Ignition SCADA Advanced – Cheat Sheet

Our on-demand Ignition SCADA professionals, Designers, Developers, and Administrators got hands-on with the following cheat sheet. Discover our expert strategies for managing large-scale systems, optimizing performance, securing projects, and automating workflows in Ignition SCADA projects.

1. Ignition Architecture for Complex Systems

• Gateway Network:
  • Link multiple Gateways for distributed systems: Gateway → Config → Gateway Network → Create Gateway Connection.
  • Use Cases: Central Gateway for enterprise-wide monitoring, Edge Gateways for localized data collection.
• Redundancy:
  • Enable redundancy for failover: Gateway → Config → Redundancy Settings.
  • Test synchronization periodically to ensure reliability.

2. Optimizing Tags and Data Handling

• Tag Management Best Practices:
  • Use User-Defined Types (UDTs) for reusable, parameterized tag groups.
  • Leverage Leased Tag Groups to optimize polling frequency for high-demand tags.
• Tag Historian Optimization:
  • Enable historian compression: Gateway → Config → Tag History → Compression Settings.
  • Partition historical data by time intervals for scalability.
• Best Practice: Audit tags regularly to remove unused entries.

3. Performance Optimization

• Tag Management:
  • Throttle non-critical tags: Tag Properties → Rate Limit.
  • Use Deadband Filtering for analog tags (e.g., 0.1% threshold).
  • Replace direct tag binds with Reference Binding: {[Global]Tank1/Level}.
• Database Tuning:sqlCopy– Create Index for Historian Queries CREATE INDEX idx_timestamp ON tag_history (timestamp);
  • Batch inserts: system.db.runPrepUpdate() with batch=True.
• Scripting:
  • Use concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor for parallel tasks.
  • Avoid Jython CPU-bound tasks; offload to external services.

4. Database Strategies for SCADA Projects

• Relational Database Setup:
  • Configure database connections: Gateway → Config → Databases → Create New Connection.
  • Use Query Tags for dynamic data retrieval.
• Partitioning:
  • Implement partitioning strategies for historical data tables (e.g., daily or monthly partitions).
• Data Purging:
  • Automate purging: Gateway → Config → Historical Data → Data Cleanup.

5. Advanced Visualization (Vision & Perspective)

• Vision:
  • Use Template Repeater for modular, scalable displays.
  • Employ embedded windows to improve performance on complex screens.
• Perspective:
  • Design responsive UIs with Flex Containers for mobile and desktop compatibility.
  • Leverage Style Classes for consistent design across projects.
• Dynamic Bindings:
  • Use Indirect Tag Bindings for parameterized views.
  • Combine bindings with expressions for advanced calculations.

6. Alarm Configuration and Management

• Advanced Alarming:
  • Configure alarms hierarchically (e.g., area → equipment → tag).
  • Use Derived Tags to preprocess data before alarming.
• Notification Pipelines:
  • Build escalation pipelines: Gateway → Config → Alarming → Pipelines.
  • Include delays, conditions, and retries for robust workflows.
• Best Practice: Regularly test alarms to prevent desensitization.

7. Scripting for Automation

8. UDT & Template Tips

UDT Structure:

• Parameters: Pressure, Temperature (bind to OPC-UA tags).
• Events: Startup, Shutdown (add Python scripts).
• Alarms: Define under Alarm Configuration.

Perspective Component Template:

• Create reusable templates: Right-click Component → Save as Template.
• Bind UDT parameters dynamically:

{UDT.Pressure}  

9. Automating Workflows

a. Template-Driven Development

• UDTs (User-Defined Types): Create reusable UDTs for common devices (e.g., pumps, valves) with built-in alarms and scripting.
• Perspective Component Templates: Design standardized HMI components (e.g., trend viewers, dashboards) for rapid deployment.

b. Event-Driven Automation

• Alarm Pipelines: Customize alarm handling with Python transformers (e.g., dynamic prioritization, SMS alerts).
• MQTT Triggers: Use MQTT messages to initiate scripts or update tags via the MQTT Engine.
• Tag Change Scripts: Execute logic on tag value changes (e.g., auto-start maintenance workflows).

c. CI/CD for SCADA

• Version Control: Store projects in Git, using .project and .json files for version tracking.
• Automated Testing: Validate scripts and UDTs with pytest or Ignition’s Script Console.
• Pipeline Deployment: Use tools like Jenkins to deploy updates to staging/production gateways.

d. MES Integration

• Ignition MES Module: Track production OEE, downtime, and workflows with prebuilt MES components.
• REST API Automation: Integrate with ERP systems (e.g., SAP) for real-time order-to-production workflows.

10. Security and User Access Control

• User Roles: Configure roles (e.g., Admin, Operator): Gateway → Config → Security → Users, Roles.
• SSL Setup: Enable HTTPS: Gateway → Config → Networking → Web Server Settings.
• Auditing: Enable auditing to track changes: Gateway → Config → Auditing.
• Role-Based Access (RBAC): Define granular permissions using Ignition’s User Source (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory).
• OAuth 2.0 Integration: Secure REST APIs and web apps with OAuth providers like Keycloak or Azure AD.
• Session Timeouts: Enforce idle timeouts for Vision clients and Perspective sessions.
• b. Network Security
• TLS Encryption: Enforce TLS 1.3 for OPC-UA, MQTT, and HTTP traffic.
• VPN Segmentation: Isolate SCADA traffic using VLANs or site-to-site VPNs.
• Firewall Rules: Restrict gateway ports (e.g., allow only 8059/TCP for HTTP) and block unnecessary protocols.
• c. Project Hardening
• Certificate Management: Use PKI for device authentication (e.g., OPC-UA certificates).
• Audit Logging: Enable Audit Profile to track user actions and system changes.
• Code Signing: Digitally sign scripts and modules to prevent unauthorized modifications.

11. Gateway Performance and Troubleshooting

• Performance Monitoring:
  • Check system performance: Gateway → Status → Performance.
  • Monitor slow queries and optimize them in the database.
• Troubleshooting Tools:
  • Review Gateway logs for errors: Gateway → Status → Logs.
  • Test OPC device connections regularly.

12. Reducing Load and Improving Efficiency

• Data Compression:
  • Use Ignition’s Tag History Compression for efficient storage.
• Gateway Scaling:
  • Distribute workload across Gateways by separating visualization, data processing, and historian tasks.
• Best Practice: Offload heavy analytics to external systems like Power BI or Python-based solutions.

13. Deployment and Maintenance

• Project Staging:
  • Always test in a staging environment before deploying to production.
  • Use Staging Mode in Perspective to safely test changes.
• Automated Backups:
  • Enable automated Gateway backups: Gateway → Config → Backup & Restore.
• Version Control:
  • Use Git for project versioning and collaboration.

14. Key Tools and Resources

• Ignition Documentation: Ignition User Manual.
• Inductive University: To Master Ignition SCADA at your own pace here is free training.
• Support Forum: Induction Automation Forum, click here.
• SDK for Custom Modules: Overview of the Ignition SDK, click here.
• Ignition Module Exchange: Leverage community modules like Cirrus Link (MQTT) or Tag Historian Analyzer.
• Third-Party Integrations:
  • Grafana: Visualize historian data with Ignition’s Grafana plugin.
  • InfluxDB: Store high-speed time-series data for long-term analysis.
• Training: Ignition Certification Courses (Core, Gold, Dev) for advanced skill development

15. Quick Expert Practices

1. Create a Modular UDT Structure: Use parameterized templates for efficient tag scaling.
2. Dynamic Alarm Pipelines: Build conditional alarm pipelines with custom scripts.
3. Optimize Gateway Load: Use remote tag providers to distribute processing.
4. Custom Dashboards: Combine Python scripting with Ignition’s Perspective charts for advanced data visualization.

16. Security Hardening

• Access Control:
  • Assign roles via Configure → Users/Roles → LDAP/AD Integration.
  • Enforce session timeouts: Gateway → Settings → Security → Session Timeout.
• Network Security:
  • Enable TLS 1.3 for OPC-UA/MQTT: Gateway → OPC-UA Connector → Security Policies.
  • Restrict ports: Block all except 8088 (HTTP), 8043 (HTTPS), and 4840 (OPC-UA).
• Audit Logging:
  • Enable Audit Profile in Gateway → Logging.
  • Query logs:
  pythonCopylogs = system.util.getAuditLogEntries(startDate=”2023-10-01″, actionFilter=”LOGIN”)

17. Automation & Scripting Snippets

a. Tag Read/Write

python

Copy

# Read a tag  
value = system.tag.read("[default]MyTag").value  

# Write to a tag  
system.tag.write("[default]MyTag", 42)  

b. Alarm Pipeline Script

python

Copy

# Custom alarm priority based on time  
if alarm.state == "ACTIVE":  
    if system.date.isWeekday():  
        alarm.priority = 5  # High priority on weekdays  
    else:  
        alarm.priority = 3  

c. MQTT Trigger

python

Copy

def mqttMessageReceived(message):  
    system.tag.write("[default]MQTT_Data", message.payload)  

mqtt = system.mqtt.connect("tcp://broker:1883")  
mqtt.subscribe("scada/status", mqttMessageReceived)  

18. UDT & Template Tips

• UDT Structure:
  • Parameters: Pressure, Temperature (bind to OPC-UA tags).
  • Events: Startup, Shutdown (add Python scripts).
  • Alarms: Define under Alarm Configuration.
• Perspective Component Template:
  • Create reusable templates: Right-click Component → Save as Template.
  • Bind UDT parameters dynamically:Copy{UDT.Pressure}

19. Redundancy & Failover

• Gateway Clustering:
  • Use active-active mode for HA (requires Ignition 8.1+).
  • Sync tags via Tag Provider configuration.
• Database Mirroring:sqlCopy– PostgreSQL Streaming Replication CREATE REPLICA USER ignition_replica WITH PASSWORD ‘secure’;

20. Advanced OPC-UA Addressing

21. Troubleshooting

• Gateway Diagnostics:
  • Check thread health: Gateway → Status → Threads.
  • Monitor memory: Gateway → Status → System.
• Common Fixes:
  • Slow queries: Optimize SQL indexes or partition tables.
  • Tag binding delays: Reduce update rates or use deadbands.

22. CI/CD Workflow

1. Store projects in Git (.project, .json, scripts).
2. Use Jenkins/GitLab CI to deploy to staging/production gateways.
3. Validate with automated tests:pythonCopy# pytest example for script validation def test_tag_read(): assert read_tag(“Tank1”) == 100

23. Pro Tips

• Use Perspective’s Power Chart for real-time dashboards.
• Leverage Ignition MES Module for OEE tracking.
• Export/import configurations via Gateway Backup/Restore.

24. Tools & Modules:

• Cirrus Link MQTT: For industrial IoT integration.
• Tag Historian Analyzer: Diagnose historian performance.
• Grafana Plugin: Visualize data with custom dashboards.