It is possible to connect your instruments to your favorite application such as a SCADA visualization application using Netilion Connect and the OPC UA server add-on. This article presents how to connect Netilion to your OPC Client application.
Reference the OPC UA Server url address
In your OPC UA Client application, you will need to reference the address of the server you wish to connect to. You will find this information on your Netilion Connect subscription page. Follow the steps below to get there:
- Sign in to Netilion
- Click on the App switcher and select Profile
- In the Subscription menu, select Netilion Connect
- Select the desired subscription from the list. If you do not yet have a Netilion Connect subscription, please create a new .
- In the OPC UA server section, click the server you wish to use.
- On this page you will find the url address required for the configuration of your OPC UA Client application. You will also be able to manage the certificates of the OPC UA Client applications.
Note: It may take a several minutes for the server to become active. As soon as it is ready, it will display the status "active".
Create a technical user
To connect your OPC UA Client application, a technical user is also needed. This user will be used to manage access to assets for the OPC UA Client application. To create a technical user, perform the following steps:
- Go to the technical user section
- Click to create
Note: Make sure you copy the password, as for your security it cannot be displayed after the window has been closed. This information will be requested when configuring your OPC UA Client application. In case you forget your password, you will be able to reset it.
Please note that only one technical user is supported.
Give permissions to the technical user
To allow the technical user to access information from instruments connected to Netilion, you must give them the required permission. To do this, carry out the following steps:
- Go to the technical user section
- Click Permission
- select desired object
- Click edit
- Add the technical user into Permissions section
- Give the needed permission to the technical user. For more information on the permission, please read this article.
- Reproduce this step for all object you would like to connect with your OPC UA Client application via this server and technical user.
Note: It is currently possible to have one server per Netilion Connect subscription. To ensure optimal performance with your server, we recommend using an OPC UA server for up to 200 instruments. In case you need to connect more instruments, we invite you to contact our consultants here.
Tip: Save time by using node objects to structure your assets. Share the node permission and the technical user will automatically have access to all assigned assets.
Setup your OPC UA client application
To complete the connection, you will need to setup the OPC UA Client application. These steps are specific to the application you wish to connect Netilion to. Please refer to the documentation of the OPC UA Client application.
Note: The OPC UA Client application will typically ask you to enter the url address of the OPC UA Server, reference the technical user and its password. You can find all this information on the Netilion Connect subscription details page.
Accept the OPC UA client certificate
Once you have set up your OPC UA Client application, a certification will appear in the details area of your OPC UA Server. Accept this certification to finalize the connection by performing the following steps:
- Go on the OPC UA server details page
- Click on the client certificate details
- Click accept
After this last step, the configuration is initiated, and you will see the first data from your shared assets appear in your OPC UA Client .
Upload CA Certificates
You can store CA certificates if you do not want to accept each client individually. Clients using a registered CA certificate will be able to automatically connect to the OPC UA Server. To add a CA certificate, perform the following steps:
- Click create in the certificate section
- Upload the document
- Click save to confirm
Note: By default, all clients using registered CA certificates are accepted. You can restrict access to clients by entering the client names in the whitelist section.