Provides background information and practical considerations for plant engineers and managers interested in implementing redundancy in a data communications network based on the OPC protocol.
Although the concept of redundancy is straightforward, implementing it in an OPC-based system requires a good understanding of what's at stake. A poorly implemented solution can mean delays, data loss, and overuse of system resources. Whether someone is currently using a redundant system, planning to implement one, or simply wants to broaden their understanding, this white paper provides useful information, such as definitions of basic redundancy concepts like cold, warm, and hot standby, seamless and smart switchovers, fallbacks, and object and link monitoring. It also points out common design problems like the timer pitfall and forced switching, and gives useful advice on how to get the best value in a redundancy manager.