Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I use the EVENTA platform?
You need to efficiently and economically monitor and control remote facilities or
processes over any communication protocol and have the ability to securely store
and process your data in the most efficient means ever developed in the SCADA world
to date.
In what industries could the EVENTA platform be
deployed?
Almost any industry that requires monitoring and control of power utilities or process
control applications.
I already have a SCADA software package, do I need to replace it to realize lower
data volumes from my existing system?
No, the EVENTA M2M Interface can usually be seamlessly
inserted into your current system.
Can I combine existing communication types such as cellular or internet with EVENTA?
Yes, the EVENTA platform communicates over cell,
internet, radio or satellite.
My field personnel do not want to change their field SCADA software but my head
office personnel need a more scalable and powerful SCADA solution. Can
EVENTA help?
Yes, the design of the platform will allow field users to keep their existing software
while office users will have full access to all of the features of the
EVENTA platform.
My company is small right now but will grow over time. We cannot justify the high
upfront cost of typical SCADA software licensing nor can we afford the cost of hosting
the data server on our own server. Can we have the look, feel and functionality
of an enterprise solution without the high upfront cost?
Yes, the "SaaS" option includes all of the features of the
EVENTA platform enabling customers to pay monthly for hosting based on
the number of points, users and polling frequency.
Our system collects information that is required by different departments within
our company. Does EVENTA allow users to be individually
set up so they can only access information that pertains to their specific job?
Yes, EVENTA requires that every user’s system access
level be based on group or individual settings decided by the users supervisor.
Is there a limit on number of points you can have in EVENTA?
There is no physical limit on how many points you can have in an
EVENTA system. The limitation is typical caused by available resources
(memory, CPU, and how dynamic the system is). We have tested
EVENTA with 1,000,000 points on a large server with multiple processors.
Can I use EVENTA as a simulation platform?
Yes, you can use EVENTA in three different ways
to simulate a system. Using the combination of the capabilities listed below allows
you to create custom simulated processes that respond to your existing hosts or
you can use EVENTA as a standalone simulation system:
- Assign point simulation to each point to represent a sign, saw tooth or square
wave - Build custom logic in EVENTA Automation
Engine to simulate a process - Use EVENTA OPC Server
to simulate field devices.
Can EVENTA be used as a Historian?
Yes, EVENTA’s integrated historian is capable of
logging an unlimited number of records every second. A typical
EVENTA system can log 5,000 to 10,000 events every second.
Do I need Crystal Report or SQL to generate reports?
No, EVENTA has a built-in Historian, Report Template
Builder and Automation Engine to look after all your reporting needs.
EVENTA Historian allows you to log data in 3 different ways (period,
on change, and/or on demand). EVENTA’s Template
Layout Builder allows you to build custom report templates that are a combination
of charts, tables and simple objects. EVENTA’s
Automation Engine can query EVENTA’s historical
database or external databases to generate input data to the report template. Users
can generate automated or adhoc reports.
Can I build a distributed system to spread the load over multiple servers?
Yes, you can setup multiple EVENTA clusters on
single or multiple servers and use the EVENTA M2M
interface to exchange data in real-time . Each server can be configured to perform
one or multiple functions such as (front end server, alarm server, historian server,
report server, etc.)
I have an RTU that is monitoring a few points. How can I monitor my points remotely
over the internet?
You can use EVENTA SaaS (Cloud) solution. We can
setup an EVENTA Host at our facility to connect
to your RTU over the internet without any need to setup an expensive SCADA system
on site. You will have all SCADA functionalities such as remote monitoring, control,
alarm, trending, reports, etc.
We have a plant in a location where there is no internet or cell coverage. Can we
use EVENTA to access this remote facility in a
cost effective manner?
Yes, we can setup a remote EVENTA Gateway that
connects to your existing SCADA system or can be used as your new SCADA host at
the plant. We can use a $50 to $300 per month satellite plan to bring all your data
back to an EVENTA server either at your site or
at our Data Center. This allows you to access all your data in real-time by accessing
the EVENTA Host Server without effecting network
traffic.
I have a small facility that I would like have SCADA but don’t want to spend a lot
of money. How can EVENTA help me with this?
EVENTA Lite for less than 100 points is available
for $1 per year. You can use Modbus to connect to your RTU or PLC. With Modbus you
can have basic SCADA functions such as HMI, data logging, trending and alarms for
$1.00 that must be renewed each year.
Can I setup EVENTA to restrict access to certain
screens or objects?
Yes, you can use EVENTA’s security to configure
each point and its corresponding HMI object or the entire HMI screen to be either
Non-visible/Read Only/Read/Write for each user group. Each user can be a member
of a single or multiple user groups to have the correct security access level.
Do I need to buy a separate trending package when using EVENTA?
No, EVENTA’s built-in trending package is more
powerful than most of the available trending packages available in the market and
it comes as part of each EVENTA installation.
Do I need to buy a developer license to build a configuration for my client?
No, all system integrators, engineering companies and end users can download as
many annual development licenses they want for free. The only limitation is that
you can only run the project for 4 hours at a time, so you will have to shutdown
and restart the server after 4 hours.
I want to bring field data and pass it to the current business system. Can I use
EVENTA for this?
Yes, EVENTA can connect to any field device that
has a SCADA port. We can collect data from the field and use
EVENTA’s automation engine to push the data to your business application
in one of the following ways: - Write to SQL database Write to an Oracle database
Write to a text file E-mail data Text data FTP data Create a PDF file and send it
over
We would like to setup access over the internet for 200 of our staff. Currently
IT is proposing a very expensive server that is setup with Citrix to meet this requirement.
How can EVENTA help us with this requirement?
Using the EVENTA datacentre solution, the EVENTA Web Server can be installed on a small server
with IIS. All users can simultaneously access the EVENTA
SCADA server(s) behind the firewall using a HTTP/HTTPS protocol. Citrix or an expensive
server is not required. The EVENTA Web Server and
EVENTA SCADA Server can reside inside or outside
the corporate network. All Clients can connect to the EVENTA
servers using HTTP/HTTPS without the need to change corporate firewall security
settings.
We have an existing SCADA system that we would like to have our employees have secure
access to. Can EVENTA help us with this?
Yes, we can setup an EVENTA SCADA/Web server that
connects to the existing SCADA system via OPC/Modbus or any other standard protocols
and provide secured connection to outside world.
Does EVENTA have Template Objects?
Yes, EVENTA has a number of templating tools to
minimize the system integration time which include: You can create an HMI Template
Object that when you change one of its attributes, all of its derived objects will
change accordingly You can create static substitution where you can build complex
objects and copy/paste this object multiple times. All you have to do now is enter
a substitution string to have this object and all its Children point to a different
set of points You can create dynamic substitution where you can pass a string to
a new screen. on opening the screen, all dynamic substitution tags are updated with
the new string that will point to a new point. You can use VB scripting and screen
variables to develop a very elaborate dynamic template system
Does EVENTA support alarm popups regardless of
what screen we are on?
Yes, you can use your navigation HMI objects or global VBA script to trap multiple
tag value changes which will trigger opening up an alarm popup screen regardless
of what screen is open.