How to send data logger files from a controller to a network drive

How to configure a controller to send data to a PC hard disk or network-attached drive.

PC/Drive Setup

1. Create the folder where the data files will be saved, for example C:\Data
2. Share the drive where the folder is located:
   1. Right-click on the drive (i.e. C) and select properties.
   2. Click on the Sharing tab and select Advanced Sharing
      
   3. Check the box for Share this folder. Click on Permissions at the bottom.
      
   4. Click on the box for Change under the Allow column.
      
   5. Click on OK, then OK, then Close to save the changes.
   6. Under the drive that was shared, created a new folder for the destination of the data files. In our example create the folder “Data” under the C drive. (C:\Data)
3. [Windows 10 only] Enable SMB
   1. Open the Windows control panel
   2. Navigate to Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off
      
   3. Check the box for SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support
      

Q.station setup

GI.bench

Controller Settings

1. Open the Q.station in GI.bench
2. Double-click on the Q.station in the project window to open the settings menu
   
3. Navigate to the Net Drives section and change the count from 0 to desired number (e.g. 1). Enter the IP address of the network drive or the PC the drive is connected to, the password, and the name of the folder within the shared directory.
   
   
4. Click OK to save the changes.

Logger Configuration

1. In the project window, right-click the Data logging section below the Q.station and select Add logger.
   
2. Double-click the newly created logger to open its settings.
3. Navigate to the Storage section and select the previously configured network drive from the Destination drop-down list
   
4. Change the other settings in this section and other sections as needed. Click OK to save the changes.
5. When complete, write the changes to the controller by clicking the Write button
   

Data Collection

1. After the controller has been updated, apply the trigger to start the logging process or it will start logging automatically if the logger is a continuous type,
2. The data files will be saved into the network drive into the folder created above.

test.commander

Controller Settings

1. Open the Q.station in test.commander.
2. Double-click on the Q.station to open the settings menu.
3. Navigate to Host interface > Network drives and change the Count from 0 to 1.
   Open Drive # 1 and apply the settings:
   1. Name: Provide a reference name for the network drive.
   2. Username: The login username for the PC.
   3. Password: The password for the login account.
   4. Hostname: The static IP address of the PC.
   5. Remote-directory: The location of the shared folder (i.e. c/Data).
      1. Use lowercase for the drive “c” and just a forward slash “ / ”
         
4. Click the OK button to save the settings

Logger Configuration

1. Highlight the controller and click on the logger configuration button.
   
2. The logger configuration window will open. Apply the logging settings: select the channels to log, trigger conditions, logging rates, etc.
3. Under the logging destinations, open the drop-down menu and select the configured network drive.
   
4. Click the OK button to save the settings.
5. Update the configuration to the controller.

Data Collection

1. After the controller has been updated, apply the trigger to start the logging process.
2. The data files will be saved into the network drive into the folder created above.