Checklist: Process Gateway cannot establish a reliable communication

Time estimate: 45 minutes

Please go through all the points in the following checklist. If necessary, confirm with IT Department any information you cannot verify before contacting your local COPA-DATA Representative.

Checklist usage: #. [Quick hints] (point refers specific module/product) Point description.

1. Screenshot and followed instructions of error/warning messages shown.
   
2. When applicable, specific Process Gateway connection status variable indicate errors/warnings on the communication.
3. Process Gateway(s) worked as expected before.
   
4. Other nodes (devices/software) can communicate. General network problems have been discarded.
   
5. Only one Process Gateway and...
   
1. ...connection is affected.
   
2. ...multiple connections are affected.
   
6. Multiple Process Gateways...
   
1. ...of the same module/protocol are affected.
   
2. ...of different module/protocol are affected.
   
7. Process Gateway and remote device documentation have been consulted.  Protocol interoperability and implementation are conformant in terms of roles, functional and data/object models.
8. Process Gateway - Service Engine variables assignment does not contain any error (e.g. variable name did not change or it was not removed in Engineering Studio, etc.).
   
9. Service Engine variables linked to Process Gateway are correctly displayed in Service Engine (there are no communication errors with field device).
10. Process Gateway variables configuration does not contain any protocol-specific misconfiguration or error.
    
11. Process Gateway general protocol configuration does not contain typos in link parameters and settings (normally those should be identical in both sides of the communication).
    
12. Searched and followed error instructions in LOGs related with respective Process Gateway (zenProcGateway.exe) instance and Service Engine (zenrt32.exe).
    
1. Service Engine does not show in the LOGs any performance or stability issues, e.g. freeze of Service Engine main thread.
   



Service Engine writes log messages in regard zenrt32.exe stability in case of errors or warnings.


You can find these entries in Diagnosis Viewer by filtering the column Function name = 'CZenonrtApp::MonitoringThread'.




Some of the most relevant performance entries are:

- Memory: “Total available memory fell below warning/error level to [xxx]%”

- CPU: Total CPU-Load exceeded warning/error level to [xxx]%”

- Service Engine not responding for XXX ms: "100ms Timer has not cycled for [xxx]ms”

- Handles: "(%) “Handles exceeded error level to [xxx]”.




In case Service Engine closes unexpectedly, zenon Drivers write in the logs "RPC error!" as they can no longer communicate with zenrt32.exe.



All zenon components write in the background messages to joint log file(s) saved in '%programdata%\COPA-DATA\LOG' folder.

These files can be read and configured with Diagnosis Viewer.


You can modify the logging level of a component by clicking 'Client Configuration' in 'Settings' menu and after select the respective process name.
Attention: Set the logging parameters wisely as the time-frame of the LOGs decrease when increasing the detail of the logs written.


You can also find LOG files in SIC in 'Platform > Versions > Version XXXX > Directories > LogDirectory' folder.

2. Consulted Process Gateway module/protocol documentation for specific error codes or messages meaning.
13. Remote peer(s) logs have been analysed.
14. Searched in Knowledge Base if a previous issue has been addressed.
    
15. Analysed protocol communications in Wireskark/PortMonitor depending on the communication channel.
    

You can define capture filters in Wireshark to reduce the size of the capture by including the only necessary telegrams and to keep other communications private.

Most common capture filters are 'host [DESTINATION_IP]' and 'port [PORT]', that allow to only capture communications involving a specific destination IP address (target device) or port.

LOGs and Protocol captures must include the start of Process Gateway process and communications (attempts) to be absolutely helpful.
If Process Gateway-module supports connection & communication encryption: Certificates and private/public keys are configured and storage correctly, match and their validity period did not expire.

If the problem persists after completing this checklist and followed corrective actions, please contact your local COPA-DATA Representative providing a SIC-Reduced Report from the target computer(s) and the result of this checklist – please include any additional information or comments related with the points addressed you find relevant.

System Information Collector is a standalone COPA-DATA application that collects relevant data about the Operating System and zenon Software Platform for troubleshooting purposes. SIC is installed with zenon and can be started from zenon Startup Tool (Tools).

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