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OPTOSERVER USER'S GUIDE

1. QUICK START The Select Connection Type dialog box appears with Direct shown as the type of connection VVe re going to change the connection Select Connection Type 5 xi Select type of connection to controllers t Direct Select a non network connection for fastest communication using ARCNET or serial C Ethemet Connect to a controller via Ethernet C Server Connect to a controller located on another computer via an Opto 22 server on that computer lt Back Cancel 9 Click Server and then click Next This option connects the OptoDisplay project to a controller located on another computer on the same network 10 In the Configure Server Connection dialog box click the Browse button and locate the computer where the OptoServer program Communication Data Server is running For this example it s the same computer but usually it is a different computer on the network Communication Data Server must be running on the computer you choose When you choose a computer a list of controllers attached to the computer appears in the list 11 Highlight the controller you want to use to update the OptoDisplay strategy in this case Cookie Controller 1 6 OptoServer User s Guide QUICK START Its name appears in the Controller field and the dialog box looks something like this Configure Server Connection Select a computer and then a controller Computer fi FEMIA Browse Server Status Conn
2. xii linking to OptoServer 8 permissions 7 OptoServer User s Guide Index 3 Index 4 OptoServer User s Guide
3. OptoServer attaching to other controllers in addition to mistic1 if you have configured others in OptoServer Administrator 2 Click the Logging menu and make sure the following logging options are checked e Log to Window The main window displays messages 4 8 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND OPC T e Log Level Normal Only significant OptoServer communication events are recorded e Log with Time Messages are saved with a time stamp 3 Click the minimize button to reduce the OptoServer window to an icon Starting the OPC Client 1 From the Start menu choose Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer OPC Test Diagnostic If you receive an error message about a file that s missing can t be found or is invalid see If You Are Running Windows 95 on page 4 12 The client s main window appears File Server View Help Dic ba C NM 4 OptoServer User s Guide 4 9 OPTOSERVER AND OPC 2 From the Server menu choose Connect Select an OPC Server xi OPC Server Prog ID L x J fOpto22 Mds 1 Cancel Located Servers Opto22 OptoESvr 1 RSI Gen32 1 Node Name Optional If OptoServer is already running Opto22 Mds 1 appears in the list If OptoServer is not already running the client automatically starts it If the server does not appear in the list you can type its name in the OPC Server Prog ID field NOTE In this example OptoServer is running on the same
4. See Opto 22 Clients on page 2 4 for more information about the cache 3 If Cache Enable is checked in the Cache Freshness field enter the length of time in milliseconds that data in the server s cache should be considered fresh If data has been cached longer than this OptoServer does not deliver the data and the client has to scan the controller Using Troubleshooting Features in Communication Data Server Three troubleshooting tools are available from the OptoCds window To launch OptoSniff a handy utility for monitoring communication between a PC and a controller click the Sniff Utility button For more information on OptoSniff see the Troubleshooting appendix in the GotoControl Users Guide OptoServer User s Guide 2 13 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 To sound a beep whenever a client requests data check Beep when accessed Normally this box should be unchecked because beeps slow performance dramatically When you re troubleshooting however the beeps verify that OptoCds is being accessed To have the OptoCds window s title bar flash whenever a client requests data check Flash when accessed If the window is minimized it will flash in the taskbar at the bottom of the computer screen 2 14 OptoServer User s Guide CHAPTER 3 OptoServer and DDE Aware Clients Introduction Part of the beauty of OptoServer is its ability to provide information from Opto 22 controllers to third party applications that can communicate
5. W Digital Multifunction Output DOM State discrete R W ea On Time Percent float R W Period float R W Digital Remote Simple Output DORS State discrete R W Point Digital TPO Output Point TPO State discrete R W On Time Percent float R W Period float R W Digital Event Reaction ERD Scan Enable discrete R W Has Occurred discrete R Is Occurring discrete R Analog Event Reaction ERA Scan Enable discrete R W Has Occurred discrete R Is Occurring discrete R Chart CHART Run discrete R W Stop discrete R W Suspend discrete R W Continue discrete VV State integer R W if you are using 64 bit integers in OptoControl convert them to two 32 bit integers using the commands Get High Bits of Integer 64 and Get Low Bits of Integer 64 Table range is limited to 50 elements SOptoControl chart state values are as follows 3 Waiting for I O 1 Start 0 Stop 1 Suspend 3 6 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS Description Item Type Field Actual Base Type Access Controller CTRLR Free Memory integer R Time Stamp string R Date Stamp string R Time Date string R Filename string R of Errors integer R Current Error integer R If you are using 64 bit integers in OptoControl convert them to two 32 bit integers using the commands Get High Bits of Integer 64 and Get Low Bits of Integer 64 Table range is limited to 50 elements SOpt
6. computer as the OPC client so you would leave the Node Name field blank To run OptoServer on a different computer you must first configure DCOM to recognize the other computer See If You Are Running OptoServer and an OPC Client on Different Computers on page 4 13 Then in the previous figure you would enter the name of the computer running OptoServer in the Node Name field 3 Highlight Opto22 Mds 1 and click OK to connect to OptoServer You return to the client s main window 4 10 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND OPC T 4 From the Group menu choose Add Group The client requires that you designate a group for the items the client is requesting usually 170 points or variables This group has no relationship to groups you may have set up in the Refresh Times dialog box Add New Group x Group Name rest 1 z m ancel Update Rate mSeci 1000 M Active Time Bias Jo Jv PS Flake Deadband fi IV Allow Timeout Advise JiConnectionPoint Rev 2 0 7 with TimeStanp 5 Type ina Group Name if the client requires it and click Update Rate to put a check in the box as shown in the previous figure Click OK The new group appears in the main window 6 From the Item menu choose Add Item Add New OPC Item xi Items to be Added m Attributes misticl GROUP O F GEN FLOAT Lo Access Path OPTO_MDS_0 Cancel Item Name P O F GEN_FLOAT_0d QENI Add Item Active M
7. file OptoSrvr Examples Access97 Dde_tst1 mdb Depending on the version of Access you are using you may see warning messages as the file opens This sample database has been tested with Access 97 only if you use Microsoft Access 2000 or a later version you may need to convert or modify the database file and the corresponding Visual Basic for Applications VBA macros it uses OptoServer User s Guide 1 13 QUICK START When the file opens it looks something like this Microsoft Access Elle Edit view Insert Format Records Tools Window Help M G S6R Bes 5 6 Sl AU Y wy dK B ia Gi E Tables E queries ES Forms B Reports Macros s Modules E Main Form loj xi Z DDE Test Database Clear DDE Values Request DDE Values Set DDE Values ReadMe TXT DDE Item Name DDE Item Data MISTICI Group O FT EXCEL FLT TABLEJO 69 08305 MISTIC1 Group 0 FT EXCEL_FLT_TABLE 1 79 92361 MISTIC1 Group 0 FT EXCEL_FLT_TABLE 2 79 92361 MISTIC1 Group 0 FT EXCEL_FLT_TABLE 3 88 90366 MISTIC1 Group 0J FT EXCEL_FLT_TABLE 4 95 46487 MISTIC1 Group 0 FT EXCEL_FLT_TABLE 5 99 1993 MISTIC1 Group 0 DIM D_IN1 State MISTIC1 Group O DIM D IN2 State MISTIC1 Group 0 D0M D_OUT1 State MISTIC1 Group 0 D0M D_OUT2 State MISTICI Group O 81 8 IN1 Value MISTICI Group O 81 8 IN2 Value MISTICI Group O 40 8 QUTI Value 1 111099 MISTIC1 Group 0 A0 A_OUT2 Value 2 222198 Record aaf 4 T _ gt ou p of 14 Fmi
8. in OPC 10 O OLE for Process Control 1 OPC and Windows 95 12 client and server on different computers 13 client links 3 Foundation 2 general concepts 1 message example 11 messages format 3 running a sample client 5 specification 2 test clients 9 OPC compliant client 1 Optocds exe 3 OptoControl as OptoServer client 1 OptoDisplay as OptoServer client 1 configuring controllers in 4 opening project 3 starting 3 OptoSa exe 2 OptoServer definition 1 files 1 uses of 3 OptoServer Administrator 2 OptoServer User s Guide configuring controllers in 9 OptoServer OPC Test Diagnostic 9 overrun errors 5 P permissions in Windows NT 7 Product Support ix R re enable setting 12 3 requests Visual Basic 9 10 retries 3 S scan rate changing 5 scanner overrun errors 5 scanning 5 server expression description 3 server definition of 3 syntax of DDE messages 1 of OPC messages 3 T timeout 3 timer Visual Basic example 9 topic expression case sensitivity 2 general description 2 troubleshooting communication problems 1 error messages 5 network communication 2 Product Support ix timeouts retries re enabling 3 V verifying communications to controller 8 communications to DDE aware client 2 T vievving running sample program 8 clients attached 2 controller communication 2 Visual Basic form 9 WwW Visual Basic Windows NT and OPC 2 installation
9. information that hardware produces If OptoServer User s Guide 4 1 OPTOSERVER AND OPC they did produce drivers each piece of hardyvare vvould have to have multiple drivers one for each specific software application used with it OPC is designed to do two things e First create a common standard so all communication between software and hardware is in the same language e Second move driver creation to the hardware manufacturer who best understands the hardware s capabilities OPC technology has several advantages over DDE OPC is quick robust designed for networks and has a standard message syntax for all clients As the OPC standard gains wide support among developers you will be able to choose among a wide selection of products applications and tools from different vendors with the confidence that they will all work together seamlessly Example of OPC in Action Without OPC You want to use another vendor s human machine interface HMI with an Opto 22 controller You cannot use the HMI software unless it has a driver written specifically for Opto 22 With OPC If the other vendor s software is OPC 1 0 compliant you don t need a separate driver For example suppose you have an Opto 22 controller running an OptoControl strategy Since OptoServer is OPC compliant it can retrieve that data and provide it to the OPC client The OPC Specification The OPC Foundation a non profit group released the first OPC sp
10. smaller data requests Keep in mind the following data group characteristics and how they affect scanning e Each OptoDisplay draw window has its own group of data items e Data items with different scan times from the same OptoDisplay draw window are combined into separate groups e The maximum number of data items in a group is 50 e Strings are not combined into groups e Data written to a controller is not grouped Adjusting Scan Times Here s a suggested method you can use to find an optimum scan time for your OptoServer system and help avoid scanner overrun errors The goal is to scan the controller s as often as possible OptoServer User s Guide 2 5 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 to provide the latest data to clients without affecting the controller s throughput and giving constant scanner overruns Follow these steps to adjust scan times 1 Set all client scan times to a long interval to ensure a quiet time no communication activity between scans Start out with a 30 second interval e For OptoDisplay clients set scan times in the OptoDisplay Configurator See the OptoDisplay User s Guide for instructions e For DDE aware clients set scan times in the OptoServer Administrator as explained in Setting Refresh Times on page 2 8 2 Run your OptoControl OptoServer and OptoDisplay applications 3 Use a stop watch to time the duration of communication activity during a scan interval Use the communication LEDs
11. the identity of the controller in the cache 4 OptoDisplay Client B requests the same data for the same window 5 The request goes through OptoCds which checks the cache If the data is still fresh OptoCds delivers the previous response stored in the cache to OptoDisplay Client B If the data is stale OptoCds contacts the controller delivers the new data to the client and stores the new data in the cache You can turn caching on or off in the Communication Data Server and also set the freshness time for the data See Working with Communication Data Server on page 2 13 for more information Using OptoServer Efficiently If the computer running OptoDisplay has a connection to the controller you should run OptoDisplay using that connection rather than using OptoServer Using OptoServer between a 2 4 OptoServer User s Guide WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 Ue controller and OptoDisplay is slower and less efficient than a connection without OptoServer One of the main purposes of OptoServer is to provide a connection between computer and controller when no other connection exists You may run into a bottleneck if OptoServer is run on only one computer and is used for a large number of clients A bottleneck can occur for two reasons first the volume of data may be too much for one OptoServer application and computer to handle and second OptoServer scans multiple controllers sequentially In contrast if several computers are running Opto
12. 0 If it is not already selected choose Full Control from the Type of Access drop down menu 11 Click OK OptoServer User s Guide A 7 12 In the Registry Key Permissions dialog box select the Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys checkbox and click OK 13 Select Registry Exit to close the Registry Editor 14 Restart the computer The user or group you added can now use controllers without having administrator access A 8 OptoServer User s Guide APPENDIX B OptoServer Files This appendix provides a list of OptoServer files Use this information as a reference when you are looking through your OptoServer directory IC32CKIT dll File essential for OPC and DDE connectivity Mdslog log Default name of the message logging file created by OptoServer Mds exe OptoCds exe Communication Data Server executable program file used to communicate to OptoControl OptoDisplay or any other application using OptoCom dll such as Microsoft Visual Basic applications you may have written OptoCom dll File in the system directory necessary for communication with controllers OptoErr dll File in the system directory that contains a list of error numbers and messages OptoMds ini Initialization file created by OptoServer Administrator when it is exited for the first time OptoMwd dll File in the system directory necessary for communication with ports Mds exe OptoServer executable program file used to communicate to OPC complian
13. CADA CLIENT OPC TEST CLIENT OptoServer RVER OPTO 22 CONTROLLER SAMPLE I O OPTO 22 1 0 SYSTEM A 4 OptoServer User s Guide Le Messages This section describes messages that may appear in the OptoServer Mds log window The Communication Data Server does not display messages except for Initializing and Ready messages that appear in the status bar at the bottom of its window Because these messages are from Mds any client they refer to is an OPC or DDE client lt TagName gt refers to an item or item ID expression such as MyRtu Group OJ 1 MY INTEGER where MY_INTEGER is the name of a variable in a strategy on the controller MyRtu Several messages include a lt Reason gt which describes the problem in more detail to help you solve it If you need additional help in solving errors contact Opto 22 Product Support See page ix for contact information Both error messages and typical transaction messages are included in this section Messages are listed in alphabetical order A client has connected lt Qty gt client s are connected Status message indicating that a client has just connected to OptoServer and how many clients are now connected A client has disconnected lt Qty gt client s are connected Status message indicating that a client has just disconnected from OptoServer and how many clients are now connected Adding item tag lt TagN
14. Datatype TyT EMPTY E E veidete Ara fo Datatype Native x I Array Filter F Access all tems x Root Node lt Locab Server doesn t Support Browsing Namespace You can add items using this dialog Click on validate items if you wish to check your items against the server before adding them Results will be displayed from this action 7 Inthe Access Path field type OPTO_MDS_0 as shown in the figure In the Item Name field type the following misticl GROUP 0 F GEN_FLOAT_00 OptoServer User s Guide 4 11 OPTOSERVER AND OPC What you just typed reflects the format for the Item ID described in detail on page 4 4 ControllerName RefreshGroupName ItemType ITEM_NAME start end Field BITn Note however that the client inserts the apostrophes for you so you don t have to type them In this example we ve used the default name for the RefreshGroupName If you entered a different name for the refresh group use the name you entered instead of GROUP 0 For the GEN_FLOAT_00 variable in this example start end Field and BITn are not applicable 8 When you have entered the Access Path and the Item Name click the Add Item button The item is added and the Item Name field is cleared You can add another item the same way if you wish 9 When you have finished adding items click OK The main window shows the items you have added The following figure shows two Items GEN_FLOAT_00 and GEN_FLOAT_C
15. Dde_tst1 vbp program start up code found in the Form_Load event for the main form DDE_TST1 FRM is executed A DDE warm link a Visual Basic Notify is established to OptoServer and a program timer is initialized Notice that the form 3 8 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS changes slightly and does not display the Poke and Request objects that were in the upper right quadrant of the form The Program Status displays the message Stopped 1 Expression Builder Eg CreateT ables Cok Cancel HAE Ee Anal o Nofe DJ Functions Built In Functions DDE TSTI SetValues Clear alues ClearValues 7 From the Poking menu choose Start The project begins and the Program Status changes to Waiting Values are poked out to the controller and then read back The Item Names and Values are displayed along with changes to their respective bar graphs You can change the Poke Interval to increase or decrease the time between pokes and requests 8 To stop the example choose Poking Stop You ve now run the sample Dde_tst1 vpb program that makes basic DDE pokes and requests from a controller and updates a Visual Basic form Viewing the Main Components of the Visual Basic Sample Program To take a closer look at the objects associated with the Visual Basic program we ll start by viewing the contents of the form A form is a collection of objects each with associated Visual Basi
16. Display projects they scan the controllers essentially in parallel that is each project scans the controllers independently of the other projects If a bottleneck occurs run OptoServer on more than one computer and divide the clients evenly among them Optimizing OptoServer Scanning For OPC and DDE clients OptoServer scans controllers for data at rates you can set Up to seven scan rates can be configured so you can have OptoServer scan data at different rates depending upon the importance or nature of the data For example digital points can be scanned every second while a group of temperature inputs can be scanned every five seconds since temperatures usually change slowly If a PC cannot keep up with the scanning requirements you ll receive scanner overrun notifications These notifications are not error messages they occur when the time it takes for the controller to scan the data is longer than the configured scan time OptoServer gets a server data notification if the server scans for new data before it can send already scanned data to the client NOTE For OptoDisplay clients scanner overrun notifications appear in OptoDisplay You can enable or disable notification in the Refresh Times dialog box in the OptoDisplay Configurator Scanning and OptoDisplay When OptoDisplay scans for data it combines data items into groups Due to communications overhead sending data in one large group is faster than sending several
17. LOCK which are both variables from the strategy gj RSI OPC Test Client Opto22 Mds 1 ox wi File Server Group ltem Log View window Help lej xi Sub Value Sub Quality Sub Upde oe Updates Second 0 500509 Good 764 misticl GROUP 0 F GEN_FLOAT_00 89 0873 Good 764 misticl GROUP O F GEN_FLOAT_CL 12611 3 Good 99 The sample connection is completel You can vvatch the items being updated at the refresh rate you specified If You Are Running Windows 95 If you are running OptoServer on Windows 95 read this section You must have installed distributed COM DCOM in order to run OPC DCOM comes standard with Windows NT 4 0 and Windows 98 and is available as an add on for Windows 95 DCOM also comes with Internet Explorer 4 0 The DCOM package can be obtained from Microsoft s Web site at www microsoft com com dcom95 If you are running OptoServer and an OPC client on different computers that are networked rather than on the same computer install DCOM on both computers Additionally you must install the DCOMcnfg program It is also available from the Microsoft Web site 4 12 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND OPC T Also note that if you are running OptoServer on a Windows 95 computer and the OPC client ona separate computer you must manually start OptoServer The client does not start it remotely If You Are Running OptoServer and an OPC Client on Different Computers If you are running Opt
18. NT If you have an ARCNET card in your PC at the time you install a Windows 95 Windows 98 or Windows NT operating system make sure a network driver doesn t get installed on the card Windows 95 Windows 98 and Windows NT operating systems automatically try to x OptoServer User s Guide Ee install a network driver on an ARCNET card Allowing the driver to be installed can produce unpredictable results from OptoServer For more information see the Application Note on our Web site www opto22 com Additional Software Requirements Verify that the minimum version of OptoCom dll is 3 1 This driver is used by any program that needs to communicate to a controller Additional Hardware Requirements OptoServer requires some additional hardware as well as some firmware Typically you need e Opto 22 controller e Opto 22 170 units Opto 22 brains plus SNAP G4 or G1 VO modules To communicate with a controller the following additional hardware is required e One of the following communication methods Standard RS 232 serial port Ethernet card Contemporary Controls PGA66 Series ARCNET card Contemporary controls PCI20 ARCNET cards PCI20 CXS PCI20 FOG ST or PCI20 485 Opto 22 s AC24AT AC37 AC47 or AC422AT adapter cards e Serial cables or ARCNET coaxial cables and hubs for multidrop connections from the PC to the controllers Opto 22 recommends the Contemporary Controls Mod Hub series of active hubs The appropri
19. OPTOSERVER USER S GUIDE Form 722 050111 JANUARY 2005 OPTO 22 43044 Business Park Drive e Temecula e CA 92590 3614 Phone 800 321 OPTO 6786 or 951 695 3000 Fax 800 832 OPTO 6786 or 951 695 2712 www opto22 com Product Support Services 800 TEK OPTO 835 6786 or 951 695 3080 Fax 951 695 3017 Email support opto22 com Web support opto22 com OptoServer User s Guide Form 722 050111 JANUARY 2005 Copyright 1996 2005 by Opto 22 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America The information in this manual has been checked carefully and is believed to be accurate however Opto 22 assumes no responsibility for possible inaccuracies or omissions Specifications are subject to change without notice Opto 22 warrants all of its products to be free from defects in material or workmanship for 30 months from the manufacturing date code This warranty is limited to the original cost of the unit only and does not cover installation labor or any other contingent costs Opto 22 170 modules and solid state relays with date codes of 1 96 or later are guaranteed for life This lifetime warranty excludes reed relay SNAP serial communication modules SNAP PID modules and modules that contain mechanical contacts or switches Opto 22 does not warrant any product components or parts not manufactured by Opto 22 for these items the warranty from the original manufacturer applies These products include but are not limited t
20. ame gt Indicates that the item lt TagName gt is being referenced by a client Advise loop start failed lt Reason gt lt TagName gt A hot link or report by exception subscription failed Possible reasons for failure include an incorrect controller name or an invalid tag name See lt Reason gt for a more detailed explanation Could not start lt Exe gt One of the three executable files that OptoServer Mds automatically starts could not be started If you don t need the file you can ignore the message since Mds will continue to run If you need the file make sure it is present These are the three files e NetDDE used for DDE links over a network Mds starts NetDDE unless it s already running e OptoCds exe the portion of OptoServer used by OptoControl OptoDisplay and any other client using OptoCom dll e OptoSh16 exe or OptoSh32 exe needed to create the DDE shares that allow NetDDE connections to be made Destroy item tag lt TagName gt Indicates that the item lt TagName gt is no longer being referenced by any client Destroy topic lt TopicName gt Indicates that the topic lt TopicName gt is no longer being referenced by any client An example of a topic name would be OPTO MDS 0 Error adding item tag lt TagName gt lt Reason gt A problem occurred while a client was referencing an item See lt Reason gt for a more detailed explanation OptoServer User s Guide A 5 E lt Exe gt already runnin
21. apter Scatter inanon onia a aaa 1 1 Communicating with an OptoDisplay Client aaa radar od ni i iv 1 1 Downloading the Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication 1 2 Starting Communication Data Server OptoServer aauv 2 cava acaruar n see r error or cen 1 3 Configuring OptoDisplay e dueti v n ve t n nda van nn 1 3 KO e Na 1 8 Communicating with a DDE Aware Cd GN U a cc ccnanacncnccn cos nenen enes e eee rev ere ere ce ere receten eni 1 8 Downloading a Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication 1 8 Using OptoServer Administrator to Configure a Controller aa van maca sur cccns ooo 1 9 Starting MOS CIVIC Pana da M eh eth usteaaaesraenenie 1 12 Starting Microsoft ACC OSS s r n e d ha 1 13 OptoServer User s Guide iii E Chapter 2 What Is OptoServer augunis sa esin nea dia ndani san se Kri n k n ran n r 2 1 NDO GJ r ass 2 1 UD DAP Pa e e lia cata dd taeda 2 1 About U cee vend ko et aak Re ete R si 2 1 Why Use OptoServer v ke pe elas elas ivia abate aedaetadinctns 2 2 The OptoServer Package az hh dias 2 2 E 2 3 OPC and DDE Clients ee s aaa alacelca das 2 4 OI ZN e e einen ntahea teeta goatee 2 4 Using OptoServer Efficiently at n t u ha r 2 4 Optimizing OptoServer Scanning davet Ave ra e 2 5 Scanning and OptoDisplay sse cerstnstsnejnacasdesaeaneai an acwndetaeisesaersiientschdcksnstmcceateuesnesuedss 2 5 Adjusting Scan ca e r 2 5 Working
22. ate expansion cards are EXP CXS Coax Star EXP FOG ST Fiber ARCNET EXP 485 Twisted pair ARCNET DC coupled NOTE If you are using OptoRuntimePC for your controller you do not need any additional hardware to communicate with it although you may require an adapter card to communicate with your VO units Also if you are using a G4LC32 SA or GALC321SA IT controller you can communicate with it through the ISA bus in your PC OPC No additional hardware is necessary for OPC DDE and NetDDE OptoServer is compatible with DDE and NetDDE NetDDE is required for clients connecting to OptoServer across a network OptoServer also supports Fast DDE and Advanced DDE OptoServer User s Guide xi E Installing on Windows NT Windows NT users must have write access to the registry and the VVindovvstSystem32 directory to successfully install and use this product If FactoryFloor has never been installed on the computer before you must reboot your VVindovvs NT system after the first time you make changes to communication settings for any port Ifan older version of FactoryFloor was previously installed on the computer however one or more controllers will already be defined and it is not necessary to reboot the system Firmware Requirements Firmware is loaded on your controller so that you can download and run OptoControl strategies If your controller s firmware is not at the required release number you ll receive an error messag
23. ates for OPC compliant and DDE aware clients are set up in the OptoServer Administrator program See Optimizing OptoServer Scanning on page 2 5 for more information OPC compliant and DDE aware clients are sent information on a report by exception basis This means they are only sent data that is newer than or different from the last information OptoServer sent Opto 22 Clients The Communication Data Server OptoCds exe provides a conduit for OptoDisplay and other Opto 22 clients to scan controllers on the network Because these clients do their own scanning scan rates are set in the client For example you can set scan rates for OptoDisplay in the OptoDisplay Configurator Since the bottleneck in communications is at the controller OptoCds uses a cache to reduce unnecessary or repetitive scanning OptoCds stores the scanned data from controllers in the cache If a client such as OptoDisplay requests data that is in the cache the server delivers it immediately This cache is similar to a disk cache or Internet cache It improves throughput because it s much faster to retrieve data from the cache in memory than from the controller Here s an example of how the cache works 1 OptoDisplay Client A requests data for a window 2 The request goes through the Communication Data Server to the controller 3 The controller responds through OptoCds to OptoDisplay Client A OptoCds stores the response as well as the corresponding command and
24. c code that can be viewed by double clicking the object The View Form button displays the frm file and the View Code button displays Visual Basic code for project components 1 After running the sample program go back to the design programming environment by choosing Run End The DDE Test Program form is displayed for editing or vievving 2 Double click the timer graphic in the upper right section of the form The code window for this object appears Most of the Visual Basic code for this example is found in this object s code module DdePokeTimer 3 View the code by scrolling through it Click the Object drop down list to see other code modules and objects Close the code window OptoServer User s Guide 3 9 OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS 4 Double click other objects displayed in the form Each object s code window is displayed Notice that the Properties window shows information about the selected object Close each Code window with its control menu box 5 Click the Request text box This object senses changes to the OptoServer data warm link and requests the new data from OptoServer about the controller Data is returned in a comma delimited form The code parses the information and displays it in the text boxes on the form It also changes the message displayed in the Program Status text box 3 10 OptoServer User s Guide CHAPTER 4 OptoServer and OPC Introduction This chapter discusses how to use O
25. cation The application is simply the name of the server supplying the data information OptoServer uses MDS for its name Actual string expressions depend on your DDE aware application s syntax and what node OptoServer is running on relative to the DDE aware application Topic A topic expression Identifies a category of data from the application For OptoServer you should generally use the topic expression OPTO_MDS_0O Topic names are not case sensitive but note that they contain underscores rather than spaces Remember to include underscores in your topic expressions If you are working across a network the topic has the syntax lt topic gt so the topic would be OPTO_MDS_0 NOTE OptoServer also creates topics based upon the controller information you have set up These topics will be in the following format OptoCtrl ControllerName where ControllerName is the name you supplied for the controller when it was configured Item The item expression identifies a data item from an OptoControl strategy The format for an OptoControl DDE item has the following syntax in all applications ControllerName RefreshGroupName ltemType ltemName start end Field BITn Each parameter is described in the Item Parameters table on the following page ControllerName is normally included However if you need to swap controllers for example to shift to a backup controller you can leave the controller name out of the item expression If it is le
26. d trademarks of their respective companies or organizations OptoServer User s Guide Table of Contents Welcome to Opto Server nuror s ics riv v s sh a s sdhi n s n ve ve n d r e Intro vii e E annonsi aa iiai Intro vii Document Conventions aa reve rana ci end non l n n e dra Intro viil Other FactoryFloor Resources cccccscsseseesesteteseeseseeseseesesestessstesesessseessseetessateseseess Intro vili Documents and Online Help ci ccucci non redenro hut n n tu tas ncdrotcetestor vedin di detit Intro viii Product HU es v en ke e enrete Intro ix Installing tO S TUET is zeoca n sr ov s oe kati ndi kend raca idht ps he kur n Shna tesh b ni d shi Shri d Intro x e e nen Intro x Installation Requirements ac ec n Grini or sites ede indet nr ok se Intro x For OptoDisplay and OptoControl Users ax xa vv can a can ann son osoanorenrrezer eren Intro x Network Requirements at v s iv ae r eo tie ad e Intro x Additional Software REQ Ui 8 MEN S 0 n c cv aaa anon access center ver eve eee r eter er ra Intro xi Additional Hardware REQUI AMA M S cv mv van an anon cos seen sens rent ere ceer eeereceer er ra Intro xi Th bach eeepc osc ETTR IE Intro xi E E Intro xi Installing on VV IADUUSA at ka kot h n n veli nd n sh st shes se Intro xii NT Intro xii Chapter T Quiek SHAr Cana suoccaca es dn eni Pud sia dun kaa L duna nudot 1 1 E E E weedeesas toate 1 1 Mk TNS Ch
27. dicate procedures to be followed sequentially Bulleted lists such as this one provide general information Other FactoryFloor Resources Documents and Online Help To help you understand and use the FactoryFloor suite of products the following resources are provided e Online Help is available in OptoGontrol OptoDisplay OptoServer and most of the OptoUtilities To open online Help choose HelpContents and Index in any screen Vili OptoServer User s Guide T OptoControl User s Guide OptoDisplay User s Guide and OptoServer User s Guide give step by step instructions for using each of these products The OptoServer User s Guide binder also contains a master FactoryFloor Glossary which defines terms for all FactoryFloor products Online versions Adobe Acrobat format of these and other FactoryFloor documents are available from the Help menu in your FactoryFloor application To view a document select Help Manuals and then choose a document from the submenu OptoControl Command Reference contains detailed information about each command instruction available in OptoControl Two quick reference cards OptoControl Commands and Beginners Guide to OptoControl Commands are located in the front pocket of the OptoControl Command Reference FactoryFloor resources are also available on the Opto 22 Web site at factoryfloor opto22 com You can conveniently access this and other sections of the Opto 22 Web site using the Help me
28. ding changing and deleting controllers is the same as in OptoControl For detailed steps see Working With Controllers in the OptoControl Users Guide Setting Refresh Times You use OptoServer Administrator to set scan rates and freshness values for OPC compliant and DDE aware clients such as Microsoft Word Refresh names are used in client messages See Chapters 3 and 4 for more information on client messages Here is a sample DDE message using the default refresh name Group 0 MDS OPTO_MDS_0 MyMistic Group 01 1 TEST INT You can set up to seven refresh names each with its own refresh time and a client can use more than one refresh name Using more than one name is helpful if you have groups of 170 with different scan rates for example analog 1 0 points to read the outdoor temperature and digital I O sensing whether a security gate is open Since outdoor temperatures are fairly stable the scan rate for the analog 170 would typically be longer than the scan rate for the digital 170 group NOTE See Optimizing OptoServer Scanning on page 2 5 for additional information about scanning rates and refresh times especially if you are using OptoServer with OptoDisplay as well as DDE aware clients Follow these steps to set scan rates and refresh times 1 In the OptoServer Administrator main window choose Configure Refresh Times 2 8 OptoServer User s Guide WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 Ue The Refresh Times dialo
29. ding Timeout Retries and Re enable SEO So uu maa aaa cancer A 3 Problems Using OPC ene en dee decSnmteralveDencanadtnadnssiedehsctuceacndcaseetdoa ea timic wise sincdiach A 4 e e NUH E EROTE A 4 Using the Diagnostic Utilities sie d eb da A 4 TT stash etches chins paca ttt cade ase Pos ntkea seein dace aet recta pach cabs meenee A 5 Problems with Windows PENMISSIOIS iz asesi arrit al id lee ae ee A 7 Appendix B OptoServer Files a scessesisesiscsassisansasniccastasadcascansssissincenidenaastane B 1 OptoServer Index na rkasn session denuan n t edo deh nude s don tet s Index 1 OptoServer User s Guide v vi OptoServer User s Guide OPTO 22 Welcome to OptoServer OptoServer is Opto 22 s OPC 1 0 compliant DDE and NetDDE server for Microsoft Windows systems Part of the Opto 22 FactoryFloor suite of software OptoServer is the client server application that supports the bidirectional flow of data between PC clients on the FactoryFloor network and controllers on the Opto 22 controller network OptoServer works seamlessly with OptoDisplay and OptoControl as stand alone applications or within a complex client server architecture OptoServer can also be used to integrate Opto 22 control hardware and software solutions with Microsoft products third party packages and custom applications you can create using development tools such as Microsoft Visual Basic or Visual C About This Guide This guide assumes t
30. e You can use the OptoTerm utility explained in the Troubleshooting appendix of the OptoControl User s Guide to download the firmware to the controller NOTE If you have a non flash controller you need to contact Opto 22 Product Support for an EEPROM upgrade xii OptoServer User s Guide CHAPTER 1 Quick Start Introduction In this chapter we ll explain how to quickly get OptoServer up and running on a PC in two ways first communicating with an OptoDisplay client in a networked environment and second communicating with a DDE aware application The two Quick Start procedures differ because OptoServer has two executable files for communicating with client applications e Communication Data Server OptoCds exe is used for OptoDisplay OptoControl and other programs that use the OptoCom dll for communication e Optoserver Mds exe is used for DDE aware and OPC compliant applications We ll discuss these differences in more detail in Chapter 2 In This Chapter Communicating with an OptoDisplay Client 1 1 Communicating with a DDE Avvare Client 1 8 Communicating with an OptoDisplay Client In this first Quick Start section we will set up OptoServer to provide information to an OptoDisplay client In a typical setup OptoServer and OptoDisplay are running on different computers For this example however we ll run OptoServer and OptoDisplay on the same computer so we can easily demonstrate the con
31. ecification in August 1996 and OptoServer supports clients compliant with the 1 0 specification The initial specification s scope concentrates on basic data acquisition It does not address historical data handling alarming or security The specification provides the following interfaces e A fast efficient custom COM interface for data exchange between plant floor servers and OPC clients using a compiled language such as C or C e Asimplified and somewhat slower OLE Automation interface on top of the COM interface for accessing data within any OPC compliant server using programs in Visual Basic Delphi and other languages that support OLE 4 2 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND OPC OPC supports a distributed architecture allovving clients and servers to reside on different machines transparently The following figure illustrates a network using OPC and OptoServer VENDOR A OPC COMPLIANT HMI CLIENT VENDOR B OPC COMPLIANT SCADA CLIENT VENDOR C OPC COMPLIANT SOFTWARE CLIENT VENDOR D OPC COMPLIANT SERVER VENDOR E OPC COMPLIANT SERVER OPTO 22 CONTROLLER VENDOR D VENDOR E HO 1 0 OPTO 22 1 0 SYSTEM Creating Client Links The OPC client communicates with the server through standard links you create Unlike DDE OPC syntax rules do not vary by client The client link consists of three parts or expressions Server Access Path and Item ID These expressions are ba
32. ected to OptoCds on FEMIA Controller Cookie Controller p Betesh 4 controllers found on the computer selected above Er You may need to click Refresh to see the controller names 12 Click Finish Notice that a new controller name appears in the Configured Controllers list It is the name of the server computer with the controller s name appended Select Controller xi Configured Controllers WFEMIAS Cookie Controller Add Cookie Controller Modify Delete 13 Make sure the new controller name is highlighted and click OK to close the Select Controller dialog box Click OK again to close the Controller Properties dialog box and the Controllers dialog box 14 Choose File Save Project and Load Runtime OptoServer User s Guide 1 7 QUICK START Running OptoDisplay OptoDisplay opens and the Event Log Viewer window appears i ij Event Log Viewer Ni EI 1999 07 09 11 17 59 Comm Port NJFEMI SCookie Controller gt Open primar 1999 07 09 11 17 59 Controller JFEMIA Cookie Controller gt Attaching to Scanner In this window you can see that OptoDisplay has connected to the controller through OptoServer Congratulations The connection is complete Communicating with a DDE Aware Client In this second Quick Start section we will set up OptoServer to provide information to a DDE aware client in this case Microsoft Access In a typical setup OptoServer and Access would be running on differ
33. edi 3 8 Viewing the Main Components of the Visual Basic Sample PLOGANV 3 9 iv OptoServer User s Guide EE ee Chapter 4 OptoServer and OPC a cscvstssscssesinsannssasacswienssentaasscessancacdascesinsnns 4 1 e U RORE TERE OT HD HEREN 4 1 A TRIS CHAPEL s e aaiae einelti 4 1 General OPC Concepts cas ehe ie nt aa i i 4 1 What Is OPG gate e mE ry DRT nA 4 1 Se 4 2 E onsen 4 2 Creating Client Links aga eats anataescascacsctaace acs cage ease usmle 4 3 OTO E aletacusetuae 4 3 R RE OR aR 4 4 TI restp scasiastone scuanccecgtescenteetsauadtidgatecnssbacaacuet teach aE e AS 4 4 Item ID String ROMA Eoeusiov r koti an e 4 4 Item ID String SAJ NES ve di 4 4 Running a Sample OPC Client esa dt atienapesteusteaseise cd Succe dua Saabacdeetontnesacess 4 5 Downloading a Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication 4 5 Using OptoServer Administrator to Configure a Controller ccccceceeceeteeeteeeee 4 6 Starting CVO SPU cnc e na n ha eincbatarn aA eari iadaa aani aiana 4 8 e ase adralaeinaceouadadie 4 9 If You Are Running Windows OJ ce cave acari vi d mi sa unik r n k r o P r 4 12 If You Are Running OptoServer and an OPC Client on Different Gomputers 4 13 Appendix A OptoServer Troubleshooting nana nnanincn once cesor ecen or sore eres A 1 e SET Pr A 1 Communication PRODIEMIS ze s access shu duetet e ot ed A 1 Network DONIMUNI e AUN ez pike d ver A 2 Understan
34. ent computers attached to the same network For this example however we ll run them on the same computer to show the configuration process Briefly we ll follow these steps e Use OptoControl to download a strategy to the controller and verify communication e Use the OptoServer Administrator to configure a controller attached to the computer running OptoServer e Start OptoServer so that it is ready to be accessed by Access e Start Access Downloading a Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication 1 Start OptoControl by clicking Start and selecting Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoControl OptoControl 1 8 OptoServer User s Guide QUICK START T 2 From the File menu choose Open Strategy Navigate to Opto 22 FactoryFloor OptoSrvr Examples OptoCtrl and open the sample strategy dde_test cdb 3 Configure the strategy for your controller s connection address and port settings and enter mistici as the controller s name If you need help see Configuring Controllers in the OptoControl Users Guide 4 Compile the program by selecting Compile Compile All 5 Change to Debug mode and run the program 6 Verify that the controller is communicating with your PC Observe whether the controller s host port LEDs ARCNET COMO etc flash in response to messages from the PC If your controller is responding to your PC with no errors you re ready to move on to the next step If you experience p
35. figuration process This section guides you through the steps to monitor the Cookie Controller from OptoDisplay as if OptoDisplay were talking to OptoServer on another computer Briefly these steps are e Use OptoControl to download the strategy to the controller and verify communication The OptoControl strategy used is the cfactory cdb example that comes with OptoServer e Start the Communication Data Server OptoServer so that it is ready to be accessed by OptoDisplay OptoServer User s Guide 1 1 QUICK START ER e Configure OptoDisplay to communicate to a server based controller rather than a direct or local controller The OptoDisplay project used is cfactory mmi e Start OptoDisplay Runtime Downloading the Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication 1 Start OptoGontrol by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoControl OptoControl 2 From the File menu choose Open Strategy Navigate to Opto 22 Shared Cookies Control and open the file cfactory cdb 3 Configure the strategy for your controller s connection address and port settings and enter Cookie Controller as the controller s name If you need help see Configuring Controllers in the OptoControl Users Guide 4 Compile the program by selecting Compile Compile All 5 Change to Debug mode and run the program 6 Verify that the controller is communicating with your PC Observe whether the contr
36. ft out of the item expression OptoServer looks for the controller name as part of the topic expression RefreshGroupName ItemType and ItemName must always be included The start end Field and BITn parameters are applicable to some data types only The Item Types table starting on page 3 4 describes item types in detail NOTE The ItemName must be defined in all capital letters in the OptoControl strategy 3 2 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS Item Parameters Parameter Description ControllerName The name of the controller to scan for data This parameter is configured in the OptoServer Administrator with the Configure Controllers command This parameter is normally included in the item expression but it does not have to be If it is not included in the item expression OptoServer looks for it as part of the topic expression RefreshGroupName ItemType The scan rate group for a data item This parameter is required vvhen a DDE avvare client requests data from OptoServer This parameter is configured in OptoServer Administrator See page 2 8 Defines the data type of the item requested Valid ltemTypes are defined in the Item Types table on page 3 4 The identifier used in the message is listed in the ItemType column ItemName The actual data item s name in the OptoControl strategy start end Applies only to data items of type float table or integer table and indica
37. g One of the three executable files that OptoServer Mds automatically starts has already been started These three files are NetDDE OptoCds exe and OptoSh16 exe or OptoSh32 exe Failure sending lt TagName gt to lt Qty gt clientis Data failed to reach one or more clients May indicate an internal error Contact Opto 22 Product Support New item tag lt TagName gt Appears the first time the item lt TagName gt is referenced by a client New topic lt TopicName gt A client attached to the server and referenced the topic lt TopicName gt An example of a topic name would be OPTO_MDS_0 Poke failed lt Reason gt lt TagName gt A client attempted to perform a synchronous write DDE writes are called pokes This message refers to a synchronous request not an asynchronous or hot link request which is a report by exception data transfer See lt Reason gt for an explanation of the failure Request failed lt Reason gt lt TagName gt A client attempted to perform a synchronous read This message refers to a synchronous request not an asynchronous or hot link request which is a report by exception data transfer See lt Reason gt for an explanation of the failure Request for item tag lt TagName gt A client successfully performed a synchronous read This message refers to a synchronous request not an asynchronous or hot link request which is a report by exception data transfer Sending lt TagName gt to lt ty g
38. g box appears Refresh Times xi Name Scan Rate Freshness e Value Units Value Units 1 Seconds 1 Seconds 1 Seconds 1 Seconds 1 Seconds 1 Seconds Z LLULL Cancel 2 In the Name column type a name for the first refresh time you want to set up or use the default name The name can be up to 15 characters long Do not use the and characters in the name Spaces are valid characters but remember to include them when creating your client s DDE or OPC message Don t omit them or substitute an underscore _ for a space 3 In the Scan Rate columns specify how often OptoServer scans the controllers for data by entering a value from zero to 9 999 in the Value field Select a unit of time from the Units drop down list milliseconds seconds minutes hours days or months The scan rate must be greater than or equal to the value in the Freshness field A higher scan rate means more time between 170 readings and fewer times the controller is scanned 4 In the Freshness field specify how current fresh the data from the controller must be by entering a value from zero to 9 999 in the Value field Select a unit of time from the Units drop down list The freshness value must be less than or equal to the value in the Scan Rate field If the data available from the controller is older than the time specified in the Freshness field the controller scans the I O units for new da
39. gin installation If you have trouble installing OptoServer or need 3 5 inch disks rather than a CD contact Opto 22 Product Support at 800 835 6786 or 951 695 3080 System Requirements Installation Requirements Here s what you need to install and run FactoryFloor_app_name e A computer with at least the minimum processor required for your version of Microsoft Windows 1 GHz Pentium class or better recommended Additional computer requirements include Ethernet capability if using an M4 series controller with M4SENET 100 Ethernet adapter card An RS 232 serial port and serial cable for downloading firmware updates to a controller e Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 workstation operating system with the most recent service packs e Atleast 128 MB RAM 256 MB recommended e Atleast 125 MB of available hard drive space e VGA or higher resolution monitor Super VGA recommended e Mouse or other pointing device e Installed Windows printer optional For OptoDisplay and OptoControl Users If you re planning to use an OptoDisplay or OptoControl client with OptoServer the minimum versions are OptoDisplay 3 1 and OptoControl 3 1 Network Requirements TCP IP network protocol is required if OptoServer is used with OptoControl OptoDisplay or other applications using the OptoCom dll such as Microsoft Visual Basic applications you can write yourself The networking connection uses RPC over TCP IP IMPORTA
40. hat you are already familiar with Microsoft Windows on your personal computer including how to use a mouse standard commands and menu items to open save and close files If you are not familiar with Windows or your PC refer to the documentation from Microsoft and your computer manufacturer This guide also assumes that you are familiar with Dynamic Data Exchange DDE and OLE for Process Control OPC if you choose to use OptoServer with DDE aware and OPC compliant clients For information on DDE consult www microsoft com dev To learn about OPC contact the OPC Foundation at www opcfoundation org Here s what is in this user s guide Chapter 1 Quick Start Two quick demonstrations how to set up OptoServer to run with an OptoDisplay client and to run with a DDE aware client Chapter 2 What Is OptoServer Overview of what OptoServer does and its value to your system as well as client server basics Chapter 3 OptoServer and DDE Aware Glients Details of message transactions between DDE aware applications and how to use OptoServer with sample programs for Microsoft Visual Basic OptoServer User s Guide vii Chapter 4 OptoServer and OPC Overview of OPC and how to use OptoServer with a sample OPC client Appendix A OptoServer Troubleshooting Tips for resolving problems you may encounter while running OptoServer Appendix B OptoServer Files A list of OptoServer files in the OptoServer directory OptoServer Index A
41. hed to the computer running OptoServer Start OptoServer so that it is ready to be accessed by the OPC client Start the OPC client and create client links Downloading a Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication 1 2 Start OptoControl From the File menu choose Open Strategy Navigate to Opto 22 FactoryFloor OptoSrvr Examples OptoCtrl and open the sample strategy dde_test cdb If OptoServer was not installed in the default directory your directory will be different This strategy can be used to demonstrate an OPC client as well as a DDE client Configure the strategy for your controller s connection address and port settings and enter mistic1 as the controller s name If you need help see Configuring Controllers in the OptoControl Users Guide Compile the program Change to the Debug mode and run the program Verify that the controller is communicating with your PC Observe whether the controller s host port LED ARCNET COMO etc flashes in response to messages from the PC If your controller is responding to your PC with no errors you re ready to move on to the next step If you re having problems getting your controller to respond to the OptoControl strategy make sure the configuration setup and cable wiring between the controller and PC are correct Consult the OptoControl User s Guide and your controller manual to help you troubleshoot the problem When the controller
42. ic application View the OptoServer main log window to see OptoServer transaction and error messages Select Logging Log Level Diagnostics to display all messages sent to and received from clients Messages displayed under Log Level Normal conditions are explained starting on page A 5 To see if a client is attached to OptoServer choose the OptoServer command View Clients The Client List dialog shows an eight digit client handle number for each connected DDE aware client and the node name for each connected OptoDisplay client To view communication exchanges at the controller level run the OptoSniff utility that s included with FactoryFloor From the main window choose the File Enable Sniff command Anything sent or received by the controller is displayed in the main window You can also use the utility as a terminal emulator to send and receive from the controller For more information on OptoSniff see the Troubleshooting appendix in the OptoContro User s Guide To verify that a DDE aware client works with OptoServer download a simple OptoGontrol strategy to the controller and see if the client is being updated by OptoServer An example of a simple OptoControl program is a one chart one variable program that increments the variable in an Infinite loop Make sure you do not install a Windows network driver on the ARCNET card in your PC at the time you install a Windows programming environment Operating systems such as Windows 95 a
43. ic1 controller listed in the Controller Name box Configure Direct Connection Configure controller name and parameters Controller Name Jmistic1 Address mo Potts COM 1 38 4Kb Add Modify Delete EE 7 f necessary change the controller s address in the Address box Highlight the port for direct connection to your controller If you need to add a port click Add For help see Configuring Controllers in the OptoControl User s Guide When the address and port are correct click Finish OptoServer User s Guide 4 7 OPTOSERVER AND OPC The nevvly configured controller appears in the Select Controller dialog box Select Controller xi Configured Controllers Cookie Controller 8 Click the mistici controller to highlight it and click OK 9 Click OK to close any open dialog boxes 10 Set scan rates if you wish by following the instructions in the section Setting Refresh Times on page 2 8 Then return to the next step 11 Exit OptoServer Administrator by clicking the close box Starting OptoServer 1 Click the Start button and select Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer The OptoServer main window appears amp OptoServer Ioj x File Edit View Logging Help 13 40 37 55 Starting server 13 41 06 99 Comm Port misticl gt Open primary 13 41 07 00 Controller mistici gt Attaching to Scanner 13 41 07 00 Startup complete Your screen may show
44. ients OptoServer scans controllers at the rate you set and sends data to clients For Opto 22 clients such as OptoDisplay OptoServer provides a connection to remote controllers and a cache option to reduce the amount of scanning necessary Without OptoServer each client would scan the Opto 22 controllers independently for data updates and probably slow down the controllers throughput rates The OptoServer Package Three programs make up the OptoServer package e OptoServer Administrator OptoSa exe Used to select the controllers that OPC DDE and OptoDisplay clients need to access Also used to set scan times for OPC and DDE 2 2 OptoServer User s Guide WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 as clients or to configure the behavior of DDE transactions Scan times for OptoDisplay are configured in the OptoDisplay Configurator e OptoServer Mds exe A server that scans for data requested by OPC or DDE clients and sends data from client s to controller s e Communication Data Server OptoCds exe A server that communicates with other Opto 22 applications such as OptoControl and OptoDisplay or any other application that uses OptoCom dll OptoCds starts automatically when OptoServer starts or can be launched independently The following figure illustrates how these programs communicate with each other and their clients All the applications in the shaded area are on one computer the applications above the shaded area can be on the same c
45. in OptoServer ADMINIStratOr ccccccecceseesestssestsestesesesseseeseseesesesessssesseeseseeneees 2 1 Configuring Controllers ht r n k he 2 1 Setting TR BNE SIU MINE ve beh r 2 8 Ke ET 2 10 Working with OptoServer MAS KE uux va van aaa nanes nanen rei ebere ker enter ent eterin 2 10 Viewing the Number of Clients aaa x aaa nana nano nanes can ore seereeee re neo renie t entet enet eni ee rr eei 2 11 E E E I 2 11 Logging to the OptoServer VV IO ONM 0 vc can ac nan nanncncnnc ues eee ste rezemierezeer ecet 2 11 Logging to cscs ccs thssc ans sas nec icacandapaeneedeascatsanganassce te aoustescamantnanacaauess 2 12 Exiting UG ETUR az t pre n dh n e t 2 12 Working with Communication Data Server ax man cava ac nana nanen cenon ecen eren ever ever ezeer enet 2 13 Using Troubleshooting Features in Communication Data Server 1c c c cc 2 13 Chapter 3 OptoServer and DDE Aware Clients csccsscssseeeeeees 3 1 WOE GET I zat cad ope ascent RE tea A E A ARRE 3 1 A TAS M DO te car rt v na e ae e A a e 3 1 General OMG CIN aaa ei avi ma nat r rat kah ebhe rnnt rrtat 3 1 DIG TYNES SAGES aa et e boti 3 1 PAH NOU kat e e nE 3 2 R E RE U PIRE 3 2 e ENAR 3 2 Se veateseactasbessncediabsst dios 3 7 DDE and Case Sensitivity ae ge vd de eae dS 3 7 Visual Basic and OptoServer ge e iatstieesctas aceon A 3 8 Linking Visual Basic and OptoServer ga cs deuntves r siti n rbe hakts b r shavin dr shir te b sdiari s
46. is communicating with the PC leave the strategy running and exit OptoControl OptoServer User s Guide 4 5 OPTOSERVER AND OPC Using OptoServer Administrator to Configure a Controller 1 Start OptoServer Administrator by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer Administrator The OptoServer Administrator main window appears 1 OptoServer Administrator ojx Configure Help 2 Select Configure gt Controllers If this is the first time a controller is being configured in OptoServer Administrator a message about an INI file pops up Click OK to continue The necessary file is created 3 Inthe Controllers dialog box if mistic1 is already listed as a controller skip to step 8 If it is not listed click the Add button to add a controller Controller Properties x Controller Name TT Brovyse Strategy CF O Brovyse Re enable sec 20 00 4 6 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND OPC T 4 Click the Brovvse button to choose a controller from the Select Gontroller dialog box Select Controller Eg i Add Modify Delete Configured Controllers 5 Click the mistic1 controller name you set up in the OptoControl strategy Click Modify to check the controller s configuration The type of connection should be shown as Direct 6 Click Next The Configure Direct Connection dialog box appears with the mist
47. le IT start end integer table R W element integer R W Float Table FT start end float table R W element float R W String Table ST element string R W Digital Simple 1 O Unit DIOS Enable discrete R W G4D16LS Digital Multifunction VO Unit DIOM Enable discrete R W B100 B3000 B3000 HA G4D16R G4D16L Analog Multifunction I O Unit AlO Enable discrete R W B200 B3000 B3000 HA G4A8R G4A8L Digital Remote Simple I O Unit DIORS Enable discrete R W SNAP BRS G4D32RS Digital and Analog Mixed I O MIX Enable discrete R W Unit SNAP B3000 ENET Digital only Ethernet I O Unit D64 Enable discrete R W SNAP ENET D64 Analog Input Point Al Value float R Analog Output Point AO Value float R W if you are using 64 bit integers in OptoControl convert them to two 32 bit integers using the commands Get High Bits of Integer 64 and Get Low Bits of Integer 64 Table range is limited to 50 elements SOptoControl chart state values are as follows 3 Waiting for I O 1 Start 0 Stop 1 Suspend 3 4 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS EE Ee Description Item Type Field Actual Base Type Access PID Loop PID Input float R Output float R W Setpoint float R W Gain float R W Integral float R W Derivative float R W Process Variable float R W Setpoint Max discrete R W Setpoint Min discrete R W Inp
48. log file is not cleared 6 To see all of a long message that is truncated in the main window double click the message or highlight it and choose Logging View Log Entry 7 To copy a message to the Windows clipboard so you can paste it into another Windows application highlight the message in the OptoServer main window and choose Edit Copy Logging to a File You can log messages both to the window and to a file so they can be edited printed and saved The file s default file name is mdslog log and it is created in the OptoServer root directory typically Opto 22 FactoryFloor OptoSrvr 1 Optional If you want to change the name or location of the log file from the default choose Logging Select Log File Navigate to the location where you want the file to be type in the file name and click OK 2 In the OptoServer main window choose Logging Log to File so that the menu item is checked The messages begin appearing in the log file 3 To select a different level of messages to send to the log file choose one of the following e Logging Log Level Normal to show errors and client connections or terminations e Logging Log Level Diagnostics to show normal logging messages plus all data sent from OptoServer to clients e Logging Log Level Advanced to show normal and diagnostics data plus all internal OptoServer events Internal OptoServer events can be used by Opto 22 Product Support staff to help troubleshoot proble
49. lphabetical list of key words and the pages they are located on A master FactoryFloor Glossary which defines terms used in the FactoryFloor suite of products is located at the back of this binder Document Conventions The following conventions are used in this document e talic typeface indicates emphasis and is used for book titles Example See the OptoDisplay User s Guide for details e Names of menus commands dialog boxes fields and buttons are capitalized as they appear in the product Example From the File menu select Print e File names appear either in all capital letters or in mixed case depending on the file name itself Example Open the file TESTI txt e Key names appear in small capital letters Example Press SHIFT e Key press combinations are indicated by plus signs between two or more key names For example SHIFT F1 is the result of holding down the shift key then pressing and releasing the F1 key Similarly CTRL ALT DELETE is the result of pressing and holding the CTRL and ALT keys then pressing and releasing the DELETE key e Click means press and release the left mouse button on the referenced item Right click means press and release the right mouse button on the item e Menu commands are referred to with the Menu Command convention For example File Open Project means to select the Open Project command from the File menu e Numbered lists in
50. ms if needed 4 To save your message settings choose one of the following e File Save Settings Now to save message log settings immediately e File Save Settings on Exit to save message log settings when you exit OptoServer 5 To edit the log file choose Logging Edit Log File The Microsoft Windows Notepad editor starts and opens the message log file for editing Exiting OptoServer When you exit OptoServer OPC clients generally stop registering values when the server is disconnected and may indicate a failure to read DDE clients however do not automatically detect the server s absence OptoServer User s Guide WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 Ee Working with Communication Data Server Communication Data Server OptoCds exe communicates with other Opto 22 applications such as OptoControl and OptoDisplay Communication Data Server opens when you launch OptoServer or you can launch OptoCds separately 1 To launch OptoCds separately click the Start button and select Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer Communication Data Server The Communication Data Server window appears S OptoCds Troubleshooting Tools Start Sniff Utility Beep when accessed may run slower T Flash when accessed I Cache Enable Cache Freshness milli sec j500 Status Ready 2 To turn on the Communication Data Server s caching feature click Cache Enable to place a check mark in the box
51. nd Windows NT automatically try to install a network driver on an ARCNET card Allowing the driver to be installed can produce unpredictable results from OptoServer Verify that the Retries port parameter is not masking other problems Set the retries parameter to zero and find out exactly what happens by analyzing whether OptoServer is not responding whether there are long delays or whether it s getting a sequence 170 error Verify that there are no Windows Control Panel COM port conflicts Make sure there are no conflicts between the ports configured in the Windows Control Panel and in OptoServer Check that the address IRQ settings are unique for each port and that they match the settings used in OptoServer Administrator If communication problems with OptoServer remain try using OptoTerm See the Troubleshooting appendix in the GotoControl User s Guide for information on OptoTerm Lengthen timeout per port This action should help eliminate some of the common error messages A 2 OptoServer User s Guide Le Understanding Timeout Retries and Re enable Settings OptoServer polls controllers sequentially which means that it normally waits for a response before sending out another command If the controller does not respond within the timeout period the retries number determines how many times OptoServer will try again If all the tries fail you receive a timeout error and OptoServer checks the re enable setting to see how soon t
52. nize controllers that have been previously configured If this problem occurs you can modify the Windows permissions to let specific users access previously configured controllers without having administrator access This is done using the Registry Editor utility WARNING Use the Windows Registry Editor carefully It is strongly recommended that you make a backup copy of your Windows Registry before continuing with this procedure Without a backup copy if you delete the wrong properties and cannot return the Registry to its original state application and system files can become unusable and will have to be reinstalled 1 From the Windows Start menu select Run The Run dialog box appears 2 Enter the following command in the Open field and press ENTER regedt32 The Registry Editor main window appears with several open windows inside it 3 Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window to make it active A Double click the Software folder in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window Select the Opto22 folder O a Select Security Permissions The Registry Key Permissions dialog box opens Make sure that Opto22 appears next to Registry Key at the top of the vvindovv 7 Click Add 8 In the Add Users and Groups dialog box select the name of the appropriate group or domain from the List Names From drop down list 9 In the Names list select the name of the user or group that will get controller access and then click Add 1
53. nu in your FactoryFloor application Select Help Opto 22 on the Web and then select an online resource from the submenu Product Support If you have any questions about FactoryFloor you can call fax or e mail Opto 22 Product Support Phone 800 TEK OPTO 835 6786 951 695 3080 NOTE Email messages Hours are Monday through Friday and phone calls to 7 a m to 5 p m Pacific Time Opto 22 Product Support are grouped together and Fax 951 695 3017 answered in the order Email support opto22 com pan Be aes anes priority Opto 22 Web site support opto22 com When calling for technical support be prepared to provide the following information about your system to the Product Support engineer Software and version being used Controller firmware version PC configuration type of processor speed memory operating system A complete description of your hardware and operating systems including jumper configuration accessories installed such as expansion daughter cards type of power supply types of 170 units installed third party devices installed e g barcode readers Specific error messages seen OptoServer User s Guide ix E Installing OptoServer OptoServer installation is easy and quick Insert the FactoryFloor CD in your CD ROM drive and the installation wizard should appear If the wizard does not appear start Windows Explorer and navigate to your CD ROM drive Double click Setup exe to be
54. o the OptoTerminal G70 OptoTerminal G75 and Sony Ericsson GT 48 see the product data sheet for specific warranty information Refer to Opto 22 form number 1042 for complete warranty information Opto 22 FactoryFloor Cyrano Optomux and Pamux are registered trademarks of Opto 22 Generation 4 ioControl ioDisplay ioManager ioProject ioUtilities mistic Nvio Nvio net Web Portal OptoConnect OptoControl OptoDisplay OptoENETSniff OptoOPCServer OptoScript OptoServer OptoTerminal OptoUtilities SNAP Ethernet 1 0 SNAP 170 SNAP OEM 170 SNAP Simple 1 0 SNAP Ultimate 1 0 and SNAP Wireless LAN 170 are trademarks of Opto 22 Activex JScript Microsoft MS DOS VBScript Visual Basic Visual C and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds Unicenter is a registered trademark of Computer Associates International Inc ARCNET is a registered trademark of Datapoint Corporation Modbus is a registered trademark of Schneider Electric Wiegand is a registered trademark of Sensor Engineering Corporation Nokia Nokia M2M Platform Nokia M2M Gateway Software and Nokia 31 GSM Connectivity Terminal are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nokia Corporation Sony is a trademark of Sony Corporation Ericsson is a trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson All other brand or product names are trademarks or registere
55. o try communicating with the controller again For example if the timeout period is set to 3 seconds retries are set to 1 and the re enable setting is 30 seconds here s what will happen OptoServer polls the controller and waits for a response If it does not receive a response within 3 seconds timeout period it polls the controller again one retry If it still doesn t receive a response you see a timeout error OptoServer waits for 30 seconds the re enable setting and then starts the sequence over again During the timeout retry cycle OptoServer does not communicate with any other controllers The computer may become sluggish or unresponsive making it difficult to access menu options and other applications During the re enable period the system returns to normal OptoServer polls other controllers and the computer functions normally Therefore if the timeout period is long if the retries number is large or if the re enable period is too short system performance may suffer during communication problems Timeouts retry numbers and re enable periods are set when you configure the controller For timeouts the best values to use depend on your method of communication Timeout values that are too short result in unnecessary retries timeout values that are too long cause unnecessary delays when there are communication problems The following table shows basic guidelines Communication Method Timeout Value ARCNET 1 2 sec
56. oControl chart state values are as follovvs 3 VVaiting for VO 1 Start 0 Stop 1 Suspend NetDDE Messages OptoServer automatically starts NetDDE on the server PC if it is not already running and NetDDE remains running when OptoServer is closed If the client is on a different PC a different network node you need to start NetDDE on the client computer NetDDE share names are slightly different in 32 bit Windows Windows 95 98 and Windows NT than in 16 bit Windows Windows for Workgroups for example Because 32 bit Windows doesn t allow periods in the share name the shares take the format Opto_Mds_0 instead of Opto_Mds_0 Dde OptoServer creates its shares if they don t already exist This difference affects any DDE client that uses NetDDE communications to Mds DDE and Case Sensitivity Tagnames on the controller must be uppercase in order to be accessible to DDE clients For example a variable called MY_INT can be accessed via DDE but My_Int cannot The reason is that although DDE topic and item strings are not case sensitive OptoControl is case sensitive Since OptoServer must make an assumption about the case of a tag it assumes that tags are uppercase In other words the DDE expression MDS OPTO_MDS_0 MyRtu Group 0 I My_Int would actually access an integer called MY_INT DDE expressions are not case sensitive which means that the application topic and item may be upper lower or mixed case Op
57. oS oe 2 Click Request DDE Values and watch as the values in the database fields are updated Wait a few moments and click again to see how the values reported from the controller change over time Congratulations The DDE setup is complete For more information about DDE aware clients see Chapter 3 OptoServer and DDE Avvare Clients 1 14 OptoServer User s Guide CHAPTER 2 What Is OptoServer Introduction In the previous chapter we got right to work with OptoServer without discussing much of what it is In this chapter we ll define OptoServer and see how you ll benefit by using it with your networked Opto 22 control system In This Chapter About OptoServer uo 2 1 Working in OptoServer Administrator 2 1 Client Server Basics 2 3 Working with OptoServer Mds exe 2 10 Using OptoServer Efficiently 2 4 VVorking with Communication Data Server 2 13 About OptoServer OptoServer is an application that allows its clients to easily access data from networked Opto 22 controllers Examples of clients are e OptoDisplay OptoControl and other Opto 22 FactoryFloor applications e Any OPC 1 0 compliant application such as a human machine interface HMI e Any DDE aware application such as Microsoft Word e Any application you have developed that uses the OptoControl SDK Here are examples of OptoServer in use e Acomputer running OptoDisplay updates data from a c
58. oServer and an OPC client on two separate networked computers you ll need to configure DCOM to recognize the computer running OptoServer 1 On the client computer open Windows NT Explorer Windows Explorer on Windows 95 or Windows 98 and navigate to the WINNT system32 directory Windows System directory on Windows 95 or Windows 98 Locate DCOMcnfg exe and double click it to execute the program The Distributed COM Configuration Properties window appears Distributed COM Configuration Properties 24 xi Applications Default Properties Default Security Default Protocols Applications iCEEB1B0 B432 11CF 8DF6 00AA0060D 2421 6316D324 2238 101B 9E66 0044003B4905 841 24FF1 5D04 11D1 4575 0040C96F2B0D Acrobat Capture LE Automation Server AcroExch PDBookmark ADAM Automation Server Authorable Button BugHunter CSV File FrameMaker API Image Document Internet Explorer Ver 1 0 IPM MAPILogonRemote Media Player Microsoft Access Database Microsoft Clip Gallery xl Properties Cancel Apply 2 Scroll down and double click Opto 22 OptoMds OptoServer User s Guide 4 13 OPTOSERVER AND OPC 3 When the Properties window opens click the Location tab Opto 22 OptoMds Properties 2jxi General Location Security Identity Endpoints The following settings allow DCOM to locate the correct computer for this application If you make more than one selection then DCOM uses the first applicable
59. oller s host port LEDs ARCNET COMO etc flash in response to messages from the PC If your controller is responding to your PC with no errors you re ready to move on to the next step If you think you re having problems getting your controller to respond to the OptoControl strategy make sure the configuration setup and cable wiring between the controller and PC are correct Consult the GotoControl Users Guide and your controller manual to help you troubleshoot the problem 7 When the controller is communicating with the PC leave the strategy running and exit OptoControl 1 2 OptoServer User s Guide QUICK START as Starting Communication Data Server OptoServer 1 Click the Start button and select Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer Communication Data Server The Communication Data Server window appears S OptoCds Troubleshooting Tools Start Sniff Utility I Beep when accessed may run slower T Flash when accessed I Cache Enable Cache Freshness mill sec j 500 Status IE eady 2 Click the minimize button EJ to reduce the Communication Data Server window to an icon Configuring OptoDisplay Next we ll configure the OptoDisplay sample program so it uses OptoServer for its data updates To do so we must change OptoDisplay s PC communication port for example COM1 COM2 ARCNET from its direct controller hardware connection to the networked PC tha
60. omputer or on multiple computers that are networked Opto 22 client for User developed DDE clients User developed OPC clients example OptoDisplay VB or C clients for example VB or C for example or OptoControl MS Wordx clients OPCTest exe Optocom dll DDE OPC es eee co OptoCds exe Mds exe INI file LJOptoSa exe settings Optocom dll Opto 22 controllers Client Server Basics OptoDisplay projects OptoControl strategies and OPC compliant or DDE aware applications running under Microsoft Windows 95 Windows 98 or Windows NT can exchange data on a real time basis by engaging in a conversation a series of exchanged messages between applications to request and supply data The application initiating the conversation and requesting or sending poking data is the client The application supplying the data is the server OptoServer is an example of a server while OptoDisplay an OPC compliant HMI and Microsoft Word are examples of clients Clients and servers are typically connected together over a local area network such as Ethernet or ARCNET Clients must be registered with the server to receive or send information OptoServer User s Guide 2 3 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER OPC and DDE Clients OptoServer Mds exe scans the controllers on the network and provides data to OPC and DDE clients Scan r
61. on the Opto 22 controller to monitor the activity 4 Adjust your scan times to a value greater than the communication activity duration you measured 5 Use prime numbers for scan values That way scan values won t be multiples of each other and occur at the same time 6 To further adjust your scan times a Shorten the digital I O scan times and lengthen the analog 170 scan times b Set the refresh group name s freshness value equal to its scan time By doing so the controller won t have to scan 170 units as frequently 2 6 OptoServer User s Guide WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 T VVorking in OptoServer Administrator You use OptoServer Administrator to configure controllers and to set refresh times for OPC compliant and DDE aware clients To open OptoServer Administrator click the Start button and choose Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer Administrator The OptoServer Administrator main window appears 19 OptoServer Administrator ojx Configure Help Online Help is available in OptoServer Administrator from the Help menu Configuring Controllers 1 In the OptoServer main window select Configure Controllers 2 Ifa message says that the OptoMds ini file cannot be found click OK to continue The necessary file is created OptoServer User s Guide 2 7 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 The Controllers dialog box lists all currently configured controllers Controllers xi Cancel Ad
62. onds Ethernet 3 5 seconds Serial at 115 2 Kbaud 2 3 seconds The default of one retry is reasonable unless the communications link is susceptible to errors or noise as with some modems The re enable period should generally be set no less than 30 seconds the default If OptoServer is polling multiple controllers set the re enable period for each controller long enough to allow normal polling of the other controllers in case one goes offline OptoServer User s Guide A 3 E Problems Using OPC Necessary Files You must have DCOM installed to run OptoServer If you are running Windows 95 and have OptoServer and the OPC client on different computers you must also install the DCOM configuration utility DCOMcnfg exe See If You Are Running Windows 95 on page 4 12 and If You Are Running OptoServer and an OPC Client on Different Computers on page 4 13 for more information on DCOM and DCOMcnfg exe Using the Diagnostic Utilities Included in OptoServer are two test applications OPC Generic a server and OPCTest a client If you are having trouble connecting your client to OptoServer you can test your client with the Generic server or you can test the OPCTest client with OptoServer Both the server and the client are located in the Diagnostic directory The following figure shows how the test bed works in relation to OptoServer TEST BED VENDOR A OPC COMPLIANT HMI CLIENT VENDOR B OPC COMPLIANT S
63. one Client applications may override your selections IV Run application on this computer T Run application on the following computer Cancel 4 Check the box next to Run application on the following computer Type in the name of the computer that will be running OptoServer or click the Browse button if available to locate the computer When the computer s name appears in the field click OK 5 Click OK in the window to exit DCOMcnfg DCOM is now configured to recognize the computer running OptoServer When you start the client and connect to the server make sure to type the computer name in the Node Name field See the figure on page 4 10 for an example of a client dialog box requesting Node Name If you leave the Node Name field blank the server defaults to the local computer Also note that if you are running Windows 95 on the OptoServer computer you must start OptoServer manually The client does not automatically start a remote server 4 14 OptoServer User s Guide APPENDIX A OptoServer Troubleshooting Introduction If you have problems while running OptoServer check the troubleshooting tips in this appendix and also the messages starting on page A 5 For help on using OPC clients with OptoServer see Problems Using OPC on page A 4 To display additional diagnostic messages that may help troubleshoot your system choose Logging Log Level Diagnostics in OptoServer For additional help call O
64. ontroller connected to another computer on the same Microsoft network e A computer running OptoControl downloads and debugs a strategy on a controller connected to another computer on the same network e An OPC compliant or DDE aware application uses data from an Opto 22 controller that is either on the same computer or on another computer accessible via NetDDE OptoServer User s Guide 2 1 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER Why Use OptoServer OptoServer s advantage is that it provides real time information to multiple PCs needing data from the same Opto 22 controller s without slowing down the controller s throughput The following figure shows a sample OptoServer setup Data acquisition process control Opto 22 controller and N 7 remote I O system SON RN TI Test equipment Opto 22 Se 1 0 system I OPC compliant OPC HMI SCADA or other software Si 5 Opto 22 SS controller OptoControl OptoDisplay Opto 22 Materials handling IO system SSM ji ro Soe EN bd DDE client n i lt i gt lA E La gut Opto 22 no Machine control Opto 22 controller IO system As you can see several computer terminals each running Opto 22 OPC compliant or DDE aware clients are networked to a PC running OptoServer The PC running OptoServer has a direct physical connection to Opto 22 controllers via ARCNET RS 485 Ethernet or any other Opto 22 controller supported communication option For OPC and DDE cl
65. p in the OptoControl strategy Click Modify to check the controller s configuration 1 10 OptoServer User s Guide QUICK START The type of connection should be shovvn as Direct Select Connection Type xi Select type of connection to controllers f Direct Select a non network connection for fastest communication using ARCNET or serial Ethemet Connect to a controller via Ethernet C Server Connect to a controller located on another computer via an Opto 22 server on that computer lt Back Cancel 6 Click Next The Configure Direct Connection dialog box appears with the mistic1 controller listed in the Controller Name field Configure Direct Connection Configure controller name and parameters Controller Name Jmistici1 Address fi Potts TOM 1 38 4Kb Add Modify Delete lt Back Cancel 7 If necessary change the controller s address in the Address field Highlight the port for direct connection to your controller If you need to add a port click Add For help see Configuring Controllers in the OptoControl User s Guide When the address and port are correct click Finish OptoServer User s Guide 1 11 QUICK START The newly configured controller appears in the Select Controller dialog box Select Controller xi Configured Controllers Cookie Controller 8 Click the new controller to highlight it and click OK Controller Properties xi Con
66. pto 22 Product Support See page ix for a list of service phone numbers Communication Problems If you are a Windows NT user and are experiencing communication problems that are indicated by the errors listed below first try rebooting your machine to ensure that all port configurations have been correctly registered with the operating system e Invalid port error WinRT drivers might not have started e Invalid protocol error e Port setup invalid e Could not find other nodes in ARCNET If you are using ARCNET make sure there are no Windows 95 or Windows NT network drivers configured to use the ARCNET card These drivers conflict with Opto 22 ARCNET drivers You can use OptoTerm to test communication to controllers When OptoTerm starts it displays a list of controllers configured on your computer Double click a controller name to display a status dialog box For more information about OptoTerm see the Troubleshooting appendix in the OptoControl User s Guide OptoServer User s Guide A 1 E Network Communication To troubleshoot DDE communications between OptoServer and a DDE aware client try swapping out the server or the client with another DDE aware client such as Word or Access Example OptoServer and a Visual Basic client are not talking to each other If swapping out Visual Basic with Access shows communication is fine between Access and OptoServer there may be a problem with the Visual Bas
67. ptoServer to communicate with other OPC compliant applications OLE for Process Control OPC is a standard specifically designed for control applications It uses OLE Object Linking and Embedding technology for fast data exchange and increased compatibility among servers and clients from different vendors OptoServer supports OPC Specification 1 0 clients In This Chapter General OPC Concepts c ccccceeeeee 4 1 Running a Sample OPC Client 4 5 Creating Client Links wc ann uanac uni ceci e 4 3 General OPC Concepts What Is OPC OPC is a technology that defines standard objects methods and properties for communication among field devices their servers and the software applications that use their information These applications can include both automation and control software such as OptoServer and business and office software Traditionally software vendors have provided specialized drivers to communicate with the varied hardware on the market Since there has been no common standard each software driver is specific to a piece of hardware and doesn t work for any other piece When the hardware changes the software vendor must choose whether to modify the driver to match Drivers typically address basic functions and don t necessarily utilize all the features of the hardware Hardware vendors traditionally don t produce drivers even though they know about the special features of their hardware and how best to access the
68. re shows OptoServer recognizing a mistic1 controller Your screen shows any controllers you have configured in OptoServer Administrator amp OptoServer x File Edit View Logging Help 13 40 37 55 Starting server 13 41 06 99 Comm Port misticl gt Open primary 13 41 07 00 Controller mistici gt Attaching to Scanner 13 41 07 00 Startup complete If the OptoServer main window is blank do the following e Configure a controller in OptoServer Administrator See page 2 7 e Click the Logging menu and make sure Log to Window is checked 2 10 OptoServer User s Guide WHAT IS OPTOSERVER2 oa M Online Help is available in OptoServer from the Help menu Note that Communication Data Server OptoCds exe opens when OptoServer opens For information on using Communication Data Server see page 2 13 Viewing the Number of Clients To view the number of DDE and OPC clients that are connected to OptoServer choose View Clients A small window appears showing the number of clients connected to OptoServer The number includes DDE and OPC clients only Clients served through the Communication Data Server for example OptoDisplay are not included Logging Messages Status and error messages are normally logged to the OptoServer main window so you can monitor communication with DDE and OPC clients You can also log messages to a log file For a list of messages see page A 5 Logging to the OptoServer Window 1 To start or
69. roblems getting your controller to respond to the OptoControl strategy make sure the configuration setup and cable wiring between the controller and PC are correct Consult the OptoControl User s Guide and your controller manual to help you troubleshoot the problem 7 When the controller is communicating with the PC leave the strategy running and exit OptoControl Using OptoServer Administrator to Configure a Controller 1 Start OptoServer Administrator by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer Administrator The OptoServer Administrator main window appears It is empty J OptoServer Administrator olx Configure Help 2 Select Configure gt Controllers OptoServer User s Guide 1 9 QUICK START pj When you configure a controller for the first time in the OptoServer Administrator a message says that a file can t be found Click OK to continue The necessary file is created 3 In the Gontrollers dialog box click the Add button so you can add a controller The Controller Properties dialog box appears Controller Properties xi M Controller Name TD Brovyse Strategy DOO O Browse Re enable sec 20 00 cme 4 Click the Browse button next to Name Select Controller Configured Controllers Delete x i Add Modity me 5 Inthe Select Controller dialog box click the mistic1 controller you set u
70. sically equivalent to the DDE message expressions Application Topic and Item explained in Chapter 3 Server The first part of the client link is simply the name and location of the server e Name The OPC program ID is Opto22 Mds 1 It will probably appear in a drop down menu or list box e Location if the server you want to talk to is local on the same machine leave the Node Name field blank If the server you want to talk to is remote on another machine enter the name of that machine in the Node Name field OptoServer User s Guide 4 3 OPTOSERVER AND OPC Access Path The second part of the client link dictates the route that a server should take to get to the data requested For OptoServer you should normally use OPTO_MDS_0 The access path is not required by OptoServer however If you are using a third party software package that does not have a way to setit it can be left out OptoServer will also create topics based upon the controller information you have set up These topics will be in the following format OptoCtrl ControllerName where ControllerName is the name you supplied for the controller when it was configured Item ID The third part of the client link is a string that pertains to the specific piece of data you re requesting The string normally includes the controller name scan rate item type item name and additional fields depending on the item you re accessing NOTE The item name or
71. stop logging messages to the main window choose Logging Log to Window A check mark next to the menu Item starts logging removing the check mark stops logging 2 To time or date stamp messages choose one of the following e Logging Log with Date to include the date of each message in the format DD MM YYYY D day M month Y year e Logging Log with Time to include the time of each message in the format HH MM SSITT H hours M minutes S seconds T hundredths of a second Time is based on a 24 hour clock 3 To select a different level of messages to send to the main window choose one of the following e Logging Log Level Normal to show errors and client connections or terminations e Logging Log Level Diagnostics to show normal logging messages plus all data sent from OptoServer to clients e Logging Log Level Advanced to show normal and diagnostics data plus all internal OptoServer events Internal OptoServer events can be used by Opto 22 Product Support staff to help troubleshoot problems if needed 4 To save your message settings choose one of the following e File Save Settings Now to save message log settings immediately e File Save Settings on Exit to save message log settings when you exit OptoServer OptoServer User s Guide 2 11 2 12 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER 5 To delete all messages currently in the main window choose Logging Clear Log Window If you are logging to a file see the next section the
72. t clientis Data is being sent to one or more clients either by client request or as a report by exception Started lt Exe gt One of the three executable files that OptoServer Mds automatically starts has been started These three files are e NetDDE used for DDE links over a network Mds starts NetDDE unless it is already running e OptoCds exe the portion of OptoServer used by OptoControl OptoDisplay and any other client using OptoCom dll e Optosh16 exe or OptoSh32 exe which create the DDE shares that allow NetDDE connections to be made Start item tag lt TagName gt A client has referenced the item lt TagName gt Stop item tag lt TagName gt A client has stopped referencing the item lt TagName gt Write poke for item tag lt TagName gt A client successfully performed a synchronous write DDE writes are called pokes This message refers to a synchronous request not an asynchronous or hot link request which is a report by exception data transfer A 6 OptoServer User s Guide E Problems with Windows Permissions When you set up controllers on a computer running the Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating systems typically you are using the computer with top level administrator privileges If someone later uses this same computer to run a FactoryFloor application but logs in to the computer with lower level non administrator privileges the FactoryFloor application may not recog
73. t and DDE aware clients Mdshelp hlp Help file for OptoServer OptoSa exe OptoServer Administrator executable program file Readme txt Latest readme file for this release OptoServer User s Guide B 1 B 2 OptoServer User s Guide OptoServer Index A access path expression description 4 adjusting scan times 5 application expression description 2 ARCNET x 3 2 C caching 4 case sensitivity DDE 7 OPC 4 changing re enable setting 12 3 scan rates 5 timeout and retries 3 client DDE aware 8 1 definition of 3 OPC compliant 1 OptoControl 1 OptoDisplay 1 COM interface 2 COM port conflicts 2 communication with DDE client 8 1 with OPC client 3 with OptoDisplay client 1 Communication Data Server 1 3 controller communication exchanges 2 configuring in OptoDisplay 3 configuring in OptoServer Administrator 9 D DCOM 12 13 DDE messages case sensitivity 7 format 1 DDE aware client 8 1 communication verification 2 E error messages 5 Event Log Vievver 8 F format of DDE messages 1 of OPC messages 3 of refresh names 9 H help available documents ix item expression description 2 item ID expression description 4 L linking OPC client and OptoServer 5 OptoServer User s Guide Index 1 Visual Basic and OptoServer 8 M maximum number of items in a data group 5 Mds exe 3 messages 5 DDE 1 NetDDE 7 OPC 3 N NetDDE messages network node
74. t is running OptoServer 1 Start OptoDisplay Configurator by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoDisplay OptoDisplay Configurator The OptoDisplay Configurator main window appears 2 Select File Open Project 3 In the Open Project dialog box navigate to Opto 22 Shared Cookies Display and open cfactory mmi OptoServer User s Guide 1 3 QUICK START E The OptoDisplay project is loaded and its graphics appear in the main draw window E OptoDisplay Configurator C Opto22 Shared Cookies Display cfactory MMl File Edit View Style Text Configure Tools Window Help 4 Choose Configure Controller s Controllers xi Name 5 Choose one of the following e f Cookie Controller appears in the list click Modify so you can change its configuration Skip to step 7 e f Cookie Controller does not appear in the list click Add 1 4 OptoServer User s Guide QUICK START E 6 In the Strategy File Name Selection dialog box select Shared Cookies Control cfactory cdb The Controller Properties dialog box appears The controller name may or may not be shown Controller Properties 7 In the Controller Properties dialog box click the Browse button next to Primary Controller The Select Controller dialog box appears Select Controller Cookie Controller 8 Select Cookie Controller from the list and click Modify OptoServer User s Guide 1 5
75. ta 5 Repeat from step 2 for each refresh time you want to set up 6 When you have finished setting refresh times click OK You return to the OptoServer Administrator main window OptoServer User s Guide 2 9 WHAT IS OPTOSERVER Changing the Poke Order If you are using DDE aware clients and poking writing multiple values to integer or float tables in OptoControl you can change the order in which the data is poked By default data is poked in reverse order For example in a five element in a Microsoft Word document element 1 in the table maps to element bin the OptoControl table element 2 maps to element 4 and so on To have elements match 1 to 1 2 to 2 and so on follow these steps 1 In OptoServer Administrator open the Configure menu 2 Click Reverse Table Poke Order to uncheck it Pokes will no longer be in reverse order Working with OptoServer Mds exe OptoServer Mds exe is used to communicate with OPC or DDE clients Besides scanning data for these clients OptoServer also provides a way to see the number of attached clients and log messages to the screen or a file Before starting OptoServer you should have already configured a controller in OptoServer Administrator See Configuring Controllers on page 2 7 To open OptoServer Mds exe click the Start button and select Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer The OptoServer main window appears The following figu
76. tag name must be in all uppercase and you must have already defined it in the OptoControl strategy OptoControl requires all uppercase letters Item ID String Format ControllerName RefreshGroupName ItemType ITEM_NAME start end Field BITn Item ID String Samples Misticl Group 0 F GEN_FLOAT_00 Misticl Group 0 1 GEN INT 00 Group 0 DIM D_IN1 State NOTE If the Item ID string does not contain the controller name OptoServer will look for it in the Access Path For details about the format of the Item ID string see the Item Parameters table on page 3 3 and the Item Types table starting on page 3 4 Parameter descriptions and items supported are the same for DDE and OPC Also read Setting Refresh Times on page 2 8 and Optimizing OptoServer Scanning on page 2 5 These sections apply to OPC compliant applications as well as to other OptoServer clients 4 4 OptoServer User s Guide OPTOSERVER AND OPC T Running a Sample OPC Client This section describes the basics of setting up OptoServer to provide information to an OPC client In a typical setup OptoServer and the OPC client would probably be running on different computers attached to the same network but for this example we ll run them on the same computer These are the steps we will follow in this section Use OptoControl to download a strategy to the controller and verify communication Use the OptoServer Administrator to configure a controller attac
77. tes the range of elements for ItemNames of these types Start is the first element in the range and end is the last element in the range Single table elements can be requested by specifying only a start parameter Up to 50 elements can be specified in one request so you must limit the start end range to request only 50 elements 0 49 101 150 and so on Only one element from a string table may be requested at a time See Changing the Poke Order on page 2 10 for information on the order in which elements are poked to tables Field Applies only to data items with more than one value associated For example a PID loop item type has a setpoint a gain a derivative and many other related fields Refer to the Field column in the Item Types table for an item type s applicable fields BITn Applies only to items of type integer and integer table elements It is the literal character string BIT followed by a number between zero and 31 inclusive for example BIT28 OptoServer User s Guide 3 3 OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS ee Item Types The following table shows supported item types and fields for the Item expression NOTE This table spans several pages Description Item Type Field Actual Base Type Access 32 bit Integer None integer R W Float F None float R W String S None string R W Timer T None float R W 32 bit Integer Tab
78. toServer User s Guide 3 7 OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS Visual Basic and OptoServer You can also use OptoServer to update your Visual Basic applications with controller information This section discusses the Visual Basic programming elements used in a sample program provided with OptoServer which demonstrates how to poke and request controller information into a Visual Basic program by using a timer The example is written for Visual Basic 5 0 Go through the next section to open and view the main components of the sample program For specific details about DDE linking with Visual Basic consult your Microsoft Visual Basic manual Linking Visual Basic and OptoServer 1 Follow the steps in Downloading a Strategy to the Controller and Verifying Communication on page 1 8 to verify that your controller and OptoControl strategy are running properly 2 Also follow the steps in Using OptoServer Administrator to Configure a Controller on page 1 9 but before closing the OptoServer Administrator configure a Refresh Group name for use by the DDE aware client See Setting Refresh Times on page 2 8 for an explanation of the dialog box 3 Close OptoServer Administrator A Start OptoServer Mds exe and verify that your controller is attached to OptoServer Start Visual Basic and open the OptoSrvr Examples Vb5 Dde_tst1 vbp example ao a Torun the program choose Run Start When you start running the
79. troller mistic i E Strategy I Brovyse Re enable sec Ja E 0 00 NOTE If you need to change the Re enable setting you can do so here For more information see Understanding Timeout Retries and Re enable Settings on page A 3 9 Click OK to close the Controller Properties dialog box Click OK again to close the Controllers dialog box 10 Exit OptoServer Administrator Starting OptoServer 1 Click the Start button and select Programs Opto 22 FactoryFloor 4 0 OptoServer OptoServer 1 12 OptoServer User s Guide QUICK START RR T The OptoServer main vvindovv appears 8 OptoServer x File Edit View Logging Help 13 40 37 55 Starting server 13 41 06 99 Comm Port misticl gt Open primary 13 41 07 00 Controller mistici gt Attaching to Scanner 13 41 07 00 Startup complete The previous figure shows OptoServer recognizing only the mistic1 controller Your screen may differ it shows any controllers you have configured in OptoServer Administrator 2 Click the Logging menu and make sure the following logging options are checked e Log to Window The main window displays messages e Log level Normal Only significant OptoServer communication events are recorded e Log with Time Messages are saved with a time stamp 3 Click the minimize button to reduce the OptoServer window to an icon Do not exit OptoServer Starting Microsoft Access 1 Start Microsoft Access and open the
80. using Dynamic Data Exchange DDE This chapter discusses general concepts that apply to all DDE aware applications and includes a brief procedure for getting Microsoft Visual Basic programs working with OptoServer Sample programs used to demonstrate this procedures are included with OptoServer In This Chapter General Concepts max ma ana an once eee 3 1 Visual Basic and OptoServer uu 3 8 DDE and Case Sensitivity 3 7 General Concepts DDE aware applications are updated in real time by using OptoServer to scan Opto 22 controllers for information For example if you open an OptoServer registered Microsoft Word document DDE linked fields are automatically updated as their corresponding Opto 22 controller data values change You can do the same thing with Microsoft Visual Basic or any other program that supports DDE Each DDE aware application has its own set of syntactical rules to create the DDE link messages that connect it to OptoServer This section discusses the common elements of DDE messages Be sure to consult your DDE aware program manuals for individual differences in DDE linking DDE Messages A DDE aware client sends a DDE message to initiate a conversation with OptoServer and to request data Although each application has its own unique syntax to develop messages they all consist of three common character expressions Application Topic and Item OptoServer User s Guide 3 1 OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS Appli
81. ut Range discrete R W Activate discrete R W Auto discrete R W Output Enable discrete R W Output Track discrete R W Host for Process discrete R W Variable I O for Setpoint discrete R W Average Input discrete R W Digital Simple Input Point DIS State discrete R Digital Multifunction Input Point DIM State discrete R Digital Remote Simple Input DIRS State discrete R Point Counter CNT State discrete R Counts integer R Quadrature Counter QUAD State discrete R Counts integer R On Time Totalizer TOTON State discrete R On Time Total float R Off Time Totalizer TOTOFF State discrete R Off Time Total float R If you are using 64 bit integers in OptoControl convert them to two 32 bit integers using the commands Get High Bits of Integer 64 and Get Low Bits of Integer 64 Table range is limited to 50 elements 3OptoControl chart state values are as follows 3 Waiting for I O 1 Start 0 Stop 1 Suspend OptoServer User s Guide 3 5 OPTOSERVER AND DDE AVVARE CLIENTS e Description Item Type Field Actual Base Type Access On Pulse Measurement PULON State discrete R On Pulse Measure float R Off Pulse Measurement PULOFF State discrete R Off Pulse Measure float R Frequency Measurement FREQ State discrete R Frequency integer R Period Measurement PERIOD State discrete R Period float R Digital Simple Output Point DOS State discrete R

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