Ignition: How to connect to KepServerEx 5.2 via OPC-UA
Human-machine interface, SCADA, and manufacturing execution system connections to OPC-UA are easier with Ingition software, says Inductive Automation.
Previous connections from Inductive Automation Ignition HMI-SCADA-MES software to KepServerEx has been through an OPC-DA connection. These connections use what Inductive Automation calls “the famously difficult and unsecure Microsoft DCOM technology.”
Ignition version 5.2 software can connect to KepServerEx directly via OPC-UA. OPC-UA, says Inductive Automation, offers greater security and ability to easily set up remote connections.
Inductive Automation offers a step-by-step guide, with screen captures, for connecting Ignition to KepServerEx v5.2. The first step covers configuring Ignition, then KepwareServerEx 5.2, the Inductive Automation said in a June 10 announcement. http://www.inductiveautomation.com/news/item/255/62010
Making connections
In May, Inductive Automation cited system integrator Kyle Chase, had recently performed a system upgrade to Ignition from Inductive Automation’s legacy products, FactorySQL and FactoryPMI.
“I just finished transitioning a smaller facility last week to Ignition,” said Chase, systems integration specialist for Surefire SCADA Inc. “There were a few changes I had to make to historical trending and historical SQL tags, but other than that, everything just dropped into place. It worked really well.” Among other new features is a free OPC Unified Architecture (UA) server, Inductive Automation says.
Also read: Upgraded HMI/SCADA software powered by OPC-UA.
Learn more about Ignition software capabilities at upcoming OPC roadshows or on the company’s web site.
-Edited by Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com