The OPC Foundation (Open Platform Communications, formerly Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control) is an
industry consortium that creates and maintains standards for open connectivity of
industrial automation devices and systems, such as
industrial control systems and
process control
An industrial process control in continuous production processes is a discipline that uses industrial control systems to achieve a production level of consistency, economy and safety which could not be achieved purely by human manual control. ...
generally. The OPC
standards specify the communication of industrial process data,
alarms and events, historical data and
batch process data between
sensors,
instruments, controllers, software systems, and
notification devices.
The OPC Foundation started in 1994,
as a task force comprising five industrial automation vendors (
Fisher-Rosemount, Rockwell Software,
Opto 22, Intellution, and Intuitive Technology),
with the purpose of creating a basic
OLE for Process Control
Open Platform Communications (OPC) is a series of standards and specifications for industrial telecommunication. They are based on Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) for process control.
An industrial automation task force developed the original st ...
specification.
OLE is a technology developed by
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washingt ...
for the
MS Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
operating system. The task force released the OPC standard in August 1996. The OPC Foundation was chartered to continue development of interoperability specifications and includes manufacturers and users of devices instruments, controllers, software and enterprise systems.
The OPC Foundation cooperates with other organizations, such as
MTConnect, who share similar missions.
OPC standards and specification groups
;
OPC Data Access
The OPC Data Access Specification is the first of a group of specifications known as the OPC Classic Specifications.
OPC Data Access is a group of client–server standards that provides specifications for communicating real-time data from dat ...
: This group of standards provides specifications for communicating real-time data from data acquisition devices such as
PLCs to display and interface devices like
Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI). The specifications focus on the continuous communication of data
; OPC Alarms and Events : Standards for communicating alarm and event data on demand, as opposed to the continuous communications in the OPC Data Access group
; OPC Batch : Standards to address the needs of
batch processes
; OPC Data eXchange : This group of standards addresses
server to server communications across industrial networks. The standards also address remote configuration, diagnostics, monitoring and management communications
;
OPC Historical Data Access : Standards for communicating stored data
; OPC Security : Standards for controlling client access to OPC compliant devices and systems
; OPC XML-DA : Builds on the OPC Data Access specifications to communicate data in XML. Incorporates
SOAP
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are used ...
and
Web services
; OPC Complex Data : Standards for specifying the communication of complex data types such as binary data and XML documents
; OPC Commands : Standards for communicating control commands to devices and systems
;
OPC Unified Architecture : An entirely new set of standards that incorporates all of the functionality of the above standards (and more), but does so using cross platform web services and other modern technology.
; OPC Certification : The OPC Foundation has a well established Certification Process. The OPC Foundation calls this the OPC Enhanced Certification Program.
The OPC Foundation enhanced the range for certification of OPC product to meet the increasing demand for reliable functionality and insured interoperability. The self-certification using the ComplianceTestTool (CTT) and the participation at an Interoperability Workshop (IOP) are now enhanced with a Certification in an independent test facility. According to the test specification here not only the OPC Data Access (DA2/3) interface is tested but also the overall behavior of the product in a real world environment is verified
OPC Certification
See also
*
Object Linking and Embedding
Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) is a proprietary technology developed by Microsoft that allows embedding and linking to documents and other objects. For developers, it brought OLE Control Extension (OCX), a way to develop and use custom user ...
References
{{reflist
External links
OPC Foundation
Automation organizations