GE Intelligent Platforms Drivers

The Features and Benefits of

Proficy* HMI/SCADA iFIX* Driver
Technology

* Trademark of GE Intelligent Platforms, Inc.

All other brands or names are property of their respective holders.
Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX I/O Drivers
Purpose of an I/O Driver
• Software Interface between Plant Floor Hardware
(PLC) and HMI/SCADA database
• Provides real-time data to the HMI/SCADA
process database, Graphics, and Historian
• Offer both high performance proprietary format
and supports
an Open Standard (OPC – OLE for Process Control)
What is an HMI/SCADA without a Quality Driver?
• Just a graphics package!

2/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
What Customers desire from I/O
Drivers?
Flexible Solutions
• Drivers that can handle any application

Open Solutions
• Support for Industry Standards
• Toolkits for Custom Drivers

Provide Easy Delivery Methods

• CD with Product Purchases
• Website for Product Updates and Enhancements

3/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Ease of Use
Develop Easy-to-Use Products (Starting with the CD)
• Getting Started Guide on Driver CD (‘Drivers for Dummies’)
• Configuration in all 7.x drivers is via the “Power Tool”
• Digitized Pictures of H/W embedded in eDOC

4/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX I/O Drivers -
Features & Benefits
FEATURE BENEFIT
Functions as a High Performance Multi-purpose implementation in one
Driver & an OPC Server product
‘On the fly’ configuration Faster implementation – no need to
start/re-start due to configuration
Digital Photos of hardware setup changes
HTML help system
Easier hardware setup & enhanced
DataMonitor & DataScope troubleshooting
Templates & Report Files Easier to use help system
Redundant Communications
Decreased configuration time
High reliability in the most
demanding applications
5/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
IGS – Universal Driver

6/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Industrial Gateway Server (IGS) 7.5
Powering connectivity to drive results

• Over 70+ proven and reliable protocols

• Device connectivity solutions for all Proficy
Products
• Enhanced interface, easy administration, on
the fly updating
• Basic 75 tag, Basic Unlimited, Premium or
SNMP packages
• IGS Basic Unlimited now included in iFIX 5.5
Value
• Enables a wide range of devices and
manufactures
• Ability to run many different protocols and
devices simultaneously from 1 instance
• Ability to have multiple OPC clients connect to
a single point 7/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Industrial Gateway Server (IGS) 7.53
OPC UA Tunneling

8/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Smart Drivers – IEC 61850

9/
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Proficy IEC 61850 Client
Driver Option for Power Industry
A standard for the design
of electrical substation automation
• Part of the International Electrotechnical
Native
Commission's (IEC), (TC57) Reference architecture IEC
OPC-DA

for electric power systems.

• TC 57 responsible for the development of
standards for information exchange for power
systems and other related systems including TC57

Energy Management Systems, SCADA, distribution

automation & teleprotection
Configuration, Tags, Types, etc.
• IEC 61850 is a TC57 publication: “Communication IEC
networks and systems in substations / for power 61850

utility automation”

The 61850 Object Model

Data Objects
(e.g. Current measurements)

Logical Nodes
(e.g. Circuit breaker)

Logical Device
(e.g. Relay1, Relay2)

Physical Device 10 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Legacy Drivers

11 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Driver Configuration – The “Power Tool”

And direct access to help system

Includes Special Tips

12 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Troubleshooting – Driver Statistics Mode
•Provides overall view of
System health (at Driver level,
in this case - GE9)
•Can be viewed at various
levels
•Channel
•Device
•Datablock (shown at left)

13 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Troubleshooting – The Data Monitor

•Displays Data from a given

datablock
•Last Read Time
•Last Write Time
•Time for last error

Users can choose

desired display format

14 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Troubleshooting – The DataScope

• Eliminates need for

external DataScope
hardware
• Provides ability to see
characters being transmitted
in a message (in hex or ascii
format)

15 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Time Saving Configuration Tools
Starter Templates
• Set default values (Channel, Device & Datablock)
• Default values used when configuring from Power Tool or from Database
Manager

CSV File Support

• Useful for off-line editing and importing

AutoCreate from Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX Database (One Step Configuration)

• Create Channels & Devices in the Power Tool
• Datablocks are created based upon I/O address configuration in the Process
Database

16 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023
Corporate Driver History

A Leader in I/O Driver connectivity

Driver technology has evolved over the years, but
some things remain forever important
• High Performance
• Extreme Data Integrity
• Ease of Use
• Ability to respond to changing market requirements
• Ease of maintenance
• Long term support
17 /
GE Title or job number /
10/19/2023