This document defines the required data model for logical connection configuration information, represented by the ConnectionConfigurationSetType and additional ObjectTypes it utilizes.

The ConnectionManagerType exposes configuration information related to the establishment of logical connections. The configuration information may be generated by an engineering tool or by some application based on offline or online information.

OfflineEngineering (see OPC 10000-83) offers the concept of Descriptors that describe the AutomationComponents; see Figure 11 label 1. Using these Descriptors or retrieving information online from the AutomationComponents, application engineers use vendor-specific engineering tools to generate the configuration data for logical connections (see Figure 11 label 2). Alternatively, applications may generate the configuration data. All configuration data represented by one or more logical connections are defined in a ConnectionConfigurationSet. The instances may also include configuration information for the utilized OPC UA communication model (e.g., PubSub or Client / Server [future]).

Engineering tool/application and ConnectionManager could reside on separate devices or be located on the same device.

The ConnectionConfigurationSets are deployed to the ConnectionManager (see Figure 11 label 3). This version of this document does not mandate the protocols used for deployment or a file format.

NOTE    Future versions of this document may specify an optional, standardized deployment protocol or file format.

A ConnectionConfigurationSet may allow changes. For example, addressing information that is only available at commissioning time or communication-related properties like the PublishingInterval for data exchange may be modified by a system integrator. What changes can be made can be restricted by the generator of the ConnectionConfigurationSet.

The ConnectionManager exposes the ConnectionConfigurationSets (see 6.7.4.3), representing sets of logical connections to be established. Using generic tools (standard OPC UA Clients), the ConnectionConfigurationSets can be updated as restricted (see Figure 11 label 4).

Figure 11 – Configuration information generation, deployment, and modification

The ConnectionManager provides Methods to interact with these sets of logical connections, i.e., to allow and disallow editing and to trigger processing (establishment for all logical connections in the set).