Remote Diagnostic Utility for Process Data Access Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex industrial process control systems, identifying and addressing malfunctions in data access servers and associated devices is time-consuming and costly, leading to potential production downtime due to the reliance on accurate and real-time data for decision-making.
Innovation Solution
A remote diagnostic utility that enables the monitoring and analysis of data access servers and their associated devices, allowing for the extraction of runtime details and configuration status from a single location, reducing the need for physical travel and expediting troubleshooting through a server agent and diagnostic rules storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If administrators physically travel to data access servers to diagnose issues, then they can directly observe and analyze the server status, but the time and cost of diagnosing issues increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the remote data access server environment by establishing a connection between the diagnostic utility and the remote server through a network. This allows administrators to interact with and diagnose the remote server as if it were locally present, eliminating the need for physical travel while maintaining full diagnostic capability. The connection mechanism replicates the server's operational state and interfaces at the administrator's location.
2Ease of repair
If administrators physically travel to remote locations to diagnose data access server issues, then they can perform hands-on analysis, but the cost of diagnosis increases due to travel requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network connection as an intermediary between the administrator's diagnostic utility and the remote data access server. This intermediary enables full troubleshooting capability by allowing the diagnostic utility to send commands, retrieve status information, and analyze server operation remotely. The network intermediary eliminates the need for physical presence while maintaining complete diagnostic functionality, thereby reducing travel costs.
3Area of stationary object
If data access servers are distributed across multiple locations in large process control systems, then system coverage and monitoring capability improve, but the time and resources required to tune and diagnose servers increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal diagnostic utility that can connect to and diagnose any data access server across the distributed network through a standardized interface. This multi-functional tool eliminates the need for location-specific diagnostic procedures, allowing administrators to diagnose servers anywhere in the distributed system using the same remote access mechanism. The universal approach reduces the exponential time increase that would otherwise result from servicing multiple geographically dispersed servers.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are diagnostic utilities and complimentary interfaces that enable users to observe, from a remote location, the configuration and operation of data access servers and associated data source devices. The servers provide diagnostic data and server-specific diagnostic schema used by a diagnostic utility to analyze the received diagnostic data. Engines within servers supply data associated with diagnostic roots within each server. In an embodiment, the set of diagnostic root types is extensible. First, the diagnostic roots are extended by adding to the scope of data items provided by base diagnostic objects. Second, entirely new diagnostic object root types can be added for a particular server. A diagnostic utility development environment provides a set of class libraries for creating server-specific portions. Server developers use a class library to create customized diagnostic objects. The class library supports both pushing data to the diagnostic utility and serving requests from the diagnostic utility.