Wonderware launches device integration software

Lake Forest, CA— Wonderware , a unit of Invensys plc (London, U.K.), announced Aug. 29 that it has launched its DAServer (DAS) device integration software. The first DAS product is the Allen-Bradley Control Information Protocol (ABCIP) data access server, which is the first in series of data access servers for Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley PLCs.

Wonderware reports that unique to each DAServer is its data access server control client. The DAS control client’s end-user benefits include lower project engineering and maintenance costs through simple remote server configuration, operation and extensive protocol diagnostics.

The new Wonderware ABCIP DAServer is designed to provide connectivity between a variety of modern DDE, SuiteLink or OPC-based client application running under Microsoft Windows 2000/XP and the current family of Ethernet-enabled Rockwell/Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 555x PLCs. The Wonderware ABCIP DAServer doesn’t require use of Rockwell/ Allen-Bradley’s RSLinx and provides direct access to ControlLogix 555x native tags.

‘The first product in the DAS family showcases the added ease-of-use features of the DAServer’s ActiveX-based control client along with the superior technical functionality provided by using Wonderware’s new DAS toolkit,’ says Tom Muth, Wonderware’s FactorySuite product marketing manager. ‘It also demonstrates Wonderware and Invensys’ commitment to provide customers with connectivity software solutions that reduce the need for PLC hardware and vendor-supplied middleware.’

Future enhanced versions of the ABCIP DAServer product will be released in several phases during the next 12 months, with each subsequent phase providing additional hardware and sub-network protocol support, as well as additional features and benefits. Meanwhile, the current release, v1.0.0, of ABCIP DAServer provides control information protocol over Ethernet connectivity to Rockwell/Allen- Bradley’s ControlLogix 555x PLCs without the use of PLC-5 emulation mode or native mode. Subsequent releases will support bridging through the ControlLogix Gateway using ControlNet, DeviceNet, Data Highway Plus and other supported sub-network protocols. Support for additional Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley hardware will be offered in these later stages.

The server can operate in either standalone mode with any existing FactorySuite 2000 v7.11 client component or with future Invensys ArchestrA offerings through the use of device integration objects. Device integration objects used in conjunction with ABCIP DAServer will be generated by use of an upcoming device integration toolkit.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editor jmontague@reedbusiness.com

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