Define whether the Visible Time is used as the Active Alarm Time

You can use the ClearSCADA Server Configuration Tool to enable and disable the Use Visible Time as Active Alarm Time feature.

The Use Visible Time as Active Alarm Time feature is designed for use on systems where alarms are suppressed (see Alarm Suppression in the ClearSCADA Guide to Alarms). It sets ClearSCADA to show formerly suppressed alarms near the top of the Alarm Banner and Alarms List.

By default, alarm displays such as the Alarm Banner and Alarms List show alarms according to the State, Severity and Time values of the alarm. This means that new alarms are usually displayed near the top of the Alarm Banner or Alarms List, where they are prominent.

When an alarm is suppressed, it is raised in the same way as any other alarm, but it is not shown on the various Alarm Displays. When a suppressed alarm becomes unsuppressed, it is shown on the Alarm Displays, but as this may be some time after the alarm was generated, it may not be shown at the top of the list. This can be a concern on systems with a high number of alarms, as when alarms become unsuppressed, they could be too far down the list of alarms to be noticed immediately.

To avoid such a situation, you can enable the Use Visible Time as Active Alarm Time feature. With Use Visible Time as Active Alarm Time enabled, ClearSCADA orders suppressed alarms according to the time at which they become unsuppressed, instead of the time at which they were generated. This means that when a suppressed alarm becomes unsuppressed, it is treated as a new alarm and is displayed near the top of the Alarm Banner and Alarms List.

To define whether the Use Visible Time is as the Active Alarm Time feature is enabled:

1. Access the ClearSCADA Server Configuration Tool (see Accessing the ClearSCADA Server Configuration Tool).
2. Expand the System Configuration branch.
3. Select Alarms.
4. In the Use Visible Time as the Active Alarm Time section, either:

   

   • Select the Enabled check box to set ClearSCADA to order formerly suppressed alarms according to the time at which they became unsuppressed (instead of the time they were originally generated).

     Or:

   • Clear the Enabled check box to configure ClearSCADA so that it orders suppressed alarms according to the time at which they were generated. This may cause suppressed alarms to appear some way down the list of alarms when they become unsuppressed.

   NOTE: When you select or clear the check box, you then need to restart all ViewX clients to effect the change.

5. Right-click on the system icon in the tree-structure, and select the Apply Changes option to apply the changes.