The Connext© OPC UA software is much more than an industrial communication server. It is a connectivity engine for every data acquisition, deployment and recording need.
Indispensable for Industry 4.0.
Connext is an OPC UA Server that supports a large number of protocols for industries, infrastructures and buildings. It supports advanced features that include Gateway, Historian / Data Loggers, redundancy, OPC UA server and Client IIoT protocols and many more. Connext is the ideal solution for every M2M, IT and OT factory level connectivity need.
The Connext Server has OPC Foundation certification and supports the Data Access, Alarm & Conditions and Historical Access specifications.
The Connext Server offers maximum openness with a SDK to allow .NET developers to integrate their own suite of customized protocols in order to expand the existing library of ready and available Drivers.
The Connext OPC UA Server includes a suite of communication protocols listed under different categories. They can be activated one at a time or several at a time by using the Multidriver option and Gateway function. The list of communication protocols (Siemens, Rockwell, Omron, BacNet, Ethernet/IP, Konnex and others) can be viewed on the website in the ‘Support’ section. The Connext Drivers are the same ones that are used in Movicon.NExT.
Each Connext communication protocol supports automatic variable import from the field or PLC for easier and faster communication configurations.
Connext is offered with a modular license policy that sizes licenses by the required number of Tags (variables). One TAG is any one variable connected to the field in bit, byte, bit, byte, word, float and double/long 64bit, including those defined as structure or array members. The byte, word and other variables can be pointed to single bits. (Note: each variable member of Structure or Array types count as one Tag).
Each Server Tag in a MultiDriver configuration, can be connected simultaneously to different communication protocols. Due to the Internet of Things (IoT) protocols, data read in the field can be connected directly to remote systems or to data collection platforms in the Cloud such as Progea Cloud.Databoom for example.
The Connext Server offers the option to use the Historian to record data on relational databases (SQL Server is used for default) or in the Cloud (SQL Azure). By supporting OPC UA Historical Access, the Connext data server can therefore be used as a data collection system to provide historical data as well.
The Connext Server also provides the option to use the Alarms configuration to manage Alarms & Conditions specification in OPC UA Clients when needed.
The Connext Server supports the Hot Backup as an option to ensure that data server arrays are handled with the maximum availability of data connections and archives for each mission critical application.
In addition to interfacing with any supervisor, Connext also offers the great advantage of integrating and using the connectivity of the Movicon.NExT SCADA/HMI systems.
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The Omron FINS Ethernet driver was designed specifically for the use with OMRON programmable controllers. This protocol connect a number of OMRON controllers over an Ethernet network.
 Movicon 11 – Rel. 11.4.1.10 DBL288
 Movicon 11 CE – Rel. 11.4.1.10 DBL288
The SaiaDataMode driver has been developed to communicate with Saia-Burgess PCD series PLCs. It is a direct driver, not based on Saia libraries, making it possible to communicate in different ways:
 Movicon 11 – Rel. 11.4.1.9 DBL286
 Movicon 11 CE – Rel. 11.4.1.9 DBL286
The Hilscher NetLink driver provides Simatic MPI communication to Siemens devices via the Hilscher ‘NetLink’ Ethernet interface. This driver was designed specifically for the use with Siemens S7 300 and 400 and VIPA System 200V, 300V, 300S and 500S series.
Before the Netlink device can be used, an appropriate system configuration must be set. In particular you have to specify a valid IP address for the Netlink device. For further details please refer to “Netlink configuration” .
A single Hilscher NetLink driver can manage communication with a single Netlink device. This does not prevent from communicating with more PLCs at a time.
As an example, you can connect 3 PLCs with different MPI IDs through a standard Profibus cable, then connect the Netlink device to the MPI port of one of the PLCs and you will access all the 3 PLCs data areas.
The driver should be configured with 3 stations, each one with the specific MPI station ID of the related PLC, but all the stations must have the same IP address (server address), that is the IP address of the Netlink device as specified in “Netlink configuration” .
The use of more Netlink devices at a time is possible by duplicating the driver, that is creating a copy on the driver for each Netlink device in use. For further details see “Driver duplication” in the Supervisor manual.
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 Movicon 11 – Rel. 11.4.1.5 DBL286
 Movicon 11 CE – Rel. 11.4.1.5 DBL286