Dealing with live OPC tags in development environment

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Bumping this question here, but also peeling off: Is it possible to create view only user for gateway and projects? - #13 by dkhayes117

I'm also interested in configuring a Designer_ViewOnly user. I've thought about using project inheritance to protect against making changes to projects, the major hole in this is that projects are connected to live OPC tags that are not protected by inheritance.

If I went the development server route I see a similar issue... How are folks handling live machine/controller connections that may be needed in the development or test environment, while also guarding against unwanted production interruption e.g. writing out to live PLCs while in test? Just using simulation of some kind?

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It depends what kind of PLCs you are using if you can simulate them.

There is also the possibility of dev devices, or scripting and changing tags to and from, memory to live.

You can do a view only user. But I don't know how much good that will do.

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Simulate, simulate, simulate.

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Simulate devices using L5K parser or pturmel's Ethernet/IP Module

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I think I have my answer (simulation). I'm not a PLC expert but I'll look into the Ethernet/IP Module. It would be great to have the most real time outputs as possible on startup, while still simulating I/O. A 'ghost' controller? Anyway, if anyone else has more examples of how they configure their development env I'd be happy to hear.

Thanks.

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Okay, but does that only work on logix controllers? What about simulating non logix controllers.

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I also have a module that can simulate Modbus devices. Beyond these two, you're kinda stuck with IA's simulator device or external emulators.

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Is their a way with IA simulator we could alter the files to map our own simulated tags?

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No clue. I obviously don't use it. (:

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No worries, guess I'll have to fiddle around with it.