The I/O Spare Management dialog lets authorized users reserve a spare I/O channel for a named project, record the responsible engineer, capture the planned future tag name and its engineering description, set an optional deadline, and add a free-text note. All changes are written immediately to IOSparesDb.ModuleIO and are visible to every other user as soon as they next open or refresh the dialog.
2. Click a module slot in the rack panel to select it and display its channels.
3. Click a channel row in the I/O Channel panel. The I/O Spare Management dialog opens for that channel.
Note The dialog can be opened for any channel, not just spare channels. When the channel already has a reservation, the current status and owner are shown in the Current Status section.
Dialog Layout
Channel Identity (read-only)
The top section displays fixed information about the selected channel:
Field
Description
Module Tag
The engineering tag of the I/O module (e.g. C300_01_IOP01_S03).
Type
The IOP hardware type (e.g. FTA-16AI).
Channel #
Zero-based channel number within the module.
Channel Tag
The Experion parameter tag assigned to this channel, if any.
Controller
The parent controller ID.
IoLink
The I/O Link identifier for the rack containing this module.
Current Status (read-only)
Shows the live reservation state loaded from IOSparesDb:
Display name of the engineer who created the reservation.
On
Date the reservation was created or last modified.
Edit Reservation
The editable fields are enabled only when the current user has permission to modify the reservation. If the fields are grayed out, hover over the Save button to see an explanatory tooltip describing which role is required. See Roles and Access Control.
Three fields are required before a reservation can be saved
The Save button remains disabled until each of the following fields contains a non-blank value:
Project - the project this spare channel is being reserved for.
New Tag Name - the future Experion tag name that will be assigned to this channel when the project is implemented.
New Description - the engineering description for that future tag.
Hovering over the disabled Save button displays a tooltip that identifies exactly which required field is still missing, so you can complete it without guessing.
Field
Required to Save
Description
Project
Yes
The project name this channel is being reserved for. Select an existing project name from the dropdown list or type a new name directly. All project names already in IOSparesDb are offered as auto-complete suggestions.
Owner
No
The display name of the engineer responsible for this reservation. Defaults to the current user's display name but can be changed.
Undo by
No
An optional target date by which the reservation should be reviewed, released, or confirmed. When this date elapses without the reservation being manually cleared, the Reconcile pass will mark the record as Stale. Leave blank if no deadline applies.
Note
No
Free-text field for any additional context - project number, work order reference, reason for reservation, or escalation contact. Accepts multiple lines.
New Tag Name
Yes
The future Experion tag name that will be assigned to this I/O channel when the project is implemented (e.g. 21TIC-101A). This value is stored in the reservation record and is visible in:
The channel row tooltip in the I/O Channel panel, inside the reservation section that appears whenever a reservation exists.
The I/O Hardware Excel export - present in both the Hardware View workbook and the Whole Plant / Plant Unit workbooks as the New Tag Name column.
The Save button remains disabled until this field contains a non-blank value.
New Description
Yes
The engineering description for the future tag name (e.g. Reactor Feed Temperature Controller A). Stored alongside New Tag Name in the reservation record and included in both the channel row tooltip and the I/O Hardware Excel export as the New Description column. The Save button remains disabled until this field contains a non-blank value.
Writes all reservation fields to IOSparesDb and sets the status to Reserved. Project, New Tag Name, and New Description must all be non-blank before this button is enabled.
Removes all reservation fields and sets the status back to Available. This button is only visible when the channel has an existing reservation and the current user has permission to clear it. A cleared reservation cannot be undone - a new reservation must be created if needed.
Warning - Clear is permanent Clearing a reservation removes it from the active record. The action cannot be undone from within the application. Use Clear only when the channel is genuinely being returned to the spare pool.
Stale Banner
When a channel's reservation record is marked Stale (its undo date has passed or a reconciliation discrepancy was found), a prominent amber banner is displayed at the top of the dialog. The banner includes a Clear Stale Flag button that a SuperAdmin can use to return the record to Available status after reviewing the situation.
Tip Use the Stale Reservation Report to find and review all stale records across the plant without having to open each channel individually.
