GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB)

Windows-based Client/Server
These instructions do not purport to cover all details or variations in equipment, nor to provide every possible contingency to be
met during installation, operation, and maintenance. If further information is desired or if particular problems arise that are not
covered sufficiently for the purchasers purpose, the matter should be referred to GE Motors & Industrial Systems.
This document contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its customer solely to assist
that customer in the installation, testing, operation, and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be
reproduced in whole or in part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Motors &
Industrial Systems.

Safety Symbol Legend

CAUTION
Indicates a procedure, practice,
condition, or statement that, if not
strictly observed, could result in
damage to or destruction of
equipment.

Note Indicates an essential or

important procedure, practice,
condition, or statement.

Table of Contents
Safety Symbol Legend .............................................................................................1
Functional Description ............................................................................................1
Installation................................................................................................................4
Computer Requirements ..........................................................................................4
Installing the SDB....................................................................................................4
Procedures for Starting and Stopping ...................................................................5
Register and Start the Server in Windows NT .........................................................5
Starting the Server in Windows 95 ..........................................................................6
Stopping the Server in Windows NT ......................................................................7
Stopping the Server in Windows 95 .......................................................................8
Stopping the Server After an Uninstall ....................................................................8
Upgrading SDB Server ............................................................................................9
Using SDB Server Control ....................................................................................10
SDB Server Control Commands ..............................................................................10
SDB Server Control-Advanced Commands.............................................................11
Maintenance Commands..........................................................................................11
SDB Version Upgrade .............................................................................................12
SDB Browser ..........................................................................................................14

Functional Description
Refer to the figure on page 2.
In Windows NT, the SDB
Server runs as an NT Service.

SDB Server Control is only

used when the SDB Server is
running on an NT computer.

The SDB is a Windows-based Client/Server that uses .dbf files to store data. This
database allows different configurations within a tool (such as in the Control System
Toolbox) or even different tools to share signals.
The SDB Server is a program that runs in the background and reads or writes data to
the SDB at the request of the toolbox and other applications. It can run on a PC that
is remote from the toolbox or other applications. The toolbox and other applications
communicate with the SDB Server over Ethernet using Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIP).

The SDB Server Control is an application used to start and stop the SDB Server. It
also performs maintenance functions on the SDB.
Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corporation.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Windows NT is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

The following figure show the data flow between the SDB Server, SDB Server Control, SDB database, and
toolbox devices.

Ethernet

SDB Server
Control
program
(dbsrvctl.exe)

Toolbox
OC2000
device

Toolbox
UC2000
device

Post

User control

SDB Server reads/writes

Data from/to SDB Database
(.dbf files)

SDB Server
Bind

program
(dbserver.exe)

Must be in same PC
Optionally over Ethernet

SDB
Database
(set of .dbf
files)
SDB Database is located on hard
disk at a specified location:
c:\csi\csi_sdb

Installation
Computer Requirements
The minimum computer requirements to use the SDB are as follows:
A cursor positioning device
(such as a mouse) is highly
recommended, however the
SDB Server Control can
operate using cursor and
function keys.

2 System Database (SDB)

80486, 33 MHz processor

Microsoft Windows NT 3.51and 4.0 or Windows 95

16 MB RAM

VGA display (640 x 480 x 16 color or gray scale)

Ethernet card to interface to remote applications that require data from the SDB

Hard disk space

basic system with an empty SDB 2 MB
signal space (10,000 signals)
4 MB

GEI-100189A

Installing the SDB

For assistance, contact:
Industrial Systems
General Electric Company
Product Service Engineering
1501 Roanoke Blvd.
Salem, VA 24153-6492 USA
Phone 001-540-387-7595
Fax 001-540-387-8606

The SDB Server is used to access the SDB database. The SDB Server files are stored
in a subdirectory called bin, which is based on the user defined install directory.
These files include the SDB Server program, the SDB Server Control program, and
required Dynamic Link Libraries (dll)s. Help files are also located in the bin
directory.
The Setup program installs the required components and checks available disk space
before copying files. The installation location for the SDB is specified by the user in
the Setup program. The default installation directory is c:\sdb. Use the Choose
Destination Location dialog box to choose another directory. The SDB can be
installed from disks or from a network drive.
Note If the SDB is upgraded or reinstalled, the last installation location is used as
the default location.
To install from disks

In Windows NT 3.51, from the

Program Managers File
menu, choose Run.
Type b:\setup if you are
installing from the b drive.

1.

Place Disk 1 in the disk drive.

2.

Start button and click on

In Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, click
Run. When the Run dialog box displays, type a:\setup and click OK.

3.

Follow the Setup instructions from the screen to install the remaining disks.

To install from the network

In Windows NT 3.51, choose
the File Manager.

Start button , Programs, and

1.

In Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, click

Windows NT Explorer.

2.

Locate the directory for the SDB and click on

3.

Double-click on the file, Disk 1. Double-click on SETUP.EXE. Setup starts

automatically. The Welcome dialog box displays. Choose Next to continue.

4.

The Choose Destination Location dialog box appears. The default directory
is C:\ SDB. To choose another directory, click on Browse

5.

The Setup program adds icons to the group/folder listed. You may type a new
group/folder name or choose one from the list. Click Next to continue. Setup
automatically continues to load program files. The Information dialog box
informs you when the installation is complete.

to expand the directory.

Product Compatibility
The following table lists products and the minimum required version to maintain
compatibility in the system for this version of the SDB Server. Refer to the
respective product documentation for additional dependencies within each product.

GEI-100189A

Product

Order Number

Publication

Version V03

SDB

DS206SDBS

GEI-100189

V03.03.00C

GEMIS Tools for

CIMPLICITY

DS206GT4C0304

GEH-6372

V03.00.00C

GE Control System
Toolbox

DS206TBOX

GEH-6333

V03.02.00C

System Database (SDB) 3

Procedures for Starting and Stopping

Register and Start the Server in Windows NT
Refer to the section
Upgrading the SDB Server.

On a Windows NT PC, the SDB Server runs as a Service. When the SDB Server is
first installed, it will be registered with the NT Service manager by the installation
program and then started. Once registered, reinstallation of the SDB Server will not
require registration, unless the location of the SDB Server changes. The user can
register and unregister the SDB Server manually using the following procedure.
However, under normal circumstances this should not be necessary.
To register and start the SDB Server in Windows NT

See Windows Control Panel

Services for NT Services
table.

SDB Server
1. From the SDB Server Program folder, double-click on
Control icon. The SBD Server Control dialog box displays. The SDB Server
Status should read SDB Server Not Registered.
2.

Click Register. This places the SDB Server into the NT Services. The SDB
Server Status should now read SDB Server Stopped.

3.

Click Start. The SDB Server starts and the SDB Server Status should now read
SDB Server Running.

4.

Click OK. The SDB Server continues to run, even if there is not a log on
session. If the PC is rebooted, the SDB Server restarts automatically.

Starting the Server in Windows 95

To start the SDB Server in Windows 95
To minimize the window, click
on the Minimize button.

4 System Database (SDB)

Start button.

1.

Click Windows

2.

Choose Programs, and then SDB Server. The SDBSERVER window

displays the text messages (shown below) to indicate that the SDB Server is
running properly.

GEI-100189A

Note If the SDB Server window displays and then disappears, there is probably an
SDB Server already running. Only one SDB Server can run at a time.

TEXT MESSAGES

MINIMIZE BUTTON

The screen text messages read as follows:

Start SDB Server.
SDB Server Running.
Press Ctl+C to exit.

Stopping the Server in Windows NT

CAUTION
The SDB Server must be properly stopped to prevent
corruption of the database.
To stop the SDB Server in Windows NT
SDB
1. From the SDB Server program group/folder, double-click on
Server Control icon. The SBD Server Control dialog box displays. The
SDB Server Status text box should read SDB Server Running.
Advanced button. The SDB Server Control dialog
2. Click on
box displays additional command control buttons, as shown below.

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 5

1. Click on

6 System Database (SDB)

Maint button. The Maintenance dialog box displays.

4.

Click on the Lock Server button.

5.

A message displays in the Results text box that the SDB Server has been
locked.

6.

Click on OK. The SDB Maintenance dialog box closes and the SDB Server
Control dialog box displays again.

7.

Click on the Stop button. The SDB Server Status text box should read SDB
Server Stopped.

GEI-100189A

8.
When the PC is rebooted, the
SDB Server is restarted in an
unlocked mode.

Click on OK to exit.

It is now safe to power down the PC, or install a new version of the SDB. When the
PC is rebooted, the SDB Server restarts automatically in an unlocked mode. If a new
SDB Server is installed, then the SDB Server will be restarted on installation.

Stopping the Server in Windows 95

CAUTION
The SDB Server must be properly stopped to prevent
corruption of the database.
The SDB Server cannot run as a Service under Windows 95, therefore the previous
SDB Server Control application steps cannot be used to shutdown the SDB Server.
To stop the SDB Server in Windows 95
1.

Check that no applications are accessing the SDB.

2.

From the Task bar click on the SDB Server icon to restore the Server window.

3.

Press Ctl+C. The SDB Server stops executing. The window closes and the SDB
Server is shutdown.

Stopping the Server After an Uninstall

The SDB Server must be stopped before uninstalling and upgrading. If the SDB
Server is not stopped, the following dialog box displays when the Server is installed.

Choose Exit, click on Next and then use the following steps to stop the Server.

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 7

 To stop the SDB Server after it was uninstalled

1.

From either the File Manager or Start/Settings choose the Control Panel.

2.

From the Control Panel, choose and open Services. The following dialog
box displays.

3.

Click SDB Server and click

4.

A message box displays to confirm the stop command. Click Yes. The SDB
Server is stopped. Follow the following installation instructions to load another
version.

Upgrading SDB Server

Note For instruction on how to upgrade the version of the database, see the section
SDB Database Version Upgrade.
The following instructions
assume that the SDB Server is
already installed and the user
wants to install a newer
version.

This section describes how to upgrade to a new version of the SDB Server.
Upgrading to a newer version of the SDB Server requires only that the previous
server is first locked, stopped, and then uninstalled.

CAUTION
The new version cannot be installed until the Server is stopped
and uninstalled (see the section Stopping the Server in
Windows NT or Windows 95). If you forget to stop the Server,
follow the instructions in the section, Stopping the Server From
The new version can then be installed as described in the installation section of this
document. If the old version of the SDB Server is registered, then it is not necessary
to register the new version after installation.

8 System Database (SDB)

GEI-100189A

Upgrading the Server in Windows NT

To upgrade the SDB Server in Windows NT
1.

Follow the instructions for stopping Windows NT on pages 4 and 5.

2.

Uninstall SDB
From the SDB Server program group/folder, click on
Server icon. For windows NT 4.0 or greater, from the Control Panel, doubleclick on the Add/Rem Programs icon. From the Install/Uninstall tab, click
on SDBServer, click on Add/Remove.

3.

The Uninstall procedure may ask to delete programs and .dlls that are not used
anymore. Answer Yes to all.

4.

When Uninstall is complete, install the new version of the SDB Server. Follow
the instructions for installing the SDB Server on page 2 of this document.

5.

When the SDB Server is installed it will be registered with NT Services

correctly, even if the location has changed. The installation process will also
start the SDB Server. If you wish to manually control the server, double-click on
the SDB Server icon and stop or start the application by clicking on Stop or
Start button. Installation of the new SDB Server is now complete.

Upgrading the Server in Windows 95

Since the SDB Server does not run as a Service in Windows 95, it is only necessary
to stop the SDB Server by following the shutdown instructions, uninstall, then install
the new version.
To upgrade the SDB Server in Windows 95

GEI-100189A

1.

Follow the instructions for stopping Windows 95 on page 5.

2.

In the SDB Server Program folder, click on

icon.

3.

The Uninstall procedure may ask to delete programs and .dlls that are not used
anymore. Answer Yes to all.

4.

When the Uninstall is complete, install the newer version of the SDB Server.
Follow the instructions for installing the SDB Server on page 2 and starting the
SDB Server on page 3.

Uninstall SDB Server

System Database (SDB) 9

Using the SDB Server Control

The SDB Server Control has two dialog boxes. The main dialog box contains
standard control commands. It also has an Advanced command button to display
additional detailed control commands. The Advanced command displays the
Maintenance command button used to perform maintenance on the SDB Server.

SDB Server Control Commands

The SDB dialog box displays the following commands:

SDB Server Status text box displays the current state of the SDB Server. Possible
states are described in the table below.
SDB Server Status Descriptions
Status Text

Description

SDB Server running

SDB Server is running.

SDB Server stopped

SDB Server is registered, but stopped.

SDB Server paused

SDB Server was placed in a pause mode.

SDB Server Not Registered

SDB Server has not been registered with the

NT Services.

SDB Server not installed

SDB product has not been installed.

Refresh displays the latest state of the server. Since the SDB Server can be
controlled from NT services, the state of the SDB Server could change while the
SDB Server Control dialog box is active. The Refresh command causes the SDB
Status text box to display the most current state of the SDB Server.
Explain obtains further details for the current SDB Server Status. It displays
additional information for the Not Registered and Not Installed states.

10 System Database (SDB)

GEI-100189A

Register records the SDB Server with the NT Services system. The SDB Server
must be registered before it can be started. The Installation process automatically
registers the Server.
Start is used to start the SDB Server after it has been registered, or stopped.
Stop is used to stop the SDB Server. The SDB Server will stop even if an
application is accessing an SDB through the Server. The applications connection to a
database through the SDB Server will be terminated when the Server is stopped.
Refer to the section to stop the Server for Windows NT or Windows 95.
Advanced displays and enables more detailed control commands. Refer to the
section Server Control-Advanced Commands.

SDB Server Control - Advanced Commands

The following commands are available when the Advanced button is chosen:

Refer to the following section.

Maint displays the SDB Server Maintenance dialog box.

Pause places the SDB Server in a pause mode. The Server stops responding to
commands, but does not cancel any present connections. Any processing that was
occurring when pause is invoked is suspended.
Continue causes the SDB Server to proceed with any processing that was occurring
when the Pause command was invoked.

Once the Server Control is

restarted, the Register button
will be enabled.

UnRegister stops the SDB Server (if it was running), and causes the SDB Server to
be removed from the NT Services table. The user must exit from the SDB Server
Control dialog box for the UnRegister command to be effective.
Auto Start Mode configures the SDB Server to start up automatically when the PC
is rebooted. This is the default setting.
Manual Start Mode configures the SDB Server to require the user to start the
Server after the PC is rebooted.
Advanced is a toggle command button that displays the advanced functions of the
SDB Server Control.

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 11

Maintenance Commands
The following commands are available when the Maintenance button is chosen:

Save stores the database name that is chosen in the Selected DB Name text box to
the SDB Server registry entry. (The databases previously saved are shown in the
drop-down list box when the SDB Maintenance dialog box is invoked.)
Delete removes the database name that is chosen in the Selected DB Name text box
from the SDB Server registry entry.
Note Save and Delete commands have no effect on the actual SDB database on the
SDB Server.
Selected DB Name drop-down list box contains all saved database names or a user
entered name. Choose the database to use with the Check SDB and Fix SDB
command buttons.
Refer to the section SDB
Browser.

Browse SDB displays the SDB Browser. SDB Browser allows the user to read
data from the database.

Marked records indicate that

an application was aborted
while it was writing data to
the SDB.

Check SDB checks all tables in the database for records that are marked for
deletion. If no marked records are found, then the database is OK. Tables that contain
marked records display in the text box at the bottom of this dialog box.

Pack means that any records

that are marked for deletion
are removed from the data
table and any associated
indexes.

Fix SDB repairs all tables that did not check out OK. This procedure performs two
tasks. First it packs all tables in the selected database. Then, it regenerates indexes
for all tables. Regenerating indexes can solve problems when the SDB Server is
reporting duplicate records and no duplicates can be found in the data tables.

12 System Database (SDB)

GEI-100189A

Lock is part of the shutdown

procedure for the SDB Server.

Check Dups checks the signal table for duplicate signal names. Normal activities
against the SDB will fail because the signal table cannot be opened with duplicated
records. The signal table can obtain duplicated names, if the server file system
becomes corrupt (such as a power loss) or if an external program loads the SDB
tables. Check Dups opens the signal table without an index, and then lists the
signal(s) that are duplicated. Once the extra signal(s) are found, a database program
that can work with *.dbf files (such as MicroSoft Access), can delete the records.
Then, use Fix SDB to pack the signal table.
Lock Server will lock the SDB Server, so that applications cannot read or write to
any SDB accessed through the SDB Server. The lock will not take effect until all
processing (such as posting) is finished. When the lock is effective, applications
attempting to access the SDB receive an error message that the Server is locked.
UnLock Server will unlock the SDB Server and allow applications to access the
SDB. The SDB Server always starts in an unlocked state.
Results text box displays the return messages for the Check SDB and Fix SDB
procedures.

Upgrades must be made one

version at a time (Version 1 to
Version 2, Version 2 to
Version 3, and so on).

Selected Upgrade displays the versions that are available to upgrade a selected
SDB database.
Execute Upgrade causes the SDB Server Control to upgrade the selected database
from one version to another (based on the selection in Selected Upgrade).

SDB Database Version Upgrade

In most cases, it is not
necessary to repost and
rebind devices in the system.

The upgrade procedure modifies the structure of the selected SDB without losing
current data. If a new field is added to a table, then default data is placed in the new
field for all rows.
Note It is recommended to backup the SDB before performing an upgrade. (Use
File Manager and copy to a safe place or backup to tape.)
The following instructions presume that the SDB Server is at the correct version. For
example, to upgrade the database from Version 2 to Version 3, install the Version 3
SDB Server first. Once installed, then the SDB database can be upgraded.
Note This upgrade procedure is not available for SDB Servers that run on Win95.

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 13

 To upgrade the SDB database

1.

Make a backup of the current SDB.

2.

Start the SDB Server Control program.

If the server is running, follow steps 3 through 5. If the server is not running,
proceed to step 6.

3.

From the SDB Server Control dialog box click on the Advanced button and
then the Maint button. The SDB Maintenance dialog box displays.

4.

Click on Lock Server (to ensure no one is posting or writing to the SDB).
Click on OK. The SDB Server Control dialog box displays again.

5.

Click on Stop.

6.

Click on the Maint button (if it is not visible, then click on Advanced first).
The SDB Maintenance dialog box displays.

7.

From Selected DB name, choose the database or enter a location and name.

8.

From Selected Upgrade, choose the required upgrade.

9.

Click on Execute Upgrade.

10. When the upgrade is complete, click on OK. The SDB Server Control dialog
box displays.
11. Click on Start. Click on OK to exit the SDB Server Control program.

SDB Browser
The SDB Browser is a separate window, which can help the user find items (such as
signal usage from the different types of devices), display the topology of a system,
perform a filtered signal search on the SDB, and more.
To start the SDB Browser

14 System Database (SDB)

1.

From the SDB Server Control dialog box, click on the Advanced button and
then the Maint button. The SDB Maintenance dialog box displays.

2.

Make sure the name of the database is in the Selected DB name text box.

GEI-100189A

3.

Click on the Browse SDB button. The SDB Browser window displays.

The SDB Browser displays the following shortcut buttons on the Toolbar:
Toolbar

Use To
The pushpin determines whether or not the Browser Window is held
open or closed. If this pushpin is displayed, the Window closes when the
area outside the Browser Window is clicked. Click on the pushpin to
keep the Browser displayed on top of the Device Window, even when
clicked outside the Finder Window.
This pushpin displays when the pushpin above is clicked on. The
Browser Window remains open and on top of the screen when the
pushpin is in this position (even when working in another window).
Hide all tabs and make the Browser window display only the Output
View.
Load signal query settings from a file.
Save the current signal query settings to a file.
Print the signal query results in the Output View (to produce a hard
copy).
Delete a device and all signals owned by the device from the SDB
database.

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 15

Signal Tab
From the SDB Browser, choose the tab Signal. This tab contains the button,
Query and Output View to display the finished query .
To perform a signal query
1.

From the tab Signal, click on Query. The Query Design dialog box is
displayed.
Each attribute of an SDB signal is represented by a Field column in the Query
Design dialog box. The order of the columns in the dialog box determines the
order of the columns when the results of the query are displayed in the Output
View. This order can be changed by clicking on the columns to highlight them
and drag-and-drop to a new location.

2.

Click on the column/cell to highlight it. Choose the Sort and Visibility for each
field. Edit the order of the columns, if desired.
Sort is a drop-down list to arrange the order of multi-columns by choosing
None, Ascending, or Descending. Sort order is from left to right and the
default is None.
Visibility is a drop down list to Show or Hide a field (column) to minimize the
size of the Output View results. Show is the default.

3.

Enter the item(s) to query in the row(s) Criteria: and Or:

Criteria: and Or: are used to establish the guideline of the find. Enter the item
to match in the desired field (column). Wildcards, such as the asterix symbol *
(match any number of any character) and question mark ? (match one of any
character) are allowed.

4.

16 System Database (SDB)

Click OK and view the results in the Output View.

GEI-100189A

The following are examples of entering multiple criteria in the Query Design dialog
box:

Match signals where:

REG1NAME begins with R and REG2NAME equals FEED.

Match signals where:

REG1NAME equals MILL1 or REG1NAME equals MILL2.

Criteria is evaluated by the

row. Therefore, match signals
where REG1NAME begins
with R and REG2NAME
equals FEED is evaluated
first. Then, the next row,
NET_NAME equals RDL01 is
evaluated.

Match signals where:

REG1NAME begins with R and REG2NAME equals FEED or NET_NAME
equals RDL01.

REG1NAME begins with R and NET_NAME equals RDL01 or REG1NAME

begins with R and NET_NAME equals RDL02

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 17

Topology Tab
To display topology information
The
the Finder.

button starts

1.

From the SDB Browser, choose the tab Topology.

2.

Click on Update button. The Topology Output View displays as shown

below.

VIEW OPTIONS

OUTPUT VIEWS

Expand the tree hierarchy by

clicking on the symbol .

The left Output View displays devices, networks, and pages in a tree hierarchy. Click
on item in the tree to highlight it. The right Output View displays detailed
information about the item highlighted. Control how this information is organized by
choosing one of the following options:
View by device displays all devices in the SDB as shown below. When expanded,
each device lists all the networks that the device is connected to and each network
lists of all pages that the device owns on that network.

18 System Database (SDB)

GEI-100189A

The drop number of the

device is in parenthesis next
to the device name.

View by Network displays all networks in the SDB as shown below. When
expanded, each network lists all the devices connected to that network and each
device name lists all pages that the device owns on that network.

Delete a device and all

signals owned by the device
from the SDB by highlighting
the device and click on the
delete button.

Where Used Tab

To display signal usage information
The
the Finder.

button starts

1.

From the SDB Browser, choose the tab Where Used.

2.

Type in a signal name

3.

Click on Update button. The Where Used Output View displays the location
where the signal is used as shown below.

The display window displays all the devices that use the signal uc1\fdlo1\sig2. In
order for a device to display in this list, it must have referenced the above signal in its
code, and performed a successful bind against the SDB for that signal.

GEI-100189A

System Database (SDB) 19

Alarms Tab
To display alarm information
Click
information.

to display

1.

From the SDB Browser, choose the tab Alarms.

2.

Click on Update button. The Alarms Output View displays as shown below.

Alarms originate in the System Device of the GE Control System Toolbox as

Broadcast alarms.

Scale Tab
To display scale information
Click
information.

to display

20 System Database (SDB)

1.

From the SDB Browser, choose the tab Scale.

2.

Click on Update button. The Scale Output View displays as shown below.

GEI-100189A

NetGroups Tab
To display net group information
Click
information.

to display

1.

From the SDB Browser, choose the tab NetGroup.

2.

Click on Update button. The NetGroup Output View displays as shown

below.

Resources Tab
To display resources information
Click
information.

GEI-100189A

to display

1.

From the SDB Browser, choose the tab Resources.

2.

Click on Update button. The Resources Output View displays as shown

below.

System Database (SDB) 21

GEI-100189A
Issue Date: March 1997
1997 by General Electric
Company, USA.

22 System Database (SDB)

GEI-100189A