PI Nexus+ / Administration Guide
Scan Automation
This chapter sets up automatic monitoring, the one policy that keeps health, inventory and full verification current for every managed target. Operators follow the result on the Scanning page (see Scanning in the User Guide); all cadences and timings are in the Scan Automation Reference.
Overview
This chapter sets up automatic monitoring, the one policy that keeps health, inventory and full verification current for every managed target. Operators follow the result on the Scanning page (see Scanning in the User Guide); all cadences and timings are in the Scan Automation Reference.
How automatic monitoring works
You answer two questions: how much of the servers' time PI Nexus+ may take (Scan intensity), and when heavy work may start (the heavy-work window). PI Nexus+ derives everything else per target from how long that target's own scans took. A bigger target is scanned less often, so a multi-day scan is never repeated weekly.
Automatic monitoring does four kinds of work:
| Work | What it does | Waits for the heavy-work window |
|---|---|---|
| Health refresh | Re-reads current values and health rules for known inventory | No |
| Inventory update | Reloads only the objects a source's change feed reported as changed | No |
| Full verification | A full inventory scan of the target, as a cross-check | Yes |
| Interface and adapter runtime poll | Reads the runtime state of PI Interfaces and PI Adapters | No (outside the scan queue) |
A target's first full scan (its baseline) does not wait for the window either. Only one full scan runs at a time.
Note: On a new installation, and on an upgrade where it was never started, the page reads Automatic scanning is not enabled and nothing runs on its own until you start it.
Start automatic monitoring
Starting automatic monitoring is the last step of the installation. Run the scoped first scans in First Targets and First Scan in the Installation Guide first.
- Open Admin > Scan Automation. In Targets, clear Automatic on any target PI Nexus+ should scan only when someone asks. Targets disabled in their own Admin page are under Show disabled and cannot be managed.
- Choose the Scan intensity. Medium - recommended suits most estates.
- Set Heavy work starts and Heavy work ends to the site's quiet period, in the scanner server's local time.
- If recurring schedules from an earlier release are listed, tick I confirm Scan Automation should replace these schedules. Their history stays readable under Previous schedules.
- Choose Start automatic monitoring, check the summary and confirm. The banner then reads Automatic scanning is active.
- Check the cards and the table: they state each target's cadences and Next planned work.
- Choose Open scanning status and check the Targets tab: each target's baseline runs first, then its routine work. No target should stay under Needs attention.
Choose the scan intensity
Choose Low for tightly loaded PI servers or a very large estate, Medium for most estates (including PI Nexus+ on the PI server), and High when the servers have headroom. Choose Save changes; it takes effect within five minutes. If load is a concern, choose Low and a tight window rather than leaving automatic monitoring off.
Set the heavy-work window
The window decides only when a full verification may start, not how long it runs: a scan that starts at 05:50 runs to completion. Everything else runs at any hour. Set the same start and end time to allow full verification at any hour.
Manage and enable targets
Enabled is set on the target's own Admin page; a disabled target is not scanned at all. A target without Automatic is still scanned on request. Enabling a target, or ticking Automatic, queues its baseline at once; no health refresh runs until it succeeds. For AF, each AF database is its own target.
Change-driven inventory
After a target's first successful full scan, PI Nexus+ polls its change feed and reloads only the objects the source reports as changed. The Inventory column shows the feed state, for example Change feed healthy. If a feed needs a full scan, PI Nexus+ queues it itself. A target without a feed is fully scanned at its verification cadence.
Pin exact cadences (Advanced)
Use Advanced only for a support case or a hard external constraint. Changing any of its four values pins the policy to Custom cadences, and the intensity then decides nothing. Use automatic cadences undoes this.
Pause and resume
Pause stops new automatic work and keeps the queue; a running scan is not cancelled. While paused, health goes stale, inventory stops following the change feeds and verification does not run. Choose Resume to continue. Where the pause is shown: Pause in the Reference.
When automatic work fails
A failed automatic item is retried a few times when the cause is temporary, then appears under Needs attention on the Scanning page and, if switched on, sends an Automatic monitoring failures email. Work that a manual request or a completed scan made unnecessary shows as superseded, not failed. Queue rules and retry timings are in the Reference.
Reference: Scan Automation Reference
