OPC Foundation Announces OPC .NET 3.0 (WCF)For OPC Classic
Scottsdale, AZ – October 25, 2010 -
The OPC Foundation has announced the release of OPC .NET 3.0 (formerly known as
OPC Express Interface (Xi)).This new API will enable users of OPC Classic
to leverage the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology, facilitating
the transfer of data securely through firewalls. Developed as an enhancement to OPC Classic, OPC .NET 3.0 serves to
bridge the gap between Microsoft .NET and the world of OPC Classic and will
also provide a common interface between newly developed .Net clients and OPC
Classic servers. OPC Classic relies on DCOM to manage distributed communications. But by using
the newly created OPC .NET 3.0, developers can work with WCF and eliminate the
headaches associated with DCOM configuration.Managed code applications developed using the OPC .NET 3.0 interface
will be able to take advantage of the included COM interop layer to easily enable
communications with OPC Classic servers that are typically developed as
unmanaged code applications. The use of WCF in OPC .NET 3.0 also provides an increased level of
security through built-in authentication, authorization and data
encryption.Additional security features
have been built into the interface to enable secure authentication across HTTP
or TCP. In the future the OPC Foundation will integrate the OPC .NET 3.0 with
OPC UA, such that client applications based on OPC .NET 3.0 will be able to
access OPC UA servers. OPC .NET 3.0 enables:
Easy access to OPC DA (Data Access), OPC HDA
(Historical Data Access) and OPC A&E (Alarms and Events).
A .NET development environment
Secure, firewall-friendly communications via
WCF
A Microsoft-centric replacement for DCOM
Full compatibility with OPC Classic
“In keeping with the OPC Foundation history of enhancing OPC Classic
functionality, we have chosen to create OPC .NET 3.0 to enable developers to
create simple OPC Clients and Servers using the latest .NET development tools.In the past we created the OPC Foundation
Automation Wrapper to enable development with Visual Basic 6. Later we created
OPC .NET 1.0 & OPC. NET 2.0 to enable use with VB .Net. Now we are
responding with the addition of WCF.As
an organization we have always believed in providing developers with all the
tools possible to enable easy development of OPC Server and Clients.The creation of OPC .NET 3.0 (WCF) follows
that tradition by providing OPC Classic users more architecture development
options,” said Thomas Burke, President, OPC Foundation. Duncan Schleiss, Vice President, Platform
Strategy, Emerson Process Management said, “We have been proud to work in
conjunction with the OPC Foundation on OPC .NET 3.0.As Microsoft continues to withdraw support
for COM / DCOM based products, it is increasingly important to be able to
provide the marketplace with options for continued interoperability with the
major DCS systems in our industry.Developers need to be able to have access to as many development tools
and platforms as possible so that they can continue to build best-of-breed
solutions.”
About The OPC
Foundation:
The OPC Foundation, dedicated to interoperability in automation and enterprise
computing, is an independent, non-profit organization that comprises leading
manufacturers and solution providers in factory and process automation as well
as enterprise solutions. The OPC Foundation's charter is to develop worldwide
industry standards for data transfer offering multivendor interoperability and
seamless connectivity of devices, systems, networks and enterprise computing
solutions used in the manufacturing and process industries. Development of
specifications is undertaken by volunteers from nearly 400 members worldwide.
For more information about the OPC Foundation visit http://www.opcfoundation.org .