What an EEI Connector Does on Your Seeq Agent¶
Every EEI Seeq connector is built on one shared foundation, the connector SDK. So they all install, run and behave the same way, whichever system they connect to. This page describes that common behavior, one layer below Connectors ++, for the engineers who run a connector and the IT and OT teams who host it. Each connector's own pages cover what is specific to its source system.
Where it runs¶
Inside your Seeq agent. A connector is a bundle installed into a Seeq Link agent, the same agent Seeq's own connectors run in. It adds no service, database or scheduled task to the host. It runs in the agent's process, under the agent's account, and starts and stops with it. The agent host needs Java 21.
The Seeq agent itself is Seeq's. Seeq provides the agent and is its primary support. EEI provides and supports the connector, and will help with the agent whenever a connector issue touches it.
What it does¶
It builds and maintains an index. On a schedule you set, the connector reads what the source system holds and publishes it to Seeq as items: - signals, time series such as a tag's values - conditions, events and periods such as batches, alarms or downtime, where the source has them - scalars, single values such as a limit or a design rating - the metadata that organizes them: an asset tree, the relationships between items, and their properties
Which of these a connector builds depends on what its source offers. The ABB Knowledge Manager connector, for example, builds signals in an asset tree.
Where a source can report what changed, the connector indexes only the changes. Where it cannot, it runs a scheduled full index. Items keep their identities from one index to the next, and across connector upgrades, so Seeq worksheets and calculations built on them keep working.
It reads data on demand. When someone in Seeq views or calculates on a signal or condition, the connector fetches that time range from the source at that moment. It does not copy your historian's data into Seeq: the source stays the single source of truth.
It keeps a record of each index run. Items indexed, skipped and failed, how long the run took, and how the source responded. The record is written to a file on the agent host, and can optionally be published into Seeq (below).
What it connects to¶
| Connection | Direction | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Your source system, at the address in the connector's configuration | Outbound | Reading the catalog and data |
| Your Seeq server, through the Seeq agent's existing connection | Outbound, via the agent | Publishing the index; answering data requests |
That is the complete list. The connector opens no listening ports, and makes no calls to EEI. License checks are made locally (Licensing). How the connector paces its calls to your source, and how it handles certificates, is on How EEI Connectors Behave on Your Network.
What it writes on the agent host¶
All inside the Seeq agent's data folder, the one that already holds configuration/link/:
| Location | What it is |
|---|---|
configuration/link/<connector>.json |
The connector's configuration. Seeq's standard location, shared with Seeq's own connectors |
vforge/config-backups/ |
A timestamped copy of the configuration, made before each load so a lost or reset configuration can be restored. The newest ten are kept |
vforge/reports/ |
Index-run reports. Rotated, so only the most recent are kept |
vforge/host-fingerprint.json |
The one-way, hashed server identity used to issue a license. Written at every start |
vforge/deployment-facts.json |
The versions of the agent, Java, the operating system and each EEI connector installed. It lets EEI confirm compatibility before delivering an update |
vforge/products/<product>/vforge-license.lic |
The product's license file, which you place there |
vforge/secrets/credentials.json |
The VForge secrets store: the credentials connectors use to reach your source systems, one file for every EEI connector on the agent. Managed with vf-agent |
vforge/bin/, vforge/tools/vf-agent/ |
vf-agent, the command-line tool for the store, installed by the connector at each start. The newest version installed is the one used |
Treat the data folder as sensitive. The secrets store holds the credentials connectors use to
reach your source systems; a connector that does not use the store yet keeps them in its
configuration. Configuration backups never contain a password. Restrict the folder, and
vforge/secrets/ in particular, to the account that runs the Seeq agent and to administrators. Each
connector's documentation says how it handles its credentials. For ABB KM, see its
user guide.
Off until you turn it on¶
| Capability | Default | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Health monitoring in Seeq: each index run's metrics published as trendable signals, in a VirtualForge Monitors asset tree | Off | It creates items your Seeq users can see, so it is your choice |
| VirtualForge platform connection | Off | Planned; not yet available. Today a connector works entirely within your network |
| Automatic updates | Not available | Planned. Today EEI delivers each update and coordinates it with you |
Upgrades and rollback¶
EEI delivers a new connector version as a bundle, and the upgrade replaces the old bundle in the agent. Because item identities are preserved, analyses keep resolving. To roll back, reinstall the previous bundle. Each connector's release notes state what changed and what an upgrade needs.
About this SDK¶
| What it is | The shared library every EEI Seeq connector is built on. It ships inside each connector; nothing is installed separately |
| Languages | Java today. Python and .NET are planned |
| Availability | Built into EEI products and documented openly. Not offered for third-party development |
- For your IT team — a one-page brief on installing an EEI connector.
- SDK inventory — the rest of the family.