Configuring Advanced Modbus Devices in ClearSCADA

On a ClearSCADA system, you configure the ClearSCADA database so that entries in the database correspond to the plant, measuring instruments, and control devices on your system. This section summarizes the database items that you need to configure to represent the Modbus devices on your system.

In order to represent Modbus devices, the Advanced Modbus Driver has to be installed and running on the ClearSCADA servers on your system. When the driver is first installed, a system administrator needs to define the server settings for the driver (see Configuring Advanced Modbus Server Settings).

When you configure Advanced Modbus items in the ClearSCADA database, many of the settings for those items need to correspond to the settings of the relevant Modbus devices on your system. Some settings are either fixed (incorporated into the design of the Modbus controller), or are configured by an engineer. You need to have access to, or an understanding of, the settings of the Modbus devices on your system before you can configure the Advanced Modbus database items successfully. For instance, on Generic Modbus controllers, you need to specify the Register Write Function that ClearSCADA is to use when writing to the registers in those controllers.

You also need to be aware of which optional features are required for each Advanced Modbus item. These features include:

• Alarm views
• Alarm redirections
• Historic data storage
• User methods.

For each device with which ClearSCADA is to communicate using Modbus protocol, you need to configure:

1. Advanced Modbus Channels to represent the communication connections between a Modbus controller and the ClearSCADA server (see Configuring an Advanced Modbus Channel).
2. Advanced Modbus Sets to define groups of Modbus controllers (see Configuring an Advanced Modbus Set).
3. Generic Modbus Controllers to define the units that monitor data and control plant (see Configuring a Generic Modbus Controller).

   If ClearSCADA is running an Advanced Modbus Extension Driver, alsosee the relevant section in the appropriate Advanced Modbus extension driver guide.

4. If required, an Advanced Modbus Remote Connection. You only need to create and configure an Advanced Modbus Remote Connection if ClearSCADA is to share a communications link with an application such as ISaGRAF® in order to communicate with remote Modbus devices. A Remote Connection defines the port on which ClearSCADA is to receive commands from an application (see Configuring an Advanced Modbus Remote Connection).

   NOTE: Generic Modbus Controllers do not support writing of configuration from the ClearSCADA server. However, you may be able to write configuration remotely, via applications such as ISaGRAF®. Refer to the documentation supplied with the application for information.

5. Advanced Modbus Points of the appropriate type to represent the measuring instruments and control devices that are connected to each controller (see Points Used on Generic Modbus Controllers).

Further Information

Scanning Direct Controllers on the Advanced Modbus Driver.