Question about DDF file transfers

[DCIM_Support]

This question was originally posted on DCIM Support by Garry Priestland on 2018-04-17

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Not a problem exactly more a question of curiosity.

DDF's are uploaded to the server, but the knowledge base https://www.schneider-electric.us/en/faqs/FA177004/ states:-

"StruxureWare Data Center Expert uses device definition files (DDF) to understand what information to poll and how to format different information from discovered devices. During discovery of APC devices and after a firmware update of APC devices, the StruxureWare server will attempt to download DDF files from the device using FTP or SSH. If the server is unable to perform this transfer, you will see a message stating "Device status may be inaccurate due to attempt to transfer DDF failed"."

So do the DDF's reside on the device or the DCE server?

If they are on the device then why do we upload them to the DCE server?

Does that transfer actually go from the server to the device?

Is it just that on APC/Schneider devices the DDF's reside on the device(s)?

If the DDF's for APC devices do come from the devices themselves, what happens regarding the DDF version when devices with the same model number but different firmware versions are monitored by the same DCE server?

Thanks in advance.

(CID:130096190)

[DCIM_Support · Accepted solution]

This answer was originally posted on DCIM Support by Steven Marchetti on 2018-04-17

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Hi Garry,

There are often multiple DDFs in use at one time. The 2 main DDFs being used by APC devices are the "scanner" DDF and the "alerts" DDF. Some devices often use more than 1 scanner DDF as well as a UPS may have environmental functionality etc. 

The scanner DDF resides on the DCE server. It is used to tell DCE what data points to poll. These are what you see in reports and if you right click a device and choose to view device sensors. This DDF is updated when you update your DCE version or when you manually choose to update DDFs.

The alerts DDF is stored on the APC device and transferred to DCE when the device is discovered or it's firmware is updated.  These DDFs tell DCE what they should alert for on that specific device. If you go to the alarm configurations perspective in DCE, you'll see that APC devices have numerous pre-configured alerts in the device alarm configurations tab. These alarms come from that DDF that is transferred from the device itself. DCE then keeps track of which alert DDF to use for each device/firmware in the off chance that you update firmware (and subsequently the alert DDF) for some devices and not others.

There are a few third party devices that have pre-configured alarms here as well and they are built into the scanner DDFs. With APC devices however, newer firmware may have new alarm options and by putting the alarm DDF on that device/firmware, the firmware developers for device itself dictate what device alarms are written in to the DDF.

Steve

(CID:130096200)

[DCIM_Support]

This comment was originally posted on DCIM Support by Garry Priestland on 2018-04-17

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Thanks for the quick answer.

It makes a bit more sense now.  A bit more complicated than it first seems

Thanks again

(CID:130096245)

[DCIM_Support]

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