Exele Newsletter July 2020
In this issue
- Introducing the DataGate Data Diode
- TopView 6.33 and 6.34 Releases
- TopView SCADA Connect: support for GE iFIX and InTouch Edge
- About: Twilio for SMS alarm notification
- About: Alarm Actions Logs
Exele Announces DataGate Diode
For enterprises that run critical infrastructure or other protected networks, securing the flow of operational data across secure network boundaries is an ever-present challenge. Traditional data diode solutions are notoriously expensive, and they often require a great deal of time and expertise to install and maintain.
That’s why we developed DataGate, a robust and affordable data diode solution. The DataGate Diode allows organizations to transfer data from one domain to another while maintaining perimeter security. Best of all, it has been designed and optimized for OSIsoft PI and OPC systems, making it easy to install, configure, and maintain.
Learn more about the DataGate Data Diode
TopView 6.33 and 6.34 Releases
Alarm and Notification Software forOPC/SCADA, OSIsoft PI, OPC A&E, SQL, MQTT, Canary Labs, and PerfMon
TopView 6.33 Highlights:
- SCADA Connect now included for supported SCADA Systems
- Twilio support for outgoing SMS/text notification
- IMAP for incoming email (alarm acknowledge, information request)
- Cellular modem redundancy
- Web Configurator: modify TopView Engine configuration
- Alarm Actions Logs: details of alarm and notification activity per alarm
- OPC Private Security
TopView 6.34 Highlights:
- Alarm Actions: Viewable from the Engine and Remote Viewer
- Alarm History Summary: new grouping options
- Contact Groups: TopView distribution lists
- Web Configurator: new features
- Incoming email: restrict users who can send email to TopView
- Failover/redundancy: WatchDog generator
- Notification Timeline for Email-SMS and Voice Notification Groups
- SMS Notification: Support for MTR-LNA7 modem with Verizon
- Display resolved alarm limit values (limit tags and placeholders)
- Email and SMS Information Request: use Notification Message Template for response
iFIX and InTouch Edge Support
SCADA Connect is designed to simplify the integration and configuration of TopView with many popular SCADA/HMI packages. Initial TopView configuration can be completed by a single click that imports the alarm details from the SCADA/HMI.
SCADA Connect now supports GE iFIX and Aveva/Wonderware InTouch Edge. SCADA Connect is included at no cost for supported SCADA Systems.
Twilio for SMS/Text Alarm Notification
Existing TopView customers who implement SMS/Text notification have two options for SMS message delivery:
- Send an Email: requires that each recipient’s cellular provider offers an Email-to-SMS gateway to accept an email (1112223333@mycellularcarrier.com) and send it to the cellular phone number (1112223333) as an SMS message
- Use a cellular modem: requires purchasing a cellular modem and SMS plan with a cellular provider
While these are valid solutions, how do larger companies such as Lyft, Airbnb, and Dell provide automated SMS messages to their customers? They use Twilio, a hosted communication platform.
TopView now supports Twilio for delivery of SMS messages. For less a 1¢ per message you can send messages through a reliable, hosted, SMS delivery channel.
About: Alarm Actions Logs
Trace all actions related to a single alarm
When a TopView alarm occurs, various events related to the alarm can transpire including notification (Email/SMS/Voice callout), alarm acknowledge, and alarm return-to-normal. These events are logged in the TopView application log but since they can occur over time, it may be difficult to trace the actions related to a single alarm since other application log messages may exist during the same time period.
In TopView 6.33 we introduced the Alarm Actions Log. All actions related to a single alarm are now logged to a separate Alarm Actions log which provides a single view of an alarm’s actions. The Alarm Actions Logs are viewable from TopView Admin Tools, and in 6.34 we added the ability to view Alarm Actions from the interactive TopView Engine and the Remote Viewer.