If your WITS Field Device communicates with ClearSCADA via a network connection, the connection has to be initiated by either ClearSCADA or the Field Device. Depending on your requirements, you can configure your WITS Field Device so that:
- Both ClearSCADA and the Field Device can initiate the network connection
- The network connection can only be initiated by the Field Device
- The network connection can only be initiated by ClearSCADA.
NOTE: Some Field Devices may not support all of the connection types listed above. For information on the connection types supported by your Field Device, please refer to its Device Profile (see Display a WITS Device Profile)
To define whether a connection can be initiated by ClearSCADA, your Field Device, or both, you need to use the End Point settings. These are located on the Network tab of the WITS Outstation Form.
NOTE: The End Point types that are available are defined by the Device Profile for your Field Device (see Display a WITS Device Profile). They also vary, depending on the Device Port (see Device Ports for WITS Field Devices).
The End Point setting at the top of the Network tab is for defining the outbound connection (from ClearSCADA to the Field Device). If a Dual Network is used, there are outbound connection End Point settings for each network.
You can set the outbound connection End Point(s) to:
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Listening—Configures the Field Device to wait for ClearSCADA to initiate the network connection. The Field Device will not initiate the connection.
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Dual—Configures the Field Device so that it will 'listen' for ClearSCADA to initiate a network connection or can initiate a network connection itself.
The outbound 'Dual' End Point is only one 'half' of a connection; you also need to configure a matching inbound connection. A matching inbound connection has the same Device Port, TCP/IP Type and End Point as the outbound connection.
The End Point settings in the Inbound Connection section of the Network tab relate to the inbound network connections (Field Device to ClearSCADA). You can set the End Point(s) to:
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Initiating—The Field Device initiates the network connection with ClearSCADA. ClearSCADA cannot initiate this network connection.
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Dual—Configures the Field Device so that it will 'listen' for ClearSCADA to initiate a network connection or can initiate a network connection itself.
The inbound 'Dual' End Point is only one 'half' of a connection; you also need to configure a matching outbound connection. A matching outbound connection has the same Device Port, TCP/IP Type and End Point as the inbound connection. A single outbound connection can be shared by multiple inbound connections. For example, you could create 1 outbound connection and 4 inbound connections. The 4 inbound connections could then be paired with the single outbound connection (if required).
If a Field Device:
- Only supports listening for its network connections
- Has dual networks for redundancy
You need to configure both outbound network connections to have an End Point type of Listening. In this scenario, there are no incoming connection settings required.
If a Field Device supports 'listening' and initiating via separate connections (does not support End Point: Dual), you need to configure:
- A 'listening' outbound connection
- One or more Initiating inbound connections.
If a Field Device supports 'listening' and initiating via the same connection, you need to configure the inbound and outbound connections to have Dual End Points.
Further Information
Configure a WITS Field Device to Initiate Only
Configure a WITS Field Device to Listen Only
Configure a WITS Field Device to Listen and Initiate via the Same Connection
Configure a WITS Field Device to Listen and Initiate via Separate Connections.