Question/Problem
 
The BOSS HMI shows "RTC Offline" in the bottom right corner of the HMI.

Environment

•  BOSS III

Answer/Solution

 
"RTC Offline" message will appear in the bottom right corner of the BOSS III HMI whenever the connected user has lost connection to the HMI; this is most frequently caused by too many users attempting to connect beyond the RDS capacity (could also be due to local network issue to user attempting connection). Often times associates will fail to exit the HMI when leaving for the day, or will open multiple instances of the HMI in order to see information side-by-side rather than tabbing between screens. A completely full RDS Status client list means that users will compete for HMI connection. Strange/unexplained issues can also happen with production as the controller communications become bogged down by excessive connected users. The number of users connected to the HMI can be seen under the RDS Status, typically under the Maintenance Menu.

Although it is not always effective for every site, it is often helpful to force the socket closed for HMI connection to the RTC. Forcing the socket closed can, for some sites, be effective in disconnecting inactive users. To force the socket closed in RDS status, select the RTC and right click to select "Force Socket Closed" on the drop-down menu. The socket will automatically reopen after it is forced closed. Each RTC has its own socket, so if multiple RTCs are throwing the "RTC Offline" message, then the socket for each RTC will need to be closed individually.

If forcing the socket closed is not effective, users will simply reconnect automatically and will need to be logged out of the HMI manually at the machine they are using to log in. Best practice for managing RDS connections is to remind associates to log out and exit the HMI at the end of the day, and to tab between screens rather than open multiple instances of BOSS HMI to view information side-by-side.

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