Software Toolbox® today announced the release of TOP Server Version 5.3, its OPC and native HMI device connectivity software application. Powered by Kepware, Top Server 5.3 delivers enhancements to more than 30 drivers and plug-ins.

The 5.3 release includes the addition of DNP 3.0 Ethernet and serial drivers that enable utilities professionals to connect, control and manage devices locally or from remote substations. The SNMP and Ping drivers have been enhanced to provide automatic discovery of devices, reducing product configuration time by allowing users to scan a network, detect devices and select which devices, along with their associated tags, to import into the product. The addition of link tags to the TOP Server Advanced Tag Plug-in enhances its value by expanding its ability to perform calculations on data by allowing users of different hardware to share data between different control systems or even perform calculations on data within the same system.

Top Server 5.3 adds DNP 3.0 serial and Ethernet protocols which provide a standards-based interoperability solution between substation computers, RTUs, intelligent electronic devices and master stations. This functionality is used in many industries including electric utility and power distribution as well as water/wastewater management.

“The reliable collection of data from remote locations over networks of varying capacity, speed and dependability is a challenge that is part of the utilities industry and that typical manufacturing users don’t always face,” said John Weber, president of Software Toolbox. “The utilities industry created the DNP 3.0 protocol to help address these challenges. By adding the DNP 3.0 drivers to the TOP Server V5 platform with an eye towards diagnostics and reliability, users are able to leverage the capabilities TOP Server offers beyond just reading raw data.”

For example, with the TOP Server Advanced Tag Plug-in, users can read data via DNP protocol from remote devices, perform calculations on the data that clarify or add value to the data and write the data into another control system using any of the other protocols supported by TOP Server. Users also can deliver the data to SCADA systems using open OPC DA, UA or A&E connections or vendor-specific SCADA interfaces such as Wonderware SuiteLink™.

“Another extremely important factor for DNP users is timestamp handling,” Weber said. “When polling DNP devices, often all changes are sent back since the last poll with timestamps of when changes occurred at the device level, such as circuit breaker trips in a substation. With polls only occurring daily, it’s crucial that timestamps of an actual event occurrence are preserved and delivered intact to the SCADA system. The TOP Server DNP Suite drivers use the timestamps received from remote devices to deliver data plus event occurrence information to the SCADA system.”

DNP drivers in TOP Server 5.3 are uniquely designed to handle the varied nature of industrial applications that often involve remote telemetry which requires flexibility in network configuration, careful bandwidth utilization, noisy communication channel handling and serialization of communications across multiple channels.

The DNP drivers are available in the TOP Server DNP Suite and the TOP Server Power & Utilities Suite. The TOP Server Power & Utilities Suite offers users in these markets a single competitively priced solution containing drivers for Modbus, DNP and user-configurable custom protocols.

Additional improvements in TOP Server Version 5.3 include:

• Siemens Suite – Added support for S7-1200 PLCs.
• Allen-Bradley Suite – Added support for RSLogix version 18 and numerous flexibility enhancements to the DF1 and DH Plus drivers.
• Other Driver Updates – Expanded functionality and improvements made to the Custom Interface Driver, GE Fanuc Suite, Mitsubishi Suite, Bacnet, Beckhoff, Omron Suite, ODBC, SNMP+Ping Suite, OPC DA Client, OPC UA Client, Torque Tool, UCON, and Yaskawa drivers.

TOP Server 5.3 is now available for download or as an upgrade for users on active support and maintenance contracts at http://www.toolboxopc.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: High-resolution 300dpi graphics for TOP Server Version 5.3 are available for download at the following link:

http://www.softwaretoolbox.com/AboutUs/PressRoom/Press_Kit/TOPServer/topserver.html

ABOUT SOFTWARE TOOLBOX

Since 1996, Software Toolbox has been an industry source for industrial automation software, from project conception to completion. The company has served more than 10,000 clients in 110 countries helping them find, evaluate, purchase and support automation software solutions. These solutions include OPC servers, clients, development toolkits, HMI/SCADA add-ins/enhancements, and ActiveX and .NET development tools for Visual Studio C#/VB/C++. Software Toolbox works with its clients in all phases of projects to help them find and determine the right tools to use and to support overall project objectives and maximize their industrial software results.

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