OPC2net

OLE for Process Control™ (OPC™) is an emerging software standard designed to provide business applications with easy and common access to building- and industrial plant floor data. Traditionally, each software or application developer was required to write a custom interface, or server/driver, to exchange data with hardware field devices. OPC eliminates this requirement by defining a common, high performance interface that permits this work to be done once, and then easily reused by HMI, SCADA, Control and custom applications.

The OPC specification, as maintained by the OPC Foundation, is a non-proprietary technical specification, and defines a set of standard interfaces based upon Microsoft’s OLE/COM and technology and recently the XML technology. COM enables the definition of standard objects, methods, and properties for servers of real-time information such as distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, I/O systems, Fire Panels, Intrusion Systems, Access Control Systems and smart field devices. Additionally, with the use of Microsoft’s OLE Automation technology, OPC can provide office applications with building- and plant floor data via local-area networks, remote sites or the Internet.

OPC provides benefits to both end users and hardware/software manufacturers, including:

	·          Open connectivity : Users will be able to choose from a wider variety of plant floor devices and client software, allowing better utilization of best-in-breed applications.
	·          High performance : By using latest technologies such as "free-threading", OPC provides extremely high performance characteristics.
	·          Improved vendor productivity : Because OPC is an open standard, software and hardware manufacturers will be able to devote less time to connectivity issues and more time to application issues, eliminating a significant amount of duplication in effort.

OPC fosters greater interoperability between automation and control applications, field devices, and business and office applications. At DomesticSoft, we believe that OPC will be a required element of future industrial software applications and are firmly committed to its success.   

DomesticSoft has developed OPC2net a general OPC server independent of the underlying hardware protocol. Only a plug-in for each hardware protocol has to be implemented to enable a new type of hardware.

Additional information on OPC can be found at the OPC Foundation web site.

About OPC

About OPC2Net

Price Information

OPC Foundation®