A method and sum alarm server are disclosed, which generate a sum alarm for alarms of a process control system for an industrial plant. The method includes identifying alarms described by a configuration description for the industrial plant; assigning each identified alarm to a plant level; assigning each identified alarm to an alarm category based on an alarm type retrieved from the configuration description; and deriving a sum alarm per alarm category and at a selected plant level from all alarms assigned to the alarm category and assigned to the selected plant level or to any plant level below.