FileNetwork is available in the driver module, and acts as the “network level” container for one or more FileDevice components. The FileDeviceManager is its primary view.
The purpose of a FileNetwork is to import data from local delimited-type files (such as CSV), as Niagara histories. Often, a FileNetwork contains only a single FileDevice. Unlike in true “field bus” networks, the standard NiagaraAX driver architecture (network: device: device extensions) provides no “real hardware” equivalency, this is simply a modeling “convention.”
Figure 155 shows the architecture of a FileNetwork in the Nav tree, where the active (and most used) view is the DelimitedFileImportManager view of the Histories extension (FileHistoryDeviceExt) of the FileDevice.
Note that a FileDevice has none of the other “standard” device extensions (Points, Schedules, or Alarms). See Usage notes for more details on a File Network.
The following notes apply to using a FileNetwork.
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The FileNetwork requires special licensing in the host’s Tridium license—requiring the feature “
fileDriver”. This feature may also contain a “history.limit=n” attribute, which defines the number of files that can be imported as histories (number of history file import descriptors). Without proper licensing, the FileNetwork and child components will have afaultstatus, and files will not import as Niagara histories. -
Specific requirements must be met by each delimited text file for successful import, namely:
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It must have a single “timestamp” column that contains both date and time. Note this means if a delimited file has two columns: one for date and another for time, you must perform external “upstream” processing (outside of Niagara) to combine into a single column, before importing.
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It must have a single column that contains the “value” required in the imported history. Note that when configuring the history file import descriptor, you specify the “Value Format” as one of several types (Numeric, String, Boolean). “Value Facets” are also available in the descriptor.
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Optionally, it may also have a single column to use as “Status” in the history—however, this column must contain integer data (only) with values enumerated based upon Niagara “status bits” values. See Properties of history file import descriptors for related details.
Note the status import feature may be used mainly with data that first originated from a Niagara history (that was exported to CSV), then subsequently “manipulated” outside of Niagara.
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Typically, FileNetwork usage applies more to a Supervisor (PC) host versus a JACE host, as it is more likely to contain text-delimited files needed for import as Niagara histories. In particular, it may be used with a Supervisor serving “Energy Services” reports to remote clients.