Kepserverex Manual
Kepserverex Manual
KEPServerEX 2
Table of Contents
1
Table of Contents 2
17
KEPServerEX 17
Introduction 18
System Requirements 19
Application Data 19
Components 21
Process Modes 21
OPC DA 23
OPC AE 23
OPC UA Interface 25
OPC .NET 26
DDE 26
FastDDE/ SuiteLink 27
Options — General 31
Project Properties 33
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Settings 55
Settings — Administration 55
Settings — Configuration 56
What is a Channel? 73
Channel Properties — General 74
Channel Properties — Advanced 75
Channel Properties — Ethernet Communications 75
Channel Properties — Serial Communications 76
Channel Properties — Ethernet Encapsulation 78
Channel Properties — Communication Serialization 79
Channel Properties — Network Interface 80
Channel Properties — Write Optimizations 81
Device Discovery Procedure 82
What is a Device? 83
Device Properties — General 83
Operating Mode 84
Device Properties — Scan Mode 85
Device Properties — Auto-Demotion 86
Device Properties — Communication Parameters 86
Device Properties — Ethernet Encapsulation 87
Device Properties — Tag Generation 87
Device Properties — Time Synchronization 89
Device Properties — Timing 90
Device Properties — Redundancy 91
What is a Tag? 91
Tag Properties — General 93
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Phonebook 133
Auto-Dial 134
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Resolve Comm Issues When the DNS/DHCP Device Connected to the Server is Power
Cycled 160
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9 KEPServerEX
Tag generation results for device '<device>'. | Tags created = <count>, Tags not overwritten =
<count>. 246
Access to object denied. | User = '<account>', Object = '<object path>', Permission = 247
User moved from user group. | User = '<name>', Old group = '<name>', New group = '<name>'. 247
User group has been created. | Group = '<name>'. 247
User added to user group. | User = '<name>', Group = '<name>'. 247
User group has been renamed. | Old name = '<name>', New name = '<name>'. 247
Permissions definition has changed on user group. | Group = '<name>'. 247
User has been renamed. | Old name = '<name>', New name = '<name>'. 247
User has been disabled. | User = '<name>'. 247
User group has been disabled. | Group = '<name>'. 247
User has been enabled. | User = '<name>'. 247
User group has been enabled. | Group = '<name>'. 248
Password for user has been changed. | User = '<name>'. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been added to the UA Server. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been removed from the UA Server. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been disabled. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been enabled. 248
User information replaced by import. | File imported = '<absolute file path>'. 248
User has been deleted. | User = '<name>'. 248
Group has been deleted. | Group = '<name>'. 248
Account '<name>' does not have permission to run this application. Contact the system admin-
istrator. 248
Failed to import user information. 249
Changing runtime operating mode. 249
Runtime operating mode change completed. 249
Shutting down to perform an installation. 249
OPC ProgID has been added to the ProgID Redirect list. | ProgID = '<ID>'. 249
OPC ProgID has been removed from the ProgID Redirect list. | ProgID = '<ID>'. 249
The invalid ProgID entry has been deleted from the ProgID Redirect list. | ProgID = '<ID>'. 249
Password for administrator was reset by the current user. | Administrator name = '<name>',
Current user = '<name>'. 249
User moved from user group. | User = '<name>', Old group = '<name>', New group '<name>'. 250
User group has been created. | Group = '<name>'. 250
User added to user group. | User = '<name>', Group = '<name>'. 250
User information replaced by import. | File imported = '<absolute file path>'. 250
User group has been renamed. | Old name = '<name>', New name = '<name>'. 250
Permissions definition has changed on user group. | Group = '<name>'. 250
User has been renamed. | Old name = '<name>', New name = '<name>'. 250
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11 KEPServerEX
Account '<name>' does not have permission to run this application. Contact the system admin-
istrator. 254
Error importing CSV record. Tag name is invalid. | Record index = '<number>', Tag name =
'<name>'. 254
Error importing CSV record. Tag or group name exceeds maximum name length. | Record index
= '<number>', Max. name length (characters) = '<number>'. 254
Error importing CSV record. Missing address. | Record index = '<number>'. 254
Error importing CSV record. Tag group name is invalid. | Record index = '<index>', Group name
= '<name>'. 254
Close request ignored due to active connections. | Active connections = '<count>'. 254
Failed to save embedded dependency file. | File = '<path>'. 254
The configuration utility cannot run at the same time as third-party configuration applications.
Close both programs and open only the one you want to use. | Product = '<name>'. 255
Opening project. | Project = '<name>'. 255
Closing project. | Project = '<name>'. 255
Virtual Network Mode changed. This affects all channels and virtual networks. See help for more
details regarding the Virtual Network Mode. | New mode = '<mode>'. 255
Beginning device discovery on channel. | Channel = '<name>'. 255
Device discovery complete on channel. | Channel = '<name>', Devices found = '<count>'. 255
Device discovery canceled on channel. | Channel = '<name>'. 255
Device discovery canceled on channel. | Channel = '<name>', Devices found = '<count>'. 255
Unable to begin device discovery on channel. | Channel = '<name>'. 255
Shutting down for the purpose of performing an installation. 256
Runtime project has been reset. 256
Runtime project replaced. | New project = '<path>'. 256
Connection attempt to runtime failed. | Runtime host address = '<host address>', User =
'<name>', Reason = '<reason>'. 256
Not connected to the event logger service. 256
Attempt to add item '<name>' failed. 256
No device driver DLLs were loaded. 256
Invalid project file: '<name>'. 256
Could not open project file: '<name>'. 256
Rejecting request to replace the project because it's the same as the one in use: '<name>'. 256
Filename must not overwrite an existing file: '<name>'. 257
Filename must not be empty. 257
Filename is expected to be of the form subdir/name.{json, <binary ext>, <secure binary ext>} 257
Filename contains one or more invalid characters. 257
Saving project files with Project File Encryption enabled as .OPF file type is not supported. Sup-
ported file types are .SOPF and .JSON. 257
Saving project files with Project File Encryption disabled as .SOPF file type is not supported. Sup-
ported file types are .OPF and .JSON. 257
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Account '<name>' does not have permission to run this application. Contact the system admin-
istrator. 257
A password is required for saving encrypted project files (.<secure binary extension>). 257
Saving .<binary extension> and .JSON project files with a password is not supported. To save
encrypted project files, use .<secure binary extension>. 257
A password is required for saving/loading encrypted project files (.<secure binary extension>). 258
Saving/loading .<binary extension> and .JSON project files with a password is not supported. To
save encrypted project files, use .<secure binary extension>. 258
File is expected to be located in the 'user_data' subdirectory of the installation directory and of
the form name.{json, <binary ext>, <secure binary ext>} 258
Addition of object to '<name>' failed: <reason>. 258
Move object '<name>' failed: <reason>. 258
Update of object '<name>' failed: <reason>. 258
Delete object '<name>' failed: <reason>. 258
Unable to load startup project '<name>': <reason>. 258
Failed to update startup project '<name>': <reason>. 258
Runtime project replaced with startup project defined. Runtime project will be restored from
'<name>' at next restart. 259
Ignoring user-defined startup project because a configuration session is active. 259
Write request rejected on read-only item reference '<name>'. 259
Unable to write to item '<name>'. 259
Write request failed on item '<name>'. The write data type '<type>' cannot be converted to the
tag data type '<type>'. 259
Write request failed on item '<name>'. Error scaling the write data. 259
Write request rejected on item reference '<name>' since the device it belongs to is disabled. 259
<Name> successfully configured to run as a system service. 259
<Name> successfully removed from the service control manager database. 259
Runtime re-initialization started. 260
Runtime re-initialization completed. 260
Updated startup project '<name>'. 260
Runtime service started. 260
Runtime process started. 260
Runtime performing exit processing. 260
Runtime shutdown complete. 260
Shutting down to perform an installation. 260
Runtime project replaced from '<name>'. 260
Missing application data directory. 260
Runtime project saved as '<name>'. 260
Runtime project replaced. 261
Configuration session started by <name> (<name>). 261
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point url>'.
The ReadProcessed request timed out. | Elapsed Time = <seconds> (s). 266
The ReadAtTime request timed out. | Elapsed Time = <seconds> (s). 266
Attempt to add DDE item failed. | Item = '<item name>'. 266
DDE client attempt to add topic failed. | Topic = '<topic>'. 266
Unable to write to item. | Item = '<item name>'. 267
The area specified is not valid. Failed to set the subscription filter. | Area = '<area name>'. 267
The source specified is not valid. Failed to set the subscription filter. | Source = '<source name>'.267
The Config API SSL certificate contains a bad signature. 267
The Config API is unable to load the SSL certificate. 267
Unable to start the Config API Service. Possible problem binding to port. 267
The Config API SSL certificate has expired. 267
The Config API SSL certificate is self-signed. 267
The configured version of TLS for the Configuration API is no longer considered secure. It is
recommended that only TLS 1.2 or higher is used. 268
Configuration API started without SSL on port <port number>. 268
Configuration API started with SSL on port <port number>. 268
Connection to ThingWorx failed. | Platform = <host:port resource>, error = <reason>. 268
Error adding item. | Item name = '<item name>'. 268
Failed to trigger the autobind complete event on the platform. 268
Connection to ThingWorx failed for an unknown reason. | Platform = <host:port resource>, error
= <error>. 269
One or more value change updates lost due to insufficient space in the connection buffer. | Num-
ber of lost updates = <count>. 269
Item failed to publish; multidimensional arrays are not supported. | Item name = '%s'. 269
Store and Forward datastore unable to store data due to full disk. 270
Store and Forward datastore size limit reached. 270
Connection to ThingWorx was closed. | Platform = <host:port resource>. 270
Failed to autobind property. | Name = '<property name>'. 270
Failed to restart Thing. | Name = '<thing name>'. 271
Write to property failed. | Property name = '<name>', reason = <reason>. 271
ThingWorx request to add item failed. The item was already added. | Item name = '<name>'. 271
ThingWorx request to remove item failed. The item doesn't exist. | Item name = '<name>'. 272
The server is configured to send an update for every scan, but the push type of one or more
properties are set to push on value change only. | Count = <count>. 272
The push type of one or more properties are set to never push an update to the platform. |
Count = <count>. 272
ThingWorx request to remove an item failed. The item is bound and the force flag is false. | Item
name = '<name>'. 272
Write to property failed. | Thing name = '<name>', property name = '<name>', reason = 273
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<reason>.
Error pushing property updates to thing. | Thing name = '<name>'. 273
Unable to connect or attach to Store and Forward datastore. Using in-memory store. | In-
memory store size (updates) = <count>. 273
Store and Forward datastore reset due to file IO error or datastore corruption. 274
Unable to apply settings change initiated by the Platform. Permission Denied. | User = '<user
name>'. 274
Configuration Transfer to ThingWorx Platform failed. 274
Configuration Transfer to ThingWorx Platform failed. | Reason = '<reason>' 274
Failed to delete stored updates in the Store and Forward datastore. 275
Configuration Transfer from ThingWorx Platform failed. 275
Configuration Transfer from ThingWorx Platform failed. | Reason = '<reason>' 275
Check that your Application Key is properly formatted and valid. 275
Connected to ThingWorx. | Platform = <host:port resource>, Thing name = '<name>'. 275
Reinitializing ThingWorx connection due to a project settings change initiated from the platform. 276
Dropping pending autobinds due to interface shutdown or reinitialize. | Count = <count>. 276
Serviced one or more autobind requests. | Count = <count>. 276
Reinitializing ThingWorx connection due to a project settings change initiated from the Con-
figuration API. 276
Resumed pushing property updates to thing: the error condition was resolved. | Thing name =
'<name>'. 276
Configuration transfer from ThingWorx initiated. 277
Configuration transfer from ThingWorx aborted. 277
Initialized Store and Forward datastore. | Datastore location: '<location>'. 277
Successfully deleted stored data from the Store and Forward datastore. 277
Store and Forward mode changed. | Forward Mode = '<mode>'. 277
Initialized Store and Forward datastore. | Forward Mode = '<mode>' | Datastore location = '<loc-
ation>'. 277
Error attaching to datastore due to an invalid datastore path. | Path = '<path>' 277
Failed to start Store and Forward server. Socket error occurred binding to local port. | Error =
<error>, Details = '<information>'. 278
Store and Forward service stopping. 278
Store and Forward service starting. 278
File corruption encountered when attaching to datastore; datastore recreated. | Datastore path
= '<path>'. 278
Datastore overwritten due to a configuration change. | Datastore path = '<path>'. 278
Unable to attach to existing datastore because that datastore was created with an older version
of the server. Datastore recreated. | Datastore path = '<path>'. 279
Com port is in use by another application. | Port = '<port>'. 279
Unable to configure com port with specified parameters. | Port = COM<number>, OS error =
<error>. 279
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Resources 287
Index 288
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KEPServerEX
CONTENTS
For information regarding product licensing, refer to the License Utility help file. To access the help file through the server Configuration menu, click
Help | Server Help | License Utility.
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KEPServerEX 18
This software-based server is designed for accurate communications, quick setup, and unmatched inter-
operability between client applications, industrial devices, and systems. The server provides a wide range of
plug-ins and device drivers and components that suit most communication needs. The plug-in design and
single user interface provides consistent access from standards-based applications and non-standards-
based applications with native interfaces.
KEPServerEX is a connectivity server that enables users to connect diverse automation devices and sensors
to a wide variety of digital solutions. It offers the stability, performance, and security that is essential for
industrial environments. With support for popular and secure Linux operating systems, it supports dis-
tributed architectures that improve reliability and security and reduce cost. Built by the industrial con-
nectivity experts, KEPServerEX eliminates the interoperability challenges associated with implementing
digital solutions.
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1. When installed on a 64-bit operating system, the application runs in a subsystem of Windows called
WOW64 (Windows-on-Windows 64 bit). WOW64 is included on all 64-bit versions of Windows and is
designed to make differences between the operating systems transparent to the user. WOW64
requires the following minimums:
l 1 GHz Processor
l Ethernet Card
2. Verify the latest security updates are installed for the operating system.
Additional resources are available on the Kepware and PTC websites. In particular, the following resources are
helpful in planning stages: KEPServerEX Install Guide, Secure Deployment Guide. Contact a staff system engin-
eer for guidance on requirements and recommendations for more complex systems.
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Microsoft standard users must be granted both read and write permissions to the folder and its contents.
Execute permission is not required to run the server. The application does not provide tools to add per-
missions to this folder; they must be granted using Windows Explorer. Users who don’t have permissions
receive the following error when attempting to start the application: “This account does not have permission
to run this application. Contact the system administrator”.
The server does not modify the permissions of the configured folder; it inherits the default permissions con-
figured at its location. The default (ProgramData) location inherits read-only permissions for the Users
default Windows group. Read permissions alone are not sufficient to configure the product; however, they do
potentially allow users who shouldn’t have access the ability to read contents of the folder. By default, Win-
dows administrators have the correct permissions.
l Only grant permissions to users or groups that require access to the application; do not grant per-
missions to all users. It is common for members of the Users default windows group to contain more
users than should have access to the application.
l Remove the default permissions granted to users who shouldn’t have access. For example, if the
default directory is used, remove the inherited read-only permission granted to members of the
“Users” default windows group. This should be done unless ALL users on the machine should be able
to work with the product.
l Don’t manage permissions with individual users or the “Users” default windows group. Instead, cre-
ate a custom user group and configure its permissions. Add users who should be granted per-
missions to that group.
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During installation, a user_data directory is created in the <installation_directory> path. The user_data dir-
ectory is the relative path where all project files are saved to and loaded from, as well as where automatic
tag generation (ATG) files should be placed.
N ote: All files in the user_data directory must be world readable or owned by the KEPServerEX user and
group that were created during installation, by default this is tkedge.
Any authorized Linux user should be added to the KEPServerEX user group that was created during install-
ation to have the proper permissions to interact locally with this folder. All Configuration API commands that
interact with this folder use the KEPServerEX user configured during installation, tkedge by default.
N ote: Any directories created in the user_data directory must be writeable by members of the
KEPServerEX group created during installation, tkedge by default. Files in the user_data directory must be
either world readable or owned by the group that was setup during installation, tkedge by default.
Com ponent s
The server implements client / server architecture. The components include Configuration, Runtime, Admin-
istration, and Event Log.
Configuration
The Configuration is the client-user interface that is used to modify the runtime project. The Configuration
can be launched by multiple users and supports remote Runtime configuration.
Runtime
The Runtime is the server component that starts as a service by default. Clients can connect to the runtime
remotely or locally.
Administration
The Administration is used to view and/or modify settings and launch applications that pertain to user man-
agement and the server. By default, the Administration is started and sent to the System Tray when a user
account logs onto the operating system.
Project
The Project file contains the channel, device, and tag definitions as well as preferences and other saved set-
tings.
For more information, refer to Designing a Project.
Event Log
The Event Log service collects information, warning, error, and security events. These events are sent to the
Configuration's Event Log window for viewing.
For more information, refer to What is the Event Log?
Process M odes
The Runtime process mode can be changed while the server is running; however, doing so while a client is
connected interrupts the connection for a short period. The modes of operation are System Service and
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Interactive.
System Service
By default, the server is installed and runs as a service. When System Service is selected, the Runtime does
not require user intervention and starts when the operating system opens. This provides user independent
access to the server by the clients.
Interactive
When Interactive is selected, the Runtime remains stopped until a client attempts to connect to it. Once star-
ted, it runs until all clients have disconnected and then shuts down. The Runtime also shuts down if the user
account logs off the operation system.
N ote: The Runtime process mode may be changed to meet client applications' needs through the Admin-
istration settings dialogs.
l When a communication interface (such as DDE) must exchange information with the user desktop
and the server is installed on Windows.
See Also:
Settings - Runtim e Process
How To... Allow Desktop Interactions
Server - a software application designed to bridge the communication between a device, controller, or data
source with a client application. Servers can only respond to requests made by a client.
Client - a software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a server (either on the same com-
puter or on another computer). A client makes a request and the server fulfills the request. An example of a
client would be an e-mail program connecting to a mail server or an Internet browser client connecting to a
web server.
Hum an Machine Interface (HMI) - a software application (typically a Graphical User Interface or GUI) that
presents information to the operator about the state of a process and to accept and implement the operator
control instructions. It may also interpret the plant information and guide the interaction of the operator with
the system.
Man Machine Interface (MMI) - a software application (typically a Graphical User Interface or GUI) that
presents information to the operator about the state of a process and to accept and implement the operator
control instructions. It may also interpret the plant information and guide the interaction of the operator with
the system.
For more information on a specific interface, select a link from the list below.
DDE
Fast DDE/ Suit eLink
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OPC DA
Supported Versions
1.0a
2.05a
3.0
Overview
"OPC" stands for Open Productivity and Connectivity in industrial automation and the enterprise systems
that support industry. It is a client/server technology where one application acts as the server (providing
data) and another acts as a client (using data).
OPC is composed of a series of standards specifications: OPC Data Access (DA) is the most prolific standard.
OPC DA is a widely accepted industrial communication standard that enables data exchange between multi-
vendor devices and control applications without proprietary restrictions. An OPC server can communicate
data continuously among PLCs on the shop floor, RTUs in the field, HMI stations, and software applications
on desktop PCs. OPC compliance makes continuous real-time communication possible (even when the hard-
ware and software are from different vendors).
OPC Data Access 1.0a was the original specification developed by the OPC Foundation in 1996. Although it
continues to be supported by many of the OPC client applications in use today, OPC Data Access 2.0
Enhanced OPC better utilizes the underlying Microsoft COM technology. OPC Data Access 3.0 is the latest
version of the OPC DA interface.
OPC AE
Supported Versions
1.0
1.10
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Overview
OPC Alarms & Events (AE) is a specification developed by the OPC Foundation to standardize the way that
alarm and event information is shared among systems. Using the standard, AE clients can receive alarms
and event notices for equipment safety limits, system errors, and other abnormal situations.
l Runtim e Error Events Simple events that are shown as errors in the Event Log.
l Runtim e Warning Events Simple events that are shown as warnings in the Event Log.
l Runtim e Inform ation Events Simple events that are shown as informational in the Event
Log.
Condition Events
Condition Events are created by server conditions, which are currently only configurable through the use of
the Alarms & Events plug-in. The server supports the following filtering options for Condition Events for AE
clients:
1. Event Condition.
2. Category Filter by server-defined categories. Each event is assigned to one category. Descriptions of
the categories are as follows:
l Level Alarm s Events that are generated by process level conditions. For example, tank level
> 10.
l Deviation Alarm s Events that are generated by deviation conditions. For example, tank
level ± 10.
l Rate of Change Alarm s Events that are generated by rate of change conditions.
3. Severity Filter by severity level. Levels range from 0 to 1000; 1000 is the most severe. Each event is
assigned a severity.
4. Area Filter by a process area to get alarms and events from only that area. An area is used to organ-
ize alarm and event information.
5. Source Filter by source to get events from only that source. A source is an Alarms & Events area that
was created by a source (such as a server tag) that belongs to an area.
N ote: The Alarms & Events Plug-In allows conditions to be configured through server tags. For example,
a Temperature tag can be configured through the Alarms & Events Plug-In to generate an event when the
maximum value is reached. For more information on the Alarms & Events Plug-In, contact an OPC vendor.
Optional Interfaces
The AE server interface does not support the following optional interfaces:
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Overview
N ote: Currently, neither UA via HTTP / SOAP web services nor for complex data is supported. For more
information, refer to the OPC UA Configuration Manager help file.
OPC Open Connectivity via Open Standards (OPC) is a set of standard interfaces based on Microsoft's OLE /
COM technology. The application of the OPC standard interface makes possible interoperability between
automation / control applications and field systems / devices. Unified Architecture (UA User Administration
or Unified Architecture) provides a platform independent interoperability standard. It is not a replacement
for OPC Data Access (DA Data Access) technologies: for most industrial applications, UA complements or
enhances an existing DA architecture. The OPC UA OPC Unified Architecture will replace, modernize, and
enhance the functionality of the existing OPC defined interfaces. OPC UA is described in a layered set of spe-
cifications broken into parts. It is purposely described in abstract terms and in later parts married to existing
technology on which software can be built. This layering helps isolate changes in OPC UA from changes in
the technology used to implement it.
See Also: Project Properties — OPC UA
OPC UA Profiles
OPC UA is a multi-part specification that defines a number of services and information models referred to as
features. Features are grouped into profiles, which are then used to describe the functionality supported by
a UA server or client.
For a full list and a description of each OPC UA profile, refer to https:/ / www.op-
cfoundation.org/ profilereporting/ index.htm.
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KEPServerEX 26
CAUTION : Security policies Basic128Rsa15 and Basic256 have been deprecated by the OPC Foundation
as of OPC UA specification version 1.04. The encryption provided by these policies is considered less secure
and usage should be limited to providing backward compatibility.
N ote: This profile does not support the Security Administrator – XML Schema.
OPC .NET
Supported Version
1.20.2
Overview
OPC .NET is a family of APIs provided by the OPC Foundation that leverage Microsoft's .NET technology and
allow .NET clients to connect to the server. This server supports OPC .NET 3.0 WCF, formally known as OPC
Xi. Unlike other OPC .NET APIs, OPC .NET 3.0 uses Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) for con-
nectivity, avoiding DCOM issues and providing the following benefits:
l Secure communication via multiple communications bindings (such as Named Pipe, TCP, Basic HTTP,
HTTPS, and Ws HTTP).
l Consolidation of OPC Classic Interfaces.
l Simple development, configuration, and deployment of Windows environment.
The server adds OPC .NET 3.0 support using a customized version of the OPC .NET 3.0 WCF Wrapper sup-
plied by the OPC Foundation. The wrapper runs as a system service called "xi_server_runtime.exe". It wraps
the existing server's OPC AE and DA interfaces, providing WCF clients access to the server's tag and alarm
data. It does not support Historical Data Access (HDA).
N ote: The OPC .NET service is only started when the server starts and the interface is enabled. Unlike
OPC DA, clients cannot launch the server. For more information on configuration, refer to Project Properties
– OPC .NET.
Requirements
To install and use OPC .NET 3.0, Microsoft .NET 3.5 must be present on the machine before server install-
ation.
DDE
Supported Formats
CF_Text
XL_Table
Advanced DDE
Overview
Although this server is first and foremost an OPC server, there are still a number of applications that require
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) to share data. As such, the server provides access to DDE applications that
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27 KEPServerEX
support one of the following DDE formats: CF_Text, XL_Table, and Advanced DDE. CF_Text and XL_Table are
standard DDE formats developed by Microsoft for use with all DDE aware applications. Advanced DDE is a
high performance format supported by a number of client applications specific to the industrial market.
Advanced DDE
Advanced DDE is the DDE format defined by Rockwell Automation. Today, all Rockwell client applications are
Advanced DDE aware. Advanced DDE is a variation on the normal CF_Text format, which allows larger
amounts of data to transfer between applications at higher rates of speed (and with better error handling).
Requirements
For the DDE interface to connect with the server, the Runtime must be allowed to interact with the desktop.
For more information, refer to How To... Allow Desktop Interactions.
N ote: The Wonderware connectivity toolkit is used to simultaneously provide OPC and FastDDE / SuiteLink
connectivity, allowing quick access to device data without the use of intermediary bridging software.
For security reasons, it is recommended that users utilize the most recent Wonderware DAServer Runtime
Components. For more information and available downloads, refer to the Invensys Global Technical Support
WDN website.
Requirements
For the FastDDE interface to connect with the server, the Runtime must be allowed to interact with the
desktop. For more information, refer to How To... Allow Desktop Interactions.
FastDDE, SuiteLink, FactorySuite, InTouch, and Wonderware are all trademarks of Wonderware Cor-
poration.
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KEPServerEX 28
The ThingWorx Native Interface supports Store and Forward to cache property updates when the industrial
server becomes disconnected from the ThingWorx platform.
See Also:
Project Properties – ThingWorx Native Interface
Fill Rate Example
Store and Forward System Tags
Industrial Internet of Things
ThingWorx Platform
Title Bar
Displays the application name, when Configuration is connected to the Runtime, and the current Runtime pro-
ject when applicable.
M enu Bar
File Includes the project-level commands; such as Save, Open, Import, and Export.
Edit Includes action commands; such as Copy, Paste, and New Channel.
Includes the display commands; such as which elements of the user interface are visible or hid-
View
den and the type of tree organization to display.
Includes the configuration commands; such as general options, connection settings, event
Tools
log filters; and access to the License Utility and QuickClient.
Runtim e Includes server connectivity commands; such as Connect..., Disconnect, and Reinitialize.
Help Includes commands to access the product documentation, by server, driver, or plug-in.
Button Bar
The standard buttons are described below. Plug-ins and drivers add, remove, enable, and disable buttons
based on available functionality for the active items and view.
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N ew Project: Initiates creation of a new project file to replace the active project. The project file
defines the devices connected, their settings, and how they are grouped.
Open Project: Allows the user to browse for an existing project file to load, replacing the active pro-
ject.
Save Project: Implements any recent changes and writes the active project file to disk.
Save As: Writes the active project with changes, such as to a new location or file name.
N ew Tag Group: Defines a new collection of data points, or tags, that can be organized as a single
unit.
Bulk Tag Creation: Defines tags discovered in the target device or environment.
Properties: Allows viewing and editing of parameters for the selected item.
Undo: Resets the value or item to its configuration prior to the most recent change.
Copy: Creates a duplicate of the selected item and stores it on the clipboard.
Paste: Inserts an item currently in the clipboard into the selected area.
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Project - where global settings for the active project are stored or updated.
Connectivity - where channels and devices are organized, right-click actions are available, and properties
can be accessed for display in the Detail pane.
Aliases - where mappings to system resources, legacy paths, and complex routings can be given shorter,
more user-friendly, or SCADA compatible names and shortcuts.
Advanced Tags - where operations or analysis can be built into tag processing and stored. This is a sep-
arate product Plug-in.
Alarm s & Events - where system monitoring can be defined and managed. This is a separate product Plug-
in.
DataLogger - where data can be organized and stored in an ODBC-compliant database. This is a separate
product Plug-in.
EFM Exporter - where flow and trend data can be captured and coordinated. This is a separate product
Plug-in.
IDF for Splunk - where data feeds into data management and data mining can be configured. This is a sep-
arate product Plug-in.
IoT Gateway - where connections to enterprise systems, monitoring, and analytics are managed. This is a
separate product Plug-in.
Local Historian - where data collection, logging, storage, and retention is defined. This is a separate
product Plug-in.
Scheduler - where data collection, publication, and bandwidth management can be coordinated. This is a
separate product Plug-in.
SN MP Agent - where communication bridges into Information technology and SNMP protocols can be cre-
ated. This is a separate product Plug-in.
In very large projects or if some features are used more than others, the tree can be customized through
filtering. Hide or show tree nodes under the View menu.
The Project Tree provides a variety of appropriate options through a right-click menu. For example, devices
and channels can be copied and pasted to start a new configuration based on existing choices and settings.
The name is duplicated and a numbered added (that increments if many are pasted) to keep names unique.
For drivers that support additional features, those are available on the right-click menu as well.
Detail View
This view displays one of several configuration selection options for the active project. Its information is
related to the current Project Tree View.
N ote: When selecting a Project Tree View, the Detail View columns persist until a channel or device is
chosen. At that time, the columns revert to displaying the device or tag information.
Tip: Start typing an item name to search for that item within the detail view. The first occurrence of the
typed character(s) is selected and displayed within the visible pane. Typing the character(s) again highlights
the next occurrence and so on with each repeated entry.
Property Editor
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Some properties can be edited in the property editor. The standard buttons in the property editor operate as
follows:
Defaults restores settings for the selected property group to their default values (both applied and pending
changes).
Cancel exits the property editor without implementing pending changes. Closing the property editor has the
same effect.
Event Log
This view, in the bottom pane, displays four types of recorded messages: General Information, Security
Alerts, Warnings, and Errors from the server, drivers, or plug-ins. By default, log entries include the date,
time, source, and event description. For more information, see Event Log Options.
Status Bar
Displays the current status of the Configuration (Connecting, Ready, etc.) as well as mouse-over hints for the
Menu Bar and Button Bar items.
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Startup
Im m ediately attem pt to establish a Runtim e connection on start: Determines whether or not the con-
figuration tool connects to the Runtime when started. When disabled, users must connect manually. The
default is enabled.
N um ber of recently used project files to track: Set the number of project files presented in the MRU
(Most Recently Used) list of projects. The valid range is 1 to 16. The default setting is 8.
Backup saved Configuration project files prior to overwriting: When enabled, the system automatically
makes a backup copy of the last saved Configuration project before it is overwritten with a new project file.
The backup file name and location are displayed in the Event Log.
CSV Im port
The Delim iter setting specifies the Comma Separated Variable (CSV) that the server uses to import and
export tag data in a CSV file. Options include comma and semicolon. The default setting is comma. For more
information, refer to Tag Management.
Confirm ations
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Enable the conditions that force the Configuration to present warnings to an operator.
Ask for confirm ation when deleting an object: When enabled, all Configuration delete operations invoke
a warning popup that requires confirmation before the delete operation can be completed.
Confirm when operation will cause clients to disconnect: When enabled, all Configuration operations
that would cause client applications to be disconnected from the server invoke a warning popup. This popup
requires confirmation before the disconnect sequence can be initiated.
Prom pt to save project changes: When enabled, the Configuration invokes a popup if the server is being
shut down while the project has outstanding changes.
Confirm Runtim e project replacem ent: When enabled, this option warns that the project can be opened
and edited offline while the Configuration is connected to the Runtime.
Show user login dialog: When enabled, a valid user name and password are required before the Con-
figuration can be connected to the Runtime for project editing. The default is disabled.
It is more secure to enable this option and have each user log in to the server with unique credentials.
N ote: User names and permissions are assigned by the Administrator account. For more information,
refer to Settings - User Manager.
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Identification
Description: Enter an optional phrase to help identify this project in reports and monitoring systems.
Title: Enter an optional word or phrase to identify this project in file names and reports.
Tags Defined: Verify that the tag count matches expectations of data collection for this project (and licens-
ing, if applicable).
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
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35 KEPServerEX
Data Access
Enable OPC 1.0 Data Access Interfaces: Select Yes to allow the server to accept OPC client connections
from OPC clients that support the 1.0 specification. The default setting is enabled.
Enable OPC 2.0 Data Access Interfaces: Select Yes to allow the server to accept OPC client connections
from OPC clients that support the 2.0 specification. The default setting is enabled.
Enable OPC 3.0 Data Access Interfaces: Select Yes to allow the server to accept OPC client connections
from OPC clients that support the 3.0 specification. The default setting is enabled.
Include Hints When Browsing: Select Yes to allow OPC client applications to browse the address format-
ting Hints available for each communications driver. The Hints provide a quick reference on how a particular
device's data can be addressed. This can be useful when entering dynamic tags from the OPC client. The
hint items are not valid OPC tags. Some OPC client applications may try to add the Hint tags to their tag data-
base. When this occurs, the client receives an error from the server. This is not a problem for most clients,
although it can cause others to stop adding tags automatically or report errors. Prevent this by disabling
Hints. The default setting is disabled (No).
Include Tag Properties When Browsing: Select Yes to allow OPC client applications to browse the tag prop-
erties available for each tag in the address space. The default setting is disabled.
Shutdown Wait Period: Specify how long the server waits for an OPC client to return from the server shut-
down event. If the client application does not return within the timeout period, the server completes shut-
down and exit. The valid range is 10 to 60 seconds. The default setting is 15 seconds.
Synchronous Request Tim eout: Specify how long the server waits for a synchronous read operation to
complete. If a synchronous operation is in progress and the timeout is exceeded, the server forces the oper-
ation to complete with a failure to the client. This prevents clients from locking up when using synchronous
operations. The valid range is 5 to 60 seconds. The default setting is 15 seconds.
N ote: Synchronous writes do not use this property setting; only reads / requests utilize this property.
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Enable Diagnostics Capture: Select Yes to allow OPC diagnostics data to be logged to the Event Log ser-
vice for storage (typically used for troubleshooting). The default setting is disabled (No).
For more information on the OPC Data Access 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 Custom Specifications, refer to the OPC Found-
ation website www.opcfoundation.org.
Compliance
Reject Unsupported Language IDs: Select Yes to only allow Language IDs that are natively supported by
the server. If the OPC client application attempts to add an OPC group to the server and receives a general
failure, it is possible the client has given the server a Language ID that is not natively supported. If this
occurs, the server rejects the group addition. To resolve this particular issue, disable the compliant feature
to force the server to accept any Language ID.
Ignore Deadband for Cache Reads: Select Yes for the server to ignore the deadband setting on OPC
groups added to the server. For some OPC clients, passing the correct value for deadband causes problems
that may result in the OPC client (such as, having good data even though it does not appear to be updating
frequently or at all). This condition is rare. As such, the selection should normally be left in its default dis-
abled state.
Ignore Browse Filter: Select Yes for the server to return all tags to an OPC client application when a browse
request is made, regardless of the access filter applied to the OPC clients tag browser.
Data Type Support for 2.05a: Select Yes for the server to adhere to the data type requirements and expec-
ted behaviors for data type coercion that were added to the 2.05a specification.
Fail on Bad Quality: Select Yes for the server to return a failure if one or more items for a synchronous
device read results in a bad quality read. Compliance requires the server to return success, indicating that
the server could complete the request even though the data for one or more items may include a bad and/or
uncertain quality.
Group Initial Updates: Select Yes for the server to return all outstanding initial item updates in a single call-
back. When disabled, the server returns initial updates as they are available (which can result in multiple call-
backs).
Enabling this may result in loss of buffered data when using drivers that support data buffering (Event
Playback) for unsolicited device protocols. The compliance setting should be disabled if loss of buffered data
is a concern.
Respect Client Locale: Select Yes for the server to use the Locale ID of the running Windows Operating Sys-
tem or the Locale ID set by the OPC client when performing data type conversions. For example, a string rep-
resenting a floating point number such as 1,200 would be converted to One Thousand - Two Hundred if
converted using English metrics, but would be One and Two-Tenths if converted using German metrics. If
German software is running on an English OS, users need to determine how the comma is handled. This set-
ting allows for such flexibility. By default, and due to historical implementation, the server respects the
Locale ID of the operating system.
Bad Quality Item as S_FALSE: Select Yes for the server to return S_FALSE in the item error array for items
without good quality. This setting defaults to Yes for existing projects that are set to full compliance and No
for those that are not. When set to No, the legacy behavior of returning E_FAIL (0x80004005) occurs.
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37 KEPServerEX
Return Data ASAP: Select Yes to enable all groups to update the client. When enabled, an active item that
experiences a change in value or quality triggers a client update. The group update rate specified by the cli-
ent is used to set the client requested scan rate for the items added to that group. The default setting is dis-
abled.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
N ote: To change a setting, click in the specific property's second column. This invokes a drop-down menu
that displays the options available.
Server Interface
Enable: When enabled, the UA server interface is initialized and accepts client connections. When disabled,
the remaining properties on this page are disabled.
Log diagnostics: When enabled, OPC UA stack diagnostics are logged to the OPC Diagnostics Viewer. This
should only be enabled for troubleshooting purposes.
Client Sessions
Allow anonym ous login: This property specifies whether or not a user name and password are required to
establish a connection. For security, the default setting is No to disallow anonymous access and require cre-
dentials to log in.
N ote: If this setting is disabled, users cannot login as the default user in the User Manager. Users can
login as the Administrator provided that a password is set in the User Manager and is used to login.
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Tip: Additional users may be configured to access data without all the permissions associated with the
administrator account. When the client supplies a password on connect, the server decrypts the password
using the encryption algorithm defined by the security policy of the endpoint, then uses it to login.
N ote: Users can login as the Administrator using the password set during the installation of KEPServerEX to
login. Additional users may be configured to access data without all the permissions associated with the
administrator account. When the client supplies a password on connect, the server decrypts the password
using the encryption algorithm defined by the security policy of the endpoint. then used to login.
When the client supplies a password on connect, the server decrypts the password using the encryption
algorithm defined by the security policy of the endpoint.
Max. connections: specify the maximum number of supported connections. The valid range is 1 to 128. The
default setting is 128.
Minim um session tim eout: specify the UA client's minimum timeout limit for establishing a session. Val-
ues may be changed depending on the needs of the application. The default value is 15 seconds.
Maxim um session tim eout: specify the UA client's maximum timeout limit for establishing a session. Val-
ues may be changed depending on the needs of the application. The default value is 60 seconds.
Tag cache tim eout: specify the tag cache timeout. The valid range is 0 to 60 seconds. The default setting is
5 seconds.
N ote: This timeout controls how long a tag is cached after a UA client is done using it. In cases where UA
clients read / write to unregistered tags at a set interval, users can improve performance by increasing the
timeout. For example, if a client is reading an unregistered tag every 5 seconds, the tag cache timeout
should be set to 6 seconds. Since the tag does not have to be recreated during each client request, per-
formance improves.
Brow sing
Return tag properties: Enable to allow UA client applications to browse the tag properties available for
each tag in the address space. This setting is disabled by default.
Return address hints: Enable to allows UA client applications to browse the address formatting hints avail-
able for each item. Although the hints are not valid UA tags, certain UA client applications may try to add
them to the tag database. When this occurs, the client receives an error from the server. This may cause the
client to report errors or stop adding the tags automatically. To prevent this from occurring, make sure that
this property is disabled. This setting is disabled by default.
M onitored Items
Max. Data Queue Size: specify the maximum number of data notifications to be queued for an item. The
valid range is 1 to 100. The default setting is 2.
N ote: The data queue is used when the monitored item's update rate is faster than the subscription's
publish rate. For example, if the monitored item update rate is 1 second, and a subscription publishes every
10 seconds, then 10 data notifications are published for the item every 10 seconds. Because queuing data
consumes memory, this value should be limited when memory is a concern.
Subscriptions
Max. retransm it queue size: specify the maximum number of publishes to be queued per subscription.
The valid range is 1 to 100. A value of zero disables retransmits. The default setting is 0.
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39 KEPServerEX
N ote: Subscription publish events are queued and retransmitted at the client's request. Because
queuing consumes memory, this value should be limited when memory is a concern.
Max. notifications per publish: specify the maximum number of notifications per publish. The valid range
is 1 to 65536. The default setting is 65536.
N ote: This value may affect the connection's performance by limiting the size of the packets sent from
the server to the client. In general, large values should be used for high-bandwidth connections and small val-
ues should be used for low-bandwidth connections.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
For the DDEinterface to connect with the server, the Runtime must be allowed to interact with the desktop. For
more information, refer to How To... Allow Desktop Interactions.
To access the DDE server settings through the Configuration, click Edit | Project Properties and locate the
DDE properties. Its properties can be used to tailor the DDE operation to fit the application's needs.
General
Enable DDE connections to the server: This property determines whether the DDE server portion of the
server is enabled or disabled. If DDE operation is disabled, the server does not respond to any request for
DDE data. If intending to use the server only as an OPC server, users may want to disable DDE operation.
Doing so can increase the data security and improve overall server performance. DDE is disabled by default.
See Also: How To... Use DDE with the Server
Service nam e: This property allows users to change how the server appears as an application name to DDE
clients. This name is initially set to allow compatibility with the previous versions of the server. If users need
to replace an existing DDE server however, the server's service name can be changed to match the DDE
server being replaced. The service name allows a string of 1 to 32 characters to be entered.
Formats
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This property allows users to configure the DDE format to provide to client applications. Choose to enable or
disable Advanced DDE, XL Table, and CF_Text. All three formats are enabled by default. This is particularly
useful when users experience problems connecting a DDE client application to the server: each of the DDE
formats can be disabled to isolate a specific format for testing purposes.
N ote: Every DDE-aware application must support CF_Text at a minimum.
Timing
Client update interval: This interval setting is used to batch up DDE data so that it can be transferred to cli-
ent applications. When using a DDE format performance gains only come when large blocks of server data
can be sent in a single DDE response. To improve the ability of the server to gather a large block of data, the
update timer can be set to allow a pool of new data to accumulate before a being sent to a client application.
The valid range of the update timer is 20 to 60000 milliseconds. The default setting is 100 milliseconds.
DDE request tim eout: This property is used to configure a timeout for the completion of DDE request. If a
DDE client request (either a read or write operation) on the server cannot be completed within the specified
timeout, an error is returned to the DDE client. The valid range is 1 to 30 seconds. The default setting is 15
seconds.
N ote: The server Runtime may need to be reinitialized for changes to take effect.
Enabled: When enabled, the OPC .NET Wrapper is initialized and accept client connections.
Tips:
1. The OPC .NET Wrapper runs as a System Service called "xi_server_runtime.exe". It is only started
when the server starts and the option described above is enabled. Unlike OPC DA, clients cannot
launch the server.
2. To use and install OPC .NET, Microsoft .NET 3.5 must be present on the machine prior to server
installation.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
The OPC AE group is used to specify a number of project-level AE settings. Changes made to these settings
take effect after all A&E clients disconnect from the server.
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41 KEPServerEX
The Alarms & Events plug-in allows Alarms & Events (A&E) clients to receive A&E data from the OPC server.
It is used to convert OPC server events into A&E format and to create custom alarms using OPC server tags.
For more information, contact the OPC vendor.
General
Enable AE Connections to the Server: This property turns the OPC AE server on and off.
Enable Sim ple Events: When enabled, simple events are made available to clients. When disabled, the
events are sent. The default setting is enabled.
Subscriptions
Max. Subscription Buffer Size: Specify the maximum number of events sent to a client in one send call.
The range is 0 to 1000. The default setting is 100. 0 means there is no limit.
Min. Subscription Buffer Tim e: Specify the minimum time between send calls to a client. The supported
range is 100 to 60000 milliseconds. The default setting is 1000 milliseconds.
Min. Keep-Alive Tim e: Specify the minimum amount of time between keep-alive messages sent from the
server to the client. The supported range is 100 to 60000 milliseconds. The default setting is 1000 mil-
liseconds.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
For the FastDDEinterface to connect with the server, the Runtime must be allowed to interact with the desktop.
For more information, refer to How To... Allow Desktop Interactions.
N ote: For proper FastDDE / SuiteLink operation (and for this tab to be available in Project Properties), the
Wonderware FS2000 Common Components or the InTouch Runtime Component version 8.0 or higher must
be installed on the PC.
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KEPServerEX 42
Enable FastDDE / SuiteLink connections to the server: This property enables or disables support of the
client / server protocols. When a Wonderware product is installed on the PC, this setting is available to
enable. If the FastDDE / SuiteLink operation is disabled, the server does not respond to any request for
FastDDE or SuiteLink data.
Tip: For better performance and security, it is recommended that this setting be disabled if the server is
only used for OPC connectivity.
Application N am e: icon to open the application's name. The default setting is server_runtime.
N ote: This name may be customized to suit specific end-user needs. For example, users that select
"Remove and Redirect" during the installation must change this setting to "servermain" for certain Fact-
orySuite applications to work without modification.
Client Update Interval (m s): icon to open how often new data is sent to FastDDE / SuiteLink client applic-
ations. The range is 20 to 32000 milliseconds. The default setting is 100 milliseconds. The timer allows
FastDDE / SuiteLink data to be batched up for transfer to client applications. When using a client-server pro-
tocol like FastDDE or SuiteLink, performance gains only come when large blocks of server data can be sent
in a single response. To improve the ability of the server to gather a large block of data, the update timer
can be set to allow a pool of new data to accumulate before being sent to a client application.
N otes:
1. The update rate applies to how often data is sent to the client application, not how often data is read
from the device. The scan rate can be used to adjust how fast or slow the server acquires data from
an attached device. For more information, refer to Tag Properties — General.
2. The server Runtime may have to be reinitialized for changes to take effect.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
N ote: The iFIX PDB Settings are only displayed in Project Properties if iFIX is installed on the computer.
In some cases, the Process Mode must be set to System Service for the iFIXPDB interface to work with the
Runtime. For more information, refer to Process Modes.
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N ote: It is recommended that users keep the default values for each field. Users should also ensure that
the settings meet the application's requirements.
General
Enable connectivity to iFIX PDB: Enable or disable support of the client/server protocols. If the iFIX PDB
operation is disabled, the server does not respond to any request for iFIX PDB data. For better performance
and security when the server is only being used for OPC connectivity, disable this property.
Enable latched data: Normally, the iFIX application's data links display a series of question marks (such as
"????") if a communication failure has occurred. Users may want to have a value displayed at all times, how-
ever. By enabling latched data, the last value successfully read is preserved on the screen. The default set-
ting is enabled.
N ote: Data latching is not supported for AR and DR blocks.
Enable update per poll: When enabled, the server delivers the current value, quality, and timestamp to iFIX
every time that the driver polls the device. When disabled, the server only delivers an update to iFIX when it
determines the value or the quality has changed. The default setting is disabled.
N ote: This setting is dynamic, meaning that the server immediately begins to deliver updates to the iFIX
client at the device scan rate after the option is applied.
Use iFIX startup configuration file: Enable to create this file through iFIX to contains all items accessed by
the iFIX client. It automatically starts scanning items before iFIX requests item data. The default setting is
enabled.
See Also: Project Startup for iFIX Applications
Use unconfirm ed updates Controls how the server updates local cache for iFIX following writes via the NIO
interface. With the default setting (disabled), the server does not update local cache until the value has been
confirmed via a read. For the majority of applications, the default setting provides the best user experience
from the standpoint of data integrity. For applications leveraging iFIX Easy Database Access (EDA), users
may wish to enable unconfirmed updates to update the local cache for iFIX immediately with the attempted
write value.
N ote: From a data integrity perspective, use of unconfirmed updates can result in a false indication of
write success and inaccurate data displayed in iFIX. Another consequence of using unconfirmed updates is
that the data displayed in iFIX can “flicker” due to the temporary unconfirmed update (write value attempted)
followed by a confirmed update (actual value read for the item).
Timing
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KEPServerEX 44
PDB-to server request tim eout(s): Specify the amount of time that the iFIX PDB waits for a response from
an add, remove, read, or write request before timing out. Once timed out, the request is discarded on behalf
of the server. A timeout can occur if the server is busy processing other requests or if the server has lost
communications with iFIX PDB. In the case of lost communications, the iFIX PDB automatically re-establishes
communications with the server so that successive timeouts do not occur. The valid range is 5 to 60
seconds. The default setting is 5 seconds.
Deactivate tags on PDB read inactivity: Direct the server to automatically deactivate tags that have not
been read by iFIX for the time period specified. This reduces unnecessary polling of the process hardware.
When enabled, the server reads its list of tags every 15 seconds and deactivates any that are idle. If iFIX has
not performed a read request of a tag for the time period specified, the tag is considered idle. Since the
server checks for idle tags on a 15 second cycle, a tag may not get set inactive at precisely this time from its
last read; it could be up to 15 seconds longer depending on when the last read occurred in the check cycle. If
iFIX requests data from a tag that has been previously deactivated, the server reactivates the tag and
resumes polling the hardware. The default setting is disabled. Once this feature is enabled, however, it
becomes applied to all projects. Users may specify an idle time in a range from 15 to 607999 (15 seconds to
1 week).
This feature is meant to be used with Register tags only and can cause non-register tags to go off scan.
To avoid this situation when using this feature, set the inactivity timer greater than the longest scan time con-
figured in the iFIX database.
Inactivity tim eout(s): Specify the amount of time that the iFIX PDB waits for activity before timing out. In the
case of lost communications, the iFIX PDB automatically re-establishes communications with the server so
that successive timeouts do not occur. The valid range is 5 to 60 seconds. The default setting is 5 seconds.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
Enable HDA connections to the server: When enabled, HDA clients can connect to the HDA server that is
exposed by this server. When disabled, client HDA connections are disabled. These settings may be applied
without restarting the Runtime; however, although the server does not drop connected clients, it does not
accept new client connections either. The default setting is enabled.
Enable Diagnostics: When enabled, this option allows OPC HDA data to be captured and logged to the
Event Log service for storage. The default setting is disabled.
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N ote: Enabling diagnostics has negative effect on the server runtime performance. For more inform-
ation on event logging, refer to OPC Diagnostics Viewer.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
Before configuring the ThingWorx Native Interface, create a Thing in the ThingWorx platform with the “Indus-
trial Gateway” Thing Template. A Thing name which represents its data source is recommended. Once the
Thing is created, configure the OPC server to connect to the ThingWorx platform using the Thing name. The
new connection will auto-bind to this Thing.
Once the connection to the ThingWorx platform is made, use the Industrial Connections selection from the
left-hand menu to select tags from the newly created server instance. These tags may be selected and
bound to new Things directly in the ThingWorx Composer.
Refer to the ThingWorx Composer documentation for more information.
Cautions:
l Any tags with an array data type must be configured with the Always push type in the ThingWorx Plat-
form. A push threshold set to value change will fail to publish updates to the platform.
l While most of the native interfaces function in a client server configuration, the ThingWorx Native
Interface acts more like a client, as it creates an outbound connection to the ThingWorx platform.
This allows the ThingWorx Native Interface to connect to a remote ThingWorx Platform using stand-
ard ports and protocols without the need to create unusual firewall or routing rules. As long as the
ThingWorx Composer is reachable in a browser from the machine hosting the OPC server, then the
server should be able to pass data to that platform through the Native interface.
l As noted in ThingWorx documentation, configuration of a ThingWorx Application Key is crucial to
providing a secured environment. The Application Key should provide the appropriate privileges to
allow the proper exchange of data between the server instance and the ThingWorx Platform.
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KEPServerEX 46
Server Interface
Enable: Set to Yes for the ThingWorx Native interface to attempt connection with the information provided.
Connection Settings
Port: Specify the number of the TCP port used by the ThingWorx server.
Application key: Enter or paste in the authentication string for connecting to the ThingWorx server.
Caution: Do NOT set this property using the Configuration API Service over HTTP in production mode; use
HTTPS for best security.
Trust self-signed certificates: Set to No for maximum security. Set to Yes to accept self-signed certificates
during development.
Caution: Do NOT set this to Yes in a production environment as it would compromise security.
Trust all certificates: Set to No for maximum security. Set to Yes and the TLS library does not validate the
server certificate.
Caution: Do NOT set this to Yes in a production environment as it would compromise security.
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Platform
Thing nam e: Enter the name of the entity (remote thing) on the ThingWorx server that represents this data
source. Use the OPC server template to create the remote thing.
N ote: The Thing Name must match the name of the Industrial Gateway thing exactly (case sensitive).
Data Rates
Publish floor: Specify the minimum rate at which updates are sent to the platform. Zero sends updates as
often as possible.
Logging
Enable: Set to Yes to activate advanced logging of the ThingWorx native interface. This logging is sent to the
server event log. This logging may cause the event log to fill up quickly, it is recommended that the logging
remain disabled when not troubleshooting.
Level: Set the severity of logging to be sent to the event log. Trace includes all messages from the native
ThingWorx interface.
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Enable: Select Yes to save data to a local disk directory to avoid data loss during connection interruption or
heavy data transfers. Enabling this setting allows data to be queued, then pushed forward once a connection
is established and data receipt has been confirmed.
Storage Location: Enter or browse to the fully qualified path to the directory where data should be cached.
N ote: The ThingWorx Native Interface queues updates in memory when the Store and Forward datastore
cannot be initialized. The server automatically retries until a datastore can be initialized. Refer to the event
log for specific failure information.
Max. Datastore Size: Select the maximum number of megabytes or gigabytes the data is allowed to reach
before purging. The available datastore sizes range from 128 MB to 16 GB.
Forward Mode: Select a method to determine which updates are sent to ThingWorx when the connection is
restored. In situations that require active monitoring of production data without any data loss when dis-
connected from the platform, it is possible to store and forward upon reconnect or to schedule forwarding
the stored updates for a time when production is not being actively monitored (for example, during pro-
duction downtime). Options include Active and On Hold:
l Active Mode - When the Forward Mode is set to Active, stored property updates are sent in the order
they were received until the ThingWorx Platform has received all updates. Updates are then sent to
the platform in real time. Property updates can be delayed due to the first In, first out nature of prop-
erty update forwarding when many updates are collected during a ThingWorx platform disconnect.
l On Hold Mode - When the Forward Mode is set to On Hold, only the latest updates are sent to the
platform after recovering from a disconnect. This ensures that ThingWorx applications that are act-
ively monitoring production and get the freshest data available. When production is not being actively
monitored, the mode can be set to Active to start forwarding the older updates that were stored
while the server was disconnected from the platform. The industrial server buffers up to 25,000 prop-
erty updates in memory before storing them to disk. Once the 25,000 update limit is reached, the
property updates are pushed to disk and held until the Forward Mode is set to Active. This allows the
industrial server to prioritize the most recent 25,000 updates when the connection to the ThingWorx
platform is restored, hold on to updates so they they’re not lost, and forward them later. New updates
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49 KEPServerEX
are dropped when the datastore size limit is reached, or the disk is filled past the 500MB limit,
whichever occurs first. The in-memory buffer is only typically filled when the connection to the
ThingWorx platform is lost; however, this can also occur when property updates are collected at a
rate faster than can be forwarded to the platform.
l Store and Forward configuration is currently supported in the industrial server’s configuration tool or
with through the Configuration API.
l Store and Forward is disabled by default and must be enabled in industrial server’s Project Properties
or through the Configuration API.
l It is not necessary to configure Store and Forward from the ThingWorx Platform. However, to store
the forwarded updates to the ThingWorx Platform, it is necessary to configure a Value Stream and
enable logging for any properties for which a history is desired.
l When the datastore path configuration (defined in Storage Location setting) is modified, the existing
datastore remains on disk. If the datastore path configuration is restored, updates associated with
the current project are forwarded to the platform.
l Changes to Store and Forward properties do not require the platform connection to be reinitialized.
The Thingworx interface continues collecting updates while applying the changes.
The Store and Forward path is validated both at configuration and runtime, and must comply with the fol-
lowing:
Store and Forward Status and Monitoring can be accessed in the following ways:
l The reliability requirements of Store and Forward introduce a small decrease in performance when
enabled as all updates are routed through a disk buffer before being sent to the ThingWorx Platform
and the ThingWorx Native Interface waits to receive confirmation that the platform has received the
most recent set of updates before sending the next set.
l Stored updates persist across server restarts.
l Make sure all stored updates are forwarded before a software upgrade because updates cannot be
preserved across major / minor server upgrades.
Proxy Properties
The server leverages the ThingWorx CSDK to allow communicating with the ThingWorx platform through a
proxy server. The following authentication options are supported:
l No authentication
l Basic authentication
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l Digest authentication
l NTLM
Enable: Set to YesTrue to connect to the ThingWorx platform through a proxy server.
Port: The number of the TCP port used to connect to the proxy server.
Usernam e: The user account name to connect to the proxy server and authenticate.
Password: The password authentication string for connecting to the ThingWorx server as the user specified.
Caution: Do NOT set this property using the Configuration API Service over HTTP in production mode; use
only HTTPS for best security.
The Defaults button restores the settings to the default / pre-set values.
Using the following equation and information from the table above the fill rate for a given project can be
determined by summing the fill rates that correspond to the tag data types of the project:
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The table below describes the fill rate and offline time before data loss for a sample project consisting of
500 Word properties, 500 DWord properties, 10 String properties, and 100 Double properties for several
scan rates assuming a maximum datastore size of 128 MB.
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See Also: ThingWorx Interface Users for controlling access to the ThingWorx platform and related data trans-
fer.
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KEPServerEX 54
Start Runtim e Service: This option starts the server Runtime process and loads the default Runtime pro-
ject.
Stop Runtim e Service: This option disconnects all clients and saves the default Runtime project before stop-
ping the server Runtime process.
Reinitialize: This option disconnects all clients and resets the Runtime server. It automatically saves and
reloads the default Runtime project without stopping the server Runtime process.
Reset Event Log: This option resets the Event Log. The date, time, and source of the reset are added to the
Event Log in the configuration window.
Settings...: This option launches the Settings group. For more information, refer to Settings.
OPC UA Configuration: This option launches the OPC UA Configuration Manager, if available.
OPC .N ET Configuration: This option launches the OPC .NET Configuration Manager.
Support Inform ation: This option launches a dialog that contains basic summary information on both the
server and the drivers currently installed for its use.
For more information, refer to Server Summary Information.
Exit: This option closes the Administration and removes it from the System Tray. To view it again, select it
from the Windows Start menu.
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Set t ings
To access the Settings groups, right-click on the Administration icon located in the System Tray. Select Set-
tings. For more information, select a link from the list below.
Autom atically start Adm inistration: When enabled, this property enables the Administration to start auto-
matically. The Administration is a System Tray application that allows quick links to various server tools
including the Settings Console, Configuration, Licensing Utility, User Manager Console and controls for stop-
ping and starting the Runtime service.
Product Language Selection: Select the preferred user interface language from the drop-down menu.
Tip: The language settings defaults to the language of the install, which defaults to the language setting in
the operating system, if possible.
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Connection
Com m unicate using port: This property is the TCP/IP port to be used to communicate between the Con-
figuration and the Runtime. To obtain the default setting, click Default.
Session M anagement
Max Concurrent Configuration Connections: Specify the number of Configuration connections that can
be made to the Runtime at one time. The range is 1 to 64. The default is 10.
Idle Session Tim eout: Set the length of time the console connection can be inactive before it is shut down.
The range is 10 to 3600 seconds. The default is 60 seconds.
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Selected Mode: This property is used to specify whether the server is running as System Service or Inter-
active. By default, the server installs and runs as System Service. Changing this setting causes all clients,
both Configuration and process, to be disconnected and the server to be stopped and restarted. It also
restores user-configured DCOM settings to default.
High Priority: This property is used set the server process priority to high. The default setting is normal.
When enabled, this setting allows the server to have priority access to resources.
N ote: Microsoft recommends against setting applications to a high priority as it can adversely affect
other applications running on the same system.
Processor Affinity: This property is used to specify on which CPUs the server can be executed when it is run
on PCs containing more than one.
Use DCOM configuration settings: Enable to use authentication and security from the DCOM Con-
figuration.
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Configure... Click to launch the DCOM Configuration Utility to specify the level of security and restrict access
for certain users and/or applications.
When this setting is disabled, the server overrides the DCOM settings set for the application and does not
perform any authentication on the calls received from client applications. It impersonates the security of the
client when performing any actions on behalf of the client application. Disabling this setting provides the low-
est level of security and is not recommended. If this setting is chosen, ensure that the client and server
applications are running in a secure environment so that the application is not compromised.
Project Backups
Backup the Runtim e project prior to replacem ent: This property enables the Runtime project to be
backed up before it is overwritten. The backup location is displayed in the Event Log. This option is enabled
by default.
N ote: The Runtime project is overwritten if either N ew or Open is selected while connected to the
Runtime. In addition, connecting to the Runtime while working offline with a project may result in Runtime pro-
ject replacement.
Keep the m ost recent: This property limits the number of backup files to be saved to disk. The range is 1 to
1000. The default is 10.
Clean up now...: This property invokes a confirmation dialog that allows users to delete all the Runtime pro-
ject backups. Doing so does not affect the current running project.
Tip: It is a best practice to save a copy of the project file on a regular basis for disaster recovery pur-
poses. The default directories for these backups are:
Tip: If the file has been saved to an alternate location, search for * .opf, * .sopf, or * .json to locate available
project files.
The settings for each individual log type are independent of the settings for the other log types.
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Connection
Port: Specify the TCP/IP port to be used to communicate between the Log and the Runtime. The valid range
is 49152 to 65535. To restore the default port setting, enter a blank value.
Persistence Mode: icon to open the log's persistence mode. Options include Memory, Single File, and Exten-
ded Datastore. The default setting for the Event Log Setting is Single File. The default setting for both
OPC Diagnostics Log Settings and Communications Diagnostics Log Settings is Memory (no persistence).
Descriptions of the options are as follows:
l Mem ory (no persistence): When selected, this mode records all events in memory and does not
generate a disk log. A specified number of records are retained before the oldest records start
being deleted. The contents are removed each time the server is started.
l Single File: When selected, this mode generates a single disk-based log file. A specified number of
records are retained before the oldest records start being deleted. The contents are restored from
this file on disk when the server is started.
l Extended Data Store: When selected, this mode persists a potentially large number of records to
disk in a data store distributed across many files. The records are retained for a specified number
of days before being removed from the disk. The contents are restored from the distributed file
store on disk when the server is started.
Max. records: Specify the number of records that the log system retains before the oldest records start
being deleted. It is only available when the Persistence Mode is set to Memory or Single File. The valid range
is 100 to 100,000 records. The default setting is 25,000 records.
N ote: The log is truncated if this property is set to a value less than the current size of the log.
Log file path: Specify where the disk log is stored. It is only available when the Persistence Mode is set to
Single File or Extended Datastore.
N ote: Attempts to persist diagnostics data using a mapped path may fail because the Event Log service
is running in the context of the SYSTEM account and does not have access to a mapped drive on the local
host. Users that utilize a mapped path do so at their own discretion. It is recommended that the Uniform
Naming Convention (UNC) path be used instead.
Max. single file size: Specify the size that a single datastore file must attain before a new datastore file can
be started. It is only available when the Persistence Mode is set to Extended Datastore. The valid range is
100 to 10000 KB. The default setting is 1000 KB.
Min. days to preserve: Specify that individual datastore files are deleted from disk when the most recent
record stored in the file is at least this number of days old. It is only available when the Persistence Mode is
set to Extended Datastore. The valid range is 1 to 90 days. The default setting is 30 days.
See Also: Built-In Diagnostics
When saving to file, monitor the Windows Event Viewer for errors relating to the persistence of data to
disk.
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2. The log file path is set to a directory that contains valid persisted log data.
The ProgID Redirect feature allows users to enter the legacy server's ProgID. The server creates the neces-
sary Windows Registry entries to allow a client application to connect to the server using the legacy server's
ProgID.
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61 KEPServerEX
Add: This button is used to add a ProgID to the redirection list. When clicked, it invokes the "Add New Pro-
gID" dialog. For more information, refer to "Adding a New ProgID" below.
Rem ove: This button is used to remove a selected ProgID from the redirection list.
N ote: A redirected ProgID cannot be browsed by OPC client applications that use the OpcEnum service
to locate OPC servers. In most cases, users can enter the redirected ProgID into the client application manu-
ally.
The client application should not be running while the legacy server's ProgID is being added to the redir-
ection list. Failure to observe this warning may result in the client application not respecting the newly redir-
ected ProgID.
The User Manager has built-in groups that each contain a built-in user. The default groups are Admin-
istrators, Anonymous Clients, Server Users, and ThingWorx Interface Users. The default users are Admin-
istrator, Data Client, Default User, and ThingWorx Interface. Users cannot rename or change the description
fields. Neither the default groups nor the default users can be disabled.
N ote: Although the Administrator's settings cannot be changed, additional administrative users can be
added.
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N ew Group: When clicked, this button adds a new KEPServerEX user group. Groups cannot contain illegal
characters.
For more information, refer to User Group Properties.
N ew User: When clicked, this button adds a new user to the selected user group. This function is disabled
for anonymous clients. Users cannot contain illegal characters.
For more information, refer to User Properties.
Tip: To update multiple permissions at the same time, right-click on the property group and select the
desired permissions.
Disable Selected User / Group: When clicked, this button disables the selected user or user group. This
function is only available to custom users and user groups. Disabling a user group disables all users within it.
Restore Selected User / Group: When clicked, this button restores the selected user or user group. Restor-
ing a user group returns the users within it to the state they were in prior to disabling. This icon is only avail-
able once a user or user group has been disabled.
Delete Selected User / Group: When clicked, this button deletes the selected user or user group. This func-
tion is only available to custom users and user groups (not users pre-configured by installation). Deleting a
user group removes all users within it.
Im port User Inform ation: When clicked, this button imports user information from an XML file. For the
import to succeed, the file that is selected must have been exported from the server's Administration utility.
This function is only enabled when a member of the built-in Administrators group is logged in.
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63 KEPServerEX
Export User Inform ation: When clicked, this button exports user information to an XML file. This is useful
for users that need to move the project from one machine to another. Administrators also have the option to
password protect the XML file: if utilized, the correct password must be entered for the import to succeed on
the new machine. The XML file cannot be edited and re-imported. This function is enabled at all times.
The Import / Export User Information features were released in server version 5.12. Any user passwords
that were set while using previous server versions must be changed in 5.12 before an export is attempted;
otherwise, the export fails.
After upgrading the server or importing User Information, it is recommended to review the User Manager
permissions for accuracy.
Imports and upgrades from older versions may fail due to users or groups containing illegal characters. In
this case, fix the names before exporting from older versions.
N ote: Import User Information replaces existing users and user groups with those being imported (except
for the Administrator built-in user).
Illegal Characters
Some characters are not allowed in the name of a user or group in Version 6.9 and higher. In particular, for-
ward (/) and backward (\) slashes are NOT allowed. Trying to create users or groups with these characters
causes a failure message that describes illegal characters.
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KEPServerEX 64
Move User To This option moves the user to a different user group. The status of the group does not mat-
ter: both disabled and enabled groups appear in the list. An active user moved to a disabled group becomes
disabled as well. A disabled user moved to an enabled group persists in status until changed.
Tip: To configure KEPServerEX as a standard user (non-Administrator Windows user), grant the standard
user read and write privileges to the Application Data directory. Only an administrator can set these per-
missions.
For more information, refer to the Post-Installation section of the Secure Deployment Guide.
Tip: To quickly allow or deny all options in a category, right-click on the category and select Allow All or
Deny All. A setting that displays bold text indicates that its value has been changed. Once the change is
saved, the text displays as normal.
N am e: Click the icon to open the name of the new user group. The maximum number of characters allowed
is 31. Duplicate names are not allowed.
Description: This optional property provides a brief description of the user group. This can be particularly
helpful for operators creating new user accounts. The maximum number of characters allowed is 128.
Perm issions assigned to this user group: This field assigns permissions for the selected user group. Per-
missions are organized into the following categories: Project Modification, Server Permissions, I/O Tag
Access, System Tag Access, Internal Tag Access, and Browse Project Namespace. More information on the
categories is as follows:
l Project Modification: This category specifies permissions that control default project modifications.
l Server Perm issions: This category specifies permissions that control access to server functionality.
These permissions are not supported by the anonymous client.
l I/ O Tag Access: This category specifies permissions that control access to device-level I/O tag data.
These tags require device communications and are described as Static tags in the server.
l System Tag Access: This category specifies permissions that control access to System tags. These
tags begin with an underscore and exist in a server-defined location. For more information, refer to
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65 KEPServerEX
System Tags.
l Internal Tag Access: This category specifies permissions that control access to internal tags. These
tags are either driver-managed (controlling some aspect of the driver's operation) or user-specified
(at a plug-in level).
l Browse Project N am espace: This category specifies permissions that control browse access to the
project namespace in clients that support browsing. This is only supported by a few client types at
this time.
User Properties
The user properties may be accessed by double-clicking on the user or right-clicking on the user and select-
ing Properties....
Old Password: This field holds the password that has been active for this user.
Password: Enter a new or updated password this user must enter to log into the system. It is case-sensitive
with a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 512 characters. The password must include a mix of uppercase
and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid well-known, easily guessed, or common pass-
words.
Confirm Password: Re-enter the same password. It must be entered exactly the same in both the New Pass-
word and Confirm Password fields.
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Users group controls access to, data exchange with, and analysis in a connected ThingWorx Platform
instance.
To allow adequate access for data transfer between the server and the ThingWorx Platform, project modi-
fication and store and forward must be enabled. To grant the correct access for this functionality:
5. Using the drop-down menu, select Allow to grant permission to change the project file.
6. Click OK to close.
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67 KEPServerEX
If the Administrative icon is not in the system tray, re-launch it by selecting Start | All Programs | Kepware
| KEPServerEX 6 | Administration | Settings .
Enable: Set Yes to enable the Configuration API Server. If disabled (N o); the service runs, but does not bind
to the HTTP and HTTPS ports and clients cannot access the server.
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Enable HTTP: Set N o to limit data transfer to only secure / encrypted protocols and endpoints. Select Yes to
allow unencrypted data transfer.
CAUTION :
l HTTP should only be used for internal networks secured through other methods because content is
transmitted as plain text. Data such as user authentication, application keys, and other sensitive
information should not be exposed through HTTP. Use with caution.
l To prevent external access over insecure HTTP, this port should be blocked by the firewall.
HTTP Port: Specify the TCP/IP port for the REST client to communicate over unencrypted HTTP. The valid
range is 1 to 65535. HTTP and HTTPS ports must not match. The default port number of 5741257413.
HTTPS Port: Specify the TCP/IP port for the REST client to communicate over secure HTTP. The valid range is
1 to 65535. HTTP and HTTPS ports must not match. The default port number of 5751257413.
CORS Allowed Origins: Specify an approved “white-list” of comma-separated domain specifications that
may access the Configuration API Server for Cross Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) requests.
Restore Defaults: click to blue link to the right to restore the default HTTP and HTTPS port values.
Enable Docum entation: Set to Yes to enable access to the Configuration API documentation (via the end-
point).
TLS Protocol Version: Sets the accepted versions of TLS. The default accepted version is limited to TLS 1.2.
Versions older than 1.2 are considered insecure.
View in Browser: click the blue address link to the right to open the Configuration API documentation land-
ing page in a browser.
View in Browser (SSL): click the blue address link to the right to open the Configuration API documentation
landing page in a browser via the secure URL.
Transaction Logging
Persistence Mode: Select the record retention method for the system log. The default setting is Memory
(no persistence). The options are:
l Mem ory (no persistence): records all events in memory and does not generate a log that is saved
to disk. A specified number of records are retained before the oldest records start being deleted. The
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69 KEPServerEX
Max. Records: Specify the number of transactions the log retains before the oldest record is deleted. Avail-
able when the Persistence Mode is set to Memory or Single File. The valid range is 100 to 30000 records.
The default setting is 1000 records.
N ote: The log is truncated if this parameter is set to a value less than the current size of the log.
Log File Path: Indicate where the log is stored on disk. Available when the Persistence Mode is set to Single
File or Extended Datastore.
Attempts to persist diagnostics data using a mapped path may fail because the Transaction Log service is
running in the context of the SYSTEM account and does not have access to a mapped drive on the local host.
Use a mapped drive path with caution. A Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) path is recommended.
Max. Single File Size: Indicate the size limit, in KB, of a single datastore file at which a new datastore file is
started. Available when the Persistence Mode is set to Extended Datastore. The valid range is 100 to 10000
KB. The default setting is 1000 KB.
Min. Days to Preserve: Specify the number of days individual datastore files kept before being deleted
from disk. Available when the Persistence Mode is set to Extended Datastore. The valid range is 1 to 90
days. The default setting is 30 days.
Verbose: Select Yes to record a detailed level of data is recorded in the log. Verbose logging includes
request and response bodies in addition to the parameters included with non-verbose logging. See Verbose
Logging for more information. Select No to record much less data and keep log files smaller.
Certificate M anagement
N ote: An X.509 certificate is used to establish SSL communication between the client and the REST server.
A default self-signed certificate is generated when the REST server is installed, but accessing the server
from outside a secure network requires a trusted certificate.
View Certificate: Click to blue link to the right to open the current certificate to review.
Export Certificate: Click to blue link to the right to save the current certificate in .PEM format (such as for
importing into third-party REST clients).
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Reissue Certificate: Click to blue link to the right to create a new certificate, replacing the current cer-
tificate.
Im port Certificate: Click to blue link to the right to import a certificate in .PEM format.
N ote: A certificate is created on installation without additional configuration. When reissuing or importing
a certificate, the new certificate in not applied until the Configuration API is stopped and restarted via the
Windows Service Control Manager or the system restarts.
Instance Certificate
View: Click the View link to view the currently selected feature’s instance certificate.
Export: Save the currently selected feature’s instance certificate to a directory chosen by the user. The sug-
gested file name is the thumbprint of the certificate – though the user is free to change this. The output is
PEM encoded and includes a single certificate.
Reissue: Reissue the currently selected feature’s instance certificate. Certificates generated by the cer-
tificate store are self-signed, and expire in 10 years.
Im port: Import the currently selected feature’s instance certificate. Use this option to import a certificate
that has been signed by a certificate authority that is trusted by the TLS/SSL peer.
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Certificate: The trust store may contain zero to many certificates. The user must select a certificate to view,
export, or delete.
View: View the currently selected trust certificate for the currently selected feature.
Export: Export the currently selected trust certificate for the currently selected feature. As with the instance
certificate, the output file is PEM encoded and contains a single certificate.
Delete: Delete the currently selected trust certificate for the currently selected feature. The feature no
longer trusts peers that present certificates that include this certificate in their chain of trust.
Im port: Import one or more certificate authority or self-signed certificate(s) into the trust store. The feature
trusts a TLS/SSL peer that presents this certificate or a certificate that is signed by the imported certificate.
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Port: Specify the TCP/IP port that the Store and Forward clients use to communicate with the Store and For-
ward service. The valid range is 1024 to 65535. The default is configured by the server.
Default: Click to populate this field with the default port number.
Tips:
l The default port is recommended unless there is a conflict with another server application using that
port.
l The Store and Forward Service does not accept remote connections, so there should be no firewall
implications associated with this port assignment.
l The permissions required to allow a user to enable SAF include project modification. Grant the user
or group (possibly Anonymous Clients) the ability to modify the servermain project through the User
Manager. ThingWorx users need the same access through the ThingWorx Interface Users group
according to the procedure in User Manager ThingWorx Interface Users.
Security
Preferred Port: Specify a TCP/IP port that the Key Service can use to communicate within the server. The
valid range is 1024 to 65535. The default is configured by the server. If the Preferred Port is unavailable or
inappropriate for any reason, the service will attempt to secure an alternate port.
Default: Click to populate this field with the default port number.
See Also:
ThingWorx Project Propert ies
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What is a Channel?
What is a Device?
What is a Tag?
What is a Tag Group?
What is t he Alias M ap?
What is t he Event Log?
What is a Channel?
A channel represents a communication medium from the PC to one or more external devices. A channel can
be used to represent a serial port, a card installed in the PC, or an Ethernet socket.
Before adding devices to a project, users must define the channel to be used when communicating with
devices. A channel and a device driver are closely tied. After creating a channel, only devices that the selec-
ted driver supports can be added to this channel.
Creating a Channel
Channels are defined by a set of properties based on the communication methods. Channels are created
through the channel wizard, which guide users through the channel definition process; the configuration
GUI, or the configuration API service.
Channel names must be unique among all channels and devices defined in the project. For information on
reserved characters, refer to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag Group.
N ote: For hardware card drivers, refer to the driver's help documentation to determine the ability to use
with multiple channels in a single project. For information on how to determine the number of supported chan-
nels, refer to Server Summary Information.
Users must define the specific communication parameters to be used. Multiple channels cannot share
identical communication parameters; for example, two serial drivers cannot use COM1.
For the correct communication parameters of a particular device, refer to both the manufacturer's and the
driver's help documentation.
N ote: Flow Control settings for serial drivers are primarily used when connecting RS422/485 network
devices to the RS232 serial port via a converter. Most RS232 to RS422/485 converters require either no flow
control (None) or that the RTS line be on when the PC is transmitting and off when listening (RTS).
Removing a Channel
To remove a channel from the project; select the desired channel and press the Delete key; select Edit |
Delete from the Edit menu or toolbar; or use the Configuration API Service.
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Identification
N am e: User-defined identity of this channel. In each server project, each channel name must be unique.
Although names can be up to 256 characters, some client applications have a limited display window when
browsing the OPC server's tag space. The channel name is part of the OPC browser information. The prop-
erty is required for creating a channel.
For information on reserved characters, refer to "How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag
Group" in the server help.
Driver: Selected protocol / driver for this channel. This property specifies the device driver that was selected
during channel creation. It is a disabled setting in the channel properties. The property is required for cre-
ating a channel.
N ote: With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. This
includes changing the channel name to prevent clients from registering data with the server. If a client has
already acquired an item from the server before the channel name is changed, the items are unaffected. If,
after the channel name has been changed, the client application releases the item and attempts to re-
acquire using the old channel name, the item is not accepted. With this in mind, changes to the properties
should not be made once a large client application has been developed. Utilize the User Manager to prevent
operators from changing properties and restrict access rights to server features.
Diagnostics
Diagnostics Capture: When enabled, this option makes the channel's diagnostic information available to
OPC applications allows the usage of statistics tags that provide feedback to client applications regarding
the operation of the channel. Because the server's diagnostic features require a minimal amount of over-
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head processing, it is recommended that they be utilized when needed and disabled when not. The default is
disabled.
N ote: This property is not available if the driver does not support diagnostics.
For more information, refer to "Communication Diagnostics" and "Statistics Tags" in the server help.
N on-N orm alized Float Handling: A non-normalized value is defined as Infinity, Not-a-Number (NaN), or as
a Denormalized Number. The default is Replace with Zero. Drivers that have native float handling may
default to Unmodified. Non-normalized float handling allows users to specify how a driver handles non-nor-
malized IEEE-754 floating point data. Descriptions of the options are as follows:
l Replace with Zero: This option allows a driver to replace non-normalized IEEE-754 floating point val-
ues with zero before being transferred to clients.
l Unm odified: This option allows a driver to transfer IEEE-754 denormalized, normalized, non-num-
ber, and infinity values to clients without any conversion or changes.
N ote: This property is not available if the driver does not support floating point values or if it only supports
the option that is displayed. According to the channel's float normalization setting, only real-time driver tags
(such as values and arrays) are subject to float normalization. For example, EFM data is not affected by this
setting.
For more information on the floating point values, refer to "How To ... Work with Non-Normalized Floating
Point Values" in the server help.
Inter-Device Delay: Specify the amount of time the communications channel waits to send new requests to
the next device after data is received from the current device on the same channel. Zero (0) disables the
delay.
N ote: This property is not available for all drivers, models, and dependent settings.
Ethernet Settings
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N etwork Adapter: Specify the network adapter to bind. When left blank or Default is selected, the oper-
ating system selects the default adapter.
N ote: With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize
the User Manager to restrict access rights to server features, as changes made to these properties can tem-
porarily disrupt communications.
Connection Type
Physical Medium : Choose the type of hardware device for data communications. Options include COM
Port, None, Modem, and Ethernet Encapsulation. The default is COM Port.
l N one: Select None to indicate there is no physical connection, which displays the Operation with no
Com m unications section.
l COM Port: Select Com Port to display and configure the Serial Port Settings section.
l Modem : Select Modem if phone lines are used for communications, which are configured in the
Modem Settings section.
l Ethernet Encap.: Select if Ethernet Encapsulation is used for communications, which displays the
Ethernet Settings section.
l Shared: Verify the connection is correctly identified as sharing the current configuration with another
channel. This is a read-only property.
COM ID: Specify the Communications ID to be used when communicating with devices assigned to the chan-
nel. The valid range is 1 to 999. The default is 1.
Baud Rate: Specify the baud rate to be used to configure the selected communications port.
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Data Bits: Specify the number of data bits per data word. Options include 5, 6, 7, or 8.
Parity: Specify the type of parity for the data. Options include Odd, Even, or None.
Stop Bits: Specify the number of stop bits per data word. Options include 1 or 2.
Flow Control: Select how the RTS and DTR control lines are utilized. Flow control is required to communicate
with some serial devices. Options are:
Tip: When using two-wire RS-485, "echoes" may occur on the communication lines. Since this com-
munication does not support echo suppression, it is recommended that echoes be disabled or a RS-485 con-
verter be used.
Operational Behavior
l Report Com m unication Errors: Enable or disable reporting of low-level communications errors.
When enabled, low-level errors are posted to the Event Log as they occur. When disabled, these
same errors are not posted even though normal request failures are. The default is Enable.
l Close Idle Connection: Choose to close the connection when there are no longer any tags being ref-
erenced by a client on the channel. The default is Enable.
l Idle Tim e to Close: Specify the amount of time that the server waits once all tags have been
removed before closing the COM port. The default is 15 seconds.
Ethernet Settings
N ote: Not all serial drivers support Ethernet Encapsulation. If this group does not appear, the functionality
is not supported.
Ethernet Encapsulation provides communication with serial devices connected to terminal servers on the
Ethernet network. A terminal server is essentially a virtual serial port that converts TCP/IP messages on the
Ethernet network to serial data. Once the message has been converted, users can connect standard devices
that support serial communications to the terminal server. The terminal server's serial port must be prop-
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erly configured to match the requirements of the serial device to which it is attached. For more information,
refer to "How To... Use Ethernet Encapsulation" in the server help.
l N etwork Adapter: Indicate a network adapter to bind for Ethernet devices in this channel. Choose a
network adapter to bind to or allow the OS to select the default.
Specific drivers may display additional Ethernet Encapsulation properties. For more information, refer
to Channel Properties — Ethernet Encapsulation.
M odem Settings
l Modem : Specify the installed modem to be used for communications.
l Connect Tim eout: Specify the amount of time to wait for connections to be established before failing
a read or write. The default is 60 seconds.
l Modem Properties: Configure the modem hardware. When clicked, it opens vendor-specific modem
properties.
l Auto-Dial: Enables the automatic dialing of entries in the Phonebook. The default is Disable. For more
information, refer to "Modem Auto-Dial" in the server help.
l Report Com m unication Errors: Enable or disable reporting of low-level communications errors.
When enabled, low-level errors are posted to the Event Log as they occur. When disabled, these
same errors are not posted even though normal request failures are. The default is Enable.
l Close Idle Connection: Choose to close the modem connection when there are no longer any tags
being referenced by a client on the channel. The default is Enable.
l Idle Tim e to Close: Specify the amount of time that the server waits once all tags have been
removed before closing the modem connection. The default is 15 seconds.
Device Address: This property specifies the four-field IP address of the terminal server to which this device
is attached. IPs are specified as YYY.YYY.YYY.YYY. The YYYdesignates the IP address: each YYYbyte should be
in the range of 0 to 255. Each channel has its own IP address.
Port: This property configures the Ethernet port that used when connecting to a remote terminal server.
The valid range is 1 to 65535, with some numbers reserved. The default is 2101.
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Protocol: This property specifies TCP/IP or UDP communications, and depends on the nature of the terminal
server being used. The default is TCP/IP. For more information on the protocol available, refer to the ter-
minal server's help documentation.
Im portant: The Ethernet Encapsulation mode is completely transparent to the actual serial com-
munications driver. Users must configure the remaining device properties as if they were connecting to the
device directly on the local PC serial port.
Connect Tim eout: This property specifies the amount of time that is required to establish a socket con-
nection for a remote device to be adjusted. In many cases, the connection time to a device can take longer
than a normal communications request to that same device. The valid range is 1 to 999 seconds. The default
is 3 seconds.
N ote: With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize the
User Manager to restrict access rights to server features and prevent operators from changing the prop-
erties.
The term "virtual network" describes a collection of channels and associated devices that use the same
pipeline for communications. For example, the pipeline of an Ethernet radio is the master radio. All channels
using the same master radio associate with the same virtual network. Channels are allowed to communicate
each in turn, in a "round-robin" manner. By default, a channel can process one transaction before handing
communications off to another channel. A transaction can include one or more tags. If the controlling chan-
nel contains a device that is not responding to a request, the channel cannot release control until the trans-
action times out. This results in data update delays for the other channels in the virtual network.
Channel-Level Settings
Virtual N etwork: This property specifies the channel's mode of communication serialization. Options
include None and Network 1 - Network 500. The default is None. Descriptions of the options are as follows:
Transactions per Cycle: This property specifies the number of single blocked/non-blocked read/write trans-
actions that can occur on the channel. When a channel is given the opportunity to communicate, this is the
number of transactions attempted. The valid range is 1 to 99. The default is 1.
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Global Settings
l N etwork Mode: This property is used to control how channel communication is delegated. In Load
Balanced mode, each channel is given the opportunity to communicate in turn, one at a time. In Pri-
ority mode, channels are given the opportunity to communicate according to the following rules
(highest to lowest priority):
l Channels with pending writes have the highest priority.
l Channels with pending explicit reads (through internal plug-ins or external client interfaces)
are prioritized based on the read's priority.
l Scanned reads and other periodic events (driver specific).
The default is Load Balanced and affects all virtual networks and channels.
Devices that rely on unsolicited responses should not be placed in a virtual network. In situations where
communications must be serialized, it is recommended that Auto-Demotion be enabled.
Due to differences in the way that drivers read and write data (such as in single, blocked, or non-blocked
transactions); the application's Transactions per cycle property may need to be adjusted. When doing so,
consider the following factors:
This configuration works well for typical network configurations and loading. Problems may arise if data
needs to be received from an Ethernet device at a regular interval, however. If the plant floor network is
mixed with the IT network, a large batch file transfer could completely disrupt the interval of the plant floor
data. The most common way to deal with this issue is to install a second NIC in the PC. One NIC can be used
for accessing the IT network while the other NIC accesses the plant floor data. Although this may sound reas-
onable, problems may occur when trying to separate the networks. When using multiple NICs, users must
determine the bind order. The bind order determines what NIC is used to access different portions of the Eth-
ernet network. In many cases, bind settings can be managed using the operating system's tools.
When there is a clear separation between the types of protocols and services that are used on each NIC
card, the bind order can be created by the operating system. If there isn't a clear way to select a specific
bind order, users may find that the Ethernet device connection is being routed to the wrong network. In this
case, the network interface shown below can be used to select a specific NIC card to use with the Ethernet
driver. The network interface selection can be used to select a specific NIC card based on either the NIC
name or its currently assigned IP address. This list of available NICs includes either unique NIC cards or NICs
that have multiple IP assigned to them. The selection displays any WAN connections are active (such as a
dial up connection).
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By selecting a specific NIC interface, users can force the driver to send all Ethernet communication through
the specified NIC. When a NIC is selected, the normal operating system bind order is bypassed completely.
This ensures that users have control over how the network operates and eliminates any guesswork.
The selections displayed in the Network Adapter drop-down menu depend on the network configuration set-
tings, the number of unique NICs installed in the PC, and the number of unique IPs assigned to the NICs. To
force the operating system to create the bind order selection, select Default as the network adapter. This
allows the driver to use the operating system's normal bind order to set the NIC.
Im portant: When unsure of which NIC to use, select the default condition. Furthermore, when an Eth-
ernet-based device is being used and this feature is exposed through a product upgrade, select the default
condition.
N ote: With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize the
User Manager to restrict access rights to server features and prevent operators from changing the prop-
erties. Keep in mind that changes made to this property can temporarily disrupt communications.
Write Optimizations
Optim ization Method: Controls how write data is passed to the underlying communications driver. The
options are:
l Write All Values for All Tags: This option forces the server to attempt to write every value to the
controller. In this mode, the server continues to gather write requests and add them to the server's
internal write queue. The server processes the write queue and attempts to empty it by writing data
to the device as quickly as possible. This mode ensures that everything written from the client applic-
ations is sent to the target device. This mode should be selected if the write operation order or the
write item's content must uniquely be seen at the target device.
l Write Only Latest Value for N on-Boolean Tags: Many consecutive writes to the same value can
accumulate in the write queue due to the time required to actually send the data to the device. If the
server updates a write value that has already been placed in the write queue, far fewer writes are
needed to reach the same final output value. In this way, no extra writes accumulate in the server's
queue. When the user stops moving the slide switch, the value in the device is at the correct value at
virtually the same time. As the mode states, any value that is not a Boolean value is updated in the
server's internal write queue and sent to the device at the next possible opportunity. This can greatly
improve the application performance.
N ote: This option does not attempt to optimize writes to Boolean values. It allows users to optimize
the operation of HMI data without causing problems with Boolean operations, such as a momentary
push button.
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l Write Only Latest Value for All Tags: This option takes the theory behind the second optimization
mode and applies it to all tags. It is especially useful if the application only needs to send the latest
value to the device. This mode optimizes all writes by updating the tags currently in the write queue
before they are sent. This is the default mode.
Duty Cycle: is used to control the ratio of write to read operations. The ratio is always based on one read for
every one to ten writes. The duty cycle is set to ten by default, meaning that ten writes occur for each read
operation. Although the application is performing a large number of continuous writes, it must be ensured
that read data is still given time to process. A setting of one results in one read operation for every write
operation. If there are no write operations to perform, reads are processed continuously. This allows optim-
ization for applications with continuous writes versus a more balanced back and forth data flow.
N ote: It is recommended that the application be characterized for compatibility with the write optimization
enhancements before being used in a production environment.
4. Specify the discovery properties, which are driver-specific, such as address range, timeout, discovery
scope.
5. Click OK.
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6. Devices discovered populate the dialog with the following information / headings N am e, ID, Descrip-
tion.
7. If any discovered device is of interest, select that device and click Add selected device....
8. Click Close.
What is a Device?
Devices represent the PLCs, controllers, or other hardware with which the server communicates. The device
driver that the channel is using restricts device selection.
Adding a Device
Devices are defined by a set of properties based on the protocol, make, and model. Devices are created
through the New Device Wizard (at the initial setup and afterward), Edit | N ew Device, or the Con-
figuration API Service.
Device names are user-defined and should be logical for the device. This is the browser branch name used
in links to access the device's assigned tags.
For information on reserved characters, refer to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag
Group.
The Network ID is a number or string that uniquely identifies the device on the device's network. Networked,
multi-dropped devices must have a unique identifier so that the server's data requests are routed correctly.
If devices that are not multi-dropped, they do not need an ID, so this setting is not available.
Removing a Device
To remove a device from the project; select the device and press Delete, click Edit | Delete, or use the Con-
figuration API Service.
Identification
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N am e: This property specifies the name of the device. It is a logical user-defined name that can be up to
256 characters long, and may be used on multiple channels.
N ote: Although descriptive names are generally a good idea, some OPC client applications may have a
limited display window when browsing the OPC server's tag space. The device name and channel name
become part of the browse tree information as well. Within an OPC client, the combination of channel name
and device name would appear as "ChannelName.DeviceName".
For more information, refer to "How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag Group" in server
help.
Channel Assignm ent: User-defined name of the channel to which this device currently belongs.
Model: This property specifies the specific type of device that is associated with this ID. The contents of the
drop-down menu depends on the type of communications driver being used. Models that are not supported
by a driver are disabled. If the communications driver supports multiple device models, the model selection
can only be changed when there are no client applications connected to the device.
N ote: If the communication driver supports multiple models, users should try to match the model selec-
tion to the physical device. If the device is not represented in the drop-down menu, select a model that con-
forms closest to the target device. Some drivers support a model selection called "Open," which allows users
to communicate without knowing the specific details of the target device. For more information, refer to the
driver help documentation.
ID: This property specifies the device's driver-specific station or node. The type of ID entered depends on
the communications driver being used. For many communication drivers, the ID is a numeric value. Drivers
that support a Numeric ID provide users with the option to enter a numeric value whose format can be
changed to suit the needs of the application or the characteristics of the selected communications driver.
The format is set by the driver by default. Options include Decimal, Octal, and Hexadecimal.
N ote: If the driver is Ethernet-based or supports an unconventional station or node name, the device's
TCP/IP address may be used as the device ID. TCP/IP addresses consist of four values that are separated by
periods, with each value in the range of 0 to 255. Some device IDs are string based. There may be additional
properties to configure within the ID field, depending on the driver. For more information, refer to the driver's
help documentation.
Operating M ode
Data Collection: This property controls the device's active state. Although device communications are
enabled by default, this property can be used to disable a physical device. Communications are not attemp-
ted when a device is disabled. From a client standpoint, the data is marked as invalid and write operations
are not accepted. This property can be changed at any time through this property or the device system tags.
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Sim ulated: This option places the device into Simulation Mode. In this mode, the driver does not attempt to
communicate with the physical device, but the server continues to return valid OPC data. Simulated stops
physical communications with the device, but allows OPC data to be returned to the OPC client as valid data.
While in Simulation Mode, the server treats all device data as reflective: whatever is written to the simulated
device is read back and each OPC item is treated individually. The item's memory map is based on the group
Update Rate. The data is not saved if the server removes the item (such as when the server is reinitialized).
The default is No.
N otes:
1. This System tag (_Simulated) is read only and cannot be written to for runtime protection. The System
tag allows this property to be monitored from the client.
2. In Simulation mode, the item's memory map is based on client update rate(s) (Group Update Rate for
OPC clients or Scan Rate for native and DDE interfaces). This means that two clients that reference
the same item with different update rates return different data.
Simulation Mode is for test and simulation purposes only. It should never be used in a production envir-
onment.
Scan Mode: Specifies how tags in the device are scanned for updates sent to subscribing clients. Descrip-
tions of the options are:
l Respect Client-Specified Scan Rate: This mode uses the scan rate requested by the client.
l Request Data N o Faster than Scan Rate: This mode specifies the value set as the maximum scan
rate. The valid range is 10 to 99999990 milliseconds. The default is 1000 milliseconds.
N ote: When the server has an active client and items for the device and the scan rate value is
increased, the changes take effect immediately. When the scan rate value is decreased, the changes
do not take effect until all client applications have been disconnected.
l Request All Data at Scan Rate: This mode forces tags to be scanned at the specified rate for sub-
scribed clients. The valid range is 10 to 99999990 milliseconds. The default is 1000 milliseconds.
l Do N ot Scan, Dem and Poll Only: This mode does not periodically poll tags that belong to the
device nor perform a read to get an item's initial value once it becomes active. It is the client's
responsibility to poll for updates, either by writing to the _DemandPoll tag or by issuing explicit device
reads for individual items. For more information, refer to "Device Demand Poll" in server help.
l Respect Tag-Specified Scan Rate: This mode forces static tags to be scanned at the rate specified
in their static configuration tag properties. Dynamic tags are scanned at the client-specified scan
rate.
Initial Updates from Cache: When enabled, this option allows the server to provide the first updates for
newly activated tag references from stored (cached) data. Cache updates can only be provided when the
new item reference shares the same address, scan rate, data type, client access, and scaling properties. A
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device read is used for the initial update for the first client reference only. The default is disabled; any time a
client activates a tag reference the server attempts to read the initial value from the device.
Dem ote on Failure: When enabled, the device is automatically taken off-scan until it is responding again.
Tip: Determine when a device is off-scan by monitoring its demoted state using the _AutoDemoted sys-
tem tag.
Tim eouts to Dem ote: Specify how many successive cycles of request timeouts and retries occur before the
device is placed off-scan. The valid range is 1 to 30 successive failures. The default is 3.
Dem otion Period: Indicate how long the device should be placed off-scan when the timeouts value is
reached. During this period, no read requests are sent to the device and all data associated with the read
requests are set to bad quality. When this period expires, the driver places the device on-scan and allows for
another attempt at communications. The valid range is 100 to 3600000 milliseconds. The default is 10000
milliseconds.
Discard Requests when Dem oted: Select whether or not write requests should be attempted during the
off-scan period. Disable to always send write requests regardless of the demotion period. Enable to discard
writes; the server automatically fails any write request received from a client and does not post a message
to the Event Log.
IP Address: This property is used to enter the four-field IP address of the terminal server to which the device
is attached. IPs are specified as YYY.YYY.YYY.YYY. The YYY designates the IP address: each YYY byte should
be in the range of 0 to 255. Each serial device may have its own IP address; however, devices may have the
same IP address if there are multiple devices multi-dropped from a single terminal server.
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Port: This property is used to configure the Ethernet port to be used when connecting to a remote terminal
server.
Protocol: This property is used to select either TCP/IP or UDP communications. The selection depends on
the nature of the terminal server being used. The default protocol selection is TCP/IP. For more information
on available protocols, refer to the terminal server's help documentation.
N otes:
1. With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize the
User Manager to restrict access rights to server features and prevent operators from changing the
properties.
2. The valid IP Address range is greater than (>) 0.0.0.0 to less than (<) 255.255.255.255.
IP Address: This property is used to enter the four-field IP address of the terminal server to which the
device is attached. IPs are specified as YYY.YYY.YYY.YYY. The YYY designates the IP address: each YYY byte
should be in the range of 0 to 255. Each serial device may have its own IP address; however, devices may
have the same IP address if there are multiple devices multi-dropped from a single terminal server.
Port: This property is used to configure the Ethernet port to be used when connecting to a remote terminal
server.
Protocol: This property is used to select either TCP/IP or UDP communications. The selection depends on
the nature of the terminal server being used. The default protocol selection is TCP/IP. For more information
on available protocols, refer to the terminal server's help documentation.
N otes
1. With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Utilize the
User Manager to restrict access rights to server features and prevent operators from changing the
properties.
2. The valid IP Address range is greater than (>) 0.0.0.0 to less than (<) 255.255.255.255.
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device-specific data. These automatically generated tags (which depend on the nature of the supporting
driver) can be browsed from the clients.
Not all devices and drivers support full automatic tag database generation and not all support the same data
types. Consult the data types descriptions or the supported data type lists for each driver for specifics.
If the target device supports its own local tag database, the driver reads the device's tag information and
uses the data to generate tags within the server. If the device does not natively support named tags, the
driver creates a list of tags based on driver-specific information. An example of these two conditions is as fol-
lows:
1. If a data acquisition system supports its own local tag database, the communications driver uses the
tag names found in the device to build the server's tags.
2. If an Ethernet I/O system supports detection of its own available I/O module types, the com-
munications driver automatically generates tags in the server that are based on the types of I/O mod-
ules plugged into the Ethernet I/O rack.
N ote: Automatic tag database generation's mode of operation is completely configurable. For more inform-
ation, refer to the property descriptions below.
On Property Change: If the device supports automatic tag generation when certain properties change, the
On Property Change option is shown. It is set to Yes by default, but it can be set to N o to control over when
tag generation is performed. In this case, the Create tags action must be manually invoked to perform tag
generation.
On Device Startup: This property specifies when OPC tags are automatically generated. Descriptions of the
options are as follows:
l Do N ot Generate on Startup: This option prevents the driver from adding any OPC tags to the tag
space of the server. This is the default setting.
l Always Generate on Startup: This option causes the driver to evaluate the device for tag inform-
ation. It also adds tags to the tag space of the server every time the server is launched.
l Generate on First Startup: This option causes the driver to evaluate the target device for tag
information the first time the project is run. It also adds any OPC tags to the server tag space as
needed.
N ote: When the option to automatically generate OPC tags is selected, any tags that are added to the
server's tag space must be saved with the project. Users can configure the project to automatically save
from the Tools | Options menu.
On Duplicate Tag: When automatic tag database generation is enabled, the server needs to know what to
do with the tags that it may have previously added or with tags that have been added or modified after the
communications driver since their original creation. This setting controls how the server handles OPC tags
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that were automatically generated and currently exist in the project. It also prevents automatically gen-
erated tags from accumulating in the server.
For example, if a user changes the I/O modules in the rack with the server configured to Always Generate
on Startup, new tags would be added to the server every time the communications driver detected a new
I/O module. If the old tags were not removed, many unused tags could accumulate in the server's tag space.
The options are:
l Delete on Create: This option deletes any tags that were previously added to the tag space before
any new tags are added. This is the default setting.
l Overwrite as N ecessary: This option instructs the server to only remove the tags that the com-
munications driver is replacing with new tags. Any tags that are not being overwritten remain in the
server's tag space.
l Do not Overwrite: This option prevents the server from removing any tags that were previously gen-
erated or already existed in the server. The communications driver can only add tags that are com-
pletely new.
l Do not Overwrite, Log Error: This option has the same effect as the prior option, and also posts an
error message to the server's Event Log when a tag overwrite would have occurred.
N ote: Removing OPC tags affects tags that have been automatically generated by the com-
munications driver as well as any tags that have been added using names that match generated tags.
Users should avoid adding tags to the server using names that may match tags that are automatically
generated by the driver.
Parent Group: This property keeps automatically generated tags from mixing with tags that have been
entered manually by specifying a group to be used for automatically generated tags. The name of the group
can be up to 256 characters. This parent group provides a root branch to which all automatically generated
tags are added.
Allow Autom atically Generated Subgroups: This property controls whether the server automatically cre-
ates subgroups for the automatically generated tags. This is the default setting. If disabled, the server gen-
erates the device's tags in a flat list without any grouping. In the server project, the resulting tags are named
with the address value. For example, the tag names are not retained during the generation process.
N ote: If, as the server is generating tags, a tag is assigned the same name as an existing tag, the system
automatically increments to the next highest number so that the tag name is not duplicated. For example, if
the generation process creates a tag named "AI22" that already exists, it creates the tag as "AI23" instead.
Create: Initiates the creation of automatically generated OPC tags. If the device's configuration has been
modified, Create tags forces the driver to reevaluate the device for possible tag changes. Its ability to be
accessed from the System tags allows a client application to initiate tag database creation.
N ote: Create tags is disabled if the Configuration edits a project offline.
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Tim e Zone: This property specifies the device's time zone. To ignore the time zone, select one of the first
four options in the list (which do not have an offset). The default is the time zone of the local system.
N ote: The driver uses this property both when synching the device time and when converting EFM
timestamps from the device to UTC time.
Respect Daylight Saving Tim e: Select Yes to follow Daylight Saving Time offset when synching the device
time. Select No to ignore Daylight Saving Time. Only time zones that observe Daylight Saving Time will be
affected. The default is No (disabled).
N ote: When enabled, the time of the device is adjusted by +1 hour for Daylight Saving Time (in the
spring), and adjusted by -1 hour after Daylight Saving Time (in the fall).
Tim e Sync Method: This property specifies the method of synchronization. Options include Disabled, Abso-
lute, and Interval. The default is Disabled. Descriptions of the options are as follows:
l Disabled: No synchronization.
l Absolute: Synchronizes to an absolute time of day specified through the Time property (appears only
when Absolute is selected).
l Interval: Synchronizes on startup and every number of minutes specified through the Sync Interval
property (appears only when Interval is selected). The default is 60 minutes.
l OnPoll: Synchronizes when poll is completed (applicable only to EFM devices).
Tim e Sync Threshold: This property specifies the maximum allowable difference, in seconds, between the
device time and the system time before syncing the device time to the system time. If the threshold is set to
0, a time synchronization occurs every time. The default is 0 seconds. The maximum allowable threshold is
600 seconds.
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Communications Timeouts
Connect Tim eout: This property (which is used primarily by Ethernet based drivers) controls the amount of
time required to establish a socket connection to a remote device. The device's connection time often takes
longer than normal communications requests to that same device. The valid range is 1 to 30 seconds. The
default is typically 3 seconds, but can vary depending on the driver's specific nature. If this setting is not sup-
ported by the driver, it is disabled.
N ote: Due to the nature of UDP connections, the connection timeout setting is not applicable when com-
municating via UDP.
Request Tim eout: This property specifies an interval used by all drivers to determine how long the driver
waits for a response from the target device to complete. The valid range is 50 to 9,999,999 milliseconds
(167.6667 minutes). The default is usually 1000 milliseconds, but can vary depending on the driver. The
default timeout for most serial drivers is based on a baud rate of 9600 baud or better. When using a driver
at lower baud rates, increase the timeout to compensate for the increased time required to acquire data.
Attem pts Before Tim eout: This property specifies how many times the driver issues a communications
request before considering the request to have failed and the device to be in error. The valid range is 1 to
10. The default is typically 3, but can vary depending on the driver's specific nature. The number of attempts
configured for an application depends largely on the communications environment. This property applies to
both connection attempts and request attempts.
Timing
Inter-Request Delay: This property specifies how long the driver waits before sending the next request to
the target device. It overrides the normal polling frequency of tags associated with the device, as well as
one-time reads and writes. This delay can be useful when dealing with devices with slow turnaround times
and in cases where network load is a concern. Configuring a delay for a device affects communications with
all other devices on the channel. It is recommended that users separate any device that requires an inter-
request delay to a separate channel if possible. Other communications properties (such as communication
serialization) can extend this delay. The valid range is 0 to 300,000 milliseconds; however, some drivers may
limit the maximum value due to a function of their particular design. The default is 0, which indicates no
delay between requests with the target device.
N ote: Not all drivers support Inter-Request Delay. This setting does not appear if it is not available.
What is a Tag?
A tag represents addresses within the device with which the server communicates. The server allows both
Dynamic tags and user-defined Static tags. Dynamic tags are entered directly in the client and specify device
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data. User-defined Static tags are created in the server and support tag scaling. They can be browsed from
clients that support tag browsing.
Adding a Tag
Tags are defined by a set of properties based on the data. Tags are defined through the New Device Wizard
(at the initial setup and afterward); by clicking on a device, right-clicking and choosing Edit | N ew Tag, or
the Configuration API Service.
Tag names are user-defined and should be logical for reporting and data analysis.
For information on reserved characters, refer to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag
Group.
Removing a Tag
To remove a tag from the project; select the tag and press Delete, click Edit | Delete, or use the Con-
figuration API Service.
To review the tag properties of a specific channel via the Configuration API, access the docum entation
channel endpoint.
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N am e: Enter a string to represent this tag. The tag name can be up to 256 characters in length. While using
descriptive names is generally a good idea, some OPC client applications may have a limited display window
when browsing the tag space of an OPC UA server. The tag name is part of the OPC browse data tag names
must be unique within a given device branch or tag group branch. For information on reserved characters,
refer to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag Group.
Tip: If the application is best suited for using blocks of tags with the same names, use tag groups to
segregate the tags. For more information, refer to Tag Group Properties.
Description: Apply a comment to the tag. A string of up to 255 characters can be entered for the descrip-
tion. When using an OPC client that supports Data Access 2.0 tag properties, the description property is
accessible from the tag's item Description properties.
Address: Enter the target tag's driver address. The address's format is based on the driver protocol. The
address can be up to 128 characters.
Tip: For hints about how an address should be entered, click the browse (...) button. If the driver accepts
the address as entered, no messages are displayed. A popup informs of any errors. Some errors are related
to the data type selection and not the address string.
Data Type: Specify the format of this tag's data as it is found in the physical device. In most cases, this is
also the format of the data as it returned to the client. The data type setting is an important part of how a
communication driver reads and writes data to a device. For many drivers, the data type of a particular piece
of data is rigidly fixed and the driver knows what format needs to be used when reading the device's data. In
some cases, however, the interpretation of device data is largely in the user's hands. An example would be a
device that uses 16-bit data registers. Normally this would indicate that the data is either a Short or Word.
Many register-based devices also support values that span two registers. In these cases the double register
values could be a Long, DWord or Float. When the driver being used supports this level of flexibility, users
must tell it how to read data for this tag. By selecting the appropriate data type, the driver is being told to
read one, two, four, eight, or sixteen registers or possibly a Boolean value. The driver governs the data
format being chosen.
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Client Access: Specify whether the tag is Read Only or Read / Write. By selecting Read Only, users can pre-
vent client applications from changing the data contained in this tag. By selecting Read / Write, users allow
client applications to change this tag's value as needed. The Client Access selection also affects how the tag
appears in the browse space of an OPC UA client. Many client applications allow filtering tags based on
attributes. Changing the access method of this tag may change how and when the tag appears in the browse
space of the client.
Scan Rate: Specify the update interval for this tag when using the Scan Mode option of Respect Tag-Spe-
cified Scan Rate within Device Properties. OPC clients can control the rate at which data is scanned by
using the update rate that is part of all OPC groups. Normally non-OPC clients don't have that option. The
server specifies an update rate on a tag per tag basis. Using the scan rate, users can tailor the bandwidth
requirements of the server to suit the needs of the application. If, for example, data that changes very slowly
needs to be read, there is no reason to read the value very often. Using the scan rate this tag can be forced
to read at a slower rate reducing the demand on the communications channel. The valid range is 10 to
99999990 milliseconds (ms), with a 10 ms increment. The default is 100 milliseconds.
With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Changes made
to tag properties take effect immediately; however, client applications that have already connected to this
tag are not affected until they release and attempt to reacquire it. Utilize the User Manager to restrict
access rights to server features and prevent operators from changing the properties.
For information on a specific dialog, select a link from the list below:
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Address Template
Address: Verify the tag address, generated through options defined in the Address Builder section.
Data Properties
Data Type: Select data type to apply to all generated tags. Depending on the native interface supported by
the driver, the data type may override the default increment of the Add Numeric Range property for the last
element. The default setting is Default.
Client Access: Select the tag's permission settings from Read Only or Read / Write. The default setting is
Read Only.
Scan Rate: Specify the frequency at which tags are scanned. The valid range is 10 to 99999990 milliseconds.
The default setting is 100 milliseconds.
Address Builder
Add Static Text...: Click to launch the Add Static Text dialog where a single line of text can be entered.
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Add N um eric Range...: Click to launch the Add Numeric Range dialog.
l Base System Select the format of the base system: Decimal, Octal, or Hexadecimal. The default set-
ting is Decimal.
l Range Enter the starting and ending values for the numeric range in the From and To fields.
l Increm ent By When not using Default (which increments by one), users can specify a custom incre-
ment value. The range increments according to the selected Base System.
Add Text Sequence...: Click to launch the Add Text Sequence dialog where multiple strings can be created.
Each string is inserted independently of the other strings specified in the list.
Tips
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1. To enable the Edit icons to the right, highlight a section of the tag address syntax element.
Generate: Click to send all valid tags to the server for insertion.
Cancel: Click to reject any changes made to the tags and return to the prior dialog.
Add as Group: Enable to add the tags into a single organizing group. The default setting is disabled.
Renum ber valid tags consecutively before adding to project: Enable to renumber the tags con-
secutively before adding to the project. The default setting is enabled.
N ote: Tags shown with a green checkmark are valid. Tags shown with a red exclamation mark (!) are
invalid.
Tag N am e Properties
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The Tag Generator Tool includes the option for a custom naming scheme, allowing users to specify both a
name prefix and a numeric suffix to all the tags. The numeric suffix is automatically incremented for each
tag, allowing users to create custom names for tags for better readability. Assigned tag names may be
changed after generation. A default naming scheme is implemented to each generated tag if the user does
not define a custom name through the Tag Name Properties dialog.
N ote: Users who change the naming scheme in the Generation dialog before returning to the Tag Duplic-
ation dialog to make changes to the addressing syntax can choose to save the naming scheme for the next
time the tag list is generated.
N am e Prefix: Enter a custom name prefix (letters to pre-pend to the tag name).
Start Value: Specify the numeric first value to increment for each tag.
Default nam ing schem e: When enabled, the default naming scheme is used. The default setting is dis-
abled.
Type: Select the method of scaling raw values. Select Linear, Square Root, or N one to disable. The for-
mulas for scaling types are shown below.
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Raw Low: Specify the lower end of the range of data from the device. The valid range depends on the raw
tag data type. For example, if the raw value is Short, the valid range of the raw value would be from -32768
to 32767.
Raw High: Specify the upper end of the range of data from the device. The Raw High value must be greater
than the Raw Low value. The valid range depends on the raw tag data type.
Scaled Data Type: Select the data type for the tag being scaled. The data type can be set to any valid OPC
data type, including a raw data type, such as Short, to an engineering value with a data type of Long. The
default scaled data type is Double.
Scaled Low: Specify the lower end of the range of valid resulting scaled data values. The valid range
depends on the tag data type.
Scaled High: Specify the upper end of the range of valid resulting scaled data values. The valid range
depends on the tag data type.
Clam p Low: Select Yes to prevent resulting data from exceeding the lower end of the range specified.
Select N o to allow data to fall outside of the established range.
Clam p High: Select Yes to prevent resulting data from exceeding the upper end of the range specified.
Select N o to allow data to fall outside of the established range.
N egate Value: Select Yes to force the resulting value to be negated before being passed to the client. Select
N o to pass the value to the client unmodified.
The server supports the OPC tag properties available in the 2.0 Data Access specifications. If the OPC cli-
ent supports these properties, it can automatically configure the range of objects (such as user input objects
or displays). Utilize the User Manager to restrict access rights to server features to prevent any unau-
thorized operator from changing these properties.
Dynam ic Tags
Dynamic tag addressing is a second method of defining tags that allows users to define tags only in the cli-
ent application. As such, instead of creating a tag item in the client that addresses another tag item created
in the server, users only need to create tag items in the client that directly accesses the device driver's
addresses. On client connect, the server creates a virtual tag for that location and starts scanning for data
automatically.
To specify an optional data type, append one of the following strings after the '@' symbol:
l BCD
l Boolean
l Byte
l Char
l Double
l DWord
l Float
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l LBCD
l LLong
l Long
l QWord
l Short
l String
l Word
If the data type is omitted, the driver chooses a default data type based on the device and address being ref-
erenced. The default data types for all locations are documented in each individual driver's help doc-
umentation. If the data type specified is not valid for the device location, the server rejects the tag and an
error posts in the Event Log.
2. Using the Simulator Driver, create a channel and name it Channel1. Then, make a device and name it
Device1.
4. The client project automatically starts receiving data. The default data type for address R0001 in the
Simulator device is Word. To override this, the @Short has been appended to select a data type of
Short.
N ote: When utilizing Dynamic tags in a client application, the use of the @[Data Type] modifier is not nor-
mally required. Clients can specify the desired data type as part of the request when registering a link for a
specific data item. The data type specified by the Client is used if it is supported by the communications
driver. The @[Data Type] modifier can be useful when ensuring that a communications driver interprets a
piece of data exactly as needed.
Tips:
1. The server creates a special Boolean tag for every device in a project that can be used by a client to
determine whether a device is functioning properly. To use this tag, specify the item in the link as
"Error." If the device is communicating properly, the tag's value is zero; otherwise, it is one.
2. If the device address is used as the item of a link such that the address matches the name of a user-
defined tag in the server, the link references the address pointed to by the user-defined tag.
See Also:
Static Tags (User-Defined)
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St at ic Tags (User-Defined)
The most common method that uses the server to get data from the device to the client application has two
requirements. Users must first define a set of tags in the server using the assigned tag name as the item of
each link between the client and the server. The primary benefit to using this method is that all user-defined
tags are available for browsing within most OPC clients. Before deciding whether or not to create Static tags,
ensure that the client can browse or import tags from the server.
Tag group names are user-defined and should be logical for reporting and data analysis.
For information on reserved characters, refer to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag
Group.
The following image used the supplied OPC Quick Client to create Cell1 and Cell2 tag groups and simplify the
OPC client browsing.
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To add a new tag group to the project, right-click on either an existing device or tag group branch and select
N ew Tag Group from the context menu. Alternatively, click on either an existing device or tag group branch
and click the New Tag Group icon on the toolbar.
Tag groups can be added at any level from the device-level down, and multiple tag groups can be nested
together to fit the application's needs. As seen in the OPC Quick Client dialog above, the fully qualified OPC
item path is "Channel1.Device1.Machine1.Cell1.Tag1". For this OPC item, "Machine1" and "Cell1" segments
are nested tag groups.
N ote: With the server's online full-time operation, these properties can be changed at any time. Any
changes made to the tag groups take effect immediately. If the name is changed, Clients that have already
used that tag group as part of an item request are not affected until they release the item and attempt to
reacquire it. New tag groups added to the project immediately allows browsing from a client. Utilize the User
Manager to restrict access rights to server features to prevent operators from changing the properties.
Alias map elements can be exported and imported by right-clicking on the target alias in the tree view pane.
Alias map elements can be added, edited, and deleted by right-clicking on the target alias in the detail pane.
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N ote: When enabled, the Show auto-generated aliases displays those alias maps created by the server
automatically.
An alias is constructed by entering an alias name and clicking on the desired device name or group name.
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N am e: Specify the alias name, which can be up to 256 characters long. It must be unique in the alias map.
For information on reserved characters, refer to How To... Properly N am e a Channel, Device, Tag, and
Tag Group.
Description: Enter a description of this alias to clarify data sources and reports (optional).
Mapped to: Specify or browse to the location of the alias. Because the alias map does not allow tag items to
be browsed from the alias table, create a short nickname that replaces the address that leads up to the tag.
This makes it easier to address items in a client application that does not support tag browsing.
Scan Rate Override: Specify an update rate to be applied to all non-OPC tags accessed using this alias map
entry. The valid range is 0 to 99999990 milliseconds. The default is 0 milliseconds.
Tip: This setting is equivalent to the topic update rate found in many DDE-only servers.
N ote: When set to 0 milliseconds, the server observes the scan rate set at the individual tag level.
See Also: Configuration API Service — Endpoints
Event Log
Users can specify the type of events displayed in the Event Log. There are currently four types of events that
can be recorded: Error Events, Warning Events, Information Events, and Security Events. Descriptions of the
events are as follows:
Inform ation: Messages that provide status and data requiring no interaction or correction, such as
successful connection or data collection.
Security: Messages that call attention to conditions that are not best practices from a security per-
spective, such as running the software as the default user versus a logged-in user with valid cre-
dentials.
Warning: Messages that indicate an issue that does not require interaction, but may result in unex-
pected results, such as a device not responding.
Error: Messages that alert the user to failures or problems that, generally, should be researched and
corrected for best results.
N ote: To access the event types in the Configuration client, click Tools | Event Log. Alternatively, right-
click anywhere in the Event Log display.
Tools menu
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Right Click
N ote: The Event Log system would be useless if there was no mechanism to protect its contents. If oper-
ators could change these properties or reset the log, the purpose would be lost. Utilize the User Manager to
limit the functions an operator can access and prevent these actions from occurring.
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The OPC server's ability to automatically generate tags for select communication drivers brings OPC tech-
nology one step closer to Plug and Play operation. Tag information can be read directly from a device, and
tags can also be generated from stored tag data. In either case, users no longer need to manually enter OPC
tags into the server.
System Tags
System tags provide general error feedback to client applications, allow the operation control over when a
device is actively collecting data, and permit a channel or device's standard properties to be changed from
an OPC client application. The number of System tags available at the channel or device level depends on
the nature of the driver being used.
N ote: System tags can be grouped according to their purpose as both status and control or property
manipulation.
See Also: SAF System Tags
Property Tags
Property tags are additional tags that can be accessed by any Data Access client by appending the property
name to any fully qualified tag address. When using an OPC client that supports item browsing, users can
browse tag properties by turning on Include tag properties when a client browses the server under
OPC DA settings. For more information, refer to Project Properties — OPC DA.
Statistics Tags
Statistics tags provide feedback to client applications regarding the operation of the channel com-
munications in the server. When diagnostics are enabled, seven built-in Statistics tags are available. For
more information, refer to OPC Diagnostic Viewer.
M odem Tags
Modem tags configure modem properties and monitor modem status. They are only available when the Con-
nection Type in Channel Properties is set to Modem . For more information, refer to Channel Properties —
Serial Communications.
For information on which character to specify as the variable, refer to Options - General.
Creating a Template
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The easiest way to create and import CSV file is to create a template. For more information, refer to the
instructions below.
1. To start, click File | Export CSV. Define the channels and devices for the project.
4. Use this template in a spreadsheet application that supports CSV files and modify the file as desired.
N ote: The resulting CSV file can be saved to disk and re-imported into the server under the same
(or new) device or tag group.
N ote: Each tag record contains the data for each field.
Microsoft Excel is an excellent tool for editing large groups of tags outside the server. Once a template CSV
file has been exported, it can be loaded directly into Excel for editing. A CSV file load in Excel would appear
as shown in the image below.
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l Save the project in XML. Then, perform mass configuration on the XML file instead of using CSV.
l Perform a search-and-replace on the delimiter in the CSV file and replace the delimiter with a comma
or semicolon. The delimiter being used by the OPC server (either comma or semicolon) must be set
to the replacement character.
Syst em Tags
System tags provide general error feedback to client applications, allow operational control when a device is
actively collecting data, and allow a channel or device's standard properties to be changed by a client applic-
ation when needed.
The number of system tags available at both the channel level and device level depends on the nature of the
driver being used. In addition, application-level system tags allow client applications to monitor the server's
status. System tags can also be grouped according to their purpose as both status and control or property
manipulation. Descriptions are as follows:
l Status Tags Status tags are read-only tags that provide data on server operation.
l Param eter Control Tags: Parameter control tags can be used to modify the server application's
operational characteristics. This provides a great deal of flexibility in the client applications. By using
the property control tags, users can implement redundancy by switching communications links or
changing the device ID of a target device. Users can also provide access to the tags through special
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supervisory screens that allow a plant engineer to make changes to the communication parameters
of the server if needed.
N ote: If there are errors when writing to read / write system tags, verify that the authenticated user has
the appropriate permissions.
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N ote: This count does not represent the number of tags configured in
the project.
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When using an OPC client, the System tags are found under the _System branch of the server browse space
for a given device. The following image taken from the supplied OPC Quick Client shows how the System
tags appear to an OPC client.
The _System branch found under the DeviceName branch is always available. If referencing a system tag
from a DDE application given the above example and the DDE defaults, the link would appear as "<DDE ser-
vice name>| _ddedata!Channel1.Device1._System._Error".
The _Enabled tag provides a very flexible means of controlling the OPC applications. In some cases, spe-
cifically in modem applications, it can be convenient to disable all devices except the device currently con-
nected to the modem. Additionally, using the _Enable tag to allow the application to turn a particular device
off while the physical device is being serviced can eliminate harmless but unwanted communications errors
in the server's Event Log.
See Also:
Property Tags
Modem Tags
Statistics Tags
Store and Forward Tags
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Propert y Tags
Property tags are used to provide read-only access to tag properties for client applications. To access a tag
property, append the property name to the fully qualified tag address that has been defined in the server's
tag database. For more information, refer to Tag Properties — General.
If the fully qualified tag address is "Channel1.Device1.Tag1," its description can be accessed by appending
the description property as "Channel1.Device1.Tag1._Description".
See Also:
St at ist ics Tags
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M odem Tags
Syst em Tags
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Statistics tags are only available when diagnostics are enabled. To access from an OPC client, the diagnostic
tags can be browsed from the _Statistics branch of the server browse space for a given channel. The fol-
lowing image is taken from the OPC Quick Client, and shows how a Diagnostics tag appears to an OPC client.
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The _Statistics branch (located beneath the channel branch) only appears when diagnostics are enabled for
the channel. To reference a Diagnostics tag from a DDE application, given the above example and the DDE
defaults, the link would appear as: "<DDE service name>| _ddedata!Channel1._Statistics._SuccessfulReads".
The Diagnostics tag's value can also be viewed in the server by using the Communication Diagnostics
Viewer. If Diagnostics Capture is enabled under Channel Properties, right-click on that channel and select
Diagnostics.
See Also:
Syst em Tags
Propert y Tags
M odem Tags
The following tags are created automatically for the channel when modem use is selected.
Writing a 1 to the Mode tag sets the line for outgoing calls only, no incoming
calls are answered when in this mode. Writing a 2 to the Mode tag sets the
Read /
_Mode line for incoming calls only, requests to dial out (writes to the Dial tag) are
Write
ignored. The default setting is 0, which allows for both outgoing and incoming
calls.
This value can only be changed when the Status is <= 3 (Idle).
This is the current phone number to be dialed. Users can write to this value at
any time, but the change is only effective if Status is <= 3 (Idle). If users write
Read /
_PhoneNumber to the phone number while the status is greater than 3, the number is
Write
queued. As soon as the status drops to 3 or less, the new number is trans-
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The phone number must be in canonical format to apply the dialing pref-
erences. If the canonical format is used, the resulting number to be dialed
(after dialing preferences have been applied) can be displayed as the
DialNumber.
If the number is not in canonical form, dialing preferences are not applied.
The number is dialed exactly as it is entered. Users can also enter a Phone-
book tag name instead of a phone number. In this case, the current value of
the Phonebook tag is used.
This is the current status of the modem assigned to a channel. For a list of Read
_Status
status values and meanings, refer to Status Values. Only
_ This contains a textual representation of the LastEvent tag value. For a list of Read
StringLastEvent event numbers and meanings, refer to Last Event String Values. Only
This contains a textual representation of the Status tag value. For a list of Read
_StringStatus
event numbers and meanings, refer to Status String Values. Only
Status Values
The five lowest bits of the 32-bit status variable are currently being used.
Bit M eaning
0 Initialized with TAPI
1 Line open
2 Connected
3 Calling
4 Answering
When read as an integer, the value of the Status tag is always one of the following:
Value M eaning
0 Un-initialized, the channel is not usable
1 Initialized, no line open
3 Line open and the state is idle
7 Connected
11 Calling
19 Answering
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name or its currently assigned IP address. The list of available NICs includes both unique NIC cards and NICs
that have multiple IPs assigned to them. The selection displays any WAN connections that may be active
(such as a dial-up connection).
Ethernet Encapsulation
The Ethernet Encapsulation mode has been designed to provide communications with serial devices con-
nected to terminal servers on the Ethernet network. A terminal server is essentially a virtual serial port: the
terminal server converts TCP/IP messages on the Ethernet network to serial data. Once the message has
been converted to a serial form, users can connect standard devices that support serial communications to
the terminal server. Using a terminal server device allows users to place RS-232 and RS-485 devices through-
out the plant operations while still allowing a single localized PC to access the remotely mounted devices.
Furthermore, the Ethernet Encapsulation mode allows an individual network IP address to be assigned to
each device as needed. By using multiple terminal servers, users can access hundreds of serial devices
from a single PC via the Ethernet network.
For more information, refer to How Do I... and Device Properties — Ethernet Encapsulation.
M odem Support
This server supports the use of modems to connect to remote devices, which is established through the use
of special modem tags that become available at the channel-level when a dial-up network connection has
been created. These channel-level modem tags can be used to dial a remote device, monitor the modem
status while connected and terminate the call when completed.
N ote: Not all serial drivers support the use of modems. To determine modem support, refer to the specific
driver's help documentation.
When accessing the m odem system s tags, the channel name can be used as either a base group or topic
name. To be available, modems must be configured with the operating system through the Control Panel set-
tings.
Once the modem has been properly installed, it can be enabled by selecting Modem as the Physical Medium
in the channel properties.
For specific setup information, refer to the Windows and modem documentation.
Im portant: Many new commercial modems are designed to dial-up network server connections and
negotiate the fastest and clearest signal. When communicating to a serial automation device, the modem
needs to connect at a specific Baud (Bits per Second) and Parity. For this reason, an external modem (which
can be configured to dial using specific Baud Rate and Parity settings) is strongly recommended. To determ-
ine the best modem for a specific application, refer to Technical Support. For examples on how to use a
modem in a project, refer to Using a Modem in the Server Project.
Start Bits + Data Bits + Parity + Stop Bits = Total Bit Count
For example, the Modbus RTU Driver is configured to use 8 Data Bits, Even Parity, 1 Stop Bit, and 1 Start Bit.
When plugged into the formula, it would be 1 + 8 + 1 + 1, which equals 11 bits. A normal modem could not
transmit data to this Modbus device. If Parity is changed to None, it would be 1 + 8 + 0 + 1, which equals 10
Bits. A normal modem could transmit data to this Modbus device.
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Some drivers cannot be configured to use a 10-bit or less data format, and so cannot use standard modems.
Instead, they require modems that can handle transmitting 11 data bits. For drivers that fall into this cat-
egory, consult the device's manufacturer for recommendations on an appropriate modem vendor. Modem
operation is available for all serial drivers, regardless of driver support for modem operation.
Once the modem has been properly installed, users can begin using it in a server project. The receiving end,
or the device modem, must be properly configured before it can be used. Users must confirm that the receiv-
ing modem matches the profile provided by the driver.
Cables
Before the project can be used, the cable connection must be configured between the receiving modem and
the device. Three cables are required: the existing device communication cable for direct connection, a
NULL modem adapter, and a NULL modem cable. A NULL modem cable is connected to the modem, and all
pins are connected to the same pins on both ends of the cable. The device communication cable is used to
connect to the target device, and usually has pins 2 and 3 reversed. Because the cable being used to talk to
the device for the direct connection is working by this point, it can be used on the receiving modem by attach-
ing a NULL modem adapter. Similarly, a PC modem cable runs from the PC to the initiating modem. With the
cables in place, a modem can now be used in the application.
1. To start, load the direct connect project and double-click on the channel name. In Channel Prop-
erties, open the Serial Com m unications group.
N ote: Users are not able to select Modem from the Physical Medium drop-down menu if there
are none available on the computer. If this occurs, exit the server and attempt to reinstall the modem
using the Modem Configuration tools supplied by the operating system.
4. To configure the initiating modem's characteristics, use the properties in Modem Settings. For more
information, refer to Channel Properties — Serial Communications.
5. Once finished, click Apply. Then, click OK to save and exit the Channel Properties.
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has become an active OPC access path through which the Modem tags are accessed). Because the server
knows very little about what the application needs for modem control, it does not imply any type of control.
By using the predefined Modem tags, users can apply the application's scripting capabilities to control how
the server uses the selected modem.
Phonebook
A Phonebook is a collection of Phonebook tags (Phone Numbers) that can be used in place of specifying a
telephone number written to the “_PhoneNumber” tag in the Modem system tags. The Phonebook is auto-
matically created for any channel that has the Physical Medium set to Modem . The data associated with a
Phonebook tag is a phone number to be dialed by the server. The act of a client writing to a Phonebook tag
causes the server to dial the phone number associated with that tag.
Phonebook tags are created by creating new entries in the Phonebook. To add a new Phonebook entry click
on the Phonebook node in the project tree and then click New Phone Number icon.
N am e: Specify the name of the phone number entry. It will be part of the OPC browse data in the “_Phone-
book” system tag group. It can be up to 256 characters in length. While using descriptive names is generally
a good idea, some OPC client applications may have a limited display window when browsing the tag space
of an OPC server. The Name of a phone number must be unique within a Phonebook.
N um ber: Specify the phone number to be dialed when the associated Phonebook tag is invoked from an
OPC client application. A string of up to 64 digits can be entered.
Description: Enter text to attach a comment to the phone number entry. It can be up to 255 characters in
length.
N ote: With the server’s online full-time operation, these parameters can be changed at any time.
Changes made to properties take effect immediately; however, OPC clients that have already connected to
this tag are not affected until they release and reacquire the tag.
Auto-Dial Priority
When Auto-Dial has been enabled for the channel, the initial connection request begins by attempting to dial
the first entry encountered in the Phonebook. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the next number in the phone-
book is attempted and so on. This sequence continues until a modem connection is established or the client
releases all references to data that can be supplied by the channel. The order priority that Auto-Dial uses to
dial is user defined and can be changed by selecting a Phonebook entry and clicking one of the Priority
Change icons as shown below. They can also be changed by opening the context menu for the selected
entry.
Example
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Aut o-Dial
Auto-Dial automates the actions required of a client application when modem use is specified within the
server project. Without Auto-Dial , these actions (which include connecting, disconnecting, and assigning
phone numbers) would be performed by an external client application through the use of channel-level
Modem tags. For example, to begin the process of establishing a connection, the client would write a dial
string to "<Channel Name>._Modem._PhoneNumber" and write a value to "<Channel Name>._Modem._Dial".
When data from the remote device is no longer needed, the client would end the call by writing to "<Channel
Name>._Modem._Hangup".
Auto-Dial relieves the client of these responsibilities by automatically dialing phone numbers defined in the
Phonebook when attempting to establish a connection. The connection is automatically dropped when there
are no client references to tags that rely on the modem connection. To access the Auto-Dial property, click
Channel Properties | Serial Com m unications.
For more information, refer to Channel Properties — Serial Communications.
Timing
Timing settings (such as how long to wait for a connection before proceeding to the next phone number) are
determined by the TAPI modem configuration and not by any specific Modem Auto-Dial setting.
N ote: Some drivers do not allow the serial port to close once it has opened. Connections established
using these drivers do not experience disconnection until all client references have been released (unless
the TAPI settings are configured to disconnect after a period of idle time).
Client Access
Modem tags may be used to exert client-level control over the modem. If Modem Auto-Dialing is enabled,
however, write access to the Modem tags is restricted so that only one form of access is possible. The
Modem tags' values are updated just as they would if the client were in control of the modem.
l If Auto-Dial is enabled after the client has already dialed the modem and established a connection,
the change is ignored until the modem is disconnected. If the client is still requesting data from the
channel at the time of disconnection, the initial connection sequence begins.
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l If Auto-Dial is enabled while no modem connection exists and data is being requested from the chan-
nel by the client, the initial connection sequence begins.
l If Auto-Dial is disabled while an existing auto-dial connection exists, no action is taken and the con-
nection is dropped.
Designing a Project
The following examples use the Simulator Driver supplied with the server to demonstrate the process of cre-
ating, configuring, and running a project. The Simulator Driver is a memory-based driver that provides both
static and changing data for demonstration purposes. Because it does not support the range of con-
figuration options found in other communication drivers, some examples may use images from other
drivers to demonstrate specific product features. For more information on a specific topic, select a link from
the list below.
Running t he Server
St art ing a N ew Project
Adding and Configuring a Channel
Adding and Configuring a Device
Adding User-Defined Tags
Generat ing M ult iple Tags
Adding Tag Scaling
Saving a Project
Opening an Encrypt ed Project
Test ing a Project
Running t he Server
This server can be run as both a service and as a desktop application. When running in the default setting as
a service, the server is online at all times. When running as a desktop application, the OPC client can auto-
matically invoke the server when it attempts to connect and collect data. For either process to work cor-
rectly, users must first create and configure a project. On start, the server automatically loads the most
recently used project.
Initially, users must manually invoke the server. To do so, either double-click the desktop icon or select Con-
figuration from the Administration menu located in the System Tray. The interface's appearance depends
on the changes made by the user.
For more information on the server elements, refer to Basic Server Components. For more information on
the user interface, refer to Navigating the Configuration.
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Some configuration options are global and applied to all projects. These global options are configured in the
Tools | Options dialog, which includes both General Options and Runtime Connection Options. These set-
tings are stored in an INI file called "settings.ini," which is stored in the Application Data directory selected
during installation. Although global options are usually stored in the registry, the INI file supports the copying
of these global settings from one machine to another.
The software opens initially with a default project open. That file can be edited, saved, and closed like any
other file.
6. Click Save.
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2. In the channel wizard, leave the channel name at its default setting "Channel1". Then, click N ext.
3. In Device Driver, select the communications driver to be applied to the channel. Then, click N ext. In
this example, the Simulator Driver is used.
4. For the Simulator Driver, the next page is Channel Sum m ary. Other devices may have additional
channel wizard pages that allow the configuration of other properties (such as communications port,
baud rate, and parity). For more information, refer to Channel Properties — Serial Communication.
See Also: How to... Optimize the Server Project , Server Summary Information
1. In the tree view, right-click on the Connectivity node and select N ew Channel (or choose Edit |
Connectivity | N ew Channel).
2. Select type of channel to be created from the drop-down list of available drivers.
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3. Click N ext.
4. Enter a name for the channel to help identify it (used in tag paths, event log messages, and aliasing).
5. Click N ext.
7. Review the summary for the new channel and choose Back to make changes or Finish to close.
N ote: In this example, the Simulator Driver is used. The options in device wizard depend on the driver.
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3. In the device wizard, leave the name at its default setting "Device1" and click N ext.
4. In Model, select either an 8 or 16-bit register size for the device being simulated and click N ext.
N ote: Other device drivers may require users to select a device model instead. For this example,
the 16-bit register size is chosen.
5. In ID, select the device ID (which is the unique identifier required by the actual communications pro-
tocol). Then, click N ext.
N ote: The device ID format and style depend on the communications driver being used. For the
Simulator Driver, the device ID is a numeric value.
6. In Scan Mode, specify the device's scan rate. Then, click N ext.
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7. For the Simulator Driver, the next page is the Device Sum m ary. Other drivers may have additional
device wizard pages that allow the configuration of other properties (such as Timing). For more
information, refer to Device Properties.
N ote: With the server's online full-time mode of operation, the server can start providing OPC data imme-
diately. At this point, however, the configuration can potentially be lost because the project hasn't been
saved. Before saving, users can add tags to the server. For more information, refer to Adding User-
Defined Tags.
1. In the tree view, locate and select the channel to which device(s) are being added.
3. Enter a name for the device to help identify it (used in tag paths, event log messages, and aliasing).
4. Click N ext.
6. Review the summary for the new device and choose Back to make changes or Finish to close.
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User-defined tags support scaling. For more information, refer to Adding Tag Scaling.
Some situations support browsing for and selecting multiple tags. For more information, refer to Browsing for
Tags.
1. To start, select a device name from the Connectivity tree node. In this example, the selected device is
"Device1".
2. Click Edit | Connectivity | N ew Tag. Alternatively, right-click on the device and select N ew Tag.
l Tag N am e MyFirstTag
l Address R000
l Scan Rate 100 milliseconds. This property does not apply to OPC tags.
4. If necessary, use Hints to determine the driver's correct settings. To invoke Hints, click on the ques-
tion mark icon in Tag Properties.
N ote The Address, Data Type, and Client Access fields depend on the communications driver. For
example, in the Simulator Driver, "R000" is a valid address that supports a data type of Word and has
read / write access.
5. For additional information, click Help. This invokes the "Address Descriptions" topic in the driver's
help documentation.
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6. Commit the tag to the server by pressing Apply. The tag should now be visible in the server.
7. In this example, a second tag must be added for use in Tag Properties — Scaling. To do so, click the
N ew icon in Tag Properties — General. This returns the properties to their default setting.
l Tag N am e MySecondTag
l Address K000
9. Next, commit the new tag to the server by pressing Apply. The tag should now be visible in the
server.
Error M essages
When entering tag information, users may be presented with an occasional error message from the server
or driver. The server generates error messages when users attempt to add a tag using the same name as
an existing tag. The communications driver generates errors for three possible reasons:
1. If there are any errors entered in the address's format or content (including in the range of a par-
ticular device-specific data item).
2. When the selected data type is not available for the address.
3. If the selected client access level is not available for the address.
Tips:
1. The server creates a special Boolean tag for every device in a project that can be used by a client to
determine whether that device is functioning properly. To use this tag, specify the item in the link as
"Error". This tag is zero if the device is communicating properly, or one if the device is not.
2. If the data type is omitted, the driver chooses a default data type based on the device and address
being referenced. The default data types for all locations are documented in the driver's help doc-
umentation. If the data type specified is not valid for the device location, the server rejects the tag
and an error posts in the Event Log.
3. If a device address is used as the item of a link (such that the address matches the name of a user-
defined tag in the server), the link references the address pointed to by the user-defined tag. With the
server's online full-time operation, users can start using this project in an OPC client at this time.
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2. If the Include system / internal tag groups is available, enable to enable making these groups
available for selection.
3. If the Branch level tag selection is available, enable to enable selection of branch nodes in the tree
view on the left (which selects all the associated tags in the right).
4. Navigate the tree in the left pane to locate the branch containing the tag(s) to add.
5. Unless Branch level tag selection is enabled, select the tag(s) in the right pane. Where adding mul-
tiple tags is supported, standard keyboard functions (Shift, Ctrl) work to select multiple tags.
6. Click Apply.
1. To start, select a device and click Edit | Connectivity | N ew Tag. Alternatively, right-click on a
device and select N ew Tag.
2. In Tag Properties, select the Multiple Tag Generation icon (located to the bottom-right of the Iden-
tification properties).
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3. In Multiple Tag Generation, define the tag name, then configure the Data Properties properties as
desired.
4. Click Add Static Text. In this group, enter the text as desired. Once finished, press OK.
5. Click Add N um eric Range. In this group, enter the base system, range, and increment. Once fin-
ished, press OK.
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6. Click Add Text Sequence. In this group, enter the text as desired. Separate each entry with a new
line. Once finished, press OK.
7. Click Preview.
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N ote: Valid tags are displayed with a green checkmark. Invalid tags are displayed with a red x.
9. To change a tag's name or starting value, select Tag N am e. Once finished, click OK.
10. To generate the tags, click Generate. If the generation is successful, users return to the Multiple Tag
Generation dialog.
11. Click Close. Then, click OK. The generated tags should be visible in the tag display window.
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4. Specify the expected data range from the device with the high and low values and clamps. The scaled
data type also allows users to specify how the resulting scaled value is presented to the OPC client
application.
5. In Units, specify a string to the OPC client that describes the format or unit for the resulting engin-
eering value. To use the Units field, an OPC client that can access the Data Access 2.0 tag properties
data is required. If the client does not support these features, there is no need to configure this field.
6. Once the data has been entered as shown above, click OK.
Saving t he Project
There should be a project configured with user-defined tags ready to be saved. How the project is saved
depends on whether the project is a Runtime project or an offline project.
When editing a Runtime project, the server's online full-time operation allows immediate access to tags from
a client once it has been saved to disk. Because the changes are made to the actual project, users can save
by clicking File | Save.
There are several valid file formats for project files: .OPF, .SOPF, and .JSON. The .OPF format is a binary pro-
ject file format that is not encrypted. The .JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format, while convenient, is
human readable and text based, making it a less secure option to be used only where other security meas-
ures are in place. It is recommended that users save projects as .SOPF files as this file type is encrypted and
the most secure way to save project files.
Users can overwrite the existing project or save edits as a new project, and are also given the option of load-
ing the new project as the default Runtime project.
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Open a saved project by choosing File | Open to locate and select the project file.
When editing an offline project, users have the option to save to the same project or to save as a new pro-
ject. Once completed, click Runtim e | Connect and load the new project as the default Runtime project.
When saving a new project with project file encryption enabled (on by default), a password must be set.
Enter a password or select N o encryption (not recommended) and click Save. The password can be mod-
ified and project encryption can be turned on or off under Project Properties | General | Project File
Encryption. Click Cancel to abort without saving the project.
Tip: It is recommended that the password be at least 14 characters and include a mix of uppercase and
lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid well-known, easily guessed, or common pass-
words.
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Projects that are saved as encrypted files with a password are saved as .SOPF files. The .JSON and .OPF files
are not supported options for encrypted projects.
N ote: An OPC client application can automatically invoke an OPC server when the client needs data. The
OPC server, however, needs to know what project to run when it is called on in this fashion. The server loads
the most recent project that has been loaded or configured. To determine what project the server will load,
look to the Most Recently Used file list found in File. The loaded project is the first project file listed.
For 64-bit OS versions, project files are saved (by default) in the directory:
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Kepware\KEPServerEX\V6
For 32-bit OS versions, project files are saved (by default) in the directory:
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Kepware\KEPServerEX\V6
The server automatically saves copies of the project in the following directory:
For 64-bit OS versions, project files are saved (by default) in the directory:
C:\ProgramData\Kepware\KEPServerEX\V6
For 32-bit OS versions, project files are saved (by default) in the directory:
C:\ProgramData(x86)\Kepware\KEPServerEX\V6
Tip: If the file has been saved to an alternate location; search for * .OPF, * .SOPF, or * .json to locate avail-
able project files.
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Enter the password used to encrypt the project file and click OK (or click Cancel to abort the file open oper-
ation).
Project files are saved to the data directory by default. For more information about saving files and file loc-
ations, see Application Data and Saving Project Files.
1. To start, locate the OPC Quick Client program in the same program group as the server. Then, run
the OPC Quick Client.
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3. In Server Properties, make connections with an OPC server either locally or remotely via DCOM. By
default, this dialog is pre-configured with the server's Prog ID (which is used by OPC clients to ref-
erence a specific OPC server).
N ote: Once a connection is made, two things may happen. If the server is running, the OPC Quick
Client makes a connection to the server. If the server is not running, it starts automatically.
4. Add a group to the connection. To do so, select the server connection and click Edit | N ew Group.
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N ote: Groups act as a container for any tags accessed from the server and provide control over
how tags are updated. All OPC clients use groups to access OPC server data. A number of properties
are attached to a group that allow the OPC client to determine how often the data should be read
from the tags, whether the tags are active or inactive, whether a dead band applies, and so forth.
These properties let the OPC client control how the OPC server operates. For more information on
group properties, refer to the OPC Quick Client help documentation.
5. For the purpose of this example, edit the group properties to match the following image.
N ote: The Update Rate, Percent Dead Band, and Active State properties control when and if data
is returned for the group's tags. Descriptions of the properties are as follows:
l N am e: This property is used for reference from the client and can actually be left blank.
l Update Rate: icon to open how often data is scanned from the actual device and how often
data is returned to the OPC client as a result of that scan.
l Percent Dead Band: This property eliminates or reduces noise content in the data by only
detecting changes when they exceed the percentage change that has been requested. The
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l Active State: This property turns all of the tags in this group either on or off.
Accessing Tags
OPC server tags must be added to the group before they can be accessed. OPC data access specifications
define a tag browsing interface as one that allows an OPC client to directly access and display the available
tags in an OPC server. By allowing the OPC client application to browse the tag space of the OPC server, click
on the desired tags to automatically add them to a group.
1. To start, select the group in which tags will be placed. Click Edit | N ew Item .
N ote: The Add Items dialog also provides a tree view of the Browsing section and can be used to
browse into an OPC server to find tags configured at the server. When using the "Example1" project,
users can access the tags previously defined by expanding the branches of the view.
2. Once the tree hierarchy is at the point shown in the image above, users can begin adding tags to the
OPC group by double-clicking on the tag name. As tags are added to the group, the Item Count
shown at the bottom of the Add Items dialog increases to indicate the number of items being added.
If both "MyFirstTag" and "MySecondTag" were added, the item count should be 2.
N ote: Users should now be able to access data from the server using the two tags that were
defined.
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N ote: The first tag, "MyFirstTag," should contain a changing value. The second tag should be zero
at this point. If users only needed to test the reading of an OPC item, they are now finished. If, how-
ever, users desired to change an OPC item, they can use one of the write methods to send new data
to the OPC item.
1. To start, first select the item. Then, right-click and select Synchronous or Asynchronous Writes. For
the purpose of this example, right-click on "MyFirstTag" and select Asynchronous Write.
N ote: Although the Asynchronous 2.0 Write dialog is displayed, the value continues to update.
2. To enter a new value for this item, click Write Value and enter a different value.
3. Click Apply to write the data. This allows users to continue writing new values, whereas clicking OK
writes the new value and closes the dialog.
4. Click OK.
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N ote: If no new data has been entered, clicking OK does not send data to the server.
Conclusion
At this point, all of the basic steps involved in building and testing an OPC project have been discussed.
Users are encouraged to continue testing various features of the server and the OPC Quick Client for
greater understanding and comprehension. For more information on the OPC Quick Client, refer to its help
documentation.
Users can now begin developing the OPC application. If using Visual Basic, refer to the supplied example pro-
jects. These two projects provide both a simple and complex example of how OPC technology can be used
directly in Visual Basic applications.
How Do I...
For more information, select a link from the list below.
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For example, to create a DDE link to an application for the "ToolDepth" tag, the DDE link must be entered as
"<DDE service name>| _ddedata!Channel1.Device1.Machine1.Cell2.ToolDepth".
Although the DDE link's <application>| <topic>!<item> format still exists, the content becomes more complex
when optional tag groups and the channel name are required as part of the topic. The alias map allows a
shorter version of the reference to be used in DDE client applications.
For more information, refer to What is the Alias Map.
1. In the tree view, select the alias to edit and double-click to open the alias node.
2. In the detail view, right-click and select N ew Alias (OR choose Edit | Aliases | N ew Alias).
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4. Enter an alias name to represent the complex tag reference. This alias name can now be used in the
client application to address the tag found in the server. For information on reserved characters, refer
to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag Group.
5. The complex topic and item name "_ddedata! Channel1.Device1.Machine1.Cell2" can be replaced by
using the alias "Mac1Cell2". When applied to the example above, the DDE link in the application can
be entered as "<DDE service name>| Mac1Cell2!ToolDepth".
N ote: Although possible, it is not recommended that users create an alias that shares a name with a
channel. The client's item fails if it references a dynamic address using the shared name. For example, if an
alias is named "Channel1" and is mapped to "Channel1.Device1," an item in the client that references "Chan-
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nel1.Device1.<address>" is invalid. The alias must be removed or renamed so that the client's reference can
succeed.
This server refers to communications protocols as a channel. Each channel defined in the application rep-
resents a separate path of execution in the server. Once a channel has been defined, a series of devices
must be defined under that channel. Each of these devices represents a single device from which data is col-
lected. While this approach to defining the application provides a high level of performance, it won't take full
advantage of the driver or the network. An example of how the application may appear when configured
using a single channel is shown below.
Each device appears under a single channel. In this configuration, the driver
must move from one device to the next as quickly as possible to gather inform-
ation at an effective rate. As more devices are added or more information is
requested from a single device, the overall update rate begins to suffer.
If the driver could only define one single channel, the example shown above would be the only option avail-
able. Using multiple channels distributes, however, the data collection workload by simultaneously issuing
multiple requests to the network. An example of how the same application may appear when configured
using multiple channels to improve performance is shown below.
Each device has now been defined under its own channel. In this new con-
figuration, a single path of execution is dedicated to the task of gathering data
from each device. If the application has fewer devices, it can be optimized
exactly how it is shown here.
The performance improves even if the application has more devices than chan-
nels. While 1 device per channel is ideal, the application benefits from addi-
tional channels. Although by spreading the device load across all channels
causes the server to move from device to device again, it does so with far
fewer devices to process on a single channel.
This same process can be used to make multiple connections to one Ethernet device. Although the OPC
server may allow 100 channels for most drivers, the device ultimately determines the number of allowed
connections. This constraint comes from the fact that most devices limit the number of supported con-
nections. The more connections that are made to a device, the less time it has to process request on each
connect. This means that there can be an inverse tradeoff in performance as connections are added.
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For client applications using Advanced DDE, the number of elements in the array is specified in the
SPACKDDE_DATAHDR_TAG structure. Only single dimensional arrays are supported by this protocol. This
structure should be used when poking array data to the server.
For clients using CF_TEXT, one or two-dimensional arrays are supported. Data in each row is separated by a
TAB (0x09) character and each row is terminated with a CR (0x0d) and a LF (0x0a) character. When a client
wants to poke an array of data values, the text string written should have this delimiter format.
When poking to an Array tag in either format, the entire array does not need to be written, but the starting
location is fixed. If attempting to poke data in an array format to a tag that was not declared as an array, only
the first value in the array is written. If attempting to poke more data than the tag's array size, only as much
data as the tag's array size is written. If attempting to poke data while leaving some data values blank, the
server uses the last known value for that array element when writing back to the device. If the value in that
register has been changed but has not been updated in the server, it is overwritten with the old value. For
this reason, it is best to be cautious when writing data to arrays.
l Periods
l Double quotation marks
l Leading underscores
l Leading or trailing spaces
N ote: Some of the restricted characters can be used in specific situations. For more information, refer to
the list below.
1. Periods are used in aliases to separate the original channel name and the device name. For example,
a valid name is "Channel1.Device1".
2. Underscores can be used after the first character. For example, a valid name is "Tag_1".
3. Spaces may be used within the name. For example, a valid name is "Tag 1".
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The server fails to reconnect to a device when the name of the IP address associated with the device's
domain / network changes. If this change is a result of the device being power cycled, it acquires a new IP.
This change may also be a result of the IP being manually changed on the device. In both cases, the IP
address that was being used no longer exists.
Because the server automatically flushes the cache every 30 seconds, the IP is forced to resolve. If this does
not correct the issue, users can manually flush the cache by typing the command string "ipconfig / flushdns"
in the PC's command prompt.
For more information, refer to the following Microsoft Support article Disabling and Modifying Client Side
DNS Caching.
1. To start, create a new channel for each device. Place the device under the new channel and delete
the original channel.
2. Under Alias in the tree view, create a N ew Alias for each device in the Alias Map. The alias name is
the original channel and device name separated by a period. For example, "Channel1.Device1".
For information on reserved characters, refer to How To... Properly Name a Channel, Device, Tag, and Tag
Group.
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N ote: The server validates any request for items against the alias map before responding back to the cli-
ent application with an error that the item does not exist.
For DDE clients to connect to the server interface, the runtime must be allowed to interact with the
desktop.
For more information, refer to How to Allow Desktop Interactions.
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l item Modbus.PLC1.40001
* This is the default topic for all DDE data that does not use an alias map entry.
N ote: An example of the syntax is "MyDDE| ModPLC1!40001" . For additional possible syntax, refer to the
DDE client's specific help documentation.
See Also:
Project Propert ies — DDE
Project Propert ies — Fast DDE & Suit eLink
What is t he Alias M ap?
l The correct syntax must be used for the data address. For more information on the specific driver's
syntax, refer to its help documentation.
l If users do not specify the requested item's data type, it is set to the default setting by the application.
For more information on the specific driver's supported data types, refer to its help documentation.
N ote: In the examples below, the Simulator Driver is used with a channel name of 'Channel1' and a
device name of 'Device1'.
To override the tag defaults, use the commercial AT sign ('@') at the end of the item. If intending to add the
register as a DWord (unsigned 32-bit) data type, use an item ID of "Channel1.Device1.K0001@DWord." To
change the default update rate to 1000 ms, use "Channel1.Device1.K0001@1000." To change both defaults,
use "Channel1.Device1.K0001@DWord,1000."
N ote: The client application must be able to accept special characters like the '@' in its address space.
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In an OPC client, the same syntax can be used to override the data type if the client application does not
provide a way to specify a data type when the OPC item is added. Since the item's update rate is not used in
OPC, there is no need to override it.
N ote: The client application must be able to accept special characters like the '@' in its address space.
N ote: For unsolicited drivers that support Ethernet Encapsulation, users must configure the port and the
protocol settings at the channel level. This allows the driver to bind to the specified port and process incom-
ing requests from multiple devices. An IP address is not entered at the channel because the channel accepts
incoming requests from all devices.
Ethernet Encapsulation can be used over wireless network connections (such as 802.11b and CDPD packet
networks) and has been developed to support a wide range of serial devices. By using a terminal server
device, users can place RS-232 and RS-485 devices throughout the plant operations while still allowing a
single localized PC to access the remotely mounted devices. Furthermore, Ethernet Encapsulation mode
allows an individual network IP address to be assigned to each device as needed. While using multiple ter-
minal servers, users can access hundreds of serial devices from a single PC.
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To enable Ethernet Encapsulation mode, open Channel Properties and select the Serial Com m unications
group. In the Connection Type drop-down menu, select Ethernet Encap.
N ote: Only the drivers that support Ethernet Encapsulation allows the option to be selected.
N ote: The server's multiple channel support allows up to 16 channels on each driver protocol. This
allows users to specify one channel to use the local PC serial port and another channel to use Ethernet
Encapsulation mode.
When Ethernet Encapsulation mode is selected, the serial port settings (such as baud rate, data bits, and
parity) are unavailable. After the channel has been configured for Ethernet Encapsulation mode, users must
configure the device for Ethernet operation. When a new device is added to the channel, the Ethernet Encap-
sulation settings can be used to select an Ethernet IP address, an Ethernet Port number, and the Ethernet
protocol.
N ote: The terminal server being used must have its serial port configured to match the requirements of
the serial device to be attached to the terminal server.
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* A floating point value that falls within the Signaling NaN range is converted to a Quiet NaN before being
transferred to a client for Float and Double data types. To avoid this conversion, use a single element float-
ing-point array.
N ote: For information on which values are replaced with zero before being transferred to clients, refer
to the tables below.
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Many client-side SCADA systems either do not have configurable scan rates or have scan rates whose min-
imum value is too long for the data updates that are required by SCADA operators. To bypass this limitation,
the SCADA system can perform writes to the Device Demand Poll tags available in the server. In this scen-
ario, each device in the server exposes a _DemandPoll tag that polls all referenced tags on the device when
written to by a client. During the poll, the _DemandPoll tag becomes True (1). It returns to False (0) when the
final active tag signals that the read requests have completed. Subsequent writes to the _DemandPoll tag
fails until the tag value returns to False. The demand poll respects the read / write duty cycle for the channel.
Client-side SCADA scripts (such as a Refresh button script) can be developed to write to the _DemandPoll tag
and cause a poll to occur. The poll results are passed on to the client application.
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N ote: The procedure described above is not OPC-compliant behavior. If this is a problem, it is recom-
mended that communications be separated onto two devices. One device can use the classic OPC update
interval, and the other device can set the Scan Mode to "Do not scan, demand poll only" and only poll when
the _DemandPoll tag is written.
Regardless of whether Device Demand Poll is being utilized, clients that are limited by tag scan rates may
also encounter operator wait time due to the server complying with the OPC client's group update rate. To
circumvent this OPC-compliant behavior, users can configure the "Ignore group update rate, return data as
soon as it is available" setting. This returns the poll results immediately and disregards the update interval.
l The driver's three-letter acronym. For the IGS driver, the acronym is "IGS".
l The name of the channel, device, and tag from which data will be collected (as defined in the IGS
Driver Configuration program).
l Any other information about the tag, such as the array element of the bit offset.
For more information on entering data in the Database Manager for automatic datablock creation, refer to
Entering Driver Information in iFIX Database Manager.
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3. In Tag N am e, specify a name for the database block. Then, enter driver-appropriate information in
the remaining properties.
N ote: This driver does not use the Hardware Options and Signal Conditioning fields.
See Also: For information on the valid entries required for each field, select a link from the list below.
Specifying the I/ O Driver in iFIX Database Manager
Specifying I/ O Addresses in iFIX Database Manager
Specifying Signal Conditioning in iFIX Database Manager
To find the default driver, open the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and click SCADA Configuration.
The default driver is the first driver listed in the Configured I/O Driver list box.
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N ote: For Database Manager to recognize the acronym entered, it must appear in the SCU's Configured
I/O Driver list box.
N ote: Multiple blocks may use the same I/O address with the IGS server.
The I/O address for the driver has the following format: Channel_Name.Device_Name.Tag_Name
where:
l Channel_N am e This is the name of the protocol or driver being used in the IGS server project. It
must match the channel name in the IGS configuration.
l Device_N am e This is the name of the PLC or other hardware with which the server communicates. It
must match the device name for the specified channel in the IGS configuration.
l Tag_N am e This is the name of the address within the PLC or other hardware device with which the
server communicates. It must match the tag name for the specified channel and device in the IGS con-
figuration.
N ote: If tags were imported from a Controllogix L5K file, the full path to the tag name must be included.
Bit Addressing
Bit addressing can be accomplished by using one of the following two methods:
1. If a Digital Register (DR) block is being used, bits within integer data (or bits within Boolean array
data) can be specified with the numbered fields F_0, F_1, F_2, and so forth. For more information,
refer to Using Offset fields with Analog and Digital Registers (AR/DR).
2. If a DR block is not being used, a tag should be configured in the IGS server project with the desired
bit specified in the tag address. Alternatively, specify the appropriate bit address in the block's I/O
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address so that the tag may be dynamically created. For more information, refer to the IGS device
driver help documentation.
N otes:
1. Users may also specify an integer tag in the I/O address of DA and DI blocks; however, only the least
significant bit of that integer can be read or written to with these block types.
2. Because bit addressing is not supported when tags are imported from the L5K file, users must manu-
ally add bit addresses and their associated tag names in the IGS server configuration program. For
example, assume that the global controller tag "ValveArea3" is configured as a short data type in the
L5K import file. To address bit 1 of this tag in the iFIX PDB, users must first manually add the bit 1
address and its corresponding tag name in the IGS server configuration program. In this example,
"ValveArea3_1" is the designated tag name for the bit 1 address. The I/O addressing for the bit
address in the iFIX PDB is "Channel1.Device1.Global.ValveArea3_1".
Array Addressing
Many of the IGS server's device drivers support arrays. Users may access individual elements of an array
tag using Analog Register (AR) blocks and the numbered fields F_0, F_1, F_2, and so forth. Digital Registers
(DR) may be used to access any bit within any element of a Boolean or integer array. For more information,
refer to Using Offset fields with Analog and Digital Registers (AR/DR).
The entire array can be accessed in text form using a TX block. Access to individual elements or bits within
an array using other means is not currently supported. If other types of blocks are used, the data must be
addressed with individual tags. For more information on array addressing support and syntax, refer to the
IGS device driver help documentation.
1. In Signal Conditioning, specify the desired algorithm. For no signal conditioning, select N one.
2. Specify the Engineering Units (EGU) range for the conditioned data.
N ote: For more information on supported signal conditioning algorithms, refer to iFIX Signal Condi-
tioning Options.
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3BCD
4BCD
8AL
8BN
12AL
12BN
13AL
13BN
14AL
14BN
15AL
15BN
20P
TN ON
N ote: Linear and logarithmic scaling is available through the server for Static tags only. For more inform-
ation, refer to Tag Properties — Scaling and Static Tags (User-Defined).
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1. To start, export the PDB database from the iFIX Database Manager.
2. Re-import the exported file so that each item in the database is re-validated with the server.
3. In the Confirm Tag Replacem ent message box, select Yes to all.
N ote: A new configuration file is created in the same folder as the default server project file, con-
taining the name "default_FIX.ini".
4. Depending on how long it takes to read an initial value for all the items in the project, it may be neces-
sary to delay the start of SAC processing. Doing so allows the server enough time to retrieve all initial
updates before the iFIX client requests data from the server. For more information on the specific iFIX
version, refer to the iFIX documentation.
5. Restart both the iFIX application and the server to put the changes into effect.
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N ote: For new projects (or when adding additional items to an existing iFIX database) users do not need
to perform the steps described above. The item is validated by the server upon its addition to the database.
If valid, the server adds the item to the configuration file.
See Also:
ThingWorx Project Propert ies
St ore and Forward Configurat ion Set t ings
St ore and Forward Syst em Tags
ThingWorx Access Right s
N ote: This document assumes familiarity with HTTPS communication and REST concepts.
Initialization - The Configuration API is installed as a Windows servicedaemon and starts automatically with
the system.
Operation - The Configuration API supports connections and commands between the server and REST cli-
ents.
Shutdown - If the Configuration API must be stopped, use the Windows Service Control Manager to ter-
minate the Configuration API service.
If the Configuration API must be stopped, use the systemctl to stop the service.
Security
REST clients to the Configuration API must use HTTPS Basic Authentication. The user credentials are defined
in the server User ManagerUser Group. Initial login to the Configuration API uses the Administrator user-
name and the password set during installation. Additional users and groups should be created to allow the
appropriate access.
Administrator passwords must be at least 14 characters and no more than 512 characters.
Documentation
Please consult additional information on properties, data ranges, endpoint mapping scheme, and acceptable
actions for each endpoint is available at the Configuration API Landing Page at https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/ (for default configurations).
Documentation served from the landing page is HTML-encoded by default. To obtain JSON-encoded doc-
umentation, include an “Accept” request header with “application/json”.
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The best practice is to issue a GET request, save the current project ID, and use that ID for the following PUT
request. If only one client is used, the client may put the property “FORCE_UPDATE”: true in the PUT request
body to force the Configuration API server to ignore the project ID.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/event_log
Example Return:
[
{
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"timestamp": "2018-11-13T16:34:57.966",
"event": "Security",
"source": "KEPServerEXThingWorxKepwareEdge\\Runtime",
"message": "Configuration session started by admin as Default User (R/W)."
},
{
"timestamp": "2018-11-13T16:35:08.729",
"event": "Warning",
"source": "Licensing",
"message": "Feature Modbus TCP/IP Ethernet is time limited and will expire at
11/13/2019 12:00 AM."
}
…
]
Filtering: The Configuration API event log endpoint allows log items to be sorted or limited using filter para-
meters specified in the URI. The filters, which can be combined or used individually, allow the results of the
log query to be restricted to a specific time period (e.g. events which occurred since a given date, events
which occurred before a given date, or events that occurred between two dates). Example filtered log query:
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/event_log?limit=10&start=2016-01-
01T00:00:00.000&end=2016-01-02T20:00:00.000
where:
l Lim it = Maximum number of log entries to return. The default setting is 100 entries.
l Start = Earliest time to be returned in YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sss (UTC) format.
l End = Latest time to be returned in YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sss (UTC) format.
N ote: The Limit filter overrides the result of the specified time period. If there are more log entries in the
time period than the Limit filter allows, only the newest specified quantity of records that match the filter cri-
teria are displayed.
Verbose Logging: records the request and response JSON bodies, which can be useful for troubleshooting.
Turning on verbose logging can add two properties (requestbody and responsebody) to each log entry,
depending on the request type. To turn on verbose logging, open Settings | Configuration API Service |
Transaction Logging and change Verbose to Yes.
Warning: Verbose logging causes the transaction log to grow rapidly. Do not activate for normal use.
N ote: Log queries are not logged in a verbose manner; the entries display the shorter format.
Logging Perm issions: allows additional permission settings to prevent unauthorized users from accessing
the log. The default is Deny for all non-administrator users.
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See Also: Refer to server help for more information on changing permissions in User Manager.
Event Log: The Event Log service collects information, warning, error, and security events. The same fil-
tering and query parameter definitions apply to the event log (https://<hostname>:<port>/config/v1/event_
log) as they do to the transaction log.
Exam ple:
{
"event": "Warning",
"message": "Delete object 'Channel1' failed: Active connections still exist.",
"source": "KEPServerEXThingWorxKepwareEdge\\Runtime",
"timestamp": "2017-01-18T21:51:38.495"
}
where:
The log endpoint provides access to the server's diagnostic and event log.
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When targeting project configuration, a REST client can specify the type(s) of content that should be
returned. In this context the word “content” refers to a category or categories of data about a collection or
object instance.
By default, when a GET request is issued using an endpoint that identifies a collection, the server will return
a JSON array that contains one value for each instance in the collection where each value is a JSON object
that contains the properties of the instance.
By default, when a GET request is made using an endpoint that identifies an object instance, the server will
return a JSON object that contains the properties of that instance.
The default behavior of these requests can be altered by specifying one or more “content” query parameters
appended to the URL as in https://<hostname>:<port>/config/v1/project?content=children. The following
table shows the available content types and their applicability to each endpoint type:
Cont ent Type Collect ion Endpoint Object Inst ance Endpoint
properties yes yes
property_definitions no yes
property_states no yes
type_definition yes yes
children yes yes
The following table shows the structure of the JSON response for a given content type:
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{
“properties”: <properties response structure>,
“property_definitions”: <property definitions response structure>,
“property_states”: <property states response structure>,
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Type Definitions
The following table describes the members of the type definition JSON object.
M ember Type Descript ion
name string Object type name.
Collection name. Identifies the collection in which objects of this type will exist. This
collection string
name constitutes a valid endpoint that can be addressed using the REST interface.
Namespace that implements the object type. Objects that are implemented by the
namespace string server exist in the “servermain” namespace. Other namespaces are defined by
optional components such as drivers, plug-ins and client interfaces.
Indicates whether or not instances of this type can be created by an end user. For
can_create bool example, this is false for the “Project” type because it’s not something that can be
created.
Indicates whether or not instances of this type can be deleted by an end user.
can_delete bool
Again, the “Project” type is not something that can be deleted.
Indicates whether or not instances of this type can be modified by an end user. For
can_modify bool example, the server has some auto-generated objects that exist to create a child
collection only and do not themselves have any modifiable properties.
auto_gen- If true, instances of this type are auto-generated by the server. Typically objects of
bool
erated this type will have the previous three members defined as “false”.
requires_ True if instances of this type cannot be created without supplying the name of an
bool
driver installed driver.
access_con- True if the server provides group-level access control over the CRUD operations
bool
trolled that can be executed against an instance of this type (see User Manager).
An array of collection names that are supported as children under an object of this
child_col-
array type. For example, if a type includes “devices” in “child_collections”, then object
lections
instances of that type will support one or more “Device” instance as a child.
Property Definitions
A property definition identifies the characteristics of a given property, including the type of data it supports,
applicable ranges, default value, etc. The JSON structure of a property definition object is defined as follows:
M ember Type Descript ion
symbolic_ Identifies the property by canonical name in the form <namespace>.<-
string
name property name>.
The name the property would have if shown in the Server Configuration
display_ localized
property editor. Value will be returned in the language the server is cur-
name string
rently configured to use.
The description the property would have if shown in the Server Con-
display_ localized
figuration property editor. Value will be returned in the language the
description string
server is currently configured to use.
True if the property is informational, not expected to change once initially
read_only Boolean
defined.
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To get specific information about the property definitions of a specific endpoint, add "?content=property_
definitions" to the end of the URL of a GET request.
For example, to get the property definitions for a channel named Channel1 with the server running on the
local host, the GET request would be sent to:
Endpoint:
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/channels/Channel1?content=property_defin-
itions
The returned JSON block would look something like the following:
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[
{
"symbolic_name": "common.ALLTYPES_NAME",
"display_name": "Name",
"display_description": "Specify the identity of this object.",
"read_only": false,
"type": "String",
"default_value": null,
"minimum_length": 1,
"maximum_length": 256
},
{
"symbolic_name": "common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION",
"display_name": "Description",
"display_description": "Provide a brief summary of this object or its use.",
"read_only": false,
"type": "String",
"default_value": null,
"minimum_length": 0,
"maximum_length": 255
},
…
Property Types
The following table describes the different values that a property definition may contain for the “type” mem-
ber. The “Value Type” identifies what JSON type the property value should have.
Value
Type N ame Descript ion
Type
Describes a property that would show a drop-down list that contains the
AllowDeny bool
choices “Allow”=true and “Deny”= false.
Describes a property that would show a drop-down list that contains the
EnableDisable bool
choices “Enable”=true and “Disable”= false.
Describes a property that would show a drop-down list that contains the
YesNo bool
choices “Yes”=true and “No”= false.
Generic string. Properties of this type will include minimum_length and
String string
maximum_length specifiers.
Array of strings. Properties of this type will include minimum_length and
StringArray array maximum_length specifiers that apply to the strings themselves, not the
length of the array.
Obfuscated string that contains a password. When changing the value of a
property of this type, a plain-text password is expected. Password values
Password string
should only be changed over a secure connection. The Administrator
password must be at least 14 characters and fewer than 512 characters.
LocalFileSpec string A fully qualified file specification in the local file system.
UncFileSpec string A fully qualified file specification in a network location.
LocalPathSpec string A fully qualified path specification in the local file system.
UncPathSpec string A fully qualified path specification to a network location.
Describes a property that has a string value that would normally be
StringWithBrowser string
chosen from a collection of dynamically generated strings.
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Value
Type N ame Descript ion
Type
Integer number Unsigned 32-bit integer value.
Unsigned 32-bit integer value intended to be displayed / edited in hexa-
Hex number
decimal notation.
Unsigned 32-bit integer value intended to be displayed / edited in octal
Octal number
notation.
SignedInteger number Signed 32-bit integer value.
Real4 number Single precision floating point value.
Real8 number Double precision floating point value.
One of the possible numeric values from the “enumeration” member of
Enumeration number
the property definition.
Describes a structure containing members that each have a fixed-length
PropArray object
array of values.
Integer value containing the number seconds since midnight that would
TimeOfDay number
define a specific time of day.
Date number Unix time value that specifies midnight on a given date.
DateAndTime number Unix time value that specifies a specific time on a given date.
Array of byte values that represents an opaque collection of data. Data of
Blob array
this type originates in the server and is hashed to prevent modification.
<condition>: [
{
“depends_on”: <property name>
“operation”: “==” or “!=”
“value”: <value>
},
...
]
Each condition identifies another property that is a dependent and how it depends as equal or not equal to
the value of that property. More than one dependency can exist, either on the same property or different
ones. If multiple exist, the “operation” will always be the same. Evaluation of the expression to determine the
state of the condition when multiple dependencies exist is a logical “or” for “==” and a logical “and” for “!=”.
When using “content=property_states”, the returned JSON describes the outcome of the evaluation of these
conditions (if they exist) for each property.
Language Specifications
The server supports multiple languages. It will return localized text to the client in the language it is con-
figured to use. The client can override the configured language in a GET request by specifying an “Accept-
Language” field in the request header.
See the Protocol Specifications for more information.
As an example, if the server is configured for English and the client wants German, it can specify the fol-
lowing in the request header: “Accept-Language: de”
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KEPServerEX 188
N ote: If the client specifies a language that is not supported by the server, the currently configured lan-
guage will be used.
Please consult additional information on properties, data ranges, endpoint mapping scheme, and acceptable
actions for each endpoint is available at the Configuration API Landing Page at https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/ (for default configurations).
Documentation served from the landing page is HTML-encoded by default. To obtain JSON-encoded doc-
umentation, include an “Accept” request header with “application/json”.
Object names containing spaces, or other characters disallowed in URL formatting, must be percent-
encoded to be correctly interpreted by the Configuration API. Percent encoding involves replacing disallowed
characters with their hexadecimal representation. For example, an object named 'default object' is percent-
encoded as default%20object. The following characters are not permitted in a URL and must be encoded:
* spac-
! # $ & ' ( ) * + , / : ; = ? @ [ ]
e*
%2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %2- %3- %3- %3- %3- %4- %5- %5-
%20
1 3 4 6 7 8 9 A B C F A B D F 0 B D
All leading and trailing spaces are removed from object names before the server validates them. This can
create a discrepancy between the object name in the server and the object name a user provides via the
Configuration API. Users can send a GET on the parent object after sending a PUT/POST to verify the new or
modified object name in the server matches what was sent via the API.
An attempt to perform a POST/PUT/DELETE with the API as a non-admin user fails if a user has the server
configuration open at the same time. The error is a 401 status code (unauthorized). Only one user can write
to the runtime at a time; the API cannot take permissions from the server configuration if it has insufficient
credentials.
Create an Object
An object can be created by sending an HTTPS POST request to the Configuration API. When creating a new
object, the JSON must include required properties for the object (ex. each object must have a name), but
doesn’t require all properties. All properties not included in the JSON are set to the default value on creation.
{
"<Property1_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property2_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property3_Name>": <Value>
}
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[
{
"<Property1_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property2_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property3_Name>": <Value>
},
{
"<Property1_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property2_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property3_Name>": <Value>
}
]
When a POST includes multiple objects, if one or more cannot be processed due to a property validation fail-
ure or some other error, the HTTPS status code 207 (Multi-Status) will be returned along with a JSON object
array containing the status for each object in the request.
For example, if two objects are included in the request and the second one specifies the same name as the
first:
[
{
"code": 201,
"message": "Created"
},
{
"code": 400,
"message": "Validation failed on property common.ALLTYPES_NAME in object defin-
ition at line 7: The name 'Channel1' is already used."
}
]
For example, to create a channel with a device underneath it, the following JSON could be used:
[
{
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Channel1",
"servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER": "Simulator",
"devices":
[
{
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Device1",
"servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER": "Simulator",
"servermain.DEVICE_MODEL": 0
}
]
}
]
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KEPServerEX 190
Read an Object
An object can be read by sending an HTTPS GET request to the Configuration API. All object properties are
returned on every GET request and each object includes a Project_ID. The Project_ID property is used to
track changes in the configuration and is updated on any change from the Configuration API or a server con-
figuration client. This property should be saved and used in all PUT requests to prevent stale data manip-
ulations.
{
"<Property1_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property2_Name>": <Value>,
"PROJECT_ID": 12345678
}
Edit an Object
An object can be edited by sending an HTTPS PUT request to the Configuration API. PUT requests require
the Project_ID or Force_Update property in the JSON body. Setting Force_Update to True ignores Project_ID
validation.
{
"<Property1_Name>": <Value>,
"<Property2_Name>": <Value>,
"PROJECT_ID": 12345678,
"FORCE_UPDATE": true
}
Normally, when a PUT request succeeds and all properties are assigned successfully, there is no response
body returned to the client; there is only a 200 status code to indicate success. There can be cases where a
property is included in a PUT request that is not assigned to the object instance by the Server Runtime. In
these cases, a response body will be generated as follows:
Body:
{,
"not_applied":,
{,
"servermain.CHANNEL_UNIQUE_ID": 2466304381
},
"code": 200,
"message": "Not all properties were applied. This could be due to active client
reference or property is disallowed/disabled/read-only."
}
The response indicates which property or properties were not applied to the object instance where each con-
tains the value that is actually in use. There are several possible reasons why the property value could not
be applied, such as:
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191 KEPServerEX
l The property is not allowed based on the values of other properties on which this condition
depends.
l The property is not enabled based on the values of other properties on which this condition
depends.
l The value was transformed in some way (ex. rounded or truncated).
Delete an Object
An object can be deleted by sending an HTTPS DELETE request to the Configuration API. The Configuration
API does not allow deleting multiple items on the same level with a single request (such as deleting all of the
devices in a channel), but can delete an entire tree (such as deleting a device deletes all its child tags).
Errors
All Configuration API Service requests return errors in JSON format.
Example:
{
"code": 400,
"message": "Invalid property: 'NAME'."
}
General Properties
N ote: Changing this property causes the API endpoint URL to change.
common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION
servermain.CHANNEL_DIAGNOSTICS_CAPTURE
servermain.CHANNEL_ETHERNET_COMMUNICATIONS_NETWORK_ADAPTER_STRING
Advanced Properties
Write Optimizations
servermain.CHANNEL_WRITE_OPTIMIZATIONS_METHOD
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servermain.CHANNEL_WRITE_OPTIMIZATIONS_DUTY_CYCLE
See Also: The server help system Configuration API Service section.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the channel end-
point.
The example below creates a channel named Channel1 that uses the Simulator driver on a server running
on the local host.
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/channels
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “Channel1”,
“servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER”: “Simulator”
Refer to the driver specific help documentation to find out what properties are required to create a channel for
that driver.
For more information about the Project ID see the Concurrent Clients section.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1
The GET request will return a JSON blob similar to the following.
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Channel1",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER": "Simulator",
"servermain.CHANNEL_DIAGNOSTICS_CAPTURE": false,
"servermain.CHANNEL_UNIQUE_ID": 2154899492,
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193 KEPServerEX
"servermain.CHANNEL_WRITE_OPTIMIZATIONS_METHOD": 2,
…
To update or change a channel property, a PUT request is sent to the channel with the Project ID and the
new property value defined. In the following example, the channel name will change from Channel1 (from
above) to Simulator.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Simulator"
}
Following the PUT, a GET can be sent to the channel’s endpoint to validate that the property changed. In this
case, because the name was changed, the endpoint also changed and the GET request would be the fol-
lowing.
N ote: Some properties are client restricted and cannot be changed when a client is connected.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/channels/Simulator
The response from the GET request should show the property value has changed. The response to the GET
above should look similar to the following:
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Simulator",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER": "Simulator",
"servermain.CHANNEL_DIAGNOSTICS_CAPTURE": false,
"servermain.CHANNEL_UNIQUE_ID": 2154899492,
"servermain.CHANNEL_WRITE_OPTIMIZATIONS_METHOD": 2,
…
Endpoint (DELETE):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/channels/Simulator
This can be verified by sending a GET to the removed endpoint. The server will respond with an error. It can
also be verified with a GET to the "channels" endpoint; the removed channel will not be in the list of channels
returned from the GET request.
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General Properties
common.ALLTYPES_NAME
common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION
servermain.DEVICE_CHANNEL_ASSIGNMENT
servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER
servermain.DEVICE_MODEL
servermain.DEVICE_ID_STRING
servermain.DEVICE_DATA_COLLECTION
servermain.DEVICE_SIMULATED
Scan M ode
servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE_RATE_MS
servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE_RATE_MS
servermain.DEVICE_SCAN_MODE_PROVIDE_INITIAL_UPDATES_FROM_CACHE
Auto Demotion
servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_ENABLE_ON_COMMUNICATIONS_FAILURES
servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_DEMOTE_AFTER_SUCCESSIVE_TIMEOUTS
servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_PERIOD_MS
servermain.DEVICE_AUTO_DEMOTION_DISCARD_WRITES
Tag Generation
servermain.DEVICE_TAG_GENERATION_GROUP
servermain.DEVICE_TAG_GENERATION_ALLOW_SUB_GROUPS
Tip: To Invoke Automatic Tag Generation, send a PUT with an empty body to the TagGeneration service
endpoint on the device.
N ote: All files in the user_data directory must be world readable or owned by the ThingWorx Kepware
Edge user and group that were created during installation, by default tkedge.
See Also: For more information see Services help.
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195 KEPServerEX
Timing
servermain.DEVICE_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
servermain.DEVICE_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS
servermain.DEVICE_RETRY_ATTEMPTS
servermain.DEVICE_INTER_REQUEST_DELAY_MILLISECONDS
See Also: The server help system Configuration API Service section.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the device end-
point under a channel.
The example below will create a device named Device1 under Channel1 that uses the Simulator driver on a
server running on the local host.
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “Device1”,
“servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER”: “Simulator”
}
Refer to the driver specific help documentation to find out what properties are required to create a device for
that driver.
For more information about the Project ID, see the Concurrent Clients section.
In the example below, the device being updated is Device1 under Channel1.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1
The GET request will return a JSON blob similar to the following.
Body:
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KEPServerEX 196
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Device1",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER": "Simulator",
"servermain.DEVICE_MODEL": 0,
"servermain.DEVICE_UNIQUE_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"servermain.DEVICE_CHANNEL_ASSIGNMENT": "Channel1",
…
To update or change a device property a PUT request is sent to the device with the Project ID and the new
property value defined. In the following example the device name will change from Device1 (from above) to
Simulator.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Simulator"
}
Following the PUT, a GET can be sent to the device endpoint to validate that the property changed. In this
case, because the name was changed, the endpoint also changed and the GET request would be the fol-
lowing.
N ote: Some properties are client restricted and cannot be changed when a client is connected.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Simulator
The response from the GET request will show the property value has changed. The response to the GET
above should look similar to the following.
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Simulator",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.MULTIPLE_TYPES_DEVICE_DRIVER": "Simulator",
"servermain.DEVICE_MODEL": 0,
"servermain.DEVICE_UNIQUE_ID": <device_ID_from_GET>,
"servermain.DEVICE_CHANNEL_ASSIGNMENT": "Channel1",
…
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197 KEPServerEX
Endpoint (DELETE):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Simulator
This can be verified by sending a GET to the removed endpoint. The server will respond with an error. It can
also be verified with a get to the devices endpoint and the removed device will not be in the list of devices
returned from the GET request.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the tags endpoint
under a device.
The example below will create a tag named MyTag for address R5 under Channel1/Device1 that uses the
Simulator driver on a server running on the local host.
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tags
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “MyTag”,
"servermain.TAG_ADDRESS": "R5"
}
Tags can also be created within a tag group. The process for adding a tag group is the same except the URL
will change to include the tag_group endpoint and the group name.
In the following example, the tag group RampTags already exists and a tag named MyTag will be created
under it with the address R5.
For more information on creating a tag group, see Creating a Tag Group section.
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tag_group/RampTags/tags
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “MyTag”,
"servermain.TAG_ADDRESS": "R5"
}
Refer to the driver specific help documentation to find out what properties are required to create a tag for that
driver.
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KEPServerEX 198
For more information about the Project ID see the Concurrent Clients section.
In the example below, the tag being updated is MyTag under Channel1/Device1.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tags/MyTag
The GET request will return a JSON blob similar to the following.
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "MyTag",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.TAG_ADDRESS": "R0005",
"servermain.TAG_DATA_TYPE": 5,
"servermain.TAG_READ_WRITE_ACCESS": 1,
"servermain.TAG_SCAN_RATE_MILLISECONDS": 100,
…
To update or change a tag property, a PUT request is sent to the tag with the Project ID and the new prop-
erty value defined.
In the following example, the tag name will change from MyTag (from above) to Tag1.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tags/MyTag
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Tag1"
}
Following the PUT a GET can be sent to the tag’s endpoint to validate that the property changed. In this case,
because the name was changed, the endpoint also changed and the GET request would be the following.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tags/Tag1
The response from the GET request will show the property value has changed. The response to the GET
above should look similar to the following.
Body:
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199 KEPServerEX
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "Tag1",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.TAG_ADDRESS": "R0005",
"servermain.TAG_DATA_TYPE": 5,
"servermain.TAG_READ_WRITE_ACCESS": 1,
"servermain.TAG_SCAN_RATE_MILLISECONDS": 100,
…
Endpoint (DELETE):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tags/Tag1
This can be verified by sending a GET to the removed endpoint. The server will respond with an error. It can
also be verified with a get to the tags endpoint and the removed tag will not be in the list of tags returned
from the GET request.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the tag_groups
endpoint under a device.
The example below will create a tag group named RampTags under Channel1/Device1 that uses the Sim-
ulator driver on a server running on the local host.
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tag_groups
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “RampTags”
}
Tag groups can have tags and more tag groups nested under them. To add a Tag, see the Creating a Tag sec-
tion.
To nest a Tag Group within another group, another POST action is required to add the existing group name
and the tag_groups endpoint to the end of the URL.
Continuing the example above, the new request would look like the following.
Endpoint (POST):
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KEPServerEX 200
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tag_groups/RampTags/tag_
groups
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “1-10”
}
In the example below, the tag group being updated is RampTags under Channel1/Device1.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tag_groups/RampTags
The GET request will return a JSON blob similar to the following.
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "RampTags",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.TAGGROUP_LOCAL_TAG_COUNT": 0,
"servermain.TAGGROUP_TOTAL_TAG_COUNT": 0,
"servermain.TAGGROUP_AUTOGENERATED": false
}
To update or change a tag group property, a PUT request is sent to the tag group with the Project ID and the
new property value defined.
In the following example, the tag group name will change from RampTags (from above) to RampGroup.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tags/MyTag
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "RampGroup"
}
Following the PUT, a GET can be sent to the tag group endpoint to validate that the property changed. In this
case, because the name was changed, the endpoint also changed and the GET request would be the fol-
lowing.
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201 KEPServerEX
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tag_groups/RampGroup
The response from the GET request will show the property value has changed. The response to the GET
above should look similar to the following.
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": <project_ID_from_GET>,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "RampTags",
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "",
"servermain.TAGGROUP_LOCAL_TAG_COUNT": 0,
"servermain.TAGGROUP_TOTAL_TAG_COUNT": 0,
"servermain.TAGGROUP_AUTOGENERATED": false
}
Endpoint (DELETE):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/tag_groups/RampGroup
This can be verified by sending a GET to the removed endpoint. The server will respond with an error. It can
also be verified with a get to the tag_groups endpoint and the removed tag group will not be in the list of tag
groups returned from the GET request.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the server_users
endpoint.
The example below creates a user named User1 that is a member of the server Administrators user group:
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_users
Body:
{
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "User1",
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_USER_GROUPNAME": "Administrators",
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_USER_PASSWORD": "<Password>"
}
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The product Administrator password must be at least 14 characters, no more than 512 characters, and
include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid well-known, easily
guessed, or common passwords.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the server_user-
s/<username> endpoint.
The example below updates the user named User1 to add a description and move it to a different user
group:
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_users/User1
Body:
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a POST request to the server_user-
groups endpoint.
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups
Body:
{
“common.ALLTYPES_NAME”: “Operators”,
}
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Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a PUT request to the server_user-
groups/<groupname> endpoint.
The example below updates the user group named Operators to have permissions to modify server settings,
cause clients to be disconnected, and loading new runtime projects; it also updates the description of the
group:
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups/Operators
Body:
{
"common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION": "User group for standard operators",
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_SERVER_MODIFY_SERVER_SETTINGS": true,
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_SERVER_DISCONNECT_CLIENTS": true,
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_SERVER_REPLACE_RUNTIME_PROJECT": true
}
N ote: Group permissions for the administrator group are locked and cannot be modified by any user to
prevent an administrator from accidentally disabling a permission that could prevent administrators from
modifying any user permissions. Only users in the Administrator group can modify the permissions for other
groups.
Endpoint (DELETE):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_users/Operators
The User Manager has four built-in groups that each contain a built-in user. The default groups are Admin-
istrators, Server Users, Anonymous Clients, and ThingWorx Interface Users. The default users in these
groups are Administrator, Default User, Data Client, and ThingWorx Interface. Users cannot rename or
change the description fields of built-in user groups or users. Neither the default groups nor the default
users can be disabled.
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To allow adequate access for data transfer between the server and the ThingWorx Platform, project modi-
fication must be enabled for the ThingWorx Interface Users group. The request to grant the correct access
for this functionality should look similar to the following:
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups/ThingWorx Inter-
face Users/project_permissions/Servermain Project
Body:
{
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_PROJECTMOD_EDIT": true
}
N otes:
1. Although the Administrator's group settings cannot be changed, additional administrative users can
be added to the group.
3. There is no ”Project_ID” property on the User Management endpoints. All PUTs are accepted and the
last PUT to a given endpoint is applied.
User Groups
Endpoint: https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups
Supported Actions
HTTP(S) Verb Act ion
POST Create the specified group
GET Retrieves a list of all groups
DELETE Removes the specified group and all of its users
Endpoint: https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups/<GroupName>
Supported Actions
HTTP(S) Verb Act ion
GET Retrieves the specified group
PUT Updates the specified group
DELETE Removes the specified user
Properties
Propert y N ame Type Required Descript ion
common.ALLTYPES_NAME String Yes Specify the identity of this object.
Provide a brief summary of this object
common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION String No
or its use.
libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_ Enable/Disable No The group's enabled-state takes pre-
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KEPServerEX 206
Project Permissions
Endpoint: https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups/<GroupName>/project_per-
missions
Supported Actions
HTTP(S) Verb Act ion
GET Retrieves a list of all project permissions
Child Endpoints
Properties
Endpoint Descript ion
/config/v1/admin/server_user-
Configure default 'Servermain Alias' access per-
groups/<GroupName>/project_per-
missions for the selected user group.
missions/Servermain Alias
/config/v1/admin/server_user-
Configure default 'Servermain Channel' access
groups/<GroupName>/project_per-
permissions for the selected user group.
missions/Servermain Channel
/config/v1/admin/server_user-
Configure default 'Servermain Device' access
groups/<GroupName>/project_per-
permissions for the selected user group.
missions/Servermain Device
Configure default 'Servermain Meter Order'
/config/v1/admin/server_user-
access permissions for the selected user group.
groups/<GroupName>/project_per-
N ote: Add and delete properties are disabled
missions/Servermain Meter Order
for this endpoint.
/config/v1/admin/server_user-
Configure default 'Servermain Phone Number'
groups/<GroupName>/project_per-
access permissions for the selected user group.
missions/Servermain Phone Number
Configure default 'Servermain Phone Priority'
/config/v1/admin/server_user-
access permissions for the selected user group.
groups/<GroupName>/project_per-
N ote: Add and delete properties are disabled
missions/Servermain Phone Priority
for this endpoint.
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207 KEPServerEX
Endpoint: https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_usergroups/<GroupName>/project_per-
missions/<PermissionName>
Supported Actions
HTTP(S) Verb Act ion
GET Retrieves the specified project permission
PUT Updates the specified project permission
Properties
Propert y N ame Type Descript ion
common.ALLTYPES_NAME String Specify the identity of this object.
Provide a brief summary of this object or its
common.ALLTYPES_DESCRIPTION String
use.
libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_ Allow/deny users belonging to the group to
Enable/Disable
PROJECTMOD_ADD add this type of object.
libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_ Allow/deny users belonging to the group to
Enable/Disable
PROJECTMOD_EDIT edit this type of object.
libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_ Allow/deny users belonging to the group to
Enable/Disable
PROJECTMOD_DELETE delete this type of object.
Users
Endpoint: https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_users
Supported Actions
HTTP(S) Verb Act ion
POST Create the specified user
GET Retrieves a list of all users
Endpoint: https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_users/<UserName>
Supported Actions
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KEPServerEX 208
Configurat ion API Service — Configuring User Group Project Perm issions
All user groups contain a collection of project permissions. Each project permission corresponds to a spe-
cific permission applied when interacting with objects in the project. All permissions are always present
under a user group (and therefore cannot be created nor deleted). An individual project permission can be
granted or denied by updating that specific project permission under the desired User Group.
Only members of the Administrators group can update a user group’s project permissions.
There is no PROJECT_ID field for project permissions.
Using a REST-based API tool such as Postman, Insomnia, or Curl; make a PUT request to the project_per-
missions/<permission_name> endpoint.
The example below updates the user-created user group named Operators to grant permission to users of
that group to add, edit, and delete channels:
Endpoint (POST):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/admin/server_user-
groups/Operators/project_permissions/Servermain Channel
Body:
{
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_PROJECTMOD_ADD": true,
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_PROJECTMOD_EDIT": true,
"libadminsettings.USERMANAGER_PROJECTMOD_DELETE": true
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209 KEPServerEX
Service Architecture
Services are designed to provide stateless interaction with the object on which they operate. Services are
comprised of two components: a service and a job. The job executes the work asynchronously and provides
a mechanism through which a client can monitor the job for completion or for any errors that occurred dur-
ing its operation. After a job completes, it is scheduled for deletion automatically by the server; no action is
required by the client to clean up the job after it completes.
Service
The service is the interface through which an action is invoked. The service exposes all parameters that can
be specified during its invocation as properties. To see the available parameters, perform a HTTPS GET on
the service endpoint. All properties, besides the name and description of the service, are the parameters
that can be included when invoking a service. Depending on the service, some or all parameters may be
required.
Invocation of a service is accomplished by performing a HTTPS PUT request on the service endpoint with any
parameters specified in the body of the request. Services may limit the total number of concurrent invoc-
ations. If the maximum number of concurrent invocations has been reached, the request is rejected with an
"HTTPS 429 Too Many Requests" response. If the limit has not been reached, the server responds with an
"HTTPS 202 Accepted" response and the body of the response including a link to the newly created job.
{
"code": 202,
"message": "Accepted",
"href": "https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/services/ProjectLoad/jobs/job1"
}
{
"code": 429,
"message": "The server is busy. Retry the operation at a later time."
}
Job
The job represents a specific request accepted by the server. To check the status of a job, perform a HTTPS
GET request on the job endpoint. The serverm ain.JOB_COMPLETE property represents the current state of
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KEPServerEX 210
the job as a Boolean. The value of this property remains false until the job has finished executing. If the job
fails to execute for any reason, it provides the client with an appropriate error message in the server-
m ain.JOB_STATUS_MSG property.
Job Cleanup
Jobs are automatically deleted by the server after a configurable amount of time. By default, after a job has
completed, the client has 30 seconds to interact with it before the job is deleted. If a longer amount of time is
required by the client or the client is operating over a slow connection, the client can use the server-
m ain.JOB_TIME_TO_LIVE_SECON D parameter when invoking the service to increase the time-to-live up to a
maximum of five minutes. Each job has its own time-to-live and it may not be changed after a job has been
created. Clients are not allowed to manually delete jobs from the server, so it is best to choose the shortest
time-to-live without compromising the client’s ability to get the information from the job before it is deleted.
To initiate Automatic Tag Generation, a PUT is sent to the TagGeneration endpoint with a defined empty pay-
load. In the following example, Automatic Tag Generation is initiated on Channel1/Device1.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/services/TagGeneration
Body:
{
"code": 202,
"message": "Accepted",
"href": "https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/-
con-
fig/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/services/TagGeneration/jobs/job1"
}
This means the request was accepted and the job was created as job1. The status of the job can be seen by
querying the job. This is done by sending a GET to the job’s endpoint. The GET request should look like the fol-
lowing.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/-
con-
fig/v1/project/channels/Channel1/devices/Device1/services/TagGeneration/jobs/job1
Jobs are automatically cleaned up after their wait time has expired. This wait time is configurable.
See the Job Cleanup section for more information.
N ote: Not all drivers support Automatic Tag Generation.
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211 KEPServerEX
Tip: Automatic Tag Generation files must be located in the <installation_directory>/user_data directory. All
files in the user_data directory must be world readable or owned by the KEPServerEX user and group that
were created during installation, by default this is tkedge.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/services/ProjectLoad
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": 3531905431,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "ProjectLoad",
"servermain.JOB_TIME_TO_LIVE_SECONDS": 30,
"servermain.PROJECT_FILENAME": "",
"servermain.PROJECT_PASSWORD": ""
}
To initiate the project load, a PUT request is sent to the server with the absolute path to the project file, the
project file password, and the Project ID. If there is no password on the project, that field is not required. Pro-
ject loading supports SOPF, OPF, and JSON file types. The request should look similar to the following.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/services/ProjectLoad
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": 3531905431,
"servermain.PROJECT_FILENAME": "/Absolute/Path/To/MyProject.json",
"servermain.PROJECT_PASSWORD": ""
}
Body:
{
"code": 202,
"message": "Accepted",
"href": "https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/services/ProjectLoad/jobs/job1"
}
This means the request was accepted and the job was created as job1. The status of the job can be seen by
querying the job. This is done by sending a GET to the job’s endpoint. The GET request should look like the fol-
lowing.
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KEPServerEX 212
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/ProjectLoad/jobs/job1
Jobs are automatically cleaned up after their wait time has expired. This wait time is configurable.
See the Job Cleanup section for more information.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/ProjectSave
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": 2401921849,
"common.ALLTYPES_NAME": "ProjectSave",
"servermain.JOB_TIME_TO_LIVE_SECONDS": 30,
"servermain.PROJECT_FILENAME": ""
}
To initiate the project save a PUT request is sent with the project file path and name of the file with the exten-
sion (SOPF, OPF, or JSON), the password to encrypt it with, and the Project ID. The password property is
required for SOPF file and ignored otherwise. The path is relative to the Application Data Folder. The PUT
request should look similar to the following.
Endpoint (PUT):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/services/ProjectSave
Body:
{
"PROJECT_ID": 2401921849,
"servermain.PROJECT_FILENAME": "Projects/MyProject.SOPF",
"servermain.PROJECT_PASSWORD": "MyPassword"
}
Body:
{
"code": 202,
"message": "Accepted",
"href": "https://<hostname_or_ip>:<-
port>/config/v1/project/services/ProjectSave/jobs/job1"
}
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213 KEPServerEX
This means the request was accepted and the job was created as job1. The status of the job can be seen by
querying the job. This is done by sending a GET to the job’s endpoint. The GET request should look like the fol-
lowing.
Endpoint (GET):
https://<hostname_or_ip>:<port>/config/v1/project/ProjectLoad/jobs/job1
Jobs are automatically cleaned up after their wait time has expired. This wait time is configurable.
See the Job Cleanup section for more information.
l HTTPS/1.1 200 OK
l HTTPS/1.1 201 Created
l HTTPS/1.1 202 Accepted
l HTTPS/1.1 207 Multi-Status
l HTTPS/1.1 400 Bad Request
l HTTPS/1.1 401 Unauthorized
l HTTPS/1.1 403 Forbidden
l HTTPS/1.1 404 Not Found
l HTTPS/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
l HTTPS/1.1 500 Internal Server Error
l HTTPS/1.1 503 Server Runtime Unavailable
l HTTPS/1.1 504 Gateway Timeout
l HTTPS/1.1 520 Unknown Error
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KEPServerEX 214
N ote: Although the viewer can be accessed when capture is disabled, there are no diagnostics until it is
enabled.
For information on enabling OPC diagnostics, refer to Project Properties — OPC DA, Project Properties —
OPC UA Settings, and Project Properties — OPC HDA.
For information on the log settings properties, refer to Settings - Event Log.
To save an OPC Diagnostics file, click File | Save As and select OPC Diagnostic Files (* .opcdiag).
View M enu
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215 KEPServerEX
l Live Data When enabled, this option displays any persisted OPC Diagnostics data that is currently
available from the Event Log. The default setting is enabled. For more information, refer to Live Data
Mode.
l File Data When enabled, this option displays data from a saved OPC Diagnostics file. The default set-
ting is disabled. For more information, refer to File Data Mode.
l Always on Top When enabled, this option forces the OPC Diagnostics window to remain on the top
of all other application windows. The default setting is enabled.
l Autoscroll When enabled, this option scrolls the display as new events are received to ensure that
the most recent event is visible. It turns off when users manually select an event (or when a selection
is made by Find/Find Next).
l Toolbar When enabled, this option displays a toolbar of icons for quick access to the options avail-
able through the File, Edit, and View menus. The default setting is enabled.
l Inform ation Bar When enabled, this option displays a bar of information above the OPC Diagnostics
data. The default setting is enabled.
Find
This dialog searches the Diagnostics View for key information transferred between the client and server. For
example, this search functionality can be used to find all actions on a particular item ID or group name.
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KEPServerEX 216
N ote: When an event or detail with the specified text is found, the line containing the text is highlighted.
To perform a Find Next operation (and look for the next occurrence of the specified text), press "F3". When
the last occurrence is found, a message box indicates this condition. Users can change the search criteria at
any time by pressing "Ctrl+F".
Filter
This dialog specifies which events is visible in the OPC Diagnostics Viewer. For example, most clients make
continuous GetStatus calls into the server to determine whether the server is still available. By filtering this
event, users can just examine the diagnostics data. The filtering applied is to the view, not to the capture. All
event types are captured regardless of the filter settings. Furthermore, because filters can be applied while
the dialog is open, settings can be changed and applied independently. Changes may be made without clos-
ing and reopening the dialog.
N ote: Each method (such as "IOPCCommon" or "GetErrorString") of every OPC Data Access 1.0, 2.0, and
3.0 interface that is supported by the server is available as a filter.
l Check Selected: When clicked, this button enables all events under the selected item for viewing. All
methods for all interfaces are selected by default.
For more information, refer to OPC DA Events and OPC UA Services.
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217 KEPServerEX
l Uncheck Selected When clicked, this button enables all event types and methods under the selected
item.
l Im port When clicked, this button allows users to select an INI file for import to the Filter.
l Export When clicked, this button allows users to export the Filter as an INI file.
N otes:
1. Because the Filter settings are persisted when the OPC Diagnostics Viewer is closed, users can
reopen and view the OPC diagnostic files at a later time. Files opened in File Data Mode may be
filtered. When a file is saved from the OPC Diagnostics Viewer, only the events that are displayed as a
result of the applied filter is saved. If an unfiltered data file is required, users must turn off filtering
before saving the file.
2. The server's performance is affected when diagnostic information is captured because it is an addi-
tional layer of processing that occurs between the client/server communications. Furthermore, log-
ging OPC Diagnostics in the Extended Datastore Persistence Mode can consume a lot of disk space.
The Windows Event Viewer reports any related errors. For information on persistence modes, refer to
Settings - Event Log.
OPC DA Event s
For more information on a specific OPC Diagnostic Event, select a link from the list below.
IClassFact ory
Server
IOPCCommon
IOPCServer
IConnect ionPoint Cont ainer (Server)
IConnect ionPoint (Server)
IOPCBrowse
IOPCBrowseServerAddressSpace
IOPCIt emPropert ies
IOPCIt emIO
Group
IOPCGroupSt at eM gt
IOPCGroupSt at eM gt 2
IOPCIt emM gt
IOPCIt emDeadbandM gt
IOPCIt emSamplingM gt
IOPCSyncIO
IOPCSyncIO2
IOPCAsyncIO
IDat aObject
IAdviseSink
IAsyncIO2
IAsyncIO3
IConnect ionPoint Cont ainer (Group)
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KEPServerEX 218
IClassFactory
The IClassFactory interface contains several methods intended to deal with an entire class of objects. It is
implemented on the class object for a specific class of objects and is identified by a CLSID.
l QueryInterface: The client can ask the object whether it supports any outgoing interfaces by calling
QueryInterface for IConnectionPointContainer. If the object answers "yes" by handing back a valid
pointer, the client knows it can attempt to establish a connection.
l AddRef: Increments the reference count for an interface on an object. It should be called for every
new copy of a pointer to an interface on a given object.
l Release: Decreases the reference count of the interface by 1.
l CreateInstance: Creates an uninitialized object.
l LockServer: Allows instances to be created quickly when called by the client of a class object to keep
a server open in memory.
Server
The client calls CoCreateInstance to create the server object and the initial interface.
l QueryInterface: The client can ask the object whether it supports any outgoing interfaces by calling
QueryInterface for IConnectionPointContainer. If the object answers "yes" by handing back a valid
pointer, the client knows it can attempt to establish a connection.
l AddRef: Increments the reference count for an interface on an object. It should be called for every
new copy of a pointer to an interface on a given object.
l Release: Decreases the reference count of the interface by 1.
IOPCCommon
This interface is used by all OPC server types (DataAccess, Alarm&Event, Historical Data, and so forth). It
provides the ability to set and query a Locale ID which would be in effect for the particular client/server ses-
sion. The actions of one client do not affect other clients.
l GetErrorString: Returns the error string for a server specific error code. The expected behavior is
that this includes handling of Win32 errors as well (such as RPC errors).
l GetLocaleID: Returns the default Locale ID for this server/client session.
l QueryAvailableLocaleIDs: Returns the available Locale IDs for this server/client session.
l SetClientN am e: Allows the client to optionally register a client name with the server. This is included
primarily for debugging purposes. The recommended behavior is that users set the Node name and
EXE name here.
l SetLocaleID: Sets the default Locale ID for this server/client session. This Locale ID is used by the
GetErrorString method on this interface. The default value for the server should be LOCALE_SYSTEM_
DEFAULT.
IOPCServer
This is an OPC server's main interface. The OPC server is registered with the operating system as specified
in the Installation and Registration Chapter of this specification.
l AddGroup: Adds a group to a server. A group is a logical container for a client to organize and manip-
ulate data items.
l CreateGroupEnum erator: Creates various enumerators for the groups provided by the server.
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219 KEPServerEX
l GetErrorString: Returns the error string for a server specific error code.
l GetGroupByN am e: Returns an additional interface pointer when given the name of a private group
(created earlier by the same client). Use GetPublicGroupByName to attach to public groups. This func-
tion can be used to reconnect to a private group for which all interface pointers have been released.
l GetStatus: Returns current status information for the server.
l Rem oveGroup Deletes the group. A group is not deleted when all the client interfaces are released,
since the server itself maintains a reference to the group. The client may still call GetGroupByName
after all the interfaces have been released. RemoveGroup() causes the server to release its 'last' ref-
erence to the group, which results in the group being deleted.
IConnectionPointContainer (Server)
This interface provides the access to the connection point for IOPCShutdown.
l Enum ConnectionPoints: Creates an enumerator for the connection points supported between the
OPC group and the client. OPCServers must return an enumerator that includes IOPCShutdown. Addi-
tional vendor specific callbacks are allowed.
l FindConnectionPoint: Finds a particular connection point between the OPC server and the client.
OPCServers must support IID_IOPCShutdown. Additional vendor specific callbacks are allowed.
IConnectionPoint (Server)
This interface establishes a call back to the client.
l Advise: Establishes an advisory connection between the connection point and the caller's sink object.
l Enum Connections: Creates an enumerator object for iteration through the connections that exist to
this connection point.
l GetConnectionInterface: Returns the IID of the outgoing interface managed by this connection
point.
l GetConnectionPointContainer: Retrieves the IConnectionPointContainer interface pointer to the
connectable object that conceptually owns the connection point.
l Unadvise: Terminates an advisory connection previously established through the Advise method.
l ShutdownRequest Allows the server to request that all clients disconnect from the server.
IOPCBrow se
IOPCBrowse interface provides improved methods for browsing the server address space and for obtaining
the item properties.
IOPCBrow seServerAddressSpace
This interface provides a way for clients to browse the available data items in the server, giving the user a
list of the valid definitions for an item ID. It allows for either flat or hierarchical address spaces and is
designed to work well over a network. It also insulates the client from the syntax of a server vendor specific
item ID.
l BrowseAccessPaths: Provides a way to browse the available AccessPaths for an item ID.
l BrowseOPCItem IDs: Returns an IENUMString for a list of item IDs as determined by the passed prop-
erties. The position from which the browse is made can be set in ChangeBrowsePosition.
l ChangeBrowserPosition: Provides a way to move up, down or to in a hierarchical space.
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KEPServerEX 220
l GetItem ID: Provides a way to assemble a fully qualified item ID in a hierarchical space. This is
required since the browsing functions return only the components or tokens that make up an item ID
and do not return the delimiters used to separate those tokens. Also, at each point one is browsing
just the names below the current node (e.g. the units in a cell).
l QueryOrganization: Provides a way to determine if the underlying system is inherently flat or hier-
archical and how the server may represent the information of the address space to the client. Flat
and hierarchical spaces behave somewhat different. If the result is flat, the client knows that there is
no need to pass the Branch or Leaf flags to BrowseOPCItem IDs or to call ChangeBrowsePosition.
IOPCItemProperties
This interface can be used to browse the available properties associated with an item ID as well as to read
the properties' current values.
l GetItem Properties: Returns a list of the current data values for the passed ID codes.
l LookUpItem IDs: Returns a list of item IDs for each of the passed ID codes if any are available. These
indicate the item ID which could be added to an OPC group and used for more efficient access to the
data corresponding to the item properties.
l QueryAvailableProperties: Returns a list of ID codes and descriptions for the available properties
for this item ID. This list may differ for different item IDs. This list is expected to be relatively stable
for a particular item ID, although it could be affected from time to time by changes to the underlying
system's configuration. The item ID is passed to this function because servers are allowed to return
different sets of properties for different item IDs.
IOPCItemIO
The purpose of this interface is to provide an easy way for basic applications to obtain OPC data.
l Read: Reads one or more values, qualities, and timestamps for the items specified. This is func-
tionally similar to the IOPCSyncIO::Read method.
l WriteVQT: Writes one or more values, qualities, and timestamps for the items specified. This is func-
tionally similar to the IOPCSyncIO2::WriteVQT except that there is no associated group. If a client
attempts to write VQ, VT, or VQT it should expect that the server will write them all or none at all.
Group
The client calls CoCreateInstance to create the server object and the initial interface.
l QueryInterface: The client can ask the object whether it supports any outgoing interfaces by calling
QueryInterface for IConnectionPointContainer. If the object answers "yes" by handing back a valid
pointer, the client knows it can attempt to establish a connection.
l AddRef: Increments the reference count for an interface on an object. It should be called for every
new copy of a pointer to an interface on a given object.
l Release: Decreases the reference count of the interface by 1.
IOPCGroupStateM gt
IOPCGroupStateMgt allows the client to manage the overall state of the group. Primarily, this accounts for
changes made to the group's update rate and active state.
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221 KEPServerEX
l SetN am e: Changes the name of a private group. The name must be unique. The name cannot be
changed for public groups. Group names are required to be unique with respect to an individual cli-
ent to server connection.
l SetState: Sets various properties of the group. This represents a new group which is independent of
the original group.
IOPCGroupStateM gt2
This interface was added to enhance the existing IOPCGroupStateMgt interface.
l SetKeepAlive: Causes the server to provide client callbacks on the subscription when there are no
new events to report. Clients can be assured of the health of the server and subscription without
resorting to pinging the server with calls to GetStatus().
l GetKeepAlive: Returns the currently active keep-alive time for the subscription.
IOPCItemM gt
This interface allows a client to add, remove and control the behavior of items is a group.
l AddItem s: Adds one or more items to a group. It is acceptable to add the same item to the group
more than once, generating a second item with a unique ServerHandle.
l CreateEnum erator: Creates an enumerator for the items in the group.
l Rem oveItem s: Removes items from a group. Removing items from a group does not affect the
address space of the server or physical device. It indicates whether or not the client is interested in
those particular items.
l SetActiveState: Sets one or more items in a group to active or inactive. This controls whether or not
valid data can be obtained from read cache for those items and whether or not they are included in
the IAdvise subscription to the group. Deactivating items does not result in a callback, since by defin-
ition callbacks do not occur for inactive items. Activating items generally results in an IAdvise callback
at the next UpdateRate period.
l SetClientHandles: Changes the client handle for one or more items in a group. In general, it is expec-
ted that clients set the client handle when the item is added and not change it later.
l SetDataTypes: Changes the requested data type for one or more items in a group. In general, it is
expected that clients set the requested data type when the item is added and not change it later.
l ValidateItem s: Determines if an item is valid and could be added without error. It also returns
information about the item such as canonical datatype. It does not affect the group in any way.
IOPCItemDeadbandM gt
Force a callback to IOPCDataCallback::OnDataChange for all active items in the group, whether they have
changed or not. Inactive items are not included in the callback. The MaxAge value determines where the
data is obtained. There is only one MaxAge value, which determines the MaxAge for all active items in the
group. This means some of the values may be obtained from cache while others could be obtained from the
device, depending on the "freshness" of the data in the cache.
l SetItem Deadband: Overrides the deadband specified for the group for each item.
l GetItem Deadband: Gets the deadband values for each of the requested items.
l ClearItem Deadband: Clears the individual item PercentDeadband, effectively reverting them back
to the deadband value set in the group.
IOPCItemSamplingM gt
This optional interface allows the client to manipulate the rate at which individual items within a group are
obtained from the underlying device. It does not affect the group update rate of the callbacks for
OnDataChange.
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KEPServerEX 222
l SetItem Sam plingRate: Sets the sampling rate on individual items. This overrides the update rate of
the group as far as collection from the underlying device is concerned. The update rate associated
with individual items does not affect the callback period.
l GetItem Sam plingRate: Gets the sampling rate on individual items, which was previously set with
SetItemSamplingRate.
l ClearItem Sam plngRate: Clears the sampling rate on individual items, which was previously set with
SetItemSamplingRate. The item reverts to the update rate of the group.
l SetItem BufferEnable: Requests that the server turns on or off, depending on the value of the Enable
property, the buffering of data for the identified items, which are collected for items that have an
update rate faster than the group update rate.
l GetItem BufferEnable: Queries the current state of the servers buffering for requested items.
IOPCSyncIO
IOPCSyncIO allows a client to perform synchronous read and write operations to a server. The operations
run to completion.
l Read: Reads the value, quality and timestamp information for one or more items in a group. The func-
tion runs to completion before returning. The data can be read from cache in which case it should be
accurate to within the UpdateRate and percent deadband of the group. The data can be read from
the device, in which case an actual read of the physical device must be performed. The exact imple-
mentation of cache and device reads are not defined by the specification.
l Write: Writes values to one or more items in a group. The function runs to completion. The values
are written to the device, meaning that the function should not return until it verifies that the device
has actually accepted or rejected the data. Writes are not affected by the active state of the group or
item.
IOPCSyncIO2
This interface was added to enhance the existing IOPCSyncIO interface.
l ReadMaxAge: Reads one or more values, qualities and timestamps for the items specified. This is
functionally similar to the OPCSyncIO::Read method except no source is specified (device or cache).
The server determines whether the information is obtained from the device or cache. This decision is
based on the MaxAge property. If the information in the cache is within the MaxAge, the data is
obtained from the cache; otherwise, the server must access the device for the requested inform-
ation.
l WriteVQT: Writes one or more values, qualities and timestamps for the items specified. This is func-
tionally similar to the IOPCSyncIO::Write except that Quality and Timestamp may be written. If a client
attempts to write VQ, VT or VQT it should expect that the server will write to all or none.
IOPCAsyncIO
IOPCAsyncIO allows a client to perform asynchronous read and write operations to a server. The operations
are queued and the function returns immediately so that the client can continue to run. Each operation is
treated as a transaction and is associated with a Transaction ID. As the operations are completed, a callback
is made to the IAdvise Sink in the client (if one is established). The information in the callback indicates the
Transaction ID and the error results. By convention, 0 is an invalid Transaction ID.
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l Refresh: Forces a callback for all active items in the group, whether they have changed or not. Inact-
ive items are not included in the callback.
l Write: Writes one or more items in a group. The results are returned via the IAdviseSink connection
established through the IDataObject.
IDataObject
IDataObject is implemented on the OPCGroup rather than on the individual items. This allows the creation of
an Advise connection between the client and the group using the OPC Data Stream Formats for the efficient
data transfer.
l DAdvise: Creates a connection for a particular stream format between the OPC group and the client.
l DUnadvise: Terminates a connection between the OPC group and the client.
IAdviseSink
The client only has to provide a full implementation of OnDataChange.
l OnDataChange: This method is provided by the client to handle notifications from the OPC group for
exception based data changes, Async reads and Refreshes and Async Write Complete.
IAsyncIO2
This interface is similar to IOPCAsync(OPC 1.0) and is intended to replace IOPCAsyncIO. It was added in OPC
2.05.
IAsyncIO3
This interface was added to enhance the existing IOPCAsyncIO2 interface.
l ReadMaxAge: Reads one or more values, qualities and timestamps for the items specified. This is
functionally similar to the OPCSyncIO::Read method except it is asynchronous and no source is spe-
cified (device or cache). The server determines whether the information is obtained from the device
or cache. This decision is based on the MaxAge property. If the information in the cache is within the
MaxAge, the data is obtained from the cache; otherwise, the server must access the device for the
requested information.
l WriteVQT: Writes one or more values, qualities and timestamps for the items specified. The results
are returned via the client's IOPCDataCallback connection established through the server's ICon-
nectionPointContainer. This is functionally similar to the IOPCAsyncIO2::Write except that Quality and
Timestamp may be written. If a client attempts to write VQ, VT or VQT it should expect that the server
will write them all or none at all.
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IConnectionPointContainer (Group)
This interface provides functionality similar to the IDataObject but is easier to implement and to understand.
It also provides the functionality missing from the IDataObject interface. The client must use the new IOPCA-
syncIO2 interface to communicate via connections established with this interface. The old IOPCAsnyc con-
tinues to communicate via IDataObject connections as in the past.
l Enum ConnectionPoints: Creates an enumerator for the connection points supported between the
OPC group and the client.
l FindConnectionPoint: Finds a particular connection point between the OPC group and the client.
IConnectionPoint (Group)
This interface establishes a call back to the client.
l Advise: Establishes an advisory connection between the connection point and the caller's sink object.
l Enum Connections: Creates an enumerator object for iteration through the connections that exist to
this connection point.
l GetConnectionInterface: Returns the IID of the outgoing interface managed by this connection
point.
l GetConnectionPointContainer: Retrieves the IConnectionPointContainer interface pointer to the
connectable object that conceptually owns the connection point.
l Unadvise: Terminates an advisory connection previously established through the Advise method.
IOPCDataCallback
To use connection points, the client must create an object that supports both the IUnknown and
IOPCDataCallback interface.
l OnDataChange: This method is provided by the client to handle notifications from the OPC group for
exception based data changes and Refreshes.
l OnReadCom plete: This method is provided by the client to handle notifications from the OPC group
on completion of Async reads.
l OnWriteCom plete: This method is provided by the client to handle notifications from the OPC group
on completion of AsyncIO2 Writes.
l OnCancelCom plete: This method is provided by the client to handle notifications from the OPC
group on completion of Async cancel.
IEnumOPCItemAttributes
IEnumOPCItemAttributes allows clients to find out the contents of a group and the attributes of those items.
Most of the returned information is either supplied by or returned to the client at the time it called AddItem.
l Clone: Creates a second copy of the enumerator. The new enumerator is initially in the same state
as the current enumerator.
l N ext: Fetches the next 'celt' items from the group.
l Reset: Resets the enumerator back to the first item.
l Skip: Skips over the next 'celt' attributes.
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For more information on the general principles of connection points, refer to Microsoft documentation.
OPC UA Services
For more information on a specific OPC Diagnostic Event, select a link from the list below.
At t ribut eServiceSet
DiscoveryServiceSet
M onit oredIt emServiceSet
Ot herServices
SecureChannelServiceSet
SessionServiceSet
Subscript ionServiceSet
ViewServiceSet
AttributeServiceSet
This service set provides services to access attributes that are part of nodes.
l Read: This service is used to read one or more attributes of one or more nodes. For constructed
attribute values whose elements are indexed, such as an array, this service allows clients to read the
entire set of indexed values as a composite, to read individual elements or to read ranges of ele-
ments of the composite.
l Write: This service is used to write values to one or more attributes of one or more nodes. For con-
structed attribute values whose elements are indexed, such as an array, this service allows clients to
write the entire set of indexed values as a composite, to write individual elements or to write ranges
of elements of the composite.
DiscoveryServiceSet
This service set defines services used to discover the endpoints implemented by a server and to read the
security configuration for those endpoints.
l FindServers: This service returns the servers known to a server or discovery server.
l GetEndpoints: This service returns the endpoints supported by a server and all of the configuration
information required to establish a secure channel and session.
M onitoredItemServiceSet
This service set allows clients to define monitored items to subscribe to data and events. Each monitored
item identifies the item to be monitored and the subscription to use to send notifications. The item to be mon-
itored may be any node attribute.
l CreateMonitoredItem s: This service is used to create and add one or more MonitoredItems to a Sub-
scription. A MonitoredItem is deleted automatically by the server when the Subscription is deleted.
l DeleteMonitoredItem s: This service is used to remove one or more MonitoredItems of a Sub-
scription. When a MonitoredItem is deleted, its triggered item links are also deleted.
l ModifyMonitoredItem s: This service is used to modify MonitoredItems of a Subscription. Changes
to the MonitoredItem settings are immediately applied by the server.
l SetMonitoringMode: This service is used to set the monitoring mode for one or more Mon-
itoredItems of a Subscription. Setting the mode to disabled causes all queued notifications to be
deleted.
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l SetTriggering: This service is used to create and delete triggering links for a triggering item.
Triggered items and their links cause a monitored item to report samples when their monitoring
mode doesn’t allow for that by default.
OtherServices
OtherServices represents miscellaneous services and notifications.
SecureChannelServiceSet
This service set defines services used to open a communication channel that ensures the confidentiality and
integrity of all messages exchanged with the server.
SessionServiceSet
This service set defines services for an application layer connection establishment in the context of a ses-
sion.
l ActivateSession: This service is used by the client to specify the identity of the user associated with
the session.
l Cancel: This service is used to cancel any outstanding service requests. Successfully cancelled ser-
vice requests shall respond with Bad_RequestCancelledByClient ServiceFaults.
l CloseSession: This service is used to terminate a session.
l CreateSession: This service is used by the client to create a Session and the server returns two val-
ues which uniquely identify the Session. The first value is the sessionId which is used to identify the
Session in the Server’s AddressSpace. The second is the authenticationToken which is used to asso-
ciate an incoming request with a Session.
SubscriptionServiceSet
Subscriptions are used to report notifications from MonitoredItems to a client.
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227 KEPServerEX
l Republish: This service requests the Subscription to republish a NotificationMessage from its
retransmission queue.
l SetPublishingMode: This service is used to enable or disable sending of notifications on one or
more subscriptions.
l TransferSubscriptions: This service is used to transfer a subscription and its MonitoredItems from
one Session to another.
View ServiceSet
Clients use the browse services of this service set to navigate through the AddressSpace.
l Browse: This service is used to discover the References of a specified Node. The browse service also
supports a primitive filtering capability.
l BrowseN ext: This service is used to request the next set of Browse or BrowseNext response inform-
ation that is too large to be sent in a single response. “Too large” in this context means that the
server is not able to return a larger response or that the number of results to return exceeds the max-
imum number of results to return that was specified by the client in the original browse request.
l RegisterN odes: This service can be used by clients to register the Nodes that they know they will
access repeatedly (e.g. Write, Read). It allows Servers to set up anything needed so that the access
operations will be more efficient.
l TranslateBrowsePathsToN odeIds: This service is used to request that the server translates one or
more browse paths to NodeIds. Each browse path is constructed of a starting Node and a Rel-
ativePath. The specified starting Node identifies the Node from which the RelativePath is based. The
RelativePath contains a sequence of ReferenceTypes and BrowseNames.
l UnregisterN odes: This service is used to unregister NodeIds that have been obtained via the
RegisterNodes service.
For more information on the general principles of connection points, refer to Microsoft documentation.
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KEPServerEX 228
between the server and the device. Users should be able to view the TX and RX events, as well as the Total
Event count.
N ote: Although the Communication Diagnostics Viewer can be opened when capture is disabled, there
are no diagnostics until it is enabled. When enabled, the viewer displays "Capturing". When disabled, the
viewer displays "Diagnostics capture disabled".
Reset Statistics
Clicking Reset Statistics sets the counts for TX, RX, Good Reads, Failed Reads, Good Writes, and Failed Writes
to zero. Total Events are not set to zero because it specifies the actual number of events in the viewer.
For information on the log settings, refer to Settings - Event Log.
If a communications problem persists, right-click in the Diagnostic Window to invoke the context menu. Then,
use the available selections to tailor the Diagnostic Window's operation.
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229 KEPServerEX
l Hex When enabled, the TX/RX details are formatted using hexadecimal notation.
l ASCII When enabled, the TX/RX details are formatted using ASCII notation.
l Find This option invokes a dialog for entering a search string to be applied to the event details. For
more information, refer to Find.
l Copy: This option formats the protocol capture buffer's contents as text for easy "cut and paste" into
an email or fax message. This information helps Technical Support analyze and diagnose many com-
munications issues.
l Save as Text File: This option saves all the events in the view to a specified file name (as text).
l Autoscroll: This option scrolls the display as new events are received to ensure that the most recent
one is visible. It is turned off when users manually select an event (or when a selection is made by
Find/Find Next).
l Always on Top: This option forces the Diagnostics Window to remain on the top of all other applic-
ation windows. This is the default setting.
l Delete All Events: This option clears the log being maintained by the Event Log and results in the
deletion of data.
Find
This dialog searches the Diagnostics View for key information transferred between the client and server.
Search all data for This field specifies the search criteria.
N ote: When an event or detail with the specified text is found, the line containing the text is highlighted.
To perform a Find Next operation (and look for the next occurrence of the specified text), press "F3". When
the last occurrence is found, a message box is displayed indicating this condition. Users can change the
search criteria at any time by pressing "Ctrl+F".
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Driver Information
The Driver Information window provides a summary of the driver's default settings. For example, each driver
displays its maximum number of supported channels.
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231 KEPServerEX
Sum m ary provides the driver name and type, the maximum number of supported channels, and the num-
ber of models in the driver.
COMM Defaults displays the driver's default settings, which may or may not match the settings of the
device being configured.
Driver flag definitions displays the driver library functions and indicates whether they have been enabled
in the driver.
Model Inform ation displays device-specific addressing and features. It lists the name for each supported
model in addition to its addressing values and other features.
The <nam e> device driver was not found or could not be loaded.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
1. If the project has been moved from one PC to another, the required drivers may have not been
installed yet.
2. The specified driver may have been removed from the installed server.
3. The specified driver may be the wrong version for the installed server version.
Possible Solution:
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KEPServerEX 232
3. Ensure that a driver has not been placed in the installed server directory (which is out of sync with the
server version).
Unable t o load t he '<nam e>' driver because m ore t han one copy exist s
('<nam e>' and '<nam e>'). Rem ove t he conflict ing driver and rest art t he
applicat ion.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
Multiple versions of the driver DLL exist in the driver's folder in the server.
Possible Solution:
1. Re-run the server install and re-install the specified drivers.
2. Contact Technical support and verify the correct version. Remove the driver that is invalid and restart
the server and load the project.
Possible Cause:
TAPI attempted to open the modem line for the server and encountered an error.
Possible Solution:
Correct the condition for the specified error. Then re-attempt to open the modem line.
Possible Cause:
Attempt failed due to issues in the driver.
Possible Solution:
Refer to the additional messages about the driver error and correct related issues.
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233 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
Attempt failed due to issues in the driver.
Possible Solution:
Refer to the additional messages about the driver error and correct related issues.
Possible Cause:
The server is unable to parse the specified XML file.
Possible Solution:
If the server project was edited using a third-party XML editor, verify that the format is correct via the
schemas for the server and drivers.
Possible Cause:
1. The project was created using a version of the server that contained a feature or configuration that
has been obsoleted and no longer exists in the server that is trying to load it.
2. The project was created in a server version that is not compatible with the version trying to load it.
Possible Solution:
Save project as XML(V5) or JSON(V6), remove the unsupported feature that is defined in the project file and
then save and load the updated project file into the server that is trying to load it.
Note:
Every attempt is made to ensure backwards compatibility in the server so that projects created in older ver-
sions may be loaded in newer versions. However, since new versions of the server and driver may have prop-
erties and configurations that do not exist in older versions, it may not be possible to open or load a older
project in a newer version.
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Unable t o backup project file t o '<pat h>' [<reason>]. The save operat ion
has been abort ed. Verify t he dest inat ion file is not locked and has
read/ writ e access. To cont inue t o save t his project wit hout a backup,
deselect t he backup opt ion under Tools | Opt ions | General and re-save
t he project .
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
1. The destination file may be not locked by another application.
2. The destination file or the folder where it is located does not allow read/write access.
Possible Solution:
1. Ensure that the destination file is not locked by another application, unlock the file, or close the applic-
ation.
2. Ensure that the destination file and with the folder where it is located allow read and write access.
<feat ure nam e> was not found or could not be loaded.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The feature is not installed or is not in the expected location.
Possible Solution:
Re-run the server install and select the specified feature for installation.
Device discovery has exceeded <count > m axim um allowed devices. Lim it
t he discovery range and t ry again.
Error Type:
Error
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235 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
Loading XML projects file allowed only in English environment.
Possible Solution:
Change the product language selection to English in Server Administration and try again.
Possible Cause:
Editing the JSON project file may have left it in an invalid state.
Possible Solution:
Revert any changes made to the JSON project file.
Possible Cause:
The specified device has a model that is not supported in this version of the server.
Possible Solution:
Open this project with a newer version of the server.
Aut o-generat ed t ag '<t ag>' already exist s and will not be overwrit t en.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Although the server is regenerating tags for the tag database, it has been set not to overwrite tags that
already exist.
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KEPServerEX 236
Possible Solution:
If this is not the desired action, change the setting of the "On Duplicate Tag" property for the device.
Unable t o generat e a t ag dat abase for device '<device>'. The device is not
responding.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
1. The device did not respond to the communications request.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the device is powered on and that the PC is on (so that the server can connect to it).
Possible Cause:
The specified device is not on, not connected, or in error.
Possible Solution:
Correct the device failure and retry the tag generation.
Aut o generat ion produced t oo m any overwrit es, st opped post ing error
m essages.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
1. To keep from filling the error log, the server has stopped posting error messages on tags that cannot
be overwritten during automatic tag generation.
2. Reduce the scope of the automatic tag generation or eliminate problematic tags.
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237 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
The target modem line is already open, likely because it is in use by another application.
Possible Solution:
Find the application holding the modem open and close or release it.
Possible Cause:
A hardware error was returned after a request was made for a tag in a device connected to the modem.
Possible Solution:
Disable data collection on the device. Enable it after the modem connects to the destination modem.
Note:
The error occurs on first scan and is not repeated.
Possible Cause:
An attempt was made to connect to the modem line with no specified COMM handle.
Possible Solution:
Verify the modem is installed and initialized correctly.
Possible Cause:
The modem is not in a state that allows dialing.
Possible Solution:
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KEPServerEX 238
To dial a number, the line must be idle. Monitor the _Mode Modem tag and dial when it indicates an idle
state.
Unable t o use net work adapt er '<adapt er>' on channel '<nam e>'. Using
default net work adapt er.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The network adapter specified in the project does not exist on this PC. The server uses the default network
adapter.
Possible Solution:
Select the network adapter to use for the PC and save the project.
See Also:
Channel Properties - Network Interface
Possible Cause:
The telephony service is not required to be running for the Runtime to start. When the service is disabled
and a serial driver is added to the project, this error message is reported.
Possible Solution:
1. If modem communication is not used, no action is required.
2. If modem communications are required, the telephony service must be started on the PC.
Possible Cause:
An attempt was made to set invalid parameters on the specified tag.
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239 KEPServerEX
Warning
Possible Cause:
The specified driver could not be loaded when the project started.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the version of the installed driver. Check the website to see if the driver version is correct for
the server version installed.
Note:
This problem is usually due to corrupted driver DLLs or drivers that are not compatible with the server ver-
sion.
Possible Cause:
An attempt was made to set invalid scaling parameters on the specified tag.
See Also:
Tag Properties - Scaling
Possible Cause:
TAPI Manager was unable to apply configuration changes to the server.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the cabling to the modem.
Possible Cause:
Communications with the specified device failed. The device has been demoted from the poll cycle.
Possible Solution:
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KEPServerEX 240
1. If the device fails to reconnect, investigate the reason behind the communications loss and correct it.
See Also:
Auto-Demotion
Possible Cause:
The IP address specified for a device on an Ethernet encapsulated channel is not a valid IP address.
Possible Solution:
Correct the IP in the XML file and re-load the project.
Note:
This error can occur when loading XML formatted projects that were created or edited with third-party XML
software.
The '<product >' driver does not current ly support XM L persist ence. Save
using t he default file form at .
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The specified driver does not support XML formatting.
Possible Solution:
Save the project in binary format.
Possible Cause:
The specified plug-in could not be loaded when the project started.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the version of the plug-in installed. Check the website to see if the plug-in version is compatible
with the server installed. If not, correct the server or re-run the server install.
2. If the plug-in is corrupt, delete it and then re-run the server install.
Note:
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241 KEPServerEX
This problem is usually due to corrupted plug-in DLLs or plug-ins that are not compatible with the server ver-
sion.
The t im e zone set for '<device>' is '<zone>'. This is not a valid t im e zone
for t he syst em . Default ing t he t im e zone t o '<zone>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The specified plug-in could not be loaded when the project started.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the version of the plug-in installed. Check the website to see if the plug-in version is compatible
with the server installed. If not, correct the server or re-run the server install.
2. If the plug-in is corrupt, delete it and then re-run the server install.
Possible Cause:
The specified plug-in could not be loaded when the project started.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the version of the plug-in installed. Check the website to see if the plug-in version is compatible
with the server installed. If not, correct the server or re-run the server install.
2. If the plug-in is corrupt, delete it and then re-run the server install.
Channel requires at least one num ber in it s phonebook for aut om at ic dial-
ing. | Channel = '<channel>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The Auto-Dial property is set to Enable and there are no entries in the phonebook.
Possible Solution:
If auto-dialing is desired, add a phone number entry to the phonebook. If auto-dialing is not desired, disable
Auto-Dial.
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Channel requires Aut o-Dial enabled and at least one num ber in it s phone-
book t o use a shared m odem connect ion. | Channel = '<channel>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Channel shares a modem with one or more existing channels and does not have Auto-Dial enabled or a
phone number for auto-dialing.
Possible Solution:
1. Enable Auto-Dial on the reported channel.
The specified net work adapt er is invalid on channel '%1' | Adapt er = '%2'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The network adapter specified in the project does not exist on this PC.
Possible Solution:
Select the network adapter to use for the PC and save the project.
See Also:
Channel Properties - Network Interface
No t ags were creat ed by t he t ag generat ion request . See t he event log for
m ore inform at ion.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The driver produced no tag information but declined to provide a reason why.
Possible Solution:
Event log may contain information that will help troubleshoot the issue.
Possible Cause:
The tag import filename includes a path.
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Possible Solution:
Remove the path from the filename.
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KEPServerEX 244
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245 KEPServerEX
Informational
A client applicat ion has enabled aut o-dem ot ion on device '<device>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
A client application connected to the server has enabled or disabled Auto Demotion on the specified device.
Possible Solution:
To restrict the client application from doing this, disable its ability to write to system-level tags through the
User Manager.
See Also:
User Manager
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KEPServerEX 246
Device '<device>' has been aut o-prom ot ed t o det erm ine if com -
m unicat ions can be re-est ablished.
Error Type:
Informational
The project file was creat ed wit h a m ore recent version of t his soft ware.
Error Type:
Informational
A client applicat ion has disabled aut o-dem ot ion on device '<device>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Phone num ber priorit y has changed. | Phone Num ber Nam e = '<nam e>',
Updat ed Priorit y = '<priorit y>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Tag generat ion result s for device '<device>'. | Tags creat ed = <count >.
Error Type:
Informational
Tag generat ion result s for device '<device>'. | Tags creat ed = <count >, Tags
overwrit t en = <count >.
Error Type:
Informational
Tag generat ion result s for device '<device>'. | Tags creat ed = <count >, Tags
not overwrit t en = <count >.
Error Type:
Informational
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247 KEPServerEX
Access t o object denied. | User = '<account >', Object = '<object pat h>', Per-
m ission =
Error Type:
Security
User m oved from user group. | User = '<nam e>', Old group = '<nam e>',
New group = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
User added t o user group. | User = '<nam e>', Group = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
User group has been renam ed. | Old nam e = '<nam e>', New nam e =
'<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
Perm issions definit ion has changed on user group. | Group = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
User has been renam ed. | Old nam e = '<nam e>', New nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
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KEPServerEX 248
Account '<nam e>' does not have perm ission t o run t his applicat ion.
Cont act t he syst em adm inist rat or.
Error Type:
Error
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249 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
User import file contained users and groups with slashes in the names.
Possible Solution:
Remove the slashes from user and group names in an older version of the server and export them again.
OPC ProgID has been added t o t he ProgID Redirect list . | ProgID = '<ID>'.
Error Type:
Informational
OPC ProgID has been rem oved from t he ProgID Redirect list . | ProgID =
'<ID>'.
Error Type:
Informational
The invalid ProgID ent ry has been delet ed from t he ProgID Redirect list . |
ProgID = '<ID>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Password for adm inist rat or was reset by t he current user. | Adm in-
ist rat or nam e = '<nam e>', Current user = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
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KEPServerEX 250
User m oved from user group. | User = '<nam e>', Old group = '<nam e>',
New group '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
User added t o user group. | User = '<nam e>', Group = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
User group has been renam ed. | Old nam e = '<nam e>', New nam e =
'<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
Perm issions definit ion has changed on user group. | Group = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
User has been renam ed. | Old nam e = '<nam e>', New nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
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251 KEPServerEX
Failed t o reset password for adm inist rat or. | Adm inist rat or nam e =
'<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
Password reset for adm inist rat or failed. Current user is not a Windows
adm inist rat or. | Adm inist rat or nam e = '<nam e>', Current user = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Security
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KEPServerEX 252
Failed t o replace exist ing aut o-generat ed devices on channel, delet ion
failed. | Channel = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
Channel is no longer valid. It m ay have been rem oved ext ernally while
await ing user input . | Channel = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
Device driver was not found or could not be loaded. | Driver = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV dat a. \ n\ nField buffer overflow reading ident ificat ion
record.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV dat a. \ n\ nDuplicat e field nam e. | Field = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
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253 KEPServerEX
Error im port ing CSV dat a. \ n\ nM issing field ident ificat ion record.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV record. \ n\ nField buffer overflow. | Record index =
'<num ber>'.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV record. \ n\ nInsert ion failed. | Record index = '<num -
ber>', Record nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
Unable t o launch applicat ion. | Applicat ion = '<pat h>', OS error = '<code>'.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV record. \ n\ n'M apped To' t ag address is not valid for
t his project . | Record index = '<num ber>', Tag address = '<address>'.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV record. \ n\ nAlias nam e is invalid. Nam es cannot con-
t ain double quot at ions or st art wit h an underscore. | Record index =
'<num ber>'.
Error Type:
Error
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KEPServerEX 254
Renam e failed. Nam es can not cont ain periods, double quot at ions or
st art wit h an underscore. | Proposed nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
Account '<nam e>' does not have perm ission t o run t his applicat ion.
Cont act t he syst em adm inist rat or.
Error Type:
Error
Error im port ing CSV record. Tag nam e is invalid. | Record index = '<num -
ber>', Tag nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Error im port ing CSV record. Tag or group nam e exceeds m axim um nam e
lengt h. | Record index = '<num ber>', M ax. nam e lengt h (charact ers) =
'<num ber>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Error im port ing CSV record. M issing address. | Record index = '<num ber>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Error im port ing CSV record. Tag group nam e is invalid. | Record index =
'<index>', Group nam e = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Close request ignored due t o act ive connect ions. | Act ive connect ions =
'<count >'.
Error Type:
Warning
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255 KEPServerEX
Warning
Virt ual Net work M ode changed. This affect s all channels and virt ual net -
works. See help for m ore det ails regarding t he Virt ual Net work M ode. |
New m ode = '<m ode>'.
Error Type:
Informational
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KEPServerEX 256
Informational
Shut t ing down for t he purpose of perform ing an inst allat ion.
Error Type:
Informational
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257 KEPServerEX
Saving project files wit h Project File Encrypt ion enabled as .OPF file t ype is
not support ed. Support ed file t ypes are .SOPF and .JSON.
Error Type:
Error
Saving project files wit h Project File Encrypt ion disabled as .SOPF file t ype
is not support ed. Support ed file t ypes are .OPF and .JSON.
Error Type:
Error
Account '<nam e>' does not have perm ission t o run t his applicat ion.
Cont act t he syst em adm inist rat or.
Error Type:
Error
Saving .<binary ext ension> and .JSON project files wit h a password is not
support ed. To save encrypt ed project files, use .<secure binary ext ension>.
Error Type:
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KEPServerEX 258
Error
Saving/ loading .<binary ext ension> and .JSON project files wit h a pass-
word is not support ed. To save encrypt ed project files, use .<secure binary
ext ension>.
Error Type:
Error
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259 KEPServerEX
Writ e request failed on it em '<nam e>'. The writ e dat a t ype '<t ype>' cannot
be convert ed t o t he t ag dat a t ype '<t ype>'.
Error Type:
Warning
<Nam e> successfully rem oved from t he service cont rol m anager dat abase.
Error Type:
Informational
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KEPServerEX 260
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261 KEPServerEX
Informational
Perm issions change applied on configurat ion session assigned t o <nam e>.
Error Type:
Security
Failed t o st art Script Engine server. Socket error occurred binding t o local
port . | Error = <error>, Det ails = '<inform at ion>'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The port conflicts with another application.
Possible Solution:
Use the server administration settings to update the Script Engine port.
An unhandled except ion was t hrown from t he script . | Funct ion = '<func-
t ion>', error = '<error>'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
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KEPServerEX 262
Possible Solution:
Correct the condition that lead to the exception, or update the script logic.
The Config API SSL cert ificat e cont ains a bad signat ure.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The HTTP or HTTPS port specified in the Config API settings is already bound by another application.
Possible Solution:
Change the configuration of the Config API or blocking application to use a different port, or stop the applic-
ation blocking the port.
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263 KEPServerEX
The configured version of TLS for t he Configurat ion API is no longer con-
sidered secure. It is recom m ended t hat only TLS 1.2 or higher is used.
Error Type:
Warning
Configurat ion API st art ed wit hout SSL on port <port num ber>.
Error Type:
Informational
Configurat ion API st art ed wit h SSL on port <port num ber>.
Error Type:
Informational
The OPC .NET server failed t o st art . Please see t he windows applicat ion
event log for m ore det ails. Also m ake sure t he .NET 3.5 Fram ework is
inst alled. | OS Error = '<error reason>'.
Error Type:
Error
The OPC .NET server failed t o st art because it is not inst alled. Please rerun
t he inst allat ion.
Error Type:
Error
Tim ed out t rying t o st art t he OPC .NET server. Please verify t hat t he
server is running by using t he OPC .NET Configurat ion M anager.
Error Type:
Warning
M issing server inst ance cert ificat e '<cert locat ion>'. Please use t he OPC UA
Configurat ion M anager t o reissue t he cert ificat e.
Error Type:
Error
Failed t o im port server inst ance cert : '<cert locat ion>'. Please use t he OPC
UA Configurat ion M anager t o reissue t he cert ificat e.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
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KEPServerEX 264
1. The file containing the server instance certificate does not exist or is inaccessible.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the file references a valid instance certificate to which the user has permissions.
The UA server cert ificat e is expired. Please use t he OPC UA Configurat ion
M anager t o reissue t he cert ificat e.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The validity period of the certificate is before the current system date.
Possible Solution:
1. Import a non-expired certificate.
A socket error occurred list ening for client connect ions. | Endpoint URL =
'<endpoint URL>', Error = <error code>, Det ails = '<descript ion>'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The endpoint socket returned an error while listening for client connections.
Possible Solution:
Note the details in the error message to diagnose the problem.
Possible Cause:
1. The UA server endpoint URL and the security policy are not supported in the UA Discovery Server.
2. The attempt to register the UA Server with the UA Discovery Server could not complete in the expec-
ted manner.
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265 KEPServerEX
Possible Solution:
Verify the UA Server endpoint URL and the security policy with the UA Discovery Server endpoints.
Possible Cause:
1. The UA Server application instance certificate validity period occurs before the current system date.
2. The file containing the server instance certificate does not exist or is inaccessible.
Possible Solution:
1. Import a non-expired certificate.
3. Verify the file references a valid instance certificate to which the user has permissions.
Possible Cause:
The endpoint configuration file is corrupt or doesn't exist.
Possible Solution:
Re-configure the UA Endpoint configuration and reinitialize the server.
Possible Cause:
1. The UA server endpoint URL and the security policy are not supported in the UA Discovery Server.
2. The attempt to unregister the UA Server from the UA Discovery Server could not complete in the
expected manner.
Possible Solution:
Verify the UA Server endpoint URL and the security policy with the UA Discovery Server endpoints.
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KEPServerEX 266
Possible Cause:
The endpoint is configured to use a network adapter that does not have a valid ipv4 address.
Possible Solution:
1. Re-configure the network adapter property with an adapter that has a valid ipv4 address.
Possible Cause:
Topic name is not valid.
Possible Solution:
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267 KEPServerEX
See Also:
Alias Maps
The area specified is not valid. Failed t o set t he subscript ion filt er. | Area
= '<area nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
The source specified is not valid. Failed t o set t he subscript ion filt er. |
Source = '<source nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
The Config API SSL cert ificat e cont ains a bad signat ure.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The HTTP or HTTPS port specified in the Config API settings is already bound by another application.
Possible Solution:
Change the configuration of the Config API or blocking application to use a different port, or stop the applic-
ation blocking the port.
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KEPServerEX 268
Warning
The configured version of TLS for t he Configurat ion API is no longer con-
sidered secure. It is recom m ended t hat only TLS 1.2 or higher is used.
Error Type:
Warning
Configurat ion API st art ed wit hout SSL on port <port num ber>.
Error Type:
Informational
Configurat ion API st art ed wit h SSL on port <port num ber>.
Error Type:
Informational
Connect ion t o ThingWorx failed. | Plat form = <host :port resource>, error =
<reason>.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The connection to the ThingWorx Platform could not be established.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the host, port, resource, and application key are all valid and correct.
2. Verify that the host machine can reach the Composer on the ThingWorx Platform.
3. Verify that the proper certificate settings are enabled if using a self-signed certificate or no encryp-
tion.
Possible Cause:
The item <TagName> could not be added to the server for scanning.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the tag exists on a valid channel and device.
2. Verify that the tag may be read using another client, such as the QuickClient.
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269 KEPServerEX
Error
Possible Cause:
The ThingWorx connection was terminated before the autobind process completed.
Possible Solution:
Wait to reinitialize or alter the ThingWorx project properties until after all autobinds have completed.
Possible Cause:
The connection to the ThingWorx Platform failed.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the host, port, resource, and application key are all valid and correct.
2. Verify that the host machine can reach the Composer on the ThingWorx Platform.
3. Verify that the proper certificate settings are enabled if using a self-signed certificate or no encryp-
tion.
4. Contact technical support with the error code and an application report.
Possible Cause:
Data is being dropped because the ThingWorx Platform is not available or too much data is being collected
by the instance.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that some data is updating on the ThingWorx Platform and that the platform is reachable.
2. Slow down the tag scan rate to move less data into the ThingWorx Platform.
It em failed t o publish; m ult idim ensional arrays are not support ed. | It em
nam e = '%s'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The item <ItemName> references a tag whose data is a multidimensional array.
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KEPServerEX 270
Possible Solution:
Modify the item to reference a tag with a supported datatype.
St ore and Forward dat ast ore unable t o st ore dat a due t o full disk.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The disk being used to store updates has been filled to within 500 MiB.
Possible Solution:
1. Free up some space on the disk being used to store updates.
2. Delete the data stored in the datastore using the _DeleteStoredData system tag.
3. Replace the disk being used to store data with a larger disk.
Possible Cause:
The ThingWorx Interface is not able to send updates to the platform as fast as the updates are being gen-
erated.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the ThingWorx Interface can connect to the ThingWorx Platform.
Connect ion t o ThingWorx was closed. | Plat form = <host :port resource>.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The connection was closed. The service was stopped or the interface is no longer able to reach the platform.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the native interface is enabled in the project properties.
2. Verify that the host machine can reach the Composer on the ThingWorx Platform.
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271 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
A property with this name already exists under this Thing.
Possible Solution:
1. Check the property to see if data is current.
2. If data is not current, delete the property under the Thing and run the AddItem service once again.
Possible Cause:
When the AddItem service is complete, a restart service is called on the Thing. This allows the Composer to
visualize the changes. Data changes are sent to the platform even when this error has been presented.
Possible Solution:
Relaunch the Composer to restart the Thing.
Possible Cause:
Unable to write to a tag due to a conversion issue.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the value to be written is within the appropriate range for the data type.
2. Verify that the data type of the tag in the server, as well as in the ThingWorx Platform, is correct and
consistent.
Possible Cause:
The tag had already been added to this Thing.
Possible Solution:
1. Check the property to see if data is current.
2. If data is not current, delete the property under the Thing and run the AddItem service once again.
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KEPServerEX 272
Possible Cause:
The tag was already removed from the Thing or no such tag exists.
Possible Solution:
If the tag still shows under the properties of the Thing, delete that property in the ThingWorx Composer.
The server is configured t o send an updat e for every scan, but t he push
t ype of one or m ore propert ies are set t o push on value change only. |
Count = <count >.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The push type in the ThingWorx Platform is set to change only for some items. This push type only updates
data on the platform when the data value changes.
Possible Solution:
To use the Send Every Scan option, set this value to Always.
The push t ype of one or m ore propert ies are set t o never push an updat e
t o t he plat form . | Count = <count >.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The push type in the ThingWorx Platform is set to Never for some items, which prevents any data changes
from being automatically updated on the platform.
Possible Solution:
If this is not the desired behavior, change the push type in the ThingWorx Platform.
Possible Cause:
The RemoveItems service could not remove the item because it is bound to a property and the Force Flag is
not set to True.
Possible Solution:
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273 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
Unable to write to a tag due to a conversion issue.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the data type of the tag in the server, as well as in the ThingWorx Platform, is correct and
consistent.
2. Verify that the value to be written is within the appropriate range for the data type.
Possible Cause:
Property updates for the named thing were not successfully published to the platform.
Possible Solution:
Check the platform's log for an indication of why property updates are failing, such as a permissions issue.
Unable t o connect or at t ach t o St ore and Forward dat ast ore. Using in-
m em ory st ore. | In-m em ory st ore size (updat es) = <count >.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
1. The Store and Forward service is not running.
2. The service does not have access to the specified storage directory.
3. There is a port conflict that prevents the Store and Forward service from accepting connections.
Possible Solution:
1. Restart the server runtime.
2. Verify the specified storage location is accessible by the Store and Forward service.
3. Resolve the port conflict by configuring a new port for Store and Forward in the server administration.
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KEPServerEX 274
St ore and Forward dat ast ore reset due t o file IO error or dat ast ore cor-
rupt ion.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
1. The datastore was corrupted by a user or another program.
3. An error occurred while attempting to read data from disk, possibly due to a hardware issue.
Possible Solution:
1. Use User Access Controls to limit the which users have access to the datastore location.
Unable t o apply set t ings change init iat ed by t he Plat form . Perm ission
Denied. | User = '<user nam e>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The user group "ThingWorx Interface Users" has the permissions "Project Modification:Servermain.Project"
set to "Deny".
Possible Solution:
Set the permission "Project Modification:Servermain.Project" on the user group "ThingWorx Interface Users"
to "Allow".
Possible Cause:
1. Refer to reason text for more information.
3. The ThingWorx Interface user account does not have sufficient privelages to perform the operation.
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275 KEPServerEX
Failed t o delet e st ored updat es in t he St ore and Forward dat ast ore.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
A hardware or operating system error prevented the operation from completing.
Possible Solution:
Restart the machine and try again.
Possible Cause:
1. Refer to reason text for more information.
3. The ThingWorx Interface user account does not have sufficient privelages to perform the operation.
Check t hat your Applicat ion Key is properly form at t ed and valid.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
The connection to the ThingWorx Platform failed due to bad authorization.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that application key has not expired.
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KEPServerEX 276
Possible Cause:
A connection was made to the ThingWorx Platform.
Reinit ializing ThingWorx connect ion due t o a project set t ings change ini-
t iat ed from t he plat form .
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
When using the SetConfiguration service, this message informs an operator viewing the server event log
that a change was made.
Dropping pending aut obinds due t o int erface shut down or reinit ialize. |
Count = <count >.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
A server shutdown or initialization was called while auto-binding was in process from an AddItems service
call.
Possible Solution:
Any Items not auto bound need to be manually created and bound in the ThingWorx Composer.
Possible Cause:
Part of the AddItems service is the autobind action. This action may take more time than the actual adding of
the item. This message alerts the operator to how many items have been autobound.
Reinit ializing ThingWorx connect ion due t o a project set t ings change ini-
t iat ed from t he Configurat ion API.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
When using the Configuration API, this message informs an operator viewing the server event log that a
change was made.
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277 KEPServerEX
Init ialized St ore and Forward dat ast ore. | Dat ast ore locat ion: '<locat ion>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
ThingWorx Native Interface is configured to use Store and Forward.
Successfully delet ed st ored dat a from t he St ore and Forward dat ast ore.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
A client used the _DeleteStoredData system tag to delete data cached for ThingWorx Interface in the Store
and Forward datastore.
Possible Cause:
The _ForwardMode system tag was written to by a connected client and the value of the write caused a set-
tings change.
Init ialized St ore and Forward dat ast ore. | Forward M ode = '<m ode>' |
Dat ast ore locat ion = '<locat ion>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
ThingWorx Native Interface is configured to use Store and Forward.
Error at t aching t o dat ast ore due t o an invalid dat ast ore pat h. | Pat h =
'<pat h>'
Error Type:
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KEPServerEX 278
Error
Possible Cause:
The path specified by the component using Store and Forward is invalid. Refer to that component's doc-
umentation and the validation error contained in the message's body for more information.
Possible Solution:
Correct the error noted in the message.
Failed t o st art St ore and Forward server. Socket error occurred binding t o
local port . | Error = <error>, Det ails = '<inform at ion>'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The port conflicts with another application.
Possible Solution:
Use the server administration settings to update the Store and Forward port.
File corrupt ion encount ered when at t aching t o dat ast ore; dat ast ore recre-
at ed. | Dat ast ore pat h = '<pat h>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
A file used by the datastore was corrupted by the system, another application, or a user.
Possible Solution:
1. The old datastore is automatically replaced, no user action is needed.
2. If this problem occurs repeatedly, consider changing the datastore directory to a location that cannot
be accessed by other applications or users.
Dat ast ore overwrit t en due t o a configurat ion change. | Dat ast ore pat h =
'<pat h>'.
Error Type:
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279 KEPServerEX
Informational
Possible Cause:
The datastore size parameter was changed.
Note:
Changing the datastore size results in all of the datastore's files being recreated. Unless data was actively
being stored in the datastore due to a disconnect from the ThingWorx Platform, it is unlikely that data was
lost.
Unable t o at t ach t o exist ing dat ast ore because t hat dat ast ore was cre-
at ed wit h an older version of t he server. Dat ast ore recreat ed. | Dat ast ore
pat h = '<pat h>'.
Error Type:
Informational
Possible Cause:
The server was upgraded to a version which uses a newer datastore format.
Possible Solution:
The old datastore was replaced with a new version datastore; no user action is needed.
Com port is in use by anot her applicat ion. | Port = '<port >'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
The serial port assigned to a device is being used by another application.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify that the correct port has been assigned to the channel.
Possible Cause:
The serial parameters for the specified COM port are not valid.
Possible Solution:
Verify the serial parameters and make any necessary changes.
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KEPServerEX 280
Possible Cause:
The server process has no resources available to create new threads.
Possible Solution:
Each tag group consumes a thread. The typical limit for a single process is about 2000 threads. Reduce the
number of tag groups in the project.
Possible Cause:
The specified COM port is not present on the target computer.
Possible Solution:
Verify that the proper COM port is selected.
Possible Cause:
The specified COM port could not be opened due an internal hardware or software problem on the target
computer.
Possible Solution:
Verify that the COM port is functional and may be accessed by other applications.
Connect ion failed. Unable t o bind t o adapt er. | Adapt er = '<nam e>'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
Since the specified network adapter cannot be located in the system device list, it cannot be bound to for
communications. This can occur when a project is moved from one PC to another (and when the project spe-
cifies a network adapter rather than using the default). The server reverts to the default adapter.
Possible Solution:
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281 KEPServerEX
Change the Network Adapter property to Default (or select a new adapter), save the project, and retry.
Possible Solution:
1. The underlying network subsystem is not ready for network communication. Wait a few seconds and
restart the driver.
2. The limit on the number of tasks supported by the Windows Sockets implementation has been
reached. Close one or more applications that may be using Winsock and restart the driver.
Possible Cause:
The version number of the Winsock DLL found on the system is older than 1.1.
Possible Solution:
Upgrade Winsock to version 1.1 or higher.
Socket error occurred binding t o local port . | Error = <error>, Det ails =
'<inform at ion>'.
Error Type:
Error
Possible Cause:
1. The connection between the device and the host PC is broken.
3. The named device may have been assigned an incorrect device ID.
4. The response from the device took longer to receive than allowed by the Request Timeout device set-
ting.
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KEPServerEX 282
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the cabling between the PC and the PLC device.
2. Verify that the specified communications parameters match those of the device.
3. Verify that the device ID for the named device matches that of the actual device.
4. Increase the Request Timeout setting to allow the entire response to be handled.
Possible Cause:
1. The network connection between the device and the host PC is broken.
2. The communication parameters configured for the device and driver do not match.
3. The response from the device took longer to receive than allowed by the Request Timeout device set-
ting.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the cabling between the PC and the PLC device.
2. Verify that the specified communications parameters match those of the device.
3. Increase the Request Timeout setting to allow the entire response to be handled.
Serial com m unicat ions error on channel. | Error m ask = <m ask>.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
1. The serial connection between the device and the host PC is broken.
Possible Solution:
1. Investigate the error mask code and the related information.
3. Verify that the specified communication parameters match those of the device.
See Also:
Error Mask Codes
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283 KEPServerEX
Invalid array size det ect ed writ ing t o t ag <device nam e>.<address>.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Client trying to write before being updated.
Possible Solution:
Perform a read on the array before attempting a write.
Possible Cause:
1. The connection between the device and the host PC is broken.
3. The named device may have been assigned an incorrect device ID.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the cabling between the PC and the PLC device.
2. Verify that the specified communication parameters match those of the device.
3. Verify that the device ID given to the named device matches that of the actual device.
Possible Cause:
An attempt was made to change a channel or device configuration while data clients were connected to the
server and receiving data from the channel/device.
Possible Solution:
Disconnect all data clients from the server before making changes.
Possible Cause:
A tag address has been assigned an invalid address.
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KEPServerEX 284
Possible Solution:
Modify the requested address in the client application.
Possible Cause:
1. The connection between the device and the host PC is broken.
3. The named device may have been assigned an incorrect device ID.
Possible Solution:
1. Verify the cabling between the PC and the PLC device.
2. Verify that the specified communication parameters match those of the device.
3. Verify that the device ID given to the named device matches that of the actual device.
Socket error occurred connect ing. | Error = <error>, Det ails = '<inform -
at ion>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Communication with the device failed during the specified socket operation.
Possible Solution:
Follow the guidance in the error and details, which explain why the error occurred and suggest a remedy
when appropriate.
Socket error occurred receiving dat a. | Error = <error>, Det ails = '<inform -
at ion>'.
Error Type:
Warning
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285 KEPServerEX
Possible Cause:
Communication with the device failed during the specified socket operation.
Possible Solution:
Follow the guidance in the error and details, which explain why the error occurred and suggest a remedy
when appropriate.
Socket error occurred sending dat a. | Error = <error>, Det ails = '<inform -
at ion>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Communication with the device failed during the specified socket operation.
Possible Solution:
Follow the guidance in the error and details, which explain why the error occurred and suggest a remedy
when appropriate.
Socket error occurred checking for readabilit y. | Error = <error>, Det ails =
'<inform at ion>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Communication with the device failed during the specified socket operation.
Possible Solution:
Follow the guidance in the error and details, which explain why the error occurred and suggest a remedy
when appropriate.
Socket error occurred checking for writ abilit y. | Error = <error>, Det ails =
'<inform at ion>'.
Error Type:
Warning
Possible Cause:
Communication with the device failed during the specified socket operation.
Possible Solution:
Follow the guidance in the error and details, which explain why the error occurred and suggest a remedy
when appropriate.
%s |
Error Type:
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Informational
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287 KEPServerEX
Resources
In addition to this user manual, there are a variety of resources available to assist customers, answer ques-
tions, provide more detail about specific implementations, or help with troubleshooting specific issues.
Knowledge Base
Whit epapers
Connect ivit y Guides
Technical N ot es
Training Programs
Training Videos
Kepware Technical Support
PTC Technical Support
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KEPServerEX 288
Index
%s | 285
<
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289 KEPServerEX
Address 107
Address '<address>' is not valid on device '<name>'. 284
Administration 53
Alias 156
Alias Name 104
Alias Properties 103
Allow Desktop Interactions 155
Allow Sub Groups 89
An unhandled exception was thrown from the script. | Function = '<function>', error = '<error>'. 261
Anonymous 37, 62
Application Data 19
Apply 31
Architecture 179, 209
ASCII 229
Attempt to add DDE item failed. | Item = '<item name>'. 266
Attempt to add item '<name>' failed. 256
Attempting to automatically generate tags for device '<device>'. 245
Attempts Before Timeout 91
AttributeServiceSet 225
authentication 178
Auto-Demotion 86, 130
Auto-Dial 134
Auto-generated tag '<tag>' already exists and will not be overwritten. 235
Auto generation produced too many overwrites, stopped posting error messages. 236
Automatic Tag Generation 210
Autoscroll 229
Backup 58
BCD 99
Beginning device discovery on channel. | Channel = '<name>'. 255
Boolean 99
Browsing for Tags 143
Built-In Diagnostics 213
Button Bar 28
Byte 99
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Cannot add device. A duplicate device may already exist in this channel. 235
Certificate 69-70
Changing runtime operating mode. 249
Channel Assignment 84
Channel Creation Wizard 137
Channel is no longer valid. It may have been removed externally while awaiting user input. | Channel =
'<name>'. 252
Channel requires at least one number in its phonebook for automatic dialing. | Channel =
'<channel>'. 241
Channel requires Auto-Dial enabled and at least one number in its phonebook to use a shared modem
connection. | Channel = '<channel>'. 242
Char 99
Check that your Application Key is properly formatted and valid. 275
Child Endpoints 206
Clamp 99
Clamp High 107
Clamp Low 107
Client Access 107
Close request ignored due to active connections. | Active connections = '<count>'. 254
Closing project. | Project = '<name>'. 255
Com port does not exist. | Port = '<port>'. 280
Com port is in use by another application. | Port = '<port>'. 279
Comma-Separated Variable 106
Communication Diagnostics 227
Communication Parameters 86
Communication Serialization Tags 129
Communications Management 130
Communications Timeouts 90-91
Completed automatic tag generation for device '<device>'. 245
Components 21
Components and Concepts 73
Concurrent Clients 179
Configuration API Service 178
Configuration API started with SSL on port <port number>. 263, 268
Configuration API started without SSL on port <port number>. 263, 268
Configuration session assigned to <name> demoted to read only. 261
Configuration session assigned to <name> has ended. 261
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Failed to add tag '<tag>' because the address is too long. The maximum address length is
<number>. 237
Failed to autobind property. | Name = '<property name>'. 270
Failed to delete stored updates in the Store and Forward datastore. 275
Failed to import server instance cert
'<cert location >'. Please u se th e OPC UA Con figu ration M an ager to reissu e th e certificate. 263
Failed to import user information. 249
Failed to load library
<n am e>. 246
Failed to load the UA Server endpoint configuration. 265
Failed to open modem line '<line>' [TAPI error = <code>]. 232
Failed to read build manifest resource
<n am e>. 246
Failed to replace existing auto-generated devices on channel, deletion failed. | Channel = '<name>'. 252
Failed to reset password for administrator. | Administrator name = '<name>'. 251
Failed to restart Thing. | Name = '<thing name>'. 271
Failed to retrieve runtime project. 252
Failed to save embedded dependency file. | File = '<path>'. 254
Failed to start channel diagnostics 253
Failed to start Script Engine server. Socket error occurred binding to local port. | Error = <error>, Details
= '<information>'. 261
Failed to start Store and Forward server. Socket error occurred binding to local port. | Error = <error>,
Details = '<information>'. 278
Failed to trigger the autobind complete event on the platform. 268
Failed to update startup project '<name>'
<reason >. 258
FastDDE/SuiteLink 27
File corruption encountered when attaching to datastore 278
File is expected to be located in the 'user_data' subdirectory of the installation directory and of the form
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General 83
General failure during CSV tag import. 251
Generate 88
Generating Multiple Tags 143
GET Request URI 182
Group has been deleted. | Group = '<name>'. 248
ID 84
Identification 83
iFIX Database Manager 167
iFIX Native Interfaces 27
iFIX Signal Conditioning Options 171
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Job 209
Job Cleanup 210
JSON Response Structure 182
Language 187
LBCD 100
License 54
Line '<line>' is already in use. 237
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Name 84
Navigating the User Interface 28
Negate 99
Negate Value 107
Network Interface Selection 130
No comm handle provided on connect for line '<line>'. 237
No device driver DLLs were loaded. 252, 256
No dial tone on '<modem>'. 244
no persistence 59
No tags were created by the tag generation request. See the event log for more information. 242
Not connected to the event logger service. 256
Object 188
Object type '<name>' not allowed in project. 245
On Device Startup 88
On Duplicate Tag 89
On Property Change 88
One or more value change updates lost due to insufficient space in the connection buffer. | Number of
lost updates = <count>. 269
OnPoll 90
OPC-compliant 167
OPC .NET 26
OPC AE 23
OPC DA 23
OPC DA Services 225
OPC Diagnostic Events 217
OPC Diagnostics Viewer 213
OPC ProgID has been added to the ProgID Redirect list. | ProgID = '<ID>'. 249
OPC ProgID has been removed from the ProgID Redirect list. | ProgID = '<ID>'. 249
OPC UA 25
Opening an Encrypted Project 149
Opening project. | Project = '<name>'. 255
Operating Mode 84
Operation 178
Optimize a Server Project 158
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Options — General 31
Options — Runtime Connection 33
OtherServices 226
Overview: Creating Datablocks Inside iFIX Applications 167
Overwrite 89
Parent Group 89
Password 33, 37, 63, 65, 136, 148-149, 186
Password for administrator was reset by the current user. | Administrator name = '<name>', Current
user = '<name>'. 249
Password for user has been changed. | User = '<name>'. 248, 251
Password reset for administrator failed. Current user is not a Windows administrator. | Administrator
name = '<name>', Current user = '<name>'. 251
Permissions 20, 64
Permissions change applied on configuration session assigned to <name>. 261
Permissions definition has changed on user group. | Group = '<name>'. 247, 250
Persisted Datastores 59
Persistence Mode 59
Phone number priority has changed. | Phone Number Name = '<name>', Updated Priority =
'<priority>'. 246
Phonebook 133
Port 59, 87
Postman 192
Preserve 69
Preview 97
Process Array Data 159
Process Modes 21
Profile log message. | Message = '<log message>'. 262
Project Permissions 206
Project Properties 33
Project Properties — DDE 39
Project Properties — FastDDE/Suitelink 41
Project Properties — Identification 34
Project Properties — iFIX PDB Settings 42
Project Properties — OPC .NET 40
Project Properties — OPC AE 40
Project Properties — OPC DA Compliance 34
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Quick Client 54
QWord 100
Raw 99
Raw High 107
Raw Low 107
Redundancy 91
Reinitializing ThingWorx connection due to a project settings change initiated from the Configuration
API. 276
Reinitializing ThingWorx connection due to a project settings change initiated from the platform. 276
Rejecting attempt to change model type on a referenced device '<channel device>'. 238
Rejecting request to replace the project because it's the same as the one in use
'<n am e>'. 256
Remote line is busy on '<modem>'. 243
Remote line is not answering on '<modem>'. 243
Removing a Device 196
Removing a Tag 199
Removing a Tag Group 201
Removing a User or Group 203
Removing Channel 193
Rename failed. Names can not contain periods, double quotations or start with an underscore. | Pro-
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Tag Generation 87
Tag generation results for device '<device>'. | Tags created = <count>, Tags not overwritten =
<count>. 246
Tag generation results for device '<device>'. | Tags created = <count>, Tags overwritten = <count>. 246
Tag generation results for device '<device>'. | Tags created = <count>. 246
Tag Group Properties 101
Tag Management 105
Tag Name 107
Tag Properties — General 93
Tag Properties — Scaling 98
TAPI configuration has changed, reinitializing... 243
TAPI line initialization failed
<cod e>. 238
Template 106
Testing the Project 150
The '<product>' driver does not currently support XML persistence. Save using the default file
format. 240
The <name> device driver was not found or could not be loaded. 231
The area specified is not valid. Failed to set the subscription filter. | Area = '<area name>'. 267
The Config API is unable to load the SSL certificate. 262, 267
The Config API SSL certificate contains a bad signature. 262, 267
The Config API SSL certificate has expired. 262, 267
The Config API SSL certificate is self-signed. 262, 267
The configuration utility cannot run at the same time as third-party configuration applications. Close both
programs and open only the one you want to use. | Product = '<name>'. 255
The configured version of TLS for the Configuration API is no longer considered secure. It is recom-
mended that only TLS 1.2 or higher is used. 263, 268
The current language does not support loading XML projects. To load XML projects, change the product
language selection to English in Server Administration. 235
The endpoint '<url>' has been added to the UA Server. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been disabled. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been enabled. 248
The endpoint '<url>' has been removed from the UA Server. 248
The invalid ProgID entry has been deleted from the ProgID Redirect list. | ProgID = '<ID>'. 249
The OPC .NET server failed to start because it is not installed. Please rerun the installation. 263
The OPC .NET server failed to start. Please see the windows application event log for more details. Also
make sure the .NET 3.5 Framework is installed. | OS Error = '<error reason>'. 263
The phone number is invalid (<number>). 244
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The project file was created with a more recent version of this software. 246
The push type of one or more properties are set to never push an update to the platform. | Count =
<count>. 272
The ReadAtTime request timed out. | Elapsed Time = <seconds> (s). 266
The ReadProcessed request timed out. | Elapsed Time = <seconds> (s). 266
The server is configured to send an update for every scan, but the push type of one or more properties
are set to push on value change only. | Count = <count>. 272
The source specified is not valid. Failed to set the subscription filter. | Source = '<source name>'. 267
The specified network adapter is invalid on channel '%1' | Adapter = '%2'. 242
The tag import filename is invalid, file paths are not allowed. 242
The time zone set for '<device>' is '<zone>'. This is not a valid time zone for the system. Defaulting the
time zone to '<zone>'. 241
The UA server certificate is expired. Please use the OPC UA Configuration Manager to reissue the cer-
tificate. 264
The UA Server failed to initialize an endpoint configuration. | Endpoint Name
'<n am e>'. 266
The UA Server failed to register with the UA Discovery Server. | Endpoint URL
'<en d p oin t u rl>'. 264
The UA Server failed to unregister from the UA Discovery Server. | Endpoint URL
'<en d p oin t u rl>'. 265
The UA Server successfully registered with the UA Discovery Server. | Endpoint URL
'<en d p oin t u rl>'. 266
The UA Server successfully unregistered from the UA Discovery Server. | Endpoint URL
'<en d p oin t u rl>'. 266
ThingWorx 45
ThingWorx Native Interface 28
ThingWorx request to add item failed. The item was already added. | Item name = '<name>'. 271
ThingWorx request to remove an item failed. The item is bound and the force flag is false. | Item name =
'<name>'. 272
ThingWorx request to remove item failed. The item doesn't exist. | Item name = '<name>'. 272
This property may not be changed while the driver is processing tags. 284
Time Sync Threshold 90
Time Synchronization 89
Time Zone 90
Timed out trying to start the OPC .NET server. Please verify that the server is running by using the OPC
.NET Configuration Manager. 263
Timeouts to Demote 86
Timing 40
Title Bar 28
Type Definitions 184
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What is a Channel? 73
What is a Device? 83
What is a Tag Group? 101
What is a Tag? 91
What is the Alias Map? 102
What is the Event Log? 104
Winsock initialization failed. | OS error = <error>. 281
Winsock shut down failed. | OS error = <error>. 281
Winsock V1.1 or higher must be installed to use this driver. 281
Word 100
Work with Non-Normalized Floating Point Values 164
Write request failed on item '<name>'. Error scaling the write data. 259
Write request failed on item '<name>'. The write data type '<type>' cannot be converted to the tag data
type '<type>'. 259
Write request rejected on item reference '<name>' since the device it belongs to is disabled. 259
Write request rejected on read-only item reference '<name>'. 259
Write to property failed. | Property name = '<name>', reason = <reason>. 271
Write to property failed. | Thing name = '<name>', property name = '<name>', reason = <reason>. 273
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