S7 1500 OPC DA Server

boneless

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boneless
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Hi all,

Looking for a OPC DA Server to connect to my S7 1500 PLC. I need server side only and would like to keep to Siemens. Have trouble finding the correct package..

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thank you!
 
boneless said:
Hi all,

Looking for a OPC DA Server to connect to my S7 1500 PLC. I need server side only and would like to keep to Siemens. Have trouble finding the correct package..

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

The Siemens PC communications drivers (Simatic Net) are explained in the stupidest way possible in the catalog. They list them by capability, not by what you actually use them for. I have no idea what half of the services do, or why I might need them. I'm assuming that half of them are only there for legacy purposes.

You need "SOFTNET-IE S7 Lean". This driver licenses you to communicate with up to 8 PLCs (if you need more, you can get bigger licenses). There is no OPC server license, it just gets turned on when you configure the PC Station.

You probably want to contact your Siemens rep for the exact part number. If I recall, different versions are intended for different versions of Windows.
 
Hi,
accessing optimized datablocks in a S7-1500 with the Simatic.Net OPC server is only possible by using OPC UA. With OPC DA this is not possible.

If you want get access to data in not optimized blocks, you can use any OPC-server which supports the classic S7-300/400 CPUs. But the Simatic.Net OPC server still also supports this.
 
Last edited:
Thanks all!

Shows that client also want me to deliver actual server hardware. You guys got any recommendations there?
 
boneless said:
Thanks all!

Shows that client also want me to deliver actual server hardware. You guys got any recommendations there?
Click to expand...

Does the PC need to do anything besides the OPC server? If not, something small and simple is probably sufficient. If you're still sticking to Siemens, the Nano Boxes (IPC227E) are probably a good fit. I assume Simatic Net needs a full version of windows, not Windows Embedded.
 
Hi!

No, nothing else, just need a "box" for the OPC server.

I will check the nano boxes out, thank you!
 
Wild hunch here.. We are using a TP1500 panel, would it be possible to run the OPC server on that?
 
boneless said:
Wild hunch here.. We are using a TP1500 panel, would it be possible to run the OPC server on that?
Click to expand...

Is that a TP1500 Basic, or Comfort? [rant]I think it is idiotic that they have two current products with the same shortened product name. Couldn't the basics have been TP1500 and the Comforts TP1550 or something? There is no data contained in the last two numbers, and instead you have to say the type of panel afterwards.[/rant]

The Comfort panels have a built in OPC server for all their tags, and can also be OPC Clients, as a connection type. The basic panels don't; they are basic.

HOWEVER: What type of OPC server changes with the version of the OS on the panel. V13 and newer gives you OPC UA. V12 and older gives you OPC DA (Unless OPC XML DA is something different?). Note that you can still set a panel to use the V11 or V12 RUntime even if you are using V13 for programming.
 
Hi!

It will be the comfort one, we need to run the panel in portrait mode, and I think even that requires comfort.. And yes, I agree with your rant, lol.

I will check that out, thank you!
 
mk42 said:
Does the PC need to do anything besides the OPC server? If not, something small and simple is probably sufficient. If you're still sticking to Siemens, the Nano Boxes (IPC227E) are probably a good fit. I assume Simatic Net needs a full version of windows, not Windows Embedded.
Click to expand...
Simatic Net works on Windows Embedded.


mk42 said:
V13 and newer gives you OPC UA. V12 and older gives you OPC DA
Click to expand...
Are you sure ? Even though OPC UA is surely the future, I would guess that OPC DA is kept for backwards compatibility.
I would like to know if this is really true, as it can have consequences for some of our applications. Do you have a link ?
 
JesperMP said:
Are you sure ? Even though OPC UA is surely the future, I would guess that OPC DA is kept for backwards compatibility.
I would like to know if this is really true, as it can have consequences for some of our applications. Do you have a link?
Click to expand...

I'm not SURE, no, I'd love to be wrong. My only link is the Portal configuration screens. The V12 runtime has a checkbox (Runtime settins -> Services) that says something like "Activate OPC", whereas the V13 checkbox says "Activate OPC UA".
 
If you search the TIA help for OPC, it seems that you are correct MK42 :).

Thanks a bunch!
 
mk42 said:
I'm not SURE, no, I'd love to be wrong. My only link is the Portal configuration screens. The V12 runtime has a checkbox (Runtime settins -> Services) that says something like "Activate OPC", whereas the V13 checkbox says "Activate OPC UA".
Click to expand...
I think this refers to a WinCC HMI setup as either OPC DA server or OPC UA server.

As for Simatic Net software, then I am 99% sure that it supports both OPC DA and OPC UA.

edit: Have checked it. I am now 100% sure.
 
Last edited:

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