OPC UA Server* for AVEVA™ PI System™
Unlock Your Operational Data with Global Standards
Modernize your connectivity, eliminate DCOM headaches, and securely extend the value of your AVEVA PI System across your enterprise using the industry-standard IEC 62541 protocol.
Experience how our OPC UA Server for AVEVA™ PI System™ can work for you.
Let’s schedule a time to demo our product and see what we can do for you.
Unlock Your PI Data with Modern Open Standards
The CSE ICON OPC UA Server for the PI System* is the essential new tool in your integration toolbelt, acting as a secure, high-performance bridge between your trusted PI System and the modern industrial landscape.
While the PI System remains the industry standard for data historization, the landscape for sharing that data has changed. Integrating with third-party tools, such as SCADA systems, MES platforms, or AI/ML engines, has traditionally required complex middleware or legacy OPC DA connections, both of which are plagued by security risks.
Our server solves this by strictly adhering to the IEC 62541 (OPC Unified Architecture) standard. This ensures that your PI Data Archive and Asset Framework (AF) are exposed through a globally recognized, platform-independent architecture that guarantees interoperability with any modern industrial client.
Why Now? The End of DCOM and Legacy Drivers
The industry is shifting, and sticking with legacy connectivity is no longer an option.
- AVEVA Deprecation: AVEVA is deprecating its PI OPC DA and HDA Servers. This transition is necessary as legacy protocols struggle to meet modern security requirements.
- Microsoft Security Compliance: Following Microsoft’s latest Windows Server updates, the DCOM model is no longer supported for cross-network communication due to inherent vulnerabilities.
- A Modern Standard: We are following Microsoft’s trend toward secure, service-oriented architectures. OPC UA is the modern, secure way to share data with virtually any system.
Real-World Integration Scenarios
Our server allows you to bypass complex “wrapper” solutions and native driver limitations to achieve the integrations modern operations demand:
- MES & Workflow Integration: Enable true interoperability between PI and your Manufacturing Execution System. Support critical handshakes where MES writes feedback values to the historian or triggers calculation logic.
- DCS Optimization: Securely feed high-level data back to the plant floor. Example: Feed real-time energy market prices from PI to your DCS to automate production throttling based on cost.
- Advanced Analytics & AI: Pipe cleaned, contextualized PI data directly into AI/ML platforms, Python scripts, or cloud analytics tools that natively speak OPC UA but lack AF SDK support.
- Secure Remote Access: Grant corporate IT or remote users access to specific operational data via a single, encrypted TCP port, eliminating the security nightmare of opening DCOM across firewalls.
Key Features & Capabilities
Uncompromised Security
We designed the OPC UA Server with the integrity of your PI System at the forefront, aligning our product with modern IT standards.
- Modern Encryption: Full support for X.509 certificates and Basic256Sha256 SignAndEncrypt modes.
- No PI Trusts: Explicit blocking of legacy PI Trusts (DisallowPITrusts=true) ensures only secure, authenticated connections.
- Windows Integration: Authenticates against PI using Kerberos/NTLM via a dedicated service account, preserving your existing audit trails.
High-Performance Architecture
Built for speed and scalability.
- Efficient Caching: Intelligent address space caching minimizes load on the PI Server.
- Direct Reads: Real-time data requests are routed directly to the PI Data Archive for maximum throughput.
- Concurrency: Default support for 100 concurrent client sessions and optimized for high-volume subscriptions (500+).
Add this essential tool to your integration toolbelt
Whether you need to connect MES, Cloud, or SCADA, we have the bridge you need.
Schedule a demo and see how our OPC UA Server for AVEVA™ PI System™ can integrate into your system.
Technical Overview: How It Works
The CSE ICON OPC UA Server is robust middleware designed to modernize your industrial connectivity. By acting as a secure gateway between enterprise clients and your PI infrastructure, it utilizes the native AVEVA AF SDK to facilitate high-performance access to data—completely eliminating the configuration overhead and vulnerabilities associated with legacy DCOM.
At the heart of the architecture is an advanced translation engine. This component strictly adheres to global open standards while meticulously mapping your existing PI Asset Framework hierarchy, ensuring that the rich context of your operational data is preserved for third-party systems:
Automated Hierarchy Discovery
Your existing PI AF structure is dynamically read and exposed as standard OPC UA nodes. Assets, attributes, and templates are instantly available to clients without the need for manual tag mapping or database duplication.
Native Protocol Translation
The server handles the complex translation between generic OPC UA service requests (Read, Browse, HistoryRead) and optimized AF SDK calls. This ensures that data retrieval honors your PI System’s performance tuning and archive architecture.
Service-Oriented Security
Security is handled via X.509 transport certificates and a dedicated Windows Service principal for backend authentication. This architecture completely isolates your PI Data Archive from direct client access, ensuring a strict secure control boundary.
End-to-End Connectivity
The diagram above illustrates how the CSE ICON OPC UA Server sits at the center of your architecture. It bridges the gap between Data Producers (DCS, PLCs, SCADA, etc. feeding your PI System) and Data Consumers (ERP, MES, Analytics, SCADA, and Cloud tools), providing a unified, secure access point for all your operational data.
Visualizing the Data
Zero-Loss Translation
CSE ICON’s OPC UA Server leverages the investment you have made in building out your AF hierarchy (left), reproducing it layer for layer (right).
Historical Data Also Shown
Not only does CSE ICON’s OPC UA Server expose real-time data from your PI System but also historical data, as shown here.
Technical Specifications
| Component | Detail |
| Standard | IEC 62541 (OPC Unified Architecture) |
| Protocol | OPC Foundation UA-NETStandard 1.5.376.213 |
| Runtime | .NET Framework 4.8 |
| PI Integration | AVEVA AF SDK (OSIsoft.AFSDK) |
| Security | X.509 Certificates (4096-bit RSA), TLS-level encryption |
| Ports | Inbound: 4841 (OPC UA / TCP) |
| Compatibility | PI Data Archive, PI Asset Framework (AF) |
| Logging | Serilog 3.1.1 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Why should I switch from OPC DA to OPC UA?
Q: Do I need to install the AVEVA AF SDK on my client machines?
Q: Is my PI data safe?
Q: What is the "Web Features Enabled" note?
Ready to Modernize Your PI Architecture?
Don’t let legacy protocols slow down your digital transformation. Bridge the gap between AVEVA PI and the rest of your enterprise today.
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*This product is an independent software solution and is not affiliated with or endorsed by AVEVA Group plc or the AVEVA™ PI System™. PI System is a trademark of AVEVA Group plc and/or its affiliates, and all other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.