plant floor to office

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Thread Starter

Nucciarone, Joe

Hello all,

I need some advice on retrieving information from manufacturing equipment and displaying it in the office. What I have so far is various plc types connected via Ethernet encapsulation and kepware opc server (btw all this is theoretical so far). I understand how data is fetched and logged on the opc server, so what I need to know is can I take this information and display it using html? Remember that the info is being updated at a fixed interval (not critical). How can I manipulate the opc data that's logged, before displaying it in html?

Joe
 
J
You need to connect you control system to your office LAN. Do this with
caution! Especially considering that your office LAN may be connected to the
Internet. I suggest you shall have two firewalls back to back between the
office LAN and the control system. The corporate IT guys can manage the
firewall on the office LAN side, the control system guys can manage the
firewall on the control system side. This way the security requirements of
all are covered.

In the firewall open only port 80 (HTTP). OPC will not communicate through
this firewall so you need to have your HTML web server on the control system
network. Browser on the office LAN can then access pages on the web server.
Most HMI come with a web server these days. My personal opinion is that the
best implementation of both OPC and web display is provided by Iconics'
Genesis:
http://www.iconics.com/products/webhmi.asp

On top of one-time installation of hardware and software you need to put
some procedures in place in order to ensure the system remains secure. This
includes e.g. proper management of passwords, and review of any changes
before they are implemented.

Jonas

 
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randy muranaka

In our company, the control engineers belong to one represented group (Union) and the IT folks belong to another represented group. In recommending that both groups set up firewalls, you're suggesting that both Unions do the same kind of work - using the same technology and tools, requiring the same skills and training to perform. Like saying that the electrical Union can now do plumbing work, and the plumbing Union can now do electrical work. How do you reconcile this kind of work jurisdiction labor issue?
 
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Matthew Hyatt

The IT guys should do all of the firewalls and other related interconnections, leave the control stuff - plcs, instruments and such to the control guys. IT knows IT, contol knows control. They can communicate to each other their needs and concerns and it is not uncommon to see a few people who can cross these borders but to expect all to be everything the other is is insane.
 
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Brian E Boothe

That's a good point. in my Company our Boss is trying to get us IT guys to teach the PLC guys everything we know about PCs, but it doesn't go the Other way...
 
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