Imperious Technology  
F.A.Q
Imperious Technology
7324 S. W. Freeway, Suite 1040 Houston, TX 77074
TEL: (713) 532-1280 FAX: (713) 532-1291
welcome to Imperious Technology
Your source for OPC I/O Servers, Testsets & Protocol
Analyzers. Imperious Technology is the first in the
industry to offer OPC Servers with built-in Testset
and Protocol Analyzer capabilities.
Request a Product Demo
FAQ
 
Modbus OPC Serial Server

Need Help
General   Smart PA   DNP3   Services

Do you offer a software or hardware license?
We offer both hardware and software licenses to our I/O Server customers. The Smart Protocol Analyzer is only available with the hardware option. For the hardware option, you can pick from either a USB or a Parallel Port Key.

Can I change my parallel key with a USB?
Yes you may. We will ship out the requested key and once you receive the key, just send the other key back to us.

Do you offer discounts to Education Institutions?
Yes we do. Please contact our Engineering Sales Team for further information.

Can I get discounts for buying multiple licenses?
We do offer discounts to our clients who purchase 5 or more of the same license. Please contact our Engineering Sales Team for further information.

My company is registered as a service provider to various oil, water, and gas utilities. Can we qualify for a discount?
Certain companies do have alliances with us. Please contact our Engineering Sales Team for further information.

What is the difference between your Analyzer and other network Analysers?
The key point here is 'network' Analyser. A network Analyzer will show you 'everything' on the network. Our Analyzer will show you 'what you want to see' based on the Protocol being monitored.

Is it possible to have our own GUI created for the Smart Protocol Analyzer?
It sure is. ElPaso Energy had us provide them with their own GUI rather than using ours. Please contact our Engineering Sales Team for further information.

I noticed you do not support a protocol that is being used at our plant. How can I have it included in your Smart Protocol Analyzer?
If we do not currently offer a protocol, it can be added. Please email our Engineering Sales Team with your needs.

Which versions of the Modbus Protocol do you support?
Our Modbus Protocol Analyser has the ability to do Modbus RTU, Modbus ASCII, and Modbus TCP. Visit our products page for more information on the protocols supported by our Smart Protocol Analyser.

Do I need any special cables to run your Smart Protocol Analyzer?
No. As long as the software is running on the computer that communicates to the remote devices, you do not need any hardware or cables. If you are out in the field and wish to connect between the communication link, then you would need a special connector. Let the Engineering Sales Team understand your needs when placing an order.

How many devices does your DNP Master support?
The server can handle from 1 to 1000 plus devices. The server was designed keeping companies with many devices in mind. Many large scale companies have problems with other software vendors that take a lot of CPU power to run their system over multiple machines. With our DNP Master, we have tested it with 1000 plus devices in simulated environment with minimal CPU consumption. Other software vendors may provide this capability in the future, while we provide it today.

In the process of testing the DNP Master, we created a DNP Simulator that can simulate thousands of RTU's on one or more COM ports with minimal configurations. Please contact our Engineering Sales Team for pricing and information.

What standard does your DNP Master support?
We currently support DNP Level 1, 2, and 3 in Serial and TCP/IP mode.

Can your Smart PA be used with the DNP Master?
Sure it can. Using our products may actually save you a lot of time in troubleshooting and running the system.

What are the differences between your DNP OPC Server, DNP Suitelink Server, and DNP DDE Server?
Do not get confused by the different names associated with the DNP Server. The only difference between the names is that they stress the communication method being used, such as OPC, Suitelink, DDE, and so forth. You may also call us by any of the following names; DNP OPC Master, DNP Suitelink Master, DNP 3.0 OPC Master, DNP 3.0 Suitelink Master, DNP 3.0 OPC Server, DNP3 Driver, DNP3 Server, DNP3 Master, DNP3.0 Server, Distributed Network Protocol OPC Server and so forth. The names may be different based on the naming culture for an area but underneath, the product is still the same.

What HMI's does your DNP Master support?
We are able to connect to OPC, DDE, FastDDE, and Suitelink compatible HMI's running under Serial or TCP/IP. We have tested the DNP Master with WonderWare, Citect, Intellution, Iconics, Rockwell Software RSView32, and are able to support any HMI that is DDE/OPC compatible.

Is there an upgrade path available should I want to add more devices and how hard would it be?
Yes, you can always upgrade to a larger device license and it is not hard at all. Just tell our Engineering Sales Team what you need and they will guide you through the process.

Your DNP Server description says that the server supports OPC, DDE, FastDDE, and Suitelink concurrently. How does that work?
Let us presume you have a mix of WonderWare and Intellution running at your plant. You can run our server to monitor both plants at the same time! You do not need to have two different I/O Servers running to get data for both HMI/MMI's. Our Smart Server is able to handle and provide you with the data from any of the HMI's, no matter what HMI/MMI package you are running.

Does your DNP3 OPC Server and DNP3 Suitelink Server show RTU Timestamps?
Yes it does. If timestamp is available from the RTU per point, both the DNP3 OPC Master and the DNP3 Suitelink Master will pass the time stamp to respective clients.

Does your DNP3 Server pass OPC Quality per point?
Yes it does pass standard OPC Quality per point both for OPC and Suitelink clients.

Does your DNP3 support File Transfer?
Yes, our master, slave and analyzer supports DNP sequential file transfer objects 70.2, 70.3, 70.4, 70.5, 70.6 and 70.7.
The files can be transferred to and from the Master using external application with DDE/Suitelink/OPC. The file can also be transferred using telnet command console. A full explorer style browser is also supported for file transfer to and from remote stations.

Which Devices does your DNP3 Server support?
Our Server can support any Level 1, 2, or 3 DNP compliant device using Serial or TCP/IP communication port. Below is a short sample of some of the devices that our Server has been tested on and being used by our customers:

  • Control Microsystems SCADAPack 32
  • Nu-Lec CAPM2 & CAPM4 Processors
  • Moscad Lite DCIU RTU
  • MiCOM P142 Protection Relays
  • Beckwith AVR Relays
  • Horton Automation MICRAPAC 925 RTU
  • Foxboro C50 RTU
  • Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories - SEL351 Relays
  • GE Harris D-20 series
  • Ion 7330 Power Meters
  • A-eberle RegD Voltage Regulators
  • Serck PDS e-Net RTU
  • Transdata Mark V Meters

If you do not see a device on the list, contact us to see if we have received any feedback on the particular device.

What kind of Services do you offer?
We offer various different kinds of services:

  • Software development
  • HMI development
  • PLC programming
  • Off-Shore Development
  • Protocol Training

Just let our Engineering Sales Team know what you need and they will assist you in your needs.

 

If have any questions, please feel free to email our Engineering Support Team.