Veriteq VIEWLINC 3.5 Administrator Guide
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viewLinc 3.5
Administrator Guide
w w w . v e r i t e q . c o m
w w w . v a i s a l a . c o m
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Veriteq Instruments, Inc. All rights reserved.
No copying, distribution, publication, modification, or incorporation of this docu-
ment, in whole or part, is permitted for commercial purposes without the express
written permission of Veriteq Instruments
Veriteq, a Vaisala company
13775 Commerce Parkway
Richmond, BC V6V 2V4
Canada
, Inc.
Trademarks
Veriteq Instruments, Veriteq, Veriteq vLog, Veriteq viewLinc, and Veriteq Spectrum
are trademarks of Veriteq Instruments, Inc.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks referred to are the property of their respective owners.
Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability
Veriteq Instruments, Inc. and its subsidiaries assume no responsibility for any damage or loss resulting from the use of this manual.
Veriteq Instruments, Inc. and its subsidiaries assume no responsibility for any loss
or claims by third parties which may arise through the use of this software. Veriteq
Instruments, Inc. and its subsidiaries assume no responsibility for any damage or
loss caused by deletion of data as a result of hardware malfunction. Be sure to
make backup copies of all important data to protect against data loss.
Veriteq Instruments, Inc. makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, regarding Veriteq data loggers or software, its merchantability, or its fitness for any particular purpose. The exclusion of implied warranties is not permitted by some
states. As such, the exclusion may not apply to you.
Veriteq viewLinc has been tested using a variety of network systems. However, the
large number of possible hardware and network configurations makes testing under every circumstance impossible. If you have trouble using Veriteq viewLinc software, contact Veriteq Instruments.
Technical Support
Call Veriteq for free technical support in North America, 1-866-861-3388, or for
customers outside North America, 1-604-273-6850 (8am-4pm PST).
Email customersupport@veriteq.com
Document part number: 880-0321-00
Release date: May 2010
Contents
Chapter 1: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2: Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Who this Manual is for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
How this Manual is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Conventions Used in this Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi
Related Documentation and Software Products . . . . . . . . . .vi
Support Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi
Overview of the viewLinc System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Installing viewLinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Connecting Loggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installing Spectrum or vLog Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing viewLinc Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Logging In to viewLinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Administrator’s Road Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
About Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
What is a channel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Where are my channels? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Understanding the Channels Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Opening Large Channel Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Real-Time Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Reading Graphs in Large Channel View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Viewing Graph Detail in Large Channel View . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Acknowledging Alarms from Large Channel View . . . . . . .24
Organizing Channels into Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Creating Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Editing Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Assigning Channels to Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Deactivating Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Ordering Channel Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide i
Contents
Hiding and Showing Channel Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter 3: Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
About Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
What Happens When an Alarm is Triggered? . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Creating Alarm Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Threshold Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Setting Threshold Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Editing Threshold Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Disabling Threshold Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Deactivating and Reactivating Threshold Alarms . . . . . . . .43
Communication Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Setting Communication Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Editing Communication Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Disabling Communication Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Logger Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Setting Logger Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Editing Logger Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Disabling Logger Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Acknowledging Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Pausing Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Chapter 4: System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Discovering Loggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Adding Loggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Swapping Loggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Removing Loggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Editing Logger Properties and Aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Editing Channel Properties and Aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Configuring Email Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Editing Alarm Email Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Working with Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Creating Contact Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
ii © 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Creating User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Editing Users and Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Deactivating Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Reactivating Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Choosing Logger and Channel Description Lengths . . . . . 64
Choosing Temperature Measurement Unit Preferences . . 65
Setting Session Expiry Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Creating Preconfigured Comments for Email Messages . . 66
Chapter 5: Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Viewing Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Adding Comments to Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Printing Event Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Exporting Event Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Chapter 6: Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
About Historical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Generating Historical Data Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Generating Alarm History Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Generating Channel History Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Creating New Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Deleting Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Chapter 7: Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Transfers and Transfer Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Creating Transfer Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Performing an Immediate Data Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Editing Transfer Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Deactivating a Transfer Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Temporarily Disabling Transfer Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Appendix A: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide iii
Contents
iv © 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
About this Manual
The viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide includes the
information you need to install, configure and operate the
viewLinc system.
You can also view the Quick Start Guide for a graphical
overview of installing viewLinc. If you are not an
Administrator, refer to the User Guide for information on the
standard tasks performed using viewLinc.
Who this Manual is for
This manual is for administrators who will install and
configure viewLinc Server software and its associated
components to allow end users to view and monitor Veriteq
data logger readings across a network. This manual covers
several topics, including how administrators set threshold
alarms, configure email alarm notification, organize
channels, define reports, and set logger data transfer
schedules.
About this Manual
How this Manual is Organized
The viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide is organized into
chapters as follows:
Chapter 1: Getting Started. Contains viewLinc overview,
hardware and software requirements, essential installation
instructions, how to log in.
Chapter 2: Channels. Covers what a channel is, using “My
Channels”, opening large channel views, and organizing
channels into zones. This chapter covers topics of interest to
both a general viewLinc user and the administrator.
Chapter 3: Alarms. Contains information on creating,
editing, deactivating, and pausing alarms informing those
monitoring the system of threshold-exceeding conditio ns or if
data communication between the logger and the system is
down. Includes how to acknowledge alarms.
Chapter 4: System Settings. Includes information
specifically for administrators, including creating user
accounts, configuring email server settings for alarms,
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide v
About this Manual
choosing temperature units to display, and changing how and
which loggers are shown in My Channels.
Chapter 5: Events. Includes filtering and printing event logs,
including details on transfers, alarms, and
acknowledgements.
Chapter 6: Reports. Includes a definition of historical data,
what you can do with it, how to generate reports.
Chapter 7: Transfers. Includes information about how to
transfer logger data to a PC for analysis using vLog or
Spectrum.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting. Answers common
troubleshooting questions, including how to stop and st art the
viewLinc service, what is installed with viewLinc, and how to
troubleshoot common issues.
Conventions Used in this Document
This document uses the following conventio ns :
• A sequence of actions is indicated by a list separate d by a
vertical line. For example:
“In viewLinc, choose System | Loggers”
• Menu selections, items you select, and the names of
buttons are shown in bold.
Related Documentation and Software Products
For help with viewLinc, consult the viewLinc Quick Start
Guide.
Use Veriteq Spectrum or vLog software and their associated
Quick Start Guides for setting up data loggers and viewing
and printing logger historical data as graphs or text files.
Support Information
In North America, free technical support is available from
Veriteq between 8am-4pm PST Monday - Friday, 1-866-8613388 (or 604-273-6850). You can also email
customersupport@veriteq.com, or visit www.veriteq.com.
For sales, pricing, quotations, or general information, please
call 1-800-683-8374 (in North America), or 604-273-6850.
vi
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Chapter 1: Getting Started
This section includes:
• overview of the viewLinc system
• hardware and software requirements
• installing viewLinc
• logging in to viewLinc from an Internet browser to monitor
conditions
• Administrator’s Road Map
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 1
Chapter 1: Getting Started
Overview of the viewLinc System
Welcome to viewLinc 3.5. Using viewLinc you can easily
monitor Veriteq data logger readings locally on a PC or
across a network using a supported version of Micr oso ft
Internet Explorer
With viewLinc 3.5, you can:
• monitor remote conditions from multiple data loggers from
a local or remote PC desktop
• view real-time data in a graphical format
• generate historical data and alarm reports
• receive visual or email alarms when conditions you are
monitoring are out of compliance or if there is a netw or k
communication problem
• analyze automatically documented logger events, su ch as
when alarms are triggered, acknowledged or there are
logger communication problems
• schedule transfers of logger data (also referred to as
‘historical data’) to be viewed and graphed with Veriteq
Spectrum or vLog software
• easily identify loggers and the zones in which they operate
• swap a logger for calibration or replacement purposes
without breaking the data audit trail
• create preconfigured comments for alarm notifications
• create reusable alarm templates
When installed, the viewLinc system is comprised of software
components (including viewLinc), and har dware component s
(including V eriteq data loggers, a PC with a supported
Internet browser, and, depending on how you connect the
loggers to your PC, various cables, vNet or Digi networking
devices).
How you connect your loggers to your PC is a very important
administrative decision. There are four methods and each
requires certain hardware connections. The most convenient
® or Mozilla® Firefox® Internet browser.
®
2
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Overview of the viewLinc System
methods of attaching loggers to PCs are using vNet or Digi
devices. These options are described in Table 1.
Method
How
Connected
Detail
vNet devices Ethernet • Allows data loggers to be
connected to the PC across
an Ethernet network, allowing the PC and loggers to
be separated by large distances within a facility
• Requires installation of
vNet drivers (provided)
• Requires use of vNet device
Digi device Ethernet • Allows data loggers to be
connected to the PC across
an Ethernet network, allowing the PC and loggers to
be separated by large distances within a facility
• Requires installation of Digi
drivers (provided)
• Requires use of Digi device
USB port Veriteq USB
cable
• Allows data loggers to connect directly or over an
Ethernet network (when
logger host is installed) to
the viewLinc server
• Requires installation of USB
drivers (provided) and uses
a USB connection on a PC
• Requires a USB to Logger
cable
Table 1: Methods of attaching loggers to PCs
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 3
Chapter 1: Getting Started
Method
Serial port Veriteq serial
Table 1: Methods of attaching loggers to PCs
It is also possible to use a mix of these methods if your
system requires it.
The outlined System Requirements apply to all installation
options.
Connected
port cable
System Requirements
To install viewLinc, you need:
• Veriteq data loggers
• PC (will be referred to in the rest of this document as the
viewLinc Server)
• Veriteq cables (there are specific cables for attaching
loggers to Digi devices and attaching loggers to USB or
Serial ports on a viewLinc Server)
• (optional) vNet devices, for connecting loggers to a
viewLinc Server using an Ethernet connection
• (optional) Digi devices, for connecting loggers to viewLinc
Server using an Ethernet connection
How
Detail
• Allows data loggers to connect directly or over an
Ethernet network (when
logger host is installed) to
the viewLinc server
• Requires a Serial port on a
PC
• Requires a Serial to Logger
cable
4
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
System Requirements
viewLinc Server Requirements
The viewLinc Server machine must meet the following
requirements:
• Be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Have 350 MB free application disc space.
• Use one of the following operating systems:
•Microsoft® Windows 2000
•Microsoft® Windows Server 2003
•Microsoft® Windows XP
•Microsoft® Windows Vista
•Microsoft® Windows Vista64
•Microsoft® Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit versions)
• If you plan to use viewLinc from the viewLinc Server
machine, you must have a supported Internet browser
installed (Microsoft
Mozilla
7.0 or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 recommended).
• The Historical database requires 200KB/channel/day. The
default location of the database is the application folder,
and the location of the application folder can be specified
during installation.
Depending on the number of channels you are using, the
viewLinc Server machine should also meet the following
requirements:
® Firefox® 2.0 or later; Microsoft Internet Explorer
® Internet Explorer® 6.0 or later;
Large size installation (300-1000 channels)
• a dedicated machine
• 2.0 GHz, Quad Core
•4 GB RAM
• sufficient HD space to support 200KB/channel/day
For example, if you have 400 channels, you will need
approximately 29.2GB (400x200x365) per year.
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 5
Chapter 1: Getting Started
Medium size installation (20-299 channels)
• machine may be shared with other applications
• 3.2 GHz Dual Core
•4 GB RAM
• sufficient HD space to support 200KB/channel/day
For example, if you have 40 channels, you will need
approximately 2.9GB (40x200x365) per year.
Small installation (<20 channels)
• 3.2 GHz
•2 GB RAM
• sufficient HD space to support 200KB/channel/day
For example, if you have 4 channels, you will need
approximately 292MB (4x200x365) per year.
End User PC Requirements
A machine on the network used to administer viewLinc must
have:
• 2.4 GHz
•2 GB RAM
• a supported Internet browser installed (Microsoft Internet
Explorer 6.0 or later; Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later).
Note: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 and Mozilla Fire-
fox 3.5 are recommended.
Installing viewLinc
This section outlines how to install viewLinc on a server or a
remote host, including a description of the four m eth o ds by
which loggers can be connected to the system. The four
methods are:
• using a vNet device to connect loggers to the network
• using a Digi device to connect loggers to the network
• using USB port to connect loggers to viewLinc Server or
Remote Host
• using Serial port to connect loggers to viewLinc Server or
Remote Host
6
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Installing viewLinc
For further graphical representation of installing viewLinc,
see the relevant Veriteq Quick Start Guides. There are
versions for those using vNet or Digi devices and those using
USB/Serial ports. For copies of Quick Start Guides, see
www.veriteq.com or speak to your sales representative.
Connecting Loggers
Choose from the following methods to connect your loggers
to the network or appropriate PCs.
Method 1: Using vNet Devices
The following procedure shows how to use vNet devices to
connect your data loggers to the network.
Figure 1: Overview of viewLinc system using vNet devices
Attaching Main Hardware
1 Remove protective label on the bottom of the data
logger.
2 Connect the data logger to the vNet device.
3 Connect the vNet device to the Ethernet outlet and (if not
using PoE) power supply. When power is supplied to the
vNet device, the red power LED light will blink for 7-8
seconds, then stay solid. When a network connection is
made, the red LNK LED should light up and stay solid,
and the green ACT LED should blink occasionally.
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 7
Chapter 1: Getting Started
For more information about installing vNet devices, refer to
the vNet User Guide.
Installing Veriteq Drivers
This section covers installing the drivers for vNet devices to
connect Veriteq loggers to the network using an Ethernet
connection. Repeat all of these steps for each vNet device
you want to use.
Discovering the vNet Device
1 Obtain a reserved (recommended) or static IP address
2 Insert the Veriteq vNet Device driver CD into the
3 The Device Setup Wizard launches automatically. Click
4 Select the device that matches the MAC address from
Note: To ensure a secure connection, insert the power
supply barrel-end connector into the device and
turn 1/4 to the right. If your network supports
Power Over Ethernet, you do not need to connect to a power supply.
for your vNet device from your IT department. If your
networking policy requires you to reserve IP add r ess es
using DHCP, see www.veriteq.com for instructions.
viewLinc Server.
Next.
the side of your vNet device, then click
Note: If your device is on a different subnet from the
server, you will need to know the IP address of
the vNet device and launch the RealPortSetup.exe installer from the RealPort folder on the
Veriteq vNet Device Drivers CD.
Next.
Configuring RealPort and Installing Drivers
1 In the Configure Network Settings screen, enter a Static
IP address (provided by your IT department). Click
two times.
2 In the Configure Real Port Settings screen, select Install
RealPort on this computer, then click
3 Click Next again. The settings are saved.
4 Click Finish.
Next.
Repeat Installing Veriteq Drivers for each vNet device.
8
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Next
Installing viewLinc
Method 2: Using Digi Devices
The following procedure shows how to use Digi devices to
connect your data loggers to the network.
Figure 2: Overview of viewLinc system using Digi devices
Attaching Main Hardware
1 Connect your data logger to a Digi device using a Veriteq
cable.
2 Connect your Digi device to power supply and Ethernet
outlet.
Note: These instructions focus on the Digi One SP. For
other Digi models, see www.veriteq.com.
Installing Digi Drivers
This section covers installing the drivers for Digi devices to
connect Veriteq loggers to the network using an Ethernet
connection. Repeat all of these steps for each Digi device
you’ll use.
Discovering the Digi Device
1 Obtain a reserved (recommended) or static IP address
for your Digi device from your IT department. If your
networking policy requires you to reserve IP addresses
using DHCP, see www.veriteq.com for instructions.
2 Insert the Digi driver CD into viewLinc Server.
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 9
Chapter 1: Getting Started
3 The Digi Device Setup Wizard launches automatically.
4 Select the device that matches the MAC address from
Configuring RealPort and Installing Drivers
1 In the Configure Network Settings screen, enter a Static
2 In the Configure Real Port Settings screen, select “Install
3 Click Next again. The settings are saved.
4 Click Finish.
Repeat Installing Digi Drivers for each Digi device.
Method 3: Using USB Port
You can also connect data loggers directly to PCs using a
USB Port, as shown in Figure 3.
Click
Next.
the bottom of your Digi device. Click
Note: If your device is on a different subnet from the
server, you will need to know the IP address of
the Digi device and launch the RealPort installer
on the Digi Driver CD.
Next.
IP address (provided by your IT department). Click
two times.
Digi Real Port on this computer”. Click
Next.
Next
10
Figure 3: Overview of viewLinc system using USB port to connect
loggers
Installing USB Drivers
Using the supplied Veriteq USB cable driver CD and
Quick Start guide, install USB drivers on every PC you
plan to attach loggers to.
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Installing viewLinc
Connecting Hardware
1 Connect the data logger to a Veriteq-supplied USB cable.
2 Connect the USB cable to your viewLinc Server or
Logger Host (ensure the viewLinc Server computer is
attached to your network).
Repeat Installing USB Drivers for all data loggers.
Method 4: Using Serial Port
You can also connect data loggers to PCs using a Serial
Port. The configuration using a Serial port is very similar to
using USB; refer to Figure 3.
Connecting Hardware
1 Connect your data logger to a Veriteq-supplied Serial
port cable.
2 Connect the Serial port cable to your viewLinc Server or
Logger Host (ensure this computer is attached to your
network).
Repeat these steps for all data loggers.
Installing Spectrum or vLog Software
Once your data loggers are installed, you are ready to install
either Spectrum or vLog software. Spectrum (for nonvalidatable environments) or vLog (for validatable
environments) allows you to:
• set sample intervals
• enable or disable channels
• specify logger and channel descriptions
• store historical data for backup purposes
It is recommended you install Spectrum or vLog on all PCs
with loggers connected to them.
Refer to the Veriteq Spectrum or vLog User Guides for
installation instructions.
Installing viewLinc Software
Now you are ready to install viewLinc which will be used to
make data logger monitoring, alarming and reporting
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 11
Chapter 1: Getting Started
available across your network. There are two options
available to you:
• Install viewLinc software on a network server (must be
installed once).
• Install viewLinc software on a PC as a remote host to
make Loggers connected to it available to the viewLinc
server.
T o install viewLinc on the viewLinc Server:
1 On your viewLinc Server, insert the viewLinc CD and run
2 Select the installation language.
3 Start the Setup Wizard by clicking Next.
4 Review and accept the License Agreement, and click
5 Choose a destination location for the viewLinc program
6 Select Enterprise Server, and click Next.
7 If you are upgrading from an earlier versio n of viewL in c
8 viewLinc Server requires an open TCP port for
9 Click Install.
10 Click Finish.
Y ou ca n set up additional computers as remote host s using a
USB or Serial cable.
To install viewLinc on a remote host PC:
1 Insert viewLinc CD and run setup.exe.
2 Select the installation language.
3 Start the Setup Wizard by clicking Next.
4 Review and accept the License Agreement, then click
5 Choose a destination location for the viewLinc program
6 Select Logger Host, then click Next.
setup.exe.
Next.
files and database, then click
Next.
and you want to retain the settings used in your older
version of viewLinc, select
communication. The installer defaults to port
port
80 is taken, the installer offers a new port number.
Import Settings.
80; if
Make a note of this port number - you’ll need it when
logging in to viewLinc. Click
Next.
files, then click
Next.
Next.
12
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
7 Click Install.
8 Click Finish.
You have installed all necessary viewLinc components.You
can now move to any machine on the network - or sta y where
you are - and log in to viewLinc to monitor channels using
any supported Internet browser on the network.
Logging In to viewLinc
viewLinc allows you to:
• watch conditions (such as temperature and relative
humidity) being recorded by loggers and in the viewLinc
historical database
• receive alarms if conditions are outside limits you set or if
there is a communications problem
• receive other system related alarms
When you are ready to start using viewLinc, such as setting
alarms, configuring email settings, and scheduling logger
data transfers, log in to viewLinc from a supported Internet
browser. Supported Internet browsers include Microsoft
Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, or Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later
(Internet Explorer 7.0 or Firefox 3.5 recommended).
By default, one administrator account is created when
viewLinc is installed. The username and password are both
“admin”. It is important you change the admin password as
soon as possible to prevent unauthorized access (see
“Editing Users and Passwords” on page 63).
To log in to viewLinc:
Logging In to viewLinc
1 Double-click the desktop icon .
2 Or, in the address box of a supported Internet browser,
enter the name or address of the machine where
viewLinc is installed, and the port number. For example,
http://computername:portnumber (if no port number is
specified, 80 is used by default).
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 13
Chapter 1: Getting Started
3 In the log-in screen, enter your username and password.
4 The main viewLinc screen appears, showing available
Click
Login.
Note: The default administrator username and pass-
word are both “admin”.
channels or (the first time you log in) an empty “My
Channels” screen.
14
If you don’t see any channel data, go to the Channels
tab. In the Zones area, select a channel from the list, a nd
click
Refresh. The selected channel’s data will
appear.
If no channels display, your data logger may not be con-
nected properly, you may not have Channels assigned to
you, or there could be a problem with viewLinc itself. Try
discovering loggers - see
“Discovering Loggers” on
page 52.
Note: The administrator may have set up the system to
prompt you for your password periodically to
ensure system security. When prompted, reenter
your password. To change or set the session
expiry, see “Setting Session Expiry Time” on
page 66
For more on channels, see Chapter 2: Channels.
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Administrator’s Road Map
Once your viewLinc system is installed, you may find the
following roadmap a useful overview of the set up and
configuration activities required to implement viewLinc.
1 Edit Logger properties using vLog or Spectrum (such as
sample timing and data logger channels).
2 If you plan to set day and time schedules during which
specific users will be notified of alarms, set Contact
Schedules (see
page 61).
3 Create User Accounts (see “Creating User Accounts” on
page 62).
4 Choose temperature measurement unit preferences ( see
“Choosing Temperature Measurement Unit Pr eferences”
on page 65).
5 Configure email settings (see“Configuring Email
Settings” on page 57).
6 Edit alarm email templates (see “Editing Alarm Email
Templates” on page 58).
7 Create alarm and threshold templates (see “Creating
Alarm Templates” on page 34).
8 Discover Loggers (see “Discovering Loggers” on
page 52).
9 Set and configure alarm thresholds (see “Threshold
Alarms” on page 40).
10 Configure alarms (see the sections on setting threshold,
communication and logger alarms in
Alarms).
11 Create zones, assign channels to zones and edit channel
properties (see
page 25).
Once these set up activities are complete, you are ready to
start monitoring logger readings, viewing events and printing
reports. You can also set up transfer schedules to view and
analyze logger data in vLog or Spectrum software (see
“Transfers and Transfer Schedules” on page 82).
“Creating Contact Schedules” on
“Organizing Channels into Zones” on
Administrator’s Road Map
Chapter 3:
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 15
Chapter 1: Getting Started
Getting Help
If you need help, free technical support is available from
Veriteq from 8am-4pm PST Monday - Friday. In North
America, please call 1-866-861-3388 (or 604-273-6850) or
email customersupport@veriteq.com. See also
www.veriteq.com.
For sales, pricing, quotations, or general information, please
call 1-800-683-8374 (or 604-273-6850).
16
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Chapter 2: Channels
This section is for administrators and general users.
In this section, you’ll learn about:
• channels and zones
• selecting channels and zones to display in My Channels
• opening large channel views
• viewing and working with real-time graphs in a large
channel view
• creating zones
• organizing channels into zones
• editing zones
• deactivating zones
• displaying or hiding channel information
Let’s get started learning what a channel is in viewLinc.
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 17
Chapter 2: Channels
About Channels
What is a channel?
Depending on the type of Veriteq data loggers you have
installed, a logger may have up to five channels available to
measure temperature, relative humidity, voltage and/or
current (one channel is used for each type of measurement).
Each channel displays the type of data being measured.
Using viewLinc, you can monitor any data logger channel
that is connected to the network.
When you first log in to viewLinc, the Channels window
displays. This window includes:
• zones available for monitoring
• data logger channels available for the selected zone
• active monitoring channels and actual channel data
• threshold indicators
• context-sensitive Help
18
Where are my channels?
If you don’t see any channels in the My Channels area, it
could be that:
• There are no zones or channels selected. In the Zones
area, ensure at least one channel or zone has the check
box next to it selected, then click
Channels area.
• Your logger may not be connected properly.
• Try discovering loggers - see “Discovering Loggers” on
page 52.
Refresh in the My
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
About Channels
Help window
My Channels
area
Zone channels
available
Zones button
My Channels button bar
Zones area
Tabs
bar
button bar
Zone channels
Understanding the Channels Screen
The Channels screen in viewLinc contains many important
features:
Item Details
Tabs Contains main viewLinc tabs: Channels, Trans-
fers, Events, System, Alarms, Reports.
Zones button
bar
Contains buttons like Refresh, Pause Alarming,
etc.
Zones area Where configuration of zones takes place. Use
zones to organize th e many channels that may be
connected to viewLinc.
Zones channels
available
My Channels
area
List of data logger channels available for a
selected zone.
Includes details on channel configurations, current data readings, latest timestamp and threshold alarm setting information.
Table 2: Important parts of the Channels screen
My Channels displays general information about your logger
and channels. Most columns are easy to understand;
however, here are a few definitions to help you get familiar
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 19
Chapter 2: Channels
with viewLinc. To see all options, see “Hiding and Showing
Channel Columns” on page 29:
Column Displays
Zone Zone the channel is in.
Logger Description Logger description (editable from the Sys-
tem tab).
Channel Number Number representing the channel for that
logger (each logger has 1 or more channels, and labels them 1, 2, and so on).
Channel Description Description of channel (editable from the
System tab).
Value Value of that channel, for example, tem-
perature in Celsius.
Timestamp Time that the last channel reading was
taken.
Status “OK” appears if there are no currently
active alarms. Changes to indicate if a
threshold alarm condition or any other
alarm has been detected.
Threshold Summary Summary of threshold status, if active.
Alarming Indicates whether the channel or logger is
currently alarming (having reached an
alarm threshold).
Table 3: Columns of information in My Channels
Opening Large Channel Views
This window contains the most current data reading for the
channel, any related threshold settings, a graphical
representation of recent historical dat a readings, and an area
to indicate an active alarm.
Note: You can view a particular channel reading in a
single window, or you can open multiple channel
20
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
Real-Time Graphs
windows. If you use Internet Explorer, ensure
your browser is set up to open new links in a new
window or tab. Go to Tools | Internet Options,
then, on the General tab in the Tabs section,
click Settings and choose to open links from
other programs in A new tab in the current win-
dow.
To open a large channel view:
1 From the Channels tab in the My Channels area, sele ct a
channel you want to view.
2 Click View or double-click the selected channel line.
A new resizeable window containing information about
the selected channel appears.
3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 to view multiple large channel
views.
To close a large channel view, click the close box in the top
right corner of the window.
To acknowledge an alarm, see “Acknowledging Alarms” on
page 48.
Real-Time Graphs
With viewLinc, you can view live data in graphical form at any
time. Each graph displays the last 300 or 1000 data points
(based on the sample interval set for the logger and the
viewLinc 3.5 Administrator Guide 21
Chapter 2: Channels
Internet browser you use), and threshold values for the
corresponding time period.
To view live data as a graph:
1 From the Channels tab, in the My Channels area, select
a channel you to want to view.
2 Click View (or double-click the selected channel line)
This opens the large channel view.
In this screen you can view the most recent historical trends,
and hover over specific data points for more detailed
readings.
Reading Graphs in Large Channel View
When you open a channel, you can read both a numerical
and graphical representation of the logger reading. Here is a
description of the key elements in the graphing area :
Item Description
Title bar Displays the name of the active logger and
type of data reading (humidity, tempera-
ture, voltage or current).
22
Header bar Indicates the date and time of latest read-
ing; the time zone is based on the time
zone setting of the PC running the
browser.
Numerical display area Displays most current data value in units
being measured, as defined by the user
(see page “Choosing Temperature Mea-
surement Unit Preferences” on page 65 to
change).
Graph area A graphical representation of data history
is displayed here.
Left-side Y-axis Shows the scale for the data displayed in
the graph.
Table 4: Large channel view elements
© 2010 Veriteq Instruments Inc.
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