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Setting up Lighthammer to connect to Rockwell software...

Former Member
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Hi. I'm trying to set up Lighthammer UDSs to connect SAP xMII to Rockwell software - namely, RSLinx (PLC<->PC connection manager) and RSView (SCADA software). Both packages provide an OPC server which works flawlessly with any OPC client i've tested them against.

My issues were:

- RSLinx: Version 2.20.01 starts an OPC UDS correctly, and the UDS admin allows to select tags to export to xMII. Trying to access these tags from xMII with a dataserver fails with a "COM error". 2.50.0.4 works flawlesly though.

- RSView: I tried both the OPC connector and the dedicated RSView connector (with version 6.50.07) and neither works correctly, failing directly when trying to select tags in UDS admin.

I've battled endlessly with the available configuration options for each connector with little to no sucess. The logs provided by xMII provided little help, with these COM errors propagated between Java classes. Trying to conect xMII to other OPC servers works perfectly, which baffles me.

I'm running out of options here. The only sucess i had was updating RSLinx to a newer version, and this is not always an option when deploying xMII with new clients. Has anyone had similar issues with these programs? Thanks.

Accepted Solutions (1)

Accepted Solutions (1)

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Lisandro,

Try starting the UDS as an executable....it's in the help documentation for the UDS, the help documentation can be access directly from the UDS Admin. Basically you have to run the following:

<Path>\LUDSAPP.exe [InstanceName]

This should work

-Sam

Former Member
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I've just tried, and (for example, with the RSView OPC connection) i get the same result: The UDS starts up, but fails to retreive any tags and just hangs there (<a href="http://lisandro.homelinux.org/rsview_opc_uds.jpg">example image</a>).

Any idea of why running as a standalone executable instead of a service should do a difference, or is just one of those "just because" things?

Former Member
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I am not sure if you've already gone through these posts -

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=3978137&messageID=3109678

https://forums.sdn.sap.com/click.jspa?searchID=3978137&messageID=3156387

These are specific to OPCDA & RSLinx.

As far as RSView32 is concerned these could still be helpful coz you said you are using the OPCDA UDS rather than the RSView32 UDS, correct?

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Lisandro,

It's probably because it is browsing all of the tags in the system. Can you post a screenshot of your UDS instance configuration? Also set the browse tag descriptions to 'false' since they don't exist in RSLinx.

-Sam

Former Member
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The reason for funning RSView as an EXE is because the RSView API can not talk to services.

Answers (2)

Answers (2)

Former Member
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Sucess! For some reason, reentering the UDS IP in the xMII datasource fixed the problem, and it's now fetching tags flawlesly. Weird...

Former Member
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PS: For posterity's sake, the RSLinx UDS will not work running as a service; it must be started as a standalone program as stated above.

Former Member
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Good for you. A note though -

In my experience so far, <b>RSLinx</b> (OPCDA UDS) has worked flawlessly as a service.After all It is no different from any other OPC servers available - Kepware, U-CON, Matrikon etc.

As Martin mentioned in one of the posts it is the <b>RSView</b> that should be started as an EXE rather than a service.

Former Member
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The OPC Server can be configured to be a service, <b>BUT</b> if you are in a Windows 2003 environment, you will have to open up the security such that it <i>will</i> run. I'm think the reason the EXE mode runs is because the person who ran the program has all the permissions necessary to pass the security checks.

To fix the security issues, you'll have to go into the Component Services MMC snap-in (to open up the OPC Server) and/or the Services snap-in (to set the UDSs User credentials).

Former Member
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Well, following some advice from another thread i reinstalled RSView. I'm still battling to get its OPC server back on, but atleast the RSView direct UDS allows selecting tags from the SCADA. The problem still persists though - even while the UDS admin browses tags just fine, it simply won't connect to xMII, either starting it as service or as standalone program.

There's only a bunch of configuration options for this UDS:

<b>Datasource=RSVIEWUDS.DataSource

Port=8090

CacheMode=None

Syncrhonize=False</b>

Former Member
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When you say 'won't connect' you mean you are unable to configure the data server in xMII?

If that is the case then the port for the RSView UDS could be a problem.

Is the RsLinx configured on the same machine/same UDS admin? Is xMII able to communicate to that port?

Former Member
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Yes, exactly. I even tried disabling the (now working) RSLinx UDS and setting the RSView UDS to the same port, with no sucess.

Former Member
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What exactly did you install on the box? you should have installed three components.

1 - the UDS Admin

2 - the OPC DA UDS

3 - the RSView UDS

Did you install all three?

Former Member
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Yes. This is a test PC providing a simple production scenario; it has installed:

- RSLinx v2.42.0b18

- RSView v6.50

- UDS Admin v2.5.0.4

- OPC UDS v2.5.0.0

- OPC HDA UDS v2.5.0.4

- RSView UDS v2.5.0.0

In summary, RSLinx via OPC is now working; RSView via direct driver allows tag browsing from the UDS admin but not from xMII, and RSView via OPC is currently not working (RSView won't start its OPC server, unrelated).

Former Member
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In case of the RSView dataserver - does the xMII logs indicate any connection/communication errors?

Does a telnet/hyper terminal from the xMII server work for the port number you configured for the RSView UDS?