Getting Started
This guide is intended for those who would like to create an ICCP Front End (IFE) to an OPC UA Client-Server configuration using the Oracle Utilities Live Energy Connect (LEC) product. If you need an IFE, you might want to familiarize yourself with ICCP before reading other parts of the guide.
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Preface
This preface is designed to give some background information for those who have had little exposure to the Inter-Control Center Communications Protocol (ICCP). ICCP is an international standard which is known as International Electrotechnical Commission 60870-6 (IEC)/Telecontrol Application Service Element 2 (TASE.2). It provides data exchange over wide area networks (WANs) between utility control centers, utilities, power pools, regional control centers, and non-utility generators.
ICCP exchanges data by using three different mechanisms: transfer sets/information reports, writes, and event notification. The blocks of data are categorized into eight distinct types of data. These eight distinct blocks are described in detail in ICCP Service Modeling.
LEC Server supports Blocks 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7.
Block 1 and 2
Provide for the transfer of measurement and state information from an ICCP server to an ICCP client. Block 1 allows for the hosting of variables on the server, and Block 2 is for monitoring changes to these variables. Blocks 1 and 2 are exchanged by the creation of a transfer set composed of a collection of variables. The information in transfer sets is transferred to the client by way of an information report.
Block 4
Provides for the transfer of a buffer of binary bytes from an ICCP server to an ICCP client. Therefore, you can use Block 4 to pass any kind of data, numeric, text, or binary bytes; however, in this application, Block 4 carries mostly informational text messages. Like Blocks 1 and 2, Block 4 uses the transfer set mechanism. In this IFE, customers use Block 4 to encapsulate messages defined by a different protocol OPC UA.
Block 5
Provides for the writing of control information from an ICCP client to an ICCP server. Block 5 uses the write mechanism. It allows a remote ICCP client (a SCADA device that is not part of an OEM's client-server application, nor does it exist within the LEC Server instance) to control events at devices that are connected to the ICCP server, such as switching an OEM’s OPC UA server device on or off.
Block 5 also supports setting, clearing, and getting tags. An OEM’s OPC UA client can set or clear a tag in the local OPC UA server (an OPC UA server within the LEC Server instance also known as an IFE when configured as an OPC UA/ICCP Front End) by writing to the tag variable. Similarly, an OEM’s OPC UA client can monitor a tag in the local OPC UA server by reading the tag variable.
Block 7
Reports completion status for a Block 5 device control. Block 7 does this by using the mechanism of Event Notification.