Create a simulation configuration file

Use the RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) Composer to create a simulation configuration file for the RTU Player.

Note: Before generating a simulation configuration file using the RTU Composer, the connections corresponding to the remotes included in the configuration file should be set to offscan. Setting the live connections to offscan will ensure that there is no record contention when retrieving data from the database, which could cause the RTU Composer to timeout while generating the configuration file.

To create a simulation configuration file

1. From the Network Management Console (NMC), start the RealTime service.

2. Do one of the following:

   • From the Start menu, run the RTU Composer.

   • Navigate to the %DNAInstallRoot%\Tools\bin folder, and double-click the RTUComposer.exe.

   The RTU Composer window opens, and the System Selector dialog box appears.

   

3. From the System Selector dialog box, select the dropdown menu, and select a system from the options sourced from the AVEVA Enterprise SCADA Data Access Layer (DAL) configuration.

   For more information on DAL configuration, refer to volume 1 of the AVEVA Enterprise SCADA Administrator Guide.

4. Select OK.

   Notes: The RTU Composer application configuration allows you to specify the RealTime database (RTDB) Microsoft SQL access connection string, which disables the System Selector prompt in the RTU Composer and loads the connection string directly from the RTU Composer configuration file (RTUComposer.json). For more information on specifying a connection string, refer to Specify a connection string.
   
   If the RealTime service is not running when you open the RTU Composer, the following error message is generated: Unable to connect to OASyS DNA. Please verify RealTime Service is running.

   If the RealTime service is running on the selected system, The Composer window appears displaying the available remotes that use the supported protocols (Extended Modbus [Xmodbus] and Common Industrial Protocol [CIP]).

   

   Notes: If remotes have been added or deleted from the RealTime database (RTDB) Editor, you must refresh the list of available remotes, see Refresh data in a simulation configuration file for more information.
   
   The list of remotes is limited to the protocols supported by the Virtual RTU framework (Xmodbus and Allen Bradley [AB] Programmable Logic Controller [PLC] CIP).

5. From the Available pane, select the icon for each remote you wish to include.

   The remotes move from the Available pane to the Selected pane.

   

   Note: Any selected remotes that do not contain valid configuration information in the RTDB will be indicated by the icon. The configuration file cannot be saved until either the erroneous remotes are removed or the configuration issues are resolved in the RTDB and the data refreshed.

6. Optional: To include all of the available remotes, select the icon.

7. Optional: To exclude a remote from the Selected pane, select the icon for each remote you wish to exclude.

   The remotes move from the Selected pane to the Available pane.

   

8. Optional: To exclude all of the selected remotes, select the icon.

9. Optional: To filter the list of remotes, enter a string into the Filter bar. You can filter specifically by station or protocol by typing a string preceded by one of the following:

   • station:

   • protocol: or plc:

     Note: If you enter a string that does not apply to any of the available remotes, the list will appear blank.

     The list of remotes automatically updates.

     

10. Optional: To sort the Station, PLC/RTU, or Protocol column by ascending or descending order, select the desired column to change the order.

    Note: The default for the column order is set to ascending.

11. To save the selected remotes, hover over the icon, and select the icon.