Troubleshoot Bad Data
How to identify and resolve communications errors with data sources.
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 0:40 - Bad Tags
- 3:30 - System Errors
- 4:20 - Watch Window
- 6:20 - Error Logging
- 7:20 - Troubleshooting Guides
- 8:55 - Contact Us
Troubleshooting – MQTT
Troubleshoot Bad Data
How to identify and resolve communications errors with data sources.
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 0:40 - Bad Tags
- 3:30 - System Errors
- 4:20 - Watch Window
- 6:20 - Error Logging
- 7:20 - Troubleshooting Guides
- 8:55 - Contact Us
Troubleshooting – Modbus
Troubleshoot Bad Data
How to identify and resolve communications errors with data sources.
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 0:40 - Bad Tags
- 3:30 - System Errors
- 4:20 - Watch Window
- 6:20 - Error Logging
- 7:20 - Troubleshooting Guides
- 8:55 - Contact Us
Modbus Bad Data Quality
Below are some helpful troubleshooting steps to resolve bad data quality for tags with a Data Source of Modbus.
Master or Slave
To communicate to Modbus slave devices set the Type under Configure-Drivers to Master so OAS is a Modbus Master.
When the Type is set to Slave OAS can act as a Modbus slave for Modbus masters to read and write data from OAS.
Protocol Type
The protocol type can be set to TCP, RTU, or ASCII. Although OAS can support all 3 protocols on either Ethernet or Serial interfaces it is typical to use TCP over Ethernet and RTU or ASCII over Serial.
IP Address
When connecting to a Modbus slave over Ethernet the device will need to be reachable from the OAS system. Use Windows Command Prompt or Linux terminal where the OAS Engine is running to ping the device to verify it is reachable.
Memory Type
Specify the correct Memory Type for the data within the device.
- Coil Status: 1 - 09999
- Input Status: 10001 - 19999
- Input Register: 30001 - 39999
- Holding Register: 40001 - 465535
Address
The Address field should not contain the base address of the memory type used.
For example to access holding register 40,001 set the Memory Type to Holding Register and the Address to 1.
Extended addressing is also supported. To communicate to 410001 set the Memory Type to Holding Register and the address to 10001.
Holding Register Address Range
- 40,001 use Address of 1
- 49,999 use Address of 9,999
- 50,000 use Address of 10,000
- 410,001 use Address of 10,001
- 420,000 use Address of 20,000
- 430,000 use Address of 30,000
- 440,000 use Address of 40,000
- 450,000 use Address of 50,000
- 460,000 use Address of 60,000
- 465,535 use Address of 65,535
Zero Based Addressing
Zero Based Addressing will subtract 1 from the address when communicating to the device.
Example: When communicating to Holding Register 40000 the Memory Type will be Holding Register and the Address would be 1.
Refer to the vendor's documentation if the device uses 0 base addressing or 1 base addressing.
Modbus Data Type
The Modbus Data Type for the tag should be set to the correct type based on the data to obtained from the controller.
To access 4 byte single floats use Float32. To access 8 byte double floats use Float64.
To access individual bits of a Holding Register or Input Register use Int16 As Boolean, Int32 As Boolean, or Int64 As Boolean.
Also match the OAS tag Data Type to the correct value type to be set. If you are unsure of the data type use Object to see the result.
Note: If you are using Gain and Offset in a tag to scale an integer value to a floating point value use Double Float or Single Float as the Data Type.
One or More Invalid Addresses
If one or more of the Tags defined to the Driver Interface has invalid address defined or the address does not exist in the device the remaining good addresses can be affected with either taking the device offline or invalid packet request or response.
To isolate one or more tags to their own dedicated communication channel select the existing driver interface and change the name to a new unique name and select Add Driver.
To define a tag to the new driver select Configure-Tags, then select the tag you want to isolate to select the new driver interface.
Select Apply Changes.
If the data quality changes to good for the tag then resolve the other addresses in the tags defined to the first driver interface used.
To help you further identify which tag addresses are bad use the Tag Watch Window to view multiple tags in one window.
To add a tag to the Watch Window, select any tag or tag group and right click on it. Then choose Add to Watch from the context menu.
The tag you selected will then appear in the Watch Window.
Set Bad Msgs to Offline to 0 temporarily so the Driver Interface will remain online to continue to poll all addresses.
If an address is defined that does not exist in the device other tags with valid addresses can also be affected if the address is within range of the Max Words per Packet.
You can temporarily override packet optimization by adjusting the Max Words per Packet to 1 to poll each address independently in its own packet request. See Max Words per Packet following. Use Tag CSV Export and Import to set multiple tags with the same Max Words per Packet.
Once you identify which addresses are invalid investigate if the address exists in the device or refer to the vendor's documentation to find the correct addresses to use.
Max Words per Packet
Some Modbus devices have a limitation of packet size. Refer to the vendor's documentation as to what maximum packet size it can support. There are 2 bytes to each word, so if the device can support 250 bytes, the Max Words per Packet can be left at the default of 125.
The default value of Max Words per Packet is 125.
Note: Setting Max Words per Packet to a lower value can decrease the overall communication speed to the device. Use the highest possible the device supports for the best performance.
Word Swap and Byte Swap
Refer to the device vendor's documentation to determine if bytes or words need to be swapped to covert the raw integer values received and sent. If so use the properties Word Swap and / or Byte Swap.
Device Read Enabled
When the property Device Read is enabled polling communications will be disabled and read requests will only be performed when the tag defined for the Device Read transitions from false to true. If data is to be polled continuously from the device disable the tag property Device Read.
Enable by Tag
The Enable by Tag property is used to define a Boolean tag that will enable or disable communications for the tag. If data is to be polled continuously from the device disable the tag property Enable by Tag.
License
Use Configure-License to verify that the Driver Modbus is enabled.
System Errors
Select Configure-System Errors and expand any Modbus or Driver Interface error to see the details of the error.
The information provided can often help you determine the cause of communication failures.
The history of all systems errors can be found in the OAS Error Log specified under Configure-Options-System Logging.
The default directory is the Log subdirectory in the OAS installation directory. On Windows the default location is C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Log\.
Example from log:
11:29:58.421 Modbus - Modbus Device - Communications - 006 - Modbus Comm Failure: The operation is not allowed on non-connected sockets.
11:30:00.464 Modbus - Modbus Device - Communications - 004 - Modbus Comm Failure: Read values are null
11:30:04.125 Modbus - Modbus Device - Communications - 007 - Modbus TCP connection was not accepted. Socket connect failed. Exception: One or more errors occurred.
Log Modbus Communications
You can enable the Modbus transaction logging under Configure-Options-System Logging to verify the device is responding to a request and analyze the packet optimization for each memory and address defined in the tag configuration.
Optionally specify a specify a specific Driver Interface to capture with the property Driver Interface To Log or leave this blank to log all Modbus drivers.
Specify the location of where the communication logs will be saved with the property Transaction Log Path further down in System Logging.
Following is an example from the log reading Holding Register 40001 with Zero Based Addressing.
12:10:12.944 ReadHoldingRegisters: Start Address: 0 Number of Points: 1
Wireshark
Wireshark is an excellent third party tool to analyze network communications over Ethernet. It has built in support for Modbus TCP and RTU protocols to convert the raw packets into easy to read Modbus protocol requests and responses. Select Analyze-Enabled Protocols to enable the Modbus protocols.
Use Apply a display filter field to filter the network traffic based on the IP address of the Modbus device you want to monitor with ip.addr == <IP address>, an example ip.addr == 192.168.0.1
You can download Wireshark from https://www.wireshark.org/download.html
ModScan32
ModScan32 is a good test application to communicate to Modbus devices to verify the device can respond to requests from the system.
You can download Modscan32 from WinTech Software Design.
Poor Network or Line Quality
If communication failures are intermittent due to weak radio signal or slow device response you can increase the Timeout and / or Number of Retries under Configure-Drivers.
The default Timeout is 1000 milliseconds (1 second).
Modbus Bad Data Quality
Below are some helpful troubleshooting steps to resolve bad data quality for tags with a Data Source of Modbus.
Master or Slave
To communicate to Modbus slave devices set the Type under Configure-Drivers to Master so OAS is a Modbus Master.
When the Type is set to Slave OAS can act as a Modbus slave for Modbus masters to read and write data from OAS.
Protocol Type
The protocol type can be set to TCP, RTU, or ASCII. Although OAS can support all 3 protocols on either Ethernet or Serial interfaces it is typical to use TCP over Ethernet and RTU or ASCII over Serial.
IP Address
When connecting to a Modbus slave over Ethernet the device will need to be reachable from the OAS system. Use Windows Command Prompt or Linux terminal where the OAS Engine is running to ping the device to verify it is reachable.
Memory Type
Specify the correct Memory Type for the data within the device.
- Coil Status: 1 – 09999
- Input Status: 10001 – 19999
- Input Register: 30001 – 39999
- Holding Register: 40001 – 465535
Address
The Address field should not contain the base address of the memory type used.
For example to access holding register 40,001 set the Memory Type to Holding Register and the Address to 1.
Extended addressing is also supported. To communicate to 410001 set the Memory Type to Holding Register and the address to 10001.
Holding Register Address Range
- 40,001 use Address of 1
- 49,999 use Address of 9,999
- 50,000 use Address of 10,000
- 410,001 use Address of 10,001
- 420,000 use Address of 20,000
- 430,000 use Address of 30,000
- 440,000 use Address of 40,000
- 450,000 use Address of 50,000
- 460,000 use Address of 60,000
- 465,535 use Address of 65,535
Zero Based Addressing
Zero Based Addressing will subtract 1 from the address when communicating to the device.
Example: When communicating to Holding Register 40000 the Memory Type will be Holding Register and the Address would be 1.
Refer to the vendor’s documentation if the device uses 0 base addressing or 1 base addressing.
Modbus Data Type
The Modbus Data Type for the tag should be set to the correct type based on the data to obtained from the controller.
To access 4 byte single floats use Float32. To access 8 byte double floats use Float64.
To access individual bits of a Holding Register or Input Register use Int16 As Boolean, Int32 As Boolean, or Int64 As Boolean.
Also match the OAS tag Data Type to the correct value type to be set. If you are unsure of the data type use Object to see the result.
Note: If you are using Gain and Offset in a tag to scale an integer value to a floating point value use Double Float or Single Float as the Data Type.
One or More Invalid Addresses
If one or more of the Tags defined to the Driver Interface has invalid address defined or the address does not exist in the device the remaining good addresses can be affected with either taking the device offline or invalid packet request or response.
To isolate one or more tags to their own dedicated communication channel select the existing driver interface and change the name to a new unique name and select Add Driver.
To define a tag to the new driver select Configure-Tags, then select the tag you want to isolate to select the new driver interface.
Select Apply Changes.
If the data quality changes to good for the tag then resolve the other addresses in the tags defined to the first driver interface used.
To help you further identify which tag addresses are bad use the Tag Watch Window to view multiple tags in one window.
To add a tag to the Watch Window, select any tag or tag group and right click on it. Then choose Add to Watch from the context menu.
The tag you selected will then appear in the Watch Window.
Set Bad Msgs to Offline to 0 temporarily so the Driver Interface will remain online to continue to poll all addresses.
If an address is defined that does not exist in the device other tags with valid addresses can also be affected if the address is within range of the Max Words per Packet.
You can temporarily override packet optimization by adjusting the Max Words per Packet to 1 to poll each address independently in its own packet request. See Max Words per Packet following. Use Tag CSV Export and Import to set multiple tags with the same Max Words per Packet.
Once you identify which addresses are invalid investigate if the address exists in the device or refer to the vendor’s documentation to find the correct addresses to use.
Max Words per Packet
Some Modbus devices have a limitation of packet size. Refer to the vendor’s documentation as to what maximum packet size it can support. There are 2 bytes to each word, so if the device can support 250 bytes, the Max Words per Packet can be left at the default of 125.
The default value of Max Words per Packet is 125.
Note: Setting Max Words per Packet to a lower value can decrease the overall communication speed to the device. Use the highest possible the device supports for the best performance.
Word Swap and Byte Swap
Refer to the device vendor’s documentation to determine if bytes or words need to be swapped to covert the raw integer values received and sent. If so use the properties Word Swap and / or Byte Swap.
Device Read Enabled
When the property Device Read is enabled polling communications will be disabled and read requests will only be performed when the tag defined for the Device Read transitions from false to true. If data is to be polled continuously from the device disable the tag property Device Read.
Enable by Tag
The Enable by Tag property is used to define a Boolean tag that will enable or disable communications for the tag. If data is to be polled continuously from the device disable the tag property Enable by Tag.
License
Use Configure-License to verify that the Driver Modbus is enabled.
System Errors
Select Configure-System Errors and expand any Modbus or Driver Interface error to see the details of the error.
The information provided can often help you determine the cause of communication failures.
The history of all systems errors can be found in the OAS Error Log specified under Configure-Options-System Logging.
The default directory is the Log subdirectory in the OAS installation directory. On Windows the default location is C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Log\.
Example from log:
11:29:58.421 Modbus – Modbus Device – Communications – 006 – Modbus Comm Failure: The operation is not allowed on non-connected sockets.
11:30:00.464 Modbus – Modbus Device – Communications – 004 – Modbus Comm Failure: Read values are null
11:30:04.125 Modbus – Modbus Device – Communications – 007 – Modbus TCP connection was not accepted. Socket connect failed. Exception: One or more errors occurred.
Log Modbus Communications
You can enable the Modbus transaction logging under Configure-Options-System Logging to verify the device is responding to a request and analyze the packet optimization for each memory and address defined in the tag configuration.
Optionally specify a specify a specific Driver Interface to capture with the property Driver Interface To Log or leave this blank to log all Modbus drivers.
Specify the location of where the communication logs will be saved with the property Transaction Log Path further down in System Logging.
Following is an example from the log reading Holding Register 40001 with Zero Based Addressing.
12:10:12.944 ReadHoldingRegisters: Start Address: 0 Number of Points: 1
Wireshark
Wireshark is an excellent third party tool to analyze network communications over Ethernet. It has built in support for Modbus TCP and RTU protocols to convert the raw packets into easy to read Modbus protocol requests and responses. Select Analyze-Enabled Protocols to enable the Modbus protocols.
Use Apply a display filter field to filter the network traffic based on the IP address of the Modbus device you want to monitor with ip.addr == <IP address>, an example ip.addr == 192.168.0.1
You can download Wireshark from https://www.wireshark.org/download.html
ModScan32
ModScan32 is a good test application to communicate to Modbus devices to verify the device can respond to requests from the system.
You can download Modscan32 from WinTech Software Design.
Poor Network or Line Quality
If communication failures are intermittent due to weak radio signal or slow device response you can increase the Timeout and / or Number of Retries under Configure-Drivers.
The default Timeout is 1000 milliseconds (1 second).
WPF Properties Edit Ellipses Missing in VS 2022
Visual Studio 2022 design time properties no longer support custom property editors for WPF applications. Use Visual Studio 2019 to develop WPF applications.
The free Community Edition of Visual Studio 2019 can be download from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/older-downloads/.
WinForm applications are still well supported in Visual Studio 2022.
Bad Data Quality in .NET Application.
Below are some possible reasons your .NET application is not able to read OAS tag values.
Data Source Quality
Use Configure-Tags to verify that the data quality of the source tags is “Good Quality”.
Security
The Default security group on either the local or remote OAS Engine may have Disable All Tags from Reading checked under the Read Tags Tab. See Restrict Tag Access of Security setup to see how read, write, and browse access can be restricted.
View how to Implement User Credentials in Client Applications to provide log in method for each user in the .NET application.
Network
.NET applications can be defined to communicate to remote OAS Engines. See Network Communications Troubleshooting to verify that port 58727 is allowing both incoming and outgoing traffic through your firewall.
Tag Path
The full tag path would include the full tag name including its parent groups and the variable of the Tag.
MyGroup.MyTag.Value
Tag names are case sensitive and the current value of a tag would be .Value as the most common variable.
If the tag is from a remote OAS Engine see Basic Networking for standard remote tag syntax or Live Data Cloud Networking if the OAS Engine system has a dynamic IP address.
\\192.168.0.1\TagName.Value
License
Use Configure-License to verify that a product feature .NET Data Connector, WinForm HMI, or WPF HMI is enabled on the data source system where the tags are located.
Target Framework for WPF and WinForm Applications
The project type for WinForm and WPF applications should be set to include (.NET Framework) and target .NET Framework 4.6.1 or greater.
See the correct project type for WinForm above that is listed as Windows Forms App (.NET Framework) while Windows Forms App would not be the correct project type.
Assembly References
Visual Studio on some operating systems will assign a legacy assembly to the project causing an incompatibility due to an older version of the reference assembly. A common assembly that can be incorrect is Newtonsoft.Json that has been registered in the GAC by another software product.
Select Newtonsoft.Json under the Project References to verify the correct path and version as 13.0.0.0.
If the Path does not reference the OAS installation directory remove the reference and select to Add Reference and browse for dll from the respective directory for the specific product feature. For .NET Framework applications include the .dlls located in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\. The Target Framework set for the VS project must be .NET Framework 4.6.1 or greater. For .NET Standard supporting the following targets include the. dlls located in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetStandard\.
See a list of locations for the correct type in the troubleshooting type After updating to OAS Version 17 the project no longer compiles for a list of correct project reference paths for each type of Visual Studio Project.
.NET Assembly is Blocked
If you have copied an application or project to another computer you may need to Unblock one or more the .dll files.
Right click on the .dll file that you have downloaded. Check the Unblock checkbox for security as shown in the example below, then click Apply or OK.
Legacy .NET Application with OAS Version 17
If the OAS .NET assemblies are from OAS version 16 or less contact support@oasiot.com for compatibility instructions.
After updating to OAS Version 17 the project no longer compiles
OAS version 17 implements an improved network interface which requires some additional assemblies.
All dependent .dlls are located in the relative subdirectory of the Controls directory of the OAS installation directory, typically C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\.
To add a reference to a Visual Studio project right click on References in the Solution Explorer.
Select Browse to browse the directory for each application feature.
Include all .dlls files in the respective directory for the specific product feature.
For .NET Framework applications include the .dlls located in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\.
The Target Framework set for the VS project must be .NET Framework 4.6.1 or greater.
For .NET Standard supporting the following targets include the. dlls located in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetStandard\.
- .NET 5 or greater
- .NET Core 2.0 or greater
- .NET Framework 4.61 or greater
- Xamarin.iOS 10.14 or greater
- Xamarin.Android 8.0 or greater
- UWP 1.0.0.16299 or greater
WPF HMI Assemblies
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCWPFDashboard\
WinForm HMI Assemblies
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCControls\
Alarm .NET Assemblies
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCAlarmControl\
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCAlarmDataOnly\
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetStandard\OASAlarms\
Trend .NET Assemblies
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCTrendControl\
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCTrendDataOnly\
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetStandard\OASTrends\
.NET Data Connector Assemblies
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCSystemsDataConnector\
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetStandard\OASData\
Server Configuration Assemblies
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetFramework\OPCSystems\
- C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Controls\NetStandard\OASConfig\
Troubleshooting – REST API
How do I troubleshoot REST API calls?
If there are errors executing a REST API call, you can check the OAS Configuration app, click on the triangle icon (should be flashing of there's an error) and you'll see system errors.
Locate the REST API and expand it out and you should see the failed calls. But it often won't give you the detailed HTTP request/response and just contain the failed URL that was attempted. It's a good way to see if people are hitting incorrect endpoints.
If you use Postman to execute REST API calls, you can see the proper URLs, headers, body contents, etc. for making proper calls.
If you ever get these response or codes, this is what they mean:
401: Unauthorized - you have not included the clientid and token fields in the request header, or the session has expired
500: Unknown server error - this may be something we need to investigate since the data was submitted properly but an error occurred on the server processing the request.
404: The object you're trying to GET or PUT (update) does not exist
If you see "Service Unavailable" that means the REST API did not start up properly.
If you see a message indicating the Endpoint does not exist, this means the URL is not correct for the call.
If there's something specific you're attempting and don't know what the issue is, you can always look at a successful call from Postman's console and it will expose everything in the request header/body and response header/body. You can compare it to your failing call to see what you might need, such as the correct Content-type. You can always let us know what call you're stuck on and we can investigate why it might not work for you.
Troubleshooting – Tags
Troubleshoot Bad Data
How to identify and resolve communications errors with data sources.
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 0:40 - Bad Tags
- 3:30 - System Errors
- 4:20 - Watch Window
- 6:20 - Error Logging
- 7:20 - Troubleshooting Guides
- 8:55 - Contact Us
Troubleshooting – Allen Bradley
Troubleshoot Bad Data
How to identify and resolve communications errors with data sources.
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 0:40 - Bad Tags
- 3:30 - System Errors
- 4:20 - Watch Window
- 6:20 - Error Logging
- 7:20 - Troubleshooting Guides
- 8:55 - Contact Us
Allen Bradley Bad Data Quality
Below are some helpful troubleshooting steps to resolve bad data quality for tags with a Data Source of ABLogix and ABClassic for communications to Allen Bradley ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5 controllers.
ABLogix or ABClassic
To communicate to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, and Micro800 choose AB Logix for the Driver type. For MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5 choose AB Classic.
ControlLogix Backplane and CPU Slot
When communicating to ControlLogix processors the Backplane and Slot number must be correctly set.
Default Network Adapter
The AB Logix and AB Classic drivers commutate out of the default network adapter. View Set Default Network Adapter for Driver Interfaces to see how to set the default adapter on Windows.
IP Address
When connecting to a controller the device will need to be reachable from the OAS system. Use Windows Command Prompt or Linux terminal where the OAS Engine is running to ping the device to verify it is reachable.
Address
The Address field in each tag should be set to a variable name or address that exists in the online controller.
When interfacing with AB Logix controllers use the Browse button to select the correct address from the on-line controller.
See One Click Allen Bradley to automate setup of addressing from either online controllers or offline program files.
If an Address is incorrectly defined to something that does not exist in the controller a System Error will be posted under Configure-System Errors listing all addresses that are invalid.
Use CSV Export under Configure-Tags to open with MS Excel and to search for the tags that contain the invalid addresses that are listed. The System Errors are also logged to text files into the OAS Error Log directory specified under Configure-Options-System Logging.
AB Data Type for Strings
When using AB Logix the AB Data Type will need to be set to STR if the variable in the controller is a string. Set AB Data Type to AUTO for all other variable types.
Also match the OAS tag Data Type to the correct value type to be set. If you are unsure of the data type use Object to see the result.
Note: If you are using Gain and Offset in a tag to scale an integer value to a floating point value use Double Float or Single Float as the Data Type.
One or More Invalid Addresses
If one or more of the Tags defined to the Driver Interface has invalid address defined or the address does not exist in the device the remaining good addresses can be affected with either taking the device offline or invalid packet request or response.
AB Tag Validation Program
If running on Windows you can identify which addresses are defined as invalid using the program AB_Tag_Validation.exe located in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\AB Validation\.
Note: if you do not see the AB Validation subdirectory update your version of OAS to the latest version.
Run AB_Tag_Validation.exe and enter the admin username and password you have defined for OAS.
Select each Driver Interface in the Driver Interfaces list in the upper left to verify all tags defined to that Driver Interface.
Any addresses that are defined incorrectly that do not exist in the controller will appear in the Bad Data Quality Tags folder along with the tag name that contains that address.
Alternative - Create Additional Driver
If running on Linux or Windows another way to identify the issue is to isolate one or more tags to their own dedicated communication channel select the existing driver interface and change the name to a new unique name and select Add Driver.
To define a tag to the new driver select Configure-Tags, then select the tag you want to isolate to select the new driver interface.
Select Apply Changes.
If the data quality changes to good for the tag then resolve the other addresses in the tags defined to the first driver interface used.
To help you further identify which tag addresses are bad use the Tag Watch Window to view multiple tags in one window.
To add a tag to the Watch Window, select any tag or tag group and right click on it. Then choose Add to Watch from the context menu.
The tag you selected will then appear in the Watch Window.
If an address is defined that does not exist in the device other tags with valid addresses can also be affected if the address is grouped into the same communication packet request as the invalid address.
Once you identify which addresses are invalid investigate if the address exists in the device or refer to the controller program to find the correct addresses to use.
Device Read Enabled
When the property Device Read is enabled polling communications will be disabled and read requests will only be performed when the tag defined for the Device Read transitions from false to true. If data is to be polled continuously from the device disable the tag property Device Read.
Enable by Tag
The Enable by Tag property is used to define a Boolean tag that will enable or disable communications for the tag. If data is to be polled continuously from the device disable the tag property Enable by Tag.
License
Use Configure-License to verify that the Driver ABLogix or ABClassic is enabled.
System Errors
Select Configure-System Errors and expand any AB or Driver Interface error to see the details of the error.
The information provided can often help you determine the cause of communication failures.
The history of all systems errors can be found in the OAS Error Log specified under Configure-Options-System Logging.
The default directory is the Log subdirectory in the OAS installation directory. On Windows the default location is C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\Log\.
Log AB Communications
You can enable the Log AB and Siemens Comm. transaction logging under Configure-Options-System Logging to track .
Specify the location of where the communication logs will be saved with the property Transaction Log Path further down in System Logging.
Wireshark
Wireshark is an excellent third party tool to analyze network communications over Ethernet.
Download WireShark from https://www.wireshark.org/
- Install WireShark
- Run WireShark
- Click 'Options' button on toolbar (or Main Menu> Capture> Options...)
- In the 'Capture Interfaces' dialog 'Input' tab, select the Network Interface Adapter that you are using by checking the checkbox. In the 'Capture filter for selected interfaces' field, enter 'host 192.168.0.1'. (Use your controller's IP address, not the one in the example)
- Click Start button on Wireshark toolbar (or Capture> Start from the menu)
- Let run until error occurs
- Click Stop button on Wireshark toolbar (or Capture> Stop from the menu)
- On WireShark, select File, Save As...
- In Save As dialog, enter 'myCaptureFile.cap' or use a significant name for multiple captures.
- Send the file(s) to OAS support with file sharing server link provided.
Poor Network or Line Quality
If communication failures are intermittent due to faulty network you can increase the Transaction Timeout under Configure-Drivers.
The default Timeout is 1000 milliseconds (1 second).