Geh-6760 e

GEH-6760E
WorkstationST* GSM 3.0

Application Guide
GE Internal
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Revised: Jul 2014

Issued: Aug 2009
Copyright © 2009 – 2014 General Electric Company, All rights reserved.

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Document Updates
Location Description
The section, Summary The table, Parameter Identification Summary, added 4 new
of Messages Parameters
The section, Added paragraph about Controller Name.

Connection Options
Request
The section, Alarm Added Bits 21 and 22.

Record Establish
Request
The section, Alarm The table, Alarm States, added Code (0x0D) and paragraphs
Data Messages regarding Boolean and Analog Alarms.
The table, Alarm Data Reason Codes, updated table for
Timed Shelved, One-shot-Shelved, and Alarm Severity or
Priority Changed.
Added information on Shelved states to the Shelved State
format discussion.
Added figures and discussion for Alarm State, Previous Alarm
State, Operator Comment, and Operator Comment in a
second language.
The section, Periodic Added information regarding timestamp.

Data Message The table, Alarm Data Reason Codes, updated table for
Priority Changed.
The section, Alarm Added Bits 21 and 22.

Command Request
The section, Alarm The table, Alarm States, added Code (0x0D) and paragraphs
Dump Message regarding Boolean and Analog Alarms.
Structure The table, Alarm Data Reason Codes, updated table for
Priority Changed.
Added information on Shelved states to the Shelved State
format discussion.
Added figures and discussion for Alarm State, Previous Alarm
State, Operator Comment, and Operator Comment in a
second language.
The section, The table, 0x0300 Alarm Establish Request, 0x0700 Alarm
Breakdown of Command Request and 0x0701 Alarm Command Ack/Nak
Differences Between Response, added Bits 21 and 22
GSM1/GSM2 and The table, 0x0302 Alarm Data Message and 0x0702 Alarm
GSM3 Dump Message, added 0x0D, 0x13, 0x14, 0x115, 0x116,
0x117, and 0x118
The table, 0x0402 Digital Input Data Message and 0x0502
Software Event Data Message, added 0x110E
Application Guide GEH-6760E 3

GE Internal
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strictly observed, could result in personal injury or death.
Warning
Indicates a procedure, condition, or statement that, if not

strictly observed, could result in damage to or destruction of
equipment.
Caution
Indicates a procedure, condition, or statement that should be

strictly followed to improve these applications.
Attention
GE Internal
Contents
1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 7
1.1 GSM Message Types ...............................................................................................................................8
1.2 Notation.................................................................................................................................................9
1.2.1 Time Tag Considerations .................................................................................................................. 11
1.3 Summary of Messages ............................................................................................................................ 12
2 Administrative Requests .............................................................................................................. 15
2.1 Supported Controller Request .................................................................................................................. 15
2.1.1 Supported Controller Response.......................................................................................................... 15
2.2 Heartbeat Message ................................................................................................................................. 17
2.3 Connection Options Request .................................................................................................................... 18
2.4 Connection Options Response .................................................................................................................. 19
3 Event Driven Requests ................................................................................................................. 21
3.1 Alarm Record Establish Request............................................................................................................... 21
3.1.1 Alarm Record Establish ACK/NAK Response ...................................................................................... 23
3.2 Alarm Data Messages ............................................................................................................................. 24
3.2.1 Digital Input Record Establish Request ............................................................................................... 35
3.2.2 Digital Input Record Establish ACK/NAK Response ............................................................................. 36
3.2.3 Digital Input Data Messages.............................................................................................................. 37
3.2.4 Software Event Record Establish Request ............................................................................................ 42
3.2.5 Software Event Data Messages .......................................................................................................... 44
4 Periodic Data Messages ............................................................................................................... 49
4.1 Periodic Data Request ............................................................................................................................ 49
4.1.1 Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response.................................................................................................... 51
4.2 Periodic Data Message............................................................................................................................ 52
4.3 High-speed Periodic Data Messages .......................................................................................................... 54
4.3.1 High-speed Periodic Data Request...................................................................................................... 54
4.4 Sources of Periodic Data ......................................................................................................................... 56
5 Periodic Write Messages .............................................................................................................. 59
5.1 Periodic Write Request ........................................................................................................................... 59
5.1.1 Periodic Write Definition.................................................................................................................. 60
5.1.2 Periodic Write Definition Response .................................................................................................... 62
5.1.3 Periodic Write Message.................................................................................................................... 64
5.1.4 Periodic Write Message Response ...................................................................................................... 66
5.2 GSM3 Redundancy ................................................................................................................................ 68
6 Command Messages ..................................................................................................................... 69
6.1 Alarm Command Request ....................................................................................................................... 69
6.1.1 Alarm Command ACK/NAK Response............................................................................................... 72
6.2 Alarm Dump Messages........................................................................................................................... 73
6.2.1 Alarm Dump Message Structure ........................................................................................................ 73
6.3 Process Control Command Requests.......................................................................................................... 84
6.3.1 Process Control Command ACK/NAK Response .................................................................................. 86
7 Changes From GSM1/GSM2 ........................................................................................................ 87
7.1 Differences between GSM1/GSM2 versus GSM3 ........................................................................................ 87
GEH-6760E Application Guide 5

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7.2 Breakdown of Differences between GSM1/GSM2 and GSM3 ........................................................................ 91
8 Application Notes ........................................................................................................................... 97
8.1 Networking .......................................................................................................................................... 97
8.1.1 TCP Communications ...................................................................................................................... 97
Glossary.................................................................................................................................................. 99
6 GEH-6760E WorkstationST GSM 3.0

GE Internal
1 Overview
The network is Ethernet with This manual defines message formats for communication between the turbine control
TCP/IP. system and the plant Distributed Control System (DCS). These formats are available to
the DCS vendor for data collection and process control using the Mark* V, Mark V LM,
Mark Ve, Mark VI, Mark VIe and Mark VIeS controllers.
The gateway must be running GE Standard Messages (GSM) are application level messages processed by software in an
the WorkstationST* intervening box or gateway to the DCS. These gateways, in turn, can communicate
configuration. directly with potentially several process controllers. The general function of the gateway
is to act as a protocol translator yielding a consistent external interface regardless of
internal protocols and data representations used. No data is emitted from the gateway
unless previously requested by the DCS equipment.
GSM data flow from the controller over the data highway to the gateway and then to the
DCS, and the flow of commands from the operator to the controller is diplayed below.
Gateway as used in a Turbine Control System
Overview GEH-6760E Application Guide 7

GE Internal
1.1 GSM Message Types
GSM supports the following types of request messages from the DCS:
• Administrative
• Event-driven data
• Periodic data
• Command
Administrative requests are not associated with a single process controller. These requests
are messages from the DCS to the gateway, mainly to interrogate the capability of the
gateway.
Sequence of events (SOE) data Event-driven data messages are spontaneously sent messages, sent as a result of a change
and alarms are available. in state. There are several classes of event driven data including the following:
• Changes in process alarm state

• Changes in digital input
• Software detected changes in pre-defined Boolean variables
Periodic data consists of sets of data requested to be transmitted back to the requester
either once, or periodically at rates up to once per second. This data is used for updating
status displays on the DCS console.
Command requests fall into two generic classes:
• Process alarm command requests

Command requests may be • Process command requests, either in the form of a momentary contact push-button or
rejected by the controller or in the form of an analog setpoint.
blocked by the gateway.
High Speed Periodic data consists of sets of data requested to be transmitted back to the
requester either once, or periodically at rates up to every 20 milliseconds. This data is
used for peer-to-peer controller traffic.
Periodic Writes consist of sets of data received from the DCS and transmitted to the
controllers. This data is used for peer-to-peer controller traffic. Not all subsystems
support periodic writes, currently only the Ethernet Global Data (EGD) subsystems
support periodic writes.

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1.2 Notation
Unless otherwise noted all data is specified in little endian format. This is the byte order
for Intel® processors. For multi-byte data, the least significant byte is transmitted first
while the most significant byte is transmitted last.
For notational convenience, multi-byte data is displayed below with the most significant
byte to the left and the least significant byte on the right, but the transmission sequence of
bytes is right to left. For example, a 32-bit integer value is displayed as follows:
Many messages have Name fields within them. The format of a Name field is in all cases,
except parameter list entries (see below), a counted-UTF8 Encoded string, where the first
byte transmitted is treated as an unsigned number n followed by the name itself. The
count n is the number of BYTES it takes to represent the UTF8 Encoded string, not the
number of characters. The first byte following n is the leftmost character in the name. For
notational illustration, Name fields are displayed generically as follows:
The number n may be zero.
Similar to Name fields, many messages have records defined. In these instances, each
record is identified by a Record Identifier or Record Type, followed by the record size,
followed by the record specific information. For notational illustration, records are
displayed generically as follows:
n, the record size, may be zero.
Most records within GSM messages are made up of groups of sub-records, which are
implemented as parameter lists. Each item in a parameter list consists of at least two
16-bit words. The first word identifies the parameter. The second word identifies the
number of bytes to follow which qualify the parameter. These two words are then
followed by zero or more bytes (as defined by the second word). Software may use the
parameter size to skip unknown parameters.

GE Internal
Generic records containing parameter lists can be illustrated as follows:
A special item code with a value of 0x0000 is the End-of-list item code. Even if the total
record size indicates space for more item list entries, no interpretation of data beyond
End-of-list should be attempted. Software that scans item lists must simply bypass
unknown or previously undefined item code entries
Item Codes and Record Types have unique values. No item code has the same value as a
defined record type.
Time tag accuracy depends on Most data messages have time tagged data points within them. All time tags are
the controller scan, and is less represented using a structure consisting of two unsigned longwords (32-bits each). The
than the time tag resolution. first longword is the number of seconds since 1-JAN-1970 00:00:00.000000 GMT
(Greenwich Mean Time). The second longword is the number of microseconds within the
second, having a decimal range of 0-999,999. The latest date and time that can be stored
is 07-FEB-2106 06:28:15.999999 GMT.
The layout of a time tag is as follows:
Within a message format specification, the time tag is as follows:
Many of the message formats have RESERVED fields. These fields are for use in future
versions of the GSM specification. To preserve backward/forward compatibility, software
that generates GSM messages must insert zeros in these fields. Software that receives
GSM messages must ignore these fields.

GE Internal
GSM allows data acquisition and control of multiple process controllers. Part of the
generic GSM messages is a small message header consisting of three parts:
• A 16-bit message code that identifies the requested function, for example data
acquisition, or command.
• A 16-bit sequence number which is an arbitrary number generated by the
data/command requester to uniquely identify a given request; all responses to a given
request message have this sequence number echoed back allowing stale data to be
thrown away.
• A UTF8 Encoded process controller name that defines the controller within a
multi-controller site to which the request is directed.
A GSM message has a generic form as follows:
1.2.1 Time Tag Considerations

All time tagged data is stamped at the source of the data, using the resolution available in
the local process controller. The resolution of time stamps in the local process controller
depends on the frame rate (control execution rate).
The Mark VI controller time- Time tagging considerations include the I/O scan rates used. For example, certain control
tags SOE data to within 1 ms. functions may only scan inputs at an eight Hz rate. This means that consecutive data
samples collected are time tagged in multiples of 125 milliseconds. The Mark VI
controller typically runs at 25 Hz, and periodic data, alarms, and events are time tagged at
this frame rate. Discrete Sequence of Events data is tagged faster than this.
Time tag accuracy or coherency across different process controllers is the subject of time
setting and time synchronization. GSM does not define the capability of time setting
using messages over a network, nor does it allow the concept of time synchronizing
process controllers over a network. Where required, time setting and time synching of
process controllers can be handled by external equipment utilizing a common time
reference. Time tag coherency in these cases is achieved to an accuracy as demanded by
system requirements.
High-resolution time tagged data does not necessarily imply speedy reporting of data.
Some process controllers, for example, may buffer multiple pieces of time tagged data
into envelopes, which are delivered at a later time. Due to the asynchronous nature of
delivering buffered time-tagged data, it is both possible and likely that different pieces of
data will not be delivered in chronological order.

GE Internal
1.3 Summary of Messages
A summary of the GSM message types and the associated parameters are displayed in the
following three tables.
Message Code Summary
Message Code Message Type Sent By

0x0100 Supported Controller Request DCS
0x0101 Supported Controller Response Gateway
0x0200 Heartbeat Message DCS
0x0300 Alarm Establish Request DCS
0x0301 List Establish ACK/NAK Gateway
0x0302 Alarm Data Message Gateway
0x0400 Digital Input Record Establish Request DCS
0x0402 Digital Input Record Data Message Gateway
0x0500 Software Event Record Establish Request DCS
0x0502 Software Event Data Message Gateway
0x0600 Periodic Data Request DCS
0x0601 Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response Gateway
0x0602 Periodic Data Message Gateway
0x0603 High Speed Periodic Data Request DCS
0x0700 Alarm Command Request DCS
0x0701 Alarm Command ACK/NAK Gateway
0x0702 Alarm Dump Message Gateway
0x0800 Process Control Command Request DCS
0x0801 Process Control ACK/NAK Response Gateway
0x0900 Periodic Write Definition DCS

0x0901 Periodic Write Definition Response Gateway
0x0902 Periodic Write Message DCS
0x0903 Periodic Write Message Response Gateway
0x0A00 Connection Options Request DCS
0x0A01 Connection Options Response Gateway
0x0B00 Make Me a GSM Spy GSM Spy

GE Internal
Record Identification Summary
Record ID Record Type

0x8000 List of sub-records
0x8100 Controller Information parameter list
0x8300 Alarm Information parameter list
0x8400 Digital Input Information parameter list
0x8500 Software Event Information parameter list
Parameter Identification Summary
Param ID Parameter Type

0x0000 End of parameter list
0x1000 Process controller name

0x1010 Number of communication links to process controller
0x1020 Process controller type
0x1030 Point name

0x1040 Time tag
0x1050 Reserved in GSM3 (In GSM1/GSM2 was Alarm drop number)
0x1060 Point value (Alarm State or Variable Value)
0x1070 Alarm locked state

0x1080 Alarm reason code
0x1090 Alarm Description
0x10A0 Alarm sequence number
0x10B0 Process control setpoint value
0x10C0 Alarm ACK state

0x10D0 Reserved in GSM3 (In GSM1/GSM2 was Point Identifier Hint)
0x10E0 Point Status List

0x10F0 Point Length Report
0x1001 Maximum Message Size
0x1002 Connection Options
0x1003 Measurement System
0x1100 Alarm Attribute Options
0x1101 Alarm Silence State

0x1102 Alarm Override State
0x1103 Alarm Priority
0x1104 Alarm Severity
0x1105 Alarm Quality (embedded bits that follow OPC DA 3.0 Quality Flags)
0x1106 Alarm Class

0x1107 Alarm Previous State
0x1108 Alarm Value On Transition

GE Internal
Param ID Parameter Type
0x1109 Engineering Units for Alarm Value On Transition
0x110A Alarm Description in Second Language
0x110B Alarm Plant Area

0x110C Alarm Actor ID
0x110D Alarm Sound Reference
0x110E Alias for Point name
0x110F Alarm Out of Service State
0x1110 Alarm Out of Service Time
0x1111 Alarm Shelved State
0x1112 Alarm Shelved Time
0x1113 Alarm Shelving Duration in seconds
0x1114 Alarm ACK Time

0x1115 Alarm State text
0x1116 Previous Alarm State text
0x1117 Operator Comment
0x1118 Operator Comment in Second Language

GE Internal
2 Administrative Requests
2.1 Supported Controller Request
The DCS issues a supported controller request to the gateway to determine which process
controllers the gateway can communicate with, along with the current communication
status. Note that the controllers returned in the response are those controllers from which
the DCS can get periodic data, or to which the DCS can send a process control command.
The complete list of controllers the gateway supports for alarms may be different than this
list. This request is a DCS-to-gateway message, and as such the Controller Name field is
inappropriate. The gateway ignores this field, but the DCS should still insert a zero length
name. The format of the message is as follows:
2.1.1 Supported Controller Response

The gateway responds to the request with a list of supported controllers, the controller
type, and current communication status. The response is a series of parameter lists where
each parameter list defines information about a single controller. The format of the
supported controller response is as follows:
Administrative Requests GEH-6760E Application Guide 15

GE Internal
This response contains a list of parameter lists (denoted by *1), and is identified by a
record type value of 0x8000. Each parameter list corresponds to a supported controller.
Possible parameters are defined here. The controller name is defined as follows:
The number of communication links that are currently active between the gateway and the
controller is defined as follows:

GE Internal
A value of zero indicates that the gateway supports the controller, but cannot currently
communicate with it.
The interface type is defined as follows:
The currently defined interface types are as follows:
• 0001 – Turbine Controller

• 0002 – CIMPLICITY*
• 0003 – EGD
• 0004 – WorkstationST (WKS)
Other interface types may be defined in the future.
2.2 Heartbeat Message

The DCS requests to be on various distribution lists as defined in Chapters 3 and 4. The
Heartbeat message is a status message in a DCS-to-gateway administrative message that
should be transmitted by the DCS approximately every 20 seconds. If the gateway does
not receive a heartbeat message from the DCS for a period of 60 seconds, any data lists
currently defined on behalf of the DCS are automatically canceled and the connection to
the DCS is terminated. The gateway does not respond to heartbeat messages. The format
of the Heartbeat message is displayed below:

GE Internal
2.3 Connection Options Request
The Connection Options Request message sets any options for this specific GSM
Client/Gateway connection. The format of the Connection Options Request message is
displayed below:
Message
Offset
Notes

0x0A00 0 Message Code

Sequence Number 2
/../
Controller Name (UTF8) <n> 4 Controller Name
- . /../
0x1001 5 +n ParamID=MaxMessageSize

<Size x> 7 + n Number of bytes

Max Message Size 9 + n Max Message Size

0x1003 11+ n ParamID=MeasurementSys

<Size y> 13 + n Number of bytes
-
Measurement System 15 + n Measurement System
...//
0x1002 15+n+y ParamID=Connectn Opt

<Size z> 17+n+y Number of bytes
-
Connection Options 19+n+y Connection Options
...// =
The three parameters displayed above are all optional. Any one Connection Options
Request message can include one, two, or all three of the parameters. (While it is not
useful, the GSM Server will accept a message with no parameters.)
The Controller Name is included in this message just to keep the beginning format of all
GSM messages the same. The contents of the Controller Name field are not used by the
GSM Server.
The Maximum Message Size defines the maximum number of bytes for any GSM
message to be sent or received over this connection. If the Connection Configuration
Request is never sent, then this maximum is defaulted to 4096 to be backwards
compatible with GSM1/GSM2. If the gateway receives a message whose first two bytes
are larger than this maximum, the gateway will assume that somehow it is in the middle
of a message frame, log the error, and break the connection. (All GSM messages must be
preceded by a two-byte integer indicating the size of the message.) If a message would
exceed the maximum message size, then it must be broken into multiple messages. For
instance, if a periodic data request would exceed the maximum message size, then the
DCS would need to break this request into two (or more) separate requests/lists. Likewise,
if an alarm dump would exceed the maximum message size then the gateway would need
to split up the alarms into two (or more) separate messages.
The Measurement System is a string that should match (case insensitive) one of the
Measurement Systems that was configured in the System. (For example, US or Metric)
Once this is set for a given connection, then all values read and written over this
connection will use the scaling associated with this Measurement System.

GE Internal
Note Any periodic data reads or periodic writes that were established prior to this
Connection Option Request, still use the Measurement System that was selected when
they were established. Only new requests use the new Measurement System.
If the Measurement System parameter isn’t included in the message at all, then this
connection uses whichever Measurement System was configured as the GSM default in
the ToolboxST* configuration.
Connection Options define any options that might be specific to this connection. If the
Connection Options parameter is not included in the message at all, then the GSM3
Server default to this connection using GSM1/GSM2 protocol.
Bit 0 = 1 Use GSM3 Protocol.
Bits 2 to (8z-1) are reserved and must be zero.
2.4 Connection Options Response

This gateway responds to a Connection Options Request with a Connection Options
Response. The format of the Connection Options Response is displayed below:
Connection Options ACK/NAK Response Codes
Code Description
0 Success
+1 Reserved
-1 Reserved
-2 Reserved
-3 Invalid Command
-4 Malformed Request
-5 Reserved
-6 Reserved
-7 Reserved
-8 Reserved
-9 Unknown Measurement System

GE Internal
Notes

GE Internal
3 Event Driven Requests
This chapter describes how alarms are communicated from the controllers to the DCS.
The handling of alarms and discrete sequence of events data are covered.
3.1 Alarm Record Establish Request

This message requests that the gateway place the DCS on, or remove it from the
distribution list for process alarm messages. Process alarm messages defined below are
container messages issued spontaneously any time a process alarm changes state. Look at
the table of Alarm Reason Codes to identify all alarm state changes that could occur,
causing an updated alarm message to be sent. The format of the Alarm Record Establish
request is as follows:
Establish Function has two defined values:
• 0x0000 requests that the DCS be added to the alarm distribution list for the specified
controller.
• 0xFFFF requests that the DCS be removed from the alarm distribution list.
All other values are reserved.
Event Driven Requests GEH-6760E Application Guide 21

GE Internal
Alarm Options are defined as:
Bit 0 = 1 requests that alarm text be included in alarm messages; otherwise alarm text will
be omitted.
Bit 1 = 1 requests to receive Analog Alarms.
Bits 2-15 are reserved and must be zero.
Alarm Attribute Options define which of the new alarm attributes the DCS wants sent
with an alarm. If the new Alarm Attribute Options is not included in the message at all
then the GSM3 Server will default all values to zero, resulting in none of the new alarm
attributes being included in data messages.
Bit 0 = Reserved and must be zero
Bit 1 = 1 Include Alarm Silence State
Bit 2 = 1 Include Alarm Override State
Bit 3 = 1 Include Alarm Priority
Bit 4 = 1 Include Alarm Severity
Bit 5 = 1 Include Alarm Quality
Bit 6 = 1 Include Alarm Class
Bit 7 = 1 Include Alarm Previous State
Bit 8 = 1 Include Alarm Value on Transition
Bit 9 = 1 Include Engineering Units for Alarm Value on Transition
Bit 10 = 1 Include Alarm Description in the second language
Bit 11 = 1 Include Alarm Plant Area
Bit 12 = 1 Include Alarm Actor ID
Bit 13 = 1 Include Alarm Sound Reference
Bit 14 = 1 Include Alias for Pointname associated with this alarm
Bit 15 = 1 Include Alarm Out of Service State
Bit 16 = 1 Include Alarm Out of Service Time
Bit 17 = 1 Include Alarm Shelved State
Bit 18 = 1 Include Alarm Shelved Time
Bit 19 = 1 Include Alarm Shelving Duration
Bit 20 = 1 Include Alarm ACK Time
Bit 21 = 1 Include Operator Comment
Bit 22 = 1 Include Operator Comment in the second language
Bit 23 to (8x-1) are reserved and must be zero

GE Internal
3.1.1 Alarm Record Establish ACK/NAK Response
The gateway responds to an alarm record establish request with an establish ACK/NAK
response. The format of the establish ACK/NAK response is:
The Sequence Number, Controller Name, and Establish Function are echoed from the
alarm establish request. The establish code is 0x0300 for an alarm ACK/NAK response.
Alarm Record Establish ACK/NAK Response Codes
Code Description
0 Success
+1 DCS is on the gateway's distribution list. Communication with the
process controller is not currently possible
-1 Unknown controller name

-2 Reserved
-3 Reserved
-4 Reserved
-5 Internal Gateway Error
-6 Reserved
-7 Reserved

GE Internal
3.2 Alarm Data Messages
Alarm data messages are sent spontaneously to any DCS on the gateway's distribution list
for alarm messages. Alarm data messages are container messages with one or more
alarms that have changed state. These messages do not provide the current status of all
alarms.
The Mark V alarm queue can contain up to 64 entries. All of the Mark V alarm points are
available as periodic data.
Alarms in the Mark VI work the same as the Mark V, however, the Mark VI alarm queue
can contain up to 128 entries. The Mark VI controller has a configurable option to expand
the size of the alarm queue to contain up to 4096 entries. Not all Mark VI alarm points are
available as periodic data, therefore the point names returned in alarm data messages
should not be used in periodic data requests.
The alarm data message contains parameter lists that define information about a single
alarm. Not all controllers support all possible parameters. Information not relevant to a
given controller is not included. The alarm data message is as follows:
These messages contain a list of parameter lists (denoted by *1), and identified by a
record type value of 0x8000. Each parameter list corresponds to a single alarm, which has
changed state. The possible parameters are defined here.
The Point Name parameter is as follows:

GE Internal
The format of the time tag associated with the alarm record is as follows:
The alarm state format is as follows:
Alarm States
Code Description
0x00 Normal
0x01 Alarmed
0x02 High-High-High
0x03 Low-Low-Low
0x04 High-High
0x05 Low-Low
0x06 High
0x07 Low
0x08 Rate
0x09 Deviation
0x0A Reserved
0x0B Reserved
0x0C Bad Quality
0x0D External; Read the “Alarm State Text” parameter (0x1115)

to get the current Alarm State.
All other values are reserved

Boolean Alarms can only be in Alarm States Normal, Alarmed, and External.
Analog Alarms can be Normal, High-High-High, Low-Low-Low, High-High, Low-Low,
High, Low, Rate, Deviation, and Bad Quality

GE Internal
The alarm previous state format is as follows:
See values in above table.

The alarm lock state format is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the current lock state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if the alarm is not locked
Bit 0 = 1 if the alarm is locked
All other bits are reserved.
The reason code parameter defines why the alarm record is being sent. It is used for
remote alarm queue management. The reason code format is as follows:

GE Internal
Alarm Data Reason Codes
Code Description
0x00 Not used
0x01 Alarm state just transitioned
0x02 Alarm just locked
0x03 Alarm just unlocked
0x04 Reserved
0x05 Reserved in GSM3 (In GSM1/GSM2 was Alarm just re-triggered.
Reset time tag in the alarm queue)
0x06 Reserved
0x07 Alarm just acknowledged
0x08 Alarm reset. Remove alarm from alarm queue
0x09 Alarm Dump Record
0x0A Alarm just UnAcknowledged
0x0B Alarm just Silenced
0x0C Alarm just UnSilenced
0x0D Alarm just Overriden
0x0E Alarm Override just removed
0x0F Alarm just went Out of Service
0x10 Alarm just returned from Out of Service
0x11 Alarm was just Timed Shelved
0x12 Alarm was just Unshelved
0x13 Alarm was just One-shot Shelved
0x14 Alarm Severity or Priority Changed
0xFE End of Alarm Dump
0xFF Clear Alarm Queue to prepare for alarm dump

The alarm description format is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message. The text
size is zero if the gateway cannot provide the associated text.

GE Internal
The alarm description in second language format is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message. The text
The alarm record sequence number format is as follows:
Refer to Chapter 6 for the Each GSM3 Server keeps an alarm message sequence number for each device from which
alarm dump message. it forwards alarm messages. Each time an alarm message (that is not a dump) is
forwarded to the DCS client the sequence number is incremented. The alarm sequence
number is provided for remote alarm queue management. If the remote alarm queue
sequence number (plus 1) does not equal this sequence number, then the remote alarm
queue has missed an alarm message. In this event, the DCS should request an alarm dump
to re-synchronize. This value is a two-byte unsigned integer and will rollover after
0xFFFF.
The alarm ACK state parameter is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the Acknowledged state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if the alarm has not been acknowledged
Bit 0 = 1 if the alarm has been acknowledged

GE Internal
The alarm silence state is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the current silence state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if alarm is not silenced
Bit 0 = 1 if alarm is silenced
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message.
The alarm override state is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the current override state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if alarm is not overidden
Bit 0 = 1 if alarm is overidden
The alarm priority parameter is as follows:
The alarm severity parameter is as follows:

GE Internal
The alarm quality parameter is as follows:
The alarm quality is bit-encoded, following the OPC DA 3.0 Specification for OPC
Quality Flags. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish
message.
Note See the OPC DA 3.0 Specification for information on how to decode the values in
this parameter.
The alarm class format is as follows:
The alarm class is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is not
requested in the alarm establish message.
The alarm value on transition format is as follows:
This is the value of the alarm variable at the point in time that an Alarm State transition
was detected. For analog alarms, this is when it crossed over the set point indicated in the
Alarm State. (For example, High Set point.) If the client requested data in a different
measurement system than what is native to the controller, the value will be converted to
the requested measurement system and its precision applied. The value is returned as a
string. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message.
Note If the user chose to override the precision from the format spec with precision
declared directly on the point, that precision is not used, and is not used on the GE Alarm
Viewer either.

GE Internal
The engineering units for alarm value on transition format is as follows:
The engineering units correspond to whichever Format Spec/Measurement System was

used for the analog point that's being monitored to generate the Analog Alarm. The units
are returned as a string. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm
establish message.
Note If the user chose to override the units from the format spec with units declared
directly on the point, those units are not returned, and will not display up on the GE
Alarm Viewer either.
The alarm plant area format is as follows:
The Alarm plant area is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it
is not requested in the alarm establish message.
The alarm actor ID format is as follows:
The Alarm actor ID is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is
not requested in the alarm establish message.
The alarm sound reference format is as follows:
The Alarm Sound Reference is a string that represents what sound should be played when
this alarm occurs. (For example, this could point to a Wave file.) This information is not
sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message.

GE Internal
The alias for point name format is as follows:
The alias is an attribute on a Pointname. It can be used in some end systems like the
Alarm Viewer as an alternative to the Pointname. In some requisitions, the pointname
may be the GE name and the alias the customer name, and in other requisitions the
reverse may be true. The value is a string. This information is not sent if it is not
The Out of Service State is an indication of whether the alarm is currently Out of Service.
The Out of Service State format is as follows:
The Out of Service state has three possible values:

0 = Out of Service is not supported for this alarm
1 = This alarm is In Service
2 = This alarm is Out of Service
The Out of Service Time parameter is the time of the last transition of the Out of Service
State.
The Out of Service Time format is as follows:

GE Internal
The Shelved State is an indication of whether the alarm is currently Shelved.
The Shelved State format is as follows:
The Shelved State has 3 possible values:

0 = Shelving is not supported for this alarm
1 = This alarm is Unshelved
2 = This alarm is Timed Shelved
3 = This alarm is One-shot Shelved
When an alarm is Timed Shelved it means the alarm has been Shelved for a specified
period of time. (Refer to the Alarm Shelving Duration parameter (0x1113).)
When an alarm is One-shot Shelved it means the alarm will remain shelved until either it
transitions state or the maximum shelving period of time has elapsed.
Both Timed Shelving and One-shot Shelving can also be manually unshelved by the
operator.
The Shelved Time parameter is the time of the last transition of the Shelved State.
The Shelved Time format is as follows:
The Alarm Shelving Duration parameter is the number of seconds that the alarm is
shelved. Add this to the Shelved Time parameter to determine when the alarm will
automatically unshelved.
The Alarm Shelving Duration format is as follows:
The ACK Time parameter is the time of the last Acknowledgement.

GE Internal
The ACK State format is as follows:
The alarm state text format is as follows:

0x1115 Param ID = Alarm State Text

<Size n> Size of Alarm State Text.
"
Alarm State Text
...// $
The alarm state text parameter is only sent when the Alarm State parameter (0x1060) is
set to “External” (0x0D). As part of the OPC UA Alarm Specification, it is possible for
the specific Alarm State to be passed as a string to the Alarm Server, instead of using a
pre-defined Alarm State. When this occurs, the Alarm State will be sent as “External”,
and this associated “Alarm State Text” string should be used to show to the Alarm State
to the operator.
The previous alarm state text format is as follows:

0x1116 Param ID = Previous Alarm State Text

<Size n> Size of Previous Alarm State Text.
%
Previous Alarm State Text
...// '
The previous alarm state text parameter is only sent when the Alarm Previous State
parameter (0x1107) is set to “External” (0x0D). As part of the OPC UA Alarm
Specification, it is possible for the specific Alarm State to be passed as a string to the
Alarm Server, instead of using a pre-defined Alarm State. When this occurs, the Alarm
Previous State will be sent as “External”, and this associated “Previous Alarm State Text”
string should be used to show to the Previous Alarm State to the operator.
The operator comment format is as follows:

0x1117 Param ID = Operator Comment

<Size n> Size of Operator Comment.
"
Operator Comment
...// $
When an operator Acknowledges, Resets or Shelves an alarm, or puts an alarm Out of

Service, they may enter in a comment, which is sent in this parameter. This information is
not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message.
The operator comment in a second language format is as follows:

GE Internal

0x1118 Param ID = Operator Comment in 2nd language

<Size n> Size of Operator Comment in 2nd language.
'
Operator Comment in 2nd language
...// )

Service, they may enter in a comment in a second language, which is sent in this
parameter. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish
message.
The last parameter in the list is as follows:
3.2.1 Digital Input Record Establish Request

This message requests that the gateway place the DCS on, or remove it from, the
distribution list for digital input messages. Digital input messages defined below are
container messages issued spontaneously any time a digital input in the process controller
changes state (if supported in the controller). The gateway always responds to this request
with an establish ACK/NAK message. The format of the digital input establish request is
as follows:
• 0x0000 requests that the DCS be added to the digital input distribution list for the
specified controller.
• 0xFFFF requests that the DCS be removed from the distribution list.

GE Internal
Attention
Bit 0 = 1 Include Description in digital input messages.
Alarm Attribute Options define which of the new attributes the DCS wants sent to them
with a digital input. If the new Alarm Attribute Options is not included in the message at
all then the GSM3 Server will default all values to zero, resulting in none of the new
attributes being included in data messages.
Bit 0 = Reserved and must be zero.
Bit 1 = Reserved
Bit 2 = Reserved
Bit 3 = 1 Include Priority
Bit 4 = 1 Include Severity
Bit 5 = 1 Include Quality
Bit 6 = 1 Include Class
Bit 7 = Reserved
Bit 8 = Reserved
Bit 9 = Reserved
Bit 10 = 1 Include Description in the second language.
Bit 11 = 1 Include Plant Area
Bit 12 = Reserved
Bit 13 = 1 Include Sound Reference
Bit 14 = 1 Include Alias for Pointname associated with this digital input
Bits 15 to (8x-1) are reserved and must be zero.
3.2.2 Digital Input Record Establish ACK/NAK

Response
The gateway responds to a digital input establish request with an establish ACK/NAK
response. The establish ACK/NAK response format is as follows:

GE Internal
digital input establish request. The establish code = 0x0400 for a digital input ACK/NAK
response.
Digital Input Record ACK/NAK
Code Description
0 Success

-2 Reserved
-3 Reserved
-4 Reserved
-6 Reserved
-7 Reserved
3.2.3 Digital Input Data Messages

Digital input data messages are sent spontaneously to any DCS on the gateway's
distribution list for digital input messages. Digital input data messages are container
messages with one or more inputs that have changed state, such as sequence of events
data.
This message contains parameter lists that define information about a single digital input.
Not all process controllers support all possible parameters. Information not relevant to a
given process controller is not included.

GE Internal
These messages contain a list of parameter lists (denoted by *1), identified by a record
type value of 0x8000. Each parameter list corresponds to a single digital input, which has
changed state. Possible parameters are displayed below:
The point name parameter is as follows:
The time tag parameter is as follows:

GE Internal
The digital input changed state parameter is as follows. Bit 0 defines the current state; all
other bits are reserved.
The description associated with the digital input is as follows:
The above information is not sent if it was not requested in the digital input establish
message. Text size will be zero if the gateway cannot provide the associated text.
The description in a second language associated with the digital input is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the digital input establish message.
The text size is zero if the gateway cannot provide the associated text
The digital input priority parameter is as follows:

GE Internal
The digital input severity parameter is as follows:
The digital input quality parameter is as follows:
The quality is bit-encoded, following the OPC DA 3.0 Specification for OPC Quality
Flags. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the digital input establish
message.
requested in the digital input establish message.
The plant area format is as follows:
The plant area is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is not
requested in the digital input establish message.

GE Internal
The sound reference format is as follows:
The sound reference is a string that represents what sound should be played when this
digital input occurs. (For example, this could point to a Wave file.) This information is
not sent if it is not requested in the digital input establish message.
The Alias is an attribute on a Pointname. It can be used in some end systems like the
Alarm Viewer as an alternative to the Pointname. In some requistions, the pointname may
be the GE name and the alias the customer name, and in other requisitions the reverse
may be true. The value is a string. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the
digital input establish message.
This indicates there is no more information about this digital input.

GE Internal
3.2.4 Software Event Record Establish Request
This message requests that the gateway place the DCS on, or remove it from, the
distribution list for software event messages. Software events are usually caused by a step
in a sequence or a change in the status of a device, such as breaker position. Event
messages defined here are container messages issued spontaneously any time a logic
variable in the controller changes state (if supported in the controller). The logic variables
to be change-detected by software are predefined in the controller. The gateway always
responds to this request with an establish ACK/NAK message. The software generated
event record establish request format is as follows:
• 0x0000 requests that the DCS be added to the event message distribution list for the
specified controller.
• 0xFFFF requests that the DCS be removed from the distribution list.
Bit 0 = 1 Include Description in event messages.
Alarm Attribute Options define which of the new attributes the DCS wants sent to them
with an event. If the new Alarm Attribute Options isn’t included in the message at all then
the GSM3 Server will default all values to zero, resulting in none of the new attributes
being included in data messages.

GE Internal
Bit 1 = Reserved
Bit 2 = Reserved
Bit 7 = Reserved
Bit 8 = Reserved
Bit 9 = Reserved
Bit 10 = 1 Include Description in the second language
Bit 12 = Reserved
Bit 14 = 1 Include Alias for Pointname associated with this event
Bits 15 to (8x-1) are reserved and must be zero
3.2.4.1 Software Event Record Establish ACK/NAK Response

The gateway responds to an event establish request with an establish ACK/NAK
response. The format is as follows:
event establish request. The establish code is 0x0500 for an event ACK/NAK response.
Software Event Record Establish ACK/NAK Codes
Code Description
0 Success
process controller is not currently possible.

-2 Reserved
-3 Reserved
-4 Reserved
-6 Reserved
-7 Reserved

GE Internal
3.2.5 Software Event Data Messages
Software event data messages are sent spontaneously to any DCS which has been placed
on the gateway's distribution list for event messages. Event data messages are container
messages containing one or more logic points, which have changed state.
This message contains parameter lists that define information about a single logic
variable. Not all controllers support all possible parameters. Information not relevant to a
given controller is not included.
These messages contain a list of parameter lists (denoted by *1), and identified by a
record type value of 0x8000. Each parameter list corresponds to a single logic value,
which has changed state. Possible parameters are displayed below.
The point name parameter is as follows:

GE Internal
The time tag parameter is as follows:
The event state parameter is as follows:
Bit 0 below defines the current state of the logic variable. All other bits are reserved.
The description associated with the event is as follows:
The above information is not sent if it was not requested in the event establish message.
Text size will be zero if the gateway cannot provide the associated text.
The description in a second language associated with the event is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the event establish message. The text
The event priority parameter is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the event establish message.

GE Internal
The event severity parameter is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the event establish message.
The event quality parameter is as follows:
The quality is bit-encoded, following the OPC DA 3.0 Specification for OPC Quality
Flags. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the digital input establish
message.
requested in the event establish message.
The plant area format is as follows:
The plant area is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is not
requested in the event establish message.

GE Internal
The sound reference format is as follows:
The sound reference is a string that represents what sound should be played when this
event occurs. (For example, this could point to a Wave file). This information is not sent
if it is not requested in the event establish message.
The alias is an attribute on a pointname. It can be used in some end systems like the
Alarm Viewer as an alternative to the pointname. In some requistions, the pointname may
be the GE name and the alias the customer name, and in other requisitions the reverse
may be true. The value is a string. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the
event establish message.
This indicates there is no more information about this event.

GE Internal
Notes

GE Internal
4 Periodic Data Messages
This chapter describes how data is requested and sent to the DCS on a continuing basis.
The data request, acknowledgement, and data messages are also defined.
4.1 Periodic Data Request

The DCS operator interface The DCS can define lists of data to be returned on a periodic basis. This is typically used
requires data on a regular to maintain real time databases for display purposes. Using this method, any data point
basis (periodic data). defined in the process controller (and also defined in the gateway's database) can be
returned to the DCS. Multiple data lists may be defined by the DCS.
The gateway responds to a periodic data request with a periodic data ACK/NAK
message. The periodic data list definition is as follows:
Periodic Data Messages GEH-6760E Application Guide 49

GE Internal
The Controller Name should always be WKS.
Note This is different than GSM1 and GSM2.
As this implies, the variable values are read into the WorkstationST computer running
GSM and then sent to the DCS. The values may have been read into the WorkstationST
computer either off of EGD or through SDI. (For more information on how data is
gathered, refer to the section Sources of Periodic Data later in this chapter.) Any given
list can actually contain points from more than one controller. The Point Name should be
fully qualified, indicating the controller from which this signal originated. (For example,
G1.TNH).
List Number defines a unique set of data points to be returned to this client. Each client
has their own set of list definitions, the same List Number can be used independently by
different clients. If the request contains a List Number that is identical to a previously
defined set, the new request supersedes the previous definition. List Number may be any
value.
Establish Function has two defined values.
• 0x0000 requests that the data points specified in the request be returned to the DCS
according to the Period Code.
• 0xFFFF-requests cancellation of any previously defined list corresponding to the List
Name or Controller Name.
Period Code defines the number of seconds between data transmissions. It is ignored on
list cancellation requests. A Period Code with a value of zero requests the data to be
transmitted only once.
The Point Name parameter list is ignored on list cancellations resulting from the Establish
Function. The Point Name parameter is a UTF8 Encoded string and must match the point
name as it is accessed from the WorkstationST OPC DA server process. (For example,
G1.TNH)

GE Internal
4.1.1 Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response
The gateway responds to a periodic data request with a periodic data ACK/NAK
response. The periodic data ACK/NAK response is as follows:
The Sequence Number, Controller Name, List Number, and Establish Function are
echoed from the event establish request. The establish code is 0x0600 for a periodic data
ACK/NAK response.
Periodic Data ACK/NAK Codes
Codes Description
0 Success
+1 DCS on gateway's distribution list. Communication with the process
controller is not currently possible

-2 Reserved
-3 Reserved
-4 Reserved
-5 Internal gateway error
-6 All points requested are undefined
-7 Reserved

GE Internal
4.2 Periodic Data Message
Periodic data messages are sent periodically to the DCS at the rate defined in the period
code, following the transmission of the periodic data ACK/NAK message. These
messages consist of a small header identifying which data list is contained in the message,
followed by a parameter list containing a time tag and point values. The time tag for the
list represents the time tag of the first bound and healthy point in the list. The point value
list is transmitted in the same order as defined in the periodic data request. If a requested
point is undefined, the returned list entry displays a size of zero. The periodic data
message format is as follows:
*1 – The List Number determines which set of data values are being returned if the DCS
has defined multiple lists.

GE Internal
If the WorkstationST computer running GSM loses communication with a process
controller, this is reflected by having a data size of 0 for any variables coming from that
controller. If communication is lost with all process controllers producing data for a given
list, then all variables have a data size of zero. In this case though, the timestamp is not
zero, but stays at the last time good data was received from the controller. So the GSM
client should not count on a timestamp of zero to indicate loss of communication with the
controllers. However, if all controllers are offline when the list is established, then since
there is no valid timestamp in this case, clients must be able to handle a time tag that is all
zeros. To re-iterate, if the client receives a zero timestamp, then communication is lost to
all controllers. However, if communication is lost to all controllers you might not have a
zero timestamp. When the gateway regains communication with the process controller
then live values will again be returned. If GSM3 loses communication with the OPC DA
Server (for example if the OPC DA server process stops running) then periodic
transmission of these messages ceases. Message transmission resumes automatically
when the gateway regains communication with the OPC DA server.

GE Internal
4.3 High-speed Periodic Data Messages
High-speed Periodic Data Messages are similar to normal Periodic Data Messages except
that the requested period is defined in terms of milliseconds instead of seconds.
4.3.1 High-speed Periodic Data Request

The format of this message is identical to the format used for message code 0x0600
Periodic Data Request with the exception that the Period Code field defines the period in
units of milliseconds instead of in units of seconds.

GE Internal
As this implies, the variable values are read into the WorkstationST computer running
GSM and then sent to the DCS. The values may have been read into the WorkstationST
computer either off of EGD or through SDI. (For more information on how data is
gathered, see the section Sources of Periodic Data later in this chapter.) Any given list
can actually contain points from more than one controller. The point name should be fully
qualified, indicating the controller from which this signal originated. (For example, G1.
TNH).
List Number defines a unique set of data points to be returned to this client. Each client
different clients. If the request contains a List Number that is identical to a previously
defined set, the new request supersedes the previous definition. List Number may be any
value.
Establish Function has two defined values.
• 0x0000 requests that the data points specified in the request be returned to the DCS
according to the Period Code.
• 0xFFFF-requests cancellation of any previously defined list corresponding to the List
Name/Controller Name.
Period Code defines the number of milliseconds between data transmissions. It is ignored
on list cancellation requests. A Period Code with a value of zero requests the data to be
transmitted only once. The minimum period allowed depends upon how fast the GSM
Server is running its message scheduler – which is currently at 20 milliseconds. Attempts
to collect data faster than the GSM scheduler is running will result in messages being sent
at the GSM scheduler rate.
The Point Name parameter list is ignored on list cancellations resulting from the Establish
Function. The Point Name parameter is a UTF8 encoded string and must match the point
name defined in the controller configuration for the subsystem used for high speed data
collection.
The reply to a High-speed Periodic Data Request message is the same as the reply to a
normal Periodic Data Request message. A Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response message
(message code 0x0601) is returned.
The high-speed periodic data is sent using the same message type as normal periodic data
- the data is returned in a Periodic Data Message (message code 0x0602). If a point value
is not currently available the length of the data for that point will be reported as zero (0)
bytes.

GE Internal
4.4 Sources of Periodic Data
The data to satisfy periodic data requests can come through various different paths in the
WorkstationST computer. The GSM3 server reads all of its data values from the OPC DA
server running on the same physical WorkstationST computer.
EGD If a process controller’s variable is mapped to EGD then the OPC DA server will
read this value off of the process controller’s EGD page. This means that regardless of
how often the DCS asked for periodic updates, the values of those variables will only
change when a new EGD transmission is received. For example, a DCS requests variables
every 200 milliseconds, but the EGD page on which the variables reside is only sent out
every 400 milliseconds. The DCS receives a periodic data message every 200
milliseconds, but the values within those messages will only change in every other
message (every 400 milliseconds). When the system is architected, EGD page
transmission rates should be set up to correspond to required data rates of the DCS.
SDI SDI If a process controller’s variable is not mapped to EGD and SDI Data
Enabled is set to true, then the OPC DA server will get the variable value through an SDI
list to the process controller. (Set SDI Data Enabled in the WorkstationST component, on
the OPC DA server tab, under General properties.)
Note This adds a load to the controller and is not recommended for normal periodic data
collection.
Controller Name All periodic data requests should use the Controller Name WKS.
This is to differentiate GSM3 periodic data collection from the myriad of ways data was
collected in GSM1 and GSM2.
Point Name All variables, whether they are read through EGD or SDI, should be
referenced by their fully qualified name. For example, G1.TNH, where G1 is the name of
the process controller in the system.
Time Tag The time tag for the list represents the time tag of the first bound and
healthy point in the list. This time tag is from the EGD exchange header for EGD or from
the SDI server in the process controller for SDI.
Limitations The only architectural limit on the number of variables per periodic data
list is fitting all the variable names into the Periodic Data Request without exceeding the
Maximum Message Size. The Maximum Message Size defaults to 4096 bytes, but can be
changed with a Connection Options Request Message. Otherwise, the only limit will be
the WorkstationST computer capability.
Data Types All variable values are returned using the WorkstationST Native Data
Types. The values are typically returned already converted into engineering units.

GE Internal
WorkstationST Native Data Types
Type Description
BOOL Bit packed
INT 2-byte signed integer
UINT 2-byte unsigned integer
DINT 4-byte signed integer
UDINT 4-byte unsigned integer
LINT 8-byte signed integer
ULINT 8-byte unsigned integer
REAL 4-byte IEEE floating point
LREAL 8-byte IEEE floating point
SINT 1-byte signed integer
USINT 1-byte unsigned integer
BYTE 1 byte
WORD 2 bytes
DWORD 4 bytes

GE Internal
Notes

GE Internal
5 Periodic Write Messages
This chapter describes how the DCS defines a set of data that it sends on a continuing
basis. The data set definition, acknowledgement, data write and data write
acknowledgment messages are defined.
5.1 Periodic Write Request

The DCS can define lists of points and then send data corresponding to those points on a
periodic basis. The points must be on an EGD page owned by the WorkstationST
component hosting the GSM3 server.
Note The Periodic Write messages are not used to send operator initiated push-button or
setpoint commands – the Process Command message is used for those.
The DCS interface requires The DCS defines one or more lists of signals that it desires to send. It gets back an
sending data on a regular acknowledgement that indicates whether the points were found or not, and if the point
basis (periodic data). was found it indicates how many bytes of data should be written for that point. The DCS
then periodically sends a Periodic Write Message that contains data for one or more
points in the data list. The DCS is sent an acknowledgement that the write message was
processed, including any reports of mismatches in data lengths.
Periodic Write Messages GEH-6760E Application Guide 59

GE Internal
5.1.1 Periodic Write Definition
The GSM client uses this message to define a list of signals that it will be writing using
the Periodic Write Data message. The periodic write definition message is as follows:
The sequence number is for the client’s use, the server will return the sequence number
from the Periodic Write Definition message in the response to the message.
By specifying the Controller Name with the generic WKS designation, it facilitates
redundant GSM3 Servers. (For more information on this, see the section GSM3
Redundancy later in this chapter.)

GE Internal
The Point Name format should be WKS.PointName. Again, this facilitates redundancy.
All points should be defined on an EGD page owned by the WorkstationST component
hosting the GSM3 server. Points that are not will be flagged with a status of Signal was
not found in the Periodic Write Definition Response. It is not necessary that all points in a
given list be on the same EGD page, although it may simplify architecting for
redundancy. EGD exchange transmission rates are configured in the WorkstationST
configuration using the ToolboxST application. EGD Produced Exchanges are healthy as
long as any one of the exchange variables has been written by a client within the time
specified by the Health Timeout Multiplier multiplied by the Period. (If the Health
Timeout Multiplier default of 0 is left then the exchange will begin life as healthy and will
remain healthy.) If Address Zero Health is true, only the variable at offset 0 will affect the
health of the produced exchange. The Point Name parameter list is ignored if the
Establish Function is to cancel the list.
There are two Establish Function values defined:
• 0x0000 requests that this list be defined for use with Periodic Data Write messages.
• 0xFFFF requests that this list be deleted
The List Number defines a unique set of data points for this client to write. Each client
different clients. If the request contains a List Number that the client has already defined
then the new definition will replace the previous definition of the list. List Number may
be any value.
The List Numbers used for the Periodic Write are separate from the List Numbers used
for the Periodic Read. A GSM Client can have a Periodic Read List and a Periodic Write
List defined with the same List Number, but these are two separate lists that can have
different contents. Defining a Periodic Read or a Periodic Write list with a particular List
Number does not define that List Number for the other function. Likewise deleting a
Periodic Read List Number or a Periodic Write List Number does not delete the other
type of list.

GE Internal
5.1.2 Periodic Write Definition Response
The GSM server uses this message to reply to the Periodic Write Definition message.
The Sequence Number, Controller Name, List Number, and Establish Function are all
echoed from the request. The Establish Code is always 0x0900 for the periodic write
definition response.
The Establish Status indicates problems with the overall definition (as opposed to the
individual signals). If the value returned is not zero (0) the message will not contain a list
of the individual point command status codes.

GE Internal
The possible values for the Establish Status field are:
Periodic Write ACK/NAK Codes
Codes Description
0 Success, see the individual point status values that follow

-2 Reserved
-3 Reserved
-4 Reserved
-6 All points requested are undefined
-7 Reserved
The Point Status List returns information about each signal requested to be included in the
list. The list will have the same number of entries as there were point name parameters in
the request. The first status will be for the first point name supplied, the second for the
second, and so on.
The <Point Status> values indicate whether the signal requested was found in the
controller, whether the signal was writeable or not, and how many bytes are expected for
the data value. The values returned for this field are:
Periodic Write Point Status Values
Point Status Description
<n> The signal was found and is writeable. The client must send this
many bytes when writing the data value. (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 8)
0 The signal was not found.

<-n> The signal was found but is not defined as being writeable. If the
signal is made writeable it will expect <n> bytes.

GE Internal
5.1.3 Periodic Write Message
The GSM client uses this message to send a periodic data write request to the GSM
server. The client must have defined the periodic data List Number prior to using this
command.

GE Internal
The sequence number is for the client’s use, the server will return the sequence number
from the Periodic Write Data message in the response to the message.
The List Number uniquely defines the data list that this client is writing. This List
Number must have been previously defined by this client. (Clients do not share the list
definitions, each client has their own set of lists defined.)
The list of setpoint value items that follow are used as the data to update the EGD page
according to the signals that were defined in this list. There must be the same number of
setpoint value items in the Periodic Data Write message as there were point names in the
Periodic Write Data Definition message. The first setpoint value is used for the first point
name defined in the list, the second for the second, and so on.
Sometimes the Periodic Data Write Definition Response message indicates that a signal is
not defined (Point Status of zero). In this case, if the DCS thinks it knows what size the
variable value should be, it can still send a non-zero <Size> setpoint value in the Periodic
Data Message. The GSM3 server checks every time a Periodic write message comes in to
see if the signal is now defined. This is because the WorkstationST component supports
online downloads and rebinding of signals. This means that if the point was added and the
WorkstationST component was built and downloaded, then GSM3 will start to write that
value. Otherwise, the DCS should set the <Size> of the setpoint value to zero.
Sometimes the Periodic Data Write Definition Response message indicates that a signal
exists but is not writeable (Point Status is negative). In this case the GSM3 server checks
every time a Periodic Write message comes in to see if it has become writeable. This is
because the WorkstationST component supports online downloads and rebinding of
signals. This means that if the point was changed to writeable and the WorkstationST
component was built and downloaded, then GSM3 will start to write that value.
In order for the DCS to ensure that any given EGD exchange stays healthy, they should
send a Periodic Data Message with at least one non-zero <Size> value for a point on that
exchange. The Period of this Periodic Data Message should be more often than the EGD
Pages’ Period multiplied by its Health Timeout Multiplier. If the DCS doesn’t want to
actually change the value of the point, the value can be the same as was previously sent.
If in a Periodic Data Message the <Size> of the data is non-zero, but doesn’t match the
current number of bytes needed for this point then there is a data length mismatch.
(Normally the current number of bytes needed for this point is what was returned in the
Periodic Write Definition response, but due to downloads and automatic rebinds, it could
be different.) A data length mismatch will cause the GSM3 Server to skip that cell, set the
ACK/NAK Write Status to (+1), and include a Point Length Report in its ACK/NAK
response message. The rest of the values in the Periodic Data Message will still be
written.

GE Internal
5.1.4 Periodic Write Message Response
The GSM server uses this message to reply to the Periodic Write message.
The Sequence Number, Controller Name, and List Number are echoed from the Periodic
Write message.
The Write Status value indicated whether any errors were found in the server processing
the client’s request.

GE Internal
Periodic Write Status Values
Write Description
Status
0 Success
+1 One or more data cells skipped due to mismatch in data lengths
-1 Reserved
-2 Reserved
-3 Undefined List Number
-4 Reserved
-6 Error trying to Write One or More Variables. Would occur if variable was
unbound, read only, or there was an OPC server Write Error.
-7 Number of data values does not match list definition
If the Write Status is a one (1) then some cells in the message were skipped (ignored)
because of a mismatch between the data length in the GE system and the data length
coming in the Periodic Data Message. (This mismatch indication will not be triggered by
an actual length of zero, since that implies the value was omitted on purpose.) When the
Write Status is a one (1) the message will also include a Point Status Report. This Point
Status Report will list for each cell in the message both the expected and the actual
number of data bytes received. This allows the client to determine which fields were
skipped as being invalid. Cells where the expected and actual number of bytes matched
were processed and the data was updated.

GE Internal
5.2 GSM3 Redundancy
There are three parts to GSM3 Server redundancy:
• Periodic Reads and Receiving Alarms/Events/SOEs

• Periodic Writes
• Command Requests
Periodic Reads and Receiving Alarms/Events/SOEs
For interchanges where the DCS reads information (data and alarms) from the GSM3
server, two or more WorkstationST computers can have the GSM feature enabled. A DCS
can have one or more clients connect into each of these GSM3 servers and request alarms
and data, and receive them.
Periodic Writes
GSM3 also uses Periodic writes from the DCS to points on the WorkstationST computer's
EGD pages. In this case GSM3 redundancy piggy backs off of the WorkstationST
Redundant EGD Produced Pages functionality. When redundancy is desired these
Periodic Write Points should be on the WorkstationST redundant EGD Pages. For more
information on the WorkstationST Redundant EGD Produced Pages, refer to
GEI-100621, WorkstationST OPC DA Server.
When Periodic Writes are set up, they should always use WKS as the Controller Name,
and Point Names in the format WKS.PointName. Internally the GSM3 Server then
translates the WKS.PointName to ThisWorkstationSTsName.PointName before
communicating with the OPC DA server. This allows the DCS to use the same message
content when talking to two or more redundant GSM3 servers.
For information on how to set The way the WorkstationST Redundant EGD Produced Pages functionality works, the
up EGD Pages owned by a DCS can write to both GSM3 servers in a redundant pair. Only the WorkstationST
WorkstationST computer, refer computer designated as having the primary produced page produces the page if the page
to GEH-6706, ToolboxST User is healthy. (See Periodic Write Definition section for how page health is determined.) A
Guide for WorkstationST. secondary produced page is produced by another WorkstationST computer if the primary
produce page is not heard for 3 periods. (Typically a consumer of the produced EGD page
will declare the page unhealthy after not receiving the page for 5 periods, so the consumer
never detects the page as unhealthy.) If the secondary again detects the production of the
primary page, it will stop data production. Like the primary, the secondary producer will
only produce the page if the page is healthy. Therefore, the WorkstationST EGD pages
should be architected such that points being written by the DCS system are on different
EGD pages than points being written by other components in the system. That way, if
connectivity is lost with the GSM3 server on the WorkstationST computer owning the
primary page, all writes to the page will stop, the page will go unhealthy, and the
WorkstationST computer owning the secondary page will begin producing the exchanges.
Command Requests
When the GSM3 server receives Command Requests from the DCS it always sends these
commands to the GE System (unless limited by Control Hierarchy). It is the responsibility
of the DCS to not send command requests to a primary and backup GSM3 server at the
same time.

GE Internal
6 Command Messages
This chapter describes the operator messages used to acknowledge, reset, lock, or unlock
alarms in the controller, and to request an alarm dump. Messages to initiate control
actions such as start/stop and change setpoint are covered.
6.1 Alarm Command Request

Alarm command requests are used for remote control of the turbine controller's alarm
queue. The alarm command request format is as follows:
Command Messages GEH-6760E Application Guide 69

GE Internal
Alarm Command Requests
Command Value Command Function

2 Lock Single Alarm
3 Unlock Single Alarm
4 Acknowledge All Alarms
5 Unacknowledge Single Alarm
6 Reset All Alarms

7 Acknowledge Single Alarm
8 Reset Single Alarm
9 Silence All Alarms

10 Alarm Horn Silence
11 Silence Single Alarm
12 Unsilence Single Alarm
13 Override Single Alarm
14 Remove Override Single Alarm
255 Request Alarm Dump
All other values for alarm command are reserved.

In cases where a single alarm is being acted upon, the Point Name will designate which
alarm. Otherwise, the Point Name can be size 0. When the Point Name is included, it is
NOT the fully qualified signal name. For example, the point name used would be
L3GFIVP, NOT G1.L3GFIVP.
Note The point name format for alarms is the same as it was for GSM1 and GSM2.
This short format is different from how Point Name’s are specified in Periodic Data Read,
Periodic Writes, and Command Requests.

GE Internal
Alarm Options only apply when requesting an Alarm Dump, and are defined as:
Bit 0 = 1 requests that alarm text be included in alarm messages; otherwise alarm text will
be omitted.
Bit 1 = 1 requests to receive Analog Alarms.
Alarm Attribute Options only apply when requesting an Alarm Dump. Otherwise the
entire parameter can be left out of the Alarm Command Request Message. The Alarm
Attribute Options define which of the new alarm attributes the DCS wants sent to them
with an alarm:
Bit 8 = 1 Include Alarm Value on Transition
Bit 9 = 1 Include Engineering Units for Alarm Value on Transition
Bit 10 = 1 Include Alarm Description in the second language
Bit 11 = 1 Include Alarm Plant Area
Bit 13 = 1 Include Alarm Sound Reference
Bit 14 = 1 Include Alias for Pointname associated with this alarm
Bit 15 = 1 Include Alarm Out of Service State
Bit 16 = 1 Include Alarm Out of Service Time
Bit 19 = 1 Include Alarm Shelving Duration
Bit 22 = 1 Include Operator Comment in second language
Bit 23 to (8x-1) are reserved and must be zero.

GE Internal
6.1.1 Alarm Command ACK/NAK Response
The gateway responds to an alarm command request with an ACK/NAK response. This
informs the DCS that the command is valid and has been successfully sent to the unit. To
confirm that the controller has the command, look for the associated alarm queue change
message. The alarm command ACK/NAK response format is as follows:
The Sequence Number, Controller Name, Alarm Command, Alarm Options and Point
Name are echoed from the alarm command request.
Alarm Command ACK/NAK Codes
Codes Description
0 Success. The alarm command sent to process controller
+1 Request received by the gateway, but communication with the


-2 Reserved
-3 Invalid command
-4 Reserved
-5 Internal Gateway error
-6 Permission violation due to control hierarchy
-7 Reserved
-8 Unknown Point Name

GE Internal
6.2 Alarm Dump Messages
Alarm dump messages are nearly identical to alarm data messages. Alarm dump messages
are sent following the alarm command ACK/NAK message, if an alarm dump was
requested and supported by the controller. The Mark IV, V, VI, and VIe controllers
support this function. Alarm dump messages provide the current status of all alarms. Due
to the potential size of the entire alarm queue information, this message may be broken up
into several GSM messages.
All current alarms can be sent The alarm sequence number in an alarm dump is the latest alarm sequence number
to the DCS. maintained for that device by the GSM3 Server. If the alarm dump is so large that it needs
to be broken into multiple GSM messages, then the same alarm sequence number is used
in each of those multiple GSM messages. The DCS can use the alarm sequence number to
synchronize its own alarm queue.
6.2.1 Alarm Dump Message Structure

The message contains parameter lists that define information about a single alarm. Not all
controllers support all possible parameters. Information not relevant to a given controller
is not included.
These messages contain a list of parameter lists (denoted by *1) identified by a record
type value of 0x8000. Except for the first and last parameter lists, each parameter list
corresponds to a single alarm, which is in the alarm queue. If the alarm queue is empty,
there will be one parameter list containing only the End-Of-List parameter.

GE Internal
The first nested parameter list sent will contain two parameters: an Alarm Reason Code to
Clear Alarm Queue to prepare for alarm dump and an End of Parameter List. The last
nested parameter list sent will contain two parameters: an Alarm Reason Code End of
Alarm Dump and an End of Parameter List.
The format of the point name of the alarm is as follows.
The format of the time tag associated with the alarm record is as follows:
The alarm state format is as follows:
Alarm States
Code Description
0x00 Normal
0x01 Alarmed
0x02 High-High-High
0x03 Low-Low-Low
0x04 High-High
0x05 Low-Low
0x06 High
0x07 Low
0x08 Rate
0x09 Deviation
0x0A Reserved
0x0B Reserved
0x0C Bad Quality
0x0D External; Read the “Alarm State text” parameter (0x1115) to get
the current Alarm State.

GE Internal
The alarm previous state format is as follows:
See values in Alarm States table.

The alarm lock state format is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the current lock state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if alarm is not locked
Bit 0 = 1 if alarm is locked
The reason code parameter defines why the alarm record is being sent. It is used for
remote alarm queue management.

GE Internal
Alarm Data Reason Codes
Code Description
0x00 Not used
0x01 Alarm state just transitioned
0x02 Alarm just locked
0x03 Alarm just unlocked
0x04 Reserved
0x05 Reserved in GSM3 (In GSM1 and GSM2 was Alarm just
re-triggered. Reset time tag in the alarm queue)
0x06 Reserved
0x07 Alarm just acknowledged
0x08 Alarm reset. Remove alarm from alarm queue
0x09 Alarm Dump Record
0x0A Alarm just Unacknowledged
0x0B Alarm just Silenced
0x0C Alarm just Unsilenced
0x0D Alarm just Overriden
0x0E Alarm Override just removed.
0x0F Alarm just went Out of Service
0x10 Alarm just returned from Out of Service
0x11 Alarm was just Timed Shelved
0x12 Alarm was just Unshelved
0x13 Alarm was just One-shot Shelved
0x14 Alarm Severity or Priority Changed
0xFE End of Alarm Dump
0xFF Clear Alarm Queue to prepare for alarm dump

The alarm description format is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm dump request message. The
text size is zero if the gateway cannot provide the associated text.

GE Internal
The alarm description in second language format is as follows:
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm dump request message. The
text size is zero if the gateway cannot provide the associated text.
The alarm record sequence number format is as follows:
Each GSM3 Server keeps an alarm message sequence number for each device from which
it forwards alarm messages. Each time an alarm message (that is not a dump) is
forwarded to the DCS client then the sequence number is incremented. The alarm
sequence number is provided for remote alarm queue management. If the remote alarm
queue sequence number (plus 1) does not equal this sequence number, then the remote
alarm queue has missed an alarm message. In this event, the DCS requests an alarm dump
to re-synchronize. This value is a two-byte unsigned integer and will rollover after
0xFFFF.
The alarm ACK state parameter is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the Acknowledged state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if the alarm has not been acknowledged
Bit 0 = 1 if the alarm has been acknowledged

GE Internal
The alarm silence state is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the current silence state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if alarm is not silenced
Bit 0 = 1 if alarm is silenced
This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm dump request message.
The alarm override state is as follows:
Bit 0 defines the current override state of the alarm.

Bit 0 = 0 if alarm is not overidden
Bit 0 = 1 if alarm is overidden
The alarm priority parameter is as follows:
The alarm severity parameter is as follows:

GE Internal
The alarm quality parameter is as follows:
The alarm quality is bit-encoded, following the OPC DA 3.0 Specification for OPC
Quality Flags. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm dump request
message.
The Alarm class is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is not
requested in the alarm dump request message.
The alarm value on transition format is as follows:
This is the value of the alarm variable at the point in time that it was detected that there
was an Alarm State transition. For analog alarms, this is when it crossed over the set point
indicated in the Alarm State. (For example, High Set point.) If the client requested data in
a different measurement system than what is native to the controller, then the value is
converted to the requested measurement system and its precision applied. The value is
returned as a string. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm
establish message.
Note If you choose to override the precision from the format spec with precision
declared directly on the point, that precision is not used, and is not used on the GE Alarm
Viewer either.
The engineering units for alarm value on transition format is as follows:

GE Internal
The engineering units correspond to whichever Format Spec or Measurement System was
used for the analog point that's being monitored to generate the Analog Alarm. The units
are returned as a string. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm
establish message.
Note If you choose to override the units from the format spec with units declared directly
on the point, those units are not returned, and are not displayed on the GE Alarm Viewer
either.
The alarm plant area format is as follows:
The alarm plant area is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is
not requested in the alarm dump request message.
The alarm actor ID format is as follows:
The alarm actor ID is a string used in filtering alarms. This information is not sent if it is
not requested in the alarm dump request message.
The alarm sound reference format is as follows:
The alarm sound reference is a string that represents what sound should be played when
this alarm occurs. (For example, this could point to a WaveFile). This information is not
sent if it is not requested in the alarm dump request message.

GE Internal
The alias is an attribute on a Pointname. It can be used in some end systems like the
Alarm Viewer as an alternative to the Pointname. In some requisitions, the pointname
may be the GE name and the alias the customer name, and in other requisitions the
reverse may be true. The value is a string. This information is not sent if it is not
The Out of Service State is an indication of whether the alarm is currently Out of Service.
The Out of Service State format is as follows:
The Out of Service state has three possible values:

0 = Out of Service is not supported for this alarm
1 = This alarm is In Service
2 = This alarm is Out of Service
The Out of Service Time parameter is the time of the last transition of the Out of Service
State.
The Out of Service Time format is as follows:
The Shelved State is an indication of whether the alarm is currently Shelved.
The Shelved State format is as follows:
The Shelved State has 3 possible values:

0 = Shelving is not supported for this alarm
1 = This alarm is Unshelved
2 = This alarm is Timed Shelved
3 = This alarm is One-shot Shelved
When an alarm is Timed Shelved it means the alarm has been Shelved for a specified
period of time. (Refer to the Alarm Shelving Duration parameter (0x1113).)
When an alarm is One-shot Shelved it means the alarm will remain shelved until either it
transitions state or the maximum shelving period of time has elapsed.
Both Timed Shelving and One-shot Shelving can also be manually unshelved by the
operator.

GE Internal
The Shelved Time parameter is the time of the last transition of the Shelved State.
The Shelved Time format is as follows:
The Alarm Shelving Duration parameter is the number of seconds that the alarm is
shelved. Add this to the Shelved Time parameter to determine when the alarm will
automatically unshelved.
The Alarm Shelving Duration format is as follows:
The ACK Time parameter is the time of the last Acknowledgement.
The ACK State format is as follows:
The alarm state text format is as follows:

0x1115 Param ID = Alarm State Text

<Size n> Size of Alarm State Text.
"
Alarm State Text
...// $
The alarm state text parameter is only sent when the Alarm State parameter (0x1060) is
set to “External” (0x0D). As part of the OPC UA Alarm Specification, it is possible for
the specific Alarm State to be passed as a string to the Alarm Server, instead of using a
pre-defined Alarm State. When this occurs, the Alarm State will be sent as “External”,
and this associated “Alarm State Text” string should be used to show to the Alarm State
to the operator.

GE Internal
The previous alarm state text format is as follows:

0x1116 Param ID = Previous Alarm State Text

<Size n> Size of Previous Alarm State Text.
%
Previous Alarm State Text
...// '
The previous alarm state text parameter is only sent when the Alarm Previous State
parameter (0x1107) is set to “External” (0x0D). As part of the OPC UA Alarm
Specification, it is possible for the specific Alarm State to be passed as a string to the
Alarm Server, instead of using a pre-defined Alarm State. When this occurs, the Alarm
Previous State will be sent as “External”, and this associated “Previous Alarm State Text”
string should be used to show to the Previous Alarm State to the operator.
The operator comment format is as follows:

0x1117 Param ID = Operator Comment

<Size n> Size of Operator Comment.
"
Operator Comment
...// $

Service, they may enter in a comment, which is sent in this parameter. This information is
not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish message.
The operator comment in a second language format is as follows:

0x1118 Param ID = Operator Comment in 2nd language

<Size n> Size of Operator Comment in 2nd language.
'
Operator Comment in 2nd language
...// )

Service, they may enter in a comment in a second language, which is sent in this
parameter. This information is not sent if it is not requested in the alarm establish
message.
The last parameter in the list is:

GE Internal
6.3 Process Control Command Requests
Process Control Commands are operator initiated actions such as push-button or setpoint
commands. No more than ten (10) commands per second should be sent to any one
turbine controller. This should be sufficient to handle operator initiated commands – if
higher rates are required then Periodic Write messages should be used instead.
There are two types of process control command request messages sent from the DCS.
• push-button commands, such as Start/Stop and Raise/Lower.

• setpoint target commands, such as Speed Target and Load Target.
Both control command request messages can be blocked either by the gateway or the
process controller. The DCS monitors feedback signals to determine if the command
request has been acted upon by the process controller.
To specify the number of scans for a push-button, use the setpoint command. Mark V
defaults to four 4, and Mark V LM defaults to 25.
Push-button commands have The Mark VI controller does not implement push-buttons exactly like the Mark V
been implemented differently in generation controllers do. In the Mark VI controller a Boolean point in its EGD page can
the Mark VI than in the Mark be used in the Mark VI application code to trigger an action like a push-button would.
V. However, it is the responsibility of the Mark VI application to clear that Boolean point
after it takes action. (In the Mark V, because that Boolean point was specifically
designated as a push-button type the product code was responsible for clearing the
Boolean point.)
Despite the differences in the underlying way in which push-buttons are handled in the
controller, the DCS does not need to differentiate in its GSM message. There are two
ways that a DCS can send a message to set a push-button command, and either way works
regardless of which type of controller is being communicated with.
The first way is to send the name of the push-button with an End List parameter. The
second way is to send the name of the push-button with a setpoint target command and a
value of one (1).
The gateway responds to a process control command request by a control request
ACK/NAK response message.

GE Internal
The process control command request format is as follows:
The controller name is used to check Control Hierarchy. The Process Command Name
should be the fully qualified signal name. For example, this might be G1.BTKALM1. The
Process Command Name is the name of the variable to be changed.
The push-button command parameter is as follows:
The setpoint target command parameter format is as follows:

GE Internal
6.3.1 Process Control Command ACK/NAK
Response
The gateway responds to a process control command request with a command request
ACK/NAK response. This informs the DCS that the command is valid and has been
successfully sent to the unit. To confirm that the controller has acted on the command, use
some other means such as a GSM Periodic Data Message to monitor an appropriate
feedback signal from the controller. The process control command request ACK/NAK
response format is as follows:
The Sequence Number, Controller Name, and Process Command Name are echoed from
the process control command request.
Process Control Command ACK/NAK Codes
Code Description
0 Success. Requested command sent to the process controller
+1 Request received by the gateway, but communication with the

-1 Reserved
-2 Reserved
-3 Reserved
-4 Reserved
-6 Permission violation due to control hierarchy
-7 Read Only
-8 Unknown Point Name
Note No more than 10 individual process control command requests per second should
be sent to any one controller.

GE Internal
7 Changes From GSM1/GSM2
This chapter highlights the protocol differences between GSM1/GSM2 versus GSM3.
GSM 1.0 is described in GEI-100516. GSM 2.0 is described in GEI-100658.
7.1 Differences between GSM1/GSM2 versus GSM3

The following table displays differences in protocol on a per message basis. The numbers
in the differences columns refer to the table Common Differences. Also, previous versions
of the GSM server supported direct addressing into Mark V controller memory, but it was
not recommended and is no longer supported.
Differences per Message Type
Mes- Message Type Differences

sage
Code
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0x0100 Supported Controller Request X - - - - - - - - -
0x0101 Supported Controller Response X - - - - - - - - X
0x0200 Heartbeat Message X - - - - - - - - -
0x0300 Alarm Establish Request X - - - - - - - - X
0x0301 List Establish ACK/NAK X - - - - - - - X -

0x0302 Alarm Data Message X X X - - - - - - X
0x0400 Digital Input Record Establish Request X - - - - - - - - X
0x0402 Digital Input Record Data Message X X - - - - - - - X
0x0500 Software Event Record Establish Request X - - - - - - - - X
0x0502 Software Event Data Message X X - - - - - - - X
0x0600 Periodic Data Request X X - X X - - X - -
0x0601 Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response X - - - - - - X X -
0x0602 Periodic Data Message X - - X X X X X - -
0x0603 High Speed Periodic Data Request X X - X X - - X - -
0x0700 Alarm Command Request X X X - - - - - - X
0x0701 Alarm Command ACK/NAK X X X - - - - - X X

0x0702 Alarm Dump Message X X X - - - - - - X
0x0800 Process Control Command Request X X - - - X - - - -
0x0801 Process Control ACK/NAK Response X X - - - - - - X -
0x0900 Periodic Write Definition X X - - - - - X - -

0x0901 Periodic Write Definition Response X - - - - X X X X -
0x0902 Periodic Write Message X - - - - X X X - X
0x0903 Periodic Write Message Response X - - - - X X X X -
Changes From GSM1/GSM2 GEH-6760E Application Guide 87

GE Internal
Mes- Message Type Differences
sage
Code
0x0A00 Connection Options Request New message
0x0A01 Connection Options Response New message
X == Difference Applies
- == Difference Does not Apply
Common Differences
GSM/GSM 2 GSM 3
1. Encoding of Controller Name, Point ASCIIC UTF-81
Name and Long Name (Alarm
Description)
2. Point Name length Refer to the table Detail Reference Alarms, Digital Inputs and Events only
Information use the Point Name. (Ex. TNH) Periodic
Data Reads, Periodic Writes and
Command Requests use the fully
qualified point name. (Ex. G1.TNH)
3. Alarm Drop Number Included and is key Not included, Point Name is key
4. Max Points per List Refer to the table Detail Reference None2
Information
5. Max Number of Lists Refer to the table Detail Reference None2
Information
6. Numerical Data Formats Refer to the table Detail Reference Workstation Native (See chart in
Information Sources of Periodic Data section.)
7. Boolean Data Formats Refer to the table Detail Reference 1-byte Boolean without forced bit
Information
8. Controller Name used in Data CIM, EGD, T1, RFM3, and so forth WKS for Periodic Data Reads and
Messages Periodic Writes.
9. Changes in ACK/NAK Codes See applicable protocol document for See specific Message protocol sections
possible values. for possible values. No values were
reassigned. If older codes no longer
apply, they are listed as Reserved. If a
new code is added, it uses a new value.
10. Refer to the section Breakdown of
Differences for further details.
1. Any new text fields that are added, as indicated in protocol differences below, also
are UTF-8.
2. Still limited by computer CPU capability.
3. Reflective Memory is not supported.

GE Internal
Detail Reference Information
Controller Point Name Max Points per Max Number of Numerical Data Boolean Data
Length List Lists Format Format
Mark IV w/ HMI CIMPLICITY 300 none CIMPLICITY 1-byte Boolean
name, ex G1_ Native WITH forced bit
TNH
Mark V Short name, ex 96 32 2 byte fixed point 1-byte Boolean
TNH WITH forced bit
Mark V LM Short name, ex 50 64 4 byte IEEE 1-byte Boolean
TNH floating point WITH forced bit
Mark Ve CIMPLICITY 300 none CIMPLICITY 1-byte Boolean

name, ex G1.TNH Native WITHOUT forced
bit
Mark VI CIMPLICITY 300 none CIMPLICITY 1-byte Boolean
name, ex G1\TNH Native WITHOUT forced
bit
Mark VIe CIMPLICITY 300 none CIMPLICITY 1-byte Boolean
name, ex G1.TNH Native WITHOUT forced
bit
CIMPLICITY CIMPLICITY 300 none CIMPLICITY 1-byte Boolean
name, ex G1 Native WITH forced bit
\TNH, G1.TNH,
G1_TNH
EGD Short name, ex 300 none EGD Data Types 1-byte Boolean
TNH WITHOUT forced
bit

GE Internal
GSM Message Types Supported
Message Code Message Type Sent By GSM 1 GSM 2 GSM 3

0x0100 Supported Controller Request DCS X X X
0x0101 Supported Controller Response GSM X X X
0x0200 Heartbeat Message DCS X X X
0x0300 Alarm Establish Request DCS X X X
0x0301 List Establish ACK/NAK GSM X X X

0x0302 Alarm Data Message GSM X X X
0x0400 Digital Input Record Establish Request DCS X X X
0x0402 Digital Input Record Data Message GSM X X X
0x0500 Software Event Record Establish Request DCS X X X
0x0502 Software Event Data Message GSM X X X
0x0600 Periodic Data Request DCS X X X
0x0601 Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response GSM X X X
0x0602 Periodic Data Message GSM X X X
0x0603 High Speed Periodic Data Request DCS - X X
0x0700 Alarm Command Request DCS X X X
0x0701 Alarm Command ACK/NAK GSM X X X

0x0702 Alarm Dump Message GSM X X X
0x0800 Process Control Command Request DCS X X X
0x0801 Process Control ACK/NAK Response GSM X X X
0x0900 Periodic Write Definition DCS - X X

0x0901 Periodic Write Definition Response GSM - X X
0x0902 Periodic Write Message DCS - X X
0x0903 Periodic Write Message Response GSM - X X
0x0A00 Connection Options Request DCS - - X
0x0A01 Connection Options Response GSM - - X
X == Supports
- == Does not support

GE Internal
7.2 Breakdown of Differences between GSM1/GSM2 and
GSM3
0x0101 Supported Controller Response
What Changed: GSM1/GSM2 GSM3

Interface Type 0001 – Turbine Controller 0001 – Turbine Controller
0002 – CIMPLICITY 0002 – CIMPLICITY
0003 – EGD 0003 – EGD
0004 – WorkstationST (WKS)
0x0300 Alarm Establish Request, 0x0700 Alarm Command Request and 0x0701 Alarm Command Ack/Nak Response

For 0x0700 Alarm Command Request Did not exist. Instead, the Alarm Options 1 byte size followed by UTF-8 encoded
and 0x0701 Alarm Command Ack/Nak sometimes was set to the Alarm Drop Point Name. The Point Name when
Response only: Number. communicating with the Alarm System
does not include the Controller Name.
Point Name For example, use TNH, not G1.TNH.
For 0x0700 Alarm Command Request 2 = Lock Single Alarm 2 = Lock Single Alarm
and 0x0701 Alarm Command Ack/Nak 3 = UnLock Single Alarm 3 = Unlock Single Alarm
Response only: 4 = Acknowledge All Alarms 4 = Acknowledge All Alarms
5 = Reserved 5 = Unacknowledge Single Alarm
6 = Reset All Alarms 6 = Reset All Alarms
Alarm Command 7 = Acknowledge Single Alarm 7 = Acknowledge Single Alarm
8 = Reset Single Alarm 8 = Reset Single Alarm
9 = Reserved 9 = Silence All Alarms
10 = Alarm Horn Silence 10 = Alarm Horn Silence
11 = Reserved 11 = Silence Single Alarm
12 = Reserved 12 = Unsilence Single Alarm
13 = Reserved 13 = Override Single Alarm
14 = Reserved 14 = Remove Override Single Alarm
255 = Request Alarm Dump 255 = Request Alarm Dump

GE Internal
Alarm Options Bit 0 = 1 Include Alarm Description Bit 0 = 1 Include Alarm Description
Bits 1-15 Reserved Bit 1 = 1 Include Analog Alarms
- OR - Bits 2-15 Reserved
When 0x0700 Alarm Command Request
is a command function that applies only
to a single alarm, this is the Alarm Drop
Number.
Alarm Attribute Options Did not exist. Bit 0 = Reserved and must be zero
Bit 8 = 1 Include Alarm Value on
Transition
Bit 9 = 1 Include Engineering Units for
Alarm Value on Transition
Bit 10 = 1 Include Alarm Description in
the second language
Bit 11= 1 Include Alarm Plant Area
Bit 13 = 1 Include Alarm Sound
Reference
Bit 14 = 1 Include Alias for Pointname
associated with this alarm
Bit 15 = 1 Include Out of Service State
Bit 16 = 1 Include Out of Service Time
Bit 19 =1 Include Alarm Shelving
Duration
Bit 22 = 1 Include Operator Comment in
2nd language
Bit 23 to (8x -1) are reserved and must
be zero.

GE Internal
0x0302 Alarm Data Message and 0x0702 Alarm Dump Message

Obsolete Alarm Parameters 1. Alarm Drop Number 1. Not supported—Alarm Point Name is the
2. Point ID Hint key.
2. Not supported
Alarm State Values 0x00 – Normal 0x00 – Normal

0x01 – Alarmed 0x01 – Alarmed
0x02 – High-High-High
0x03 – Low-Low-Low
0x04 – High-High
0x05 – Low-Low
0x06 – High
0x07 – Low
0x08 – Rate
0x09 – Deviation
0x0A – Reserved
0x0B – Reserved
0x0C – Bad Quality
0x0D – External

GE Internal
Reason Code Values 0x00 – Not Used 0x00 – Not Used
0x01 – Alarm State just transitioned 0x01 – Alarm State just transitioned
0x02 – Alarm just locked 0x02 – Alarm just locked
0x03 – Alarm just unlocked 0x03 – Alarm just unlocked
0x04 – Reserved 0x04 – Reserved
0x05 – Alarm just re-triggered. Reset 0x05 – Reserved
time tag in the alarm queue. 0x06 – Reserved
0x06 – Reserved 0x07 – Alarm just acknowledged
0x07 – Alarm just acknowledged 0x08 – Alarm reset. Remove alarm from
0x08 – Alarm reset. Remove alarm from alarm queue
alarm queue 0x09 – Alarm Dump Record
0x09 – Alarm Dump Record 0x0A – Alarm just UnAcknowledged
0xFE – End of Alarm Dump 0x0B – Alarm just Silenced
0xFF – Clear Alarm Queue to prepare 0x0C – Alarm just UnSilenced
for alarm dump. 0x0D – Alarm just Overriden
0x0E – Alarm Override just removed
0x0F – Alarm just went Out Of Service
0x10 – Alarm returned from Out Of Service
0x11 – Alarm was just Timed Shelved
0x12 – Alarm was just Unshelved
0x13 – Alarm was just One-shot Shelved
0x14 – Alarm Severity or Priority Changed
0xFE – End of Alarm Dump
0xFF – Clear Alarm Queue to prepare for
alarm dump.
New Alarm Parameters 0x1101 – Alarm Silence State

0x1102 – Alarm Override State
0x1103 – Alarm Priority
0x1104 – Alarm Severity
0x1105 – Alarm Quality
0x1106 – Alarm Class
0x1107 – Alarm Previous State
0x1108 – Alarm Value On Transition
0x1109 – Engineering Units for Alarm Value
On Transition
0x110A - Alarm Description in second
language
0x110B – Alarm Plant Area
0x110C – Alarm Actor ID
0x110D – Sound Reference
0x110E – Alias for Point name
0x110F – Alarm Out of Service State
0x1110 – Alarm Out of Service Time
0x1111 – Alarm Shelved State
0x1112 – Alarm Shelved Time
0x1113 – Alarm Shelving Duration in
seconds
0x1114 – Alarm ACK Time
0x1115 – Alarm State Text
0x1116 – Previous Alarm State Text
0x1117 – Operator Comment

GE Internal
0x1118 – Operator Comment in Second
Language
0x0400 Digital Input Record Establish Request and 0x0500 Software Event Record Establish Request

Alarm Attribute Options Did not exist. Bit 0 = Reserved and must be zero
Bit 1 = Reserved
Bit 2 = Reserved
Bit 7 = Reserved
Bit 8 = Reserved
Bit 9 = Reserved
Bit 10 = 1 Include Description in the
second language
Bit 12 = Reserved
Bit 14 = 1 Include Alias for Pointname
associated with this alarm
Bits 15 to (8x -1) are reserved and must
be zero.
0x0402 Digital Input Data Message and 0x0502 Software Event Data Message

Obsolete Parameters 1. Point ID Hint 1. Not supported
New Parameters 0x1103 – Priority

0x1104 – Severity
0x1105 – Quality
0x1106 – Alarm Class
0x1109 – Description in second
language
0x110A – Plant Area
0x110C – Sound Reference
0x110E – Alias for Point Name
0x0902 Periodic Write Message

Obsolete Parameters 1. EGD Transmit 1. The rate at which EGD pages are
transmitted is set up in the
WorkstationST configuration.

GE Internal
Notes

GE Internal
8 Application Notes
This chapter contains application notes on networking. For detailed Application Notes
and information on Debugging Tools, Refer to GEH-6757, WorkstationST GSM 3.0
Application Guide.
8.1 Networking
Note The GSM3 server defaults to using TCP port 768 on all configured network
interfaces on the gateway. A different TCP port number can be specified by using
ToolboxST. Open the WorkstationST component configuration and go to the GSM tab.
Each GSM message must be preceded by a two-byte integer indicating the size of the
message. The recipient can use this size as an indication of how many bytes to read from
the network. The default GSM message size that the gateway sends or receives is 4096
bytes. This makes it backwards compatible with older versions of GSM. However, the
Connection Options Request can be used to change this size.
8.1.1 TCP Communications

Conceptually, a TCP socket represents the endpoint of a virtual circuit. Each client socket
has a corresponding socket on the server, and each client-server socket pair are the
endpoints of a distinct virtual circuit. Thus each client has a separate communication path
to the HMI. Responses to requests from Client A are sent only to Client A.
There is no confusion over That the server is using only one port can be confusing. The fundamental concept of the
where messages are directed. TCP protocol is the virtual circuit, and that each virtual circuit is uniquely identified by a
pair of endpoints. An endpoint is identified by a pair of integers (host and port) where
host is the IP address of the host, and port is a TCP port number. Thus the same endpoint
on the server can be used by multiple virtual circuits because each virtual circuit is
identified by a pair of endpoints.
If a firewall (either hardware or software) is used then the firewall must be configured to
allow a GSM Client to make a TCP connection to the GSM Server using the port assigned
to GSM (typically port 768). The GSM Server will attempt to open the port that it listens
for clients on in the Windows Firewall (part of the Windows Operating System), but if
other firewalls are used they must be configured to allow the clients to make connections
to the server. The GSM Server does not make outbound connections, it simply accepts
inbound connections and replies to requests that it receives - although it does make local
connections to other WorkstationST programs to obtain its configuration and run time
data.
Application Notes GEH-6760E Application Guide 97

GE Internal
Notes

GE Internal
Glossary
ACK ACK stands for an Acknowledge message.
Alarm dump The alarm dump message requests a list of all the active alarms.
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange is an 8-bit code used for
data.
Bind The term is most often used with reference to associating a symbol (such as the
name of a variable) with some descriptive information (such as a memory address, a data
type, or an actual value).
CIMPLICITY CIMPLICITY is a GE Fanuc software product that provides server and

viewer functions to create the HMI graphical operator interface, the HMI server, and
communication gateway functions.
CMP Command Message Protocol is used with EGD based controllers to issue process
commands. It sends commands by writing individual signals or blocks of signals into the
writeable signals in a controller’s EGD page.
Command A command is a message, usually initiated by the operator calling for a

change in the controller settings, or requesting specific controller data.
DCS Distributed Control System is a digital process control system used for plant
process control applications, including power plant control.
EGD Ethernet Global Data is a protocol used to transmit a block of data from one
device to another. Each block of data is called an EGD exchange. The blocks of data can
be broadcast so that multiple devices can receive the data.
EGD Exchange An EGD Exchange is an EGD data message consisting of a header

and a body of data. The header contains the producer ID and exchange ID that uniquely
identifies the message. The body of data is a block of bytes in a format agreed upon by
the producer and all consumers.
EGD Page An EGD Page can contain one or more EGD Exchanges.
gateway The gateway is the software in the WorkstationST computer that controls
communication between the DCS and controllers.
GMT Greenwich Mean Time, a global time standard.
GSM GE Standard Messages, used for communication with the DCS.
heartbeat A message from the DCS to the gateway indicating that the DCS is
functioning.
little endian The byte order used by many microprocessors. For multi-byte data, the
least significant byte is transmitted first while the most significant byte is transmitted last.
push-button command A push-button command causes the pulse of a logic signal

inside a controller. Some GE controllers allow the sender of a push-button command to
specify the duration of the pulse.
setpoint command A setpoint command sets a value inside a controller. This is

typically an analog value, but it can be any type that the controller supports.
GEH-6760E Glossary of Terms 99

GE Internal
SOE Sequence of Events, a record of contact closures and events, usually taken at a
one ms rate for later investigation of turbine generator trips.
TCP Transmission Communication Protocol is used on Unix and Ethernet

communication networks to control data transfer.
UTF-8 (8-bit UCS/Unicode Transformation Format) is a variable-length character

encoding for Unicode. It is able to represent any character in the Unicode standard, yet
the initial encoding of byte codes and character assignments for UTF-8 is backwards
compatible with ASCII.
100 WorkstationST GSM 3.0

GE Internal
1501 Roanoke Blvd.
Salem, VA 24153 USA
GE Internal

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GEH-6760E

WorkstationST* GSM 3.0

Revised: Jul 2014

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We would appreciate your feedback about our documentation.

The section, Added paragraph about Controller Name.

The section, Alarm Added Bits 21 and 22.

The section, Periodic Added information regarding timestamp.

The section, Alarm Added Bits 21 and 22.

Application Guide GEH-6760E 3

Indicates a procedure, condition, or statement that, if not

Indicates a procedure, condition, or statement that, if not

Indicates a procedure, condition, or statement that should be

GEH-6760E Application Guide 5

6 GEH-6760E WorkstationST GSM 3.0

Gateway as used in a Turbine Control System

Overview GEH-6760E Application Guide 7

• Changes in process alarm state

• Process alarm command requests

8 GEH-6760E WorkstationST GSM 3.0

Overview GEH-6760E Application Guide 9

Within a message format specification, the time tag is as follows:

10 GEH-6760E WorkstationST GSM 3.0

1.2.1 Time Tag Considerations

Overview GEH-6760E Application Guide 11

Message Code Message Type Sent By

0x0101 Supported Controller Response Gateway

0x0200 Heartbeat Message DCS

0x0300 Alarm Establish Request DCS

0x0301 List Establish ACK/NAK Gateway

0x0302 Alarm Data Message Gateway

0x0400 Digital Input Record Establish Request DCS

0x0402 Digital Input Record Data Message Gateway

0x0500 Software Event Record Establish Request DCS

0x0502 Software Event Data Message Gateway

0x0600 Periodic Data Request DCS

0x0601 Periodic Data ACK/NAK Response Gateway

0x0602 Periodic Data Message Gateway

0x0603 High Speed Periodic Data Request DCS

0x0700 Alarm Command Request DCS

0x0701 Alarm Command ACK/NAK Gateway

0x0702 Alarm Dump Message Gateway

0x0800 Process Control Command Request DCS

0x0801 Process Control ACK/NAK Response Gateway

0x0900 Periodic Write Definition DCS

0x0902 Periodic Write Message DCS

0x0903 Periodic Write Message Response Gateway

0x0A00 Connection Options Request DCS

0x0A01 Connection Options Response Gateway

0x0B00 Make Me a GSM Spy GSM Spy

12 GEH-6760E WorkstationST GSM 3.0

Record ID Record Type

0x8300 Alarm Information parameter list

0x8400 Digital Input Information parameter list

0x8500 Software Event Information parameter list

Parameter Identification Summary

Param ID Parameter Type

0x1000 Process controller name

0x1020 Process controller type

0x1030 Point name

0x1050 Reserved in GSM3 (In GSM1/GSM2 was Alarm drop number)

0x1060 Point value (Alarm State or Variable Value)

0x1070 Alarm locked state