Software Toolbox Technical Blog

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There are some very exciting new features now available with TOP Server V6.0.  In case you missed it, I did a high-level post giving you an overview of the five biggest features from the V6.0 release - click here to see that post.

Today, I'd like to give you an in-depth look at some of the important updates regarding security included with TOP Server V6.  With ever growing security concerns across industries, ensuring that TOP Server V6 was providing the highest security capabilities as standard functionality was an important goal.  Keep reading to find out how TOP Server V6 has become secure out-of-the-box.

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I'm sure you've heard about the latest TOP Server released on November 15.  There are some very exciting new features now available with TOP Server V6.0.  In case you missed it, I did another high-level post giving you an overview of the five biggest features from the V6.0 release - click here to see that post.

Today, I'd like to give you an in-depth look at the brand new support for localized languages now included with TOP Server V6.  This support lays the groundwork for additional languages in the future, so if you've always wished TOP Server was available in languages other than English, keep reading to find out how extensive the language implementations are.

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I'm sure you've probably heard about the latest and greatest TOP Server just released on November 15.  And there's a good chance you've received one or more of my mailings announcing the release of TOP Server V6.0, the new features and other changes.  And, in case you missed it, I did another high-level post giving you an overview of the five biggest features from the V6.0 release - click here to see that post.

Now, let's take a more in-depth look at the substantial improvements made to the licensing for TOP Server V6.0.  If you've ever said you wished it was easier to license TOP Server, you're going to love this.

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I'm sure that, by now, you've at least heard about the latest and greatest TOP Server just released on November 15 – TOP Server V6.0.  In case you missed it, I did another high-level post giving you an overview of the five biggest features from the release - click here to see that post.

Now, let's take an in-depth look at the enhancements made to the user interface itself.  New users will find the enhancements very user-friendly and existing users will appreciate the thought that's gone into increasing productivity without sacrificing existing knowledge about configuring TOP Server.

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By now, I'm sure you've at least heard about the latest and greatest TOP Server just released on November 15 – so you've likely received one or more of our mailings announcing the release of TOP Server V6.0.

And you're probably asking, “If I’ve already read those emails, what more is this blog post going to tell me?”  Keep reading to find out more specific details about five of the most exciting features in TOP Server V6.0.

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Have you ever been in a situation where you were working with both Wonderware and some other client (HMI, SCADA, other) and needed to share data?  Perhaps your company acquired another company or assets and a non-Wonderware HMI/SCADA came as part of the assets.  Or perhaps your company merged with another and now your Wonderware system is expected to play nicely with some other system.  Your options for sharing data largely depend on what software interfaces this "other system" supports.

In this blog post, I'll discuss how to share your Wonderware ArchestrA or InTouch data via OPC UA for situations where you're working with an OPC UA capable client application that needs access to process data in your Wonderware system.

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If you’re reading this blog, you likely need a way to collect data from some random device in your process – something like a barcode reader or a weigh scale or an RFID system or some other device.  These are the types of device that don’t typically yield favorable results when you type “OPC Server for xyz” into a Google search.

In this blog post, I'll discuss the device manufacturer documentation that is typically provided for such devices and what some of the key information is you'll be looking for - including examples of how a good protocol document will present such information.

Barcode scanners are one of those types of devices that are extremely common in a variety of industries, whether it's for use in a manufacturing process or for cataloging inventory or a multitude of other possible uses.  But how do you go from scanning a barcode to making that barcode data available to your monitoring applications such as an HMI or a SCADA?

Over the years of working in the automation software realm, I've seen dozens of clients have this seemingly basic need to bring barcodes up into various software packages.  Regardless of the make/model of the scanner, the process is almost identical.  For example, you could connect to a DataLogic scanner in under five minutes. (Click for How-To Video)

This post will cover the steps for bridging that gap between your scanners and your client applications.