So, briefly explained, my use case is as follows:
I use Ignition Edge on a Raspberry Pi to collect values directly from a PLC, and have a script running on that same Raspberry Pi that periodically looks at the current process values Edge has, does some computation on them, and does other things as necessary. This all needs to be done on the Pi, there can be no communication to the outside world - there’s no centralized SCADA system to speak of so each Pi has to be responsible for its own data collection. Up to this point, I’ve roughed out a prototype using the trial version of Edge which collects data from the PLC. My script then polls data from the internal OPC UA server that Edge has, so that my script can do what it needs to. So, Edge does the data collection and heavy lifting, and I use an internal OPC UA client to periodically check the values that Edge has via its internal OPC UA server (internally, Edge’s UI calls it a “loopback connection”?)
A while ago I had a discussion where it was explained to me that, if I wanted to use Ignition Edge in this manner, when I was ready to buy a license and deploy my best bet would be to purchase the Ignition Edge IIoT module, since that would be required to enable OPC UA functionality. But I’m looking at the trial version of Edge, which doesn’t appear to have the Ignition Edge IIoT module enabled by default. Yet, I’m able to poll Ignition’s internal OPC UA server just fine.
So my question is: to have a script periodically poll Ignition Edge’s OPC UA server, do I actually need to purchase the license for the Ignition Edge IIoT module? Am I using functionality in the trial version which won’t be available if I don’t buy the Ignition Edge IIoT module?