I am looking for suggestions on how to connect multiple PC's to a server running Wonderware. The Wonderware server needs to send/receive messages to an application running on each PC. The application will be VB based and will be used by operators to retrieve/send messages concerning the data collected on the Wonderware server. I don't want to install Wonderware on the multiple PC's.

 

DDE if the VB programs is on the same PC as InTouch then NetDDE if on a seperate PC.

Wonderware also sells a toolkit that will allow for direct read and writes to the tag dictionary (ptacc function calls). You must have the VB app and InTouch on the
same PC though.

 

What Wonderware software is running on your server? If you're running InTouch on NT you have to use NetDDE with trusted shares. There is a Wonderware tech note on how to set this up.

If you're using Win2k and InTouch, you can develop your own interface with ActiveX controls, or run a SQL server/MSDE server with tag updates in it, or...give me details, and I'll try to help you out.

I have experience in tasks like this. I just left Wonderware. Please let me know your HW/SW topology.

 

So you don't want to buy more copies of InTouch. Sounds like you need Cheap HMI.

What you do is use Excel with cells that are linked to the InTouch View on the other machine. Put the formula in a cell like =\OtherNodeName\View|Tagname!'$Hour'
Where OtherNodeName is the Computer Name (See Network settings).

The cell will use NetDDE to connect to the other machine and you will see the hour value in the cell. Of course you need the Trusted Shares set up correctly, but just follow the app note. This is a live link. When the value changes in InTouch, the value will change on Excel.

Let me know how it works.