2 Brain Configuration

Hello - can anyone direct me to some info on how to configure the following type of system:

  • 31 PAC modules
  • 2 16 slot racks
  • an EB1 in each rack
  • using SoftPAC on the PC
  • single control strategy

Essentially we have a ton of I/O and need 31 modules worth of various PAC units. I want to control all of this from a single strategy and have assumed I could “daisy chain” 2 racks together between the 2 brains.

Is it really as simple as setting up each IP address and declaring them (one as primary one as secondary) when I install my Controller?

I think it’s simpler than you think. If you’re interested, check out this nifty interactive page on networking (the “Daisy Chain” part), which looks like this:


However, your situation sounds simpler since instead of all the stuff connected by blue lines in that “Animated Demo,” you could just have the one PC connected directly to one EB which is connected to the next EB, like this:


One thing that gives me pause is your use of the terms “primary” and “secondary.” I’m hoping you just mean the 1st in the chain and the 2nd (rather than a redundancy thing).

If you are trying to do something with redundancy, then I’d wonder about the odd (as in, not a multiple of 2) number of modules. You’re not talking about redundancy here, are you?

-OptoMary

Mary - you were right on target with your response! Thank you for the help. You were also correct about how easy this was. I simply assigned each brain an address via PAC Manager, then added them to my control strategy.

I misused the term Primary and Secondary - this is NOT a redundancy situation.

Thanks for your help!

Glad I could help!

BTW, in case you haven’t seen our Guide To Networking document, be sure to check it out too!