click and choose DELETE. Repeat for each row.
If any of the rows will not delete for any reason, confirm that all ATM_XXX processes are dead and that NO Recipe Explorer clients are running.
If rows still won't delete, close the immediate table window within the SQL Server Enterprise Manager. Go to the node level in SQL Server Enterprise Manager. (This is level where the icon showing running or stopped is located.) Right click and choose STOP. Once stopped, right click and choose START. Repeat step 9.
If the rows all delete, then close the SQL Server Enterprise Manager and restart the Transition Manager service in the Control Panel Services. Start up Recipe Explorer and test. If the rows do not delete call Support.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: TSK_H21_INIT failed to startup with an error Cannot write out shared memory ID shows up in the TSK_H21_INIT.OUT and in Event Viewer. | Solution: TSK_H21_INIT reads the history configuration information from the files config.dat and map.dat and writes output to the file sh.id (shared memory id) in the same directory (%h21%\dat).
There could be several reasons for the error: Verify the following:
Is there sufficient disk space available (especially in the AspenTech directory)
In NT services, is the IP.21 task service up and running?
Does the owner of the IP.21 task service have read & write access to the %h21%\dat directory?
In the IP.21 task manager, is the tsk_c21_win_init task running?
In the IP.21 task manager, are the h21 tasks NOT set to be skipped during startup?
In the IP.21 task manager, do the h21 tasks have successful output?
Make sure the shm.id file is not set to read-only. It should has both read & write access.
If a new local account is used, then make sure the new account used to start IP.21 services has admin privileges. If the new local account is a member of the Admin group and still cannot startup tsk_h21_init, then make sure the Admin Group has admin privileges.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: User gets the errors: Cannot enable ''SeBackupPrivilege'' privilege. when trying to backup the IP.21 Manager group configuration, and Cannot enable ''SeRestorePrivilege'' privilege. when trying to restore a group configuration file (.ipg). | Solution: ''SeBackupPrivilege'' and ''SeRestorePrivilege'' are operating system privileges. ''SeBackupPrivilege'' allows a user to backup files and directories, while ''SeRestorePrivilege'' allows a user to restore backup files. These rights supersede file and directory permissions. To resolve this problem, the user has to examine the OS rights of the user account attempting to save/restore the group configuration, and give it the necessary rights.
Keywords: SeBackupPrivilege
SeRestorePrivilege
group configuration
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the purpose of the IP_EXCEPTION_DEV_PCT field in an IP_DIDef record? | Solution: The IP_EXCEPTION_DEV_PCT field can be used as a method to compress data. The IP_EXCEPTION_DEV_PCT field is used to specify the minimum amount (as a percentage of the difference between IP_GRAPH_MAXIMUM and IP_GRAPH_MINIMUM) that the data for the tag must change in order for the new value to be reported to the InfoPlus.21 database.
IP_EXCEPTION_DEV_PCT is a real number and must be between 0.0 and 100.0. If you set IP_EXCEPTION_DEV_PCT to a value other than 0.0, you should set the IP_FILTER field to 0.
You can find additional information on page 3-7 of the InfoPlus.21 Database User's Manual. To access that document, use the link below.
http://support.aspentech.com/Documents/Manufacturing/IP21/v30/IP_db_users.pdf
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: InfoPlus.21 database won't start after an ungraceful shutdown - it fails startup due to the fact that task TSK_H21_INIT won't start. | Solution: Retype the password for the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service. To do so, in Windows 2000 open the Windows Services application (Start | Settings | Control Pannel | Administrative Tools | Services), double-click on the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service, select the Log On tab, retype the password for This Account and restart the service.
Keywords: TSK_H21_INIT
References: None |
Problem Statement: How do I add a repository to an Aspen InfoPlus.21 server when the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator returns the error NO SUCH RECORD when trying to add a repository. | Solution: Using the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator, right-click on the ADSA name for the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Database in question, select Properties, and choose the Record Utilization tab. You will probably see that the number in the Undefined row is zero. Go to the Total box (white background) and enter a number at least 10% higher than the current value.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: An Aspen Calc script in transition strategy calls formulas ATM_GetRecipeValue or ATM_PutRecipeValue. These formulas are failing and are returning NULL values are writing NULL values. | Solution: There is a box, Include Non-Strategy Recipe Data in Packages, in the Control Recipe that needs to be checked. There may be Aspen Calcs that deal with parameters that are not in the Strategy's Control Recipe. If this is the case and this box is not checked, the scripts will fail because the recipe values referenced in the scripts can not be accessed.
Keywords: ATM_GetRecipeValue
ATM_PutRecipeValue
References: None |
Problem Statement: You launch the Aspen Recipe Explorer application, get the Aspen Process Recipe splash screen, log in with the connection type, Database Server, and Database Name, click OK, and then nothing! The application does not open. | Solution: This problem generally occurs after an upgrade of Aspen Process Recipe from an older version.
It is usually related to a 3rd party component called AddFlow4.ocx. Either the component does not get installed, upgraded, or registered.
Go to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 and search for the file AddFlow4.ocx
Assuming it has been installed use regsvr32.exe to register the file.
You should now be able to launch Aspen Recipe Explorer.
Keywords: log in
launch
References: None |
Problem Statement: FolderDef records are used to organize data records. This knowledge base describes how to have a newly created data record be added to a particular Folder. | Solution: There are two options which can be used to have a newly created record be associated with a particular FolderDef record.
1. Find the FolderDef record under which you want your new record to reside. Right click the folder then select New Record. The new record will be automatically added to the respective folder when created in this manner.
2. You can use the Aspen SQLplus query from knowledge base article 103760 to move a group of records into a particular folder after they have been created. This option is preferred if many records already exist or if your records are created in bulk through Aspen SQLplus scripts.
Keywords: Create
Categorize
References: None |
Problem Statement: When installing Service Pack 1 for version 6, the same process used to install version 6.0 needs to be followed.
The type of service pack installation must be consistent with the method used to install Aspen Manufacturing Suite 6.0. For example, the unattended installation kit must be used for clients installed using the unattended installation components from AMS 6.0. Components installed using the standard installation of AMS 6.0 must be installed using the standard installation kit (AMS_60_SP1.zip) or the Smart Agent installation of the service pack. | Solution: The method used to install version 6.0 software needs to be exactly the same when installing Service Pack 1 for version 6.0. If it is not the same, then installing Service Pack 1 for version 6.0 will not be completed.
If you used the silent install to install version 6.0, then you must use the silent install to install version 6.0 Service Pack 1.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Sometimes, after upgrading InfoPlus.21 to a higher version or installing a patch, the following error message is received when trying to register a dll:
Can't find a dll entry point.
followed by the name of the dll generating the error.
What does it mean? | Solution: Generally, it means that the dll mentioned in the above error message was not registered properly by the operating system because there is an older version of this dll (from the previous install of IP.21) which was not removed from the registry by the uninstall process.
In order to solve this problem, follow the steps below:
1. search the hard drive on your machine for all instances of the dll mentioned in the error message
2. rename all of them except for the most recent one which would usually be the one with the highest version
3. verify that the PATH environment variable is pointing to the directory where the dll is supposed to have been installed (e.g. C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\ASPENT~1 )
4. reboot your computer
Another way of getting rid of the above error is to:
1. Set the service that might be using the dll to manual and reboot the machine.
2. With a clean start, unregister the old dll, copy in the new version over the old one, register the dll, restart the service that is using it and set it to start automatically.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Is there an interface to allow the use of InfoPlus.21 data in Aspen Plus? | Solution: There is nothing in the AMS suite that could do this. However, there are two options available. Aspen OnLine will interface Aspen Plus models with IP.21. This is normally used for online control and requires a lot of configuration. The easiest approach is Aspen Simulation Workbook which is an Excel addin which serves as a custom interface to both a data historian like IP.21 and simulation models like Aspen Plus, Aspen Hysys, etc. Aspen Simulation Workbook is very easy to use. Please see online documentation for details.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Will the operation node trajectory ramping stop if a dependency becomes unmet during the ramping? | Solution: When a dependency is met, the operation node starts processing. Then if the dependency becomes unmet, the operation node will stop processing and wait for the dependency to be met again before continuing. When the dependancy condition is true it equates to GO, and when false it equates to HALT.
Dependancy conditions exist in the following places:
Condition node:
When the condition is true, the node completes and processing continues. When the condition is false, node processing is stopped and waits for a true condition.
Miscellaneous dependency:
When the condition is true, the misc node is active or visible or whatever it's configured as. When the condition false, the misc node is invisible and not active.
Operation node trajectory:
When the condition is true, ramp is happening. When the condition is false, ramp is halted.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Using the menu option, Special | Timestamp Field | Add/Modify doesn't actually allow an existing timestamp field association to be modified. So, if the timestamp field association of an existing definition record needs to be changed, a user won't have the ability to do it. | Solution: In the Definition Editor, if the value field you are trying to modify the timestamp field association for is in an update generation chain containing a timestamp field (any timestamp field), then the Special|Timestamp Field|Add/Modify doesn't work as it is supposed to (i.e. allow you to select a timestamp type field to add or replace the one already there.
So in Definition Editor it's necessary to choose Special | Update Generation and remove the time field in the chain. You can then add the timestamp field association you want (Special | Timestamp Field | Add/Modify), then put the update generation back the way it was.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article provides troubleshooting steps for the case where data cannot be obtained from the RSLinx server and the Aspen Cim-IO for RSLinx interface returns driver status 97029. | Solution: The error code 97029 is a read failure error message. This means that Aspen Cim-IO for RSLinx can connect to the RSLinx but cannot retrieve any data.
1. The following RSLinx tools can be used to check if the data is available:
RSWho.exe
RSLread.exe
2. This error has been encountered when a firewall was implemented between the RSLinx server and the PLCs.
3. This error may occur if the driver diagnostics/Active connections on RSLinx shows that the PLC has a type of Ethernet/IP instead of of CSPv4. The RSLinx Classic help contains the following relevant information on the PLC type under the Known Anomalies topic:
If you encounter a condition where you are not getting data from a SLC 5 processor and that processor refuses a connection from RSLinx Classic, and generates a :6Ah error in the DDE/OPC Communications Event Log (for example, AB_ETH-1\130.130.130.130: S:42 : 09/26/03 - 13:47:28 : 6Ah) you can append an option (:V4) to the EtherNet/IP address while configuring an Ethernet driver (AB-ETH) that specifies that the driver always uses the legacy CSPV4 protocol for SLC 5 processors. For example, 130.130.130.130:V4.
Keywords: failed
disconnect
References: None |
Problem Statement: In previous versions of Aspen InfoPlus.21 an account named IP21GuestUser was created during the installation process. This knowledge base article describes why this account is no longer created during the installation process. | Solution: With Aspen InfoPlus.21 v2004 the IP21GuestUser account has been removed from the installation. This account was used to let the Aspen InfoPlus.21 v.2.5.1 client tools such as Aspen Process Explorer connect to newer versions of Aspen InfoPlus.21 when database security was used. Since Aspen InfoPlus.21 v.2.5.x is no longer supported there is no longer a reason to create the IP21GuestUser account during the installation.
Keywords: Access
Deny
Denied
Addgroup
Removegroup
References: None |
Problem Statement: Test_API returns error 39110 (PI Communications Error) when reading a PI tag.
In addition, the message
CIMIO_PI_DS_LOGIN_FAILED, Failed to Login to the PI server
appears in the CIM-IO message log file CIMIO_MSG.LOG when starting the CIM-IO to PI DIOP processes.
Also, the PI logging file PIPC.LOG may contain messages similar to
cimio_pi_diop_read_write.exe>PI-API> piut_login error [-999] Request Not Permitted Without Login | Solution: Verify the configuration file IO_PI.cfg contains a valid PI account user name and password. This is required even if the PI server is configured to use windows authentication.
Keywords: 39110
PI
communications error
CIMIO_PI_DS_LOGIN_FAILED
piut_login
IO_PI.cfg
References: None |
Problem Statement: How can an external task resolve references to EXTSKINI, EXTASKCHK, and EXTSKWAI when linking against INFOPLUS21_API.LIB? | Solution: According to the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Database API Manual, external tasks must include setcim.h and link against setcim.lib to resolve references to EXTSKINI, EXTASKCHK, and EXTSKWAI. Linking against SETCIM.LIB allows the external task access only to data contained in the local Aspen InfoPlus.21 system.
To access data in remote Aspen InfoPlus.21 databases, an application program must include infoplus21_api.h and link against INFOPLUS21_API.LIB. The problem is that INFOPLUS21_API.LIB does not include references to EXTSKINI, EXTASKCHK, and EXTSKWAI, and an external task can not link against both INFOPLUS21_API.LIB and SETCIM.LIB.
To solve this problem, external tasks needing to access data from remote Aspen InfoPlus.21 systems must include infoplus21_api.h and link against INFOPLUS21_API.LIB (and not against SETCIM.LIB). To resolve the external references to EXTSKINI, EXTASKCHK, and EXTSKWAI, include code similar to the attached subroutine.
Keywords: external task
link
library
setcim.lib
infoplus21_api.lib
References: None |
Problem Statement: The following error appears when modifying the historian: Please enter an existing pathname The error appears when modifying the Number of points in the repository. It can also appear when adding a new file set or changing the file set properties like Reserved, Read Only, or Mounted | Solution: The Please enter an existing pathname error is seen when a UNC path is specificed for the path in the file set or repository properties but it does not exist. First, check if the UNC directory exists. If the UNC path doesn't exist, create the UNC path or use the non UNC path. This error message could also be caused if the user does not have access to the UNC directory.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: If you run Repair from the aspenOne install do you need to reapply any Aspentech patches that have been applied previously? | Solution: No. Repair does the following:
it replaces missing files
it replaces corrupted older files
it overwrites older files
it updates registry entries
Repair works with a pre-defined list of key files and therefore may not fix all problems. It DOES NOT modify newer (patched) files therefore it is not necessary to re-apply any Aspentech patches after running Repair.If the problem is the result of a poorly applied patch, then Repair will probably not fix the problem.
Keywords: patch, patches, repair, install, AMS Install, Microsoft install, overwrite, older files, modify, corrupted, registry, silent install
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the definition of DISPLAY_RADIX_CODE and what are some common values? | Solution: Radix is the base of a number system.
In a decimal system, the radix or base is 10.
In a binary system, the radix or base is 2.
In an octal system, the radix or base is 8.
In a hexadecimal system, the radix or base is 16.
Records defined by IntegerFormatDef must be instructed on what format to use. Example values of DISPLAY_RADIX_CODE are listed below:
Name
DISPLAY_RADIX_CODE
Description
DM 5
-1
Elapsed or Delta Time format to the nearest minute
DS 8
1
Elapsed or Delta Time format to the nearest second
DT10
0
Elapsed or Delta Time format to the nearest tenth of second
RM7
125
Real Time format to the nearest minute
RT14
126
Real Time format to the nearest tenth of second
I 6
10
Signed base ten integer
UI3
-10
Unsigned base ten integer
UZ4
-16
Unsigned hexadecimal (base 16) integer
Z 9
16
Signed hexadecimal (base 16) integer
B 8
-2
Unsigned binary (base 2) integer
Keywords: radix
display
code
field
References: None |
Problem Statement: During installation, the install shield shows the searching for components message and hangs on the screen indefinitely. | Solution: Go to the Start button and run regedit. Go to the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\OFFICE\8.0. Check the registry entry for BinDirPath. The Excel.exe file should be found in the location indicated by BinDirPath. If it Excel.exe is not in the correct pathway, the existing Excel.exe can be copied there.
The reason the installation hangs is that it is looking for Excel.exe in the BinDirPath. If the file can''t be found, it will wait indefinitely.
Keywords: install
hang
components
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to print a strategy diagram from the Site or Master view in Aspen Process Recipe. | Solution: Start with the diagram displayed in the Site or Master view.
1. Click the (Print Icon) to display the print dialog box.
2. Click (Page Setup) to display the page setup dialog box. 2a. Fit the printed area to the page either horizontally or vertically by selecting the Width and/or Height checkboxes in the (Fit Page) area. 2b. To print the node text, Miscellaneous nodes on the diagram select the Text, Misc Nodes checkboxes In the (Show) area. 2c. Page borders can be selected from a pulldown menu under (Page Border). 2d. Specify headed and footer text in the (Header) and (Footer) areas.
3. Click (Print Display) to display the Print Preview dialog box.
4. Click OK to print the Strategy diagram to the default printer.
Keywords: print
process recipe
strategy diagram
References: None |
Problem Statement: If you have upgraded your Process Recipe database from version 2.5.x to a version beyond 3.x, most likely you will have problems adding/modifying/deleting parameters, items, templates, master recipes, or control recipes. You may get duplicate entries or the entries may seem to disappear.
Once the APR software has been upgraded from version 2.5.x to 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, or 6.x, there are a series of documented database migration scripts that need to be run. Unfortunately, the structure change between 2.5.x and 3.x is quite extensive and one of the tables may get messed up somewhere along the way. | Solution: Once the software is upgraded from 2.5.x to the desired post 3.x version:
1. Run all of the documented database migrations scripts to get the recipe database from the 2.5.2 table structure to the 4.1.2 table structure. (The 4.1.2 table structure is the same structure as 5.0.1 and 6.0.1.)
2. Once upgraded, in Enterprise Manager, look at the table, APR_NEXT_ID. It most likely, has no entries or only 1 entry for SECURITY_TYPE. There should be 12 entries. This is the source of all the problems! This is a table that keeps track of the next ID for products, equipment, items, item_types, etc. Since there is no ID, the next ID becomes bogus and screws everything up. Delete any entries in this table.
3. Attached to thisSolution document is an export of this table, in text format, from a working system. Import this file into the database using the IMPORT DATA option from All tasks.
4. At this point, you have the right ID_TYPEs but the wrong NEXT_IDs. Using the SQL Server Query Analyzer tool, run the script, UPDATE_APR_NEXT_ID.SQL located at: <drive>:\Program Files\AspenTech\ProcessRecipe\DBScripts\SqlServer. This script will look at the database and find the correct NEXT_ID for all 12 ID_TYPEs. (When this is run, there may be some errors about inserting NULLS that seem kind of scary, but the ID's should be updated and all should be OK!)
5. You should be in business now!
Keywords: recipe database
upgrade
scripts
APR_NEXT_ID
References: None |
Problem Statement: There can be repetitive regenerations for Control Recipes in Aspen Process Recipe. This occurs when a Control Recipe is regenerated, it causes the need for another Control Recipe(s) to be regenerated. Once the other Control Recipe(s) is regenerated, it causes the regeneration symbol to appear on the original Control Recipe and the cycle continues to repeat.
For example, a new control recipe is created and master recipes are assigned to the new control recipe. Once the new control recipe is regenerated, the regeneration symbol now appears on an old control recipe which happens to contain a master recipe used in the new control recipe. If this old control recipe is regenerated, the regeneration symbol now appears again on the new control recipe, and the cycle continues to repeat. | Solution: The cause of this problem is that the two or more Control Recipes have one or more Master Recipes in common and Control-Master Propagation is enabled (via Options dialog). If the Control Recipe has an assigned calculation script, then the calculation gets executed during the Regeneration process. When Control-Master Propagation is enabled, the newly calculated values get propagated back down to the appropriate Master Recipes. If that Master Recipe also appears on another Control Recipe then the Control Regeneration flag will appear for that Control Recipe.
To avoid this, the Control-Master Propagation needs be to turned off. The problem should go away.
Once the problem goes away, propagation can be turned back on.
regeneration
propagation
control
master
recipe
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the meaning of the error from Load Records...: record ID already in use? | Solution: This error comes from using the Saved in the file option instead of Available in this system within the Load Records dialog box. If there is an existing record that already uses a record ID contained in the file, the new record can not be created. Use the Available in this system option to avoid this conflict.
Keywords: recload
References: None |
Problem Statement: How do you determine which download mode Aspen Process Recipe is using? | Solution: The download mode is defined in the following registry key.
My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AspenTech\ProcessRecipe\Download Mode
Set the key to transition for recipe transitions via Aspen Process Sequencer, or standard for standard downloads.
Keywords: process recipe
transition manager
registry
download
process sequencer
References: None |
Problem Statement: Infoplus.21 database manual snapshot save fails with a pop-up dialog box:
System error 112 writing to file.
What does it mean? | Solution: This error means that the system cannot write to a file due to a lack of disk space on the hard drive.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: The Infoplus.21 Task Service will not start.
Error: Could not start Aspen Infoplus.21 Task Service on local computer.
Error 1075: The dependency service does not exist or has been marked for deletion.
In the Event Viewer, the following message:
The Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service service depends on the following nonexistent service: NobleNet Portmapper for TCP | Solution: This problem has been seen when the NobleNet Portmapper for TCP service is missing. To correct this, run the following utility to install the missing NobleNet Portmapper service:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\AspenTech Shared\Portmapper\portinst.exe
Keywords: NobleNet Portmapper
portinst.exe
References: None |
Problem Statement: When trying to assign a master recipe to a control recipe in Aspen Process Recipe, you may get the following error message:
Runtime 40009 No Current Row | Solution: This is a known bug that was reported for version 2.5x, and this problem has been fixed in v3.0. TheSolution is to upgrade to version 3.x. If you choose to stay with version 2.5x, then the workaround is to do the following:
Run the following query in SQL Server Query Analyzer to determine if you have some bad data...
SELECT * FROM RECIPE_HEADER WHERE FK_TEMPLATE_ID NOT IN
(SELECT ID FROM TEMPLATE0)
If this returns any data, then the Master Recipe(s) exist without a Template. I would suggest if the query returns any rows, that those Recipes be manually deleted from the RECIPE_HEADER, R_ITEM, RI_PARMVALUE, AND RECIPE_EQUIPMENT tables.
NOTE: This problem appears to have been fixed for V3.0 and there are no plans to fix the earlier versions.
Keywords: 40009
master recipe
control recipe
References: None |
Problem Statement: System administrators may have to change the IP address of the InfoPlus.21 server, but how will this affect InfoPlus.21? | Solution: Changing the IP address of the InfoPlus.21 server, or any other client or server machines, will NOT have any direct effect on InfoPlus.21 or client applications such as Aspen Process Explorer and SQLplus. The architecture of InfoPlus.21 is such that the server and clients refer to each other by nodename and logical names. The point of this is to make them independent of their IP addresses.
Some customers who do not have DNS servers on their network, instead put Hosts files on each node, specifying a nodename for each static IP address. If that is the type of configuration you have, all you need to do is edit the Hosts file on each node to specify the new IP address, and reboot the nodes.
Keywords: IP address
change
References: None |
Problem Statement: During an installation or upgrade, the following error might appear after selecting Install: | Solution: 1:
Stop the installation and verify that:
1. You are installing using an account that is a member of the local Administrators group.
2. The local Administrators group has Full Control permissions for the C:\WINDOWS\Installer folder
Note that depending on the machine's settings, this folder may be hidden. To display hidden folders, go to Tools > Folder Options... in Windows Explorer and select Show hidden files and folders
3. Re-run the installation.
Solution 2:
1. This error has also been observed when the language is set to Norwegian (Bokmal). Defaulting the language bar to US-English allowed the installation to run as expected.
For further detailed information on this specific problem and other possible causes please review the article Error -1607: Unable to Install InstallShield Scripting Run Time on the InstallShield web site (search for Common Errors in website http://consumer.installshield.com).
Solution 3:
1. Please verify that your Windows Installer Service is running. If this service is not running and/or disabled, the same error will be raised.
Solution 4:
You can also get this error if the distribution media has been moved to a network drive. To get around this problem, either copy the distribution media to a local drive or use the DVD locally.
Keywords: 1607
Unable to install
Installshield
Scripting Runtime
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article provides an example program which illustrates how to write a C program to read history data from an IP_AnalogDef record using the history access routine RHIS21DATA. | Solution: Below is an example program which uses RHIS21DATA to read data from an IP_AnalogDef record (ATCL101) from the Aspen InfoPlus.21 demo snapshot.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article provides a template to troubleshoot the following error which can be returned from the Aspen InfoPlus.21 API function call, RHIS21DATA()
ERRCODE = -33
Fields are not in same repeat area | Solution: RHIS21DATA() is a function which retrieves historical data from an Aspen InfoPlus.21 record's repeat area. The aforementioned error can be returned if:
? The history repeat area field referenced within the custom program is not referenced properly (not spelled correctly, etc.)
A fixed area field is specified within the custom program instead of a repeat area field
Keywords: Application
Customized
API
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can I connect a version 3.x (or higher) Aspen Calc client to an IP.21 / Aspen Calc server version 2.5.1 database? | Solution: If Aspen Calc client and InfoPlus.21 and the Aspen Calc server are on different machines, this will work. Follow the Aspen Calc installation manual''s directions on the DCOM configuration. Be sure to make the DCOM changes to BOTH the server and the IP.21 machine. This will allow you to create the calculations and formulas on the client and store them on the IP.21/ Aspen Calc server machine.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Is Aspen Process Recipe ISA S88 compliant? | Solution: S88 provides a consistent set of standards and terminology for batch control and defines the physical model, procedures, and recipes.
Aspen Process Recipe (APR) is tailored to meet the needs of the continuous and semi-continuous process and borrows from the S88 standards as appropriate. It is not designed for the batch world if there is a strict need for S88 adherence. APR has been used in batch processes but not processes that must be absolutely S88 compliant.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: After backing up data filesets, user sees the error message:
cache entry invalid - point ID.
This error might appear if you back up data and then shift into an unused file set. But what if you are in a buffered state with your data? Data is being buffered in the event.dat file and the file set does not shift. If you manually shifted the file sets, the event.dat file will immediately be dumped into the file set. But if you do an h21arcck on the newly closed file set, stop and start Aspen InfoPlus.21, you will get the same error message:
cache entry invalid - point ID | Solution: Part of h21arcck's job during initialization is to check that the cache entries match what is in the disk archive (arc.dat). If it comes across a cache entry that does not match up with what is in the archive file, then that cache entry is ignored. If they do match up, then the data in the cache entry is written to the archive file. When the cache entries are all validated and saved in the archive, the cache is re-initialized.
This error usually occurs after an unplanned shutdown. The cache is saved in the cache.dat file every 5 minutes. If there is an unplanned shutdown late in this time span, then some of the cache entries in the saved cache.dat file may be out of sync with the archive files. When an invalid cache entry is found, it means that the data in it is old and has already been written to the archive. Under normal circumstances, there is no data lost because of this error. There could be data lost in cache entries that are OK, but are missing data because the saved cache is almost 5 minutes old.
This error could also occur if the cache.dat has been corrupted. In this case, there are an extreme number of these error messages in the output file (one for almost every point in the archive).
Also, the problem might be that the H21archiver process is not stopping correctly when IP.21 is shutdown. You may need to check the following:
1. The size of the key file (arc.byte, arc.dat and arc.key are files that comprise the history system for each file set). If the archive file is huge, then the key file is large which means the archiver will become slower over time.
2. On an Aspen InfoPlus.21 start up, look at the date and time of the cache.dat file. That time and date should match the time of when you stopped the Aspen InfoPlus.21 database. If it doesn't, then that indicates a problem with the archiver not shutting down properly.
3. Another place to look is in the archiver log file. Each time the archiver stops and starts up, it writes a line in the log file. If there are no lines indicating a stoppage of the archiver but only lines indicating it is starting up, then the archiver is not stopping correctly.
4. In the error.log files, near the end, look to see if there is a point where the archiver was not properly shut down. Sometimes this might be indicated by two startup messages in a row.
Keywords: cache entry invalid
History
Infoplus.21
References: None |
Problem Statement: When trying to enter a shared drive as the path for TSK_HBAK history file location, TSK_HBAK.OUT file reports 'unable to create folders' | Solution: This problem is only seen on W2003 systems.
A work around is to create a UNC format path, for example:
\\nodename\sharename\repositoryfolder).
Keywords: Pathnames
Windows 2003
References: None |
Problem Statement: After loading an upgraded snapshot into IP.21 Administrator, some of the views become corrupted. For example, the Tags view is empty, CIM-IO view is empty or displaying details of another tag. | Solution: All the views in IP.21 Administrator (eg. Building Blocks, CIM-IO, Tags) are controlled by the PE_MainBranch record, while individual views are controlled by other records defined by PE_BranchDef. For example, the Tags view is controlled by the IP_TagsBranch record.
While upgrading the old snapshot using the Typical option, some of the records controlling these views may have been replaced with other records due to a conflict in record IDs.
TheSolution is to use the Custom option instead, and just use the default settings thereafter. The steps for doing a custom upgrade are described in pages 5-6 to 5-8 of the IP.21 v5.0 Installation Manual.
Keywords: IP.21 Administrator
views
view
References: None |
Problem Statement: After a reboot the Equipment do not show in Aspen Process Sequencer Run view. | Solution: If the SQL Server Aspen Process Recipe DB is located on the same system as Aspen Process Recipe then the problem is that the Aspen Transition Manager service is starting before SQL Server. The reSolution to this is to add a dependency to Aspen Transition Manager service for SQL Server.
Execute the following command from a command window or the Run dialog to add the service dependency using SC.EXE.
SYNTAX: SC CONFIG SERVICE NAME DEPEND= DEPENDENCY SERVICE NAME
Example: sc config Aspen Transition Manager Server depend= MSSQLSERVER
Important things to note:
The service must be stopped before configuring dependencies.
The service must be contained within double quotes because the service name has a space within it.
The space ' ' between the 'depend=' text and the dependency service name.
The depend service name may be different on your system. [MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS, MSSQLSERVER]
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Is there a maximum number of ODBC connections that can be made to an InfoPlus.21 database? | Solution: There is no fixed limit. It depends on the system resources available. It also depends on the executable used for TSK_SQL_SERVER.
Using sqlplsrv.exe (which was the default before aspenONE version 2004), the maximum number of ODBC connections that could be made was 58.
Using sqlplus_server.exe (which is the default in version 2004 and above), AspenTech Development tested 2000 connections.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: When installing the v6.0 Service Pack 1, the Smart Agent installer is looking for a strange version of Aspen Process Recipe (APR)/Transition Manager (ATM) - something other than of v6.0. For this reason, when the APR/ATM component of the Service Pack is selected for installation, you get this message:
Recipe/Transition Manager can only run with version >= 4.0.2.0 of feature Process Recipe Server of ProcessRecipe | Solution: The version information comes from the file: [drive]:\Program Files\AspenTech\setup\uninstall\ProcessRecipe.INI
In this file, there's a section titled [Features Installed]
This section details the version information of the installed components. It will contain entries similar to:
[Features Installed]
PROCESSRECIPE=6.0.0.0
RECIPEROOT=6.0.0.0
PROCESS RECIPE SCRIPTS=6.0.0.0
In order to resolve this, manually change the .INI file to specify the version as 4.0.2.0 for PROCESSRECIPE.
[Features Installed]
PROCESSRECIPE=4.0.2.0
RECIPEROOT=6.0.0.0
PROCESS RECIPE SCRIPTS=6.0.0.0
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: How do I load or start the AspenChem demo? | Solution: 1.A Look in one of the directories below:
A
(32-bit systems)A <Install Drive>:\Program Files\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\etc
(64-bit systems)A <Install Drive>:\Program Files(x86)\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\etc
for the demo snapshot which is named InfoPlus21Demo.snp.
2.A Shut down the Aspen InfoPlus.21 database using the Manager.
3.A Check the 'Command line parameters' box in the lower right corner of the Manager to make sure the snapshot name being used on startup is InfoPlus21.snp (In versions before 2006.5 the startup snapshot name is referenced as part of the loaddb task. In 2006.5 and after, it is TSK_DBCLOCK.)
4.A In Windows Explorer navigate to the Group200 directory and rename the current InfoPlus21.snp, and then copy the demo snapshot into the Group200 directory, naming it InfoPlus21.snp.A The Group200 directory will be in one of the following locations depending on the version of the product used and type of Windows operating system:
C:\Program Files\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\Group200
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\group200
C:\ProgramData\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\group200
5. Restart Aspen InfoPlus.21
NOTE : The demo snapshot is quite small so the reserved memory should be fine to load it. However if you get an error like this:
check KB Article 103866
Keywords: TSK_DBCLOCK is not running anymore. Please check output and error log files.
References: None |
Problem Statement: The following error may appear when opening an unusable record in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Definition Editor:
Failed to load the definition record for viewing
Repeated attempts to open the same record may result in the following error:
An unknown error in CDefRecView::OnUpdate | Solution: Ensure that the definition record appears as unusable in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator and when viewed in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Definition Editor. If the record does not appear as unusable in both applications then toggle the record to usable then back to unusable.
The Aspen InfoPlus.21 Definition Editor must operate on a snapshot that is the correct version. For example, if you are using v2006.5 of the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Definition Editor the snapshot you are modifying must be upgraded to v2006.5 format.
Another cause of this error is that the #_of_fields_in_rec is set incorrectly. Since the definition record cannot be viewed in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Definition Editor, look at it in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator. Expand the definition record and click on the FIELDs view. Note the value in #_of_fields_in_rec. Then double-click on the #_of_fields_in_rec repeat area to actually view all of the fields in the definition record. If any of the occurrences are empty occurrences, note the last valid occurrence number. Then go back to the fixed area of the definition record and modify the #_of_fields_in_rec field to whatever value is the last valid occurrence number.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How is reverse unit conversion in a transfer record implemented? | Solution: In order to reverse units, one has to reverse the IO_MIN_COUNT and IO_MAX_COUNT rather than the IO_RANGE_LO and IO_RANGE_HI fields.
IO_min_count
4095
IO_max_count
0
IO_range_lo
0
IO_range_hi
100
For read operations, the Cim-IO client tasks use the following equations to convert raw counts to E.U. units using the fields of this record:
convertedValue=rangelo+(rangehi - rangelo)/(maxcounts - mincounts) * (readvalue - mincounts) if (convertedvalue > rangehi) then convertedvalue = rangehi if (convertedvalue < rangelo) then convertedvalue = rangelo
Keywords: reverse
unit conversion
References: None |
Problem Statement: When creating a custom record, the Field Creation Assistant is used to locate a specific field (Fields > New > Field). However a search for the field generates no returns, as if the field name doesn't exist in IP.21. | Solution: The field being searched for has a Field Pointer that is a duplicate of one already contained in the custom definition. This is not allowed. As a result, the Field Creation Assistant only returns field names that can be validly added.
Background:
FIELD_NUMBERs are displayed in IP.21 as a 4-digit hex value. The last (least significant) 10 bits of the FIELD_NUMBER is designated the Field Pointer. A given definition record cannot contain duplicate Field Pointers.
Example
for a FIELD_NUMBER of 2419:
hex:
2 4 1 9
binary:
0010 0100 0001 1001
The Field Pointer is 0000011001 (decimal: 25)
For additional information on this topic, please reference the Database Structure section of the IP.21 Database Developer's Manual.
Keywords: create
creation
definition
References: None |
Problem Statement: This | Solution: provides information on how to configure a CommandDef record to execute an operating system command.Solution
Using the InfoPlus.21 Manager, create and start external task TSK_SYSC, which executes..\Program Files\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\code\syscmd.exe.
For more information about creating an external task See adding a task in the InfoPlus.21 Administration help file.
Create a record defined be CommandDef and make it usable. Then in the Command_Line field, add the system command to execute when the record is activated, and set the Activate_SW field to Yes. The CommandDef record can be activated by manually setting the Activate Field to Yes or by using an external program.
CommandDef Record Content
Field Description
RECORD_TO_ACTIVATE Name of the record to activate before executing the system
command (useful when the operating system command uses
the output of another record activation, such as a report)
COMMAND_LINE 64-character field containing the system command
MESSAGE SW. Switch to determine whether logging is enabled for this record
(ON causes each record activation to be logged to the log
records specified in the Command_LogCntrl record, which, by
default, points to the log record Command_Log)
ACTIVE SW. Determines if the record is processed when activated. Setting
this field to OFF disables all processing for the record, except
that the ACTIVATE? field is reset to NO.
ACTIVATE? Setting this field to YES activates the record. This field may
be manually entered or set by an external program. Like other
records, activations may also be triggered by other records or
programs.
SUSPENDED_UNTIL_DONE Automatically maintained by InfoPlus21 whenever the record is
activated.
RECORD_TO_ACTIVATE This field contains the name of the record in the field, while the CommandDef
record is waiting for the activated record to finish processing.
RETURN CODE Contains the operating system error code of the last execution
of the command in the COMMAND_LINE field. Consult
your operating system documentation for an explanation of
this code.
LAST_UPDATE The timestamp of the last execution of the command in the
COMMAND_LINE field.
SEQUENCE_NUMBER Contains a sequence number incremented each time the record
is activated.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Are there any reported problems for InfoPlus.21 systems after installing Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-039? (This security patch fully supersedes the patch provided in MS03-026, as well as the one provided in MS01-048.) | Solution: Many customers have asked about MS03-039. There has only been one customer who reported a problem with InfoPlus.21 functionality after installing the patch. Since many customers have installed the patch and seen no problems, this issue may or may not have been directly related to the patch installation:
After installing the patch, The InfoPlus.21 Administrator tool would not expand to show the database structure. There were numerous error messages upon starting up InfoPlus.21, indicating that the user needed to check the RPC configuration as well as a WINRPC timeout error message.
To solve this problem, the customer re-registered two dll files: atobject.dll and atinfoplus21object.dll.
Atobject.dll is located here: C:\Program Files\Common Files\AspenTech Shared\AtObject Atinfoplusobject.dll is located here: C:\Program Files\Common Files\AspenTech Shared
Once the files are registered, stop and start the IP21 server. All of the error messages should be eliminateed and InfoPlus.21 should start up correctly.
Keywords: MS03-039
security patch
824146
References: None |
Problem Statement: Cannot set value of timestamp field to the same time history timestamp (microseconds). For example, if two values are added to history with the same timestamp, the history system adds a microsecond (00:00:00.000001) to differentiate between the two. However, if you try to update a record's timestamp using a similar value, the microsecond gets dropped.
For example:
update tag1 set ip_input_time = '05-AUG-04 09:40:00.123456';
write tag1.ip_input_time using 'TS25';
Result: 05-AUG-04 09:40:00.123400 | Solution: The history system can use microseconds (6 digits after the decimal point), but the database fields can only use decamillaseconds (4 digits after the decimal point). So the only way to store this value is in a character string. In your custom record, change the field from a Time Stamp type to a Character type with a Size(bytes) of at least 25.
update tag1 set input_time_char = '05-AUG-04 09:40:00.123456';
write tag1.input_time_char;
Result: 05-AUG-04 09:40:00.123456
Keywords: time stamp
milliseconds
References: None |
Problem Statement: Starting the database from the Infoplus.21 Administrator tool produces error, System Error 1450 | Solution: Troubleshooting checklist for System Error 1450
1. If Trying to load the snapshot when accessing the IP.21 Administrator via Terminal Services - Terminal Server does not work with the InfoPlus.21 client application. Please refer toSolution 115637 for more details.
2. According to Microsoft documentation, System Error 1450 translates to Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service. Rebooting the server may resolve this.
3. In one instance, it was found that the TSK_API_SERVER (the TSK_API_SERVER from IP.21 v.2.5.1) wasn't removed from the system during the v2.5.1 to v4.1 upgrade. So TSK_API_SERVER and the v.4.1 replacement version of TSK_API_SERVER called TSK_ORIG_SERVER were both registered to the NobleNet Portmapper with the same program and version numbers. This caused various problems. One of which was the RegOpenKeyEx 1450 error, which occurred every 20 days or so after the upgrade if the IP.21 server wasn't rebooted.
If your IP.21 system formerly had the Version 2.5.1 or 3.x versions of IP.21, please check to see if you have a task in the IP.21 Manager called TSK_API_SERVER. If you have TSK_API_SERVER in your task list on a Version 2004 system, please stop it and delete it, since it is no longer used. This task was divided up into 5 new tasks for v.3.0 and later. The 5 replacement tasks are called TSK_APEX_SERVER, TSK_EXCEL_SERVER, TSK_DEFAULT_SERVER, TSK_ORIG_SERVER and TSK_ADMIN_SERVER.
4. If this error is encountered when attempting to load a snapshot from the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator, try to load the snapshot from the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Manager. Loading a snapshot from the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Manager requires fewer resources. A snapshot can be loaded from the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Manager by going to Actions | Utilities | Snapshot.
Keywords: System Error 1450
Snapshot
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article provides a troubleshooting template to follow when Aspen Recipe Explorer (or a custom application written with the Aspen Process Recipe API) cannot communicate with the Aspen Process Recipe server component. | Solution: Please follow these steps to troubleshoot connectivity problems between Aspen Process Recipe client and server components.
? The client and server computers should be able to ping one another by name.
If your network supports reverse name lookup, you should ideally be able to successfully run nslookup from the client to the server then from the server back to the client. (Successful nslookup is not specifically required for Aspen Process Recipe communications to work. However, if your network normally supports nslookup, but nslookup fails between these two machines, then this could point to an underlying name reSolution problem on the network.)
The client and server must be on the same domain, or on domains which have trust relationships established.
Aspen Process Recipe uses Windows authentication to log into the relational database. If there are any restrictions of Windows authentication with the relational database between your client and server then the communications will not work.
The Aspen Process Recipe client usesDistributed COM (DCOM) to communicate with the Aspen Process Recipe server. Guidelines for setting the DCOM configuration can be found in knowledge base article 106617.
If there is a firewall between the client and server communications will not work unless specific ports are opened on the firewall for DCOM communications to work. Instructions for opening specific ports for DCOM communication can be found here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms809327.aspx
? If the client PC uses Windows XP SP2 the Windows XP personal firewall will need to be disabled.
If your site uses Aspen Framework (AFW) or Aspen Local Security (ALS) to allow/deny access to specific users there may be a security problem with this particular client. The security component diagnostic tool, SSTest, can be used to troubleshoot issues with AFW/ALS. SSTest can be downloaded from knowledge base article 106497.
It is possible to enable verbose logging on the Aspen Process Recipe client by following the instructions in knowledge base article 112169. The information in the debug log may be used to determine which part of the communication fails. (The verbose logging only works with Aspen Recipe Explorer or the Aspen Process Recipe server components. It will not work for custom programs which connect via the Aspen Process Recipe API functions.)
Keywords: failure
disconnect
sever
reject
access
References: None |
Problem Statement: The asctoarc.exe tool is used to build an InfoPlus21 fileset. After loading the fileset, the user applies the h21arcck.exe utility to check the newly populated fileset. The error message below might occur if a user processes a text file that is too large for the asctoarc.exe utility to process.
The output is below:
Checking Record Headers and Contents
Invalid Timestamp > 318790080.0
Record > 672553216 Contents Invalid - Point Id > 2531843 Record > 672561408 Duplicate Event Times
The size of the text file that caused the h21arcck.exe utility to generate the above error was 2GB. | Solution: There is a provision in the code of the asctoarc.exe tool to handle this error. By default, the buffer size in the code is set to 256. The 2004.ata input text file contains a line with 511 characters. The buffer size could be increased by specifying the -h nnn command line argument where nnn=value to the power of 2 (ie., 512, 1024, 2048...).
Keywords: duplicate
invalid timestamp
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to apply data compression to records defined by IP_TextDef? | Solution: There is a field in records defined by IP_TextDef called IP_COMPRESSION. The default value for this field is OFF - which is equivalent to no data compression. Setting this field to ON sets the data compression feature. This will store data in history only after a change in value. This will prevent the same text string from being written to history over and over again.
Keywords: Compression
Text
References: None |
Problem Statement: Within the InfoPlus.21 Administrator, the following error messages might appear based on the following actions:
1. Action: Cannot create a new group Error message: security repository already exists
2. Action: Cannot delete a group Error message: access is denied | Solution: You have to visit the registry entry of the InfoPlus.21 server to fix the problem.
1. Go to: Start | Run
2. Type regedit <enter>
3. Goto: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AspenTech\SEcurity\RegistrySecurity Server
4. Deleted the reg key under RegistrySecurity Server
5. Rebooted the server.
Keywords: access
denied
security
References: None |
Problem Statement: How can one install the Aspen InfoPlus.21 API (Application Programming Interface) on a machine so that custom applications can connect to the InfoPlus.21 databases? | Solution: Installing Aspen InfoPlus.21 will place the necessary API files on the disk, including the infoplus21_api.h and infoplus21_api.lib files.
For complete instructions on how to use these files please see the 'Aspen InfoPlus.21 Database API Manual'. It is located on the AspenTech Software Support website:
support.aspentech.com
=> Documentation
=> Production Management and Execution Products
=> Aspen InfoPlus.21
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: When Aspen Process Recipe (APR) is running with Aspen Process Sequencer aka Aspen Transition Manager, there are several different processes running in the NT Task Manager at various times: ATM_SERVICE, ATM_ADMIN, ATM_EXEC, and ATM_IP21. This article discusses the purposes of each of these components. | Solution: ATM_SERVICE.exe is the process that runs in the NT Task Manager; it is started by the Aspen Transition Manager Service (in the Control Panel | Services). It's purpose is to start the ATM_ADMIN.exe process when the machine is rebooted.
NOTE: Do not rely on ATM_SERVICE.exe to shutdown the other components when the service is stopped. After stopping the ATM_SERVICE from the Control Panel, verify in the NT Task Manager that all associated ATM_* components are not running. Manually kill any remaining ATM_* tasks. In a future version, ATM_SERVICE will go away and ATM_Admin will be converted into a Service component.
ATM_ADMIN.exe is the process that interacts with Recipe Explorer. It is the main server process for strategy development and editing. It also starts the ATM_EXEC process when creating a package in RUN mode.
ATM_EXEC.exe is the process that handles the packages that are created in RUN mode by ATM_ADMIN. If there are no packages running, there is no ATM_EXEC process. If, however, there are multiple packages running, there will be only one ATM_EXEC process.
ATM_IP21.exe is the process that allows the communication between ATM_EXEC (the package) and InfoPlus.21. When a package is started, a record defined by ATM_ASYNCDef is created in the IP.21 database. This record, ATM_ASYNCxxx, where xxx is the package ID, is filled with download destination information from the recipe.
Keywords: ATM_ADMIN
ATM_EXEC
ATM_SERVICE
ATM_IP21
References: None |
Problem Statement: The InfoPlus.21 Database API Manual describes how to link with the correct header files and library files in order to use the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Application Interface (API). For those users who are new to programming with the Aspen InfoPlus.21 API, it can be difficult to set up a project which links and compiles correctly against the required Aspen InfoPlus.21 files. This knowledge base article provides a working example of a C++ project created with Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 | Solution: A sample C++ project created with Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 is attached to this knowledge base article. To use this example project:
1. Unzip the file IP21APITest.zip to the directory where the Microsoft Visual Studio project files are normally stored. For example,
Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98
2. Double click on the project workspace file (IP21APITest.dsw) to open the project.
3. Go to
Build | Compile main.cpp
to compile the project.
4. If the project compiles successfully go to
Build | Build IP21APITest.exe
This will build an executable in the Debug folder (which runs, then exits very quickly if run by itself.) To run the program from the Visual C++ debugger go to
Build | Execute IP21APITest.exe
This will keep the console window open which will show the messages written by the printf statements.
Note: This project was compiled on an Aspen InfoPlus.21 v.6.0.1 system which had Aspen InfoPlus.21 installed on the C:\ drive. Other versions of Aspen InfoPlus.21 may have the required header files and library files in slightly different locations. If the project encounters lnk2001: unresolved external errors during the compile or build processes check the following:
1. In Project | Settings | Link go to the Object/Library modules field and enter a path to infoplus21_api.lib (where it exists on your PC.) Scroll all the way to the right in this field to see the path that is used for this project (this path is shown below)
C:\Progra~1\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\shared\lib\infoplus21_api.lib
2. In Tools | Options | Directories, select 'Show directories for library files', then navigate to the folder which holds infoplus21_api.lib. This should be
C:\PROGRAM FILES\ASPENTECH\INFOPLUS.21\SHARED\LIB
3. In Tools | Options | Directories, select 'Show directories for include files' then include the following paths
C:\PROGRAM FILES\ASPENTECH\INFOPLUS.21\SHARED\INC
C:\PROGRAM FILES\ASPENTECH\INFOPLUS.21\DB21\INCLUDE
Keywords: link
lnk2001
2001
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article provides a troubleshooting template to use when TSK_DBCLOCK hangs during a normal InfoPlus.21 (IP.21) startup. | Solution: Please use these tests to troubleshoot a TSK_DBCLOCK process which does not start:
1. Is TSK_DBCLOCK using any CPU when viewed in the Windows Task Manager? If TSK_DBCLOCK is using CPU then let it keep processing for a while to see if it completes.
2. Are there any error messages in the TSK_DBCLOCK or loaddb .out or .err log files? Any messages in either of these files could provide details regarding the source of the problem.
3. Does the server have enough available memory so that TSK_DBCLOCK can freely allocate the amount of memory specified in the command line parameters field? See knowledge base article 103866 for an explanation of how memory is specified in this field.
4. If you completely shut down IP.21 (where all tasks are stopped) then attempt to manually start IP.21 by manually starting each task in the defined task list one at a time, does TSK_DBCLOCK start?
When the IP.21 startup routine is executed, it will try to verify that the user starting the database is an administrator with permission to do so. This security check happens when TSK_DBCLOCK is launched.
If you are able to start TSK_DBCLOCK manually, but TSK_DBCLOCK won't launch as part of the full IP.21 start routine then the cause is likely due to a permissions problem with the account which starts IP.21.
If tests show that this does appear to be a security/permissions issue then these suggestions can be used to troubleshoot the problem further:
1. Stop the AFW Security Client service and the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service.
2. Go to Program Files\AspenTech\Working Folders\AFW and delete the four cache files in this directory.
3. Restart the AFW Security Client service and the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service.
4. Attempt to start IP.21 through the IP.21 Manager.
5. If TSK_DBCLOCK still hangs on startup, you can troubleshoot further by running the security support tool 'SSTest' with the user account which normally initiates the InfoPlus.21 startup sequence. SSTest can be executed by double-clicking the .hta file, which (with newer versions) is placed in the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\AspenTech shared\AFW\Diagnostics
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: You have future timestamps in one or more fields in memory for records and there is no way the data came that way from Cim-IO. And, you know for sure that the time on the machine was not set to the future. What could be going on? | Solution: The future dates may be a result of the interpretation of normal timestamps displaying data 4 years in the future. A normal timestamp is a 32-bit value representing the number of tenths of a second since the start of a four year period. Extended timestamps are a normal timestamp with an extra word containing the number of leap years that have elapsed since 1900. Normal time-stamps are only valid for up to two years. Extended timestamps are not subject to the four year rollover. PMCAnalogDef, PMCRealLabDef, CMLimitDef, and many other definition records use Normal Timestamps. (IP_AnalogDef and IP_DiscreteDef use Extended timestamps and will not exhibit the behavior.) So, if there is data in a timestamp field that is more than 2 years old that has not updated in that timeframe, the interpretation of normal timestamps becomes incorrect. It becomes 4 years later than the correct value.
What do you do to get rid of the future timestamps? The answer is NOT to change the definition record to change from normal to extended timestamps! This is a change to the definition record and doing such a change will cause all history to be lost for every record! The answer is to somehow get the data out of memory so that the data is read from disk. If these records that have not been updated in more than 2 years are no longer used, perhaps they can be disabled or deleted. Otherwise they need to get updated somehow so that new timestamps exist in the record.
UPDATE TOSolution (December 2003)
With the release of Version 6.0 of Aspen InfoPlus.21, changes to definition records are now possible without losing history. So, a timestamp field set up as Normal can now be changed to Extended. This will prevent future occurrences of this problem.
Keywords: normal timestamp
extended timestamp
future
References: None |
Problem Statement: Sometimes when trying to place an existing strategy in Edit mode in Aspen Process Recipe Explorer, the following error message appears:
Error Source = RecipeExplorer
Error: -2147221163
Description: Method '~' of object '~' failed
and the strategy cannot be edited.
This problem usually occurs if a previous installation failed or was not completed. | Solution: Initial suggestions:
-- ReviewSolution # 107677.
-- Check if the Security server URL in AFW Tools on the client PC experiencing the problem is pointing to the correct ALS server; the URL should have the server name or its IP address in its path (see example below):
http://FIRSTWAVE1/AspenTech/AFW/Security/pfwauthz.asp
-- Try using a user account which has administrative rights to run Aspen Process Recipe.
-- Run dcomcnfg.exe and set the default security for this application to NONE.
Answer the following questions:
-- What version of Process Recipe and SQL Server or Oracle are you running? -- Is your relational database installed on the same or different machine as InfoPlus.21 machine? -- What operating system are you running it on?
-- Are you running Transition Manager together with Process Recipe? -- Have you encountered this error before?
-- Is this the first time you are running Process Recipe? (first time installation?) -- Has it worked before?
-- If so, what has changed that caused this error message to appear? -- Are you able to edit the strategy after acknowledging the error message? -- If not, then what happens when you click the OK button to acknowledge the error? -- Is it a server or client install?
-- If it's a server install, do you experience the same on the server? -- If it's a client install, have you tried opening Process Recipe on other client PCs? Is this problem isolated only to your client PC or other PCs return the same error?
NOTE: For CLIENT installations, the following needs to be installed on a client PC:
Aspen Process Data
Aspen Process Recipe Explorer
SQLplus Client
Are these installed on your PC?
-- Are all your clients the same version as the server?
-- Have you created an ODBC data source for SQL+ or Oracle? (Process Recipe [without Transition Manager] gains access to the IP.21 database through ODBC drivers.) -- What version of Internet Explorer do you have installed on your PC? You should at least have IE 5.5 SP1. -- What account are you using to run Process Recipe and connect to the relational database? Is it a domain based account? -- Are all of the system components members of a Microsoft domain? -- Do you have the latest service packs and engineering releases for your version of the AMS Suite and Process Recipe installed?
Once you have reviewed the above troubleshooting steps/questions and still have a problem, please contact AspenTech Support via email at [email protected] with answers to the above questions.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Customers may have a backup IP.21 server which they may switch to in case they need to do maintenance work on the primary IP.21 server. When switching over to the backup server, just follow the procedure below to ensure a smooth transition with minimal data loss. | Solution: This procedure assumes the following:
the backup server has a different name from that of the primary IP.21 server.
the CIMIO server is on a different machine from the IP.21 server.
Things to do before carrying out the switchover:
1. Install the same set of IP.21 software on the backup server.
2. Copy non-active filesets to the backup server (pause historian if you suspect data is still being written to these filesets). Copy in batches to try to minimize historian downtime.
3. Pause/Stop historian and copy the current active fileset to the backup server. Resume/Start historian when you have finished copying.
4. Save a recent database snapshot and copy to the backup server (to the same location).
5. In IP.21 Manager, save the group configuration (.ipg) and copy to the backup server. Restore this configuration in IP.21 Manager on the backup server. If you have any custom external tasks, copy the executables to the backup server too.
6. Copy (and overwrite) the history configuration files (map.dat, config.dat, tune.dat) to the backup server.
7. Copy (and overwrite) the services file and cimio_logical_devices.def file to the backup server. (If the CIMIO server is on the same machine as the IP.21 server, go to the cimio_logical_devices.def file and change the nodename to reflect the name of the backup server.)
8. Configure the same data sources in the ADSA client config tool on the backup server. Make sure that the hostname is the backup server.
9. Recreate the same security settings in AFW Security Manager on the backup server.
10. Copy all other necessary files to the backup server, eg. Batch information and database, SQL+ scripts, AspenCalc formulas and calculations, etc. Remember to move the uncompressed version of your CompQueryDef queries from the directory pointed to by the COMPRESS_SOURCE environmental variable.
11. If you did not copy the filesets to the same location, you will have to change the location of the filesets using the chgpaths utility now (refer toSolution #106366).
12. Do a test by starting up IP.21 on the backup server. Shutdown IP.21 on the backup server, after verifying that IP.21 starts up normally without any errors. Resolve any errors/problems before the actual switchover.
Actual Switchover Procedure:
1. Ensure that IP.21 is shutdown on the backup server.
2. Save a database snapshot and copy to the backup server. Make sure you start up the backup IP.21 database with this recent snapshot.
3. In IP.21 Manager, save the current group configuration (.ipg) and copy to the backup server. Restore this configuration in IP.21 Manager on the backup server.
4. Shutdown IP.21 on the primary server.
5. Copy the active fileset to the backup server. If you suspect that other filesets have been changed since the last backup, you may copy them over now.
6. Switch the network cable so that the CIMIO server is now connected to the backup server.
7. Startup IP.21 on the backup server.
8. Perform the clean restart procedure found inSolution #103176. This will regenerate the scanlist on the CIMIO server.
9. Check that data is coming in, and that users can view data from the client PCs.
10. If data is not coming in after performing the clean restart procedure, do a read test using Test API to see what the error is. Check the services and cimio_logical_devices.def files. Revert back to your primary server, and contact your nearest support center for help.
Keywords: backup
switch over
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to add a new engineering unit? | Solution: To add a new engineering unit via the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator, you will need to determine what format record is used by the field IP_ENG_UNITS (for all standard records) or ENG UNITS (for records defined by PMCAnalogDef).
The following example shows how it's done for records using IP_ENG_UNITS:
1. Open the Fields record for a given definition record and locate the Field_Name_Record IP_ENG_UNITS.
2. Scroll over to the right so that you can view the value of the column labeled FIELD_FORMAT_RECORD. For IP_AnalogDef definition record that value will read ENG-UNITS.
3. Locate this record (ENG-UNITS in this case) in the database by using the Find | InfoPlus.21 Record option from the Toolbar.
4. Increase #_OF_SELECTIONS by one and type in your engineering unit. Note: if you need to add more than one engineering unit, then increase the #_OF_SELECTIONS by the number of engineering units that you are going to add.
5. Click on #_OF_SELECTIONS and scroll down to the bottom (the very last occurrence). You should see a blank occurrence; all you need to do now is add in the engineering unit of your choice.
IMPORTANT: When adding new engineering unit(s), you SHOULD only add it at the end of the record and not in the middle. This is because the text string that is displayed in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator and other related products is not actually stored in the database. The selection value integer number is what is stored with the tag's information. Inserting into the middle will cause previously defined tag's engineering unit to be incorrectly displayed as text.
NOTE: When upgrading your database, please remember to make sure there is a reference to the modified engineering units record in the OKTOMODIFY.inp file perSolution 106245.
Keywords: ENGUNITS
adding
References: None |
Problem Statement: Recent values for tags are not presented in the record's History Repeat Area in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator. Recent tag data is visible in other client tools (Aspen Process Explorer, Aspen SQLplus, etc.). | Solution: The History Lookup Parameters should be changed in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator. There are two ways to access the History Lookup Parameters
1. From the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator click View | History Lookup...
2. From the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator Toolbar: Click on the History Lookup Parameters (calendar) icon on the far right.
To view the most recent historized values, enable the Use Current option in the History Lookup Parameters menu. To see history from an older date disable the ?User Current? option and select the desired date from the calendar of the drop-down menu.
NOTE-1 : A refresh of the screen either with F5 or Shift-F5 is needed to recognize the changes in the History Lookup Parameters setting
NOTE-2 : If un-checking the Use Current so as to see data with older or future time-stamps, do not forget to reset it!!
Keywords: IP_#_OF_TREND_VALUES
History
Data
Current
References: None |
Problem Statement: Every time a Process Recipe package is created, a new package ID is generated and a new ATM_ASYNCDef record, ATM_ASYNCxxx (where xxx is the package ID), is created in the Infoplus.21 database. If there is no procedure established to delete the ATM_ASYNCxxx record when the package is deleted, the site license point limit for the database or the Memory Utilization Free Space limit can potentially be reached.
It this happens, the following errors will be recorded in the Aspen Process Recipe message log (accessible from the Process Recipe Explorer tool bar):
Could not establish COS fields for ATM_ASYNCxxx
Trying to connect to IP21: Error - subscript out of range
This is an indication that the ATM_ASYNCxxx record has been created but there is not enough allocated memory left to expand and populate the history repeat area. | Solution: The problem can be solved by either deleting the old and no longer needed ATM_ASYNCxxx records from the database or by increasing the Free Space in the Properties of the IP.21 database (in the IP.21 Administrator).
NOTE: In some cases it may be necessary to increase the size of the snapshot to accomplish this task.
Keywords: ATM_ASYNC
subscript
References: None |
Problem Statement: The APIInfoDef records were created to allow users to monitor usage and troubleshooting information in regards to each API server process which connects to the Aspen InfoPlus.21 database. This knowledge base article describes each field in the APIInfoDef record structure. | Solution: When an InfoPlus.21 API server starts up, it creates a record defined by APIInfoDef, if such a record having the related name does not already exist. The name of the record created depends upon the InfoPlus.21 API server task name.
Task Name
Record Name
Client
TSK_ADMIN_SERVER
ADMIN_SERVER
InfoPlus.21 Administrator
InfoPlus.21 Definition Editor
TSK_APEX_SERVER
APEX_SERVER
Aspen Process Explorer
TSK_BATCH21_SERVER
BATCH21_SERVER
Batch.21 and BCU Server
TSK_ORIG_SERVER
ORIG_SERVER
Pre-v.2.5 client applications
TSK_EXCEL_SERVER
EXCEL_SERVER
Excel AspenTech Add-In
TSK_DEFAULT_SERVER
DEFAULT_SERVER
Any other client applications or custom programs.
At regular intervals, InfoPlus.21 API servers store usage and troubleshooting information in
records defined by APIInfoDef. The fixed area of such a record contains the following fields:
Field Name
Purpose
IP_TASK_START_TIME
Timestamp field that is updated by the API server on startup.
IP_UPDATE_PERIOD
Integer field that can be modified by the user. Specifies how often the record should be updated by the API server. The default is 1 minute. A value of 0 would indicate that the API server should not update the record.
IP_TOTAL_CONNECTIONS
Integer field updated by the API server. Shows the total number of connections accepted since server started. Includes closed connections.
IP_MAX_CONNECTIONS
Integer field updated by the API server. Shows the
maximum number of connections accepted during any update period since the server started. For example, a number of 250 means there were 250 connections made in one update period since the server started. Updated by the update period.
IP_CURR_CONNECTIONS
Integer field updated by the API server. Shows the number of connections at end of last update period.
IP_NEW_CONNECTIONS
Integer field updated by the API server. Shows the number of new connections made in the last update period.
IP_MAX_THREADS
Integer field updated by the API server. Shows the
maximum number of threads created during an update period since the API server started. A thread is created for every outstanding API call serviced by the API server.
IP_CURR_THREADS
Integer field updated by the API server. Shows the number of API calls currently being processed.
LAST_LOG_TIME
Timestamp field updated by InfoPlus.21 when the API server updates the record.
DISK_HISTORY_STATUS
Integer field that is updated by InfoPlus.21 when the LOGS_ON_DISK field is changed (by user).
DISK_HISTORY_STATUS indicates status of connection with historian subsystem. Usually indicates OK.
LOGS_ON_DISK
Integer field that can be modified by the user to any of three states: OFF, ON, or PAUSED. A
LOGS_ON_DISK state of ON indicates that new
historical occurrences should be queued for subsequent long-term storage by the historian. PAUSED indicates that existing history should be accessible but new historical occurrences should not be queued for subsequent long-term storage. OFF means that existing history cannot be read and no new historical occurrences should be queued for long-term storage. By default, LOGS_ON_DISK is in the OFF state.
Note: Before modifying this field, the user must specify an IP_REPOSITORY and a non-zero LOGS_IN_MEMORY value.
IP_REPOSITORY
Record pointer field that can be modified by the user. Specifies where (which history repository) new historical occurrences should be queued for long-term storage. By default, no history repository is specified.
LOGS_IN_MEMORY
Repeat count field that can be modified by the user.
Specifies the size (number of occurrences) of the memoryresident history repeat area. The default
LOGS_IN_MEMORY value is zero.
Important: It may take the API Server up to 15 minutes before deciding that a client application is no
longer connected. Consequently, there may be a similar delay before the current connection
count decrements.
The memory-resident history repeat area contains multiple occurrences of the following fields.
Field Name
Purpose
IP_CURR_CONNECT_HIST
History of IP_CURR_CONNECTIONS values
IP_NEW_CONNECT_HIST
History of IP_NEW_CONNECTIONS values
IP_CURR_THREADS_HIST
History of IP_CURR_THREADS values
IP_NEW_THREADS_HIST
History of IP_NEW_THREADS values
LOG_TIME
History of LAST_LOG_TIME values
Map records (defined by AtMapDef) allow Process Explorer to trend history (if configured).
Map Record
History Field
APICurConnMap
IP_CURR_CONNECT_HIST
APICurThreadsMap
IP_CURR_THREADS_HIST
APINewConnsMap
IP_NEW_CONNECT_HIST
APINewThreadsMap
IP_NEW_THREADS _HIST
Keywords: Monitor
API
Usage
Performance
References: None |
Problem Statement: A few of our customers who have had problems with Aspen Process Explorer or @aGlance Client tools and they would discover that although they installed the Aspen Desktop, they did not have the Portmapper Service added to their list of Services.
We have only seen this on Win2000 machines and most often with the Professional Edition of Win2000.
When they searched their C:\Program Files\Common Files\ Aspen Tech Shared\Portmapper, they did find that the PORTMAP.EXE existed. The problem was simply that the service poinitng to that executable did not get built. | Solution: Inside the C:\Program Files\Common Files\ Aspen Tech Shared\Portmapper directory there is an executable called portinst.exe Executing that portinst program will cause the Service to be correctly built.
Keywords: Portmapper
Portinst
Noblenet
Portmap
References: None |
Problem Statement: Error Client has lost connection with the AspenTransition Manager Server occurs when attempting to run a strategy from a Recipe client | Solution: Register ATM_WebDataProvider
? Stop the Recipe Explorer
Open a command window
Go to ..\Program Files\AspenTech\ProcessRecipe\Bin
At the prompt run ATM_WebDataProvider.exe /regserver
Start the Recipe Explorer and try the package again
If this does not resolve the issue copy ..\transition manager\bin\ ATM_WebDataProvider.exe from the ATM server and place it on the client in ..\process recipe\bin and register it.
Keywords: Aspen Transition Manager
Aspen Process Sequencer
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article describes why the message
GMT offset not specified in config file
can be returned to the setcimrpc.log file when attempting to connect to an Aspen InfoPlus.21 database using the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Application Programming Interface (API). | Solution: This is a common message and is simply informational. This message indicates that the GMT offset is not set up. Since Aspen InfoPlus.21 does not use GMT offsets other that what is set in the operating system's time properties, this message can be safely disregarded.
Keywords: UTC
zulu
References: None |
Problem Statement: Beginning with V7.3.0.2 | Solution: Article 134042 explains why an upgrade of Aspen InfoPlus.21 to v7.3.0.2 or later, now contains a new History Repository by the name of TSK_DHIS_AGGR with 3 filesets on the 'C' drive.
The question may be asked as to how that repository was added without user intervention.
The file Config.Dat is a disk resident file containing information about all repositories and all filesets.
The first application that touches the Config.Dat file will add this Repository.
This could be either..
- When h21chgpaths is run against that file to modify file locations
OR
- By TSK_DBCLOCK when the post upgrade database startup is completed successfully.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: When attemting start InfoPlus.21, the startup fails on the loaddb task. The following error appears.
Error starting task loaddb.
The loaddb.out file contains one of the following errors.
? System error 2 opening file
System error 3 opening file
System error 5 opening file
In addition, the loaddb.err file contains one of the following errors.
? BLKOPREA: CreateFile failed: Filename <filepath>/<snapshot file name>, Error 2
BLKOPREA: CreateFile failed: Filename <filepath>/<snapshot file name>, Error 3
BLKOPREA: CreateFile failed: Filename <filepath>/<snapshot file name>, Error 5 | Solution: The error appears if the loaddb task is unable to access the snapshot file. There are three possible reasons for this.
Error 2 indicates that an incorrect file name is used. Error 3 indicates that the path is incorrect. Finally, error 5 indicates that the account used to start the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service does not have the proper permissions to access the snapshot file.
To eliminate errors 2 and 3, update the command line parameters for the task to ensure that the path and snapshot file name reflect the actual location and name of the snapshot file. To eliminate error 5, grant the proper permissions to the account used to start the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service. The task service must run under a user account that is a member of the Administrators group.
Keywords: system error
opening file
manager
loaddb
References: None |
Problem Statement: When attempting to run h21arcck or h21mon > CHECK, the error message Invalid history set is received. | Solution: The error message indicates that the repository name is not recognized.
Check to ensure the name is typed correctly and note that the input is case sensitive. If the repository name contains one or more blank spaces, enclose the name in double quotes.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article illustrates how to set a QueryDef record to execute when a field in another record changes value. | Solution: For this example, assume you want to execute the QueryDef record, TBQuery, whenever the IP_Input_Value of the record atcai changes. The steps to configure the QueryDef record would be:
1. Create the QueryDef record, TBQuery. This is most easily done through the Aspen SQLplus Query Writer through the Record | Save As... menu item.
2. Locate the new record, TBQuery, using the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator. Set the WAIT_FOR_COS_FIELDS repeat area to 1 and set the #OUTPUT_LINES to the number of lines of output your query will generate. This will allow you to set one change of state activation criteria for this QueryDef record's execution and capture the output of the query.
3. In the WAIT_FOR_COS_FIELD enter the tag name and the field for the QueryDef to monitor, separated by a space. It will look like this:
ATCAI IP_INPUT_VALUE
4. Set COS_RECOGNITION to 'all'.
5. Activate the new QueryDef record to start the execution record. To activate the record right click on TBQuery then select Activate...
The new QueryDef record will now execute automatically every time the IP_Input_Value field of the record atcai changes. The output can be monitored by refreshing (F5) the #OUTPUT_LINES repeat area.
Keywords: auto
run
execute
training
References: None |
Problem Statement: The maximum past time (Max_Past_Time) can be specified in the HistoryParameters record in IP.21. It is also possible to change the parameter in the InfoPlus.21 Administrator. To do so, right click on the repository and select Properties. The past and future times can be specified in the Repository tab.
By default, the PAST_TIME parameter is set to one day (24 hours). This parameter can be adjusted to allow data insertion up to 2 years in the past.
In version 6.0 and above, a utility (chghistparams.exe) is available which allows insertion of data into the past as far back as 6.8 years. Use of the utility is explained below.
NOTE: In version 2004.1, the maximum allowable past time parameter for chghistparams.exe has been increased to 25 years. The enhancement was addressed in defect CQ00143619. | Solution: 103981. The following information pertains only to IP.21 6.0 and higher.
Keywords: past
history
data
administrator
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the purpose of the cache.dat file? | Solution: The cache.dat is a file that holds the last 5 minutes worth of data in the portion of history shared memory known as the cache. This is the portion where the tags are organized by record ID and held in individual slots before they are written to disk. Every 5 minutes, this cache is captured and saved on disk in the cache.dat. Why? In case of a power outage or ungraceful shutdown of IP.21, this is used to synchronize what is in memory with what is on disk.
How does it work technically?
Every 1/10th second, the h21archive process pulls a chunk of data from the Queue and, if it is part of the current data stream, places it into the memory-resident Cache.
The Cache is structured in such a way as to have slots, each of which holds all the data for one repeat area in the InfoPlus.21 database.
Each slot is sized by a set-up parameter called cache_size, specified in bytes (the default size is 256 bytes. Typically this should not be changed.)
The size of the entire memory resident Cache is defined by the allocated memory per point reserved, and the number of data points being archived.
The Cache is copied to disk every five minutes to minimize data loss in case of a power outage or ungraceful shutdown. This parameter is not configurable at this time.
When a particular cache entry (or slot) is full, it is grabbed by the h21archive process and placed into the appropriate File Set.
Note:
The appropriate File Set is determined by the key timestamp of the data collected. If the data entering the queue is not part of the current data stream, the h21archive task moves it from the queue directly to a fileset, without the value being stored in the cache.
Where does the cache.dat file located on your system?
The cache.dat file should exist in the Program Files\Aspentech\InfoPlus.21\c21\h21\arc directory, and it is there whether history is running or not. So please remember that when a cache.dat file exist on your system, it DOES NOT mean you are having history problem. If you want to troubleshoot for potential history problems, then please refer toSolution #105584 for steps.
Keywords: cache
cache.dat
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article outlines the various methods one can use to write client applications in Java which communicate with an InfoPlus.21 server. | Solution: The Aspen InfoPlus.21 programming interface (API) is not supported to be called from Java. Therefore, virtually all customers write their custom Java Aspen InfoPlus.21 client applications using JDBC.
Since Aspen InfoPlus.21 can function as an OPC server, another option is to write a custom Java application as an OPC client. This application could then use OPC connectivity to communicate with Aspen InfoPlus.21. The main drawback to the OPC method is that Aspen InfoPlus.21's OPC server is an OPC-DA server. Therefore, it does not support historical data transfer (HDA). Aspen InfoPlus.21's OPC server only gives access to the most current data point for each tag. However, Matrikon (www.matrikon.com) has developed an OPC server for Aspen InfoPlus.21 which does handle historical data transfer.
Keywords: Java
script
Javascript
API
DA
References: None |
Problem Statement: Error 39110 is an error that may be seen when configuring Aspen Cim-IO for PI. In simple terms the error means that the Cim-IO Server cannot connect to the PI Api. Our kb articles 133492 and 116167 describe | Solution: s that repair most of the causes of this error, but one more cause has been discovered.
Usually AspenTech would recommend that users create new Logical Devices via the wizard found by right-clicking on the I/O icon in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administrator. However, the PI Api is very sensitive to such as naming conventions, to a point that a new device built by the wizard will not be correctly recognized by the interface and result in this errorSolution
Configure the Logical Device to be used by Aspen Cim-IO using the old method of batch files, manual configuration of Services, LogicalDevices etc.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: If the password is incorrect for the InfoPlus.21 Task Service (located in the control panel) then the following error message will appear:
Error during startup: Overlapped IO Operation in Progress | Solution: The following steps will remove the error message and InfoPlus.21 will start up upon reboot.
Go to: Start | Settings | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services
Check to see if the InfoPlus.21 Task Service is started and if it is set to be started automatically.
Double-click on the service to verify that the password is correct. Re-enter the current password for the account to verify that it is correct.
Once the password is added, reboot the server to take into account the new password change.
InfoPlus.21 will start up automatically upon reboot.
Keywords: overlapped
IO operation
InfoPlus.21
start
References: None |
Problem Statement: Getting FYSNC errors while installing CIMIO for PI on VMS:
%LINK-W-NUDFSYMS, 1 undefined symbol:
%LINK-I-UDFSYM, FSYNC
%LINK-W-USEUNDEF, undefined symbol FSYNC referenced
in psect $LINK$ offset %X00000180
in module GEN_UTIL file | Solution: Add a reference to sys$share:vaxcrtl/shr or sys$library:vaxcrtl/lib in the tcpip.opt file and run the install again.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to add additional records to the OPC UA DA address space? | Solution: The DA folder represents a filtered view by including only a subset of the Aspen InfoPlus21 records. Specifically, the folder contains only those records categorized as ?data access?, such as IP_AnalogDef, IP_DiscreteDef, and IP_TextDef. When showing tags under the DA folder, only a subset of the attributes (fields) are available. Only those attributes related to data access are available, such as Measurement, EngineeringUnits, and EURange. Measurement includes Value, StatusCode, SourceTimestamp, and ServerTimestamp.
In order to add additional records to the DA Address space:
1. Create a Map record for the additional definition record if not already completed
2. Open the IP_TagsBranch record
3. Increase the value for field PE_#_OF_OBJECTS
4. Add the definition record name to the additional occurrence
5. Disconnect and reconnect the OPC UA client
Keywords: browse path
browse name
name space
address space
map record
References: None |
Problem Statement: When launching the InfoPlus.21 Administrator the following error message pops up upon selecting the target database:
Failed to open RPC Transport
As a result, the IP.21 database is not accessible via the InfoPlus.21 Administrator or the SQLplus client. The InfoPlus.21 database and all related tasks and services are running (which can be confirmed with the InfoPlus.21 Manager and the Services applet). | Solution: Troubleshooting steps:
1. Make sure TSK_ADMIN_SERVER is running in the InfoPlus.21 Manager.
2. Verify that the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service service is running.
3. Verify that the NobleNet PortMapper for TCP service is running.
4. Restart the above services even if they are currently running. Make sure you restart Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service service first. If the NobleNet PortMapper for TCP service is not running, it should start automatically as it is a dependent of the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Task Service service.
5. If the above actions fail to resolve the issue, a server reboot may be necessary.
Some other possible reasons for the above mentioned error message.
This type of error sometimes occurs on a remote IP.21 Administrator in situations where the database (located on a different node) has been upgraded to a later version or an ER or a service pack has been installed which changed the versions of some Aspen dlls or core components. If that's what has happened then theSolution is to upgrade the remote Administrator to the same version as the database resident Administrator.
Troubleshooting questions:
1. Has it worked before?
2. Is it a local (IP.21 server based) or a remote Administrator?
3. Does the error occur when connecting to all databases or just one of them?
4. What changed on the node where the Administrator is installed (has any new software been installed, OS patches, et cetera?)
5. What changed on the node where IP.21 database is installed (has any new software been installed, OS patches, et cetera?)
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: What are the possible values and their meanings for the CalculationStatus property of the CalculationObject in the Aspen Calc COM API? | Solution: Check below a list of calculation status:
     0 = Normal Â
     1 = Sandbox
     2 = On Schedule
     3 = On Schedule, Sandbox
     4 = Error
     5 = Error, Sandbox
     6 = Error, On Schedule                               Â
     7 = Error, On Schedule, Sandbox                      Â
     8 = Store mode (Store and Forward enabled and inputs haven't changed).                         Â
     9 = Forward mode (Store and Forward enabled and processing history).
Keywords: CalculationObject
CalculationStatus
CQ00540030
References: None |
Problem Statement: Several methods can be used to stop and start an InfoPlus.21 database. | Solution: 1. From the IP.21 Manager
Click on the STOP InfoPlus.21 button to stop the database or click on the START InfoPlus.21 button to start the database.
2. From the IP.21 Administrator
Right click on the nodename of the InfoPlus.21 Server, and choose the Stop Database or Start Database option.
3. From a DOS Prompt
From a DOS Prompt, you can use these commands to stop and start an IP.21 database.
%SETCIMCODE%\TSK_CLIENT/STOP
%SETCIMCODE%\TSK_CLIENT/START
- at a DOS prompt (say C:\) ==> type CD %SETCIMCODE% and hit the enter key
- once at the C:\Program Files\AspenTech\InfoPlus.21\db21\code directory ==> type in tsk_client/stop to stop the database or tsk_client/start to start the database.
Keywords: stop
start
DOS
database
References: None |
Problem Statement: A Dependency Node causes a transition to pause until a specified condition is met. A simple condition specified by something like a = 1 causes the transition to stop processing until the parameter value in the recipe or in the process, a, is equal to the integer value of 1. This value of 1 may be coming from a discrete type data record in the Aspen InfoPlus.21 database. What if the discrete type data record in InfoPlus.21 is formatted by a selector record where character strings are representing the integer values? For example, what if the discrete type record is formatted by a selector record auto/manual where the integer value for auto is 0 and the integer value for manual is 1. The condition a = 1 will not be met! What do you do? | Solution: If the item/parameter a is set up in APR as an integer data type, then a condition of a = 1 where 1 = manual will never be met. If, however, the item/parameter is set up in APR as a character string data type, then the condition of a = 1 can be changed to be a = manual. Then, when the integer value does indeed become 1 or manual, the condition will be met and the Dependency Node will continue processing.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: There are cases where some customers have had two different records running in parallel and collecting the same data at the same frequency. This could be on the same system - two different repositories, or two different systems. If one of the systems or repositories went down for whatever reason, then there would be a data gap in the data records on that system.
Based on the above scenario, the following questions might arise:
1. How to copy the missing data from the repeat area of the first record into the repeat area of the second record?
2. How to combine two histories into one? | Solution: The answer to the above questions is to use Excel Addin to extract data from one record and then use SQLplus to insert it into the history repeat area of the other one. In fact, there are multiple ways in which it could be done.
The best approach would be to first extract the data out of record1, and save it into some kind of a delimited text file. This can be comma delimited, where each row is one occurrence of data. You can use a query to do this, or you could use ODBC to get data into Excel and let Excel create the delimited file. Then, once you have the data, you can write a query using the Insert Into command. There is a section in the SQLplus manual that talks about inserting into history. There are also some goodSolutions in our knowledge base on how to do it. (SeeSolutions # 102892 and 102623.) You would need to know how to do the selecting of substrings, which is also documented.
This would not be the exact syntax, but you'd end up with something like:
insert into record2 (ip_trend_value, ip_trend_time)
select substring (1 of line between ','), substring(2 of line between ',') from text.dat
where text.dat would look something like:
47.5, 11-Jan-2002 14:00:00.0
24.3, 12-Jan-2002 14:00:00.0
If record1 has ALL the same data as record2, including those that you have in memory, you may want to just wipe out completely those occurrences in record2 that are still being held in memory, and get ALL the data from record1. That way you won't have to worry about excluding any data that you already have.
NOTE: Make sure you've got all of it working and correct before you wipe out record1 and do take an extra SNAPSHOT before doing ANYTHING.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: Changing the value for day_start in the [C21_AGGREGATES] section of the c21_config file does not work. | Solution: Since v2.0, this has been replaced with the AGGREG_DAY_START field in the the HistoryParameters record. This record is defined by HistoryParamDef.
Keywords: Day_Start
aggreg_day_start
start of day
start_of_day
configuration
References: None |
Problem Statement: Does the database needs to be stopped or paused before running the H21ARCCK command? | Solution: AspenTech recommends that you stop history storage with h21arcstop before you use this command. However, you can use the -b parameter to check any archive (except the current archive) while the history storage is running.
Assuming that you stop history storage to run h21arcck, be certain to start history storage again afterward. Restart history storage using h21prime.
Keywords: arcck
history
References: None |
Problem Statement: What are the security recommendations for the shared folders created by Aspen InfoPlus.21 (IP.21) database installation? | Solution: The three IP.21 shared directories (arcs, etc, Group200) are created on an IP.21 server computer only so that an InfoPlus.21 Administrator application running on a remote client computer can work correctly.
Until recently, these shares were created with Everyone having Full Control. The user could then restrict them as necessary to allow access by those individuals or groups needing remote access. In the 6.0.1 service pack, we are explicitly locking them down so that everyone has READ access and only the InfoPlus.21 system account on the IP.21 server has WRITE access. Again, the WRITE permissions can be changed as needed.
The UNC paths in the Repository and Fileset Properties are not required. They are only there as a convenience for users who may need to set up repositories on remote systems. Internally, the IP.21 archiver translates them to local paths anyway to improve performance.
AspenTech recommends using local paths instead of UNC paths. There has been some discussion about making local paths, instead of UNC paths, the default but so far no decision has been made.
To summarize the main points:
By default, EVERYONE has READ access to the three IP.21 shares on an IP.21 server computer. It is considered good practice to remove the Everyone group from these shares and add in a special Administrators group.
Only the InfoPlus.21 system account on the IP.21 server computer should have WRITE access to the three IP.21 shares on an IP.21 server computer. Additional administrator or user accounts can be given the WRITE permissions as needed.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article explains the possible causes for the error message:
Insert Error: Column name or number of supplied values does not match table definition | Solution: This error message can occur for the following reasons.
A mismatch in client/server Aspen Process Recipe versions. In this case the Aspen Process Recipe client may try to update a database table which contains different fields than the Aspen Process Recipe client expects.
A user without Aspen Framework (AFW)/ Aspen Local Security access to the Aspen Process Recipe database attempts to create a record in the database (add a control recipe, etc.) This message most frequently occurs when a custom program which uses the Process Recipe API runs under an account that doesn't have the required AFW permissions to modify the Aspen Process Recipe database.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: How can a repository queue state be checked from a C program?
In order to display the Event Queue Summary for a Repository, a user would typically use these steps:
1. Start | Programs | Aspentech | Aspen Manufacturing Suite | Aspen InfoPlus.21 | InfoPlus.21 Administrator
2. Expand: InfoPlus.21 | <server name> | Historian
3. Right mouse click on a repository and select Check Queue
This will display the Event Queue Summary. Some users have expressed an interest in displaying this information via a C program, or an SQLplus query. | Solution: The attached zip file contains the scripts to run within a C program environment. The scripts allow you to display the Event Queue Summary for any Repository. Note: thisSolution is only supported when run local to an Aspen InfoPlus.21 (IP.21) server.
The attached .doc file contains an example SQLplus query, which also displays the Event Queue Summary. From the SQLplus Query Writer tool, you must first select View |
Keywords: queue
repository
history
References: s, and choose the Aspen InfoPlus.21 History Admin 1.0 Type Library.
Note: In Version 2004 and later, Aspen InfoPlus.21 provides a History Administration Scripting Interface that allows COM-enabled applications to configure history repositories and access repository information of the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Historian. The History Administration Scripting Interface can be use instead to accomplish this. Refer to the Aspen InfoPlus.21 Administration Online Help for a more detailed description on the usage of this interface. Aspentech has supplied some example programs using Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual C++ along with ones using Aspen SQLplus which can be found in Program Files\Aspentech\InfoPlus.21\ db21\sample_programs. |
Problem Statement: Aspen Calc formulas can sometimes go into a state where the status is in Error. Is there any way to monitor these formulas, and receive a report of which ones are in error? | Solution: The following query will list any calculations that have an error status. It can be further adapted for your specific needs.
local CalcCmd, list, i int, calcnames, statuses;
CalcCmd = createobject('CalcScheduler.CalcCommands');
list = CalcCmd.GetCalculationSummary();
if isarray(list) then
calcnames = list[0];
statuses = list[1];
for i = lbound(statuses) to ubound(statuses) do
if statuses[i] >= 4 then
write calcnames[i];
end
end
end
Keywords: Aspen Calc
Status
Error
Monitor
Report
References: None |
Problem Statement: When using the Definition Editor to modify a copy of an existing definition record, errors may occur when modifying the properties of some fields:
ip_trend_value has a quality status field
ip_trend_value has a history source | Solution: Many of the fields in Aspen InfoPlus.21 Definition records are linked to key fields within the record. The link between the fields must be removed before modifying the properties of these fields.
For Example:
Modifying the field IP_Trend_Value in a copy of IP_AnalogDef will cause the errors mentioned above. Remove the links by right clicking on the field and selecting Special | Quality Status from the pulldown menu, and delete the link to IP_Trend_QStatus. Right click on the field again and select Special | History Source and set the source fields to None.
Once the desired modifications are complete, the links must be reset so the modified record will function like the original.
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: As of version 5.0, Aspen Calc has the ability to use On-Demand calculations. On-Demand calculations include stored calculations (which are saved to a file then reused) and ad-hoc calculations (which are typed directly into a client application such as Process Explorer).
On-Demand calculations can be executed 'on the fly' by applications such as Process Explorer. One requirement of the stored On-Demand calculations is that they must exist locally on the client which executes them. This Knowledge Base article will provide the steps necessary to move a stored On-Demand calculation from one PC to another. | Solution: Each client will need to have Aspen Calc installed locally on their PC in order to use a stored calculation. The stored calculation must then exist locally on the client's PC.
The stored On-Demand calculations will exist in the following folder:
Program Files\AspenTech\Aspen Calc\Apps\OnDemand\Calc
Move the calculations (the .atc files) from the source PC to the same folder on the client's PC. The client will then need to restart the Aspen Calc service for the calculations to be recognized: it is the service called Aspentech Calculator Engine.
Stored On-Demand calculations are created using an ADSA data source that contains the service component 'Aspen Process Data (IP.21)'. However, they must be displayed (for example, through Tag Browser and Process Explorer) using an ADSA data source that contains 'Aspen Process Data (Calc)'. Note that this second data source should only contain one service component named 'Aspen Process Data (Calc)'.
It is also worthy to note that an Aspen Calc ADSA data source won't return stored On-Demand calculation results if the SQLplus service component is also defined in the service component list along with Aspen Process Data (Calc).
Keywords:
References: None |
Problem Statement: When running the Aspen PlateFin program, the Input | Exchanger Geometry | Layer Types form is blank. | Solution: This may occur if a graphics control has not been correctly registered during the installation process. To register, you will need Administrator privilege to run the Version Control Utility. This utility can be found from the Start Menu | All Programs | AspenTech | Exchanger Design and Rating V7.x.x then look for the short cut to the ?Version Control Utility?.
If you have multiple versions or Exchanger Design and Rating (EDR) installed, then highlight the version to register and then click on the ?Fix current version? or ?Set? button depending upon which is activated.
If linking to a Process Simulator, like Aspen Plus or Aspen HYSYS, then checking the ?Register Aspen Exchanger Design & Rating?.? will register these programs as well so that EDR can be run inside of the simulator program.
Keywords: Layer types blank
References: None |
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