Server Redundancy

To provide server redundancy, Acquire will run with two simultaneous servers that are both active. Both servers actively poll the flowcomputers and both can be active as the HMI. This means that the secondary server can be available for use at any time and can be used as a second control point into the system.

This approach enables the servers to take advantage of load balancing when running as web servers and provide an automatic failover if one of the servers becomes unavailable. The switching between servers is seamless and will only be apparent to the user via an Acquire™ alarm.

Reports will only be generated by the active machine. If there are two active machines then the primary server will issue reports. This prevents two copies of the reports being generated when the system is fully operational.

The user's web browser automatically selects one of the servers to use. If a server goes down while the user is connected to it, they are seamlessly transitioned to the other server. The only indication that this has occurred is an alarm stating that a server has gone offline. When the server comes back online it is automatically brought back up to date with the data that it missed while it was offline.

Setting up redundant Acquire servers is just as easy as setting up a single server. Once Acquire has been configured on one of the servers, the configuration details are automatically sent to the other server. Any subsequent changes are also passed in a similar way ensuring that both servers remain in sync.

Maximum Resilience

Acquire™ uses the latest technology to provide a state-of-the-art solution that is highly resilient at every level:

• HMI Server

  Acquire can run with two live HMI servers that both receive up to the minute information from the flow computer. If a server goes down while the user is connected to it, they are seamlessly transitioned to the other server. When the server comes back online it is automatically brought back up to date with the data that it missed while it was offline.

• Process Network

  Acquire can communicate with the flow computers over two separate network connections and will seamlessly switch over to the second network if any part of the first network fails. The only indication to the user that this switchover has occurred is an alarm stating that a network component has failed.

• Flow Computers

  A pair of duty/standby flow computers can be deployed to ensure that the meter station can continue to operate even if a flow computer goes down. Acquire constantly monitors both the flow computers and automatically switches to the standby machine if the duty flow computer fails.

• Workstations

  Acquire is multi-user straight out of the box, so multiple workstations can connect to the Acquire server at one time. If a workstation fails then the operator can simply switch to another workstation or start using the server itself.

• Operator Network

  Acquire enables workstations to connect using duplicate Ethernet connections on the operator network. The operator's browser will automatically switch networks if one of the networks should go down.

 

Acquire™ Editor Manual