News Headlines

Volunteers needed for OPC UA / PLCopen (PLC) Joint Working Group

June 19, 2009; : The OPC Technical Advisory Council (TAC) has approved a charter for a new joint working group with PLCopen to create a UA information model corresponding to the IEC-61131 standard. ... [Full Story]

OPC UA Alarms and Conditions Release Candidate Specification Available for Review

June 16, 2009; : The Release Candidate version of the Unified Architecture Alarms and Conditions Specification is now available for download and review by OPC Foundation members. The validation sample code will soon be completed so the final release will follow shortly. Please send any written comments to the email address on the cover page of the Specification by July 20 to be considered for the final version. ... [Full Story]

OPC Lab Certified Products

June 2, 2009; : The OPC Foundation has created a special page to highlight the vendors and products that have exceeded the expectations of the end users through their commitment to quality. The products listed on the certification page identify those products that have been certified at the highest level at the OPC independent certification test lab at Ascolab in Erlangen, Germany. The products that have been certified through the certification test lab are clearly the products that end users should check first when making purchasing decisions. If your vendor has not yet certified their product at the certification test lab, encourage them to do so. Certification ensures the highest quality products are available for multivendor plug-and-play interoperability. ... [Full Story]

OPC Foundation Announces Release of OPConnect Issue 20

May 1, 2009; : The OPC Foundation and Automation World released OPConnect Issue 20. The newsletter can be found here. ... [Full Story]

Volunteers needed for Accelerated Adoption (AA) Working Group

April 16, 2009; : The OPC Foundation Technical Advisory Council (TAC) has approved the charter for a new OPC Working Group. The focus of this group is to accelerate the adoption of the OPC Unified Architecture by creating simplified documentation, sample code, tools and Profiles to reduce the time it takes to adopt UA by vendors. All OPC Foundation members are invited to participate as contributors to the new working group. A kickoff meeting (web meeting) was held on Wednesday, May 6 at 11:00 AM EDT.  The details for this and all other working group meetings can be found in the calendar on the Accelerated Adoption (AA) SharePoint Site.  All OPC Foundation members have access to this SharePoint site, but the site does require a login.  Please see the SharePoint FAQ for login instructions and other useful information about the SharePoint collaboration site used by OPC Working Groups. ... [Full Story]

OPC UA Java Software Development Kit now available

March 26, 2009; : The first beta for the OPC UA Java SDK is now available for download. ... [Full Story]

Final Release of Unified Architecture Phase I Deliverables

February 9, 2009; : New released versions of Part 1-8 of the Unified Architecture Specifications have been posted along with matching UA SDK and sample code for member download. This represents a maintenance release for Parts 1-5 and 8 plus a first release for Parts 6 and 7. The code distribution has reached release candidate stage having undergone extensive QA lab testing and beta testing by Early Adopter Members. The final release for the code is only awaiting the approval of the License and Distribution Agreement by the Technical Advisory Council. With this major release OPC vendors are assured stable specifications and the ability to ship UA code components that are tested and fully supported. ... [Full Story]

OPC Foundation Launches a new Blog for OPC Developers

January 21, 2009; : The new blog will start with a series of posts which will walk developers through the basics of implementing UA. The blog posts will cover different technical topics and will allow someone to start implementing a UA application without needing to read the core specifications cover to cover. ... [Full Story]

OPC Unified Architecture meets major international standardization milestone

January 16, 2009; Geneva: Parts 1-6 & 8 of IEC 62541 (the international version of the OPC Unified Architecture specifications) have been approved by 18 participating countries. With this affirmative vote, the Committee Drafts will now enter the final draft stage on their way to becoming published international standards. Congratulations to the OPC UA and IEC 65E working group 8 volunteers. ... [Full Story]

OPC UA Analyzer Devices Specification review draft now available

December 23, 2008; : The Analytical Device Integration (ADI) Working Group is pleased to announce the availability of a completed review draft of the OPC UA Analyzer Devices Specification. Sample Code development will now begin based on this version. The code and final release of the specification is expected mid-2009. Non-members and members are invited to review the specification and send comments (preferably by annotating the DOC file) to the email address noted on the cover page of the specification. ... [Full Story]

OPC Foundation will participate in Grid-Interop November 11-13, 2008

October 14, 2008; :    The OPC Foundation and some of its members will be touting the benefits of the OPC Unified Architecture as a viable solution to one of the thorniest large scale integration problems to face this generation -- the modernization of the U.S. electric system. In addition to moderating the Architecture panel session, the OPC Foundation will also participate in the NIST Industrial to Grid (I2G) workshop sessions. We encourage all automation suppliers to attend to get a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as the Smart Grid begins to take shape. More info and Registration ... [Full Story]

OPC Foundation Survey

October 14, 2008; : The OPC Foundation is conducting a survey to help set the Foundation's strategic direction. This short survey is intended for end users and vendors of OPC Products. As part of the Survey we are collecting general company demographic information and general company OPC Usage. Please take the time to help determine the direction of the OPC Foundation over the next two years. This is your opportunity to be part of driving the vision. Please feel free to contact Thomas Burke with any questions you may have about this important survey. Please complete the survey found here: OPC Market Survey ... [Full Story]

OPC UA Parts 1 - 8 available for final review. Expected release August 16

July 16, 2008; : The latest Release Candidate versions for Parts 1 - 8 of the OPC Unified Architecture Specification have recently been posted and are available for download and review by all OPC Foundation members.  The Technical Advisory Council has also been asked to make a final review and approve their release by August 16, 2008.  Reviewers may submit written comments (or commented versions of the docs) by sending them to UAComments_AT_opcfoundation.org. ... [Full Story]

OPC Foundation - Unleash the Power of OPC: Developing custom business and manufacturing software

June 16, 2008; : Download this and other recent Webinars. We are pleased to announce an opportunity for you to spend an informative hour with OPC and .NET experts who will show you the many ways that you can leverage OPC technology in your custom business and manufacturing software applications. Whether you are using the latest and greatest Visual Studio.NET technologies or using the time tested Visual Studio 6/VB/C++, this presentation is sure to open your eyes to how OPC can help you insure your custom applications integrate well in the OPC world. ... [Full Story]

Independent Certification Test Lab Passes OPC Audit

May 6, 2008; : The OPC Compliance Committee recently completed an audit of the new OPC Foundation Independent Certification Test Lab in Erlangen Germany run by ascolab. The audit reviewed all processes and procedures used by the Independent Certification Test Lab with an eye on improvement wherever possible. The key goals of the audit were to ensure a very consistent and reproducible process for all testing and to ensure that the testing process was as complete and efficient as possible. The audit team was composed of a team with extensive experience in testing, auditing and OPC. ... [Full Story]

OPC UA DevCon Video DVDs

April 7, 2008; : ALLMENDINGER has recorded the recent OPC Unified Architecture DevCons and is providing Video-DVDs covering all the sessions, giving you almost 12 hours on 4 DVDs of compact information presented by the designers of the UA specification themselves. Selected sessions are also available online. Order now... ... [Full Story]

Members invited to join the Analytical Device Integration Working Group

February 20, 2008; : The Analytical Device Integration (ADI) Working Group will begin with a kickoff Web meeting on Thursday, Februrary 21 at 10:00 AM EST. All members are invited to attend the kickoff and join the ADI Working Group. For meeting details, see the ADI SharePoint Site. For SharePoint log in instructions, see the SharePoint FAQ. Review the ADI Press Release. ... [Full Story]

Independent Certification Test Lab now open for registration

January 30, 2008; : The first independent certification test lab is now open for registration. This is a very important milestone for all vendors who want to show their dedication to quality and reliability. The OPC Foundation independent certification test lab, the corresponding process for certification, and the enhanced certification logo program was the brainchild of a working group that was composed of vendors and end users alike championing the effort in the interest of true plug-and-play secure reliable interoperability. ... [Full Story]

IEC OPC Unified Architecture Working Group

January 9, 2008; : The OPC Unified Architecture is currently going through the process to be an officially endorsed international standard through IEC. As part of this process a formal working group has been created under the IEC organizational structure. This is a multi-country initiative that is taking the current OPC UA specifications as the baseline for the international standardization. ... [Full Story]

OPC President Tom Burke introduces blog 2.0

September 12, 2007; : OPC President and Executive Director Tom Burke shares his OPC insight in his newly invigorated blog (2.0) here.... ... [Full Story]