Alarm Server tracks process events based on given conditions or rules. In general, an alarm event is a single instance of an alarm rule violation, and the duration of the event is the amount of time the rule was in violation. Downtime filtering and logical splitting of alarm events by duration, time of day, grade change, etc. can further refine the duration and time of occurrence of alarm events.
Users can respond to, or acknowledge, alarms by entering information associated with the event, such as a reason code, a piece of equipment, or a text comment. Alarms have three stages of acknowldgement:
•Unacknowledged: The event has not been responded to by the user.
•Acknowledged: The alarm’s acknowledgment criteria have been met.
•Cleared: The alarm’s clearing criteria have been met.
Acknowledgment and closing criteria can include whether or not a reason, a comment, equipment, or evidence has been assigned, as well as whether the event has ended or been saved. See Alarm Acknowledgement Logic for more information.