WebSVN – factorylink.mb_plus – /trunk/sa85/MBXsuite600/Web/Docs/MBX Premier Suite.txt

MBX Premier Suite Version 6.0.0 + Update 20060112 Release Notes
January, 2006

------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Table Of Contents
------------------------------------------------------------------
1.0 Introduction

2.0 What's New in MBX Premier Suite 6.0.0 + Update 20060112
    2.1 Common Updates
    2.2 MBX OPC Server
  2.3 Ethernet MBX Driver
    2.4 MBX Gateway Driver

3.0 New Installation
  3.1 Installing the Product
    3.2 Uninstalling the Product

4.0 Updating an Existing Installation
  4.1 Applying the Update
  4.2 Removing the Update

1.0 Introduction
----------------
The MBX Premier Suite includes the following software products:

    - MBX OPC Server
    - MBX Bridge
    - MBX Driver
    - Ethernet MBX Driver
    - Serial MBX Driver
    - MBX Gateway Driver
    - Virtual MBX Driver

MBX Premier Suite is the all-in-one MBX package, including MBX OPC Server, MBX
Bridge, and the full set of MBX device drivers for Modicon Modbus, Modbus Plus,
and Ethernet networks in distributed environments. They support 32-bit Windows
XP/2000/NT 4.0/Server 2003 applications, 16-bit DOS and Windows (Win16)
applications, and OPC DA and AE clients.

2.0 What's New in MBX Premier Suite 6.0.0 + Update 20060112
-----------------------------------------------------------

2.1 Common Updates
------------------
*  Some minor product installation issues have been corrected.

*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among
   all MBX products.

2.2 MBX OPC Server
------------------
*  The ability to import server configuration from the Concept text delimited variable
   files has been added.

*  The OPC DA 3.0 Browse function could return a continuation point after returning the
   last elements in the branch. With some OPC clients, this might result in an endless
   branch enumeration. The problem has been corrected.

*  Under some conditions, the continuation point returned from the OPC DA 3.0 Browse
   function could be built incorrectly. With some OPC clients, this might result in errors
   during browsing. The problem has been corrected.

*  The GetErrorString function for a few common error codes was not returning the error
   description string. These error codes are now properly handled.

*  The OPC server did not properly handle data conversions for arrays of variants. The
   problem has been corrected.

*  Under some conditions, the master quality returned from the read operations might have
   a value other than S_OK, even when the quality values for all returned data was GOOD.
   The problem has been corrected.

*  The OPC XML DA server layer has been upgraded to comply with the latest compliance tests
   from the OPC Foundation.

*  The OPCDAAuto.dll, which implements the OPC Data Access Automation 2.02 layer has been
   added.

*  "Using the Cyberlogic OPC Server via DCOM" white paper has been added.

*  Numerous updates to the help files have been added.

*  Installing the MBX OPC Server after another Cyberlogic OPC server has already been
   installed was deactivating the current configuration file. The problem has been
   corrected.

*  In some situations, the duplicate data item feature would not work as
   expected in the OPC Configuration Editor.  This has been corrected.

*  Floating point numbers that used commas instead of decimal points are now 
   properly imported by the OPC Configuration Editor.

2.3 Ethernet MBX Driver
-----------------------
*  A potential memory leak has been fixed.

2.4 MBX Gateway Driver
----------------------
*  The MBX Gateway Driver had trouble connecting to Gateway servers running on
   Windows XP.  This has been resolved.

3.0 New Installation
--------------------

3.1 Installing the Product
--------------------------
The MBX Premier Suite uses the Installation Manager for controlling
the installation/upgrading process of the selected MBX products.
To start the Installation Manager, use one of the following procedures:

    Auto-run 
    --------
    Insert the MBX Premier Suite CD into the CD drive and let the auto-run
    start the Installation Manager.

    Manual start
    ------------
    Run the Setup.exe file found in the MBX Premier Suite CD root directory.
    Click the Start button and select Run from the menu. In the dialog box,
    enter:

    {CD_drive_letter}:\Setup.exe
 
  Alternatively, you can double click the Setup.exe file from the Windows
    Explorer.

  Note:
      For systems without a CD drive, you can use a network CD drive
    to install the MBX Premier Suite.

3.2 Uninstalling the Product
----------------------------
To remove the MBX Premier Suite, click Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.
Select the Cyberlogic MBX Premier Suite, click the Remove button, and then
follow the on-screen instructions.

4.0 Updating an Existing Installation
-------------------------------------

4.1 Applying the Update
-----------------------
To apply the update, run CyberlogicUpdate20060112.exe and then follow the
on-screen instructions.

Once the update has been successfully applied, it does not need to be
re-applied when new components are installed from the original media.  The
new components will automatically be installed with the update already applied.

4.2 Removing the Update
-----------------------
This update cannot be removed.  In order to revert back to the original
version, the Suite must be uninstalled and then reinstalled from the original
CD.  If you have other MBX products installed on your system, they may have to
be reinstalled as well.

******************************************************************
*   End of MBX Premier Suite Version 6.0.0 + Update 20060112     *
*   Release Notes                                                *
******************************************************************
6.0.0>MBX Premier Suite Version 6.0.0 Release Notes
6.0.0>September, 2005
6.0.0>
6.0.0>------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0.0>                        Table Of Contents
6.0.0>------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0.0>1.0 Introduction
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.0 What's New in MBX Premier Suite 6.0.0
6.0.0>    2.1  MBX OPC Server
6.0.0>    2.2  MBX Bridge
6.0.0>    2.3  MBX Driver
6.0.0>    2.4  Ethernet MBX Driver
6.0.0>    2.5  Serial MBX Driver
6.0.0>    2.6  MBX Gateway Driver
6.0.0>    2.7  Virtual MBX Driver
6.0.0>
6.0.0>3.0 Installing MBX Premier Suite 6.0.0
6.0.0>    3.1 Auto-run
6.0.0>    3.2 Manual start
6.0.0>
6.0.0>1.0 Introduction
6.0.0>----------------
6.0.0>The MBX Premier Suite includes the following software products:
6.0.0>
6.0.0>    - MBX OPC Server 6.0.0
6.0.0>    - MBX Bridge 6.0.0
6.0.0>    - MBX Driver 6.0.0
6.0.0>    - Ethernet MBX Driver 6.0.0
6.0.0>    - Serial MBX Driver 6.0.0
6.0.0>    - MBX Gateway Driver 6.0.0
6.0.0>    - Virtual MBX Driver 6.0.0
6.0.0>
6.0.0>MBX Premier Suite is the all-in-one MBX package, including MBX OPC Server, MBX
6.0.0>Bridge, and the full set of MBX device drivers for Modicon Modbus, Modbus Plus,
6.0.0>and Ethernet networks in distributed environments. They support 32-bit Windows
6.0.0>XP/2000/NT 4.0/Server 2003 applications, 16-bit DOS and Windows (Win16)
6.0.0>applications, and OPC DA and AE clients.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.0 What's New in MBX Premier Suite 6.0.0
6.0.0>-----------------------------------------
6.0.0>The following update is common to all 6.0.0 products:
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  To simplify repairs, Add/Remove Programs now lists a single product for the
6.0.0>   Suite, rather than separate entries for each component.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>The following sections list all 6.0.0 updates to the individual MBX products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.1 MBX OPC Server
6.0.0>------------------
6.0.0>*  The MBX OPC Server now uses the same main OPC server component as the rest of
6.0.0>   the Cyberlogic OPC servers. As a result, the ProgID for the DA server changed
6.0.0>   from "Cyberlogic.MBX_OPCServer.5" to "Cyberlogic.OPCServerDA.6". The ProgID
6.0.0>   for the AE server changed from "Cyberlogic.MBX_OPCEventServer.5" to
6.0.0>   "Cyberlogic.OPCServerAE.6". When upgrading from version 5.0, the OPC client
6.0.0>   configurations need to be modified to reflect the new ProgIDs.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The file format for the configuration database files has changed. When upgrading
6.0.0>   from version 5.0, the old configuration .mdb files need to be imported into the
6.0.0>   version 6.0 configuration files. All configuration settings will be preserved.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for OPC DA 3.0 and OPC XML DA 1.0 has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for OPC Alarms and Events has been upgraded from version 1.02 to 1.1.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for Global Data has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The Maximum Concurrent Requests parameter for a Network Node has been added.
6.0.0>   Proper setting of this parameter may prevent overloading the node with messages
6.0.0>   and allow for better operation of other applications, such as PLC programming
6.0.0>   software, that access the same PLC.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for raw data bit-swapping at the bit, nibble, byte, word or double-word
6.0.0>   level has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Server auto-configuration has been enhanced to support all network types,
6.0.0>   including the serial Modbus. Auto-configuration can detect all standard data
6.0.0>   sources (PLCs) and automatically sets their message optimization parameters.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  For large data items, such as strings, arrays and bit fields, user can now
6.0.0>   configure either an atomic, single message access, or give server the permission
6.0.0>   to span data across multiple messages. Selecting an atomic access can prevent
6.0.0>   possible data tearing.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  A number of new data types have been added. These include 8-bit and 64-bit
6.0.0>   integers, IEEE 64-bit floating point, 16-bit and 32-bit BCD, 16-bit UNICODE
6.0.0>   strings.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The ability to override the canonical data type, the default variant format
6.0.0>   (VT_xxx) in which data is sent to OPC clients, has been added. By default, the
6.0.0>   server matches the variant type to the item's raw data type.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for bit arrays has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for writing to bit field data has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Four commonly used address notations can now be used interchangeably: standard
6.0.0>   (400001) notation, separator (4:00001) notation, compact (4:1) notation, and IEC
6.0.0>   (QW00001) notation.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  A register address wizard has been added to aid in creating sophisticated address
6.0.0>   expressions.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The unsolicited message filters can now be organized in multiple groups. Each
6.0.0>   group can be either priority or non-priority based. All groups have an equal
6.0.0>   priority and an unsolicited message must pass through at least one of these
6.0.0>   groups in order to be accepted by the server.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The ability to disable writes at the Network Connection and the driver agent (all
6.0.0>   connections) level has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  In addition to each Network Node, the DirectAccess can now be disabled at the
6.0.0>   Network Connection and the driver agent (all connections) level.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  In addition to each Network Node, the DirectAccess writes can now be disabled at
6.0.0>   the Network Connection and the driver agent (all connections) level.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The DirectAccess register address format has been improved to be more consistent
6.0.0>   with other Cyberlogic OPC servers. The old format is still supported.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The configuration import/export in the configuration editor has been greatly
6.0.0>   improved.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The format for the comma delimited (.csv) and tab delimited (.tab) configuration
6.0.0>   export files has been improved. However, export files from version 5.0 can still
6.0.0>   be imported. The new format allows for easier editing of these files.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  An XML file format for exporting configuration files has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The ability to import directly from the Cyberlogic .mdb configuration files (old
6.0.0>   and new format) has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The ability to import configuration files from other OPC server vendors has
6.0.0>   been added. This includes csv files from Ingear OPC Server, Kepware KEPServerEX
6.0.0>   and Matrikon OPC Server.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  DCOM interoperability has been improved. Instead of using a single, fixed,
6.0.0>   security setting, the server allows three levels of DCOM security: Low, Medium,
6.0.0>   and Custom. The Low setting is the most commonly used and matches the setting
6.0.0>   used in version 5.0 of the MBX OPC server. The Medium is another popular
6.0.0>   setting used by many OPC clients. If neither of the two is correct, the
6.0.0>   Custom setting allows you to set the permissions yourself through the Windows
6.0.0>   DCOMCNFG utility.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The Cyberlogic OPC Client utility has many new features, including: support
6.0.0>   for OPC DA 3.0, error logging, three levels of DCOM security settings, and
6.0.0>   support for the IOPCShutdown interface.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Under some conditions (e.g. reloading of the PLC) the monitored tags might
6.0.0>   all switch to BAD quality and stay in that state. To recover from this
6.0.0>   condition, the Save & Update Server button had to be pressed. In the current
6.0.0>   version, the server will automatically recover from this condition.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  When accessing an invalid register address, a monitored tag could show a BAD
6.0.0>   quality, even after the missing register had been added to the PLC's memory map.
6.0.0>   To recover from this condition, the Save & Update Server button had to be
6.0.0>   pressed. In the current version, the server will automatically recover from
6.0.0>   this condition.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The health state detection of a network node has been improved. For example,
6.0.0>   a PLC placed in a dim awareness mode is now flagged as unhealthy, forcing a
6.0.0>   switchover to a lower priority (but healthy) access path.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  During writes, string variables that are shorter than the allocated space in
6.0.0>   the PLC are no longer padded with spaces. Instead, they are padded with NUL
6.0.0>   characters. This change was necessary for better compliance with the OPC
6.0.0>   Foundation's compliance test.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The runtime component of the OPC server has been greatly optimized, resulting
6.0.0>   in higher performance and significantly lower load on the system.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The server shutdown operation has been improved. The server deals better with
6.0.0>   the misbehaving clients when shutting down.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Various bugs ranging from unexpected operation to system exceptions have been
6.0.0>   corrected.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among all MBX driver
6.0.0>   products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.2 MBX Bridge
6.0.0>--------------
6.0.0>*  The bridge defaults to automatic startup.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Events are now logged to notify the user when the driver is running in demo
6.0.0>   mode and when demo mode expires.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  After the demo mode expires, most driver interface functions now return the
6.0.0>   MBX_LICENSE_QUOTA_EXCEEDED error code instead of the MBX_ACCESS_DENIED.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  The new MBX Bridge configuration editor has improved functionality and an
6.0.0>   updated look.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Bridge logging has been overhauled to use less memory and work more
6.0.0>   reliably.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some bugs that could potentially cause exceptions and resource leaks have 
6.0.0>   been corrected.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for dynamic routing has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  A simplified and more reliable method for making online configuration 
6.0.0>   changes to the bridge has been implemented.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among
6.0.0>   all MBX driver products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.3 MBX Driver
6.0.0>--------------
6.0.0>*  Events are now logged to notify the user when the driver is running in demo
6.0.0>   mode and when demo mode expires.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  After the demo mode expires, most driver interface functions now return the
6.0.0>   MBX_LICENSE_QUOTA_EXCEEDED error code intead of the MBX_ACCESS_DENIED.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among
6.0.0>   all MBX driver products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.4 Ethernet MBX Driver
6.0.0>-----------------------
6.0.0>*  The driver defaults to automatic startup.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Events are now logged to notify the user when the driver is running in demo
6.0.0>   mode and when demo mode expires.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  After the demo mode expires, most driver interface functions now return the
6.0.0>   MBX_LICENSE_QUOTA_EXCEEDED error code instead of the MBX_ACCESS_DENIED.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Unsolicited message support is enabled by default.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Sockets now shutdown gracefully instead of resetting.  This improves
6.0.0>   interoperability with some devices.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Ethernet MBX Driver uses a new strategy to detect and handle broken
6.0.0>   connections that results in quicker reconnects.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for new program master commands has been added.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Program Master sockets that have been idle too long are automatically 
6.0.0>   closed.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Only two possible Modbus exception codes are returned when the server is
6.0.0>   receiving slave path messages.  Exception code 0x06 (SLAVE_DEVICE_BUSY) 
6.0.0>   indicates that the slave path's request queue is full.  Exception code 0x0A
6.0.0>   (GATEWAY_PATH_UNAVAILABLE) is returned for any other error condition.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among
6.0.0>   all MBX driver products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.5 Serial MBX Driver
6.0.0>---------------------
6.0.0>*  The driver defaults to automatic startup.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Events are now logged to notify the user when the driver is running in demo
6.0.0>   mode and when demo mode expires.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  After the demo mode expires, most driver interface functions now return the
6.0.0>   MBX_LICENSE_QUOTA_EXCEEDED error code instead of the MBX_ACCESS_DENIED.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Pending timeouts have been removed.  All transactions that are queued up
6.0.0>   begin timing when they reach the front of the queue.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some small potential resource leaks have been corrected.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Support for ASCII communications has been improved and made more robust.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Cancelled transactions abort more quickly and reliably.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Serial MBX Master devices now require the user to indicate which nodes are
6.0.0>   really attached and active.  Communications to unconfigured nodes 
6.0.0>   immediately fail.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among
6.0.0>   all MBX driver products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.6 MBX Gateway Driver
6.0.0>----------------------
6.0.0>*  This is the initial release of the MBX Gateway Driver and it replaces the
6.0.0>   Remote MBX Driver. The Remote MBX Driver used Microsoft's Locator service
6.0.0>   for locating remote servers. The Locator service is an older technology from
6.0.0>   Microsoft and it has many limitations. In certain situations (especially with
6.0.0>   systems running Windows XP+SP2), the Locator service causes problems for the
6.0.0>   operation of the Remote MBX driver. The new MBX Gateway Driver does not use
6.0.0>   the Locator service. It is based on the standard TCP/IP framework and it allows
6.0.0>   establishing remote connections through firewalls. 
6.0.0>
6.0.0>2.7 Virtual MBX Driver
6.0.0>----------------------
6.0.0>*  Some components have been updated to ensure consistency among
6.0.0>   all MBX driver products.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>3.0 Installing MBX Premier Suite 6.0.0
6.0.0>--------------------------------------
6.0.0>The MBX Premier Suite uses the Installation Manager for controlling
6.0.0>the installation/upgrading process of the selected MBX products.
6.0.0>To start the Installation Manager, use one of the following procedures:
6.0.0>
6.0.0>3.1 Auto-run
6.0.0>------------
6.0.0>Insert the MBX Premier Suite CD into the CD drive and let the
6.0.0>auto-run start the Installation Manager.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>3.2 Manual start
6.0.0>----------------
6.0.0>Run the Setup.exe file found in the MBX Premier Suite CD root
6.0.0>directory. Click the Start button and select Run from the menu. In
6.0.0>the dialog box, enter:
6.0.0>
6.0.0>{CD_drive_letter}:\Setup.exe
6.0.0> 
6.0.0>Alternatively, you can double click the Setup.exe file from the
6.0.0>Windows Explorer.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>Note:
6.0.0>    For systems without a CD drive, you can use a network CD drive
6.0.0>  to install the MBX Premier Suite.
6.0.0>
6.0.0>******************************************************************
6.0.0>*     End of MBX Premier Suite Version 6.0.0 Release Notes       *
6.0.0>******************************************************************
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