Softing Industrial has expanded the functionalities of its OPC UA C++ SDK (Software Development Kit) with the new version 6.30. Data transmission using OPC UA Pub/Sub (Publisher/Subscriber) via MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is now possible in addition to the previously available UDAP protocol (Universal Data Augmenting Processor). The new implementation supports both the widely used MQTT version 3.x and the new version 5.0.
Data security is guaranteed by encrypting the communication using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Easy data evaluation at the application level is possible because OPC UA JSON coding (Java Script Object Notation) serves as the transmission format.
Data transmission with Pub/Sub via MQTT offers many benefits to users. These include:
- Scalability: Pub/Sub via MQTT can be easily scaled to a large number of devices or subscribers without compromising performance.
- Efficiency: The protocol overhead with MQTT is low, which makes data transmission efficient and resource-saving.
- Reliability: MQTT provides mechanisms for Quality of Service (QoS), which make it possible to control message delivery and ensure that messages are delivered reliably depending on the requirements of the use case.
- Flexibility: Thanks to the clear separation of publishers and subscribers, MQTT enables flexible and dynamic communication between different devices and applications, which is particularly suitable for distributed systems or the IoT.
The development kit is available for Windows, Linux, and VxWorks. It offers developers, system integrators, and device and control manufacturers an easy and fast way to integrate OPC UA into their automation and Industry 4.0 applications. A comprehensive collection of libraries with a concise, clearly documented programming interface as well as corresponding sample applications, and test and simulation tools are included in the software package and enable a fast time to market. All SDKs have the OPC UA Testlab certification. Users can therefore be sure that they are choosing the safest and fastest way to compliant, robust, and high-performing OPC UA products. A demo version with full functionality and a limited runtime as well as detailed release notes and technical data sheets are available for download on the Softing Industrial website.
