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Sites and the four shared capabilities | Mingcedar

Open Configuration Center → Sites. Each Site contains services, Devices, Tags and configuration, and can join others to use their capabilities. In this example, configure A to read B.

Published 2026-10-25T12:48:42.641373379Z Updated 2026-10-26T19:56:55.649171205Z

<div class="manual-doc-article manual-doc-article-section"><h2 id="sites">Sites & federation: Sites and the four shared capabilities</h2>

Connect Mingcedar servers, choose Screens, IO, Alarm and Trend sources, and set the Device scope.

<h3 id="sites-purpose">1. Find your way around the Sites workspace</h3>

<p>Open Configuration Center → Sites. Each Site contains services, Devices, Tags and configuration, and can join others to use their capabilities. In this example, configure A to read B.</p>

<p class="doc-table-hint">Scroll horizontally to view the full table</p>

<thead><tr><th scope="col">View</th><th scope="col">What you can view and change</th></tr></thead><tbody>

<tr><th scope="row">Sites and Devices</th><td>Select the local or a joined Site on the left. View its Devices, remote PLC usage scope and connection diagnostics on the right.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Local Capabilities</th><td>Add or remove execution nodes for Screens, IO, Alarm and Trend, and choose the Devices processed by local Alarm and Trend services.</td></tr>

</tbody></table></div>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> Local Capabilities always configures the signed-in server’s Runtime Unit, regardless of the Site being browsed.</p>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-capability-reference">2. What each capability provides</h3>

<p>Select capabilities independently; Alarm and Trend do not require Screens. Source selection does not start or stop peer services or copy configuration.</p>

<p class="doc-table-hint">Scroll horizontally to view the full table</p>

<thead><tr><th scope="col">Capability</th><th scope="col">What selecting it enables</th><th scope="col">Next step</th></tr></thead><tbody>

<tr><th scope="row">Screens</th><td>Open the source Site’s runtime screens using Tags from that screen’s active Site. Devices may come from its connected IO nodes.</td><td>Select Open Screens beside the node and use its configured runtime menus.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">IO</th><td>Browse source Devices and reuse collected values within the authorized scope.</td><td>Select Browse Devices, save the PLC usage scope, then reference individual Tags.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Alarm</th><td>View existing alarm results from the source Runtime Unit.</td><td>Select View Alarms. Ordinary LAN connections are read-only; sign in directly to the source with the required permissions to acknowledge, shelve or unshelve.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Trend</th><td>Query history already recorded by the source Runtime Unit.</td><td>Select View Trends, then Tags and a time range to query history still retained at the source. Turning off archiving does not delete existing history.</td></tr>

</tbody></table></div>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-direction">3. Connections have a direction</h3>

<p>After A joins B and selects its IO, A can read B within its authorization. For reverse access, join A on B and select capabilities and Devices. Each Site retains its configuration.</p>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> Joining does not grant the peer local administrator or PLC write permissions, and does not turn two independent Sites into an acquisition primary/standby pair.</p>

<li><a href="/en/hqserver/manual/federation-redundancy/">Conditions for acquisition takeover within one authority domain</a></li>

</ul>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-local">4. Check the local Site, address and permissions</h3>

<ol>

<li>Open Configuration Center → Sites and check the Local Site name and current server. Select Refresh to read current connection state.</li>

<li>Record the other Portal’s full HTTPS root address, such as <code>https://<server-ip>:<port></code>. Use its configured, resolvable hostname or IP, rather than a PLC address, Screen port or <code>/app/admin</code> page path.</li>

<li>Viewing needs Site view permission. Joining, removing, selecting capabilities and saving scopes need <code>site:manage</code>. Read-only accounts cannot edit.</li>

<li>Ordinary LAN installations can use discovery or Add by Address directly. Installations explicitly configured with project certificates require their project connection configuration first.</li>

</ol>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> If the page shows Last Observed, restore the connection and refresh before judging availability.</p>

<li><a href="/en/hqserver/manual/site-connection-setup/">Addresses, identity and connection troubleshooting</a></li>

</ul>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-join">5. Discover and join a source Site</h3>

<ol>

<li>On A, select Discover Sites. The scan runs from A’s server. Search by Site name or Portal HTTPS address.</li>

<li>Expand a Site to preview its Devices. The required viewing connection is established when needed; browsing Devices does not join the Site or select a capability.</li>

<li>Check the address and select Add Site. If discovery does not find it, expand Add by Address, enter the full Portal HTTPS root address and select Join.</li>

<li>When the target appears under Joined Sites, close the dialog and check its Devices and connection state.</li>

<li>If the action becomes Verify Enrollment, select it to read the original connection result. Then use Continue Joining or Continue Viewing Devices as prompted.</li>

</ol>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> After joining, choose sources in Local Capabilities. Ordinary LAN needs no join code, manual certificates or peer approval.</p>

<div class="doc-step-troubleshooting"><p><strong>If the result differs</strong></p><ul>

<li>If the Site was joined but the list failed to refresh, refresh the Site list and continue configuring capabilities.</li>

<li>For an identity conflict, check whether the address now reaches another server or the installation identity changed. Follow the connection preparation chapter.</li>

</ul></div>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-capabilities">6. Add or remove capability sources</h3>

<p class="doc-table-hint">Scroll horizontally to view the full table</p>

<thead><tr><th scope="col">State</th><th scope="col">Meaning</th></tr></thead><tbody>

<tr><th scope="row">Selected</th><td>The choice to use this source is saved and retained during an outage.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Available / Unavailable</th><td>Observed source service and connection state; this is separate from PLC Tag quality.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Selected · Waiting for Recovery</th><td>The choice is saved, but the source is unavailable. The same source can resume participation after recovery.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Unverified / Last Observed</th><td>The current status could not be refreshed. Restore the connection or refresh before checking again.</td></tr>

</tbody></table></div>

<ol>

<li>Open Local Capabilities and find the Screens, IO, Alarm or Trend card.</li>

<li>Under Execution Nodes → + Add Node, add a node from joined Sites or use Add by Site Address. This selects only the current capability.</li>

<li>Wait for the save result and check the node state. Use Browse Devices, Open Screens, View Alarms or View Trends to open the corresponding content.</li>

<li>Select Remove and confirm. Only this capability source is removed; Site membership, other capabilities and Device configuration remain.</li>

</ol>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> Saved selections are used subject to availability and authorization, without publishing. IO needs PLC scope; Screens, Alarm and Trend need their own configuration and permissions.</p>

<li><a href="/en/hqserver/manual/io-sharing/">Next: PLC scope and remote reads</a></li>

</ul>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-input-devices">7. Choose Devices processed by local Alarm and Trend</h3>

<p>Open Sites → Local Capabilities → Alarm or Trend → Devices Processed Here. Each service saves its own scope, shared by its nodes in the same Runtime Unit but not copied to independent remote Sites.</p>

<p class="doc-table-hint">Scroll horizontally to view the full table</p>

<thead><tr><th scope="col">Selection</th><th scope="col">Meaning and action</th></tr></thead><tbody>

<tr><th scope="row">All Connected Devices</th><td>Includes current and future authorized connected Devices. Use All Devices selects this mode.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">Specify Devices</th><td>Select Specify Devices or Add Devices, search and check Devices, then select Add Selected Devices. Only selected Devices participate; future additions are not included automatically.</td></tr>

<tr><th scope="row">No Devices Selected</th><td>Remove the All Connected Devices entry to clear Device inputs. Existing rules, Devices and history remain; active alarms do not automatically return to normal.</td></tr>

</tbody></table></div>

<ol>

<li>Check the local Site name, current scope and Device sources. The directory includes enabled local Devices and remote Devices admitted to this Site’s IO scope.</li>

<li>Select Specify Devices or Add Devices, enter a name and press Enter or Search, then check Devices and select Add Selected Devices. Use Load More Devices for another page. Additions or removals show Unsaved changes.</li>

<li>Select Save Alarm Settings or Save Trend Settings, review the scope change and its effect, then Confirm and Save.</li>

<li>After Saved appears, check the corresponding execution nodes and the Tag’s alarm rules or trend settings. Saving the Device scope does not create those rules.</li>

</ol>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> The saved scope includes selections outside the displayed page. Clearing Device inputs does not stop the service or calculated Tags; adding Devices again does not guarantee backfilling the excluded period.</p>

<div class="doc-step-troubleshooting"><p><strong>If the result differs</strong></p><ul>

<li>If the save outcome is unconfirmed, select Check Current Configuration. If another operation changed the settings, reread and review the draft before saving again.</li>

<li>If remote Device names need updating, select Update Names beside the source and search again. This does not change the Device selection.</li>

</ul></div>

</article>

<h3 id="sites-troubleshoot">8. Outages, removal and reconnection</h3>

<ol>

<li>In Sites and Devices, select the source and expand Connection and Routing Diagnostics. Check Site connection, source service and routing separately; verify individual Tag quality and timestamps as well.</li>

<li>During a temporary outage, retain the source selections you need. After recovery, refresh and verify new values without rejoining the same Site.</li>

<li>To end membership, select the remote Site, choose Remove Site and confirm. Unsaved PLC selections for that source are discarded, and this Site stops using the source.</li>

<li>When joining it again later, explicitly select the required capabilities, then preview and save the PLC scope before checking business references.</li>

</ol>

<p class="doc-step-result"><strong>Expected result</strong> Removal preserves the peer’s Devices, Tags and database, and related local history. It does not revoke Node identity.</p>

</article>

</div>

<strong>Figure 1: Sites and Devices</strong>

<p>Confirm local and joined sites. Select a remote site to inspect its devices and PLC usage scope.</p>

</figcaption>

</figure>

<strong>Figure 2: Local Capabilities</strong>

<p>Select execution nodes for Screens and IO separately, check their availability, and manage the connected devices under IO.</p>

</figcaption>

</figure>

<strong>Figure 3: Alarm and trend processing scope</strong>

<p>Alarms and trends each have execution nodes and a local device scope. Include all connected devices or select specific devices.</p>

</figcaption>

</figure>

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