Step 1.3. Set OPC Port Settings Properties

OPC port settings are required for the OPC Client configuration.

Check the check boxes to display the following.

 

Check Box

Displays

Show Normal Settings

Required port properties.

Show Trace Settings

Runtime trace diagnostics properties.

Show Advanced Settings

Advanced properties.

Important: These properties should not be changed unless they resolve a specific issue.

For assistance with changing the Advanced properties, contact GE Fanuc GlobalCare technical support.

Property and value descriptions are as follows.

Normal Settings

Value

Description

EightByteReals

True

Maintains the precision of the values as they are passed into CIMPLICITY. This setting is valid only if the OPC server sends 8 byte (double) values. If the OPC server sends 4 byte (float) values, setting this property to True has no effect on the precision of the values.

 

False

Default

UseServerTimeStamp

True

CIMPLICITY uses the timestamp passed from the OPC Server.

Default

 

False

CIMPLICITY provides its own timestamp at the time the update is received.

UseDataTypePromotion

True

OPC server expects data type promotion to occur.

Conversion of data types for many older OPC servers was accomplished using a method called data type promotion.

Because the variant was not able to hold the following types they were promoted to the next larger type that the variant was capable of holding.

Signed eight bit (SINT)

Unsigned 16 bit (UINT)

Unsigned 32 bit (UDINT) values

Many older OPC servers still expect data type promotion to occur.

 

False

Default

RefreshUnsoItems

True

The OPC client refreshes the OPC server whenever it reattaches and adds items to the server. This ensures that there is an initial value for all unsolicited points.

Default

 

False

Prevents the OPC client from refreshing the OPC server.

Many OPC servers do not require a refresh because they detect a client "advising" and send initial values at that point. Some OPC servers fail (i.e. return an error) when refreshed.

AddBoolAsBool

True

Ensures that VT_BOOL is the variant type requested by the OPC client.

True should be selected if the OPC client is rejecting points of type BOOL.

 

False

Default

Trace Settings

Value

Description

TraceLevel

 

 

The Trace Level determines how much trace data is written to the log file.

Options are:

 

 

1

BIGERRORS

Default

 

 

2

ALLERRORS

 

 

3

BIGSUCCESSES

 

 

4

ALLSUCCESSES

 

 

5

ITEMDETAILS

 

 

6

DEVELOPER LEVEL 1

 

 

7

DEVELOPER LEVEL 2

 

Important: If the TraceLevel property is not set, nothing is written to the log file.  For detailed descriptions of trace levels, refer to Enable Tracing.

CircularLog

True

Tracing to be set to a circular file.

Default

 

False

Logging goes to the output file.

LogFileSize

Default

1000000 (bytes).

The LogFileSize property determines the size of the circular log file (before it wraps).

Advanced Settings

Value

Description

MessageTicks

Default

50 (i.e. one half second)

The MessageTicks property determines how often Windows Messages are drained by the operating system. Enter the value in ticks (1 tick = 1/100 seconds).

Older (single threaded) OPC servers can be affected by this message drain rate. If the OPC server is not sending events at the scan rate you set, you can lower this value. Lowering this value means that the message queue is drained more often. Note that draining the message queue takes away from processing incoming data.

BatchDynamicAdditions

True

Point by address (PBA) and Delayed Load (DL) points are added in chunks (or batches) for speed.

The size of the chunks is determined by the global parameter DC_PTM_MSG_MAX.

 

False

Point by address and Delayed Load points are added to the OPC server one at a time.

Default

BatchAddBatchSize

Default

50

The BatchAddBatchSize property provides a way to override the global parameter DC_PTM_MSG_MAX without having to set it first. Set this property according to the number of points that might be placed into demand by any given screen within your application. Valid values are from 10 through 10000.

If the DC_PTM_MSG_MAX global parameter has been set, this property overrides it.

BatchTimeToLive

Default

200 (2 seconds).

Value in ticks (1/100 of a second). T

BatchTimeToLive determines how long the OPC client waits for a completion notification that a dynamic batch addition has finished.

When BatchDynamicAdditions is True,

The OPC client

  1. Waits until it receives a completion notification that the dynamic additions have completed.

  2. Upon receiving this notification, the OPC client adds the batch of items to the OPC server.

In heavily loaded systems, it is possible for the completion notification to be delayed or missed. In these cases, a timer (i.e. this property) in the OPC client causes the batched points to be added without waiting any longer for the completion notification.

More information

Configure the OPC Client port.