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OPC UA Server

When a CODESYS Communication add-on is installed in your IDE – as usually the case in CODESYS standard installations– an OPC UA Server is available in addition to the PLC runtime systems.

To extend your application to include an OPC UA Server configuration, first add the Communication Manager object below your application and then the OPC UA Server object. After that, you can configure the server settings however you want.

When a suitable client is available (such as the UaExpert client), this client can read the variable interface of the controller and display its values at runtime (live values) in a structured way. The communication is established via a separate TCP connection. The security of these connections must be checked and set up separately.

The connection between the OPC UA Server and the client can be set up with encryption and safeguarded with OPC UA user management.

Supported functionality

Important

In runtime version V3.5 SP17 and higher, a device user management has to be set up by default for access to the CODESYS runtime systems.

However, the OPC UA Server provides the capability of allowing anonymous access, as long as this is explicitly granted. This permission is granted in the Change Communication Policy dialog on the Communication Settings tab of the device editor.

The OPC UA Server provides extensive features for accessing projected control data. This includes the following:

. Monitoring and notifications

  • Support for subscriptions and monitored items

  • Real-time reporting of value changes

  • Unlimited number of sessions, subscriptions, and monitored items

    The actual number depends on the platform and is determined by the performance of the controller.

. Imaging of the application

  • Deployment of the projected variables according to the "OPC UA Information Model for IEC 61131-3"

. Data access and browsing

  • Browsing the available data types, variables, and structures of the IEC application

  • Standardized read/write services

. Security and communication

  • Encrypted communication according to OPC UA Security Profile Basic256SHA256

  • Supported of Micro Embedded Device Server Profile

  • Sending of events according to the OPCUA standard

. Other
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