Plain-language explanations of OPC, IIoT, cybersecurity, data architecture, and Industrial AI concepts, written by engineers, for engineers and the business leaders who work with them.
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The foundational standard for hardware-software interoperability, OPC DA, UA, HDA, A&E, DDE, DCOM, ActiveX, and the client-server model explained. We even cover things like InTouch LGH Files!
The industrial interoperability standard, what it means, how the client-server model works, and why it matters for your data strategy.
Platform-independent successor to OPC Classic, security, information model, pub/sub transport, and why it's the foundation for IIoT and UNS.
Real-time data access, how OPC DA 2.0 and 3.0 work, when you still need it, and how it coexists with OPC UA in modern plants.
Role, architecture, and the client-server model explained for engineers evaluating connectivity options or explaining OPC to stakeholders.
Moving OPC data securely across networks and DMZs without DCOM, how tunneling replaces brittle DCOM configurations with TCP-based transport.
Historical data access for retrieving archived process data, raw reads, interpolated values, aggregates, and when HDA vs OPC UA HA.
Alarms & Events, the OPC standard for subscribing to, acknowledging, and managing process alarms through a common interface.
Microsoft's COM-based framework that became the foundation of OPC Classic (DA/HDA/A&E), its limitations, and the path to OPC UA.
Microsoft's Distributed COM technology that OPC Classic uses for remote connections, why it's complex to configure, Windows hardening impacts, and migration paths.
Dynamic Data Exchange, the original Windows IPC that pre-dated OPC, Application|Topic!Item addressing, and TOP Server's DDE Client Bridge for legacy systems.
AVEVA InTouch (formerly Wonderware) users know this term well. It's an important part of the InTouch product, storing local history on the HMI node, but in format that is not easily decoded, but a solution exists. Learn more
Unified Namespace, MQTT, Sparkplug B, historians, edge computing, data contextualization, and the architectural patterns that connect OT to IT and cloud.
UNS as the single source of truth for industrial data, MQTT brokers, Sparkplug B, context modeling, and how it replaces the ISA-95 pyramid.
Bridging enterprise IT and operational technology, the technical and organizational challenges, where connectivity breaks down, and how to fix it.
Time-series process data storage, how historians work, the major platforms, and how OPC feeds them.
Lightweight pub/sub messaging for IIoT, brokers, topics, QoS levels, and why Sparkplug B matters for industrial use cases.
The MQTT specification for industrial data, defined payload structure, birth/death certificates, and state management for reliable OT pub/sub.
Local data processing at the machine level, latency, bandwidth reduction, and running AI models close to the source on Linux-based edge hardware.
Adding meaning to raw OT data, metadata, asset models, semantic enrichment, and why contextualized data is the prerequisite for industrial AI.
The Purdue Model (PERA) organizes industrial control systems into six functional levels from sensors to enterprise. Understand how it became the dominant framework for ICS network segmentation.
The 5-layer data architecture that carries process data from field sensors through edge compute, across the iDMZ, into MES and historian, and up to ERP and cloud AI.
Industrial device drivers, Modbus, BACnet, EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS/PROFINET, DNP3, IEC 61850, and manufacturer-specific protocols for Rockwell, Siemens, Omron, GE, Honeywell, and Yokogawa.
How communication drivers translate between native device protocols and software applications, and why driver quality matters for reliable data.
The most widely deployed serial protocol in industrial automation, RTU, TCP, ASCII variants, function codes, and how to access Modbus data via OPC.
The open ASHRAE/ISO/IEC standard for building automation communication. BACnet/IP, MS/TP, objects, properties, COV, APDU, PICS, BIBBs, and how TOP Server connects BACnet devices to OPC DA and OPC UA.
Rockwell's industrial Ethernet protocol, CIP messaging, implicit vs explicit connections, and EtherNet/IP in Allen-Bradley PLC environments.
Siemens-led industrial Ethernet standard, RT and IRT variants, device models, controller/device roles, and integration with Siemens SIMATIC environments.
The SCADA protocol for utilities and oil & gas, outstations, masters, event-driven data reporting, and DNP3 Secure Authentication.
International standard for substation automation defining GOOSE for fast protection trips, MMS for SCADA data access, and SCL for device configuration — learn how it works and how to connect IEC 61850 IEDs to OPC and modern data infrastructure.
ROC, Enron Modbus, ABB Totalflow, Bristol IP, and Floboss — the specialized protocols that oil and gas flow computers use to report EFM data for custody transfer and fiscal metering. Learn how each works and how to connect them to OPC and SCADA.
Complete guide to EtherNet/IP, DF1, DH+, ControlNet, DeviceNet, and CSP/PCCC protocols — understanding which protocol your AB controller uses and how TOP Server connects to each one.
Complete guide to S7 Comm, S7 Comm Plus, Industrial Ethernet, MPI, Profibus, PPI, AS511, 3964R, and OPC UA — understanding which protocol your SIMATIC controller uses and how TOP Server connects to all generations from S5 through S7-1500.
Complete guide to FINS Ethernet, FINS Serial, EtherNet/IP, Host Link, Toolbus, and Process Suite — understanding which protocol your Omron controller uses and how TOP Server connects to NJ/NX, CJ/CS/CP, C-series, and E5 temperature controllers.
Complete guide to SRTP Ethernet, EGD (Ethernet Global Data), SNP, SNPX, and CCM protocols — understanding which protocol your GE/Emerson controller uses and how TOP Server connects to PACSystems RX3i/RX7i, Series 90-30/70, VersaMax, and legacy Series Five/Six.
Complete guide to HC900 Modbus and UDC Modbus protocols — understanding Honeywell's Modbus variants for hybrid controllers and loop controllers, how they differ from standard Modbus, and how TOP Server connects to HC900, UDC 2500/3000/3200/3300/3500 controllers.
Complete guide to DX, SMARTDAC+ GX/GP/GM, Darwin, MX100, MW100, CX, PCLink, HR2400, and Green Series protocols — understanding which protocol your Yokogawa recorder or controller uses and how TOP Server connects to all 11 device families.
Software Toolbox has been solving industrial connectivity challenges since 1996. Whether you're evaluating OPC servers, building a Unified Namespace, or planning an AI readiness initiative, our engineers have seen it before.
