OPC Server

Features

Standards based on integration with OPC and Microsoft .Net
True interoperability and scalability with OPC and Microsoft .Net
Reduce implementation time and cost of systemintegration
Easy and fast configuration, only limited configuration data is required

Description

OPC is an open standards specification which gives a consistent method of accessing data from to controlling system connected hardware. Hardware, such as the AlphaCom E exchange, presents information about the capabilities and status of its connected intercom stations in a defined manner to any OPC based system management software package. This consistency means that there is no need to write specific interface protocol software for each combination of hardware and management software. Especially in projects where the management software needs to control more than just the intercom exchange this is an enormous saving in cost and time.

The AlphaCom E exchange communicates to the management system that it can report different statuses of its intercom stations as detailed further on. Furthermore it lets the management software know that it can accept commands such as calling, cancelling of calls, and many more.

A typical application is a large building with an AlphaCom E intercom exchange, CCTV, intruder alarm, fire alarm and access control, all connected to an OPC based management system. The guards receive information from all these different systems in a recognizable and consistent way which allows for easy operation of the total system.

Configuration

The STENTOFON OPC server is a self configuring software package, which needs only very little information during commissioning; only the node numbers of the AlphaCom exchanges which are present in the system and the IP-address of the connected AlphaCom need to be entered, all other information will automatically be extracted by the OPC server. The OPC Server will at start-up ask all AlphaCom exchanges in an AlphaNet it knows about for a list of all Stations with their current status. The Server will build an OPC item tree for these stations. The access path for a specific station will be a node number and directory number. Each station will have multiple items defining different properties of that station.

If a DA-Client application is set-up with one or more master stations, these should be added to a ‘Master Station List’. The Client can then use the unique ID from the list to refer to a Master station.

Each exchange in the AlphaNet must have its own OPC licenses. An exchange will only report as many stations to the OPC server as determined by the license in that exchange, see Ordering Information.

For OPC AE all AlphaCom Events for a station can be individually configured.

Operation

The OPC server software runs on a PC. For proper operation, Microsoft .NET 2.0 must also be installed on this PC. In an AlphaNet configuration, only 1 AlphaCom E needs to be specified with which the OPC server will communicate, although, via AlphaNet, the server will communicate with all exchanges in the network. The exchange which is specified to communicate directly with the OPC server must have TCP port 61112 opened in the ‘Filter page’ in AlphaWeb.

Specification

Supported Operating Systems	Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Microsoft Windows Vista
Software dependency	Requires Microsoft .NET 2.0 to be installed
Communication with AlphaCom E	TCP/IP via TCP port 61112
Server registration name	Zenitel.AlphaCom.1
Applicable OPC standards	OPC DA V2 (OPC Data Access) OPC DA V3 (OPC Data Access) OPC AE V1.1 (OPC Alarms & Events)
Event string format	OneLine: Single line human readable format containing relevant information Detailed: Multi line human readable with detailed information Short: Human readable format containing minimum required information XML: Same as Detailed, but in XML format XMLPretty: Same as Detailed, but in line formatted XML Custom: The event strings can be customised to suit the exact requirement
Minimum hardware requirement	Processor speed RAM size Hard disk size required for installation Hard disk size for data storage

Ordering information

Each AlphaCom exchange in an AlphaNet must have its own OPC licenses.

1009649901 OPC interface supporting 36 stations	1009649905 OPC interface supporting 300 stations
1009649902 OPC interface supporting 80 stations	1009649906 OPC interface supporting 400 stations
1009649903 OPC interface supporting 138 stations	1009649907 OPC interface supporting 552 stations
1009649904 OPC interface supporting 225 stations

OPC Alarm and Events

A set of AlphaCom events can be sources for OPC AE Events.

CallStatus	A Call Initiated from Station A to Station B, with time, priority, and call mode
StationConnect	A Call connection with connection time and reference
StationDisconnect	A call disconnection with time, reference and duration
CallReject	The Call was not accepted (Disconnect without a Connect) with time
CallRequest	A Call Request with Receiving Station, Sending Station, mail tag, priority, mail text and time
RequestRemoved	A Call Request Removed with Receiving Station, and mail tag
StationOK	Station Up and OK with station type details. (sent when a station with failure is back up)
StationFail	Station Failure with details

For each of the above AlphaCom event sources it is possible to configure OPC AE parameters as detailed in the table below.

Source Name	A string with the event source name. This will be appended to the access path of the station. Example: node1.station1.{sourcename} The same sourcename can be used for multiple AlphaCom events, but then they need to be of the same type. Typically the same name will be used for two condition events with the Alarm/Normal state.
Severity	The Event severity in the range 1..1000.
Message Text	A Set of pre-defined formats or a custom format with possible parameter insertion.