MatrikonOPC Tunneller Troubleshooting Guide

7/22/2019 MatrikonOPC Tunneller Troubleshooting Guide

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MatrikonOPC Tunneller

Troubleshooting Guide


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MatrikonOPC Tunneller Troubleshooting Guide 2

MatrikonOPC TunnellerTroubleshooting Guide

This manual is a product of Matrikon Inc.

Matrikon Inc.Suite 1800, 10405 Jasper AvenueEdmonton, AB T5J 3N4Canada

Phone: +1.780.448.1010Fax: +1.780.448.9191www.matrikonopc.com

Document Revision History:

DateDocument

VersionDescription Author

2007-12-20 1.0 Initial document. BM

2009-07-13 1.1 MatrikonOPC Tunneller Troubleshooting Guide. JS

2010-01-15 2.0 Published version. LB, JS
http://www.matrikonopc.com/http://www.matrikonopc.com/http://www.matrikonopc.com/


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SOFTWARE VERSION

Version: N/A

DOCUMENT VERSION

Version: 2.0

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Copyright 1997 - 2010,Matrikon Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, translated, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,or otherwise, without prior written permission of Matrikon Inc.

CONFIDENTIAL

The information contained herein is confidential and proprietary to Matrikon Inc. It may not be disclosed or transferred,directly or indirectly, to any third party without the explicit written permission of Matrikon Inc.

LIMITATIONS

Matrikon has made its best effort to prepare this manual. Matrikon makes no representation or warranties ofany kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accepts no liability of any kind

including without limitation warranties of merchantable quality, satisfactory quality, merchantability andfitness for a particular purpose on those arising by law, statute, usage of trade, course of dealing or otherwise.

Matrikon shall not be liable for any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly orindirectly from this manual.

LICENSE AGREEMENT

This document and the software described in this document are supplied under a license agreement and may only be used

in accordance with the terms of that agreement. Matrikon reserves the right to make any improvements and/or changes toproduct specifications at any time without notice.

TRADEMARK INFORMATION

The following are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective organizations:

Matrikon and MatrikonOPC are trademarks or registered trademarks of Matrikon Inc.

OTHER

MatrikonOPC is a division of Matrikon Inc.


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Table of ContentsIntroduction ..................................................................................................................... 5Initial Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................... 6

COM ................................................................................................................................ 6Licensing .......................................................................................................................... 6Product Version ................................................................................................................. 6Users Manual ................................................................................................................... 6Installation ....................................................................................................................... 6Contacting Support ............................................................................................................ 6

Direct Connection ............................................................................................................. 8Test 1 Connecting Locally with MatrikonOPC Explorer .......................................................... 8

Local Loopback ................................................................................................................. 9Test 2 Connect the Two Tunneller Components Locally ........................................................ 9Test 3 Local Loopback to OPC Servers ............................................................................. 12

Network Connection ....................................................................................................... 15Test 4 Testing Network Connection ................................................................................. 15Test 5 Connecting Tunneller Across Your Network ............................................................. 15Sample Network Connection ............................................................................................. 17

Tunneller Logging .......................................................................................................... 18Client Side ...................................................................................................................... 18Interface Logging ............................................................................................................ 18Server Side (v3.0.1.0 and Older) ....................................................................................... 18Server Side (v3.1.1.0 and Newer) ..................................................................................... 18Log Locations .................................................................................................................. 18

Table of Figures

Figure 1 - Tunneller Standard Architecture ...................................................................... 5 Figure 2 - Tunneller Local Connection Architecture .......................................................... 8Figure 3 - Tunneller Local Loopback Connection .............................................................. 9 Figure 4 - Tunneller Server-Side Default Configuration (1) ............................................ 10Figure 5 - Tunneller Server Side Default Configuration (2) ............................................ 11Figure 6 - Tunneller Client Side Gateway Configuration Utility ....................................... 12Figure 7 - MatrikonOPC Explorer OPC Server Connection ............................................... 13Figure 8 - Tunneller Network Connection Architecture ................................................... 16Figure 9 - MatrikonOPC Tunneller Error Message ........................................................... 16

Table of TablesTable 1 - MatrikonOPC Support Regional Contact Information ......................................... 7Table 2 - After-Hours Support .......................................................................................... 7


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IntroductionEvery MatrikonOPCTunneller connection has an infrastructure that looks like the diagram inFigure 1,highlighting the desired data flow path. If you are having trouble connecting MatrikonOPCTunneller from your production OPC server on one computer to the production OPC client on

another computer, you can follow these steps to diagnose where the communication is failing.There are some potential issues listed at each step.

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

Production

OPCClient

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Simulation

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

Production

OPCServer

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Simulation

(server)

Network

Host1ServerSide Host2ClientSide

Figure 1 - Tunneller Standard Architecture

MatrikonOPC Simulation Server and MatrikonOPC Explorer are powerful testing tools and are usedextensively as diagnostic tools. They are included with the Tunneller install. It is expected that youare familiar with both Explorer and the Simulation server. Both products come with a configurationtraining video.

Every time you test your connection in MatrikonOPC Explorer, make sure:

You connect to the OPC server.

The state is Running.

You add and validate a handful of tags from the OPC server.

You get values with Goodquality.


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Initial TroubleshootingThere are a few items that should be checked before any other troubleshooting is done.

COM

MatrikonOPC Tunneller avoids DCOM headaches. However, all OPC communication is based onMicrosoft ActiveX COM. You must configure your COM settings in a similar way to DCOMconfiguration. Tunneller does not need an identical user on the client and server machines.

On both the server and client side, set up DCOM for the Tunneller CSC, all OPC servers, OpcEnum,and defaults according to the following documents:

MatrikonOPC Windows NT 2000 DCOM Configuration

MatrikonOPC Windows XPSP2 2003SP1 DCOM Configuration

Note:The Tunneller Server Side Connection (SSC) does not have its own DCOM entry.

Licensing

Using the MatrikonOPC Licensing Utility, verify that MatrikonOPC Tunneller is licensed on both theOPC server and OPC client sides. Ensure that your OPC server and client are licensed as well.

Product VersionOften times upgrading to the latest version resolves a variety of issues you may be experiencing.

Note:Versions made before 2006 are not compatible with the current version. Please contactMatrikonOPC Supportor your account manager to find out if an upgrade is available.

UsersManualYou can find the MatrikonOPC Tunneller Users Manualin the install directory or a shortcut to it inthe Startmenu. This is the best resource for complete information about various settings inTunneller.

Installation

While it is optional to install both the Tunneller Server-Side and Tunneller Client-Side on the eachcomputer, it is highly advantageous for troubleshooting and it will be assumed you have done this.

To install, you must have full administrator permissions.

If you are installing from a remote desktop session, you must log in as the console session bygoing to Start-> Run, and type in mstsc.exe /admin, or mstsc.exe /consolefor earlierversions of Windows. The other option is to use Control Panel-> Add or Remove Programs->Add New Programs-> CD or Floppy, and select the Tunneller install executable.

Once Tunneller has been installed correctly, the following services are displayed: MatrikonOPCTunneller CSC, MatrikonOPC Tunneller HDA CSC, and MatrikonOPC SSC. The services shouldbe set to launchAutomatically.

Contacting SupportThe MatrikonOPC Customer Services department (www.opcsupport.com) is available 24 hours aday, seven days a week.

Contact MatrikonOPC Support using the information below, or send an email([email protected]).
http://www.matrikonopc.com/downloads/613/whitepapers/index.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/downloads/613/whitepapers/index.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/downloads/172/whitepapers/index.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/downloads/172/whitepapers/index.aspxhttp://www.opcsupport.com/http://www.opcsupport.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.opcsupport.com/http://www.matrikonopc.com/downloads/172/whitepapers/index.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/downloads/613/whitepapers/index.aspx


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For Monday to Friday daytime supportrequests, contact MatrikonOPC Support using the regionalphone numbers provided inTable 1.

Region Office Hours Contact Information

North America

UTC/GMT -7 hours (MST)8:00 am-5:00 pm +1-877-OPC-4-ALL

Europe /Africa *

UTC/GMT +1 hours (CET)9:00 am-5:00 pm

+49-221-969-77-0

(Request OPC Support)

Middle East *

UTC/GMT +3 hours9:00 am-5:00 pm +973-174-65363

Australia/Asia *

UTC/GMT +10 hours (AEST)9:00 am-5:00 pm

+61-2-4908-2198

(Request OPC Support)

* Toll-free regional numbers coming soon!

Table 1 - MatrikonOPC Support Regional Contact Information

For after-hours supportin all regions, please use either of the following numbers. There is noextra charge from MatrikonOPC for calling their after-hours support numbers.

Region Contact Information

All+1-780-231-9480

+1-780-264-6714

Table 2 - After-Hours Support


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Direct Connection

Test 1 Connecting Locally with MatrikonOPC ExplorerFirst, we want to ensure that you can connect the MatrikonOPC Explorer client to the OPC servers

on the local machine. If you cannot validate tags or get quality status ofgood, there are biggerproblems than MatrikonOPC Tunneller!

1. Connect to tags in MatrikonOPC Server for Simulation server using MatrikonOPC Explorer.2. Connect to tags in your production OPC server using MatrikonOPC Explorer.3. You may also want to attempt to connect locally to the MatrikonOPC Server for Simulation

using your production OPC client, on the client side.

This test is successful if you can read data, receive updates, and have goodquality data.

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

Production

OPCClient

(client)

MatrikonOPCSimulation

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

ProductionOPCServer

(server)

MatrikonOPCSimulation

(server)


Figure 2 - Tunneller Local Connection Architecture

A successful test should tell you that:

1. OPC and COM are working on this computer.2. The user currently logged in has permissions to connect to the OPC server.

What to do if you had problems during this test:

1. Check yourCOM/DCOMsettings.2. Ensure that your OPC server is configured correctly.3. If you are still experiencing problems with this test, contact your OPC server vendor or

MatrikonOPC Support.


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Local LoopbackWe want to prove that MatrikonOPC Tunneller can successfully connect with the MatrikonOPCServer for Simulation, all on the same machine. The purpose of a loopback test is to determine anycommunication constraints that may exist on the local PC, without external network issues

interfering. This test rules out things like local default COM and local security issues.

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

Production

OPCServer

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Simulation

(server)

Host1ServerSide

Figure 3 - Tunneller Local Loopback Connection

Test 2

Connect the Two Tunneller Components LocallyMatrikonOPC Tunneller Server Side Connection should have Encryption, Impersonation, andAccess Liststurned off for the preliminary connection testing. By default, these are all turned off.It is recommended that other settings be left at their default settings unless this test fails.

Configure the Tunneller CSC to communicate to the local computer:

Open the MatrikonOPC Tunneller Client Side Configuration Utility.

Select the local machine and verify that Tunneller adds the links correctly. A list of OPCservers appear in the left-hand pane.

Set the Communication Retry Attemptsoption to Retry Forever. This often rules outnetwork issues.

This test is successful if you receive a list of local OPC servers, as seen in figure 6.


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Figure 4 - Tunneller Server-Side Default Configuration (1)


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Figure 5 - Tunneller Server Side Default Configuration (2)


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Figure 6 - Tunneller Client Side Gateway Configuration Utility

Test 3 Local Loopback to OPC Servers1. Open the MatrikonOPC Explorer and connect to the "tunnelled" link to MatrikonOPC Server

for Simulation.

2. Verify that you can add a group, add tags and receive data, and have a connected state.3. Test the tunnelled link to your production OPC server.

This test is successful if you can add a group, add tags and receive data, and have a connectedstate for your OPC server.


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Figure 7 - MatrikonOPC Explorer OPC Server Connection

A successful test will tell you that:

1. A passed test confirms that Tunneller Server-Side connection (normally running as the LocalSystem account) has permission to communicate successfully to the local OPC servers.

2. If this works then you have proven that Tunneller SSC can communicate with the local OPCserver. This means that the DCOM is set correctly, the TCP port specified is open (locally).


1. Check yourCOM/DCOMsettings.2. Verify that you do not have a firewall turned on, or that you have guaranteed that

exceptions have been made for all Tunneller services and port (default TCP port is 21379).

3. Sometimes third-party OPC servers do not allow the SYSTEMaccount to connect to themand need a specific user. Go to the Windows Services panel and right-click your mouse onMatrikonOPC Tunneller SSC. Select Properties. From the Propertieswindow, select theLog On tab and change the user.

a. For example, the Emerson DeltaV OPC server expects the Tunneller SSC to log in asthe DetaVAdmin user for most configurations.

b. Keep in mind that MatrikonOPC Explorer runs as the user currently logged in. If youwish to test out other users, right-click your mouse on the MatrikonOPC Explorershortcut and select the Run asoption.

4. Ensure that the MatrikonOPC Tunneller SSC and CSC services are started by checking theWindows Services Manager. The Tunneller SSC should be set to Automatic, so that isstarts with the computer.


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5. When adding a Tunneller connection in the Tunneller CSC, if there is no error message butalso no OPC servers show up in the list then one of two things is happening.

a. OPCEnum is not finding the OPC servers. Select the Registry Browsebutton in theTunneller SSC and restart the service. You can also attempt to open the DCOMpermissions for OPCEnum, or reinstall MatrikonOPC Tunneller.

b. The second reason is that you have Restriction of Access to OPC Serversin theTunneller Server-Side Gateway Configuration Tool turned on and not configuredcorrectly.


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Network Connection

Test 4 Testing Network ConnectionPing:You can test if a network connection exists by pinging the other computer.

1. Open a command prompt.2. Typeping and press Enter.

Note: For example, we would typeping TEST_COMPorping 192.168.1.100.

Telnet:You should also test the connection using telnet as this allows you to specify the TCP port.

1. Open a command prompt.2. Type telnet and press Enter.

Note: In our example, we would type telnet 192.168.1.100 21379.

3. If a blank screen appears then the port is open, and the test is successful.4. If you receive a connecting message or an error message then something is blocking thatport. It could be the Windows firewall, a third-party firewall like Norton's or a hardware

firewall between the PCs.

A successful test should tell you that:

If you can both ping and telnet to the other computer, this shows that the port is openbetween the two computers.


Verify the computers are physically connected to the same network.

Contact your Network Administrator. Their may be a firewall between the machines.

The IP address should always be tested in case the host name could not be resolved.

Some domains block telnet and ping as a security measure, and this test will not work in allcases.

Test 5 Connecting Tunneller Across Your NetworkFinally, we want to test MatrikonOPC Tunneller across your network.

1. Run the MatrikonOPC Tunneller Client Side Configuration Utility on the second computer,and add your server-side computer.

2. As before, connect to MatrikonOPC Simulation Server in Explorer.3. Encryption,Impersonation, andAccess Listsshould still be turned off.4. Connect to your production OPC server through Tunneller in Explorer.

Once you have reached this point, you will have few issues with your final connections.

If Explorer can connect to your Tunnelled OPC servers, but your production OPC client cannot, thenthe issue is most likely not with Tunneller. Try connecting your OPC client to the local and tunnelledSimulation server like we did inTest 1andTest 2of this manual.


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MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

CSC

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Explorer

(client)

Production

OPCClient

(client)

MatrikonOPC

Simulation

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Tunneller

SSC

(client)

Production

OPCServer

(server)

MatrikonOPC

Simulation

(server)


Network

Figure 8 - Tunneller Network Connection Architecture


Figure 9 - MatrikonOPC Tunneller Error Message

If you see the error inFigure 9:

Each item listed in the error message has been explained earlier in this manual.

Increase your Communication Timeoutand Retries. You may need to increase thecommunication timeout if you have substantial network traffic, or are attached to a largenetwork (such as the Internet). You may see a failed state when connecting to a TunnellerOPC Server in MatrikonOPC Explorer if the communication timeout is too low.

If you cannot browse all tags that are expected, then you may have to increase theprocessing timeout. The default is 60 seconds. This is important when connecting to an OPCserver with a large and flat address space.

If the error occurs immediately (less than one second) after you click the OKbutton, thenyou may be seeing a known issue with Tunneller Version 3.1.1.0. This occurs in somenetwork configurations with NAT routing port forwarding. ContactMatrikonOPC Supportto upgrade your version of Tunneller to the latest version.

If the host name does not work, try the IP address.


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If you have multiple NICs on the same computer, enter the IP address and machine name inthe windows hosts file (\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts). Windows does notalways route to the correct NIC unless the destination IP address is found in the hosts file.

If you get a state: failed message in MatrikonOPC Explorer this means that the TunnellerClient and server sides are not connected.

If a router exists between the two computers, or they sit on different domains/subnets, youwill likely have to configure port forwarding to the correct IP addresses.

After a computer reboot, if your OPC client cannot connect to an OPC server throughTunneller, try to restart the Tunneller CSC service. If this works, you can set the TunnellerCSC service to be dependant on the OPC client service. You can use a command like the onebelow. Please read theMicrosoft MSDNto fully understand the consequences ofthis command.Any existing dependencies will be deleted if you do not specify them in thecommand.

sc config MatrikonOPC Tunneller CSC depend= /RPCSS

Sample Network ConnectionIn less than 5 minutes, connect to an OPC server in Northern Canada and view its process data.

If you are having trouble with network connections in general and have internet access, you mayattempt to connect to a server in the MatrikonOPC head office. The computer name:

OPC-Canada.matrikon.com

This exercise guides you through five easy steps to show you just how quickly you can connect to aremote OPC servers. Download all necessary software for free from our site. The best part is thatyou don't have to be an OPC expert to do it!

Click here to try it now
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms810435.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms810435.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms810435.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/products/opc-data-management/opc-tunneller-exercise.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/products/opc-data-management/opc-tunneller-exercise.aspxhttp://www.matrikonopc.com/products/opc-data-management/opc-tunneller-exercise.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms810435.aspx


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Tunneller LoggingYou may need to collect log files for analysis by MatrikonOPC Support. You can enable loggingusing the following instructions.

Once logging has been set, replicate your issue. You can then run MatrikonOPC Analyzer toseamlessly gather these logs into a single zip file.

Please remember to revert the logging settings back to Low when you have finished. High loggingcan cause reduced performance and increased disk space usage.

Client Side

1. Go to C:\Program Files\Matrikon\OPC\Tunneller\and launch the MatrikonOPCTunnellershortcut

2. Select View-> Options.3. From the Optionswindow, select the General Loggingtab.4. Select the Enable Activity Loggingcheckbox, and select Highfrom the adjacent drop-down list.5. Click OKand close the configuration window. Select Nowhen it asks you to save changes.6. Stop and start the Matrikon OPC Tunneller CSC service.

Interface LoggingInterface logging records OPC calls between the OPC server and client. You should not turn this onunless instructed to byMatrikonOPC Support.To enable this feature, follow the same steps asdescribed inClient Sidelogging except for step 3 where you select the Interface Loggingtabinstead of the General Loggingtab.

Server Side (v3.0.1.0 and Older)1. Go to C:\Program Files\Matrikon\OPC\Tunneller\Server-Side Gateway\and open

tunneller.iniin a text editor.

2. Change the Log line level = 1to level = 3.3. Save the file, and close.4. Stop and start the Matrikon OPC Tunneller SSC service.

Server Side (v3.1.1.0 and Newer)

1. Open the MatrikonOPC Tunneller Server side configuration.2. Select the Advancedtab.3. Increase the logging level to High.4. Apply the change and exit.5. Stop and start the Matrikon OPC Tunneller SSC service.

Log LocationsYou can run MatrikonOPC Analyzer to seamlessly gather these logs into a single zip file.


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The client side log is called PSTCFGMatrikon.OPC.Tunneller.1.log, located in:

o C:\Program Files\Common Files\MatrikonOPC\Common\Interface log is called PSTxx.tmp(where xxis a number) and is located in:

o C:\Program Files\Matrikon\OPC\Tunneller\Client-Side Gateway\The server side log file is called tunneller.logand is located in:

o C:\Program Files\Matrikon\OPC\Tunneller\Server-Side Gateway\In versions 3.2.0.0 and above ClientSideConfig.log can be found in:

o C:\Program Files\Common Files\MatrikonOPC\Common\

MatrikonOPC Tunneller Troubleshooting Guide

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