The Basics for Running the Software Toolbox TOP Server OPC Server

Channel Configuration - Starting it from scratch:

Now that you have seen our Simulation demo in action, you may want to go ahead and create your own project and configure the driver from the start on your own. To start a new project, Click File, New from the TOP Server menu.

Once you have started a new project, you can save it at any time with a filename of your choice (using the .OPF extension please) by clicking File-> Save.

1. The first step is to add a Channel. Adding channels is done using the Channel Wizard. The wizard will guide you through the channel definition process. Just click in the blue word as shown in the image above.
• The wizard first prompts for a logical name to use for the channel. Think of the channel as representing the communications method you are using - DF-1, Modbus_Enet, Siemens_Enet1 etc. This name must be unique among all channels and devices defined in the project.
2. The wizard then prompts for the device driver to use:
• The device driver is the protocol being used to connect to your device(s).
• A list box will be presented displaying all of the device drivers that are installed in the system (see above if there are not devices listed). All serial drivers can be used with multiple channels in the same project. Each channel corresponds to one serial port. For hardware card drivers (i.e Modbus Plus), refer to the driver help for ability to use with multiple channels in a single project. For Ethernet drivers, the channel is a single thread of operation. You can have multiple Ethernet channels running to create a very high-performance multi-threaded Ethernet configuration.
• When you are first starting a project it is recommended you check the enable diagnostics box for trouble shooting, but once the project is up and running this can be unchecked to save on computer resources. To change the enable box of an added channel just right click on the channel and click properties then make the change.
3. If the device driver supports multiple channels, the wizard will then prompt for the communication parameters to use.
• Multiple channels cannot share identical communication parameters, i.e. two serial drivers cannot use COM1, but two Ethernet drivers can connect to the same IP address throught the same Ethernet Card.. Refer to the manufacturer's documentation and the driver's online help for the correct communication parameters to use for a particular device.
• The flow control settings for serial drivers are primarily used when connecting RS422/485 network devices to the RS232 serial port via a converter. Most RS232 to RS422/485 converters require either no flow control (None) or that the RTS line be on when the PC is transmitting and off when listening (RTS). 
• If the Com you are choosing is connected to a Modem that option will be avalible.
• Report comm. errors lets you turn of the logging of comm. errors in the Server event log
4. Next, you will need to define the write optimizations for the tags. You will need to choose the one that corresponds to your needs.
• The choices available are "Write all values for all tags",
• "Write only latest value for non-Boolean tags" and
• "Write only latest value for all tags".
• Writes can have a substantial impact on PLC communications effectiveness. It is recommended that writes be done on an event or acception bases to minimize this impact.
5. The wizard will finish with a summary of the new channel: