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Free Stuff - OPC Servers

This page draws together all the information we have on freely available OPC servers.

The tools which appear on this page are all supplied free of charge, and are either pre-built or supplied as 'ready to build' source code, or both. Some are evaluation versions, and are identified as such. They may all be downloaded from the Web.

Our Source Code and Tools and Techniques pages carry more information on some of these tools, while our Links page offers some recommendations from third-party sites.

Free OPC Servers

Supplier	Product	Notes
Advosol	Free Tools	Advosol offers a number of simulation and sample servers, usually as part of a toolkit or component evaluation (requires registration). Supported specifications include DA 2, DA 3, HDA and XML-DA.
Beijer Electronics	OPC Server	Time-limited demo of DA 2.0 server. Many protocols are supported, and multiple protocols may be used simultaneously.
Cogent Real-Time Systems	OPC DataHub	Time-limited demo of DA 2 and DA 3 server and client combination that supports OPC tunnelling, aggregation, and bridging. Also offers TCP and DDE client and server, plus scripted read/write connections to ODBC databases and MATLAB.
Cyberlogic	MBX OPC Server DHX OPC Server	Time-limited versions of servers for Modicon and Allen-Bradley, supporting Data Access 1 and 2, Data Access Automation and Alarms & Events.
DSxP	OPC Simulator	Freeware simulator server for DA 2.0 and 1.0. Usefully shows list of clients and groups, plus an activity log.
Graybox	Gray Simulator	Free simulation server, compliant with all DA standards. May be redistributed with no limitations.
Graybox	Graybox OPC Server Toolkit Demo	Demo version of compliant DA server toolkit. Free download is restricted to 100 tags but otherwise unlimited.
Hexatec	Hexatec PC Data	A simple OPC server which allows monitoring of the PC's memory usage and disk space.
ICONICS	OPC Modbus Ethernet/Serial Servers	Demo servers for Modbus serial, Modbus Plus and TCP. Support Data Access 1 through 3, plus Alarms & Events 1.10.
ICONICS	OPC Simulator Server	A sample predefined browse space is supplied, but this may be modified and saved to different files as required. Supports Data Access 1 through 3, plus Alarms & Events 1.10.
INAT	OPC Servers	Evaluation versions of OPC servers for various protocols. Run for 72 hours after every restart.
IOServer	IOServer	Evaluation version of a combined OPC server and client package, including several I/O drivers. Very flexible, but user interface is sometimes confusing. Includes support for a proprietary protocol, offering a subset of OPC Data Access functionality, which uses XML data packets sent over HTTP.
Kassl	dOPC Clone	Trial version of a revolutionary product which allows full emulation of other DA servers with no need for an underlying communications network. Invaluable for system development, configuration, and demonstration. dOPC Clone is DA 2.05a compliant.
Kepware	KEPServerEX (Super Server Pack)	Time-limited demo download of leading DA server bundle, incorporating over 80 communications drivers. Supports DDE and SuiteLink for legacy applications. Also includes a useful client program (see clients). Now DA 3.0 compliant.
MatrikonOPC	OPC Simulation Server	Widely used Data Access server, compliant with DA 2.05, DA 3.00 and AE specifications, and also with HDA support.
MatrikonOPC	OPC Servers	Various MatrikonOPC servers are available as free time-limited downloads, requiring restarting after two hours continuous use. All MatrikonOPC servers also have a DDE server capability.
NetListener	OPC-NetListener	Trial version of a DA server which monitors network status using either ICMP (Ping) or SNMP.
Prosys	Prosys OPC Simulation Server	Fully compliant DA 2.05a server with source, demonstrating capabilities of the Prosys Sentrol rapid development framework.
Softing	OPC Demo Server	Free demo server. Version 4.10 adds XML-DA to the existing DA and AE support. The XML-DA server may run standalone, or integrated with Apache or IIS.
Softing	OPC Servers	Serveral trial downloads are available, supporting different fieldbus protocols.
Software Toolbox	OmniServer	Demo version of a product which allows the user to define his/her own serial or TCP/IP protocol without programming. Also supports DDE for legacy purposes. Requires restart after 60 minutes. Now certified DA 2.05a compliant.
Software Toolbox	TOP Server	Rebadged version of Kepware's KEPServerEX (above). Now DA 3.0 compliant.
SST	OPC Simulation server and GUI client	In-process simulation server, supplied as an aid to compliance testing of OPC clients. Now has improved OPC Data Access 2 support and includes the updated proxy/stub DLL, as well as a simple client program (see clients).
Takebishi	OPC Server Demos	Restricted versions of various OPC servers, some now with DA 3 support.
Technosoftware	OPC Evaluation Software	Demo server developed to show off Technosoftware's OPC toolkits. This is the only sample server we know of which supports all Data Access 1 and 2 interfaces, including the optional interfaces.
WinTECH Software	Various servers	OPCSvr.zip is a simulation server supporting Data Access 2. It has some useful diagnostic aids: the user may control the profiles of the simulated data points, and all OPC interface calls are displayed in a logging window. Also available is a demo server for Historical Data Access.