Overview:
The course focuses on the detailed description of the OPC DA specifications, and hands on development of OPC clients and servers, and standard software interface requirements.
Learning Environment:
OPC Level 3 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.
OPC Clients: Through examples and exercises participants learn the key responsibilities and function calls for developing simple OPC clients. The course focuses on OPC DA using the OPC Automation interface and Visual Basic to demonstrate the concepts. Topics include:
OPC Servers: This section covers in detail the various required and optional interfaces, and how they would be implemented in an OPC Server. Topics covered are relevant to all OPC server development, and are demonstrated using the MatrikonOPC Genie development framework. Topics covered include:
Connection: Robustness, timing issues
Common Interfaces: The mandatory functionality specified in OPC Common Definitions and Interfaces: client name, shutdown event notification, local support for result code translation.
Data Access: The mandatory functionality specified in the OPC Data Access Custom Interface Standards (DA 1.0a, 2.0x and 3.0)
OPC Groups: Addition, removal, and cloning of private groups. Group state management
OPC Items: Addition, removal, and validation of items in a group. Item configuration management
Browsing and Item Properties: Address space browsing (Hierarchical address space, Flat, filtering), and mandatory and optional item properties
