Niagara - OPC UA - Client/server - Configuration

The article outlines how to configure communication in the Niagara station with the OPC UA protocol (both client and server).

1. OPC UA server configuration

To properly start an OPC UA server on Niagara devices, it is required to install the "opcUaServer-rt" and "opcUaServer-wb""jar" modules from the platform using the Software Manager.

Open the "opcUaServer" module in the "Palette" window. Drag&drop the "OpcUaServer" component from the palette to the "/Config/Drivers" in the station, and then add the "OPCUaNamespace" component to the "OpcUaServer" component. In the newly created names space, new points can be added, relating to the real points existing in the station.

Next, go to the "AuthenticationService" and add the "OpcUaAuthenticationScheme" component from the "opcUaServer" palette to the "Authentication Schemes" folder.

Then, create a new user with network permissions (the "Network User" slot has to be set to true) in the "UserService", and in the "Authentication Scheme Number" slot select from a drop-down list the "OpcUaAuthenticationScheme" added in the previous step.

Further, it is required to:

for "Supervisor" it is sufficient to perform the "Restart" of the station from the platform in the "Application Director".
for the iSMA-B-MAC36NL controller, go to the "TCP/IP Configuration" in the platform and change the "Host Name" value to an exact IP address of one of the ports (e.g., "192.168.1.100" - however, it must be in line with one of the interfaces), which the "OPC server" service is hosted on. Then, perform a "Reboot" of the controller using the "Application Director" or "Platform Administration".
for the JACE-8000 controller, go to the "TCP/IP Configuration" in the platform and change the "Host Name" value either to the "localhost" value (which makes the server available on both Ethernet ports) or to an exact IP address of one of the ports (e.g., "192.168.1.100" - however, it must be in line with one of the interfaces), which the "OPC server" service is hosted on. Then, perform a "Reboot" of the controller using the "Application Director" or "Platform Administration".

WARNING: In the iSMA-B-MAC36NL controller, it is forbidden to enter the "localhost" value in the "Host Name", because it disables communication with the controller after performing a "Reboot".

While starting, the OPC UA server generates certificates required for its proper operation.

After a restart, go to the "/Config/Drivers/OpcUaServer" in the station, and open the "AX Property Sheet" view. Assuming previous steps have been performed correctly, all slots (read-only) under the "Server Info" should be filled, however, the most important slot is the "Opc Tcp Connection Address", which contents should be copied and shared with all client devices that are to be connected to this server.

2. OPC UA client configuration

To properly start the Opc UA server on Niagara devices, it is required to install the "opcUaClient-rt" and "opcUaClient-wb" "jar" modules from the platform using the Software Manager.

Open the "opcUaClient" module in the "Palette" window. Drag&drop the "OpcUaNetwork" component from the palette to the "/Config/Drivers" in the station, and then add the "OpcUaDevice" component to the "OpcUaNetwork" component. Open the created device in the "AX Property Sheet" view, and fill out the "Server Endpoint Url" (paste the link from the "Opc Tcp Connection Address" from the server), "User Name", and "Password" slots (set for the user created on the server). After saving the data, the driver tries to connect with the server, and, providing all has been configured properly, the "Server Info" slots should be filled in.

In the next step, go to the "Points" folder in the "Opc Ua Client Point Manager" view and discover points available on the server.