Technical Document

NiagaraAX-3.x Opc Guide

August 17, 2010

NiagaraAX Opc Guide

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 CONTENTS

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Document Change Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Opc Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1

Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1
OPC Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1
NiagaraAX platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1
OPC network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1
Supported OPC data types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1
NiagaraAX OPC driver installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2
Client DCOM Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2
Server DCOM Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2
Configure OPCEnum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2
Configure the OPC server application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–3

Opc Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1

Configure the OpcNetwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
Add an OpcNetwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
To add an OpcNetwork in the station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
Discover and add OpcDaClients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
To discover and add OpcDaClients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
Create Opc proxy points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2
Using online Discover to add Opc proxy points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2
To discover OPC folders and data items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2
To add discovered OPC data items as Opc proxy points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2
Manually adding Opc proxy points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2

Niagara Opc Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–1

OPC terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–1
About Opc Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–1
About the Opc Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–2
Opc Network status notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–3
Opc Network monitor notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–3
Opc Network tuning policy notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–3
Opc Network views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–3
Opc Device Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–3
Opc Device Manager usage notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–4
About the OpcDaClient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–4
OpcDaClient properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–5
OpcPollScheduler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–7
OpcPointDeviceExt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–7
Opc Point Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–8

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 Contents
August 17, 2010

Opc Point Manager usage notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–8

Opc proxy point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–10
Opc point types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3–10
Opc Proxy Ext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3–10

Opc Plugin Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–1

Opc Plugin Guides Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–1
opc-OpcDeviceManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–1
opc-OpcPointManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–2

Opc Component Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1

Opc Component Reference Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
opc-OpcDaClient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
opc-OpcDeviceFolder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
opc-OpcNetwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
opc-OpcPointDeviceExt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
opc-OpcPointFolder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–1
opc-OpcPollScheduler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–2
opc-OpcProxyExt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–2
opc-OpcTuningPolicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–2
opc-OpcTuningPolicyMap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–2

Windows Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A–1

Launching DCOMCNFG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A–1
Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A–1
Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A–1
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and later) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A–1
Windows Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A–1
DCOM Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A–1

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 PREFACE

Preface
This documents usage of the OPC Data Access client driver for the NiagaraAX platform.

Document Change Log

Updates (changes/additions) to this NiagaraAX Opc Guide document are listed below.
• Updated: August 17, 2010
Minor typo correction in “Windows Tasks” appendix, where command to launch DCOMCNFG was
corrected. A note about Windows in that appendix was also added. Added new legal text in flyleaf.
• Updated: February 18, 2008
More details in DCOMCNFG procedures for Windows XP given in the “Windows Tasks” appendix.
Converted document to “new look” print format. Changed document to reference the NiagaraAX
Drivers Guide, a new document created from sections formerly in the NiagaraAX User Guide.
• Revised: September 12, 2006
Reworked as a “single-source” document, replacing the previous docOpc in NiagaraAX Help and the
PDF-only NiagaraAX Opc User Guide. Includes more details throughout, as well as various screen-
caps in the “Niagara Opc Concepts” section.
• Revised: July 14, 2006
Added Read Delay and Write Delay properties to OpcPointDeviceExt.
• Revised: May 12, 2006
Fixed step numbering problem in section “Configure the OPC Server Application”.
• Publication: June 14, 2005
Initial publication as 11 page PDF-only document.

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Document Change Log Preface
August 17, 2010

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 CHAPTER 1
Opc Setup
See the following sections about setup for the NiagaraAX OPC driver:
• Compatibility
• NiagaraAX OPC driver installation
• Client DCOM Configuration
• Server DCOM Configuration

Compatibility
NiagaraAX OPC driver compatibility encompasses the following:
• OPC Specifications
• NiagaraAX platform
• OPC network
• Supported OPC data types

OPC Specifications
The OPC Data Access Client (driver) is compatible with servers implementing OPC Data Access Speci-
fications 1.x - 2.x. Other specifications such as Alarms & Events are not supported.

NiagaraAX platform
The OPC Data Access Client software functions only on Windows operating systems, starting with
Window 2000 Service Pack 3 and beyond. This means the station must run on a Win-32 based platform,
such as a JACE-NXS or -NX, AX SoftJACE, or a PC especially licensed for the OPC driver.
Note: The OPC driver is not supported in any QNX-based platform, such as any JACE-2/6, -4, or -5 series
controller.
Also, starting in AX-3.4, NiagaraAX support for Windows 2000 was dropped.

OPC network
Although not necessary, it is highly recommended that both OPC client (NiagaraAX platform) and OPC
server machines be on a domain, and it be the same domain for both.

Supported OPC data types

Table 1-1 lists the OPC data types that can be modeled as points by this driver, including the “label” for
that data type shown in some Workbench dialogs. Some data types such as currency are unsupported,
but can be manually created as string objects (arrays cannot be supported this or any other way).

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NiagaraAX OPC driver installation Chapter 1 – Opc Setup
Configure OPCEnum August 17, 2010

Table 1-1 Supported OPC data types

OPC Item Type and value Data Type (WB) label OPC Item Type Description
VT_I2 = 2 Vt Int2 2-byte integer value
VT_I4 = 3 Vt Int4 4-byte integer value
VT_R4 = 4 Vt Real4 IEEE 4-byte real value
VT_R8 = 5 Vt Real8 IEEE 8-byte real value
VT_I1 = 16 Vt Signed Byte 1-byte character value
VT_UI1 = 17 Vt Unsigned Byte Unsigned 1-byte character
VT_UI2 = 18 Vt Uint2 Unsigned 2-byte integer value
VT_UI4 = 19 Vt Uint4 Unsigned 4-byte integer value
VT_INT = 22 Vt Int Integer value
VT_UINT = 23 Vt Uint Unsigned integer value
VT_BSTR = 8 Vt String String value
VT_BOOL = 11 Vt Boolean Unsigned 4-byte integer value

NiagaraAX OPC driver installation

From your PC, use the Niagara Workbench 3.n.nn installed with the “installation tool” option (checkbox
“This instance of Workbench will be used as an installation tool”). This option installs the needed distri-
bution files (.dist files) for commissioning various models of remote JACE platforms. The dist files are
located in various revision-named subfolders under the “sw” folder.
Apart from installing the 3.n.nn version of the Niagara distribution file in the JACE-NXS or -NX, make
sure to install the opc module too (if not already present, or upgrade if an older revision). For more
details, see “About the Commissioning Wizard” in the JACE-NXS NiagaraAX Install and Startup Guide.
Additional DCOM configuration may be necessary on both the OPC client (Niagara) side and the OPC
application server side, as described in the next two sections. See “Client DCOM Configuration” and
“Server DCOM Configuration”.
Note: Following this, the station is ready for OPC software integration, as described in other main sections of this
document. Procedures for using the Opc driver, including online discovery of OPC folders and data items
(and their addition to your Niagara station), is in the next main section. See “Opc Quick Start” on page 2-1.

Client DCOM Configuration

If the client operating system is Windows XP Service Pack 2 (such as with a JACE-NXS), see the
Appendix A section, “Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and later)” on page A-1. Otherwise, no other DCOM
configuration is required on the client.

Server DCOM Configuration

The following two sections discuss DCOM configuration on the OPC server machine. If the server
operating system is Windows XP Service Pack 2, also see “Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and later)” on
page A-1.
• Configure OPCEnum
• Configure the OPC server application

Configure OPCEnum
OPCEnum is software provided by the OPC Foundation and is used to discover OPC servers in the host
on which it is installed. If the OPC server machine does not have OPCEnum installed, the “Class ID” of
the OPC server application will be required for a remote client, or the “Program ID” will be required for
a local client (consult your OPC server documentation to obtain these).
On the OPC server, perform the following procedure:
Step 1 Launch DCOMCONFG (see Appendix A, “Launching DCOMCNFG” on page A-1).
Step 2 Find OPCEnum and go to its properties.

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Chapter 1 – Opc Setup Server DCOM Configuration
August 17, 2010 Configure the OPC server application

• Windows 2000: select the Applications tab.

• Windows XP: Expand My Computer, then DCOM Config. OpcEnum is located under DCOM
Config.
Step 3 General tab: Set the “Authentication level” to None.
Step 4 Security tab: Do the following:
1. Choose “Use custom access permissions” and make sure the following users are in the list with all
permissions allowed:
• ANONYMOUS LOGON (if possible)
• Everyone
• INTERACTIVE
• NETWORK
• SYSTEM
2. Choose “Use custom launch permissions,” and make sure that the same users are in the list as for
access permissions (as above).
Step 5 Indentity tab: Select the following:
• “The System Account,” if possible.
• If the client and server are on the same domain, select the “The interactive user.”
Otherwise, select “This user,” and enter the credentials of a user valid on the OPC server host.

Configure the OPC server application

The following procedure describe how to configure the OPC server application for anonymous connec-
tions:
Step 1 Launch DCOMCONFG (see Appendix A, “Launching DCOMCNFG” on page A-1).
Step 2 Find the OPC Server application, and go to its properties.
• Windows 2000: select from the list in the Applications tab.
• Windows XP: Expand My Computer, then DCOM Config. OpcEnum is located under DCOM
Config.
Step 3 General tab: Set the “Authentication level” to None.
Step 4 Security tab: Do the following:
1. Choose “Use custom access permissions” and make sure the following users are in the list with all
permissions allowed:
• ANONYMOUS LOGON (if possible)
• Everyone
• INTERACTIVE
• NETWORK
• SYSTEM
2. Choose “Use custom launch permissions,” and make sure that the same users are in the list as for
access permissions (as above).
Step 5 Indentity tab: Select the following:
• “The System Account,” if possible.
• If the client and server are on the same domain, select the “The interactive user.”
Otherwise, select “This user,” and enter the credentials of a user valid on the OPC server host.

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Server DCOM Configuration Chapter 1 – Opc Setup
Configure the OPC server application August 17, 2010

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 CHAPTER 2
Opc Quick Start
This section provides a collection of procedures to use the Opc driver to make Opc proxy points, the
station interface to OPC data items. As with other NiagaraAX drivers, you can do most configuration
from special “manager” views and property sheets using Workbench. These are the main subsections:
• Configure the OpcNetwork
• Create Opc proxy points

Configure the OpcNetwork

To add and configure the OpcNetwork, perform the following main tasks:
• Add an OpcNetwork
• Discover and add OpcDaClients

Add an OpcNetwork
Use the following procedure to add an OpcNetwork under the station’s Drivers container.

To add an OpcNetwork in the station

Step 1 Double-click the station’s Drivers container, to bring up the Driver Manager.
Step 2 Click the New button to bring up the New DeviceNetwork dialog. For more details, see “Driver Manager
New and Edit” in the Drivers Guide.
Step 3 Select “OpcNetwork,” number to add: 1, and click OK.
This brings up a dialog to name the network.
Step 4 Click OK to add the OpcNetwork to the station.
You should have an OpcNetwork named “OpcNetwork” (or whatever you named it), under your Drivers
folder.

Discover and add OpcDaClients

The OpcDaClient is the “device-level” component. Each OpcDaClient represents the client (Niagara)
connection to one OPC server. For details, see “About the OpcDaClient” on page 3-4.

To discover and add OpcDaClients

Step 1 Double-click the OpcNetwork, or:
right-click the OpcNetwork and select Views > Opc Device Manager.
This brings up the Opc Device Manager.
Step 2 Click the Discover button .
A popup Address dialog appears, defaulting to “localhost.”
Step 3 Type in the IP address for the OPC server you wish to integrate with, and click OK.
This launches an Opc Device Discovery job.
A progress bar appears at the top of the view, and updates as the discovery occurs.
Step 4 When the job completes, any discovered OPC server is listed in the top pane of the view, in the
“Discovered” table (Figure 3-3). The bottom pane, labeled “Database,” is a table of OpcDaClients that are
currently mapped into the Niagara station—initially, this table will be empty.
Step 5 Double-click the discovered OPC server (or click it, then click the Add button ).
The Add dialog appears, in which you can typically accept all defaults (see Figure 3-4 on page 4).

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Step 6 Click OK to add the OpcDaClient component to your station.

See the next section: “Create Opc proxy points”.

Create Opc proxy points

As with device objects in other drivers, each OpcDaClient has a Points extension that serves as the
container for proxy points. The default view for any Points extension is the Point Manager (and in this
case, the Opc Point Manager). You use it to create Opc proxy points under any OpcDaClient.
This section provides quick start procedures for both tasks, as follows:
• Using online Discover to add Opc proxy points
• Manually adding Opc proxy points
Note: For general information, see “About the Point Manager” in the Drivers Guide.

Using online Discover to add Opc proxy points

This is the recommended way to accurately add Opc proxy points under an OpcDaClient. Use the
following procedures:
• To discover OPC folders and data items
• To add discovered OPC data items as Opc proxy points

To discover OPC folders and data items

Step 1 In the Opc Device Manager, in the Exts column, double-click the Points icon in the row
representing the OpcDaClient you wish to explore.
This brings up its Opc Point Manager.
Step 2 Click the Discover button to learn the OPC folders and data items that are available.
When the discovery job completes, discovered items are listed in the top pane of the view, in an
expandable tree in the “Discovered” table. Depending on the structure of the OPC server, each folder is
a container for either/both more (subordinate) OPC folders, or perhaps OPC data items.
See “Discovered pane notes” on page 3-8 for additional details.
Note: You are not required to “mirror” the group structure of the OPC server in the OpcNetwork—use of
OpcPointFolders is an organizational utility, and is optional.
Step 3 To add Opc proxy points, see “To add discovered OPC data items as Opc proxy points”.

To add discovered OPC data items as Opc proxy points

Perform this task to add Opc proxy points.
Step 1 Select the OPC data items in the Database pane of the Opc Point Manager.
Step 2 You can map selected points in the station in different ways:
• Drag from the Discovered pane to Database pane (brings up an Add dialog).
• Double-click an item in the Discovered pane (also brings up an Add dialog).
This works the same as in other driver’s Point Manager views.
Step 3 When the Add dialog appears, you can optionally edit a number of fields for each OPC data item.
The following brief summaries explain a few Add dialog fields:
• Name is the Opc proxy point name—you can change this if needed.
• Type is the Opc “type,” which defaults either to a read-only point (NumericPoint, BooleanPoint,
StringPoint) or writable point (NumericWritable, BooleanWritable, StringWritable), depending on
the type and mode of data.
Note: Unlike other entries in the Add dialog, you cannot edit the point’s Type later.
• Id is the learned data item’s full hierarchical address, including folders.
For complete details on all fields, see “Add and Edit dialog fields” on page 3-9.
Step 4 When you have Opc proxy point(s) configured properly for your usage, click OK.
The proxy points ares added to the station, and appear listed in the Database pane.
For more details, see “Opc proxy point” on page 3-10.

Manually adding Opc proxy points

You can manually add Opc proxy points, using the New button in the Opc Point Manager, or by dragging
from the opc palette. However, this method is generally not recommended.

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Niagara Opc Concepts
This section provides conceptual details on the OPC driver and its components, including views. These
are the main subsections:
• OPC terms
• About Opc Architecture
• About the Opc Network
• Opc Device Manager
• About the OpcDaClient
• Opc Point Manager
• Opc proxy point

OPC terms
The following list of terms and abbreviations is specific to OPC usage in NiagaraAX, and covers entries
used in this document. For the definitive collection of terms found in OPC publications, refer to the OPC
Foundation, at http://www.opcfoundation.org.
Note: For general NiagaraAX terms, see the Glossary in the User Guide.
Asynchronous vs. Synchronous IO Asynchronous Input / Output (that is, communications) in the
OPC context means server-initiated change messages sent to the client. Asynchronous (or async) IO is
the most efficient and scalable integration option, because the client does not have to poll for changes of
value (synchronous)—the server simply sends change-of-value messages as they occur.
COM and DCOM Most OPC specifications are embodied as COM interfaces. COM is Microsoft’s
Common Object Model technology. DCOM is distributed COM, where objects in remote processes ap-
pear to be local objects.
OPC Data Access There are several OPC specifications. The OPC Data Access specification provides
the baseline functionality for reading and writing data from various networked devices via a standard set
of interfaces.
OPC Group An OPC Group is an object that an OPC server uses to manage a collection of items. OPC
Group objects are created by OPC clients who specify what server items belong in the group. Client
grouping does not have to match the organization of the data on the server.
OPC Item OPC refers to individual data points as items.

About Opc Architecture

Essentially, Opc uses the standard NiagaraAX network architecture. Opc components are the station
interface to OPC data items in one or more OPC servers. See “About Network architecture” in the Drivers
Guide for more details. For example, real-time data is modeled using Opc proxy points, which reside
under an OpcDaClient “device”, which in turn resides under an OpcNetwork container in the station’s
DriverContainer (Drivers).
Hierarchically, the component architecture is: network, device, points extension, points (Figure 3-1).

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Figure 3-1 Opc driver architecture

Unlike some other drivers, Points is the only “device extension” under an OpcDaClient.
Note: You use “Manager” views of Opc container components to add all Opc components to your station,
including Opc proxy points. In these views, the Opc driver provides online “discovery” of available data
items (Learn Mode), which greatly simplifies engineering.

About the Opc Network

The OpcNetwork is the top-level container component for “everything OPC” in a station.
Note: Only one OpcNetwork component is valid in a station—regardless of how many OPC servers the station
will make client connections to.
The OpcNetwork should reside in the station’s DriverContainer (“Drivers”). The simplest way to add an
OpcNetwork is from the “Driver Manager” view, using the New command. Or, you can simply copy the
OpcNetwork from the opc palette into Drivers.

Figure 3-2 OpcNetwork in DriverContainer

Note: The JACE-NXS or JACE-NX platform must have the Opc module installed. Otherwise, an error occurs
explaining that the Opc module is missing. If this occurs, install the opc module in that platform and
repeat the operation.
The OpcNetwork component has the typical collection of slots and properties as most other network
components. For details, See “Common network components” in the Drivers Guide. One exception is the
location of poll components (Poll Scheduler), which is not at the network-level, but under each OpcDa-
Client (device-level) component.
In addition, the following OpcNetwork property has special importance:
• Thread Pool
Controls the number of threads used to execute all actions of all OPC objects in the network. This
includes most communications with remote devices, which can be multi-threaded. In this case, if
there are performance issues, you can increase the number of threads.

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The following sections provide additional OpcNetwork details:

• Opc Network status notes
• Opc Network monitor notes
• Opc Network tuning policy notes
• Opc Network views

Opc Network status notes

As with most “fieldbus” drivers, the status of an OpcNetwork is either the normal “ok” or less typical
“fault” (fault might result from licensing error). The Health slot contains historical timestamp properties
that record the last network status transitions from ok to any other status. The “Fault Cause” property
further explains any fault status.
Note: As in other driver networks, the OpcNetwork has an available “Alarm Source Info” container slot you can
use to differentiate OpcNetwork alarms from other component alarms in the station. See “About network
Alarm Source Info” in the Drivers Guide for more details.

Opc Network monitor notes

The OpcNetwork’s monitor routine verifies child OpcDaClient component(s)—the “pingable” device in
the Opc driver. For general information, see “About Monitor” in the Drivers Guide.

Opc Network tuning policy notes

The OpcNetwork has the typical network-level Tuning Policy Map slot with a single default Tuning
Policy, as described in “About Tuning Policies” in the Drivers Guide. By default, only a single OpcTuning-
Policy exists, however, you can add new tuning policies (duplicate and modify) as needed.

Opc Network views

The OpcNetwork’s default view is the Opc Device Manager, equivalent to the Device Manager in
most other drivers. You use this view to discover and add OpcDaClient components to the station. For
details, see “Opc Device Manager” on page 3-3.
Other standard views are also available on the OpcNetwork. However, apart from the Opc Device
Manager, you typically access only its property sheet.

Opc Device Manager

As the default OpcNetwork view, the Opc Device Manager provides an online “Learn Mode” to find OPC
server(s) on a specified host. This lets you add one or more “device-level” OpcDaClient components to
the station database (Figure 3-3). For general information, see “About the Device Manager” in the Drivers
Guide.

Figure 3-3 Adding OpcDaClient discovered using Opc Device Manager

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Figure 3-4 Add dialog for OpcDaClient

After adding a discovered OPC server, you use the Opc Point Manager view of the Points container
(under its OpcDaClient component) to add Opc proxy points—one for each OPC data item of interest.
• Opc Device Manager usage notes

Opc Device Manager usage notes

Unlike with some other drivers, a device discover job is not network-wide—each time you must enter the
IP address or hostname of the target OPC server (Figure 3-3), which defaults to “localhost.” If you have
multiple OPC server hosts, you will need to run that many Opc Device Discover jobs.

Figure 3-5 Discover in Opc Device Manager is directed to one host

Additional usage notes about the Opc Device Manager include:

• Offline engineering is possible (using New), but is not typically used.
• Typically you do not change any defaults in the Add dialog (Figure 3-4) when adding an OpcDaCli-
ent, unless the OPC server does not have OPCEnum installed. In this case, you must enter the Class
Id (CLSID) of the server, and possibly other Config properties in the OpcDaClient’s property sheet.

About the OpcDaClient

The OpcDaClient represents the client connection to any version of OPC Data Access server. As the
“device-level” component in the Opc driver architecture, it is similar to most driver’s device compo-
nents— see “Common device components” in the Drivers Guide for general information.
The following main sections provide more details on the OpcDaClient:
• OpcDaClient properties
• OpcPointDeviceExt (Points container)

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OpcDaClient properties
Figure 3-6 shows the property sheet for an example OpcDaClient.

Figure 3-6 OpcDaClient property sheet

As shown in the figure above, OpcDaClient properties can be categorized into three groups:
• Device status properties (typical)
• Config properties
• Status properties
Device status properties
An OpcDaClient has typical device-level status properties (see “Device status properties” in the Drivers
Guide). The following notes apply:
• Status
Status of OpcNetwork communications to this OpcDaClient. Possible status flags include:
• ok - Normal communications, no other status flags.
• disabled - Enabled property is set to false, either directly or in OpcNetwork. While status is dis-
abled, all child Opc points have disabled status; OpcDaClient polling is suspended.
• fault - Typically a licensing issue, if seen.
• down - Error communicating to the OPC server. If status was previously ok (without changing
OpcDaClient configuration), this may mean the server host is now unreachable, or the server
program is not running.
• Enabled
Either true (default) or false. Can be set directly or in parent OpcNetwork. See Status disabled de-
scription above.
• Health
Contains properties including timestamps of last “ok” time and last “fail” time, plus a string property
describing last fail cause.
• Fault Cause
If status has fault, describes the cause.
Note: As in other driver networks, the OpcDaClient has an available “Alarm Source Info” container slot you can
use to differentiate OpcDaClient alarms from other component alarms in the station. See “Device Alarm
Source Info” in the Drivers Guide for more details.

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OpcDaClient Config properties

In addition to common status properties, each OpcDaClient has the following unique configuration
properties:
Note: These properties are included when you Add or Edit an OpcDaClient from the Opc Device Manager
(see Figure 3-4), in addition to being on its property sheet view (Figure 3-6).
• Address
This is the IP address or hostname of the OPC server.
• Class Id
This is the Windows class ID, or CLSID, of the OPC server instance. It is set automatically when the
server is discovered, and is only needed for remote servers.
Note: If the OPC server does not support discovery, you must manually enter its CLSID here.
• Description
(Informational only) On a learned OPC server, this is typically populated with descriptive text.
• Local
Set to True if the OPC server is on the local Niagara platform, or False if on a remote host.
• Use Version Independent Program Id
This is for local servers. Set to True to use the versions independent Program ID. It might be desired
to connect to an older version of the server, in which this case, set this to False.
• Program Id
Either this or the Version Independent Program Id are needed to connect to local servers.
• Version Independent Program Id
Either this or the Program Id are needed to connect to local servers.
• Poll Scheduler
See “OpcPollScheduler” on page 3-7.
OpcDaClient Status properties
In addition to device-level Config properties, each OpcDaClient has the following unique (read-only)
status properties about the OPC server and its Niagara client connection. These are visible from the
property sheet of the OpcDaClient (Figure 3-6).
• State
The current client state, as either: Attached, Attaching, Detached, or Detaching.
• Server State
From the Monitor (ping) result, provides the current server status as one of the following:
• Running — Server is running normally.
• Failed — A vendor-specific fatal error occurred within the server.
• No Configuration — Server is running, but has no configuration information loaded. Thus, it
cannot function normally.
• Suspended — Server has been temporarily suspended, and is not receiving or sending data.
• Test — Server is in test mode. Outputs are disconnected from the real hardware; but the server
otherwise behaves normally.
• Communications Failure — Server is running properly, but is having problems accessing data
from its sources. Expect data items affected by this to have individual fault status.
• Server Current Time
Ping result, as the current time of the server.
• Server Last Update Time
Ping result, the time the server thinks it sent the last data value update to this client.
• Server Start Time
Ping result, as time the server instance started.
• Server Group Count
Ping result, as total number of groups being managed by the server instance.
• Server Band Width
Ping result, the behavior of this field is server-specific. The suggested use is the approximate percent
of bandwidth currently in use by the server. Any value over 100% indicates the update rate is too
high. The server may also return a value of “0xFFFFFFFF” or 4294967295, if this value is unknown.
• Last Connect Time
The last time the client successfully connected to the server.
• Last Shutdown Request
The last time the server sent a shutdown request to the (Niagara) client.

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OpcPollScheduler
Each OpcDaClient has a Poll Scheduler container slot (OpcPollScheduler), with the standard
collection of properties, as described in “About poll components” in the Drivers Guide. Note the poll
scheduler is “device level” (each OpcDaClient), versus a single poll scheduler at the “network level.”
Note: Polling by the station is used only when asynchronous messaging is not in use—otherwise, the server sends
change-of-value messages for updates. See properties of the Points device extension (OpcPointDevi-
ceExt) for related details.

OpcPointDeviceExt
Each OpcDaClient has a Points device extension (OpcPointDeviceExt). Note that unlike some other
drivers, other device extensions such as Schedules, Histories, and Alarms are not used.
The Points extension represents one “OPC Group,” where all Opc proxy points contained in the tree
rooted by Points are members of this OPC Group. The primary interface to the Points extension is via its
default view, the Opc Point Manager.
However, the property sheet of the Points extension is significant too, as shown in Figure 3-7.

Figure 3-7 OpcPointDeviceExt property sheet

The following properties are unique or have special importance to the OpcPointDeviceExt:
• Read Delay
Amount of time after “device up” before the client creates a subscription and reads any values from
the server.
• Write Delay
Amount of time after “device up” before the client attempts to write any values to the server.
• Group Name
Name of the group to create on the server for all points contained under this OpcPointDeviceExt.
• Percent Deadband
Percentage of change in a (numeric) data item value that causes a server-initiated change-of-value
message to be sent to the client (Niagara). Note this applies only to numeric Opc proxy points.
• Update Rate
Client requested update rate in milliseconds, this specifies the fastest rate at which data changes may
be sent by the server. For very large integrations, this value may need to be increased. Also see the
“Server Band Width” property, one of the Status properties.
• Revised Update Rate
(Read only) The server-returned value for the update rate.
• Batch Limit
Specifies the maximum number of items that can be batched together into a single subscribe, unsub-
scribe, or synchronous read operation.
• Message / Message Time
(Read only) If anything is wrong, check here.

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• Server Handle
(Read only) The server-generated handle for this group.
• State
(Read only) Client group state, either Attached, Attaching, Detached, or Detaching.
• Enable Async Io
If true, asynchronous change-of-value messages from the server are enabled. Note that Async Io is
the most efficient and scalable way to integrate with an OPC server.
• Async Io
(Read only) Whether or not async messaging is being used; some OPC servers do not support it.
• Default Point Facets
Null, by default. If set to a non-null value, these facets are applied by the OpcPointManager to the
proxy extension device facets first—they would then be overridden by any facets coming from the
OPC server. These facets also affect the control point facets, since they are overridden by the proxy
extensions device facets.

Opc Point Manager

As the default view for the Points extension under an OpcDaClient, the Opc Point Manager provides an
online “Learn Mode” to find available data items. It operates similar to point manager views in other
drivers. For general information, see “About the Point Manager” in the Drivers Guide. As shown in
Figure 3-8, you use this view to discover and add corresponding Opc proxy points (for data items) and
Opc point folders (for organizing, if desired) to the station database.

Figure 3-8 Adding Opc proxy points discovered using Opc Point Manager

You are not required to mimic the organizational structure of the OPC server when adding data items
(Opc proxy points). For more details, see “Discovered pane notes” on page 3-8. For procedures, see
“Create Opc proxy points” on page 2-2.
For listings of the available columns in the Discovered and Database panes of the Opc Point Manager, see
“opc-OpcPointManager” on page 4-2.

Opc Point Manager usage notes

The following notes apply when using the Opc Point Manager:
• Discovered pane notes
• Add and Edit dialog fields
Discovered pane notes
When in “Learn Mode,” the Discovered (top) pane of the Opc Point Manager shows the discovered “OPC
Address Space” of the server. This is done in a tree fashion by showing the organization levels and child
data items differently, as shown in Figure 3-9.

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Figure 3-9 Discovered pane in Opc Point Manager shows OPC Address Space

• Folders of items are shown in gray rows as expandable folder icons with “learned” descriptors.
You can add these levels as OpcPointFolders, or simply expand to access child subfolders and/or
data items. Adding folders is optional—note that any data item added (as a proxy point) automati-
cally includes the server’s hierarchy for it (in its OpcProxyExt “Id” property).
• Data Items are shown in white rows with object icons , again with “learned” descriptors.
You can add these as Opc proxy points. If you double-click, or select and click the Add button, the
Add dialog appears. This lets you select the control point type before it is added to the station. See
the next section “Add and Edit dialog fields”.
Add and Edit dialog fields
When adding Opc proxy points for discovered data items, the following items are available in the Add (or
Edit) dialog (Figure 3-10):

Figure 3-10 Add dialog in Opc Point Manager

• Name
Name of the Opc proxy point, as learned from the discovery. Often left at default, unless there are
multiple points using this name (equivalent to right-click Rename, can be edited anytime).
• Type
The type of Opc proxy point to create (not editable after adding). A default type is pre-selected, based
upon discovered OPC “Data Type” and “Mode” (RO, RW) of the data item. If mode is writable (R/W),
the default is a writable point type, as either:
• NumericWritable
• BooleanWritable
• StringWritable
Otherwise if mode is RO, type selection is limited to read-only point types (NumericPoint, Boolean-
Point, or StringPoint).
• Id
The unique ID of the data item on the server, including its full hierarchical folder structure.

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• Conversion
The conversion type used between units in the proxy extension’s “Device Facets” and the units in the
parent point’s Facets. Typically, this left at “Default.”
• Tuning Policy Name
The assigned tuning policy for this proxy point, as configured in the OpcNetwork. See “Opc Net-
work tuning policy notes” on page 3-3.
• Opc Data Type
The Windows variant datatype of the OPC item. In most cases, the server provides this information.
See Table 1-1 on page 2 for related details.
• Facets
Facets for the Opc proxy point. Equivalent to accessing facets through the point’s property sheet
(and can be edited anytime). For more details, see “About point facets” in the User Guide.
• Device Facets
Facets for the OPC data item, as known in the server. Will contain OPC “properties” for the point
discovered by the Opc Point Manager. Typically, this value is left unchanged.
Note: Additional OpcProxyExt properties are available in its property sheet—see “Opc Proxy Ext” on page 3-10.

Opc proxy point

Opc proxy points are similar to other driver’s proxy points. You can (and often do) add alarm and history
extensions to them, and link them into other station logic as needed. For general information, see “About
proxy points” in the Drivers Guide.
The following sections explain further:
• Opc point types
• Opc Proxy Ext properties

Opc point types

As seen in the opc palette (Figure 3-11), there are 6 different Opc proxy point types: BooleanPoint,
BooleanWritable, NumericPoint, NumericWritable, StringPoint, and StringWritable.

Figure 3-11 Opc components as seen in the opc palette

These 6 types are simply a subset of the 8 basic control point types, minus the EnumPoint and
EnumWritable. Each point type has an Opc Proxy Ext (proxy extension).

Opc Proxy Ext

The OpcProxyExt has standard proxy extension properties such as Status and Enabled, among others (for
details, see “ProxyExt properties” in the Drivers Guide). Figure 3-12 shows the property sheet of an Opc
proxy point with its OpcProxyExt expanded.

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Figure 3-12 Common properties among Opc proxy extensions

The following properties of the Opc Proxy Ext are unique or have special importance—note that some
are also available in the Add or Edit dialog in the Opc Point Manager (see Figure 3-10):
• Device Facets
Will contain OPC “properties” for points discovered by the Opc Point Manager.
• Id
The ID of the point on the OPC server.
• Opc Data Type
Windows variant datatype of the OPC item. In most cases, the server provides this information.
• Opc Read Time
(read only) The server timestamp of the current value.
• Opc Quality
(read only) The server-supplied status of the value, as either:
• Good
• Bad
• Uncertain
• Opc Quality Subcode
(read only) The server-supplied status subcode (numeric subcodes indicate vendor information):
• Good
– Non-specific
– Local Override
• Bad
– Non-specific
– Configuration Error
– Not Connected
– Device Failure
– Last Known Value — Comm has failed, however the last known value is available.
– Comm Failure — No last known value.
– Out of Service
– Waiting for Initial Data
• Uncertain
– Non-specific
– Last Usable Value — Whatever was writing this value has stopped doing so.
– Sensor Not Accurate
– Engineering Units Exceeded
– Sub-Normal — The value is derived from multiple sources, and has less than the required
number of good sources.

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• Opc Limit
(read only) One of the following:
• Not Limited — The value is free to move up or down.
• Low Limited — The value has pegged at some lower limit.
• High Limited — The value has pegged at some upper limit.
• Constant — The value is a constant and cannot move.
• Server Handle
(read only) The server handle used to refer to this item. A handle of 0 means the item has not been
registered with the server.
• Tuning Policy Name
If the point is not being updated via asynchronous server callbacks, this controls the tuning policy,
and thus the poll frequency at which the point is synchronously polled.

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Opc Plugin Guides
Plugins provide views of components, and can be accessed many ways—for example, double-click a
component in the tree for its default view. In addition, you can right-click a component, and select from
its Views menu. For summary documentation on any view, select Help > On View (F1) from the
Workbench menu, or press F1 while the view is open.

Opc Plugin Guides Summary

Summary information is provided on views specific to components in the opc module, as follows:
• OpcDeviceManager
• OpcPointManager
opc-OpcDeviceManager
Use the Opc Device Manager to add, edit, and access OPC device components (OpcDaClients).
The Opc Device Manager is the default view of a OpcNetwork. As in other device managers, there is
a Discovered table (if in Learn mode) and a Database table. For additional details, see “Opc Device
Manager” on page 3-3.
Discovered table The Discovered table in the OpcDeviceManager view has the following available
columns:
• Name
Name of the OPC server application.
• Address
Hostname or IP address of the OPC server.
• Class Id
Windows class ID string, or CLSID, of the OPC server instance.
• Program Id
Text string of OPC Program Id for server, typically containing one or more periods.
• Version Independent Program Id
Text string of version-independent OPC Program Id for server, which may match the Program Id.
• Cat Id
OPC specification of the server, for example “OPC DA 2.0” for Data Access 2.0.
Database table The Database table in the OpcDeviceManager view has the following available
columns:
• Type
Niagara type of device component, where currently there is only OpcDaClient (Opc Da Client).
• Name
Niagara name of the OpcDaClient component, often left as the (discovered) OPC server application
name.
• Exts
Shortcut to the device extensions (only one extension, Points).
• Fault Cause
String describing the cause of the device status fault, if any.
• Enabled
Indicates whether the OpcDaClient is enabled (true) or disabled (false).
• Description
Description property for the OpcDaClient.

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• Address
The hostname or IP address of the OPC server.
• Class Id
The Windows class ID, or CLSID, of the OPC server instance.
• Local
Set to true if the OPC server is on the local host, otherwise it is false.
• Program Id
Either this or the Version Independent Program Id are needed to connect to local servers.
• Version Independent Program Id
Either this or the Program Id are needed to connect to local servers.
• Use Version Independent Program Id
Reflects this property of the OpcDaClient, which is typically true. If connecting to an older version
of an OPC server, this may need to be set to false.
• State
Reflects the client state, which is either attached, attaching, detached, or detaching.
opc-OpcPointManager
Use the OpcPointManager to add, edit, and access Opc proxy points under the OpcPointDeviceExt
extension of a selected OpcDaClient, or in an OpcPointFolder. The OpcPointManager is the default
view on both of those components. To view, double-click the OpcPointDeviceExt extension or OpcPoint-
Folder, or right-click and select Views > Opc Point Manager.
As in other point managers, there is a Discovered table (if in Learn mode) and a Database table. For
additional details, see “Opc Point Manager” on page 3-8.
Discovered table The Discovered table in the OpcPointManager view has the following available
columns:
• Name
Name of the OPC folder or data item.
• Id
The ID of the data item on the OPC server, including full hierarchical folder path.
• Data Type
The (Windows) OPC datatype of an item, as provided by the server—for example: Vt Real4. See
“Supported OPC data types” on page 1-1 for related information.
• Mode
Either RO (read-only) or RW (read-writable).
• Facets
Reflect default facets for a data item, including its description.
Database table The Database table in the OpcPointManager view has the following available columns:
• Name
Niagara name of the Opc component, often left as the (discovered) folder or data item name.
• Type
Niagara type of component, as either an Opc Point Folder (for a folder) or a type of control point if
an Opc proxy point (for example, Boolean Point, Boolean Writable, Numeric Point, and so on).
• To String
Last read value of a data item.
• Id
The ID of the data item on the OPC server.
• Fault Cause
String describing the cause of the point status fault, if any.
• Opc Quality
Server-supplied status of a data item value, as either: Good, Bad, or Uncertain.
• Opc Quality Subcode
Server-supplied status subcodes (numeric subcodes indicate vendor information), as either:
Bad:
• Non Specific
• Configuration Error
• Not Connected
• Device Failure
• Sensor Failure
• Last Known Value (Comm has failed, however the last known value is available.)
• Comm Failure (No last known value.)

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• Out of Service
• Waiting for Initial Data
Uncertain:
• Non Specific
• Last Usable Value (Whatever was writing this value has stopped doing so.)
• Sensor Not Accurate
• Engineering Units Exceeded
• Sub Normal (Value is derived from multiple sources, with less than required number of good
sources)
Good:
• Non Specific
• Local Override
• Server Handle
Numeric server handle used to refer to this data item. A handle of 0 means the item has not been
registered with the server.
Note: By default, remaining columns (listed below) are not enabled to display in the Database table.
However, you can use the table controls to show/hide whichever columns needed.
• Conversion
Niagara conversion type used by the Opc proxy extension, which is typically Default.
• Tuning Policy Name
Name of the Niagara OpcTuningPolicy that the proxy point is assigned to.
• Data Type
The (Windows) OPC datatype of an item, as provided by the server—for example: Vt Real4. See
“Supported OPC data types” on page 1-1 for related information.
• Enabled
Reflects whether proxy point is enabled (true) or disabled (false).
• Facets
Reflect the facets in use by the proxy point.
• Device Facets
Reflects the read-only device facets used in the point’s proxy extension.
• Path
Reflects the station path for the Opc component, relative to the station’s root.
• Mode
Either RO (read-only) or RW (read-writable).
• Opc Read Time
Reflects the server timestamp of the current value.
• Read Value
Reflects current read value in point’s OpcProxyExt.
• Write Value
Reflects current write value (if any) in point’s OpcProxyExt..
• Opc Limit
Reflects the Opc limit for the data item.

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 CHAPTER 5
Opc Component Guides
These component guides provides summary help on Opc components.

Opc Component Reference Summary

Summary information is provided on components in the opc module, listed alphabetically as follows:
• OpcDaClient
• OpcDeviceFolder
• OpcNetwork
• OpcPointDeviceExt
• OpcPointFolder
• OpcPollScheduler
• OpcProxyExt
• OpcTuningPolicy
• OpcTuningPolicyMap
opc-OpcDaClient
OpcDaClient represents the client access to any version OPC Data Access server. It is the “device-
level” component in the NiagaraAX OPC driver architecture. You use the OpcPointManager view of
its child OpcPointDeviceExt extension to discover, add, and edit Opc proxy points.
For more details, see “About the OpcDaClient” on page 3-4.
opc-OpcDeviceFolder
OpcDeviceFolder is the Opc driver implementation of a folder under an OpcNetwork. Usage is
optional. Each OpcDeviceFolder has its own OpcDeviceManager view.
You can use the New Folder button in the OpcDeviceManager view to add an OpcDeviceFolder. It is
also available in the opc palette.
opc-OpcNetwork
OpcNetwork represents a tree of OPC devices and ancillary components, and is the top-level
component for the Opc driver in a station. This network object is a NiagaraAX Framework
convention, and has no physical correspondence to any OPC systems.
The OpcDeviceManager is the default view the OpcNetwork. For more details, see “About the Opc
Network” on page 3-2.
opc-OpcPointDeviceExt
OpcPointDeviceExt (default name Points) is the container for Opc proxy points under an OpcDa-
Client. This component represents an “OPC Group,” where all points contained under this
component are members of that OPC Group.
The default and primary view for the OpcPointDeviceExt is the OpcPointManager. For more details, see
“Opc Point Manager” on page 3-8.
opc-OpcPointFolder
OpcPointFolder is an optional container for Opc proxy points. It provides organizational utility, and
has no correspondence with the underlying OPC system. Points can be orgainzed in any fashion
under a OpcPointDeviceExt component.
You can use the New Folder button in the OpcPointManager view to add an OpcPointFolder. It is also
available in the opc palette.

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opc-OpcPollScheduler
An OpcPollScheduler is a child component of every (device-level) OpcDaClient. The poll scheduler
provides a flexible polling algorthim based on four “buckets.”
opc-OpcProxyExt
OpcProxyExt is the proxy extension for any type of Opc proxy point. For more details, see “Opc
proxy point” on page 3-10 and “Opc Proxy Ext” on page 3-10.
opc-OpcTuningPolicy
A tuning policy for the OpcNetwork, with standard NiagaraAX tuning policy properties. For an
explanation of driver tuning policies, see “About Tuning Policies” in the Drivers Guide.
opc-OpcTuningPolicyMap
A container for one or more OpcTuningPolicy(ies). You might create multiple tuning policies and
assign Opc proxy points as needed, based upon different criteria. For an explanation of driver tuning
policies, see “About Tuning Policies” in the Drivers Guide.

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 APPENDIX A
Windows Tasks
This appendix provides procedures for Windows configuration tasks that may be needed at the OPC
server and/or client. The following main sections are included:
• Launching DCOMCNFG
• Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and later)

Launching DCOMCNFG
DCOMCNFG is “Distributed COM Configuration Properties,” and is used to configure security for
DCOM applications. As needed, launch it either from Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
Note: Starting in AX-3.4, NiagaraAX support for Windows 2000 ended. However, other Windows operating
systems are supported, including Windows Server 2003. Please consider Windows XP, described below, as
a “representative” Windows OS.

Windows 2000
Step 1 From the Windows Start menu, choose Run....
Step 2 In the Run dialog box, type in: dcomcnfg
and click OK.

Windows XP
Step 1 From the Windows Start menu, choose Run....
Step 2 In the Run dialog box, type in: dcomcnfg
and click OK.
A Component Services dialog appears, with a Console Root tree in the left pane. Under the
console root are Component Services, Event Viewer (Local), and Services (Local).

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and later)

The following sections apply to using Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later:
• Windows Firewall
• DCOM Enhancements

Windows Firewall
Configuration of the Windows Firewall is the same for both client and server. For troubleshooting, it
would be best to turn off the firewall, get everything working, and then turn it back on.
If the firewall is required, go to the firewall’s Exceptions tab and review the following:
• All OPC client and server programs on the local machine need to be added to the Exceptions tab.
The program to add for the OPC client is:
NiagaraRelease\nre\bin\niagarad.exe
• Add TCP port 135.

DCOM Enhancements
After launching DOMCNFG in Windows XP, do the following:
Step 1 In the Console Root tree, expand Component Services, then Computers.

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Step 2 Right-click My Computer, and select Properties.

A tabbed dialog My Computer Properties appears, including a tab labeled COM Security.
Step 3 Select COM Security.
Step 4 In Access Permissions, click Edit Limits....
Step 5 For the ANONYMOUS LOGON user, check the Remote Access box
and click OK.
Step 6 On the OPC Server, in COM Security:
In Launch and Activation Permissions, click Edit Limits....
Step 7 Check the Remote boxes for the user Everyone.
If client and server are not on the same domain, you must add the ANONYMOUS LOGON user and check all
Allow boxes.

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