TN - Hist09112601 - Troubleshooting Remote IDAS Issues in AVEVA Historian

Document Version: 1.0

Applies to Version(s): AVEVA Historian 2023 and later.

Description

This tech note provides a structured workflow for troubleshooting Remote Industrial Data Acquisition Service (Remote IDAS) issues in AVEVA Historian. The goal is to help determine whether the fault is at the Remote IDAS process, the Historian connection, the upstream I/O path, or the Store-and-Forward recovery path.

Solution Steps:

Use the sequence below to isolate the problem before restarting Historian components or rebooting the node. Collect timestamps and relevant log entries as you go.

1. Identify the symptoms in Historian. In the Operations Control Management Console, open Historian > Historian Group > Configuration Editor > System Configuration > Data Acquisition and locate the affected IDAS.

• Look for whether the entire IDAS is affected or only one topic beneath it.
• If only one topic is affected, the failure is more likely upstream (for example the OI Server/topic or the source device) than at the Historian/IDAS layer.
• If the entire IDAS is affected, continue with process, connection, and logging checks.

2. Verify that the Remote IDAS process is running. On the Remote IDAS node, open Task Manager > Details and confirm that aahIDAS.exe is present and shows Running.

• If aahIDAS.exe is not present or does not remain running, capture SMC logs before restarting Historian components.
• On the Historian server, open OCMC > Historian > Management Console > Status and confirm that the Data acquisition entry for the Remote IDAS node shows Started.
• In OCMC > Historian > Management Console > Data Acquisition, confirm that the expected computer/topic is connected and, when live data is expected, shows Receiving with active tags/connections. Record the exact time of any restart attempt so it can be correlated in SMC Log Viewer.

3. Validate the Remote IDAS connection settings. Using the Remote IDAS configurator, verify the Historian server name, the configured port, and the credentials or authorization details required by your version. Use the built-in connection test.

• A failed connection test usually indicates a server-name, port, firewall, or authorization problem.
• A successful connection test confirms that the Remote IDAS can reach the Historian, but it does not by itself prove that the upstream data path is healthy.
• Do not change the Historian port blindly; confirm the value configured for your environment and release.

4. Review overall Historian status indicators. Check the Historian Status view for overall system state, data rate, error counters, and any path or buffer issues that may indicate a broader collection problem.

• A running Historian with a healthy data rate generally indicates that the server is still collecting data from at least part of the system.
• Increasing overall or critical errors should be investigated before restarting the node.
• Review any store-and-forward or buffer-path messages that may point to a backlog or path problem.

5. Determine whether the issue affects one topic or all topics. Use the topic/computer view to identify whether the problem is isolated or system wide.

• If all topics under the Remote IDAS show a bad state, focus on the aahIDAS.exe process state, the Historian connection, and authorization.
• If only one topic or one upstream computer shows a bad state, investigate the OI Server/topic and device communication feeding that branch.
• A green state for some topics and a red state for others is strong evidence that the Historian server itself is not the only problem.

6. Review the SMC Log Viewer on both the Historian and the remote node. Filter the logs around the time the failure began. Capture connection, authorization, configuration, and IDAS startup/termination messages before restarting additional components.

• Compare the timestamp of the user-reported failure with the timestamps of Remote IDAS messages.
• Look for messages related to connection failures, authentication/authorization, configuration changes, or IDAS startup/termination problems.
• Preserving the logs before restarting is often the difference between finding the root cause and only restoring service temporarily.

7. Validate the upstream I/O path. If aahIDAS.exe is running and the Historian Status view shows the Remote IDAS data acquisition entry as Started, confirm that the OI Server/topic feeding the Remote IDAS still has live data and good quality.

• Remote IDAS cannot historize data that it is not receiving from the upstream I/O layer.
• If live data is visible in the upstream driver but not in Historian, continue with IDAS acquisition and topic-level troubleshooting.
• If live data is not visible upstream, the problem is likely outside the Historian/IDAS layer.

8. Check Store-and-Forward and confirm recovery. If communication to the Historian was interrupted, verify whether Store-and-Forward buffered the data and whether the backlog drains after communication is restored.

• Confirm that new values are again reaching the Historian.
• If Store-and-Forward was used, verify that the queued data is moving forward and that the outage period is being recovered.
• Do not close the case simply because the IDAS shows Online; verify that history is again being written and that any backlog is clearing. 

Source Validation

• AVEVA Historian – Troubleshoot IDAS connections: https://docs.aveva.com/bundle/sp-historian/page/1059730.html
• AVEVA Historian – Configure IDAS on a remote node: https://docs.aveva.com/bundle/sp-historian/page/915569.html
• AVEVA Historian – IDAS configuration: https://docs.aveva.com/bundle/sp-historian/page/67202.html
• AVEVA Historian – Add an IDAS: https://docs.aveva.com/bundle/sp-historian/page/69022.html
• AVEVA Historian – IDAS Store-and-Forward Capability: https://docs.aveva.com/bundle/sp-historian-2023/page/67208.html        _____________________________________________________________________________________________________