ABB Knowledge Manager Connector — FAQ¶
Common questions about the VirtualForge ABB Knowledge Manager connector for Seeq. For an introduction, see the Overview; for how it fits an OT environment, see In Your OT Environment.
What does the connector do?¶
It enables Seeq to work with historian time-series data from one or more ABB Knowledge Manager (ABB KM) servers. It reads your Knowledge Manager tag catalog, builds a matching asset tree of signals in Seeq, and makes the underlying time-series history available to trend and analyze in Seeq — alongside the rest of your Seeq work.
Does it duplicate my historian data?¶
No. ABB Knowledge Manager remains the single source of truth for your time-series data. The connector reads from Knowledge Manager rather than copying its history into a separate store, so you do not end up maintaining a second historian or reconciling two copies of the same data.
What do I need to run it?¶
You need a Seeq deployment with a Seeq Remote Agent, network access from that agent to your ABB Knowledge Manager server(s), and credentials the connector can use to read Knowledge Manager. The connector is installed to the Remote Agent and registered as a datasource in Seeq. It also requires a valid license (see below). Detailed compatibility and deployment requirements are published as part of the connector's documentation.
Can it connect to more than one Knowledge Manager server?¶
Yes. The connector can bring data from one or more ABB Knowledge Manager servers into Seeq, with each configured as its own datasource.
How are the Knowledge Manager credentials stored?¶
From this release, in the VForge secrets store: one file on the Seeq agent host,
vforge/secrets/credentials.json in the agent's data folder, found per connection by the connection's
Id. The connector configuration holds only the keyword VFORGE_SECRETS, so Seeq administrators
viewing the configuration in Seeq do not see the password, and the connector's configuration backups
never contain one. The password is used only to authenticate to your Knowledge Manager server, and is
never logged or sent to Endeavor Engineering. You manage the store with vf-agent, a command-line tool
the connector installs on the agent host.
The store is plain text protected by file permissions, so an administrator of the agent host can read
it, as with Seeq's own secrets file. A password written in the configuration, as earlier versions
required, still works in this release but is deprecated; vf-agent secrets migrate moves it into the
store. In practice: use a dedicated read-only service account, move every connection to the store, and
restrict the agent data folder to the agent service account and administrators.
If your organization needs more, such as integrated Windows authentication with a service account or an encrypted store, tell us. Endeavor Engineering will implement it in collaboration with you. The user guide's Credentials section covers the details.
How is it licensed?¶
With a small signed license file from Endeavor Engineering, bound to the Seeq agent host and checked on that host, with no connection to EEI. It sets how many datasources the connector serves and when the license expires. It is separate from your Seeq license. How it works, and how renewal works: Licensing. How to install one: Installing a License.
Will upgrading the connector break my existing Seeq analyses?¶
Connector upgrades are designed to preserve the identities of the signals and assets it creates in Seeq. Because Seeq worksheets and calculations reference items by identity, keeping those identities stable means your existing analyses continue to resolve after an upgrade.
What does the connector's version number mean?¶
The first two parts identify the Seeq Connector SDK release the build was made on, and the last part
is EEI's own build number — so 100.35.137 is not a Seeq server version, and the first number can
jump between releases as EEI adopts newer Seeq SDKs. Each release separately names the Seeq platform
API version it was validated against, which is the number to compare with your Seeq environment. See
Versions & Seeq Compatibility for the full explanation.
Can I see whether the connector is working?¶
Yes. As part of its Connectors ++ capabilities, the connector reports its own health and activity back into Seeq, where it can be viewed and trended by the people responsible for the data — without needing direct access to the agent host. See Connectors ++ for the full capability set.
How does it handle large data volumes from the historian?¶
The connector is built on VirtualForge's resilient data-access layer, which adapts to bursty or throttled responses from the source — retrying and self-limiting rather than losing data silently. This is designed for the real conditions of pulling large volumes from a live historian.
Is this an official ABB product?¶
No. The connector is built and supported by Endeavor Engineering on the VirtualForge platform. It integrates with ABB Knowledge Manager through Knowledge Manager's own API. ABB and ABB Knowledge Manager are the property of their respective owner.
Where do I get support?¶
Start with this connector's Overview / support page and the Endeavor Engineering resources hub. To raise a question or ticket, contact Endeavor Engineering through the resources hub or your usual EEI contact, and include your Seeq and connector versions with a short description of what you observed.