The DNP 3​.0 Protocol

DNP 3.0 is an open protocol that has been adopted as a standard by the utilities industries. As a result, there are numerous DNP 3.0 compatible devices available that support this protocol.

Protocol Subsets

The DNP 3.0 protocol encompasses a broad spectrum of functionality.  For a lot of supported devices, it is not necessary to implement the entire protocol, as only a subset is required.

In order to maintain compatibility between subset implementations, the DNP 3.0 User Group has defined three official subsets of the DNP 3.0 protocol. These are:

• Level 1

• Level 2

• Level 3

The higher the level, the more functionality that is implemented by the subset. A lot of devices have a Level 2 implementation as their base, with selected additional functionality as required.

To support this, Plant SCADA is based on a Level 2 implementation and will fully support level 2 functionality. It will also support some of the level 3 functionality.

As the DNP3 protocol expands, further functionality will be introduced as a result of feedback regarding user requirements and needs.