Virtual Processor service (VIP)

The Virtual Processor is a service that operates on the Power Monitoring Expert server, providing coordinated data collection, data processing, and control functions for groups of meters. This makes distributed operations possible, providing customized solutions to a variety of industrial, commercial, and power utility needs.

 

 

The Virtual Processor lets you gather the information available from your network of power monitoring devices, and enables you to categorize, manipulate, and/or customize the data before distributing the information to the different departments in your company. You could think of the Virtual Processor as a virtual device, capable of collecting and processing data from several power monitoring devices, analyzing the information and performing control functions as required. The Virtual Processor's name implies its characteristics:

• Virtual - The Virtual Processor runs in the memory of your PC, not as a remote device.
• Processor - The Virtual Processor contains a wide selection of ION modules, which it uses to process information.

Using the Virtual Processor

A VIP.DEFAULT Virtual Processor service is created by default. However, this Virtual Processor is not configured at the factory. To perform data collection, data analysis, Modbus communications, or distributed control, you must first create ION module frameworks, using Designer. Refer to the ION Reference for information on ION modules.

Configuring the Virtual Processor with Designer

Use Designer to perform all Virtual Processor configuration, including adding new modules, configuring module setup registers, and linking module inputs and output registers to other modules.

Creating a second Virtual Processor

Create a second ION Virtual Processor Service and start it using the following steps:

1. Open a command prompt window.
2. Register the Virtual Processor as a service from the ...\Power Monitoring Expert\system\bin folder by typing: vip.exe -Service -N<custom Virtual Processor name>
3. Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and start the new registered Virtual Processor.

Viewing Virtual Processor data with Vista

After you have used Designer to add and link modules in the Virtual Processor, you can create a user diagram in Vista and link it to the modules in the Virtual Processor. You can then use your user diagram to display system data, monitor alarms, and control basic functions in your Virtual Processor framework.

Configuring the Virtual Processor to interact with the desktop

1. Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
2. Right-click the ION Virtual Processor Service and select Properties.
3. Select the Log On tab.
4. Select the “Allow service to interact with desktop” check box and click OK.
5. Stop and restart the ION Virtual Processor Service.

Distributed control

Virtual Processor Distributed Control modules are a means of transferring information between the different devices in your network. These modules can be used to build frameworks for control processes such as alarm annunciation, plant-wide demand control, power factor control, load shedding, paging, and generator switching.

Before you decide to use a Virtual Processor to implement a control system, it is important to understand the various factors that influence the speed with which the Virtual Processor is able to generate a control action. Some of these factors include network traffic, the number of polled devices in your network, the reliability of your communications network, and the Virtual Processor workstation's CPU usage.

 

The information presented in this section assumes that you are familiar with the various ION modules and their functions. Refer to the ION Reference for details on Distributed Control and other modules.

Distributed control modules

The Virtual Processor uses four modules to implement Distributed Control frameworks. Three types of Distributed Control modules (Distributed Boolean, Numeric, and Pulse modules) receive data from devices or other Virtual Processors within your network and transfer this data to the node address specified in the module's setup registers. The Data Monitoring module is used as a means of disabling a control module, if the data at the source input (which is used to make the control decision) becomes “stale”.

Distributed control module setup registers

All Distributed Control modules (Distributed Boolean, Distributed Numeric, and Distributed Pulse modules) have a Source input and an Activate input. The Activate input must be linked to another module, and it must be on for a Distributed Control module to function. These modules also contain a Destination setup register that specifies the node receiving the data.

Distributed Boolean module

All Distributed Boolean modules have one input that must linked to an External Boolean output register. Whenever this register’s Boolean value changes state, the new value is sent to the node defined in the Destination setup register.

Distributed numeric module

A Distributed Numeric module's input must be linked to an External Numeric module. This input’s value is sent to the node specified in the Destination setup register. This module has two additional setup registers that are used to determine when and how often new data is sent to the Destination node.

Distributed pulse module

All Distributed Pulse modules have one input that must link to an External Pulse module. This module’s pulse is sent to the node defined in the Destination setup register.

Data monitoring module

The Data Monitor module provides a means of alerting you to communication problems that may occur between the Virtual Processor and any ION node referenced by the Data Monitor's Source inputs.

NOTE: ION meters with Advanced Security enabled do not accept control operations from the Virtual Processor. In order to enable these control operations, you need to provide a device password in Management Console for these applications to use. See Accessing meters with security for information on configuring Advanced Security.

Distributed control network performance

It is important to maximize the speed at which the Virtual Processor receives the data used to make control decisions. The performance of a Virtual Processor using Distributed Control is sensitive to factors such as network traffic, the Virtual Processor's global parameters, and the workstation's CPU usage.

The following sections provide some guidelines for improving a distributed control network's performance.

System configuration

• Minimize the number of devices per site for sites including devices used for distributed control.
• Minimize the number of applications (such as Vista diagrams) that are requesting data from the control site.
• Decrease the Virtual Processor's Client Polling Period.
• Maximize the site's baud rate.

CPU performance

• Dedicate a single Virtual Processor for control purposes; an additional Virtual Processor can be run for less critical functions.
• Do not run CPU intensive functions on the same workstation as your distributed control Virtual Processor.

Distributed control applications

The Virtual Processor's Distributed Control frameworks can perform various control processes; two examples are presented below. Ensure that you are familiar with the sections above before using any of these module frameworks in a control system.

Example: Passing a value between devices

The following example shows how the numeric output of the Integrator modules in meter “A” is sent to an External Numeric module in meter “B”.

Note that the Distributed Numeric module is disabled if the Data Monitor module detects a communication problem between the meter “A” and the Virtual Processor (for example, timeouts or slow network connections). As a result, control actions are only performed based on up-to-date data.

Example: Device control

This example framework monitors total harmonic distortion (THD), which could cause a piece of equipment (like a power transformer) to overheat. When a setpoint is reached, the system sends a network message to a workstation and turns on a fan.

Example: Data aggregation

In the following example, meters monitor average current values (I avg). Every day at a specified time (determined by the Periodic Timer module), the Data Recorder Module stores the maximum average current value for each meter.

 

Example: Logging data from meters

The Virtual Processor can be used to log data from meters that do not have Data Recorders. In the following example, the total kWh from a meter’s Integrator module is recorded every 15 minutes by a Virtual Processor's Data Recorder module.

Note that the Virtual Processor holds only 100 records at a time, that is, it holds about one day of 15 minute data. If the Virtual Processor stops operating, data logging also stops.

Setting global parameters

The Virtual Processor global operating parameters and Modbus network setup are configured using Virtual Processor Setup.

The global parameters do not need to be changed for normal operation. The Virtual Processor operates properly in most applications with the default settings. See Modifying the Global Parameters for details.

To set up the Virtual Processor’s Modbus network, see Virtual Processor setup.

NOTE: The ION Virtual Processor Service must be restarted for any changes to take effect, as the Virtual Processor only reads the vipsys.dat file once on startup. The ION Virtual Processor Service can be restarted, like any other service, using the Services window found via the Control Panel service applet.