Admin Corner

When creating a CSR (certificate signing request) in TrendMiner it is important to always include a SAN (subject alternative name). What is a SAN?It is a field in an SSL certificate that allows a single certificate to secure multiple domain names, subdomains, or IP addresses. This is useful for protecting various websites on a single IP address or for securing a main domain along with its variants. Why is it mandatory to fill in a SAN?Browsers used to rely on the CN (common name), but this has led to security vulnerabilities.That is why standards have been updated to require browsers to use the SAN extension.All modern browsers ignore the CN and strictly validate hostnames via SAN.If you leave SAN empty, your CA will issue a certificate without valid hostnames, and TrendMiner will appear as “Not secure” even with a signed certificate. Where can I fill in the SAN during creation of a CSR?When creating a SAN in Edge manager, the SAN can be filled in at the bottom of the Certificate Signi

Introduction At TrendLab, we talked about the added value of contextual information. This topic generated a lot of interest and follow-up discussion, which is why I’m taking the opportunity here to share some additional information to help you on the way. We’ll focus on ODBC here, but the steps and queries for JDBC will be very similar.When setting up a Generic ODBC data source in TrendMiner for the Event capability, you'll need to configure multiple queries to properly integrate your event data. In this post, we’ll demonstrate all required query structures for connecting to databases like SQL Server, Oracle, or other ODBC-compatible sources.Note that the queries may need small adjustments to work with your specific data source. E.g. to only select 10 rows in MySQL, you’d use “LIMIT 10”, whereas Oracle uses a different syntax, e.g. “Rownum<=10”. Sometimes the syntax may even slightly vary between database versions. Therefore we always recommend checking the documentation of your spe

To optimize performance and reduce unnecessary load on data sources, TrendMiner automatically detects and manages dormant tags starting from version 2025.R2.0. What are dormant tags?A tag becomes dormant when it has not received any new data for more than one year — meaning the End of Data timestamp is over 12 months old.When this happens, TrendMiner will stop attempting to index the tag, and its update cycle will display “Never.”This mechanism ensures that resources are not wasted on polling inactive or obsolete signals, keeping your system efficient. How are dormant tags detected and managed?Dormant tags are identified automatically once per day by a background process.When plotting a dormant tag in the focus chart, indexing will be retriggered and the tag will resume its normal indexing status. Administrators can also manually resume forward indexing of these tags by clicking the play button in the index manager. If the indexing call did not receive any new data, the tag will automa

When disk usage exceeds certain thresholds, administrators are notified through the appliance’s monitoring configuration within the Edge Portal.Below are the two most common disk email alert scenarios, along with explanations and recommended actions. Case 1: Disk Alert for ‘/mnt/data’ Description:A warning alert is triggered when the /mnt/data mount — which stores most of TrendMiner’s critical application data such as indexes, packages, logs, and databases — exceeds 80% usage.For email alert example, you might receive an message indicating that only 19.98% (19,127 MiB) of space remains available as shown below.Recommended Action:Follow Disk space extention guide to extend storage. Expanding storage ensures TrendMiner can continue to write data and perform indexing operations without interruption. Case 2: Disk Alert for Root Directory ‘/’ Description:A warning alert is also raised when the root directory (/), which holds the server’s system-critical files — including boot files, binarie

Sometimes when upgrading TrendMiner, it looks like nothing is happening after clicking Start Upgrade or after the file upload has completed.Below are the most common reasons why the upgrade might not start — and how to fix them: 1. Corrupted Upgrade PackageIn some cases, the upgrade package can get corrupted during download.It will appear to upload successfully, but the upgrade never starts.You can verify the integrity of your package by following this article:If the checksum doesn’t match, re-download the file before trying again. 2. Wrong Upgrade Package (pre-2024.R3.1 versions)For older TrendMiner versions, there are two different upgrade packages: MLHub Non-MLHub If you upload the wrong package type, the upload completes but the upgrade won’t start.Make sure to select the package that matches your license type (Basic or MLHub).💡 Starting from version 2024.R3.1, there’s only one unified upgrade package — no more confusion! 3. Network InterferenceIf you’re running the upgrade from

Sometimes TrendMiner Support may ask you for a HAR file (HTTP Archive). This file records the network traffic in your browser while you reproduce an issue. It helps us investigate any network-related issues.Below you can find an explanation on how to generate the HAR file depending on which browser you are using.Chrome/Edge Press F12 or ctrl + shift + I (Windows)  or cmd + option + I (Mac) to open Developer Tools. Click on the record button on the top left (red circle) in the below example screenshot (record network log). Make sure the ‘Preserve log’ (blue rectangle) option is enabled. Recreate the issue in TrendMiner. Click on the download button (green circle)   Mozilla Firefox Open Firefox. Press F12 or ctrl + shift + E to open the Network Monitor. Click the trash/bin icon to clear any old entries. Reproduce the issue in TrendMiner. Right-click anywhere in the list → Save All As HAR.  Once the HAR file has been exported, it can be uploaded through a ticket or e-mail.

If you notice a discrepancy for a specific tag between the data in the historian and in TrendMiner, one of the first troubleshooting steps is to reindex the tag.Reindexing will remove all existing index data for the tag and fetch fresh data directly from the historian.To do this you can follow the steps outlined below: Make sure your account has the Application Administrator role: TrendMiner Admin Roles Open the Index Manager Index Manager & Performance Overview Search for the tag Enter the tag name in the search box. Choose your preferred option. (see screenshot) Bin icon: Deletes the complete index for the tag. The tag will be reindexed automatically the next time it is used. Circular arrows: Deletes and immediately reindexes the tag, without waiting for it to be used.  

Why is a disaster recovery checklist necessary?Even on a stable system, the following risks always exist: Failed upgrades Corrupt virtual machines Hardware crashes Human error Preparing for these scenarios now will save significant time and stress later. Recovery essentials:VM Snapshot Best to set up a daily or weekly snapshot schedule. Always take an extra snapshot before any major configuration change or upgrade. Snapshot includes full system state (OS, TrendMiner, configurations, etc.) Easiest way to recover. Remote Full Backup (Documentation full back-up) Best to set up a daily or weekly remote back-up schedule. Stored on cloud or local S3 storage. Includes database, index data, and basic system configuration. Also easy to recover from disaster. Local Database Backup (Documentation database back-up) Always take this before a major configuration change or upgrade. Download outside of the VM. Does not include index data, system configuration, PMML models, etc.

In this example we will embed an interactive HTML page located in a Google S3 bucket into a TrendMiner Dashboard tile.  1. Get Your HTML File Ready:Make sure the HTML file (example.html) is self-contained: Don’t use any server-side code like PHP Keep all JavaScript and CSS either inline or linked via relative paths (no external dependencies that require a web server)  2. Upload to a Google Cloud Storage Bucket:You can do this directly in the Google Cloud Console: Choose an existing bucket or create a new one Upload your example.html file  3. Make the File Public (for testing or sharing):Once uploaded: Click the bucket Go to the Permissions tab Click “Add principal” Add AllUsers as principal Apply the Environment and Storage Object Viewer role Save Important to note here is that this will make the dynamic HTML available to anyone. For sensitive data, a more secure solution should be used. You can for example host the dynamic HTML on an internal server only accessible thr

Do you have a timeseries connection to an Aveva PI historian? Are you connecting to the PI data archive using TrendMiner’s ‘PI data archive (PI AF SDK)’ provider?If that case it could be worth checking if you have connection pooling enabled.  What is connection pooling?When connection pooling is disabled, each TrendMiner data request will create a new connection to the historian. When the data is received the connection is closed again. When connection pooling is enabled a connection will be set up and multiple requests will be sent over that same connection. Why should I enabled connection pooling?Setting up a new connection causes some overhead, and hence delay in the data responses. Since TrendMiner does a lot of data requests (up to 5k requests per minute or more) the overhead of setting up this connection can be significant. Enabling connection pooling reduces this overhead significantly and therefor can lead to high performance improvements in fetching tag data (used for indexing

Trying to assign more than 8 vCPUs to your TrendMiner virtual appliance on ESXi and running into a hard limit? You’re not alone—this usually comes down to a few ESXi-specific settings and limitations. Here are the main reasons you might be hitting that cap: ESXi Licensing LimitsIf you’re using the free version of VMware ESXi (vSphere Hypervisor), you’re limited to 8 vCPUs per VM. Upgrading to a paid vSphere license (e.g., Standard or Enterprise Plus) is required to go beyond this limit. VM Hardware CompatibilityThe virtual hardware version of your VM can also restrict the maximum number of vCPUs. Ensure that your VM is configured to use hardware compatibility version 7 or later.You can do this by editing the VM settings or right-clicking the VM and selecting:“Compatibility > Synchronize hardware compatibility with host”More details are available in the VMware documentation. Host CPU CapacityLastly, your physical host must have enough logical cores available. ESXi won’t allow you to

Hey Admins,We’ve got a question for you:Will you be joining us (and the support team!) at TrendLab 2025?🗓 We’re hosting two TrendLab events, so you can pick the one that suits you best: TrendLab Europe: 📍 Cologne, Germany 📅 Day 1: 30th September – hands-on admin training TrendLab Americas: 📍 Houston, USA 📅 Day 1: 8th October – hands-on admin training Both events are the perfect opportunity to level up your admin skills, explore best practices, and get direct answers from our experts. Live and in person.🎟 Early Bird alert:Book before 31 July to enjoy 25% off.👉 Europe: Grab your Early Bird tickets👉 Americas: Grab your Early Bird ticketsWant to see the full program or find more details?📚 Check it out on the TrendMiner Community.We hope to see you there, because nothing beats meeting our awesome admins face-to-face.Cheers,The TrendMiner Team

Ensuring your datasources are consistently available and performing optimally is key to maintaining a healthy TrendMiner environment. Fortunately, the Connector API provides several endpoints that can help automate health monitoring for your datasources. Below, we explain how you can leverage these API calls to detect connection issues and performance degradation — even with a simple script. Accessing connector API:https://documentation.trendminer.com/en/using-the-connector-api.html Checking if Datasources Are AvailableTo determine if a datasource is down (showing red status in the UI), use the following two-step process: Retrieve all datasource IDs Call: GET /database This returns a list of configured datasources with their IDs. Test each datasource connection For each ID from step 1, call:GET /database/{id}/test This will return whether the datasource is currently healthy or not (basic connectivity check). You can automate this process with a script that runs these calls regularly

Are you a TrendMiner admin and did you receive an email with subject "TrendMiner restart required" containing the following message, then this post might interest you:Dear administrator,The internal cluster certificates of your TrendMiner installation are about to expire within 90 days.Please reboot TrendMiner to refresh the certificates.Kind regards,TrendMiner Why did you get this email?The TrendMiner appliance internally uses certificates to secure the communication between the different microservices. Similar to regular TLS certificates which you upload to secure the communication between the users’ computers and the TrendMiner server, these internal certificates also expire after a while and need to be renewed.In contrast to the TLS certificates which secure client-server traffic and which need to be renewed by the TrendMiner server admin explicitly, the internal cluster certificates are renewed automatically by the server when the server is rebooted.If you received the above email

We need your feedback to make sure our future direction fits the needs and preferences of our customers regarding deployment models, release process, security, and monitoring tooling.What to Expect?The survey covers current deployment models, release update strategies, and security/monitoring tooling. Some sections explore future possibilities like Kubernetes-based deployments, the usage of Cloud Services like EKS or AKS, and the potential evolution of the Virtual Appliance.Target audience:System Administrators & Technical StakeholdersThe survey is mostly multiple choice and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.Thank you for your time and valuable input!Direct link: https://forms.office.com/e/cNsTs9BcLt

TrendMiner’s security features, such as mandatory SSL setup and NTP server configuration, ensure secure sessions. However, if there’s a time mismatch between your local machine and the TrendMiner server, it can lead to unexpected logouts. If you're logged out immediately after logging in, it is typically related to an issue with the SSL configuration.Troubleshooting Steps: Are you logged out immediately after logging in? Check SSL: Ensure SSL is enabled and the certificate is valid. An incorrect SSL setup can cause immediate logouts. Does it take at least a few seconds before you're logged out? Verify NTP Server Configuration: TrendMiner relies on an NTP server to synchronize time. If it’s not configured, time discrepancies may occur. An NTP server can be configured in Edge manager. Check Local Machine Time: Make sure your local machine’s time matches the NTP server. You can verify this by comparing it to public time sites like time.is. if the issue persists, please contact your Tr

The TrendMiner server needs 2 volumes: a root volume (/root) and a data volume (/mnt/data). TrendMiner data (saved work, tag indexes) are all stored on the data volume. When your usage increases your data volume can run full and will need extension. On a single node deployment you can simply increase the volume in the console.On a virtual appliance deployment console access is not available and you need to add a second disk in your hypervisor. For TrendMiner to recognize the additional disk you need to click the ‘extend disk’ button which you can find in Edge Manager diagnostics. Important note: once a disk is extended it is not possible to claim back the disk space! More details and info on this disk extension procedure can also be found in our documentation: https://documentation.trendminer.com/en/disk-space-extension.html 

TrendMiner's monitoring functionality empowers users to create alerts for critical process behaviours. This enables engineers to receive immediate notifications of events that match specific parameters or deviate from expected patterns. (See real-world examples on how to be compliant with ISA 18.2 standards from Bayer and a helpful Tip&Trick to detect short duration events). Learn more about setting up monitors in our user guide.While TrendMiner's default setting allows for 10 active monitors per user, we understand that your needs may exceed this limit. To ensure you can fully leverage TrendMiner's capabilities, we offer the option to increase your active monitor capacity. ↗️By expanding your monitor limit, you can gain even greater control over your processes, proactively identify potential issues, and optimise your operations. Don't let limitations hold you back from maximising the value TrendMiner brings to your company‼️Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) today to disc