What is an OPC UA Client?
An OPC UA Client is a tool that communicates with OPC UA Servers to retrieve, monitor, and update data. We provide a free OPC UA Client tool allowing users to test their OPC UA communications without restriction.
What OPC UA data models does the OPC UA Client support
The OPC UA Client supports the main OPC Unified Architecture models: Data Access, Alarms & Conditions, and Historical Access. Meaning, the OPC UA Client allows access to real-time data, alarms & conditions, and historical data from any compliant OPC UA server. It can monitor ongoing events and retrieve past information stored in the server.
What is the difference between OPC UA Client and OPC UA Server?
An OPC UA Server provides and manages the data. An OPC UA Client requests and accesses data from an OPC UA Server . The client consumes the data while the server supplies and organizes it.
How can I discover OPC UA servers using the OPC UA Client?
The OPC UA Client can discover OPC UA servers using OPC UA discovery server service
How does the OPC UA Client ensure secure communication?
The OPC UA Client can establish secure communication channels using encryption and authentication. It generates a self-signed Application Instance Certificate to secure connections with OPC UA servers, ensuring data integrity and security.
Can the OPC UA Client monitor real-time data and alarms?
Yes, the OPC UA Client can monitor real-time data such as sensor readings and process values, as well as alarms and conditions, allowing users to respond to operational issues as they occur.
How can the OPC UA Client interact with historical data?
The OPC UA Client can explore and update historical data, giving users the ability to query past information for analysis or make changes to stored data when necessary.
What are the prerequisites needed to install the OPC UA Client?
What are the prerequisites needed to install the OPC UA Client? Make sure that you have the following prerequisites available in your target machine:
- .NET Framework version 4. 6 or higher.
- The OPC UA Local Discovery Server, which lists the OPC UA endpoints available on a given computer. You can deploy it during the installation by checking the option “Install OPC UA Local Discovery Server” or after installation by using the setup available in the installation folder of the OPC UA Client.
The OPC UA Client can explore and update historical data, giving users the ability to query past information for analysis or make changes to stored data when necessary.
Are OPC UA methods supported in the OPC UA Client?
Yes, the OPC UA Client allows you to call OPC UA methods implemented in your OPC UA Server.The OPC UA Client can explore and update historical data, giving users the ability to query past information for analysis or make changes to stored data when necessary.
What is the OPC UA Server Simulator - Full Edition used for?
The OPC UA Server Simulator - Full Edition is designed for developers, system integrators, and end-users to simulate both real-time and historical data based on the OPC UA standard. It allows you to test and validate OPC UA Client applications, making it ideal for system testing, troubleshooting, and training.
What OPC UA data models does the simulator support?
The OPC UA Server Simulator - Full Edition supports data access and historical access information models. These allow clients to access real-time and historical data, which is vital for testing OPC UA communications.
How can I configure the tags and data in the OPC UA Server Simulator?
Users can configure their own tags and data simulation through CSV files. This allows for customizable and flexible simulation environments tailored to user specific testing needs.
Is there a free version of the OPC UA Server Simulator available?
Is there a free version of the OPC UA Server Simulator available? We do provide a free edition of the OPC UA Server Simulator, which is available
here.
The free edition supports 48 hours runtime. Meaning, it runs without interruption for 48 hours.
You will have to restart it after 48 hours in order to continue using the simulator.
Can the simulator run continuously without interruptions?
Yes, the full edition is designed to simulate real-time and historical data without interruption, making it a reliable tool for long-term testing and integration.
What are the data types supported by the simulator?
The simulator supports the following data types:
- Int16
- Int32
- Int64
- UInt16
- UInt32
- UInt64
- Double
- String
- Byte
- Boolean
What is an OPC UA Wrapper?
OPC UA Wrapper is a plug and play software product that enables users to
easily migrate to OPC UA. It includes 2 components:
-
The wrapper, to allow OPC UA clients to communicate with OPC Classic
servers. It supports OPC Data Access, OPC Historical Data Access and OPC
Alarms & Events servers.
-
The proxy, to allow OPC Classic clients to communicate with OPC UA
servers. It supports OPC UA DA, HA and AC capabilities.
What is an OPC UA proxy
The OPC UA Proxy is a feature component of the OPC UA Wrapper. It allows converting an OPC UA Server to an OPC Classic Server and consequently establishing communications between OPC Classic Clients and OPC UA Servers.
How is the OPC UA Wrapper licensed?
The OPC UA Wrapper license is a license per machine. License prices depend on the selected features. The available features are:
- OPC DA to OPC UA Wrapper
- OPC HDA to OPC UA Wrapper
- OPC AE to OPC UA Wrapper
- OPC UA to OPC DA Proxy
- OPC UA to OPC HDA Proxy
- OPC UA to OPC AE Proxy
Does the OPC UA Wrapper provide historical data access?
Yes, the OPC UA Wrapper can expose OPC historical data from OPC Classic HDA Servers to an OPC UA interface. This capability is especially critical for applications that need to analyze historical performance, track trends, and store data for an extended period but still depend on legacy OT systems.
Users can use historical data to make informed decisions based on past trends and patterns.
Can the OPC UA Wrapper support several servers at once?
Yes.Users can configure multiple OPC UA Wrapper services to execute at the same time. It supports connections to numerous local and remote OPC (DA/HDA/AE) servers per service, as well as multiple OPC UA servers.
How does the OPC UA Wrapper improve compatibility between OPC Classic and OPC UA Servers?
The OPC UA Wrapper improves compatibility by serving as a bridge between OPC Classic servers and OPC UA clients and vice versa
How can we trace operations performed by the OPC UA Wrapper?
The OPC UA Wrapper traces its operations via log files allowing users to effectively monitor system activities and troubleshoot issues if needed.
What operating system versions does the OPC UA Wrapper support?
The OPC UA Wrapper supports the following Windows OS versions:
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows 10
- Windows 11
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2016
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2022
What type of protocols does OPC UA Wrapper supports?
The OPC UA Wrapper supports two types of OPC UA communication protocols: TCP and HTTP, and supports the HTTPS transport protocol for the proxy feature.
Does OPC UA Wrapper limit the number of tags?
The OPC UA Wrapper does not include a limit on the number of tags or the number of connected OPC Servers.
Do I need Internet access to activate my OPC UA Wrapper license?
You do not need Internet access to activate your license. After installing the OPC UA Wrapper, you will have access to the license authorization tool. Using this tool, you will be able generate a User ID code.
Then, you will only have to send us this code so we can generate the activation code for you.
What prerequisites do I need before installing the OPC UA Wrapper?
Prior to installing the OPC UA Wrapper, make sure that you have the following prerequisites available on your target machine:
- OPC core components version 3.00
- .NET framework version 4.0 or higher
- OPC UA Discovery Server service
- Visual C++ Redistributable (x86 and x64).
Where should I install the OPC UA Wrapper?
When using the wrapper features, it is recommended to install the OPC UA Wrapper in the same machine as your OPC Classic Server in order to avoid DCOM.
When using the proxy features, it is recommended to install the OPC UA Proxy in the same machine as your OPC Classic Client in order to avoid DCOM.
The OPC UA Proxy generates long tag IDs e.g. unit/main.XXX[ns*2,s*unit/main.XXX]. Is there a way to edit the tag IDs?
The OPC UA Proxy enables users to configure aliases for the tags via CSV files. The alias will define a friendly tag name of your choice and will be mapped to the original tag name e.g. unit/main.XXX[ns*2,s*unit/main.XXX].
What is OPCNet Broker?
OPCNet Broker (ONB) is an OPC tunneling software used to establish remote OPC communication in OPC Classic environments in a secure way. It eliminates the complexities of DCOM configuration required by OPC legacy systems.
Why users need OPCNet Broker for OPC communications?
OPC Classic DA (Data Access), A&E (Alarms & Events), and HDA (Historical Data Access) communications are based on COM and DCOM technology. Indeed, OPC clients and servers use DCOM for the remote communications across a network. To achieve this, OPC Classic relies on a well-configured DCOM. This includes setting Windows security and firewalls, access control lists, server identities, etc. Without a well-configured DCOM, OPC Classic remote communications may not be established as expected and the required troubleshooting and fixes are usually challenging for end users. In addition, DCOM is a well-known technology and often targeted by hackers and it, consequently, has known security vulnerabilities that were actively exploited.
To get rid of DCOM configuration issues and security vulnerabilities, OPCNet Broker offers a more modern, safe, and user-friendly alternative to establish OPC remote communications in a secure tunnel using a single TCP port as well as data encryption to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. OPCNet Broker is considered a better and more secure alternative to DCOM for OPC communications.
How does the setup time of OPCNet Broker compare to DCOM?
Setting up DCOM can take hours to days, even without a firewall between the OPC Client and Server machines and may require extensive troubleshooting, while the installation and configuration of the ONB tunnel is an easy and quick set-up, with only a few clicks needed, and takes a few minutes only.
How does OPCNet Broker enhance the security and reliability of communications and data?
OPCNet Broker provides secure, reliable, and efficient access to real-time data, historical records, alarms, and events. It enhances security and reliability of communications and data by:
- Tracking of client/server communications,
- Tunneling across firewalls through single ports to minimize security holes and Network Address Translators (NAT),
- Connecting OPC Classic components from different domains, across VPN and through WANs and LANs,
- User authentication at the server and tag levels for increased security,
- Automatic reconnection when the connection is lost,
- Configurable communication timeouts,
- Data encryption for security reasons,
- Data compression for better performance of data transfers across the network.
What are the benefits of using OPCNet Broker?
OPCNet Broker simplifies your setup, ensures secure communication, improves communications reliability and reduces ownership cost.
What are the key software components of the OPCNet Broker?
The OPCNet Broker (ONB) product includes 2 software components:
- ONB Server Side to be deployed on the OPC Server machine
- ONB Client Side to be deployed on the OPC Client machine
How is the OPCNet Broker licensed?
The OPCNet Broker license is a license per machine. License prices depend on the number of client and server machines as well as the selected OPC specifications (OPC DA, OPC HDA and/or OPC AE) per license. The first OPC Tunneller (ONB) installation will require a minimum of one client license and one server license.
What OPC Classic specifications does OPCNet Broker support?
OPCNet Broker supports:
- OPC Data Access Specifications version 2.05a/3.0
- OPC Historical Data Access Specifications version 1.1/1.2
- OPC Alarms and Events Specifications version 1.10
Does OPCNet Broker support alarm acknowledgement?
Yes, OPCNet Broker AE supports alarm acknowledgement.
What are the operating systems supported by the OPCNet Broker?
OPCNet Broker is compatible with:
- Windows Seven
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows 8
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows 10
- Windows Server 2016
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows 11
- Windows Server 2025
How does OPCNet Broker handle communication during network disruptions?
When network connections are interrupted, OPCNet Broker:
- Supports automatic reconnection capability. Meaning, ONB Client will try to reconnect to the ONB Server in a continuous basis until network communications are reestablished.
- Supports OPC automatic reconnection capability. When this capability is enabled, ONB will try to reconnect to the disconnected OPC Server (s) in a continuous basis and without requiring a user intervention.
- Uses a message queue to store unsent data until the connection is restored. This ensures that no messages are lost, and constraints can be applied to manage the size and number of queued messages.
Does it simplify firewall configurations?
Yes. OPCNet Broker requires only one TCP port to be opened, making firewall rules configuration straightforward.
Is there a way to get a trial version of OPCNet Broker?
By registering on our website, you can download a free 30-day trial license of OPCNet Broker for your evaluation and testing purposes.
Does OPCNet Broker allow OPC communications through different Windows domains?
Yes. Using ONB, you can configure an OPC tunnel between OPC Classic Servers and Clients belonging to different Windows domains, LAN, WAN, and even different sites as long as the used TCP port is allowed in the related firewalls and network equipment.
Why is my OPC Client not reading data or failing to connect to the OPC Server via ONB?
Certain OPC Classic Servers allow connections depending on user account privileges. In this case, make sure that the ONB Server service is running with a user account that has the right privileges to connect to and read data from your OPC Server as well as read/write access to the Windows Registry. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Open Windows Services.
- Locate the “Integration Objects OPCNet Broker Server” service.
- Right click on it and select Properties from the displayed menu.
- Go to the Log On tab and select the option “This account”.
- Enter the credentials of the correct user account.
- Restart the OPCNet Broker Server service.
How do I configure access rights down to the tag level in an OPC Server?
Using the OPC Tag Security add-on for the ONB Server, you can define user access rights down to the individual tag level. This allows you to restrict third-party OPC Client applications to access specific tags within the OPC Server’s address space only. You can also deny write access to your tags. The OPC Tag Security add-on is licensed separately from the ONB Server.
Does the ONB support redundancy?
Yes, the ONB supports redundancy configurations to ensure high availability and minimize downtime on your communications and data flows. Redundancy can be configured between two ONB Server instances Primary and Secondary where the Secondary takes over in case the Primary becomes unavailable. You can also configure the switchover conditions on the client side to match your OPC Servers redundancy configuration.
Can we lock access to the ONB Client configuration tool?
Yes, access to the ONB Client configuration tool can be restricted to prevent unauthorized changes. When this option is enabled, the ONB Client configuration tool is protected by a login and password to ensure the security of system settings.
Does the ONB support OPC UA?
To support OPC UA, you can combine OPCNet Broker with our OPC UA Wrapper product. Refer
here for more detail
How can I configure timeout settings in ONB?
If you are encountering timeout errors while connecting to your OPC Server via ONB, you can adjust the timeout settings to improve communication reliability by increasing the “
Invoc TimeOut “ and the “
connection timeout”, as follows:
In the ONB Server Side:- Stop the ONB Server service if it is already running
- Open the ONB Server settings dialog.
- In the Communication tab, set the Invoc TimeOut to 60000 ms
- Save the new configuration and start the ONB Server service.
In the ONB Client Side:- Stop all OPC Client applications.
- Open the ONB Client Configuration Tool.
- Right click on the ONB Connection node and select Communication Settings from the displayed menu.
- Set theInvoc TimeOut to 60000 ms and save the new configuration.
- Expand the ONB Connection node and select your OPC DA Server from the displayed menu.
- Set the “Connection TimeOut” from “2000” ms to “30000” ms then save the new configuration.
How do I transfer my ONB license to a new machine?
To transfer your ONB Server or Client license from one machine to another, you will need to go through a license transfer process. This process involves removing the license from the old machine using a license remover tool and then activating the license on the new machine once the removal is confirmed. The main pre-requisite of this process is to have your support contract up-to-date.
Is there a way to change the OPC Server ProgID?
The ONB Client Configuration Tool allows users to change the OPC Server ProgID automatically generated. You can proceed to the following instructions to correctly change the server ProgID in ONB:
- Stop all open OPC Client applications.
- Right click on the ONB Client Configuration Tool and select “Run as administrator” from the displayed menu
- Select your configured ONB connection.
- Modify your ProgID in the “Server Name” field displayed on the right side then click “Save”.
- Click “Yes” and then “OK” to the prompted confirmation message boxes.
Is OPC Easy Archiver an OPC Client or Server?
OPC Easy Archiver is an OPC Client that supports OPC Classic DA, HDA and A&E specifications. It is designed to collect OPC real-time data, alarms messages and historical data records and archive them in SQL-like databases or into CSV files.
I have a problem accessing tag level data. The archiver connects but I cannot add groups or read data.
Make sure to configure the OPC Easy Archiver service logon with a user account that has privileges to connect to and read data from your OPC Server. To do so, proceed as follows:
- Open Windows Services.
- Locate the “Integration Objects' OPC EasyArchiver DA Service” service.
- Right click on it and select Properties from the displayed menu.
- Go to the Log On tab and select the option “This account”.
- Enter the credentials of the correct user account.
- Restart the service.
What types of databases does OPC Easy Archiver support?
OPC Easy Archiver supports Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Access, as well as CSV files. It connects to these databases via native drivers but also offers connectivity options via OLEDB and ODBC drivers..
What operating systems are compatible with OPC Easy Archiver?
OPC Easy Archiver supports Windows XP SP3, 7, 8, 10, and 11 and Windows Server 2003 SP2, 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025.
I purchased one license of the OPC Easy Archiver. Can I connect to 2 OPC Servers?
The OPC Easy Archiver allows you to connect to multiple OPC Servers. The OPC Easy Archiver license does not include limits on the number of connected servers or the number of tags.
Can OPC Easy Archiver handle data from multiple OPC servers simultaneously?
Yes, OPC Easy Archiver can connect to and collect data from multiple local and remote OPC DA, HDA, and AE servers concurrently, enabling comprehensive data aggregation across various sources.
Does OPC Easy Archiver support automatic reconnection after a connection loss?
Yes, the OPC Easy Archivers includes features for continuous monitoring of connections and can automatically reconnect to OPC and database servers if the connection is lost, ensuring data collection continuity.
How is the OPC Easy Archiver software licensed?
The OPC Easy Archiver license is a license per machine. The license prices depend on the selected OPC specifications and databases connectors:
Supported OPC Specifications:
Supported Database Connectors:
- MS SQL Server
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- Oracle
- MS Access
- ODBC
- OLEDB
- CSV files
Are there annual fees associated with the OPC Easy Archiver license?
The OPC Easy Archiver license is a perpetual license. Only customer service support is renewable on a yearly basis upon user’s request.
I need to push the OPC data into a SQL database in Azure. Can OPC Easy Archiver help with this?
Yes, the OPC Easy Archiver can store the collected OPC data into Azure SQL database.
Is there a free trial available for the OPC Easy Archiver?
By registering on our website, you can download a free 30-day trial license of OPC Easy Archiver for your evaluation and testing purposes.
Does OPC Easy Archiver support OPC UA?
To support OPC UA, you combine the OPC Easy Archiver with the OPC UA Proxy, which is a feature component of the OPC UA Wrapper. A tutorial video on how to configure and use the
OPC UA Proxy is also available from
here.
Do I need to load my configuration manually after a server start-up?
No. To load your configuration automatically at server start-up, make sure to set up your default configuration. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Click Save or Saved As button available in the File menu bar to save your configuration:
- Name your configuration and save it as .oda file.
- Click Define button available in the File menu bar.
- Choose the configuration that you saved previously and click open.
A default configuration will be saved. This configuration will be loaded automatically whenever you restart the services (either manually or after machine restart).
How can I transfer my OPC Easy Archiver license to a new machine?
To transfer your OPC Easy Archiver license from one machine to another, you will need to go through a license transfer process. This process involves removing the license from the old machine using a license remover tool and then activating the license on the new machine once the removal is confirmed. The main pre-requisite of this process is to have your support contract up-to-date.
Can OPC Easy Archiver execute automated actions based on specific data conditions?
Yes, users can configure rules to monitor critical tags or OPC server communications. Upon detecting these specific conditions in real-time, OPC Easy Archiver can perform automated actions such as sending email notifications, modifying data values, or starting and stopping archivers.
Is it possible to transfer data from databases back to OPC DA servers using OPC Easy Archiver?
Yes, OPC Easy Archiver allows data transfer from database tables to OPC DA servers, facilitating seamless data integration.
Is OPC Easy Archiver secure for storing sensitive data?
Yes, it ensures the security of stored data by supporting encryption during data transfers and offering secure connection options for both OPC servers and databases. It also provides role-based access control and logging features to monitor system activity, helping maintain data confidentiality and integrity.
How do the log files in OPC Easy Archiver help with troubleshooting?
They record error messages, debugging information, and other relevant data, allowing users to identify and resolve problems effectively. In normal operation, the client logs contain minimal information, but in case of difficulties, these logs provide critical insights into the underlying issues.
What is the OPC Logger for CSV?
The OPC Logger for CSV is a feature of OPC Easy Archiver that enables users to connect to multiple OPC DA and OPC HDA servers to retrieve real-time and historical data, respectively, and save this data into CSV files.
Can the OPC Logger for CSV handle both synchronous and asynchronous data operations?
Yes, it supports both synchronous and asynchronous data reads and writes for OPC DA servers, as well as synchronous and asynchronous reads and updates for OPC HDA servers.
Can the OPC Logger for CSV run as a Windows service?
Yes, it has the capability to operate as a Windows service, enabling it to run in the background and start automatically with the operating system start-up, ensuring continuous operation without user intervention.
Can we install your software on a server and run as a service the read/write data tasks ?
Yes. The OPC Easy Archiver includes 2 software components:
- A graphical user interface allowing users to configure the OPC Servers connection, the OPC items, the subscriptions and the archivers.
- Services that run in background to guarantee the continuity of the data collection and archiving.
You only need to specify a default configuration to be loaded automatically at service start-up.
What OPC Specifications versions does the OPC Easy Archiver support?
The OPC Easy Archiver supports the following standard OPC specification versions:
- OPC Data Access 1.0a.
- OPC Data Access 2.00.
- OPC Data Access 2.05a.
- OPC Data Access 3.00.
- OPC Historical Data Access 1.00.
- OPC Historical Data Access 1.10.
- OPC Historical Data Access 1.20.
- OPC Alarms and Events 1.00.
- OPC Alarms and Events 1.01.
- OPC Alarms and Events 1.02.
- OPC Alarms and Events 1.10.
The OPC Easy Archiver is automatically reconnecting to my OPC AE server while the status of the server is running. How to adjust this behavior?
If you notice that the OPC Easy Archiver reconnects to OPC AE server while you do not have a communication issue, this is because the OPC Easy Archiver also monitors the received alarms and events and initiates an automatic reconnection when no alarm has been received after a configurable period. Refer to the AE settings dialog to disable this behavior or adjust the timeout parameter.
How to allow the OPC Easy Archiver to connect to a remote OPC Server?
To enable the OPC remote communications, you need to configure DCOM between the OPC client and server machines. Connection problems can be caused by DCOM misconfiguration or misconfiguration of the user logon of the OPC Easy Archiver services. Click
here for more details and guidelines about DCOM configuration for OPC.
I can connect to my OPC Server using OPC DA Explorer, but the connection fails with the OPC Easy Archiver.
You need to first make sure that the OPC Easy Archiver service is running with the same user account used to run the OPC DA Explorer. If this does not resolve the connection failure, some OPC Servers that are 32-bit work only with 32-bit OPC clients. If you are using OPC Easy Archiver 64-bit version, try the following:
- Uninstall the OPC Easy Archiver.
- Restart the machine.
- Reinstall the OPC Easy Archiver using an administrator account.
- The installation wizard will take you through the different steps. When reaching the Runtime Mode dialog, select the “32-bit version” option.
- Configure the OPC Easy Archiver service logon with the user account that is launching the OPC DA Explorer.
- Redo your connection test.
Does the OPC Easy Archiver support Store & Forward capability?
The OPC Easy Archiver buffers the collected OPC data upon communication loss with the database servers and automatically transfers them after successful reconnection. This ensures store and forward capability.
Does the OPC Easy Archiver allow alarm filtering?
Using the OPC Easy Archiver, you can filter retrieved alarms and events according to several criteria, which are:
- Filter by Event Type.
- Filter by Severity.
- Filter by Category.
- Filter by Area.
- Filter by Source.
What are the software pre-requisites to install OPC Easy Archiver?
To properly run the OPC Easy Archiver, the following software components on the target system need to be installed:
- OPC Core Components
- .NET framework version 4.0 or higher.
What are the OPC DA read modes supported by the OPC Easy Archiver?
When configuring OPC groups in the OPC Easy Archiver, you can specify one of the following 3 read modes:
- OnDataChange (for OPC DA version 2.05 and higher): the data will be collected asynchronously on report by exception basis.
- Synchronous: the data will be collected by performing periodic synchronous read operations to the server. There are two types of read source: DEVICE and CACHE.
- Asynchronous (I/O 2.0): the data will be collected by performing periodic asynchronous read operations to an OPC DA version 2.0 or higher compliant server.
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