MSIB will need to be configured to send data from a customer site to their specific customer ID in the PRT Cloud application. The PRT Cloud application will process this data into Proven Outcomes reports.

This section provides instructions on creating MSIB nodes and configuring the PRT 2.0 Configuration service. From a high level, creating and configuring nodes is a two-part process:

  1. Create a virtual node or nodes in MSIB for the purpose of exposing Modbus, BACnet IP, APOGEE P2 Ethernet or P2 RS-485 via AEM data from the source.
  2. Configure the PRT 2.0 Configuration service for pushing data to the PRT Cloud.

Before Beginning

Before creating any nodes, complete the following prerequisites.

MSIB for PRT 2.0 is an integral part of the Proven Outcomes workflow. Before creating and configuring the MSIB nodes, you will need to have completed some of the Proven Outcomes steps because MSIB is dependent on the following:

  • Rule Mapping Tool CSV output file.
  • A unique customer Site Name set up in the PRT Cloud application and used to match data to a specific customer.
  • AWS IoT connectivity
    • AWS IoT requires outbound TCP port 8443
    • AWS IoT endpoint needs to be white-listed in the firewall
  • AWS certificate files obtained from PRT 2.0 team
    • AWS Certificate
    • AWS Key
    • AWS CACert File
  • If a proxy connection is needed for the PRT 2.0 connection see the section titled User interface.
  • For other requirements, see the section titled MSIB Application Requirements.
  • See the Siemens document titled MSIB Modbus Application Guide for more information when working with Modbus.

Collecting Data

To create MSIB nodes and configure services, the following source and client information is required:

  • An understanding of both the source and PRT 2.0 site will be necessary in order to configure MSIB nodes for communication.
  • The customer Site Name must be known.
  • Online access to source data will be necessary to verify communication with the source.

Creating new nodes

The first step to configuring MSIB is to create a virtual node or nodes.

  1. Choose one of the following options:
  • Select Create single node to create one node at a time.
  • Select Create multiple nodes to create multiple nodes at the same time.
  1. Only for single node creation. Enter a Node Name.
    The name must match the desired panel name from the CSV file. Panel names are located in the Device Sys Name column. Using the correct name will enable MSIB to select the correct node. The file, the system, and MSIB node must all match. If a change is made in one, it will also need to be made in the other.
  1. From the Service drop-down list, select PRT 2.0 Configuration Service.
  1. In the Site Name field, enter the customer Site Name assigned by the PRT team. To be able to process data, this must match the Site Name created in the PRT Cloud.
  1. Accept the default in the AWS IoT Endpoint address.
  1. In the AWS Certificate File Path field, select the client certificate.
  1. In the AWS Key File Path field, select the client key.
  1. In the AWS Key File Protected, accept the default of No unless you were specifically given a password for your key.
  1. In the AWS CACert File Path field, select the certificate authority.
  1. Enter a desired AWS Update Interval or leave the default of 900 seconds between polling cycles (15 minutes).
  1. The AWS SSL Port, the port to use for the communication with PRT 2.0, defaults to 8443.
  1. For Import Type, select Rule Mapping Tool Export File.
  1. Select Choose file and select the import file.
  1. Select the Source Service to indicate how data will be acquired for MSIB. Choose BACnet Polling, Siemens P2 AEM Polling, or Siemens P2 Ethernet Polling.
  1. Enter a desired Polling Interval or leave the default of 900 seconds between polling cycles (15 minutes).
  1. Enter a desired Separation for the number of milliseconds between point requests within a polling cycle or leave at the default of 600 milliseconds.

A separation of 600 means that 1.5 points will be polled per second. With a Polling Interval of 900 seconds, a total of 1,350 points can be polled from this source.

The intent of the separation for a polling period is to reduce the amount of data requested from a device at any one time. Older source devices with limited resources are especially prone to going offline when they are being overwhelmed with requests for data.

  1. If BACnet Polling or Siemens P2 Ethernet Polling is selected as Source service, select Create and start.
  1. If Siemens P2 AEM Polling is selected as Source service, define or select the Existing router.

Ensure that exactly one AEM router is defined for the AEM ALN on which you will be polling.

A P2 field panel supports up to 32 ALN devices per ALN. The AEM used as a router for MSIB cannot be added to an ALN with 32 ALN existing devices. It cannot be added because the AEM device is counted as one of the 32 devices.

  1. If no AEM Router is defined, enter a New Router Node Number between 0-99.
    This node number must not be in use by any other nodes on the ALN.
  1. In the AEM Node Number field, enter the node number of the P2 panel to which the AEM is attached.
  1. Enter the name of the AEM ALN in the AEM ALN Name field.
  1. Enter the IP address of the AEM in the AEM IP Address field.
  1. If your Import Type is the Insight BACnet Server, continue here: Enter the Source IP Address and the Source BACnet Network number. For more information on how to obtain this information, see the section titled Creating and Configuring APOGEE Insight BACnet Server Proxy Nodes
  1. Select Create and start.
  • You may need to refresh the page before the data displays. This is especially true for larger amounts of data. MSIB will start sending data to the Navigator site. For details about the operation of nodes, see Working with nodes.