Live Data Cloud Networking

The Live Data Cloud feature makes it possible to host live data on local hardware.  It can be used with a standard Internet connection at the data servers provide access from any client application with an Internet connection.  The data servers do not need a fixed IP address.

The Live Data Cloud feature is also commonly used to connect networks together to provide end to end connectivity where each source and client cannot communicate directly with each other.

In order to activate the Live Data Cloud networking you first need to install Open Automation Software on a central server that both servers and clients will have direct access to.

If you wish to host data from your local hardware on the Internet and do not have a server that is directly accessible on the Internet you can obtain a Virtual Private Server either dedicated or shared from hosting providers like GoDaddy.  The operating system must be Windows.  No license of OAS is required on the central Live Data Cloud Server(s).  You can have as many Live Data Cloud servers as you like.  Each data source server can host data through multiple Live Data Cloud servers, and each client can obtain data through multiple Live Data Cloud servers.

At each data source server follow the simple steps in System Configuration-Live Data Cloud-Getting Started-Live Data Cloud.  You can then access data from each client application type as follows in each access type.

Remote Tag Access

Using the Tag Browse dialog from any .NET, Excel, or service client enter the IP Address, Network Node Name, or registered domain name in the Network Node field and click on Select.

Networking

Then using the Live Data Cloud pull down list select your desired data source server.

Networking

You can then browse for the Tag name and Variable (most common is Value).  See Tag Variables for a complete list of all variables possible.

\\www.opcsystems.com\RemoteSCADAHosting.OAS_SONY.TagName.Value

Remote Tag access is applicable for the following

Web Tag Access

In the web page specify the IP Address, Network Node Name, or registered domain name that has the HTML HMI registered over your desired port in the serverURL config property.

serverURL: 'http://www.opcweb.com:58725'

Specify the tag names in the HTML code as RemoteSCADAHosting tags without the first network node portion as the Live Data Cloud server is already reached through the serverURL.

RemoteSCADAHosting.OAS_SONY.TagName.Value

Web Tag access is applicable for the following

.NET Alarm Access

Using the Network Node Browse dialog from Alarm Logging, Alarm Notification, or Alarm .NET control enter the IP Address, Network Node Name, or registered domain name in the Network Node field and click on Select.

Networking

Then using the Live Data Cloud pull down list select your desired data source server.

Networking

You can specify multiple network nodes in the AlarmNetworkNodes property.

RemoteSCADAHosting.www.opcsystems.com.RemoteSCADAHost.OAS_SONY

.NET Alarm access is applicable for the following

Web Alarm Access

In the web page specify the IP Address, Network Node Name, or registered domain name that has the HTML HMI registered over your desired port in the serverURL config property.

serverURL: 'http://www.opcsystems.com:58725'

To host remote OAS alarms from different nodes than the serverURL specify the NetworkNodes: property in the Alarm Bindings.

networknodes:[
        "RemoteSCADAHosting.www.opcsystems.com.RemoteSCADAHost.OASNode1", 
        "RemoteSCADAHosting.www.opcsystems.com.RemoteSCADAHost.OASNode2", 
        "RemoteSCADAHosting.www.opcsystems.com.RemoteSCADAHost.OASNode3", 
        "RemoteSCADAHosting.www.opcsystems.com.RemoteSCADAHost.OASNode4"
    ]
Developers sometimes miss the point that the serverURL has already obtained the central Live Data Cloud server so the following is more common for LDC hosted.

RemoteSCADAHosting.localhost.RemoteSCADAHost.OASNode1

Web Alarm access is applicable for the following

OPC UA and OPC DA Client Access

The OAS Engine has the Open Automation Software OPC UA Server included.  Connect to server url opc.tcp://localhost:58728 if OPC UA Client is on same PC, or opc.tcp://<NetworkNode or IP Address>:58728.

opc.tcp://192.168.0.1:58725'

Use Remote Tag Access syntax listed above for Live Data Cloud networking.  The OPC UA Client will be able to browse for RemoteSCADAHosting under Local or Network as a folder to browse to remote OAS Tags.

When providing Tag access to remote third party Classic OPC Clients install OAS setup on each OPC Client PC to install the OPCSystems.NET OPC Server.  You can use a Custom installation to install only OPCClient.NET if you prefer not to install everything on the OPC Client PC.

Modify the file NetworkNodes.txt with Notepad or other text editor to add the IP Addresses, Network Nodes Name, or registered domain names that have the OAS server tags running.  The file will be in C:\Program Files\Open Automation Software\OAS\.

You can then browse for the Tag name and property (most common is Value) directly in the OPC Client in the Network folder to return the following to the OPC Client as and OPC Item.

Networking

Network.www.opcsystems.com.RemoteSCADAHosting.OAS_SONY.TagName.Value

OPCSystems.NET OPC Server access is applicable for the following

  • OPC Client Connector

.NET Configuration Access

The OASConfig component provides free access to all configuration settings of a service including Tags, Data Logging, Alarm Logging, Alarm Notification, Security, etc.

Each method of the OASConfig component has an optional NetworkNode parameter and RemoteSCADAHosting parameter.  When you specify these parameters it will perform the configuration access to the remote service specified by IP address, network node name, or registered domain name through the Live Data Cloud server to the Live Data Cloud data server.

VB Example:

ResultString = OASConfig1.TagCSVImport(CSVStrings, "www.opcsystems.com", ErrorString, "OAS_SONY")

C# Example:

ResultString = OASConfig1.TagCSVImport(CSVStrings, "www.opcsystems.com", ErrorString, "OAS_SONY");

.NET Configuration access is applicable for the following

Web Configuration Access

View the REST API documentation on how to access configuration information via web interface.