DeltaV MD Series 2 Controller (V6.3) Losing Configuration Intermittently.

Hi I wonder if any one could assist me in an issue I am having,

I have a DeltaV controller that is losing its configuration intermittently. It appears as though the controller is resetting itself. Are there any known issues that may be the cause of this? 

I originally suspected it was due to a power failure and the cold restart memory not being downloaded. I therefore downloaded the cold restart memory and had the electrician look at the 240V UPS that supplies the panel. This has been replaced and the problem still occurs. The Controller PSU has also been replaced.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Sean

9 Replies

  • What system power supply model are you using?

    Sent from my Windows Phone

    Click to show quoted text
    From: sean_qsi
    Sent: ‎02/‎09/‎2014 17:12
    To: DeltaV@community.emerson.com
    Subject: [EE365 DeltaV Track] DeltaV MD Series 2 Controller (V6.3) Losing Configuration Intermittently.

    Hi I wonder if any one could assist me in an issue I am having,

    I have a DeltaV controller that is losing its configuration intermittently. It appears as though the controller is resetting itself. Are there any known issues that may be the cause of this? 

    I originally suspected it was due to a power failure and the cold restart memory not being downloaded. I therefore downloaded the cold restart memory and had the electrician look at the 240V UPS that supplies the panel. This has been replaced and the problem still occurs. The Controller PSU has also been replaced.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Regards,

    Sean

  • In reply to AdrianOffield:

    Hi Adrian,

    It is an AC/DC PSU.

    Thanks for the reply.

  • In reply to sean_qsi:

    Have you tried to open a telnet link to the controller and look in the hardware event logs?

  • In reply to Robert Rijnders:

    Hi Robert,

    Last week the controller and 2-wide carriers were replaced as we believed it to be a hardware issue, however this has not solved the problem. So i guess it must be something in the software causing this? is there any further information available on opening a telnet link? I know you can do this via DV diagnostics but that is all...

    Thanks for your help with this issue.

  • In reply to sean_qsi:

    What version of controller firmware are you running?  You can see this by looking in diagnostics for the SWREV parameter on the controller.  

    Is it above v6.3.4 Build 3536?

    I recall the following KBA regarding controller reset due to relay self test failure:

    www3.emersonprocess.com/.../carticle.asp

    There is a patch for this in the article if indeed you are seeing the "Railbus hardware readback failed" message in the telnet logs.

  • Hi Sean,
     
    Are any of the IO cards exhibiting any spurious behavior, have you checked the diag status if the IO cards from Diagnostics?  It could be carrier back-plane related.
     
    How many carriers do you have?
     
     
    Click to show quoted text
    From: sean_qsi [mailto:bounce-sean_qsi@community.emerson.com]
    Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2014 12:52 PM
    To: DeltaV@community.emerson.com
    Subject: RE: [EE365 DeltaV Track] DeltaV MD Series 2 Controller (V6.3) Losing Configuration Intermittently.
     

    Hi Robert,

    Last week the controller and 2-wide carriers were replaced as we believed it to be a hardware issue, however this has not solved the problem. So i guess it must be something in the software causing this? is there any further information available on opening a telnet link? I know you can do this via DV diagnostics but that is all...

    Thanks for your help with this issue.

  • In reply to AdrianOffield:

    Hi Youssef,

    The firmware is 6.3.2.3361, so it is below the mentioned firmware. Does this mean I need to apply this fix or is this something that only applies to controllers with firmware revision above 6.3.4?

    I am still waiting on getting telnet logs the issue I have now is that I am no longer onsite so am having to relay the information on and await their response.

    Adrian,

    The IO integrity was shown Good in DV Diagnostics when I checked this last week and there are four carriers attached to this controller. The 2-wide was replaced last week with the controller.

    Thanks for your help.

  • In reply to sean_qsi:

    Hi,

    Quick update on this matter... I have managed to get the telnet event logs from the Controller and they aren't giving too much away. They just seem to show the controller being recovered following the reset.

    The following messages are displayed when the fault occurs:

    "Controller Bootup Starting"

    "Comission Data: V=0x434f4d35 PE=1 PA=10.4.0.10 SUB=255.254.0.0"

    "Processing DEVICE DownloadRequest Success"

    "Processing END DEVICE Download Request"

    "END DEVICE - processing complete"

    "INFO: Requesting a Cold Restart Memory Update"

    "INFO: Successfully Completed a Cold Restart Memory Update"

    Then the messages are again repeated a few hours/days later when the fault re-occurs.

    Thanks,

    Sean

  • In reply to sean_qsi:

    Was hoping there would be more helpful information available through telnet.

    But flashing to the latest 6.3 controller firmware is always recommended. In the KBA a firmware is mentioned, just above the one you're using now, so likely your system is affected. On the other hand, other controllers would also experience the same problems.

    The issue mentioned in the KBA only affects MD series 2 controllers, series 1 don't show this behavior. The controller hotfix will bring the firmware to v6.3.4 Build 3536. Adding a stand-by controller is another (pricey) work-around.