Kepware Technologies

Automation’s Best Friend

1.888.Kepware
[email protected]
T E C H N O L O G I E S www.kepware.com

KEPServerEX ™

OPC Server Software – Maximize the Promise of OPC ™

KEPServerEX is an OPC server which provides direct connectivity between hundreds of different PLCs, devices,
and systems, and a wide variety of OPC client applications, including HMI, SCADA, Historian,
MES, ERP, and countless custom applications.

Employing the universally accepted OPC standard, KEPServerEX maximizes the promise of OPC and expedites
project development through the use of a single server interface, regardless of the control system in use.
Multiple device drivers can be “plugged in” to one application which centralizes communications and greatly
reduces user learning curves.

Automation’s Best Friend™

T E C H N O L O G I E S www.kepware.com
 r i v
D

Ease of Use r i ve
D
A single server interface that simplifies your projects

Industrial Strength and Easy to Use

t
Single Server Interface

lien
Our intuitive interface makes industrial connectivity so easy that within minutes you
Multiple device drivers can be “plugged in”
to one application which centralizes com-

/C ion
can be providing data to your application. KEPServerEX maximizes the promise of munications and greatly reduces user

I
OPC through the use of a single server interface, ensuring shorter product learning learning curves.

HMplicat
curves, reduced system training and maintenance costs, and improved network
reliability, regardless of the control system in use!

Ap
Methods used to manage and configure 3rd party OPC servers may vary from one
manufacturer to the next. This results in a continuous process of learning each new
OPC server when a new PLC or device is used. If the goal of OPC technology is to
provide a single, well defined and reliable interface to share data, then it would
seem only natural that this goal should be matched with a single user interface to
simplify configuration.

Unified User Interface for all drivers

This level of consistency comes from KEPServerEX’s plug-in design. Each of the 100
plus drivers plug into the KEPServerEX OPC server core. In addition to housing all
of the OPC functions, the server core also manages all interaction with users, thus
ensuring a consistent style for each driver. The result is a streamlined configuration
process regardless of the underlying control system or device. For users, it means
only needing to learn a single configuration method and development tool.

The plug-in nature of KEPServerEX also simplifies the operational environment of

the PC. With KEPServerEX, more than one driver can be plugged into the core at one
time, thus allowing systems that collect data from a wide range of devices to be
implemented with only a single OPC server.
Pr her TCP
op ne /I
Et e r

rie t P P N
Ov

ta ro et
Pr r i a
op l P
Se

rie rot
ta oc
r y ol

Pr r n
op e
Et

rie t P
he

t a ro t
ry o
 r i v
D

Features
r # 3
ve
Dri
Real world features for real world applications

Application Connectivity Support:

• OPC Data Access Version 1.0a, 2.05a, 3.0
• Fastdde & Suitelink for Wonderware, PDB Interface for iFix
• DDE Format CF_Text, DDE Format Advanced DDE

Plug-in Device Driver Connectivity

KEPServerEX supports serial and Ethernet connectivity to the
widest range of industrial control systems, including: Allen Bradley,
AutomationDirect, BACnet, GE, Honeywell, Mitsubishi, Modicon, Omron,
Siemens, Texas Instruments, Yokogawa and many more…

Modem Support:
The server supports the use of dial up modems to connect to remote devices.
Special Modem Tags in KEPServerEX become available at the channel level when
a dial-up network connection has been created. These tags can be used to dial
a remote device, monitor the modem status while connected, and terminate Quick Client:
the call. Modem support is enabled at the Channel level in the server project. We include an OPC Quick Client application to assist you with your initial
connectivity testing. It is a full-featured OPC client application, included free with
Ethernet Encapsulation: the KEPServerEX demo product suite from our website. Using Quick Client, you can
This allows KEPServerEX serial drivers to communicate to devices with serial access all data available to the server application, including System, Diagnostic,
communication over Ethernet. The driver will communicate in Ethernet and User-defined tags. After you’ve created a simple KEPServerEX project, auto
Encapsulation mode over Ethernet to a Terminal or Device Server, which launch Quick Client from the server toolbar to test your device connection.
then provides the serial communications to the device. This allows users
to incorporate legacy serial devices into their Ethernet network. Ethernet Auto Demotion:
Encapsulation is enabled at the Channel level of KEPServerEX. This parameter allows a driver to temporarily place a KEPServerEX device off-scan
in the event that a physical device is not responding. By placing a non-responsive
device off-line, the driver can continue to optimize its communications with
Ethernet Encapsulation is supported directly in other devices on the same channel. The driver will stop communications with
the KEPServerEX which enhances the the non-responsive device for a time specified in your project, then when that
reliability of the connection period is finished, the driver will re-start communications with the device.
regardless of what
terminal server
is in use.
rie t P P N
ta ro et
r y to w
co o r k
ls
Features
Cont’d

Real world features for real world applications

Tag Creation & Management:

Tag Grouping, Drag and Drop editing, and CSV Import / Export are
basic features provided to make it easier for you to organize your
next project. A feature that users find most useful is Automatic
Tag Database Generation. KEPServerEX supports automatic
generation of tags for select communication drivers.
Drivers that support this feature can either read tag
information directly from a device or generate tags
from stored tag data (like ladder logic files). The user
no longer needs to enter OPC tags into the server.

On-Line Fulltime:
KEPServerEX is on-line all the time, allowing
your application to be modified while the server
is communicating with client applications.
Almost all parameters can be changed while the
server is running, including com port and baud rate
configuration, along with tag editing and additions.

System & Diagnostic Tags

These tags exist in any KEPServerEX project. Although they
cannot be seen in the server tag view, they are browseable and
available to OPC clients. Use these tags to read as well as modify certain
server parameters from their runtime application. Examples include:
_Error, _Enabled, _SuccessfulWrites, _DeviceId, _EncapsulationIp,
_AutoCreateTagDatabase, _NetworkAdapter, _ConnectTimeout

OPC & Device Diagnostics:

This window provides both real-time and historical views of OPC events between
the client and server application. Device driver diagnostics provide real-time
data on the performance of your plug-in driver. All read and write operations
can be viewed in the diagnostic display window of the server, and can be
tracked directly in your OPC client application. This diagnostic feature is useful
to Kepware’s support team on the occasions when connectivity problems occur
during customer evaluations.

NT Service:
KEPServerEX runs as an NT Service under Windows NT/2000/XP/Server 2003.
Service operation is completely user-configurable from the Tools|Options
menu and can be changed at any time, allowing you to move from normal,
stand-alone program operation to NT service mode. Running as an NT
service is crucial for many applications where the server provides data to
OPC clients via DCOM. While running as a service, the server can continue
to supply OPC data across user log-in sessions and can be configured to
interact with the desktop, allowing changes to your server project.
Performance
Reliable connectivity for industrial applications

Experience High Performance Communications

KEPServerEX is designed for efficient operation throughout the entire product.
Each driver plug-in is developed to take advantage of any operational gain
that a given PLC or device offers for enhanced communication speed. Kepware’s
development team has written drivers on nearly every Microsoft platform dating
all the way back to DOS. This depth of development experience keeps us keenly
aware of how to develop and maintain high performance connectivity without
sacrificing quality.

Minimum Effort – Maximum Throughput

KEPServerEX is a truly multi-threaded application where drivers support up to 100 channels of communication and each channel is
a separate task running inside the server application. By distributing the communication load across multiple channels, maximum
throughput can be achieved. The use of multiple tasks to improve communication performance may immediately raise the concern about
potential negative impacts on the host PC. Rest assured, KEPServerEX has been real-world tested in applications actively polling over one-
hundred-thousand tags, producing only a negligible effect on the host PC’s CPU usage and memory.

Improve Communication Performance

Optimize your application by distributing your
device load across multiple channels.
Genuine Kepware Quality
Flawless 24/7 operations of your industrial application

Reliability through higher standards

Kepware recognizes that product quality assurance should be separate
from product development. Developers build and maintain the
software, and Quality Control personnel perform all testing. The QC
Our Technical Support Specialists are
team implements extensive testing methodologies to insure that familiar with the PLCs and devices
supported by KEPServerEX and we
products will meet the 24/7 performance and reliability needs of keep this hardware in house so the
industrial applications. The goal is to eliminate troublesome issues Kepware team can quickly investigate
customer problems if encountered.
so customers have a flawless experience in the field. Kepware’s
Quality Control Team tests every KEPServerEX driver plug-in.

ROVED
APP

OPC Foundation Compliancy Tested

As the leading OPC server provider, Kepware maintains close working relationships with major OPC client vendors so our
QC Team can maintain compatibility with ongoing releases of 3rd party client products. Additionally, Kepware developers
attend yearly Interoperability Workshops sponsored by the OPC Foundation to test Kepware products with products by other
foundation members. Finally, the OPC Foundation offers a compliance certification that requires OPC servers to be tested using
a special test application. Once passed, an OPC server can be listed as “Compliant”.

A Message From Our President

We take the quality of our products very seriously, and will not release a product until it has successfully
completed all stages of our rigorous quality control process. We also post product updates and revision
histories on our website so customers have instant access to the latest versions of our products once released.
Please visit our website for free product downloads and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions
or feedback.

Mark Hensley, President

 Support
World-Class Support Specialists

Technical Support:
207-775-1660 or 1-888-Kepware extension 211
[email protected]

Product Updates:
Available for download from the Kepware website:
www.kepware.com

Sales:
Pricing, Quotes and Pre-Sales Support
207-775-1660 or 1-888-Kepware extension 208
[email protected]

Orders:
online: www.kepware.com
email: [email protected]
phone: 207-775-1660 or 1-888-Kepware extension 228
Support Online fax: 207-775-1799
As with any Kepware product, technical mail: Kepware Technologies
Attn: Sales Dept.
support is available from before the purchase P.O. Box 579
right through commissioning and beyond! Portland, ME 04112

Upgrades and demo software are available Note: With all purchases please include Company Name, Your Name, Daytime Phone Number, Shipping
for download directly from the Kepware and Billing Addresses, Your Email Address, Product Description, Product ID and Product Quantities.

website at: www.kepware.com

 ®
T E C H N O L O G I E S

Automation’s Best Friend

1.888.Kepware
[email protected]
www.kepware.com

System Requirements:
Complete product and system requirements and recommendations available at: www.kepware.com

Supported Operating Systems: PC Hardware: Driver-Specific Hardware Requirements:

Windows 8 and 10 2.0 GHz Processor For specific hardware requirements and
Windows 7 Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate 1 GB installed RAM recommendations, please visit Kepware
Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 180 MB available disk space online at: www.kepware.com
Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Ethernet Card
Windows Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate Super VGA (800x600) or Higher Resolution Video
Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows XP Professional SP3 or higher

This computer program is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized use, reproduction or distribution of these programs, or any portion of them, may result in severe civil and criminal
penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. Modicon, U-CON, BACnet, Allen-Bradley, Yokogawa, Mitsubishi, and Siemens are registered trademarks or trademarks of their
respective owners. All other marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Your local Kepware Technologies Representative

Contact your local Kepware Representative/Distributor for more information:

www.plcdirect.eu

Automation’s Best Friend™

T E C H N O L O G I E S www.kepware.com

EXBRCH-MAR06