CitectSCADA uses a logical and structured communications configuration, that maps closely to the elements shown in the diagram below.
It requires the engineer to:
Note: Each of these steps is simplified in order to illustrate the mapping of necessary elements to the basic communication architecture. In reality, some other tasks need to be performed to setup communications.
The following diagram shows how the elements in the configuration environment map to the software components in the runtime system.
Although this is not essential to know, it does help understand how drivers fit into the system.
Note: This example omits many logical runtime components for clarity (such as clients). In addition, the runtime components shown are not visible to the user at runtime. However, driver information can be accessed at runtime via the CitectSCADA Kernel.
A good place to start when setting up simple communications is with the Express I/O Device Setup wizard. Once you understand how the setup works, you can manually configure arrangements that are more complex. Much of the functionality of the protocols and transports can be modified using the driver options and parameters. Each driver has its own specific section in the online help that will guide you through configuration options.
See Also