---
title: "Counters"
slug: "counters"
updated: 2024-01-31T12:25:35Z
published: 2024-01-31T12:25:35Z
canonical: "kb.dataparc.com/counters"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.dataparc.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Counters

Upon launch, PARCnet Watch will open to the **Counters** tab. To find devices on the network, click **Find Nodes**. It may take some time for this list to populate depending on how many nodes are in the network. After this is populated, select a node from the drop-down menu. The node name or IP address of the target system can also be manually specified.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image013_016.jpg)

Select a Node and click **Browse** to display a list of Counters.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image015_014.jpg)

Add a counter by selecting the counter and clicking the ![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image017_017.jpg) button. To remove a counter, select the counter and click the ![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image019_018.jpg) button.

When a general list of counters is complete, it can be saved as a template. This saves time later because the templates can be used to bring across lists of tags from other nodes in fewer steps. To create a template, gather a list and click **Create Template.**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image021_020.jpg)

This will open the **Save Counter Template** window.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image023_018.jpg)

Choose the **Save to Database** radio button to save the list to the ctc_config database, or **Save to Disk** to save a template file to the hard drive. To begin pulling in values for the list of tags, click **Start Monitor Counters** in the main PARCnet Watch console window. Values will appear under the **Current Value** column.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image025_013.jpg)

If a tag turns red, PARCnet Watch has not yet received a value for the tag. The **Sample Time** & **Total Reads** display how often the values actually receive an update. The **Sample Rate** is how often the tags will actually be given a current value, which can be specified.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image027_015.jpg)

The nodes tags must now be saved to the database. Convert the nodes to tags by clicking **Configure DataPARC Tags** in the File ribbon to open the Configure DataPARC Tags window.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image029_012.jpg)

Select the source from the **Counter Source** drop-down menu. The list of nodes will appear with an “Add” option in the **Action** column if the tags do not yet exist.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/59db2ca4-e512-446a-a143-a7c626447812/Images/Documentation/image031_002.png)

Edit the tag information if desired before saving by clicking on one of the cells. The following properties can be edited: Name, Units, Plot Min, Plot Max, and Description. Click **Save Counter Tags**. A tag icon will appear next to each of the nodes in the PARCnet Watch Console, indicating the node has been added as a tag. Save the tags to the disk or the database in the File ribbon. Restart PARChistory to begin historizing the new tags.