4. Activities of OPC UA (2)
Compliance

Compliance

To enable industrial interoperability, OPC UA is focusing on two activities: Collaboration and Compliance. The previous article explained collaborations and their examples. In this article, the focus is on Compliance.

The compliance activity verifies if products can connect and communicate so that systems can be built using reliable products.

The OPC Foundation provides three services to verify compliance.

1) Self verification - Test tool

To support test and verification of OPC UA compliant behavior, the OPC Foundation offers a software Compliance Test Tool (CTT). The OPC Foundation Corporate Members can download and use the CTT for free. Non-Corporate Members can purchase it.

The CTT can be used to automatically test the conformity to OPC UA . It generates test reports and outputs error messages, which will be helpful for debugging during product development.

2) Verification by vendors - Interoperability workshop (IOP)

The OPC Foundation holds interoperability workshops (IOP), where vendors can test the interaction of their products.

The annual interoperability workshop is held in each area: Japan, Europe, and North America. The OPC Foundation Corporate Members can join for free.
Since the test results are not published, OPC UA products under development can be tested. Omron joins every year.

3) Verification by certification laboratories - Certification test

The OPC Foundation offers a service to ensure the reliability of OPC UA products. Test laboratories accredited by the OPC Foundation verify certification.
Products that passed the tests are recognizable by the certificate and “Certified” logo issued by the OPC Foundation.

The certified OPC UA products can be found on the OPC Foundation website. Users considering the use of OPC UA products can choose reliable products.

Omron’s NX701-1□□□/NX102-□□□□/NJ501-1□00 Machine Automation Controllers with OPC UA functionality have been certified^*1.

*1. Certified products page: NX7 Machine Automation Contrlooer
https://opcfoundation.org/products/view/omron-nx7-machine-automation-controller

Certified products page: NX1 Machine Automation Controller
https://opcfoundation.org/products/view/sysmac-nx1-machine-automation-controller

Certified products page: NJ-series Machine Automation Controller
https://opcfoundation.org/products/view/sysmac-nj-series-machine-automation-controller

Certification tests

The following five tests are conducted:

1. Compliance test

Verifies whether the OPC UA product complies with the OPC Specifications.

2. Interoperability test

Verifies interconnectivity and interoperability with five OPC UA products prepared by the test lab.

3. Robustness test

Repeats disconnection and reconnection of the OPC UA product.

4. Efficiency test

Runs the OPC UA product to test, which periodically exchanges data with five OPC UA products connected to it, for 36 consecutive hours.

5. Usability test

Evaluates usability of configuration software.

(To be continued)

1. 1. Outline of OPC UA "The Industrial Interoperability Standard"
2. 2. Features of OPC UA “Connected, Communicated, Secured”
3. 3. Activities of OPC UA (1) Collaboration
4. 4. Activities of OPC UA (2) Compliance (this article)
5. 5. OPC UA Products and Case Studies
6. 6. Update on OPC UA
7. 7. The proliferation and evolution of OPC UA
8. 8. Case Study (Winder with OPC UA)
9. 9. A New Initiative for OPC UA