3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms, and conventions
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in OPC 10000-1, OPC 10000-3, OPC 10000-4, OPC 10000-5, OPC 10000-6, OPC 10000-7, OPC 10000-8, and OPC 10000-100 apply.
All used terms are italicized in this document.
3.2 Abbreviated terms
| UA | Unified Architecture |
3.3 Conventions used in this document
3.3.1 Conventions for Node descriptions
Node definitions are specified using tables (see Table 2).
Attributes are defined by providing the Attribute name and a value, or a description of the value.
References are defined by providing the ReferenceType name, the BrowseName of the TargetNode and its NodeClass.
If the TargetNode is a component of the Node being defined in the table the Attributes of the composed Node are defined in the same row of the table.
The DataType is only specified for Variables; “[<number>]” indicates a single-dimensional array, for multi-dimensional arrays the expression is repeated for each dimension (e.g. [2][3] for a two-dimensional array). For all arrays the ArrayDimensions is set as identified by <number> values. If no <number> is set, the corresponding dimension is set to 0, indicating an unknown size. If no number is provided at all the ArrayDimensions can be omitted. If no brackets are provided, it identifies a scalar DataType and the ValueRank is set to the corresponding value (see OPC 10000-3). In addition, ArrayDimensions is set to null or is omitted. If it can be Any or ScalarOrOneDimension, the value is put into “{<value>}”, so either “{Any}” or “{ScalarOrOneDimension}” and the ValueRank is set to the corresponding value (see OPC 10000-3) and the ArrayDimensions is set to null or is omitted. Examples are given in Table 1.
| Notation | DataType | ValueRank | ArrayDimensions | Description |
| 0:Int32 | 0:Int32 | -1 | omitted or null | A scalar Int32. |
| 0:Int32[] | 0:Int32 | 1 | omitted or {0} | Single-dimensional array of Int32 with an unknown size. |
| 0:Int32[][] | 0:Int32 | 2 | omitted or {0,0} | Two-dimensional array of Int32 with unknown sizes for both dimensions. |
| 0:Int32[3][] | 0:Int32 | 2 | {3,0} | Two-dimensional array of Int32 with a size of 3 for the first dimension and an unknown size for the second dimension. |
| 0:Int32[5][3] | 0:Int32 | 2 | {5,3} | Two-dimensional array of Int32 with a size of 5 for the first dimension and a size of 3 for the second dimension. |
| 0:Int32{Any} | 0:Int32 | -2 | omitted or null | An Int32 where it is unknown if it is scalar or array with any number of dimensions. |
| 0:Int32{ScalarOrOneDimension} | 0:Int32 | -3 | omitted or null | An Int32 where it is either a single-dimensional array or a scalar. |
The TypeDefinition is specified for Objects and Variables.
The TypeDefinition column specifies a symbolic name for a NodeId, i.e. the specified Node points with a HasTypeDefinition Reference to the corresponding Node.
The ModellingRule of the referenced component is provided by specifying the symbolic name of the rule in the ModellingRule column. In the AddressSpace, the Node shall use a HasModellingRule Reference to point to the corresponding ModellingRule Object.
If the NodeId of a DataType is provided, the symbolic name of the Node representing the DataType shall be used.
Note that if a symbolic name of a different namespace is used, it is prefixed by the NamespaceIndex (see Table 73).
Nodes of all other NodeClasses cannot be defined in the same table; therefore, only the used ReferenceType, their NodeClass and their BrowseName are specified. A reference to another part of this document points to their definition.
Table 2 illustrates the table. If no components are provided, the DataType, TypeDefinition and Other columns may be omitted and only a Comment column is introduced to point to the Node definition.
| Attribute | Value | ||||
| Attribute name | Attribute value. If it is an optional Attribute that is not set “--” is used. | ||||
| References | NodeClass | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReferenceType name | NodeClass of the TargetNode. | BrowseName of the target Node. If the Reference is to be instantiated by the server, then the value of the target Node’s BrowseName is “--”. | DataType of the referenced Node, only applicable for Variables. | TypeDefinition of the referenced Node, only applicable for Variables and Objects. | Additional characteristics of the TargetNode such as the ModellingRule or AccessLevel. |
| NOTE Notes referencing footnotes of the table content. | |||||
Components of Nodes can be complex that is containing components by themselves. The TypeDefinition, NodeClass and DataType can be derived from the type definitions, and the symbolic name can be created as defined in Annex A. Therefore, those containing components are not explicitly specified; they are implicitly specified by the type definitions.
The Other column defines additional characteristics of the Node. Examples of characteristics that can appear in this column are show in Table 3.
| Name | Short Name | Description |
| 0:Mandatory | M | The Node has the Mandatory ModellingRule. |
| 0:Optional | O | The Node has the Optional ModellingRule. |
| 0:MandatoryPlaceholder | MP | The Node has the MandatoryPlaceholder ModellingRule. |
| 0:OptionalPlaceholder | OP | The Node has the OptionalPlaceholder ModellingRule. |
| ReadOnly | RO | The Node AccessLevel has the CurrentRead bit set but not the CurrentWrite bit. |
| ReadWrite | RW | The Node AccessLevel has the CurrentRead and CurrentWrite bits set. |
| WriteOnly | WO | The Node AccessLevel has the CurrentWrite bit set but not the CurrentRead bit. |
If multiple characteristics are defined, they are separated by commas. The name or the short name may be used.
3.3.1.1 Additional References
To provide information about additional References, the format as shown in Table 4 is used.
| SourceBrowsePath | Reference Type | Is Forward | TargetBrowsePath |
| SourceBrowsePath is always relative to the TypeDefinition. Multiple elements are defined as separate rows of a nested table. | ReferenceType name | True = forward Reference. | TargetBrowsePath points to another Node, which can be a well-known instance or a TypeDefinition. You can use BrowsePaths here as well, which is either relative to the TypeDefinition or absolute. If absolute, the first entry needs to refer to a type or well-known instance, uniquely identified within a namespace by the BrowseName. |
References can be to any other Node.
3.3.1.2 Additional sub-components
To provide information about sub-components, the format as shown in Table 5 is used.
| BrowsePath | References | NodeClass | BrowseName | DataType | TypeDefinition | Others |
| BrowsePath is always relative to the TypeDefinition. Multiple elements are defined as separate rows of a nested table | NOTE Same as for Table 2 | |||||
3.3.1.3 Additional Attribute values
The type definition table provides columns to specify the values for required Node Attributes for InstanceDeclarations. To provide information about additional Attributes, the format as shown in Table 6 is used.
| BrowsePath | <Attribute name> Attribute |
| BrowsePath is always relative to the TypeDefinition. Multiple elements are defined as separate rows of a nested table | The values of attributes are converted to text by adapting the reversible JSON encoding rules defined in OPC 10000-6. If the JSON encoding of a value is a JSON string or a JSON number then that value is entered in the value field. Double quotes are not included. If the DataType includes a NamespaceIndex (QualifiedNames, NodeIds or ExpandedNodeIds) then the notation used for BrowseNames is used. If the value is an Enumeration the name of the enumeration value is entered. If the value is a Structure then a sequence of name and value pairs is entered. Each pair is followed by a newline. The name is followed by a colon. The names are the names of the fields in the DataTypeDefinition. If the value is an array of non-structures then a sequence of values is entered where each value is followed by a newline. If the value is an array of Structures or a Structure with fields that are arrays or with nested Structures then the complete JSON array or JSON object is entered. Double quotes are not included. |
There can be multiple columns to define more than one Attribute.
3.3.2 NodeIds and BrowseNames
3.3.2.1 NodeIds
The NodeIds of all Nodes described in this standard are only symbolic names. Annex A defines the actual NodeIds.
The symbolic name of each Node defined in this document is its BrowseName, or, when it is part of another Node, the BrowseName of the other Node, a “.”, and the BrowseName of itself. In this case “part of” means that the whole has a HasProperty or HasComponent Reference to its part. Since all Nodes not being part of another Node have a unique name in this document, the symbolic name is unique.
The NamespaceUri for all NodeIds defined in this document is defined in Annex A. The NamespaceIndex for this NamespaceUri is vendor-specific and depends on the position of the NamespaceUri in the server namespace table.
Note that this document not only defines concrete Nodes, but also requires that some Nodes shall be generated, for example one for each Session running on the Server. The NodeIds of those Nodes are Server-specific, including the namespace. But the NamespaceIndex of those Nodes cannot be the NamespaceIndex used for the Nodes defined in this document, because they are not defined by this document but generated by the Server.
3.3.2.2 BrowseNames
The text part of the BrowseNames for all Nodes defined in this document is specified in the tables defining the Nodes. The NamespaceUri for all BrowseNames defined in this document is defined in Annex A.
For InstanceDeclarations of NodeClass Object and Variable that are placeholders (OptionalPlaceholder and MandatoryPlaceholder ModellingRule), the BrowseName and the DisplayName are enclosed in angle brackets (<>) as recommended in OPC 10000-3. If the BrowseName is not defined by this document, a namespace index prefix is added to the BrowseName (e.g., prefix '0' leading to ‘0:EngineeringUnits’ or prefix '2' leading to ‘2:DeviceRevision’). This is typically necessary if a Property of another specification is overwritten or used in the OPC UA types defined in this document. Table 73 provides a list of namespaces and their indexes as used in this document.
3.3.3 Common Attributes
3.3.3.1 General
The Attributes of Nodes, their DataTypes and descriptions are defined in OPC 10000-3. Attributes not marked as optional are mandatory and shall be provided by a Server. The following tables define if the Attribute value is defined by this document or if it is server-specific.
For all Nodes specified in this document, the Attributes named in Table 7 shall be set as specified in the table.
| Attribute | Value |
| DisplayName | The DisplayName is a LocalizedText. Each server shall provide the DisplayName identical to the BrowseName of the Node for the LocaleId “en”. Whether the server provides translated names for other LocaleIds are server-specific. |
| Description | Optionally a server-specific description is provided. |
| NodeClass | Shall reflect the NodeClass of the Node. |
| NodeId | The NodeId is described by BrowseNames as defined in 3.3.2.1. |
| WriteMask | Optionally the WriteMask Attribute can be provided. If the WriteMask Attribute is provided, it shall set all non-server-specific Attributes to not writable. For example, the Description Attribute may be set to writable since a Server may provide a server-specific description for the Node. The NodeId shall not be writable, because it is defined for each Node in this document. |
| UserWriteMask | Optionally the UserWriteMask Attribute can be provided. The same rules as for the WriteMask Attribute apply. |
| RolePermissions | Optionally server-specific role permissions can be provided. |
| UserRolePermissions | Optionally the role permissions of the current Session can be provided. The value is server-specific and depends on the RolePermissions Attribute (if provided) and the current Session. |
| AccessRestrictions | Optionally server-specific access restrictions can be provided. |
3.3.3.2 Objects
For all Objects specified in this document, the Attributes named in Table 8 shall be set as specified in the Table 8. The definitions for the Attributes can be found in OPC 10000-3.
| Attribute | Value |
| EventNotifier | Whether the Node can be used to subscribe to Events or not is server-specific. |
3.3.3.3 Variables
For all Variables specified in this document, the Attributes named in Table 9 shall be set as specified in the table. The definitions for the Attributes can be found in OPC 10000-3.
| Attribute | Value |
| MinimumSamplingInterval | Optionally, a server-specific minimum sampling interval is provided. |
| AccessLevel | The access level for Variables used for type definitions is server-specific, for all other Variables defined in this document, the access level shall allow reading; other settings are server-specific. |
| UserAccessLevel | The value for the UserAccessLevel Attribute is server-specific. It is assumed that all Variables can be accessed by at least one user. |
| Value | For Variables used as InstanceDeclarations, the value is server-specific; otherwise it shall represent the value described in the text. |
| ArrayDimensions | If the ValueRank does not identify an array of a specific dimension (i.e. ValueRank <= 0) the ArrayDimensions can either be set to null or the Attribute is missing. This behaviour is server-specific. If the ValueRank specifies an array of a specific dimension (i.e. ValueRank > 0) then the ArrayDimensions Attribute shall be specified in the table defining the Variable. |
| Historizing | The value for the Historizing Attribute is server-specific. |
| AccessLevelEx | If the AccessLevelEx Attribute is provided, it shall have the bits 8, 9, and 10 set to 0, meaning that read and write operations on an individual Variable are atomic, and arrays can be partly written. |
3.3.3.4 VariableTypes
For all VariableTypes specified in this document, the Attributes named in Table 10 shall be set as specified in the table. The definitions for the Attributes can be found in OPC 10000-3.
| Attributes | Value |
| Value | Optionally a server-specific default value can be provided. |
| ArrayDimensions | If the ValueRank does not identify an array of a specific dimension (i.e. ValueRank <= 0) the ArrayDimensions can either be set to null or the Attribute is missing. This behaviour is server-specific. If the ValueRank specifies an array of a specific dimension (i.e. ValueRank > 0) then the ArrayDimensions Attribute shall be specified in the table defining the VariableType. |
3.3.3.5 Methods
For all Methods specified in this document, the Attributes named in Table 11 shall be set as specified in the table. The definitions for the Attributes can be found in OPC 10000-3.
| Attributes | Value |
| Executable | All Methods defined in this document shall be executable (Executable Attribute set to “True”), unless it is defined differently in the Method definition. |
| UserExecutable | The value of the UserExecutable Attribute is server-specific. It is assumed that all Methods can be executed by at least one user. |