ARServerZero to Running
ENID

Practical user guide

From zero to a running IEC 61850 to Modbus/MQTT gateway.

This guide is written for first-time users who want a practical ARServer workflow: prepare the network, add a relay or SCL file, select points, validate readings, configure outputs, and run the gateway safely.

Step-by-step

Build the first working ARServer route

1. Prepare a safe test environment

Start on a bench, simulator, FAT network, or isolated engineering network. Do not begin on an operational network before the mapping, stale behavior, and output behavior are understood.

  • Know the relay or IED IP address.
  • Confirm IEC 61850 MMS access on TCP port 102.
  • Prepare the SCL file when available: ICD, CID, IID, or SCD.
  • Prepare the consuming client: HMI/SCADA for Modbus TCP, or MQTT broker for MQTT output.

2. Add the IED source

Use live IP discovery when the device and network support it. Use SCL import when the engineering file is available and deterministic planning matters. The goal is to obtain usable object references, not to blindly publish every item.

3. Select useful signals

Start with a small and auditable set: breaker position, protection start/trip, alarms, mode/status, and key measurements. Add more points only after the first map is validated.

Good first map: fewer validated points are better than hundreds of unreviewed points. A gateway becomes dangerous when the HMI trusts values that were never checked.

4. Validate the source values

Before publishing outputs, confirm that each selected point reads correctly and carries understandable context. Check value, type, quality, timestamp, stale indication, and communication status.

5. Configure Modbus TCP output

Assign stable address ranges. Document every point: address, data type, scaling, Boolean meaning, stale behavior, and quality handling. Test with the HMI or Modbus client that will consume the values.

6. Configure MQTT output

Use a predictable topic naming scheme. Publish context together with the value so dashboards do not display a naked value without quality or timestamp.

7. Run and observe

Start runtime and watch the ARServer workspace. Confirm the relay side, runtime cache, Modbus client polling, MQTT publish state, and diagnostics. Stop and fix mapping errors before expanding.

8. Validate handover

Before handing the gateway to another engineer or operator, export or document the mapping and validation evidence. Use the validation matrix as the bench acceptance checklist.

Open Validation MatrixChecklist for source read, Modbus polling, MQTT publishing, and stale behavior.Open TroubleshootingResolve common connection, discovery, broker, and HMI symptoms.