1.

1 Data Subscription

1.1.1 General OPC Data Access

There are three key entities in OPC Data Access:
 Server
 Group
 Item
Figure 1 below shows the relationship between the key entities in OPC
DA.

Figure 1 Relations between the OPC DA entities

An OPC DA client connects to an OPC DA server in order to perform

operations on the properties provided by the server. Each property is
called an OPC Item. The OPC Items are grouped into OPC Groups.
The OPC Server object has e.g. methods for managing OPC Groups and
retrieving the status of the server.
The OPC Group object has among others the following properties:
 Name of the group,
 Update rate for the OPC Items, the same update rate for all items
 Subscription state of the group (active/inactive)
 Client handle, identifying the group.
Operations, such as Read and Write, on the OPC Items are always done
with methods on the OPC Group.
Note that the 800xA OPC DA servers handles update rate 0 (zero) in a
special way. An OPC Group with update rate 0 could result in different
update rates for the individual items. The update rates for the individual
items are fetched from the Control Connection aspect that defines the
properties.
The OPC Item has among others the following properties:
  ItemID, a string which uniquely identifies the item in the OPC
Server
 Client handle, which is used by the client to identify the item in
callbacks
 Item Blob, a chunk of data which is compiled by the server and
can be used at later occasions in order to improve performance
 Subscription state of the item, active/inactive
For a more detailed description of OPC Data Access see the OPC Data
Access Specification on the home page of OPC Foundation,
www.opcfoundation.org.
1.1.2 Overview of the 800xA OPC Data Access Server
Figure 2 below shows an architectural overview of the Data Subscription
subsystem.

Figure 2 Architectural overview of the Data Subscription subsystem

1.1.3 Description of the 800xA OPC Data Access Server

800xA OPC Data Access Server acts as an OPC Data Access Server for
e.g. a Process Graphic display that wants to subscribe to 800xA
properties. The Server itself then acts as a client to other 3rd party OPC
 Servers and PPA services by subscribing to data via a Connector/Adapter
service or via the Injector component.
The 800xA OPC Data Access Server can be executed as an in process or
out of process server. The in process server is the one used when the
Client is running on the same node as 800xA. The out of process server is
used when a Client is on a node that doesn’t run 800xA and wants to
remotely connect to the OPC Server.
The program identities that are registered for respective server are listed
below.
 ABB.AfwOpcDaServer – In process server
 ABB.AfwOpcDaSurrogate – Out of process server
The Connector/Adapter application may be a specific Controller solution
as it is for AC 400 Connect (AC400CI). In the AC400CI case the Adapter
is AC400 specific and connects to the MB300 network via the RTA board.
The 800xA OPC Data Access Server searches for properties in the
Aspect Directory. A property can be of two types, a Control Connection
property or a Direct aspect property.
A Control Connection property is defined in a Control Connection aspect
that is at least placed in the Control Structure and has the data providers
defined in the Service Structure.
A direct aspect property is defined in an aspect that provides the property
data e.g. the Name Aspect. Such aspects don’t have to be placed in the
Control Structure.

1.1.4 Description of Controller Integration and Connectivity

A controller is integrated into 800xA by representing the controller tags in
aspect objects in the Aspect Directory. The creation of the representation
objects can be performed through a Generic OPC Upload or more
sophisticated by automatic creation when the configuration is changed in
the controller.
A Generic OPC Connectivity means that 800xA can integrate other 3rd
party OPC Servers.
The representing objects may be created from object types or a generic
OPC object. An object type means in most cases that the property is
already defined in the Control Connection aspect. Otherwise the property
list is acquired at integration time.
1.1.5 Overview of a Data Subscription
Figure 3 below shows an example of data subscription on the property
“Temperature:Value”.

Figure 3 Example of a data subscription in the 800xA OPC Data Access Server
Suppose that a Client wants to subscribe to a Control Connection
property, i.e. adds a property to the 800xA Data Access Server.
1. The Server locates the object in the Aspect Directory that must be
located in the Control Structure and has a Control Connection
aspect containing the requested property.
2. The Server locates the Data Source definition aspect that is
located above the object in the same tree in the Control Structure.
3. From the service group id stored in the Data Source definition
aspect, the server can find the Service Group object in the Service
Structure.
4. The Service Group object has children objects that represent the
Service Providers. A provider contains the location node and
identity of the data provider. If there are several Service Providers
they are used for redundancy and load balancing.
Note, that when subscriptions are made to direct aspects, providing their
own data or Global Properties there is no Data Source aspect. A special
case is also that an indirect property definition aspect can be its own data
source, i.e. implement the data source interfaces by itself.
1.1.5.1 AC800 Data Subscription
Figure 4 below shows the Data Subscription for the AC800 Connectivity.

Figure 4 AC800 Data Subscription

1.1.5.2 AC800 Data Subscription
Figure 4 below shows the Data Subscription for the AC800 Connectivity.

Figure 5 AC800 Data Subscription

1. The CB (Control Builder) generates structure and domain files

needed by the OPC Server. The files hold information about
applications, hardware configurations and access variables. This
information is needed by the OPC Server to build its internal
structures. The OPC Server connects cyclically to the controllers
and asks for their current versions of applications and
configurations, for the update of the internal structures.
There are three ways of accessing data in the OPC Server:
 Synchronous read/write
 Asynchronous read/write
 Subscription
The OPC Server collects data from the controllers via MMS
(Manufacturing Message Specification) and provides the data to the
Connector (acts as an OPC client) through OPC interfaces, via COM or
DCOM.
The AC800 OPC DA Server provides OPC clients access to data in the
controllers Soft Controller, AC210, AC250 and AC860.
1.1.6 Upload
The Generic OPC upload is used for connecting 800xA to a 3rd party OPC
DA Server. An upload is divided in two phases, retrieve and append.
In the retrieve phase the configuration is fetched from the connected OPC
DA Server and stored in an .ocs-file. The upload server is connected to
the OPC DA Server using DCOM.
In the append phase the objects are created and configured in the Aspect
Directory.
Error: Reference source not found below shows the relationship between
the components involved in an upload.