Many installations of OPC servers are Classic OPC Servers until today. It is the successor of the old OPC standard, which is called OPC Classic. The current standard of the OPC specification is OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture). A popular test client is the Test-Client from Unified Automation. In operational use it is very important to test the function of the data source “OPC” via an independent application and thus abstract it from higher-level applications. The existing data points can be searched, connected and the current values can be viewed in a very short time. There are many free OPC test clients on the market, with which the function and configuration of a server can be tested very easily and clearly. The OPC Router with its OPC UA Client Plug-in is also a client with a gateway function. Common applications are visualization and SCADA systems (WinCC, InTouch, FAS inMOVE) or MES systems. What happens to the data in the client is very application-specific. Typical OPC clients are applications that depend on data exchange with industrial systems. Since the OPC Servers implement the predefined interfaces of the OPC standard, each client can access any OPC Server and exchange data with the server in the same way. The OPC Server can be connected to the OPC Client and read out the data provided by the Server. The OPC Client is the logical counterpart to the OPC Server. The OPC Router can also use the OPC UA Server Plug-in to provide data as an OPC server. Manufacturers of independent OPC Servers include Kepware (over 150 drivers available), Softing, INAT and Matrikon. In addition, the manufacturers of independent OPC servers offer more functions, in some cases more simple operation and better stability. This way, it is possible to provide OPC communication even to those systems for which the manufacturer does not offer an OPC server of its own. These servers differ by a broader support of communication protocols. In addition to OPC Servers from the manufacturers themselves, there are providers who develop independent OPC Servers. The OPC Server from the manufacturer can be supplied as stand-alone software or as an embedded OPC Server on the device or the machine controller. The basic idea of OPC is that the manufacturer of the hardware provides an OPC Server for his system and therefore allows standardized access. OPC Servers are provided by different parties. Inside, the proprietary communication protocol for controlling the manufacturer is implemented. It is a software that implements the OPC standard and thus provides the standardized OPC interfaces to the outside world. The OPC Server is the basis of OPC communication.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |