ARIES PLC110[M02]-MS4, HMI, OPC and SCADA, or how much Chamomile tea a person needs. Part 2

Good afternoon friends. Second part of the review catches up with the first, and today I am writing a review on the top level of the system indicated in the title.

The group of top-level tools includes all the software and hardware above the PLC network (IDE for PLC, HMI, utilities for frequency converters, modules, etc. are not included here).

I will apply the structure of the system from the first part again, in order to make it easier to understand what it is about.

So the top level is:

• Gateway PC that routes traffic between two networks (PLC network and enterprise LAN)
• OPC server - software that collects data from the Modbus TCP network and interprets it for processing in SCADA and the database
• SCADA is a software package that includes a server and clients. Our graphical environment for monitoring and managing processes
• DBMS - software that allows us to archive data received by SCADA and, if necessary, extract them to view graphs, logs, and generate reports

I will not touch the corporate network (CN) of the enterprise, since it is in the competence of our system administrator, but I will tell you how I interacted with him, what tasks I set when I describe the implementation of the system, and not an overview.

So, let's begin

First thing, we will physically implement the hardware that will work for us. Hardware, for functioning in two different networks, the computer requires two, in fact, network adapters. The first was the on-motherboard adapter (for working in the CS), and the second (for working in Modbus-TCP) I inserted into the PCI-E port and from it brought the patch cord to the router (just so as not to scatter wires from PLC cabinets to PC by bureau.On the PLC side, of course, we also install a router.).

In fact, this is enough for the computer to function in each of the networks, but by default, the networks will not see each other, you will still need to press buttons.

Important aspects of setting up network connections:

1. Connection to the CS should not be performed by obtaining an address from a DHCP server, you need to manually set the adapter settings (the address should not be included in the DHCP address range) with the obligatory indication of the network gateway. In the future, this is very important when organizing remote access.
2. No need to try to make a network bridge between adapters, all routing is done when the corresponding Windows service is enabled
3. If you want to have access to the PLC network from any CS computer, then the routing should be registered to be performed by the main network gateway
4. To organize remote access, I recommend using non-standard free ports to immediately cut off under-hackers
5. No additional software needs to be installed, everything is done using standard Windows tools

Software

I wanted to choose products that would meet certain criteria:

• Domestic manufacturer - if I can get English-language technical support by all available communication channels, then not all of my colleagues can boast of this. Maintenance of the system should be available to everyone, so that at least I would not be pulled out of vacation.
  Also, I note that the cost of domestic software is closer to our realities and is acceptable for customers.
• Relatively new, but at least a little proven, just because you want to keep up with the times
• A pleasant, aesthetic interface is something that not every SCADA can boast of. Unfortunately, the design in automation tools will take a long time, and I would like to see the consumer qualities of the final product at a high level.
• Easy mutual integration of OPC, SCADA and DBMS (no dancing with a tambourine, a minimum of button presses), so that you can send to Kamchatka (in the literal sense, we have customer factories there) a simple process control system adjuster, and not a system architect

OPC server

While getting acquainted with MasterSCADA 4D, while the PLC was being tested, I actively visited the manufacturer's website and saw that they offer OPC servers of their own writing for almost any data transfer protocol. For the Modbus protocol, they offer a separate Master OPC Universal Modbus Server, i.e. he can only speak Modbus.

Below is a screenshot of the interface: quite concise, in my opinion, there is nothing superfluous, but, perhaps, for a sophisticated user, something may not be enough.

Free version limit - 32 tags, but I put boolean variables into registers and sent it with one LONG INT tag, and in SCADA, I already “parsed” it into bits, a little trick, I hope they don’t come for me. By the way, not all scuds can access individual bits of a word, so the recipe is not universal.

It took me about a minute to receive the first REAL type tag after installing OPC, so I didn’t look further, I was satisfied with the simplicity. However, it is fair to say that this software even provides for the execution of user scripts for receiving data, which can significantly expand the functionality in capable hands.

SCADA system

In this question, I mean not only the creation of a beautiful and functional environment for the user, but also convenience for the developer, since a programmer who will flip through the documentation at least 15 minutes per hour to find the necessary information loses up to 2 hours a day (purely arithmetically), which is 25% of the working day. Please note that I do not consider my choice to be absolutely objective, in terms of taste and color, as they say ...

The domestic market of SCADA systems offers us:

• Simple SCADA
• SimpLight
• MasterSCADA 4D
• ARIES Telemechanics LITE
• CASCADE

Further, I confess, I did not look, maybe there is something else. Considering that I made a choice, it means that the operation was successful. Let's look at these systems, remembering the criteria described above:

1. CASCADE - I immediately got the lowest rating for visualization, I didn’t even download the distribution kit. Controls escaping from Win95 put an end to this software for me
   Without evaluation
2. ARIES Telemechanics LITE - also did not download, but the reasons here are not only in the interface, although it also, it seems to me, leaves much to be desired. Firstly, after a crescent of testing and debugging PLCs with modules, OWEN products cause me fair concerns in terms of reliability and flexibility. And secondly, this scada is positioned as a monitoring and control system in power distribution networks, in the first place. The food industry is not quite suitable for my tasks (even if it can do everything, marketers still narrowed down the target audience themselves). Therefore, by.
   Without evaluation
3. MasterSCADA 4D - at first glance, this is the most obvious and simple option. We explain:
   • Does not require a separate installation of the OPC server when working with the OWEN PLC, the drivers are already inside
   • In general, a rather pleasant and beautiful interface, the controls are also on solid 4/5
   • Convenient design environment

   Everything seems to be fine and good, I considered this system without options when I took the controller in my hands, BUT:

   One good day, I opened the project in RunTime mode (imitation of work), and I have 4 empty windows hanging, I rub my eyes, close, check the project manager, restart - the same thing. Then a series of standard manipulations, such as analyzing the changes made, rebooting the PC, and so on, which do not lead to a result. Bottom line: I remove the distribution kit until better days, there is no desire to understand, it is unreliable.

   Rating: 3.5/5 Good packaging, stuffing is not very

4. Simple - I confess, I was fascinated by the ratio of functionality / cost from the technical bulletin on the manufacturer's website. There is a Web server and SMS, E-mail and many clients and many connected OPCs, all this costs about 5000 rubles at the time of this writing - a penny. And if you are a developer and make a separate request in the online questionnaire on the site, then you will be sent a version of the distribution kit for 200 tags without any restrictions, which in my opinion is very cool. This is definitely a plus.

   And now the cons:

   Main: IDEs are several standalone utilities that have delimited functionality, and therefore, when working on one project, you will have to keep 3-4 windows open + help + documentation, which is not convenient even on a multi-monitor system.

   • Appearance is below average, as if drawn in Paint
   • Help is very poor
   • Highly compressed functionality, clearly visible when setting up trends and charts
   • The script editor is visible by pixels, which hurts the eyes
   • Customizing software tags is fun
   • If you want to just bring the project on a flash drive for editing on another PC, then it's quite difficult. Incomprehensible file structure of projects
   • Sales professionals enter your life tightly, which bothers

   Pictured: Simplight Script Editor

   
   
   Rating: 3.0/5 The stuffing is good, there is no packaging at all

5. Simple SCADA - this is my choice, here I will most likely be biased, but still. The manufacturer offers a choice of 2 types of DEMO: With a limit of 64 external tags and slightly reduced functionality or full-featured with a Runtime limit of 1 hour (After that, the SCADA server must be restarted). The cost of the distribution kit in the simplest assembly starts from 6900 rubles. at the time of writing.

   
   
   Pros:

   • Very beautiful, both IDE and controls
   • Rich help, everything is painted inside and out
   • Easy integration of OPC server data
   • The simplest interface, even intuitive
   • Easy DBMS Integration
   • To start a remote client not required project availability
   • Great report generator
   • All objects have events like OnClick, OnMouseEnter, etc. In general, the IDE is similar to the simplified Delphi Embarcadero editor, and the script editor has a tooltip

   Cons:

   • There are not so many controls that can be used (it is possible to create custom ones)
   • Since SCADA is practically Plug and Play, I think there are limitations and functionality, but I did not happen to meet
   • Trends with a full control panel (zoom, pause, scroll) are displayed only in a separate window
   • According fully functional the license will have to be well paid (from 38000 rubles and above)

   Rating: 4.5/5 Stuffing is good, packaging is good

Data Bank

Here the choice was much simpler, Simple SCADA offers two products MS SQL Server and MySQL. The second one turned out to be closer to me, since I had previously worked with him, and stopped there.

I can note that the entire archiving setup comes down to installing a package from Oracle and its simple configuration, and then connecting in one click to SCADA.

Then we select in the tag manager what to archive and what not and enjoy.

Thank you all for your attention.

This is followed by a series of articles with a consistent description of the solution to the problems encountered and, as a result, the creation of the Step-by-Step system.

Source: habr.com