HEADLINE: Kepware Technologies releases OPC drivers for DNP 3.0 connectivity,
to further expand standardization of KEPServerEX in industrial markets.
RELEASE: Portland, ME January 26, 2007 -- Portland, Maine; Kepware
Technologies announces the latest release of their KEPServerEX OPC server suite which
includes Ethernet and Serial drivers for DNP 3.0.
Distributed Network Protocol (DNP) is an open protocol
used in applications where data integrity over minimal
data bandwidth is important. It is primarily used
in Power Generation & Distribution
related industries but is also common in other Utility
applications such as Wastewater Treatment. Communications
with DNP devices is a bit more complicated than with
factory floor PLCs. To meet these application needs,
the Kepware DNP 3.0 drivers support multiple operating
modes including Poll-Response, Polled Report-by-Exception,
and Unsolicited Responses. Timing related features
include Event Poll Interval, Integrity Poll Interval,
DNP Command Timeout, and a Channel Timeout which
is independent of OPC Timeout. Free demos of all
Kepware software products are available from the
Kepware website. People interested in evaluating
the DNP offering are welcome to download the KEPServerEX
product suite.
The Kepware DNP drivers "plug in" to the KEPServerEX
OPC server product core, thus providing consistent
access from DNP 3.0 slave devices to a wide variety
of OPC client-enabled applications. According to
Kepware's President Mark Hensley, "We expect that
engineers looking for a DNP connectivity solution
will be pleased with our drivers. To maximize the
product's usability we obtained real-world feedback
from end users before finalizing our engineering
implementation." One customer who participated in
the beta evaluation and usability testing was Vestas
Americas. Vestas is the world leader in wind technology
and has been developing, manufacturing, and selling
wind turbines since 1979. They develop SCADA solutions
for their products that use a combination of industry
standard and proprietary communications. According
to Don Betts a SCADA Specialist with Vestas Americas,
"We began using Kepware's OPC server software over
three years ago for some of our SCADA to PLC connectivity
needs and have continuously increased
the usage since that time. We have found the software
to be extremely stable with no production down time
contributed to it."
