OPC-UA on Stratus FTSERVERS

Stratus has joined the OPC standard group to ensure that Stratus ftServers, which use VMWare, can be fully integrated into the plant automation infrastructure.

To ensure complete synergy between IT/OT, it is necessary that all elements that have to work in the OT world are able to communicate and be accessible following the standards used in the plant.

I did not want to miss the opportunity to explain the new functionality that has been added to Stratus ftServers that work with VMware.
The Stratus OPC Server positions the ftServer as a device that is fully integrable into SCADA architectures, being able to offer its status, through a Boolean variable, which can be imported directly with any OPC client, both DA and UA.

The idea is to be able to integrate into the general visualization of the system an indicator that allows us to quickly know if our system is in simplex or duplex mode, that is, if there is any component of any of the trays that has stopped working correctly. For now, the only information it offers is this Boolean variable to indicate the global status, and in the event that the status of the variable is False, the next step would be to open the web interface of the Stratus Appliance, in order to examine in detail which component has failed.

The Stratus OPC package consists of two components: the OPC UA Server and the OPC Proxy software.

• OPC UA server: Resides in the Management Appliance and is installed separately on each ftServer that you want to monitor. As mentioned above, for now it provides a Boolean variable that indicates whether the server status is Duplex/Simplex, that is, if all elements are duplexed or if there is an element that has stopped working correctly (it is calculated from the status of the CPU, IOs, and internal sensors that are monitored once per minute). The last part is important, and that is that the fastest scanrate offered by this OPC Server is 1 minute, which is more than enough to monitor a server and consume minimal resources.

• OPC Proxy Software: This additional package is necessary in cases where HMIs use OPC DA. The software must be installed on the same system (must be Microsoft® Windows®) where the OPC DA client resides. It simply acts as a gateway between the OPCua and the OPCda channel, enabling a UA tunnel.

As a proposed solution, the status of Ftserver “OK” or “not OK”, can be integrated directly into the SCADA solution with an indicator, such as the one that can be seen in the following architecture.

We will continue to pay close attention to the advances in this OPC server, and in the path that Stratus is following towards total integration with the industry. And remember, any questions related to the topic, do not hesitate to contact me directly.