IDEC WindSRV - Manual (Page 78)

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Important: A a small red "x" should be visible below the channel icon. This denotes that the channel does not contain
a valid configuration because no devices have been added yet.
Note: This server supports the use of multiple channels. As channels are added to the project, users can specify either
the same communications driver or different communications drivers. All communication drivers offer support operation
on up to 100 communications ports or Ethernet network connections simultaneously. Select drivers offer support for
256 channels. By defining multiple channels, users can improve the application's overall performance. Both serial
drivers and Ethernet drivers benefit from using multiple channels because it spreads out large communications loads. A
good example of this would be a serial driver that is being used to communicate with eight devices on the serial line.
Normally, the communications driver used in this application would be responsible for gathering data from all eight
devices. If this same application is reconfigured to use multiple channels assigned to multiple communications ports,
the device load can be divided across the channels. The end result is a reduced workload on each channel and dramatic
improvements in the application's responsiveness. The need to use multiple channels depends solely on the needs of
the application. In either case, there is no additional cost involved to use a licensed driver on multiple communications
or Ethernet ports.
Adding and Configuring a Device
Once a channel has been defined in a project, a device must then be added to the channel. A device identifies the
physical node or station on a communications link. A device can also be thought of as a way of framing the definition of
a connection to a specific point of interest in the application. In this respect, a device would still be used as a term
when describing the connection to a database object. In this example, "device" refers to a specific device on a network.
In the Simulator driver, a device supports multiple device nodes and allows users to simulate networked devices.
1. To add a device, select the channel to which the device will be added. Next, click Edit | New Device. Alternatively,
click the Add Device icon on the toolbar or right-click and select Add Device from the context menu. Selecting New
Device by all of these methods will invoke the Device Wizard, which is used to both name the device and set its Node
ID.
New Device by Edit | New Device