TOP Server Works with a Wide Range of Automation Software

Connect your industrial automation clients to more device types

TOP Server works with a large variety of industrial automation and control software. This gives you the flexibility to connect to your hardware systems with TOP Server's hundreds of driver options and bring that data back to almost any software system you might need to for meeting your business goals.

The following sections highlight the various different clients and types of software that can connect to TOP Server - click the links in each section to find out more.

If you haven’t used the TOP Server before, take a few minutes to watch our Quick Start video.

TOP Server works with your historians and logging applications

Another common use for TOP Server is with Historian & Logging software packages to provide access to process and production data. This is especially true in facilities with multiple Historian & Logging software solutions. TOP Server provides a single source of process data for historization, trending, reporting and more from the widest variety of device types.

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TOP Server works with your MES systems

TOP Server provides expanded device and system connectivity options for Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). MES systems supporting OPC UA, OPC DA and/or AVEVA SuiteLink for connecting to other systems commonly use TOP Server for integrating process devices and systems.

Digital MES systems are generally tasked with reducing production costs by increasing throughput, reducing scrap and rework and providing higher quality products all through interfacing with a wide variety of disparate systems across one or multiple sites. TOP Server offers a unified data source for MES systems for integrating those disparate systems.

OPC UA Clients/Servers

The TOP Server OPC UA server interface supports the Data Access profile of the OPC Unified Architecture standard. The TOP Server UA interfaces were tested and certified by the OPC Foundation test lab.

And the TOP Server OPC Client Driver Suite includes the OPC UA Client driver for providing connectivity to other OPC UA server data sources for non-OPC UA capable client applications (including OPC DA and SuiteLink clients).

So, since TOP Server can act as both an OPC UA client and server, it will work with virtually any OPC UA client and server applications for flexible integration options.

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TOP Server works with OPC HDA clients

The TOP Server Local Historian plug-in is a local data store for capturing historical information in an easy to configure, flexible, open and cost-effective solution that exposes historical buffered data via OPC HDA to any OPC HDA capable client applications.

Many customers sometimes have a need for a smaller historian application that is easy to configure, flexible and cost-effective to complement an enterprise level historian solution in certain situations. The TOP Server Local Historian plug-in is NOT intended as a replacement or substitute for a full-blown, enterprise-level historian solution.

The OPC HDA server interface is configured in the TOP Server Project Properties. The interface also supports OPC Diagnostics for troubleshooting purposes.

TOP Server works with iFIX PDB clients

TOP Server supports native PDB/NIO interface connectivity from GE iFIX client applications. GE iFix PDB/NIO is the native communication method defined by GE Fanuc and used in GE (Proficy) iFIX for connecting its Process Database to a data collection server. PDB/NIO is a local connection only and does not depend on OPC or DDE.

TOP Server must be installed on the same machine as the GE iFIX client software and the "GE iFIX Native Interface" must be selected from the "Native Client Interfaces" during the TOP Server installation process.

TOP Server works with Visual Studio .NET

The best way to get TOP Server information into your custom Visual Studio.NET project is via OPC. Whether you want to use OPC DA technology using COM interfaces or the latest OPC UA, the best method to use is an off-the-shelf .NET development product for OPC connectivity which is tested and supported.

OPC Data Client is a 100% managed .NET tool for developing OPC DA, OPC UA and OPC A&E client applications, with native support for both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems in Visual Studio .NET Winform or Webform applications.

Need to make TOP Server configuration changes from a .NET applications? Click here for details on the TOP Server Configuration API

TOP Server works with other technologies

Once you have the TOP Server, you can connect to almost anything and, for situations that are less common, Software Toolbox can provide additional products to get your TOP Server connected. You gain our world class support and knowledge of how the applications work together, reducing integration time, risk, and cost. 

TOP Server has been tested and approved with Stratus Technologies fault tolerant ftServer systems and everRun software (formerly Marathon Technologies) for high availability applications.

TOP Server is also commonly used with the Cogent DataHub for projects requiring other flexible functionality such as Linux or QNX system connectivity, IoT, data aggregation, data bridging, connecting camera system and so much more. 

Need to integrate with SAP, ERP, REST, SOAP?  The OPC Router with it's visual workflow engine gets the job done.