GEFANUC_PLC connection

The GESRTP Communication Driver can connect to different GE PLCs. Each of the PLC node models the end-point of the communications path.

From the New_GESRTP_PORT_000 branch of the Communication Driver hierarchy, create the GEFANUC_PLC object.

Add GEFANUC_PLC Connection to your GESRTP hierarchy

1. In the console tree, right-click the New_GESRTP_PORT_000 object, and then click Add GEFANUC_PLC Connection. The New_GEFANUC_PLC_000 Parameters configuration view appear

   

   You can create a maximum of 128 GEFANUC_PLC objects from the New_GESRTP_PORT branch. This maximum number can be of a single type of PLC or a combination of several types of PLCs.

2. Rename this object as needed.

3. Configure the PLC.

   • In the PLC Type list, click the PLC type from the list of supported GE PLCs.

     Series 90-30

     Series 90-70

     Series 90 Micro

     VersaMax

     VersaMax Micro

     VersaMax Nano

     PACSystems RX3i

     PAC Systems RX7i

     The default PLC is the GE Series 90-70 PLC. You can use this PLC-type selection to determine the PLC-variable quantities, such as the number of items in a given item name space.

   • In the Host Name box, type the TCP/IP address, IP address, or node name of the remote GE PLC.
     Type in the network address where the PLC is located or a host name if one is defined in the local hostlist.
     For example, "127.0.0.1"

     Note: The Host Name is defined in the system Host file, usually found in: \WINNT\system32\drivers\etc\hosts folder.

     The address must be 255 or fewer characters and cannot be blank.

   • In the Connection Timeout box, type a value, in milliseconds, beyond which a pending request to initiate a connection times out. The allowable range is 1,000 to 600,000 milliseconds. The default value is 3,000 milliseconds.

   • In the Reply Timeout box, type a value, in milliseconds, beyond which messages time out. The allowable range is 200 to 60,000 milliseconds. The default value is 5,000 milliseconds.

     If you decrease this value, the GESRTP Communication Driver reacts faster to a communications failure.

     For Versamax Nano and Versamax Micro PLCs that are communicating using an Ethernet-to-serial adapter, you may need to increase the reply timeout to 10 seconds or longer. A reply timeout that is set too low causes the topic to enter into slow poll mode due to hardware limitations.

   • In the Maximum Outstanding Messages box, type the maximum number of concurrent messages that can be sent to one PLC at any time. Please refer to the communication specification of the PLC for the appropriate limit. Setting this to a higher value may increase the throughput but it will also increase the communication overhead to the PLC. Setting it to a low value will use less PLC communication resources but may also decrease the communication throughput. The allowable range is one (1) to twenty (20) messages. The default value is four (4) messages.

4. Save your changes.

The logical endpoint for each branch of the GESRTP hierarchy tree is a hardware device (PLC).

Note: When adding a hierarchy object, the default name is in the format of New_ObjectName_###. ObjectName is the name of the object type and ### is a numeric value starting from "000" sequentially per hierarchy object. The link name for the OPC items is constructed by assembling the respective object names of the nodes along the hierarchy tree in the logical order, starting from the GESRTP_PORT root of this Communication Driver down to the leaf. This creates a link name that is always unique for the Communication Driver.

To use the Communication Driver, you must activate it.

To activate the Communication Driver

• In the console tree, right-click on the ProgID of the appropriate GESTRP instance and click Activate Server.

  For information about activating and deactivating the Communication Driver , see the Communication Drivers Pack Help.