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Plugin: OPC UA Client (GInsOpcUaClient)

Configuring the OPC UA Client plugin for Q.station controllers to communicate with an OPC UA Server.

Introduction

The OPC UA client plugin is designed to connect a Q.station controller to an OPC UA server for seamless data exchange. OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) is a standardized industrial communication protocol that enables interoperability between automation devices and software systems.

The OPC UA client can request data from the server, including reading and writing variables, subscribing to real-time data updates, and invoking server methods. The OPC UA server responds by providing the requested data or executing the requested operations.

Plugin Installation

When you click the link you will need to do the following:

  • Select the controller you have
  • Select the current firmware version you have installed on on your controller
  • Select the plugins folder

For installation instructions please refer to the page: installing a plugin.

Plugin handling

Return codes show plugin and framework status (OPC UA status code).
  1. Connect to server
    1. Discover Server: Get properties of available connections (security, ...).
    2. Add Server: Connect to server. IP must look like opc.tcp//<ip>:48010|None.
    3. Get Server: Show connected servers. Each server represents for example a sensor.
  2. Explore IDs (if needed)
    1. GetServerObjects/Folder/Variable: List nodes with defined start point and depth. By default, the starting point is root/objects where the object server is ignored (common information of server). Keep in mind to limit the depth to avoid long response times.
  3. Mapping
    1. ConfigureSubscription: For mapping between variable and node ID. Just collect online values and not historical values.
  4. Start of Data exchange
    1. Start Subscription: Data exchange is started with this function, and not automatically after setting of mapping. The exchange interval is set here.
  5. Save configuration
    1. SaveConfiguration: This must be called to save persistent.

Plugin configuration workflow

  1. Get the OPC UA Server port number. This port number is different on every server.
  2. Connect with UAExpert for testing and get the complete Node IDs.
  3. Create controller virtual variables for mapping the OPC UA data.
  4. Add the Server with the plugin (if not possible modify etc/hosts).
  5. Add variable mapping with the plugin.
  6. Save configuration.
  7. Check if you get data.

  8. Then search for the complete NodeIDs (OPC tag names), including Namespace and Identifier Type in the format NS<namespace index>|<identifier type>|<identifier>, for example: NS1|String|W3HBK10CP001:av.

    You can inspect this using tools such as UAExpert or by using the plugin’s GetServerObjects function with MaxSubLevel = 3. However, using UAExpert is recommended because it provides a clearer overview of the server structure.

  9. Another essential step is to include the OPC UA Server in the known Host file on the Q.station. This proves helpful in resolving name-related issues. If your setup relies solely on IP addressing, this procedure should suffice. Connect to the Q.station via SSH, navigate to /etc/hosts, and add the IP address along with the hostname if available.

    Then save and restart the Q.station controller.