Problem with OPC server connection to Labview 8.0

[brad_p]

I am having problems getting the NI Industrial automation server (5.1) to correctly communicate with Labview 8.0.    I have a server setup which is communicating to an A-B SLC 5/03 PLC.  After I create the "I/O server" in Labview 8 and then try to set up a few variables to map to the OPC server items; I cannot see any of the items that I previously configured in the OPC server.  All that I can see is "NI OPC Client Status", which includes the following elements: Active?, Connected?, OPC Interface version, Revised Update rate, and Server ProgID.

I cannot seem to figure out how to get Labview 8 to "see" my I/O items from the OPC server.

[unclebump]

In the older versions you had to register the opc server, not sure if it still applies in 8.0.

[brad_p]

thanks for the tip, how do I "register" the OPC server.  do you know??

[unclebump]

Try something like this. Are you using the DSC module??

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/4C4AD8AEA73ED2E586256A32007292FD?opendocument

[unclebump]

Look at page 8 in this manual.

http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/374128a.pdf

[brad_p]

Thanks for the tips, Unclebump.  I am actually using the "IA OPC server" that is included with the Labview professional control suite (as opposed to RSLinx).  After talking to a NI tech support guy on the phone for quite a while, I found out that there are a number of new patches for the IA OPC server, DSC, and even Labview itself.  The NI technician recommended that I install all of these patches (not really being 100% sure which one of them would fix my problem).  After installing all of them, and working thru some A-B PLC addressing issues in Lookout; it appears to be working. 

Here are some links for the patches:

Industrial Automation OPC Server Version 5.1 for Windows 2000/NT/XP -- Updates

LabVIEW Version 8.0.1 for Windows 2000/XP -- All LanguagesLabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control Module Version 8.0 for Windows 2000/NT/XP -- 8.0.1


Thanks again for the help.

[sun@work]

Scenario: LV 8.0.1; DSC 8.0.1; IA OPC Servers 5.1.

Hallo there,

I have been thru the same process of not being able to browse to the OPC tags created in NI.OPCDemo OPC Server. Have now carried out all the three updates as you have done but have no such luck like you brad_p. Why cant I see the Demo OPC Server as I go to the DSC  Multiple Variable Editor and try to create databinding for an arbitrary variable. It was all very simple in LV 7.1 over the SCF File and Tag Engine Editor.

I have an additional feature now that I dont even get the User Interface on starting the OPC Servers 5.1. 

Greetings,

sun@work 

[Doug M]

sun@work,

LabVIEW 8 DSC cannot browse to the OPCDemo Server because the OPC Demo server is only OPC 1 compliant and LabVIEW 8 can only browse to OPC 2 or 3 compliant servers.

There are some Example OPC I/O Servers which produce random data for different datatypes that you can use, one being OPCSample.OpcDa20Server.1

Best Regards,
Doug Mumford
Applications Engineer
National Instruments