EC: KEPServerEX communications platform

Software — Applications: KEPServerEX is a highly flexible and scalable solution that connects, manages, monitors, and controls diverse automation devices and software applications. This is a Control Engineering 2015 Engineers’ Choice award winner.

By Control Engineering October 20, 2014

KEPServerEX is an industry-proven communications platform that manages critical automation, facility, and infrastructure data. It supports a wide array of open standards, proprietary communication protocols, APIs, and automation systems’ interfaces to deliver the highest-quality communications solutions.

KEPServerEX’s unique single-server architecture expedites project development and consolidates data from various sources, thus enabling organizations to reduce network traffic, decrease device and system resource usage, and ensure access to consistent and reliable data. Users can add device drivers, client interfaces, and advanced options on demand, and can leverage its separate configuration and runtime modes for simultaneous real-time configuration and live operation without project downtime. KEPServerEX is designed to meet the highest standards of quality as determined by independent agencies (such as the OPC Foundation), industrial automation users, and internal stakeholders.

KEPServerEX v.5.15 demonstrates Kepware’s commitment to communications standards and support of industry-leading hardware manufacturers, featuring updates that are particularly relevant to customers in the manufacturing, building automation, and energy management markets. The new Omron NJ Ethernet driver provides connectivity to Omron Sysmac NJ controllers, utilizing the EtherNet/IP protocol for fast and robust communications. The BACnet/IP Driver’s new support for schedule and calendar objects enhances the monitoring and control between Building Automation Controllers and HMI/SCADA applications. The SNMP Driver’s new support for AES v.3 Encryption further protects message privacy and secures communications between devices and software applications. Furthermore, KEPServerEX’s enhanced EFM suite allows Kepware’s customers to minimize the solutions needed to collect real-time and historical gas and liquid EFM data from the industry’s leading flow computers, and reduce the number of applications required to perform measurement analysis. Whatever its application, KEPServerEX improves operations and decision making throughout all levels of an organization.

Kepware Technologies, www.kepware.com