New OPC XML-DA Toolkits
Softing has enhanced its OPC Toolbox by adding powerful tools that enables rapid development of OPC XML-DA clients and servers. The new products are fully compatible with Softing's globally used OPC DCOM toolkits and allow client and server applications to communicate via the Internet and on Non-Windows platforms.

Technical Background
OPC specifications define software interfaces for data exchange in industrial automation applications. So far, these specifications have been based exclusively on Microsoft's DCOM as their underlying technology. Consequently, OPC applications have existed only under Windows platforms. Distributed applications via the Internet have not been supported. A migration to Web Services as the basic foundation underneath the new OPC XML specifications will cause a revolution in OPC's functionality. In the future, OPC XML products will permit horizontal and vertical communication between applications running under different operating systems. This will also enable communication over the Internet between OPC XML products used for remote control and monitoring applications. As a result, OPC's application area will increase significantly.

What are Web Services?
As the name implies, "Web Services" has its seeds in the Internet. An application that provides services via the Internet is referred to as a Web Service. This application is able to run on different hardware and software platforms and provide different object and application models. The Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is used as an interaction protocol to allow other applications to use Web Services. SOAP connects XML and HTTP. XML is used to describe the functions and their parameters. HTTP will be used as the transport protocol for the transmission of the XML documents. The functionality of a Web Service that can be used by a program is described in a WSDL (Web Service Description Language) file. The Internet is the main application space for Web Services. If the Web Service architecture is going to be used, characteristics that are important to secure applications on the Internet have to be considered as part of the OPC XML-DA application.

Softing OPC Toolkits
Currently OPC is an essential means of communication between many products, but implementing its functionality is very complex. Toolkits provide great assistance, because they encapsulate the specifics of DCOM and the OPC specifications. Softing toolkits shorten development time, provide high flexibility, and guarantee compliance with the specifications.

Softing offers you the following OPC Toolbox products:
The OPC Toolbox has recently been expanded with tools that support the OPC XML-DA specification 1.0.

What do Softing's new XML Tools contain?

The OPC Toolbox C+ + XML DA Server is a portable solution to develop OPC XML-DA Servers on any platform. This product offers the same standard C++ interface as Softing's OPC DCOM-DA toolkits. This simplifies migration for Softing's existing Toolbox customers. The OPC Toolbox C++ XML DA Server supports multiple HTTP servers. Solutions for both Linux and Windows operating systems are available. A sample server built with Softing's OPC Toolbox C++ XML DA Server has been tested for compliance.

The OPC Toolbox C++ XML DA Client is a portable solution for developing OPC XML-DA Clients on any platform. This product offers the same C++ interface as Softing's OPC DCOM-DA toolkits. This simplifies migration for Softing's existing Toolbox customers. Initially, solutions for Linux and Windows operating systems will be available.

The OPC Toolbox .NET XML DA Client offers an interface based on the OPC Toolbox .NET DA Client for applications. With this toolkit OPC XML-DA Clients can easily be developed for Microsoft .NET.
Using these new products based on OPC XML-DA for specific applications will require a migration path from the old DCOM OPC world to the new Web Servicesbased OPC world. Consequently, Softing can provide an OPC-XML-DCOM Bridge. It allows data exchange between OPC DCOM-DA Clients and OPC XML-DA Servers as well as the exchange between OPC XML-DA Clients and OPC DCOM-DA Servers. Because it requires DCOM, the OPC XML DCOM Bridge will require that it will run on a platform with a Windows operating system.

Softing has an OPC Toolbox CD available containing both the Release and the Demo version of the OPC Development Tools. The OPC Toolbox is subdivided in the 4 product groups: C++, .NET, XPress and ActiveX. The CD also contains very usefull and comprehensive video clips, demos and sample programs.