Using Starting Groups for Agent Instances

Create New Starting Group

1. Choose the Host tab of the agent instance.

2. Create a new starting group by choosing Create New Starting Group. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name for the starting group and save your entry.

   The agent instance is now assigned to a starting group. The new starting group is displayed in the dropdown list and is available for assignment to other agent instances.

Assigning an Agent Instance to an Existing Starting Group

1. To assign an agent instance to an existing starting group, go to the Host tab of the agent instance.

2. From the dropdown list for the starting group, choose an existing entry in order to assign the agent instance to this starting group and then save.

   The agent instance is now assigned to a starting group. In the agent instance tree, the name of the agent instance is preceded by the name of the starting group in square brackets.

3. To sort the agent instance tree, choose Sort Agent Instance Tree.

   The agent instances are now sorted in ascending, alphabetical order. The agent instances with assignment to a starting group are always displayed at the start of the list.

Removing Assignment of the Agent Instance to the Starting Group

If you want to remove the assignment of the agent instance to the starting group, choose the blank entry in the Starting Group field on the Host tab of the agent instance.

You can delete a starting group in its entirety by choosing the corresponding icon. The starting group is then removed and deleted entirely from all agent instances that were assigned to this starting group.

Renaming the Starting Group

If you want to rename a starting group, choose Change Starting Group Name in All Agent Instances on the Host tab of one of the assigned agent instances. You can then enter a new name. The new starting group name is adopted in all agent instances that were assigned to the starting group in question.

Starting Agent Instances of a Starting Group

To start all agent instances of a starting group together, choose Start Agent Instances in Starting Group on the Host tab of one of the assigned agent instances.

Alternatively, you can execute this function from the context menu of the agent instance or by choosing the relevant icon above the agent instance tree.

Stopping Agent Instances of a Starting Group

To stop all agent instances of a starting group at the same time, choose Stop Agent Instances in Starting Group on the Host tab of one of the assigned agent instances. This function is also available in the context menu of the agent instance or as an icon above the agent instance tree.

Starting All Starting Groups

You can start all agents that are assigned to any starting group in a defined sequence. To do so, choose Plant Connectivity  Start All Starting Groups from the PCo Management Console menu.

Plant Connectivity then starts the agent instances in the respective starting groups in the ascending, alphabetical order of the starting group names. The agent instances of the next starting group are only started when all agent instances of the previous starting group were able to be started successfully. The automatic starting operation is terminated if one of the agent instances could not be started.

Stopping All Starting Groups

To stop all agent instances (that are assigned to any starting group) in ascending, alphabetical order of the starting group names, choose the function Plant Connectivity  Stop All Starting Groups in the PCo Management Console menu.

The agent instances are stopped asynchronously. The system does not wait for the agent instances of one starting group to stop before the instances of the next starting group are stopped.