User guide

Overview

1.5 C-Bus OPC Server system configurations

The C-Bus OPC Server can either be installed on its own computer host or

in combination with the C-Gate server (local).

In the combined (local) system configuration, the C-Bus OPC Server and C-

Gate communicate via TCP/IP locally. Communication between the OPC

Client and the C-Bus OPC Server is through the OPC network (TCP/IP). The

diagram below illustrates the network paths by which the C-Bus OPC

Server communicates with C-Gate to transmit Lighting Type messages to

and from the OPC Client.

Figure 4: Stand-alone OPC Server

OPC Network (TCP/IP)

C-Bus network

C-Gate and

C-Bus OPC

Server

OPC Client

In a distributed configuration, C-Gate and the OPC Server exist on

physically separate host computers. C-Gate transmits when requested by

the OPC Server over the TCP/IP network. The C-Bus OPC Server and the

OPC Client are linked by the OPC (TCP/IP ). The graphic below illustrates

the C-Bus OPC Server providing the read/write translation of C-Bus data

between the C-Bus network and the OPC Client.

Figure 5: Distributed configuration

OPC network (TCP/IP)

C-Bus network

C-Gate OPC Client

C-Bus OPC

Server

1.6 Modes of operation

There are two modes of operation for the C-Bus OPC Server:

commissioning and production. The commissioning mode is used for

when a building site is being commissioned with C-Bus Toolkit. The C-Bus

OPC Server can share the C-Gate server with C-Bus Toolkit. When a

building site has been commissioned, the C-Bus OPC Server operates in

production mode. When C-Bus OPC Server is in production mode, C-Bus

Toolkit should not be used to connect to C-Gate.

In commissioning mode, the C-Bus OPC Server will not open C-Bus

networks or cause C-Gate to synchronise. In production mode, the C-Bus

OPC Server will open any configured C-Bus networks and set the

networks to auto-synchronise.