How to monitor and troubleshoot communication using Wonderware Client utility

Tech Note: ISS-TN062
Published Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Product: Communication Drivers
Revision Date: October 17, 2022

SUMMARY

When troubleshooting communications between your HMI and data source it can be useful to utilize the Wonderware Client (WWClient) utility to verify connection status and read values. This document lists the procedures necessary to install and use the WWClient utility to help troubleshoot communications.

APPLIES TO

  • All AVEVA software packages that utilize SuiteLink or DDE communication protocols
  • Wonderware Client Utility (WWClient)

PROCEDURE

  1. Install the WWClient utility. You can download and install the utility from the link provided below:
    wwclient.zip
  1. Unzip the utility and run wwclient.exe
  1. To begin, select “Connections” > Create
  1. This will open the “Create Connection” window. You will notice that the configurations here are very similar to that of an Access Name for InTouch. Configure connection and select “Create” button.

Description for our example:

Node:…………. localhost (we will be connecting to a OI Server installed on the local machine)
Application:…..mbtcp (we will be connecting to the Wonderware MBTCP OI Server)
Topic:………….Topic1 (this is the default name used when defining a topic in the MBTCP OI Server)
Connection Type:…….(for the purpose of this document the “IOT” connection type was used)

Definitions are as follows:

  • DDE:…………….Dynamic Data Exchange
  • IOT:…….I/O Talk (this was the original name/acronym for the SuiteLink protocol)
  • IOT – Thread:..This will start the protocol in a separate thread (this is not the advised protocol to use)

  1. Once the connection is created you will see a line of text populated within the “Wonderware Client” window, which displays information about the protocol in use, the path to connect to the end device, and an indication of the connection status.

The main concern here is that the hexadecimal value does not read 0x00000000


  1. From the “Wonderware Client” window menu select “Item“. This will open the “Item” window. Select the connection in question in the “Connections” section, enter a valid data point and select the appropriate type in the “Item” section. Proceed by selecting the “AdviseEx” button.
  1. You will now see the advised item information displayed under the connection information. In between the item name and the timestamp is where you will see the actual value of the item advised. To the far right is another set of hexadecimal values representing a quality, where 0x00c0 represents a good connection to the data source.

NOTE: A legend of these hexadecimal (and their respective decimal) values is located below in the “OPC Quality Code Legend” section.

OPC Quality Code Legend

Hexadecimal Value Decimal Value Hexadecimal Value
0x0000 0 Bad
0x0001 1 Bad Low Limited
0x0002 2 Bad High Limited
0x0003 3 Bad Constant
0x0004 4 Bad Configuration Error
0x0005 5 Bad Configuration Error Low Limited
0x0006 6 Bad Configuration Error High Limited
0x0007 7 Bad Configuration Error Constant
0x0008 8 Bad Not Connected
0x0009 9 Bad Not Connected Low Limited
0x000A 10 Bad Connected High Limited
0x000B 11 Bad Not Connected Constant
0x000C 12 Bad Device Failure
0x000D 13 Bad Device Failure Low Limited
0x000E 14 Bad Device Failure High Limited
0x000F 15 Bad Device Failure Constant
0x0010 16 Bad Sensor Failure
0x0011 17 Bad Sensor Failure Low Limited
0x0012 18 Bad Sensor Failure High Limited
0x0013 19 Bad Sensor Failure Constant
0x0014 20 Bad Last Known Value
0x0015 21 Bad Last Known Value Low Limited
0x0016 22 Bad Last Known Value High Limited
0x0017 23 Bad Last Known Value Constant
0x0018 24 Bad Comm Failure
0x0019 25 Bad Comm Failure Low Limited
0x001A 26 Bad Comm Failure High Limited
0x001B 27 Bad Comm Failure Constant
0x001C 28 Bad Out of Service
0x001D 29 Bad Out of Service Low Limited
0x001E 30 Bad Out of Service High Limited
0x001F 31 Bad Out of Service Constant
0x0020 32 Bad Waiting for Initial Data
0x0021 33 Bad Waiting for Initial Data Low Limited
0x0022 34 Bad Waiting for Initial Data High Limited
0x0023 35 Bad Waiting for Initial Data Constant
0x0040 64 Uncertain
0x0041 65 Uncertain Low Limited
0x0042 66 Uncertain High Limited
0x0043 67 Uncertain Constant
0x0044 68 Uncertain Last Usable Value
0x0045 69 Uncertain Last Usable Value Low Limited
0x0046 70 Uncertain Last Usable Value High Limited
0x0047 71 Uncertain Last Usable Value Constant
0x0050 80 Uncertain Sensor Not Accurate
0x0051 81 Uncertain Sensor Not Accurate Low Limited
0x0052 82 Uncertain Sensor Not Accurate High Limited
0x0053 83 Uncertain Sensor Not Accurate Constant
0x0054 84 Uncertain Engineering Units Exceeded
0x0055 85 Uncertain Engineering Units Exceeded Low Limited
0x0056 86 Uncertain Engineering Units Exceeded High Limite
0x0057 87 Uncertain Engineering Units Exceeded Constant
0x0058 88 Uncertain Sub-Normal
0x0059 89 Uncertain Sub-Normal Low Limited
0x005A 90 Uncertain Sub-Normal High Limited
0x005B 91 Uncertain Sub-Normal Constant
0x00C0 192 Good
0x00C1 193 Good Low Limited
0x00C2 194 Good High Limited
0x00C3 195 Good Constant
0x00D8 216 Good Local Override
0x00D9 217 Good Local Override Low Limited
0x00DA 218 Good Local Override High Limited
0x00DB 219 Good Local Override Constant

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