An event is a notification of a state change of an item in the system. When a value in an FAC, Engine, or ODS deviates from its normal operating condition, such as exceeding a high limit or failing to respond to a command within a specified time period, the system detects a change of state and the FAC, Engine, or ODS generates an event message.
When an FAC generates an event message, it temporarily stores the event message in its Event Log. It also immediately forwards the event message to the Engine or configured ODS to which it is connected. When an Engine generates an event message, it temporarily stores the message in its local event repository. If the ODS is the Site Director, y ou can send event messages stored in the local event repository of an Engine to the event repository of an ODS for permanent storage by defining an ODS event repository as the default destination. Also, you can route event messages to other destinations such as a pager or an email account. For more information, see the Event Repositories and Event Message Routing, Filtering, and Destinations sections.
The Alarms Window and Event Viewer allow you to examine and respond to event messages. The Alarms Window displays event messages one at a time in a prioritized order and allows you to respond to the newest alarm first. The Event Viewer displays all of the event messages stored in the event repository of the currently selected device. In addition, Alarm Reports allow you to query for alarm conditions in the Metasys system online and provide a list of items that are currently in an alarm condition.
The following figure shows the flow of event messages through the Metasys system.
For information on how to configure and route event messages for Metasys systems integrated with BACnet devices, see Alarm and Event Management for Metasys Systems Integrated with BACnet Devices.