A whole new way of building and deploying HMIs, user interfaces, and full web applications using a no-code in-browser IDE.
This self-contained IDE and application server allows you to build and deploy web-based automation solutions without the need to write code or manage web servers. With the addition of the UIEngine, the OAS Platform becomes a more fully-featured, end to end automation tool, while reducing the time it takes to roll out your new applications. And using the robust networking features of OAS, you can now create enterprise-level web applications with a unified UI, driven by aggregated real time data from around the world.
Open Automation Software allows for direct connection to Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node devices, providing the ability to read and write metric data. This data can then be visualized in a web browser through the use of our Web HMI tools. The Web HMI web interface is built on standard technologies, such as Javascript, jQuery, JSON, HTML, and CSS. This tutorial will guide you through the process of downloading and installing OAS, configuring a Sparkplug B driver, setting up tags, and building a web application to access your data.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Set Up Sparkplug B Host App to Access EoN Node Data.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Host App for OAS to control the online state of each Edge of Node defined to the shared Host Application ID. Or set to Client App to access EoN Node data without controlling their state.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
To automatically add tags for each Metric from the matching Group, Edge of Nodes, and Devices enable the property Add Client Tags Automatically.
When enabled optionally set the Filter Groups, Edge Nodes, and Devices that tags should be added from for each of their Metrics. Leave the Filter fields blank to include all Edge of Nodes publishing data to the broker.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
You are now ready to add tags for specific Sparkplug B EoN Node Metric values.
Note: If the Driver Interface property Add Client Tags Automatically was enabled tags will be created for you, you can skip this step to add tags manually.
Select Configure-Tags.
Note: You can add organizational Groups as many levels deep as you prefer and add tags to groups. To do this first add a Group to Tags Group at the root level, then right click on the Group in the right window to add additional Groups or Tags.
Select Add Tag.
Change the Data Source Tag property to Sparkplug B.
Select the correct Driver Interface from the Driver Interface pull down list.
Specify the Client Group ID, Client Edge Node ID, Client Device ID, and Client Metric Name for the Edge of Node Metric value to read and write.
Select the Data Type of the Tag to match the data type of the Metric.
Select Apply Changes and the current value for the Metric should appear with Good Quality.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
00:00 – Introduction
01:10 – Download OAS
01:46 – Quick Start
02:08 – Edge of Network Node
05:52 – EoN Tags
07:04 – Host Application
09:20 – SpB Client Tags
10:22 – Programatic Interface
10:59 – CSV Export / Import
12:27 – Multiple Metric Tags
13:46 – Modbus
16:10 – DCMD Metric Write
17:00 – Data Route
17:58 – Networking
18:17 – Save Configuration
18:56 – OAS Platform
Step 3. View in Web Browser
Configure Web Services on OAS
Open the OAS Configuration application and select Configure > Options, then select the network node (localhost if working on the local machine) and click Select. Under the Networking tab, locate the field for REST API/WebHMI Port Number. The default is 58725 but can be changed. If you are accessing the server from a remote client, you will also need to make sure your machine and/or company firewalls allow TCP traffic on the selected port. If you are using SSL we suggest using a different port number such as 58726 to avoid port conflicts. You can find more detailed information in our knowledge base article Configuring OAS Web Services.
OAS Web interfaces are provided for use by both experienced developers and novice users. Use the Web HMI Dashboard to first test the interface to your live data. If you are experienced with HTML and CSS see Code for Developers section after the following HMI Dashboard no code solution.
HMI Dashboard – No Code
View the following video demonstrating the Web HMI Dashboard.
00:00 – Introduction
00:08 – What’s Web HMI Dashboard
00:20 – Features of a WEB HMI Dashboard
00:23 – Secure Login
00:31 – Modular Design
00:37 – Configurable
00:44 – Customizable
00:49 – Lightweight
01:05 – Demo
01:33 – Alarm Dashboard
01:39 – Trend Dashboard
01:55 – Add a Dashboard
02:04 – Add a Module
02:59 – Built-in Modules
03:04 – Numeric Tag Module Configuration
03:59 – Add another numeric tag module / rewrite module
04:53 – Boolean Tag Module
05:00 – Boolean Tag Configuration
05:56 – Display Multiple Tags with real time values
06:04 – Tag Data Module Configuration
07:09 – Alarms Module
07:17 – Alarms Module Configuration
08:21 – Trends Module
08:28 – Configuration
10:28 – Custom Module
10:34 – Configuration
11:16 – Demo Module
11:43 – Getting Started
11:47 – Application Set up
12:00 – Open Service Control
12:58 – Open OAS Configuration App
13:20 – Static Files
13:35 – Configuration
14:46 – Removing a Module
16:25 – Deploying to IIS
18:41 – Conclusion
Open a browser to the Web HMI Dashboard at the following address:
http(s)://<server>:<port>/app/home
For example, if you are on the same machine as the OAS Service installation, you are not using SSL, and you are using the default port, the URL will be:
Once presented with the Web HMI Dashboard login screen, enter in an OAS server credential, or leave blank to use the default server credential and click “Sign In“.
Upon successfully logging in, you will be presented with your personalized Web HMI Dashboard. If the application is in Demo Mode, you will be provided with some demo dashboards and you will see live data flowing into each module. All modifications to your dashboard will be saved within your login and remembered for your next session.
Additional Configuration Settings
By default, the Web HMI Dashboard will run in Demo Mode which will do the following:
All logins no matter the credentials, will be allowed to log into the application and be provided individual dashboard settings
New logins will be pre-populated with demo dashboards
To alter any application configurations, locate the Web HMI Dashboard directory located in the installation directory for Open Automation Software. This is typically in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS. The Dashboard directory is labeled “www“.
Within this directory, look in the “js” directory and locate the file app_config.js. This is a JSON file containing application settings.
oas_url: optional hard-coded URL of the OAS server location. Omit this setting and the application will assume the server:port used to connect to the app show_login_url: <true | false> determines if the OAS url can be supplied by the user in the login screen to point the application to a specific OAS service session_timeout : <integer> number of minutes of inactivity before the user session is ended and the login screen is displayed demo_mode : <true | false> enables or disables demo mode demo_dashboards : a JSON representation of the demo dashboards pre-populated for new users in demo_mode
Code for Developers
Create a Project Directory and Copy External Libraries
Create a project directory. (Example C:\myWebHMI). Then copy the following files from your OAS installation directory (Likely: C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\HTML_HMI) into the appropriate directories:
js/lib/jquery-1.8.3.min.js
js/lib/json2.js
js/opc-lib-min.js
css/opc-style.css
You can use any version of jQuery as long as it is v1.8 or greater, and the json2 library is only necessary for older browsers such as IE 8.
Enter Basic HTML Code
Open/create a new text document and add the following minimum code:
Change the serverURL in the script tag above to the IP Address, Network Node Name, or registered domain name of the Linux or Windows devices where the OAS Engine is located.
HTML to Display Tag Data
In the body add the following code to display the Ramp tag value, Pump tag value and a button to toggle the Pump Tag:
<div>Ramp Value = <label id="txt1" opc-tag-txt='{"tag":"Ramp.Value","config":{"formats":{"bad_q":"?????","float":"0.0"}}}' ></label></div>
<div>Pump Value = <label id="txt2" opc-tag-txt='{"tag":"Pump.Value","config":{"formats":{"bad_q":"?????"}}}' ></label></div>
<div><button id="tog2" opc-tag-set='{"tag":"Pump.Value","config":{"evt":"click","set":"toggle","set_src":""}}'>Toggle Pump</button></div>
If a tag is in a group, preface it with the group name in your markup. For example: BuildingA.Pump.Value. If the tag is located on a different system than the serverURL or you want to host data from multiple OAS Engines use the Remote Tag Access syntax. You can learn more about that here: Getting Started – Networking.
OAS Web HMI Wizard
If you are not super comfortable with HTML, you can use our Web HMI Wizard to help you create the markup to display your tag data. There is a tutorial about it here: Web HMI Wizard Tutorial.
Save your file. Deploy your application to any web server. This can be IIS on Windows, or any HTTP server on Linux, and even cloud hosting services. To see the results open a browser to the location of your HTML file.
Open Automation Software can connect directly to Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node devices to read Metric data. All OAS data can be viewed with a Windows Presentation Foundation .NET application. OAS Host Application interface also supports writes to Sparkplug B Metric values, providing updates from WPF. This tutorial walks you through downloading and installing OAS, configuring a Sparkplug B driver, automating tag creation with the Host Application interface, and visualizing tag data in .NET WPF with either C# or VB. Programming is not required if you use the designer interface.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Set Up Sparkplug B Host App to Access EoN Node Data.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Host App for OAS to control the online state of each Edge of Node defined to the shared Host Application ID. Or set to Client App to access EoN Node data without controlling their state.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
To automatically add tags for each Metric from the matching Group, Edge of Nodes, and Devices enable the property Add Client Tags Automatically.
When enabled optionally set the Filter Groups, Edge Nodes, and Devices that tags should be added from for each of their Metrics. Leave the Filter fields blank to include all Edge of Nodes publishing data to the broker.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
You are now ready to add tags for specific Sparkplug B EoN Node Metric values.
Note: If the Driver Interface property Add Client Tags Automatically was enabled tags will be created for you, you can skip this step to add tags manually.
Select Configure-Tags.
Note: You can add organizational Groups as many levels deep as you prefer and add tags to groups. To do this first add a Group to Tags Group at the root level, then right click on the Group in the right window to add additional Groups or Tags.
Select Add Tag.
Change the Data Source Tag property to Sparkplug B.
Select the correct Driver Interface from the Driver Interface pull down list.
Specify the Client Group ID, Client Edge Node ID, Client Device ID, and Client Metric Name for the Edge of Node Metric value to read and write.
Select the Data Type of the Tag to match the data type of the Metric.
Select Apply Changes and the current value for the Metric should appear with Good Quality.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
00:00 – Introduction
01:10 – Download OAS
01:46 – Quick Start
02:08 – Edge of Network Node
05:52 – EoN Tags
07:04 – Host Application
09:20 – SpB Client Tags
10:22 – Programatic Interface
10:59 – CSV Export / Import
12:27 – Multiple Metric Tags
13:46 – Modbus
16:10 – DCMD Metric Write
17:00 – Data Route
17:58 – Networking
18:17 – Save Configuration
18:56 – OAS Platform
Step 3. Visualize Your Data with .NET
Project Setup HMI applications can be developed using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 (or later). Programming is not required if you use the visual editor.
Open your existing Visual Studio application or start a new one, either VB or C#. Specify WPF App (.NET Framework) as the project type.
Verify that the Target Framework is Version 4.61 or greater.
If you have installed Open Automation Software after installing Visual Studio you should see the Open Automation Software group in your toolbox. If it is not there you can add a reference in your project to the OPCWPFDashboard.dll. It will be in your installation folder, most likely: C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS. Add the tools by right clicking on the toolbox and selecting Choose Items. In the Choose Toolbox Items dialog box under the WPF tab, select all of the items that start with OPCWPF and say OK.
Add a Viewbox If you are unfamiliar with the Viewbox control in WPF it is very useful. By setting it’s Stretch property to Uniform, it will automatically transform it’s contents to fit the user’s screen. It is easier to develop with the Stretch Property set to “None” and then set it back to “Uniform” at the end. You will want your Grid inside of your Viewbox. Your XAML should look like this:
Add a Label Control Add an OPCWPFLabel control to the window by double clicking on it in the toolbox. Set the Content_Tag property of the label to the Tag property that you want the label to display. Do this by either typing it in the box if you know the name (they are case-sensitive) or use the ellipse next to the property box. If you are using the demo tag configuration that installs with Open Automation Software use Ramp.Value.
Referencing Tags In the tag browser, you will need to select your network node and then the tag and the property you want to display. Your network node will be the location you have Open Automation Software installed on. If it is your local machine, it will be localhost, otherwise, it could be a registered domain name or an IP address. Here are some examples of referencing tags based on their location:
Local Tag:
myTag.Value
Local Tag in a Group:
myGroup. myTag.Value
Basic Networking:
\\192.168.0.1\myGroup.myTag.ValueLive Data Cloud Networking from Local OAS Engine:
RemoteSCADAHosting.myLiveDataCloudNode.myGroup.myTag.Value
Live Data Cloud Networking from Remote OAS Engine
\\192.168.0.1\RemoteSCADAHosting.myLiveDataCloudNode.myGroup.myTag.Value
Add a Button Control Next, add a button to the window by double clicking on OPCWPFButton on the toolbox. Use the Pump tag for the button, it is a Boolean data type. Set Content_Tag in the properties window to Pump.Value. In the ContentFormatBooleanFalse property enter The Pump is On and the in the ContentFormatBooleanTrue property enter The Pump is Off. That way the button text will be something more meaningful than simply True or False.
To change the color of the button when it’s value changes, use the Background01_Tag property. Set it to Pump.Value. The BackgroundFalse and BackgroundQualityBad properties control the background color for when the value is false and bad quality.
Next, SetValue_Tag property to Pump.Value. This specifies what value to change when the button is clicked.
Add a Radial Gauge Drag an OPCWPFRadialGauge onto the screen. Click the ellipse next to the Needles property. This will open the Needles Collection dialog box. Click the Add button. This adds a Needle to the Radial Gauge. Set the Value_Tag property to Ramp.Value, the Ramp Tag again. It is a Float Data Type, enter 0 for the ValueFormatFloat property.
Click F5 to compile and run your project. Your screen should look similar to this.
For more detailed instructions on using OAS with WPF, visit .NET WPF HMI in our knowledge base or watch the video below:
Open Automation Software can transfer data from Siemens S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500 controllers with Sparkplug B protocol as an Edge of Network Node. This tutorial walks you through downloading and installing OAS, configuring a Siemens driver, setting up OAS Sparkplug B EoN driver, configuring Siemens tags, and defining Host Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric names for the OAS Sparkplug B EoN.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Configure Your Siemens Data Source
First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.
Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that Siemens is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see Siemens available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.
Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select Siemens from the Driver dropdown box.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a Siemens Data Source.
Define the properties for the desired physical connection.
Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
Step 4. Define Sparkplug B Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric Names.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Edge Node.
Set the Hode Mode to Remote Hosted if a Host Application to control the state of this Edge Node including another OAS driver set as Host App. Set to Self Hosted to have this OAS driver control the state of the Edge Node.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
Set the Group ID and Edge Node ID that defines this EoN Node.
Note: This Group ID and Edge Node ID values will be used in the next steps to define which OAS tags will be enabled for hosting values in the next step to Define OAS Tags as EoN Node using the Host Group ID and Host Edge Node ID tag properties.
Optionally set the Device ID Filter to include only a specific device defined by the Tag property Host Device ID. Leave blank to include all tags with all Host Device IDs defined with same Group ID and Edge Node ID.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface.
Select Configure-Tags.
Select a tag defined in the first step as the data source.
Set the Host properties of the tag to match the Group ID and Edge Node ID defined in the Sparkplug B Driver Interface. Set the Device ID to represent the Sparkplug B device. Set the Metric Name to represent the value from the source tag.
Note: The Group ID / Edge Node ID / Device ID / Metric Name combination must be unique in the OAS Engine.
Repeat the same step for all source tags or use the CSV Export button to save to a CSV file then update the Value – SpB Host Group ID, Value – SpB Host Edge Node ID, Value – SpB Host Device ID, and Value – SpB Host Metric Name columns in the CSV file using Excel, save, close Excel, then use the CSV Import button.
Data is now publishing to the MQTT broker defined in the Sparkplug B driver interface if running in Self Hosted or the Host Application state for the Host ID is online.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
Open Automation Software can transfer data from OPC UA Servers to local or remote MQTT brokers with Sparkplug B protocol as an Edge of Network Node. This tutorial walks you through downloading and installing OAS, configuring an OPC UA driver interface, configuring OPC UA tags, and defining Host Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric names for the OAS Sparkplug B EoN.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Configure Your OPC UA Data Source
First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.
Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that OPC UA is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see OPC UA available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.
Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select Siemens from the Driver dropdown box.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a OPC UA Data Source.
Define the properties for the desired physical connection.
Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
Step 4. Define Sparkplug B Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric Names.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Edge Node.
Set the Hode Mode to Remote Hosted if a Host Application to control the state of this Edge Node including another OAS driver set as Host App. Set to Self Hosted to have this OAS driver control the state of the Edge Node.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
Set the Group ID and Edge Node ID that defines this EoN Node.
Note: This Group ID and Edge Node ID values will be used in the next steps to define which OAS tags will be enabled for hosting values in the next step to Define OAS Tags as EoN Node using the Host Group ID and Host Edge Node ID tag properties.
Optionally set the Device ID Filter to include only a specific device defined by the Tag property Host Device ID. Leave blank to include all tags with all Host Device IDs defined with same Group ID and Edge Node ID.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface.
Select Configure-Tags.
Select a tag defined in the first step as the data source.
Set the Host properties of the tag to match the Group ID and Edge Node ID defined in the Sparkplug B Driver Interface. Set the Device ID to represent the Sparkplug B device. Set the Metric Name to represent the value from the source tag.
Note: The Group ID / Edge Node ID / Device ID / Metric Name combination must be unique in the OAS Engine.
Repeat the same step for all source tags or use the CSV Export button to save to a CSV file then update the Value – SpB Host Group ID, Value – SpB Host Edge Node ID, Value – SpB Host Device ID, and Value – SpB Host Metric Name columns in the CSV file using Excel, save, close Excel, then use the CSV Import button.
Data is now publishing to the MQTT broker defined in the Sparkplug B driver interface if running in Self Hosted or the Host Application state for the Host ID is online.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use Open Automation Software (OAS) to transfer data from an OPC Server to local or remote MQTT brokers with the Sparkplug B protocol as an Edge of Network Node. The process involves downloading and installing OAS, configuring OPC Server communications, and publishing data to MQTT brokers with Sparkplug B payloads. With OAS, all tag values can be easily published as Sparkplug B data by specifying the Host Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric name for the EoN.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Configure OPC Server Tags
OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:
Manually add and define Tags using the Configure OAS application. …learn more…
In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
Click on the Add Tag button located at the top of the Tag browser on the left portion of the screen.
A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new tag and click ok.
A configuration screen will appear for your new tag. Select OPC in the Data Source dropdown box.
Use the Browse button to the right of the OPC Item to browse OPC Servers for the desired OPC Item.
Select Local, the desired OPC Server, branch within the OPC Server, and OPC Item and click OK.
Specify the desired OPC Update Rate for the Tag.
Click Apply Changes at the bottom right of the window.
To add Tags with One Click OPC:
In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
To begin the One Click OPC process select the Group you would like to import to in the Tag configuration. If you want to import to the Root Level, select the Tags Group at the top of the tree.
Then select the One Click Import button on the top menu bar.
Click on the Import OPC DA 2.XX or 3.0 Items Button in the pop up window.
Use the One Click OPC Wizard to browse for a branch as a starting position within an OPC Server or just select the OPC Server name itself to add all items from the selected OPC Server. For the best networking design select OPC Servers from Local even if you are configuring a remote OAS Service.
Select to enable the options to Get Data Type from OPC Server and optionally the Descriptions.
Additionally if you want to specify to Trend all of the points select Trend Points.
Click Add Tags and it will automatically add all of the OPC Items from the OPC Server Branch you have selected and all of the sub Branches beneath it.
Select the Save button on the toolbar at the top.
For more detailed instructions on Configuring OPC Server Tags, visit our Getting Started OPC tutorial or the One Click OPC tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:
Step 3. Define Sparkplug B Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric Names.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Edge Node.
Set the Hode Mode to Remote Hosted if a Host Application to control the state of this Edge Node including another OAS driver set as Host App. Set to Self Hosted to have this OAS driver control the state of the Edge Node.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
Set the Group ID and Edge Node ID that defines this EoN Node.
Note: This Group ID and Edge Node ID values will be used in the next steps to define which OAS tags will be enabled for hosting values in the next step to Define OAS Tags as EoN Node using the Host Group ID and Host Edge Node ID tag properties.
Optionally set the Device ID Filter to include only a specific device defined by the Tag property Host Device ID. Leave blank to include all tags with all Host Device IDs defined with same Group ID and Edge Node ID.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface.
Select Configure-Tags.
Select a tag defined in the first step as the data source.
Set the Host properties of the tag to match the Group ID and Edge Node ID defined in the Sparkplug B Driver Interface. Set the Device ID to represent the Sparkplug B device. Set the Metric Name to represent the value from the source tag.
Note: The Group ID / Edge Node ID / Device ID / Metric Name combination must be unique in the OAS Engine.
Repeat the same step for all source tags or use the CSV Export button to save to a CSV file then update the Value – SpB Host Group ID, Value – SpB Host Edge Node ID, Value – SpB Host Device ID, and Value – SpB Host Metric Name columns in the CSV file using Excel, save, close Excel, then use the CSV Import button.
Data is now publishing to the MQTT broker defined in the Sparkplug B driver interface if running in Self Hosted or the Host Application state for the Host ID is online.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
Open Automation Software can help you transfer data from MTConnect devices to local or remote MQTT brokers with Sparkplug B protocol acting as an Edge of Network Node. This tutorial guide will take you through the process of downloading and installing OAS, configuring an MTConnect and a Sparkplug driver, automating the setup of MTConnect tags, and publishing data to MQTT brokers with Sparkplug B payloads. You can publish all OAS tag values as Sparkplug B data by simply specifying the Host Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric name.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Configure Your MTConnect Data Source
First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.
Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that MTConnect is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see MTConnect available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.
Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select MTConnect from the Driver dropdown box.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a MTConnect Data Source.
Leave Enable and Add Tags Automatically enabled.
Specify the Live Data Url for the MTConnect stream.
Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
For more detailed instructions on configuring your MTConnect data source, click here to see our Getting Started MTConnect tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:
Step 3. Configure Your MTConnect Tags
OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:
Manually add and define Tags using the Configure OAS application. …learn more…
Step 4. Define Sparkplug B Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric Names.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Edge Node.
Set the Hode Mode to Remote Hosted if a Host Application to control the state of this Edge Node including another OAS driver set as Host App. Set to Self Hosted to have this OAS driver control the state of the Edge Node.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
Set the Group ID and Edge Node ID that defines this EoN Node.
Note: This Group ID and Edge Node ID values will be used in the next steps to define which OAS tags will be enabled for hosting values in the next step to Define OAS Tags as EoN Node using the Host Group ID and Host Edge Node ID tag properties.
Optionally set the Device ID Filter to include only a specific device defined by the Tag property Host Device ID. Leave blank to include all tags with all Host Device IDs defined with same Group ID and Edge Node ID.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface.
Select Configure-Tags.
Select a tag defined in the first step as the data source.
Set the Host properties of the tag to match the Group ID and Edge Node ID defined in the Sparkplug B Driver Interface. Set the Device ID to represent the Sparkplug B device. Set the Metric Name to represent the value from the source tag.
Note: The Group ID / Edge Node ID / Device ID / Metric Name combination must be unique in the OAS Engine.
Repeat the same step for all source tags or use the CSV Export button to save to a CSV file then update the Value – SpB Host Group ID, Value – SpB Host Edge Node ID, Value – SpB Host Device ID, and Value – SpB Host Metric Name columns in the CSV file using Excel, save, close Excel, then use the CSV Import button.
Data is now publishing to the MQTT broker defined in the Sparkplug B driver interface if running in Self Hosted or the Host Application state for the Host ID is online.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
Open Automation Software can transfer custom data from MQTT brokers to the same or different MQTT brokers in Sparkplug B payloads as an Edge of Network Node, locally or over a network. This tutorial walks you through downloading and installing OAS, configuring an MQTT and a Sparkplug B driver, configuring MQTT tags, and defining the EoN Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric name.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Configure Your MQTT Data Source
First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.
Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that MQTT is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see MQTT available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.
Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select MQTT from the Driver dropdown box.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a MQTT Data Source.
Enter the IP Address of the broker. The default port is 1883.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the Keep Alive Time. The default is 60 Seconds.
Set the Reconnect Time. The default 10 Seconds. If the connection to the broker is lost the Reconnect Time determines how long to wait before attempting to reconnect.
For more detailed instructions on configuring your MQTT data source, click here to see our Getting Started MQTT tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:
Step 4. Configure Your MQTT Tags
OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:
Manually add and define Tags using the Configure OAS application. …learn more…
Step 4. Define Sparkplug B Group ID, Edge Node ID, Device ID, and Metric Names.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Edge Node.
Set the Hode Mode to Remote Hosted if a Host Application to control the state of this Edge Node including another OAS driver set as Host App. Set to Self Hosted to have this OAS driver control the state of the Edge Node.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
Set the Group ID and Edge Node ID that defines this EoN Node.
Note: This Group ID and Edge Node ID values will be used in the next steps to define which OAS tags will be enabled for hosting values in the next step to Define OAS Tags as EoN Node using the Host Group ID and Host Edge Node ID tag properties.
Optionally set the Device ID Filter to include only a specific device defined by the Tag property Host Device ID. Leave blank to include all tags with all Host Device IDs defined with same Group ID and Edge Node ID.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface.
Select Configure-Tags.
Select a tag defined in the first step as the data source.
Set the Host properties of the tag to match the Group ID and Edge Node ID defined in the Sparkplug B Driver Interface. Set the Device ID to represent the Sparkplug B device. Set the Metric Name to represent the value from the source tag.
Note: The Group ID / Edge Node ID / Device ID / Metric Name combination must be unique in the OAS Engine.
Repeat the same step for all source tags or use the CSV Export button to save to a CSV file then update the Value – SpB Host Group ID, Value – SpB Host Edge Node ID, Value – SpB Host Device ID, and Value – SpB Host Metric Name columns in the CSV file using Excel, save, close Excel, then use the CSV Import button.
Data is now publishing to the MQTT broker defined in the Sparkplug B driver interface if running in Self Hosted or the Host Application state for the Host ID is online.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
Open Automation Software can transfer data from Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node devices to Siemens S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500 controllers, locally or over a network. This tutorial walks you through downloading and installing OAS, configuring a Sparkplug B Host Application interface, a Siemens S7 driver, automated Sparkplug B tag creation, configuring Siemens tags, and implementing Data Route to transfer data from Sparkplug B to Siemens S7 controllers.
Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service
If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform. Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.
On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system. When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.
When the installation is finished the OAS Service Control application will appear. Use this application to start the 4 Services. If this is the first time installing the software it will automatically enter Runtime with an example Tag Configuration.
Step 2. Set Up Sparkplug B Host App to Access EoN Node Data.
Select Configure-Drivers.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this connection and define the properties.
Set the driver to Sparkplug B.
Enter the Host property to the IP Address of the of the host broker or just use localhost for a local broker.
Set the Port property of the host broker to connect to. The default port is 1883 or 8883 for SSL.
Note: The OAS MQTT Broker can be used to host data locally. To use another broker on the default ports on the same computer change the OAS MQTT Broker Port under Configure-Options-MQTT Broker.
Enter the User Name and Password if required.
Set the MQTT Protocol Version to V311 or V500.
Set the Client ID to a unique value, each driver interface must have a specific value different than all other clients connecting to the host.
Set the Mode to Host App for OAS to control the online state of each Edge of Node defined to the shared Host Application ID. Or set to Client App to access EoN Node data without controlling their state.
Set the Host ID to the specific value that the Edge of Nodes will be using as the Host Application ID.
Set the Sparkplug B Version to 2.2 or 3.0.
To automatically add tags for each Metric from the matching Group, Edge of Nodes, and Devices enable the property Add Client Tags Automatically.
When enabled optionally set the Filter Groups, Edge Nodes, and Devices that tags should be added from for each of their Metrics. Leave the Filter fields blank to include all Edge of Nodes publishing data to the broker.
Select the Add Driver button in the left part of the form to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
You are now ready to add tags for specific Sparkplug B EoN Node Metric values.
Note: If the Driver Interface property Add Client Tags Automatically was enabled tags will be created for you, you can skip this step to add tags manually.
Select Configure-Tags.
Note: You can add organizational Groups as many levels deep as you prefer and add tags to groups. To do this first add a Group to Tags Group at the root level, then right click on the Group in the right window to add additional Groups or Tags.
Select Add Tag.
Change the Data Source Tag property to Sparkplug B.
Select the correct Driver Interface from the Driver Interface pull down list.
Specify the Client Group ID, Client Edge Node ID, Client Device ID, and Client Metric Name for the Edge of Node Metric value to read and write.
Select the Data Type of the Tag to match the data type of the Metric.
Select Apply Changes and the current value for the Metric should appear with Good Quality.
Select the Save button from the toolbar to save your configuration.
You can view the Getting Started with Sparkplug B Video to familiarize yourself with the above steps to setup OAS as a Sparkplug B Edge of Network Node and a Host Application
00:00 – Introduction
01:10 – Download OAS
01:46 – Quick Start
02:08 – Edge of Network Node
05:52 – EoN Tags
07:04 – Host Application
09:20 – SpB Client Tags
10:22 – Programatic Interface
10:59 – CSV Export / Import
12:27 – Multiple Metric Tags
13:46 – Modbus
16:10 – DCMD Metric Write
17:00 – Data Route
17:58 – Networking
18:17 – Save Configuration
18:56 – OAS Platform
Step 3. Configure Your Siemens Data Source
First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.
Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that Siemens is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see Siemens available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.
Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.
Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.
The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select Siemens from the Driver dropdown box.
Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a Siemens Data Source.
Define the properties for the desired physical connection.
Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.
Step 5. Configure the Target Tab of the Source Tags
Select one of your source tags.
Select it’s Target tab.
Enable Write to Target
Select the Target Type (Tag, OPC, Azure IoT, Azure IoT Edge, or MQTT) from the dropdown.
Select the destination for the value to be sent.
If Tag is selected then select Browse and select the desired tag from the localhost system or optionally a remote system for transfer over a network.
Local: TagName.Value
Remote: \\192.168.0.1\TagName.Value
If OPC Item is selected select browse and select the OPC Server and Item
If Azure IoT is selected then select the Driver Interface.
If MQTT is selected then select the Driver Interface and Topic.
Enter the desired float value Deadband field. Enter 0 for no deadband.
If you want to specify a desired update frequency for the target check Write Continuously and enter the desired frequency. If Write Contentiously is unchecked the the target will be updated every time the source tag changes.
Click the Apply Changes button to save your changes.
Repeat this step for each tag that you want to transfer data from. This can also be done in bulk with CSV Import/Export or programatically.
For more detailed instructions on Configuring Data Route functionality, visit our Getting Started – Data Route tutorial or watch the videos below:
