Health of producer consumer link

[david90]

I have two ControlLogix PLC talking to each other using producer and consumer model. Is there a way to monitor the health of comm. link?

 

[daba]

Several ways, but easiest depends on revision levels of your controllers.

Latest revisions (I think it is V19 and upwards), allow you to attach "Connection_Status" to the produced tags, which you can monitor in the consumer(s). It also transports the operational mode, so you can be sure the producer's data is valid (i.e. the processor is in RUN mode.... Producers continue to produce their tags even if the processor is in Program, or Faulted, modes.

 

[david90]

I followed the instruction @ this site:
http://plcview.blogspot.com/2012/02/messaging-from-plc-5-via-ethernet-to.html

If I were to write to the "technote_data" array in the controllogix PLC, would that data show up in the PLC-5 or is the instruction only for data flowing from PLC-5 to the controllogix?

 

[Ken Roach]

Your original post was about Produced/Consumed Tags between ControlLogix, but that example is for MSG instructions between a PLC-5 and ControlLogix.

There are different methods for monitoring the success or health of each method.

In the Produced/Consumed Tags, you can use a GSV instruction to check the Module Object status (old style) or use the automatically-created connection status tags (new style).

When using MSG instructions, the /DN or /ER bits give you information on the success or failure of the message.

 

[david90]

ken, I got confused and posted my questions in the wrong thread. I'll make a new thread regarding my PLC-5 to controllogix question.

 

[Bit_Bucket_07]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned,

but I like to check for a heartbeat.

 

[dmroeder]

ZOMG bit bucket, bravo!

 

[david90]

Is there a way to know if a produced tag is being consumed from the PLC that produces the tag perspective?

 

[Ken Roach]

You can do some diagnostics indirectly using the embedded Web page of the 1756-ENxT module, but there's no programmatic way I know about to tell if a Produced tag has an active Consumer connecton.

 

[david90]

Besides producer/consumer method, is there another way for two controllogix PLCs to talk to each other?

 

[shawnhimself]

You can do messaging between CLX as well.