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OPC Foundation Announces OPC .NET 3.0, aka OPCXi

11/03/2010

Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The OPC Foundation has announced the release of OPC .NET 3.0 (formerly known as OPC Express Interface (Xi)). This new API will enable users of OPC Classic to leverage the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology, facilitating the transfer of data securely through firewalls. Developed as an enhancement to OPC Classic, OPC .NET 3.0 serves to bridge the gap between Microsoft .NET and the world of OPC Classic and will also provide a common interface between newly developed .Net clients and OPC Classic servers.

OPC Classic relies on DCOM to manage distributed communications. But by using the newly created OPC .NET 3.0, developers can work with WCF and eliminate the headaches associated with DCOM configuration. Managed code applications developed using the OPC .NET 3.0 interface will be able to take advantage of the included COM interop layer to easily enable communications with OPC Classic servers that are typically developed as unmanaged code applications.

The use of WCF in OPC .NET 3.0 also provides an increased level of security through built-in authentication, authorization and data encryption. Additional security features have been built into the interface to enable secure authentication across HTTP or TCP.

In the future the OPC Foundation will integrate the OPC .NET 3.0 with OPC UA, such that client applications based on OPC .NET 3.0 will be able to access OPC UA servers.

"In keeping with the OPC Foundation history of enhancing OPC Classic functionality, we have chosen to create OPC .NET 3.0 to enable developers to create simple OPC Clients and Servers using the latest .NET development tools. In the past we created the OPC Foundation Automation Wrapper to enable development with Visual Basic 6. Later we created OPC .NET 1.0 & OPC. NET 2.0 to enable use with VB .Net. Now we are responding with the addition of WCF. As an organization we have always believed in providing developers with all the tools possible to enable easy development of OPC Server and Clients. The creation of OPC .NET 3.0 (WCF) follows that tradition by providing OPC Classic users more architecture development options," said Thomas Burke, President, OPC Foundation.