The fourth tab in the R2 Platform Tool view is R2 DB Administration.
Use this tab for administering Niagara R2 databases, both in your local PC’s R2 Niagara release folder, as well as in the remote JACE(s) opened in a platform connection. This view is similar to the “DB Admin” tab in the R2 Admin Tool.
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The left side of the window has two panes:
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The top left pane reflects stations in your local R2 Niagara installation (stations folder of the current R2 installation). See Current R2 Installation for related details.
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Below that, bottom left pane(s) list the R2 station that resides on one or more JACE-603 or JACE-645 controllers, opened in a current Workbench platform connection.
To use this view, make your first selection on the left side (select a station).
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The right side of the window has three areas, from top-to-bottom:
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The top “R2 Database Actions” area lists actions that may be enabled once you select (click on) a station in either the top left pane (R2 stations on this computer) or in the lower left pane (R2 station on remote JACE). After selecting a station, this is the second selection (select an action).
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The middle “Convert From”, “Convert To” area lists choices that may be enabled on a “Convert Local” action, or else change to a “Local”, “Remote” choice if a “Get” or “Put” action.
Depending on other selections, you may be able to choose among these, or they may be fixed.
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The bottom area reflects the current action selected (at top). Once you click the button, console output results display in this area.
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At the bottom of the view are two buttons:
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— Click to invoke the selected action on the selected station database. Console output results display right above this button.
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— Clears all selections (station on left, action on top right), and last console results, appearing as shown in Figure 26.
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For more details on using the R2 DB Admin tab, see the following sections:
When you select (click on) a station database in the top left pane (“R2 Stations on this computer”), only one action is available in the top “R2 Database Actions”: Convert Local. Do this to convert from one R2 database file format to another, for example SNS to XML, or DB to SNS.
When you select “Convert Local”, the tool looks at the local station directory for what types of station database file format exist—and if they exist, what file dates they have. This data is reflected in the “Convert From” and “Convert Local” options below the actions area.
In the Figure 27 example above, the local R2 station “J4_R2c” was selected, “Convert Local” selected, then in “Convert From” SNS selected (it was the only existing database format), then finally “Convert To” XML was chosen. When applied, this makes an XML format R2 database in this station’s directory.
Figure 28 above shows the example console output from a Convert Local SNS to XML.
As shown below, there are no available right-click actions on local R2 station databases, and status will always be “Idle”.
This is different from platform-connected R2 JACE-603 or JACE-645 station databases, where status is typically “running”.
When you select (click on) a station database in a lower left pane (“R2 Stations on IPaddress”), more actions are available in the top “R2 Database Actions”, with the following possible choices:
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Put
(unavailable if station has “running” status) To transfer (send) the local station database to the platform-connected JACE, in SNS format. See About Put.
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Get
To transfer (receive) the remote station database from the platform-connected JACE, in whichever database format you select in the “Local” area below. See About Get.
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Convert Local
Provides “Convert Local” operations on available R2 local station databases only (does not involve the remote platform-connected JACE). See Actions on local R2 station databases.
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Save Runtime DB
(available only if station has “running” status) Causes the remote platform-connected JACE to save its runtime station database to SNS format.
Put is only available if the remote station selected does not have a “running” status.
As this action replaces the current SNS database in the platform-connected JACE, it may be useful in case recent operations resulted in a station failure or halt. You must have at least one of the three database format types (XML, SNS, DB) for that station in the corresponding local station directory—if only XML or DB exists, the tool automatically converts to SNS before the transfer. After a “put”, in order to start the station, you must go to the platform Application Director view and reboot the JACE.
Get is always available on a selected remote station, regardless of its station status.
The source database format on the remote JACE is always SNS. On the (receiving) local side, you can select any of the three types—if XML or DB, the tool automatically converts to that local format.
Typically you select Get for a running station without any known problems, perhaps converting to XML to perform some sort of “manual edit” (global change of station name, for example).
Save Runtime DB is available only on a remote station with a “running” status.
This action is equivalent to the “” command (button) available in the platform Application Director view, causing the remote JACE to save its runtime database to SNS format. The “Convert From” and “Convert To” settings (both fixed at SNS), apply only to the remote JACE platform.
As shown below, a remote platform-connected R2 JACE station offers some available actions.
The “Start” is action is available only if the station is stopped with an “Idle” status (“Restart” is always unavailable for any embedded JACE).
Currently, “Stop” and “Kill” are available with a running station, but both result in an eventual “Failed” status. For a recommended procedure to stop a remote R2 station, for example before using the R2 Software Manger, see To safely stop the R2 station.
The “Output Dialog” right-click action produces a separate window for station “standard output”.
As shown above, buttons in this window allow you to pause (and reload) station output, clear output, and close the output dialog window. Station output is also available in the main area of the platform Application Director, where that view also provides the equivalent “Output Dialog” options, and more.