Reviewer details
Name: Dries van Schalkwyk
Position/designation: Director
Company: Control Systems Integration
Telephone: +27 (0)12 667 4646
E-mail: [email protected]
Product details
Vendor: Wonderware Southern Africa (a member of the EOH group of companies)
Product name and version: Wonderware ArchestrA Product Suite (IAS 2.1, InTouch 9.5, InSQL 9.0)
Telephone: 0861 WONDER (0861 966 337)
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.wonderware.co.za
General
Q: In what industry is the scada application?
A: Mining
Q: Briefly describe the application including information on any pre-existing control system or scada system that was in place.
A: InTouch 7.11 and Siemens S5 PLCs, converted to ArchestrA and InTouch 9.5 on Siemens S7 400 PLCs. Seven PLCs were upgraded and converted during the last year.
Q: Who performed the scada configuration?
A: Combined team of Exxaro Coal and Control Systems Integration.
Q: Approximately how many man-hours did the scada configuration take?
A: Roughly 15 working weeks to develop and commission seven scada systems.
Q: What sort of licensing agreement is used on this particular system?
A: One industrial application server (IAS) tag licence covers the site as does the Historian licence. The platform and InTouch licences are purchased as required.
Q: What upgrade agreements are in place? Are patches and version upgrades free, covered under annual maintenance or managed in some other way?
A: Free version upgrades, patches and service packs covered under annual maintenance.
Q: Describe how the after-sales support is handled?
A: Support via remote RAS dial-up and e-mail as well as regular site visits.
System architecture
Q: How many tag points/I/O does the installation have? Analog, digital, other?
A: About 13000 I/O controlled by seven PLCs and five Scada nodes as well as three Industrial Application Servers, one IndustrialSQL Server (realtime historian) and one ArchestrA Galaxy Repository node for development.
Q: On what operating system is the scada running?
A: Windows XP Professional.
Q: What impresses you most about the architecture?
A: Flexibility and scalability, reliability by using redundancy, easy to use tools, open standards, drivers to almost any controller hardware, backward compatibility.
Q: What are the key physical communication layers and communication protocols employed in the system?
A: Siemens H1 Industrial Ethernet on Cat5 UTP and fibre, as well as Profibus on Profibus copper cable.
Q: Is the scada system integrated onto an intranet or the Internet?
A: No intranet functionality was implemented, but remote network access with full remote deployment and configuration capability exists.
Q: Does the application utilise web services?
A: System configuration and disaster Recovery via HTML pages accessible from any of the automation system PCs.
Q: What sort of redundancy is incorporated in this scada application?
A: Full redundant industrial application servers running in hot standby, with redundant PLC I/O drivers (only one driver communicating to the PLCs at any time).
Graphics
Q: Describe the graphics development process.
A: The application uses standardised smart symbols drawn from scratch during the standardisation, matching the ArchestrA object templates.
Q: How would you describe the library of graphic images?
A: The production personnel preferred simple two-dimensional but functional P&ID type graphic symbols that could show or animate all the possible states of the various devices.
Q: Did you use any 'special' images?
A: Yes, embedded photographs.
Compatibility
Q: Do you run the scada in conjunction with any third-party application software?
A: No
Q: Describe any specific scada scripts or custom code that was written for this project.
A: None.
Management reporting and integration
Q: Is a trending and historical data reporting system included?
A: Yes. ArchestrA automatically registers an object to be logged in IndustrialSQL Server, based on the setting of the object template. No configuration is therefore required during the creation of the devices to log the data.
Q: Is a management reporting system included in the package?
A: Yes, Active Factory is used to provide management reports.
Q: Is the system integrated with an MES/ERP or other management reporting or control system? If so then please describe the integration process and methodology.
A: The ERP integration project is currently being executed. The interfacing is based on SAP xMII.
Q: Who performed this integration?
A: EOH.
Q: Was any additional software development needed?
A: N/A.
Q: Describe any production benchmarking tools which have been configured as part of the scada system.
A: Only standard trending tools used for production purposes.
System safety, security and data protection
Q: Describe any alarm management standards or best practices that have been adopted in configuring the scada system.
A: ArchestrA handles alarming based on structures defined in ISA-95.
Q: What steps have been taken to firewall the plant network(s) on which this scada system exists?
A: Three virtual plant networks are used to separate the PLC, scada and office network traffic. A firewall exists between the scada and office network.
Q: What intrusion detection has been incorporated on the plant network(s) on which this scada system exists?
A: None
Q: Describe any configuration back-up and archive backup methodologies that have been adopted.
A: Full redundant servers exist. MDT AutoSave change management software is used to back up the PLC software, Microsoft Systems Management Console to back up the ArchestrA Galaxy and a complete disaster recovery document has been written describing complete installation of the automation system.
Conclusion
Q: What impresses you the most about the system?
A: Flexibility, scalability, ease of engineering, re-usability of standards, cost saving on engineering, redundancy.
Q: What was the predominant feature (or features) that made you decide to employ this scada, rather than another?
A: The features listed above, but in particular the ease of engineering and cost saving on the engineering effort.
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