6-2 DATA COLLECTION PROGRAMS

DATA DISPLAY TOOLS

There are several useful data-collecting programs available for troubleshooting purposes. These programs can be used to collect data from CDB pointnames, logics and/or variables, some can be saved to an ASCII text file, and they can be used to collect data from more than one unit when executed on a multi-unit (an capable of controlling/monitoring multiple units). The following sections define these programs and give further details on its operation.

6-2.1. VIEW1.EXE

VIEW1.EXE is executed from the DOS command line of an while IDOS is running. While VIEW1.EXE program is collecting data, the is dedicated to this task. If necessary, control commands may be issued froma ntoher or <BOI>. The program is manually initiated, not by an event or predetermined time. (See VIEW2T.) VIEW1.EXE can collects data at a once-per-second rate (1 Hz).

To view the startup screen, type VIEW1.EXE at the DOS prompt and press Enter. This reveals the information shown in Figure 6-1.

When executing VIEW1.EXE on a multi-unit , it collects data from the currently selected unit unless a unit name prefix is supplied. To collect data from units other than the currently selected unit, use the unit name followed by a colon as a prefix to the CDB pointname. For example, to collect data for CDB pointname L4 for unit T2, enter the pointname at the prompt or in the pointlist file as T2:L4.

To also send output to a file, enter filename as a program parameter. Eight points can print on the screen, up to 29 points go into the file. To read point list from a file, enter @filename as a program parameter. Default unit is T1.

Enter pointname[1]:

The following list of CDB pointnames could be used by VIEW1.EXE to gather data from multiple units (in this example T1

is the currently selected unit when the file is executed.)

TNH FSR CPD

T3:L3STCK T2:L4

This is regardless of the drive/directory from which the program was executed. The currently selected unit is the one whose Main Menu was switched to or was being viewed at the time the user exited to DOS. A sample of data collected by running

VIEW1.EXE with three data points specified is shown in Fig. 6-2.

The time for each data sample in Figure 6-2 is the time in the , used to execute VIEW1.EXE. It is not the time in the Mark V Control Panel(s) from which the data was collected.

6-2.1.1. VIEW1.EXE OPTIONS. The options available give two ways to enter the pointnames and two ways to direct the

output. VIEW1 [output_file] [@pointlist]

Entering pointnames:

• If no options are specified, the program prompts the user to enter the pointnames.

• Use a pointlist file, (@pointlist) where pointlist is the name of the ASCII text file containing the pointnames for the data to be gathered. Pointnames used by VIEW1.EXE are listed in an ASCII text file created prior to executing

VIEW1.EXE. Directing the output:

Default unit is T1. Enter pointname[1]:

## Unit Pointname Scale -- ---- --- --- 1 T1 TNH % 2 T1 FSR % 3 T1 CPD psi

TIME is processor time, not unit time.

13-JUL 13:35:14 100.37 15.70 83.20 13-JUL 13:35:15 101.35 15.60 83.17 13-JUL 13:35:16 101.99 17.60 87.96 13-JUL 13:35:17 100.06 14.30 79.45 13-JUL 13:35:18 98.94 13.90 78.76 13-JUL 13:35:19 99.57 15.36 82.38 13-JUL 13:35:20 100.04 16.01 84.78

• The data collected is displayed to the CRT and written to the output filename specified when VIEW1.EXE is executed. If a file has the same name as the output file when VIEW1.EXE is executed, it is overwritten. Data that is collected by VIEW1.EXE and written to disk can be viewed and printed using an ASCII text editor. Vendors have other programs available that are able to import ASCII text data in order to convert it to a chart, graphs, or other readable formats.

• If desired, an ASCII text file can be specified which defines a list of CDB pointnames to collect data from when

VIEW1.EXE is executed. The file must exist prior to executing VIEW1.EXE. A maximum of 29 CDB pointnames can be listed in the file. However, only eight can be displayed on the screen at a time. The data for the first eight CDB pointnames can be displayed on the CRT. The file which lists CDB pointnames to be used by VIEW1.EXE should be created with one pointname per line. When VIEW1.EXE is being executed, the CDB pointlist filename must be preceded with the "@" symbol.

• Execute VIEW1.EXE in the USER directory on the F: drive, particularly if collected data is saved to a file on the hard disk. Since data files created by VIEW1.EXE could be very large and are only used in troubleshooting, it is not recommended that VIEW1.EXE data files be created or stored in unit-specific directories. Archiving such files is unnecessary and consumes a lot of disk space. Additionally, once they have served their purpose VIEW1.EXE data files can easily be deleted from F:\USER without the possibility of accidentally deleting unit-specific files.

Press any key to stop VIEW1.EXE. Do not leave VIEW1.EXE running unattended for long periods of time if collected data is being written to the hard disk and hard disk space is limited. The flowchart (displayed in Figures 6-3 and 6-4) details the steps involved in executing VIEW1.EXE.

See Note 1 See Note 1 output_file filename filename NO YES NO YES YES NO NO YES Use an ASCII text editor to create pointlist file of CDB pointnames Use an ASCII text editor to create pointlist file of CDB pointnames Will a pointlist file specify CDB pointnames? Will a pointlist file specify CDB pointnames? Determine name of file where collected data is written Is collected data written to an output file? Exit to DOS command line If is multi-unit, change to unit from

which data is primarily collected

From MAIN MENU, click on Password Administration,

enable Maintenance Password Level (or greater), and return to

MAIN MENU Is access

to DOS enabled?

START

Data Collection using VIEW1.EXE

NOTE 1

On multi-unit s, CDB pointnames from units other than currently selected unit must be preceded with the two-character unitname and a colon; e.g., T3:

See Note 1 See Note 1

Data Collection using VIEW1 COMPLETE

Collected data will only be displayed to CRT; press any

key to terminate data collection

Collected data is only displayed to CRT; press any

key to terminate data collection. Press ENTER after typing each pointname; press ENTER a second

time to begin data collection Execute VIEW1 with the following

command: VIEW1 Begin data collection by

executing VIEW1 with the following command:

VIEW1 @filename

All data will be

displayed to CRT and written to output file Press any key to terminate data collection

All data will be

displayed to CRT and written to output file. Press any key to terminate data collection. Press ENTER after typing each pointname; press ENTER a second

time to begin data collection Execute VIEW1 with the following

command:

VIEW1 output_file Begin data collection by

executing VIEW1 with the following command: VIEW1 @filename output_file

D C

B A

6-2.2. VIEW2.EXE

The program VIEW2.EXE can also be a very useful data-collecting tool for troubleshooting purposes. It is very similar to

VIEW1.EXE (see the previous section) except VIEW2.EXE has different options, it must output to a file, and it stops differently. VIEW2.EXE can collect data for a specified period or be left to continue until the ’s RAM is full. When full, the program terminates and writes the data from RAM to a file. The program’s execution can be terminated at any time by pressing any key. All data collected until that time is written to an ASCII text file.

The command line format/syntax for VIEW2.EXE and its options are shown in the Help screen in Figure 6-5.

6-2.2.1. VIEW2.EXE OPTIONS. The various options that can be specified when running VIEW2.EXE are detailed as follows: (VIEW2.EXE uses default values for any options not specified.)

/PROC instructs VIEW2.EXE to collect data for the specified CDB pointnames from a particular processor in the Mark V control panel. If no processor is specified when VIEW2.EXE is executed, it collects data from its default processor, <C>. In a TMR Mark V control panel, data is usually collected from the <S> or <T> processors rather than from <C> or <R> because all the information in <C>’s control signal database is not updated as quickly as that in the <Q>, and it is desirable to keep the <R>’s processing load as light as possible. Choosing <S> or <T> results in "fresher" data and does not increase the processing load on <R>. In a Simplex Mark V control panel, data is collected from <R>, if possible. There are instances, however, when data is collected from <C>, such as when there are troubleshooting problems with the <C> I/O.

/SCAN is the "scan rate," or rate at which data is collected by VIEW2. It is defined by specifying a value for this option. The actual rate of data collection is usually defined in Hz or the number of times-per-second that data is gathered and stored. The corresponding "scan rate" of data collection is calculated using the formula:

scan rate = (32 / Hz)

For example, if data is collected at an 8 Hz rate (8 times-per-second), the scan rate value to be specified when executing

VIEW2.EXE would be 4. If no scan rate is specified when VIEW2.EXE is executed, it collects data at the default scan rate of 1 (32 Hz).

/SAMPLES defines the number of times (samples) data is collected by VIEW2. This option can define the length of time (in seconds) the data is collected using the following formula:

time = samples / (32 / scan rate)

Solving for samples, the above formula becomes:

samples = time * (32 / scan rate)

For example, if data were to be collected at a scan rate of 4 (8 Hz rate), for 2 minutes (120 seconds), the value of samples to be specified when executing VIEW2.EXE would be 9600. If no number of samples is specified when VIEW2.EXE is

Command format: VIEW2 [options] [@pointlist_file] output_file Options are:

/PROC=c where "c" is { R | S | T | C | D } [Default is C]

/SCAN=n where n is CPU ticks, (1..65535) [Default is 1 for 32 Hz] /SAMPLES=n where n is maximum number of samples [Default is all memory]

The command for executing VIEW2.EXE to collect data from the <S> processor of a TMR Mark V control panel at an 8 Hz rate for a period of 2 minutes using the CDB point(s) listed in the file VIEW2.LST and stored in the file VIEW2.DAT is:

VIEW2.EXE /PROC=S /SCAN=4 /SAMPLES=9600 @VIEW2.LST VIEW2.DAT

The ASCII text file which defines the list of CDB pointnames may be specified when VIEW2.EXE is executed. The file must exist prior to executing VIEW2.EXE. A maximum of 29 CDB pointnames can be listed in the file. The list is created with one pointname per line. If the Synonym Feature is enabled, pointname synonyms can be used instead of CDB

pointnames. When specifying the CDB pointlist filename, it must be preceded with the " @ " symbol.

The data collected by VIEW2.EXE is written to a specific file by supplying a filename when VIEW2.EXE is executed. If a file with the same name as the output file already exists when VIEW2.EXE is executed, it is overwritten. A flowchart detailing the steps involved in executing VIEW2.EXE is shown in Figures 6-6 and 6-7.

6-2.2.2. VIEW2ASC - VIEW TO ASCII FILE CONVERSION UTILITY. This utility will take the results of a VIEW1 or a

VIEW2.EXE data file and format it so that the data can be imported into most spreadsheet or database programs. The time is converted into a raw number of seconds. The data is left untouched. Many spreadsheets can not accept as many numbers as are in the data file because of memory limitations. Therefore, the user must specify which points are to be included in the output file. Type VIEW2ASC with no parameters and the following help screen will appear:

VIEW2ASC pt1,pt2,...pt_x infile outfile where:

pt1 is the first point number to be included in the output file pt2 is the second point number to be included in the output file pt_x is the last point number to included in the output file infile is the name of the input data file

outfile is the name of the output file where the data will be formatted to

The list of point numbers must be one word (that is, no spaces allowed with only numbers separated by commas).

6-2.2.3. VIEW2T - VIEW HIGH SPEED TRIGGERED MARK V DATA. This program will collect high speed data from the Mark V and save it in a circular memory buffer. When the first logic point specified makes a transition, VIEW2T will collect a user-defined number of post-trigger records and write that data into a file for analysis. It can collect data at up to 32 Hz from any processor. Type VIEW2T with no parameters and the following help screen will appear:

VIEW2T [options] [@pointlist_file] output_file where:

Options are:

/PROC=c where "c" is { R | S | T | C | D } [Default is C]

/SCAN=n where n is CPU ticks, (1..65535) [Default is 1 for 32 Hz] /SAMPLES=n where n is maximum number of samples [Default is all memory]

/POST=n where n is number of samples after trigger [Default = 1] /TRIG=0 Trigger upon dropout of the first signal

/TRIG=1 Trigger upon pickup of the first signal [Default = 1] @pointlist_file is the file with the list of points to collect data from output_file is the file to which the data will be written to

YES

/SCAN = (32 /Hz) Determine the rate (in Hz) at which data is collected,

then calculate scan rate value

Use ASCII text editor tocreate poinlist file of CDB pointnames for which data is collected

output_file Determine name of file where

collected data is written Exit to DOS command line If is multi-unit, change to unit from

which data is gathered

From MAIN MENU, click on Password Administration, enable Maintenance Password

Level (or greater), and return to MAIN MENU Is access

to DOS enabled?

START

In document GEH-5980 (Page 123-130)