B0700BH B

B0700BH
REV B
I/A Series® System

FDSI Driver – OPC® Client User’s Guide
December 15, 2004
Invensys, Foxboro, FoxCAE, FoxView, and I/A Series are trademarks of Invensys plc, its subsidiaries, and
affiliates.
All other brand names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright 2004 Invensys Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved
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should read and understand the following information concerning copyrighted software.
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and usage rights to the software described in this documentation. If any portion of
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specifically permitted to make, are protected in accordance with Federal copyright
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Invensys Systems, Inc. for any purpose other than those purposes mentioned in the
software license.
Contents
Figures..................................................................................................................................... v
Tables.................................................................................................................................... vii
Preface.................................................................................................................................... ix
Who This Document Is For ..................................................................................................... ix
What You Should Know .......................................................................................................... ix
Revision Information ............................................................................................................... ix
Reference Documents .............................................................................................................. ix
I/A Series Documents .......................................................................................................... ix
OPC Foundation Documents .............................................................................................. x
Glossary of Terms ..................................................................................................................... x
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
The OPC Standard ................................................................................................................... 3
OPC Servers ......................................................................................................................... 4
OPC Clients ......................................................................................................................... 4
The FDSI OPC Client Driver .............................................................................................. 5
Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 5
Installation ................................................................................................................................ 6
Hardware ............................................................................................................................. 6
Software ............................................................................................................................... 6
Installing the OPC Server ..................................................................................................... 7
OPC Communications ............................................................................................................. 7
DCOM Setup – OPC Server ............................................................................................... 7
Default Properties ............................................................................................................ 7
OPC Server General and Security Settings ....................................................................... 8
2. Configuration.................................................................................................................. 15
Port Configuration .................................................................................................................. 16
I/A Series Control Configuration ....................................................................................... 16
FDSI Configurator ............................................................................................................. 16
FBM Type ..................................................................................................................... 16
FBM Properties ............................................................................................................. 17
Redundant Configuration ............................................................................................. 18
OPC Server Properties ................................................................................................... 19
Device Configuration .............................................................................................................. 20
OPC Items (Tag Names) .................................................................................................... 20
Device Configuration Without an XML File (Default Group Used) .................................. 21
iii
B0700BH – Rev B Contents
Device Configuration Using an XML File .......................................................................... 21

Heartbeat ...................................................................................................................... 22
Multiple Groups and Configurable Group Scan Rates ................................................... 23
Alias Tag Names ............................................................................................................ 24
I/A Series Control Configuration with Device Configuration File ...................................... 24
FDSI Configurator with Device Configuration File ........................................................... 24
General Tab (Figure 2-5) – Device ................................................................................ 25
General Tab – Heartbeat ............................................................................................... 25
Groups Tab (Figure 2-6) – Group Properties ................................................................ 25
I/O Points Tab (Figure 2-7) – I/O Point Properties, General ........................................ 26
I/O Points Tab – I/O Points Generation ....................................................................... 27
I/O Points in DCI Blocks ....................................................................................................... 28
Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 30
DCI Points Not in the Device Configuration XML File ................................................ 30
Data Conversions .......................................................................................................... 30
Duplicate OPC Tag Names ........................................................................................... 31
Reading and Writing the Same Point in the Server ........................................................ 32
OPC Value Status ......................................................................................................... 32
3. Principles of Operation ................................................................................................... 33

ECB200/ECB202 Operation .................................................................................................. 33
ECB201 Operation ................................................................................................................. 35
OPC Client Driver Operation ................................................................................................ 35
Redundant Operation ............................................................................................................. 35
Fully Redundant Operation ............................................................................................... 36
Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Operation ................................................ 36
Error Reporting ....................................................................................................................... 37
DCI Block Status in FoxView ............................................................................................ 38
Device Status in SMDH ..................................................................................................... 38
4. Diagnostics and Troubleshooting .................................................................................... 41

Diagnostics ............................................................................................................................. 41
Fox OPC Diagnostics Application ...................................................................................... 41
Connect Button ............................................................................................................. 42
Disconnect Button ........................................................................................................ 42
Configure Log Button ................................................................................................... 42
I/A Diagnostics Button .................................................................................................. 44
Browse OPC Servers Button .......................................................................................... 46
FBM IP Address ............................................................................................................ 49
Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................... 50
Verifying Communications Between FDSI Client and OPC Server ................................... 50
Troubleshooting the OPC Client Driver ............................................................................ 51
iv
Figures
1-1. Non-Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration .............. 1
1-2. Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration ...................... 2
1-3. Redundant FBM/Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration ............................... 3
1-4. Navigating to DCOM Config from Component Services ............................................. 9
1-5. OPC Server Properties Dialog Box, General Tab (DASABCIP Properties Shown) ...... 10
1-6. OPC Server Properties Dialog Box, Security Tab (DASABCIP Properties Shown) ..... 11
1-7. OPC Server Security Settings – Launch, Access, and Configuration Permissions ......... 12
1-8. Configuring Permissions ............................................................................................. 12
1-9. OPC Server Identity Settings ...................................................................................... 13
2-1. FDSI Configurator Port Configuration Window, DHCP Enabled ............................. 17
2-2. FDSI Configurator Port Configuration Window, DHCP Disabled ............................ 18
2-3. Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Configuration .............................................. 19
2-4. Configuring the Heartbeat .......................................................................................... 23
2-5. General Tab ................................................................................................................ 25
2-6. Groups Tab ................................................................................................................. 26
2-7. I/O Points Tab ............................................................................................................ 27
2-8. I/A Series Control Database Configuration for Use with the OPC Client Driver
and an FCP270 or ZCP270 ........................................................................................ 29
4-1. Function Buttons in the Diagnostic Application ......................................................... 41
4-2. Connect to FoxOPCIO Dialog Box ............................................................................ 42
4-3. Diagnostic Client/Browser Log Configuration ............................................................ 43
4-4. Diagnostic Client/Browser Log Initialization Confirmation ........................................ 43
4-5. Log Directories ........................................................................................................... 44
4-6. I/A Diagnostics Display .............................................................................................. 45
4-7. Browse OPC Servers Display ...................................................................................... 46
4-8. List of Available OPC Servers Shown in the Fox OPC Diagnostics Window .............. 47
4-9. Browse OPC Servers Display Showing Available Items ............................................... 48
4-10. Selecting the CLSID of the Server ............................................................................... 49
v
B0700BH – Rev B Figures
vi
Tables
2-1. ECB200 / ECB202 Configuration .............................................................................. 16
2-2. ECB201 Configuration Without a Device Configuration File .................................... 21
2-3. ECB201 Configuration With a Device Configuration File .......................................... 24
2-4. DCI Blocks Supported by the OPC Client Driver ...................................................... 28
2-5. DCI IIN block configuration ..................................................................................... 29
2-6. Data Conversions ........................................................................................................ 30
2-7. Creating Duplicate Tag Names Using Device Configuration XML File ...................... 32
2-8. Creating Duplicate Tag Names Using I/A Series Control Configuration
and no XML File ......................................................................................................... 32
3-1. SMDH ECB201 Display on FBM232 (Non-Redundant) ........................................... 37
3-2. SMDH ECB201 Display on FBM233 (Redundant) ................................................... 37
4-1. Common Problems and Corrective Actions ................................................................ 52
vii
B0700BH – Rev B Tables
viii
Preface
This document describes the I/A Series Field Device System Integrator Object Linking and
Embedding for Process Control (OPC®) client driver utilizing the FBM232 (Single) and
FBM233 (Redundant).
This document provides information for installing, configuring, troubleshooting, and operating
the OPC client driver for I/A Series FDSI FBMs (FBM232/233) to OPC servers that are OPC
2.x DA compliant.
Who This Document Is For

This document is intended for the use of process control engineers and operators, instrument and
maintenance engineers and other qualified and authorized personnel involved in setting up, con-
figuring and maintaining I/A Series equipment to provide OPC communications capability.
What You Should Know

Basic information not covered in this document is covered in detail in the Field Device System
Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH). You should be generally familiar
with the I/A Series system, and with the DIN Rail Mounted Subsystem User’s Guide (B0400FA).
Detailed information relating to the various I/A Series software and hardware elements is found in
the reference documents listed below.
You should also be generally aware of OPC client/server tag configuration, Distributed Compo-
nent Object Model (DCOM) configuration and TCP/IP network configuration.
Revision Information
This is the second release of this document.
Reference Documents
Refer to the following documents for additional and related information. Most of these docu-
ments are available on the I/A Series Electronic Documentation CD-ROM, but the CD-ROM
may not contain the latest revision of the documents. For the latest revisions of the documents,
refer to the Customer Satisfaction Center’s webpage http://ips.csc.invensys.com.
I/A Series Documents

You should be familiar with the following I/A Series documents:
♦ DIN Rail Mounted Subsystem User’s Guide (B0400FA)
♦ Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH)
♦ Field Device System Integrator Module (FBM232), 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, Single
(PSS 21H-2Z32 B4)
ix
B0700BH – Rev B Preface
♦ Field Device System Integrator Module (FBM233), 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, Redundant
(PSS 21H-2Z33 B4)
♦ OPC Client Driver for Field Device System Integrator Modules (PSS 21S-3A8 B3).
OPC Foundation Documents

You should also reference the following OPC Foundation specifications:
♦ OPC Data Access 2.05a Automation Interface Standard.
Glossary of Terms
The following terminology, used throughout this document, relates to the FBM232/233 and
associated software.
Alias An alias is a short simple name that can be given to an OPC Item (tag)
that has a long tag name. The alias can be used to specify the tag when you
configure DCI blocks. Using the OPC client driver aliasing feature
requires that you create and use a device configuration file.
Backup Module The FBM233 that is physically inserted into the baseplate in the position
of backup module (the right-hand side of a valid pair of slot positions).
Client/Server The server side of the Field Device System Integrator is the OPC server,
which translates the communication protocol used by a specific vendor’s
plant-floor device, allowing the FDSI FBMs read/write access to data in
the device. Because there are many different types of OPC servers avail-
able, FDSI FBMs can communicate with a wide variety of industrial auto-
mation equipment including remote terminal units, programmable logic
controllers, and power monitoring equipment.
The clients are the FDSI FBMs. The clients request external field device
data from the OPC server. The server collects data from its connected
devices using each device’s specific communication protocol, interprets the
data according to the OPC specification, and sends it to the FDSI FBM.
COM/DCOM Component Object Model (COM) is a software architecture developed by

Microsoft® that allows you to build applications using software compo-
nents. COM components are re-usable objects that can communicate
with each other and can be linked together to build an application.
DCOM is an extension of COM that allows COM components to com-
municate across a network.
OPC servers use DCOM to communicate with the FBM232/233 clients.
DCOM permits a standard for real-time information exchange between
software applications and process hardware.
x
Preface B0700BH – Rev B
Control Station/Control Processor

This is any I/A Series module or workstation that effects process control
via the I/A Series Ethernet Control network. An example is the Field Con-
trol Processor 270 (FCP270). The control station/processor controls pro-
cess variables using algorithms contained in functional control blocks
configured by on-site process engineers to implement the desired control
strategies.
DIN Rail Mounted Subsystem

The DIN rail mounted subsystem provides a high speed communication
interface between the host control processor (for example, an I/A Series
control station) and field I/O sensors and actuators. DIN rail mounted
devices, which include FBMs, FCMs, and supporting cables and connec-
tors, mount on a baseplate which, in turn, mounts on a DIN rail. The
DIN rail mounted subsystem is described in detail in DIN Rail Mounted
Subsystem User’s Guide (B0400FA).
DHCP The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol provides a method of assign-

ing dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network; that is, assigning IP
addresses that are not fixed. With DHCP enabled, the FBM may have a
different IP address every time it connects to the network.
DCI Distributed Control Interface (DCI) control blocks are I/A Series control
blocks that support connectivity of I/A Series control stations to various
bus-resident devices via a general purpose interface. These control blocks
are used in conjunction with the FBM232/233 to interface digital field
device I/O communications with the I/A Series control station.
ECB An equipment control block is created for each FBM and external field
device, and provides communications with that FBM or external field
device.
FBM Fieldbus Modules provide the interface between process sensors/actuators

and the Fieldbus in a standard I/A Series system. The FBM232 and 233
are examples of the many types of FBMs offered as part of the I/A Series
system.
FCM The Fieldbus Communications Module is an interface which allows the

FBM232/233 (and other I/A Series DIN rail mounted modules) to com-
municate with the control station via the I/A Series 100 Mbps Ethernet
Fieldbus. It converts the 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps Ethernet signals used by
the control station to 2 Mbps signals used by the FBM232/233, and vice
versa.
Fieldbus With regard to the I/A Series system, this term applies in general to two
specific buses: the I/A Series system 100 Mbps Ethernet Control network
and the I/A Series system 2 Mbps Module Fieldbus.
FoxCAE™ Computer-Aided Engineering software is an application used to configure

control strategies. FoxCAE can be used to create and configure I/A Series
xi
control blocks, DCI control blocks, and equipment control blocks

(ECBs). Other control configuration tools include IACC and ICC.
Group A Group is a logical collection of OPC Items (data points). All Items must
belong to a group. You can organize groups according to your process
needs; for example, you can create one group containing all the input data
points and another group containing all the output data points. You can
add as many groups as required for your application.
Heartbeat The heartbeat facility allows for the detection of connection failures
between individual devices and FBMs. A device heartbeat is a constantly
changing input point in the device that is scanned at a configurable rate.
Faults are detected in the FBMs when devices do not update their heart-
beat points. Use of the heartbeat function is required for redundancy.
Item An OPC “Item” represents a data point on a field device. An Item can also
be referred to by the names “tag” or “point”. OPC Items must be orga-
nized into logical collections of Items called groups. See Groups.
IACC I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC) is a software package used

to configure control strategies. IACC can be used to create and configure
I/A Series control blocks, DCI control blocks, and ECBs. Other control
configuration tools include ICC and FoxCAE.
ICC Integrated Control Configurator (ICC) is a software package used to con-

figure control strategies. ICC can be used to create and configure
I/A Series control blocks, DCI control blocks, and ECBs. Other control
configuration tools include IACC and FoxCAE.
Letterbug This is an identifier for I/A Series control devices, particularly for Fieldbus
Modules (FBMs).
Main Module The FBM233 that is physically inserted into the baseplate in the position
of main module (the left-hand side of a valid pair of slot positions).
Master The FBM233 module of the pair that is communicating with the CP.
Either module of the pair can be the Master module as indicated by a sta-
tus indicator on the front of the module.
Modular Baseplate The modular baseplate provides mounting for DIN rail mounted mod-
ules. Its 2 4 or 8 mounting positions can accommodate FBMs, FCMs and
FCP270s. The modular baseplates also provide the necessary connectors
for dc power, time strobe, the I/A Series Fieldbus module, and termina-
tion cables.
OLE Object Linking and Embedding is a data interconnection technology

using COM interfaces that allows applications access to data stored in
multiple information sources.
OPC OLE for Process Control (OPC) is a communication standard built on

Microsoft’s OLE and DCOM technology, and is designed to connect
xii
Preface B0700BH – Rev B
Windows® based applications with process control hardware and software

applications. The OPC specification allows a consistent method of
exchanging data between control applications and the field devices,
regardless of data type or source.
OPC Tag Name See Item.
Parameter This is a named element in the data structure of a device function block,
ECB, or I/A Series control block.
Server/Client See Client/Server.
Tracker The FBM233 module of the pair that is tracking the master module com-
munication with the field device(s). Either module of the pair can be the
Tracker module as indicated by a status indicator on the front of the
module.
xiii
xiv
1. Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the OPC client driver for FBM232/233 and the network
configurations in which it is used.
The Field Device System Integrator (FDSI) OPC client driver integrates plant-floor third-party
devices via OPC servers into an I/A Series system. Analog, digital, and ASCII String data values
can be read or written to any OPC Data Access (DA) Specification 2.0 compliant server that sup-
ports these data types. Communication is performed via an Ethernet connection between an
FDSI FBM and an OPC server. OPC communication is vendor independent. However, the OPC
servers are designed to communicate to a specific vendor’s plant-floor device or network.
The OPC servers handle all of the intricacies of device-specific communication protocols. The
OPC server packages the data in generic OPC form so that OPC clients such as the FBM232/233
can have read/write access to the data in the devices.
OPC communications between the FBM and the server are said to be “remote”. The server must
reside on a remote workstation, which is connected to the FBM by an Ethernet network. During
the FDSI configuration process you must provide either the IP address or the machine name of
the remote station in which the OPC server is located.
A typical non-redundant FBM/non-redundant OPC server network configuration for the
FBM232 is shown below in Figure 1-1.
To I/A Series System

(FCP or FCM)
To Other
FBMs
OPC Client
Hub/Switch
FBM232
10/100 Mbps
Ethernet
Diagnostic
Utility
OPC Server
PLC Network
PLC PLC PLC
Figure 1-1. Non-Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration
1
B0700BH – Rev B 1. Introduction
A typical redundant FBM/non-redundant OPC server network configuration for the FBM233 is
shown below in Figure 1-2.

(FCP or FCM)
To Other
FBMs
OPC Client OPC Client

FBM233 FBM233
Hub/Switch Diagnostic
Utility
10/100 Mbps
Ethernet
OPC Server
PLC Network
PLC PLC PLC PLC
Figure 1-2. Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration
2
1. Introduction B0700BH – Rev B
A fully redundant FBM/redundant OPC server network configuration for the FBM233 is shown
below in Figure 1-3.
(FCP or FCM)
To Other
FBMs
OPC Client OPC Client

FBM233 FBM233
Diagnostic
Utility*
Hub/Switch A Hub/Switch B
10/100 Mbps 10/100 Mbps

Ethernet Ethernet
Main Backup
OPC Server OPC Server
Redundant PLC Network

A
B
PLC PLC PLC PLC
* The diagnostic utility for the OPC client driver can be installed on a workstation attached to either
side of the network and can be moved depending on which network you want to evaluate.
Figure 1-3. Redundant FBM/Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration
NOTE
The Ethernet connections of the PLC networks in Figure 1-1, Figure 1-2, and
Figure 1-3 can also include hubs, switches, and so forth. For simplicity, these items
are not shown.
The OPC Standard

The OPC standard is designed to connect Windows® based applications with process control
hardware and software applications. This open standard permits a consistent method of accessing
field data that remains constant regardless of data type or source.
OPC servers use the Component Object Model (COM) to communicate with clients. This
Microsoft OLE technology permits a standard for real-time information exchange between
software applications and process hardware.
OPC is essentially an “open” communication standard that allows two applications (client and
server) to communicate and pass data back and forth to each other. Because the interfaces
between the two applications conform to a fixed set of standards (OPC Specifications), anyone’s
server application can operate with anyone else’s client application and vice-versa.
3
OPC Servers
Servers provide field device input data to clients and pass output data from clients to the field
devices. OPC servers may also provide local diagnostic and link data statistics that they have com-
piled in the course of operation with the field devices.
OPC servers have two separate communications interfaces. One interface is a low-level serial or
Ethernet driver that communicates with the field devices. All of the arcane details of message
transactions and protocol characteristics are handled on this side. The other interface is OPC.
The OPC side allows any connected OPC clients to read and write data to the devices in a stan-
dard way – no protocol specifics to worry about. The server takes point-by-point configuration
information from an OPC client and performs the necessary actions to enable data to pass back
and forth between the client and the devices. Usually more than one client can be connected to a
server at a time.
Rockwell’s RSLinx for Allen-Bradley (A-B) PLCs is a good example. This server provides a stan-
dard OPC client interface on one side. The other side can be a combination of EthernetIP, Con-
trolNet, DH+, and so forth, that is, specialized protocols for specific A-B product lines of PLCs
and devices.
Invensys® Foxboro’s® AIM*OPC server is another example. The AIM*OPC server provides a
standard OPC client interface on one side. The other side communicates to I/A Series systems
using the AIM*API software. It allows connected clients to read and write data in an I/A Series
control system.
An OPC server may run as: a service, an executable application, or a DLL.
OPC Clients
OPC clients are the “user” side of an OPC communication link. A client specifies to a server with
which data points it wishes to make a connection. The connections can be read/write, read-only,
or write-only. The connections can be to any device on the link accessible by the OPC server.
Typically the read connections are change-driven; the server will not pass a data value to the client
unless it has changed.
The OPC paradigm supports the concept of “Groups”. An OPC group is a single collection of
data “Items”. Items are data values such as Booleans, Integers, Floating points, Strings, and so
forth that represent data values in a network of PLCs or other devices. Items of different data
types can be mixed indiscriminately within a group. They can be any supported data type and can
come from any device connected to the OPC server. Some values may also reside in the OPC
server itself, functioning as error counters or statuses. The Items are “scanned” based on the group
scan rate. For example, if a particular group’s scan rate is 2 seconds, then all the Items associated
with that group are scanned by the OPC server every 2 seconds.
4
NOTE
The group scan rate is configured by the client. The OPC server attempts to scan
this Group of Items at this rate. However, if the OPC server cannot scan the Items
at this rate (perhaps due to loading problems, slow responding devices, and so forth)
it will do whatever it can to complete the scans - even if it means slowing down the
scan rate regardless of what the client has specified. In other words, when the client
configures a group to be scanned at 2 seconds, the server tries to honor the request,
but it may require slowing the scan to 4 seconds in order to get all of the requested
data.
The FDSI OPC Client Driver

An FBM232/233 using the FDSI OPC client driver represents a connection to one specific OPC
server. A device ECB201 can represent one physical device by configuring one group or multiple
groups within that OPC server. However, the device ECB201 does not have to represent a spe-
cific physical device such as a PLC. It can simply represent one connection to an OPC server and
connections to multiple groups (and multiple Items) within the OPC server. The DCI blocks
represent the individual Items. Each Item is associated with an ECB201 via the DCI block’s
IOM_ID parameter.
Each ECB201 contains a Default Group, a Heartbeat Group (optional) and user defined groups
(optional). Configuration of the Heartbeat and user defined groups require the use of a device
configuration XML file as produced by the FDSI Configurator. The Default Group has a group
scan rate of 2 seconds. Chapter 2 “Configuration” describes groups in more detail.
Limitations
The following are limitations of the FDSI OPC client:
1. The FDSI OPC client connects to only one server.
2. Up to 10 device ECB201s are supported, depending on I/O load.
3. FDSI FBMs 232 and 233 can handle up to 2,000 I/O points. See Field Device System
Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH) for more detail on the
number of points supported by the FBM. However, the practical limit on the number
of points supported depends on the performance of the connected OPC server.
4. The maximum number of output changes per second is limited to 250.
5. The FDSI OPC client is only compatible with OPC DA Specification 2.0 servers.
1.0a server connections are not supported.
6. Device connection failure can only be determined by configuring a “heartbeat” to a
periodically changing value in the OPC server.
7. OPC array data types are not supported.
5
Installation
General FDSI hardware and software installation instructions are given in Field Device System
Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH). B0700AH contains a section titled
“Quick Start Example”, which outlines a typical sequence for installing and configuring an
I/A Series system and associated field equipment, and provides a quick-start flow chart.
Procedures to install the FDSIs and OPC client driver in this document correspond to the quick-
start flow chart and quick-start procedures given in B0700AH. When performing an installation,
keep the quick-start flow chart and procedures handy for reference.
Hardware
Refer to Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH) for
complete installation instructions for the FBM232/233s. Installation of FDSI hardware corre-
sponds to Steps 1 and 2 in the quick-start flow chart.
For information on OPC server hardware installation and configuration, refer to the documenta-
tion provided by the hardware’s manufacturer.
Software
Refer to Section 2 in the Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide
(B0700AH) for complete software installation instructions. Software installation is covered in
Step 3 in the quick-start flow chart.
Software requirements include the following:
♦ Media Kit for OPC Client Driver for Field Device System Integrator Modules
(K0173XD)
♦ OPC Client Driver for FDSI Modules CD-ROM (K0173WX)
♦ Diagnostic Utility for OPC Client driver (K0173WG)
♦ FDSI Configurator CD-ROM (K0173WZ).
The FDSI OPC client driver software is distributed on a CD-ROM. Insert the disc into the host
workstation’s CD-ROM drive. The installation should start automatically. If it does not, click
Start > Run then type E:\setup.exe.
There are no installation options to pick during the install. Click Next at each dialog box then
click Finish at the end of the installation.
The following FDSI OPC client driver files are installed in d:\usr\fox\sp\files\devices:
♦ OPC.ziph. This file is the downloadable FDSI OPC client driver
♦ OPC_DriverRev.txt. This file contains the version information on driver file.
In addition to the driver files, there are also other files installed:
♦ OPCPortExample_NoDHCP_Redun.XML – Example redundant port configuration XML
file that does not use DHCP
♦ OPCPortExample_DHCP_NonRedun.XML – Example non-redundant port configuration
XML file that uses DHCP
♦ OPCDevExample.XML – Example device configuration XML file
♦ OPCServer_CLSIDs.txt – Text file containing some OPC server Class IDs. A Class
ID is required when creating a port configuration XML file.
6
♦ B0700BH.pdf – This user document is installed in d:\usr\help.
Installing the OPC Server

To install your OPC server software, refer to the installation instructions provided by the manu-
facturer. If you are installing the OPC server on an I/A Series workstation, you may be prompted
to reboot; do so using the SftMnt menu on the FoxView™ display manager. However, the FDSI
client may not connect properly to the server when it is installed on an I/A Series workstation.
NOTE
If the OPC server has been installed as a manual service or ‘not as a service’, the
FDSI OPC client driver will start the OPC server automatically.
OPC Communications
For OPC communications to operate properly, DCOM Security on the OPC server machine
must be properly configured. The server must reside on another machine and connect remotely
through DCOM. The following procedures should be performed before connecting field devices
to FBM(s) (Step 2 of the quick-start flow chart provided in B0700AH).
DCOM Setup – OPC Server

Use the Windows® dcomcnfg utility to open the Distributed COM Configuration Properties dia-
log box. Edit the OPC server’s properties as shown in the following subsections.
NOTE
The following section describes procedures for the Windows XP® platform, and
illustrations depict Windows XP screen displays. However, the displays on
Windows NT® or Windows 2000® platforms are slightly different from, but simi-
lar to, displays on a Windows XP platform. Furthermore, the functional groups and
access paths within some displays on a Windows NT/2000 platforms are different
from those on a Windows XP platform.
Default Properties
You must define the workstation default properties as described in the following paragraphs.
1. For a Windows XP workstation, open the Component Services window. Navigate to
Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Component Services.
2. Expand and navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer in the left-
hand pane of the Component Services window.
3. Right-click on My Computer to open the default properties sheet.
NOTE
The default properties for Windows 2000 or Windows NT are located in the
Default Properties tab of the main DCOM dialog box (accessed using the Win-
dows dcomcnfg utility).
7
4. Set the following settings for Default Properties:

♦ Enable Distributed COM on this computer – checked
♦ Default Authentication Level – Connect
♦ Default Impersonation Level – Identify
OPC Server General and Security Settings

You must define OPC server general settings and security settings, including authentication level
(General tab), and access permissions, launch permissions, and configuration permissions (Secu-
rity tab) for the OPC server as described in the following paragraphs.
1. Open the Component Services window. Navigate to Control Panel > Administra-
tive Tools > Component Services.
2. Expand and navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer > DCOM
Config in the left-hand pane of the Component Services window. The example
shown in Figure 1-4 has the Wonderware ABCIP DA server selected.
8
Figure 1-4. Navigating to DCOM Config from Component Services
3. Select the server name from the list of DCOM applications, and right-click on it to
open the server’s Properties dialog box.
9
When the Properties dialog box appears (shown in Figure 1-5), click the General tab and set the
Authentication Level to None, as shown below.
Figure 1-5. OPC Server Properties Dialog Box, General Tab (DASABCIP Properties Shown)
10
To configure the security settings, click the Security tab in the Properties dialog box and set the
three properties (launch permissions, access permissions, and configuration permissions) as fol-
lows.
Figure 1-6. OPC Server Properties Dialog Box, Security Tab (DASABCIP Properties Shown)
For each property, you must add “everyone” to the users and groups list. To add everyone and set
launch permissions, access permissions, and configuration permissions, perform the following
steps:
1. Select the Customize option and click the Edit button. A dialog box similar to
Figure 1-7 appears. (Launch Permission dialog box shown below; Access and Configu-
ration Permission dialog boxes are not shown.)
11
Figure 1-7. OPC Server Security Settings – Launch, Access, and Configuration Permissions
2. Click the Add button. A dialog box similar to Figure 1-8 appears.
Figure 1-8. Configuring Permissions
12
3. In the Select Users or Groups dialog box, type “everyone” in the large edit box. The
cursor should be in that edit box already. See Figure 1-8. Click OK at each dialog to
return back to the Security properties dialog.
4. Repeat these steps for each of the three properties (access permissions, default launch
permissions, and default configuration permissions).
After “everyone” has been added, click the OK button and make sure the property settings are as
follows:
Settings:
1. Access Permissions – Everyone – Allow Access
2. Default Launch Permissions – Everyone – Allow Launch
3. Default Configuration Permissions – Everyone – Full Control
4. Click the Identity tab and set the Identity property – The Interactive Users
NOTE
If the OPC server has been installed as a service, the Interactive User selection is
disabled. The This user and The system account selections are enabled, and one of
them will be selected already. If this is the case, leave the setting as is.
Figure 1-9. OPC Server Identity Settings
13
14
2. Configuration
This chapter describes OPC client driver configuration, including procedures to configure ports
and devices. This chapter also provides instructions for using device configuration files, and
introduces the FDSI Configurator software.
After you have installed all the hardware and software (corresponding to Steps 1, 2, and 3 in the
quick-start flow chart in B0700AH), and configured DCOM in the server machine (refer to
“OPC Communications” on page 7), you must define the I/A Series database and perform FDSI
configuration, including required port configuration XML files, and optionally, device configura-
tion XML files. These steps correspond to Steps 4 and 5 in the quick-start flow chart in
B0700AH. The order is not important, but both pieces need to be in place for the interface to
operate. An I/A Series control configurator (such as I/A Series Configuration Component
(IACC), the Integrated Control Configurator (ICC), or FoxCAE) is used to create ECBs and
DCI blocks that define the devices/groups and data respectively that are accessed through the
FDSI OPC client. Defining the I/A Series database is described in Steps 6, 7, and 8 in the quick-
start flow chart.
If a heartbeat connection is needed and/or alias naming is required, then you must also use the
FDSI Configurator to create device configuration files. In both cases the configuration process has
three steps:
1. Configure a port.
2. Configure devices.
3. Configure data Items.
You must perform two separate configuration tasks, which are described in this document in par-
allel. This chapter covers all details regarding the I/A Series control database configuration in con-
junction with the matching FDSI configurations.
For a method of verifying communications between the FDSI client and the OPC server, refer to
the section titled “Troubleshooting” on page 50.
The Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH) describes
how to use one of the I/A Series control configurators to create port and device ECBs as well as
DCI blocks. It also describes how to use the FDSI Configurator to create port and device config-
uration files. Refer to that document for general instructions to perform these tasks. The intent of
this user guide is only to point out the specifics required to support the FDSI OPC client driver.
15
B0700BH – Rev B 2. Configuration
Port Configuration
I/A Series Control Configuration
The OPC client driver requires a “port” ECB (ECB200 or ECB202) with the I/A Series standard
naming convention of 6 characters, with the last 2 characters representing the baseplate number
and numerical position; for example, for the first baseplate (0): 01 through 08 when non-redun-
dant or alphabetical position 0A through 0D when redundant. See the section titled “Letterbug
Assignments” in the Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide
(B0700AH). The port represents the connection to an OPC server. Configuration differences
between redundant and non-redundant connections are minimal. The ECB200/202 parameters
are configured as shown below:
Table 2-1. ECB200 / ECB202 Configuration
Parameter Value
HWTYPE 232 for ECB200, 233 for ECB202
SWTYPE 232 for ECB2010 233 for ECB202
PORTEX 1
FILEID <filename>.XML (maximum length of 31 characters)
SFILID OPC.ZIPH
The FILEID field contains the name of the FDSI port configuration XML file. This file is created
using the FDSI Configurator utility.
The SFILID field contains the name of the OPC client driver executable file in a compressed for-
mat. This file is supplied on the installation CD and is placed in the proper directory during the
installation process.
Configuring ECB200 and ECB202 parameters is covered in Steps 7 and 8 of the quick-start flow
chart in B0700AH.
FDSI Configurator
A port configuration file is required even if device configuration files are not required. The port
configuration file provides the OPC client driver with information it needs to communicate with
an OPC server. Installation of the FDSI Configurator software corresponds to Step 3, and cre-
ation of the port configuration file corresponds to Step 4 of the quick-start flow chart in
B0700AH. The following sections provide settings for the port configuration file created with the
FDSI Configurator. For reference there are two example port configuration files as described in
“Software” on page 6.
FBM Type
Select the type of FBM to be configured. Use either 232 for non-redundant or 233 for redundant
operation. Figure 2-1 illustrates an FBM232 port configuration for the Wonderware ABCIP DA
OPC server.
16
2. Configuration B0700BH – Rev B
Figure 2-1. FDSI Configurator Port Configuration Window, DHCP Enabled
FBM Properties
In the example in Figure 2-1, DHCP is enabled in the FBM Properties section of the FDSI Con-
figurator window, which means that the FBM232 is automatically assigned an IP address by the
network DHCP server. With DHCP enabled, the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway
fields are disabled. You must enter the server station’s name or IP address in the OPC server
Machine IP Address or Name field, as shown above.
If DHCP is not enabled, you must enter the correct IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gate-
way in the edit boxes provided, in addition to entering the server station’s name or IP address. See
Figure 2-2 below:
17
Figure 2-2. FDSI Configurator Port Configuration Window, DHCP Disabled
Redundant Configuration
The FBM233 redundant configuration is performed exactly the same as the non-redundant con-
figuration, except that the port requires two sets of network information: one set of configuration
information for the main FBM and one set for the backup FBM.
Figure 2-3 below illustrates a redundant FBM configuration that connects to the same server IP
address, which indicates that there are two separate cable connections to the same server station.
In Figure 2-3, the OPC server does not support full redundancy. This configuration would be
similar to that shown in Figure 1-2.
However, some OPC servers do support full redundancy, as shown in Figure 1-3. If this is the
case, the OPC server machine name or IP address information will differ between the Main and
the Backup.
18
Figure 2-3. Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Configuration
OPC Server Properties

The OPC Server Properties area of the FDSI Configurator window requires that you enter the
Class ID (CLSID) of the server and provide a name for the server as shown in Figure 2-3 above.
This name will appear in the Fox® OPC Diagnostics application when connected to the FBM.
Refer to Chapter 4 “Diagnostics and Troubleshooting” for details on the diagnostic application.
The CLSID is a unique identifier assigned by the OPC server vendor, and this identifier is set as a
registry value by the OPC server installation process. Despite revision changes, the CLSID always
remains the same.
The easiest ways to retrieve the CLSID of a server is to copy the class ID from the
OPCServer_CLSIDs.txt file in d:\usr\fox\sp\files\devices or using the diagnostic application. You
can use the diagnostic application’s “Browse OPC Servers” function. Connect the diagnostic
application to the server station either by the IP address or by name. Refer to Chapter 4 “Diag-
nostics and Troubleshooting” for details on the diagnostic application. Once connected, the tree
19
control on the left contains the OPC Spec 1.0 and 2.0 supported OPC servers that are currently
installed on that system.
The OPC Server Name can be whatever you wish to call it. The name given to the server will be
the name that is displayed in the diagnostic utility. For more information on the diagnostic utility
refer to Chapter 4 “Diagnostics and Troubleshooting”.
NOTE
OPC Spec 1.0 servers are NOT supported by the FDSI OPC client.
Perform the following steps:

1. Enter the class ID of the OPC server in the Class ID edit box provided. You can copy
the class ID from the diagnostic application (refer to “Browse OPC Servers Button”
on page 46) or from the OPCServer_CLSIDs.txt file.
2. Enter a name for the OPC server in the OPC Server Name edit box provided. The
OPC server name can be whatever you wish to call it.
3. Save the port configuration file as <filename>.xml. The filename name must use the
string conventions of an I/A Series control configurator. Use all capital letters and
underscore characters instead of spaces.
4. Copy the port configuration file into the D:\usr\fox\sp\files\devices directory
on the host I/A Series workstation.
5. Configure this filename as the FILEID parameter of the ECB200/202 for this port.
Device Configuration
The FDSI OPC client requires at least one device ECB (ECB201) to communicate with an OPC
server. As mentioned previously, a device may represent a specific PLC or it may simply represent
a collection of data from an OPC server that is connected to many devices.
You can create a device configuration XML file with the FDSI Configurator utility. The FDSI
Configurator is used to configure OPC Groups, tag name aliases, and the ECB201 Heartbeat
option. A device configuration XML file is not required in all situations and may be omitted.
This section describes the configuration of OPC Groups, data points in both the I/A Series sys-
tem and in the FDSI Configurator device configuration XML file
OPC Items (Tag Names)

The method of connecting an OPC client to a specific value accessible to an OPC server is by the
use of character strings called “OPC Tag Names” (also called “Item Paths” or “Item Tags”). Tag
names can be made up of almost any ASCII characters including spaces. Usually the tag name
fields are delimited by back slashes (\), forward slashes (/) or periods (.) Some tag names require
the use of special identifiers. Rockwell’s RSLinx, for example, requires the tag name to be prefixed
with the RSLinx “Topic” name. An example RSLinx tag name would be: [AREA3]N9:3.
Another example tag name is CIP.E1.B.PLC_1. The period delimited fields represent the Wonder-
ware CIP interface hierarchy employed by their DASABCIP OPC server that communicates with
Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLCs.
20
Due to limitations in the I/A Series control configurators, these character strings in I/A Series
DCI block PNT_NO parameters can be no longer than 31 characters. If a desired tag name is
longer or includes spaces, then tag name aliasing must be employed. The FDSI Configurator is
used to create alias tag names that are stored in a device configuration XML file. This is explained
later in “Alias Tag Names” on page 24.
Device Configuration Without an XML File (Default Group

Used)
The use of a device configuration .XML file is optional and may not be required in all cases. It is
not useful when trying to make quick and easy connections to an OPC server for the purposes of
testing or troubleshooting the communications link.
To specify the option of not using a device XML file, simply configure NOXML in the DVOPTS
parameter of the ECB201 and leave the FILEID parameter blank. The DVNAME parameter
must be filled in. This name will be prefixed to the string “DefaultGroup”. This group has a pre-
configured scan rate of 2 seconds. See the section titled “Device Configuration – OPC Groups”
below for more information. Per the example shown below in Table 2-2, the Default Group name
will be UNIT_1DefaultGroup. This group name will appear in the diagnostic application for the
OPC client driver.
Table 2-2. ECB201 Configuration Without a Device Configuration File
Parameter Value
HWTYPE 232 (233 if redundant)
SWTYPE 232 (233 if redundant)
PARENT The name of this device’s parent
ECB200 or ECB202
DVNAME user configured string represent-
ing the Default Group name (For
example: UNIT_1)
DVOPTS NOXML
PORTNO 1
FILEID
Configuring ECB201 parameters is covered in Step 13 of the quick-start flow chart in B0700AH.
Device Configuration Using an XML File

Using a device configuration XML file, you can configure:
♦ The heartbeat (page 22)
♦ Multiple groups and configurable group scan rates (page 23)
♦ Alias tag names (page 24).
To configure the items listed above, a device configuration XML file is required. The following
sections explain how to perform these types of device configuration using an XML file.
21
Heartbeat
A heartbeat value is associated with a specific device ECB201 by a device configuration XML file.
A device heartbeat is a constantly changing value that may be located in an OPC server accessible
device such as a PLC. The value is an OPC connectable data point (an OPC tag name) that is
“watched” by the FDSI OPC client driver heartbeat mechanism at a configurable rate. The value
in the device could be driven from a timer, a flip-flop or “seconds” from the time-of-day clock.
When configured, the heartbeat function acts similar to a watchdog timer. If the point does not
update within the scan rate, the driver will retry (wait) 2 times before failing the ECB201. In
other words, if the heartbeat scan time is configured for 5 seconds, the OPC server must provide a
changed value within that time. If it does not, then the FDSI OPC client will retry (wait) 2 times
the scan time (approximately 10 seconds more) before failing the ECB201.
The configured heartbeat tag scan rate should be a value longer than the update rate in which the
value changes. That is, if the heartbeat value in the device changes every 2 seconds, the heartbeat
scan rate should be set longer, 3 or 4 seconds for example.
A device heartbeat requires the configuration and use of a device configuration XML file.
! CAUTION
Invensys Foxboro recommends using the heartbeat facility (which requires the use
of a device configuration file) wherever possible. This enables System Monitor and
SMDH to detect/display a bad connection to a specific device. The heartbeat facil-
ity is required for redundant operation. Redundancy does not operate without it.
Configuration of the heartbeat OPC tag is performed in the FDSI Configurator in the General
tab of the OPC device configuration sheet. See Figure 2-5.
Note that if an updating point is not available to the OPC server, then an I/A Series Control gen-
erated value can be used in a looping scheme. This requires the use of:
1. One or two read/write-able memory areas in the device accessible to the OPC server.
2. A DCI output block such as IOUT, ROUT, COUT; and an “upstream” connected
RAMP block or other similar block to provide a changing value.
3. The OPC tag name (representing a data value in the device) configured in the heart-
beat mechanism is the same tag name as configured in the output block’s PNT_NO
field. Additionally, in the PNT_NO field the tag name must be appended with a $
character. This character forces the status for this particular point to always be
“Good”. It is required to keep the output value writing even if the associated ECB201
is failed due to a heartbeat timeout. When the communications problem is resolved,
the output value will transmit to the OPC server, “reviving” the ECB201 by satisfying
the heartbeat watchdog timer.
The heartbeat scan rate time must be greater than the RAMP block and output block
period/phase or the ECB201 will fail.
The RAMP block will generate a value that the output block will send to the device via the OPC
server. The FDSI OPC heartbeat mechanism is connected to the same value in the device which
will satisfy the heartbeat watchdog timer.
A better method would be to have the DCI output block connected to one value in the device and
the FDSI OPC heartbeat mechanism connected to another value. The device internally copies the
value from the DCI output block to the other value used by the heartbeat. This method would
22
eliminate any question of the OPC server updating the value locally instead of within the device.
See Figure 2-4 below.
FBM Device
OPC Input Value
DCI OUT
Server
Heartbeat In Output Value
(device copies input
to output)
Figure 2-4. Configuring the Heartbeat
Invensys Foxboro recommends that the above method of connecting a heartbeat is used as a “last
resort” if at all possible. FDSI redundant operation (FBM233) is more secure when the heartbeat
value is generated by a connected device rather than from a control scheme.
The heartbeat OPC tag will be associated with a special Heartbeat Group. The Heartbeat Group
name is a concatenation of the name specified in the ECB201 DVNAME parameter and the
string “HeartbeatGroup”. For example if an ECB201 has “DEV1” configured in the DVNAME
parameter, then DEV1HeartbeatGroup is the name of this device’s Heartbeat Group. This group
name can be viewed using the diagnostic application for the OPC client driver. For more informa-
tion on this utility refer to Chapter 4 “Diagnostics and Troubleshooting”.
The heartbeat OPC tag name is configured in the General tab of the FDSI Configurator when
creating a device configuration XML file.
Multiple Groups and Configurable Group Scan Rates

Each of the data point values that you wish to bring into the I/A Series system via the FDSI OPC
client must be configured into an OPC Group. This requirement is enforced by the FDSI OPC
client. As mentioned above, even if no device configuration XML file is required, a Default Group
with a fixed scan rate of 2 seconds will be automatically created by the FDSI OPC client.
Each device ECB201 must have the DVNAME parameter configured; DVNAME is used to cre-
ate a Default Group. By using the FDSI Configurator, more than one group can be configured for
a single device ECB201. This is useful in that a single device can represent a single PLC, but sep-
arate groups can be configured to represent different aspects of the control scheme within the
PLC. Similarly, if the I/A Series AIM*AT OPC Server is used to connect two separate I/A Series
system nodes, a single device ECB201 can represent the connection to the AIM*AT OPC Server.
Separate groups within the device could represent the different CP or AW stations from which the
data is originating.
Each group has its own configurable scan frequency that can be set at different rates from the scan
frequencies of other groups.
Multiple groups and configurable scan frequencies for each group can only be implemented using
the FDSI Configurator. Group configuration is performed on the Groups tab sheet of the FDSI
Configurator when creating a device configuration XML file.
23
Alias Tag Names

As mentioned previously, alias tag names are used when a tag name is too long or uses characters
not supported by the I/A Series configurators.
Single data points are connected to DCI blocks by configuring the (DCI block specific) parame-
ters PNT_NO, PKINGP, PKCOGP, and so forth. These parameter fields are limited to a length
of 31 characters. If required, a longer or non-conforming tag name can be “aliased” via the device
configuration XML file to a short simple name suitable for configuration in the DCI blocks. The
DCI blocks contain the short simple names. The device configuration XML file contains the
same DCI names, but associates each of them with the longer or more complex OPC tag name
required by the OPC server. The FDSI Configurator is used to create the tag aliasing. Alias tag
configuration is performed on the I/O Points tab sheet of the FDSI Configurator when creating a
device configuration XML file.
I/A Series Control Configuration with Device Configuration File

Table 2-3 shows a configuration of an ECB201 device ECB that uses a device configuration XML
file. The DVNAME field must be configured, as this name will be used for the Default Group
name. The FILEID is the name of the specific device configuration XML file created with the
FDSI Configurator. The file name can be any name.XML, but a good method is to name the file
the same name as the ECB. This way you can tell at a glance which device ECB this particular
XML file is associated with. In a system with more than one FBM, this can be a help.
Table 2-3. ECB201 Configuration With a Device Configuration File
Parameter Value
HWTYPE 232 (233 if redundant)
SWTYPE 232 (233 if redundant)
PARENT The name of this device’s parent
ECB200 or ECB202.
DVNAME user configured string represent-
ing the Default Group name (For
example: UNIT_1)
DVOPTS
PORTNO 1
FILEID <filename>.XML (For example,
PLC155.XML)
FDSI Configurator with Device Configuration File

Device configuration is more involved than port configuration, but the FDSI Configurator sup-
ports some “cut and paste” Windows technology as well as prefix/suffix auto-generated numerical
tags to assist. The complete usage of this utility is described in Field Device System Integrators
(FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH). The following paragraphs simply state what is
required to be filled in for each tab and properties of the FDSI device configuration.
24
General Tab (Figure 2-5) – Device

Enter a name for the device in the Name field. It can be upper or lower case with or without spaces.
This name is used internally by the FDSI to identify the device configuration XML file. As stated
previously, for convenience the device configuration filename should be similar to the device
ECB201 name. For example, if PLC155 is the name of a particular ECB201, the saved name of
the device configuration XML file can be PLC155.XML. PLC155 is the name entered in the
Device Name field on the General tab.
General Tab – Heartbeat

If a heartbeat is required, enter the OPC tag name of an updating input value into the I/O Point
edit box. For example: acme\commercial\AIRM\Heartbeat. Enter a scan frequency value in milli-
seconds in the Scan Rate field. No I/A Series control configuration is required for this point.
Figure 2-5. General Tab
Groups Tab (Figure 2-6) – Group Properties

Groups must be created before I/O Points can be configured. Enter a group name in the Name
field. Enter the scan rate for the Items in this group in the Scan Rate field. All of the points asso-
ciated with this group will be scanned by the OPC server at this frequency.
Click the Add button to create the group. Subsequently, you can modify or delete the group by
picking it from the list that is displayed. As mentioned above, multiple groups can be created per
single device. You may Add as many as required for your application.
25
Figure 2-6. Groups Tab
I/O Points Tab (Figure 2-7) – I/O Point Properties, General

The contents of the PNT_NO field is the same as what is entered in the PNT_NO, PKINGP,
PKCOGP, and so forth, parameters of the DCI blocks. The FDSI Configurator defaults the edit
field to all uppercase letters. It is important that these PNT_NO strings match the strings as con-
figured in the DCI blocks. If not, the blocks will be “undefined” and an “Invalid Point” error will
appear in the block detail displays. Those points will be out-of-service (cyan) until the situation is
corrected.
The exception to this rule is if a “#” character precedes the PNT_NO string in a DCI block.
When this is the case, the FDSI OPC client does not look for a matching entry in a device config-
uration file. See “DCI Points Not in the Device Configuration XML File” on page 30.
The OPC Item field is the actual tag name of the point in the OPC server. It cannot be anything
else. To alias the OPC Item tag name, use the shorter simpler name in the PNT_NO field. As
stated previously, this short PNT_NO name must also match the contents of the corresponding
DCI block’s PNT_NO field.
The Group edit control shows what groups are currently available. These groups must have been
created previously. By selecting a group from the menu, you associate the point with that group.
26
Checking the Write Only box will prevent the read-back facility from attempting to read I/O
points that can only be written.
After you have configured a point, click the Add button to add the point to the configuration. The
point will appear in a spreadsheet type list at the bottom of the dialog box. From the list, a point
can be modified or deleted using the Modify or Remove button, respectively. When you select any
field in the list, all of the information for that row appears in the General area edit fields in the top
left-hand portion of the dialog box.
I/O Points Tab – I/O Points Generation

This facility is extremely useful if the PNT_NO values and/or the OPC Item values in a given
group have numerically increasing prefixes or suffixes. You can append integer values to the fields
and generate a series of points in a numerical order by simply clicking the Generate I/O Points
button.
Figure 2-7 illustrates all of the properties on the I/O Points tab. Note that the points have been
auto-generated and aliased. None of the points are “write only”.
Figure 2-7. I/O Points Tab
27
All of the text fields in the I/O Points Tab can be copied and pasted from other Windows applica-
tions. However, the Group, Start, and Count fields in the I/O Point generator cannot be copied
and pasted.
I/O Points in DCI Blocks

The following DCI blocks are supported by the OPC client driver:
Table 2-4. DCI Blocks Supported by the OPC Client Driver
Name Description
BIN Binary Input block
BINR Redundant Binary Input block
BOUT Binary Output block
IIN Integer Input block
IOUT Integer Output block
PAKIN Packed Input block
PAKOUT Packed Output block
PLSOUT Pulse Output block
RIN Real Input DCI block
RINR Redundant Real Input DCI block
ROUT Real Output DCI block
STRIN String Input DCI block
STROUT String Output DCI block
The process of creating, editing, modifying, and deleting DCI blocks is well documented else-
where. What is important to the OPC client interface is that one DCI block is required for every
OPC tag. Each block is associated via its IOM_ID parameter with a specific device ECB
(ECB201). Each device ECB is associated with a parent ECB200 or ECB202 via the ECB201’s
PARENT parameter. The blocks and their relationships are shown in Figure 2-8. Note that the
device ECB (ECB201) is shown to include a device configuration file as its DVOPTS parameter
value. The information presented in this section corresponds to Step 16 of the quick-start flow
chart in B0700AH.
28
Name : FCM106 Name : PLC155

Type : ECB200 Type : ECB201
DESCRP : (optional) DESCRP: (optional)
PERIOD : 1 PERIOD: 1
PHASE : 0 PHASE : 0
DEV_ID : FCM106 DEV_ID: PLC155
HWTYPE : 232 HWTYPE: 232
SWTYPE : 232 SWTYPE: 232
PORTEX : 1 PARENT: FCM106
FILEID : ACME_DHCP.XML DVNAME: AIR_MANAGER
FSENAB : 0 DVADDR:
FSDLAY : 1000 DVOPTS: PLC155.XML
WDTMR : 10 PORTNO: 1
SFILID : OPC.ZIPH (Device Specification)
(Driver Specification)
Name : FY4059 Name : FI4059 Name : HS4059

Type : ROUT Type : RIN Type : BOUT
DESCRP: (optional) DESCRP: (optional) DESCRP: (optional)
IOM_ID: PLC155 IOM_ID: PLC155 IOM_ID: PLC155
PNT_NO: BLWRSPEED1 PNT_NO: BLWRFLOW PNT_NO: BLWRMOTOR
Figure 2-8. I/A Series Control Database Configuration for Use with the OPC Client Driver
and an FCP270 or ZCP270
There are separate DCI blocks for each data type. You should know ahead of time what type of
block to use when connecting to an OPC tag. Similar data types exist. For example, you can use
an IIN block to read integer or packed boolean data, and you can use a BOUT block to write to a
single boolean tag in the server.
The DCI readback facility for output blocks is also supported by the FDSI OPC client. The only
exception to readback behavior is when the DCI output block is connected to an OPC “write-
only” tag. Write-only support requires the support of a device configuration XML file. In this case
the value cannot be read, so the readback value is internally set by the FDSI OPC client to be
equal to the output value from the CP. The table below shows a typical IIN DCI block configura-
tion for an OPC connection.
Table 2-5. DCI IIN block configuration
Parameter Value
IOM_ID PLC155 (name of ECB201)
SIMOPT 0
PNT_NO AIRMGR\AREA3\BLWRSPD1
29
Note that the PNT_NO value could either be an actual tag name in the OPC server or an alias
name entry in the device config XML file.
Miscellaneous
DCI Points Not in the Device Configuration XML File
There are times when it is not necessary to include all configured points in both the I/A Series
control database and the device configuration file. An example this would be if the heartbeat
mechanism is required but alias names are not required. Also, points with a short tag may be
added to an existing database without going through the process of updating the device configura-
tion file and downloading it to the FBM. By simply prefixing a pound # character to the
PNT_NO value, you can prevent the OPC client software from attempting to find a match in a
device configuration file.
Example: #BLR2\BLWRVIBRATIONMON
Data Conversions
You do not need to be concerned about data conversions between the server and the CP, byte
swapping, or any data manipulation between the CP and the OPC server. The operational behav-
ior of the FDSI OPC client is such that if an IIN block (a 32-bit signed integer) is connected to a
16-bit OPC server tag, the FDSI OPC client makes the conversion automatically. Similarly, if an
IIN is connecting to a 64-bit long word, the conversion is made automatically. The same holds
true for single precision (32-bit float) RINs connecting to double precision reals in the server.
The following tables outline the compatible data type connection options available in the FDSI
OPC client driver.
Table 2-6. Data Conversions
DCI Block DCI Block Data Type Connectable OPC Data Type
IIN 32-bit signed integer 16-bit signed integer
32-bit signed integer 16-bit unsigned integer
32-bit signed integer 32-bit signed integer
32-bit signed integer 16-bit BCD
RIN 32-bit float 32-bit float
32-bit float 64-bit float1
BIN Single contact Boolean type
PAKIN Single contact 32-bit signed integer
32-bit unsigned integer 32-bit unsigned integer
STRIN String (80 characters, including NULL) Null terminated String type
30
Table 2-6. Data Conversions
DCI Block DCI Block Data Type Connectable OPC Data Type
IOUT 32-bit signed integer 16-bit signed integer
32-bit signed integer 32-bit signed integer
32-bit signed integer 16-bit BCD
ROUT 32-bit float 32-bit float
32-bit float 64-bit float1
BOUT Single contact Boolean type
PAKOUT 32-bit unsigned integer 32-bit signed integer
32-bit unsigned integer 32-bit unsigned integer
STROUT String (80 characters, including NULL) Null terminated String type
1. The range supported by the RIN and ROUT block is limited to 32 bits. Even though a
RIN/ROUT block can connect to a 64-bit float OPC data type, the value must be within
the range supported by the 32-bit float. If it is not within that range, non-deterministic
results can occur.
8-bit values such as BYTE and CHAR types are not supported. 64-bit signed and unsigned inte-
gers and LBCD types are not supported.
Duplicate OPC Tag Names

More than one DCI block having the same OPC tag name generates a “Duplicate Address” error
in the I/A Series configurator if they are both associated with the same OPC Group. If more than
one DCI block connection to the same OPC tag name is required, you must use a device config-
uration XML file to associate the PNT_NOs of those DCI blocks with different groups. If no
XML file is used, then the DCI blocks must be associated with different device ECB201s – this
will, by default, associate the PNT_NOs with unique Default Groups.
31
For example:
With OPC Device XML File:

Table 2-7. Creating Duplicate Tag Names Using Device Configuration XML File
DCI Block PNT_NO

Name (in DCI block and OPC Item Group
(in I/A Series) FDSI Configurator) (in FDSI Configurator) (in FDSI Configurator)
RIN1 BLOWR.RPM AREA1.BLOWER.RPM AREA1A
RIN2 BLOWR.RPM AREA1.BLOWER.RPM AREA1B
RIN3 BLOWR.RPM AREA1.BLOWER.RPM AREA1C
DCI Block only – No XML File Used:

Table 2-8. Creating Duplicate Tag Names Using I/A Series Control Configuration
and no XML File
DCI Block Name IOM_ID PNT_NO

RIN1 DEV1 BLOWR.RPM
RIN2 DEV2 BLOWR.RPM
RIN3 DEV3 BLOWR.RPM
Reading and Writing the Same Point in the Server

The same duplicate OPC tag rules apply with respect to reading and writing to the same OPC tag
name. One DCI input block and one DCI output block may read/write from/to the same OPC
tag in the OPC server. These blocks must be associated within different OPC Groups.
OPC Value Status

OPC technology provides a status value that is associated with each input/output point. Each
value received from an OPC server has its own status word associated with it. If a point is declared
“BAD” by the OPC server, then a “BAD” status is sent along with the current value of the point.
The FDSI OPC client passes this “BAD” (or “GOOD”) status along to the host control station
with the value. In the Block Detail display, the value has the RED background and the value
record status field for that point is set BAD.
The OPC status word consists of 16 bits, of which only three are set aside for standard use by all
OPC servers and clients. Other bits are set aside for vendor-specific usage. The FDSI OPC client
only interprets the standard status bits. Vendor-specific bits are ignored.
32
3. Principles of Operation
This chapter provides an overview of the operation of the OPC client driver, including
ECB200/202 and ECB201 operation, OPC client driver operation, and redundant operation.
This chapter also provides information on how errors are reported.
You should be familiar with the section titled “Maintenance” in Field Device System Integrators
(FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH). This section details all of the SMDH Equip-
ment Change and Information displays.
To be operational, all ECBs must be ONLINE/ENABLED and NOT FAILED (white) in
SMDH. Refer to Step 9 in the quick-start flow chart contained in B0700AH.
ECB200/ECB202 Operation
You must know two important concepts in order to make the ECBs operational: A Software
Download followed by a Data Base Download as performed from the SMDH Equipment
Change displays. On the Equipment Change displays these picks are labeled EEPROM/Soft Down-
load and DB Download respectively. The corresponding steps in the quick-start flow chart con-
tained in B0700AH that relate to this section are Steps 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15.
When an FDSI FBM is shipped from the factory, it is pre programmed with the latest and proper
IOM23x file but no driver. When powered up for the first time, the operating system is loaded
from the FBM’s non-volatile flash memory. The FBM boots up and remains in a Driver
Failed/DCI not Ready state until you manually download the OPC client driver software and
port configuration file. First, you must set the ECB200 (or 202) ONLINE. Setting the
ECB200/202 ONLINE enables other equipment change actions, such as Soft Download and DB
Download. Upon performing this action, the red LED located on the FBM faceplate turns off.
To download the OPC client driver, click on EEPROM/SOFT DOWNLOAD > SOFT DOWNLOAD on the
ECB200/202’s Equipment Change page in SMDH. The OPC.ziph file that was configured in
the ECB200/202 SFILID parameter is downloaded to the FBM at this point.
When the Soft Download is active, the ECB200/202 SMDH Equipment Information display
indicates Download Active on page 2 for FBM233 and page 3 for FBM232. Upon successful
completion of the download, the FBM automatically reboots. During the FBM reboot, the FBM
appears “FAILED” to the host CP. After the FBM reboots, it should remain ONLINE.
NOTE
During a Soft Download operation, any existing port and device configuration
XML files are deleted.
When the FBM completes the Soft Download operation and reboots (at this point, the FBM
should remain ONLINE), you should verify that the checksum value displayed in the DRIVER
VERSION field on the SMDH Equipment Information display is the same as that in the
OPC_DriverRev.txt file located in the d:\usr\fox\sp\files\devices directory. If the checksums are
not the same, the download operation failed.
33
B0700BH – Rev B 3. Principles of Operation
When the Soft Download is complete, the appropriate driver is now downloaded in the FBM.
However, the driver has no idea to which OPC server it will connect and where that OPC server
is located. For this reason, you must follow the Soft Download with a DB Download of the port
configuration XML file. Click the DB DOWNLOAD field. The port configuration XML file that was
configured in the ECB200/202 FILEID parameter is downloaded to the FBM. During the DB
Download, page 2 of the ECB200/202 Equipment Information display should indicate DCI NOT
READY. When the download completes, the Equipment Information display should indicate DCI
READY, and SMDH displays the ECB200/202 in the yellow color. If the port configuration file is
correct, the FBM will have made a connection to the OPC server. If the port configuration is not
syntactically correct, DCI NOT READY and DOWNLOAD FAILED are displayed on the Equipment
Information page.
If a port configuration file does not have syntax errors, it could have a bad Class ID or bad IP
addresses. If the port configuration file has a bad Class ID, the Equipment Information page will
display OPC Server Not Connected. If the port configuration file has a bad IP address, the Equip-
ment Information page will display OPC Server Machine Not Connected. See Chapter 4 “Diag-
nostics and Troubleshooting” for more information.
You may wish to download an updated port configuration file while the communications link is
up and running. This is supported. However, you must realize that all communications to the
currently connected server are temporarily broken if the download is successful, then re-estab-
lished. If an error is encountered during the download (such as a malformed tag in the XML file),
the connection is not broken and the download action is reported as DOWNLOAD FAILED on the
Equipment Information page.
By default, the ENABLE PORT 1 field is set to “enabled” on the Equipment Change page in
SMDH. Port 1 must be enabled for communications to take place. If Port 1 is not “enabled”,
communications do not take place.
If the link is up-and-running and you click GO OFF-LINE, all communication to the OPC server
stops, and the connected OPC Groups and points are disconnected. Clicking GO ON-LINE re-
establishes all communications with the OPC server. Similarly, clicking DISABLE PORT 1 termi-
nates all communications to the OPC server, while clicking ENABLE PORT 1 re-establishes
communications.
If the port and device ECBs (ECB200/202 and ECB201) are ONLINE and ENABLED, the
point connections are made to the server regardless of the compound’s ON/OFF status.
At some point, you may want to reboot (reset) the FBM with an FBM RESET Equipment Change
action. Be sure to turn the FBM “OFFLINE” prior to performing this action. Disabling the FBM
first by turning it offline provides a clean way to disconnect the FBM from the OPC server before
you reset the FBM. Otherwise, unpredictable behavior could result. At a minimum, if the FBM is
not disconnected from the OPC server before the FBM reset, the OPC server indicates that one
more client is attached than is actually the case.
For more details on SMDH Equipment Change actions, and Equipment Information pages, refer
to the “Maintenance” chapter in Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s
Guide (B0700AH).
34
3. Principles of Operation B0700BH – Rev B
ECB201 Operation
If any device ECBs (ECB201s) require a device configuration XML file, you must download the
specific device configuration.XML file pertaining to each connected ECB201. The corresponding
steps in the quick-start flow chart contained in B0700AH that relate to this section are Steps 13,
14, and 15.
In its initial state, the ECB201 is disabled. The ECB201 must be in the “disabled” state to enable
the DB Download field in SMDH.
For devices that do not specify a device configuration XML file, you do not need to download a
device configuration XML file, but you must enable the devices. If this is the case, simply click the
ENABLE COMMUNICATIONS field on the ECB201’s Equipment Change page in SMDH.
Click DB DOWNLOAD on the ECB201’s Equipment Change page to download the device configura-
tion file. The file configured in the ECB201’s FILEID parameter is downloaded to the FBM at
this point. After the download takes place successfully, the Equipment Information display for the
ECB indicates DCI READY. After a successful download, you must enable the ECB in order for
successful communications to take place for that device. To do so, click ENABLE COMMUNICATIONS
on the ECB201’s Equipment Change page.
If a heartbeat tag has been configured in the XML file, the ECB may possibly “Fail” for a short
period of time until the heartbeat value is received. The ECB may enter this temporary failed state
if there are large numbers of points being connected as a result of the ECB being enabled.
OPC Client Driver Operation

When the port ECB (ECB200/202) is in a good operational state (that is, white or yellow color
with a DCI READY message in SMDH), the FDSI OPC client driver starts the OPC server auto-
matically without any operator intervention. If device configuration files are required, the device
ECB201s remain cyan and DCI NOT READY in SMDH until you perform a DB Download and
subsequently enable the ECB201s.
Barring configuration problems such as bad or duplicate tag names, failed ECBs, and so forth,
data communications should be taking place at this point, shown by flickering Tx and Rx LEDs
on the FBM. This occurs even if the DCI block compounds are off. All DCI blocks are out-of-
service (cyan) at the start. When the connections are made and the compound is turned on, the
blocks transition to normal operation and begin updating. Some connections may not resolve.
These points remain cyan and their Block Detail displays show an error description indicating
whether a duplicate, invalid, or unresolved connection is at fault.
Any database configuration changes may require that both CP control database changes and
device configuration files are “in sync” with each other, unless as stated previously, the tags are
short enough (and of acceptable syntax) for the station that the # character can be used.
Redundant Operation
The redundant operating philosophy is fairly simple. In a redundant configuration, there are two
FBMs that operate in matched pairs with their own separate Ethernet cables to an OPC server as
shown in Figure 1-2 and Figure 1-3 in Chapter 1 “Introduction”. The FBM in the left-hand slot
is referred to as the “Main” while the FBM in the right-hand slot is referred to as the “Backup”.
35
The FBMs may be rebooted independently of each other via SMDH. This is accomplished using
the RESET option on the Equipment Change display.
On input, both the Main and Backup FBMs receive OPC input data, but the Control Processor
(CP) only receives data from the FBM in the “Master” role. On output, the CP sends data
changes to both the Master and Tracker FBMs. Subsequently both FBMs forward the output data
to the OPC server on their respective Ethernet links.
The section titled “Maintenance” in Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s
Guide (B0700AH) contains the SMDH Equipment Information displays and a table of the dis-
play field contents for FBM233s.
Fully Redundant Operation

In a fully redundant link either two separate OPC servers are used (Figure 1-3) or one OPC server
with redundant capability is used. During normal operation, one FBM of the pair is designated
with the role of “Master” and the other FBM is the “Tracker”. These roles switch automatically
depending on the communications link to the Master. In a fully redundant link, if the Master
detects that any single device has failed on its specific link, it forces a “role switch”, which causes
the Tracker to become Master and vice-versa, and generates a system alarm. The automatic role
switch only occurs if no devices are failed on the Tracker’s link. If both Master and Tracker have
failed devices on their respective links, an automatic role switch does not occur. You can force a
role switch via the SWITCH ROLES option in the Equipment Change display of SMDH. The status
of the Main and Backup FBMs is reflected in the SMDH displays and the FBM Detail displays.
The FBM233s also have Master and Tracker LEDs to indicate role status. The Equipment Infor-
mation pages clearly indicate Main and Backup connection status for each device. If the ECBs are
yellow, you can use these displays to determine which side of the connection has failed.
When a communication fault occurs on the Main FBM link and the Main FBM is the Master –
an automatic role switch occurs (assuming no faults exist on the Tracker’s link). However, the
Main does NOT automatically resume Mastership when communication is restored. If you want
the Main FBM to resume its Master role after communication is restored, you must manually
switch the roles in SMDH.
If a communication fault occurs on the Tracker’s communication link, a system alarm is generated
by the devices that have the problem. The port ECB and specific device ECBs with the problem
appear yellow in SMDH. If the problem is more general, such as a switch/hub disconnection,
then all the ECBs appear yellow in SMDH.
Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Operation

In this type of configuration, the redundant FBMs are used as redundant communication links to
a single OPC server as shown in Figure 1-2. During normal operation, one FBM of the pair is
designated with the role of “Master” and the other FBM is the “Tracker”. These roles switch auto-
matically under certain conditions. For example, the roles switch if there is a physical disconnec-
tion between the Master and the OPC server.
If a device fails, a role switch may or may not occur initially. In either case, after a few moments,
the device will fail. This is because with only one OPC server in operation, the device heartbeat
detects the failure in both the Master and Tracker FBMs.
36
When a role switch occurs and the error is subsequently corrected, the restored FBM does not
automatically resume Mastership of the link when communication is restored. If you want the
FBM to resume Mastership under these conditions, you must manually switch the roles in
SMDH.
Error Reporting
Misconfigured PNT_NO parameters in the I/A Series control database or PNT_NO/OPC Item
tags in the device configuration file cause the Block Detail displays for those blocks to report
invalid address or duplicate address errors.
If the OPC server deems that a point is having a problem, it sets the appropriate status (usually
“BAD”) for that point. The status is picked up by the FDSI OPC client, which sets the status bad
for that DCI block.
Hardware disconnections due to broken cables or downed servers are monitored by the FDSI
OPC client. When a hardware disconnect occurs, the ECB201s go to an ONLINE/FAILED state
and a system alarm is generated. The System Monitor propagates the alarm through the I/A Series
system. The DCI blocks remain in an out-of-service condition until the connection is re-estab-
lished. If a device heartbeat is configured via an XML file, and the device heartbeat “times out”,
the ECB201 is set to the ONLINE/FAILED state. This same behavior is also seen if the heartbeat
is connected to a point that is not changing. The time out occurs because the device ECB did not
get an update from the OPC server within 3 times the scan rate for the heartbeat tag. For exam-
ple, if the heartbeat scan rate is set for 10 seconds, the device ECB201 waits for approximately 30
seconds before it fails the device.
FDSI monitors for a loss of communications. The following indications are displayed in SMDH
for the ECB201.
Table 3-1. SMDH ECB201 Display on FBM232 (Non-Redundant)
Color Device State

White Communications Active
Cyan Device Not Enabled or Off-line
Red Communications Failed
Table 3-2. SMDH ECB201 Display on FBM233 (Redundant)
ECB201 SMDH Equipment Information

State Display – Page 3
Main Backup
Connection Connection
Master Status Status Color Port State
Main Good Good White Main Port Active
Backup Good Good White Backup Port Active
Main Good Failed Yellow Main Port Active, Backup Port failed
Backup Failed Good Yellow Backup Port Active, Main Port failed
37
Table 3-2. SMDH ECB201 Display on FBM233 (Redundant) (Continued)
ECB201 SMDH Equipment Information

State Display – Page 3
Main Backup
Connection Connection
Master Status Status Color Port State
Main Failed Failed Red Main Port Active, Main Port Failed,
Backup Port Failed
Backup Failed Failed Red Backup Port Active, Main Port
Failed, Backup Port Failed
DCI Block Status in FoxView

OOS (cyan) is set when any of the following conditions exist:
♦ When the block is first initialized
♦ The parent ECB201 is not connected to the device
♦ The point connection has not been made
♦ The control processor is not connected to the FBM
♦ An illegal OPC Item tag is configured
♦ When ECB201 is set “disabled” from SMDH
♦ When the port on which the device is connected is disabled from SMDH
♦ When the FBM has been turned OFFLINE in SMDH
♦ When the parent ECB201 has failed.
Good (normal background color) is set for I/O points when a good value status is sent by the
OPC server.
Device Status in SMDH

OOS (cyan) is set when any of the following conditions exist:
♦ When the port on which the device is connected is disabled from SMDH
♦ When the ECB201 device communication is disabled from SMDH
♦ When the “DCI Not Ready” state exists for the ECB201 or the FBM
♦ When the driver is not loaded and “connection error” appears on the ECB201 Detail
display.
BAD (red) is set when any of the following conditions exist:
♦ When the OPC server indicates a BAD status for the Item.
GOOD (white) is set when the driver has a connection to the device:
♦ With FBM 232/233 (TCP) – This means the heartbeat is good (or no heartbeat is
configured).
38
System Alarm (yellow) is set for redundant FBMs (233) when:

♦ One or more ECB201s have failed on one of the FBMs
♦ The DCI Not Ready state exists on one of the FBMs or ECB201s
♦ One of the FBMs has failed.
Failure (red) state is set when:
♦ ECB201 fails due to loss of connection. Loss of connection is indicated by a loss of
heartbeat.
♦ The FBM parent of an ECB201 fails.
39
40
4. Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
This chapter describes diagnosing and troubleshooting problems with the FDSI OPC client
driver.
Diagnostics
The FDSI OPC client software package is supplemented with a remote connectable diagnostic
tool that provides a graphical user interface called Fox OPC Diagnostics. This application is
installed from the CD titled “Diagnostic Utility for OPC Client driver” (K0173WG) on any AW,
or a workstation running the Windows XP or Windows NT operating system. Insert the CD-
ROM into the CD-ROM drive; setup should start automatically. If it does not, browse the CD
and double-click on setup.exe.
The diagnostic utility for OPC client driver connects remotely to the FDSI via a TCP/IP connec-
tion. This diagnostic application is the only means available for viewing the OPC Group and
point connections within the FDSI OPC client. The diagnostic utility also supports a limited
browsing capability. The browsed Item tags can be “copied and pasted” into other applications,
such as the FDSI Configurator. The tag data types are displayed. As indicated previously, a server’s
CLSID (Class ID) string is displayed, and it can also be copied and pasted.
The SMDH Equipment Information displays also provide you with feedback regarding the health
of the FBMs, devices, and the OPC connection.
Fox OPC Diagnostics Application

When the diagnostics application is installed, a program menu item is also installed. To open the
diagnostic application, click Start > All Programs > FoxOPCTools > Diagnostics > FoxOPCIO-
Diagnostic.
From left to right, there are eight function buttons that appear in the toolbar. Figure 4-1 illus-
trates the functions of the buttons.
Configure
Log Browse OPC
Servers
Connect About
Exit
Disconnect
I/A Open Log Files
Diagnostics
Figure 4-1. Function Buttons in the Diagnostic Application
41
B0700BH – Rev B 4. Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Connect Button
The Connect button is used to bring up the Connect to FoxOPCIO dialog box.
To connect the diagnostic application to an FBM, perform the following steps:
1. Click the Connection button. The dialog box in Figure 4-2 appears.
Figure 4-2. Connect to FoxOPCIO Dialog Box
2. Select Remote from the Mode section of the dialog box.

3. Check the box next to FDSI FBM.
4. Click the IP Address button. When this button is selected, the edit box beside it
becomes enabled. Enter the FBM’s IP address in the provided space.
5. Click Connect to connect to the FBM. After you connect, the Connect button on the
main display is disabled, and the Disconnect and I/A Diagnostics buttons are
enabled.
Disconnect Button
The Disconnect button is used to close the diagnostic application’s connection to the FBM. Exit-
ing out of the application also closes the connection.
Configure Log Button

The Configure Log button is used to enable the error and/or event logging capability. Figure 4-3
shows the dialog box that appears when you click the Configure Log button. Checking the appro-
priate boxes next to the Error Log and Event Log fields in the Log Configuration dialog box
enables the error and/or event logging features.Unchecking the boxes disables these features. Click
OK to initiate the action. A confirmation dialog box as shown in Figure 4-4 appears. Click OK.
42
4. Diagnostics and Troubleshooting B0700BH – Rev B
Figure 4-3. Diagnostic Client/Browser Log Configuration
Figure 4-4. Diagnostic Client/Browser Log Initialization Confirmation
The log files are stored in the FoxOPCTools\Diagnostics\log directory. Figure 4-5 illustrates the
directory structure. You can access the log files by clicking Open Log Files on the toolbar (see
Figure 4-1). The log files (named CE_OPCClient_Event.log and CE_OPCClient_Error.log) are
stored in the Monday to Sunday subdirectories (listed alphabetically). See Figure 4-5 below.
The logging information can be useful for diagnosing configuration and connection errors. If
these files are not too large, you can e-mail the files directly to a member of the Invensys Foxboro
support team.
The log files only update when their respective check boxes are “checked” in the Log Configura-
tion dialog box as shown above, and the Diagnostic Client/Browser is connected to the FBM.
Simply checking or unchecking the logs in the Log Configuration dialog box does not cause the
Diagnostic Client/Browser to take action immediately. You must exit, then restart the Diagnostic
Client/Browser before the Log check-box settings take effect.
If you want to start a troubleshooting session with an empty log file, click the Configure Log but-
ton and re-initiate the logging. When the initialization takes place the log files will be recreated as
empty files for that day.
The Diagnostic Client/Browser can remain connected to the FBM for as long as desired. How-
ever, the logging should be disabled by unchecking the check-boxes in the Log Configuration dia-
log. See the note below.
43
NOTE
When enabled, the log files only update when the diagnostic application is con-
nected to the FBM. The log files are circular, but grow each time an error or event
occurs up to 1 MB in size. After the 1 MB limit is reached the beginning entries will
be overwritten with current entries. After a troubleshooting session, you should
uncheck the boxes in the Log Configuration dialog and delete the log files to free up
hard drive space.
Figure 4-5. Log Directories
A sample output from the Error Log is shown below:

06/04/2004 20:17:25 Connect failed for KEPware.KEPServerEx.V4 to station APC205
06/04/2004 20:17:25 Error returned is 0x80080005 - -2146959355
06/04/2004 20:17:27 Class ID not found in Registry for AIM.OPC.1
06/04/2004 20:17:27 Error returned is 0x80004005 - Unspecified error.
06/04/2004 20:17:27 OPCEnum DCOMCNFG???\Server not installed
A sample output from the Event Log is shown below:

07/04/2004 11:14:07 The AliasName For Block : BOOL8 Is : APC205\CALCTOGGLE:OUT_1.BO08
07/04/2004 11:14:07 APC205\CALCTOGGLE:OUT_1.BO08 Connect Succeeded
07/04/2004 11:14:07 APC205\CALCTOGGLE:OUT_1.RO04 Connect Succeeded
07/04/2004 11:13:55 CFoxOPCIOBase::DisconnectFamily Called
07/04/2004 11:13:55 Remove item -APC205\RAMPS:RAMP197.OUT Succeeded
07/04/2004 11:13:55 CFoxOPCIOBase::DisconnectFamily Called
I/A Diagnostics Button

To view the groups and points in the FDSI OPC client driver, click the I/A Diagnostics button.
Figure 4-6 illustrates the I/A Diagnostics display.
44
Figure 4-6. I/A Diagnostics Display
As shown in Figure 4-6, the I/A Diagnostics display is divided into three separate panes. The left-
hand pane is a tree structure that contains the name of the connected OPC server. The tree struc-
ture underneath the OPC server contains all the configured groups. By selecting a group, all the
points associated with that group are displayed in spreadsheet form on the right-hand side of the
interface. Tag Name, Value, Timestamp, Quality, and Status fields are displayed for each point.
Any misconfigured points appear in red and the Quality field contains a text message indicating
that “The item is no longer available in the server”. The I/A Series Block Detail display
for a misconfigured point is cyan with an Invalid Point Address error. If a previously good
server tag goes “bad,” this is noted on the I/A Diagnostics display. With this information, you can
correct the misconfigured tags.
The lower pane is divided into three sections labeled (from left to right) FoxOPCIO Information,
Selected Server, and Selected Group.
♦ The FoxOPCIO Information section provides the IP address of the FBM, and the
numbers of: connected servers (always 1), active Items, reads per second, writes per
second, and invalid Items.
♦ The Selected Server section provides the IP address of the OPC server machine, the
server name, the OPC version specification used by the FDSI OPC client driver to
connect to the server, and the number of active Items.
45
♦ The Selected Group section provides the number of active items for the group and
the group update rate in milliseconds.
Browse OPC Servers Button

By using the OPC Browser capability, you should be able to see all OPC connectable tags. Note
that some servers do not support browsing. If this is so, an error appears on the diagnostics
application.
To use the OPC Browse function, you must first connect to the desired OPC server machine by
entering either the server machine name or its IP address. To connect to an OPC server machine,
perform the following:
1. Click the Browse OPC Servers button.
2. Enter the server’s name or IP address into the Station Name or the IP Address fields in
the Browse OPC Servers window.
Or
To browse OPC servers on the network, click the Browse Stations button. Select an
OPC server station and click OK. The station’s name is automatically entered in the
Station Name field.
3. Click the Connect button, and a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 4-7
appears.
Figure 4-7. Browse OPC Servers Display
46
The FDSI can only connect to 2.0 DA compliant servers. Select the tree item OPC Data Access
Ver 2.0 and right-click on it. Click the word Populate when it appears. It may take several
moments for the browser to find any OPC servers on the station. When the browser returns, the
available OPC servers are listed under the Ver 2.0 tree branch as shown in Figure 4-8.
Figure 4-8. List of Available OPC Servers Shown in the Fox OPC Diagnostics Window
Select a server from the list and right-click on it. Select Populate from the popup menu. A display
similar to Figure 4-9 appears.
47
Figure 4-9. Browse OPC Servers Display Showing Available Items
This display is also divided into three panes. The left-hand pane shows a tree structure. Under the
servers “branches” in the tree structure are the available Items. The Item tags, as displayed, contain
the syntax required to support a proper OPC connection.
When creating an OPC device configuration file with the FDSI Configurator, you can copy and
paste the tag “branches” displayed in the Browse OPC Servers display into the OPC Item field of
the “I/O Points Properties” page in the FDSI Configurator. This Browse option is also a good way
to check the syntax of a misconfigured tag in the FDSI OPC client driver or to copy the class ID
as required for using the FDSI Configurator.
48
Capturing the Server Class ID

To copy the class ID from the diagnostic application to the FDSI Configurator, perform the fol-
lowing steps:
1. Expand the OPC Data Access Ver 2.0 list and select the desired OPC server. The
CLSID branch for the selected server appears on the tree below the server name, as
shown in Figure 4-10:
Figure 4-10. Selecting the CLSID of the Server
2. Expand the CLSID branch, and select the field containing the CLSID by single click-
ing on it twice – do not double click. When properly selected, an edit box appears
around the string as shown in Figure 4-10, and the characters within it are
highlighted.
3. Copy the whole field including the ‘{ }’ characters, and paste this text into the Class
ID edit box on the FDSI Configurator (see Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2 for examples of
the Class ID edit box of the FDSI Configurator).
FBM IP Address
To get the IP addresses of non-redundant or redundant FBMs (Master only), you can create a
DCI STRIN block to display the IP address information.
To obtain an FBM’s IP address, perform the following steps:
1. Create a DCI STRIN block with the PNT_NO configured as $FBM0_IPADDRESS and
the IOM_ID as the name of the ECB200/202.
2. The ECB200/202 must be in the DCI READY state.
3. Use FoxView to display the STRIN block.
49
4. The STRIN block displays the IP address of the FBM. The block indicates if the
Ethernet connection is a DHCP address or a fixed address (as configured in the port
configuration XML file). For redundant FBMs, configure two STRIN blocks, one for
the Main FBM and one for Backup FBM. Configure the PNT_NOs with
$FBMM_IPADDRESS and $FBMB_IPADDRESS for Main and Backup, respectively. Config-
ure the IOM_ID with the name of the ECB200/202.
Refer to the section titled “Maintenance” in Field Device System Integrators
(FBM230/231/232/233) User’s Guide (B0700AH) for more details on this and other diagnostic
blocks.
Troubleshooting
Verifying Communications Between FDSI Client and OPC Server
Initially, you should attempt a simple one-point connection as opposed to trying to connect the
whole database application in one shot. The following steps are simply a way to verify communi-
cations between the FDSI client and the OPC server. They assume that the FDSI Configurator
and the FDSI OPC client software has been installed on the I/A Series V8.x system. The steps
also assumes that the OPC server has been installed on its system and that communication
between the server and its devices is operating properly. The assumption is also made that an
updating value (or a value that can be changed remotely) is available for a test connection. This
value’s OPC tag name must be less than 32 characters and must not include spaces.
1. Make the DCOM settings on the OPC server system as described in “DCOM Setup
– OPC Server” on page 7.
2. Create and edit an ECB200/202 using an I/A Series control configurator.
3. Create and edit an ECB201. Configure the ECB201 for NOXML operation (see
Chapter 2 “Configuration”).
4. Create and edit a test DCI input or output block and connect it with a test value’s
OPC tag name as stated above.
5. Create an OPC port configuration XML file using the FDSI Configurator (see
Chapter 2 “Configuration”)
6. Put the FBM200/202 on-line and perform a SOFT DOWNLOAD. Wait until the module
reboots and comes back up, then perform a DB DOWNLOAD. These two actions load the
FDSI OPC client driver image and load the port XML file to the FBM. If using a
redundant pair of FBMs, remove the backup module to simplify testing.
7. After performing the DB Download, verify that DCI READY appears in the SMDH
Equipment Information display for the FBM. If it does, then the client is connected
to the server and the point should update in FoxView.
If the Equipment Information display indicates OPC Server Machine Not Con-
nected, you must troubleshoot the Ethernet link between the FBM and the server.
Ping the FBM from the server side. Check the port configuration XML file and verify
that it contains the proper IP addresses for the server and the FBM.
If the Equipment Information display indicates OPC Server NOT Connected, verify
the CLSID in the port configuration XML file. Occasionally, an inadvertent character
can be copied to the CLSID field in the FDSI Configurator. Note also that both curly
50
brace characters { } that bracket the CLSID string must be included as part of the
CLSID entry in the FDSI Configurator.
8. Put the ECB201 on-line. Both the ECB200/202 and the ECB201 should be NOT
FAILED.
9. Check the test DCI block with FoxView to verify the point connection. If the block is
cyan, double-check the syntax of the tag name. Make sure the tag exists in the server.
10. Use the Diagnostic Client/Browser utility to troubleshoot if there are problems.
Troubleshooting the OPC Client Driver

The section titled “Maintenance” in Field Device System Integrators (FBM230/231/232/233) User’s
Guide (B0700AH) includes a table (Table 8-3) that details corrective actions to take in response to
status messages that appear in the Equipment Information pages for the FBM233.
Two possible status messages listed are especially relevant to the FDSI OPC client driver. These
messages are:
♦ OPC Machine Not Connected
♦ OPC Server Not Connected
When you encounter difficulties or question some values, you can employ the diagnostic applica-
tion to view the suspect points. Each device that uses a device configuration XML file supports a
Heartbeat Group, a Default Group, and any other groups that have been configured via the FDSI
Configurator. All points that begin with a ‘#’ are associated with the Default Group. Devices that
do not use XML files (DVOPTS = NOXML) associate all of their points with the Default Group.
All groups appear in the diagnostic application.
Typically the OPC server vendor provides a “test” client to verify that the server is working cor-
rectly. Usually these clients are installed locally on the server machine. Unless the client can be
loaded on a station other than the server, the test clients are only useful for checking the server;
they do not help as much with remote configurations. As an alternative, you can install a third-
party OPC client running on another station to test and verify the connection and data between
itself and the OPC server. Many of these clients can be downloaded from the Internet for free as
part of a “demo” OPC server installation.
You can check network connections at a physical level by pinging the FBM and the OPC server
machine from another station (like the AW). If the FBM is configured so that its IP address is
assigned by a DHCP server, this facility must be available. Create the STRIN block as detailed on
“FBM IP Address” above to display the IP address of the FBM. This is especially helpful if DHCP
is in use because the IP address is not known ahead of time. After you find out the IP address of
the FBM using the STRIN block, you can ping the FBM and start the diagnostics application to
view the OPC connections in the FDSI.
Incorrect DCOM settings in the server adversely affect the operation of the FDSI OPC client
driver. Be sure to use the DCOM settings listed in “OPC Communications” on page 7. If the
DCOM settings are incorrect, either the FDSI connection to the OPC server will be incomplete,
meaning that the FDSI will connect to the server but the groups or Items do not connect, or the
FDSI will not connect to the OPC server at all.
You must know what available points in the server are “Read Only” or “Write Only”. Errors occur
if you attempt to connect a DCI output block, an IOUT for example, to a “Read Only” point in
the OPC server.
51
Another important area to check is the ECB200/202 configuration of the port configuration
XML file and the OPC driver file names. It’s entirely possible to get the two file names mixed up
when configuring ECB200/202. FILEID must be set to the name of the port configuration XML
file, and SFILID must be set to OPC.ziph. When the opposite names are configured, the FBM
does not operate properly. There is no validation of these filenames performed by either the con-
trol station or the I/A Series configurator.
Another common configuration mistake is the transposition of the contents of the DVOPTS and
the FILEID fields in an ECB201. The ECB201 may be initially configured with NOXML in the
DVOPTS field. However, the final configuration requires the use of a device config XML file for
the ECB201. The user inadvertently replaces “NOXML” in DVOPTS with the XML filename
and the FILEID parameter remains blank. The correct procedure is to delete “NOXML” from
DVOPTS; Enter the XML file name in FILEID; Click “Done”; Perform a Delete/Undelete on
the ECB201.
The table below describes some common problems, possible causes, and corrective actions you
can take.
Table 4-1. Common Problems and Corrective Actions
Condition Possible problem Corrective Action

SMDH message: This message indicates a net- ♦ Check all network connections
OPC Machine Not work connection problem. and cabling
Connected Possible problems could be: ♦ Check IP address and/or the
♦ Incorrect IP address or machine name
machine name in the ♦ “Ping” the server and FBM from
port configuration XML another station on the link. You
file can display the FBMs’ IP
♦ Bad cable addresses using a configured
♦ Bad hub/switch/router String block (described above).
This is helpful when the DHCP
network option is used.
SMDH message: This message indicates either ♦ Review the server machine’s
OPC Server Not a DCOM security setting DCOM settings again, referring
Connected problem or an incorrect Class to “OPC Communications” on
ID (CLSID) in the port con- page 7.
figuration XML file. ♦ Use the Browse OPC Servers
function on the Fox OPC Diag-
nostics display to get the proper
CLSID of the OPC server. Edit
the port configuration XML file
with the correct CLSID and per-
form DB Download of the port
configuration XML file.
52

SMDH message: This message indicates that Check and correct any XML syntax
DB Download Failed either the XML file being errors in the file, and perform a DB
downloaded to the FBM has Download again.
a syntax error or that the
XML file did not get properly
transmitted to the FBM.
SMDH message: The selected ECB has not had Perform a DB Download of the
DCI Not Ready its configuration XML file ECB’s configuration XML file
downloaded.
SMDH message: There is a syntax error in the Edit the device configuration XML
Heartbeat Cannot Be heartbeat tag address. file with the proper syntax of the tag
Configured to be used as a heartbeat point.
Detail display message: A duplicate point address Delete or change the duplicate tag.
Duplicate Point Address exists in the FBM.
Detail display message: The PNT_NO address Edit either the PNT_NO field using
Unresolved Connection defined in the DCI block a control configurator (ICC, IACC,
does not match the value of or FoxCAE) or the Point Name field
“Point Name” in the associ- in the device configuration XML file
ated device configuration using the FDSI configurator so that
XML file. the two fields match.
Detail display message: The OPC Item field in the Determine the correct syntax for the
Invalid Point Address device configuration XML OPC point in the server. Use the Fox
file references a non-existent OPC Browser or another OPC client
and Item in the OPC server. This browser to verify the correct syntax.
problem is usually caused by a Correct the point in the device con-
Fox OPC Diagnostics dis- syntax error. figuration XML file, and perform DB
plays a point in error. Download.
If no device configuration XML file is
used, edit the PNT_NO field with
the proper syntax.
Failed ECB201 The configured heartbeat Determine why the update does not
point is not updating fast take place fast enough. Use the Fox
enough to prevent the port OPC Diagnostics display to view the
from failing. Heartbeat Group/Point for that
device. If the value is changing too
slowly it means either the server is not
updating the point fast enough or
there is a loading problem some-
where. To put the ECB back Online
perform a DISABLE/ENABLE via
SMDH.
53

High Memory Usage The FBM has too many old Reload the driver (that is, perform a
device configuration XML software download then a DB down-
files accumulated. load) to purge the device configura-
tion XML files.
33 Commercial Street
Foxboro, Massachusetts 02035-2099
United States of America
www.foxboro.com
Inside U.S.: 1-866-746-6477
Outside U.S.: 1-508-549-2424 or contact your local Foxboro representative.
Facsimile: 1-508-549-4999
Printed in U.S.A. 1204

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I/A Series® System

Copyright 2004 Invensys Systems, Inc.

SOFTWARE LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Device Configuration Using an XML File .......................................................................... 21

3. Principles of Operation ................................................................................................... 33

4. Diagnostics and Troubleshooting .................................................................................... 41

Who This Document Is For

What You Should Know

I/A Series Documents

OPC Foundation Documents

COM/DCOM Component Object Model (COM) is a software architecture developed by

Control Station/Control Processor

DIN Rail Mounted Subsystem

DHCP The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol provides a method of assign-

FBM Fieldbus Modules provide the interface between process sensors/actuators

FCM The Fieldbus Communications Module is an interface which allows the

FoxCAE™ Computer-Aided Engineering software is an application used to configure

control blocks, DCI control blocks, and equipment control blocks

IACC I/A Series Configuration Component (IACC) is a software package used

ICC Integrated Control Configurator (ICC) is a software package used to con-

OLE Object Linking and Embedding is a data interconnection technology

OPC OLE for Process Control (OPC) is a communication standard built on

Windows® based applications with process control hardware and software

OPC Tag Name See Item.

Server/Client See Client/Server.

To I/A Series System

PLC PLC PLC

Figure 1-1. Non-Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration

To I/A Series System

OPC Client OPC Client

PLC PLC PLC PLC

Figure 1-2. Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration

OPC Client OPC Client

10/100 Mbps 10/100 Mbps

Redundant PLC Network

PLC PLC PLC PLC

Figure 1-3. Redundant FBM/Redundant OPC Server Network Configuration

The OPC Standard

The FDSI OPC Client Driver

♦ B0700BH.pdf – This user document is installed in d:\usr\help.

Installing the OPC Server

DCOM Setup – OPC Server

4. Set the following settings for Default Properties:

OPC Server General and Security Settings

Figure 1-4. Navigating to DCOM Config from Component Services

Figure 1-8. Configuring Permissions

Figure 1-9. OPC Server Identity Settings

Table 2-1. ECB200 / ECB202 Configuration

Figure 2-1. FDSI Configurator Port Configuration Window, DHCP Enabled

Figure 2-2. FDSI Configurator Port Configuration Window, DHCP Disabled

Figure 2-3. Redundant FBM/Non-Redundant OPC Configuration

OPC Server Properties

Perform the following steps:

OPC Items (Tag Names)

Device Configuration Without an XML File (Default Group

Table 2-2. ECB201 Configuration Without a Device Configuration File

Device Configuration Using an XML File

Figure 2-4. Configuring the Heartbeat

Multiple Groups and Configurable Group Scan Rates

Alias Tag Names

I/A Series Control Configuration with Device Configuration File

Table 2-3. ECB201 Configuration With a Device Configuration File