Glossary
- Communication module
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Component in DirectDataLink to connect stations. Communication modules are responsible for receiving and parsing requests, notifying the execution engine, reading and writing of variable values and sending responses.
- DirectDataLink (DDL)
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The DirectDataLink service (DDL) is the connector between stations and Nexeed MES or NexeedIAS services.
Key features are:-
Connect stations to Nexeed MES or Nexeed IAS by different station communication protocols (e.g. OpConXml, OpcUa, …).
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Set up workflows to process incoming messages by Nexeed MES or Nexeed IAS services and return the result to stations.
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- Environment variable
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An environment variable is a dynamic-named value that can affect the way running processes will behave on a computer.
Environment variables are part of the environment in which a process runs.
For example, a running process can query the value of the TEMP environment variable to discover a suitable location to store temporary files, or the HOME or USERPROFILE variable to find the directory structure owned by the user running the process. - Execution engine
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Component in DirectDataLink which manages the execution of the instruction lists triggered by the request.
- Nexeed MES line server
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Nexeed MES server dedicated for running services which are closely connected to the plants stations, e.g. DirectDataLink.
The Nexeed MES line server is part of the Nexeed MES reference architecture. - Nexeed MES installer
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Tool to install Nexeed MES servers and software. Since MES distribution 2018.01, all MES software products published as part of the MES distributions have been installed with the Nexeed MES installer.
Installation of software with the MES installer can only be done locally on a server. Remote installation is not supported.
The MES installer is only provided as a complete package with the current distribution version on the MES distribution drive. - MES Server System (MES OSS)
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The MES Server System (short: MES OSS) is the software tool to configure the DirectDataLink service.
- Nexeed Connectivity Configurator (NCC)
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The Nexeed Connectivity Configurator (short: NCC) is the software tool to configure the ODMEth.
- Nexeed MES reference architecture
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For Nexeed MES installations there a "Reference Architecture" was defined to achieve a common standard in field of installation / usage.
The Nexeed MES Reference Architecture defines how an infrastructure has to be implemented according to-
Servers and databases incl. the needed performance keys
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Services and databases according to their installation path
The definition is valid for all Nexeed MES systems in productive stage.
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- ODMEth
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The ODMEth service (DDL) is the connector between stations and the DirectDataLink service.
Key features are:-
Connect stations by different station communication protocols (e.g. OpcUa, Siemens S7, …).
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Connect brown- and greenfield stations from the shopfloor to Nexeed MES or Nexeed IAS.
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- Processing module
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Component in DirectDataLink which is responsible for formatting input variables to be compliant with the external service’s interface, managing the communication with it and finally population the output variables.to connect stations.
- Microsoft SQL Server
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Microsoft’s on premise database.
- Station
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The station in the production line at the plant.
- Windows service
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In Windows NT operating systems, a Windows service is a computer program that operates in the background. It is similar in concept to a Unix daemon. A Windows service must conform to the interface rules and protocols of the Service Control Manager, the component responsible for managing Windows services. It is the Services and Controller app, services.exe, that launches all the services and manages their actions, such as start, end, etc.
Windows services can be configured to start when the operating system is started and run in the background as long as Windows is running. Alternatively, they can be started manually or by an event. Windows NT operating systems include numerous services which run in context of three user accounts: System, Network Service and Local Service. These Windows components are often associated with Host Process for Windows Services. Because Windows services operate in the context of their own dedicated user accounts, they can operate when a user is not logged on.
Prior to Windows Vista, services installed as an "interactive service" could interact with Windows desktop and show a graphical user interface. In Windows Vista, however, interactive services are deprecated and may not operate properly, as a result of Windows Service hardening Microsoft’s cloud offering for SQL databases.