GEI-100853

WorkstationST* Mark* V Feature

EGD
Instruction Guide
These instructions do not purport to cover all details or variations in equipment, nor to provide for every possible
contingency to be met during installation, operation, and maintenance. The information is supplied for informational
purposes only, and GE makes no warranty as to the accuracy of the information included herein. Changes, modifications,
and/or improvements to equipment and specifications are made periodically and these changes may or may not be reflected
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Issued: June 2016

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 Document Updates
Location Description
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Related Documents
Doc # Title
GEI-100829 WorkstationST Mark V Feature GSM Server
GEH-6700 ToolboxST* User Guide for Mark Controls Platform
GEH-6759 WorkstationST Mark V Feature System Guide

GEH-6760 WorkstationST GSM 3.0 Application Guide

2 GEI-100853 WorkstationST* Mark* V Feature EGD Instruction Guide

For public disclosure
 Acronyms and Abbreviations
EGD Ethernet Global Data, a control network and communication protocol

DA Data Access
OPC A standard for data exchange in the industrial environment

Instruction Guide GEI-100853 3

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 Contents
1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................5
1.1 Design ..................................................................................................................................................5
2 Data File Configuration .................................................................................................................................6
2.1 ToEGD.DAT File....................................................................................................................................6
2.2 FromEGD.DAT File ................................................................................................................................8
2.3 Error Logs .............................................................................................................................................9
3 Import into the ToolboxST Application ........................................................................................................... 10

4 GEI-100853 WorkstationST* Mark* V Feature EGD Instruction Guide

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1 Overview
The Mark V communicates using GE’s ARCNET®. However, new generation Mark VI
and Mark VIe controllers, along with current simulation software, communicate over
Ethernet Global Data (EGD). To support bidirectional real-time data exchange between
Mark V and EGD Pages the following components were added to the WorkstationST
application:

• Taking high-speed EGD pages and transmitting the data to a Mark V controller to act
as the Mark V inputs
• Taking high-speed Mark V data and exposing it on EGD pages
• Rescaling Mark V values (16 bit integers) with the goal of seamless communication
across all controller types (Mark V, Mark VI, Mark VIe) and simulation software

1.1 Design
The following figure shows the flow of EGD between the Mark V controller and Mark
VI/VIe controller.

Mark V Client
From OPC EGD ( Mark VI,
Page(s) Mark VIe,
EGD DA
or
Simulation
Config Software)

To EGD
EGD Page(s)

Config

Instruction Guide GEI-100853 5

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2 Data File Configuration
The Mark V controls EGD software package contains two programs, ToEGD and
FromEGD. ToEGD periodically requests data from the Mark V controller, scales the
values to IEEE floating points, and then transmits them on an EGD page. FromEGD
requests data from the OPC® DA server, which is receiving broadcasted EGD pages,
scales the values to 16-bit integers, and writes them to the Mark V controller. However, to
know what signals to request, each program has its own user-defined configuration data
file containing transmit parameters along with the list of points, or signals. This document
defines and explains the format of the two data files.
The ToEGD data file consists of a number of sections, with each section defining one
EGD page that is processed. Each section consists of a collection of parameters that
define special aspects of that page (such as the desired period of transmission) along with
the list of signals included in the page. The names used for the input and output side of
the page processing default to being the same, but can be overridden if the signal names
in the EGD pages do not match the signal names in the Mark V controller.
The FromEGD data file consists of a number of sections, with each section defining one
list that is processed. Each section consists of a collection of parameters that define
special aspects of that list (such as the desired period of transmission) along with the list
of signals included. The names used for the input and output side of the list processing
may be the same (denoted by an asterisk), but can be overridden if the signal names in the
OPC DA server do not match the signal names in the Mark V controller.

2.1 ToEGD.DAT File

Each unit to be used needs a configuration file containing the EGD parameters and a list
of points for each EGD page to be produced. Because of the limitations of the Mark V
controller, a maximum of 100 points will be allowed per EGD page with a maximum of
32 pages.
Comments are supported in the points section of the data file (after the point definitions)
and are denoted by a semicolon. The parameter section cannot include comments after the
parameters values, but comment lines can be included. Everything on a line after a
semicolon will be ignored.
The file should be an ASCII file as the definitions of all the contents of this file were
defined using ASCII standards. The following is an example of a single EGD page with
seven points that will continually be transmitted at the set period.

6 GEI-100853 WorkstationST* Mark* V Feature EGD Instruction Guide

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 2.1.1 TOEGD.DAT Example
EGD Parameters
The first section of the data file contains the parameters needed to create and send the
EGD page.

• [EGD n] The first line of every EGD page defined in the data file must be [EGD n],
where n is the Exchange ID of the page, between 1 and 32.
• @PERIOD The amount of time in between requests to the Mark V controller for the
user-defined signals in the data file. This parameter is in Mark V CPU ticks, which is
32 ticks per second. For example, to request data from the Mark V controller at 2 Hz,
the period must be 16.
• @SIGNATURE The signature is used to keep track of changes in the format of an
EGD page. The format is: M.m, or, MajorRevision.MinorRevision, where the major
revision is incremented for changes that render the page non-backwards compatible,
such as truncation of data. The minor revision is incremented for backwards
compatible modifications, such as adding more points to the end of the list.
• @PRODUCERID The producer ID is the IP address of the device producing the
EGD page. In the case of ToEGD, the producer ID should be the IP address assigned
to the External Device created in the ToolboxST application.
• @DESTINATION The industry standard IP addressing specifies the 192.168.x.y
range as being a collection of Class-C addresses. This means that the subnet
broadcast mask should be 255.255.255.0, and the broadcast address on the PDH
would be 192.168.201.255.

Network Base Address Subnet Mask Broadcast Address

UDH 192.168.101.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.101.255
PDH 192.168.201.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.201.255

Point Information
This section of the data file lists each point and their respective fields for processing.

• EGD Location The byte or bit location of the point. Bit-packed logics are supported
(Byte.bit). The location of the point must coincide with the point data type. For
example, a REAL is 4 bytes, and must increment the max location by 4. Logic
signals, or BOOLs, are a bit, and must increment the max location by 0.1.
• Data Type The EGD data type of the point. For the beta, only BOOLs and REALs
are supported.
• Point Name The name of the point to retrieve from the Mark V controller. This
name must correspond with a signal in the Mark V controller.
• EGD Point Name The optional point name to be displayed on the EGD page. If
supplied, the EGD point name is used when exporting the EGD configuration.
Otherwise, it assumes the name of the EGD signal and is the same as the Mark V
controller signal.
• Engineering Units The engineering units string for scaling (optional for logic
signals). Both the English and Metric unit tables are checked for a corresponding set
of engineering units. If a match is found, the value is scaled according to that set. The
engineering units must be surrounded by quotes.
• Gain The optional gain used for scaling the EGD value to a different set of
engineering units or target value prior to sending it on EGD.
• Offset The optional offset used for scaling the EGD value to a different set of
engineering units or target value, prior to sending it on EGD.
• Desired Engineering Units The optional desired engineering units. If this is not
specified, the Mark V feature uses the current operating units (English or Metric) to
scale the value for EGD. If engineering units are supplied, both the English and
Metric unit tables are checked for a corresponding set of engineering units. If a match
is found, the value is scaled according to that set. The desired engineering units must
be surround by quotes.

Instruction Guide GEI-100853 7

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 2.2 FromEGD.DAT File
Each unit that is to be used needs a configuration file containing the necessary OPC DA
server periodic data list parameters and the points for each list. Currently, only 32 lists are
supported.
Comments are supported in the points section of the data file and are denoted by a
semicolon. However, comments are not supported in the parameters section. Supported
comments must be at the end of the line as everything on the line preceding the semicolon
is ignored.
The file should be an ASCII file as the definitions of all the contents of this file were
defined using ASCII standards. The following is an example of a single periodic data list
with 7 points that will continually be requested from the OPC DA server and written to
the Mark V controller at the set period.

2.2.1 FROMEGD.DAT EXAMPLE

Periodic Data List Parameters
The first section of the data file contains the parameters needed to create and send the
EGD page.

• [List n] The first line of every list defined in the data file must be [List n], where n is
the list number between 1 and 32.
• @PERIOD The amount of time in between writes of the signals to the Mark V
controller in milliseconds. For example, to send a list once per second, set the period
to 1000.
• @SENDALL This parameter is not fully implemented for the beta. The value should
stay at 0, meaning that all signals will be sent for every message
• @PREFIX The name of the device that produced the signals in the list. This
parameter is used to retrieve the signals from the OPC DA server. By default, the
prefix is the name of the unit (denoted by @PREFIX = “”). The prefix must include
the separator (a period) between the prefix and the point name. For example, if the
prefix is, SIM1, the parameter must be @PREFIX = “SIM1.”.

8 GEI-100853 WorkstationST* Mark* V Feature EGD Instruction Guide

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 Point Information
This section of the data file lists each point and their respective fields for processing.

• Point Name The name of the point found in the OPC DA server.
• Mark V Name The name of the point found in the Mark V controller. If the name is
the same as the name found in the OPC DA server, use an asterisk.
• Engineering Units The engineering units string for scaling (optional for logic
signals). Both the English and Metric unit tables are checked for a corresponding set
of engineering units. If a match is found, the value is scaled according to that set. The
engineering units must be surrounded by quotes.
• Gain The optional gain used for scaling the OPC DA value to a different set of
engineering units or, target value, prior to sending it to the Mark V controller.
• Offset The optional offset used for scaling the OPC DA value to a different set of
engineering units or, target value, prior to sending it to the Mark V controller.
• Desired Engineering Units The optional desired engineering units. If this is not
specified, the Mark V feature uses the current operating units (English or Metric) to
scale the value. If engineering units are supplied, both the English and Metric unit
tables are checked for a corresponding set of engineering units. If a match is found,
the value is scaled according to that set. The desired engineering units must be
surround by quotes.

2.3 Error Logs

ToEGD and FromEGD each create log files if there are any errors to report. If the file is
not present, then there were no errors to report. The files are named, ToEGD.LOG, and,
FromEGD.LOG, respectively. By default, they are located at C:\ProgramData\GE Energy
\WorkstationST\.

➢ To view error logs:

1. From the taskbar notification area, click the WorkstionST Status Monitor button
to display the WorkstationST Status Monitor screen.
2. From the File menu, select Open Local Log File Folder.

3. Locate and double-click the appropriate .LOG file to display the file..

Instruction Guide GEI-100853 9

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3 Import into the ToolboxST Application
Use the following procedure to import Mark V controller EGD information into the
ToolboxST application.

➢ To import Mark V controller information into the ToolboxST application

1. From the ToolboxST System Editor Tree View, right-click the system item and
select Insert New and External Device.

2. Enter a Name for the device and lick Finish.

3. From the System Editor Tree View, select the new External Device and from the
Property Editor, select Enable EGD Editor and set to True.
4. From the System Editor Tree View double-click the new External Device to
display the Component Editor.

10 GEI-100853 WorkstationST* Mark* V Feature EGD Instruction Guide

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 5. From the General tab Tree View, select Network Adapter 0 and from the
Property Editor, select IP Address and enter the correct IP Address.
6. From the EGD tab Tree View, select Ethernet Global Data and from the
Property Editor, select Producer ID and set it to the same Producer ID as in the
data file.
7. From the File menu, select Import and Export and follow the Import/Export
Wizard to import the EGD configuration. (Refer to the ToolboxST User Guide for
Mark Controls Platform (GEH-6700), the section, EGD Editor for External
Devices for additional information.

Instruction Guide GEI-100853 11

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8. Verify the Period, Signature, and Destination Address match that in the
ToEGD.dat file.

Note The period in ToEGD.dat is based on CPU ticks in the Mark V controller.
Therefore, if the period in ToEGD.dat is set to 32, that would be once per second, or 1000
ms. In the ToolboxST application, the period is in milliseconds and must be configured as
such.

9. From the toolbar, click the Build icon to build the device.
10. From the Component Editor Tree View, right-click Referenced Devices, click
Select Devices, and from the Select Devices dialog box, select the device to
consume the Mark V controller EGD data and click OK.

11. From the toolbar, click the Build icon to build the device.

12. From the toolbar, click the Download icon to download the device.

13. From the toolbar, click the Save icon to save the configuration.

For public disclosure