DeltaV Soft Phases
The DeltaV Soft Phase is an executable that can exist on a DeltaV or a non-DeltaV node. In order to create a DeltaV Soft Phase, you must install the DeltaV Soft Phase environment. This environment consists of 3 elements, the Soft Phase Broker, the Soft Phase DLL and the user written Soft Phase application (the executable file). The Soft Phase Server (which is automatically installed on the DeltaV Batch Executive) is launched by the Batch Executive to execute the soft phase.
Soft phases are written in any of the following:
You must compile the soft phase as a 32-bit application as DeltaV is currently a 32-bit application, even when it is running on a 64-bit operating system.
Templates are supplied when using the CreateSoftPhase.exe application to create your soft phase.
A DeltaV Soft Phase can run on any node that can communicate on the DeltaV network, as a DeltaV or a non-DeltaV node. When configuring the soft phase in DeltaV Explorer, on the External Phase Properties dialog, you will select SoftPhase as the external phase server and enter the name of the workstation where the soft phase will run. This information is downloaded to the Batch Executive through the association of the soft phase to a phase class.
DeltaV Soft Phase executables are not redundant, even when the batch executing the soft phase is being controlled by a Batch Executive on a Redundant Batch pair.
The supported machine to run a DeltaV Soft Phase executable is on a simplex node. The node can be the Batch Executive node provided it is a simplex Batch Executive; or, the node can be another DeltaV workstation or a non-DeltaV workstation.
The soft phase executable should not reside on any workstation that is part of a DeltaV redundant subsystem pair, either Redundant Batch or Redundant OPC. The redundant subsystem pair must be dedicated to running the redundant subsystem and no other executables should be run on this pair. Because the soft phase executable is not redundant, the soft phase cannot switch over in the event of a switchover of the redundant subsystem and the soft phase would cease executing forcing the batch into HELD. The batch might not be recoverable at this point. Keeping the soft phase on a simplex node ensures the continued execution of the soft phase in a Redundant Batch system in the event of a Batch Executive switchover.