What is Kepware and why would you use it?

Hello All,

I was chatting with a new member to the forum this morning about resetting a numeric display value on his HMI.
Seemed easy enough he had a PanelView and was using a AB PLC.

But then he said he is using Kepware as a go between from the PLC to the HMI.

See thread here. http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=92948

This got me wondering --- Why would you need or want to use another 3rd party software to go between these two devices.

I have no real working need to know or understand this at the moment but was just curious.

If anyone can shed some light on this I would be most interested.

Have a good one.

BCS

My reading of that post is that he has FactoryTalk View SE, since he mentions both Kepware and putting a script on a button.

RA does bundle Kepware OPC servers with FactoryTalk View, both SE and ME. In SE, it's an add-on, while it's included in the price of ME and runs on both the development PC and on the PanelView Plus.

RA calls that special edition of Kepware "KepServer Enterprise". It includes only driver for non-Rockwell controllers and networks.

It's possible to install ordinary KepServer EX, or any other OPC Server that has Rockwell drivers, and use that to connect FactoryTalk View SE to Rockwell controllers. It's just not very common.

I've only seen it done a few times. Once was because they had OPC server redundancy needs that couldn't be met by RSLinx Enterprise (at the time) and a couple of instances they needed specific serial driver variants like dial-back modem drivers and multiport network serial servers that KepServer supported well.

Another anecdote: ten years ago when PanelView Plus was very new, I tested a system where we installed a PC to act as an OPC middleman between the network and the PanelView Plus terminals.

The PC ran a 1784-PKTX module on the DH+ network, with RSLinx Classic as the driver and OPC Server.

The PanelViews actually went out over the Ethernet network and used the RSLinx Classic OPC server as their data server, rather than using the onboard RSLinx Enterprise or a physical DH+ module.

The performance benefit was that multiple PanelView Plus terminals (we had ten) could poll data from the OPC Server without adding additional traffic to the very heavily loaded DH+ network. It was pretty neat, and I was ready to buy all the rest of the terminals and install it at the customer.

Until somebody tripped over the Ethernet switch and my test PanelViews got disconnected. They wouldn't reconnect until we cycled power. That's when we discovered that RSView ME would happily make one connection to an external OPC server, but had no mechanism for reconnecting if that connection was broken.

In the next release of the software, RSI disabled the feature that had allowed me to use that (unsupported, unadvertised) feature in the first place.

As always, thank you very much for your response Ken.

Some of this still goes right over my head, but it does give me something to chew on and research to keep advancing my knowledge.

Thanks again, and have a good one.

BCS

this has NOTHING to do with your specific question – but since Kepware has been mentioned I'll include this information for others who may pass this way in the future ...

Kepware has a free "demo" version which will run for 2 hours at a time ... it can be used to transfer data to and from a PLC (including Allen-Bradley) for basic HMI experiments ...

here's a link with some basic examples ...

http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?showtopic=14747&p=72355

what makes this interesting to many beginners/learners, is that the "Lite" (free) version of RSLinx won't make a DDE/OPC connection – but the free "demo" version of Kepware will ...

DISCLAIMER: it's been several years since I've experimented with Kepware – but I assume (gosh I hate that word) that this information is still valid ...

Ron (& others)
All kepware IO Servers will run for 2 hours free without license.
They also have a test client feature, which allows you to put tags into the config & monitor without starting your HMI application.
You can even use it to create an alias list if you so want

Very useful for basic comms testing etc.

Thanks for sharing that Ron,
Those links are a good place to start.

BCS

Greetings,

Kepware is an OPC Server product that acts as the bridge between devices (PLCs / DCS / CNC / Database, etc...) and clients (HMI software, Scada software, etc...)

KepserverEX is their flagship product and offers device drivers for many of today's control manufacturers. Its interface allows you to communicate between many different device driver protocols.

Regarding KepserverEX incorporated into RA software, it is limited in relation to the non-OEM product. There may be additional restrictions relating to options that are available through a non-RA version.

We have extensive information on our web site as an authorized Kepware distributor. These links will provide you with additional information regarding KepserverEX:

http://www.eternity-sales.com/Kepware/Kepware.htm
http://www.eternity-sales.com/Kepware/kepserverex.htm

Ron's link was rather dated (2008). A current version of KepserverEX is available for download at our web site:

http://www.eternity-sales.com/Kepware/kepwaredownloads.htm

This link includes a list of all products, manuals and data sheets where available.

The diagram through our synergy page link will provide you with a visual idea of what KepserverEX can do.

http://www.eternity-sales.com/synergy_home.htm
http://www.eternity-sales.com/synergy/snmp_synergy.htm

If you have any questions, feel free to post, pm or email.

Hope this helps.

Hi Sparky

Just wanted to note, the last installation we did on the Triumph, runs a PanelView panel (two actually) with a Siemens PLC. To be able to access I/O in the PLC, the panel uses an OPC server (KepWare) as an interface to the PLC. It is something we set up during programming.

@Stephen --- Thanks for the links and the contact info. Good Stuff
I will look into it for sure now that one of our vendors has said we actually are using this on on one of our vessels.

@Boneless---- Well then thats good to know. I will start to check out KepWare even though you guys have remote privilage and take care of your own equipment. But you never know.

So in using this third pary software as a go between you would still need to have the software for both the PLC (Seimens in your case) and for the HMI (Factory Talk or PB32 depending on the PV) ???????


Thanks for all the replys, I enjoy finding new stuff to poke at with a sharp stick.

BCS

It comes with the distribution of factorytalk view.

BCS,

As has been mentioned, in some cases it is included with the client software. This is the OEM / Enterprise version of Kepware's OPC server. This version does not always allow for certain drivers or plug-ins that are available through the non-OEM version.

In answer to your question regarding other software, you would need the other software in that Kepware doesn't address the device side for programming or the client side for interface. What Kepware does is connect the device to the client. Where Kepware is at its best is when there are device drivers from various manufacturers thus establishing centralized communications.

The increase in the value of data and its many uses also plays into Kepware's strength through its ability to interface to many different types of data entities - Oracle, Microsoft, Splunk or just about any database that offers ODBC.

Further, the incorporation of iSNMP as its own driver enables you to manage your device network through their MIBs.

There are many facets to Kepware from that of strictly a third part software connecting the device to the client.

I have also included a link to our most recent synergy page that may provide some additional insight.

http://www.eternity-sales.com/synergy/Westermo_and_Kepware.htm

Hope this helps further.

Why would you use Kepware? From the other post, no advantage using Kepware between a Rockwell HMI and a Rockwell PLC.

FTView includes RSLinx Enterprise and that is much better at talking with the AllenBradley PLC. If you are not using Rockwell software, then yes the Kepware communications to AB PLC are very good. The best out there, only second to RSLinx Enterprise.

Kepware is good when you do not have a matching HMI/Historian/? software to the PLC.
Yes, it acts as a middleman translator; lets your HMI software talk to a different vendor's PLC. Good if you are talking to one other PLC, great if you are talking to a whole mix of PLCs and devices.

I can't vouch for the efficiency of their communications to non-AB controllers (have not done network capture tests), but I do know the Kepware folks are extremely competent at PLC communications.


These are the 3 most useful communication drivers I have used from Kepware:
(1) UCON user configurable driver. It lets you build your own serial port communication protocol for reads and writes. If you have a serial device you want to talk to, but no built in driver then you can make your own; Serial printers, barcode scanners, whatever. You can also use that driver send serial traffic over Ethernet (limited devices use that).
(2) Modbus. Lots of devices talk Modbus. You can also use that as a "trick" to have different Kepware servers talk to each other. Ex. PanelView Plus includes it for free, so you can have PVPlus terminals read/write data to each other or send up to a PC. Just make one the master, all others slave devices.
(3) Bacnet. Who doesn't want to control their HVAC system directly?

Thanks again to all for the advice and input, great stuff and loads of information to start digesting.

BCS

opc kepware

Can an OPC kepware be integrated with a business software?

Did someone do this kind of integration before? If so could you please share some experiences about this

Can anyone show an architecture of it?

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thank you