MTI Controls and Alarm Monitoring Integration
The MTI ProVision integrated control system provides the means of monitoring the status of third-party devices and systems that implement the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). SNMP is a widely-utilized protocol for monitoring the status of devices, and can be useful in getting indications of the health of devices in a control system. The MTI system can alarm and provide further diagnostics based on the feedback from this protocol.
How It Works
MTI’s alarm reporting application, Dragonfly AR, has a module which allows the designer to set up devices that should be monitored using SNMP. In this design, an I/O point can be added to the Embedded Controller (MTI’s PLC) to carry out a specific function, such as an alarm state, when the device raises certain status flags through SNMP. The designer can also add objects to a screen in ProDesign to provide indication to the operator using ProVision when these alarms are indicated. These alarms will also be logged in the activity log within the ProVision system, and a contact list can also be established of personnel who should receive an email or text message when these alarms are indicated.
Benefits
SNMP is implemented by a wide range of network-enabled devices, providing status on the various components within a device. SNMP-enabled devices have an associated MIB file that designates the monitoring objects provided in the device, and this file can be easily imported by the MTI system to add a new device to the system for monitoring.
Monitoring the health of SNMP-enabled devices allows for a proactive response to deteriorating system health.
MTI implements this standard for the following devices:
Servers - we use SNMP to monitor the hard drives on servers used for video surveillance and controls.
Workstations - We monitor the status of workstations to ensure that the are online.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) - We monitor the status of UPS devices that provide back-up power for the system. We can know, through SNMP, whether a UPS is online or on battery back-up, allowing us to alert maintenance personnel of power issues.
Generators - We can monitor the health and status of a generator, proactively alerting maintenance personnel of problems.
Logic devices - We monitor the status of MTI logic devices, such as our Embedded Controller and digital amps.
Network Switches - We monitor the health and status of network switches and are able to indicate when a switch is overheating or experiencing issues with fans or power.
To learn more about the MTI ProVision integrated control system or to request a demo, contact us at sales@montgomerytechnology.com.