OPC DataHub

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OPC DataHub

• Cogent Real-Time Systems Inc.
• www.cogent.ca
• This presentation is based on material provided
  by Cogent( Website and DataHub Manual)

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What is OPC Tunnelling?

• OPC Tunnelling means networking data between an
  OPC Server on one computer and an OPC Client on
  another computer, without using DCOM.

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OPC DCOM

• DCOM is difficult to configure, even for the
  experienced user and getting DCOM to work between
  different networks can sometimes be impossible.
• Sometimes integrators try to get around these
  problems by defining very broad access
  permissions on all computers. However, in an
  industrial setting, you typically don't want the
  server and client computers to have the same
  login permissions, which means using DCOM can
  actually compromise your network security
  standards.
• When a DCOM connection is broken, there are very
  long timeout delays before each side is notified
  of the problem. In a production environment,
  these long delays without warning can be a very
  real problem.
• Recently, DCOM networking has been show to have
  serious security flaws that make it vulnerable to
  hackers and viruses. This is particularly
  worrying to companies who network data across
  Internet connections or other links outside the
  company.

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When IT becomes involved in real-time control
system security, misunderstanding about operation
needs can leave the system either unsecured or
non-functional. The first casualty is typically
DCOM communication taking with it OPC traffic.
Industrial cyber security is complex but there
are ways to keep your plant assets protected. By
Donovan Tindill Source Industrial Ethernet Book
Issue 2335
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Why use OPC Tunnelling?

• Using OPC Tunnelling you can network data without
  having to configure DCOM or Windows login
  permissions. This can save you considerable time
  and effort when you set up your system and
  protect you from having to reconfigure the system
  in the event of a network disruption.
• By avoiding DCOM, you also avoid the long network
  timeouts that DCOM introduces. The DataHub
  implements its own heartbeat and timeout to give
  you much better response and automatic recovery
  from network interruptions.
• Tunnelling also lets you network data between
  Windows NT/2000 servers and XP based computers,
  without having to reconfigure user permissions on
  each computer.
• The OPC DataHub makes it easy to connect over a
  network or Internet connection to access data
  from remote locations.
• The DataHub also implements password protected
  secure connections for added safety.

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What is OPC Advanced Tunnelling?

• The OPC DataHub also adds the following advanced
  features
• Network OPC data from Windows to Linux and from
  Windows to QNX applications.
• Optimized networking handles slow links and
  network interruptions.
• A powerful built-in scripting language lets you
  fully customize your OPC applications by
  attaching custom code to process events and point
  changes.
• Full read and write support for Excel for
  accurate reporting and real-time Excel analysis
  of your plant data.
• The OPC DataHub also has the ability to aggregate
  data from multiple OPC Servers into a common data
  set, giving you a single point of access to all
  of your plant data.
• Support for the latest Web 2.0 technologies lets
  you build powerful web applications for process
  visualization and control.
• Full read and write access to ODBC databases so
  you can archive process data in
  SQL/Access/Oracle, or integrate database
  information into your OPC applications.

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What is OPC Bridging?

• OPC Bridging means connecting an OPC Server to
  another OPC Server on the same computer. This is
  a powerful way to integrate systems that don't
  normally talk to each other.

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What is OPC Advanced Bridging?

• Using the OPC DataHub you can bridge between OPC
  Servers to integrate data from different systems.
  The OPC DataHub also adds the following advanced
  features
• You can connect OPC Servers on the same computer
  or over a network connection (Bridging and
  Tunnelling at the same time).
• Point and click interface makes bridge
  configuration quick and easy. Click here for the
  movie How to configure point to point bridging.
• Built-in linear transformations allow you to
  scale, convert or normalize the data as it is
  bridged from one server to the other.
• The powerful built-in scripting language lets you
  define even more complex relationships between
  points in code for even more power and
  flexibility.
• You have the ability to bridge between multiple
  OPC Servers, both locally on the same computer
  and over multiple network connections.
• You can display OPC data in a web browser.
• You have full read and write access to ODBC
  databases.

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OPC Data Logging

• The OPC DataHub enables any OPC Server to write
  data to a relational database such as Access, MS
  SQL Server, Oracle or any other ODBC compliant
  database. You can also read data from an ODBC
  database and use it as input to any number of
  different OPC Servers or Clients.
• The OPC DataHub also provides a way for you to
  easily log OPC data to a text file to produce
  printed reports, or to load data into other
  systems for analysis.

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OPC Aggregation

• OPC aggregation means collecting data from
  several OPC servers into one common point of
  access. The OPC DataHub supports multiple
  simultaneous connections, which means aggregating
  data is as simple as connecting multiple OPC
  Servers.

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OPC to Excel

• The OPC DataHub makes it easy to get OPC data
  into Microsoft Excel. No special plug-ins are
  required. Simply drag and drop data into your
  spreadsheet. Also works with any other DDE
  enabled Windows application.

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How do you get data from Excel into the DataHub?

• There are two ways to get data out of Excel and
  into the DataHub
• Configure the DataHub to act as a DDE Client and
  have Excel automatically send the data whenever
  it changes. (See the OPC DataHub manual for more
  details).
• Write a simple macro in Excel to send data to the
  DataHub under conditions you get to define more
  closely.

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OPC to Web

• How to get live process data into a Web Browser

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OPC Scripting

• The OPC DataHub comes with a powerful built-in
  programming language called Gamma. DataHub
  scripting also contains support for Windows GUI
  development and ODBC support to connect to
  relational databases like Oracle and SQL Server.
  
• Attach code to specific data points so the script
  runs whenever the point value changes.
• Create alarm condition scripts and have them
  display warning messages to the user.
• Build custom dashboards and summary displays
  directly in Gamma scripts to create self
  contained DataHub applications.
• Create Excel readable log files from your live
  data by running logging code on a timed interval,
  or whenever a point change occurs.
• Connect to ODBC compliant relational databases to
  extract data as well as create records from live
  data.
• Apply linear transforms on data as it passes
  through the DataHub (for example change a
  temperature reading from celsius to farenheit).
• Create full OPC Server simulation programs in
  Gamma to test production systems before you 'go
  live'.

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OPC to MES and ERP systems

• The OPC DataHub provides a gateway for customers
  to make plant data available on corporate
  networks, so it can be used in Management
  Execution Systems (MES) and Enterprise Resource
  Planning (ERP) systems.
• Integrate live plant data with management systems
  for accurate scheduling and performance
  monitoring.
• Provide a reliable gateways between management
  level networks and plant floor control networks.
• Supports direct access to ODBC compliant
  management systems.
• DataHub API for C, Java and .NET enable easy
  integration with existing systems.

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OPC to Email and SMS Text Messages

• The OPC DataHub can be configured to send email
  and SMS text messages whenever an alarm, or
  specified timer event occurs. The messages are
  completely customizable and can include embedded
  values for any point in the DataHub, including
  data from OPC servers, ODBC databases or Excel
  spreadsheets. You can easily create simple plain
  text messages or design more elaborate emails
  with full HTML formatting.

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Why use OPC to Email?

• Send SMS text messages to cell phones when an
  alarm event is triggered.
• Design end-of-day reports that are delivered to
  managers' email accounts each morning.
• Provide managers with regular email updates of
  production targets.
• Emails can contain data from OPC servers, ODBC
  databases and other sources.
• Eliminate the errors and delays associated with
  writing production reports by hand.
• Have the DataHub collect vital report
  information, format it as an Excel spreadsheet
  and then email the file to key people for review.