GENESIS64 Tag Count
For licensing purposes, GENESIS64 tags count real-time tags coming from an external source, such as Modbus, databases, or OPC UA.
All features and areas of ICONICS Suite that use these tags contribute to the GENESIS64 tag count except for Hyper Historian Standard or Enterprise. When Hyper Historian is licensed as Hyper Historian Express, it contributes to the GENESIS64 tag count.
Hyper Historian Standard and Enterprise count Hyper Historian tags.
There are three methods of counting GENESIS64 tags:
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AssetWorX Tag Counting - This is the counting method for GENESIS64 Basic SCADA packages. Tags must be configured in AssetWorX and are counted based on the AssetWorX configuration.
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Advanced Tag Counting - This is the counting method for GENESIS64 Advanced packages. Tags are only counted when they are in use and are no longer counted when a client releases them.
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Configured Tags - This is an uncommon counting method that acts just like advanced tag counting, except tags are not released when they are no longer in use. Despite the name, you do not need to configure your tags in advance.
To change the GENESIS64 tag counting mode, see: Changing the GENESIS64 Tag Counting Mode
This table compares the three types of tag counting.
|
Question |
AssetWorX Tag Counting |
Advanced Tag Counting |
Configured Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
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Where are tags configured? |
Tags must be configured as equipment properties in Workbench under Assets before they are used. |
Tags are not configured ahead of time. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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When are tags counted tags released? |
Equipment properties are counted whether they are used in a client or not. |
Tags are only counted when they are in use. When a client releases the tag, it will stop counting against the license. |
Tags are counted when they are first used. If a client releases a tag, it will remain counted. |
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What makes a unique tag? |
Every configured equipment property counts as a unique tag if it meets these qualifications:
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Only unique tag names are counted. If the same tag name is used in multiple places (for example, on a GraphWorX64 display and in a Hyper Alarm Server alarm) it will only count as one tag. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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Where can tags be used? |
Client applications like GraphWorX64 cannot use external data directly. They must use equipment properties to read this data. |
Tags are counted regardless of where they are used. This includes GraphWorX64 displays, but also some less obvious places such as:
|
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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What types of tags? |
Alarms, historical data, and datasets can be added to equipment properties. Only the equipment property is counted as a GENESIS64 tag. Whether there is an associated alarm, historical tag, or dataset does not affect the GENESIS64 tag count.
Only tags with an external source must be configured as equipment properties. Examples of external sources are Modbus, OPC UA, and databases. Tags that represent internal data, such as a local variable, the status of a service, or how many times a report has run, do not need to be configured as equipment properties, and can be used directly. |
Only real-time tags are counted. Historical tags and alarm subscriptions tags do not count against the license. However, real-time points used as their input may be counted. For example, if I have an alarm that uses an OPC UA tag as its input, the OPC UA tag will be counted as 1 point in the license when the alarm server is running, but the alarm itself or any subscriptions to the alarm server will not count as license points. Only tags with an external source are counted. Examples of external sources are Modbus, OPC UA, and databases. Tags that represent internal data, such as a local variable, the status of a service, or how many times a report has run, do not count against the license. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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What happens if there are too many tags? |
If too many equipment properties are configured, all equipment properties will show with a status of Bad – License Counted Equipment Properties Exceeded. Workbench will also show a warning indicating the configuration is over the allowed count. The number of counted equipment properties can be found under Assets > Product configuration > Other Settings > General section. |
If too many tags are subscribed, tags beyond the allowed count will show with a status of Bad - Point count exceeded. Tags are enabled on a first-come-first-served basis, so the last subscribed tags will be the ones to show this status. Tags may not always be subscribed in the same order when the server or application starts up, so the tags that show bad due to licensing may change when the server is rebooted or an application is restarted. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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What entitlement is required? |
No entitlement is required to use AssetWorX Tag counting mode. |
To use Advanced Tag Counting, FrameWorX must use an Advanced Tag Counting entitlement. If this entitlement is not available, AssetWorX Tag Counting will be used instead. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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How are Datasets handled? |
You can add an entire dataset to an equipment property on the Datasets tab. Example: db:Northwind.Employees Alternatively, you can add one part of the dataset (such as a single cell) to the source field on the Real-Time Data tab. Example: db:Northwind.Employees[City][7] Each equipment property will be counted as one tag. |
Tags are counted based on their tag name, not logical configuration. This means that each of these strings would count as a unique tag, for a total of 4 tags, even though they are coming from only 2 datasets: db:Northwind.Employees |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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How are arrays handled? |
An array may count as one tag or many, depending on how many equipment properties are used. If you configure one equipment property per array index, then you will use many tags. If you use a single equipment property for the entire array, then only one tag will be used. |
Arrays count as one tag. The index number is not considered part of the tag name for licensing purposes. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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How are BACnet points handled? |
Every equipment property that uses a BACnet tag will be counted. Individual object properties must be configured as separate equipment properties. This means your BACnet tag count may be higher with AssetWorX tag counting than with Advanced tag counting if you use multiple of properties per object. |
BACnet Classic and BACnet with SC count tags slightly differently.
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(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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How are expressions handled? |
For equipment properties configured as expressions, the expression can only use other equipment properties or internal data sources. This means an expression that uses two external tags will require a total of three license tags, one each for the external tags and one for the expression itself. If an equipment property expression is configured to use a disallowed data source, that equipment property will show as, Bad – Restricted by Tag Counting Mode. |
Tags used in an expression are not handled differently than tags used anywhere else. The expression itself is not counted as a tag. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
|
How are tags from a remote FrameWorX Server handled? |
Servers using AssetWorX tag counting cannot get data from remote FrameWorX servers. |
When a tag is read from another FrameWorX server, only the originating FrameWorX server counts the tag against the license. For example, let's assume we have two servers named ServerA and ServerB. On ServerA we have defined an OPC UA server named MyUA. On ServerB, we read a tag from MyUA like this: \\ServerA\ua:MyUA\TagName. Because ServerA is where the data first entered the system, this will count as 1 tag in ServerA's license and 0 tags in ServerB's license. |
(Same as Advanced Tag Counting.) |
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