Strategies for Setting Up the Initial SCADAPack x70 Configuration
There are various configuration strategies that you can use to configure your SCADAPack x70 devices for the first time. The strategy that you choose is likely to depend on a number of factors, including whether you want to use Geo SCADA Expert's Group Templates and Group Instances feature.
Regardless of which strategy you choose, you should be aware of the tasks and requirements that are common to those strategies:
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Basic setup of each SCADAPack x70 device—In order for Geo SCADA Expert to communicate successfully with a new SCADAPack x70 device that is still using its factory settings, you first have to connect RemoteConnect locally to that device using a USB connection. You then use RemoteConnect to set up various basic parameters on that device. For further information about setting up a new SCADAPack x70 device, see the procedures below and see the hardware documentation for the device.
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SCADAPack x70 logic—You have to use the Logic Editor that is supplied with the separate SCADAPack RemoteConnect configuration software to configure any SCADAPack x70 logic that is to run in a SCADAPack x70 device. If you do not configure any SCADAPack x70 logic, RemoteConnect will include an empty logic application in the configuration that it writes to that SCADAPack x70 device, or in the exported RTZ file that you import into Geo SCADA Expert.
You cannot download configuration to a SCADAPack x70 device from Geo SCADA Expert until a SCADAPack x70 logic application has been imported or uploaded into Geo SCADA Expert for that SCADAPack x70 device. This can comprise an 'empty' SCADAPack x70 logic application.
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Basic configuration of each SCADAPack x70 device in Geo SCADA Expert—In order for Geo SCADA Expert to communicate with a SCADAPack x70 device, certain database items need creating in Geo SCADA Expert. You have to perform some minimal configuration on those database items in order for Geo SCADA Expert to be capable of communicating with the SCADAPack x70 device using the communications infrastructure that is used by that device.
(If your Geo SCADA Expert database is already set up to communicate with other SCADAPack x70 devices, and your system is being extended to add further SCADAPack x70 devices, you might not need to add all of these database items. For example, if the additional SCADAPack x70 devices are to communicate via the same channels that are already in use by existing SCADAPack x70 devices, you might not need to add further Channel items to your database.)
If your system uses, or is being set up to use, Geo SCADA Expert's Group Templates and Group Instances feature, remember to take this into consideration when determining the location at which you should add the required database items.
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Configure a 'parent' driver Channel to represent the communication connection between the SCADAPack x70 device and the Geo SCADA Expert server. The 'parent' driver corresponds to the protocol that Geo SCADA Expert is to use to communicate with the SCADAPack x70 device. For example, an appropriate DNP3 Channel if Geo SCADA Expert is to use the DNP3 protocol to communicate with the SCADAPack x70 device. See the Channel configuration topics in the relevant parent driver guide for more information. Also see Protocols Supported by the SCADAPack x70 Driver.
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A 'parent' driver Outstation Set to define the collection of SCADAPack x70 devices with which Geo SCADA Expert is to communicate. For example, an appropriate DNP3 Outstation Set if Geo SCADA Expert is to use the DNP3 protocol to communicate with the SCADAPack x70 devices. See the Outstation Set configuration topics in the relevant parent driver guide for more information.
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A SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item of the appropriate type per SCADAPack x70 device with which Geo SCADA Expert is to communicate. This is the database item in which configuration that is specific to that particular SCADAPack x70 device will be stored (see Configure a Device Configuration Item).
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A protocol-specific SCADAPack x70 Outstation of the appropriate type per SCADAPack x70 device with which Geo SCADA Expert is to communicate. For example, a SCADAPack x70 DNP3 Direct Outstation if Geo SCADA Expert is to communicate via a single uninterrupted connection using the DNP3 protocol. This database item is used to control the operational aspects that vary depending on the communications protocol being used. Ensure that you configure this database item to reference both the Outstation Set and the SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item. For more information, see the outstation configuration topics for the relevant protocol in this driver guide.
Ensure that this and the above database items are In Service, and have saved, valid configuration. This will produce a SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item that is capable of functioning using the minimal configuration specified above, along with the default configuration settings for the remaining configuration properties.
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Synchronization of the configuration between Geo SCADA Expert and the SCADAPack x70 device—Regardless of whether you use Geo SCADA Expert or RemoteConnect to set up the majority of a SCADAPack x70 device's configuration, you should then ensure that you synchronize that configuration between Geo SCADA Expert and the SCADAPack x70 device. This is important, to ensure that any future updates made to that configuration, including to the SCADAPack x70 logic, can be synchronized between those applications without causing any unexpected configuration changes or other issues. So, for example, once the changes that you have made in Geo SCADA Expert are complete, remember to download them to the SCADAPack x70 device. Likewise, if instead you made the changes locally in the SCADAPack x70 device, remember when you complete those changes to upload them to Geo SCADA Expert. Also ensure that you coordinate any configuration changes so that one person does not make one set of changes locally/in RemoteConnect, while someone else is making changes to the same SCADAPack x70 device in Geo SCADA Expert. Whenever you complete any configuration changes, ensure that Geo SCADA Expert and the SCADAPack x70 device both contain the same configuration.
If the names of any objects are later changed in the SCADAPack x70 device, or in RemoteConnect, remember to make the same changes in the Geo SCADA Expert database in order to keep the configuration synchronized. If the databases are not synchronized, this could result in additional database items being created in Geo SCADA Expert and other database items being taken out of service when you next upload or import that changed configuration into Geo SCADA Expert. For more information, see Ensure that SCADAPack x70 Names Match Following a Rename.
The rest of this section outlines some of the main configuration strategies that you can use to configure the SCADAPack x70 devices on your system and set up Geo SCADA Expert to communicate with those devices. You might find that you want to use a combination of these strategies, depending on factors such as your system setup, requirements, application knowledge, and so on. Choose whichever strategies seem to be the most appropriate.

With this strategy, you perform the minimum configuration in RemoteConnect, the majority of the configuration in Geo SCADA Expert, and then download that configuration from Geo SCADA Expert into the SCADAPack x70 device.
This strategy is likely to be the most suitable if you are using Geo SCADA Expert's Group Templates and Group Instances feature, and want to use Group Templates to set up the common configuration for multiple SCADAPack x70 devices.
Perform the following:
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Set up the required database items in Geo SCADA Expert, including the required SCADAPack x70 Configuration items to represent the data that you want Geo SCADA Expert to monitor or control in the SCADAPack x70 device (see Configure SCADAPack x70 Devices in Geo SCADA Expert).
Ensure that you specify the required Logic Variable Type on each of the SCADAPack x70 Analog, Digital, and Counter Configuration items (see Specify any SCADAPack x70 Logic Requirements).
Also ensure that you set up the required SCADAPack x70 Configuration items to represent other local objects in the SCADAPack x70 device (such as DNP3 Peer communication, or Modbus communication status objects).
If your system uses, or is being set up to use, Geo SCADA Expert's Group Templates and Group Instances feature, remember to take this into consideration when determining the location at which you should add the required database items.
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Use the Export to RemoteConnect pick action to export the above configuration to RemoteConnect. The export process stores the configuration in a SCADAPack import configuration file (.rtz file).
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Start the RemoteConnect application and create a project with the same device type as the SCADAPack x70 device itself and as per the SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item that you created in Geo SCADA Expert.
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On the RemoteConnect offline Logic page, use the Advanced section Import button to import the .rtz file into RemoteConnect.
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Use RemoteConnect to modify the configuration accordingly, in particular adding the required SCADAPack x70 logic (if required) for the SCADAPack x70 device. For more information, see the documentation provided with the SCADAPack RemoteConnect software.
If the SCADAPack x70 device is not to use any SCADAPack x70 logic, RemoteConnect will automatically include an 'empty' SCADAPack x70 logic application for the device as part of the export process in step 6.
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In RemoteConnect, export the modified configuration (including any SCADAPack x70 logic), ready for importing into Geo SCADA Expert (see Export Configuration from RemoteConnect Ready for Importing into Geo SCADA Expert). The export process stores the configuration and SCADAPack x70 logic in an .rtz file, ready for importing into Geo SCADA Expert.
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In Geo SCADA Expert, use the Import from RemoteConnect pick action to import .rtz file that contains the modified configuration and SCADAPack x70 logic application into the database.
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In Geo SCADA Expert, complete the configuration of the database items for which you have just imported configuration.
The amount of configuration changes that are required (if any) will vary, depending on the amount of configuration performed in step 1. For example, if the full configuration for the SCADAPack x70 device (other than any SCADAPack x70 logic) was set up in step 1, then there might not be any further configuration changes required. This might well be the scenario if you are using Group Templates to set up the common configuration for multiple SCADAPack x70 devices.
If, however, only partial or minimal configuration was set up in step 1, after importing further configuration into Geo SCADA Expert in step 6, you now need to complete that configuration in the Geo SCADA Expert database.
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Repeat steps 1 to 8 as needed to complete setting up the required SCADAPack x70 object configuration and SCADAPack x70 logic.
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In Geo SCADA Expert, create and configure any required corresponding protocol-specific database items (see Configure SCADAPack x70 Devices in Geo SCADA Expert). Together with the SCADAPack x70 Configuration items, these database items make up an 'object-pair' in Geo SCADA Expert to represent the SCADAPack x70 device and its inputs and outputs (see Understand the SCADAPack x70 Driver).
Remember that you can use the Create Protocol Point pick action to create the protocol-specific points that define how Geo SCADA Expert is to retrieve data from the device, and process that data to raise alarms, generate events, and so on.
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If you are configuring a new SCADAPack x70 device that is still using its factory settings, use RemoteConnect to set up the SCADAPack x70 device and provide that device with its configuration. This requires a USB connection out to the SCADAPack x70 device from the machine on which RemoteConnect is installed. This initial setup of the new SCADAPack x70 device comprises writing the configuration from step 5 to the SCADAPack x70 device.
If the SCADAPack x70 device already has configuration, you can ignore this step.
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If no configuration changes were made in any iterations of step 8, you can ignore this step.
If changes to the configuration were made in any interactions of step 8, use the Download Configuration pick action to download the device's full configuration from Geo SCADA Expert to the SCADAPack x70 device.

You can use this strategy if you have not got any configuration set up in Geo SCADA Expert and you want to set up Geo SCADA Expert to manage the configuration of either:
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A new SCADAPack x70 device that is still using its factory settings
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An existing fully-operating SCADAPack x70 device in the field.
This procedure is not suitable if your system is using Geo SCADA Expert's Group Templates and Group Instances feature to maintain the SCADAPack x70 configuration. (Instead, follow the procedure that explains how to 'Configure Most Settings using Geo SCADA Expert'.)
With this strategy, you use RemoteConnect to perform the majority of the configuration locally in the SCADAPack x70 device and then upload that configuration into Geo SCADA Expert.
Perform the following:
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If you are configuring a new SCADAPack x70 device that is still using its factory settings, use RemoteConnect to configure the required settings locally in the SCADAPack x70 device. This should include writing the initial complete configuration and any required SCADAPack x70 logic to that device from RemoteConnect. (If you do not configure a SCADAPack x70 logic application for the device, RemoteConnect will create an empty logic application for that SCADAPack x70 device when it writes the configuration to that device.) You will have to connect RemoteConnect locally to the SCADAPack x70 device using a USB connection.
Ignore this step if you have an existing fully-operating SCADAPack x70 device in the field and you want to set up Geo SCADA Expert to manage the configuration of that device.
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In Geo SCADA Expert, set up the database items that are initially required. You only need to create the required Channel, Outstation Set, Outstation, and SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration items. You should fully configure the first three database items. However, you only need to create, rather than configure, the SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration item.
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Use the Upload Configuration pick action to upload the configuration and SCADAPack x70 logic application from the SCADAPack x70 device into the Geo SCADA Expert database.
The upload process will automatically create any database items that are required for storing the configuration of the SCADAPack x70 device and its inputs and outputs. This includes the creation of the SCADAPack x70 Configuration items that represent the inputs and outputs on the SCADAPack x70 device.
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Complete the configuration in Geo SCADA Expert. Create and configure any corresponding protocol-specific database items that are required (see Configure SCADAPack x70 Devices in Geo SCADA Expert). Together with the SCADAPack x70 Configuration items, these database items make up an 'object-pair' in Geo SCADA Expert to represent the SCADAPack x70 device and its inputs and outputs (see Understand the SCADAPack x70 Driver).
Remember that you can use the Create Protocol Point pick action to create the protocol-specific points that define how Geo SCADA Expert is to retrieve data from the device, and process that data to raise alarms, generate events, and so on.
Further Information
Group Templates and Group Instances.
Configure the settings in RemoteConnect: see the documentation provided with the SCADAPack RemoteConnect software.
Configure the settings in the SCADAPack x70 device: see the documentation provided with the SCADAPack x70 device.
Ensure that SCADAPack x70 Names Match Following a Rename.
Strategies for Changing the Existing SCADAPack x70 Configuration.