Add and Configure an OPC UA Data Access Collector
About this task
This topic describes how to add a collector instance using Configuration Hub. You can also add a collector instance using the RemoteCollectorConfigurator utility, which does not require you to install Web-based Clients.
Procedure
- Access Configuration Hub.
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In the NAVIGATION section, under the Configuration Hub
plugin for Historian, select Collectors.
A list of collectors in the default system appears.
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In the upper-right corner of the main section, select
.
The Add Collector Instance: <system name> window appears, displaying the Collector Selection section. The MACHINE NAME field contains a list of machines on which you have installed collectors. - In the MACHINE NAME field, select the machine in which you want to add a collector instance.
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In the COLLECTOR TYPE field, select OPC UA DA
Collector, and then select Get Details.
The INSTALLATION DRIVE and DATA DIRECTORY fields are disabled and populated.
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Select Next.
The Source Configuration section appears.
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In the OPC UA SERVER URI field, enter the URI to connect
to the OPC server in the following format:
opc.tcp://<host name or IP address of the OPC UA server>:<port number> -
Select Next.
The Destination Configuration section appears. The collector machine name provided by you is selected as the Source Configuration by default.
Under CHOOSE DESTINATION, the Historian Server option is selected by default. In addition, the DESTINATION HISTORIAN SERVER field is disabled and populated with the collector machine name.
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Select the destination to which you want to send data, and then enter the
values in the corresponding fields. You can send data to an on-premises
Historian server or to a cloud destination.
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Select Next.
The Collector Initiation section appears. The COLLECTOR NAME field is populated with a value in the following format:
<Historian server name>_OPCUACollector_<number> -
If needed, modify the value in the COLLECTOR NAME
field.
The value that you enter:
- Must be unique.
- Must contain the string
OPCUACollector. - Must not exceed 15 characters.
- Must not contain a space.
- Must not contain special characters except a hyphen, period, and an underscore.
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In the RUNNING MODE field, select one of the following
options.
- Service - Local System Account: Select this option if you want to run the collector as a Windows service using the credentials of the local user (that is, the currently logged-in user). If you select this option, the USERNAME and PASSWORD fields are disabled.
- Service Under Specific User Account: Select this
option if you want to run the collector as a Windows service using a
specific user account. If you select this option, you must enter values
in the USERNAME and
PASSWORD fields. If you have enabled the Enforce Strict Collector Authentication option in Historian Administrator, you must provide the credentials of a user who is added to at least one of the following security groups:
- iH Security Admins
- iH Collector Admins
- iH Tag Admins
You can also configure the collector to start automatically when you start the computer.
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Select Add.
The collector instance is added. The fields specific to the collector section appear in the DETAILS section.
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In the COLLECTOR SPECIFIC CONFIGURATION section, configure
values as described in the following table.
Field Description OPC UA Server URL The URI to connect to the OPC UA server. Enter a value in the following format: opc.tcp://<host name or IP address of the OPC UA server>:<port number>Secured Connectivity Indicates whether you want a secured connection between the OPC UA server and the collector. By default, this field is set to false. You can establish a secured connectivity in one of the following ways:- Using certificates: To use certificates, switch off the User Security toggle.
- Using user authentication: To use user authentication, switch on the User Security toggle.
User Security This field is enabled only if you have enabled secured connectivity. Switch on this toggle if you want to use user authentication to connect to the OPC server. When you do so, the User Name and Password fields are enabled. You can either enter the user credentials in these fields, or you can use the values in the ClientConfig.ini file. For instructions, refer to Connect with the OPC UA DA Server Securely. Username This field is enabled only if you have set the secured connectivity to true and switched on the User Security toggle. Enter the username that you want to use to connect to the OPC server. If you do not provide a value, the username from the ClientConfig.ini file is considered. Password This field id enabled only if you have set the secured connectivity to true and selected the Enable User Security check box. Enter the password that you want to use to connect to the OPC server. If you do not provide a value, the password from the ClientConfig.ini file is considered. MTLS Security Indicates whether you want to use Mutual TLS (MTLS) protocol to enforce a secure and strong authentication mechanism. MTLS Data Encryption Indicates whether you want to encrypt the data that the collector shares to the data archiver (DA). For more information on how to enable MTLS Security, refer to Enable MTLS Security. - As needed, enter values in the other sections common to all collectors.
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In the upper-left corner of the page, select Save.
The changes to the collector instance are saved. - If needed, restart the collector.