What's New 2015 R2
ClearSCADA 2015 R2
New Features and Enhancements
Usability Improvements
Refreshed Online Help Interface
With ClearSCADA 2015 R2 (Geo SCADA Expert), the help has been given a facelift.
We’ve added a set of home pages for direct navigation to the major topics, added footer links on all pages to improve navigation to related content and provided an extensive glossary. We've also refreshed the page layout and font to improve readability. The search algorithm for multi-word searches has been improved to give more accurate results.
Database Search
A new Database Search feature has been added to make it easier to find objects within the database.
Momentary Button
We’ve defined a new dual-action Momentary Button that can execute two separate actions without needing client-side script or logic programming, primarily used for temporarily applying and releasing a control action from user input.
The Momentary Button has specific usage limitations that need to be carefully considered, so please read the associated documentation before considering whether to use this new feature.
Locking Embedded Alarms List
The embedded alarms list has been enhanced by adding the ability to ‘lock’ certain elements to prevent them from being modified by runtime users.
Locate Open Object in Explorer
Users can now easily locate an open object within the Database or OPC Explorer bar.
Full Screen Mode
The visibility of the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar can be controlled via new options within the Startup Configuration File, allowing ViewX windows and documents to occupy more of the screen area (see XML Elements).
Startup Configuration files are intended only for use on ViewX clients that are required to launch Geo SCADA Expert on a Multi-Monitor setup, and/or have customized Window Container behavior. They should not be used on Virtual ViewX clients. For more information, Startup Configuration File.
Trend Enhancements
We have made various improvements to the trending interface:
- Jump Mode—An additional trend scrolling mode has been added to Trends that will behave as Non-Continuous but will jump to a new period when the current time exceeds the end time on the x-axis.
- Historic Alarm Indication—Trend markers will now display in a different color to reflect the alarm state of the point at the time of the sample, even if the Alarm Limits have been recently changed.
- Configurable Fading of Unselected Traces and Axes—Fading of the unselected traces and axes on a trend is now configurable for both ViewX and Original WebX clients.
Driver Functionality
Support for the NOCT60
We’ve added support for the NOCT60 (Schneider Electric’s Net Oil Coriolis Transmitter) via some enhancements to the existing Realflo driver for both Liquid and Water runs.
Enhanced Support for SCADAPack E Smart RTUs
Enhanced SCADAPack E Smart RTU functionality available in firmware version 8.12.2 (or above) has been added to provide continued interoperability.
Operational Empowerment
Storage of Historic Data during Point Override
Geo SCADA Expert now stores historic data collected from external devices while the point is overridden, whereas previously this historic data was not captured or recorded historically.
Historic Data Export to eDNA Historian
A native interface has been created to Wonderware eDNA Historian, a new stand-alone enterprise historian from AVEVA.
System Administration and Security
Connect Only to Fully Synchronized Server
ViewX clients can now be configured to connect only to a fully-synchronized Geo SCADA Expert Standby server, providing confidence that the user has visibility of all logged historic data.
Secure Connection to E-mail Servers
Geo SCADA Expert's E-Mail facility used by Alarm Redirections and Crystal Reports has been enhanced to be more secure.
Licensing Changes
Crystal Reports
SAP - the owner of Crystal Reports - requires that each operational installation of the Crystal Reports runtime module used within a server application requires a license, which impacts Geo SCADA Expert.
Schneider Electric is obligated to enforce the above SAP licensing rules for Crystal Reports, and will require that each new Geo SCADA Expert server that intends to use the Crystal Reports runtime is correctly licensed. Therefore, purchase of a new Geo SCADA Expert server that requires the Crystal Reports runtime module to be operational will incur an additional license cost, as we are required to license the Crystal Reports runtime from SAP on behalf of our customers.
Furthermore, the application of the above Crystal Reports runtime licensing rules is to be retrospective for users running Crystal Reports 2008 or later, which impacts all Geo SCADA Expert users that have ClearSCADA 2010 R3 or newer (ClearSCADA was the name by which Geo SCADA Expert was formerly known). As a result, Geo SCADA Expert users that request an upgrade to their Geo SCADA Expert license that supports ClearSCADA 2010 R3 or newer will be required to purchase a Crystal Reports runtime license per server to continue to use Crystal Reports.
As a result, the SAP Crystal Reports runtime modules are no longer selected by default during installation of Geo SCADA Expert pre-requisites.
The SAP Crystal Reports runtime components are NOT installed by default. If you intend to install them you must purchase a Crystal Reports runtime license for each server on which these components are to be operational (clients do not need a license to use the runtime components). For servers on which the runtime components are operational, the Crystal Reports runtime license is included with the Geo SCADA Expert Crystal Reports driver license. Please contact your Schneider sales representative for more information.
If you intend using Crystal Reports on your system, you also need to install the Crystal Reports prerequisites and driver on any
Geo SCADA Expert users that do not use Crystal Reports are not impacted by this change.