SCADA Computer & SCADA Server Connection Repairs + More
Budget: $50 – $0 USD
We are a power plant, that monitors the wind turbines using a central SCADA computer and a Server that talks to two specific (newest) turbines.
The two newest turbines are by a Danish company - Vestas. They sold us a server to monitor the two turbines when we purchased the turbines in 2011.
The manufacturer still has access to the Server for the last 11 years. We are forced to go to them if we have a problem with the server. We have no contract or arrangement, but since they have us between a rock and a hard place, they are the only ones we can call. The server is having issues (due to age and storage).
Vestas has never given us visibility to the server. They no longer support the server nor sell it. They will only log in remotely and clean things up. We have no monitor, keyboard or mouse control. We can't see what our server is doing when it boots up. Currently, the server is not properly communicating with the central SCADA computer.
The central SCADA computer talks to the server and pulls data from the two wind turbine’s information. The SCADA computer also shows data from rest of the power plant 110 other turbines.
Our Goals:
1) Fix the connection issue (whatever it is?) to the server so our SCADA computer see’s and shows the correct data.
2) Change the settings of the server to allow keyboard, mouse and monitor viewing/control; so, we can watch the startup and see if there are issue during the boot. Also, so we can perform our own maintenance on the Server. Vestas, the manufacturer is able to remote in and make changes, but we can't see what they are doing.
3) Find out all of the specifics of the server equipment, hard drive info, operating system etc. so we can make a second backup unit, so if the server (which is starting to die) goes bad, we can replace it with a replica system. We would have to somehow disc image the server and copy that over to another unit, so it would operate if needed.
4) Vestas was supposed to re-direct and setup data storage on an external 500 GB drive I purchased, so the wind turbine databases don’t fill up on the small drive causing issues. Currently, it seems when the external hard drive is installed during bootup, the Server seems to not boot correctly. The drive has no data stored on it, so Vestas never pointed its software storage to the new drive.
Note: The site is a T-1 internet connection.
Also note, there is a security dongle in our central SCADA computer that allow us to talk to the Vestas server.
There is a SonicWall router, that goes to our central SCADA computer and also to a switch. The switch then goes to the Vestas Server, and also a secondary T-1 internet access (a backup if the primary connection fails).
We are running Windows 7, and cannot upgrade the operating system due to the SCADA software not being upgradeable.
The Server, we believe is running XP.
I can be at the computer and our server to help be eyes and ears physically.
I don't know if this is a networking skillset, or how you might gain access and make changes on the server computer through our network, remotely. Anyway, that is the request.
Let us know if that is something you can work on, and how much it might cost.
The two newest turbines are by a Danish company - Vestas. They sold us a server to monitor the two turbines when we purchased the turbines in 2011.
The manufacturer still has access to the Server for the last 11 years. We are forced to go to them if we have a problem with the server. We have no contract or arrangement, but since they have us between a rock and a hard place, they are the only ones we can call. The server is having issues (due to age and storage).
Vestas has never given us visibility to the server. They no longer support the server nor sell it. They will only log in remotely and clean things up. We have no monitor, keyboard or mouse control. We can't see what our server is doing when it boots up. Currently, the server is not properly communicating with the central SCADA computer.
The central SCADA computer talks to the server and pulls data from the two wind turbine’s information. The SCADA computer also shows data from rest of the power plant 110 other turbines.
Our Goals:
1) Fix the connection issue (whatever it is?) to the server so our SCADA computer see’s and shows the correct data.
2) Change the settings of the server to allow keyboard, mouse and monitor viewing/control; so, we can watch the startup and see if there are issue during the boot. Also, so we can perform our own maintenance on the Server. Vestas, the manufacturer is able to remote in and make changes, but we can't see what they are doing.
3) Find out all of the specifics of the server equipment, hard drive info, operating system etc. so we can make a second backup unit, so if the server (which is starting to die) goes bad, we can replace it with a replica system. We would have to somehow disc image the server and copy that over to another unit, so it would operate if needed.
4) Vestas was supposed to re-direct and setup data storage on an external 500 GB drive I purchased, so the wind turbine databases don’t fill up on the small drive causing issues. Currently, it seems when the external hard drive is installed during bootup, the Server seems to not boot correctly. The drive has no data stored on it, so Vestas never pointed its software storage to the new drive.
Note: The site is a T-1 internet connection.
Also note, there is a security dongle in our central SCADA computer that allow us to talk to the Vestas server.
There is a SonicWall router, that goes to our central SCADA computer and also to a switch. The switch then goes to the Vestas Server, and also a secondary T-1 internet access (a backup if the primary connection fails).
We are running Windows 7, and cannot upgrade the operating system due to the SCADA software not being upgradeable.
The Server, we believe is running XP.
I can be at the computer and our server to help be eyes and ears physically.
I don't know if this is a networking skillset, or how you might gain access and make changes on the server computer through our network, remotely. Anyway, that is the request.
Let us know if that is something you can work on, and how much it might cost.