Design & Configuration

Design & Configuration

RSLinx Classic

Benefits

RSLinx Classic is available in packages with features to meet the demand for a variety of cost and functionality requirements. In addition, RSLinx Classic benefits include:

• Routing
You can virtually communicate from anywhere to anywhere using RSLinx Classic. The product provides a user-friendly graphical interface for navigating through your network hierarchy. This includes routing over the office Ethernet network through a ControlLogix Gateway to get to your control networks.
• Graphical Interface
RSWho is the network browse interface providing a single window to view all configured network drivers. The multi-pane window allows navigation through network hierarchy in the left pane while RSWho displaying device icons along with their status in the right pane. A device that appears with a red X through it indicates a communication status error, such as loss off power to a device or disconnected communication cable.
• Integrated Configuration and Monitoring Tools
  • Data Table Monitors

    You can use RSLinx Classic to view data values in a PLC-5, SLC-5, MicroLogix, or ControlLogix processor. For RSLinx Classic Data Table Monitor a PLC-5 / SLC-5 / MicroLogix device, select a data table file to view from a list of available data table files in the controller. For a ControlLogix processor, view tag information in a hierarchical list as the tags are defined in the target device. Multiple data monitor windows can be displayed at the same time providing an effective troubleshooting tool.

  • Module Configuration

    You can select a device and right mouse click to access configuration for the 1756-DHRIO, 1756-ENET, 1756-EN2T and 1756-EN2TR modules, or MicroLogix family processors.

• Remote OPC

RSLinx Classic and RSLinx Classic Gateway extend communications throughout the enterprise. RSLinx Classic clients such as RSLogix 5/500/5000 can connect over Ethernet through an RSLinx Classic and RSLinx Classic Gateway and seamlessly go online to a PLC-5, SLC-5, MicroLogix, or ControlLogix processor residing on a control network accessible by the gateway machine.

Another key usage of RSLinx Classic and RSLinx Classic Gateway is to optimize communications between multiple OPC clients and plant floor devices. The benefit of using RSLinx Classic Gateway is that overlapping data requests from multiple clients are consolidated into one request to the controller thus reducing the overall network traffic and burden on the targeted controller.

• Diagnostic Tools

RSLinx Classic includes a wealth of diagnostic information to assist you in analyzing your system. Whether it's trouble-shooting a communication problem or analyzing network throughput, RSLinx Classic provides the information you need. Diagnostics fall into three major categories: Networks, Station, and OPC/ DDE.

Networks — Diagnostic counters track server information such as messages sent, messages received, messages acknowledged, communication errors, and timeouts. Performance counters give throughput in terms of packets/second.

Station — Diagnostic counters indicate information for a selected station such as messages sent and received, message retries, and packet errors.

OPC/DDE — Multiple dialogs for DDE clients, OPC Groups, Optimized Packets, and OPC/ DDE server connections display diagnostic information specific to the category. A Communication event log displays information specific to an OPC/DDE transaction.

• Open Interfaces

RSLinx Classic provides connectivity for client applications using OPC or DDE. OPC has become the automation industry standard for communication and the preferred interface for data acquisition applications. DDE and Fast DDE are supported for Wonderware.

OLE for Process Control (OPC)

OPC is based on Microsoft's OLE technology and is defined and managed by the OPC Foundation, a coalition of industrial/manufacturing companies of which Rockwell Software is a prominent member. The charter of this group is to provide an industry-standard exchange mechanism optimized for OPC performance. RSLinx Classic is an OPC Data Access 2.05a compliant server providing an OPC custom interface for C/C++ client applications and an OPC Automation interface for VB/VBA client applications. The added benefit provided from RSLinx Classic is its ability to provide several DDE formats in addition to OPC and its DDE/OPC diagnostic information.

RSLinx Classic also supports multiple DDE formats (AdvancedDDE, XL_Table, CF_Text) for client connectivity. These interfaces are provided mainly for applications developed prior to the incorporation of OPC in RSLinx Classic and are still the primary mechanism for creating DDE Hot Links in Excel.

• Data Collection Modes

In RSLinx Classic, you create a DDE/OPC Topic as a named alias to a targeted device. This alias name is used when requesting data in a client application through the OPC or DDE interfaces. This component has been integrated into many of the Rockwell Software products to provide a consistent, easy to use, graphical interface for device selection.

Each topic has parameters to specify poll rate, communication timeout, and the data collection mode (Polled or Unsolicited). In polled mode, RSLinx Classic does all of the work, so it is easy to make changes and control the communications. Polled mode does however add to the CPU usage on the PC since RSLinx Classic is constantly polling and increases the communication traffic volume compared to unsolicited mode.

In Unsolicited mode, data is sent to RSLinx Classic by a message instruction in the processor. RSLinx Classic waits for a packet from the processor instead of polling. The advantage of this mode is that communication traffic is typically reduced due to the controller determining how often to send the data. Unsolicited mode is a good method of transferring large amounts of data that changes infrequently like when a product or batch completes and the record data needs to be transferred to the client. The disadvantage is that unsolicited mode requires ladder programming to gather and send the data.

• Feature Comparison Chart

Features	Lite	Single Node	OEM	Gateway
Communication Drivers	X	X	X	X
Integrated ControlLogix Gateway Configuration Tool	X	X	X	X
Driver and Station Diagnostics	X	X	X	X
Device Properties	X	X	X	X
Data Monitor		X	X	X
DDE Support (CF_Text, XL_Table, AdvanceDDE)		X *	X	X
FastDDE				X
Runtime support for local OPC Client Connection		X *	X	X
Runtime support for custom 'C' API application			X	X
OPC Automation Interface Documentation, Samples	X	X	X	X
Remote OPC Client capability				X
Remote Gateway Client Connection				X

* Can only communicate with one device