Points and Configuration Items Supported by the Driver

The SCADAPack x70 driver differs from other Geo SCADA Expert drivers in that you configure an 'object-pair' of database items to represent a single item of I/O with which Geo SCADA Expert is to interact on a SCADAPack x70 device. This includes I/O that is built into the device, plugged into the device, or that exists on another device or elsewhere on the system and for which a SCADAPack x70 device provides data concentrator functionality.

For each item of I/O for which Geo SCADA Expert is to interact, you need to configure:

A SCADAPack x70 Configuration item of the appropriate type (analog, digital, counter, or string) to store the configuration that you can download to the SCADAPack x70 device. This configuration comprises the settings that relate specifically to the single item of I/O and that are supported by the SCADAPack x70 device itself. Rather than configuring those settings directly in the SCADAPack x70 device, you can configure them in Geo SCADA Expert, and then download them to the device.
A SCADAPack x70 Point of the appropriate type to define which protocol Geo SCADA Expert is to use to communicate with the SCADAPack x70 device, and how Geo SCADA Expert is to process the data that it retrieves from the device for that particular item of I/O. Geo SCADA Expert currently supports communications with SCADAPack x70 devices using the DNP3 protocol.
Instead of manually creating a SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific Point, you can use the Create Protocol Point pick action to create the point from the <Point Type> Configuration item with which it is to be associated. This means of point creation will associate the Point automatically with the <Point Type> Configuration item from which the pick action was triggered. For more information, including essential checks to perform before using the pick action, see Create Protocol Point.
Alternatively, you can automatically create a suite of SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific Points for each of the SCADAPack x70 <Point Type> Configuration items that are associated with a particular SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item. To do this, you use the separate Create Protocol Points pick action on that SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item. Again, this means of point creation with associate each automatically-created Point with the SCADAPack x70 <Point Type> Configuration item to which it relates on the SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item. For more information, including essential checks to perform before using this pick action, see Create Protocol Points.

From a day-to-day operational point of view, you interact only with the SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific ('Point') database items. These are the only driver items that:

raise alarms and generate events
store the points' values
provide pick actions that enable you to interact with the points
need appear on Mimics.

(You purely use the SCADAPack x70 Configuration items to store and download properties to the SCADAPack x70 devices; thereafter you use the SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific Point items to store and process the points' data and interact with the points on a day-to-day operational basis.)

The driver supports the following types of SCADAPack x70 Configuration items:

SCADAPack x70 Analog Configuration—Use to represent data that can be in a range of values (see Set up Analog Configuration)
SCADAPack x70 Counter Configuration—Use to represent data for which the value accumulates over time (see Set up Counter Configuration)
SCADAPack x70 Digital Configuration—Use to represent data that can be in one of several states (such as 'On' or 'Off') (see Set up Digital Configuration)
SCADAPack x70 String Configuration—Use to represent data that comprises a textual string value, rather than a numeric value (see Set up String Configuration).

If Geo SCADA Expert or another SCADA system is to communicate with the SCADAPack x70 devices using the DNP3 protocol, you also need to configure the relevant types of point for that protocol. For DNP3 communications, the driver supports these types of SCADAPack x70 Point:

SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Analog Input Point—Use to monitor an item of data that can be in a range of values (see Configure Analog Points for DNP3 Communications)
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Analog Output Point—Use to control an item of data that can be in a range of values (see Configure Analog Points for DNP3 Communications)
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Binary Input Point—Use to monitor an item of data that can be in one of several states (see Configure Binary Points for DNP3 Communications)
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Binary Output Point—Use to control an item of data that can be in one of several states (see Configure Binary Points for DNP3 Communications)
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Counter Point—Use to monitor an item of data for which the value accumulates over time (see Configure Counter Points for DNP3 Communications)
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Pulse Action (NULL)—Use to send a pulsed, rather than a maintained, control action (see Configure Pulse Actions for DNP3 Communications)
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Pulse Action (Trip-Close)—Use to send either of two pulse control actions. Each action is performed on a different physical point (see Configure Pulse Actions for DNP3 Communications).
SCADAPack x70 DNP3 String Point—Use to monitor or control an item of data for which the value is a textual string value, rather than a numeric value (see Configure String Points for DNP3 Communications).

To create and configure any of the above database items, you have to be logged on with a User Account that has the Configure Database feature enabled and the relevant permissions set (see Overview of User Account Security in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to Security).

You configure the database items by editing the properties on the item's Form (see Display a Form in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to Core Configuration). When each item is created in the database, many of its configuration properties are assigned default values—you only need to edit such properties if different values are required. For information on which properties you need to configure as a minimum in order to produce a functional database item, see the 'Minimum Configuration' topics in this guide.