Namespaces are used by OPC UA to create unique identifiers across different naming authorities. The Attributes NodeId and BrowseName are identifiers. A Node in the UA AddressSpace is unambiguously identified using a NodeId. Unlike NodeIds, the BrowseName cannot be used to unambiguously identify a Node. Different Nodes may have the same BrowseName. They are used to build a browse path between two Nodes or to define a standard Property.

Servers may often choose to use the same namespace for the NodeId and the BrowseName. However, if they want to provide a standard Property, its BrowseName shall have the namespace of the standards body although the namespace of the NodeId reflects something else, for example the EngineeringUnits Property. All NodeIds of Nodes not defined in this document shall not use the standard namespaces.

Table 56 provides a list of namespaces typically used in a PROFINET GSD Generic Model OPC UA Server.

Table 56 – Namespaces used in a PROFINET GSD Generic Model Server

NamespaceURI

Description

http://opcfoundation.org/UA/

Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in the OPC UA specification. This namespace shall have namespace index 0.

Local Server URI

Namespace for nodes defined in the local server. This namespace shall have namespace index 1.

http://opcfoundation.org/UA/DI/

Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in OPC 10000-100. The namespace index is Server specific.

http://opcfoundation.org/UA/PNGSDGM/

Namespace for NodeIds and BrowseNames defined in this document. The namespace index is Server specific.

Vendor specific types

A Server may provide vendor-specific types like types derived from ObjectTypes defined in this document in a vendor-specific namespace.

Vendor specific instances

A Server provides vendor-specific instances of the standard types or vendor-specific instances of vendor-specific types in a vendor-specific namespace.

It is recommended to separate vendor specific types and vendor specific instances into two or more namespaces.

Table 57 provides a list of namespaces and their indices used for BrowseNames in this document. The default namespace of this document is not listed since all BrowseNames without prefix use this default namespace.

Table 57 – Namespaces used in this document

NamespaceURI

Namespace Index

Example

http://opcfoundation.org/UA/

0

0:EngineeringUnits

http://opcfoundation.org/UA/DI/

2

2:FunctionalGroupType