The new IndustrialSNMP OPC Server by Kepware

Application

Application

iSNMP Suite provides valuable insight into the performance of a variety of industrial control system networks. The controllers, software, and underlying control network make up a modern control system. The entire system can become unreliable without stable performance from all three components. With iSNMP Suite you can monitor and analyze your plant Ethernet-based network from within your existing HMI package and never have to rely on blind faith that the network is performing to specifications.

Leverage a Proven Server Architecture

Kepware purchased all SNMP-related assets of COI Software in September 2007. Kepware has developed a new iSNMP suite that "plugs-in" to Kepware's award winning OPC server architecture. The new drivers in the suite are, the SNMP driver for Managed devices and the Ping driver for Unmanaged devices. The OPC server which houses these drivers is Kepware's field proven KEPServerEX which supports the widest range of connectivity for OPC, DDE, and Native Interfaces.

Runtime Management of Devices

The new iSNMP suite supports Device Auto-Demotion for Managed or Unmanaged devices. Users can adjust Auto-Demotion parameters to allow drivers to temporarily place a device off-scan in the event that it is not responding. This allows the driver to continue to optimize its communications with other available devices on the same channel as well as notify the client application of the event. A new ScanFloor device property provides robust polling control when the control application can not tolerate a one size fits all approach to network device polls. An additional benefit of the ScanFloor setting is its ability to handle devices independently especially when Agent loading is a concern. _System tags expose Auto-Demotion and ScanFloor tags to any HMI or control application of your choosing.

Power Supply Management

Uninterruptible power supplies have become necessary to ensure maximum uptime and protect powered network equipment from power surges. Most UPS devices have embedded microprocessors and are capable of reporting their status and operating mode information via SNMP. With iSNMP Suite, operators can integrate UPS status into their HMI databases. Now when a battery needs replacement, or a UPS trips, you can have immediate notification in your HMI.

Unmanaged Device Monitoring

Not all Ethernet network devices are SNMP managed. To help monitor any system from within your HMI, iSNMP automatically generates OPC tags for each unmanaged device defined. These "heartbeat" and "response time" tags provide a standardized and reliable way to monitor all devices in the Ethernet network.

Features

Server Features

Application layer connectivity support for:

• OPC Data Access (DA): 1.0a, 2.0, 2.05a, 3.0
• DDE Formats: CF_Text, AdvancedDDE
• Native Interfaces: FastDDE & Suitelink, PDB Interface

Features for project development & commissioning:

• Supports running as a NT Service.
• Full Time On-Line Operation allows you to make changes to your OPC application at any time.
• Tag Scaling & Tag Grouping features let you segregate your OPC data to fit the real world nature of your application.
• Automatic Tag Generation for supported tags, speeds project configuration.
• A complete OPC Quick Client is included which will help you configure, test, and commission your next OPC project.
• Additional value adding components for OPC bridging and data logging.

Managed Devices

The SNMP driver is designed to work with any SNMP Agent (typically in a device) that supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) versions 1 and 2c. The driver works with a broad range of SNMP Managed devices such as: Alarm Management RTUs, Device Servers, Environment Monitoring Equipment for Server Rooms, Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches, Printers, Routers, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), Unix-based Servers, Windows-based PCs and Servers.

The SNMP driver also provides convenient "Specialty tags" to help users know more than the current value of a single polled OID. The tags include: History tags, Events tags, Table Offsets, and ScanFloor tags.

Unmanaged Device Support

iSNMP offers an OSI Layer 1 device "heartbeat" feature for any Ethernet network device. Device response and reply latency tags are created for all network devices by iSNMP, and are made available to HMI client applications via the iSNMP OPC Server.

SNMP Traps Support

Many SNMP-manageable devices can be configured to send unsolicited data to network management software systems such as iSNMP. By configuring an SNMP device to send data without being "polled" such as when a critical system tag goes into an unfavorable state, you can reduce the need for "polling" the network device. iSNMP supports receiving SNMP Trap data.