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Doc Type Tech Notes

Doc Id TN1287

Last Modified Date 11/04/2016

Setting Up a Heartbeat Between Two InTouch Nodes

SUMMARY

This Tech Note explains how you can set up a "heartbeat" between two Wonderware InTouch nodes. This is useful when you need to know if the
connection to a remotely connected node is still valid.

ACTION

1. Assume there are two nodes called NODE1 and NODE2 that are linked together on a network using NetDDE and you need to know when
NODE1's connection to NODE2 is no longer valid.

On NODE1, set up a Memory Integer tag called Counter and set its initial value to zero (0).

2. Set up a DDE Integer tag called Heartbeat on NODE1 and link it to:

Application: \\NODE2\VIEW
Topic: Tagname
Item: $SECOND

3. Create a Data Change script for Heartbeat. In the script, set the value of the Counter tag to zero (0):

COUNTER = 0

4. Create a Data Change script for $SECOND. In the script, increment the Counter tag by one:

COUNTER = COUNTER + 1

When the communication between NODE1 and NODE2 breaks, the Data Change script for Heartbeat will no longer trigger and thus, the
Counter tag will not get reset to zero. However, the Data Change script for $SECOND will continue to get triggered (because $SECOND is
local), and Counter in the script will continue incrementing. The Counter tag will eventually reach some value that you can use to test against in
a Condition script and perform an operation (such as display a warning message that the communication to NODE2 is down).

AUTHOR NOTES

Author: Not Provided

Created: May-25-1995

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