"OPC" stands for Open Platform Communications in industrial automation and the enterprise systems that support industry. It is a client/server technology where one application acts as the server (providing data) and another acts as a client (using data).
OPC is composed of a series of standards specifications. OPC Data Access is the most prolific and enables data exchange between multi-vendor devices and control applications without proprietary restrictions. An OPC server can communicate data continuously among PLCs on the shop floor, RTUs in the field, software applications on desktop PCs, and much more. OPC compliance makes continuous real-time communication possible (even when the hardware and software are from different vendors).
OPC Data Access 1.0a was the original specification developed by the OPC Foundation in 1996. Although it continues to be supported by many of the OPC client applications in use today, OPC Data Access 2.0 Enhanced OPC better utilizes the underlying Microsoft COM technology. OPC Data Access 3.0 is the latest version of the OPC DA interface.
Supported Versions: 1.0a, 2.05a, 3.0