Allen Bradley 1761-NET-ENIW with Wonderware HMI

[bro08170]

I am trying to connect to an AB SLC5/03 processor on an Ethernet network using Wonderware. The ABDASTCP server reads "connect() for [NET-ENIW IP address] on port 22222 refused. I have setup the NET-ENIW and I can ping it. I can also connect to the NET-ENIW through RSLinx (Lite-arrrrgghh!!). Has anyone had any luck connecting to a NET-ENIW through Wonderware?
I have been able to connect Wonderware to an AB SLC5/05 processor directly through the ethernet, but the NET-ENIW will not cooperate.
I tried the AB support guys, and they say that unless Wonderware has a workaround for this, we will need to buy RSLinx OEM (with OPC server capability) or just get another SLC5/05 processor.

 

[dash]

I would not go the RSLinx route. InTouch (WonderWare) does not support OPC directly. They have another service you load that translates OPC communications to SuiteLink. Get a Kepware server so that you can use the SuiteLink protocol directly from the device server.

Also, I seriously doubt that the Wonderware I/O server supports the NET-ENI module.

Darren

 

[bro08170]

I talked to the Wonderware people and they admitted that the Intouch software does not suppoty with the NET-ENI module. So it looks like we will either have to buy RSLinX OEM version (with OPC support), or just buy another SLC5/05 processor. Wonderware actually recommends RSLinx Pro or Gateway versions, as there are stability issues with the OEM version. I think we will just buy another processor and avoid RSLinx altogether.
Solved this one myself (Kinda)
Brent

 

[Ken Roach]

Here's what's going on.

The older PLC-5E and SLC-5/05 controllers support A-B's proprietary Ethernet protocol, called "CSPv4". In RSLinx, this is the "Ethernet Devices" driver, and it uses TCP Port 2222.

Newer PLC-5E and SLC-5/05 controllers support both the older A-B Ethernet protocol and a publicly defined EtherNet/IP encapsulation protocol that transports the SLC/PLC command set. This is called PCCC Encapsulation. It uses TCP Port 44818.

The 1761-NET-ENI and -ENIW support only the EtherNet/IP encapsulation protocol.

I know of no "stability issues" with RSLinx OEM versus Professional or Gateway; it's the exact same software with different licensed features. RSLinx OPC Data Access functions precisely the same with OEM, OEM Single Node, Professional and Gateway.

 

[dash]

As I stated above. This is not an RSLinx issue, but the way InTouch communicates with IO Servers. They have two methods, FastDDE and SuiteLink. They can do OPC but it is with an "OPC" IO Server that translates the OPC calls to FastDDE and/or SuiteLink. If you go this route load RSLinx and the OPC IO Server on the same PC. The issue that Wonderware may be trying to highlight is that if you use RSLinx OEM you will have to have the OPC IO Server and RSLinx OEM on the same PC, since I do not belive that RSLinx OEM supports "remote" OPC clients. To me this is kind of a non-issue since historically the OPC IO Server is much more reliable if it can be loaded on the same PC as the OPC server it is communicating with.

Since doing it with RSLinx just adds another piece of software (Wonderware OPC IO Server) you have to load on your PC (another point of potential failure, confusion, stability issues, performance issues, you get the idea) it would be easier to choose an IO server that will talk with the PLC and talk native SuiteLink without any translation. There are several 3rd party IO Server manufacturers available that support SuiteLink (remember Microsoft is making it more difficult to use DDE all the time and are constantly saying it will be removed from the OS), but Rockwell also uses Kepware software developers to develop some of their own drivers. Also, I have found the Kepware A-B drivers to have very good performance. Anyway, they are free to try.

I have no relationship with Kepware, just a very large chip on my shoulder from having problems with the Wonderware OPC IO Server in the past. It was painful to say the least.

Darren

 

[dash]

Also note that Wonderware muddies the water by now stating the Archestra technology supports OPC. Unless something drastic has changed in the past couple of months this is only true for the Archestra Device Servers (DA Servers, which can directly support OPC clients, which the older Wonderware IO Servers can not), this is not true of InTouch or the Industrial Application Server except by going through the OPC IO Server. I believe if you do some snooping around you will find quite a few users that have had issues with this solution.

 

[DaveW]

You should be able to use Intouch and RSLinx without the OPCLink software (now called FS Gateway) installed. RSLinx talks DDE or FastDDE just fine to Intouch. Just create a topic in RSLinx and refer to this topic from within Intouch. Using the OPCLink is a nuisance as Dash pointed out. You will also have to add a prefix to your items naming.

 

[Ken Roach]

A tip of the hat to our man Dash !

Thanks for making those subtleties clear.