1 Scope

This document specifies the OPC UA Information Model to represent the Objects and services that comprise PROFINET GSD Generic as defined in chapter 6.

OPC Foundation

OPC is the interoperability standard for the secure and reliable exchange of data and information in the industrial automation space and in other industries. It is platform independent and ensures the seamless flow of information among devices from multiple vendors. The OPC Foundation is responsible for the development and maintenance of this standard.

OPC UA is a platform independent service-oriented architecture that integrates all the functionality of the individual OPC Classic specifications into one extensible framework. This multi-layered approach accomplishes the original design specification goals of:

Platform independence: from an embedded microcontroller to cloud-based infrastructure

Secure: encryption, authentication, authorisation and auditing

Extensible: ability to add new features including transports without affecting existing applications

Comprehensive information modelling capabilities: for defining any model from simple to complex

PROFINET Standardization Group (PNO)

The PROFIBUS and PROFINET user organization (PNO: Profibus Nutzerorganisation e. V.) was founded in 1989 and is the largest automation community in the world and responsible for PROFIBUS and PROFINET, the two most important enabling technologies in automation today. The PNO is member of PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI).

The common interest of the PNO global network of vendors, developers, system integrators and end users covering all industries lies in promoting, supporting and using PROFINET. Regionally and globally about 1,400 member companies are working closely together to the best automation possible. No other fieldbus organization in the world has the same kind of global influence and reach.

2 Normative references

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments and errata) applies.

OPC 10000-1, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 1: Overview and Concepts

OPC 10000-1

OPC 10000-2, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 2: Security Model

OPC 10000-2

OPC 10000-3, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 3: Address Space Model

OPC 10000-3

OPC 10000-4, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 4: Services

OPC 10000-4

OPC 10000-5, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 5: Information Model

OPC 10000-5

OPC 10000-6, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 6: Mappings

OPC 10000-6

OPC 10000-7, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 7: Profiles

OPC 10000-7

OPC 10000-8, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 8: Data Access

OPC 10000-8

OPC 10000-18, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 18: Role-Based Security

OPC 10000-18

OPC 10000-100, OPC Unified Architecture - Part 100: Devices

OPC 10000-100

OPC PE, OPC UA for PROFIenergy – Release V1.0 – Date: March 2021

OPC RIO, OPC UA for PROFINET Remote IO – Release V1.0 – Date: May 2022

PDP, Profile Drive Technology - PROFIdrive Profile – Version 4.2 – Date: October 2015 –

Order No:  3.172

GSDML, Technical Specification for PROFINET – Version 2.44 – Date: x 2023 –

Order No.:  2.352

PN PROTOCOL, IEC 61158-6-10, Industrial communication networks – Fieldbus specifications – Part 6-10: Application layer protocol specification – Type 10 elements

RIO FA, Remote IO for Factory Automation – Version 1.10 – Date: August 2018 –

Order No.:3.242

RIOforPA, Remote IO for Process Automation – Version 1.0 – Date: May 2003 –

Order No.: 3.132

RIO PA, Remote IO for Process Automation – Version 1.00 – Date: March 2022 –

Order No.:3.232

PCD, Profile for Process Control Devices – Version 4.01 – Date: November 2020 –

Order No.:3.042

3 Terms, abbreviated terms and conventions

3.1 Overview

It is assumed that basic concepts of OPC UA information modelling and <other specifications> are understood in this document. This document will use these concepts to describe the PROFINET GSD Generic Information Model. This functional Information Model is created using information found in GSDML Device description files, comprising elements of already existing IO Data and Parameter descriptions as well as additional vendor specific Data Object elements especially added for OPC UA data modelling purposes. 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 10000-7, OPC 10000-100, … as well as the following apply.

Note that OPC UA terms and terms defined in this document are italicized in the document.

3.2 OPC UA for PROFINET GSD Generic Model terms

3.2.1 Untitled

The General Station Description (GSD) is the definition of certain properties of PROFINET Devices which are of interest for engineering tools, such as IO Data, IO Channels, Parameters and Alarms. The format defined for the GSD is the GSDML.

3.2.2 Untitled

The General Station Description Markup Language is an XML-based description language for PROFINET Devices (see [GSDML]).

3.2.3 Untitled

Data, which a Device cyclically receives from the Controller and which controls the Device application or the peripherals.

3.2.4 Untitled

Data, which a Device cyclically sends to the Controller.

3.2.5 Untitled

For Devices, all Input and Output Data (cyclic transmission).

3.2.6 Untitled

An IO Channel is an entity of the Submodule where digital or analogue electric signals are generated (output) or converted into digital values (input). A Submodule’s IO Data may be organized using several IO Channels.

3.2.7 Untitled

Acyclic Data about errors, maintenance status, application specific process alarms, incidents like pull/plug, updates and the like yielded by the Device.

3.2.8 Untitled

Initial setting written to a Device with a parameter record during its start-up phase.

3.2.9 Untitled

Access to Parameters via the “Base Mode” as described in [PDP], sec. 6.2.3. Requests and replies are transmitted by use of the “Acyclic Data Exchange” mechanism of the communication system, which usually implies writing and reading PROFINET records.

3.2.10 Untitled

Additional data value (sensor data as ambient temperature, welding current, and the like) or Parameter which is yielded by a Device. The data value can either be read from a Submodule using the associated PROFINET record index or obtained as Parameter using BMP Access. Vendors might allow write access to certain data values (see 6.7).

3.2.11 Untitled

A Device is a separate addressable unit exchanging IO Data with a Controller. Devices are usually configured by the Controller and may also generate acyclic data like Alarms or diagnostic information. A Device may consist of several modules and Submodules. The IO Data, the Parameters, the Alarms, and the Data Objects of a Device are described in the GSDML file.

3.2.12 Untitled

A Controller is a host running a program which reads and writes the IO Data of one or more Devices.

3.2.13 Untitled

A PN Submodule is the consumer or the provider of one Telegram and the addressable endpoint for PROFINET access.

3.2.14 Untitled

An Application Relation contains the communication channels for cyclic data exchange (IO Data CR), acyclic data exchange (Record data CR) and alarms (Alarm CR). These CR’s are established by the Controller during the start-up phase of the Device using the configuration data created by the engineering tool.

3.2.15 Untitled

The NameOfStation is the name of the communication interface determined by the configuration assigned to the Device by the Controller. One Device can have more than one communication interface.

3.3 Abbreviated terms

3.4 Conventions used in this document

3.4.1 Conventions for Node descriptions

3.4.1.1 Node definitions

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.

• 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 3.4.2.2).

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.

Each Type Node or well-known Instance Node defined shall have one or more ConformanceUnits defined in 11.1 that require the Node to be in the AddressSpace.

The relations between Nodes and ConformanceUnits are defined at the end of the tables defining Nodes, one row per ConformanceUnit. The ConformanceUnits are reflected in the Category element for the Node definition in the UANodeSet (see OPC 10000-6).

The list of ConformanceUnits in the UANodeSet allows Servers to optimize resource consumption by using a list of supported ConformanceUnits to select a subset of the Nodes in an Information Model.

When a Node is selected in this way, all dependencies implied by the References are also selected.

Dependencies exist if the Node is the source of HasTypeDefinition, HasInterface, HasAddIn or any HierarchicalReference. Dependencies also exist if the Node is the target of a HasSubtype Reference. For Variables and VariableTypes, the value of the DataType Attribute is a dependency. For DataType Nodes, any DataTypes referenced in the DataTypeDefinition Attribute are also dependencies.

For additional details see OPC 10000-5.

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 3.4.3.1. 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.

If multiple characteristics are defined they are separated by commas. The name or the short name may be used.

3.4.1.2 Additional References

To provide information about additional References, the format as shown in Table 4 is used.

References can be to any other Node.

3.4.1.3 Additional sub-components

To provide information about sub-components, the format as shown in Table 5 is used.

3.4.1.4 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.

There can be multiple columns to define more than one Attribute.

3.4.2 NodeIds and BrowseNames

3.4.2.1 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.

3.4.2.2 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 12.2.

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 a 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 57 provides a list of namespaces and their indexes as used in this document.

3.4.3 Common Attributes

3.4.3.1 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.

3.4.3.2 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.

3.4.3.3 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.

3.4.3.4 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.

3.4.3.5 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.

3.4.4 Structures

OPC 10000-3 differentiates between different kinds of Structures. The following conventions explain, how these Structures shall be defined.

The first kind are Structures without optional fields where none of the fields allows subtype (except fields with abstract DataTypes). Its definition is in Table 12.

The second kind are Structures with optional fields where none of the fields allows subtypes (except fields with abstract DataTypes). Its definition is in Table 13.

Structures with fields that are optional have an “Optional” column. Fields that are optional have True set, otherwise False.

The third kind are Structures without optional fields where one or more of the fields allow subtypes. Its definition is in Table 14.

Structures with fields that allow subtypes have an “Allow Subtypes” column. Fields that allow subtypes have True set, otherwise False. Fields with abstract DataTypes can always be subtyped.

Fields with abstract DataTypes shall have True in the “Allow Subtypes” column. It is not allowed to add both columns to combine optional fields and fields that allow subtypes in one structure.

4 General information to PROFINET GSD Generic Model and OPC UA

4.1 Introduction to PROFINET GSD Generic Model

The primary aim of PROFINET GSD Generic Model is to define a specification how Servers can create an Information Model for Devices which have no application profile (API=0) and therefore also no OPC UA companion specification defining an Information Model. It can be used also to extend the Information Model of a profile Device by adding vendor specific Data Objects.

The standardized way to describe a PROFINET Device in machine-readable format is the GSDML file (see [GSDML]). GSDML files are provided by the vendors of PROFINET Devices, and the primary usage is offering the information needed by engineering systems (TIA Portal and the like). This primary purpose was extended by enhancing the GSDML with additional information used for Device certification, and for the purpose of this specification elements describing Data Objects were added.

This specification describes how OPC UA Servers can create an Information Model for PROFINET Devices by obtaining the real and the expected configuration from the Device and by evaluating the GSDML file. The XML elements evaluated comprise information about the Devices’ IO Data, the Alarm data, parameterization records and readable data records. There are also XML elements evaluated referring to data described by application profiles, e.g. PROFIenergy and PROFIdrive.

Implementing the specification requires the provision of the GSDML files for the Devices on the host the OPC UA Server is running on. There may be other means to gain access to the GSDML file in the future, like a class-2 repository. Given the existence of such a repository and internet access from the host the Server is running on, provisioning GSDML files at the Server’s site is not necessary.

4.2 Introduction to OPC Unified Architecture

4.2.1 What is OPC UA?

OPC UA is an open and royalty free set of standards designed as a universal communication protocol. While there are numerous communication solutions available, OPC UA has key advantages:

A state of art security model (see OPC 10000-2).

A fault tolerant communication protocol.

An information modelling framework that allows application developers to represent their data in a way that makes sense to them.

OPC UA has a broad scope which delivers for economies of scale for application developers. This means that a larger number of high-quality applications at a reasonable cost are available. When combined with semantic models such as PROFINET GSD Generic Model, OPC UA makes it easier for end users to access data via generic commercial applications.

The OPC UA model is scalable from small devices to ERP systems. OPC UA Servers process information locally and then provide that data in a consistent format to any application requesting data - ERP, MES, PMS, Maintenance Systems, HMI, Smartphone or a standard Browser, for examples. For a more complete overview see OPC 10000-1.

4.2.2 Basics of OPC UA

As an open standard, OPC UA is based on standard internet technologies, like TCP/IP, HTTP, Web Sockets.

As an extensible standard, OPC UA provides a set of Services (see OPC 10000-4) and a basic information model framework. This framework provides an easy manner for creating and exposing vendor defined information in a standard way. More importantly all OPC UA Clients are expected to be able to discover and use vendor-defined information. This means OPC UA users can benefit from the economies of scale that come with generic visualisation and historian applications. This specification is an example of an OPC UA Information Model designed to meet the needs of developers and users.

OPC UA Clients can be any consumer of data from another device on the network to browser based thin clients and ERP systems. The full scope of OPC UA applications is shown in Figure 1.

OPC UA provides a robust and reliable communication infrastructure having mechanisms for handling lost messages, failover, heartbeat, etc. With its binary encoded data, it offers a high-performing data exchange solution. Security is built into OPC UA as security requirements become more and more important especially since environments are connected to the office network or the internet and attackers are starting to focus on automation systems.

4.2.3 Information modelling in OPC UA

4.2.3.1 Concepts

OPC UA provides a framework that can be used to represent complex information as Objects in an AddressSpace which can be accessed with standard services. These Objects consist of Nodes connected by References. Different classes of Nodes convey different semantics. For example, a Variable Node represents a value that can be read or written. The Variable Node has an associated DataType that can define the actual value, such as a string, float, structure etc. It can also describe the Variable value as a variant. A Method Node represents a function that can be called. Every Node has a number of Attributes including a unique identifier called a NodeId and non-localized name called as BrowseName. An Object representing a ‘Reservation’ is shown in Figure 2.

Object and Variable Nodes represent instances and they always reference a TypeDefinition (ObjectType or VariableType) Node which describes their semantics and structure. Figure 3 illustrates the relationship between an instance and its TypeDefinition.

The type Nodes are templates that define all of the children that can be present in an instance of the type. In the example in Figure 3 the PersonType ObjectType defines two children: First Name and Last Name. All instances of PersonType are expected to have the same children with the same BrowseNames. Within a type the BrowseNames uniquely identify the children. This means Client applications can be designed to search for children based on the BrowseNames from the type instead of NodeIds. This eliminates the need for manual reconfiguration of systems if a Client uses types that multiple Servers implement.

OPC UA also supports the concept of sub-typing. This allows a modeller to take an existing type and extend it. There are rules regarding sub-typing defined in OPC 10000-3, but in general they allow the extension of a given type or the restriction of a DataType. For example, the modeller may decide that the existing ObjectType in some cases needs an additional Variable. The modeller can create a subtype of the ObjectType and add the Variable. A Client that is expecting the parent type can treat the new type as if it was of the parent type. Regarding DataTypes, subtypes can only restrict. If a Variable is defined to have a numeric value, a subtype could restrict it to a float.

References allow Nodes to be connected in ways that describe their relationships. All References have a ReferenceType that specifies the semantics of the relationship. References can be hierarchical or non-hierarchical. Hierarchical references are used to create the structure of Objects and Variables. Non-hierarchical are used to create arbitrary associations. Applications can define their own ReferenceType by creating subtypes of an existing ReferenceType. Subtypes inherit the semantics of the parent but may add additional restrictions. Figure 4 depicts several References, connecting different Objects.

The figures above use a notation that was developed for the OPC UA specification. The notation is summarized in Figure 5. UML representations can also be used; however, the OPC UA notation is less ambiguous because there is a direct mapping from the elements in the figures to Nodes in the AddressSpace of an OPC UA Server.

A complete description of the different types of Nodes and References can be found in OPC 10000-3 and the base structure is described in OPC 10000-5.

The OPC UA specification defines a very wide range of functionality in its basic information model. It is not required that all Clients or Servers support all functionality in the OPC UA specifications. OPC UA includes the concept of Profiles, which segment the functionality into testable certifiable units. This allows the definition of functional subsets (that are expected to be implemented) within a companion specification. The Profiles do not restrict functionality, but generate requirements for a minimum set of functionalities (see OPC 10000-7).

4.2.3.2 Namespaces

OPC UA allows information from many different sources to be combined into a single coherent AddressSpace. Namespaces are used to make this possible by eliminating naming and id conflicts between information from different sources. Each namespace in OPC UA has a globally unique string called a NamespaceUri which identifies a naming authority and a locally unique integer called a NamespaceIndex, which is an index into the Server's table of NamespaceUris. The NamespaceIndex is unique only within the context of a Session between an OPC UA Client and an OPC UA Server- the NamespaceIndex can change between Sessions and still identify the same item even though the NamespaceUri's location in the table has changed. The Services defined for OPC UA use the NamespaceIndex to specify the Namespace for qualified values.

There are two types of structured values in OPC UA that are qualified with NamespaceIndexes: NodeIds and QualifiedNames. NodeIds are locally unique (and sometimes globally unique) identifiers for Nodes. The same globally unique NodeId can be used as the identifier in a node in many Servers – the node's instance data may vary but its semantic meaning is the same regardless of the Server it appears in. This means Clients can have built-in knowledge of of what the data means in these Nodes. OPC UA Information Models generally define globally unique NodeIds for the TypeDefinitions defined by the Information Model.

QualifiedNames are non-localized names qualified with a Namespace. They are used for the BrowseNames of Nodes and allow the same names to be used by different information models without conflict. TypeDefinitions are not allowed to have children with duplicate BrowseNames; however, instances do not have that restriction.

4.2.3.3 Companion Specifications

An OPC UA companion specification for an industry specific vertical market describes an Information Model by defining ObjectTypes, VariableTypes, DataTypes and ReferenceTypes that represent the concepts used in the vertical market, and potentially also well-defined Objects as entry points into the AddressSpace.

5 Use cases

A proxy Server with access to the related PROFINET domain provides the Information Model of PROFINET Devices. These Devices are typically profile-less but may also support an application profile.

Main use case is to support the PROFINET Devices which do not have an OPC UA Server on the Device itself and a firmware upgrade for OPC UA support is not an option (“Brownfield”).

Table 15 lists possible use cases of interest for OPC UA Clients. Typically, the use case consists of utilization of OPC UA standard mechanisms and data processing at the Client site.

6 PROFINET GSD Generic Model Information Model overview

6.1 Information Model Creation

The following sequence of steps lays out a general procedure for the creation of a ‘generic’ Information Model for Devices the Server has access to by PROFINET means:

The Server reads Vendor-ID and Device-ID from the Device.

With Vendor-ID and Device-ID the Server finds the matching GSDML file. The GSDML file must have made accessible for the Server beforehand, see 4.1 also.

The Server reads the “RealIdentificationData” to obtain the IO Data available on the Device.

The Server reads the “ARData” record to obtain a list of all ARs active on the Device, then reads the “ExpectedIdentificationData” record (see [PN PROTOCOL]) for each AR to obtain a list of expected modules and Submodules.

For each Submodule found in the “RealIdentificationData” and the “ExpectedIdentificationData” records, the Server creates GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Objects in the Information Model accordingly (see 6.3). Missing Submodules (SubmoduleState.IdentInfo block contains “NoSubmodule”) shall not be represented in the Information Model.

If the “ModuleDiffBlock” for each AR is empty or has a SubmoduleState.IdentInfo block containing “Substitute” or “OK” for the Submodule, the Submodule shall be represented with the CommunicationStatus Property set to INDATA (see 7.1) in the Information Model. If the SubmoduleState.IdentInfo block indicates a configuration mismatch for a Submodule (“Wrong”), it shall have the CommunicationStatus Property set to OFFLINE.

The ConfigurationStatus Property (see 7.1) is set to WRONG or SUBSTITUTE according to the content of the SubmoduleState.IdentInfo block. If the ModuleDiffBlock is empty or the SubmoduleState.IdentInfo block contains “OK”, the ConfigurationStatus Property shall be set to OK.

Submodules found in the “RealIdentificationData” record which are not part of a configured AR (are not found an a “ExpectedIdentificationData” record) shall be represented with the CommunicationStatus Property set to OFFLINE and the ConfigurationStatus Property set to UNKNOWN.

The ARIdentifier Property (see 7.1) shall be provided for each Submodule belonging to an AR which is “InData”.

The Server learns the structure of each represented Submodule’s IO Data by reading the corresponding “(Virtual)SubmoduleItem/IOData” elements in the GSDML file and creates the GsdGenIoDataType Objects and their components representing the IO Data of the Submodule (see 6.3 and 6.4).

The Server evaluates the child-elements of the Submodule’s “RecordDataList” element referencing the “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements describing the parameterization records of the Device and creates Variables in the Information Model accordingly (see 6.6).

The Server evaluates the child-elements of the Submodule’s “AvailableRecordDataList” element referencing the “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements describing the Data Objects offered by the Device and creates Variables in the Information Model accordingly (see 6.7).

The Server might also find a “PROFIenergy” element (see [GSDML]). The Server shall evaluate the structure inside this element and build a PROFIenergy Information Model using the PESAP as defined in [OPC PE].

6.2 Application Object

The GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType is the root container for modelling of the Information Model belonging to one PN Submodule and relates to the PN Submodule Object with a 0:RepresentsSameFunctionalityAs ReferenceType. There shall be as many GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Objects as there are PN Submodules found on the Device.

The GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object aggregates the representation of the elements found in the GSDML file. As specified in [OPC RIO], the Information Model is divided into a PROFINET aspect and a functional aspect. The PROFINET aspect offers detailed Telegram information (see [OPC RIO]), the functional aspect contains the generic Information Model by providing GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Objects. The Signal Objects (see [OPC RIO]) in the PROFINET aspect relate to components of the GsdGenIoDataType Objects in the functional aspect by dedicated 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs References.

The components of the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType are separated into four sub-aspects as shown in Figure 6.

The “IO Data” sub-aspect contains the generic IO Data mapping derived from the GSDML “(Virtual)SubmoduleItem/IOData” element.

The “Parameters” sub-aspect contains the generic Parameter record mapping from the GSDML “(Virtual)SubmoduleItem/RecordDataList” element. The “ParameterRecordDataRef” elements in this list refer to Parameter records described by “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements belonging to an API defined in the GSDML file.

The “Data Objects” sub-aspect contains the generic Data Object mapping from the GSDML “(Virtual)SubmoduleItem/AvailableRecordDataList” element. The “RecordDataRef” elements in this list refer to Data Objects described by “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements belonging to an API defined in the GSDML file. There may also exist a mapping of Parameters obtained using BMP Access.

The “Alarms” sub-aspect contains the generic Alarm data mapping from the various GSDML elements describing Alarms. The Server may generate Events containing Alarm data.

There may exist a “PROFIenergy” element for a Submodule in the GSDML. In this case a “PROFIenergy” sub-aspect containing the PROFIenergy Information Model as specified in [OPC PE is created. The PROFIenergy model directly relates to the Submodule Object in the PROFINET Aspect using a 0:HasAddIn ReferenceType and has no connection with a GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object.

6.3 IO Data

Figure 7 shows an IO Data model to demonstrate the basic principle of the relationships of the Objects in the PROFINET Aspect with the Objects and Variables representing IO Data in the Functional Aspect of the Information Model.

The “Submodule 1” Object in the PROFINET Aspect relates to the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameFunctionalityAs ReferenceType. The GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variables relate to the Signal Objects representing IO Data in the PROFINET Aspect using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs ReferenceType.

The IO Data is described using “DataItem” elements. In particular, the “DataItem” elements define the data types used and therefore together determine the size and layout of the memory allocated for IO Data (see [GSDML], 8.12 for a thorough description). Figure 9 shows the XML schema of the “DataItem” XML element.

If the “DataType” attribute describes an unsigned numeric data type or an “OctetString”, the optional “UseAsBits” attribute may be present and set to “true” (see description of “UseAsBits” attribute in [GSDML], 8 ff.). The optional “BitDataItem” elements are present in this case and the definition of individual bits inside the DataItem data type.

If the “Subordinate” attribute is present (only allowed for “Input/DataItem” elements) and set to “true”, the IO Data of the Submodule must be organized according to rules defined by RIOforFA (see [RIO FA]).

Figure 10 shows the mapping of the XML elements describing the IO Data to the representing Objects and Variables in the Information Model.

The GsdGenIoDataType represents the mapping of the content of the GSDML “Input” and “Output” child elements of the “IOData” element. For a detailed description see 7.2 and 9.1.

6.4 IO Channel

Figure 11 shows the “IO Data” Sub-Aspect in the Functional Aspect of the Information Model.

The GsdGenIoDataType Objects relate to the associated GsdGenIoChannelType Objects using the 0:HasComponent ReferenceType. The “Data” components of the GsdGenIoChannelType Objects relate to the data item elements representing the channel data using 0:AssociatedWith ReferenceTypes. The optional “Quality” component relates to the data item representing the part of the IO Data which contains the qualifier information of the respective channel. The “Data” components of the “OutputChannel1” and “OutputChannel2” Objects refer to the same data item (“Data Item 1”).

Each channel specified has a unique channel number defined by the “Number” attribute. The mandatory “Data” element’s attribute “BitOffset” (not shown in the figure) specifies an offset into the “DataItem” / “BitDataItem” elements and points to the start of the channel data. The channel data may be defined by a single “DataItem” element or by a sequence of consecutive “DataItem” elements. The BitOffset may point into a data item also (see channel “Data” element specification in [GSDML], 8 ff.). The mandatory “BitLength” attribute specifies the length of the channel data.

Figure 13 shows the mapping of the “Channel” elements and its child elements to Objects in the Information Model.

The BitOffset Property of the optional “Quality” Object points to the start of the channel quality data. This offset into the data may point into a data item also (no separate data item for quality information, see channel “Quality” element specification in [GSDML] chapter 8 ff.). The “Data” and the “Quality” components of the GsdGenIoChannelType Object are associated with the same data item using 0:AssociatedWith ReferenceTypes in this case.

The ”Format” Property defines the size and layout of the quality information (see “Quality” element specification in [GSDML], 8 ff.).

6.5 IO Data Qualifier and StatusCode Relationship

If quality data is provided (see GsdGenIoChannelQualityType), the Server shall set the StatusCode member of the DataValue structures returned by the Read Service and the Publish Service consistent with the content of the quality data when returning the Value of GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variables representing IO Data.

The quality data format is specified by the Value of the Format Property of the GsdGenIoChannelQualityType Object. Dependent on the quality data format, the Server shall set the StatusCodes as specified in Table 16.

If the “DataType” attribute of the “DataItem” element (see [GSDML]) specifies a data type with embedded status bits (see Table 58, “Unsigned16_S”, “Integer16_S”, “Unsigned8_S”, “OctetString_S”), the Server shall set the StatusCode according to Table 17. The Value of the representing Variable in the Information Model shall not contain the status bits.

6.6 Parameters

Figure 14 shows the “Parameters” sub-aspect in the Functional Aspect of the Information Model.

The GsdGenParameterVariableType Variable represents one Parameter as part of a parameter record described by the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element in the GSDML. Each GsdGenParameterVariableType Variable shall be part of the “Configuration” folder. The optional Index Property contains the PROFINET record number used to read the parameter record from the Device. The “Configuration” folder Object references as many GsdGenParameterVariableType Variables as there are separate Parameter values in the Parameter records referenced by the associated Submodule. The modelling of the Parameters as Variables allows Clients to obtain the Parameters without dissecting the Parameter record structure. Figure 15 shows the schema of the GSDML “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements describing Parameter records.

The Server shall use the “Index” attribute of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element to read the actual value of the parameter record from the Device. The Server shall then use the attributes of the “Ref” elements describing single Parameters to obtain the values needed to create the GsdGenParameterVariableType Variables.

Only Parameters described by “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements contained in the “ApplicationProcess/RecordDataList” shall be represented in the Information Model. These “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements are referenced by “(Virtual)SubmoduleItem /RecordDataList/ParameterRecordDataRef” elements (see Figure 16 and [GSDML], 8.15.9).

Since only Parameter records readable from the Submodule are allowed (see above), the referenced “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements shall have an “Access” attribute containing at least the “prm” and the “read” tokens. Elements describing Parameter records which cannot be read from the Submodule shall not be referenced.

Figure 17 shows the mapping of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements and their “Ref” child elements to Variables and Properties in the Information Model. The “Const”, “MenuList”, “RefMeta” and “RecordMeta” elements are not used as well as most attributes of the “Ref” element.

The Server shall provide the “Configuration” folder Object only if there are readable Parameter records specified in the GSDML for the Submodule.

6.7 Data Objects

Figure 18 shows the “Data Objects” sub-aspect in the Functional Aspect of the Information Model.

This aspect contains additional data values modelled as Variables or Properties for one Submodule if the GSDML contains a “(Virtual)SubmoduleItem/AvailableRecordDataList”.

Figure 19 shows the schema of the “AvailableRecordDataList” XML elements in the GSDML. The “AvailableRecordDataList” element contains “RecordDataRef” elements referencing “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements in the “ApplicationProcess/RecordDataList” (see [GSDML], 8.9.4).

The record must be readable from the referencing Submodule with the record index found in the “Index” attribute of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element. Vendors might allow write access also using the “Access” attribute of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element (see [GSDML]). Elements used for parameterization (“Access” attribute contains “prm” or is not present) represent Parameter records (see 6.6) and are not represented as Data Objects.

Additional properties needed for Data Objects are described by “RefMeta” and “RecordMeta” child elements of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements. Figure 20 shows the XML schema defined for the “RefMeta” and “RecordMeta” elements.

The “MetaExtensionT” schema describes a way to enhance certain elements in the GSDML with content which is defined in a different specification. For the description of Data Objects, the “Ref” elements may be extended with a “RefMeta” child element. The “RefMeta” element shall have a “Prefix” attribute and “Meta” child elements as shown in the following XML snippet.

<RefMeta Prefix="<tag> <URI>">
	<Meta Property="tag:<property name>" Content="<property content>"/>
		...
</RefMeta>

The content of the ”Prefix” attribute of the “RefMeta” element defines a tag name and the URI of the specification responsible for the definition of the required content of “Meta” child elements. The tag is used as prefix for the content of the “Property” attribute of all “Meta” child elements which are defined by the associated specification (see [GSDML], 8.28.1 “MetaExtension”).

Annex C describes the required attributes of the “RefMeta” and “Meta” child elements describing a Data Object.

The Object representing the Submodule offering Data Objects in the PROFINET aspect of the Information Model relates to the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object providing the Variables and Properties for these Data Objects using the 0:RepresentsSameFunctionalityAs ReferenceType.

Figure 21 shows the mapping of “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements, their “Ref” and “RefMeta” child elements to Variables in the Information Model.

The default VariableType for representing parameters obtained using Base Mode Parameter Access shall be 0:BaseDataVariableType. The Base Mode Parameter (BMP) data record is specified using a “RecordMeta” child element of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element. The individual BMPs and their representation in the Information Model are specified using RefMeta elements, see C.2 for details.

Additional Properties shall be created according to the parameter description obtained using BMP Access. The BMP Name (see Table 65) shall be used as BrowseName. See 7.1 for a detailed description.

6.7.1 BMPs with assigned text array

“Simple” BMPs with assigned text array (see [PDP], 6.2.1.4) can be represented by a 0:Enumeration DataType created by the Server, as shown in Figure 22. The array elements are assigned to the fields of the 0:EnumValueType structure as specified in Table 20. The representing Variable shall have the TypeDefinition 0:BaseDataVariableType and the Value shall have the 0:Enumeration DataType created as described above. The BMP Name (see Table 65) shall be used as part of the BrowseName, see 7.1, EnumerationVariable.

“Array” BMPs with assigned text array (see [PDP], sec. 6.2.1.4) can be represented by a folder Object with Variables as components, as shown in Figure 23. The BMP Name (see Table 65) shall be used as BrowseName of the parent folder Object. If the BMP has assigned engineering units and range, the folder Object shall have a 0:EUInformation and a 0:Range Property. The elements of the assigned text array shall be used as BrowseNames of the 0:BaseDataVariableType Variables representing the array elements. There shall be as many Variables as are needed to represent all array elements. Each Variable Value receives the array element value which has the same index as the assigned text array element which is used as BrowseName.

The intended usage of folder Objects is the representation of “small” array BMPs with assigned text array if the sequence is not of importance. This allows Clients to access array elements in the same way as elements of associative arrays using the assigned texts, since an array element is selected by a text identifier. For example, the first element would have the BrowsePath “<BMP Name>/<BMP Text Array[0]>”.

Vendors can specify the desired representation of BMPs by providing “Meta” elements in the GSDML, as described in C.2. See the description of the <EnumerationVariable>, <OptionSetVariable> and <ArrayFolder> placeholders in 7.1 for details.

6.8 Data Object Qualifier and StatusCode Relationship

If the value of the “Ref” element’s “DataType” attribute identifies a data type with appended status byte (see Table 58, “Unsigned16_S”, “Integer16_S”, “Unsigned8_S”, “OctetString_S”), the Server shall set the StatusCode according to Table 17. If BMP Access fails for a parameter (request response of BMP Access returns error value, see [PDP], 6.2.3), the Server shall set the StatusCode to “Bad” (0x80000000).

6.9 Function Groups

Determined by “Meta” elements with Property=“opc:FunctionGroupName” describing Data Objects the Variables and Properties may be organized as components of 2:FunctionalGroupType folder Objects. If the “Meta” elements with this attribute are missing, the Variables and Properties shall be organized as components at root level of the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object.

Figure 24 shows the usage of 2:FunctionalGroupType Objects as folders organizing the Data Objects.

The “FunctionGroupName” property may define a hierarchical folder structure using file system path syntax: “RootFolder/SubFolder/…/Folder”. The vendor shall provide path syntax strings yielding a consistent tree structure, as shown in Figure 24. See sample XML in Annex E.1 also.

6.10 Alarms

A Server supporting the “Alarms” sub-aspect shall detect the Alarms generated by the Devices (using PROFINET access) and generate GsdGenAlarmEventType Events. The Events are available for Subscription directly at the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object, as shown in Figure 25.

Servers providing GsdGenAlarmEventType Events shall read the “DiagnosisData” record to obtain the Alarm data. When processing the alarm data, the Server shall look up describing texts and help texts by evaluating the corresponding XML element.

The Server shall evaluate the “ChannelProcessAlarmList” GSDML element and its “ChannelProcessAlarmItem”, “SystemDefinedChannelProcessAlarmItem” and “ProfileChannelProcessAlarmItem” child elements. Figure 26 shows the GSDML structure of the “ChannelProcessAlarmList” child element of the “ApplicationProcess” element (see [GSDML], 8.9.7 ChannelProcessAlarmList).

6.11 Security

Servers shall allow the invocation of the SetApplicationTag Method only for Sessions of user accounts to which the right for Method invocation is explicitly granted. There shall exist user accounts with restricted rights (that is, no Method invocation) for Clients performing data acquisition or diagnosis also.

If well-known Roles are supported by the Server, role-based security (see [OPC 10000-18]) shall be applied. Method invocation shall only be possible if the well-known “Operator” Role is granted to the Client’s Session.

All Variables are read-only. Modifying the content of Variables shall only be possible by invoking a “Set-” Method.

7 OPC UA ObjectTypes

7.1 GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType

The GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object is the root container for the Objects and Variables representing a Submodule’s IO Data, Parameters, Data Objects and Alarms. Moreover, information regarding the communication status of the Submodule is provided.

The BrowseName of an instance shall be “GenericSubmoduleApplication”. If uniqueness of the BrowseName is an issue, the recommended naming convention applied shall be “<NameOfStation>.<SlotNumber>.<SubslotNumber>”, where SlotNumber and SubslotNumber are obtained by reading the RealIdentificationData record.

The ApplicationTag Variable contains information determined by configuration or by applications. The Client can change the Value of this Variable by invoking the SetApplicationTag Method.

Before invoking a Method of the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object, Clients must gain exclusive write access (“lock” the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object) using the Lock Object.

7.1.1 SetApplicationTag Method

This Method sets the Value of the ApplicationTag Variable. The security constraints defined in chapter 6.11 apply.

Signature

	SetApplicationTag (
		[in] 0:String	 ApplicationTag
		);
	

The Method Result Codes (defined in Call Service) are defined in Table 19.

The Lock Object ensures exclusive Method call for one Client. The Client locks the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object by invoking the InitLock Method of the Lock Object. The Client invokes ExitLock to release the lock.

The CommunicationStatus Property reports the communication status of the Submodule encoded as GsdGenIoCommunicationStatusEnumeration. If the Submodule is performing cyclic data transfer with a Controller, the Value shall be INDATA (ConfigurationStatus Property is either OK or SUBSTITUTE). If not (ConfigurationStatus Property contains WRONG) or if the Submodule is not configured (see 6.1), the Value shall be OFFLINE.

The ConfigurationStatus Property reports the configuration status of the Submodule indicated by the SubmoduleState.IdentInfo block encoded as GsdGenIoConfigurationStatusEnumeration. If the CommunicationStatus Property contains INDATA, possible Values are OK or SUBSTITUTE. If the CommunicationStatus Property contains OFFLINE (see above) for configured Submodules, the Value shall be WRONG. If the Submodule is not configured, the Value shall be UNKNOWN (see 6.1).

The optional ARIdentifier Property contains the ARUUID returned by the ARData record encoded as 0:Guid DataType. The Property shall only be provided if the CommunicationStatus Property contains INDATA. Intended to be used to give additional information about the AR to which the Submodule belongs, if the PROFINET aspect (part 30140) is not provided.

The optional ControllerName Property contains the NameOfStation of the Controller which owns and controls the Submodule. Intended to be used to show the related Controller/PLC if the PROFINET aspect (part 30140) is not provided.

The Input Object contains the Objects and Variables representing the Submodules Input Data. See 6.3 and 6.4 for details.

The Output Object contains the Objects and Variables representing the Submodules Output Data. See 6.3 and 6.4 for details.

The Configuration Object is an optional folder containing GsdGenParameterVariableType Variables representing the configuration Parameters of the Submodule. See section 6.6 for details.

The <ValueVariable> Variable represents one Data Object modelled as Variable as described in 6.7. There shall be as many 0:BaseDataVariableType Variables as are needed to represent the Data Objects which shall be represented as Variables. The BrowseName is either the GSDML Name (see Table 64) or the BMP Name (see Table 65) for BMPs. Data Objects with engineering unit shall always be represented by a Variable.

Numeric Data Objects with specified engineering unit shall be represented by 0:AnalogUnitType Variables, numeric Data Objects with specified engineering unit and range information shall be represented by 0:AnalogUnitRangeVariable Variables (<UnitVariable> and <UnitRangeVariable> placeholders). The BrowseName is either the GSDML Name (see Table 64) or the BMP Name (see Table 65) for BMPs.

The EngineeringUnit Property of the 0:AnalogUnitType and 0:AnalogUnitRangeType Variables shall contain the mapped UNECE code of the OPC UA EUInformation data type (see [OPC 10000-8], 5.6.3) for the engineering unit of this Data Object. The engineering unit is either determined by the GSDML Unit (see Table 64) or by the BMP Unit (see Table 65) for BMPs.

The EURange Property of the 0:AnalogUnitRangeType Variable shall be provided for Data Objects with associated engineering unit. The Value is determined by the GSDML Range (see Table 64) or by the BMP Range (see Table 65).

The <ValueProperty> Property represents one Data Object modelled as Property as described in section 6.7. There shall be as many 0:BaseDataType Properties as are needed to represent the Data Objects which are specified to be represented as Properties. Vendors shall not specify a representation as Property if an engineering unit is specified for the data value. BMPs shall not be represented as Properties.

The DataType of the Variables and Properties representing Data Objects is determined by the GSDML Type (see Table 64) or by the BMP Type (see Table 65) for BMPs. The ValueRank of a Data Object Variable or Property can be either a scalar or a single-dimensional array. If a conversion factor and an offset are to be applied for the display value (See C.1, “opc:Offset” and “opc:Gradient” attributes of “Meta” element, and [PDP], 6.2.1.3, Standardisation factor and Variable attribute), the DataType shall be 0:Float or 0:Double.

The <EnumerationVariable> represents one BMP “simple variable” (see [PDP], 6.2.1.4) with a text array assigned to an unsigned 8/16/32 or Boolean value (Bit 10 of the parameter description element “Identifier (ID)” is set to 1). The parameter value serves as index into the text array, see 6.7.1 also. The Server shall create a 0:Enumeration DataType and assign each text element of the text array to the description member of the 0:EnumValueType element structure of the EnumValues Property with the same index. Table 20 shows the assignment of parameter value, array index and text array elements.

The BrowseName of the generated 0:Enumeration DataType shall be created according to following template string: GsdGen<BMP Name>EnumerationType.

The BMP shall be represented as 0:Enumeration if the “RefMeta” element describing the BMP has a “Meta” child element with the “Property” attribute “opc:DestinationDataType” and the “Content” attribute “Enumeration” (see Table 63).

The <OptionSetVariable> Variable represents one BMP “simple variable” with a text array assigned to a “V2” data value (see [PDP], 6.2.1.4). The Server shall obtain the current value of the BMP and set the Boolean values in the BitMask array Property, starting with Bit 0 (LSB) of the sequence for the array element with index 0. The corresponding OptionSetValues array elements shall be set with the text string element from the assigned text array. Since two strings are assigned for the possible two states of each Bit in the sequence, the Server shall insert the text valid for the actual state of the Bit. For details of the assignment of elements of the text array to the actual value of the described Bit see [PDP], 6.2.1.4.

The BMP shall be represented as 0:OptionSetType if the “RefMeta” element describing the BMP has a “Meta” child element with the “Property” attribute “opc:DestinationDataType” and the “Content” attribute “OptionSetVariable” (see Table 63).

The <ArrayFolder> component Reference points to 2:FunctionalGroupType folder Object created as root Object to represent an array BMP as described in chapter 6.7.1.

The BMP shall be represented as folder Object if the “RefMeta” element describing the BMP has a “Meta” child element with the “Property” attribute “opc:DestinationDataType” and the “Content” attribute “ArrayFolder” (see Table 63).

The <FolderName> optional component Reference points to 2:FunctionalGroupType folder Object created according to the description in section 6.9.

The GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object shall relate to the Submodule Object it represents in the PROFINET aspect with a 0:RepresentsSameFunctionalityAs ReferenceType as shown in Figure 6.

The Server might provide diagnosis data by sending GsdGenAlarmEventType Events.

The components of the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType representing one Data Object have additional subcomponents which are defined in Table 21.

The BMPNumber Property shall contain the BMP Number (see Table 64) if the parent Variable represents a BMP (see [PDP], 6.2.3 Base Mode Parameter Access).

The Text Property shall contain the BMP Text attribute (see Table 65). The Text Property shall be provided unless the BMP with assigned text array is represented as EnumerationVariable or OptionSetVariable as specified above.

The TextArray Property shall contain the BMP Text Array attribute (see Table 65). The TextArray Property shall be provided unless the BMP is represented as ArrayFolder Object, see specification of the ArrayFolder Object above.

The EngineeringUnits Properties shall be provided for BMPs with specified engineering unit, the EURange Properties shall be provided for BMPs with specified engineering unit and range.

The Element component represents one array element for array BMPs. There shall be as many Element components of the ArrayFolder Object as there are array elements.

The BitMask Property represents the state of the individual Bits of the OptionSetVariable and renders the optional BitMask property of the 0:OptionSetType mandatory.

7.2 GsdGenIoDataType

The GsdGenIoDataType represents Input (Output) Data of a Submodule.

The Consistency Property contains the value of the “Consistency” attribute of the “Input” (“Output”) GSDML element.

The <DataItemx> 0:HasComponent Reference points to a GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variable representing the Input Data (Output Data) of the Submodule. There shall exist as many References as are needed to represent all “DataItem” child elements of the “Input” (“Output”) element in the GSDML (see Figure 10 also). To ensure unique BrowseNames, the Server shall substitute the ‘x’ in the placeholder template string with the item number. The numbering for <DataItemx> shall start with 1 for the first item and shall be incremented by 1 for each additional item.

The <InputChannelx> (<OutputChannelx>) GsdGenIoChannelType Object represents one Input (Output) Channel of the Submodule. There shall exist as many <InputChannelx> (<OutputChannelx>) Objects as are needed to represent all “Channel” child elements of the “Input” (“Output”) element in the GSDML (see also). To ensure unique BrowseNames, the Server shall substitute the ‘x’ in the placeholder template strings with the content of the “Number” attribute of the “Channel” element.

The GsdGenIoDataType Object shall relate to the associated PnIoTelegramType “Input” (“Output”) Object in the PROFINET aspect using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs ReferenceType.

7.3 GsdGenIoChannelType

The GsdGenIoChannelType represents one Input (Output) Channel of a Submodule.

The Number Property shall contain the Input (Output) Channel number. The Value shall be equal to the content of the “Number” attribute of the GSDML “Channel” element.

The Data Object represents the content of the “Data” child element of the GSDML “Channel” element.

The Quality Object represents the content of the “Quality” child element of the GSDML “Channel” element.

7.4 GsdGenIoChannelDataType

The GsdGenIoChannelDataType represents the memory associated with one IO Channel.

The BitOffset Property shall be equal to the content of the “BitOffset” attribute of the GSDML “Data” child element of the “Channel” element. It contains the offset in bits, starting with 0, into the data defined by the “DataItem/BitDataItem” elements.

The BitLength Property shall be equal to the content of the “BitLength” attribute of the GSDML “Data” child element of the “Channel” element. It contains the length of the channel data, as number of bits.

The GsdGenIoChannelDataType Object shall relate to the GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variable which represents the IO Data it references with a 0:AssociatedWith ReferenceType as shown in Figure 11.

7.5 GsdGenIoChannelQualityType

The GsdGenIoChannelQualityType represents the quality information of one IO Channel.

The BitOffset Property shall be equal to the content of the “BitOffset” attribute of the GSDML “Quality” child element of the “Channel” element. It contains the offset in bits, starting with 0, into the data defined by the “DataItem/BitDataItem” elements. It points to the start of the channel quality data.

The Format Property shall be equal to the content of the “Format” attribute of the GSDML “Quality” child element of the “Channel” element. It specifies the size and interpretation of the quality data. See GsdGenIoQualityFormatEnumeration in 10.6 for details.

The GsdGenIoChannelQualityType Object shall relate to the GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variable which represents the segment of the IO Data containing the quality data it references with a 0:AssociatedWith ReferenceType as shown in Figure 11.

8 OPC UA EventTypes

8.1 GsdGenAlarmEventType

This EventType is generated by the GsdGenSubmoduleApplicationType Object. Its representation in the AddressSpace is formally defined in Table 26.

This EventType inherits all Properties of the 0:BaseEventType.

If the variable UserStructureIdentifier indicates manufacturer specific diagnosis information, the variable ManufacturerData contains the manufacturer specific diagnosis data.

The Message variable of the Event and the HelpText variable are retrieved from the GSDML file. If the message includes a dynamic format string, this is replaced by the ExtChannelAddValue.

For an active alarm the Severity variable of the Event must be dependent on the Maintenance and the QualifiedChannelQualifier variables.

The Severity is divided into the 4 categories shown in the following table:

If the Maintenance variable is provided, the following mapping is used for the Severity value:

If the QualifiedChannelQualifier is provided, the Severity value depends on the bit set in the UInt32 value of the QualifiedChannelQualifier. The bits 0 – 2 are not used.

The following mapping is used for the Severity value:

9 OPC UA VariableTypes

9.1 GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType

The GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType is a subtype of the 0:BaseDataVariableType and represents the GSDML “DataItem” element. It is formally defined in Table 27.

The Server shall set the concrete DataType of a Variable Instance according to Table 58.

The UseAsBits Property indicates if the data item is separated into individual bits represented by “BitDataItem” child elements. If True, GsdGenIoBitDataItemVariableType components shall be provided. If False, no components of this type shall be provided.

The <BitDataItem> GsdGenIoBitDataItemVariableType Variable represents one GSDML “BitDataItem” child element of the “DataItem” element. There shall be as many Variables as are needed to represent all “BitDataItem” elements. The Server shall substitute the placeholder string with the text determined by the “TextId” attribute of the “BitDataItem” element.

The GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variable shall relate to the PnIoSignalType Object representing the same IO Data in the PROFINET aspect with a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs ReferenceType as shown in Figure 7.

If GsdGenIoChannelType Objects are provided, the GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variable shall relate to the GsdGenIoChannelDataType Object which references the IO Data it represents with a 0:AssociatedWith ReferenceType as shown in Figure 11. If quality information is also provided, the GsdGenIoDataItemVariableType Variable shall relate to the GsdGenIoChannelQualityType Object which references the segment of the IO Data it represents with a 0:AssociatedWith ReferenceType as shown in Figure 11.

9.2 GsdGenIoBitDataItemVariableType

The GsdGenIoBitDataItemVariableType is a subtype of the 0:BaseDataVariableType and represents the GSDML “BitDataItem” element. It is formally defined in Table 28.

The Server shall set the Value of the GsdGenIoBitDataItemVariableType Variable equal to the content of the “BitOffset” attribute of the GSDML “BitDataItem” element the Variable represents.

9.3 GsdGenParameterVariableType

The GsdGenParameterVariableType is a subtype of the 0:BaseDataVariableType and represents the GSDML “Ref” element (see 6.5.). It is formally defined in Table 29.

The DefaultValue Property contains the Parameter’s default value. Source: “DefaultValue” attribute of the describing “Ref” element.

The Index Property contains the record index of the containing Parameter record.

The ByteOffset Property contains the offset in octets of the Parameter from the beginning of the Parameter record. Source: “ByteOffset” attribute of the describing “Ref” element.

The BitOffset Property contains the offset in bits of the Parameter from the beginning of the referenced octet (see ByteOffset). Source: “BitOffset” attribute of the describing “Ref” element.

The BitLength Property contains the length of the Parameter, in number of bits. Source: “BitLength” attribute of describing “Ref” element. Shall only be provided if the “DataType” attribute of the “Ref” element is “BitArea”.

For a detailed description of the “Ref” element and it attributes see [GSDML], 8.15.6 Ref.

10 OPC UA DataTypes

10.1 GsdGenIoTimeDataType

This structure contains the fields encoded in the “TimeOfDay with date indication” and the “TimeDifference with date indication” value (see PN PROTOCOL). The structure is defined in Table 30.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 31.

10.2 GsdGenIoTimeStampDataType

This structure contains the fields encoded in the “TimeStamp” and “TimeStampDifference” values (see PN PROTOCOL). The structure is defined in Table 32.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 33.

10.3 GsdGenIoConsistencyEnumeration

This enumeration describes whether the application requires submodule consistency or not. The enumeration is defined in Table 34.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 35.

10.4 GsdGenIoCommunicationStatusEnumeration

This enumeration describes the Submodules IO status. The enumeration is defined in Table 36.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 37.

10.5 GsdGenIoConfigurationStatusEnumeration

This enumeration describes the Submodules configuration status. The enumeration is defined in Table 38.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 39.

10.6 GsdGenIoQualityFormatEnumeration

This enumeration describes the format of the channel quality data. The GSDML allows three quality data format layouts which are defined by PNO application profiles (see [GSDML], Table 12 – Channel quality format). The enumeration is defined in Table 40.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 41.

10.7 GsdGenChannelAccumulativeEnumeration

See [PN PROTOCOL], Table 652 – ChannelProperties.Accumulative. The enumeration is defined in Table 42.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 43.

10.8 GsdGenChannelMaintenanceEnumeration

See [PN PROTOCOL], Table 653 – ChannelProperties.Maintenance. The enumeration is defined in Table 44.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 45.

10.9 GsdGenChannelSpecifierEnumeration

See [PN PROTOCOL], Table 656 – ChannelProperties.Specifier. The enumeration is defined in Table 46.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 47.

10.10 GsdGenChannelDirectionEnumeration

See [PN PROTOCOL], Table 585 – ChannelProperties.Direction. The enumeration is defined in Table 48.

Its representation in the AddressSpace is defined in Table 49.

11 Profiles and Conformance Units

11.1 Conformance Units

Table 50 defines the corresponding ConformanceUnits for the OPC UA Information Model for PROFINET GSD Generic Model.

11.2 Profiles

11.2.1 Profile list

Table 51 lists all Profiles defined in this document and defines their URIs.

11.2.2 Server Facets

11.2.2.1 Overview

The following sections specify the Facets available for Servers that implement the PROFINET GSD Generic Model companion specification. Each section defines and describes a Facet or Profile.

A specification can define multiple Facets if not all features are to be implemented by all Servers and Clients. The name of the Facet shall give a hint of the subset. An overall description shall be provided that explains the subset and it potential use.

11.2.2.2 PNGSDGM Base Server Profile

Table 52 defines a Profile that describes the minimum OPC UA functionality provided by the Server implementing this specification.

11.2.2.3 PNGSDGM Advanced Server Profile

Table 53 defines a Profile that adds the Generic Data Objects Conformance Unit to the minimum OPC UA functionality defined by the PNGSDGM Base Server Profile.

11.2.2.4 PNGSDGM Extended Server Profile

Table 54 defines a Profile that adds the Generic BMP Access Conformance Unit to the OPC UA functionality defined by the PNGSDGM Advanced Server Profile.

11.2.3 Client Facets

This specification does not define Client Facets.

12 Namespaces

12.1 Namespace Metadata

Table 55 defines the namespace metadata for this document. The Object is used to provide version information for the namespace and an indication about static Nodes. Static Nodes are identical for all Attributes in all Servers, including the Value Attribute. See OPC 10000-5 for more details.

The information is provided as Object of type NamespaceMetadataType. This Object is a component of the Namespaces Object that is part of the Server Object. The NamespaceMetadataType ObjectType and its Properties are defined in OPC 10000-5.

The version information is also provided as part of the ModelTableEntry in the UANodeSet XML file. The UANodeSet XML schema is defined in OPC 10000-6.

Note: The IsNamespaceSubset Property is set to False as the UANodeSet XML file contains the complete Namespace. Servers only exposing a subset of the Namespace need to change the value to True.

12.2 Handling of OPC UA Namespaces

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 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.

Annex A PROFINET GSD Generic Model Namespace and mappings (Normative)

A.1 NodeSet and Supplementary Files for PROFINET GSD Generic Model Information Model

The PROFINET-GSD Generic Model is identified by the following URI:

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

Documentation for the NamespaceUri can be found “here”.

The NodeSet associated with this version of specification can be found here:

https://reference.opcfoundation.org/nodesets/?u=http://opcfoundation.org/UA/PNGSDGM/&v=1.0.0&ns=1

The NodeSet associated with the latest version of the specification can be found here:

https://reference.opcfoundation.org/nodesets/?u=http://opcfoundation.org/UA/PNGSDGM/&ns=1

The supplementary files associated with this version of specification can be found here:

https://reference.opcfoundation.org/nodesets/?u=http://opcfoundation.org/UA/PNGSDGM/&v=1.0.0&i=2

The supplementary files associated with the latest version of the specification can be found here:

https://reference.opcfoundation.org/nodesets/?u=http://opcfoundation.org/UA/PNGSDGM/&i=2

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Annex B Data Type Mappings (Normative)

B.1 GSDML data types mapping to OPC UA data types

The data types in the GSDML file are defined in [GSDML] table 18. Table 58 defines the mapping of GSDML data types to OPC UA data types.

*): Constant sampling time T_a.

B.2 BMP data type mapping to OPC UA data types.

Table 59 shows references of standard data types and profile specific data types used by PROFIdrive (see [PDP], 5.2 and 5.3). The numeric identifier is the value of the first byte of the BMP parameter description “Identifier (ID)”.

If a conversion factor and an offset are to be applied for the display value (see [PDP], 6.2.1.3, Standardisation factor and Variable attribute), the OPC UA DataType shall always be 0:Float or 0:Double.

Annex C GSDML RecordMeta and RefMeta Elements Usage (Normative)

C.1 RefMeta child elements

Table 60 describes the required content of the RefMeta element and its Meta child elements describing a Data Object.

As shown in Figure 15, the “ParameterRecordDataItem” elements may contain an optional “RecordMeta” element. The schema defined for the “RecordMeta” element is the same as the schema of the “RefMeta” elements (see Figure 20 also). Table 61 shows the required content of the optional RecordMeta element.

C.2 RecordMeta child elements

One “RecordMeta” child element as described in Table 61 specifying the recommended polling interval may be part of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element.

If Base Mode Parameter Access is supported, a “ParameterRecordDataItem” with “Index” attribute containing the record index to use for the BMP protocol (usually “0xB02E”) and a “RecordMeta” child element containing a “Meta” child element with “Property” attribute equal to “opc:BMPChannel” as described in Table 62 can be used to specify BMPs. The vendor specific options for the representation of BMPs in the Information Model are specified using a sequence of “RefMeta” elements (see Table 63), as shown in the GSDML sample in E.1.

The “Length” attribute of the “ParameterRecordDataItem” element is mandatory but may be ignored by Servers since the size of the memory needed varies dependent on the actual request response. Servers must follow the protocol as defined in [PDP], chapter 6.2.3 “Base Mode Parameter Access” (see GSDML sample in E.1 also). Table 63 shows the required content of the “RefMeta” child element specifying one BMP.

Annex D OPC UA Data Objects (Normative)

D.1 Data Object attributes

Table 64 and Table 65 define Data Object attributes together with their source.

Annex E Samples (Informative)

E.1 GSDML sample for Data Object specification

The following GSDML snippet contains a sample “RecordDataList” defining Data Objects.

<RecordDataList>
	<ParameterRecordDataItem ID="Readable_Record_6000" Index="6000" 
			Length="10" Access="read;write">
		<Name TextId="IDT_RECORD_NAME_Readable_Read_6000"/>
		<Const ByteOffset="0" Data="0x42 0x42 0x42 0x42 0x42 0x42"> </Const>
		<Ref ByteOffset="6" DataType="Unsigned16" DefaultValue="0" TextId="IDT_Param_Voltage">
			<RefMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfouncation.org/UA-Profile/PNGSDGM/">
				<Meta Property="opc:Name" Content="SupplyVoltage"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:EngineeringUnit" Content="12890"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:FunctionGroupName" Content="PowerSupply"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DataMapping" Content="Variable"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DestinationDataType" Content="0:UInt16"/>
			</RefMeta>
		</Ref>
		<Ref ByteOffset="8" DataType="Unsigned16" DefaultValue="0" TextId="IDT_Param_Current">
			<RefMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfoundation.org/UA-Profile/PNGSDGM/">
				<Meta Property="opc:Name" Content="CurrentDrain"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:EngineeringUnit" Content="13387"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:FunctionGroupName" Content="PowerSupply"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DataMapping" Content="Variable"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:Offset" Content="8"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:Gradient" Content="16"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DestinationDataType" Content="0:UInt16"/>
			</RefMeta>
		</Ref>
		<RecordMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfoundation.org/UA-Profile/PNGSDGM/">
			<Meta Property="opc:UpdateRate" Content="1000"/>
		</RecordMeta>
	</ParameterRecordDataItem>
 	<ParameterRecordDataItem ID="BaseModeParameter" Index="0xB02E" Length="10" Access="read">
		<Name TextId="GenericPROFIdrive"/>
		<!-- needed by checker: referenced Text element must exist -->
		<Ref Data="0x00"> <!-- dummy element needed by checker; only one Ref element needed -->
			<RefMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfouncation.org/PNGSDGM/">
				<Meta Property="opc:ParameterNumber" Content="922"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:FunctionGroupName" Content="Control/ProximitySensor"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:UpdateRate" Content="1000"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DestinationDataType" Content="Enumeration"/>
			</RefMeta>
			<RefMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfouncation.org/PNGSDGM/">
				<Meta Property="opc:ParameterNumber" Content="915"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:FunctionGroupName" Content="Control/ProximitySensor"/>	
				<Meta Property="opc:UpdateRate" Content="5000"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DestinationDataType" Content="ArrayFolder"/>
			</RefMeta>
			<RefMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfouncation.org/PNGSDGM/">
				<Meta Property="opc:ParameterNumber" Content="916"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:FunctionGroupName" Content="Control/Lever"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:UpdateRate" Content="5000"/>
				<Meta Property="opc:DestinationDataType" Content="OptionSetVariable"/>
			</RefMeta>
		</Ref>
		<RecordMeta Prefix="opc http://opcfouncation.org/PNGSDGM/">
			<Meta Property="opc:BMPChannel" Content="ControlUnit"/>
		</RecordMeta>
	</ParameterRecordDataItem>
</RecordDataList>

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