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OPC

OPC — OPC Interoperability Standard

The family of open interoperability standards used for secure and vendor-independent industrial data exchange.

Definition

OPC (Open Platform Communications) is a family of interoperability standards that enable secure, reliable and vendor-independent communication between industrial automation systems, devices and enterprise applications. Originally developed for Microsoft COM/DCOM technologies, OPC has evolved into a platform-independent architecture supporting modern industrial connectivity and digital transformation.

Why It Matters

OPC provides standardized interoperability for exchanging industrial data between automation systems and enterprise applications.

In Practice

The OPC standards are developed and maintained by the OPC Foundation and include both the legacy OPC Classic specifications and the modern OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) standard.

Common Misuse

OPC refers to the overall family of interoperability standards, whereas OPC Unified Architecture is the modern platform-independent implementation of those standards.

Term Details
Synonyms:
OPC; Open Platform Communications; OPC Standard; OPC Interoperability
Classification:
Standards, Codes & Regulations
Standard
Intermediate
Applications

Industrial Automation; Information Management; System Integration.

Where It's Used

Process automation.; Manufacturing.; Oil and gas.; Utilities.; Industrial control systems.

References

IEC 62541

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