OPC Certification Testing

The OPC Foundation has developed and maintains the OPC Certification Program to help OPC users reduce
their systems integration costs when deploying OPC based systems. The OPC Certification Program
provides a process where OPC vendors can verify the correct operation of their products with a
series of tests developed by OPC Foundation. There are two Levels of Certification; “Self Tested”
and “Compliance Certified”.

The “Self Tested” level of testing provides a process where OPC vendors can verify the correct
operation of their products with a series of tests developed by OPC Foundation. These tests
determine what features of the OPC specifications that the product supports and verify that these
features are implemented correctly. The OPC Certification “Self Tested” program has two
components: Compliance Testing and Interoperability Testing.

The “Compliance Certified” level of testing is provided as part of the Enhanced 3rd Party
Certification Program. OPC vendors take their products to a sanctioned Independent Certification
Test Lab to have the lab staff verify the correct operation of their products. This verification
includes the range of tests covered by “Self tested” certification and also includes usability,
behavior, load and performance testing. Both Client and Server products are tested by an
Independent Certification Test Lab. The labs are also available for custom integration testing.

Vendors that earn the right to display the Certification Logos must abide by a specific Logo
License Agreement.

Compliance Testing

Compliance Testing is a process which verifies that an OPC product implements a specification
properly by using a standard software test tool developed by the OPC Foundation. This test tool,
called the Compliance Test Tool or CTT, is currently available for several specifications. Vendors
can download the CTT from the OPC Foundation website and run the tests at their site. The
company’s administrator or designated product manager for the OPC Foundation WEB site can then
attach the encrypted file generated by the CTT to the appropriate OPC Foundation Product catalog
item. The OPC Foundation Product Catalog will display the results to the public. OPC Users should
look for OPC Server products that have passed the compliance tests for all specifications that the
product supports and display the “Self Tested” logo.

Compliance Testing is only available for OPC Server products.

Interoperability Testing

Interoperability Testing is a process where OPC vendors attend an event hosted by the OPC
Foundation and test their products with the products supplied by other OPC vendors. These events
are called Interoperability (IOP) Workshops and occur three times a year (once in Europe, the US
and Japan).

The interoperability test process requires that OPC vendors run a series of standard tests for each
combination of an OPC Client and an OPC Server product. The results of these tests are collected
and displayed in the product catalogue. In Addition OPC Client Products can be tested against the
OPC Analyzer Tool in a test monitored by the OPC Foundation. Clients that pass testing with this
tool will result in an OPC Client Product listed as “Self Tested”.

OPC Users should look for OPC Client and OPC Server products that have been tested with several
products from other OPC vendors for each of the specifications that the products support. OPC
Users should look for Client Products that have passed testing with the OPC Analyzer test tool and
display the “Self Tested” logo.

Independent Certification Test Lab

Independent 3rd Party Testing is a process where OPC vendors request a scheduled time at one of the
Independent Certification Test Labs. If the time is available, the company will be scheduled in
the Independent Certification Test Lab for the requested product at the requested time, or an
alternate time will be proposed. The Vendor will then complete a checklist describing the product,
functionality provided by the product and OPC Specifications supported by the product. This
checklist coupled with payment will finalize the Independent Certification Test Labs time slot.
Independent Certification Test Labs exist in each major OPC Foundation region. The vendor will be
required to attend the Independent 3rd Party testing of its product and to provide documentation
regarding it’s product in advance of the testing. The Independent Certification Test Lab will
provide information and tools related to its planned testing prior to the actual start of testing.
Interested OPC vendors should follow the Independent Certification Test Signup Procedure.

OPC Users should look for OPC Client and OPC Server products that have passed “Compliance
Certification” Testing and display the “Certified” logo.

Identifying OPC Certified Products

The OPC Foundation product catalogue makes it easy for OPC Users to find OPC Certified products. Each
product has a 'Certification Test Status' associated with each specification that it supports. In
addition, each product has an overall test status which is a composite of the test status for each
supported specification. This test status includes the level of testing the product has completed.
Product can be filtered based on the test status associated with the product.

Compliance Certified: The product has been tested by an Independent Certification Test Lab and has
passed all tests required for the specifications it supports. This mean that the OPC products have
passed Independent certification Testing that includes interoperability testing, compliance
testing, performance testing, stress testing, white box testing, behavior testing, environment and
usability testing. Products are awarded the “Compliance Certified” status when all interfaces they
support have passed the Independent Certification Test Lab testing. (The product catalogue
currently does not indicate this status. Look for the Certified Logo or other indication of
certification within the vendor's product description.)

Self-Tested: The product has passed all certification tests required for the specification. This
means that OPC server products have passed the compliance tests and that OPC client products have
been tested at the interoperability workshops, and passed supervised testing with the OPC Analyzer
Tool. Products which are both an OPC client and an OPC server must pass the compliance test and be
tested at the interoperability workshops. A product which has an overall test status as 'Tested'
has passed all certification tests required for all specifications that it supports.

Partially Tested: The product has passed some of the certification tests required for the
specification. This status typically applies to products that support multiple specifications but
have only tested some of these specifications. This status could also applies to products which
are both a client and a server but have only completed either the interoperability tests or the
compliance tests.

Testing In Progress: The product has not passed all certification tests required for the
specification, however, it is still within the grace period allowed by the OPC product catalogue.
After adding a product to the catalogue, vendors have 6 months to complete compliance testing and
12 months to complete interoperability testing. This grace period also applies when a new version
of the compliance test tool is released or after the first time a specification is tested at an
interoperability workshop.

Previously Tested: The product has passed older versions of the certification tests for the
specification and should be re-tested. A product which has an overall test status as 'Previously
Tested' has not passed the latest versions of the certification tests for one or more of the
specifications that it supports.

Untested: The product has not passed the certification tests for the specification. A product with
an overall test status of 'Untested' has not passed the certification tests for any of the
specifications that it supports.

Similar Product Tested: The product has not been tested, however, it is substantially similar to
another product that has been tested. This status is a claim by the vendor of the product that has
not been verified by OPC testing procedures. The vendor should provide additional details that
explain the exact relationship between the product and the product that has been tested. These
details appear on the product page.