Kepware Technologies, a leader in communications for automation, has enhanced its award-winning KEPServerEX OPC Server with version 5.1, which delivers significant new functionality and a variety of enhancements to the OPC-A&E Interface, Drivers, as well as the Custom Interface Driver (CID) that enables developers to leverage KEPServerEX and KEPServer OEM branded versions.

Scott Burns, CTO at SeQent — a leader in plant floor messaging and visualization technology — in London, Ont., comments on early implementation of Kepware's CID technology: “For years, SeQent has struggled with building OPC Server interfaces for a number of hardware product lines. With Kepware's new CID interface, the complexity of OPC Server implementation is reduced to a simple memory structure for data exchange. Utilizing this advanced technology the implementation effort to provide an OPC DA interface for a hardware component has dropped to a few weeks. Knowing Kepware's reputation as a solid and reliable OPC DA implementation relieves our developers of understanding all of the intricacies of implementing a full OPC Server. We look forward to working with Kepware in developing OPC interfaces for many of our other products."

“The CID has attracted several early adopters, enabling us to test our functionality early on, and release this new feature proven with, and leveraged by respected third parties," comments Tony Paine, executive vice-president and CTO of Kepware. "We introduced our KEPServerEX version 5 product in July of this year, the Version 5.1 is an extension of that product with new features and enhancements. Major features include our Custom Interface Driver (CID) and the OPC-A&E interface.”

The OPC-A&E Server delivers event log data today that sets the stage for full Alarm and Event Data in the coming months. New Drivers for Automation Direct are Productivity 3000 Protocol, Mettler Toledo, and Continuous Output Protocol. Version 5.1 improves client connectivity by leveraging KEPServer as an OPC Server and Native Interface toolkit, without needing to learn the intricacies of OPC Servers, Native Interfaces or custom toolkits.

In addition to these new features, this release delivers enhancements to the following drivers: GE Ethernet Global Data, GE SRTP, GE SNP, GE SNPX, GE Focas 1, Mitsubishi Ethernet, Modbus ASCII, Modbus Ethernet, Modbus Plus, Modbus RTU, Modbus RTU Unsolicited, Siemens S7 MPI, Siemens S5 (3964R Protocol), SIMATIC 505 Ethernet, SIMATIC 505 Serial, Industrial SNMP, Triconex Ethernet, User Configurable (UCON), and Yokogawa DX Ethernet.
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