How to calculate the quantity of Global Capacity Points consumed in a Station

Global Capacity Points (GCP) are a licensing mechanism in Niagara 4 that determine the capacity and capabilities of your Station. Understanding how to calculate GCP consumption is essential for proper system planning, licensing compliance, and performance optimisation.

Overview

Global Capacity Points represent the computational and data handling capacity of a Niagara Station. Each Station has a maximum GCP limit based on its license, and various components within the Station consume GCP based on their complexity and functionality.

Understanding GCP Consumption

GCP consumption is calculated based on several factors:

• Points: Each point in the Station consumes a certain number of GCP

• Drivers: Driver instances consume GCP based on their type and configuration

• Services: Various services consume GCP based on their complexity

• Applications: Custom applications and modules may consume additional GCP

Step-by-Step Calculation Process

Step 1: Access the Station Information

1. Open your Niagara Workbench

2. Connect to the target Station

3. Right-click on the Station in the Station Manager

4. Select Properties from the context menu

Step 2: Navigate to Capacity Information

1. In the Station Properties dialog, navigate to the Capacity tab

2. This tab displays detailed information about GCP consumption

Step 3: Review Current GCP Consumption

The Capacity tab shows:

• Total Capacity Points: The maximum GCP allowed by your license

• Used Capacity Points: The current GCP consumption

• Available Capacity Points: Remaining GCP capacity

• Breakdown by Category: Detailed consumption by component type

Step 4: Analyse Component-Level Consumption

1. Expand the Component Breakdown section

2. Review consumption by:

   • Points: Total GCP consumed by all points

   • Drivers: GCP consumed by driver instances

   • Services: GCP consumed by services

   • Applications: GCP consumed by custom applications

Step 5: Calculate Point Consumption

Points consume GCP based on their type:

• Standard Points: Typically consume 1 GCP each

• Complex Points: May consume 2-4 GCP depending on configuration

• History Points: Consume additional GCP for historical data storage

• Alarm Points: May consume additional GCP for alarm processing

To calculate point consumption:

1. Navigate to Station → Points in the Station tree

2. Review the point count and types

3. Multiply by the appropriate GCP factor for each point type

Step 6: Calculate Driver Consumption

Drivers consume GCP based on:

• Driver Type: Different drivers have different base consumption

• Device Count: Number of devices connected to the driver

• Poll Rate: Higher poll rates may increase consumption

• Point Count: Number of points configured per device

To calculate driver consumption:

1. Navigate to Drivers in the Station tree

2. For each driver instance, note:

   • Base GCP consumption (typically 10-50 GCP)

   • Additional GCP per device (typically 2-10 GCP)

   • Additional GCP per point (typically 0.5-2 GCP)

Step 7: Calculate Service Consumption

Services consume GCP based on their type and configuration:

• Email Service: Typically 5-10 GCP

• SMS Service: Typically 5-10 GCP

• Web Service: Typically 10-20 GCP

• Database Service: Typically 20-50 GCP depending on configuration

• BACnet Service: Typically 15-30 GCP

• Modbus Service: Typically 10-25 GCP

Using the Capacity Monitor

Niagara 4 includes a built-in Capacity Monitor tool:

1. In Workbench, navigate to Tools → Capacity Monitor

2. The Capacity Monitor displays:

   • Real-time GCP consumption

   • Historical consumption trends

   • Projected consumption based on current growth rate

   • Warnings when approaching capacity limits

Best Practices

Monitoring GCP Consumption

• Regular Monitoring: Check GCP consumption regularly, especially after adding new components

• Set Thresholds: Configure alerts when consumption exceeds 80% of capacity

• Document Changes: Keep records of GCP consumption changes when modifying the Station

Optimising GCP Usage

• Remove Unused Points: Delete points that are no longer needed

• Optimise Drivers: Consolidate drivers where possible

• Review Services: Disable unused services to free up GCP

• Point Consolidation: Use point arrays instead of individual points where appropriate

Planning for Growth

• Growth Projection: Use the Capacity Monitor to project future consumption

• License Planning: Plan license upgrades before reaching capacity limits

• Architecture Review: Consider Station architecture changes if approaching limits

Troubleshooting

High GCP Consumption

If GCP consumption is unexpectedly high:

1. Review Point Count: Check for duplicate or unnecessary points

2. Driver Analysis: Review driver configurations for optimisation opportunities

3. Service Review: Identify and disable unused services

4. History Configuration: Review history point configurations and retention policies

Capacity Warnings

When receiving capacity warnings:

1. Immediate Actions: Remove unused components to free up capacity

2. License Review: Consider upgrading your Station license

3. Architecture Changes: Consider splitting functionality across multiple Stations

Related Topics

• How does the Tuning Policy work in any given Niagara Driver

• How does the Poll Scheduler work in any given Niagara Driver

• How to manage memory allocations for a Niagara 4 Web Supervisor

Additional Resources

• Niagara 4 System Guide

• Station Licensing Documentation

• Capacity Planning Best Practices Guide