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Version: v3

OPCHDA

OPCDA and OPCHDA are communication protocols used in the industrial world and developed by the OPC Foundation. This technology has been replaced by OPCUA but is still widely used in the industry. To use OPCUA in OIBus, see the OPCUA connector documentation.

An HDA server allows to retrieve the history of data over a more or less long period, while a DA server allows to retrieve only the most recent value of a tag.

Only OPCHDA is supported by OIBus. This connector uses the OIBus Agent, and a dedicated HDA module.

caution

The OIBus Agent must be installed on a Windows machine to use the HDA module.

The HDA module can also be used as a standalone, to perform OPC history extractions in command line. See the OPCHDA agent documentation to use the module in standalone and check the COM/DCOM setup documentation to properly install the module.

Specific settings​

OIBus exchanges commands and data with the HDA agent through a TCP server/client communication. Therefore, several fields must be filled to make OIBus communicate with the HDA Agent:

  • Remote agent URL: Specify the URL of the remote OIBus agent, e.g., http://ip-address-or-host:2224.
  • Connection timeout: Set the timeout for establishing a connection.
  • Retry interval: Time to wait before retrying connection.
  • Server host: Address of the OPC server (from the remote OIBus agent machine).
  • Server name: Name of the OPC server (e.g. Matrikon.OPC.Simulation).

Item settings​

When configuring each item to retrieve data in JSON payload, you'll need to specify the following specific settings:

  • Node ID: The Node ID corresponds to the path of the data within the appropriate namespace on the OPC server.
  • Aggregate: Aggregate the retrieved values over the requested interval (be sure that the server supports the aggregate).
  • Resampling: When aggregate is different from Raw, it is possible to resample the retrieved values at the requested interval.
Compatibility with the OPC server

It's important to note that not all aggregation and resampling options are supported by OPC servers. To avoid compatibility issues, it's recommended to use Raw aggregation and None resampling whenever possible.

The name of the item will serve as a reference in JSON payloads, specifically in the pointID field for the North application.