SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor
Monitoring the operating status of a SIMATIC PC

SIMATI PC come standard with a high level of ruggedness and reliability thanks to their industrial architecture. With the PC diagnostics/alarm software SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor, this level can be further increased.

SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor

• Monitors critical PC states on SIMATIC PCs (hard drive, fan, temperature, system status)
• Reports detected errors and definable service intervals
• Communicates this information
  • locally via SNMP, OPC
  • remotely via LAN, e-mail, SMS
• Acts through configurable PC restart in case of watchdog alarm and execution of batch programs and executable files
• Logs all events in a LOG file

Monitoring and Alarming:

SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor detects possible hardware and software errors early. A number of safety-relevant operating parameters are monitored and visualized:

• Temperature
  Besides operating errors and head-crashes, thermal problems are the main cause of computer failures. An early warning in this area is especially effective.
  The temperature is acquired via three temperature sensors. One sensor monitors the processor temperature, the second one the temperature near the processor and expansion modules and the third one the temperatures near the hard drives. The SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor reports critical temperatures that exceed as well as go below set points.
• Fan
  The fan monitoring by the SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor includes the CPU fan as well as possible, additional device fans with the set and actual speeds of the fans being displayed. This allows for a preventive fan exchange, if operational irregularities are detected, avoiding thermal problems and the crashes associated with it.
• Hard Drive Status
  The hard drive monitoring is carried out via SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) - a hard drive diagnostics program supported by leading drive manufacturers for the prevention of data losses.  SMART cyclically checks the data on the medium and the hard drive electronics for functionality and aging, e.g. deterioration of technical component properties. SMART reports preemptively, i.e. the hard drive is still operational, but has to be replaced as soon as possible to avoid total failure. It is the goal of SMART to issue a warning at least 24 h prior to the ultimate hard drive failure, giving the user enough time to back up the data and perform a hard drive swap
• Operating Hour Meter
  The software includes an operating hour meter, which displays the absolute operating time of the PC by adding up all operating times. Additional modes enable the easy creation of lists with timer alarms. These alarms can be one-time or cyclical - upon reaching the set time, an alarm is issued, which - for example - can be used for a defined maintenance interval (filter change, software backup, etc.).
• "Watchdog" and "Heartbeat" Analysis
  The "Watchdog" is a procedure for monitoring a program. If the program is executed properly, a timer will be regularly reset. If a program error occurs, the timer elapses and an error signal will be output. This signal is analyzed by SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor and can be linked to configurable actions.
  The system/LAN monitoring is carried out via the network by analyzing a cyclic "Heartbeat". If this heartbeat no longer arrives at the monitoring server, a serious error has occurred:
  • PC has completely failed (e.g. power failure)
  • Network card has failed
  • LAN cable has been disconnected

Here as well, the SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor initiates a corresponding response

Communication:

• LAN
  With the SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor, distributed client-server architectures can very easily be set up. As a server, the SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor monitors the SIMATIC PCs (clients) connected to a network via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). Thus, for example, all networked SIMATIC PCs of a complex system can be easily monitored. As a server, an office PC in a control room with own DiagMonitor SW license can also be used.
• E-Mail and SMS
  Via set addresses and phone numbers, alarm messages can be sent as e-mail or phone SMS (Short Message Service) to remote service centers.
• OPC
  Via the OPC client functionality, alarm messages can be integrated directly into SIMATIC software such as WinAC, WinCC flexible or WinCC.

Program Execution
SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor provides the option of executing batch files and/or executable files on account of an alarm. The system is thus open to the integration of customized scripts and applications

Log Function
SIMATIC PC DiagMonitor provides a configurable log file, in which all DiagMonitor activities (alarms, acknowledgments, inputs, etc.) are automatically logged.