INTEGRATED PRODUCTION & PERFORMANCE SUITE

Data Management

PRODUCT PROFILE
Gateway
OVERVIEW
The FactoryTalk Gateway is your open door into the world of the
FactoryTalk Integrated Production and Performance software
suite. With FactoryTalk Gateway, you can get data out of
FactoryTalk View Site Edition (SE) and optimize communication
to your Logix system. Now, third-party clients can connect to
RSLinx Enterprise and FactoryTalk View SE via one OPC server.
The FactoryTalk Gateway provides:
Third-party access to your FactoryTalk applications
Logix-optimized performance from your data server
One unified OPC data server for controller or HMI data

FEATURES
The FactoryTalk Gateway allows any OPC client that adheres to
the OPC Data Access Specification, 2.05a, to connect and get
data. FactoryTalk Gateway also accesses elements of the
FactoryTalk Services Platform including FactoryTalk Directory.
FactoryTalk Directory is used by the FactoryTalk Gateway to find
the data your third-party client requires, and the data is always up
to date. When you browse the FactoryTalk Gateway, you are
actually browsing inside the FactoryTalk Directory. Whatever
logical naming structure you used (or if you followed the S95 area
model), it is now available to your browsing client. Essentially,
FactoryTalk Directory acts as your address book and allows you to
register applications and servers (data and HMI servers) so
anything that can speak to the FactoryTalk Directory will know
where to find the data. It is like having a central database for
lookups, but without the hassle of supporting and replicating
information everywhere.
FactoryTalk Live Data is the core data transmission protocol for
all FactoryTalk products. While the FactoryTalk Directory allows
you to look up the tags, the data reaches the client through
FactoryTalk Live Data by providing a fast and secure data
transmission of the information the client is requesting. The
FactoryTalk Gateway turns the FactoryTalk Live Data
transmission into OPC so it is accessible to third-party clients.
This means a third-party client now has access to the FactoryTalk
Services Platform, a services-oriented architecture infrastructure
inherent in the Rockwell Software FactoryTalk suite.

BENEFITS
EASY TO USE

To configure the FactoryTalk Gateway, simply tell the software

where in the FactoryTalk Directory you want to serve OPC data.
This one configuration step allows you to select one area to
expose to OPC clients, or the entire FactoryTalk application. By
architecting their applications and areas logically, customers can
control OPC access and locations where third-party clients can
browse and read data. In your client software, customers can
browse to find the FactoryTalk Gateway. Once connected, you
may browse the entire FactoryTalk Directory from one interface
you do not have to change your already-configured RSLinx
Enterprise or FactoryTalk View SE system. When you browse to
an area where FactoryTalk View SE is already configured, the
memory tags from FactoryTalk View will appear automatically
without requiring any extra work. If RSLinx Enterprise is in your
FactoryTalk Directory, then you will be browsing tags inside a
Logix controller with no extra manipulation needed.

ENHANCED CONNECTIVITY

Connecting OPC clients to FactoryTalk applications allows

heterogeneous systems to experience the benefits of the Rockwell
Automation Integrated Architecture. You can improve your
productivity and reduce total cost of ownership with the
Integrated Architecture, while optimizing production, responding
more quickly to customer or market demands, and reducing costs.
By emphasizing third-party connectivity, interoperability, and the
use of open industry standards, the Integrated Architecture
provides seamless information integration with the rest of the site
or enterprise. All of the products in the Integrated Architecture
already reliably connect to one another, but if you want to reach a
third party, the FactoryTalk Gateway allows for easy transmission
of data, with barely any configuration required. When using the
Integrated Architecture, the FactoryTalk Live Data protocol is
built into products such as RSLinx Enterprise serving data to
FactoryTalk Transaction Manager, FactoryTalk Historian or
FactoryTalk View SE/ME. The FactoryTalk Gateway is the means
for moving this data to a third-party client.

REDUNDANCY AND SECURITY

The FactoryTalk Gateway provides redundancy options that can

also protect your third-party applications. You can configure the
distributed FactoryTalk Gateway so that the redundancy built
into RSLinx Enterprise and FactoryTalk View SE servers can be
made available to third parties. The third-party client is not
required to make a single change to take advantage of the
redundancy options offered by the FactoryTalk Gateway.

INTEGRATION TO LOGIX

The FactoryTalk Services Platform is the foundation of the

Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture. It provides a set of
common features that enables customers to realize incremental
value when applying more than one Integrated Architecture
product in their application. It also allows Rockwell Automation to
more efficiently deliver customer value through common features.

The FactoryTalk Directory and the FactoryTalk Live Data

protocol allow for the switchover of servers, which the FactoryTalk
Gateway automatically provides to the third-party applications.
The directory in FactoryTalk Live Data allows for the switchover,
and the FactoryTalk Gateway provides it to the third party.

The FactoryTalk Gateway is an invaluable addition to your

RSLinx Enterprise system if you need to get data out of your
Logix controller and to an OPC client. RSLinx Enterprise was
built from the ground up with Logix processors in mind and
consistently improve the ability to communicate with new
advances in the Logix products.

Also, your third-party applications can enable hardware

redundancy by using RSLinx Enterprise and FactoryTalk
Gateway, which supports the System Redundancy Module
(SRM) in ControlLogix.

You do not have to reconfigure RSLinx Enterprise or the

FactoryTalk Gateway to browse the Logix tags. Your OPC client
has the enhanced connectivity that RSLinx Enterprise offers,
including the ability to reconnect to offline processors and the
recovery from tag database changes from online programming.

FactoryTalk Gateway allows you to lock down what OPC clients

may do; tags may no longer be put on scan in a controller.
FactoryTalk Security prevents unwarranted scanning and writing
to control system tags or datapoints. Inside the FactoryTalk
Administration Console, you can specify from what computers
and controllers OPC clients can read and write data.

And if you want the most data you can get from a processor with
the least CPU load on your PC, use RSLinx Enterprise with the
FactoryTalk Gateway. The optimization inside RSLinx Enterprise
has drastically reduced the requirements of the data server
computer so you can do more with less.

ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING

When something goes wrong, you need answers fast. FactoryTalk

Diagnostics will help you locate the problem. As a standard
part of the FactoryTalk Services Platform, FactoryTalk
Diagnostics shows all products messages in one unified database.
Errors can be searched easily and quickly based on time or
product. Many of the products in the FactoryTalk Integrated
Performance and Production software suite such as RSLinx
Enterprise, FactoryTalk View Machine Edition (ME) and View
SE already have adopted FactoryTalk Diagnostics, and more are
joining with each new release.

INTEGRATION TO FACTORYTALK VIEW SE

If you need to get the data available from FactoryTalk View SE

into a third-party application or an MES or historian system, you
can use the FactoryTalk Gateway. If that button push on the screen
needs to start logging data, or if those calculated values on the
display should also be sent to some third party, you can configure
the FactoryTalk Gateway to send the data out as OPC data from
FactoryTalk View. The data in memory tags, including system
variables, is available to be browsed and used by third-party clients.
The distributed version of FactoryTalk Gateway does not connect
to one HMI server only, but allows OPC access to any FactoryTalk
View SE server in the FactoryTalk application.
2

Now with the FactoryTalk Gateway, you can monitor at any time
with the new, enhanced diagnostic capabilities. Improvements
made to the user interface contain information you need for the
current status and advanced troubleshooting of the product. By
improving the messages for FactoryTalk Diagnostics and
providing an integrated viewing tool for counters, messages, and
an integrating help system, the Diagnostics Counter Monitor
greatly expands your awareness of where you can review the
current state of the server.

FACTORYTALK SERVICES PLATFORM

The FactoryTalk Services Platform is the foundation of the
FactoryTalk Integrated Production and Performance Suite. It is a
flexible solution consisting of activation procedures, a common
address book, centralized authentication and access control, and
uniform diagnostics that can help reduce costs and extend the life
cycle of your existing investments.

GET ANSWERS FAST

When you purchase FactoryTalk Gateway, you receive both
industry-leading software and award-winning global support. Use
the MySupport feature to personalize our Support Services Web
site for your needs. MySupport can send you regular email
messages with links to the latest technical notes and software
updates for FactoryTalk Gateway and other products. To register,
visit http://support.rockwellautomation.com.

GET MORE INFORMATION

For ordering information, contact your local Rockwell
Automation sales office or Allen-Bradley distributor. Or learn
more by visiting http://www.rockwellsoftware.com.

FactoryTalk Services Platform

The Facto ryTalk Se rvice s Platfo rm d e live rs value . It is a share d se t o f co mmo n fe ature s that e nab le s sup e rio r inte ro p e rab ility and co mmo nality b e twe e n ap p licatio ns fo r
re d uce d e ng ine e ring , o p e ratio ns and training co sts, while e xte nd ing the life o f e xisting inve stme nts. The Facto ryTalk Se rvice s Platfo rm p ro vid e s a so lid fo und atio n fo r
to d ay and a p ath fo r the future .

FactoryTalk Gateway

Activation

Directory

Security

Diagnostics

Audit

Live Data

Alarms &
Events

ControlLogix, FactoryTalk, Logix, Rockwell Automation, and RSLinx are registered trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Publication FTALK-PP003A-EN-P June 2007

Copyright 2007 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.