An Overview of Device Integration Objects in Application Server

Following up on a previous post, A Quick Overview of Automation Objects in Application Server, let's take a closer look at the Device Integration Objects.

DI Objects (for Device Integration) represents your controllers - PLCs, RTUs, or similar devices. They don't communicate directly to the controllers, but with a "driver" that speaks the actual controller's communication protocol; for example, Modbus or DH+. In the case of Wonderware "drivers", we are talking about Device Integration Servers: IO Servers or DA Servers.

Basically, the out-of-the-box Device Integration Objects allow your Galaxy to communicate with other applications through DDE, SuiteLink, or OPC. These applications can be Wonderware Device Integration Servers, 3rd-party OPC Servers, or any other applications that is a DDE, SuiteLink, or OPC server.

At present, Application Server provides four Device Integration Objects out of the box:

• DDESuiteLinkClient: This object can be configure to be a DDE client (including NetDDE on supported, legacy Operating Systems, such as Windows Server 2003) or a SuiteLink client (a Wonderware proprietary communication protocol). It provides access to IO Server, DA Servers, and other DDE/SuiteLink server applications. A single instance of this object can provide access to multiple controllers.
• OPCClient: This object provides communication to DA Server and 3rd-party OPC Servers. A single instance of this object can provide access to multiple controllers.
• RedundantDIObject: Allows the configuration of redundant communication channels from your Galaxy to the controllers. It will monitor both communication channels and automatically switch to the standby channel whenever the primary channel is not available. Each channel is represented by a "regular" DI Object; the Redundant DI Object doesn't communicate directly with the field, but with your other DI Objects in your Galaxy.
• InTouchProxy: An object useful in "hybrid" installations where System Platform co-exist with legacy, tag-based InTouch applications. It provides a way of integrating legacy InTouch applications to your Galaxy; it sits on top of your tag-based InTouch applications and allows your Galaxy to read (and if necessary, write) data from InTouch. If helps you consolidate all your data within the Galaxy without having to immediately convert your existing InTouch applications. For example, you can implement new production lines in System Platform and integrate data from existing production lines that are implemented with InTouch.

Wonderware also provides other DI Objects that are device-specific. These objects include the corresponding DA Server and allows the modeling, configuration, and deployment of the communication channel (DI Objects and DA Server) from within the Galaxy.