ci-server-engineer/.claude/skills/alarm-management/SKILL.md

---
name: alarm-management
description: >-
  CI Server R1.05 ALARM Service and alarm engineering. Use when the user wants to switch on
  alarms for an item (alarming, limits, HIGH / HIGH HIGH / LOW alarms, alarm state, priority,
  alarm text), set up acknowledgement types (manual / automatic acknowledgement, ack matrix,
  ALARM_ACK_DF), areas of interest (AOI), alarm selection areas (ASA, alarm filter expressions,
  compile), delayed or repeated alarms, first-out groups, alarm collections (first-up), read or
  acknowledge current alarms and alarm history (ALARM_CURRENT, ALARM_CHRONO), acknowledge with a
  reason and approver (custom alarm acknowledgement), generate a test or informational event,
  check the alarm kernel or storage (ALM, ALH, ALDPRT, almdbg, alhdbg, alm.sup, alh.sup,
  aldprt.sup, ?*_alarm_start.cmd extension scripts), configure alarm e-mail / SMS notification
  (alnmgr, alnsmtp, alnsms), alarm shelving (asbman), alarm sound (aldaco), alarm counting
  (aldcnt), external alarms (EAL, OPC UA alarms, CENTUM VP Vnet alarms), analyse alarm
  performance (ASPA, alarm floods, KPIs, EEMUA 191, ISA 18.2, KPI charts In Time / Too Late /
  Not Ackn / Nuisance), or ask about the internal dataset ALARM_ATTRIBUTE_TEMP_DF. Sources
  IM 36K10L15-01EN, IM 36K10C20-01EN, IM 36K10E30-01EN.
---

# Alarm management (R1.05)

Re-checked for R1.05 on 2026-10-09 (read-only). The L15 and C20 manuals did not change in
substance (full text diff), E30 only got KPI chart labels. The installed alarm setup files,
setup templates and alarm dataset definitions are identical to R1.03, except: the start/stop
scripts call extension scripts, `alnsms.sup` has new defaults, and there is a new internal
dataset `ALARM_ATTRIBUTE_TEMP_DF` (details in `tasks/alarm-checks.md` §5). Paths below use the
`TLS_*` variables; the R1.05 test server has program and data under one root (see
`knowledge/version-differences.md`).

Background: `knowledge/manuals/IM36K10L15-01EN.md` (kernel, events, mechanisms, setup files,
debuggers), `IM36K10C20-01EN.md` (Engineering Module forms, filters, grouping, shelving,
notifications, external alarms), `IM36K10E30-01EN.md` (ASPA tool and KPI targets). Item limits
and statuses: skill `item-engineering`. OPC UA alarm sources: skill `data-access`. Display-side
acknowledgement with reason and approver: skill `graphics` (`tasks/create-display.md`);
the audit record: skill `audit-trail`.

Rules:
- Run `system-check` first; follow the user's chosen way of working.
- **Alarms reach operators.** Switching alarming on or off, changing acknowledgement types, or
  acknowledging alarms on a running plant changes what operators see: only with the user's
  approval. Changing an item's alarm settings also auto-acknowledges a pending return to normal
  (L15 summary, C20 §A2).
- Writing a value to force a test alarm changes live data (`system-management`, task
  `read-write-item.md`): only on test items, and restore the value.
- **The alarm storage process `ALH` serves every client.** Do not put an alarm overview
  filtered by an ASA on `SECTION` or `UNIT` on a display of a shared or production server, and
  do not run heavy alarm queries (`ALARM_CHRONO` without a narrow time range, big ASPA fetches):
  on the shared R1.05 test server such an overview kept `ALH` at a full CPU core and made every
  other alarm list time out (ISS-136). Filter by item name or AOI, or use small item-based
  lists.
- `almdbg` options 3, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26 and `alhdbg` 3, 4 change or stop things:
  never without approval. Read-only options are listed in `tasks/alarm-checks.md`.
- Setup files (`alm.sup`, `alh.sup`, `aldprt.sup`, `aln*.sup`, `asbman.sup`, `wfladi.sup`) need
  admin rights and a restart: hand changes to the user (skill `portal-setup`, task
  `change-setup-file.md`). To start an extra alarm process (e.g. `aldcnt`, `alnsms`) with
  CI Server on R1.05, prefer an extension script `<name>_alarm_start.cmd` /
  `<name>_alarm_stop.cmd` in `tls\com` over editing `alarm_start.cmd` (ISS-121).

| Task | File | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgement type, area of interest, alarm selection area by quick load; compile check | `tasks/alarm-definitions.md` | verified (R1.03); R1.05: dataset definitions identical, sample definitions loaded with 0 errors (load check only, 2026-10-08) |
| Switch on alarming for an item; delay / repeat; test an alarm; read and acknowledge current alarms and history | `tasks/item-alarming.md` | verified (R1.03); R1.05: definitions identical, sample item alarm loaded with 0 errors (2026-10-08); alarm behaviour not re-tested on the shared server |
| Read-only checks: alarm processes, destinations, statistics, ack types, storage group, setup files; generate an INFO event | `tasks/alarm-checks.md` | verified (R1.03; read-only checks re-run on R1.05 2026-10-09; INFO event not generated on R1.05) |
| Custom alarm acknowledgement with reason and approver (display properties, `AUDIT_TRAIL` `APPROVAL_REASON` / `APPROVER`) | `tasks/item-alarming.md` §4, skill `graphics` | from docs (R1.04+), not tested (ISS-099) |
| First-out groups, alarm collections (first-up, status/ack/reset items) | C20 summary §A6 | from docs |
| Alarm overviews, priority labels, link display, shelving | C20 summary §A3, §A9, §A10 | from docs (needs displays) |
| E-mail / SMS notification | L15 summary §10, C20 §A11 | from docs (needs an SMTP server without authentication / a GSM modem); R1.05 `alnsms.sup` defaults changed (ISS-134) |
| Acoustic (`aldaco`) and count (`aldcnt`) destinations, split storage processes | L15 summary §7, §8 | from docs |
| External alarms (EAL) from OPC UA servers or CENTUM VP | C20 summary part B | from docs; not tested on R1.05 (no A&C source or Vnet on the test server, no EAL defined) |
| Alarm performance analysis (ASPA) | E30 summary | from docs (GUI not opened on either version) |