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Cogent Introduces OPC UA-Enabled DataHub at SPS IPC Drives

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At SPS IPC Drives 2016 Skkynet subsidiary Cogent Real-Time Systems will demo a release candidate of Cogent DataHub with OPC UA support.

Mississauga, Ontario, November 15, 2016 – Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (“Skkynet”) (OTCQB: SKKY), a global leader in real-time cloud information systems, announces that Cogent Real-Time Systems, a Skkynet subsidiary, will demonstrate the latest release candidate of the Cogent DataHub® with OPC UA support at the OPC Foundation booth at SPS IPC Drives 2016 in Nuremburg, Germany, November 22-24.  With OPC UA support, this version of the Cogent DataHub will be able to connect to virtually any industrial system, ranging from legacy equipment to state-of-the-art Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT projects.

“OPC UA is where the world is headed,” said Andrew Thomas, Cogent CEO, “and we help our clients get there.  The DataHub is uniquely positioned to extend OPC UA by seamlessly connecting it to the previous generation of OPC (OPC Classic), while providing full integration with SQL databases, Excel spreadsheets, a web-based HMI, and the SkkyHub service.”

OPC is a series of standards for connecting industrial hardware and devices with HMIs and other software.  OPC Classic has a twenty-year established user base of millions of installations.  OPC UA (Unified Architecture) was introduced to expand the domain of OPC beyond traditional industrial applications, and to provide improved networking and security.

The latest version of the Cogent DataHub being demonstrated at SPS IPC Drives fully integrates OPC UA as one of its standard protocols, along with OPC DA and other industrial protocols to support OPC networking, OPC server-server bridging, aggregation, data logging, redundancy, and web-based HMI. Capable of handling over 50,000 data changes per second, the DataHub is also seamlessly integrated with Skkynet’s SkkyHub and ETK for secure, end-to-end Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 connectivity.

Skkynet’s SkkyHub service connects to the Cogent DataHub to securely network live data in real time from any location. It enables bidirectional IoT-based supervisory control, integration and sharing of data with multiple users. Secure by design, the service requires no VPN, no open firewall ports, no special programming, and no additional hardware. The Skkynet Embedded Toolkit (ETK) allows embedded devices to make a secure connection to the Cogent DataHub or SkkyHub, enabling real-time, bidirectional IoT data flow.

About Skkynet

Skkynet Cloud Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: SKKY) is a global leader in real-time cloud information systems. The Skkynet Connected Systems platform includes the award-winning SkkyHub™ service, DataHub®, WebView™, and Embedded Toolkit (ETK) software. The platform enables real-time data connectivity for industrial, embedded, and financial systems, with no programming required. Skkynet’s platform is uniquely positioned for the “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” because unlike the traditional approach for networked systems, SkkyHub is secure-by-design.  For more information, see http://skkynet.com.

Safe Harbor

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, such as the inherent uncertainties associated with new business opportunities and development stage companies. Skkynet assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Although Skkynet believes that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in Skkynet’s annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Case Study: BP Pipelines, USA

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BP Pipelines uses the Cogent DataHub to integrate legacy and new systems, connecting Sybase, Oracle, and leak detection tools.

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Case Study: Siemens, Denmark

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Integrating OPC servers and data from high-security facility

In a recent data integration project, Siemens engineers in Copenhagen, Denmark were able to connect equipment and instrumentation running in a high-security facility to a remote monitoring location, using DataHub® software. The goal was to allow technicians access to the machines they needed to work on, without breaching security or permitting any non-authorized personnel on site.

At first the project promised to be a typical OPC application. The main objective was to connect a chiller unit with an OPC DA server running at a secure facility to two SCADA systems at a monitoring station, each enabled as an OPC DA client. However, it soon became apparent that there would be some problems with networking. OPC DA networking depends on DCOM, which at the best of times can be difficult to configure and slow to reconnect after a network break. To make matters worse, the OPC server provided by the chiller manufacturer was not up to the task.

“This particular OPC server has some strange behaviors,” said Carsten Barsballe, the project leader. “It won’t run as a service, and it won’t allow remote connections using DCOM, because when you disconnect, you are not able to reconnect. So we decided to encapsulate it in DataHub software.” Barsballe installed a DataHub instance on the same machine as the chiller’s OPC server, and configured it to run as a service, causing it to connect whenever the system starts. This allows him to use the DataHub instance for all OPC client connections.

At the monitoring facility, Barsballe discovered another potential setback. His SCADA systems were not able to connect remotely to an OPC server. They required a local OPC connection, so Barsballe decided to use DataHub tunnel/mirroring. He installed two more DataHub instancess, one on each SCADA system machine, and configured tunnel/mirror connections across the network to the first DataHub instance. His SCADA systems each connected to their local DataHub instance, and the data link was complete. Technicians could now view data from the high-security facility from the safe distance of the monitoring location.

“The two SCADA systems are separate from the chiller unit, but fully connected in real-time, so technicians can work on them as they are used to,” said Barsballe. “This is a way to keep people from touching things they don’t know about. We have lots of people working at all hours, and now there is no need to for them to be onsite at any time.”

With the chiller system up and running, Barsballe plans to integrate more data sources into the system. They have a few UPS (uninterruptible power supply) units with SNMP connectivity that they need to monitor, and by adding an SNMP-OPC server, the data from these will be brought into the DataHub instance. After that, they will also attach an OPC server for several meter-reading input devices. All of this data will then be sent across to the SCADA systems, and made available to the service people who need access to it.

“The DataHub software is running very well,” said Barsballe. “We do a lot of this kind of data integration, and there will be other projects. Now we have a good feeling for this product. We have chosen the right solution.”

Case Study: Schneider Electric FZE, Dubai

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Integrating access security and building management.

Schneider Electric specializes in energy management, with products and solutions to help consumers and companies get the most for their energy dollar. In a prestigious Dubai project recently, Schneider Electric FZE engineers used DataHub® software to integrate a building’s security system with its energy management system to provide state-of-the-art energy efficiency at substantial cost savings.

To implement the project, Schneider Electric’s BAS Field Supervisor, Pradeep Viswanathan and BAS Application Specialist, Duncan McChlery worked closely with Boyce Baine, Technical Support Engineer at Software Toolbox, Cogent’s sales and technical partner for North America, as well as Koshy Thomas, Project Manager at Al Hani Gulf Contracting. Together they implemented a solution in which a DataHub instance relays information from a Lenel OnGuard security system to Schneider Electric’s TAC Satchwell Sigma building management system.

The Lenel OnGuard security system monitors and controls building security equipment (access, intrusion detection, and closed circuit TV) while the TAC Sigma BMS handles HVAC, energy management, lighting, elevators, electrical systems, fire alarms, emergency equipment and other energy needs. With the data integration in place, the Lenel OnGuard system can, for example, read data from a Badge ID of someone entering the building, and pass the information to the TAC Sigma BMS to automatically switch on the lights and air conditioning in his office. When he arrives there, the office is cooled and well-lit. Then, when he leaves for the day, the system shuts things down to save energy.

The integration of data for this project required an OPC connection to the Lenel system’s OPC server on the one hand, and a DDE connection to the TAC Satchwell Sigma building management system on the other. Since DataHub software abstracts the data, and converts it from one protocol to another, making the connection was simply a matter of configuring the DataHub instance to make an OPC client connection to the Lenel system, and a DDE client connection on the TAC system.

“The project was straightforward to implement,” said Mr. Viswanathan. “With the excellent support from Software Toolbox and Cogent for the DataHub software, and Al Hani Gulf Contracting and Lenel for their expertise with the Lenel OPC server, we were in very good hands. The system has been online for a few months now, and is working very well. This is where the world needs to go in this age of high energy prices. We not only save money for the customer, but protect the environment as well.”

Case Study: Coca-Cola Bottler, Ireland

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State-of-the-art Coca-Cola plant uses DataHub scripts to integrate alarm data and reports.

One of the largest soft drink manufacturing plants in the world, Coca-Cola’s Ballina Beverages facility, recently installed DataHub® software from Cogent Real-Time Systems (Skkynet’s subsidiary), to log alarm data and create end-of-shift reports. The 62,000 square meter plant, located in Ballina, Ireland, uses the most up-to-date manufacturing automation systems available, and management is constantly looking for ways to improve them.

Some of the equipment used at Ballina Beverages is designed and manufactured by Odenberg Engineering. Odenberg, in turn, relies on their subsidiary, Tricon Automation to handle the process control of the machinery.

In a recent upgrade to the system, the Odenberg/Tricon team chose DataHub software to construct custom log files to track and archive their alarms. They wanted to combine the live data from each triggered alarm with a text description of the alarm, and then log the results to a file. The alarms were being generated by an Allen-Bradley system from Rockwell Automation Inc., and the 1500 alarm descriptions were stored in an Excel spreadsheet. Each row of the final log would have to combine the time, date, and code of a triggered alarm with the corresponding description of that alarm.

After considering several different scenarios, the most effective approach was to connect their DataHub instance to Rockwell Automation’s RSLinx using its OPC server, and then to read in the alarm condition strings from a text file (instead of from the spreadsheet), using a DataHub script. The same script writes the data to the log file. This works so well that they decided to use another script to create end-of-shift reports.

“We got the basic system up and running in a few hours,” said Gus Phipps, team member from Odenberg, “which was good, because we were working under a tight deadline. The Cogent support team helped us out with the DataHub scripting, but we were able to do most of the work ourselves. It went surprisingly quickly.”

“Using the DataHub scripting language let us customize it to exactly meet our needs,” said George Black, Tricon’s project manager. “It is very flexible, and yet completely robust. It is months now since the project was completed, and the DataHub software continues working away merrily every day, just doing its job. We plan to use it again in other projects very soon.”

Case Study: Kimberly-Clark, Switzerland

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Networking control and video systems for quality control using DataHub software

The Kimberly-Clark production facility in Niederbipp, Switzerland, is the leading tissue paper producer for Switzerland and Austria, supplying Hakle, Tela, Scott, Kleenex, and other popular brands of tissues for consumers throughout Europe.

In a recent upgrade to their video-based quality control system, Kimberly-Clark needed to connect their existing ABB QCS (Quality Control System) to a new, state-of-the-art Viconsys Process and Quality Vision System, to ensure the highest quality product. For implementation, they contacted Logic Park, an engineering and system integration company located in Thun, Switzerland.

“This project was a little unusual,” said Bruno Maurer, Head of Solutions at Logic Park. “The two systems had to be connected across a network. But each system was protected by a firewall, and each offered only an OPC server interface for data connections. We had to bridge these two OPC servers, passing the data across the network. Using DCOM for networking was out of the question, because it would open too many ports in the firewalls, and it is difficult to configure. What we needed was a way to tunnel the data across the network, and bridge the OPC servers at either end of the tunnel.”

To achieve these goals, Bruno turned to DataHub® software, which offers both OPC tunneling and bridging in a single, integrated product. He installed one DataHub instance on the same machine as the ABB QCS system, and connected it to that OPC server.

He then installed a second DataHub instance on the Viconsys computer, and connected it to the Viconsys OPC server. Then he configured the OPC tunnel, and was able to see both sets of data mirrored between the two DataHub instances. From there, it was a straightforward task to configure the necessary bridges to write data from one OPC server to the other OPC server. He had a test connection running in a several hours, and within a few days the new system was completely functional.

“DataHub software worked very well for this project,” said Bruno. “Taken by itself, the OPC tunnel is robust and secure. Combined with OPC bridging, this product has given us a complete and reliable way to network real-time data.”