Getting Started – Networking

Networking with Open Automation Software is so fully integrated and easy to use its unique ability to move data in different ways can easily be overlooked.  There are not a lot of instructions listed here as networking features are very intuitive simple to implement.

The Open Automation Software support remote client and service communications provided the license has networking enabled.  Go to Configure-License of the OAS Configure application and verify you have Unlimited Client Applications listed there.

There are 4 types of basic networking the Open Automation Software supports.  All networking features are included at no cost provide the data server has OAS Networking enabled in its license.  Live Data Cloud servers and Network Forwarding nodes do not require a license of OAS, only at the data source server.

Basic Networking is used when the data source services have fixed IP addresses and can be accessed directly from each client application.

Live Data Cloud Networking is used when the data source services do not have a fixed IP address.  An example would be a laptop or server PC that has a standard Internet connection and you want to access its data over the Internet.

Network Forwarding is used in corporate networks where you need to redirect / bounce network communications through one or more servers to reach the data source from client applications.  Most commonly to connect industrial networks together with business networks.

One Way Networking is used to transfer data through networks that have communication diodes that only allow one direction of communications.  Most commonly used by our nuclear power customers.

Each networking feature can be used on its own or any combination of features to allow end to end access from any client to any service.

Each data server can host data up to 10,000 client applications at a time.

Each client application can access up to 10,000 data servers.

Tag Syntax

Visit each networking type page for syntax examples on how to define client access to remote data services.  The following in an introduction to using Basic Networking as an example.

Tag access from .NET applications, Web applications, Microsoft Excel, and service to service communications is simply defined and is all the same.  This includes HMI, Trending, Data Logging, Tag Calculations, etc.

Example of Basic Networking:

\\192.168.0.1\TagName.Value

The IP address can be replaced with a network node or registered domain name where the OAS Service is running like www.mydomainname.com.

Alarms

Remote alarm service from Alarm Logging, Alarm Notification, Alarm .NET, and Web Alarm are defined by the AlarmNetworkNodes property.

Trend History

Trend HistoryTags in both .NET and Web applications can be used to direct history to a different data server than the realtime trend Tags.  The network node syntax would be the same as the Tag access but replacing the Tag name with Data Logging Group Name.Field Name.

Example:

\\192.168.0.1\Data Logging Group 1.Field01

Web Applications

The serverURL in the HTML code will determine the first base data service the web application will communicate with.  If the Tags also reside on that same server the Tag names in the HTML code would all just be defined as local tags.

Basic Networking Example: Access to Ramp.Value on 192.168.0.1 when data server has a fixed IP address and directly accessible.

serverURL: 'http://192.168.0.1:58725'

"tag":"Ramp.Value"

The following would be an example of a network forwarding to redirect communications through the data service 192.168.0.2 for web client access to tags on a data server with IP address 192.168.0.2.

serverURL: 'http://192.168.0.1:58725'

"tag":"\\192.168.0.2\Ramp.Value"

Notice that data communications in this example from the web client is redirected through 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.2.

Hosting data from a laptop or server would use the Live Data Cloud Networking feature.  View Live Data Cloud Networking for setup of hosting your own data on the Internet with a standard Internet connection without the need for a fixed IP address.

OPCSystems.NET OPC Server

The OPCSystems.NET OPC Server provides access to the live Tags to third party OPC Clients.  It is best to install the OPCSystems.NET OPC Server on the same PCs that are running the OPC Clients.  No additional license is required on the OPC Client PCs.  OPCSystems.NET will utilize WCF communications to tunnel data of the .NET TCP port and eliminate the need for DCOM.

The OPC Item in each OPC Client will specify the remote data server to communicate with.

Network.192.168.0.1.TagName.Value

AddNetworkNodeAlias Method

WPF HMI .NET and WinForm HMI .NET controls have an AddNetworkNodeAlias method supported in the WPFDashbaord.WPFNetworkNodes component, .NET Data Connector component, and OPCControls.OPCNetworkNodes component.  This makes it possible to redirect communications from a data service to another with just a simple call.

VB Example:

Dim m_OPCWPFNetworkNodes As New OPCWPFDashboard.OPCWPFNetworkNodes
m_OPCWPFNetworkNodes.AddNetworkNodeAlias("localhost", "192.168.0.1")

C# Example:

OPCWPFDashboard.OPCWPFNetworkNodes m_OPCWPFNetworkNodes = new OPCWPFDashboard.OPCWPFNetworkNodes();
m_OPCWPFNetworkNodes.AddNetworkNodeAlias("localhost", "192.168.0.1");

TCP Port Numbers

The default TCP port number for .NET applications, Microsoft Excel, OPCSystems.NET OPC Server, and service to service communications is 58727.  For instructions on how change the TCP port number view Change Default Network Port Number.

The default TCP port number for Web HMI, Web Trend, Web Alarm, and PCL iOS and Android applications is 58725.  To set the default port number use the registration step of the Service Control application and set the serverURL in the web app to the desired port.

To check if the TCP port is open from a client system perform the steps in Remote OAS Service Access.

 

Legacy OAS Services

Legacy versions prior to version 12 used a default TCP port of 58724.  This is called the WCF Port number.  This is not applicable on services deployed to Linux.

Legacy OPCSystems older than version 5 use default TCP port 58723.  This legacy port number is not adjustable, but can be enabled in the data server under Configure-Options-Networking and enable the property .NET Remoting Classic Networking for older client applications or older services to communicate to a new service.  To enable a new service to talk to an older service than version 5 go to Configure-Options-Remote Services and enable the property Client .NET Remoting Classic Networking.  In the newer client application components there are provisions in each component to enable classic .NET Remoting to talk to older services.  If you are new to using Open Automation Software and are not connecting to legacy systems do not enable Classic .NET Remoting in any service or client application.