OPC Foundation

The OPC Foundation started as a task force comprised of five industrial automation vendors with the purpose of creating a basic OLE for Process Control specification. OLE is a technology developed by Microsoft Corporation for the MS Windows operating system. The task force released the OPC standard in August 1996. The OPC Foundation was chartered to continue development of interoperability specifications and includes manufacturers and users of devices, instruments, controllers, software and enterprise systems.

OPC Standards and Specification Groups

OPC Data Access -
This group of standards provides specifications for communicating real-time data from data acquisition devices such as PLC's to display and interface devices like Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI). The specifications focus on the continuous communication of data

OPC Alarm and Events -
Standards for communicating alarm and event data on demand, as opposed to the continuous communications in the OPC Data Access group

OPC Batch -
Standards to address the needs of batch processes

OPC Data eXchange -
This group of standards addresses server to server communications across industrial networks. The standards also address remote configuration, diagnostics, monitoring and management communications

OPC Historical Data Access -
Standards for communicating stored data

OPC Security -
Standards for controlling client access to OPC compliant devices and systems

OPC XML-DA -
Builds on the OPC Data Access specifications to communicate data in XML. Incorporates SOAP and Web services

OPC Complex Data -
Standards for specifying the communication of complex data types such as binary data and XML documents

OPC Commands -
Standards for communicating control commands to devices and systems

External Links

OPC Foundation