• Introduction

• Wonderware Data Access (DA) Server is designed to provide simultaneous connectivity between client applications based on Wonderware SuiteLink, OPC and DDE protocols that run on the Microsoft Windows operating system and the data devices supported by the specific protocol being translated.
• The Wonderware DAServers also come with an exclusive new user interface called the DAServer Manager, which is installed as a Microsoft Management Console snap-in. Its end-user benefits include simple remote server activation, configuration and operation, and extensive protocol diagnostic troubleshooting.

• Several standard features are available with each DAServer, including:
• Compliance with OPC version 3.0
• Stand-alone operation mode
• Support for hot configuration, device additions and device- and server-specific parameter modifications

• A wide range of DAServers support connectivity to numerous protocols and products. A few of the current DAServers Wonderware includes support for are:
• Allen-Bradley CIP protocol for ControlLogix
• Allen-Bradley TCP protocol
• Allen-Bradley DH Plus protocol
• Siemens Simatic Net S7
• Modbus Serial protocol

• Component Architecture

• A DAServer is comprised of three physical parts:

• Plug-in Component(s): responsible for communicating with clients, used by all DAServers. Plug-ins provide protocol translation functionality for device integration clients.

• Typical Plug-ins use DDE, SuiteLink or OPC protocol, and serve as interfaces between their clients and the DAS Engine. A protocol can be disabled when customizing the installation for your DAServer.

• DAS Engine: common component used by all DAServers.

• The DAS Engine is a middleware component that exposes two sets of unique interfaces, one for communicating with Plug-ins and one for communicating with Device Protocol Layer components. It encapsulates common tasks for the DAServer, like handling the item database, distributing data to clients, propagating clients' requests to the protocol, and providing diagnostics.

• Device Protocol Layer: Server specific, responsible for communicating with hardware and specific to the DAServer. The Device Protocol Layer provides translation between the hardware- specific protocol such as ModBus and CIP and the DAS Engine interface:

• DAServer Characteristics

• Diagnostics
• The DAServer Manager diagnostic tool displays generic diagnostic objects common to all servers as well as server-specific/server developer defined diagnostic data.

• Hot Configuration
• One of the big advantages provided by the DAServer is the ability to make your DAServer configurable while the server is running - hot configuration.
• The DAServer handles most of the hot configuration work. In general, a user will run the DAServer Manager and configure each hierarchy. Any changes user makes that add/delete/update a hierarchy are sent immediately to the running DAServer.
• Here is a complete list of notifications to the server about changes in the configuration:
• Add configuration hierarchy.
• Delete configuration hierarchy.
• Rename configuration hierarchy.
• Update parameters of configuration hierarchy.
• Add device group.
• Delete device group.
• Rename device group.
• Update parameters of device group.
• Clear the current configuration set.
• Switch to a new configuration set.