Objectives:
Upon completion of OPC Level 1 & 2, graduates will have the following knowledge and skills:
Understand the various OPC specification including Data Access, Historical Data Access and Alarms & Events.
Install, configure, and test OPC servers & clients
Understand the benefits of OPC and how OPC components can be used to build efficient and flexible systems
Troubleshoot and diagnose common networking problems
Learn how to optimize an OPC solution to maximize the performance of a system
Target Audience:
Control and Application Engineers, Developers, Integrators, Managers, Operations Managers, Plant Floor Operators, Plant Managers, Product Managers
Learning Environment:
OPC Level I is held within a classroom environment where each student will be supplied with their own computer for the duration of the workshop. The workshop will be made up of lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and hands-on exercises. It will be an open and friendly environment that encourages discussion and participation. Students are welcome to discuss current connectivity issues they are faced with and learn from one another.
Module 1: Introduction to OPC: The course begins with an introduction to OPC and explains the fundamental concepts and vision of OPC. Through examples and case studies, participants will understand how OPC compares to traditional or proprietary connectivity methods. Emphasis will be placed on the OPC Data Access (DA), the most common specification. Also discussed is the history of OPC and how it has evolved into the largest connectivity standard used within the process control industry today. An introduction to the various OPC specifications will be presented along with the benefits of OPC.
Module 2: OPC Tunnelling Technology: OPC Tunnelling technology deals with the exchange of process data across different domains, WANS, unreliable networks and low bandwidth infrastructures. The factors that impact these environments will be explained and participants will be shown how OPC is used to resolve these issues. A hands-on exercise will configure and demonstrate the transfer of process data across different domains without having to configure DCOM.
Module 3: OPC Alarms & Events: The OPC Alarms and Events module begins by explaining the differences between alarms and events. OPC A&E types, conditions and sub-conditions, notifications, and states are all covered throughout the presentation. Alarms & Events State Diagrams are used to depict specific scenarios at the end of the module.
Module 4: OPC Redundancy: This module explains how redundancy can be applied to the different levels of the plant network to achieve the highest degree of communication reliability possible. Device, driver, and application level redundancy will be presented and discussed including connection policies, watchdog tags, diagnostics and statistics. Some discussion will include the business and economic impact redundant systems have on a plant.
Module 5: OPC Client Server Architecture: This module begins with a hands-on exercise of installing and configuring both OPC servers and clients. Students will become familiar with the concept of OPC by working through practical exercises that includes connecting to simulated devices and testing connections. Using an OPC client, students will read, write and configure data points.
Module 6: OPC Historical Data Access: This module looks at the intricacies of the OPC HDA (Historical Data Access) specification and how it differs from OPC DA (Data Access). Common OPC client applications such as trenders and spreadsheets will be demonstrated and OPC utilities will be used to transport and migrate historical data from one source to another. The module will conclude with a hands-on exercise that involves installing, configuring and collecting data using an OPC archiving client application.
Day 2 - Level 2 OPC Diagnostics and Optimization
Module 1: Networking: OPC is a communication technology that enables data movement from one device or application to another. Considering most data communication requires an Ethernet connection, an understanding of networking concepts is essential to configuring and implementing any OPC system. This module provides an in-depth understanding of OPC communication and the communication network. Students will learn to recognize various network-related problems within OPC applications and understand how these problems can impact overall operations. At the end of this module, students should be able to diagnose and repair network connections.
Module 2: DCOM Essentials: DCOM is the number one problem reported when working with OPC applications. This module will help participants understand the limitations of DCOM, recognize DCOM symptoms, and manage DCOM within current operations. Other objectives of this module are to understand how COM/DCOM technologies are related to OPC, to understand how DCOM communication actually works, and to learn how to configure DCOM. Throughout the module, various tools and methods are used in identifying DCOM issues. Participants will also learn how to get around the DCOM problem altogether by using alternate technologies.
Module 3: Troubleshooting Techniques: This module explores the various OPC tools and applications that can be used to debug networking and automation problems. The instructors works through a variety of hands-on exercises that are simulated versions of common problems typically encountered in plants, refineries and manufacturing environments. Students spend a portion of the afternoon using OPC applications to debug problems, recover client/server connections with other devices such as PLC’s, and diagnose communication errors though standard troubleshooting practices.
