Tradeshows & Events
We have been busy with several shows, in which OPC technology is being showcased. These include Hannover Messe in Germany, Automate in Detroit, MI (USA) and ARC forum in Orlando, FL (USA).
At these shows, the OPC Foundation provides demonstration of new functionality and makes announcements of new releases. The release might be new specifications, new working groups, or new CTT releases. One new Release Candidate specification announcement was the UAFX specification set. This is a new major core part of OPC UA. This major addition requires certification. A vendor cannot claim to support UAFX without becoming certified. Part of the effort, provided by the FLC initiative, is the definition and generation of all test cases associated with the UAFX specifications, further that 85-90% of all test cases are automated. The target is to have testing available within 6 months after the final release of the specification.
More Working Groups have started requiring certification for their companion specification. Groups such as OPAF (O-PAS Specification) and MDIS require certification.
These forums also serve as a manner for the OPC Foundation to collect feedback from end-users and vendors. Many discussions occur on general OPC UA, but there are also discussions on certification. Vendors ask detailed questions related to the certification program, such as test coverage or details related to specific tests. They are interested in the process and testing details to prepare for certification. End-users typically discuss issues they have encountered with uncertified applications. We explain how these scenarios are covered by certification testing and even how they can make use of the tools provided by the OPC Foundation to confirm the source of an issue (i.e. is it the Client or Server that is misbehaving). We are always pushing to increase automated test coverage, and the feedback from shows can help direct our efforts.
Product Webpages
The OPC Foundation has updated its online product catalog. The new catalog allows end-users to search for supported profiles, and to more easily find products based on supported functionality. The new product catalog has been renamed the Marketplace. It also allows vendors to provide more information related to their products, while still providing the more detailed certification results.
https://opcfoundation.org/products/
If you do have questions on these topics or are interested in getting involved in our activities, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at: compliance[AT]opcfoundation.org.