Supported hardware and firmware
Cloud Notify via Ethernet/IP on Allen-Bradley devices is supported for the IXrouter2 in firmware v2.12 and up, and for the IXrouter3 in firmware v3.8 and up. For Omron devices this is supported for the IXrouter3 in firmware v3.14 and up. Please upgrade your firmware if you are running an older version.Activate Cloud Notify
Please first activate Cloud Notify (or start the 30 day free trial) if you haven't already.The first step in Cloud Notify is setting up a data source. This is done by selecting a communication protocol and defining the variables. This article shows you how to do this for communication via Ethernet/IP.
- PLC setting
- Select a communication protocol
- Add variables (new, import)
- Test variables
- Manage variables (export, duplicate, remove)
PLC setting
Allen-Bradley devices
Every variable in an Allen-Bradley PLC has an "External access"-attribute which determines whether an external device, like the IXrouter, has access to that variable. The IXrouter will need access to the variables in the PLC.
- Set the "External access"-attribute of all relevant tags to "Read/write" or "Read only"
.
Select a communication protocol
You first have to select a communication protocol. This is the protocol that the IXrouter will use to communicate with the target (i.e. PLC).
- Go to [Devices] in the main menu
, select the concerning device
, open its [Services] tab
, and press [Add service]
.
- Name the target
(i.e. PLC1), enter the target's IP address
, and press [Next]
.
- Select your service type: [Data source]
.
- Select the communication protocol "Ethernet/IP"
. The port number will automatically be filled based on the selected protocol (port 44818). Select your CPU type and enter a rack (default 1) and slot number (default 0) if required. Press [Add]
.
Add variables
Once you've added a Data Source and selected a communication protocol, you can start adding variables. This is done in the configurator tool, specifically designed to quickly add, duplicate, import, export, and remove variables.
- Go to [Devices] in the main menu
, select the concerning device
, open its [Services] tab
, and edit
the target's services
.
- Select [Data source]
and press [Open configurator]
.
- To add a variable press [Add variable]
.
Tip!
It is advisable to add variables in small batches and test the variables periodically to verify the entries.You can choose to:
Manually add new variables
To add a new variable you need to know the data type and address. These differ per CPU type and are explained in the following sections.
AB CompactLogix / ControlLogix / FlexLogix / Micro800, Omron NX / NJ / NY / NA
The following table shows an overview of all available data types.
Offline (PLC) | Online (IXON Cloud) |
---|---|
BOOL | Bool |
REAL | Float32 |
SINT | Int8 |
INT | Int16 |
DINT | Int32 |
STRING | String |
Symbolic addressing is used for these CPU types. For atomic / base / global variables you simply enter the variable's name inside the PLC as address on the IXON Cloud. If you're using a variable that is part of a structure, you'll need to enter the full name (including the struct names). If you're using a program or local tag, then the variable name needs to be prefaced with "PROGRAM:ProgramName.".
Take a look at the table below for an overview, including examples.
Tag type | Name (in PLC) |
Address (in IXON Cloud) |
---|---|---|
Atomic / base / global | MyTag | MyTag |
Structure | Struct.MyTag | Struct.MyTag |
Program / local | MyTag (in "MyProgram") | PROGRAM:MyProgram.MyTag |
Next step
Now you have all the necessary information to add the variable to your data source.AB MicroLogix
The following table shows an overview of all available data types.
Offline (PLC) | Online (IXON Cloud) | |
---|---|---|
Memory type | Bit number | Data type |
S (status) | Int16 | |
S (status) | 0-15 | Bool |
B (binary) | Int16 | |
B (binary) | 0-15 | Bool |
T (timer) | Int16 | |
C (counter) | Int16 | |
N (integer) | Int16 | |
N (integer) | 0-15 | Bool |
F (float) | Float32 | |
L (long) | Int32 | |
ST (string) | String |
A specific address syntax is used for this type of CPU. The syntax is: MF:W/B (practical example: S2:30/7). Take a look at the table below for an overview of all available options.
Memory type (M) | File number (F) | Word number (W) | Bit number (B) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S | 2 | : | 0-255 | / | 0-15 |
B | 3, 9-255 | : | 0-255 | / | 0-15 |
T | 4, 9-255 | : | 0-255 | ||
C | 5, 9-255 | : | 0-255 | ||
N | 7, 9-255 | : | 0-255 | / | 0-15 |
F | 8, 9-255 | : | 0-255 | ||
L | 9-255 | : | 0-255 | ||
ST | 9-255 | : | 0-255 |
Next step
Now you have all the necessary information to add the variable to your data source.Go back to the IXON Cloud and press [Add new variable].
- Enter the variable's name, data type, address, additional information, and press [Add]. The image below contains explanatory text for each text field.
Duplicate
You can easily duplicate
Temporary disconnect
After this next step, the config push, the device will temporarily disconnect to reconfigure its network settings and will automatically reconnect. This may take a minute.- Finally, press [Push changes]
in the config tab to complete the setup.
Next step
Import variables from a file (or device)
You can easily and effortlessly copy variables from one device to another by exporting the concerning variables (view the "Manage variables" part of this article) and then importing them in your new device. Alternatively, you can manually prepare your variables in the required CSV format to load them all at once into your configurator. The CSV file structure is explained in our "Import variables: CSV file structure"-article.
When you press [Import from CSV-file], you'll see a browse window.
- Select a CSV file to import and press [Open].
- When the file has been read, press [Add] to add all variables to your data source.
Temporary disconnect
After this next step, the config push, the device will temporarily disconnect to reconfigure its network settings and will automatically reconnect. This may take a minute.- Finally, press [Push changes]
in the config tab to complete the setup.
Next step
Test variables
The test utility is used to check if all the added variables are set correctly. It shows the status of every variable and displays the variables' latest values if everything is configured correctly. If not, it'll show an error message.
Required firmware version
Support for the test utility was added on the IXrouter2 in firmware 2.11, and on the IXrouter3 in firmware 3.7. Consider upgrading your firmware if you are running an older version.- In the configurator press [Run test]
.
A connection will now be set up to stream the data directly to your computer, using:
Port | Transport protocol | Application protocol |
---|---|---|
443 | TCP | WebSocket |
When the connection is set up and all variables are set correctly, it should look like this:
Unexpected result?
If the test utility shows unexpected values, please check if the addresses and data types of all variables are entered correctly.
If you get no data at all, please also check that the above listed port and protocols are not being blocked by your computer's or company's firewall.Next step
Now that you've tested the variables, you can view our "Set up alarms" guide to start adding alarms.Manage variables
You can view all defined variables in a list view or table view
. Multiple variables can be selected by pressing the
icon on the left, or you can select all by pressing [∙∙∙]. These can then be removed
, duplicated
, or exported to a CSV file
.