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Sincerely,
So let us start with what it is. Protocols define the rules by which devices talk with each other, and DNP3 is a
protocol for transmission of data from point A to point B using serial communications. It has been used primarily by
utilities like the electric companies, but it operates suitably in other areas.
A typical electric company may have a centralized operations center that monitors the state of all the equipment in
each of its substations. In the operations center, a powerful computer stores all of the incoming data and displays
the system for the human operators. Substations have many devices that need monitoring (are circuit breakers
opened or closed?), current sensors (how much current is flowing?) and voltage transducers (what is the line
potential?). That only scratches the surface; a utility is interested in monitoring many parameters, too numerous to
discuss here. The operations personnel often need to switch sections of the power grid into or out of service. One
or more computers are situated in the substation to collect the data for transmission to the master station in the
operations center. The substation computers are also called upon to energize or de-energize the breakers and
voltage regulators.
DNP3 provides the rules for substation computers and master station computers to communicate data and control
commands. DNP3 is a non-proprietary protocol that is available to anyone. Only a nominal fee is charged for
documentation, but otherwise it is available worldwide with no restrictions. This means a utility can purchase master
station and substation computing equipment from any manufacturer and be assured that they will reliably talk to each
other. Vendors compete based upon their computer equipment’s features, costs and quality factors instead of who
has the best protocol. Utilities are not stuck with one manufacturer after the initial sale.
What do the computers talk about? The substation computer gathers data for transmission to the master as
1. Binary input data that is useful to monitor two-state devices. For example a circuit breaker is closed or
tripped or a pipeline pressure alarm shows normal or excessive.
2. Analog input data that conveys voltages, currents, power, reservoir water levels and temperatures.
3. Count input data that reports kilowatt hours of energy.
4. Files that contain configuration data.
The master station issues control commands that take the form of
1. Close or trip a circuit breaker, raise or lower a gate, and open or close a valve.
2. Analog output values to set a regulated pressure or set a desired voltage level.
Other things the computers talk to each other about are synchronizing the time and date, sending historical or logged
data, waveform data, and on and on.
DNP3 was designed to optimize the transmission of data acquisition information and control commands from one
computer to another. It is not a general purpose protocol for transmitting hypertext, multimedia or huge files.
The terms server and client are applicable to DNP3 systems. For our purposes, the definition of a server is a device
or software process that has data or information that someone else wants. Substation computers are servers. A
client is a device or software process that requests data from a server. A master station is a client.
DNP3 DNP3
Software Software
Physical Media
User Requests
User Responses
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the client-server relationship and gives a simplistic view of the databases and software processes
involved. The master or client is on the left side of figure 1, and the slave or server is on the right side.
A series of square blocks at the top of the server depicts its databases and output devices. The various data types
are conceptually organized as arrays. An array of binary input values represents states of physical or logical boolean
devices. Values in the analog input array represent input quantities that the server measured or computed. An array
of counters represents count values, such as kilowatt hours, that are ever increasing (until they reach a maximum
and then roll over to zero and start counting again.) Control outputs are organized into an array representing
physical or logical on-off, raise-lower and trip-close points. Lastly, the array of analog outputs represents physical or
logical analog quantities such as those used for setpoints.
The elements of the arrays are labeled 0 through N - 1 where N is the number of blocks shown for the respective
data type. In DNP3 terminology, the element numbers are called the point indexes. Indexes are zero-based in
DNP3, that is, the lowest element is always identified as zero. Some protocols use 1-based indexing.
Notice that the DNP3 client, or master, also has a similar database for the input data types (binary, analog and
counter.) The master, or client, uses values in its database for the specific purposes of displaying system states,
closed-loop control, alarm notification, billing, and much, much more. An objective of the client is to keep its
database updated. It accomplishes this by sending requests to the server (slave) asking it to return the values in the
server’s database. This is termed polling. The server responds to the client’s request by transmitting the contents of
its database. Arrows are drawn at the bottom of figure 1 showing the direction of the requests (toward the server)
and the direction of the responses (toward the client.) Later we will discuss systems whereby the slaves transmit
responses without being asked.
More will be said about data types and software layers later, but first we want to examine a few typical system
architectures where DNP3 is used.
DNP3 DNP3
Client Server
(Master) (Slave)
One-on-One
Multidrop
Hierarchical
Data Concentrator
Data Concentrator
Figure 2
Figure 2 shows common system architectures in use today. At the top is a simple one-on-one system having one
master station and one slave. The physical connection between the two is typically a dedicated or dial-up telephone
line.
The second type of system is known as a multidrop design. One master station communicates with multiple slave
devices. Conversations are typically between the client and one server at a time. The master requests data from
the first slave, then moves onto the next slave for its data, and continually interrogates each slave in a round robin
order. The communication media is a multi-dropped telephone line, fiber optic cable, or radio. Each slave can hear
messages from the master and is only permitted to respond to messages addressed to itself. Slaves may or may
not be able to hear each other.
In some multidrop forms, communications are peer-to-peer. A station may operate as a client for gathering
information or sending commands to the server in another station. And then, it may change roles to become a
server to another station.
Both lines at the bottom of figure 2 show data concentrator applications and protocol converters. A device may
gather data from multiple servers on the right side of the figure and store this data in its database where it is
retrievable by a master station client on the left side of the figure. This design is often seen in substations where the
data concentrator collects information from local intelligent devices for transmission to the master station.
In recent years, several vendors have used TCP/IP to transport DNP3 messages in lieu of the media discussed
above. Link layer frames, which we have not talked about yet, are embedded into TCP/IP packets. This approach
has enabled DNP3 to take advantage of Internet technology and permitted economical data collection and control
between widely separated devices.
Many communication circuits between the devices are imperfect. They are susceptible to noise and signal distortion.
The DNP3 software is layered to provide reliable data transmission and to effect an organized approach to the
transmission of data and commands. Figure 3 shows the layering that was not shown in figure 1.
DNP3 DNP3
Application Layer Application Layer
DNP3 DNP3
Link Layer Link Layer
Physical Media
User Requests
User Responses
Figure 3
The link layer has the responsibility of making the physical link reliable. It does this by providing error detection and
duplicate frame detection. The link layer sends and receives packets, which in DNP3 terminology, are called frames.
A DNP3 frame consists of a header and data section. The header specifies the frame size, which DNP3 station
should receive the frame, which DNP3 device sent the frame and data link control information. The data section is
commonly called the payload and contains the data passed down from the layers above.
DNP3 Frame
Header Data
Header
Destination
Sync Length Link Control Source Address CRC
Address
Every frame begins with two sync bytes that help the receivers determine where the frame begins. The length
specifies the number of octets in the remainder of the frame, not including CRC check octets. The link control octet
is used between sending and receiving link layers to coordinate their activities.
A destination address specifies which DNP3 device should process the data, and the source address identifies
which DNP3 device sent the message. Having both destination and source addresses satisfies at least one
requirement for peer-to-peer communications because the receiver knows where to direct its responses. 65520
individual addresses are available. Every DNP3 device must have a unique address within the collection of devices
sending and receiving messages to and from each other. Three destination addresses are reserved by DNP3 to
denote an all-call message; that is, the frame should be processed by all DNP3 devices. Thirteen addresses are
reserved for special needs in the future.
The data payload in the link frame contains a pair of CRC octets for every 16 data octets. This provides a high
degree of assurance that communication errors can be detected. The maximum number of octets in the data
payload is 250, not including CRC octets. (The longest link layer frame is 292 octets if all the CRC and header
octets are counted.)
One often hears the term “link layer confirmation” when DNP3 is discussed. A feature of DNP3's link layer is the
ability for the transmitter of the frame to request the receiver to confirm that the frame arrived. Using this feature is
optional, and it is often not employed. It provides an extra degree of assurance of reliable communications. If a
confirmation is not received, the link layer may retry the transmission. Some disadvantages are the extra time
required for confirmation messages and waiting for multiple timeouts when retries are configured.
It is the responsibility of the transport layer to break long messages into smaller frames sized for the link layer to
transmit, or when receiving, to reassemble frames into the longer messages. In DNP3 the transport layer is
incorporated into the application layer. The transport layer requires only a single octet within the message to do its
work. Therefore, since the link layer can handle only 250 data octets, and one of those is used for the transport
function, then each link layer frame can hold as many as 249 application layer octets.
Application layer messages are broken into fragments. Fragment size is determined by the size of the receiving
device’s buffer. It normally falls between 2048 and 4096 bytes. A message that is larger than a one fragment
requires multiple fragments. Fragmenting messages is the responsibility of the application layer.
Note that an application layer fragment of size 2048 must be broken into 9 frames by the transport layer, and a
fragment size of 4096 needs 17 frames. Interestingly, it has been learned by experience that communications are
sometimes more successful for systems operating in high noise environments if the fragment size is significantly
reduced.
In DNP3, the term static is used with data and refers to the current value. Thus static binary input data refers to the
present on or off state of a bi-state device. Static analog input data contains the value of an analog at the instant it is
transmitted. One possibility DNP3 allows is requesting some or all of the static data in a slave device.
DNP3 events are associated with something significant happening. Examples are state changes, values exceeding
some threshold, snapshots of varying data, transient data and newly available information. An event occurs when a
binary input changes from an on to an off state or when an analog value changes by more than its configured
deadband limit. DNP3 provides the ability to report events with and without time stamps so that the client can
generate a time sequence report.
The user layer can direct DNP3 to request events. Usually, a client is updated more rapidly if it mostly polls for
events from the server and only occasionally asks for static data as an integrity measure. The reason updates are
faster is because the number of events generated between server interrogations is small and, therefore, less data
must be returned to the client.
DNP3 goes a step further by classifying events into three classes. When DNP3 was conceived, class 1 events were
considered as having higher priority than class 2 events, and class 2 were higher than class 3 events. While that
scheme can be still be configured, some DNP3 users have developed other strategies more favorable to their
operation for assigning events into the classes. The user layer can request the application layer to poll for class 1, 2
or 3 events or any combination of them.
DNP3 has provisions for representing data in different formats. Examination of analog data formats is helpful to
understand the flexibility of DNP3. Static, current value, analog data can be represented by variation numbers as
follows:
The flag referred to is a single octet with bit fields indicating whether the source is on-line, value contains a
restart value, communications are lost with the source, the data is forced and the value is over range.
Not all DNP3 devices can transmit or interpret all six variations. Later, DNP3 levels are discussed, but for now,
suffice it to say that DNP3 devices must be able to transmit the simplest variations so that any receiver can interpret
the contents.
The flag has the same bit fields as for the static variations.
When a DNP3 server transmits a message containing response data, the message identifies the object number and
variation of every value within the message. Object and variation numbers are also assigned for counters, binary
inputs, controls and analog outputs. In fact, all valid data types and formats in DNP3 are identified by object and
variation numbers. Defining the allowable objects and variations helps DNP3 assure interoperability between
devices. DNP3's basic documentation contains a library of valid objects and their variations.
The client’s user layer formulates its request for data from the server by telling the application layer what function to
perform, like reading, and specifying which objects it wants from the server. The request can specify how many
objects it wants or it can specify specific objects or a range of objects from index number X through index number Y.
The application layer then passes the request down through the transport layer to the link layer that, in turn, sends
the message to the server. The link layer at the server checks the frames for errors and passes them up to the
transport layer where the complete message is assembled in the server’s application layer. The application layer
then tells the user layer which objects and variations were requested.
Responses work similarly, in that, the server’s user layer fetches the desired data and presents it to the application
layer that formats the data into objects and variations. Data is then passed downward, across the communication
channel and upward to the client’s application layer. Here the data objects are presented to the user layer in a form
that is native to the client’s database.
Reading data was mentioned in the above two paragraphs, but DNP3 software is designed to handle other functions.
For one the client can set the time in the server. The client can transmit freeze accumulator requests, and it can
transmit requests for control operations and setting of analog output values using select-before-operate or direct-
operate sequences.
One area that has not been covered yet is transmission of unsolicited messages. This is a mode of operating where
the server spontaneously transmits a response, possibly containing data, without having received a specific request
for the data. Not all servers have this capability, but those that do must be configured to operate in this mode. This
mode is useful when the system has many slaves and the master requires notification as soon as possible after a
change occurs. Rather than waiting for a master station polling cycle to get around to it, the slave simply transmits
the change.
To configure a system for unsolicited messages, a few basics need to be considered. First, spontaneous
transmissions should generally occur infrequently, otherwise, too much contention can occur, and controlling media
access via master station polling would be better. The second basic issue is that the server should have some way
of knowing whether it can transmit without stepping on someone else’s message in progress. DNP3 leaves
specification of algorithms to the system implementor.
One last area of discussion involves implementation levels. The DNP3 organization recognizes that supporting
every feature of DNP3 is not necessary for every device. Some devices are limited in memory and speed and do not
need specific features, while other devices must have the more advanced features to accomplish their task. DNP3
organizes complexity into three levels. At the lowest level, level 1, only very basic functions must be provided and all
others are optional. Level 2 handles more functions, objects and variations, and level 3 is even more sophisticated.
Within each level only certain combinations of request formats and response formats are required. This was done to
limit software code in clients and servers while still assuring interoperability.
It should be apparent by now that DNP3 is a protocol that fits well into the data acquisition world. It transports data
as generic values, it has a rich set of functions, and it was designed to work in a wide area communications network.
The standardized approach of objects and variations, and link, transport and application layers, plus public
availability makes DNP3 a protocol to be regarded.
Ken Curtis from Woodland Engineering wrote this paper to help the many people who are just getting into or
considering DNP3 for their operation. Ken is a consulting engineer that has been contracted to write software for
DAQ Electronics who also sponsors his participation in the DNP Technical Committee. Valuable editing assistance
was provided by Mike Thesing of Advanced Control Systems.
Fax: 403-271-1319
Email: dnp@home.com
Website: www.dnp.org
DNP V3.00
DATA LINK LAYER
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group.
Revisions or additions to the definition and functionality of the
Distributed Network Protocol cannot be made without express written
agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorized party. In
addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to
in any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement
with the DNP Users Group or a Party duly authorized by the DNP Users
Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
1. OVERVIEW 1-1
2. IEC CONFORMANCE
Details the differences between DNP and the IEC TC-57 standards.
The IEC 870-5-1 and IEC 870-5-2 standards set out by the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC), Technical Committee No. 57 for data transmission in telecontrol
systems were used as a basis for developing the DNP V3.00 Data Link layer.
The DNP V3.00 Data Link layer supports polled and quiescent telecontrol systems and is
designed to operate with connection and connection-less orientated, asynchronous or
synchronous bit-serial physical layers such as RS-232C, RS-485 and fibre transceivers.
Fully-balanced transmission procedures were adopted to support spontaneous
transmissions from outstations, IEDs or submaster stations not designated as master
stations.
The ISO OSI based model supported by this protocol specifies physical, data link and
application layers only. This is termed the Enhanced Performance Architecture (EPA).
However, to support advanced RTU functions and messages larger than the maximum
frame length as defined by the IEC document 870-5-1, the DNP Version 3 Data Link is
intended to be used with a pseudo-transport layer which implements as a minimum
message assembly and disassembly.
The CONTROL field used is the IEC CONTROL field used for balanced transmission as
defined in IEC 870-5-2 clause 6.1.2. All the function codes specified in IEC 870-5-3
clause 6.1.2 Table III are supported.
The ADDRESS field is a 16-bit (2 octet) field. The DNP data link frame header has two
IEC ADDRESS fields. The first field is the A (Address) field where it is used to represent
the destination station address and the second is in the Link User Data field where it is
used to represent the source station address. (Refer to Section 3 for more information on
these fields).
Secondly, in DNP V3.00, the data link provides indications of other events such as link
status.
3.3.1 Start
The Start field is 2 octets in length. The first octet is a 05 hexadecimal and the second
octet is a 64 hexadecimal.
3.3.2 Length
The length field is 1 octet in length and specifies the count of user octets in the frame.
The CONTROL, DESTINATION and SOURCE field sizes are included in this count.
The minimum value for this field is 5 and the maximum value is 255.
3.3.3 Control
The control field contains the direction of the frame, type of frame and flow control
information.
Figure 3-2 defines the fields of the control octet. Station A is defined as the designated
master station. Station B is not a master station. The primary station is the originator of
the message, the source of the message. The secondary station is the destination station.
3-2 DNP Users Group
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • 1 • FCB • FCV • • • • • Primary to Secondary
• DIR • PRM ••••••••••••• FUNCTION CODE •
• • 0 • RES • DFC • • • • • Secondary to Primary
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Bit 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
RES Reserved = 0
FUNCTION CODE Defines the frame type, how the data link will handle the frame
DIR The direction bit indicates the physical direction of the frame with relation to the
designated master station. Station A is the master.
DIR = 1 indicates a frame from A to B
DIR = 0 indicates a frame from B to A
PRM The primary message bit indicates the direction of the frame in relation to the
initiating station.
PRM =1 indicates a frame from the initiating station
PRM =0 indicates a frame from the responding station.
FCB The frame count bit is used for suppressing losses and duplication of frames to the
same secondary station. This bit toggles for each successful SEND-CONFIRM
service that is initiated by the same primary station and directed to the same
secondary station.
Initially before communications with a secondary station or after communication
failure, the primary station (in both the master station and outstation) must reset
the data link for each secondary station data link it wishes to communicate with.
This can be done once at data link start-up for all secondary stations or as needed.
FCV The frame count valid bit enables the functioning of the FCB bit.
FCV =0 indicates the state of the FCB bit is ignored
FCV =1 indicates to a secondary station that the state of the FCB bit must be
checked against the state of the FCB bit of the last frame sent with the FCV bit
set.
DFC The data flow control bit is used to prevent the overflowing of buffers in a
secondary station. The secondary station returns this bit set to a 1 if further SEND
of user data to this secondary station will cause data link buffers to over flow. The
primary station must interrogate the secondary station using REQUEST-
RESPOND Request Link Status until the DFC is returned with a value of 0. At
this point the primary station can continue with the sending of user data. Figure 3-
16 illustrates the DFC bit usage.
FUNCTION CODE The function code identifies the type of frame. The definition of
the values placed in this field are different between primary and
secondary stations. The following tables define the implemented
codes and associated FCV states.
Function Code Field Values of the Control Octet Sent from the Primary Station (PRM =
1)
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Function • Frame Type • Service Function • FCV •
• Code • • • Bit •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• 0 • SEND - CONFIRM expected • RESET of remote link • 0 •
• 1 • SEND - CONFIRM expected • Reset of user process • 0 •
• 2 • SEND - CONFIRM expected • TEST function for link • 1 •
• 3 • SEND - CONFIRM expected • User Data • 1 •
• 4 • SEND - NO REPLY expected • Unconfirmed User Data • 0 •
• 5 • • Not Used • - •
• 6 • • Not used • - •
• 7 • • Not Used • - •
• 8 • • Not Used • - •
• 9 • REQUEST - RESPOND expected • REQUEST LINK STATUS • 0 •
• 10 • • Not Used • - •
• 11 • • Not Used • - •
• 12 • • Not Used • - •
• 13 • • Not Used • - •
• 14 • • Not Used • - •
• 15 • • Not Used • - •
• • • • •
• • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Destination address field is 2 octets in size and specifies the address of the station
that the frame is directed to. The first octet of the address is the low order octet and the
second octet is the high order.
The address 0xffff is defined as an all stations address. All stations will accept frames
with the destination address set to this value.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • •
• LOW ORDER OCTET (LSB) • HIGH ORDER OCTET (MSB) •
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The source address field is 2 octets in size and specifies the address of the station that the
frame originated from. The first octet of the address is the low order octet and the second
octet is the high order. Note that this field is not included as USER DATA but must be
passed as a return value to the higher layers by the data link service primitives.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • •
• LOW ORDER OCTET (LSB) • HIGH ORDER OCTET (MSB) •
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The data link layer passes all of the user data and the source address from the header to
the higher layers when a SEND user data frame is received. The data link service
primitives provide a place to put the source address.
The 2 octet CRC check is generated from the following polynomial and then inverted
before being placed in the block for transmission:
The CRC algorithm used will now be described. In the following discussion, modulo-2
arithmetic (addition and division) is assumed. A message block (M) of k-bits is to be
transmitted (along with other blocks) (k is 64 for the header, 128 for all user data blocks
but the last block where k is 8 to 128). A 16-bit CRC check word (F) is bit-wise inverted
(F') and appended to M. Together M and F' are appended together so that T' = 216M + F'
and T' will be transmitted (additionally we define T = 216M + F). The CRC check
sequence is a pattern (P) of 17 bits as defined above in polynomial form. The CRC
algorithm requires that when T is divided by P at the receiver the remainder is 0. If the
remainder is not 0 then the block is in error. In addition, the remainder (R) of 216M/P is
used as F in the block so that 216M/P = Q + R/P (Equation. 1) (Q is the quotient). This
can be proven to provide a remainder of 0 as follows. If we assume that T=216M + R then,
T/P = (216M + R)/P. If we substitute equation 1 then T/P = Q + (R + R)/P = Q since R
added to itself modulo-2 results in zero.
To transmit a block:
(1)Take the user data block M with k data bits.
(2)Multiply M by 216 to obtain 216M.
(3)Divide this number (module-2) by P (17-bits) to get R (16-bits).
(4)Invert R bit-wise to get R'.
(5)Append R' to 216M and transmit as a block (T').
Using the FT3 frame format class and CRC, the frame has a Hamming distance of 6.
The diagram below shows the ordering of the 16-bit CRC check word with respect to any
blocks (user data or header).
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • LSB • MSB •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Block Octets • CRC •
• • •
This function code is used to synchronize a primary and secondary station for further
SEND-CONFIRM transactions. Upon reception and reply to a RESET command, the
secondary station will begin accepting Primary messages from that Primary station with
the FCV bit set. The RESET command only enables communications in one direction,
from the primary to the secondary station. This is because a successful transaction only
guarantees that the primary station transmitter and the secondary station receiver are
communicating. The primary station must send this function code when it wishes to first
communicate with the secondary station or after a communications failure has been
recognized by the primary station. When a secondary station has re-started or when a
communications failure has been recognized by the secondary, the secondary station will
be considered un-reset. In this state, the secondary station will not accept messages from
the primary station until it has received and replied to a RESET command from that
primary station.
The RESET command also synchronizes the FCB bit between primary and secondary
stations. The secondary station after completing the RESET transaction will expect the
FCB bit in the next message (with FCV valid) to be 1 from that primary station. The
primary station after completing the RESET transaction will set the FCB bit to 1 in the
next message (with FCV valid) to that secondary station.
If ACK was received then the transaction is considered successful and the secondary
station can be considered on-line. A positive INDication can be returned to the data link
user.
Otherwise, the secondary station should be considered off-line and a negative INDication
should be sent to the data link user.
Respond with an ACK confirm frame (DFC=x, PRM=0, DIR=x). The FCB status
(expected value of FCB in next received frame with FCV valid) should be set to 1. A
positive INDication can be sent to the data link user.
During normal operation, if a RESET command with FCV=0, FCB=x, PRM=1 and
DIR=x is received, then the current transaction (if any) can be aborted (possibly with
negative INDication sent to data link user).
In such case, respond with an ACK confirm frame (DFC=x, PRM=0, DIR=x). The FCB
status (expected value of FCB in next received frame with FCV valid) should be set to 1.
A positive INDication can be sent to the data link user.
This function code is used to reset the data link user process. Upon reception by a
secondary station, an INDication should be sent to the data link user. The data link user
can use this indication to reset its internal state. If accepted by the data link user, an ACK
confirm frame is sent in reply otherwise a NACK confirm frame is sent in reply.
3.6.3 Test
The TEST command is used to test the state of the secondary data link. Upon reception
by a secondary station, it checks the value of the FCB bit in the primary message and
compares it against the FCB status (expected FCB) for that primary station. If the FCBs
do not match, then the secondary station should send the last secondary confirm frame.
Otherwise, an ACK confirm frame should be sent in reply and the expected FCB status
should be toggled. The secondary station also sets the DFC bit accordingly in the
response.
Send User Data frame with FCV=1, PRM=1, DIR=x and FCB set to FCB status for the
secondary station (next expected FCB status).
Wait the pre-determined time-out period for a ACK or NACK frame from the secondary
station.
If frame is NACK then wait a pre-determined amount of time until secondary link is NOT
busy or use REQUEST LINK STATUS (below) and go to top of loop to retry.
If correct ACK frame is received, toggle FCB status (i.e. next frame sent to secondary
with FCV valid should have opposite FCB) and exit loop.
If correct frame is not received then go to top of loop and re-try.
If ACK was received then the transaction is considered successful and the secondary
station can be considered on-line. A positive INDication can be returned to the data link
user.
Otherwise, a negative INDication should be sent to the data link user and the secondary
station can be considered off-line or on-line depending on the data link user's
interpretation of the failure.
Upon reception of a User Data frame with FCV=1, PRM=1, DIR=x and FCB set to FCB
status (expected FCB state) do the following:
If the data link user is ready to accept user data then respond with an ACK confirm frame
(DFC=x, PRM=0, DIR=x) else respond with a NACK frame (same bit settings as ACK)
and exit this loop.
This function is used to send user data to the secondary station without needing
confirmation. In this way, the bandwidth of the system can be more fully utilized if the
user data is low priority. The frame sent contains the user data from the primary data link
user that is to be passed to the data link user of the secondary station. The transmission
procedures are described below:
Receive Unconfirmed User Data frame as above and send positive INDications with the
data to the data link user.
This command is used to request the status of the secondary data link. A secondary
station will respond to this request with a LINK STATUS confirm frame with the DFC
bit set to 1 if the data link is busy or the data link user cannot accept any more user data
and 0 indicating that the data link is not busy and the data link user can accept more user
data. The transmission procedures are similar to TEST except that the primary station will
typically only use this command when a NACK frame is received during a User Data
transaction.
In Figure 3-8, a primary station sends a SEND-CONFIRM Reset User Process frame to a
secondary station. The secondary station receives the message and responds with an ACK
confirm frame.
In Figure 3-9, the designated master station acting as a primary station sends a SEND-
CONFIRM frame to a non-master station acting as a secondary station. This is the first
frame with FCV valid after the secondary link was reset (above) so FCB = 1 in the SEND
frame. The secondary station expects FCB to be 1 since this is the first frame (with FCV
valid) after the link was reset (above) and sends a CONFIRM frame. The master station
upon receiving the CONFIRM assumes the message was correctly received and
INDicates success to the master station data link user.
STATION A STATION B
•••••••••••••
(REQ) • • Expected FCB=1
• SEND •
• FCB=1 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••> •••••••••••••••
• CONFIRM •
• •
<••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
(IND) (IND)
Positive Data
Figure 3-11 SEND Multiple Frames From Station A/CONFIRM From Station B
In Figure 3-12, the designated master acting as primary sends a one frame message to the
secondary non-master. This example illustrates what happens when the CONFIRM from
the secondary station is lost.
•••••••••••
(REQ) • •
• SEND • Expected FCB=1
• FCB=1 • t DAB
••• ••••••••••••••••••••••> •••••••••••••
• t DBA • CONFIRM •
• • •
• garbled ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• (IND) User Data
• or not received
retry delay > t DAB + t DBA + t CONFIRM duration + t SEND message processing time at station B
•
••• •••••••••••
• •
(same data)• SEND • Expected FCB = 0
• FCB=1 •
••••••••••••••••••••••> ••••••••••••• send data is ignored, unexpected FCB
• • but another confirm is sent
• CONFIRM •
• •
<•••••••••••••••••••••••••
(IND) Positive
In Figure 3-13, the designated master acting as primary sends a two frame message to the
secondary non-master. This example illustrates what happens when the SEND frame
from the primary station is lost.
retry delay > tBA + tAB + CONFIRM time + CONFIRM processing time at Station B
•••••••••••
• SEND •
• FCB=1 • Expected FCB=1
••••••••••••••••••••••> •••••••••••••
• CONFIRM •
• •
(IND) Positive ••••••••• <••••••••••••••••••••••••• (IND) User Data
NOTE: Both a master station and non-master station acting as primary stations can
re-try SEND frames.
In Figure 3-14, the master or non-master primary station sends 3 frames to the secondary
master or non-master. Upon successfully transmitting the SEND frame, the primary
station INDicates success to the data link user. The secondary station, upon reception of a
valid frame INDicates data availability to the data link user.
•••••••••••••
(REQ) • SEND •
• NO REPLY •
• •
••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••> (IND) Positive with user data
•
delay before next frame = t SEND message processing at station B
•
••• •••••••••••••
(REQ 2) • SEND •
• NO REPLY •
• •
••••••••••••••••••••••••> (IND) Positive with user data
•••
•
delay
•
••• •••••••••••••
(REQ 3) • SEND •
• NO REPLY •
• •
••••••••••••••••••••••••> (IND) Positive with user data
3.7.5 Send/NACK
In Figure 3-15, a non-master primary station sends a frame to the master secondary. Upon
reception of the first CONFIRM, the primary INDicates success to the data link user. The
3.7.6 Request/Respond
In Figure 3-16, a primary station SENDs consecutive frames to a secondary station. When
the secondary station cannot receive any more frames, the CONFIRM message contains
the DFC bit set. The primary station will, upon reception of the CONFIRM, stop
SENDing data frames to the secondary station but will instead periodically REQUEST
the status of the secondary by sending a REQUEST-RESPOND frame. The secondary
will RESPOND to the REQUEST frame with the current state of the DFC. If the
secondary is ready to receive more data, the DFC returned will be 0 otherwise the DFC
returned will be 1. When the primary station recognizes DFC = 0 in the RESPOND
frame, the transmission of SEND frames will continue.
Error notification will be given to the data link user when a response to a request has not
been received.
Data link request (REQ) services can be used at any time after the data link has been
initialized and configured by the system.
confirm = request_data_link_service(
SERVICE,
TIME_SERVICE,
destination,
source,
send_data_buffer,
send_count,
retry_flag,
time_of_transmission
)
Input:
SERVICE Service to perform
TIME_SERVICE Guaranteed time service to perform
source Source address to use in sent message
destination Destination address to use in sent message
send_data_buffer Data to send in message
send_count Number of octets in message
retry_flag Instructs data link layer to retry unacknowledged frames or not
time_of_transmission Time that first bit of first octet of message is to be sent
Output:
time_of_transmission Time that first bit of first octet of message was sent
Data link indications (IND) can be requested at any time by the service user but should be
checked as often as possible in order to obtain received data.
indications = request_data_link_indications(
source_address,
destination_address,
received_data_buffer,
received_data_count,
time_of_reception)
Output:
source_address Source address of received message
destination_address Destination address of received address
received_data_buffer Received message
received_data_count Number of octets in message
time_of_reception Time at which first bit of first octet of message was received
The physical layer must provide 5 basic services: Send, Receive, Connect, Disconnect,
and Status. The Send service converts data octets into bit-serial data for transmission
between the DTE and DCE. It must provide the proper signal control in order to
communicate with the given DCE. The Receive service must be able to accept data from
the DCE and therefore provide the correct signaling to the DCE in order to receive data
and not noise. The Connect and Disconnect services provide connection and
disconnection from the PSN (if applicable). The Status service must be able to return the
state of the physical medium. As a minimum, the service must indicate whether or not the
medium is busy.
The physical link service primitives are illustrated in pseudo code to illustrate the
requirements and behavior in a real implementation and are not intended as an exact
interface definition.
Physical layer requests can be sent at any time after the physical layer has been started
and configured with all relevant parameters.
Output:
time_of_transmission Time that first bit of first octet of message was transmitted
Physical layer indications (IND) can be requested at any time by the service user but
should be checked as often as possible in order to obtain received data.
indications = indicate(received_data_buffer,
received_data_count,
time_of_reception)
Output:
received_data_buffer Received message
received_data_count Number of octets in message
time_of_reception Time at which first bit of first octet of message was received
The direct topology has two physical nodes with each physical node connected directly to
the other. This is often referred to as point-to-point and can be a direct physical cable
from point-to-point, a two node radio or modem network or a dial-up connection through
a PSN (Public Switched Network).
The serial bus topology has more than two physical nodes with each node connected to
the same channel or communication line as every other node in the serial bus network.
This is often referred to as a multi-drop configuration and is commonly made up of many
Bell 202 modems with their outputs/input tied together. In this configuration, there is one
node which is deemed to be in control of the physical network. This is often the SCADA
master. This node transmits to multiple-nodes and receives from multiple nodes. All other
nodes in the bus receive from the master node and transmit to the master node.
In peer-to-peer communications, all devices act as slave data links and collision
avoidance should be turned on as no one device has a higher priority and all can transmit
spontaneously.
In a multiple-master configuration, the master devices are higher priority than the slave
devices. However, priority has to be assigned amongst the masters.
The DNP data link can use half-duplex procedures with a 2-wire circuit and full-duplex
or half-duplex procedures with a 4-wire circuit.
The DNP data link can support both full-duplex and half-duplex procedures at the local
loop. Both cases, however will be handled quite differently.
In a direct connection type topology, the primary station (initiating station) can only
communicate with one station. If this circuit is four-wire then full-duplex procedures will
be used and there will be no chance of message collisions on the circuit. However, if the
circuit is two-wire then half-duplex procedures will be used. In this case, a collision can
occur if both stations attempt to transmit data at the same time. A direct connect to a dial-
up PSN is typically 2-wire but the circuit from the station to the modem is a 4-wire full-
duplex circuit and should be used in a full-duplex fashion. The dial-up modem must use
CTS to hold off the transmitter after RTS is asserted.
In a multi-drop topology, the designated master station can act as a primary station to
many secondary stations. In this case there is a chance of collision in a two-wire or four
wire circuit.
In a two-wire circuit, the designated master station messages can collide with any other
stations message and the slave station messages can collide with each other at any time.
In a four wire circuit, the master station messages cannot collide with the slave station
messages but the slave station messages can collide with each other.
In the point-to-point configuration, either the master or slave station could transmit. In the
multi-drop configuration, either the master or any of many slave stations could transmit.
The DNP data link protocol does not assign priority to either the master or slave message
but it is generally accepted in SCADA that the master should have control of the
communication circuit and therefore should transmit the message (if one is to be sent).
Any slave station, if allowed to transmit at this point, could possibly cause a collision so
the slave station must wait some time after detecting the loss of a data carrier before
attempting to send. Before sending, the indication is checked again and if the circuit is
still idle then the transmission can take place. If the circuit is busy then the station must
wait again until the indication disappears and perform the procedure again. The insertion
of the time delay after the loss of data carrier allows the master to take control of the
circuit (if needed at that time) and shuts out the other station (because the carrier
indication is caused by the masters transmission).
7.2.1 Point-to-Point
In a point-to-point configuration this time delay only needs to be as long as the time
needed for the master to detect the loss of data carrier and begin the transmission of the
message (plus any propagation delays in the system) (Master_min time).
7.2.2 Multi-Point
In a multi-drop configuration, this time delay needs to be different for each slave station.
One possibility is to configure each slave station to wait a steadily increasing amount of
time (no duplicate times and all greater than Master_Min time) hence assigning priorities
to the stations. In this way, stations which are important in the system can be given higher
priority and collisions will rarely happen (only if device timing is bad or the system is
poorly configured). However, if the high priority slave stations have nothing to transmit,
then there is a lot of time (and hence bandwidth) wasted.
Another scheme is to configure each slave station to wait a random time between
Master_Min and Max. This Max is a function of the number of slave stations in the
system. In this way, each station can be configured in the same way and the average time
wasted is about (Max - Master_Min) / 2. However, a collision is still possible if two
stations decide to wait for the same amount of time. The smaller the Max value the
greater the chance of this happening.
When full-duplex procedures are used in a four-wire multi-drop system the problem of
collision avoidance increases in complexity. The reason for this lies in the fact that a
physical communication circuit that has two independent channels usually can only detect
traffic in the receive direction. In a two-wire system, any traffic in the receive or transmit
direction can be detected because they are both on the same circuit but in a four-wire
system the transmitted and received messages travel on different circuits.
7.3.1 Point-to-Point
In a point-to-point, full-duplex system both master and slave can transmit at the same
time without collision so there is no need for collision detection/avoidance or access
mechanisms in this case.
7.3.2 Multi-Point
In a full-duplex, multi-drop system, the master station can transmit messages at any time
without collision but may not receive the data link confirmation immediately because
another station (acting as a primary station) may have taken control of the master's
receive circuit before the secondary station or a collision occurred.
The slave station's messages will collide at random because there is no way for the station
to know if another station has control of the master's receive circuit. The solution is to
make use of a control circuit (RTS in the case of RS-232) to signal the slave stations
when another slave station has taken control of the master's receive circuit. This signal
must be an input to the slave stations which indicates a request to take control of the
master's receive circuit.
One simple solution is to allow slave messages to collide. In this way, the master can still
send out high priority messages but there may be a collision which will cause a secondary
station to time-out.
A dial-up modem uses a four-wire full-duplex circuit that typically requires several
control signals (other than DCD) in order to operate. The dial-up circuit is a point-to-
point circuit. However, the meaning of the data carrier signal is quite different than with a
direct circuit. The data carrier (DCD) indicates that the modem is electrically connected
to another modem across the PSN. It does not necessarily mean that data is being
transmitted on the circuit. The CTS (Clear To Send) line indicates to the data link when it
is safe to transmit. The DNP data link will assert the RTS (Request To Send) line before
transmitting each frame and wait for the CTS line to go high before transmitting the data.
The RTS line will then be de-asserted. If the DCD line goes low, the data link will
assume that a connection has been lost and attempt to re-dial if needed.
DNP V3.00 Data Link Layer (Version 0.02) 7-3
7-4 DNP Users Group
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND
ACRONYMS
CRC cyclic redundancy check
PRM primary
DNP V3.00
TRANSPORT FUNCTIONS
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group.
Revisions or additions to the definition and functionality of the
Distributed Network Protocol cannot be made without express written
agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorized party. In
addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to
in any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement
with the DNP Users Group or a Party duly authorized by the DNP Users
Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
1. OVERVIEW 1-1
2. TRANSPORT FUNCTIONS
A detailed description of the packet formats and transmission procedures.
The secondary station checks the TH octet on reception of each LSDU for the correct
sequence and builds a TSDU message for higher layers.
The TH contains information that can identify the first frame, last frame and give every
frame a six-bit sequence number. This information is required to reconstruct a message
and also to guard against higher layers from receiving misdirected or incomplete
messages.
When an application requests the transmission of a long message, the message is broken
into fragments small enough to fit in a single DNP V3.00 Data Link frame. The
maximum size of a fragment is 249 octets of user data. The TH is added to the head of the
fragment and the maximum number of octets to be framed becomes 250 octets.
FIN The final bit indicates that this frame of user data is the last frame of a
sequence which compromises a complete user message.
FIN = 0 More frames follow.
1 Final frame of a sequence.
FIR The first bit indicates that the frame is the first in a sequence of frame(s)
which comprise a complete message. When a secondary station receives a
frame with the FIR bit set, all previously received unterminated frame
sequences are discarded. The first frame of a sequence may have any
sequence from 0 to 63.
If a frame is received without the FIR bit set and no message sequence is
currently in progress, then the frame is ignored.
If a complete user message is only one frame in length, both the FIR and
FIN bits are set.
FIR = 1 First frame of a sequence.
0 Not the first frame of a sequence.
--------------
| SOURCE = n |
--------------
--------------
| FIR = 1 |
| FIN = 0 |
| SEQUENCE = 3| Note sequence starts with the value in the frame that has the FIR bit = 1
| USER DATA 0 |
-------------- -----------> -------------
| USER DATA 0 |
-------------
--------------
| SOURCE = n |
--------------
--------------
| FIR = 0 |
| FIN = 0 |
| SEQUENCE = 4|
| USER DATA 1 |
-------------- -----------> -------------
| USER DATA 1 |
-------------
| USER DATA 0 |
-------------
--------------
| SOURCE = n |----------------------------------->
-------------- SOURCE ADDRESS passed to application
--------------
| FIR = 0 |
| FIN = 1 | FIN indicates last frame
| SEQUENCE = 5|
| USER DATA 2 |
-------------- -----------> -------------
| USER DATA 2 | FIN indicated this is the last frame of message
-------------
| USER DATA 1 |
-------------
| USER DATA 0 | complete message passed to application
------------- ----------->
---------------
| USER DATA |
| |
| 30 octets |
---------------
--------------
| DESTINATION | parameter to data link
--------------
--------------
| FIR = 1 |
| FIN = 1 | 1 TH octet
| SEQUENCE = 1 |
| USER DATA 0 | send 30 user octets plus 1 TH = 31 octets
SEND <----- --------------
CONFIRM -------> --------------------> SUCCESS to application layer
--------------
| DESTINATION | parameter from application
--------------
--------------
| USER DATA |
| |
| 598 octets |
--------------
--------------
| DESTINATION | parameter to data link
--------------
--------------
| FIR = 1 |
| FIN = 0 | 1 TH octet
| SEQUENCE = 2 |
| USER DATA 0 | send 249 octets (1 to 249 is the valid range for this count)
SEND <------- --------------
CONFIRM --------> --------------
| DESTINATION | parameter to data link
--------------
--------------
| FIR = 0 |
| FIN = 0 |
| SEQUENCE = 3 |
| USER DATA 1 | send 249 octets
SEND <------- --------------
CONFIRM --------> --------------
| DESTINATION | parameter to data link
--------------
--------------
| FIR = 0 |
| FIN = 1 |
| SEQUENCE = 4 |
| USER DATA 2 | send last 100 octets (249 + 249 + 100 = 598)
SEND <------- --------------
CONFIRM --------> --------------------> SUCCESS to application layer
SDUs will only be exchanged between peer DNP V3.00 pseudo-transport layers.
Error notification is given to the transport user when a response to a request has not been
received.
Transport request (REQ) services can be used at any time after the transport functions
have been initialized and configured by the system.
confirm = request_transport_service(
SERVICE,
TIME_SERVICE,
destination,
source,
send_data_buffer,
send_count,
retry_flag,
time_of_transmission)
Input:
SERVICE Service to perform.
TIME_SERVICE Guaranteed time service to perform.
source Source address to use in sent message.
destination Destination address to use in sent message.
send_data_buffer Data to send in message.
send_count Number of octets in message.
retry_flag Instructs data link layer to retry unacknowledged frames or not.
time_of_transmission Time that first bit of first octet of message is to be sent.
Output:
time_of_transmission Time that first bit of first octet of message was sent
Data link indications (IND) can be requested at any time by the service user but should be
checked as often as possible in order to obtain received data.
indications = request_data_link_indications(
source_address,
destination_address,
received_data_buffer,
received_data_count,
time_of_reception)
Output:
source_address Source address of received message.
destination_address Destination address of received address.
received_data_buffer Received message.
received_data_count Number of octets in message.
time_of_reception Time at which first bit of first octet of message was received.
DNP V3.00
APPLICATION LAYER
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group.
Revisions or additions to the definition and functionality of the
Distributed Network Protocol cannot be made without express written
agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorized party. In
addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to
in any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement
with the DNP Users Group or a Party duly authorized by the DNP Users
Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
1. OVERVIEW 1-1
1.1 DESCRIPTION AND IEC RELATIONSHIP 1-2
5. CLASSES 5-1
2. MESSAGE FORMATS
A definition of the request and response formats.
5. CLASSES
A description of the classes.
6. TIME SYNCHRONIZATION
A description of time synchronizing.
8. FILE TRANSFER
A description of file transfer.
The ISO OSI (International Standards Organization Open System Interconnection) model
specifies seven layers. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) specifies a
simplified model consisting of the physical, data link and application layers only. This is
termed the Enhanced Performance Architecture (EPA). This document defines the third
layer of this EPA or the Application Layer. The data link layer is defined in:
Harris Canada Inc. has developed the DNP for application in both SCADA and
distributed automation (DA) systems. Primary focus has been on the current and future
needs of these areas. The DNP is suitable for use in highly secure, moderate speed and
moderate throughput applications. The protocol is highly flexible and open-ended
without any target hardware specific constructs.
Figure 1-1 on the following page shows the EPA structure and how it fits into the entire
communication system. As shown, the User Layer interfaces to the Application Layer in
one place only implying that the user has no need to know of the other elements of the
communication system except the Application Layer interface. The User Layer makes
use of the Application Layer to send/receive complete SCADA/DA messages to/from a
master station or outstation.
Application Layer
Physical Layer
Communication Medium
Figure 2-1 below shows the sequence of Application Layer messages between one master
and one Outstation.
Master Outstation
As shown above, the master station sends an Application Layer Request to the outstation
which returns an Application Layer Response. The outstation can decide to
spontaneously transmit data using an Application Layer Unsolicited Response message.
For a master, a request/response transaction with a particular outstation must be
completed before another requests can be sent to that outstation. A master station may
accept unsolicited responses while the request transaction is in progress. For an
outstation, a request/response transaction must be completed before any other requests are
accepted or unsolicited responses are sent. Unsolicited responses can be sent before or
after the request/response transaction but not during. If an outstation is presently in the
middle of an unsolicited transaction (i.e. waiting for a confirmation), it may conditionally
accept one request command from the master. (For detailed information, see Section 3.3 -
Master Request and Unsolicited Response Collisions).
Each ASDU consists of one or more Data Unit Identifiers (DUI) or object headers and
optional associated Information Objects (IO) or data fields. The object header can specify
0 or more en that returned by the receiving station or that follow the header in the
message.
• DUI • IO .. IO • DUI • IO •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ....••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Request Header • Object Header • data • • Object Header • data •
• • • • • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.....••••••••••••••••••••••••
• APCI • ASDU •
Request Header The request header identifies the purpose of the message and
consists of APCI (Application Protocol Control Information).
Object Header This header identifies the data objects that follow.
Data Data object(s) of the type specified in the object header.
Response Header The response header identifies the purpose of the message and
consists of APCI (Application Protocol Control Information).
Object Header This header identifies the data objects that follow.
Data Data object(s) of the type specified in the object header.
The request header or APCI has two fields. Each field is one octet in length and is
illustrated below.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Application Control • Function Code •
• AC • FC •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The application control field has a size of one octet. It provides information needed to
construct multi-fragment application messages.
FIR If set to one (1), this bit indicates the message fragment is the first fragment of a
complete application message.
FIN If set to one (1), this bit indicates the message fragment is the final fragment of a
complete application message.
CON If set to one (1) in a received message, indicates the sending application is
expecting a confirmation from the receiving application of the reception of the
fragment. An application function code zero (0) is used in the confirmation
message.
SEQUENCE Indicates the fragment number. Fragment numbers 0 to 15 are reserved for
master station requests and all Outstation responses (NOT Unsolicited
Responses). Fragment numbers 16 to 31 are reserved for unsolicited
responses from Outstations. For unsolicited responses, each consecutive
fragment from an Outstation must have an increasing sequence number
(the number overflows from 31 to 16). For requests to an Outstation and
the Outstation responses (not unsolicited responses), each consecutive
fragment received from or transmitted to the same Outstation must have an
increasing sequence number (the number overflows from 15 to 0).
The Sequence Number for all requests from the master station to the Outstation is
in the range 0 to 15 inclusive. The sequence number for all Unsolicited Responses
from the Outstation is in the range 16 to 31 inclusive.
The following figures illustrate some cases of message transactions and how the
Sequence Numbers prevent problems. In the examples, SEQ is the Sequence Number
and CON is the Confirmation Requested bit in the message. Time progresses from left to
right in the diagrams. The vertical arrows represent the flow of messages between the
Outstation and the master station.
Case One illustrates typical message transactions. The master sends a request, the
Outstation responds and the master CONFIRMs the response. Later on, the Outstation
sends an Unsolicited Response to the master station. When the Outstation transmits the
response, it starts a CONFIRMation response timer. If this timer had expired before the
CONFIRMation was received, the Outstation would have re-transmitted the response.
Case Two shows a similar situation to Case One except the master request requires a
CONFIRMation response as well as a normal response.
CASE 1
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. • •
• Response • CONFIRM • CONFIRM
• expected. • (SEQ=7) • (SEQ=24)
• (CON=0) • •
• (SEQ=7) • •
▼ ▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲
• Response • Unsol.
• to master • Response
• (CON=1) • (CON=1)
• (SEQ=7) • (SEQ=24)
• •
CASE 2
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. •
• Response • CONFIRM
• expected. • (SEQ=2)
• (CON=0) •
• (SEQ=2) •
▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲
• CONFIRM • Response
• (SEQ=2) • to master
• • request
• • (CON=1)
• • (SEQ=2)
Case Three illustrates a multi-fragment response from the Outstation. The sequence
number in successive fragments is incremented. Note that the next request from the
master station used sequence number equals 4.
In Case Four, the response from the Outstation is not received by the master station. The
Outstation waits for a CONFIRMation, and when its CONFIRMation time-out expires it
re-transmits the response.
CASE 3
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. • • • Request.
• Response • CONFIRM • CONFIRM • (SEQ=4)
• expected. • (SEQ=2) • (SEQ=24) •
• (CON=0) • • •
• (SEQ=2) • • •
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲
• Response • Response
• Frag. 1 • Frag. 2
• (CON=1) • (CON=1)
• (SEQ=2) • (SEQ=3)
• •
CASE 4
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. •
• Response Response • CONFIRM
• expected. not • (SEQ=3)
• (CON=0) received. •
• (SEQ=3) •
▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲
• Response CONFIRM not • Response
• (CON=1) received. RTU • (CON=1)
• (SEQ=3) time-out. Resend • (SEQ=3)
• response. •
• •
From the Outstation side, Case Five is identical to Case Four. In Case Five unlike Case
Four, the master does CONFIRM the first Outstation response. This CONFIRMation is
not received by the Outstation. When the Outstation resends the response, the master will
repeat the CONFIRMation. The master will not re-process the second response.
Case Six illustrates the case where the master request is not received by the Outstation.
The master repeats the request after a response time-out occurs.
CASE 6
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. Time-out on • Request. •
• Response response. • Response • CONFIRM
• expected. Resend • expected. • (SEQ=5)
• (CON=0) Request. • (CON=0) •
• (SEQ=5 ) • (SEQ=5) •
▼ ▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲
Request not • Response
received. • (CON=1)
• (SEQ=5)
•
•
Case Seven is similar to Case Four. In both cases, the Outstation response to the master
request is not received. In Case Four the Outstation timed out waiting for the
CONFIRMation and repeated the response. In Case Seven however, the master times out
first and repeats the request. The Outstation automatically stops waiting for the
CONFIRMation and repeats its previous response. Case Seven also illustrates another
possible condition. The original response that the master did not receive is delayed in the
communication network. The master re-sends the request, the Outstation replies and the
master finishes the transaction sequence with a CONFIRMation. The original response
from the Outstation then arrives at the master station. The master station assumes that the
first CONFIRMation was not received by the Outstation. It therefore re-transmits the
CONFIRMation. The Outstation receives and discards this second CONFIRMation.
Case Eight is similar to Case Seven. In this case, the first CONFIRMation from the
Outstation is delayed in the communication network. When this CONFIRMation
eventually arrives at the master station, it is ignored.
CASE 8
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. CONFIRM delayed • Request. Master receives
• No response in network. • No response first delayed
• expected. Time-out. Master • expected. CONFIRM and
• (CON=0) resends request. • (CON=1) ignores it.
• (SEQ=5 ) • (SEQ=12)
▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲
• CONFIRM • CONFIRM
• (SEQ=12) • (SEQ=12)
• •
• •
• •
In Case Nine, the Unsolicited Response is re-transmitted by the Outstation when a time-
out on the CONFIRMation occurs. The master eventually receives it twice. It does not
process it the second time, but does respond to it in the same way as the first time. The
Outstation discards the second CONFIRMation. This illustrates a situation where
network delays, and not message losses, cause time-outs to occur.
CASE 9
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master Unsol. response • Master •
delayed in • CONFIRM receives the • CONFIRM
network. • (SEQ=30) delayed unsol. • (SEQ=30)
Not received. • response. •
• Resend CONFIRM. •
▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲
• Unsol. Time-out on • Unsol. RTU discards
• response. CONFIRM • Response. second
• (CON=1) Resend. • (CON=1) CONFIRM.
• (SEQ=30) • (SEQ=30)
• •
The processing of the above and similar situation depends on the type of request issued
by the master station.
The master station will always process an Unsolicited Response immediately, ever if it
arrives when the master station is expecting a response to a previously issued request. A
CONFIRMation of the Unsolicited Response is issued immediately if requested by the
Outstation (i.e. if CON bit is set).
The Outstation will generally process a request immediately, even if it is waiting for
CONFIRMation of a previous Unsolicited Response. All requests except READ requests
for system data (e.g. Binary input data, counter event data etc.) are processed in this way.
This mode of operation is referred to as IMMEDIATE_PROCESS mode.
The Outstation will NOT process a master station READ request if it is waiting for
CONFIRMation of a previous Unsolicited Response. It will wait for the CONFIRMation
before processing the request. The reason for the different functionality is to prevent the
loss or duplication of data events. This mode of operation is referred to
PROCESS_AFTER_CONFIRM mode.
Figures 3-9 and 3-10 illustrate the normal functionality when a master station request and
an Outstation Unsolicited Response are transmitted simultaneously and the Outstation is
in the IMMEDIATE_PROCESS mode (i.e. request is not a READ request).
In Case Ten, the master immediately responds to the Unsolicited Response. The
Outstation immediately processes and responds to the master station request. Note that
the two CONFIRMation responses could be sent from the master in the opposite order to
the order shown in Case Ten. This would not confuse the Outstation.
Case Eleven illustrates a basic message flow where the Unsolicited Response does not
require a CONFIRMation.
CASE11
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. Store and •
• Response process the • CONFIRM
• expected. unsol. response. • (SEQ=2)
• (CON=1) •
• (SEQ=2) •
▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲ ▲
• Unsol. • CONFIRM • Response
• response • (SEQ=2) • to master
• (CON=0) • • request
• (SEQ=22) • • (CON=1)
• • • (SEQ=2)
Case Thirteen illustrates the situation where the Unsolicited Response is not received by
the master station. The Outstation responds to the master request, then after the
CONFIRMation time-out for the Unsolicited Response, the Outstation re-transmits the
Unsolicited Response. The master then CONFIRMs the Unsolicited Response. Note that
it is possible that the first Unsolicited Response later arrives at the master station (it was
delayed in the network). The master would not re-process the response, but would reply
to it again. The Outstation would discard the reply.
CASE 13
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. Master does • •
• Response not receive • CONFIRM • CONFIRM to
• expected. unsol. response. • (SEQ=3) • unsol.
• (CON=0) • • response
• (SEQ=3) • • (SEQ=28)
▼ ▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲ ▲
• Unsol. • Response RTU time-out for • Unsol.
• response • (CON=1) CONFIRM to unsol. • response
• (CON=1) • (SEQ=3) response. Resend • (CON=1)
• (SEQ=28) • request. •
• • •
When a READ request for system data is received by the Outstation and a previous
Unsolicited Response has not yet been CONFIRMed, the Outstation will not process the
READ request until it receives the CONFIRMation to the Unsolicited Response. If the
Outstation was to respond to the READ request immediately, there is a risk of data being
lost or duplicated. This is due to the possibility that the READ request requests data
objects which are already in the unCONFIRMed Unsolicited Response.
Case Fourteen illustrates the situation where the READ request is received while the
Outstation is waiting for a CONFIRMation. The Outstation will not process the READ
request until the CONFIRMation is received.
Case Fifteen is similar to Case Fourteen except the Unsolicited Response is not
CONFIRMed. The Outstation must re-transmit the Unsolicited Response until it is
CONFIRMed or its configured re-transmission limit is reached. If this limit is ever
reached, the Outstation will internally re-buffer the data in the Unsolicited Response,
respond to any outstanding master station requests then try to send the Unsolicited
Response again.
CASE 15
Time
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••→
Master • Request. Master does • •
• Response not receive • CONFIRM to • CONFIRM
• expected. unsol. response. • unsol. • (SEQ=3)
• (CON=0) • response •
• (SEQ=3) • (SEQ=28) •
▼ ▼ ▼
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstation ▲ ▲ ▲
• Unsol. RTU time-out for • Unsol. • Response
• response CONFIRM to unsol. • response • (CON=1)
• (CON=1) response. Resend • (CON=1) • (SEQ=3)
• (SEQ=28) unsol. response. • (SEQ=28) •
• • •
Reserved
First Octet
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• 7 • 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 • 2 • 1 • 0 • Bit number
• • • • • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Bit 5 - Set when some or all of the Outstation's digital output points are in the
Local state. That is, the Outstation's control outputs are NOT accessible
through the DNP protocol.
- Clear when the Outstation is in the Remote state. That is, the Outstation's
control outputs are accessible through the DNP protocol.
Second Octet
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• 7 • 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 • 2 • 1 • 0 • Bit number
• • • • • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Bit 1 - Requested object(s) unknown. The Outstation does not have the specified
objects or there are no objects assigned to the requested class.
- This indication should be used for debugging purposes and usually
indicates a mismatch in device profiles or configuration problems.
Bit 5 - Set to indicate that the current configuration in the Outstation is corrupt
and that the master application layer should inform the user of this
exception. The master may download another configuration to the
Outstation. Note that sometimes a corrupt configuration will disable an
Outstation, making it impossible to communicate this condition to a
master station.
Bit 6 - Reserved for use by agreement, currently always returned as zero (0).
Bit 7 - Reserved for use by agreement, currently always returned as zero (0).
Object Specifies the object group and variation of the objects that follow the
header as described in section 3. OBJECT. This is a two-octet field. The
object field uniquely identifies the type or class of object which gives the
structure (and hence size) of the data object.
NOTE: The range field may not be present if the qualifier specifies that there is no
range field. The size of this field ranges from zero (0) octets to eight
octets.
The Object field specifies an object group and the variation of the object within the
group. The combined object group plus variation specifies uniquely the object to which
the message refers. The currently defined object structures are described in DNP-V3.00
Data Object Library (P009-0BL).
Objects may be assigned to one of four classes. When the Object field specifies a data
class instead of a specific object type, the object field refers indirectly to all the data
objects assigned to that class of data and not to any specific object type. See Section 5:
CLASSES for more detail.
The object field is two octets in length. The first octet specifies the general type of data
(e.g. analog inputs) and the second octet specifies the variation of the data type (e.g. 16-
bit analog inputs or 32-bit analog inputs). In the request direction, if the object variation
is specified as 0, this indicates all object variations belonging to the same group (i.e. all or
any analog inputs types). In the response direction however, variation 0 cannot be used to
specify the objects. The specific variation has to be specified.
Consider the example where the request message specifies counter objects in the first
octet and the variation is 0. Given that the Outstation supports only 16 bit counters, it
will respond with an object header with the variation field set to indicate that the counter
objects are 16 bit counters.
With the same request message directed to another station, the returned object header may
indicate a 32 bit count field in the counter objects it returns. By requesting data with the
variation set to 0, it is not necessary for the master to know what variations the Outstation
supports. The master must however be able to interpret the object headers and have some
knowledge of the structure of each variation.
first octet second octet
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • 0 or Object variation• Application request direction
• Object Group ••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • Object variation • Application response direction
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Range Field is used to index data or as an identifier. The structure and use of the
Range Field is dependent on the value in the Index Size field and the Qualifier Code field.
When the Range Field is used to index data, it often consists of a Start Range value and
an Stop Range value. Together they define a range of objects in the data following the
Object Header. Each of the Start Range and Stop Range sub-fields is termed as index.
The Index Size bits are valid only when the qualifier code is 11. These bits
indicate the size, in octets, of each entry in the Range Field. The Range Field
follows the Qualifier Field. The Range Field consists of indices (to specify a
range of objects) or object identifier lists (see qualifier code 11).
The 3 bit Index Size field specifies the size of the indices or object size prefixing
each object.
The Qualifier Code is used to specify the meaning of the Range field.
The Range field following the Qualifier field often contains sub-fields (Start
Range and Stop Range) that designate a range of integer values starting
numerically from Start Range (including the number Start Range) to Stop Range
(including the number Stop Range).
For Qualifier Codes 0, 1 and 2, Start Range and Stop Range are interpreted as
indices of data
For Qualifier Codes 3, 4 and 5, Start Range and Stop Range are interpreted as
virtual memory addresses.
The Qualifier Code can be used both in the request and response messages as it
can uniquely identify data objects whether they do or do not exist in the message.
When the Qualifier Field equals 6, the length of the range field is 0 (i.e. no range
field) because all the data objects of the specified type are being referred to. This
qualifier can be used in messages with object headers only because it cannot
Qualifier Codes 7, 8 and 9 are used to indicate that the Range Field consists of a
single count indicating the number of data objects in question. The Range Field
that follows designates the number of objects referenced.
If the Index Size field equals zero, the Range Field specifies the number of objects
referenced starting numerically from 0 (including 0) to the value in the Range
Field minus 1.
If the Index Size is 1, 2 or 3 then the Range Field specifies the number of indices
and objects following the Range Field.
Qualifier Codes 7, 8 and 9 can be used in the request and response messages. In a
message with or without data objects, the value in the Range Field specifies the
number of data objects to be referred to. The Index Size field should be set to the
size of the indices that either pre-fix each data object (for messages with data
objects) or that form a sequential list of identifiers.
The Index Size field should not indicate an object size identifier as this would not
uniquely specify the data objects in question and should be set to 0 if no
identifiers or indices are following. The order of identifiers (and optional data
objects) is arbitrary but should not consist of duplicate indices.
This Qualifier Code is used to specify objects when other Qualifier Codes are
inadequate or do not provide enough identifying information.
Qualifier 11 is used only when the Range Field (index) cannot uniquely specify
the data objects in question. In this case, the Qualifier Code defines a variable
length array of octets (string) that contains the object identifier.
This identifier has a free-format and will not be interpreted in any way by the
application layer at this time.
The following Qualifier Code values are reserved and should not be used:
10 = reserved
12 = reserved
13 = reserved
14 = reserved
15 = reserved
3.7.3 Range
The meaning of the Range Field is specified by the Qualifier Field. For Qualifier Codes 0
to 5 the Range field has 2 sub-fields specifying a start and stop index or address. The
values in these fields are inclusive. The Range field is not present for qualifier code 6.
The range field is a single field specifying a quantity for qualifier codes 7, 8, 9 and 11. In
the following, the term 'Q-code' refers to the 4 bit Qualifier Code field and 'I-size' refers
to the Index Size field.
The following figure defines all the valid qualifier/range/index combinations for a request
or response which do NOT contain any IO or data objects and simply specifies the objects
in question. The bytes described appear after the qualifier octet of the object header and
before the next object header or end of message.
•••••••••••••••••••••
• Start • Stop • Q-code 0 and 3; I-size MUST be 0
• 8 bit • 8 bit • Definition of Range Field.
• • • Points are I1 to I2 inclusive
• I1 • I2 •
•••••••••••••••••••••
Use Q-code 6 for describing ALL points of the given data type:
•••••••••••
•Quantity • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 0
• 8 bit • Points are 0 .. Q-1 inclusive
• •
• Q •
• •
•••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••
•Quantity • Index • • •
• • Index • • • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 1
• 8 bit • • • • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • I1 • ....... • IQ •
• Q • • • •
• • LSB • • LSB •
•••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••
•Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 2
• 8 bit • • • • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • I1 • .......• IQ •
• Q • • • •
• • LSB • MSB • • LSB • MSB •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••
•Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 3
• 8 bit • • • • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • I1 • ....... • IQ •
• Q • • • •
• • LSB • • • MSB • • LSB • • • MSB •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 0
• Q • Points are 0 to Q-1 inclusive
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Index• • Index • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 1
• | • LSB •...... • LSB • Points are I1,I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • • • •
• Q • I1 • • IQ •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••
LSB MSB
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 2
• • • LSB • MSB•......• LSB • MSB• Points are I1,I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • • • • • •
• Q • I1 • • IQ •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 3
• • • LSB • • • MSB•......• LSB • • • MSB• Points are I1,I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • • • • • • • • • • •
• Q • I1 • • IQ •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 9; I-size MUST be 1
• | | | • LSB •....• LSB • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ
• Q • I1 • • IQ •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 9; I-size MUST be 2
• | | | • LSB | MSB •....• LSB | MSB • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ
• Q • I1 • • IQ •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 9; I-size MUST be 3
• | | | • LSB | | | MSB •....• LSB | | | MSB • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ
• Q • I1 • • IQ •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••
Use qualifier 11 when describing points that need to be uniquely identified by an object identifier such as a
File Object Identifier or Configuration Header. The type of identifier is implied by the object type:
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••
• 16-bit • 16-bit • • • • • Q-code 11; I-size MUST be 2
• LSB | MSB • LSB | MSB • O1 • O2 • .... • ON • Octets 1 to N are the object identifier
• Q • Size N • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••
As for the previous case, there could be many identifiers each one following the other.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••
• 32-bit • 32-bit • • • • • Q-code 11; I-size MUST be 3
• LSB | | | MSB • LSB | | | MSB • O1 • O2 • .... • ON • Octets 1 to N are the object identifier
• Q • Size N • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••
As for the previous case, there could be many identifiers each one following the other.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••
• Start • Stop • DO • DO • DO • • DO • Q-code 0 and 3; I-size MUST be 0
• 8 bit • 8 bit • • • • • • Points/Objects are I1 .. I2 inclusive
• • • I1 • I1+1 • I1+2 •.... • I2 •
• I1 • I2 • • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••
• Start • Stop • Object •DO-I1 • • Object •DO-I2• Q-code 0 and 3; I-size MUST be 4
• 8 bit • 8 bit • Size • with • • Size • with• Points/Objects are I1 .. I2 inclusive
• • • 8-bit • size •..... • 8-bit • size•
• I1 • I2 • S1 • S1 • • S2 • S2 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••
Note: 16 and 32-bit object sizes can also be used by using I-size 5 and 6
Note: 8 and 32-bit object sizes can also be used by using I-size 4 and 6
Note: 8 and 16-bit object sizes can also be used by using I-size 4 and 5
Do NOT use Q-code 6 for describing a message which contains data objects as the exact number of points
are not known and therefore the contents of the message cannot be determined.
••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••
•Quantity • DO • • DO • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 0
• 8 bit • • • • Points/Objects are 0 .. Q-1 inclusive
• • I0 •.... • I(Q-1) •
• Q • • • •
• • • • •
••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••
•Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 1
• 8 bit • • • • • • Points/Objects are I1, I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • I1 • I1 • ..• IQ • IQ •
• Q • • • • • •
• • LSB • • • LSB • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••
•Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be 2
• 8 bit • • • • • • Points/Objects are I1, I2 .. IQ
inclusive
• • I1 • I1 •....• IQ • IQ •
• Q • • • • • •
• • LSB | MSB • • • LSB | MSB • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 7; I-size MUST be
3
• • • • • • • Points/Objects are
• 8 bit • • • • • • I1, I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • I1 • I1 • .....• IQ • I1 •
• • • • • • •
• Q • • • • • •
• • LSB | | | MSB • • • LSB | | | MSB • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • DO • • DO • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 0
• Q • •... • • Points/Objects are 0 .. Q-1 inclusive
• | • I0 • •I(Q-1)•
•••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••
LSB MSB
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 1
• | • LSB • • • LSB • • Points/Objects are I1,I2 .. IQ inclusive
• • • I1 • • •IQ •
• Q • I1 • • • IQ • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be 2
• | • LSB | MSB• •......• LSB | MSB• • Points/Objects are I1,I2 .. IQ
inclusive
• | • • I1 • • • IQ •
• Q • I1 • • • IQ • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••
• 16 bit Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 8; I-size MUST be
3
• | • LSB | | | MSB• •.....• LSB | | | MSB• • Points/Objects are I1,I2
.. IQ
• • • I1 • • • IQ • inclusive
• Q • I1 • • • IQ • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • DO • • DO • Q-code 9; I-size MUST be 0
• | | | • •.... • • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ inclusive
• IQ • I1 • • IQ •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••
LSB MSB
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • DO • Q-code 9; I-size MUST be
1
• | | | • LSB • •....• LSB • • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ
• Q • I1 • I1 • • I2 • I2 •
LSB MSB
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • Index • DO • • Index • Q-code 9; I-size MUST be
2
• | | | • LSB | MSB • •...• LSB | MSB • Points are I1, I2 .. IQ
• Q • I1 • I1 • • I2 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••
LSB MSB
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••
• 32 bit Quantity • Index • • Index • Q-code 9; I-size
MUST be 3
• | | | • LSB | | | MSB •....• LSB | | | MSB • Points are I1, I2
.. IQ
• Q • I1 • • I2 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••
Use qualifier 11 when describing points that need to be uniquely identified by an object identifier
such as a File Object Identifier or Configuration Header. The type of identifier is implied by the
object type:
Octets Oi1 .. OiN form the object identifier for Object i where 0<=i<Q (quantity) which is followed by
the object identified. The size of the object is contained in the Object Identifier so the Application
Layer must be able to interpret some fields of the Object Identifier in order to process a message.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••
• 16-bit • 16-bit • • • • • DO • Q-code 11; I-size MUST be 2
• LSB | MSB • LSB | MSB • O1 • O2 • .... • ON • • Octets 1 to N are the object identifier
• Q • Size N • • • • • ID1 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••
As for the previous case, there could be many identifiers each one following the other.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••
• 32-bit • 32-bit • • • • • DO • Q-code 11; I-size MUST be 3
• LSB | | | MSB • LSB | | | MSB • O1 • O2 • .... • ON • • Octets 1 to N are the object
• Q • Size N • • • • • ID1 • identifier
• • • • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••
As for the previous case, there could be many identifiers each one following the other.
The confirmation response for a single fragment message is illustrated in Figure 4-1.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Application Control • Function •
• FIR = 1, FIN = 1, CON = ? • Code = 0 •
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Request Header • Read request that will result in •
• FIR = 1, FIN = 1, • a multiple fragment response •
• CON = 0 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Request Header • Function •
• FIR = 1, FIN = 1, CON = 0 • Code = 0 •
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Response Header • ASDU of second fragment •
• FIR = 0, FIN = 0 • of response •
• CON = 1 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Request Header • Function •
• FIR = 1, FIN = 1, CON = 0 • Code = 0 •
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Response Header • ASDU of last fragment of the response •
• FIR = 0, FIN = 1 • •
• CON = 1 • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Request Header • Function •
• FIR = 1, FIN = 1, CON = 0 • Code = 0 •
• • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The read request for a single range of objects is illustrated in Figure 4-2. Figure 4-3
illustrates the request for 2 object types or possibly 2 ranges of the same object type.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Request Header • Object • Qualifier • Range •
• AC • FC = 1 • • • •
• • • • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The following examples illustrate some legal qualifier and range combinations for the
read function code.
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = 0 • 0000 0110 •
• • • | • 0 6 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0000 | 0000 • Start Stop •
• • • | • 0 0 • 7 | 9 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • object gv • Qualifier • Range • •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0000 0001 • Start • Stop •
• • • | • 0 1 • 700 • 702 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • • •
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • | | | Range | | | •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0000 0010 • Start • Stop •
• • • | • 0 2 • 70000 • 70002 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0000 0011 • Start • Stop •
• • • | • 0 3 • 7 • 9 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Read object group n, variation x. In this case n and x would specify a generic octet
object
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet start and stop sub-field.
• The range field specifies a starting virtual address of 7 and a virtual ending address of
9.
• The Index Size field has no meaning and is set to 0.
• The Outstation may respond within the range specified. This method is useful for
requesting specific bytes from the memory of some remote application.
• Read object group n, variation x. In this case n and x would specify a generic octet
object.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 2 octet start and stop sub-field.
• The range field specifies a starting virtual address of 700 and a virtual ending address
of 702.
• The Index Size field has no meaning and is set to 0.
• The Outstation may respond within the range specified. This method is useful for
requesting specific bytes from the memory of some remote application.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • | | | Range | | | •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0000 0101 • Start • Stop •
• • • | • 0 5 • 70000 • 70002 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Read object group n, variation x. In this case n and x would specify a generic octet
object.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 4 octet start and stop sub-field.
• The range field specifies a starting virtual address of 70000 and a virtual ending
address of 70002.
• The index size has no meaning and is set to 0.
• The Outstation may respond within the range specified. This method is useful for
requesting specific bytes from the memory of some remote application.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = p • 0000 0111 • Quantity •
• • • | • 0 7 • 3 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = p • 0000 1000 • Quantity •
• • • | • 0 8 • 400 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = p • 0000 1001 • Quantity •
• • • | • 0 9 • | 70000 | •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Indices •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0001 0111 • Quantity • 11 • 22 • 108 •
• • • • 1 7 • 3 • • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Indices •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0010 0111 • Quantity • 311 • 422 • 108 •
• • • | • 2 7 • 3 • | • | • | •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
NOTE: The range field is always the same size as an entry in the index list. This
format would normally be used when some or all of the indices have
values greater than what will fit in 1 octet.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 18 19 20 21
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Indices •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = x • 0011 0111 • Quantity • • • •
• • • | • 3 7 • 3 • 70000 • 76000 • 90000 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
NOTE: The range field is always the same size as an entry in the index list.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier •
• AC • FC = 1 • g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • •
• • • | • 1 11 • 1 • Size | Object Identifier •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Size octets •
• Read object group n variation v (in this case the group and variation identify the
object identifier).
This section defines some of the legal forms of an object header prefixing the objects in a
response to a read request.
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 0000 • Start • Stop •
• variation = v • 0 0 • 7 • 9 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 0001 • Start • Stop •
• variation = v • 0 1 • 300 • 302 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 0010 • Start • Stop •
• variation = v • 0 2 • 70000 • 70002 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 0011 • Start • Stop •
• variation = v • 0 3 • 7 • 9 •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 0100 • Start • Stop •
• variation = v • 0 4 • 300 • 302 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 0101 • Start • Stop •
• variation = v • 0 5 • 70000 • 70002 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0001 0111 • 3 •
• variation = v • 1 7 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0010 0111 • 3 •
• variation = v • 2 7 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0011 0111 • 3 •
• variation = v • 3 7 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 1000 • 3 •
• variation = v • 0 8 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0001 1000 • 3 •
• variation = v • 1 8 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0010 1000 • 300 •
• variation = v • 2 8 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0011 1000 • 300 •
• variation = v • 3 8 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0101 1000 • Quantity •
• variation = v • 5 8 • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0000 1001 • 3 •
• variation = v • 0 9 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0001 1001 • 3 •
• variation = v • 1 9 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0010 1001 • 3 •
• variation = v • 2 9 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0010 1001 • 3 •
• variation = v • 3 9 • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •
• group = n • 0100 1001 • Quantity •
• variation = v • 4 9 • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••....
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier • Data •
• g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • • for •
• | • 1 11 • 1 • Size • Object Identifier for piece 1• piece 1 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Size octets
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier • Data •
• g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • • for •
• | • 1 11 • 1 • Size • Object Identifier for piece 2• piece 2 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Size octets
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier • Data •
• g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • • for •
• | • 1 11 • 1 • Size • Object Identifier for piece 3• piece 3 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Size octets
• Read object group n variation v (in this case the group and variation identify the object
identifier).
• The qualifier code specifies a list of object identifiers in the identifier field and the
range field is an 8 bit quantity. The size field is also an 8-bit quantity specifying that
the object identifier plus data following the identifier is 'size' octets in length.
• The range field specifies the list contains 1 entry. The index size specifies that the
quantity field and Size field are 8-bit in length.
• This method is useful for reading configurations from a remote device (if the File
Identifier Object is used). This method is however the only way in which to request a
data object that is larger than one fragment in size.
• Note that each fragment is digestible by the requesting station because each object
identifier specifies a unique portion of the object.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••...........••••••••••••••••• ........
• • • Object Header • • Object Header •
• AC • FC = 2 • • Object(s) • • Objects(s)
• • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••......... •••••••••••••••••.........
The Write request transfers a multi-fragment object to a remote device. The Write
Request is typically used for writing objects such as the Internal Indication Object, File
Identifier Objects and the Time and Date Object.
Each fragment contains identifying information for each portion of the entire object.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• AC • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier • Data •
• FIN=0• FC = 2 • g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • • for •
• FIR=1• • | • 1 11 • 1 • Size • Object Identifier for piece 1• piece 1 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Size octets
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• AC • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier • Data •
• FIN=0• FC = 2 • g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • • for •
• FIR=0• • | • 1 11 • 1 • Size • Object Identifier for piece 2• piece 2 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Size octets
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• AC • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Identifier • Data •
• FIN=1• FC = 2 • g = n v = v • 0001 1011 • Quantity • • for •
• FIR=0• • | • 1 11 • 1 • Size • Object Identifier for piece 3• piece 3 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Size octets
• Write object group n variation v (in this case the group and variation identify the
object identifier).
• The qualifier code specifies a list of object identifiers in the identifier field and the
range field is an 8 bit quantity. The size field is also an 8-bit quantity specifying that
the object identifier plus data is 'size' octets in length
• The range field specifies the list contains 1 entry.
• The Data field contains the data (of size specified in the identifier) belonging to the
identified object.
• This method is useful for downloading configurations to a remote device (if the File
Object Identifier is used) as the contents of the Data filed is not interpreted by the
The Write request below sets the time of day in the Outstation.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .....
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• AC • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Time Object •
• FIN=1• FC = 2 • g = n v = v • 0000 0000 • Quantity • •
• FIR=1• • | • 0 00 • 1 • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• The qualifier specifies a 1 octet quantity; the quantity field specifies 1 object and the
Object field identifies the object as a Time and Date Object.
The response to a Write request can only consist of the IIN (Internal Indications) that
indicates the success of the Write operation and so there is no ASDU portion of a Write
response. The response always uses the Response function code.
There are two forms to the control messages. The first form is for control blocks with a
fixed size and the second form is for a control block of variable size. The variable sized
control block is for pattern outputs.
Figure 4-6 illustrates a select message (fixed size control blocks) sent from a master
station to an Outstation.
The Outstation responds to a select message by arming the specified points (specified by
the index preceding the control blocks) and returning the request in the response as
illustrated in Figure 4-7 (fixed size control blocks). The response is identical to the
request except that it includes the IIN and modified status bytes (part of the control block
objects). The status bytes state the success or failure of the Select request.
• Object following this header is group n (must be a control block object relating to
outputs or setpoints), variation v.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet quantity of control blocks.
• The index size specifies 1 octet indices prefixing each control block.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • • control • • control •
• AC • FC • IIN • group = n • 0001 0111 • Quantity • index • block • index • block •
• • • • variation = v • 1 7 • • • object 1• • object 2•
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation response control objects must match the control objects (byte for byte) in
the request or the operate message will not be sent.
Figure 4-8 illustrates a master station select message for a pattern and
Figure 4-9 an Outstation response.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier •Quantity• pattern •
• AC • FC = 3 • group = a • 0000 0111 • • control •
• • • variation = b • 0 7 • 1 • block •... (continued)
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •pattern •pattern •pattern •pattern •
• group = c •0000 0000 • Start | Stop • mask • mask • mask • mask •
• variation = d • 0 0 • 5 8 •object 5•object 6•object 7•object 8•
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• The first object, Object a, Variation b, specified is a Pattern Control Block which
describes all the parameters that are common to the control points specified in the
Pattern Mask Objects. Following this object are a number of Pattern Mask objects,
Object c, Variation d, which describe whether or not the point should be activated.
• The first qualifier code specifies a 8-bit range (quantity) field which specifies one (1)
Pattern Control Block.
• The second qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet start and stop sub-field.
This range specifies the Pattern Mask Objects which are to be considered for the
pattern control.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object gv • Qualifier • Range •pattern •pattern •pattern •pattern •
• group = c •0000 0000 • Start | Stop • mask • mask • mask • mask •
• variation = d • 0 0 • 5 8 •object 5•object 6•object 7•object 8•
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Notice that the format of the response is identical to the request message (except the
application response header). The objects returned will be used by the master to verify
the success of the select operation.
• Object following this header is group n (must be a control block object relating to
outputs or setpoints), variation v.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet quantity of control blocks.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • control • control •
• AC • FC • IIN • group = n • 0000 0111 • Quantity • block 1 • block 2 •
• • • • variation = v • 0 7 • 2 • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object following this header is group n (must be a control block object relating to
outputs or setpoints), variation v.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet quantity of control blocks.
• Indication of the success or failure of the operations is returned in the Output Status
bytes, one of which is built into each of the control block objects. In the case of a
• Object following this header is group n (must be a control block object relating to
outputs or setpoints), variation v.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet quantity of control blocks.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • control • control •
• AC • FC • IIN • group = n • 0000 0111 • Quantity • block 1 • block 2 •
• • • • variation = v • 0 7 • 2 • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Object following this header is group n (must be a control block object relating to
outputs or setpoints), variation v.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet quantity of control blocks.
• Object following this header is group n (must be a control block object relating to
outputs or setpoints), variation v.
• The qualifier code specifies a range field with a 1 octet quantity of control blocks.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••
• • • Object Header • • Object Header •
• AC • FC = 7 • •...• •
• • • • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••
The request can contain multiple object headers which specify many objects to freeze.
Typically, however, only counter objects are frozen.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation response can indicate (in the IIN) that the objects in the request are not
known.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••
The time object must contain the time and interval. These objects are defined in the DNP
Data Object Library (P009-0BL).
Example: A time object specifies the time of day as 2:32 pm and an interval of 10
minutes. The first freeze will occur at 2:32 pm and subsequent freezes every 10 minutes
starting from 2:42 pm.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object • Time Delay •
• AC • FC • IIN • Header • Object •
• • • • for time • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation, upon receiving the Cold Restart request will response with a Time Delay
Object (Time Delay Fine or Time Delay Course) which specifies a time interval until the
Outstation will be ready for further communications. The master should not attempt to
communicate with the Outstation until the interval has elapsed. The interval allows the
Outstation to perform a restart sequence and enable DNP communications again. After
the response is sent (and transaction was successful) the Outstation should perform the
restart procedure. The Time Delay Fine object is defined in the DNP Data Object Library
(P009-0BL).
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object • Time Delay •
• AC • FC • IIN • Header • Object •
• • • • for time • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation response is identical to the response to the Cold Restart function code and
should be interpreted in the same way. The Time Delay Object is actually a Time Delay
Fine or Time Delay Course object.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••
The response only indicates the success or failure of the requested operation.
• The object group and variation must specify an application identifier object.
• The qualifier indicates the range field is an 8 bit quantity specifying the number of
object identifiers that follow.
• The application identifier size field indicates the size of the Application Object
Identifier that follows.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation, upon receiving the request, should initialize the specified application(s)
and then respond with either the success or failure of the transaction.
• The object group and variation must specify an application identifier object.
• The qualifier indicates the range field is an 8 bit quantity specifying the number of
object identifiers that follow.
• The application identifier size field indicates the size of the Application Object
Identifier that follows.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object • Time Delay •
• AC • FC • IIN • Header • Object •
• • • • for time • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation, upon receiving the request, should start the specified application(s) and
then respond with either the success or failure of the transaction.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7...
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • Application •Application •
• AC • FC = 18 • Group = n • 0001 1011 • Quantity • Identifier •Object •
• • • Variation = v • 1 11 • 1 • Size •Identifier •
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• The object group and variation must specify an application identifier object.
• The qualifier indicates the range field is an 8 bit quantity specifying the number of
object identifiers that follow.
• The application identifier size field indicates the size of the Application Object
Identifier that follows.
The Outstation, upon receiving the request, should stop the specified application(s) and
then respond with either the success or failure of the transaction.
octet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • Object gv • Qualifier • Range • File •File •
• AC • FC = 19 • Group = n • 0001 1011 • Quantity • Identifier •Identifier •
• • • Variation = v • 1 11 • 1 • Object Size •Object •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• The object group and variation must specify a configuration or file identifier object.
• The qualifier indicates the range field is an 8 bit quantity specifying the number of
object identifiers that follow.
• The configuration identifier size field indicates the size of the configuration Object
Identifier that follows.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • Object • Time •
• AC • FC • IIN • Header • Object •
• • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation, upon receiving the request, should save the specified configuration(s) and
then respond with either the success or failure of the transaction and a time object (Time
Delay Fine or Time Delay Course) which indicates the time at which the Outstation will
be available again for communication. The master should not attempt to communicate
with the Outstation until the time specified.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation will enable spontaneous messages for all object (types or points) specified
in the object header. The master could also send an object header specifying class data.
This means that any objects which are configured for the specified class will be enabled
for spontaneous messages.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Outstation will disable spontaneous messages for all object (types or points)
specified in the object header. The master could also send an object header specifying
class data. This means that any objects which are configured for the specified class will
be disabled for spontaneous messages.
• The class object header must specify the class object group and a variation between 1
and 3 indicating the class assignment to all the data object (specified by the headers)
that follow.
• The data object header(s) identifies the group, variation and range of the objects to be
assigned to the class specified in the class object header preceding the data object
header.
• Multiple sets of Class Object headers followed by one or more Data Object headers
can be sent in one message. Each set must not span multiple fragments, however.
• Static data objects are assigned to Class 0 and cannot be assigned to other classes.
Event data objects are assigned to classes 1, 2 and/or 3 and cannot be assigned to Class
0.
•••••••••••••••••
• • • •
• AC • FC • IIN •
• • • •
•••••••••••••••••
The Outstation response indicates the success or response of the operation (success or
failure determined by the state of the IIN bits).
• Only one time object can be sent in any one separate request.
The Outstation responds with the Time Delay Fine object. This object states the number
of milliseconds elapsed between the Outstation receiving the first bit of the first byte of
the request and the time of transmission of the first bit of the first byte of the response.
The ability to assign data to Classes and the degree of configurability is described in the
Outstation's device profile. It is not required that an Outstation have data assigned to
Classes 1, 2 or 3.
Class data is used by a master station to request pre-assigned data objects on a demand or
availability basis from an Outstation. Therefore, a class data object header can be used
only in a request (with no associate data object) to indicate to the Outstation which data
objects to return. The Outstation will return (in the response) object headers for the
ACTUAL data objects and NOT the class object header.
To synchronize Master station and Outstation time, the following procedure is used.
1. The Master station sends a Delay Measurement request to the Outstation. The master
records the time of transmission of the first bit of the first byte of the request
(MasterSendTime).
2. The Outstation receives the first bit of the first byte of the Delay Measurement
request at time RtuReceiveTime (this is a local time in the Outstation).
3. The Outstation transmits the first bit of the first byte of the response to the Delay
Measurement request at time RtuSendTime. The response contains the Time Delay
object (Time Delay Fine or Time Delay Course), with the time in this object equal to
RtuTurnAround, where
4. The Master station receives the first bit of the first byte of the Outstation's response at
time MasterReceiveTime.
5. The master station can now calculate the one way propagation delay as
6. The master now transmits the first bit of the first byte of a Write request at time
MasterSend. The Write request contains the Time and Date object, with the time in
the object representing a time equal to (MasterSend + Delay). This is the time that the
Master station wants the Outstation to be set to.
7. The Outstation receives the first bit of the first byte of the Write request at time
RtuReceive.
NOTE: The Time Synchronization scheme assumes that the Outstation to master
propagation delay and the master to Outstation propagation delay are
equal.
If desired, the master station may send a global request (using the reserved destination
address of FFFF hexadecimal) to simultaneously synchronize all Outstations, only if all
path delays are equal.
1) Outstation Time Synchronized, one event object to send. The data is transmitted in
the Binary Input with Time object format.
2) Outstation Time Synchronized, several event object to send. The Time and Date
Common Time of Occurrence object is transmitted followed by several Binary Input
with Relative Time objects. The time in the Time and Date Common Time of
Occurrence object is the time of the oldest object. The relative times start at 0 (for the
oldest object) and range upwards relative to the Date and Time object.
3) Outstation Time NOT Synchronized, one or more event object to send. The
Unsynchronized Common Time and Date object is transmitted followed by one or
more Binary Input with Relative Time objects. The time in the Time and Date
Common Time of Occurrence object is the time of the oldest object. The relative times
start at 0 (for the oldest object) and range upwards relative to the Time and Date
object.
The File Identifier Object is always passed to an Outstation in a request using the
WRITE function code. The action to be done (reading, writing or otherwise) is
specified by the File_Function field within the object. The response always uses
the RESPONSE function code. However, an outstation can send an unsolicited
message containing a FIO.
The File Identifier Object contains routing information in its File_Name field.
This field describes how the object is to be routed from the master station, through
any number of intermediate Data Concentrators, to the Outstation.
The master station send the request (WRITE function code) with the File
Identifier Object to the Outstation Application. For the request, the following
conditions must be satisfied;
• DNP WRITE Function Code is used in the request.
• File_Function field in the object is set to WRITE, APPEND, INSERT,
DELETE or ERASE.
• File_Name field contains an ASCII character string. The length and contents of
the string is dependant on the Data Concentrator. The Harris implementation
uses a string, the first 9 character of which are "/DNPDCAxx", where xx (2
ASCII characters) contains the Master Application number to which this File
Identifier Object must be routed. This information routes the object from the
Outstation Application to the Master Application within the Data Concentrator,
which will send it on to the Outstation.
START_RECORD = END_RECORD = 0
FILE_SIZE = 0
FILE_FUNCTION = RESPONSE
PERMISSION = 0
STATUS = 2 Master Application was unable to pass the File Identifier
Object to the Master Application.
4 Operation unsuccessful because the device addressed by
FILE_ID is offline.
4 Operation unsuccessful because a negative
acknowledgement received from the Master Application.
Figure 8-1 is a simplistic example illustrating how the File Identifier Object is
passed through the system from a master station to an Outstation via two data
concentrators.
In Figure 8-1:
1) The master station WRITEs the File Identifier Object to the first data
concentrator (DC). The File_Name field specifies that the object is to be
sent to device number 3 in the first DC.
2) The Outstation Application in the first DC removes the first nine
characters of the File_Name. It then routes the object to the Master
Application specified as device number 3.
3) The Master Application configuration specifies device number 3 has DNP
destination address 22. The Master Application in the first DC WRITEs
the File Identifier Object to the second DC.
4) The second DC receives the WRITE request. The File_Name field
specifies that the object is to be sent to device number 10 in the second
DC.
5) The Outstation Application in the second DC removes the first nine
characters of the File_Name. It then routes the object to the Master
Application specified as device number 10.
6) The Master Application configuration specifies device number 10 has
DNP destination address 8. The Master Application in the second DC
WRITEs the File Identifier Object to the Outstation.
8-4 DNP Users Group
7) The Outstation receives the WRITE request. It responds with a
RESPONSE containing the modified File Identifier Object. This object
contains the status of the operation. It is transmitted to the Master
Application in the second DC.
8) The Master Application in the second DC transfers the response File
Identifier Object to the Outstation Application.
9) The Outstation Application sends a RESPONSE containing the File
Identifier Object to the first DC.
10) The Master Application in the first DC transfers the response File
Identifier Object to the Outstation Application.
11) The Outstation Application in the first DC sends a RESPONSE containing
the File Identifier Object to the DNP master station.
NOTES:
• This functionality requires the DNP master station to have a larger response
timeout than the Outstation Application in the first DC, which in turn has a
larger response timeout than the Outstation Application in the second DC.
• The DNP master station must have detailed configuration and routing
information in order to construct the File_Name field.
• AN Outstation Application will not receive while it waits for a response from a
down stream device. It is "locked out" to master requests.
The master station can read the File Identifier Object when the following
conditions are met:
• The DNP WRITE Function Code is used in the request.
• The File_Function field in the File Identifier Object received in the
request is set to READ.
• The File_Name field contains an ASCII character string. The length and
contents of the string is dependant on the DC. The HARRIS
implementation uses a string, the first 9 character of which are
"/DNPDCAxx", where xx (2 ASCII characters) contains the Master
Application number of the destination for this File Identifier Object. This
information routes the object through the DC to the Master Application
which will send it on from the DC to the Outstation.
Some error conditions can occur in the above sequence. In the cases where the
Outstation Application cannot pass the request to the Master Application or a
negative acknowledgement is received from the Master Application, the
Outstation Application returns the File Identifier Object received as part of the
request to the master station.
The Outstation Application will modify and set the following fields in the
response File Identifier Object;
START_RECORD = END_RECORD = 0
FILE_SIZE = 0
FILE_FUNCTION = RESPONSE
PERMISSION = 0
STATUS = 2 Outstation Application was unable to pass the File
Identifier Object to the Master Application.
4 Operation unsuccessful because the device addressed by
FILE_ID is offline.
4 Operation unsuccessful because a negative
acknowledgement received from the Master Application.
DA distribution automation
DC data concentrator
DNP distributed network protocol
DUI data unit identifiers
DNP V3.00
DATA OBJECT LIBRARY
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group.
Revisions or additions to the definition and functionality of the
Distributed Network Protocol cannot be made without express written
agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorized party. In
addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to
in any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement
with the DNP Users Group or a Party duly authorized by the DNP Users
Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
1. OVERVIEW 1-1
1. OVERVIEW
3. GENERAL RULES
Describes the rules governing each of the currently defined objects.
The rest of the sections provide detailed definitions of each type of object.
This document will be revised and new information elements or objects will be added as
necessary, and as authorized by the DNP User's Group.
2.1 GENERAL
This section describes the basic rules for the declaration of information elements. These
rules have been derived from the IEC TC57 870 series of standards or drafts. These rules
provide an unambiguous means of describing and representing data irrespective of its
origin. Device profile documents are used to indicate the exact origin and meaning of the
data object for each telecontrol device.
All data can be described in its most elemental form as a data type. Data types are
recognized as standard constructs used in most language compilers. DNP information
elements use constructs, as supported by the IEC 870-5-4, as the basis of its descriptions.
Table 2-1 lists the available data types and their meaning.
1
BOOLEAN is a BITSTRING of size 1.
Each information element is composed of a data type and a size. Data size i, is noted after
the data type symbol notation, and is a cardinal number that specifies the length of the
data field in bits or octets as appropriate. An example is:
BITS 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
OCTETS Data Size i
1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
2 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
j 8j-1 8j-2 8j-3 8j-4 8j-5 8j-6 8j-7 8j-8
If applicable, a selected range and a selected code of values of the declared data field is
denoted within angle brackets: <v1..vn code>. In general this is declared by the range of
admitted values and by a term that identifies the used code. Terms that identify codes are:
binary code (BIN), binary coded decimal (BCD), ASCII (ASCII), etc. The default code
declaration is binary if no term is used.
Compound data fields are information elements composed of different data fields with
successive bit allocations. Compound data fields are declared by listing individual data
fields separated by commas or listed in a column, within curly brackets. A following list
declares the data types, the sizes, the bit allocations and the functional purpose of the
individual data fields. The first declared data field begins with bit position 0, the other
fields use successive bit allocations:
Sequence data fields are information elements composed of different data fields.
Sequences of data fields are declared as compound data fields, however each field begins
bit allocation 0:
There are generally four different categories of data within each data type, as outlined
below:
• Static Objects: The objects which reflect the current value of the field point or
software point.
• Event Objects: The objects which are generated as a result of data changing or
some other stimulant. These are historical objects reflecting the value of data at
some time in the past.
• Frozen Static Objects: The objects which reflect the current frozen value of the
field point or software point. Data is frozen as a result of the data freeze requests.
(Refer to the DNP V3.00 Application Layer, P009-0PD.APP.)
• Frozen Event Objects: The objects which are generated as a result of frozen data
changing or some other stimulant. These are historical objects reflecting the value
of changed data at some time in the past.
Each category should be represented with a different object. All the classes of a different
data type should also be organized in the same range of object numbers. So far, the
following groupings have been created for all traditional SCADA/DA data types and
several non-traditional data types. These are as follows:
The binary input grouping contains all objects that represent binary (status or Boolean)
input information. The objects 1 - 9 are reserved for these objects.
The binary output grouping contains all objects that represent binary output or relay
control information. The objects 10 - 19 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.3 Counters
The counter grouping contains all objects that represent counters. The objects 20 - 29 are
reserved for these objects.
The analog input grouping contains all objects that represent analog input information.
The objects 30 - 39 are reserved for these objects.
The analog output grouping contains all objects that represent analog output information.
The objects 40 - 49 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.6 Time
The time grouping contains all objects that represent time in absolute or relative form in
any resolution. The objects 50 - 59 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.7 Class
The class grouping contains all objects that represent data classes or data priority. The
objects 60 - 69 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.8 Files
The files grouping contains all objects that represent files or a file system. The objects 70
- 79 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.9 Devices
The devices grouping contains all objects that represent device (rather than point)
information. The objects 80 - 89 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.10 Applications
The applications grouping contains all objects that represent software applications or
operating system processes. The objects 90 - 99 are reserved for these objects.
The alternate numeric grouping contains all objects that represent alternate or custom
numeric representations. The objects 100 - 109 are reserved for these objects.
The future expansion grouping is reserved for future or custom expansion of the DNP
protocol. The objects 110 - 254 are reserved for these objects.
3.1.13 Reserved
The objects 0 and 255 are permanently reserved and should not be used to denote any
DNP object. Applications which use these object numbers may not be compatible with
future versions of DNP.
Rule 1:
Point i of object x, variation y represents the same physical point as point i, object x,
variation z, where y and z are variations of object x.
For example: A device has 16 running counters (object 20) numbered 0 to 15. Point 5
can be asked for in four different ways:
• Obj 20, var 1, range 5 returns the running value of counter 5 in 32-bit format.
• Obj 20, var 2, range 5 reports the same information, only in 16-bit format.
• Obj 20, var 3, range 5 returns the number of counts accumulated in counter 5 since the
last time it was reported, again in 32-bit format.
• Obj 20, var 4, range 5 reports the same information, only in 16-bit format.
RULE 2:
Point i of object x can be reported in one of many variations (i.e. it can be a 16-bit or 32-
bit counter). When reported as an event, point i can be returned in either one of the
variations for that object. The exact variation to return is an application specific decision,
however an application should report only ONE event object in any one variation for each
event. When responding to a request for Class data or variation 0 of object x, there should
be only one variation of the object returned.
RULE 3:
Point i within different objects of the same grouping are not necessarily unique, however,
within each of the binary input, binary output, analog input, analog output and counter
groupings the following rules apply.
(a) Point i in the static object is the same physical point as point i in the event
object.
(b) Point i in the frozen object is the same physical point as point i in the
frozen event object.
For example: For binary inputs, point i in obj 1 var 1 and 2 is the same point as point i in
obj 2 var 1, 2 and 3 (static and event correlation). For counters, point i in obj 20 var 1, 2,
3, and 4 is the same point as point i in obj 22 var 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (static and event
correlation). In addition, point i in obj 21 var 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 is the same point as
point i in obj 23 var 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (frozen and frozen static correlation).
NOTE: Point i in obj 20 and point i in obj 21 are NOT necessarily the same point.
There is no direct correlation between frozen and non-frozen objects.
Description:
The single-bit binary input object is used to represent the state of a digital input point
(hardware or software).
Object Coding:
BS1 [0..0]
State = BS1 [0] <0,1 BIN>
Narrative:
This single-bit binary input representation is used to transmit binary input states in a
packed format. Transmission of the data object is always performed in complete octets
with unoccupied bit positions set to zero. The following example illustrates the packing
of n of these data objects.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Description:
The binary input with status object is used to represent the state of a digital input point
(hardware or software), and also indicates the status of the point as follows:
The on-line bit indicates that the binary input point has been read successfully. If
this field is set to off-line, the state of the digital point may not be correct.
The restart bit indicates that the field device that originated the data object is
currently restarting. This device may be the device reporting this data object.
The communication lost bit indicates that the device reporting this data object has
lost communication with the originator of the data object.
The remote forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at a device other than the end device.
The local forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the end device.
The chatter filter bit indicates that the binary input point has been filtered in order
to remove unneeded transitions in the state of the point.
The state bit indicates the current state of the binary input point.
Object Coding:
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
BS8 [0..7]
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Chatter filter = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, filter on>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
State = BS1 [7] <0, 1 BIN>
Description:
The binary input change without time object is used to represent the changed state of a
digital input point (hardware or software) and also indicates the status of the point as
follows:
The on-line bit indicates that the binary input point has been read successfully. If
this field is set to off-line, the state of the digital point may not be correct.
The restart bit indicates that the field device that originated the data object has
been re-started. This device may be the device reporting this data object.
The communication lost bit indicates that the device reporting this data object has
lost communication with the originator of the data object.
The remote forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the originating device.
The local forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the device reporting this data object.
The chatter filter bit indicates that the binary input point has been filtered in order
to remove unneeded transitions in the state of the point.
The state bit indicates the current changed state of the binary input point.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
BS8 [0..7]
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Chatter filter = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, filter on>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
State = BS1 [7] <0,1 BIN>
Narrative:
This object is only reported when the current value is different than the last recorded or
measured value. If the chatter filter is on, this object may only be reported when the new
state has remained constant for a certain period of time.
Description:
The binary input change with time object is used to represent the changed state of a
digital input point (hardware or software) and the time at which the state changed. It also
indicates the status of the point as follows:
The on-line bit indicates that the binary input point has been read successfully. If
this field is set to off-line, the state of the digital point may not be correct.
The restart bit indicates that the field device that originated the data object has
been re-started. This device may be the device reporting this data object.
The communication lost bit indicates that the device reporting this data object has
lost communication with the originator of the data object.
The remote forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the originating device.
The local forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the device reporting this data object.
The chatter filter bit indicates that the binary input point has been filtered in order
to remove unneeded transitions in the state of the point.
The state bit indicates the current changed state of the binary input point.
The Time of Occurrence indicates the absolute time at which the telecontrol device
detected the change of state. The accuracy of this time will depend on the accuracy of the
individual device.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
TIME OF OCCURRENCE
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32
47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40
Narrative:
Time of occurrence is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero
hours, zero minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The binary input change with relative time object is used to represent the changed state of
a digital input point (hardware or software), and the relative time at which the state
changed. It also indicates the status of the point as follows:
The on-line bit indicates that the binary input point has been read successfully. If
this field is set to off-line, the state of the digital point may not be correct.
The restart bit indicates that the field device that originated the data object has
been re-started. This device may be the device reporting this data object.
The communication lost bit indicates that the device reporting this data object has
lost communication with the originator of the data object.
The remote forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the originating device.
The local forced data bit indicates that the state of the binary input has been
forced to its current state at the device reporting this data object.
The chatter filter bit indicates that the binary input point has been filtered in order
to remove unneeded transitions in the state of the point.
The state bit indicates the current changed state of the binary input point.
The MSEC field indicates the relative time at which the telecontrol device detected the
change of state. The accuracy of this time will depend on the accuracy of the individual
device.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
MSEC
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Narrative:
This object MUST be preceded by an absolute time object (common time object or CTO)
or an unsynchronized CTO in the DNP Application Layer message. The CTO is used as
an absolute time base for all following binary input change with relative time objects.
The relative time in each binary input object is added to the CTO absolute time to give
the absolute time at which the binary input change was detected by the device.
Description:
The binary output object is used to control a digital output point (hardware or software).
The state bit indicates the desired logic state of the digital output point.
Object Coding:
BS1 [0..0]
State = BS1 [0] <0,1 BIN>
Narrative:
Transmission of the data object is always pre-formed in complete octets, with unoccupied
bit positions set to zero. The following example illustrates the packing of n of these data
objects:
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Description:
The binary output status object is used to indicate the current state of a controlled digital
point and the status of that point as follows:
The on-line bit indicates that the device controlling the binary output point is
operating correctly. A binary output command to this point should work correctly.
If this field is set to off-line, a binary output command to this point would be
unsuccessful.
The restart bit indicates that the field device that originated the data object has
been re-started. This device may be the device reporting this data object.
The communication lost bit indicates that the digital output point could not be
controlled because communications have been lost with the controlled device.
The remote forced data bit indicates that the digital output point has been
controlled at the originating device and the current state is in the state bit.
The local forced data bit indicates that the digital output point has been controlled
at this device and the current state is in the state bit.
The state bit indicates the current state of the binary output point.
Object Coding:
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
BS8 [0..7]
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Reserved = BS1 [5] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
State = BS1 [7] <0,1 BIN>
Description:
The control relay output Block information object contains digital output control
parameters. These parameters define the type and duration of the digital output.
The control code field indicates the control function to perform. The applicability
of this code will depend on the type of hardware used in the end device.
The count field indicates the number of times that the control operation should be
performed in succession.
The on-time field specifies the amount of time the digital output is to be turned on
(may not apply to all control types).
The off-time field specifies the amount of time the digital output is to be turned off
(may not apply to all control types).
Control Code
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Count
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
On Time
31 0
Off Time
31 0
Status
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Control code ={
Code = BS4 [0..3] <0..15>
Queue = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, requeued>
Clear = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, clear>
Trip/Close = BS2 [6..7] <00, NUL; 01, Close; 10, Trip>
}
Narrative:
Trip/Close: This field determines which control relay to activate in a system where a
trip and close relay pair is used to energize and de-energize the field
points. The NUL value in this field can be used to activate the field point
select relay only without activating the trip or close relays. In a system
without field point select relays, the NUL value would not perform any
control operation. In a system without trip/close relays, this field should
always be NUL to indicate a normal digital control operation where the
exact control point is inherently known. This field does not support having
both the trip and close attributes simultaneously, as this is an illegal
operation for the system.
Code: The control block can be used with devices which support control queuing
on a point per point basis or devices which have other control
mechanisms. In the former, any control command should be queued for the
particular point in question. In the latter, each control is performed until
completion before the next control is accepted for that point.
Queue: If the control code is NUL then no control operation is queued, and the
queue is cleared of all controls including the presently running control if
the clear attribute is set.
Clear: If the control operation has the clear attribute set, all control operations are
removed from the queue including the presently running control and this
control operation is performed.
The meaning of the code field and the operation to perform is determined by the
following:
1: Pulse On - The point(s) is turned on for the specified on-time, turned off
for the specified off-time and left in the off state.
2: Pulse Off - The point(s) is turned off for the specified off-time, then turned
on for the specified on-time and left in the on state.
5 - 15: Undefined.
Queue: Place operation at the back of the control queue when complete.
1: Request not accepted as the operate message was received after the
arm timer timed out. The arm timer was started when the select
operation for the same point was received.
7 - 127:Undefined.
Description:
The pattern control block (PCB) object contains digital output control parameters for
pattern type controls. These parameters define the type and duration of the digital output
for each of the affected points. The PCB object defines all the parameters for the
subsequent pattern mask objects which follow this object in the message. These
parameters contained in the PCB influence all the pattern mask object(s) that immediately
follow the PCB object, until the next PCB in the message.
The combination of this object and the pattern mask objects that follow will specify a
number (0 or more) of control operations to perform (i.e. the same operation on different
points). All these controls must be performed in parallel. The meaning of all fields,
attributes, and parameters are identical to the control relay output block except that the
queuing attributes are not valid. This is, the pattern control is not meant to be re-queued.
Object Coding:
Control Code
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Count
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
On Time
31 0
Off Time
31 0
Status
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Description:
The pattern mask object is used to select from a range of possible control points that have to
be executed in parallel.
This object is used in conjunction with the PCB object to specify both the control points to
operate and the parameters that determine the control operation.
If the mask bit is set to active, then the parameters specified in the preceding PCB are
applied to a specified point for each pattern mask object and a control operation is generated
for the point.
Object Coding:
BS1 [0..0]
Mask = BS1 [0] <0, inactive; 1, active>
Narrative:
This single-bit pattern mask is typically sent in groups. Transmission of the data object is
always performed in complete octets with unoccupied bit positions set to zero. The
following example illustrates the packing of n of these data objects.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Description:
The 32-bit binary counter represents an accumulated value. This can be accumulated pulses
or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments indefinitely until a
counter clear operation is performed in which case the value is reset to 0.
The flag field has the same meaning as in previous objects, with the following inclusion:
• When set, the roll-over bit indicates that the accumulated value has exceeded the last
reported recordable value (232-1). The counter value has been reset to 0 upon the roll-
over and counting has resumed as normal. This bit is cleared when the counter value
(plus the roll-over state) is reported.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit binary counter represents an accumulated value. This can be accumulated pulses
or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments indefinitely until a
counter clear operation is performed in which case the value is reset to 0.
The flag field has the same meaning as in previous objects, with the following inclusion:
• When set, the roll-over bit indicates that the accumulated value has exceeded the
maximum possible recordable value (216-1). The counter value has been reset to 0 upon
roll-over, and counting has resumed as normal. This bit is cleared when the counter value
(plus the roll-over state) is reported.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit delta counter represents a value that has accumulated since the last value was
reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments until it is reported at
which point it is reset to 0.
The flag field has the same meaning as in previous objects, with the following inclusion:
• When set, the roll-over bit indicates that the accumulated value has exceeded the
maximum possible recordable value (232-1). The counter value has been reset to 0 upon
roll-over, and counting has resumed as normal. This bit is cleared when the counter value
(plus the roll-over state) is reported.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit delta counter represents a value that has accumulated since the last value was
reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments until it is reported at
which point it is reset to 0.
The flag field has the same meaning as in previous objects, with the following inclusion:
• When set, the roll-over bit indicates that the accumulated value has exceeded the
maximum possible recordable value (216-1). The counter value has been reset to 0 upon
the roll-over and counting has resumed as normal. This bit is cleared when the counter
value (plus the roll-over state) is reported.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit binary counter represents an accumulated value. This can be accumulated pulses
or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments indefinitely until a
counter clear operation is performed in which case the value is reset to 0.
Object Coding:
Value
31 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 16-bit binary counter represents an accumulated value. This can be accumulated pulses
or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments indefinitely until a
counter clear operation is performed in which case the value is reset to 0.
Object Coding:
Value
15 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 32-bit delta counter represents a value that has accumulated since the last value was
reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments until it is reported at
which point it is reset to 0.
Object Coding:
Value
31 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 16-bit delta counter represents a value that has accumulated since the last value was
reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The value field shows the current value of the counter at the time of reporting or last
reported value from the originating device. This value increments until it is reported at
which point it is reset to 0.
Object Coding:
Value
15 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 32-bit frozen counter is a compound information object which contains information
about a counter which was previously frozen.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen counter is a compound information object that contains information about
a counter that was previously frozen. The counter accumulates pulses or transitions from a
hardware or software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen delta counter represents a frozen value that has accumulated since the last
value was reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen delta counter represents a frozen value that has accumulated since the last
value was reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen counter with time of freeze is a compound information object which
contains information about a counter which was previously frozen. The counter
accumulates pulses or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the time was time of freeze.
The time of freeze field contains a time that this object was frozen. This time corresponds to
the frozen value so that the current value of this object at time of freeze is frozen value.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
31 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1[4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time of freeze is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours,
zero minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 16-bit frozen counter with time of freeze is a compound information object which
contains information about a counter which was previously frozen. The counter
accumulates pulses or transitions from a hardware or software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the time was time of freeze.
The time of freeze field contains a time that this object was frozen. This time corresponds to
the frozen value so that the current value of this object at time of freeze is frozen value.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
15 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1[4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time of freeze is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours,
zero minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 32-bit frozen delta counter with time of freeze represents a frozen value that has
accumulated since the last value was reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions
from a hardware or software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the time was time of freeze.
The time of freeze field contains a time that this object was frozen. This time corresponds to
the frozen value so that the current value of this object at time of freeze is frozen value.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen value
31 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time of freeze is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours,
zero minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 16-bit frozen delta counter with time of freeze represents a frozen value that has
accumulated since the last value was reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions
from a hardware or software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the time was time of freeze.
The time of freeze field contains a time that this object was frozen. This time corresponds to
the frozen value so that the current value of this object at time of freeze is frozen value.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen value
15 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time of freeze is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours,
zero minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 32-bit frozen counter is a compound information object which contains information
about a counter which was previously frozen.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
Frozen Value
31 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 16-bit frozen counter is a compound information object which contains information
about a counter which was previously frozen. The counter accumulates pulses or transitions
from a hardware or software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
Frozen Value
15 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 32-bit frozen delta counter represents a frozen value that has accumulated since the last
value was reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
Frozen Value
31 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 16-bit frozen delta counter represents a frozen value that has accumulated since the last
value was reported. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter when the last counter freeze was performed
at the originating device.
Object Coding:
Frozen Value
15 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 32-bit counter change event without time represents a counter value that, since last
reported, has exceeded a configured count. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions
from a hardware or software point.
The current value field shows the value of the counter which generated the event.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Current value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit counter change event without time represents a counter value that has exceeded a
configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The current value field shows the value of the counter which generated the event.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Current value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit delta counter change event without time represents a delta counter value that has
exceeded a configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a
hardware or software point.
The delta value field shows the change of the counter which generated the event.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Delta value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit delta counter change event without time represents a delta counter value that has
exceeded a configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a
hardware or software point.
The delta value field shows the change of the counter which generated the event.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Delta value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit counter change event with time represents a counter value that has exceeded a
configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The value field shows the value of the counter which generated the event.
The Time field contains the time that processing generated the event.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
31 0
Time
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 16-bit counter change event with time represents a counter value that has exceeded a
configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The value field shows the value of the counter which generated the event.
The time field contains the time that processing generated the event.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
15 0
Time
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 32-bit delta counter change event with time represents a delta counter value that has
exceeded a configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a
hardware or software point.
The value field shows the value of the change which generated the event.
The time contains the time that processing generated the event.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
31 0
Time
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 16-bit delta counter change event with time represents a delta counter value that has
exceeded a configured deadband. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a
hardware or software point.
The value field shows the value of the change which generated the event.
The time field contains the time that processing generated the event.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Value
15 0
Time
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 32-bit frozen counter event without time object represents a frozen counter value that is
reported as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value field shows the value at the time of freezing.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen counter event without time represents a frozen counter value that is
reported as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value field shows the value at the time of freezing.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen delta counter event without time represents a frozen delta counter value
that is reported as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware
or software point.
The frozen delta value field shows the change in counter value at the time of freezing.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen delta value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen delta counter event without time represents a frozen delta counter value
that is reported as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware
or software point.
The frozen delta value field shows the change in counter value at the time of freezing.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen delta value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen counter event with time represents a frozen counter value that is reported
as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or software
point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter at time of freeze.
The time of freeze contains the time that the object was frozen.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
31 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 16-bit frozen counter event with time represents a frozen counter value that is reported
as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or software
point.
The frozen value shows the value of the counter at time of freeze.
The time of freeze contains the time that the object was frozen.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
15 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970 at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds and milliseconds.
Description:
The 32-bit frozen delta counter event with time represents a frozen delta counter value that
is reported as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value shows the change in the counter at time of freeze.
The time of freeze contains the time that the object was frozen.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
31 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970 at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds and milliseconds.
Description:
The 16-bit frozen delta counter event with time represents a frozen delta counter value that
is reported as an event. This can be accumulated pulses or transitions from a hardware or
software point.
The frozen value shows the change in the counter at time of freeze.
The time of freeze contains the time that the object was frozen.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Frozen Value
15 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Roll-over = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Roll-over = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, roll-over>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero
minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The 32-bit Analog Input is an information object used to represent a hardware or software
analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The Value field shows the current value of the analog input at the time of reporting or the
last reported value from the originating device.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The out of range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded +231
-1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value will be +231 -1 or -231 if it is over-
range or under-range.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Current value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit analog input is an information object used to represent a hardware or software
analog point. The 16-bit signed value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The value field shows the current value of the analog input at the time of reporting, or the
last reported value from the originating device.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded +215 -
1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value is not
defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Current value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit analog input is an information object used to represent a hardware or software
analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The value field shows the current value of the analog input at the time of reporting, or the
last reported value from the originating device.
Object Coding:
Current value
31 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 16-bit analog input is an information object used to represent a hardware or software
analog point. The 16-bit signed value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The current value field shows the current value of the analog input at the time of reporting,
or the last reported value from the originating device.
Object Coding:
Current value
15 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 32-bit frozen analog input is an information object used to represent a frozen hardware
or software analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a digitized signal or
calculated value.
The frozen value shows the value of the analog input at the time the last freeze command
was performed on this point.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded +231 -
1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value is not
defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen analog input is an information object used to represent a frozen hardware
or software analog point. The 16-bit signed value could represent a digitized signal or
calculated value.
The frozen value shows the value of the analog input at the time the last freeze command
was performed on this point.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded +215 -
1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value is not
defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen analog input with time of freeze is an information object used to represent
a frozen hardware or software analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a
digitized signal or calculated value.
The frozen value shows the value of the analog input at the time specified in time of freeze.
The time of freeze field shows the time at which the frozen value was equal to the current
value of the analog input. These values are equated on reception of a freeze analog
command.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded +231 -
1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value is not
defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
31 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen analog input with time of freeze is an information object used to
represent a frozen hardware or software analog point. The 16-bit signed value could
represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The frozen value shows the value of the analog input at the time specified in time of
freeze.
The time of freeze field shows the time at which the frozen value was equal to the current
value of the analog input. These values are equated on reception of a freeze analog
command.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+215 -1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
15 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen analog input is an information object used to represent a frozen
hardware or software analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a digitized
signal or calculated value.
The frozen value shows the value of the analog input at the time the last freeze command
was performed on this point.
Object Coding:
Frozen value
31 0
NOTE: The use of this variation implies that the input point is on-line and that all
other flag bits are normal (i.e. this variation implies that flag = 1).
Description:
The 16-bit frozen analog input is an information object used to represent a frozen
hardware or software analog point. The 16-bit signed value could represent a digitized
signal or calculated value.
The frozen value shows the value of the analog input at the time the last freeze command
was performed on this point.
Object Coding:
Frozen value
15 0
Description:
The 32-bit analog change event without time is an information object used to represent a
changed hardware or software analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a
digitized signal or calculated value.
The current value field shows the current value of the analog input at the time of
reporting, or the last reported value from the originating device. This object will only be
reported if the current value and the last reported value differ by a configurable deadband
value. This filtering is commonly known as deadbanding.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+231 -1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Current value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit analog change event without time is an information object used to represent a
changed hardware or software analog point. The 16-bit signed value could represent a
digitized signal or calculated value.
The current value field shows the current value of the analog input at the time of
reporting, or the last reported value from the originating device. This object will only be
reported if the current value and the last reported value differ by a configurable deadband
value. This filtering is commonly known as deadbanding.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+215 -1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Current value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit analog change event with time is an information object used to represent a
changed hardware or software analog point. The 32-bit signed value could represent a
digitized signal or calculated value.
The current value shows the value of the analog input at the time specified in time.
The time field shows the time at which the processing caused the event.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+231 -1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Value
31 0
Time
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit analog change event with time is an information object used to represent a
changed hardware or software analog point. The 16-bit signed value could represent a
digitized signal or calculated value.
The current value shows the value of the analog input at the time specified in time.
The time field shows the time at which the processing caused the event.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+215 -1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Value
15 0
Time
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen analog event without time is an information object used to represent a
frozen hardware or software analog point that is reported as an event. The 32-bit signed
value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The frozen value field shows the value of the analog input at the time of freeze.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+231 -1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen analog event without time is an information object used to represent a
frozen hardware or software analog point that is reported as an event. The 16-bit signed
value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The frozen value field shows the value of the analog input at the time of freeze.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+215 -1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit frozen analog event with time is an information object used to represent a
frozen hardware or software analog point that is reported as an event. The 32-bit signed
value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The frozen value field shows the value of the analog input at the time of a freeze.
The flag field has the same meaning as previous objects, with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+231 -1 positively, or -231 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
• The time of freeze field shows the time at which the frozen value was equal to the
current value of the analog input. These values are equated on reception of a freeze
analog command.
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
31 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 16-bit frozen analog event with time is an information object used to represent a
frozen hardware or software analog point that is reported as an event. The 16-bit signed
value could represent a digitized signal or calculated value.
The frozen value field shows the value of the analog input at the time of a freeze.
The Flag field has the same meaning as previous objects with these additions:
• The over-range field indicates that the digitized signal or calculation has exceeded
+215 -1 positively, or -215 negatively. The actual value field can be ignored as its value
is not defined.
• The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to digitize the analog
input is not stable, and the resulting digitized value may not be correct.
• The time of freeze field shows the time at which the frozen value was equal to the
current value of the analog input. These values are equated on reception of a freeze
analog command.
FLAG
7 0
Frozen value
15 0
Time of Freeze
47 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The 32-bit analog output status information object represents the actual value of an
analog output or software point and associated status.
The actual value field contains the current value of the analog output.
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Current value
31 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, unlock; 1, forced>
Reserved = BS1 [4] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [5] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
This object can be returned after an analog output operation is performed in order to
determine the success of the operation.
Description:
The 16-bit analog output status information object represents the actual value of a
hardware DAC analog output or software point and associated status.
The actual value field contains the current value of the analog output.
Object Coding:
FLAG
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Current value
15 0
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, unlock; 1, forced>
Reserved = BS1 [4] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [5] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [6] <0>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
This object can be returned after an analog output operation is performed in order to
determine the success of the operation.
Description:
The 32-bit analog output information object represents the desired value of a hardware
DAC analog output or software point. The value represented is merely logical, as the
value may be scaled and/or manipulated before any output level is set.
The requested value field contains the desired value of the analog output. The actual
value of the analog output is returned in the analog output status object.
The control status field indicates the status of the analog control operation, in the same
way that the control delay output block does. The definition of this field is the same as the
control relay output block.
Object Coding:
Requested value
31 0
Control Status
7 0
Description:
The 16-bit analog output block information object represents the desired value of a
hardware DAC analog output or software point. The value represented is merely logical,
as the value may be scaled and/or manipulated before any output level is set.
The requested value field contains the desired value of the analog output. The actual
value of the analog output is returned in the analog output status object.
The control status field indicates the status of the analog control operation in the same
way as the control relay output block. The definition of this field is the same as the
control relay output block.
Object Coding:
Requested value
15 0
Control Status
7 0
Description:
The time and date object is an information object that represents the absolute time of day
and date. This object should be used for time-synchronization.
Object Coding:
Absolute Time
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32
47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40
Narrative:
Absolute Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero
hours, zero minutes, zero seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The time and date with interval represents both an absolute time and an interval time. The
absolute time represents a starting time (or base time), and the interval time is a positive
offset from the base time. The interval could be applied several times to the base time in
order to specify a sequence of periodic times.
For example, this can be used to specify a sequence of times for periodic freezing of
objects.
The absolute time field specifies the base time. This time is the real time-of-day.
The interval field specifies the periodic interval or offset from the base time.
Absolute time
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32
47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40
Interval
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
Narrative:
Absolute time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero
hours, zero minutes, zero seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The time and date CTO (common time of occurrence) object is an information object that
represents the absolute time of day. This object should be used in conjunction with other
objects that contain time references. This object is a base time to which a relative
(incremental) time can be added, or from which it can be subtracted, in order to obtain
another absolute time reference.
Object Coding:
Absolute Time
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32
47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40
Narrative:
Absolute time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero
hours, zero minutes, zero seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The un-synchronized time and date CTO object is an information object that represents
the relative-absolute time of day. This object should be used in conjunction with other
objects that contain time references. This object is a relative base time to which a relative
(incremental) time can be added, or from which it can be subtracted, in order to obtain
another relative-absolute time reference. The real absolute time can be calculated by the
message receiver, based on the reception time of the message containing this object. Any
objects that follow this object, and come before the next common-time object that
contains relative time, must be corrected using this relative-absolute time value.
Object Coding:
Narrative:
Relative-absolute time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at
zero hours, zero minutes, zero seconds, and milliseconds.
Description:
The time delay coarse information object represents a relative time that indicates a time
period starting from the time of message reception.
Object Coding:
Seconds
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Description:
The time delay fine information object represents a relative time that indicates a time
period starting from the time of message reception. This object can be used in time-
synchronization to perform path delay measurement calculations or other functions that
require time-based calibration.
Object Coding:
Milliseconds
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Description:
The class 0 data object is an object place-holder that specifies a class of zero or more
information elements. These elements can be entire object types, a specific variation,
certain points of the variation, or any combination of these. The data specified by this
object type is configurable within the responding station.
Class 0 data is potentially any information object not assigned to class 1, 2, or 3. That is,
class 0 data is non-priority data.
Object Coding:
None.
Narrative:
The class 0 data object does not carry any information in itself, and therefore does not
have an object coding. Class 0 is a null class to which all data objects not assigned to
other classes can belong by default.
Description:
The class 1 data object is an object place-holder that specifies a class of zero or more
information elements. These elements can be entire object types, a specific variation,
certain points of the variation, or any combination of these. The data specified by this
object type is configurable within the responding station.
The responding station does not send the class 1 data object, as it does not contain any
actual information, but is simply an identifier for other objects.
Object Coding:
None.
Narrative:
The class 1 data object is used to request a configured group, usually changes, of
information objects from a responding station. This data object does not carry any
information in itself, and therefore does not have an object coding.
Typically, class 1 data has higher priority than class 2, class 3, and class 0 data.
Description:
The class 2 data object is an object place-holder that specifies a class of zero or more
information elements. These elements can be entire object types, a specific variation,
certain points of the variation, or any combination of these. The data specified by this
object type is configurable within the responding station.
The responding station does not send the class 2 data object, as it does not contain any
actual information, but is simply an identifier for other objects.
Object Coding:
None.
Narrative:
The class 2 data object is used to request a configured group, usually changes, of
information objects from a responding station. This data object does not carry any
information in itself, and therefore does not have an object coding.
Description:
The class 3 data object is an object place-holder that specifies a class of zero or more
information elements. These elements can be entire object types, a specific variation,
certain points of the variation, or any combination of these. The data specified by this
object type is configurable within the responding station.
The responding station does not send the class 3 data object, as it does not contain any
actual information, but is simply an identifier for other objects.
Object Coding:
None.
Narrative:
The class 3 data object is used to request a configured group, usually an event, of
information objects from a responding station. The data object does not carry any
information in itself, and therefore does not have an object coding.
Description:
The file identifier object is an information object that represents information about a file
in a network file system. This object is intended to be used for transferring large blocks of
data that do not follow the format of an existing data object. In particular, this object is
suitable for uploading and downloading configuration files to remote devices or data
concentrators.
File operations are defined for this object to allow copying, deleting, etc. of a file. The
contents of the file object and the exact procedure to perform on the file will not be
interpreted by the Application Layer, and so must be performed by the user of the
Application Layer.
Networking Capability:
The File_Name field defines a logical name of a file or device. The receiving application
should interpret this name as a network file name. The root (or /) represents the root of
the host file system or receiving node. Sub-directories off of the root are interpreted as
branches off of the root. A branch can be a new directory, or more importantly, the
directory can be a remote file system which resides in a remote device that is accessible
from the current node.
When an application receives a file that specifies a directory or file that does not reside in
the current file system, the application must do whatever is necessary to obtain the file
from the specified device.
If the remote device is a DNP 3 device, then the following rules apply:
• On reception of a non-local file request, the application shall forward the request (in its
entirety) to the appropriate DNP 3 device.
For example, an IED configuration is sent from a host through two data concentrators
DC1 and DC2. The name from the Host to DC1 is:
\DC2\IED\config1
\IED\config1
\config1
In this case DC2 and IED were logical directories which specified remote devices and
config1 was the name of a physical file.
Object Coding:
This is not a fixed format object, but it is a variable format/sized object. This part of the
object is sent in a request.
31 24 23 16 15 87 0
Attributes File_Type Name_Size
End_Record Start_Record
File_Size
Time_Of_Creation
Permission
File_ID
Owner_ID
Group_ID
Status File_Function
X File_Name 0
The file identifier object is sent in a DNP application request message to a remote device
using the Application Layer WRITE request function code. A device responds to a request
(or spontaneously reports) the file identifier object with an Application Layer RESPONSE
or UNSOLICITED RESPONSE function code (where appropriate).
1 = DELETE: Remove the specified records from the file (i.e. file
shrinks). The Start_Record indicates the first record to
delete and the End_Record indicates the last record to
delete. There are no data records with this request. The
device should respond with the file identifier object with all
available fields filled in, the File_Function field set to
RESPONSE, and the status field set to the status of the
requested operation.
Data Record_Size
x 0 15 0
Where: x = Record_Size * 8
Record_Size = 0 .. 65535
4 = ERASE: Clear (to NUL) or ERASE all records specified in Start and
End record fields (i.e. the file stays same size, BUT data is
cleared). There are no data records in this message. The
device should respond with the file identifier object with all
available fields filled in, the File_Function field set to
RESPONSE, and the status field set to the status of the
requested operation.
Permission: The permission field specifies the READ, WRITE, and EXECUTE
privileges for the file owner, the file owner's group and the world
(all others). The READ privilege gives the user the right to read the
file (READ, PWD, CWD, INFO request). The WRITE privilege
gives the user the right to change the file (APPEND, DELETE,
INSERT, WRITE, ERASE). The EXECUTE privilege gives the user
the right to run the specified application (EXEC request).
1: Doesn't_exist indicates that the file name is not contained in the file
system.
2: Out_of_Space indicates that the file operation caused the file to exceed its
maximum size as determined by the User ID, Group ID, and Permission.
3: No_Permission indicates that the file owner does not have enough
privileges for the operation requested.
4: File_Busy indicates that the file could not be delivered to the destination.
Start_Record: The start record number of file. A start record of 0 indicates the
start of the file, and a start record of 65535 indicates the last
record.
End_Record: The end record number of file, similar to the Start_record. An end
record of 65535 combined with a start record of 0 in a READ
request indicates the entire file.
Time_of_Creation: Time that the file was created or last modified. This field has the
same format as Object 50 Variation 1.
File_ID: Unique integer identifier for the file. This field can also be used to
hold the error check (typically 16-bit CRC) for the file. In this case,
the File_ID is only unique when concatenated with the File_Name
and the Time_Of_Creation.
Data: Actual data bytes that make up the file record. These 8-bit objects
are interpreted according to the File_Type field. The contents of
the Data field will not be interpreted by the DNP Application
Layer.
Description:
The internal indications is an information element used to convey internal states and
diagnostic results of a responding station. This information can be used by a receiving
station to perform error recovery or other functions.
Object Coding:
BS1 [0..0]
State = BS1 [0] <0,1>
Narrative:
Transmission of the data object is always performed in complete octets, with unoccupied
bit positions set to zero. The following example illustrates the packing of n of these data
objects.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
Description:
The storage object is an information element used to convey the status of internal buffers
and storage areas for specific data types.
The group field indicates the group (or data type) that the status field corresponds to.
The variation field indicates the variation of the object that the status field corresponds
to.
The group and variation fields together specify the exact data type.
The status field shows what percentage of the buffer space allocated for this data type is
currently used up. The overflow bit indicates that the buffer space for the specified data
type has been over-utilized, and data objects have been lost.
STATUS
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
GROUP
7 0
VARIATION
7 0
Storage Object ={
Status = BS8 [0..7]
Group = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Variation = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
}
Status ={
Percent = BS7 [0..6] <0..100>
Overflow = BS1 [7] <0, 1; Overflow>
}
Narrative:
The storage object is used to indicate the status of buffer, queues, or other storage areas
within the sending device. The object is generated by the device as configured in the
device and described in the particular device profile.
Description:
The device profile object provides for inter-operability between different DNP devices
which use only a sub-set of the DNP Application Layer function codes and data objects.
This object describes the station acting as a DNP master, and the valid function codes and
objects that the slave device supports. In addition, the range of indices for each
object/variation is also given so that configuration can be done on a dynamic basis.
Principle of operation:
The device profile object is intended to be sent by a slave device ONLY when the request
sent by the master is not recognizable, un-parsable, or objects referenced in the request
are not supported. Coincident with this message would be internal indications indicating
a problem with parsing.
Alternately, if the slave is configured in a quiescent environment, the slave could report
(spontaneously) the device profile object upon start-up.
The master, upon reception of this object, can change its polling scheme, poll request
message, limit or expand the assumed functionality of the slave, or re-configure the
master database with objects specified in this object.
If the master station is less sophisticated, the slave station can be marked off-line, and
manual re-configuration would be necessary to obtain proper communications again.
The device profile object consists of two sections. The first section, functions, specifies
the supported DNP Application Layer function codes. The second section, objects,
specifies the range of indices valid for each object/variation combination. Essentially, the
objects section is a sample master poll object header for each object/variation. It is
implied by the type of object what type of operation (function) can be performed on it so
there is no need to map each function code to a set of objects.
The functions field is an array of bits indicating support or non-support for each function
code. The bit positions 0 .. 63 correspond to DNP Application Layer function codes 0 to
63. For request function codes beyond 63, another functions field can follow the
ObjectHeaders.
The NumObjects field specifies how many sample object headers follow.
The ObjectHeader fields have the same form as a DNP Application Layer object header.
As a minimum, the header consists of the object, variation, qualifier, and 8-bit quantity.
This means that to describe most object variations, only four bytes are needed.
Functions
63 0
NumObjects (n)
15 0
ObjectHeader 1
ObjectHeader 2
ObjectHeader n
Each object header that follows has a variable format determined by the rules for
constructing Application Layer object headers.
Object Header =
SQ4 {
Object = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Variation = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Qualifier = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Quantity = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
}
Object Header =
SQ5 {
Object = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Variation = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Qualifier = UI8 [0..7] <0..255>
Start = UI16 [0..15] <0..65535>
Stop = UI16 [0..15] <0..65535>
}
Description:
This private registration object (PRO) object type is reserved for vendor-specific
definition. The object consists of a fixed header to provide for transparent data transfer,
and a unique registration number of the following object. The description of the contents
is entirely at the discretion of the vendor.
The Private Registration Number (PRN) field is a vendor designated object I.D.
The Len field contains the length of the Data Objects field in octets.
The Data Objects field contains the vendor's data (variable size and format) as described
by the PROD object.
Object Coding:
VENDOR
31 0
PRN 0
15
LEN
15 0
DATA OBJECTS
0
Description:
This object type is reserved for vendor private registration object description. The object
is matched one-to-one with its PRO object. The object consists of a fixed header to
provide for transparent data transfer, and a unique registration number of the following
object. The description of the contents is entirely at the discretion of the vendor.
The Private Registration Number (PRN) field is a vendor designated object I.D.
The Count field specifies the number of object definitions that follow this field. Each
object definition consists of the three fields: quantity, object and variation.
The Quantity field specifies the number of objects, specified by the object and variation
fields, which will be found in the PRO object.
VENDOR
31 0
PRN
15 0
COUNT
15 0
QUANTITY
15 0
OBJECT
7 0
VARIATION
7 0
QUANTITY
15 0
OBJECT
7 0
VARIATION
7 0
QUANTITY
15 0
OBJECT
7 0
VARIATION
7 0
PROD:
(blank) B B A
0 16
0 3
2
1
2
2
21
2
5
30
1
(blank) B B A
0 16
0 33
binary input
1
binary input
2
Counter 1
Counter 2
Analog 1
Analog 2
Analog 3
Analog 4
Analog 5
Description:
The application identifier object is an information object used to represent an application
or operating system process within a device. This object is used in conjunction with the
application functions of the application layer to control software applications.
This object has no defined format and is simply used as a place holder. The free-format
qualifier of the application layer should be used to identify the application in question, or
if the application is unknown, the ALL qualifier should be used to specify all relevant
applications.
Description:
The short floating point information object represents a calculated or measured scientific
value. The format of this object complies with the IEEE-754 standard for floating-point
number representation.
The value field holds the actual floating point number and follows the format for a short
real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
The flag field holds information about the point and has the same meaning as previous
objects.
The units field determines the units of the value field. This is the scientific or engineering
units associated with the measured or calculated quantity.
Units Flag
7 0 7 0
Value
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Narrative:
The absolute value can be derived from the value field as follows:
Description:
The long floating point information object represents a calculated or measured scientific
value. The format of this object complies with the IEEE-754 standard for floating-point
number representation.
The value field holds the actual floating point number and follows the format for a long
real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
The flag field holds information about the point and has the same meaning as previous
objects.
The units field determines the units of the value field. This is the scientific or engineering
units associated with the measured or calculated quantity.
Object Coding:
Units Flag
7 0 7 0
Value
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The extended floating point information object represents a calculated or measured
scientific value. The format of this object complies with the IEEE-754 standard for
floating-point number representation.
The value field holds the actual floating point number and follows the format for a temp
real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
The flag field holds information about the point and has the same meaning as previous
objects.
The units field determines the units of the value field. This is the scientific or engineering
units associated with the measured or calculated quantity.
Object Coding:
Units Flag
7 0 7 0
Value
FLAG ={
On-line = BS1 [0] <0, off-line; 1, on-line>
Restart = BS1 [1] <0, normal; 1, restart>
Communication lost = BS1 [2] <0, normal; 1, lost>
Remote forced data = BS1 [3] <0, normal; 1, forced>
Local forced data = BS1 [4] <0>
Over-range = BS1 [5] <0, normal; 1, over-range>
Reference check = BS1 [6] <0, normal; 1, error>
Reserved = BS1 [7] <0>
}
Description:
The small-packed binary coded decimal information object represents a sequence of BCD
digits. Each BCD digit can represent a variety of information from control outputs to
analog inputs.
Object Coding:
SPBCD = SQ4 {
Digit1 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit2 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit3 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit4 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
}
Description:
The medium-packed binary coded decimal information object represents a sequence of
BCD digits. Each BCD digit can represent a variety of information from control outputs
to analog inputs.
Object Coding:
MPBCD = SQ8 {
Digit1 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit2 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit3 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit4 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit5 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit6 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit7 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit8 = UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
}
Description:
The large-packed binary coded decimal information object represents a sequence of BCD
digits. Each BCD digit can represent a variety of information from control outputs to
analog inputs.
Object Coding:
LPBCD = SQ16 {
Digit1= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit2= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit3= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit4= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit5= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit6= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit7= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit8= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit9= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit10= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit11= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit12= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit13= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit14= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
Digit15= UI4 [0..3] <0..10>
}
DA distributed automation
DAC data acquisition and control
DNP Distributed Network Protocol
F fixed point
FIFO first-in-first-out
I integer
ID identification
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
LEN length
LPBCD large-packed binary coded decimal
OS octet string
R real
RESP response
RMS root mean squared
Version: 2.00
Date: November, 1995
NOTICE OF RIGHTS - DNP USERS GROUP
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group. Revisions or
additions to the definition and functionality of the DNP Protocol cannot be made
without express written agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorized
party. In addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to in
any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement with the DNP
Users Group or a Party duly authorized by the DNP Users Group.
The DNP Users Group has made every reasonable attempt to ensure the
completeness and accuracy of this document. However, the information contained in
this manual is subject to change without notice, and does not represent a
commitment on the part of the DNP Users Group. An update program for DNP
documents is provided upon request by the DNP Users Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
DNP is a trademark of the DNP Users Group. Any brand and product names
mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
MODIFICATION RECORD
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION
If you require more detail than this document provides, several supporting
texts are available. These include:
• Distributed Network Protocol 3.0 Basic 4-Document Set including:
- DNP V3.00 Data Link Layer (P009-0PD.DL) Version 0.02
- DNP V3.00 Transport Functions (P009-0PD.TF) Version 0.01
The organization of this guide is described below. Each chapter of the guide
describes one subset of the DNP V3.00 Application Layer protocol.
OVERVIEW describes basic concepts concerning DNP subsets: basic
terminology, how to interpret the implementation tables,
and the duties of devices implementing the subsets. It briefly
discusses the goals used to develop the subsets.
Chapter 1: LEVEL 1 DNP V3.00 IMPLEMENTATION (DNP-L1)
describes the minimum subset of the protocol that can be
implemented, typically between a master station and an
Intelligent Electronic Device (IED).
Chapter 2: LEVEL 2 DNP V3.00 IMPLEMENTATION (DNP-L2)
describes a subset of the protocol, slightly larger than Level
1. It is typically implemented between a master station and a
large IED or small Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).
Chapter 3: LEVEL 3 DNP V3.00 IMPLEMENTATION (DNP-L3)
describes a subset of the protocol, larger than Level 2, that
can be implemented between a master station and a more
advanced RTU.
Chapter 4: IMPLEMENTATION RULES AND
RECOMMENDATIONS describes rules and
recommendations applying to all levels of DNP V3.00
implementation.
Chapter 5: CONFORMANCE describes the conditions under which a
device is said to conform to a given DNP subset.
Appendix A: DEVICE PROFILE DOCUMENT FORMAT describes the
information a device vendor must include in a document
describing a device's implementation of DNP V3.00
There are a few formatting conventions used in this guide to make it easier
to read and understand. They are listed below.
• New or special terms are highlighted in bold text.
• Chapter references are highlighted in bold text, with the chapter title in
CAPITAL LETTERS (for example, Chapter 2: SPECIAL
REQUIREMENTS). Table names are also bold (e.g. AXXX_CFG).
• References to main section titles are highlighted using italics, as are
book and document titles, and words used with special emphasis.
• Lists of procedural instructions are numbered in the order they are to
be performed. Other lists of information are bulleted, like this list.
• Specific function and field names are in CAPITAL LETTERS, but not
bold (e.g. TRIP function, GROUP ADDRESS field).
TERMINOLOGY
This section defines some of the terms used throughout this document.
When a Master or Slave satisfies all the requirements of a particular DNP
V3.00 subset, it is said to implement a particular level of the protocol. The
term "Level" is chosen so as to not conflict with DNP data classes or the
Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) concept of layers. The abbreviation for a
DNP subset implementation consists of "DNP", a dash, and "L" followed by
the level number.
For example, a vendor may be able to say, "This device implements the
DNP V3.00 Application Layer protocol Level 1", or just "This device
implements DNP - L1".
The subsets of the DNP V3.00 protocol discussed in this document are
described in a common format. Each chapter of this document describing
an implementation level contains a table having the following fields:
OBJECT These fields describe a DNP application layer object:
Obj The object group
Var The object variation
Description The text name of the object
......
Table 1.3-1 describes the objects, function codes, and qualifiers used in a
Level 1 DNP V3.00 implementation.
10 1 Binary Output
12 3 Pattern Mask
21 0
Frozen Counter - All Variations
22 3 32-Bit Delta Counter Change Event without Time 129, 130 17, 28
22 4 16-Bit Delta Counter Change Event without Time 129, 130 17, 28
60 0
60 1 Class 0 Data 1 06
70 1 File Identifier
81 1 Storage Object
82 1 Device Profile
90 1 Application Identifier
No object 13
No object 23
(see
4.14)
This chapter describes the second smallest subset of the DNP V3.00
Application Layer. This implementation level is called Level 2 (L2).
2 3 Binary Input Change with Relative Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
10 1 Binary Output
12 3 Pattern Mask
60 0
60 1 Class 0 Data 1 06
70 1 File Identifier
81 1 Storage Object
82 1 Device Profile
90 1 Application Identifier
No Object 13
No Object 23
(see
4.14)
Table 3.3-1 Describes the objects, function codes, and qualifiers used in a
Level 3 DNP V3.00 implementation. Note that additions and
modifications from implementation Level 2 are shaded.
Table 3.3-1 Level 3 Implementation (DNP-L3)
2 3 Binary Input Change with Relative Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
10 1 Binary Output
20 5 32-Bit Binary Counter without Flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
20 6 16-Bit Binary Counter without Flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
20 7 32-Bit Delta Counter without Flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
20 8 16-Bit Delta Counter without Flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
21 9 32-Bit Frozen Counter without Flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
21 10 16-Bit Frozen Counter without Flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
22 1 32-Bit Counter Change Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
22 2 16-Bit Counter Change Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
22 3 32-Bit Delta Counter Change Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
22 4 16-Bit Delta Counter Change Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
23 1 32-Bit Frozen Counter Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
23 2 16-Bit Frozen Counter Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17,28
23 3 32-Bit Frozen Delta Counter Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
23 4 16-Bit Frozen Delta Counter Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
30 3 32-Bit Analog Input without flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
30 4 16-Bit Analog Input without flag 1 00, 01, 06 129, 130 00, 01
32 1 32-Bit Analog Change Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
32 2 16-Bit Analog Change Event without Time 1 06,07,08 129, 130 17, 28
60 0 Not Defined
60 1 Class 0 Data 1 06
20, 21, 06
22
20, 21 06
22
20, 21 06
22
70 1 File Identifier
2 00,
index=7
81 1 Storage Object
82 1 Device Profile
90 1 Application Identifier
No Object 13
No Object 23
(see
4.14)
4.1.1 Rules
A Slave device may respond to Master requests as described in Table 4.1-
1 if there is an error in the request. The Internal Indication bit numbers
listed are in the second octet.
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Response IIN Meaning
bit
objects with this group and variation”. Cannot
be used as a response for event objects if the
request is defined for the level. In that case,
the Slave must send a Null Response (see
below).
PARAMETER 2 means “I have objects of this group and
ERROR variation, but not within the range of points
specified”. This IIN bit must be set even if some
of the points specified are available. In such a
case, the Slave may choose to include in the
response those objects that are available, but
this behaviour is not mandatory. Not permitted
if no range was specified.
Null Response n/a means “No point range was specified, and I
(no IIN bits set, have no objects of this type”. Primarily used in
but no objects response to event data polls. Can be used
of the instead of OBJECT UNKNOWN for static objects
specified type if no range was specified.
returned)
Event objects are treated differently than static objects because they are not
tied to physical hardware. They may not exist on a device at any given
moment, even though the device is able to report them.
Many static data points (eg. binary input, analog input) within a Slave
device can generate DNP event objects (eg. Binary Input Change With
Time, Analog Input Change Event). This section describes the interaction
between data points, event objects and DNP data classes.
4.2.1 Rules
If a Slave device reports event objects, it must designate each of its data
points as generating either Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 event objects by
default. (This designation may be configurable). The Class of event data is
therefore an attribute of the data point and the event objects the data point
reports. Every event object reported by the Slave device therefore belongs to
Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3. Every static object reported by the Slave device
belongs to Class 0.
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Level 3 Slave devices must permit a Master to enable or disable the
reporting of event objects by making ASSIGN CLASS (function code 22)
requests.
To enable the reporting of event objects for a particular data point, the
Master specifies in its ASSIGN CLASS request a Class 1, 2 or 3 object
header and the header of a static object for the appropriate data point.
For example, to enable the generation of Class 2 events from DNP analog
input point 4, the Master device sends an ASSIGN CLASS request
containing the following object headers:
• Class 2 (Obj. 60 , Var. 3)
• Analog Input (Obj. 30, Var. 0, Index 4)
Such a request does not mean the static object now belongs to Class 2;
static objects belong to Class 0 by definition. Instead, the static object
represents the data point itself, and the request means all event objects
generated by the data point will belong to the specified Class.
A Master device tells a Slave device to stop reporting event objects for a
particular data point by assigning event objects from the data point to Class
0. Since Class 0 is the class of static data and event objects cannot be Class
0, the Slave will not produce any further event objects for the data point.
The actual event object the Slave device reports after the Master device
enables event object reporting will vary depending on the request of the
Master.
The Master may request event objects by sending:
• a READ request for specific objects (eg. a READ request for Binary
Input Change With Time objects, or a READ request for 16-Bit Analog
Input Change Event Without Time objects).
• a READ request for a class of objects (eg. a READ request for Class 2
data). The Slave device returns all event objects assigned to the Class.
• a READ request for a quantity of Class objects (eg. a READ request of
Class 2 data, specifying a quantity of 20 objects. The Slave returns the
first 20 event objects it collected that were assigned to Class 2).
• a READ request for several Classes of data (eg. a READ request
containing both Class 1 and Class 2 object headers).
A particular implementation level may support only certain methods of
reading data. Refer to the appropriate chapters to determine whether a
particular method is valid for a given implementation level.
If a Master does not specify a particular variation of object (i.e. when
requesting a Class of data or requesting variation 0 of any object), the Slave
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P009-0IG.SUB, Version 2.00
reports the default variation of object for the data point. This default
variation may be configured.
If a Master READs several Classes of data in the same request, the Slave
must not group the event objects by Data Class in its response. In particular,
the Slave must report Binary Change events within a response in the order
the events occurred. For example, consider a Slave device that detects the
following events, in the order listed:
• Binary Input Change Without Time point 3 - Class 3
• Binary Input Change Without Time point 1 - Class 3
• Binary Input Change Without Time point 6 - Class 1
• Binary Input Change Without Time point 2 - Class 3
If the Master device sends a single READ request asking for Class 3, Class
2 and Class 1 data, the Slave must return the events in the order listed
above. The Slave must NOT send all the Class 3 events together before
sending the Class 1 event.
4.2.2 Recommendations
It is highly recommended that all Slave devices report event data and that all
Masters provide a report-by-exception mode of operation. This is only a
recommendation because although DNP-L1 specifies Masters must be able
to parse certain event objects, it does not specify that the Master necessarily
uses them or that the Slave necessarily reports them. A particular
combination of Master and Slave implementations will be interoperable
even if event data are not supported. However, the combination may not be
efficient or useful, as discussed below.
DNP is a relatively high-overhead set of protocols compared to its
predecessors; however, the bandwidth available to most utility companies is
still quite limited. Therefore, efficient bandwidth usage is vital to market
acceptance of a particular DNP implementation. DNP provides several
different means of retrieving data. They are listed here from most to least
efficient:
1. Quiescent Operation, in which the Master never polls any Slave, and all
communication is unsolicited report-by-exception. The Master still
sends application layer confirmations to the Slave.
2. Unsolicited Report-by-Exception Operation, in which most
communication is unsolicited, but the Master occasionally sends
integrity polls for Class 0 Data to verify its database is up to date.
3. Polled Report-by-Exception Operation, in which the Master polls
frequently for event data and occasionally for Class 0 Data. Most often
the Slave’s response to the event polls will contain few objects, so
polling can be very quick. The response size can be further limited if the
Master requests a maximum number of events (qualifiers 0x07, 0x08).
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4. Polled Static Operation, in which the Master polls only for Class 0 data
or the specific data it requires. This method is the simplest to implement,
but can be very inefficient if the number of points that need to be
retrieved is high and changes are infrequent.
Some systems may also choose to mix Polled and Unsolicited Report-by-
Exception operation.
Given that unsolicited responses are not always possible using some
physical layers, the recommended minimum implementation for a Slave is
Polled Report-by-Exception Operation. The Subset Definitions have been
written with this in mind.
They have also been written with the goal that all data from a Slave be
accessible using the least bandwidth and the least parsing required by the
Slave. Therefore frequent polls of Class 1, 2, and or 3 Data, interspersed
with occasional integrity polls of Class 0 Data, is the recommended
minimum implementation.
4.3.1 Rules
Upon start-up of a Slave device, the Slave device must set true(1) the
DEVICE RESTART Internal Indication bit within the Internal Indication
field of each subsequent response and unsolicited response. This bit must
remain set until a Master device clears it with a WRITE request.
If the Slave device is configured to send unsolicited responses, it must
immediately send an unsolicited response upon start-up. This initial
unsolicited response must contain either:
• the response header only, containing the Access Control, Function Code
and IIN fields.
• the response header plus the current state of ALL of its static data points
(eg. binary inputs, analog inputs).
The initial unsolicited response may also contain any events objects the
Slave device had generated while running previously, but had not yet
reported to the Master. If such objects exist, the Slave must report them
before the static data. This rule allows the Master to report data changes in
chronological order by simply parsing the message from beginning to end
(i.e. the most recent value of any point will be the last one reported in the
message).
The vendor of the device must specify in a Device Profile Document
whether the device sends unsolicited responses, and if so, whether it
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DNP V3.00 Subset Definitions
P009-0IG.SUB, Version 2.00
includes static data in the initial unsolicited response. Refer to APPENDIX
A: DEVICE PROFILE DOCUMENT FORMAT for more details
regarding the Device Profile Document.
Upon receiving this initial unsolicited response, the Master device must
send a WRITE request to clear the DEVICE RESTARTED Internal
Indication object reported by the Slave.
4.3.2 Recommendations
If a Slave device does not automatically report all of its static data in an
initial unsolicited response, the Master device should immediately poll for
all of the device's event data and static data (ie. send a READ request for
Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Class 0 data).
4.4.1 Rules
A Slave device may optionally send unsolicited responses to a Master
device. The vendor of a Slave device must specify in a Device Profile
Document whether the device can send unsolicited responses. This
document must also specify which objects, variations, qualifiers and
function codes the Slave device may include in those unsolicited responses.
Refer to APPENDIX A: DEVICE PROFILE DOCUMENT FORMAT
for more details regarding the Device Profile Document.
All Slave devices must provide a mode of operation in which the Slave
never sends unsolicited responses. This mode of operation must be
configurable.
The ability to configure unsolicited responses for the entire device is
separate from the ability of the Master to disable unsolicited responses using
requests. The following rules apply:
1. If a Slave device is configured to send unsolicited responses, a Master
device may disable unsolicited responses by sending a DISABLE
UNSOLICITED request (function code 22).
2. If a Slave device is configured to send unsolicited responses, it must
send an initial unsolicited response upon start-up regardless of whether
the Master sent any DISABLE UNSOLICITED requests (See Section
4.3: Slave Device Start-up for details). This rule ensures the Master
device is notified immediately if the device restarts. The rule applies
even if the Master has disabled unsolicited responses from all points on
the Slave device.
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Slave devices implementing Level 2 or greater may report static data objects
in unsolicited responses. They may do so only under the following
conditions:
• upon start up of the Slave device.
• when the status flags of points (within the flag octet) change state. For
example, if a range of analog inputs go off-line, then 16-Bit Analog
Input objects may be reported in an unsolicited response.
All other events or exceptions must be reported using event data objects.
The destination address of the Master device to which the unsolicited
responses are sent must be configurable in the Slave device.
All levels of Master devices must support unsolicited responses.
4.5.1 Rules
All Slave devices must be able to parse operations on Control Relay Output
Block objects (Obj.12, Var.1) for operating binary outputs. If a Slave device
does not actually have any binary output points, it may respond with the
PARAMETER ERROR or OBJECT UNKNOWN Internal Indications set.
The FUNCTION UNKNOWN Internal Indication is not a valid response in
this case.
Similarly, a Slave device must parse all output function codes (e.g.
SELECT/OPERATE) and control types (e.g. PULSE ON). If the Slave does
not choose to implement a particular function code or control type, it must
not respond with FUNCTION UNKNOWN. It must respond with the value
operation not supported in the STATUS field of the Control Relay Output
Block.
The control operations supported by a Slave device must be described in the
Device Profile Document for the device. Refer to APPENDIX A:
DEVICE PROFILE DOCUMENT FORMAT for more details.
4.5.2 Recommendations
The use of WRITEs to Binary Output objects (Obj. 10, VAR. 1) as a means
of operating binary outputs is not recommended because the response to a
WRITE request cannot give an indication of whether the operation was
successful.
If a Slave device implements WRITEs to Binary Outputs in addition to
operations on Control Relay Output Blocks, it is recommended that the
device “loop back” the state of each output to a Binary Input object. This
will provide some feedback to the Master.
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DNP V3.00 Subset Definitions
P009-0IG.SUB, Version 2.00
! NOTE: Control Relay Output Block object index x and
Binary Output object index x both refer to the same physical
binary output point.
4.6.1 Rules
Devices must not transmit application layer fragments larger than 2048
bytes, unless the fragment size is configurable and can be limited to 2048
bytes.
All devices must accept application layer fragments of 249 bytes or fewer.
All devices must accept maximum size data link layer frames (292 bytes).
A Master device must not send multi-fragment requests.
A Master device must accept multi-fragment responses.
A Slave device must be able to return all of its data (static and event) within
a single response. In other words, a response to a READ request for Class 1,
Class 2, Class 3 and Class 0 data must fit into a single response. A single
response may consist of one or more fragments.
The maximum frame size transmitted, the maximum fragment size
transmitted, and whether or not a Slave device sends multi-fragment
responses must be documented in the Device Profile Document for the
Slave device. Refer to APPENDIX A: DEVICE PROFILE
DOCUMENT FORMAT for more information regarding Device Profile
Documents.
4.6.2 Recommendations
It is recommended that the maximum size of a fragment be configurable in
both Slave devices and Master devices.
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It is recommended that Master devices choose the qualifiers and objects in
their requests so as to minimize the amount of bandwidth required.
4.7.1 Rules
All Slave devices of all levels must be able to parse a single Master request
containing any subset of all of the objects the Slave device supports. For
example, a Level 2 Slave implementation must be able to parse a single
READ request containing one or more of the following objects:
• Class 0 data
• Class 1 data
• Binary Counter - All Variations
• Binary Input Change With Time, quantity 20
4.8.1 Rules
All Master devices must be able to parse a single Slave response or
unsolicited response containing any subset of the objects the Master device
supports. For example, it must be able to parse a single response containing
Binary Input, Analog Input, Counter Input and Binary Output Status objects.
4.9.1 Rules
All levels of Slave and Master devices may choose when they request
confirmation of outgoing data link frames. Whether a device always, never
or sometimes (e.g. only when configured, only for certain messages)
requests data link CONFIRM frames must be documented in the Device
Profile Document for the device. Refer to APPENDIX A: DEVICE
PROFILE DOCUMENT FORMAT for more information regarding
Device Profile Documents.
A Slave or Master device must transmit a data link CONFIRM frame if it is
requested to do so by a SEND/CONFIRM EXPECTED function code an
incoming frame.
A Slave or Master device must transmit an Application Layer Confirmation
Response if it is requested by the CONFIRM bit in an incoming fragment.
If a Slave is waiting for an application layer confirmation to a Response
(function code 129) and receives a new request instead, it must:
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1. Assume the confirmation will not be forthcoming and therefore retain
any event data for the next request.
2. If the new request asks for some of the unconfirmed event data, include
this data in the response.
3. Process and respond to the new request.
This rule ensures controls and other vital operations will receive priority
over any operation pending at the Slave, such as a response to a READ
request.
It also ensures the Master retains control over any polling sequence. This
rule is implied in the DNP V3.00 Application Layer specification, but not
explicitly stated.
As described in section 3.3 of the DNP V3.00 Application Layer, this rule
also applies to Unsolicited Responses (function code 130), with one
exception. For READ requests, PROCESS_AFTER_CONFIRM mode
applies: the Slave does not respond to the READ until it has received
confirmation for its Unsolicited Response. This rule remains unchanged
from the DNP V3.00 Application Layer, because it prevents the same event
data from being sent to the master twice, once in the Unsolicited Response,
once in the READ Response.
If a Slave device supports application layer retries, the number of retries
performed must be configurable and be disabled by default. This provision
allows Master devices to choose application response timeouts as needed by
the overall network, without needing to account for retries by any particular
Slave.
4.9.2 Recommendations
It is recommended that enabling or disabling Data Link Confirms be
configurable in both Slave devices and Master devices. This practice is
recommended because the use of data link CONFIRM frames, across a
highly reliable point to point physical media, can effectively halve
communication throughput.
It is recommended that a Slave device only requests Application Layer
Confirmation Responses:
• on outgoing fragments that contain event data. This allows the Slave
device to be sure the Master has received the event objects, and the
Slave can therefore remove them from its internal buffers if it chooses.
• on large outgoing multi-fragment messages, in particular File Identifier
Objects. This permits the Master to perform application-layer flow
control, since the Master may take a significant amount of time to
process large messages.
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• when a particular IIN or status flag must be acted upon by the Master,
e.g. Roll-Over or Buffer Overflow.
It is recommended that if a Slave device implements application layer
retries, it only does so for unsolicited responses. Application layer retries
are not especially useful for ensuring reliability in solicited responses
because:
• The data link layer may already have performed several retries.
• Data link layer retries are more efficient because they only re-transmit
part of the application layer message.
• If the Master does not receive the data, it can retry the request.
• If the Slave performs application layer retries, the Master must account
for this in its application response timeout, which may affect system
performance.
However, using application retries for unsolicited responses is more useful
because:
• The Master was not expecting the data, so it will not need to account for
the retry in any timeout.
• Because the Master was not expecting the data, it cannot cause the Slave
to resend the data as with solicited responses.
Conformance or otherwise to these recommendations must be documented
in the Device Profile Document for the Slave device.
It is recommended that a Master device does not request Application Layer
Confirms on outgoing fragments. Application Layer Confirmation
Responses are not usually needed for requests because most requests require
a response from the Slave device. The Application Layer Confirmation
Response is redundant.
Conformance or otherwise to this recommendation must be documented in a
Device Profile Document for the Master device.
4.10.1 Rules
A Slave device may choose to return an object containing a flag (e.g. 16-Bit
Analog Input) when the Master has requested a without flag object variation
(e.g.. 16-Bit Analog Input Without Flag). Similarly, a Slave may choose to
return an object variation without a flag when the Master has requested an
object variation with a flag. Whether or not the Slave device responds with
an object containing a flag is the Slave's decision. The lack of a flag in an
object implicitly implies that the flag = 1 (i.e. the point is on-line and no
other exceptions are occurring).
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A Master device must be able to process responses containing object
variations both with flags and without flags.
4.11.1 Rules
A Slave device chooses a default object variation to report in response to a
READ request for a Class of data, or for variation 0 of a particular object.
For example, a Slave may choose to report a counter input as either a 16-bit
or 32-bit variation, depending on an internal default or on the Slave device's
configuration. If, however, a Master device explicitly requests a particular
variation, the Slave device must respond with a particular variation.
2. If a Master requests a 16-bit variation and the value of the data point is
outside of the range 32767 (7FFF hex) to -32768 (8000 hex), then the
Slave reports the value as either 32767 or -32768. The Slave device sets
the Over-Range bit within the flag field of the object.
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3. If a Master requests a 32-bit variation and the value of the data point is
outside of the range 2147483647 (7FFF FFFF hex) to -2147483648
(8000 0000 hex), then the Slave device reports the value as either
2147483647 or -2147483648. The Slave device sets the Over-Range bit
within the flag field of an object.
4. If an input exceeds the range measurable by the hardware on the Slave
device, the Slave device sets the Over-Range bit within the flag field of
the object. It does not alter the value reported by its hardware. For
example, a Slave device with a 12-bit A/D converter must set the Over-
Range bit when the measured value exceeds 2047. The Slave device
must still report the value as 2047 in the analog input object.
Table 4.11-1 illustrates these rules. The Slave sets the Over-Range flag in
each case described in the table, except the example of 33000 requested as a
32-Bit Analog Input. This is a case of Rule #2 applying, but not Rule #3.
Size Stored Internally Measured Value Response to a Response to a
by the Device (size of Request for 16-bit Request for 32-bit
A/D convertor) Analog Inputs Analog Inputs
8 bits > +127 007F 0000007F
< -128 FF80 FFFFFF80
12 bits > +2047 07FF 000007FF
< -2048 F800 FFFFF800
16 bits > +32767 7FFF 00007FFF
< -32768 8000 FFFF8000
32 bits > +2147483647 7FFF 7FFFFFFF
33000 (example) 7FFF 00080E8 *
< -2147483648 8000 80000000
* Over-Range flag is not set in this case. Over-Range is set in all other cases.
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• When a Slave returns a 32-bit Analog Input object, the DNP V3.00 Data
Object Library states, "The actual value will be +231-1 or -231 if it is
over-range or under-range." This rule also holds, but only describes the
cases in which the Slave represents the object in 32 bits internally.
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4.12 TIME TAGGED BINARY INPUT EVENTS
4.12.1 Rules
Slave devices must preserve the sequence of occurrence of binary input
event objects within responses. For instance, Binary Input Without Time
objects (Obj. 2, VAR. 2) must be returned in the sequence in which they
occur.
If a Master device does not specify a particular variation of binary input
event object in a READ request, a Slave may choose what variation to
report. If a Master requests a particular Class of data, or a request for Binary
Input Change Events with variation 0, a Slave may choose to report, for a
given event:
• only a time-tagged event object, i.e. either Binary Input Change With
Time or Binary Input Change With Relative Time.
• only a Binary Input Change Without Time event object.
• both a Binary Input Change Without Time object and one of the time-
tagged binary event objects from the same event. If the Slave device
implements this option, it must be configurable so the user can disable
the reporting of one variation or the other.
The manner in which a Slave device reports binary input event objects must
be described in the Device Profile Document for the Slave device. The
manner in which a Master device expects binary input event objects to be
reported must be described in its Device Profile Document. Refer to
APPENDIX A: DEVICE PROFILE DOCUMENT FORMAT for
details.
If a Master device requests a specific variation of binary input event object,
the device must report that variation. For instance, if the Slave receives a
READ request for Binary Input Change With Relative Time (Obj.2, VAR.
3), it must respond with data in the requested variation.
4.12.2 Recommendations
Whenever a Slave responds with Binary Input Change With Relative Time
objects (Obj.2, VAR.3), the objects are preceded by either a Time and Date
CTO (Obj.51, VAR.1) or an Unsynchronized Time and Date CTO (Obj.51,
VAR.2) object. It is recommended that the Unsynchronized Time and Date
CTO object be used if the Slave's Time and Date have not been set.
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Master may read these frozen values as Frozen Counter Input objects (Obj.
21). If a FREEZE AND CLEAR request is being processed, the Slave must
clear the “running” values immediately after performing the FREEZE. A
READ request of Binary Counter Input objects (Obj. 20) always return the
values of the "running" counters.
4.13.1 Rules
A Master device must perform FREEZE operations on Binary Counter
objects (Obj. 20) only, NOT on Frozen Counter objects (Obj. 21).
If a Level 2 or Level 3 Slave device supports Binary Counter objects, it
must support FREEZE operations (it cannot return an error response).
However, it need not support READs of Frozen Counter objects if it
chooses not to. This is allowed because the DNP V3.00 Data Object Library
states “Point i in obj 20 and point i in obj 21 are NOT necessarily the same
point”. Therefore, not all Binary Counters must have corresponding Frozen
Counters.
4.14 TIME SYNCHRONIZATION
4.14.1 Rules
A Slave device need not support WRITE operations on Time and Date
objects or support DELAY MEASUREMENT requests if it never sets the
TIME SYNCHRONIZATION REQUIRED Internal Indication bit in its
responses or unsolicited responses.
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Chapter 5: CONFORMANCE
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Identifier Objects. However, it must not require a Master to send such a
request in order to operate.
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Appendix A: DEVICE PROFILE
DOCUMENT FORMAT
Vendors must produce a Device Profile Document for each device they
manufacture implementing DNP V3.00. The Device Profile Document clearly
identifies any deviations from the implementation subsets described in this
document and any other issues that may arise when determining the device's
compatibility with another device. The Device Profile Document addresses
Application Layer and Data Link Layer issues only; the Physical Layer is not
addressed because of the multitude of different layers and configurations
possible.
! NOTE: Do not confuse the Device Profile Document with the Device
Profile Object defined in the DNP V3.00 documentation. The
Device Profile Object does not at present contain sufficient
information to establish compatibility between two devices. It
must be modified in the future to include some of the
information found in the Device Profile Document.
This appendix describes the minimum information that a vendor must include
in the Device Profile Document.
Implementation A table similar to those found in this document, identifying which
Table object variations, function codes and qualifiers the device supports
in both requests and responses, e.g.
......
Description Index Default Static Variation Default Event Variation Point Name
Vendor Name:
Device Name:
For Responses
Notable objects, functions, and/or qualifiers supported in addition to the Highest DNP Levels Supported
(the complete list is described in the attached table):
Maximum Data Link Frame Size (octets): Maximum Application Fragment Size (octets):
# None # None
# Fixed at _______________________ # Configurable, range ____ to _______
# Never
# Always
# Sometimes If 'Sometimes', when? __________________________________________
# Never
# Always (not recommended)
# When reporting Event Data (Slave devices only)
# When sending multi-fragment responses (Slave devices only)
Others
__________________________________________________________________________
# Never # Never
# Only time-tagged # Binary Input Change With Time
# Only non-time-tagged # Binary Input Change With Relative Time
# Configurable to send both, one or the # Configurable (attach explanation)
other (attach explanation)
# Never # Never
# Configurable (attach explanation) # When Device Restarts
# Only certain objects # When Status Flags Change
# Sometimes (attach explanation)
No other options are permitted.
# ENABLE/DISABLE UNSOLICITED
Function codes supported
Default Counter Object/Variation: Counters Roll Over at:
Version 1.0
Prepared by:
Michael Thesing
Advanced Control Systems, Inc.
Norcross, GA USA
Acknowledgements:
The author wishes to thank Parker McCauley and Ken Murphy for their advice, expertise, and review of this
document.
Other contributors:
John Phillips
Foxboro Australia Pty Limited
Grant Gilchrist
GE/Harris Energy Control Systems
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Contents
1 Overview...............................................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Purpose ..........................................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Notes..............................................................................................................................................................1
1.3 Protocol Stack................................................................................................................................................1
1.4 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................................2
2 Physical, Link, and Network layers ...................................................................................................................3
2.1 Physical and Link layers................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Network layer ................................................................................................................................................3
3 Transport layer ....................................................................................................................................................3
3.1 Protocol characteristics..................................................................................................................................3
3.1.1 UDP .......................................................................................................................................................3
3.1.2 TCP........................................................................................................................................................3
3.2 Network Topologies ......................................................................................................................................3
3.2.1 Network A .............................................................................................................................................4
3.2.2 Network B..............................................................................................................................................6
3.2.3 Network C..............................................................................................................................................8
3.3 Summary........................................................................................................................................................9
4 DNP Layers ........................................................................................................................................................10
4.1 Confirmations ..............................................................................................................................................10
4.2 Keep-alive timer ..........................................................................................................................................10
4.3 Multiple frames in UDP...............................................................................................................................11
4.4 Broadcast Address .......................................................................................................................................11
5 Security...............................................................................................................................................................11
6 Time Sync ...........................................................................................................................................................11
6.1 Desired Behavior .........................................................................................................................................12
6.2 Procedure.....................................................................................................................................................12
6.3 Driver requirement ......................................................................................................................................13
7 Socket requirements ..........................................................................................................................................13
7.1 Background..................................................................................................................................................13
7.2 TCP/UDP Port Number for DNP ................................................................................................................14
7.3 Making TCP connections ............................................................................................................................14
7.4 Broken connections .....................................................................................................................................16
7.5 Typical architecture .....................................................................................................................................16
8 References ..........................................................................................................................................................18
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1 Overview
1.1 Purpose
DNP V3.00 (hereafter referred to simply as DNP) was designed for serial point-to-point communication (e.g. RS-
232) with limited support for half duplex serial networks (e.g. RS-485). In order for devices to exchange DNP
messages in a local (LAN) and/or wide area network (WAN), one must either augment the protocol to support a
network environment or use an existing network transport mechanism. This document takes the latter approach;
specifically, to define how to transport DNP traffic on the internet protocol suite.
1.2 Notes
The internet protocol suite is sometimes referred to as the TCP/IP protocol. For this document, the internet protocol
suite is defined to include both transport layers, TCP and UDP, as well as the IP network layer. The individual
layers are summarized in sections 2 and 3.
Throughout this document the term “device” as it applies to a DNP device may be interpreted to be either a physical
unit (i.e. a standalone product, RTU, IED, etc.) or a logical entity within a physical unit (i.e. logical RTU, virtual
IED, etc.).
The most attractive reasons for choosing the internet protocol suite as a transport mechanism for DNP are:
• Seamless integration of the substation LAN to the corporate WAN of the utility
• Leverage existing equipment and standards
The internet protocol suite is designed to be platform independent and is supported on virtually every computer
system in the world. It is highly scalable (LAN to WAN) and many quality implementations exist for both
embedded and workstation operating systems. The recent growth of the Internet has fueled the large availability of
equipment and has proved that the internet protocol suite is capable of transporting tremendous quantities and types
of data.
The internet protocol suite and DNP use the OSI layering paradigm; each piece of the protocol stack in one station
logically communicates with the corresponding piece in the other station(s). It is therefore easy to build DNP "on
top of" the internet protocol suite since the internet layers appear transparent to the DNP layers (see Figure 1-1).
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Logical Communications
Station 1 Station 2
TPDU TPDU
DNP Transport DNP Protocol
1.4 Conclusions
All DNP devices, be they physical or logical, that are to communicate in the DNP V3.00 Protocol over a
LAN/WAN shall be subject to the following basic requirements:
• DNP shall use the internet protocol suite to transport messages over the LAN/WAN. The recommended
physical/link layer is Ethernet, but the internet protocol suite has been implemented over a wide variety of
networks.
• All devices shall support connection-oriented (TCP) and connection-less sockets (UDP). TCP is required for
wide-area networks and is strongly recommended for local-area networks. UDP is appropriate for non-critical
messages such as data monitoring or configuration. UDP may be used on high-reliability single-segment LANs
and must be used if broadcast delivery is required.
• The DNP Enhanced Protocol Architecture (EPA) of DNP shall be retained so that the protocol requirements
contained in each layer do not need to be reinvented.
• Link Layer confirmations shall be disabled. Application Layer confirmations shall be used per the subset
definitions and technical bulletin [Ref. 13].
• A mechanism for verifying the on-line status of an Outstation must be implemented. A periodic keep-alive
message is recommended.
• All devices should be configured with the IP address of the communicating host. This address must be set in a
secure manner and verified at the server-end before a connection is made.
• The method for time synchronization on a LAN is defined; the WAN case is not addressed in this document.
• General recommendations for making socket connections between devices are outlined. Data providers such as
IEDs, Meters, and devices that are "downstream" in the SCADA system shall be the server-end of the
connection. Data users such as RTUs, Master Stations, and devices that require access to the data shall be the
client-end of the connection.
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Although there is nothing in the internet protocol suite that precludes operation on other types of networks; e.g.
ARCnet, Token-Ring, AppleTalk, etc., Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 is clearly the dominant computer network technology.
This document recommends using Ethernet for the Link and Physical layers because of this ubiquity, but also
because Ethernet provides the necessary bandwidth and physical media for substation and control center LANs. 10
and 100 Mbit/second is supported for twisted-pair copper, coaxial cable, and fiber optic cable with existing work to
standardize 1000 Mbit/second networks ongoing. The installation of Ethernet wiring and equipment is well
understood and standardized.
Internet Protocol (IP) forms the basis for the internet Protocol suite and therefore is the recommended Network
layer protocol. IP provides a connectionless, best effort datagram delivery service to the transport layer protocols.
Connectionless means that IP does not maintain any state information about the link so each datagram is routed
independently of all others. Best effort delivery means that the protocol has mechanisms for routing the datagram
and simple error reporting, but that delivery is not guaranteed. Reliability is left up to the transport layer protocol.
3 Transport layer
The Transport layer of the internet protocol suite consists of two distinct services, User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). TCP shall be the primary transport service for DNP messages because of
its reliably; UDP can be used on a high-reliability single-segment LAN and in specific cases where small pieces of
non-critical data need to be sent or when broadcasting is required. UDP can also be used in specific cases as listed
in table 3-1. Annex A describes why UDP cannot be used if the DNP messages must be routed over the utility
enterprise or wide area network.
3.1.1 UDP
UDP provides a connectionless service for sending datagrams between hosts. Sending one UDP datagram causes
exactly one IP datagram to be sent. All that it adds beyond IP is the ability to exchange datagrams between multiple
processes on a host and rudimentary error detection. UDP supports all the addressing modes of IP – unicast,
multicast, and broadcast.
3.1.2 TCP
TCP provides a connection-oriented service for sending a stream of bytes between hosts. The protocol determines
how to break the stream into IP datagrams based on the characteristics of the network. TCP insures that the same
stream of bytes sent to the transmitting side of the connection will be available on the receive side. It accomplishes
this using acknowledgements, sequencing of the data, and dynamic timer mechanisms. Lost or corrupted packets are
retransmitted transparently to the higher layers. The only addressing mode supported by TCP is unicast. Multicast
and broadcast are not applicable in a connection-oriented protocol.
Following are the 3 possible network topologies in terms of IP routability from the perspective of a substation or
remote LAN. Each topology diagram uses typical equipment on the various networks to illustrate basic
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functionality. Clearly, many other types of devices can exist on enterprise wide area networks as well as on the
substation LANs.
3.2.1 Network A
Control
Center LAN Master station Master station Server
Serial Link:
Dedicated
Radio
Dial-up
etc.
RTU/Data
Concentrator
Substation
LAN Ethernet
Other
Relays Meters
IEDs
This is the most basic implementation of a substation LAN in that it doesn't provide for the ability to access
substation components outside of the LAN. It does provide for IED-to-IED communication in addition to the
normal RTU-to-IED communication. Figure 3-2 shows a typical data transfer path from an IED.
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Control
Center LAN Master station Master station Server
Master station Server
Serial Link:
Dedicated
Radio
Dial-up
etc.
RTU/Data
Concentrator
Substation
LAN Ethernet
Other
Relays Meters
IEDs
DNP traffic could be transported in a couple of ways in this topology. The first method is to use TCP to establish a
connection between the RTU/Data Concentrator (RTU/DC) and each IED. IEDs may also establish connections to
share data. TCP provides a reliable connection between all devices.
The second method is to use UDP to transport all DNP frames since the messages do not need to be routed and,
assuming a fairly high reliability LAN construction, the packet loss would be very low. DNP link layer
confirmations shall be disabled. Application layer confirmations shall be used as recommended in the technical
bulletin [Ref. 13]. If broadcast messages are required, UDP must be used since TCP is strictly a point-to-point
protocol. Unsolicited responses are recommended for both TCP and UDP to improve efficiency.
An alternate method, mentioned here because of its simplistic client implementation, would be to use UDP to
broadcast all DNP Link Layer frames to the network and let each device determine its messages based on the DNP
destination address. This method is equivalent in functionality to a RS-485 network with the addition of defined
media access and higher baud rate. The advantage of this method is that it is very easy to implement in code and
has the lowest possible RAM requirements. The disadvantages are:
• An IED designed exclusively for this network cannot be used in networks requiring that the IP datagrams be
routed.
• Since all the frames would have the destination address set to the subnet broadcast address, all hosts would
have to process all messages up through the transport layer and all DNP hosts would have to process the
message through the DNP Link layer. This is a tremendously inefficient use of the network bandwidth and
processing on all network hosts.
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3.2.2 Network B
To other parts of
enterprise network
Enterprise
WAN
Gateways
PCs/Workstations
Control
Router Servers
Center LAN Master stations
PPP
RTU/Data
Router Concentrator
Substation
LAN Ethernet
Other
Relays Meters
IEDs
This implementation of a substation LAN provides access to substation components through the utility enterprise.
Figure 3-3 represents a typical example given by most substation LAN standards currently under development. IED-
to-IED, RTU-to-IED, and enterprise-to-IED communications are supported. Figure 3-4 shows a typical data transfer
path from an IED.
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To other parts of
enterprise network
Enterprise
WAN
Gateways
PCs/Workstations
Control
Router Servers
Center LAN Master stations
PPP
RTU/Data
Router Concentrator
Substation
LAN Ethernet
Other
Relays Meters
IEDs
All devices on the substation LAN must support TCP connections since the IP datagrams are routed (see Annex A).
UDP can be used for non-critical data such as Virtual Terminal objects or device monitoring outside of the normal
SCADA command and control loops. As in topology A, UDP provides the ability to broadcast frames so that a
device can share data with other LAN devices efficiently.
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3.2.3 Network C
To other parts of
enterprise network
Enterprise
WAN
Gateways
PCs/Workstations
Control
Router Servers
Center LAN Master stations
PPP
Remote workstation
Data
Acquisition Router
Unit
Serial Link:
Dedicated
Radio
Dial-up
etc.
Router
Remote
LAN Ethernet
Other
Relays Meters
IEDs
This implementation of a remote LAN provides access to devices only through a routed communication link. For
example, imagine a remote station requiring periodic monitoring but not full RTU functionality. The Data
Acquisition Unit (DAU) could potentially handle multiple remote stations. The Master Stations would then access
the remote data via the DAU. Figure 3-6 shows a typical data transfer path from an IED.
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To other parts of
enterprise network
Enterprise
WAN
Gateways
PCs/Workstations
Control
Router Servers
Center LAN Master stations
PPP
Remote workstation
Data
Acquisition Router
Unit
Serial Link:
Dedicated
Radio
Dial-up
etc.
Router
Remote
LAN Ethernet
Other
Relays Meters
IEDs
All devices in this topology must support TCP. UDP cannot be used between an IED and the Data Acquisition Unit
and only makes sense if an IED wishes to communicate with another IED on the remote LAN.
3.3 Summary
All devices shall support both TCP because of its reliable delivery characteristic over all network topologies and
UDP because of the potential uses of broadcasting, its efficiency when small pieces of non-critical data need to be
transported, and when operating over a high reliability, single segment LAN. For example, UDP would be
appropriate when many computational nodes require a common IED value but the stability of the system is not
compromised if a few values are lost. Table 3-1 shows which transport layer to use in the various cases.
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4 DNP Layers
The three protocol layers of DNP are integrated together to form what the Basic 4 documents call the Enhanced
Performance Architecture (EPA). Essentially, the functionality called out in the OSI 7-Layer model is either not
needed in DNP or has been combined to simplify the design of DNP compatible devices. The three layers of DNP
work together and cannot be separated without adding capabilities to a layer that are already contained within
another layer.
For example, one might consider extracting the DNP Application layer and transporting it directly over the internet
protocol suite. But, the Application layer doesn't have any addressing mechanism; this is contained in the Link
Frame. Using only the IP addresses precludes having more than one DNP entity (i.e. virtual RTUs) per IP address.
TCP doesn't have error detection that is adequate for the critical nature of SCADA data; this is also in the Link
Frame. The Application Layer has no means for determining the start of a new message in the serial stream; the
start characters and length field in the Link Frame provides this. Therefore, since the protocol requirements of DNP
are present in all three layers, there is no need to break them apart.
This architecture provides an additional benefit for vendors in that they can share most of the DNP code with
existing serial channel implementations. The only difference comes in the interface to the internet protocol suite
which is very similar to a serial port in that TCP also provides a stream of data with no packet or frame
demarcations.
4.1 Confirmations
Link layer confirmation shall be explicitly disabled when communicating via the internet protocols. TCP has its
own very robust mechanisms for insuring data delivery. UDP does not have such a mechanism, but its uses are
limited to cases where the reliability of the communications medium is very high or the transported data is not
critical.
Application layer confirmations may still be used in accordance with subset and technical bulletin recommendations
[Ref. 13].
If the server-side of a TCP connection goes down and comes back up, the client-side has no way of knowing until it
sends a message to the server and receives the RST flag in the TCP header. If an outstation is operating in an
unsolicited mode, this could be minutes depending on the scheduling of integrity polls. Therefore, it is necessary to
add some type of keep-alive timer to allow clients to periodically determine the on-line status of servers or peers.
Note: If the client-side of a TCP connection goes down, it will presumably try to reconnect when it comes back up.
The server will process this request, close the existing connection, and reconnect.
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TCP offers such a timer, but a typical implementation is 2 hours, which is not sufficient for the critical nature of the
data carried by DNP. Note: some internet protocol implementations allow this timeout to be changed, but this
capability is not universal.
The recommended message to use for such a timer is the Link Layer Request Status message (0xC9). It is very low
overhead for the devices and is already supported at all subset levels. A suitable time would be once every 10
seconds (although it should be configurable) after there has been no other activity from that device. To facilitate
interoperability, the keep-alive timer shall be supported by all devices. However, it must be possible to disable via
configuration for cases where the normal application layer traffic (e.g. polling) provides on-line status detection.
If UDP is used in one of the cases specified in section 3.3, a receiver must be capable of parsing multiple DNP Link
Layer frames from a UDP fragment.
If UDP is used to broadcast a datagram to multiple devices on a LAN, the DNP address must be set to 0xFFFF and
all logical DNP devices at all IP addresses within the domain of the broadcast must receive the encapsulated DNP
frame.
5 Security
In a point-to-point serial channel, DNP devices are protected from inadvertent or hostile access by the physical
nature of the connection. If DNP is going to be transported over an enterprise wide network, a method for
controlling access needs to be defined by the vendor of each device. Each device needs to be configured such that
only the intended connections are made. This requires setting the IP address of the server host at the client side and
setting the IP address of the client host (or list of clients) at the server side. Servers then must use the IP address to
validate client requests and make the appropriate logical port connections. This feature shall be supported by all
devices, however it must be possible to disable via configuration.
A server may wish to enable only one connected client at a time or provide for a failover capability, e.g. if a client
fails then another client can connect with the server and continue the service that was provided by the failed client.
[Ref. 12]
The valid host IP addresses can only be set in a secure manner. Some possibilities for doing this include, but are not
limited to:
• A local interface using a proprietary program.
• A simple HTTP server with password accesses to the configuration information. Using HTTP in this manner
avoids having to invent new DNP objects to carry both the configuration info and the security info.
• A terminal-like interface using Virtual Terminal objects over UDP (see Technical Bulletin 9804-004).
6 Time Sync
All time synchronization shall be done at the local network only. It is not practical to do time sync over IP routers
as their delays are typically not consistent and vary based on network loads. The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is
too large and requires too many resources to be appropriate for DNP. The source of the time at the local network
shall be chosen as required by the system.
11
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
The time synchronization method defined in Chapter 6 of the Application Layer document is not appropriate for a
high-speed (relative to RS-232) LAN because:
• The propagation delay measurement is negligible [Ref. 2].
• The internet protocol stack causes a variable delay between DNP and the network.
• Recording the time at the first bit of the first byte does not account for network collisions.
In the following procedure, the Master station is defined as the host on the LAN with the accurate time source. See
Annex B for a complete description of the new function code and object.
Since the propagation delay on an Ethernet LAN is very small, the offset time between the Master Station and the
Outstation can be measured directly. The following procedure outlines a method for both hosts to record their time
at the same instant, namely, when the last character of a message is transmitted from Master Station and received at
the Outstation. The difference in these times represents the offset between the two hosts and can be used as a
correction factor in the Outstations.
6.2 Procedure
1. The Master station sends a Record Current Time (FC 24) request to the outstation. The Master records the
time of transmission of the last octet sent to the network (denote this as MS_Time).
2. The Outstation receives the message and records the time of reception of the last octet (denote this as
OS_Time). It returns a Null Response.
3. The Master Station issues a Write request with a Time And Date at Last Recorded Time object (obj 50, var
3) containing the value MS_Time. The Outstation calculates the offset (MS_Time – OS_Time). The
Outstation can set its clock accordingly or apply the offset when event times are reported.
This procedure can also use broadcast messages to synchronize multiple Outstations simultaneously since the
Record Current Time request is received at all hosts on the LAN at the same instant. The Master would utilize
UDP to send the broadcast datagram, and all Outstations that need synchronization must be capable of accepting
this datagram.
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Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
Time
MS_Time_DNP
Record Current OS_Time
MS_Time Time (FC 24)
internet stack
internet stack
DNP
DNP
Null Response
offset = value in Time & Date Obj minus time when Record Current
Time Obj received
Desired case
offset = MS_Time - OS_Time
Figure 6-1 Time line for synchronization
As in the serial channel time synchronization, the procedure is handled with application layer messages. However,
this procedure requires that the Ethernet driver provide the ability to record the last octet time on transmission and
receive. The time sync process is greatly influenced (and varied) by processor speed, interrupt latencies, internet
protocol stack design, etc. Time resolution to the millisecond level cannot be accomplished without this capability.
If a device (Master or Outstation) cannot record time at the Ethernet driver, it should do so as close as possible to
the internet stack interface (shown in Figure 6-1 as MS_Time_DNP and OS_Time_DNP). As noted, this introduces
an error factor in the synchronization process. A device may wish to minimize this error by adding (at the Master
end) or subtracting (at the Outstation end) a predetermined value that reflects an average delay through the internet
stack and Ethernet driver. This "fudge factor" does not take into account the delay caused by Ethernet collisions
and retransmission. However, it may reduce the average error to a level that can be tolerated in the system.
7 Socket requirements
The following discussion assumes the use of some variation of the sockets API, either Berkeley or Winsock derived,
in order to implement DNP over the internet protocol suite. For information on the sockets API, see [Ref. 5].
7.1 Background
TCP client The side of the link that calls the connect() function to initiate the connection on a socket.
TCP server The side of the link that calls the listen() function to wait for a connection request on a socket.
13
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
For a TCP connection to take place, one side must be the server and one side must be the client. The client requests
a connection by specifying the IP address and port number of the server. Once the connection is made, data is
transferred without either side having to specify the IP address and port number. For UDP (connection-less)
communications, each side includes the address and port number with each transmission. Each host that receives a
UDP datagram is then provided with the sending host address.
All devices shall support TCP and UDP communications on port number 20000. This number has been registered
with the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) for use with DNP. All connection requests and all UDP data
are sent to this common port number.
Making a TCP connection between two devices can be viewed conceptually as replacing the traditional serial port
communication link with a sockets interface over the network. For example, figure 7-1 shows the typical
communication links between two Master Stations and an IED.
RTU/IED
Logical Logical
RTU(s) RTU(s)
Master Station A
Dedicated line
RS232 RS232 RS232
Radio
Dial-up
etc.
Master Station B
DNP
Communication
Object
Dedicated line
RS232
Radio
Dial-up
etc.
Now, replace the serial communication with an Ethernet network, internet protocol stack, and sockets interface.
14
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
RTU/IED
Logical Logical
RTU(s) RTU(s)
DNP DNP
Communication Communication
Master Station A Object Object
Socket A Socket B
DNP
Communication
Object
Socket A IP/Ethernet driver
IP/Ethernet driver
Ethernet Ethernet
Master Station B
Hub
DNP
Communication
Object
Socket B
IP/Ethernet driver
Ethernet
All of the DNP components stay the same; the only part that changes is the lowest level communications drivers. In
fact, since TCP accepts a stream of data just like a serial port, the interface between the DNP Communication
Object and the lower level driver can also remain virtually the same.
For a network in which all devices are continually present and available, it is recommended that:
If the device is a data provider (e.g. IED, meter, RTU, etc.), it should be the server end of the connection-
oriented (TCP) socket. It may be capable of supporting multiple logical ports on a device.
Each data user (e.g. Master Station, RTU/Data Concentrator, peer IED, etc.) should initiate the connection as
the client end of the connection-oriented (TCP) socket.
For a network in which some devices need to establish a communication link before joining the network (e.g.
SLIP/PPP dial-up):
The data provider may initiate the connection as the client and the data user will have the listening socket.
Requirements
Data providers shall, at minimum, support the server end of a TCP connection (i.e. be capable of accepting
connection requests on a listening socket). If a data provider has the capability to join a network but not be
continuously accessible (e.g. dial-up), it shall support the client end of a TCP connection (i.e. be capable of
initiating connection requests). Data users shall be configurable to support both ends (client and server) of the
socket connection to insure universal support for all data providers and all system architectures. All devices shall
be capable of simultaneously accepting messages via the connectionless (UDP) port and the connection oriented
15
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
(TCP) port. If there are multiple DNP logical entities within the device, the messages must be routed to the correct
entity (e.g. virtual device, logical RTU, etc.).
If a DNP/TCP connection is made and one of the devices losses power or inadvertently resets, there must be
mechanisms to inform the other device so that the connection can be reestablished.
When the next message is sent (see section 4.2 regarding DNP keep-alive messages), the server will send a TCP
packet with the RST flag set. This will cause subsequent calls to recv() or select() to return an error if the
socket is non-blocking or the send() call will fail if the socket is blocking. The client must close the current
connection and reconnect.
When the client-side restarts and attempts a new connection, the server will process this request, close the existing
connection, and reconnect.
Figure 7-3 illustrates the architecture of a device that supports TCP client, TCP server, and UDP connections. Two
TCP server connections are shown to illustrate how connection requests are controlled by the TCP Manager object.
It is recommended that each DNP Port be configured with the peer IP address. This allows for each connection
request to be validated in a secure manner (by the TCP Manager in this example) and each UDP datagram to be
routed to the correct DNP Port. If a device supports multiple logical entities (i.e. logical RTUs), it must be able to
configure these entities to use a single DNP Port.
16
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
sockets API
TCP Manager
Connection requests
- TCP Listening socket
Ethernet - validate connections
DNP
Server-side Logical
TCP Data communication
socket driver RTU(s)
object
object
Physical and
Link Layers
Connection request
DNP Logical
Client-side socket
TCP Data communication RTU(s)
driver
object
17
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
8 References
[1] DNP V3.00, Basic 4 Document Set
[2] Gilchrist, Grant. "Proposal for Use of Distributed Network Protocol in Substation LANs." Harris Distributed
Automation Products, version 0.2. Dec. 11, 1996.
[3] Falk, Herbert. "Comments on 'Proposal for Use of Distributed Network Protocol in Substation LANs'."
SISCO. Jan. 14, 1997.
[4] Stevens, W. Richard. TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols. Addison Wesley Longman, Reading, MA.
1994.
[5] Stevens, W. Richard. UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1, 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River,
NJ. 1998.
[6] Miklovic, Daniel T. Real-time Control Networks. Instrumentation Society of America, Research Triangle
Park, NC. 1993.
[7] Postel, J., Ed. "Internet Protocol." SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, Sept. 1981. RFC-791.
[8] Postel, J., Ed. "Transmission Control Protocol Specification." SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, Sept. 1981.
RFC-793.
[9] Postel, J., Ed. "User Datagram Protocol." USC/Information Sciences Institute, September 1981. RFC-768.
[10] Mogul, J. and Deering, S., "Path MTU Discovery." Nov. 1990. RFC-1191.
[11] Kent, C.A., and Mogul, J.C., "Fragmentation Considered Harmful." Computer Communications Review, vol.
17, No. 5, pp.390-401. Aug. 1987.
[12] Phillips, John. "Transporting DNP 3.0 over Local and Wide Area Networks." Foxboro Australia Pty Limited,
version 0.1, September 23, 1998.
[13] DNP V3.00 Technical Bulletin 9804-002. DNP Confirmation and Retry Guidelines.
18
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
• Reordering of packets received out of order and detecting duplicate packets – the DNP transport layer only has
a 6-bit sequence number. In a large internet, packets can arrive out of order since each packet is routed
independently and may traverse totally different paths (different speeds). 64 sequence numbers is not enough
if, for example, an internet contains a combination of slow serial links (PPP or SLIP connections) and LFNs
(Long Fat Networks = networks with high bandwidth-delay products). [Ref. 3].
• Timeout and retransmission – Clearly, the requirements for a local serial network versus an internet are
different. In a local network, the route and round-trip time (RTT) for IP packets remains relatively constant. On
an internet, the RTT can change from packet to packet due to such factors as increased congestion on individual
routes, equipment failures, etc. Timeouts must be adaptive to account for these cases.
The maximum size of a datagram using the DNP Link Layer on UDP/IP is 320 octets (maximum DNP link
frame size (292 octets) + 28 octets for the UDP/IP headers). For most networks, the minimum datagram size is
576 octets with two notable exceptions. First, the IP specification states that the minimum datagram size that a
module must handle is 68 octets (RFC-791 IP). Modules that have this limitation are rare. Second, if the Point-
to-Point Protocol (PPP) is employed in the network, the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit)decreases to 296
octets for a low delay link (RFC-1191). Clearly, the frame "packing" proposed in [Ref. 2] will exasperate the
problem. See Ref. 11 for further arguments as to why fragmentation should be avoided.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a much better choice for transporting DNP data over a WAN. TCP insures
that the same stream of bytes sent to the transmitting side of the connection will be available on the receive side. It
accomplishes this using acknowledgements, sequencing of the data, and dynamic timer mechanisms. Lost or
corrupted packets are retransmitted transparently to the higher layers. TCP addresses the above internet deficiencies
of DNP in the following manner:
• TCP uses a 32-bit sequence number and a 32-bit acknowledge number to insure that data is received in order.
• TCP manages 4 timers for each connection – a retransmission timer for expected acknowledgements, a persist
timer to keep window size information flowing, a keepalive timer for detecting if one end of the connection
goes down without warning, and a maximum segment lifetime timer for completing a disconnection operation.
TCP adapts its retransmission timer to the conditions of the connection.
• TCP tries to avoid fragmentation by allowing both sides of a connection to optionally specify the maximum
segment size (MSS). If the destination IP address is "nonlocal", the MSS normally defaults to 536.[Ref. 4 p.
237] Furthermore, RFC1191 outlines a way for hosts to determine the path MTU for paths that may include
lower MTU connections. Since fragmentation is handled by TCP, DNP Link Layer confirms are not needed
and performance is only limited by the characteristics of the connection, not by DNP.
19
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
In addition, TCP includes such features as packet reduction using the Nagle algorithm, sliding data windows to
allow multiple packets before acknowledgements, congestion avoidance for links with slow segments, and
repacketization to increase performance. Obviously, all of these features come at a price, albeit a fairly reasonable
one. For one popular embedded implementation, the ROM requirement for the full internet protocol stack is 115K;
RAM is 25K + 4K/socket. Considering that most devices on a DNP network will have to maintain only 1
connection to a data concentrator of some sort, this is very small. At 4K/socket, this is reasonable and scalable. If
devices wish to establish IED-to-IED communications (i.e. to share data points), the number of sockets is still low
since this would typically be required in only a few devices on the network.
20
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
Reserved
25-120 Reserved for future use
This function is used to in a network application to allow the Master Station and the Outstation to record their time
at the same instant. It is the first step in the network time synchronization process.
Time is recorded by the Master Station when the last character of a message is transmitted. Time is recorded at the
Outstation when the last character of the message is received. The difference in these times represents the offset
between the two hosts and can be used as a correction factor in the Outstation.
AC FC = 24
Description:
The time and date at last recorded time object is an information object that represents the absolute time of day and
date when the last Record Current Time function code was send. This object should be used for time-
synchronization in networked applications.
21
Transporting DNP over LAN/WAN
December 15, 1998
Object Coding:
Absolute Time
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32
47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40
Narrative:
Absolute Time is recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1st, 1970, at zero hours, zero minutes, zero
seconds, and milliseconds.
22
DNP Technical Bulletin TB2004-001
Synchronization Time Base Selection
Issue:
Whether to use UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or local time in outstation time synchronization
messages.
Discussion:
There are two common time bases used by master stations when transmitting time synchronization
messages to remote devices: UTC and local time. Local time refers to time at the master and/or outstation
sites. In some systems this may span multiple time zones. Whichever time base is used, all devices
controlled by a single master are typically synchronized to, or adjusted for the same time, allowing system
wide correlation of event time tags.
UTC has an advantage in that it provides a constant time base, not modified by summer (daylight’s saving)
time adjustment, and the same time would be reported for common events occurring simultaneously at
outstations located in multiple time zones. This may or may not be true of the corresponding local time
base. UTC is widely used and could be converted to local time by software in field devices; or master
stations could convert from local time to UTC in a manner similar to the way multiple time zones are
handled.
Sending UTC to a device which does not support converting to local time for local displays and
applications may be a problem for the equipment users. This is because locally generated reports and time
displayed data will be in UTC instead of local time. Displayed data may not be meaningful to the user. It
may be confusing to field operation people when the time information presented on an intelligent electronic
device’s (IED’s) LCD is not local time. Also there may be application programs which are time-of-day
dependent. These applications will not operate correctly unless allowance is made for the UTC to local time
offset. Local time may be a better choice for devices which do not support converting UTC to local time.
Because devices may have been designed to use different time base standards, the system implementer
must take care in matching the master station with outstation equipment. Master stations may need to
support both UTC and local time bases for the foreseeable future. It is anticipated the UTC will become the
preferred time base and it is recommended that new devices should support a UTC time base.
Resolution:
The time base used in synchronization requests remains an application decision to be based upon system
issues. At this time, DNP3 does not make a recommendation regarding time base selection.
Device vendors should design for the usage of a UTC time base in future products. Universal support of the
UTC time base will ease integration issues for the system implementer.
Affected Documentation:
The following text is to be inserted into the Application Layer documentation.
Time Base
DNP3 does not specify which time base to use in a system or a device: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
or local time, with or without daylight savings (summer) time. However, the system architect should keep
in mind several DNP3-related considerations when selecting the time base.
• DNP3 requires transmission of events in the order in which they occurred. Therefore, it is
Page 1 of 2
15 January 2004 TB2004-001 Synchronization Time Base
desirable to use a time base that is constant throughout the system, or at least permits easy
reconciliation of dissimilar time bases. This is especially important when a data concentrator or a
master station needs to time sequence events from various sources, some of which may
communicate using a non-DNP3 protocol.
• It is desirable to choose a time base that does not shift with daylight savings (summer) time
because events that occur immediately after the bi-annual time change, but before the device is
time synchronized, will be erroneously sequenced with other events that are properly time tagged.
• Consideration should be given before forcing an IED or data concentrator to compensate for the
exact time when daylight savings (summer) time starts and ends as this can put an undue burden
on the device.
• It is often desirable and/or necessary to provide a local time source (e.g. IRIG-B or GPS) at a
device. A device may or may not be able to shift the time by a fixed hourly amount if required to
coordinate time stamping of DNP events with a different time base.
• Outstation devices that execute application programs requiring actions to occur at specific times of
the day can increase software complexity when the application time base is different from that
used to report events to the master station. Similarly, a local display may need to show adjusted
time values from the time stamps in buffered events.
Device vendors should design for a UTC time base in new products. At some unspecified future
time, it is anticipated that a UTC time base will be preferred.
Tip
Last Updated:
15 January 2004
Status:
Initial submittal
Page 2 of 2
15 January 2004 TB2004-001 Synchronization Time Base
DNP3 Technical Bulletin 2004-002
IED Certification Procedures v2.3 Errata
Issue:
An error was introduced in Version 2.3 of the IED Certification Procedures, Levels 1 and 2. In 8.2.1.2.13, step 8,
a error status was added that is incorrect per Technical Bulletin TB2000-002. This will cause a device that passed
version 2.2 of the test procedures to fail.
Resolution:
Remove the incorrect error code in 8.2.1.2.13, Step 8. Flag update for next revision of procedures.
Affected Documentation:
DNP3-2003, Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) Certification Procedure, Subset Level 1
DNP3-2003, Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) Certification Procedure, Subset Level 2
Changes to the Subset Level 1 and 2 Certification Procedures:
Current procedure in version 2.3:
8.2.1.2.13 Binary Output, SBO, Same Sequence Number Operate Retries
1. If the DUT does not have installed binary output points, skip this section.
2. Issue a valid select to an installed binary output point.
3. Verify that the DUT echoes the object portion of the select byte for byte.
4. Issue a valid operate, incrementing the sequence number by 1 modulo 16.
5. Verify that the DUT echoes the object portion of the operate byte for byte.
6. Verify that the DUT operates the binary output.
7. Issue the operate again using the same application layer sequence number.
8. Verify that the DUT echoes the object portion of the operate byte for byte with a status code value of 2 (NO
MATCHING SELECT).
9. Verify that the DUT does not operate the binary output.
Last Updated:
February 5, 2004
Status:
Approved by Technical Committee.
DNP Technical Bulletin TB2003-001
DEVICE ATTRIBUTES
1 Issue:
There is a need, using the DNP3 Protocol, to electronically read various outstation features and attributes
in order to simplify the burden of configuring master stations. Ideally, when either a master or outstation
starts up, the master can ask for information from the outstation and then perform self-configuration.
Another goal is to negotiate fragment sizes without the need for configuration.
2 Resolution:
All vendors are encouraged to implement device attributes functionality as described herein. While not
mandatory at this time, it is possible that in the future, all devices will be required to support this feature.
Attributes characterizing an outstation’s features are conveyed using DNP3 objects as described below.
2.2 Variations
Variations for object group 0 represent attributes in the outstation device.
Attached to this Technical Bulletin are a series of sheets that are to become inserts in the DNP3 Object
Library. Each insert describes a separate variation.
Attribute variation numbers begin at 255 and decrease downward. This convention is designed to permit
adding attribute variations to existing object groups in the future.
Two special variations are designed to assist master stations collect the attributes supported by an
outstation. Outstations that implement attribute objects must include support for these two variations.
• Variation 255 is used to request a list of the attribute variation numbers supported by an outstation.
• Variation 254 is used to request all of the attribute objects from an outstation in a single response.
Variations 1 through 253 are pre-assigned or reserved for assignment by the DNP Users Group. In the
future, a set of variation numbers may be set aside for private, vendor or user-specific attributes, but not at
this time.
Every attribute object, except variations 254 and 255, has a data type code, length and value. The data
type code and length provide keys for master and outstation devices to interpret the value. The value is
self-explanatory.
2.4.1 Pictorial
Attribute value
Attribute data type codes do not specify the number of octets required to convey the attribute value. The
second octet in a DNP3 attribute object always specifies the number of octets. For example, an outstation
would most likely report an unsigned integer with 1, 2 or 4 octets.
Floating-point types are limited to 4 bytes and 8 bytes for transporting 32-bit and 64-bit floating point
values. No other sizes are acceptable.
The bit alignment in bit string types requires the first bit to appear in bit 0 of the first byte of the attribute
value.
8 April 2003 2 Device Attributes
2.5 Reading attributes
The following examples illustrate reading attributes.
This example shows a request to read the maximum receive fragment size in the
E outstation.
The response contains a single object. Observe that the first octet specifies the data type (2, unsigned
integer); the second octet specifies the number of octets (2) in the actual attribute value (0x05DC)
reported by the next two octets. The receive fragment size was reported as being 1500 octets.
2.6.3 Example
This example shows a request to read a list of attribute variations from the outstation.
E The outstation in this example supports 26 different device attribute variations: 217 to
233, 237 to 241, 248 to 250 and 252.
8 April 2003 3 Device Attributes
►►► Request Message
C3 01 00 FF 00 00 00
AC FC Grp Var Qual Range
Note that variations 254 (0xFE) and 255 (0xFF) are not included in the list. Also notice that attribute 240
(0xF0), Maximum Transmit Fragment Size, is writable and all others are not.
1. Affected Documentation:
The Application Layer document is updated to include a description of attributes.
The following insert sheets are added to the DNP3 Object Library. Copies are attached to this Technical
Bulletin.
3. Last Updated:
8 April 2003.
1 Description:
This attribute is the maximum number of binary output objects from object group 12 that the master may
include in control messages.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is the rated timing accuracy of an outstation stated in microseconds. This value applies to
the maximum error in the detection and time stamping of events when the time for those events is
determined by the outstation. It does not apply to events that are retrieved, and passed on from other
devices when the event time is determined by those other devices.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
Do not confuse this attribute with timing resolution. Resolution is the smallest interval of time between
data sampling or computations or reported times. DNP3 events are reported with a time resolution of one
millisecond. An outstation, for example, might be able to detect the existence of an event every 100
microseconds, but that does not necessarily mean that its timing accuracy is 100 microseconds. This
hypothetical outstation’s timing accuracy could be much worse, say 20,000 microseconds.
When reporting this value, the calculations must take into consideration the drift in the device’s local
clock source, the period between time synchronizations, sampling resolution and other factors.
If an outstation requires time synchronization from a master and asserts the internal indications bit IIN1.4
[NEED_TIME], the calculation shall assume that the time reported by the master is perfect. The timing
accuracy then depends upon
• The drift in the outstation’s local oscillator and the period between assertions of bit IIN1.4.
• How well the outstation can determine the time delay when a delay measurement (function code
23 [DELAY_MEASURE] is requested from the master.
• Interrupt latency.
• Data sampling periods.
• Filter delays.
• Other factors.
If an outstation is synchronized from a local source, such as a GPS receiver, the time accuracy reported
must include the error in that product and other possible error sources such as those listed in the previous
paragraph.
1 Description:
This attribute is the number of seconds that the device maintains its rated time accuracy following a time
synchronization from the master.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
Number of seconds
3 Notes:
Rated accuracy is not defined by DNP3 as this is a vendor and application specific parameter.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports analog output events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum analog output point index controllable from the master.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points controllable by the master in variation 221
might not equal one more than the maximum point index.
1 Description:
This attribute is number of analog output points controllable from the master.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points controllable by the master might not equal one
more than the maximum point index in variation 220.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports binary output events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum binary output point index controllable from the master.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points controllable from the master in variation 224
might not equal one more than the maximum point index.
1 Description:
This attribute is number of binary output points controllable from the master.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points controllable from the master might not equal
one more than the maximum point index in variation 223.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports frozen counter events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports frozen counters.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports counter events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum counter point index reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported in variation 229 might not equal one
more than the maximum point index.
1 Description:
This attribute is number of counter points reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported might not equal one more than the
maximum point index reported in variation 228.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports frozen analog inputs.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports analog input events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum analog input point index reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported in variation 233 might not equal one
more than the maximum point index.
1 Description:
This attribute is number of analog input points reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported might not equal one more than the
maximum point index reported in variation 232.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports double-bit binary input events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum double-bit binary input point index reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported in variation 236 might not equal one
more than the maximum point index.
1 Description:
This attribute is number of double-bit binary input points reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported might not equal one more than the
maximum point index reported in variation 235.
1 Description:
This attribute is Boolean that indicates whether the device supports binary input events.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum binary input point index reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported in variation 239 might not equal one
more than the maximum point index.
1 Description:
This attribute is number of binary input points reported by the device.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
If there are gaps in the point indexes, the number of points reported might not equal one more than the
maximum point index reported in variation 238.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum number of octets the device will transmit in an Application Layer fragment.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is maximum number of octets the device will accept in a received Application Layer
fragment.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is the version code of the manufacturer’s device software.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that is formatted according to the manufacturer’s normal
practice.
Two examples are
“5.3.006” and “1.12:2003-11-25-Standard”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is the version code of the manufacturer’s device hardware.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that is formatted according to the manufacturer’s normal
practice.
Two examples are
“Rev D” and “2004-122”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is a name or code given to the location where the device is installed by the end user.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that is formatted according to the user’s normal practice.
Three examples are
“1954 Broad Street”, “Toora Wind Farm” and “Soho:Piccadilly Circus”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
It is recommended that device manufacturers provide a configurable means for the end user to locally
store a text location name or code.
If a user has a location naming convention consisting of sub-fields (like major and minor), it is
recommended that he/she choose a delimiting character (“:”, “~”, “+”, etc) as a standard method to
separate the fields.
1 Description:
This attribute is a code or number given to the device by the end user.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that is formatted according to the user’s normal practice.
Two examples are
“4075” and “25-DS”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
It is recommended that device manufacturers provide a configurable means for the end user to locally
store a text device code/number.
1 Description:
This attribute is a name given to the device by the end user.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that is formatted according to the user’s normal practice.
Two examples are
“Main Street Sub” and “500805RTU100”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
It is recommended that device manufacturers provide a configurable means for the end user to locally
store a text device name.
1 Description:
This attribute is the serial number assigned by the device manufacturer.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that is formatted according to the manufacturer’s normal
practice.
Two examples are
“2003-07-04:1234” and “5Z4B-6xy9”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute has three fields that identify the DNP subset level, a separator and the DNP3 Test Procedure
version for which the device was certified to conform to by an independent testing facility.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
In the future, this field may contain more characters if conformance levels are coded
differently.
3 Notes:
An example attribute has 6 characters and looks is coded as “1:2003”
1 Description:
This attribute is the device manufacturer’s product name and model.
The contents of this attribute is a free form string that identifies an industry recognizable trade name and
model. The string should not include the manufacturer’s name as that appears in attribute variation 252.
Several examples are
“Callisto”, “D25 IED”, “Form 5 Recloser”, “SEL-351 Relay”, “NTU-7500”, “PDS Magna”,
“IntelliCap” and “Multicomm”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is the name of the device manufacturer. An example is “123 SCADA, Ltd”.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
None.
1 Description:
This attribute is used as a shorthand to request an outstation to return all of its attributes in a single
response. The master sends a single object header with this variation in lieu of including a possibly length
list of object headers in the request.
2 Coding:
This variation does not have an object.
3 Notes:
This variation may only appear in a master request. It must not be used in responses from outstations.
Requests from a master use group 0, variation 254, qualifier code
• 0x00 with a range field of 0x00, 0x00, or
• 0x06.
Devices that implement attributes are required to support this variation.
1 Description:
This is a special attribute number that is used to retrieve a list of all of the device attribute variation
numbers, and the properties of those attributes, supported by the outstation. This object has a variable
length that depends upon the count of attribute variations supported by the outstation.
2 Coding:
2.1 Pictorial
3 Notes:
The list does not include variations 254 and 255.
Requests from a master use group 0, variation 255, and one of the following qualifier codes
• 0x00 with a range field of 0x00, 0x00.
• 0x06.
Responses from an outstation use group 0, variation 255, qualifier code 0x5B and a range field with a
count of 1 object.
Communication Reporting
Link devices
See Note 2.
LOCAL_FORCED If set, the data value is overridden in the device that is reporting this
flag as set. This may be due to the device operating in a diagnostic
or temporary mode or due to human intervention.
Device in Input
Reported Value Y with which value is Value
LOCAL_FORCED set overridden to Y X
See Note 2.
* OVER_RANGE is not set in this case. OVER_RANGE is set in all other cases.
Notes: In some devices, native analog ranges of less than 16-bits are “normalized” to fit into a 16-bit range and
the measured value is scaled prior to being reported. For example: a 12-bit A/D convertor could be
scaled by multiplying the output value by 16 to report values in the range –32768 to 32752 (8000–
7FF0) with steps of 16 between adjacent contiguous values.
In such cases, the scaling used will provide some particular values for the “full-scale” or maximum
positive and negative readings. If the converted input quantity exceeds the full-scale value, the full-scale
value is reported and the OVER_RANGE flag is set.
Interaction or Combinations of Flags:
• Each flag indicates a separate condition. The setting or clearing of a flag does not necessarily cause other
flags to set or clear. In particular: Clearing of the ONLINE flag shall not require that any other flag needs to
be set.
• The COMM_LOST flag indicates that communication has failed somewhere in the downstream path. This
flag can only be set by a non-originating device. The reporting device shall not alter the object value or any
other flag received from a downstream device if the communication is lost, except that the ONLINE flag
may optionally be cleared. Thus the value and other flags indicate the state of the input or output point when
data was last collected prior to communication failure. A data object with the COMM_LOST flag set can be
used as an indication of the last known value of the input or output if the other exception condition flags are
not set.
Issue:
Security issues are associated with the use of such an address. If used on a shared
communication channel, it could cause disruption of all communication on the
channel. Even on a dedicated line such as a dialup telephone line, it may be
desired to prevent the “self-address” from being used for security reasons.
Resolution:
Basic Four Document Set, Device Profile Document, Level 1 and Level 2
Certification Procedures
Page 1 of 2
DNP3 Technical Bulletin 2003-004
Point Index Ranges December 17, 2003
• It is not acceptable to assign Point Indices in a sparse manner (e.g.: 0, 1, 2, 100, 101, 102, 200, 201,
202). Point Indices are not intended (and should not be used) for grouping data or implying some
relationship between data points.
• Consider assigning sets of “optional” objects to one or more “virtual devices”, each having a different
device address. If the objects are installed, that “virtual device” exists, if the objects are not installed,
the “virtual device” does not exist. This removes the possibility of introducing gaps in the Point Index
ranges when optional objects are installed or uninstalled.
Affected Documentation:
None
Changes to the Subset Level 1 and 2 Certification Procedures:
None
Last Updated:
December 17, 2003
Status:
Protocol clarification: For immediate release.
Page 2 of 2
DNP3 Technical Bulletin 2003-004
Point Index Ranges December 17, 2003
DNP3 Technical Bulletin
Counter Definitions
A Counter is an input point type whose value represents an accumulated value. Counts can be hardware
generated by external transitions or pulses, or incremented under software control. Counters are also
referred to, in other protocols, as pulse accumulators. Accumulated counts cause the value of the
corresponding Counter point to increase. After the maximum value that can be encoded for reporting is
reached, the value resets to zero and continues counting.
DNP3 protocol defines four objects for reporting values associated with physical Counter points: Binary
Counters, Frozen Counters, Binary Counter Events, and Frozen Counter Events. Devices may elect which
objects to support. Rules applying to devices that support more than one Counter object are discussed
later.
Binary Counter values reflect the current (instantaneous) accumulated value of the Counter point. A read
request for a Binary Counter returns the value of the underlying accumulation at the instance in time
when the read is received. Binary Counter values are returned using DNP3 object 20.
Frozen Counter values reflect the accumulated value of the Counter point at a given instant of time.
Frozen Counter values are recorded when a device processes a Freeze or Freeze-and-Clear operation. This
operation can be requested via DNP3 protocol communications, or by other software or hardware. Frozen
Counter values remain unchanged until the next Freeze or Freeze-and-Clear operation. Frozen Counter
values are returned using DNP3 object 21.
A Binary Counter Event is generated when the total number of accumulated counts has reached an
“interesting” value. For example, an event might be declared when the value has exceeded a threshold, as
compared against the most recent Binary Counter value successfully reported to the host. However, the
actual cause of a Binary Counter Event is a local implementation matter and not defined by DNP3. A
Binary Counter Event value is the accumulated amount in the respective Binary Counter at the instant
when the event is generated. Binary Counter Event values are returned using DNP3 object 22.
A Frozen Counter Event is generated at every freeze operation, for all supported points, whether or not
the frozen value has changed. The Frozen Counter Event value is the same value as that stored into the
18-September-2002 TB-2002-001:Counter Objects
Frozen Counter when the device processes a Freeze or Freeze-and-Clear operation. Frozen Counter Event
values are returned using DNP3 object 22.
As a side note, device hardware or software may maintain other internal Counter-related values to
facilitate calculation and reporting of Binary and Frozen Counter values, and to support Counter Freeze
operations. The presence and meanings of any such auxiliary values is not a DNP3 protocol issue and is
not discussed in this document.
Notes:
• In the event of non-contiguous point ranges, reporting must use qualifier codes allowed by
the subset definition.
• The intention is that it be possible to report either the Binary Counter value or the Frozen
Counter value for each index in response to a Class 0 poll. It is optionally permissible to
report both running and frozen values, but if this is available it must be possible to force the
outstation to only report one or the other.
• A base DNP3 requirement is that events for a particular object may only be reported if the
corresponding object appears in response to a Class 0 poll. Thus:
• Binary Counter events may be reported for a particular index only if the corresponding
Binary Counter is reported in response to a Class 0 poll.
• Frozen Counter events may be reported for a particular index only if the corresponding
Frozen Counter is reported in response to a Class 0 poll.
• If Binary Counter events and Frozen Counter events are to be reported for the same index,
then both Binary Counter and Frozen Counter for that index MUST appear in response to a
Class 0 response.
• It is permissible for only Binary Counters or only Frozen Counters to be reported in response
to a Class 0 poll.
Freeze Operations
Frozen Counter values are recorded whenever a Freeze or Freeze-and-Clear operation occurs. When a
device restarts, Frozen Counter values may be undefined prior to processing the first freeze operation.
Devices that maintain Frozen Counter values in non-volatile memory and that continue accumulation
during a loss-of-power condition may possibly maintain valid Frozen Counter values across a device
restart operation.
18-September-2002 TB-2002-001:Counter Objects
A Freeze or Freeze-and-Clear operation causes the current Binary Counter value to be copied and
recorded as the current Frozen Counter value. If supported, Frozen Counter events are generated at this
time. Events should be generated for all points during the first freeze following a system restart. For a
Freeze-and-Clear operation, the underlying Binary Counter value is reset to zero immediately after the
frozen value is recorded. It is important that no counts are lost between recording the frozen value and
resetting the Binary Counter value to zero.
Freeze and Freeze-and-Clear commands must be directed to the static Binary Counter object, object 20,
variation 0, even for devices that do not provide point data in response to a read for this object. A Freeze
to object 20 creates Frozen Counter values in Object 21 and Frozen Counter events in object 23. Freeze
operations directed to any other Counter object are not defined and are non-interoperable. For Subset
Level 1 and 2 devices, freeze operations must use the “all points” qualifier, code 6, to simultaneously
freeze all Counters. Subset level 3 devices allow freeze operations to specific point ranges using a
start/stop qualifier, code 0 or 1. Use of any other qualifier is not defined.
A Binary Counter value read after a Freeze-and-Clear operation must return a value representing the
number of counts occurring subsequent to the Freeze-and-Clear. A Frozen Counter value re-frozen after
an initial Freeze-and-Clear operation must return a value representing the number of counts occurring
between the two freeze operations. Devices that cannot conform to this rule must respond to a Freeze-
and-Clear request with a Null response setting the “Function Code Not Implemented” Internal Indication.
Note that counts may be lost if a second Freeze-and-Clear command is issued before values from a prior
Freeze-and-Clear command are read.
The only difference between “normal/acknowledge” and “no acknowledgment” cases is whether or not a
device transmits a response after performing or queuing the requested action. A “normal/acknowledge”
function sent to a global destination address (0xFFF0 to 0xFFFF) should be processed as if a
corresponding “no acknowledgement” function was received.
The null response is always sent in cases where a response message is warranted. A null response
includes all octets up to and including the two IIN octets. A device that does not support Frozen Counters
should respond after setting the “Function Code Not Implemented” indication. Devices that support
Frozen Counters must support both Immediate Freeze and Freeze and Clear commands. The two “Freeze
with Time” functions are defined in the protocol but not required by any of the DNP subset levels. They
are not discussed further in this document.
DNP3 also supports both 16-bit and 32-bit variations for reporting Counter object values. A device that
maintains 32-bit Counters may select, as a default, either a 16-bit or 32-bit variation. If a 16-bit default is
used, only the low 16-bits of the 32-bit value are reported. Regardless of the default variation selected,
devices that support 32-bit Counter values must respond to an explicit request for a 16-bit variation with
data for all requested points. A null-response is not valid for any explicit request for a 16-bit variation if a
null-response is not also transmitted in response to an explicit request for the corresponding 32-bit
variation. If a device is asked for a 32-bit variation but maintains 16 bits or less, it is recommended that
the device respond by setting bit 1 of Internal Indication octet 2 (requested object unknown).
DNP3 defines two forms for reporting Counter values: Binary and Frozen. Binary values are defined for
Binary Counter and Binary Counter Event objects. Frozen values are defined for Frozen Counter and
Frozen Counter Event objects.
DNP3 previously defined a third reporting form, Delta Counters, but because of many underlying
problems they were declared obsolete as of 12-October-2001.A Delta Counter value, simply stated, refers
to a point value calculated as the difference between underlying values obtained at two separate times.
The DNP3 User’s Group recommends that Delta Counters not be implemented within a device. The
variation numbers used for reporting Delta Counters remain as placeholders so that all of the other
variation numbers stay the same. Devices may continue to support Delta Counters variations, but may not
configure one as the default reporting variation. Devices that support only Delta Counter variations are
not compliant with any DNP3 subset. DNP3 documentation does not define how Delta Counters are
maintained or how they should be reported.
Variation Structures
A detailed description of each variation used to report Counter values can be found in the DNP3 Data
Object Library section of the Basic 4. A summary is presented in this document.
Counter variations include the following components, although not all are present in every case.
Only the value is present in all variations. Within each communication message, the flag octet, if present,
is transmitted first. The value is transmitted after the flag octet, or, if the flag octet is missing, is
transmitted first. The time stamp, if present, follows the value. For variations with no time stamp, the
value is the last component transmitted.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ← bit position
0 DC RL LF RF CL RS OL Flag octet (applicable variations)
b0
b15
Value, 16 or 32 bits
or
b31
b0
b47
The next table lists variations for each Counter object, indicating which contain flag and time stamp
components, and describing the form of the value component.
22 1 32 23 1 32
Binary Frozen
Event 2 16 Event 2 16
No No
3 32 3 32
Delta Delta
4 16 4 16
Yes Yes
5 32 5 32
Binary Frozen
6 16 6 16
Yes Yes
7 32 7 32
Delta Delta
8 16 8 16
The flag octet is a set of one-bit indications, each describing something about the associated Counter
point. Each flag has a normal and an abnormal state. When all flags are in the normal state, a valid
Counter point value, obtained from its normal source, is available. An abnormal state in one or more flags
indicates a nonstandard condition such as the value has been obtained from an alternate source or is not
available.
The next table shows each flag, its normal state, and rules for declaring an abnormal state. Different rules
18-September-2002 TB-2002-001:Counter Objects
apply based on the source of the Counter value. One of two possible sources is indicated by the terms
“originating device” and “non-originating device”.
• An “originating device” is one that gathers or calculates the Counter data directly, either under
software control or using hardware.
• A “non-originating device” is a one that gathers Counter data from communication to a lower-
level device.
The originating/non-originating designation is made on a point-by-point basis. A device can be an
originating device for one point, and a non-originating device for another. The following diagram
illustrates a topology with a single point, one originating device, and one non-originating device.
SCADA Master
Calculate
Hardware Input
detection
Input terminal
Communication channel(s)
Counter object
Calculate
Originating device
Hardware Input
detection
Input terminal
Non-originating devices may be several levels deep. That is, a single Counter may be transmitted from its
physical input location through several devices before arriving at the final destination. All devices except
the one in direct control of the physical input are considered non-originating devices. A non-originating
18-September-2002 TB-2002-001:Counter Objects
device calculates abnormal flag state conditions based on the best information available, including
analysis of flag information received from the lower device.
Normal
State
Flag Name Description
(Set:1,
Reset:0)
OL On-line Please refer to the DNP3 Basic 4 Documentation Set, Data Object Library, for
RS Restart an explanation of these flags
CL Commu-
nication Lost
LF Local Forced
Data
RF Remote
Forced Data
RL Rollover Reset Definition: Counter value has exceeded its maximum and rolled over to zero.
Originating Device: Set on first successful transmission to host after physical
rollover occurs. Reset otherwise.
Non-originating device: There is no general mechanism within DNP3 for a
outstation device to report the value at which Counter rollover occurs. Hence it
is highly recommended that slave devices do not set the Rollover flag and
that host devices ignore the Rollover flag.
DC Discontinuity Reset Definition: Current value cannot be compared against prior value to obtain “total
counts”
Originating device: Set when Counter value is reinitialized. Reset after a new
value has been acquired and transmitted to the host.
Non-originating device: Set when DC flag is set in the lower device. Reset after
a new value has been acquired and transmitted to the host.
Changes
• Affected Documentation: DNP3 Basic 4 Documentation Set, Data Object Library, Section 6.
• Last Updated: 18-September-2002
2 Resolution:
2.1 Response Status Codes
New status codes 7, 8, 9 and 127 are defined and all status codes now have short identifier names. The complete list
of codes appears in the following table.
Code Identifier
Description
Number Name
0 SUCCESS Request accepted, initiated, or queued.
Request not accepted because the operate message was received after the arm
1 TIMEOUT timer timed out. The arm timer was started when the select operation for the
same point was received.
Request not accepted because no previous matching select request exists. (An
2 NO_SELECT operate message was sent to activate an output that was not previously armed
with a matching select message.)
Request not accepted because there were formatting errors in the control
3 FORMAT_ERROR
request (either select, operate, or direct operate).
Request not accepted because a control operation is not supported for this
4 NOT_SUPPORTED
point.
Request not accepted, because the control queue is full or the point is already
5 ALREADY_ACTIVE
active.
6 HARDWARE_ERROR Request not accepted because of control hardware problems.
7 LOCAL Request not accepted because Local/Remote Switch is in Local position.
8 TOO_MANY_OPS Request not accepted because too many operations requested.
9 NOT_AUTHORIZED Request not accepted because of insufficient authorization.
10 to
RESERVED Reserved for future use.
126
127 UNDEFINED Request not accepted because of some other undefined reason.
2.2.2 Configurable
If a master has the capability to send multiple objects (binary or analog) in a single control output request, it must be
configurable to send only one object per message.
4 Affected Documentation:
Basic 4 Object Library, Object 12, Variation 1: Add sections 2.3 and 2.2 from above to the “Narrative”. Replace
the listing of error codes with the table in section 2.1.
Basic 4 Object Library, Object 41, all variations: Add sections 2.3 and 2.2 from above to the “Description”.
Basic 4 Subset Definitions, Appendix A, Device Profile Document: In the section that begins with
“Sends/Executes Control Operations: Add three lines beneath DIRECT OPERATE – ACK as follows:
• Maximum number of CROB (object 12, variation 1) objects supported in a single message ________.
• Maximum number of analog output (object 41, any variation) objects supported in a single message ________.
•
Pattern Control Block and Pattern Mask (object 12, variations 2 and 3, respectively) supported. If so,
describe any restrictions.
•
CROB (object 12) and analog output (object 41) permitted together in a single message.
Basic 4 Subsets Definitions, Level 3 Implementation: The qualifier codes are replaced by a single code of 07 in
the implementation table, paragraph 3.3, for object 12, variation 2.
6 Status:
Approval Technical Committee (Feb-2001).
1 Introduction
The following document provides a replacement implementation for DNP File Transfer as
described in the Basic 4 document set. This bulletin is intended to address sequential file transfer
only, not random file access. The following functionality is provided:
• Simple reliable transfer of bulk data either up or down the communications chain.
• Straightforward implementation.
• Graduated features/complexity (by implementing additional objects).
• Bandwidth management by limiting block sizes and allowing requested objects to be treated
as events that can appear an arbitrary period after they were originally requested.
2 Notes
The following notes apply to all sections of the document
• All String offsets are relative to the start of the object; i.e. the first octet following the object
header.
• All data shown in examples is expressed in Decimal unless preceded by 0x indicating
Hexadecimal.
• All Status objects defined herein are treated as events when sent from an outstation in a
response, and may be returned an arbitrary period after requested.
• As is the case when any DNP event is sent from an outstation, it is a requirement that an
application confirm be requested by the outstation when sending file status events.
• Some of the following descriptions refer to timeout mechanisms used when handling file
operations. It should be noted that file handling timeouts and the generation of file status
events is independent of communication handling timeouts. As is the case for generation of
any DNP event, the communication processing that is responsible for the delivery of the
events (eg. through polling or unsolicited reporting) and collection of confirms is independent
of the generation of the event.
Table 1
Function Description
Code
25 Open a File
26 Close a File
27 Delete a File
28 Get File Info
29 Authenticate
30 Abort
4 Authentication
Devices that do not support authentication must not support this object.
Before proceeding with secure transactions the application must obtain an Authentication Key
from the end device. An Authentication Key is required to perform an Open or Delete command
as described in the next section. It expires as soon as it is used.
Table 2
Object Header
b7 Object 70 b0
b7 Variation 2 b0
b7 Qualifier 0x5B b0
b7 Range Field (=1) b0
b15 Number of Octets in object b0
The User Name Offset field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the zero-based start of the
name octets relative to the start of the object excluding the header.
The User Name Size field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the number of name octets.
The Password Offset field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the zero-based start of the
password octets relative to the start of the object excluding the header.
Using the Offset and Size technique effectively provides a jump-table to the strings included in
the object definition.
The Authentication Key field is a 32 bit number that is maintained by the outstation and uniquely
specifies the permissions granted by the authentication process.
If authentication fails, the response will contain a zero value for the Authentication Key, which
implies world (or guest) permissions. An application can issue secure transaction requests using
a zero value Authentication Key. It is up to the end device to interpret how to handle this. For
example, if the end device provides user authentication it could permit reading of some files but
exclude writing and deleting files.
This technique also allows a mechanism for using secure dialogs without performing the
authentication step. This is acceptable if and only if the end device is permissive and allows it.
To retrieve an Authentication Key the host issues an authentication request to the authentication
object as follows
0xC0 29 70 02 0x5B 01 nn nn … (object data)
The object data includes the user name and password to be authenticated. The
Authentication Key field is not used in the request and must be zero.
The outstation responds with
The response contains the newly generated Authentication Key in the Authentication Key field
and for security purposes the user name and password fields are null.
To support the Open, Close, Delete and Abort functionality two objects are defined: The File
Command Object (obj 70 var 3), and the File Command Status Object (obj 70 var 4).
The File Command Object (obj 70 var 3) is used to facilitate file opens and deletes. It is defined
as follows.
Table 3
Object Header
b7 Object 70 b0
b7 Variation 3 b0
B7 Qualifier 0x5B b0
b7 Range Field (=1) b0
b15 Number of Octets in object b0
The File Name Offset field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the zero-based start of the file
name octets relative to the start of the object excluding the header.
The File Name Size field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the number of file name octets.
The file name offset and file name size fields form a jump-table allowing direct access to the file
name string at the end of the object. Offset is relative to the beginning of the object (zero based)
excluding the header.
The Time of Creation field is a 48 bit parameter that represents the DNP time of creation of the
file represented as the number of milliseconds since midnight January 1, 1970. A value of zero in
this field indicates that the time of creation of the file is unknown.
Table 4
Permission Bit Fields
Sequential File Transfer Objects DNP Technical Bulletin 2000-001
26 January 2000 Page 4
Owner Read Allowed: 0x0100
Owner Write Allowed: 0x0080
Owner Execute Allowed: 0x0040
Group Read Allowed: 0x0020
Group Write Allowed: 0x0010
Group Execute Allowed: 0x0008
World Read Allowed: 0x0004
World Write Allowed: 0x0002
World Execute Allowed: 0x0001
The Permissions field contains a UNIX-style file access permission bit field. The use of this field
is optional. Devices may update any of these fields in response to Read or Info requests if they
can provide correct values for these fields. The relevant action is permitted if the bit is set, and
inhibited if the bit is clear (e.g.: set Permission to 0x1FF to indicate no restrictions).
If the file is opened for writing, the Time of Creation and Permissions fields of the File Command
Object (obj 70 var 3) shall be used as attributes for the new file. Otherwise the Time of Creation
and Permissions fields must be zero when using this object.
The Authentication Key field is a 32 bit parameter that facilitates secure transaction
authentication. The key is obtained by issuing an Authentication Request (Function code 29) to
the Authentication Object (obj 70 var 2) (see section 4). A value of 0 in this field indicates a
permissive access level analogous to anonymous, guest or world permissions in various file
systems. Devices that do not support authentication must ignore this field.
The File Size field is a 32 bit parameter representing the number of octets contained in the file.
This is particularly important when opening a file so that both ends have the opportunity to
allocate adequate buffers. During an open for write the outstation may prepare its buffers
appropriately. During an open for read the file size must be zero and is ignored by the outstation.
If end of file is indicated to a device receiving a file, before the expected File Size is satisfied (by
receiving the Last Flag in the File Transport Object – see Section 6.2), the receiving device shall
treat the file as completely received and shall not consider this to be an error condition. However,
if the received file exceeds the expected File Size, the receiving device may treat this an error
and reject the transfer.
A file size of 0xffffffff is allowed and indicates that the actual file size is unknown. Its use is
allowable only when the value is truly not known. Devices are not required to accept an unknown
file size. Devices may reject any request that exceeds the device’s resource limits. In such a case
the two devices will not inter-operate.
The Operational Mode field is a 16 bit parameter denoting the mode a file should be opened in.
It is not used with the delete function, nor with function codes not requiring a file open (and must
be zero in those cases). Values for this field are defined as shown in the following table.
Table 5
Mode Value Description
0x00 Null
0x01 Read
0x02 Write
0x03 Append
(Not required to be supported in a minimum
implementation)
The Request ID field is a 16-bit parameter whose value is arbitrarily assigned by the host and
sent in a request. The outstation device must remember this value and copy it into the Request
ID field of the corresponding response. This permits the host to correlate responses with their
requests when multiple files are simultaneously opened in the same device.
File Name Octets are the octets of the file name. They fully reference the file (including path
within the device).
When files are opened they are assigned a unique file handle that is used to reference the file
during future operations. To Close a previously opened file, issue a Close command (function
code 26) using the File Command Status Object (obj 70 var 4) with the appropriate file handle.
Table 6
Object Header
b7 Object 70 b0
b7 Variation 4 b0
b7 Qualifier 0x5B b0
b7 Range Field (=1) b0
b15 Number of Octets in object b0
The File Handle field is a 32 bit parameter that provides a numeric identifier of the file opened. Its
value is arbitrary and provided by the end device but must be unique to the outstation DNP
address. It can be reused after a corresponding close is issued. Other operations will reference
this identifier.
The File Size field is a 32 bit parameter that is used to return the file size when a file has been
opened for read, i.e. when Operational Mode 0x01 is used in the File Command Object (obj 70
var 3). The value of this field is undefined in all other cases and must be zero.
The Request ID field is a 16 bit parameter. It must be returned in each File Command Status
Object as the value of the Request ID field specified in the File Command Object or File
Descriptor Object for the corresponding file request.
The Status field is a 8 bit parameter that is used to return the status of the operation and must be
set to zero by the initiating station. The responding station reports any error conditions in this
field. The values for this field are defined in Table 7.
Optional ASCII Characters may be appended to the object after the status code, and are a
printable ASCII string that may be used to provide additional error information for any error
condition.
Table 7
Value of Name Usage
Status Field
0x00 Operation Completed Successfully • Requested operation successful
0x01 Permission Denied • Authenticated user not allowed to access file
0x02 Invalid Mode • Unsupported or unknown Operational Mode
0x03 File not found • Requested file does not exist
0x04 File locked by another user • Requested file already in use
0x05 Open File Count Exceeded • Too many files open
0x06 File Handle Invalid • Attempting to close a file that is not open
0x07 Requested block size not • Outstation cannot write blocks of requested
supported for writes size
0x08 Lost Communications • Intermediate device lost communications with
end device
0x09 Can’t Abort • File transaction Abort was not successful. File
is closed and unusable.
0x0A – 0x0F Reserved
0xFF Other • Any error not listed above (optional ASCII
string may provide additional information)
Note: A minimal implementation may restrict the number of open files to one.
Note: The File Command Status Object (obj 70 var 4) is treated as an event when it is generated
after an Open, Close, Abort or Delete command, so that it can be either polled for specifically or
assigned to class 1, 2, or 3. It is also acceptable to return it in the response to a request if the
results are immediately known.
To open the file for write, set the Operation Mode to write (0x02).
If the file is opened for writing it shall be truncated to zero length and the Time of Creation and
Permissions fields of the File Command Object shall be used as attributes for the new file.
Otherwise the Time of Creation and Permissions fields must be zero.
Path\FileName
The outstation responds with a File Command Status Object (obj 70 var 4) with the assigned file
handle and status code as follows
0xE0 129 IINs 70 04 0x5B 01 nn nn … (object data)
A status code of zero indicates that the file was successfully opened. The application should
use the returned file handle in future references to the file until it is closed.
A non zero status code indicates that the file was not successfully opened, and the file handle
value is invalid.
If the file was opened for read, the File Size field indicates the size of the file. If the file was
opened for write the File Size field reports zero.
The outstation has requested the host Confirm the response containing an event, so the host
responds as follows
0xC0 00
The outstation has requested the host Confirm the response containing an event, so the host
responds as follows
0xC0 00
Note: If there is no activity referencing a file handle for a configurable length of time the
outstation must do an automatic close on the file. The timeout value must be configurable up to 1
hour. When this condition occurs the outstation will send a File Transport Status Object (obj 70
var 6) using a status code value of file handle expired (0x02). The final state of the file closed
under this condition is undefined.
Note: The final state of a file that is closed after receiving a File Transport Status Object (obj 70
var 6) with a non-zero status code value is also undefined.
Sequential File Transfer Objects DNP Technical Bulletin 2000-001
26 January 2000 Page 8
Note: If the host chooses to end the operation for any reason including a timeout it must send a
close to the outstation to release the file for further use.
A status code of zero indicates that the file was successfully deleted. For more information on
status codes see Table 7.
The outstation has requested the host Confirm the response containing an event, so the host
responds as follows
0xC0 00
Note: If a file is open while issuing a delete command a File Command Status Object (obj 70 var
4) shall be returned with a status code of “File locked by another user” (0x04).
To Abort a file transfer, issue an Abort command (function code 30) to the File Command Status
Object (obj 70 var 4) as follows
0xC0 30 70 04 0x5B 01 nn nn … (object data)
The File handle field should be set to the value assigned in the previous open. Status must be set
to zero. The outstation responds with
0xE0 129 IINs 70 04 0x5B 01 nn nn … (object data)
The object data shall be an echo of the request with the status field set to the appropriate value
(e.g. file does not exist, can’t abort, etc.) A status code of zero indicates that the file transfer was
successfully aborted.
The outstation has requested the host Confirm the response containing an event, so the host
responds as follows
0xC0 00
Note: If Abort is supported by a device, then upon receiving an Abort command the device must
terminate the file transfer indicated by the File Command Status Object and close the file. If a
device does not support Abort, the device must return a “Can’t Abort” status code in a File
Command Status Object (obj 70 var 4).
Note: To completely recover a file after an Abort, in all circumstances, it may be necessary for
the device to double-buffer the file during file transfer operations. If a file transfer Abort results in
Sequential File Transfer Objects DNP Technical Bulletin 2000-001
26 January 2000 Page 9
an unusable file the device must return a “Can’t Abort” status code in a File Command Status
Object (obj 70 var 4).
6 Data Transfer
Two objects are defined to support data transfer. The first is a File Transport Object (obj 70 var
5). The second is the File Transport Status Object (obj 70 var 6).
Table 8
Object Header
b7 Object 70 b0
b7 Variation 5 b0
b7 Qualifier 0x5B b0
b7 Range Field (=1) b0
b15 Number of Octets in object b0
The File Handle field is a 32 bit parameter that provides a numeric identifier of the file opened. It
is obtained by opening the file using the File Command Object (obj 70 var 3) (see sections 4-5).
The Block Number field is a 31 bit parameter plus a 1 bit Last Flag. The block number starts at
zero and increments by one for each block read or written. The size of the data portion is not
relevant and need not be the same from block to block. It is limited by the maximum block size
field passed in the File Command Object (obj 70 var 3) during the open process. The Last Flag is
set to denote the indicated block number is the last block, and cleared to denote the indicated
block number is not the last block.
Note: Using file handle qualification and block number allows multiple read/write operations to
different files on the same device, concurrently.
Note: The File Transport Object (Obj 70 var 5) is treated as an event for file read responses so
that it can be polled for specifically, assigned to class 1, 2, or 3, or sent in an unsolicited
response. It is also acceptable to return it in the response to a request if the results are
immediately known.
Table 9
Object Header
b7 Object 70 b0
b7 Variation 6 b0
b7 Qualifier 0x5B b0
b7 Range Field (=1) b0
b15 Number of Octets in object b0
The File Handle field is a 32 bit parameter that provides a numeric identifier of the file opened. It
is the value originally obtained by opening the file using the File Command Object (obj 70 var 3)
(see sections 4-5).
The Block Number field is a 31 bit parameter plus 1 bit Last Flag, corresponding to the Block
Number and Last Flag in a File Transport Object for which this object is reporting status. The
block number sent by the initiating station starts at zero and increments by one for each block
read or written. The Last Flag is set to denote the indicated block number is the last block, and
cleared to denote the indicated block number is not the last block.
The Status field is an 8 bit parameter that is used to return the status of a corresponding File
Transport Object operation. The responding station reports any error conditions in this field. The
values for this field are defined as follows:
Table 10
Value of Name Usage
Status Field
0x00 Operation Completed Successfully • File Transport Object successfully written
0x08 Lost Communications • Intermediate device lost communications with
end device
0x10 No Previous Matching Open • File handle does not reference an open file
0x11 Handle has Expired. • File previously closed due to inactivity timeout
0x12 Buffer Overrun. • Too much file data received to process
0x13 Fatal Error, File Unusable • File system error
0x14 Block Number Out Of Sequence • Already received data with this block number
• Missing (skipped) block number in sequence
0x15 – 0x1F Reserved
0xFF Other • Any error not listed above (optional ASCII string
may provide additional information)
Note: The File Transport Status Object (obj 70 var 6) is treated as an event and can be polled for
directly or assigned to class 1,2, or 3. Alternatively it can be reported via unsolicited response or
in response to the request if the results are immediately known.
When any file status changes it is reported using a File Transport Status Object (obj 70 var 6) as
an event.
For example, when a file inactivity timer expires, the outstation shall generate an event using the
File Transport Status Object with status code 0x11 “Handle has Expired”. This event will then be
returned on the next poll or may be sent as an unsolicited response. After the event is
generated, the outstation is no longer required to retain information about the file being opened.
Any subsequent access to the file results in a File Transport Status Object with status code 0x10
“No Previous Open”.
The File Transport Status Object provides flow control and bandwidth management when
performing file write operations because
• It is required/guaranteed that the end device sends it.
• Normal polling continues while waiting for it.
• A configurable timeout limits how long to wait.
Table 11
Operation Sequence Application Layer Octets
Confirm 0xC0 00
Get Status Event (Block (0x00000000) 0xE2 129 IINs (data) Object 70 var 06
Confirm 0xC2 00
Get Status Event (Block 0x00000001) 0xE4 129 IINs (data) Object 70 var 06
Confirm 0xC4 00
Get Status Event (Last Block 0xE6 129 IINs (data) Object 70 var 06
0x80000002)
Confirm 0xC6 00
Confirm 0xC7 00
Note: If there is an error during the above operations including a file operation timeout, the
device shall return the appropriate status object with status code. . Under error conditions the file
must be implicitly closed by the outstation and the file contents must be considered
indeterminate. Upon receiving a File Transport Status Object (obj 70 var 6) with a non-zero status
code, the referenced file handle becomes invalid.
Confirm 0xC0 00
Confirm 0xC3 00
Confirm 0xC6 00
Confirm 0xC9 00
Confirm 0xCA 00
Note: If there is an error during the above operations, including a file operation timeout, the
device shall return the appropriate status object with status code. Note that a File Transport
Status Object (obj 70 var 6) should be returned on error, instead of a File Transport Object (obj
70 var 5). Under error conditions, the file must be implicitly closed by the outstation and the host,
and file contents at the host must be considered indeterminate. Upon receiving a File Transport
Status Object (obj 70 var 6) with a non-zero status code the referenced file handle becomes
invalid.
The File Name Offset field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the zero-based start of the file
name octets relative to the start of the object excluding the header.
The File Name Size field is a 16 bit parameter which specifies the number of file name octets.
The file name offset and file name size fields form a jump-table allowing direct access to the file
name string at the end of the object. Offset is relative to the beginning of the object (zero based)
excluding the header.
The File Type field is a 16 bit parameter used to differentiate between simple files and
directories. A zero value indicates a directory. A value of 1 indicates a simple file.
The File Size field is a 32 bit parameter. For a simple file type it represents the number of octets
contained in the file. For a directory file type it indicates the number of entries in the sub-directory,
excluding any links to itself or its parent directory.
The Permissions field is a 16 bit parameter whose values are defined in Table 4 (see section
5.1)
The Request ID field is a 16-bit parameter whose value is arbitrarily assigned by the host. The
outstation device must remember this value and copy it into the Request ID field of the
corresponding response. This permits the host to correlate responses with their requests when
information on multiple files is requested in the same device.
File Name Octets are the octets of the file name. They fully reference the file (including path
within the device).
Note: The File Descriptor Object (obj 70 var 7) is treated as an event when it is generated after a
Get File Info command, so that it can be either polled for specifically or assigned to class 1, 2, or
3. It is also acceptable to return it in the response to a request if the results are immediately
known.
The device responds with a File Descriptor Object (obj 70 var 7) consisting of the requested
information as follows
0xE0 129 IINs 70 07 0x5B 01 nn nn …(Object…”RequestID…Path\FileName” …Data)
The outstation has requested the host Confirm the response containing an event, so the host
responds as follows
0xC0 00
The end application could display this information in a browser or another appropriate application.
Path\FileName
If the file referenced does not exist then the outstation should return a File Command Status
Object (obj 70 var 4) with the status field set to File Not Found (0x02).
If the file referenced is a directory file, the File Type field shall be zero to indicate a directory file
and the File Size field shall indicate the number of entries in the sub-directory. To retrieve file
information on all files in a directory, issue a file read on the directory file, as described in section
7.2.
The outstation responds in the same manner as for any other file read. The format of the
“directory file” transferred from the outstation consists of one or more data objects, one for each
file in the directory, in same format as the File Descriptor Object (obj 70 var 7) i.e. the details
supplied for each file in the directory are:
File Name Offset, File Name Size, File Type, File Size, Time Of Creation, Permissions, Request ID, File Name
The end application may display this information in a browser or another appropriate application.
The file descriptor object data transferred in the directory file read does not include object header
information.
The path to the directory is not contained in each of the individual File Descriptor Object’s File
Name fields. Only the name of the file is included. (The path was specified in the File Command
object used to Open the directory file for read).
Retrieving directory information retrieves data for one directory level only. Sub-directories below
the read directory are indicated as files with File Type zero (Directory file), and with the File Size
field indicating the number of entries in the sub-directory. A host wishing to retrieve file
information for all files in a device may perform additional directory file transfers for each sub-
directory file.
If the directory referenced does not exist then the outstation should return a File Command
Status Object (obj 70 var 4) with the status field set to File Not Found (0x02).
If the directory exists but contains no files, then the outstation should return a file of zero length
i.e. File Transport Object (obj 70 var 5) is returned with no Data Octets.
7.2.1 Example
\file0
\dir1
\file1
\file2
\dir2
\file3
\dir3
\file4
If the host reads the root directory file (“\”), it would receive a file with information as follows:
Filename Filename File File size Time of creation Permissions Request Id File name
offset size type octets
0x14 00 05 00 01 00 nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn 00 00 nn nn file0
Sequential File Transfer Objects DNP Technical Bulletin 2000-001
26 January 2000 Page 17
0x14 00 04 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 nn nn nn nn nn nn 00 00 nn nn dir1
0x14 00 04 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 nn nn nn nn nn nn 00 00 nn nn dir3
If the host reads the directory file “\dir1”, it would receive a file with information as follows:
Filename Filename File File size Time of creation Permissions Request Id File name
offset size type octets
0x14 00 05 00 01 00 nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn 00 00 nn nn file1
0x14 00 05 00 01 00 nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn 00 00 nn nn file2
0x14 00 04 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 nn nn nn nn nn nn 00 00 nn nn dir2
8 Minimum Implementation
When a device supports Sequential File Transfer, the following implementation is required as
a minimum. Authentication and Unsolicited Responses are considered optional features of
Sequential File Transfer.
Table 14
Object Variation and Qualifier Codes Required
Affected Documentation:
DNP V3.00 Data Object Library
Chapter 10 File Object Definitions
Last Updated:
January 26, 2000
Status:
Pending General Membership Approval (Feb 2000)
Issue:
This bulletin describes a method of operating controls reliably in the presence of a poor quality
communications network, and adds a new restriction on devices when performing select before operate
controls. This bulletin supercedes Technical Bulletin 9804-001 dated 4/22/98 Item 7 which states "A Host
must never perform application layer retries of output operations, i.e. never send two output messages with
the same sequence number for SELECT, OPERATE, or DIRECT OPERATE function codes."
The requirement as stated above was intended to insure that duplicate controls would not be issued. As
stated the requirement can be misinterpreted to mean that control operations should never be reissued
without operator intervention. It is possible for the Host to safely issue more than one control attempt
without risking duplicate operation. This is desirable in high noise environments to allow the system to
make a “Best Effort Attempt” to operate the control “Exactly Once” without operator intervention.
It is the purpose of this document to describe how more than one control attempt may be performed safely
without risking duplicate control operation while making a “Best Effort Attempt” to operate the control
“Exactly Once” without operator intervention. This is technically not a retry from the protocol’s
perspective, however, it appears as a retry from the operators perspective. Therefore, the remainder of this
document will refer to the Host making more than one control attempt to be a “Control Retry”.
Background:
In a SCADA communications environment all transmissions and receptions are received through the
communications medium, which is often represented as a cloud as shown in Figure 1.
WAN
Host Outstation
Figure 1
It is possible for messages to get lost in the communications medium as shown in Figure 2
Host Outstation
Figure 2
In this case the Host transmitted a message, the Outstation received it and responded, but the message is
lost in the communications medium. The Host must assume that the Outstation never received the message,
and act accordingly. Technical Bulletin 9804-001 addresses how a Host and Outstation should handle the
various failure scenarios. Technical Bulletin 2000-002 addresses the processing of analog and binary
operations in the various failure scenarios.
Notes:
The following notes apply to the text that follows:
• The term control is used generically to refer to analog and binary outputs. When the type of output is
important, the proper name is used.
• When sequence number is included in the following text it refers to the application sequence number
unless otherwise noted.
• When the term “Retry” appears in the following text it refers to application layer retries unless
otherwise noted.
• When application sequence numbers are incremented they are always incremented modulo 16.
Rules:
1) Technical Bulletin 9804-001 fully applies with the exception of Item 7.
2) The Host may issue multiple retries on the “select” portion of the control dialog.
3) Incrementing the sequence number between retries of the select is at the discretion of the Host.
a) If the Host increments the sequence number between retries, the Outstation will respond to the
select and re-arm the designated point. This also causes the Outstation to re-arm its select-to-
operate timers.
b) If the Host retries without incrementing the sequence number, the Outstation will respond to the
select. The original selection will remain unchanged intact., and the Outstation’s select-to-operate
timers will continue running without being reset.
4) The Host must increment the sequence number by exactly one (modulo 16) between the select and
operate command.
5) The Outstation must reject any operate that does not
a) contain a sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the previously accepted
select.
b) match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
6) The Host may only issue an operate after successful reception of a select echo from the Outstation.
7) The Host may issue multiple retries on the “operate” portion of control dialog as long as the sequence
number does not change between retries.
8) At no time should the Host retry the select operate sequence in its entirety. Once the select portion has
been satisfied, if the operate portion fails the Host may not retry the select. This can result in duplicate
controls.
9) The Host must never retry direct operate controls. This can result in duplicate controls.
Scenario 1:
Figure 3 shows a timeline representation of a successful select before operate sequence.
Host Outstation
Time To
Host Issues Select
SEQ N
Oustation Receives Select
Time Tn
Figure 3
Host Outstation
Time To
Host Issues Select N
SEQ N
Oustation Receives Select N
Time Tn
Figure 4
Host Outstation
Time To
Host Issues Select
SEQ N
Oustation Receives Select
Figure 5
Host Outstation
Time To
Host Issues Select N
SEQ N
Oustation Receives Select
Figure 6
Host Outstation
Time To
Host Issues Select N
SEQ N
Oustation Receives Select
Figure 7
Host Outstation
Time To
Host Issues Direct Operate N
SEQ N
Outstation Receives Operate
Oustation Operates Control
SEQ N Oustation Echos Operate
Host Misses Echo N
Outstation Restarts
Outstation is Restarting
SEQ N
Host Misses Echo N
Outstation is Restarting
SEQ N
Host Misses Echo N
Outstation becomes operational
Host Retries Direct Operate N
SEQ N
Outstation Receives Operate
Oustation Operates Control a second time
Oustation Echos Operate
Host Receives Echo N with
SEQ N
the restart bit set. The control
has already operated a
second time at this point.
This result is unacceptable.
Time Tn
Figure 8
Desired Behavior
• The Outstation must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that increment the
application sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must be restarted
after reception of each select.
• The Outstation must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that do not increment the
application sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must remain
unaltered by the reception of each additional select.
• The Outstation must reject any operate that does not
• contain a application layer sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the
previously accepted select.
• match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
• The Outstation must accept retries on the operate portion of the control dialog that does not increment
the application sequence number between retries. The Outstation must echo the operate command but
must not operate the control more than once.
Desired Behavior
• The Outstation must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that increment the
application sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must be restarted
after reception of each select.
• The Outstation must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that do not increment the
application sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must remain
unaltered by the reception of each additional select.
• The Outstation must reject any operate that does not
• contain a application layer sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the
previously accepted select.
• match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
• The Outstation must accept retries on the operate portion of the control dialog that does not increment
the application sequence number between retries. The Outstation must echo the operate command but
must not operate the control more than once.
Status:
Pending General Membership Approval (Feb-2000).
The use of DNP3 in a wide variety of application areas and communication technologies has led to a need
for periodic revisions and improvements.
In an effort to satisfy the desire for stability yet recognize the need for change, this document outlines the
mechanism that will be employed to manage changes, as they become necessary.
Background:
The DNP Protocol is defined by an extensive documentation set. However, there are areas in the original
documentation, and in subsequent documentation and Technical Bulletins that have
It is the responsibility of the technical committee as maintainers of the protocol to address these issues in a
timely manner while providing customers and implementers sufficient time to incorporate changes into
their products and specifications.
Resolution:
When needed the technical committee will issue Technical Bulletins that resolve identified problems and
specify new features. Bulletins fall into four categories
Category 1 and 2 issues do not directly effect existing implementations and may be issued by the technical
committee without requiring General Membership Approval.
Category 3 and 4 issues can potentially affect existing implementations. The Technical Committee will
issue these bulletins with a status indicating “Pending General Membership Approval (Month and Year of
Next Meeting)”.
Each bulletin that specifies desired behavior must also include a certification test section to be included in
the certification test procedures.
Each version of the certification procedures will be denoted by the year the contents were approved by the
General Membership. As an example, the original certification procedures were approved by the General
Membership in February 1999. Devices that passed the tests in those procedures are said to be DNP3-1999
compliant.
Certification test procedures included in the Technical Bulletins that are approved in a General
Membership Meeting will be incorporated into the certification procedures six months following the
meeting.
Technical Bulletins that are rejected in a General Membership Meeting may be revisited or edited and
resubmitted at the next General Membership meeting.
Six months after the General Membership meeting all previously certified devices must be tested against,
and pass the revised certification procedures in order to be DNP3-xxxx compliant, where xxxx is the year
in which the Technical Bulletins were approved by the general membership. For example, the certification
procedures included in the Technical Bulletins approved in February 2000 would be called DNP3- 2000.
Devices tested during the 6 month grace period between General Membership Approval and the Effective
Date can choose which version of the procedures they wish to be tested against. In the example given
above, devices certified between Feb 2000 and July 2000 could choose to be certified against either the
DNP3-1999 procedures or the DNP3-2000 procedures. Devices certified after July 2000 would be required
to use the DNP3-2000 procedures.
It is recommended that DNP3 users specify which level of compliance they require by specifying which
version of the procedures a device must pass to be purchased. The Technical Committee will maintain a
document on the web site that summarizes the inter-operability issues and enhanced features added for each
version of the certification procedures.
While every attempt is made to insure that two devices that pass the certification procedures inter-operate,
there may be instances in which a behavior has not been specified. In these cases the vendors involved in
the dispute can request arbitration from the technical committee. The Technical Committee will review the
details of the issue and publish a technical bulletin that specifies the correct behavior. This bulletin will by
definition be a category 3 bulletin, and when approved, will be incorporated into the certification
procedures in normal course. Implementers can use the technical bulletin as an advanced notification of
additional requirements that resulted from the arbitration. A fee may be assessed for the arbitration process
at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
Master devices are expected to reliably communicate and inter-operate with certified slave stations. When
they do not, and a compromise solution cannot be reached between the master and slave vendors, the issue
may be submitted to the DNP Technical Committee for arbitration.
Affected Documentation:
None
Last Updated:
January 26, 2000
Status:
Pending General Membership Approval (Feb 2000).
1 Issue
DNP3 protocol defines an application layer message-confirmation service. When used, the receiving application is
required to confirm reception of an application message from the sending application. Confirmation is accomplished
by transmission of a message with the application layer “Confirm” function code, code 0.
The Basic IV is unclear whether or not IIN octets are to be included in application confirm messages sent by the
slave. Section 3.6 of the Application Layer document states that the IIN “… follows the function code in all
responses.” Section 4 contradicts this by explicitly diagramming a Confirmation Response without the IIN.
DNP3 Certification Procedures for Subset Level 1 and Level 2 do not contain any tests for application confirm
messages sent by a slave device in response to a master request.
The DNP Technical Committee has been asked to clarify application confirm requests transmitted by the master and
corresponding application confirm responses transmitted by the slave.
2 Resolution
Since:
• A slave device may pass certification without supporting master application confirm requests, and
• The Basic IV does not clearly define the application confirmation message structure when transmitted by the
slave,
It has been determined that any definition of the structure of a slave application confirm message may result in non-
compliance and non-interoperability by some currently certified devices. Furthermore, since there are no meaningful
uses of the application confirmation service when requested by the master, it has been resolved that:
• The master must not transmit any message that requests an application layer confirmation by the slave, and
• The slave response to any such request by a non-compliant master is undefined.
3 Last Updated:
30 August 2000
4 Status:
Pending Technical Committee Approval
Status
Awaiting User Group Comments
14-March-2001 2 TD-Counters-JV-1.doc
DNP Technical Bulletin 2000-005
Reset of User Process Function Code
Issue:
The "Reset of User Process" service function (FC = 1) in the link layer control octet is not defined in the
Basic 4 completely enough to guarantee interoperability. The Data Link Layer document does not define
what action the secondary station should take when it receives the command. Furthermore, the document
does not define what the "user process" of the link layer is or what should be involved in resetting it.
Discussion:
It is undesirable to have the link layer independently "reset" other layers. If the primary station transport
function wants the secondary station transport function to throw away the current fragment it is building
and start a new one, it can simply send a frame having the FIR bit set. Any "restart" or "abort" type
functionality that affects the application layer should be handled by the application layer.
This function code was adopted from the IEC870-5-2 standard, but has not been found to map
appropriately to the DNP3 environment.
Resolution:
DNP3 does not define any action associated with the Data Link Layer Reset User Process request function
code. Support of this function is not required. Function code 1 is now obsolete. This function shall not be
used because there is no definition of the action to be performed by devices that receive this request and
interoperability of devices that use it cannot be guaranteed.
Affected Documentation:
DNP V3.00 Data Link Layer, sections 3.3.3, 3.6.2, 3.7.2
Note: At the time of this bulletin, the Data Link Layer document is undergoing significant revision.
The above resolution will be incorporated into the new version.
Changes to the Subset Level 1 and 2 Certification Procedures (v1.00 and v1.01):
6 Link Layer
Replace (i.e. function codes 0, 1, 4, 9) with (i.e. function codes 0, 4, 9).
Note: These changes have been incorporated into the DNP3-2000 IED Certification Procedures,
Version 2.00.
Last Updated:
November 13, 2000
Without making 9701-002 obsolete, this bulletin clarifies which control codes a device may support on a given
DNP3 index (point), and provides rules that both the master and slave can follow that will guarantee that their use of
the CROB object will interoperate.
Discussion:
The CROB in its current form exposes the details of device hardware to the protocol stack. This is unnecessary and
creates interoperability issues: not all devices support all control codes, and various vendors have chosen
incompatible subsets of control codes to support.
Many master vendors have attempted to achieve interoperability by configuring the control code on a point-by-point
basis. While this works in most cases, some IED vendors have implemented pseudo-points that do different things
based on the control code that is sent. This perverts the original intent of the CROB and makes it impossible for
masters that statically configure control codes to be interoperable with such devices. This type of implementation is
also not transportable across legacy protocol boundaries.
Finally, it makes little sense to support all of the possible combinations of control codes in any case, as most devices
can only support one of two types of control operations on any give DNP3 index:
1. Complementary function (trip/close)
2. Single function (activate)
Resolution:
CROB Index Types:
Each DNP3 Control Relay Output Block index may only support either:
A complementary control function. Examples of complementary control functions are:
• Trip and Close
• Raise and Lower
• On and Off
NOTE: Two single-function indices may provide complementary functions. For instance, one index provides the
Trip function while the other provides the Close function. Some indices, such as “Battery Test” may have no
complementary function.
A device may provide some indices that support complementary control functions as well as others that support only
single control functions. An index cannot support both methods of operation.
20-June-2001 1 TB2000-006
Complementary control function indices may permit either or both of these pairs. If an index permits both pairs of
codes, then:
• 0x03 (Latch On/NUL) and 0x41 (Pulse On/Close) must perform the same function
• 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL) and 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip) must perform the same function
More than one of these codes may be accepted on a given index. However, each of the permitted codes must
perform the same function on that index.
Vendors of slave devices are responsible for assigning control codes that are appropriate to their device. For
example, a manufacturer might assign 0x41 to a breaker and 0x03 to a pseudo point. In DNP3 there is no
significance to these codes providing the above restrictions are met.
A vendor must document the control codes its Slave devices support as follows:
• If all indices support the same control codes, the Device Profile Document shall note them.
• If a fixed configuration of differing control codes is used for some or all of the indices, the vendor shall
supply a points list with the Device Profile Document enumerating the codes.
• If the device is configurable per index to support a set of control codes, the Device Profile Document shall
note what the set is.
Affected Documentation:
• Basic 4 - Additional Rule
• Subset definitions - Additional Rule
• Conformance Procedures - Additional Tests
Desired Behavior
• For complementary function indices, the Outstation must accept at least one of the following control code pairs
• 0x03 (Latch On/NUL) and 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL)
• 0x41 (Pulse On/Close) and 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip).
• The outstation may optionally accept both forms of complementary control code pairs. If it does:
• control codes 0x03 (Latch On/NUL) and 0x41 (Pulse On/Close) must perform the same function
• control codes 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL) and 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip) must perform the same function
• For single function indices, the outstation must accept at least one of the following control codes
• 0x01 (Pulse On/NUL)
• 0x03 (Latch On/NUL)
• 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL)
• 0x41 (Pulse On/Close)
• 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip)
20-June-2001 2 TB2000-006
• If the outstation accepts more than one control code for a single function index, it must perform the same
function for each control code it accepts.
Last Updated:
20-June-2001
Status:
Approved February 5, 2001 by General Membership
20-June-2001 4 TB2000-006
DNP Technical Bulletin 9905-001
Qualifier Code 11 (0x0B)
Issue:
The use of Qualifier Code 11 must be clarified to permit consistent implementation of this
feature. It is expected that the use of this qualifier will become more widespread with objects
such as the File Identifier Object (Object 70).
It is also desirable to be able to determine that Qualifier 11 usage correctly follows the
interpretation indicated by this bulletin.
Resolution:
1. Range Field
The Range Field shall always be one octet when using Qualifier Code 11. The content of
this octet specifies the number of objects that follow.
2. Object Size
For each object (as indicated by the count value in the Range Field), the Object Size shall
indicate the number of octets in the following Object Identifier and any following
associated Object Data. By skipping forward this many octets, another Object Size field
(as indicated by the count value in the Range Field), another Object Header or the end of
fragment will be reached.
This allows messages containing objects specified by Qualifier Code 11 to be parsed and
the unrecognized objects ignored if the device does not support these objects.
Qualifier Code 11 shall use the same definitions of Index Size code as used by all other
Qualifier Codes. Index Size code 5 shall be used to specify the size of the object size
prefix for each object that follows an Object Header using Qualifier Code 11.
The obsolete Index Size codes (those defined for requests using Qualifier Code 11 that
contain no data) shall be removed, leaving a single table of Index Size codes that are
applicable in all situations.
The use of Index Size code 5 with Qualifier Code 11 shall indicate that the Range Field
and Object Size field are to be interpreted as defined by this bulletin.
This section explains the basis for the analysis and resolution of Qualifier Code 11 issues.
1. Range Field
The size of the Range Field (holding the Count of following objects) is described in
separate places as being:
• Always one octet
• Sized according to the value of the Index Size field
Only one of these interpretations is permissible.
The following sections of the Basic 4 Application Layer document define the use and
structure of object headers that include Qualifier Code 11.
• Section 3.7.2 describes the Qualifier Codes. In the description of the “Free Format
Qualifier” (Qualifier Code 11) this section states: “The Range Field is always a 1
octet value (Count) which specifies the number of object identifiers.”
• Section 3.7.3, figures 3-16 and 3-17 show examples for Qualifier Code 11 where the
Range Field (Count of objects) is the same size as the object size field (i.e.: the Range
Field is 1, 2 or 4 octets, for Index Size codes 1, 2 and 3 respectively).
• Sections 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and 4.3.1 show examples with Qualifier Code 11, Index Size 1
(Index/Qualifier octet value 0x1B). No examples are shown using Index Size codes 2
or 3 (specifying 2- or 4-octet Object Size fields). The associated text could be
interpreted as suggesting either that the Object Count size is always one octet or that
the Index Size sets both Object Count and Object Size to 1 octet.
Currently, for all Qualifier Codes (other than 11), the selection of Qualifier Code value
(alone) determines the form and size of the Range Field (i.e.: the Index Size code does
not affect the form or size of the Range Field). To maintain consistency for all defined
Qualifier Codes (0-9 and 11), the statement in Section 3.7.2 that the Range Field is
always one octet must be observed. Therefore, figures 3-16 and 3-17 are rendered
incorrect by this Technical Bulletin.
For all Qualifier Codes (other than 11), the selection of the Qualifier Code value
explicitly determines the form of the Range Field. If the statement in Section 3.7.2
(Range Field is always one octet) is observed, then the Qualifier Code alone will
determine the size of the Range Field for all defined Qualifier Codes (0-9 and 11). In this
case, the Index Size code only affects the size of each object’s index or object size fields,
and never affects the size of the Range Field. This is a more consistent interpretation than
to assume that figures 3-16 and 3-17 are correct and that the Index Size code also affects
the size of the Range Field.
The Object Size field (holding the size in octets of the following object) is described in
separate places as being the size of:
• The object identifier but not the object data
• The object identifier and the object data
Only one of these interpretations is permissible.
The following sections of the Basic 4 Application Layer document the use of the Object
Size field specified in association with Qualifier Code 11.
• Section 3.7.2 describes the Object Size field as being the size of the object identifier.
It does not make explicit mention of object data: the description only mentions each
object entry as consisting of a size and object identifier pairing.
• Section 3.7.3, figure 3-16 shows examples for Qualifier Code 11 with the Object Size
being the number of octets in the object identifier. This figure does not include object
data.
• Section 3.7.3, figure 3-17 shows examples for Qualifier Code 11 where the objects
include data. Here the description explicitly states that the Object Size field is the
count of octets in the object identifier only, and does not include the object data.
• Section 4.2.1 shows an example for Qualifier Code 11 with the Object Size being the
number of octets in the object identifier. This example does not include object data.
• Section 4.2.2 shows an example for Qualifier Code 11 where the objects include data.
Here the description explicitly states that the Object Size field is the count of octets in
the object identifier and the object data.
• Section 4.3.1 shows an example for Qualifier Code 11 where the objects include data.
Here the description explicitly states that the Object Size field is the count of octets in
the object identifier and the object data.
The format of objects specified when using Qualifier Code 11 is a number of consecutive
objects, each of which is preceded by a Size field indicating the size of that object. The
size of each object may be variable, and the inclusion of the size permits each object to be
parsed to its end. Thus a device parsing the object need not provide explicit support for
the object in order to be able to parse to the end of the object(s) and process the
remainder of the message.
If the Object Size field includes the size of the object identifier and any following object
data, it would not be necessary to interpret any part of the object identifier in order to be
able to skip to the next field. It appears that this is the logical purpose for this construct.
Therefore the Size field should include the number of octets in both the object identifier
and the object data.
The interpretation of Index Size codes for Qualifier Code 11 differ from the interpretation
of Index Size codes for other Qualifier Code values, and the definition of these codes is
The following sections of the Basic 4 Application Layer document the use of the Index
Size codes (specifically with relation to Qualifier Code 11).
• Section 3.7.2 defines the Index Size codes. This contains a description specifying a
table of Index Size code values to be used in a Request (with no object data) using
Qualifier Code 11 (codes 1, 2 and 3 only), and a table of values to use in all other
cases.
• Section 3.7.2 defines Qualifier Code 11. Here it states that Qualifier Code 11 should
be used with Index Size codes 4, 5 or 6 to define the object size.
• Section 3.7.3, figure 3-16 shows examples of requests or responses without data for
Qualifier Code 11. These examples use Index Size codes 1, 2, and 3.
• Section 3.7.3, figure 3-17 shows examples of requests or responses with data for
Qualifier Code 11. These examples use Index Size codes 1, 2, and 3.
• Section 4.2.1 shows an example of a request without data for Qualifier Code 11. This
example uses Index Size code 1.
• Section 4.2.2 shows an example of a response with data for Qualifier Code 11. This
example uses Index Size Code 1.
• Section 4.3.1 shows an example of a request with data for Qualifier Code 11. This
example uses Index Size Code 1.
All examples (sections 3.7.3 to 4.3.1) use Index Size codes 1, 2 or 3. This is only
consistent with the Index Size code definition in Section 3.7.2 when used for requests
without data. The definition of Qualifier Code 11 in Section 3.7.2 suggests the use of
Index Size codes 4, 5 and 6 to specify the object size, and does not suggest codes 1, 2 or
3. This is consistent for use of Qualifier Code 11 in responses or in requests that contain
data.
The purpose of Index Size codes 4, 5 and 6 is to specify an object size. This is the same
purpose achieved by Index Size codes 1, 2 and 3 for requests without data using Qualifier
Code 11. Thus the special cases of Index Size codes for requests without data using
Qualifier Code 11 are degenerate forms of codes 4, 5 and 6. The special cases may be
eliminated completely by using Index Size codes 4, 5 and 6 for all cases to specify Object
Sizes.
It is likely that existing implementations using Qualifier Code 11 will have followed the
examples from Sections 3.7.3 to 4.3.1, using Index Size codes 1, 2 or 3, and may have
made either interpretation for size of the Range Field and the content of the Object Size
field. Enforcing the adoption of Index Size codes 4, 5 and 6 in line with their usage for all
other Qualifier Codes will differentiate conformant implementations from non-
conformant (or possibly non-conformant) implementations.
Note: To further simplify processing, only Index Size code 5 (specifying a 2-octet size
field) shall be permitted with Qualifier Code 11.
Replace the description after “Q-code 11; Index size MUST be 5” with:
Octets Oi1 .. OiN form the object identifier for object i where 0<=i<Q (quantity)
which is followed by the object identified (IDi). The size field Ni contains a count of
the octets in the object identifier (Oi1 .. OiN) and the object identified (IDi). Note
that the Size N+1 field is located Size N octets after the Size N field. Note also that it
is not necessary to be able to interpret the object identifiers or data in order to be able
to process the remainder of the message.
Replace:
• The qualifier code specifies a list of object identifiers in the identifier field and the
range field is an 8 bit quantity. The size field is also an 8 bit quantity specifying
that the object identifier plus data is ‘size’ octets in length.
• The range field specifies the list contains 1 entry. The index size specifies that the
quantity field and Size field are 8-bit in length.
With:
• The qualifier code 11 specifies a list of object identifiers in the identifier field.
• The index size code of 5 specifies that a 16-bit object size field precedes each
object.
• The range field is an 8-bit quantity specifying the number of object identifiers that
follow.
Replace:
• The qualifier indicates the range field is an 8 bit quantity specifying the number of
object identifiers that follow
With:
• The qualifier indicates that the application identifier size field is a 16-bit quantity.
• The range field is an 8-bit quantity specifying the number of object identifiers that
follow.
Figure 4-36:
Replace:
• The qualifier indicates the range field is an 8 bit quantity specifying the number of
object identifiers that follow
With:
• The qualifier indicates that the configuration identifier size field is a 16-bit
quantity.
• The range field is an 8-bit quantity specifying the number of object identifiers that
follow.
Replace this section in its entirety with the reworded section appended below:
The qualifier field specifies the meaning of the following Range Field.
bit: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
R Index Size 4-bit Qualifier Code
The Range Field is used to index data or as an identifier. The structure and use of the
Range Field is dependent on the value in the Qualifier Code field. When the Range Field
is used to index data, it often consists of a Start Range value and a Stop Range value.
Together they define a range of objects in the data following the Object Header. Each of
the Start Range and Stop Range sub-fields is termed as index.
The Range Field may also be a single value, or may be absent if so specified by the
Qualifier Code. A single value may be a count of the objects following the Object
Header, or may specify the index range zero to (range field value – 1).
Table 3-1 lists the commonly-used combinations of Qualifier Code and Index Size Code
(Qualifier Field values), showing the size of the Range Field (in octets).
DNP permits combinations of Qualifier Code and Index Size Code that are not shown in
Table 3-1. These combinations are explained in Figures 3-16 and 3-17. Note that
combinations that do not appear in Table 3-1 are rarely used in DNP implementations,
and only where special conditions warrant their inclusion. It is recommended that only
combinations appearing in Table 3-1 should be used.
Explanations of the purpose of each Qualifier Code and Index Size Code appear
following the tables.
The 3 bit Index Size field specifies the size of the indices or object size prefixing each
object.
The Qualifier Code is used to specify the meaning of the Range Field. Qualifier Code
values are:
• Start and Stop Sub-Fields in the Range Field (Qualifier Codes 0–5)
The Range Field following the Qualifier field often contains sub-fields (Start
Range and Stop Range) that designate a range of integer values starting
numerically from Start Range (including the number Start Range) to Stop Range
(including the number Stop Range).
For Qualifier Codes 0, 1 and 2, Start Range and Stop Range are interpreted as
indices of data.
For Qualifier Codes 3, 4 and 5, Start Range and Stop Range are interpreted as
virtual memory addresses.
When the Qualifier Field equals 6, the length of the Range Field is 0 (i.e. no
Range Field) because all the data objects of the specified type are being referred
to. This qualifier can be used in messages with object headers only because it
cannot uniquely identify data objects if they are present in the message. The Index
Size should be set to 0 when this Qualifier Code is used.
Qualifier Codes 7, 8 and 9 are used to indicate that the Range Field consists of a
single count indicating the number of data objects in question. The Range Field
that follows designates the number of objects referenced.
If the Index Size field equals zero, the Range Field specifies the number of
objects referenced starting numerically from 0 (including 0) to the value in the
Range Field minus 1.
If the Index Size field is 1, 2 or 3 then the Range Field specifies the number of
indices and objects following the Range Field.
Qualifier Codes 7, 8 and 9 can be used in the request and response messages. In a
message with or without data objects, the value in the Range Field specifies the
number of data objects to be referred to. The Index Size field should be set to the
size of the indices that either pre-fix each data object (for messages with data
objects) or that form a sequential list of identifiers.
The Index Size field should not indicate an object size identifier as this would not
uniquely specify the data objects in question and should be set to 0 if no
identifiers or indices are following. The order of identifiers (and optional data
objects) is arbitrary but should not consist of duplicate indices unless specifying
distinct data instances for the same object (e.g.: multiple binary events for a single
binary input).
Qualifier 11 is used only when the Range Field (index) cannot uniquely specify
the data objects in question. In this case, the Qualifier Code defines a variable
length array of octets (string) that contains the object.
This object has a free-format and need not be interpreted in any way by the
application layer.
The Range Field is always a 1-octet value (Count) which specifies the number of
objects. Following the Range Field are Count object size field/object pairs. The
object size field that prefixes each object determines the size of the object (in
octets).
The size of the object size field is determined by the Index Size code. To simplify
processing, only Index Size code 5 is permitted, specifying the size of the object
size field to be 16-bits.
Qualifier Codes 10 and 12–15 are reserved and should not be used.
Issue:
Resolution:
This Bulletin further extends the requirements for configuration of URBE in slave
devices. Devices must support the ability of the end user or system integrator to
choose the maximum number of URBE retry attempts during configuration. One
of the choices must provide for an indefinite (and potentially infinite) number of
retries.
Affected Documentation:
Issue:
In contrast to the first example, consider the case where the message being
broadcast is “Disable Unsolicited Messages” being sent to reduce communication
traffic caused by a major system event. It may not be desirable to generate the
additional communication traffic for subsequent requests particularly when the
receipt of the original broadcast message was intended to reduce bandwidth
usage.
Both of the applications above may coexist in a single network. Thus it is desired
that the confirmation of the receipt of the broadcast message be dynamically
controlled by the master depending upon its requirements.
The DNP specification does not explicitly require or preclude the use of
application layer confirmations to confirm receipt of broadcast messages. Thus
there is a need to further refine the specification to enhance interoperability.
Resolution:
Additional broadcast addresses will be assigned for the purpose of signaling the
slave to request or suppress confirmation of receipt of the broadcast message. The
FFFE Messages sent to this address require that the IIN1-0 bit must be returned
with the application layer request for confirmation bit (Application
Control, bit 5) set. IIN1-0 may not be cleared in the slave until the
confirmation is received. Note: If unsolicited event reporting is enabled,
since IIN1-0 may be reported in conjunction with an unsolicited event
report, this response (which requires confirmation) will serve as the
notification that the All Stations message was received.
FFFD Messages sent to this address request the IIN1-0 bit to be returned with the
application layer request for confirmation bit (Application Control, bit 5)
suppressed. IIN1-0 will be cleared in the slave upon transmitting the first
response from the slave. Note: IIN1-0 may be reported in conjunction with
responses to requests that otherwise require confirmation, or with an
unsolicited event report, and since these requests/responses otherwise
require confirmation, the confirmation will not be suppressed even though
the message is sent with IIN1-0 set. Thus the use of the FFFD broadcast
address implies that confirmation requests in responses sent with the IIN1-
0 set should be suppressed, but that the confirmation may be requested if
required by the details of the response being issued.
Affected Documentation:
Issue:
The DNP V3.00 Application Layer specification discusses how to use and increment
application layer sequence numbers to detect duplicate messages. However, it does not
specify how these sequence numbers should be initialized or synchronized between two
devices. Because of this, it is possible for a device to erroneously believe it has received a
duplicate message if it or its peer device has recently restarted.
Furthermore, the specification does not discuss how a device receiving a broadcast message
should interpret the sequence number. This is a problem because each device on a broadcast
link may be expecting a different sequence number.
Resolution:
1. The receiver (master or slave) of a broadcast message does not check the sequence number.
Multi-fragment broadcast messages are not permitted.
2. The receiver (master or slave) of a non-broadcast fragment always checks the sequence
number against that of the previous fragment received, except as noted in (5) and (6) below.
3. If the sequence number matches the previous fragment, the receiver compares the incoming
fragment and the previous fragment byte-by-byte. This comparison was not specified in the
original DNP Application Layer description.
4. If both messages match byte-for-byte, then the receiver responds with the same data it sent as
its previous response but does not perform any further action.
5. If a Master is receiving an unsolicited response and the RESTART IIN bit is set, the master
accepts and executes the message regardless of sequence number, then clears the device’s
RESTART IIN. (This need not be a special case, since the RESTART bit will necessarily
make the unsolicited response at least one bit different that the previous one.) It continues
checking sequence numbers thereafter.
6. A device that has just restarted always accepts and executes the first message it receives,
regardless of sequence number. It begins checking sequence numbers thereafter.
7. A Master must never perform application layer retries of output operations, i.e. never send
two output messages with the same sequence number for SELECT, OPERATE, or DIRECT
OPERATE function codes.
Affected Documentation:
DNP V3.00 Application Layer
Chapter 3: Definition of DNP Message Fields
Section 3.2: Communication Flow Control
Section 3.3: Master Request & Unsolicited Response Collisions
1. Introduction
There has been significant confusion about the usage of Link layer confirmations vs. Application layer
confirmations and when neither, one or both should be used. The general users group membership has
requested that the Technical Committee provide a guideline on this subject. It is the purpose of this
document to review what we are trying to accomplish by the confirmation mechanisms and present a
general guideline for how to use these services effectively.
This guideline supersedes the recommendations presented in the Subset Definitions Revision 2.00 Dated
November 1995.
2. Background
In the above example a remote device may have 100 binary changes queued to report to its host. The host
may, however, request that only 20 changes be returned in the current request. The remote device must
have a mechanism for determining when and if the host received the 20 changes so that it can
1. Remove those changes from its change queue
2. Know what to return in the next request
Each DNP message can consist of one or more application layer “fragments”. Each fragment contains a
whole number of DNP objects, qualifiers, and point indices and is “Parsable” without any additional
assembling of partial messages (otherwise referred to as fragments or packets). In other words, a DNP
application layer is a “Understandable and Fully Digestible” piece of SCADA information.
Link frames are not necessarily parsable by themselves. For example, it may take 5 link layer frames
combined together to form a large DNP object that can be parsed by the application Layer.
2.8 Retransmissions
When the remote device requests either an application layer or a link layer confirmation it waits a specified
period of time before proceeding on to its next task. If the confirmation is not received within this period of
time the request is deemed to have “timed out” and the remote device can either give up for this
transmission or try again, retransmitting the exact same message again. The number of times a device will
try again is set to a relatively low number (usually 3).
Retransmissions can cause synchronization errors in the dialog between the remote device and the host if
one party retransmits and the other was not expecting it. In particular, this can cause collisions in a
Frequently Polled environment.
It should also be noted that the successful application of retries using collision avoidance techniques
depends on several factors. Among the most important factors include the robustness of the collision
avoidance mechanism employed and the load on the communications channel. If the mechanism is unable
to avoid a collision, retries may aggravate the situation and further reduce effective bandwidth of the
communications channel.
As with any communications system, careful attention must be paid to bandwidth allocation and
management for a successful system design. In particular, overloading communications circuits will have
undesirable effects on system performance. In a frequently polled configuration overloaded circuits will
elongate polling cycles (e.g. scans per second). In an unsolicited response configuration overloaded circuits
will render response times non-deterministic during periods of peak activity.
3. Summary
• It is recommended that Application layer confirmation be used for binary event data and data link
confirmations be disabled for all data for the following reasons.
4. Discussion
It should be noted that almost every Level 1 device (IEDs) returns its’ entire static data set in one
application fragment using only one link layer frame. In fact, at 9600 baud a full link layer message takes
approximately 1/3 of a second to transmit. In a typical Multi-dropped environment where the host will poll
each device for data in a round robin fashion, IEDs returning one full link frame per response would limit
the channel to 6 IEDs per port to maintain the typical 2 second update requirement of most SCADA
systems.
This estimate does not include the time required by the host to transmit the request or the latency in the turn
around time of the remote device or the key-on time of the communications circuit. In the “Real World” a 2
second update can be guaranteed for 3-4 IEDs that return full link layer frames assuming normal latencies.
If you add a link layer confirm to every packet you add at least 10 mS to each exchange between the host
and the remote device, not including device latency or communications latency.
Devices capable of report-by-exception greatly alleviate this problem by transmitting only the data that has
changed since the last request. In the steady state most responses indicate nothing has changed since the
last poll and consume only 17 mS per response. A host can manage (or limit) how much event data the
remote device returns by specifying a maximum number of events to return in the request, thereby
guaranteeing worst case turn around time.
performance penalty for application layer confirms is not significant the same thing can be accomplished
by reducing the application layer fragment size. This has the added benefit of intelligently requesting
confirms as well.
Plinkerror = (1 – Pnbitscorrect)
Plinkerror = (1 –(Ponebitcorrect )n )
Plinkerror = (1 - (1 - BER)n )
And
BER = Bit Error Rate
n = 296
Reducing application layer fragments sizewill correspondingly reduce the transmitted link layer frame size
(e.g. reducing n) and realize a reduction of error probability beyond that provided by link services (e.g.
Perror = (1 - (1 - BER)n )).
It should be noted that by reducing application size below link layer size:
• the probability that any one piece of data will make it successfully in high noise environments
is increased.
• the number of turn arounds necessary for large amounts of critical (event) data is increased.
• a practical minimum is no smaller than the largest application object that must be transmitted
plus overhead.
Even in cases when there is only one device on a line, the device may retry while the host is sending the
next request and cause a collision.
because (e.g.collisions) rarely occur. In fact, retries are a requirement when unsolicited responses are
used. Unsolicited data is by definition not expected by the master, and therefore it does not know to
request the data it is missing. The burden is therefore on the remote device to ensure it gets through.
Since we are not recommending the use of link layer confirmations, the Frame Control Bit (FCB) and its
associated logic and problems become unnecessary. If you plan never to request a link layer confirm then
there is not need to reset the link, or incorporate the added complexity in the device implementation. Note
however, that all devices must nevertheless respond to RESET LINK and confirmed user data frames with
the appropriate ACK or NACK frames. This is required for interoperability.
5. Conclusion.
It is the recommendation of the technical committee that link layer confirmation services not be used, but
that unconfirmed user data services be used at the link layer, and that application layer confirmation
services be used exclusively. It is further recommended that in high bit error rate environments (noisy) that
the application fragment size be reduced accordingly. Finally, Application layer or link layer retries should
never be used by a slave device in a frequently polled environment but are acceptable in a unsolicited
response environment assuming adequate collision recovery techniques are used.
Note: Despite the above recommendations certain devices may not be able to receive unconfirmed data link
frames back to back. If a device is capable of generating multiple link layer frames in a single response it is
recommended that it also be able to enable, via configuration, data link confirm requests for flow control.
Some User’s Group members have had difficulty discussing protocol issues because the DNP
documentation does not distinguish well between the sections of DNP messages defined at the Data Link
Layer, Transport Function, and Application Layer.
Resolution:
This bulletin formally distiguishes between an Application Layer fragment, a Transport Function
segment, and a Data Link Layer frame, and clarifies how these terms relate to the Open Systems
Interconnect (OSI) terminology used in much of the Basic 4 documentation.
OSI terminology refers to a Service Data Unit (SDU) and a Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The SDU is the
data presented to the service (upper) interface of a protocol layer by the layer above. The PDU is the data
actually formatted by the layer and passed to the layer below. In the DNP 3-layer model, “PDU” or “SDU”
may be preceded by “Application”, “Transport” or “Link”. Therefore, an APDU is the data transferred
from the application layer to the transport function, and may also be called a TSDU.
The following table defines fragment, segment, and frame and their corresponding OSI terms.
Affected Documentation:
DNP V3.00 Transport Functions
Chapter 2
Resolution
The VT protocol is defined to be the emulation of one or more independent communication links
between the Master and Slave devices which can exchange data. Each Slave communication
channel is assigned a Virtual Port number. These communication links transport proprietary
protocols and are typically used during initial testing and commissioning of a complete system.
The VT proposal is modeled after the TELNET portion of the Internet Protocol Suite.
This Technical Bulletin defines the VT protocol which can be used with DNP 3.0 devices. Two
new DNP objects are defined, along with the procedures for accessing these objects. Both polled
and report-by-exception (RBE) environments are supported. A number of observations are made
regarding this protocol along with recommendations to vendors and integrators concerning
tradeoffs. Finally, rules are defined for VT devices.
Object 112 is named the “Virtual Terminal Output Block” which is a static object structured
identically to object 110 (Octet String Object). This object is used only with the Function code
WRITE (FC=2) to send data from the Master side to the Slave side of the link.
Object 113 is named the “Virtual Terminal Event Data” which is an event structured identically to
object 111 (Octet String Event Object). This object is used to send data from the Slave side to the
Master side of the link. Master devices may use only Function codes READ (FC=1) or ENABLE
UNSOLICITED MESSAGE (FC=20) or DISABLE UNSOLICIED MESSAGES (FC=21) or
ASSIGN CLASS (FC=22) with this object whereas Slave use only Function codes RESPONSE
(FC=129) or UNSOLICITED MESSAGE (FC=130).
These objects obey the usual DNP rules for static and event objects except that object 112 is
NEVER returned in a Class 0 poll. In particular, object 113 can be assigned to Classes 1-3,
optionally support the assign class function code, and optionally be sent in an unsolicited
response.
The procedure for accessing these objects is as follows. Master devices transmit data to slave
devices by WRITEing one or more of object 112 to a Slave using the Virtual Port number as the
DNP point number. Slaves send information to the Master using the Virtual Port number either
by responding to a Master READ (FC=1) request of object 113 or using an Unsolicited Response
message (FC=130). Messages can flow in either direction at any time. There are no explicit
procedures for the initiation or conclusion of a VT session (i.e. implicit connections exist by the
mere presence of a VT compatible Slave IED).
(at this point, the Master somehow knows that the Slave will not send additional messages and
therefore it can cease polling the Slave VT port 0)
Responsibility for VT maintenance is split between the Master and Slave. The Master is
responsible for maintaining an environment that allows Slaves responses to be sent in a timely
manner. In a polled system, the Master must periodically poll for Slave responses whenever a
response is possible. In an unsolicited response environment, the Master must ensure that the
background data traffic is at a low enough level to ensure that Slave responses can be sent without
impacting more important event data. Slaves are responsible for generation of VT messages
either in response data sent by the Master or spontaneously.
Observations
• The VT definition allows users to interactively “log onto” an IED without requiring another
serial communication channel beyond the required DNP port. No structure has been defined
for the data passing in either direction. There are two implications of this:
• any octet oriented protocol (including both binary and ASCII) can be sent over VT
• there is no pre-defined "end-of-transmission" indicator.
• The lack of an "end-of-transmission" indicator implies that Masters must continuously poll
every possible Slave VT port unless responses will never be generated. Three conditions
allow Master to cease polling:
• Slave device is not VT capable
• the system is pre-configured for only unsolicited responses
• (somehow) the Master knows that responses cannot be sent from a VT-capable Slave
• Since DNP requires point numbers to begin at zero, every VT-capable Slave must support
Virtual Port 0
• VT traffic will use some DNP bandwidth. There is an implicit assumption made that excess
DNP bandwidth is to be traded for access to other communication channels within the IED.
Recommendations
• Masters should have some method to attempt retries of data transfer. If a human issues
commands, then this may be as simple as asking the human to repeat the command.
• Masters should have some means to determine the "end-of-transmission". Again, if a human
issues commands, this could be as simple as forcing the user to "disconnect" from the IED
when finished.
• If a Slave device has multiple communication ports with different capabilities, Virtual Ports
should also be provided. This allows a one-to-one mapping of physical ports to virtual ports.
Note that additional virtual ports could provide flexibility which does not exist at the physical
connection level.
• IEDs with large amounts of data transportable over VT should make provisions for limiting
the usage of the DNP link by VT. Possibilities include the ability to disable unsolicited
reporting and allowing configuration of object 113 to Class 1 or Class 2 or Class 3 polls.
• Limiting the length of the message strings both ensures maximum compatibility with
memory-limited devices and allows other higher priority messages to be interspersed with VT
messages. Note that a single data link fame accommodates up to a 240 octets VT message.
Rules
• Object 112 is used only with the WRITE function code from the Master. Reads are not
allowed.
• The point number(s) to be used for VT must appear in the Device Profile Document.
• Slaves which support VT must support the Response function code (FC=129). They may
optionally support Unsolicited Response and Assign Class functions.
Affected Documents
DNP 3.0 Data Object Library
Chapter 14: New chapter name to be determined.
Some devices require the capability to read and write single-byte values, for which the
existing analog input and output values are insufficient.
Resolution:
Reading and Writing of 8 bit memory locations could be implemented using this object
together with absolute addressing qualifiers.
Affected Documentation:
Description:
The 8-Bit Unsigned Integer Object represents a value from 0 to 255. This object is not
included in Class 0 poll response. For this object only read, write and response function
codes are permitted.
Object Coding:
The DNP User’s Group required a definition for a standard implementation of Floating
Point Objects and Floating Point Event Objects. These are required for representation of
analog quantities in floating point format.
Resolution:
• The existing object group 100 is not designated “Static”. To read a group 100
value, it is necessary to specifically request that group.
• It is recommended that existing group 100 objects not be used in the future.
• Short and Long Floating point variations have been added to object groups
30, 31, 32, 33, 40 and 41. Note that this includes floating point outputs as
well as static, frozen and event floating point inputs. Events can be reported
with or without timestamps. Attached Object Definitions specify details.
• These variations shall not be part of any current subset definition.
• If a device supports these floating point variations, it must provide a
configuration mechanism that will force these points to be reported as
integers when polled for Class Data or variation zero (0). It is appropriate for
the device to set the over-range flag if necessary due to conversion problems.
• When not configured to force reporting as integer, a remote device may
default to responding to a request for Class Data or variation zero (0) by
reporting some data as integer and some data as floating point.
Note:
• The extended format used in Object 100 Variation 3 has not included.
• The floating point variations of objects 30, 31, 32, 33, 40 and 41 do not
include the Units field used in Object 100. An alternate mechanism for
providing this information may be provided in the future.
Affected Documentation:
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog input at
the time of reporting or the last reported value from the originating device,
and follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard.
The flag field holds information about the point and has the same meaning
as previous objects with the following additions:
The over-range field indicates that the analog signal is out of range for the
A to D converter to process.
The reference check field indicates that the reference signal used to
digitize the analog input is not stable and the resulting digitized value
may not be correct.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
*S = Sign
The absolute value can be derived from the value field as follows:
where: si = Mantissa[0..22]
and Exp = Exponent[0..7]
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog input at
the time of reporting or the last reported value from the originating device,
and follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
*S = Sign
The absolute value can be derived from the value field as follows:
Description:
The frozen value field holds the floating point value of the analog input at
the time of the last Freeze command was completed on this point, and
follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
This field is as described for the value field of Object 30 Variation 5.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Frozen Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The frozen value field holds the floating point value of the analog input at
the time of the last Freeze command was completed on this point, and
follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
This field is as described for the value field of Object 30 Variation 6.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Frozen Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog input at
the time of reporting or the last reported value from the originating device,
and follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard. This object is only reported when an event occurs such as a
deadband excursion. This field is as described for the value field of Object
30 Variation 5.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog input at
the time of reporting or the last reported value from the originating device,
and follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard. This object is only reported when an event occurs such as a
deadband excursion. This field is as described for the value field of Object
30 Variation 6.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog input at
the time of reporting or the last reported value from the originating device,
and follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard. This object is only reported when an event occurs such as a
deadband excursion. This field is as described for the value field of Object
30 Variation 5.
The time field shows the time at which the processing caused the event.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
Time
48 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog input at
the time of reporting or the last reported value from the originating device,
and follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard. This object is only reported when an event occurs such as a
deadband excursion. This field is as described for the value field of Object
30 Variation 6.
The time field shows the time at which the processing caused the event.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
Time
48 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The frozen value field holds the floating point value of the analog input at
the time of the last Freeze command was completed on this point, and
follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
This field is as described for the value field of Object 30 Variation 5.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Frozen Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The frozen value field holds the floating point value of the analog input at
the time of the last Freeze command was completed on this point, and
follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
This field is as described for the value field of Object 30 Variation 6.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Frozen Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The frozen value field holds the floating point value of the analog input at
the time of the last Freeze command was completed on this point, and
follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
This field is as described for the value field of Object 30 Variation 5.
The time field shows the time at which the processing caused the event.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Frozen Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
Time
48 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The frozen value field holds the floating point value of the analog input at
the time of the last Freeze command was completed on this point, and
follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754 standard.
This field is as described for the value field of Object 30 Variation 6.
The time field shows the time at which the processing caused the event.
The flag field has the same meaning as the flag field of Object 30
Variation 5.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Frozen Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
Time
48 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog output,
and follows the format for a short real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard. This field is as described for the value field of Object 30
Variation 5.
The flag field holds information about the point and has the same meaning
as previous objects.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
*S = Sign
Narrative:
Description:
The value field holds the current floating point value of the analog output,
and follows the format for a long real as specified by the IEEE-754
standard. This field is as described for the value field of Object 30
Variation 6.
The flag field holds information about the point and has the same meaning
as previous objects.
Object Coding:
Flag
7 0
Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
*S = Sign
Narrative:
Description:
The requested value field holds the desired floating point value of the
analog output, and follows the format for a short real as specified by the
IEEE-754 standard. The actual value is returned in the analog output
status object. This field is as described for the value field of Object 30
Variation 5.
The control status field indicates the status of the analog control operation
in the same way as the control relay output block. The definition of this
field is the same as the control relay output block.
Object Coding:
Requested Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
Control
Status
7 0
*S = Sign
Description:
The requested value field holds the desired floating point value of the
analog output, and follows the format for a long real as specified by the
IEEE-754 standard. The actual value is returned in the analog output
status object. This field is as described for the value field of Object 30
Variation 6.
The status field indicates the status of the analog control operation in the
same way as the control relay output block. The definition of this field is
the same as the control relay output block.
Object Coding:
Requested Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 10 0 51 0
Control
Status
7 0
*S = Sign
Issue:
The DNP V3.00 Data Link Layer specification, Chapter 7: Physical Procedures, discusses
many different issues and configurations of physical connections in a general manner.
Unfortunately, it does not clearly describe how to avoid collisions between messages,
especially unsolicited messages, sent by several devices sharing a half-duplex, multi-drop
link. This bulletin is intended to provide that description.
Resolution:
The physical layer must provide an indication to the data link layer of when the link is in use,
e.g. using the DCD (Data Carrier Detect) signal.
If a device prepares to transmit and finds the link busy, it waits until it is no longer busy, then
waits a backoff_time as follows:
After the backoff_time, the device tries again, either indefinitely, or up to a configurable
maximum number of retries. If a maximum is used, the protocol behaves as if a link failure
occurred, i.e. data is returned to buffers at the application layer and application layer retries
take place if desired.
The fixed_delay can be adjusted per device to provide priority of access. For instance, it
could be zero (0) for masters and non-zero for all the slave devices. This provides a minimum
"window" of access time for the master(s).
Affected Documentation:
DNP V3.00 Data Link Layer
Chapter 7: Physical Procedures
It has been noted that some vendors have assigned as-yet-unallocated DNP Object and
Variation numbers to private objects. This allocation can lead to incompatible extensions to
the protocol. Guidelines regarding this practice are required.
Resolution:
• DNP must not be used to transport objects other than those already published by the
DNP User Group in the DNP Protocol Specification documents or in DNP Technical
Bulletins.
• Proposals for extensions to the protocol can be presented for consideration by the
User Group’s Technical Committee, and will be included in the protocol if
considered appropriate. The Technical Committee may alter any proposed object or
variation numbering in accordance with established guidelines, and may also revise
other details of the proposal to ensure compatibility with other aspects of the
protocol. Proposals should be submitted to the Secretary of the DNP User Group,
together with relevant supporting documentation describing the proposed new object
or variation and its purpose.
• Note that it is extremely rare for the Technical Committee to introduce new features
to the protocol that are not completely backward-compatible with the existing
published protocol definition. From time to time the Technical Committee may issue
advisory bulletins that clarify the protocol definition, or make recommendations on
aspects of protocol implementation.
• Implementors should note that the Private Registration Object (Object 83) permits the
definition of vendor-specific data objects. This object may be used for adding
proprietary features to devices that communicate using DNP.
Affected Documentation:
Nil.
Explanatory Notes:
The analog input reporting deadband is normally used in one of two ways depending on
the capabilities and configuration of the reporting equipment:
• Fixed Deadband. If the absolute value of the difference between the last-reported
value of an analog input object and the current value of that object exceeds the
deadband value, then an event is generated for that object with the current value sent
as the value for the event.
• Integrating Deadband. While the value of an analog input object differs from the
last-reported value for that object, the difference is integrated over time. When the
integral of the difference exceeds the deadband, then an event is generated for that
object with the current value sent as the value for the event.
It is assumed that only one of these two mechanisms is being used. This means that a
single deadband value is assigned for each analog input point, not two separate values (a
fixed deadband value and an integrating deadband value) assigned for each point.
Resolution:
The DNP Technical Committee has allocated Object 34 as the means of reporting or
setting the reporting deadband value of an Analog Input. This object will support the
Read and Write functions. It will not be reported in response to Read requests for Class 0
Data (that is: It will only be returned in response to a Read command that specifically
requests Object 34). The master may alter the value of an analog input’s deadband by
issuing a Write command containing the Analog Input Reporting Deadband Object.
Object 34 has no flags. The indices assigned to Object 34 parallel those assigned to
Object 30. This means that the reporting deadband for Object 30 Index n is Object 34
Index n, events on this point are reported as Object 32 index n.
Three variations of Object 34 are defined: 16-bit and 32-bit integer formats and a
floating-point format. Systems that only report analog events using integer formats
(Object 32 Variations 1–4) should use the integer variations of Object 34 (Variations 1
and 2). Systems that can report analog events using floating-point formats (Object 32
Variation 5–8) may use either the floating-point variation of Object 34 (Variation 3) or
the integer variations (Variations 1 and 2), and must perform conversion between integer
and floating-point formats as required by DNP Technical Bulletin 9804-006. It is
recommended that for each individual point, the same format (integer or floating-point as
required) be used with Objects 30, 32 and 34.
Object 34 may be used for setting or reporting either a Fixed Deadband value or an
Integrating Deadband value. For a fixed deadband, the value set will be the absolute
September 10, 1998 1 of 6 9809-001.doc
difference value in Counts (Variations 1 and 2) or floating-point Engineering Units
(Variation 3). For an Integrating Deadband, the value set will be the difference value in
Count Seconds (Variations 1 and 2) or Engineering Unit Seconds (Variation 3) (i.e.: The
integral over time of the difference between the last reported value and the current value).
Object 34 Variation 1 uses a 16-bit unsigned integer data representation. Deadbands are
positive values, the range of deadbands that can be represented is 0–65535 (0x0–
0xFFFF).
Object 34 Variation 2 uses a 32-bit unsigned integer data representation. Deadbands are
positive values, the range of deadbands that can be represented is 0–4294967295 (0x0–
0xFFFFFFFF).
Object 34 Variation 3 uses the short real (32-bit) floating-point format specified in the
IEEE 754 standard. While this format permits negative values, deadbands should only be
set to positive values (0.0–+INF).
Implementation notes:
A deadband of zero will permit any change to generate an event and a deadband of the
full range of the variable will prevent events from ever being generated. Hence selecting a
deadband of 4294967295 prevents event generation from any integer analog input, and
selecting a value of +INF (positive infinity) prevents event generation from any floating-
point analog input object.
In systems that use fixed deadbands, setting the deadband value to the maximum range of
the analog input will inhibit event generation for that input. For example: An 8-bit analog
input may have a range of -128–127, setting the reporting deadband for this point to 255
(or more) will prevent all event reporting for that point.
If a Read request for Object 34 Variation 1 is issued, any point deadband value greater
than 65535 will be reported in the response as the value 65535 (the largest value that can
be reported in a 16-bit unsigned integer). A Read request for Object 34 Variation 2 should
be issued if integer deadband values greater than 65535 must be reported correctly.
The response to a Read request for Object 34 Variation 0 may include any variation of
Object 34, in accordance with the slave device’s capabilities and configuration. Note that
if the device is capable of reporting Object 34 Variation 3 (floating-point), then the
device must be configurable to only report data using Variations 1 and 2, in accordance
with the requirements stated in DNP Technical Bulletin 9804-006.
A slave device that supports Object 34 is not required to maintain deadband values
through reset (when it sets IIN Bit 7), and may revert to configured (or default) deadband
values on reset. If the slave device preserves updated deadband values through reset, then
this should be noted in the device profile.
Any deadband values altered by the use of Object 34 prior to the slave reset may be lost.
The DNP Master is responsible for re-sending any updated deadband values to the slave
after a slave reset if this is deemed necessary.
September 10, 1998 2 of 6 9809-001.doc
Affected Documentation:
Details:
Description:
The index number identifying a deadband object is the index number of the
corresponding Analog Input Object (Object 30).
Object Coding:
Deadband Value
15 0
NOTES:
• This object is valid with the Application Layer function codes Read, Write
and Response. The object will only be included in a Response message if
specifically requested in a Read message.
• For analog inputs having fixed deadbands, the Deadband Value is the
deadband count value. For analog inputs using integrating deadbands, the
Deadband Value is the integrated deadband in count-seconds.
• The response to a Read request using Variation 1 will report the value 65535
for any deadband value that is greater than 65535.
September 10, 1998 3 of 6 9809-001.doc
32-Bit Analog Input Reporting Deadband Object
Description:
The index number identifying a deadband object is the index number of the
corresponding Analog Input Object (Object 30).
Object Coding:
Deadband Value
31 0
NOTES:
• This object is valid with the Application Layer function codes Read, Write
and Response. The object will only be included in a Response message if
specifically requested in a Read message.
• For analog inputs having fixed deadbands, the Deadband Value is the
deadband count value. For analog inputs using integrating deadbands, the
Deadband Value is the integrated deadband in count-seconds.
Description:
The deadband value field contains the value of the deadband in the 32-bit short
real format specified in the IEEE 754 Standard. This is as described for the value
field of Object 30 Variation 5 (Refer to DNP Technical Bulletin 9804-006).
The index number identifying a deadband object is the index number of the
corresponding Analog Input Object (Object 30).
Object Coding:
Deadband Value
S Exponent Mantissa
0 7 0 22 0
NOTES:
• This object is valid with the Application Layer function codes Read, Write
and Response. The object will only be included in a Response message if
specifically requested in a Read message.
• For analog inputs having fixed deadbands, the Deadband Value is the
deadband engineering unit value. For analog inputs using integrating
deadbands, the Deadband Value is the integrated deadband in engineering
unit-seconds.
Issue:
The data link had a problem when one station or the other is powered down and up
without the other stations knowledge. The first poll to a remote device failed because the
remote has not yet received a LINK RESET frame. Without application retries,
communications may not be recovered for the polling interval, perhaps hours or days.
Resolution:
Following a restart or power-up, prior to receiving a Reset Link frame both Master and
Slave devices must respond with a data link layer CONFIRM NACK having DFC=0
when they receive a frame having FCV=1 (SEND/CONFIRM), rather than just
discarding the frame. A power up failure will now be detected quickly by not having to
wait for retries to be completed.
Upon receipt of the NACK , the Data Link layer will make the indication to the
application layer to determine the course of action.
This will prevent the first transaction after power up from failing.
Affected Documents:
The DNP User’s Group required the Subset Definition be amended to include a list of
minimum subset options in the Control Relay Output Block.
Resolution:
Addressing Issues
There are two possible ways to provide access to Trip/Close or Raise/Lower relays:
2 Points Per Address - Both operations are performed specifying the same DNP point
number. The value of the Trip/Close field selects the appropriate one of a pair of relays.
1 Point Per Address - The Trip or Raise operation is performed on a different DNP point
number than the Close or Lower operation. The remote device may return a Status of 4
(operation not supported) if an inappropriate operation is performed.
The “2 Points Per Address” method is not recommended for new designs.
The next version of the DNP V3.00 Data Object Library shall be updated to redefine the
Trip/Close field as:
Paired Operation = BS2[ 6..7] <00, NULL; 01, Close|Lower; 10, Trip| Raise>
On-Time
It is recommended that if a device’s hardware only supports one pulse width (specified by
On-Time), it does not reject other values but simply ignores the specified width. This
will help with interoperability.
Documentation
The addressing method for Trip/Close or Raise/Lower operations and any features
supported in addition to the minimum specified above must be described in the Device
Profile Document. In particular, the method used for variable Raise/Lower operations
(variable On-Time, or variable Count, or neither) must be documented. Any features not
supported because of lack of hardware must also be documented.
Affected Documentation:
Issue:
The DNP User’s Group required a definition for a standard implementation for
Cold/Warm Restart implementation sequence. It was previously unclear when a remote
should actually perform a restart after receiving a restart request:
• immediately after transmitting the response
• after receiving a data link confirm to the response
• after receiving an application confirm
Resolution:
It is recommended that neither data link layer nor application layer confirmation be
requested when sending a response to a Cold Restart or Warm Restart request.
This implies that restart should begin immediately after sending the response. Devices
that cannot be sure exactly when the response will be completely sent can wait a suitably
large time and “pad” that time into the master wait time returned in the response.
Affected Documentation:
The DNP User’s Group required a definition for a standard object for Octet (Character)
strings. The need arose to transport ASCII or other data of varying lengths. Initial uses
considered were for Passwords or other character strings, but other uses have arisen as
well.
Resolution:
A new object, Object 110, is defined as an Octet String Object. The variation within the
object represents the length for the Octet string. Devices are not required to support any
particular length of string. The event object associated for the Octet String Object is
Object 111.
NOTE:
Reading and Writing of 8 bit memory locations could be implemented using this object
together with absolute addressing qualifiers.
Please refer to the following Data Link Object Definitions for Details.
Affected Documentation:
Description:
The Octet String Object represents a value from 0 to 255. Each 8 bit data element may
contain a variety of information from ASCII passwords to configuration details. This
object is not included in Class 0 poll response. The variation within the object represents
the length. For this object only read, write and response function codes are permitted.
Object Coding:
Description:
The Octet String Event Object represents an event value from 0 to 255. Each 8 bit data
element may contain a variety of information from ASCII passwords to configuration
details. The variation within the object represents the length. For this object only read,
response and unsolicited response function codes are permitted.
Object Coding:
Issue:
The DNP User’s Group required new engineering unit definitions for Floating Point
Objects.
Resolution:
The following “Units” codes have been added to all floating point objects defined within
DNP:
20 quantity having no unit of measurement
21 m3 /s (volumetric flow in cubic meters per second)
22 kPa (pressure in kilopascals)
255 units unknown or undefined
23 to 254 remain available for future assignment
Affected Documentation:
Issue:
The implementation of Reset Link Frames has recently caused some controversy with
different vendors providing differing subsets. To avoid possible incompatibilities, the
following resolutions were adopted.
Resolution:
Affected Documentation:
Preface:
Users often have a requirement that their system should not lose information that may be used as part of a
post disturbance fault review or system behavior audit. The user may also want to manage and control the
behavior of the communications process in his system.
These requirements are often overlooked during the early stages of a project and may be costly to
implement at a latter stage of the project.
If the user has these requirements, then systems designers, especially when building systems of a
hierarchical nature with devices that may be provisioned from multiple vendors, need to provide a solution.
Implementing pseudo points and communicating their data using standard DNP3 data objects for these
“system management” functions provides a solution that is inter-operable between different vendor devices.
The following parts of this Application Note describe a solution using system management data points that
may benefit users when these are designed into the outstation and sub-master devices.
Details:
When building a system such as shown in Figure 1 below it is necessary that the master have enough
information to enable the user to perform system reviews and audits at any time after a network disturbance
has occurred.
DNP3 RTU
(device B)
DNP3 RTU
(device D)
end devices
These reviews and audits are often performed using the telemetry event log held at the master. Information
pertaining to the network disturbance will be present in the event log whilst the system is behaving as
normal, but there are situations where information could be lost, for example:
• If an end device performs a restart
• If communications between devices is lost and buffer overflows occur
Also the user’s communications network may be based on dial-up devices and it is useful to collect
information pertaining to the performance of the dial-up network:
Page 1
Implementation:
The system management data points can be described under a number of different functional requirements:
Page 2
Page 3
4. Final words
The examples above are by no means an exhaustive list, and IEDs and sub-masters may have other
information that may be important for managing these nodes. This information can be mapped to
conventional data points (one example of this is making information about software revisions
available to higher level masters).
Disclaimer
Application Notes contain information developed by users and are provided for the benefit of other
users. They illustrate how the features of DNP3 were used to meet specific user requirements. While
this Application Note has been reviewed by the DNP Technical Committee, it may not contain all of
the details that are necessary for a complete DNP3 implementation. The DNP Technical Committee
does not warrant the completeness of the information contained within this document, nor does it
warrant that the approach taken is the most appropriate in all situations. Other users must make their
own determination as to the suitability of this information for their specific application.
Page 4
Preface:
SCADA systems in the UK water industry have traditionally been implemented with a communications
protocol that is proprietary to the system vendor. These proprietary protocols have evolved over the years
to meet specific requirements of the end-users. A number of UK users are now collaborating in an initiative
to move to an open protocol in order to gain some independence from specific vendor solutions.
If open protocols such as DNP3 are to be used then they must meet the base requirements of the users.
The following parts of this Application Note describe how one UK user incorporated DNP3-based
outstations into his SCADA system as his choice for applying an open protocol.
Details:
Some of the user requirements were easily identified:
• The ability of an outstation to sample measured values at periodic intervals, store these (with a time-
stamp) for a reasonable amount of time, and then either report all of the values to the SCADA master
at a later time or wait until the SCADA master solicits their values. This requirement is referred to as
trending.
• The ability of an outstation to maintain a list of critical events that cause immediate unsolicited
reporting from the outstation. This requirement is referred to as alarming.
• The ability of an outstation to maintain a list of non-critical events that do not cause immediate
unsolicited reporting from the outstation. This requirement is referred to as eventing. It is a
requirement that eventing co-reside with normal unsolicited alarm reporting by the outstation.
• The ability of an outstation to perform local computations and logic functions. These are user defined,
preferably using outstation features that are compatible with the IEC 61131-3 standard (Programmable
Controllers Part 3, Programming Languages). Although this does not immediately impact the
communications protocol there are user requirements to:
− Change the user programs from a remote location (usually the SCADA master)
− Allow the SCADA master to change operational values employed by the user programmable logic
Both of these requirements do have an impact on the communications protocol.
• The ability of the SCADA master to send configuration parameters to the outstation
Implementation:
The end-user installed outstations at sites where he had special, advanced requirements:
• To compute the flow of water from a measurement of the head of water at a weir. This computation
needs a number of configuration values that are dependent on the characteristics of the specific weir
site. The user requires downloading these values from the SCADA master.
• To trend the computed flow value, and other analogue measurements, at 15 minute intervals
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30 December 2003 AN2003-001 Using DNP3 In the UK Water Industry
The outstations may be used in the future at sites where the trend values are taken at a different interval.
Under circumstances where the communications are lost for a period of time, the outstation is required to
hold up to 5000 trended values. Similarly, at these future sites the user requires eventing for up to 1000
events.
These advanced user requirements were implemented into the SCADA system using standard DNP3
protocol features:
This unsolicited RBE mode is additionally controlled with enable and disable commands from the
master station. The master station can individually select which of the three event classes are
enabled for unsolicited reporting.
• Data object variations. DNP3 permits data from various data types, known as Object Groups, to be
reported in various formats, known as Variations. For example: The change of an analog
measurement can be sent with 16-bit or 32-bit integer resolution or as a floating-point value. These
values can be reported with or without the time of measurement.
Some variations are commonly used and are specified as required variations for conformance to
the DNP3 implementation subset levels. Some of the variations described in this case study are not
required in the subset specifications, therefore, not all DNP3 devices support them. Any utility
planning to use this case study as an implementation guideline should verify that the equipment
that they propose to use does implement these optional variations. This is readily verified by
reference to the relevant device’s DNP3 standard implementation documentation, known as the
“DNP Device Profile”.
In the following sections details are given of meeting the user requirements using the event class
feature of the protocol. The choice of which specific event classes are used was an arbitrary decision,
the requirements could be met with any choice of event classes. However, an important aspect of this
is that the specific requirement being satisfied is the only one to be assigned to that class.
2. Trending
Trending was achieved using a software application in the outstation that periodically generates
"Analogue Input Change Events" — using variations with time. The user locally configures which
outstation database analogue inputs are to be trended and the event generation interval. These are
configured as class 3 events.
Although these event variations are not mandatory in the subset definitions, experience has shown that
all commonly used DNP3 Test Sets and SCADA systems parse and process these events.
The user requires several modes for accessing these trend events, which is controlled by the timing of
the actual flow of the trend events into a class queue and by the enabling and disabling of unsolicited
reporting of this class of events. These modes are detailed below:
Page 2
30 December 2003 AN2003-001 Using DNP3 In the UK Water Industry
(a) Unsolicited trend retrieval, once per day
When the user requires this mode unsolicited
response to
the outstation is configured with SCADA master
the time of day that trend events
are to be sent to the SCADA
master, with a repetition time set unsolicited
reporting is
to 24 hours. At the configured at the configured enabled
time of day the outstation puts the time of day
Class 3
trend events into the DNP3 class event queue
3 reporting queue. The SCADA (see note 1)
master must have previously Analogue change events with time
enabled unsolicited reporting for
class 3 events (using function
Notes:
code 0x14).
1. The choice of class 3 is arbitrary, using class 1 or class 2
can also achieve the required functionality.
SCADA master to read at its 1. The choice of class 3 is arbitrary, using class 1 or class 2
can also achieve the required functionality.
leisure - in the particular case for
this UK user every 1 hour.
(c) On-demand read request from the SCADA master
This mode of operation is very similar to the mode (b) above, except in this case the SCADA master
has been triggered by a system event (which may be totally unrelated to data points in this outstation) to
go to the outstation to read the trend events that are available. This mode of operation uses the same
trending configuration in the outstation as for mode (b).
3. Eventing
Eventing was achieved by configuring the events generated from binary inputs associated with non-
critical status conditions (either real inputs or pseudo inputs derived from the IEC 61131-3 user
program) to class 2.
The SCADA master ensures that unsolicited reporting is disabled for class 2, and thus the events are
not reported until solicited by the SCADA master (typically once per day, or on-demand if the SCADA
master sees a system event that triggers a solicited read).
Page 3
30 December 2003 AN2003-001 Using DNP3 In the UK Water Industry
4. Alarming
Alarming was achieved by the user configuring the events generated from binary inputs associated
with critical alarm conditions (either real inputs or soft inputs derived from IEC 61131-3 user program)
to class 1.
The SCADA master ensures that unsolicited reporting is enabled for class 1. Thus alarm events are
reported in unsolicited responses to the SCADA master as soon as they occur.
5. Remote configuring
Remote configuring was only partially defined for the initial application. The user had no requirement
to remotely load the IEC 61131-3 user program. This is a desired future requirement, to be provided
once the general scope of remote loading is analyzed across the complete group of UK water users. It
is expected that this requirement can be satisfied by using file control objects (DNP Object Group 70).
However, the UK user required sending a limited set of configuration values to the outstation from the
SCADA master. These values are used at the outstation by the locally defined IEC 61131-3 program.
This requirement was satisfied by the outstation analogue output pseudo points that are locally
configured with default values. The master writes values to output points at RTU restart time. The IEC
61131-3 program uses the values stored in these pseudo analogue outputs for its computations. At any
time the SCADA master can set new values by issuing a command to the respective point using an
analogue output block object (DNP Object Group 41) and the select and operate function codes.
Future work:
This application note is the first in what is expected to be a series of application notes describing the
use of DNP3 in the UK water industry. Further notes will be written when:
• The industry decides that it wants to use DNP3 as its "open" protocol
• The industry clearly defines its requirements
Disclaimer
Application Notes contain application information developed by users and are provided for the benefit
of other users. This note illustrates how the features of DNP3 were used to meet specific user
requirements. This Application Note has been reviewed by the DNP Technical Committee. It does not
contain all of the details that are mandatory for a complete DNP3 implementation, and the Committee
does not warrant that the approach taken is the only way to use DNP3 to meet the user requirements.
Page 4
30 December 2003 AN2003-001 Using DNP3 In the UK Water Industry
Distributed Network Protocol (DNP3-2003)
DNP3-2003
Intelligent Electronic Device (IED)
Certification Procedure
Subset Level 1
Version 2.3
29-Sept-03
Disclaimer Statement
DNP User Group documents and publications are not consensus documents.
Information contained in this and other works has been obtained from sources
believed to be reliable, and reviewed by credible members of the DNP User Group
and/or the DNP User Group Technical Committee. Neither the DNP Users Group
nor any authors/developers of DNP documentation guarantee, and each such person
expressly disclaims responsibility for ensuring, the accuracy or completeness of any
information published herein, and neither the DNP Users Group nor its
authors/developers shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages
arising out of use of this document.
Likewise, while the author/developer and publisher believe that the information and
guidance given in this work serves as an enhancement to users, all parties must rely
upon their own skill and judgment when making use of it. Neither the author nor the
publisher assumes any liability to anyone for any loss or damage caused by any
error or omission in the work, whether such error or omission is the result of
negligence or any other cause. Any and all such liability is disclaimed.
This statement was developed by the DNP User Group Technical Committee and
represents the considered judgment of a group of software developers with expertise
in the subject field. The DNP User Group is a global forum for users and
implementers of the protocol and promotes implementers and developer
information and interaction exchange. This work is published with the
understanding that the DNP User Group and its authors/developers are supplying
information through this publication, not attempting to render engineering or other
professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate
professional should be sought. The DNP User Group is not responsible for any
statements and/or opinions advanced in this publication.
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group. Revisions or
additions to the definition and functionality of the DNP Protocol cannot be made
without express written agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorised
party. In addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to in
any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement with the DNP
Users Group or a Party duly authorised by the DNP Users Group.
The DNP Users Group has made every reasonable attempt to ensure the
completeness and accuracy of this document. However, the information contained in
this manual is subject to change without notice, and does not represent a
commitment on the part of the DNP Users Group. An update program for DNP
documents is provided upon request by the DNP Users Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
DNP is a trademark of the DNP Users Group. Any brand and product names
mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
Sections in this document marked with the symbol "§" constitute new requirements or clarifications beyond the Basic 4
Document set. These sections may create interoperability problems with implementations done prior to the publication of
this test procedure. However, the DNP Users' Group approved these changes at the annual 1999 meeting based on strong
recommendation from the Technical Committee. These requirements and clarifications will greatly improve interoperability
and extensive efforts have been made to minimize the impact on existing implementations.
2 Notes
1. This procedure is an attempt to produce interoperability between Master and IED devices, although such interoperability
can NOT be guaranteed. However, it does gives reasonable assurance that Masters which can be configured to match
items in the IED Device Profile Document will interoperate.
2. Wherever the following procedures generate a specific number of events, it is acceptable to use an alternate number
supported by the device provided that the intent of the test is still satisfied.
3. This is not a factory acceptance test, but a protocol test. Therefore only selected outputs will be tested to verify protocol
operation.
5. If not explicitly stated all tests imply verification that all points in a normal operating state are reported with all flag bits
except the ONLINE bit clear and the ONLINE bit is set. Alternatively, verification that the object is reported with the
“without flags” variation is also implied.
6. Sections marked with three asterisks (***) extend the requirements of the device beyond DNP3-2000.
8. All application layer tests use unconfirmed link services using a request link control block of 0xC4 unless specified
otherwise.
9. When time tagged events are reported the certification procedures do not measure the absolute accuracy of the reported
times. They do however verify that the reported times are updated in a reasonable manner. The Device Profile Document
specifies the accuracy with which the device measures the event. This accuracy is guaranteed by the vendor, not the
certification procedures.
10. If not explicitly stated all tests imply verification that a response to a request has the same application sequence number
as the request. If the request generates multiple application fragments also verify that the application sequence number of
each subsequent fragment increments by 1 modulo 16.
11. These tests assume that the device will only generate events as controlled by the tester, as specified in the procedure.
13. Responses to all properly formed requests, must result in either the specific action or behavior described in the protocol
or in a correctly-formed, appropriate protocol error response. In addition, devices must continue to operate without
interruption or anomalous behavior in response to properly or improperly formed requests.
3.1 General
Master Device that sends DNP application function codes 0-23.
Slave Device that sends DNP application function code 0,128,129 (also known as “IED”).
Operate This is an action taken by the Slave in response to a Master DNP request. This action does not include
transmission of a response. Examples of an operation are an audible relay click, change in an LED status, or
change in the internal state of the Slave. Note that some operations are difficult to observe without intimate
knowledge of the Slave device. The inability to observe an operation does not mean that an operation failed to
take place.
Request Any message from a Master to a Slave where a response from the Slave is expected.
Response Message from Slave caused by a Master Request. Responses are classified as follows:
• No response: No octets are sent by Slave
• Link only response: 10 octet message consisting of only a link layer message
• Null Response: Message containing a 17-octet link/transport/application response with no error IIN bits set
and no application objects.
• Normal Response: Message containing an application response which has no error IIN bits set, and has no
objects which indicate errors
• All responses must begin with the same application sequence number as the corresponding request.
• For Multi-fragment responses the first fragment must have the same sequence number as the request and
each subsequent fragment must increment the sequence number by 1 modulo 16.
Error Response A response that has any or all of the Error IIN bits set which may also contain data.
1. The term “significant change” refers to any of the synonymous terms: “event” or “change event”.
2. Change Objects and Static Objects are related in that a significant change in a point’s static value results in the creation
of a corresponding Change Object entry
3. A significant change for a point is defined to occur:
• for a binary point, on any change in state, and
• for a numeric point, on any change in value greater than the point’s threshold
3.4.1 § Rules
A device may claim that it supports a specific Change Object if and only if processing for that Change Object can be
configured to adhere to the following rules.
1. Change processing must be supported for all points in the corresponding Static Object.
2. The determination that a point has undergone a significant change can be determined only by using information from that
point’s current or past value. Decisions based on information about any other point, directly or indirectly, are explicitly
forbidden.
3. For numeric Change Objects, the Device Profile must clearly specify the algorithm used for each point or set of points
that specifies how the deadband(s) for those points are determined.
4. All changes must be returned to a host that issues a request for any specific Change Object, limited only by qualifier and
range codes in the request.
Some devices may decide to limit the set of points included in Change Object processing (in violation of rule 1), or to invoke
a more complicated algorithm for determining a significant change (in violation of rule 2). While these implementations may
be useful in specific instances, such devices may not check compliance with the corresponding Change Object in their Device
Profile Documentation unless the device is configurable to conform to the rules above.
5 Pretest Review
Before testing proceeds it is necessary to review documentation and equipment supplied by the vendor for completeness and
appropriateness to the application. In particular the vendor must have provided the test facility with the following items.
• Device Profile Document
• Device to be tested
• Wiring Diagrams for
• Power
• Communications (e.g. RS232, RS485, Bell 202, IEEE 802.3)
• Input connections
If a device generates any response requiring a higher level master to parse it, the following actions should be taken:
A manufacturer’s representative should be available by phone to answer questions during the testing of the device.
For an invalid function code or invalid FCV, the DUT may also respond with LINK SERVICE NOT IMPLEMENTED.
NOTES:
• These procedures do not test whether the DUT rejects frames having the DIR bit set incorrectly. Implementers of Slave
IEDs must, however, clear this bit (0) in all their transmissions to aid monitoring their device’s output on protocol
analyzers. This is tested in section “DIR and FCV Bits”.
• It is optional whether devices choose to filter frames based on source address, and is therefore not tested here. The
Device Profile Document indicates whether or not filtering is performed based on the source address.
To perform the remainder of this test, a general-purpose protocol analyzer capable of generating any sequence of data is
necessary. If a DNP-specific protocol analyzer is being used for testing, it should be used to monitor the exchange between
the general-purpose analyzer and the DUT.
To perform the remainder of this test, a general-purpose protocol analyzer capable of generating any sequence of data is
necessary. If a DNP-specific protocol analyzer is being used for testing, it should be used to monitor the exchange between
the general-purpose analyzer and the DUT.
Transport Header
bit 7 bit 6 bits 5-0
FIN FIR Sequence number
Table 7-1
It is the hosts’ responsibility to determine the appropriate control mechanism. It is also the hosts’ responsibility to perform
select before operate control when it is unacceptable to have the control point operated more than once. This is typically a
configuration item in the host and is the responsibility of the end user to configure properly.
It is the outstations’ responsibility to perform the control operation if a correct control dialog has been issued from the host.
If the DUT is configurable in a manner such that points can be uninstalled or disabled, the device must be configured with at
least one Binary Output point installed or enabled before proceeding with the test procedure.
The following assumes that the device supports control operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin TB2000-
002 (Control Retries):
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that increment the application sequence
number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must be restarted after reception of each select.
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that do not increment the application
sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must remain unaltered by the reception of
each additional select.
• The DUT must reject any operate that does not:
– contain a application layer sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the previously
accepted select.
– match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
• The DUT must accept retries on the operate portion of the control dialog that does not increment the application
sequence number between retries. The DUT must echo the operate command but must not operate the control more
than once.
The following assumes that the device does support control operations, however there are no control points installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any control outputs installed, it must respond to a select with an Error Response setting
IIN2-1 or IIN2-2.
8.2.1.2.6 Binary Output, SBO, Execute On Time does not match Select On Time
1. Issue a select using Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), a control code
supported by the device and an appropriate on time/off time.
2. Verify that the DUT responds by echoing the select message exactly.
3. Immediately issue a execute to Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), the same
control code as the select, the on time incremented by 1 and the same off time as the previous select.
4. Verify that the DUT echoes the execute with the control status field set to 2 [No previous matching select].
5. Verify that no control point operates.
8.2.1.2.8 Binary Output, SBO, Select with supported Code, Execute with different Code
1. Issue a select using Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), a control code
supported by the device and an appropriate on time/off time.
2. Verify that the DUT responds by echoing the select message exactly.
3. Immediately issue an execute to Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), a
control code different from the previous select, and the same on time/off time as the previous select.
4. Verify that the DUT echoes the execute with the control status field set to 2 [No previous matching select].
5. Verify that no control point operates.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports control operations:
• The DUT responds to a direct operate to an uninstalled data point by returning an Error response with IIN2-2 set and a
status code of 4. The control does not operate.
The following behavior assumes that the device does support control operations, however there are no control points
installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any control outputs installed, it must respond to a direct operate with an Error Response
setting IIN2-1 or IIN2-2.
The following assumes that the device supports control operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin TB2001-
001 (Multiple Control Object and Status Codes):
• The DUT responds to requests having more points than are supported in a single message with a status code of 8 for
at least the first point that is beyond the point count limit.
• The DUT responds to a select to an uninstalled control point by returning an error response with IIN2-2 set and a
status code of 4.
• The outstation may optionally accept both forms of complementary control code pairs. If it does:
– control codes 0x03 (Latch On/NUL) and 0x41 (Pulse On/Close) must perform the same function
– control codes 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL) and 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip) must perform the same function
• For single function indices, the outstation must accept at least one of the following control codes:
– 0x01 (Pulse On/NUL)
– 0x03 (Latch On/NUL)
– 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL)
– 0x41 (Pulse On/Close)
– 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip)
• If the outstation accepts more than one control code for a single function index, it must perform the same function
for each control code it accepts.
It is the hosts’ responsibility to determine the appropriate analog output mechanism. It is also the hosts’ responsibility to
perform select before operate control when it is unacceptable to have the analog output point operate more than once. This is
typically a configuration item in the host and is the responsibility of the end user to configure properly.
It is the outstations’ responsibility to perform the analog output operation if a correct control dialog has been issued from the
host.
If the DUT is configurable in a manner such that points can be uninstalled or disabled, the device must be configured with at
least one Analog Output point installed or enabled before proceeding with the test procedure.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports analog output operations:
• The maximum select to execute delay time must be specified in the Device Profile Document.
• The DUT responds to matching select and execute requests by echoing each request with the status field set to 0. The
specified analog output operates.
• The DUT responds to selecting an uninstalled analog output point by returning an error response with IIN2-2 set and a
status code of 4. The analog output point does not operate.
• The DUT responds to executing an installed analog output point after the configured acceptable select to execute delay
by echoing the execute and setting the status field to 1[Execute received after timeout]. The analog output does not
operate.
• The DUT responds to a non-matching execute with a status field of 2 [No previous matching select] and does not operate
the analog output under the following conditions:
• No prior select issued.
• Value does not match.
• The DUT operates various selected analog output points.
• The DUT supports 8 and 16 bit point indexing.
The following assumes that the device supports analog output operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin
TB2000-002 (Control Retries):
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the analog output dialog that increment the application sequence
number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must be restarted after reception of each select.
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the analog output dialog that do not increment the application
sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must remain unaltered by the reception of each
additional select.
• The DUT must reject any operate that does not
• contain a application layer sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the previously accepted
select.
• match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
• The DUT must accept retries on the operate portion of the analog output dialog that does not increment the application
sequence number between retries. The DUT must echo the operate command but must not operate the analog output
more than once.
The following behavior assumes that the device does support analog output operations, however there are no analog output
points installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any analog outputs installed, it must respond to a select with an Error Response setting IIN2-
1 or IIN2-2.
8.4.1.2.5 Analog Output, SBO, Execute Value does not match Select Value
1. Issue a select using Object 41 Variation 2 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17) and an appropriate
value.
2. Verify that the DUT responds by echoing the select message exactly.
3. Immediately issue an execute to Object 41 Variation 2 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17) and the
same value incremented by 1.
4. Verify that the DUT echoes the execute with the status field set to 2 [No previous matching select].
5. If an analog output is observed to operate, the test fails.
The following assumes that the device supports analog output operations:
• The DUT responds to a Direct Operate to an installed analog output point echoing the direct operate and setting the
status field to 0. The specified analog output operates.
• The DUT responds to a Direct Operate to an uninstalled analog output point by returning an Error Response with IIN2-2
set and a status code of 4. No analog outputs shall be observed to operate.
• The DUT operates various analog output points.
The following assumes that the device does support analog output operations, however there are no analog output points
installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any analog outputs installed, it must respond to a direct operate with an Error Response
setting IIN2-1 or IIN2-2.
The following assumes that the device supports analog output operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin
TB2001-001 (Multiple Control Object and Status Codes):
• The DUT responds to requests having more points than are supported in a single message with a status code of 8 for
at least the first point that is beyond the point count limit.
• The DUT responds to a select to an uninstalled analog output point by returning an error response with IIN2-2 set
and a status code of 4.
8.5.1 Class 0
This request is used to read all static data from a device. The device must respond with the current state of its data when this
object is requested.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
Acceptable object variations and qualifier combinations included in a device response are specified in the following table.
Numbers preceded by 0x are in hex.
8.5.2 Class 1
This request is used to read change or event data from a device. The device must respond with events that have occurred
since the last poll/confirm sequence. If the response is not null, verify that the device requests an application layer confirm.
If the response is null, the request for the application layer confirm is optional and may be eliminated to reduce bandwidth.
Points can be assigned to a class by configuration and through the protocol. Neither is required for compliance. The minimum
level of compliance is for the device to respond with a Null Response.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
If a device can be configured to generate Application Layer retries, this feature must be disabled for all tests in this section
unless otherwise specified.
Acceptable object variations and qualifier combinations included in a device response are specified in the following table.
Numbers preceded by 0x are in hex.
† Note: Use of the Binary Change with Relative Time Object (Object 2, Variation3) requires that a Common Time of
Occurrence Object (Object 51, Variation01 or 02) precede it in the same APDU. This behavior must be verified in any
response that contains a Binary Change with Relative Time Object. Binary Input changes more than 0xFFFF milliseconds
apart must have a second CTO Object.
* Note: Common Time of Occurrence objects
Note: A device is not required to return event data in any particular class.
Points can be assigned to a class by configuration and through the protocol. Neither is required for compliance. The minimum
level of compliance is for the device to respond with a Null Response.
If a device can be configured to generate Application Layer retries, this feature must be disabled for all tests in this section
unless otherwise specified.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
Note: A device is not required to return event data in any particular class.
Points can be assigned to a class by configuration and through the protocol. Neither is required for compliance. The minimum
level of compliance is for the device to respond with a Null Response.
If a device can be configured to generate Application Layer retries, this feature must be disabled for all tests in this section
unless otherwise specified.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
Note: A device is not required to return event data in any particular class.
Note: If Binary Inputs can be configured in more than one class, they must be configured for at least one of each class for
these tests.
8.6 Indications
The Internal Indications is an information element used to convey internal states and diagnostic results of a device. If a
specific indication is not supported it must be reported as de-asserted (0) in all cases.
8.6.1 Restart
The Restart Bit of the Internal Indications field is set to 1 when the user application at the device restarts, i.e. a device's input
power is cycled. This bit is cleared when the master station writes a 0 into this location.
8.6.4 Local
8.6.4.2 Test Procedure for Devices with Global Remote Supervisory Control
1. If the DUT does not support placing its binary outputs in a local state no further testing is required in this section.
2. If the DUT supports a global feature for enabling or disabling remote supervisory control, ensure that this is set to the
“Enabled” or “Remote” mode.
3. Issue a request for Object 10 Variation 0 using the all data qualifier 0x06.
4. Verify that the device responds with a valid message and that IIN1-5 is cleared.
5. Change the DUT’s global switch to the “Disabled” or “Local” mode.
6. Issue a request for Object 10 Variation 0 using the all data qualifier 0x06.
7. Verify that the device responds with a valid message and that IIN1-5 is set.
8.6.4.3 Test Procedure for Devices with Individual Remote Supervisory Control
1. If the DUT does not support placing its binary outputs in a local state, no further testing is required in this section.
2. If the device allows for individual control point remote supervisory control, all points should be set to the “Enabled” or
“Remote” mode.
3. Issue a request for Object 10 Variation 0 using the all data qualifier 0x06.
4. Verify that the device responds with Object 10 Variation 2 and that IIN1-5 is cleared.
8.7 Time
§ If the device sets IIN1-4, the Device Profile must state the worst case values for the following parameters for the full
operating temperature and support all of the tests in this section.
• Time base drift over a 10-minute interval.
• Maximum delay measurement error.
• Maximum internal time reference error when set from the protocol.
• Maximum response time.
If a device does not set IIN1-4 it need not support any of the tests in this section.
8.7.2 Synchronization
The Time and Date Object (Object 50 Variation 01) is an information object that represents the absolute time of day and date,
recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1, 1970, at zero minutes, zero seconds, and zero milliseconds. This object is
usually used for time-synchronization.
Note that the following procedures verify the mechanics of time synchronization, verify that the time format is correct, and
that synchronization appears to have occurred. The actual accuracy of time synchronization is dependent on device accuracy
and system configuration and should be tested separately (factory and/or site acceptance tests).
• The application layer FIR bit must be set in the first fragment (only).
• The application layer FIN bit must be set in the final fragment (only).
• The application layer sequence number of the first fragment must match that of the request.
• The application layer sequence number must increment between fragments.
• Transport layer segmentation must operate correctly within each fragment.
• The fragment size must be able to be configured to be no larger than 2048 octets.
• If the fragment size is configurable, it must behave accordingly.
• If the device cannot generate more than one fragment, the FIR and FIN bits in the application layer header must signify
that there is only one APDU in the reply.
NOTE: The DUT is not required to request application layer confirmation on the last fragment of a response (unless required
for other reasons tested elsewhere in this document).
Although unsolicited responses may be used with collision avoidance, the two features are independent. For instance, a
device might not support collision avoidance, but support unsolicited responses in a dial-up environment. Therefore, all that
is needed to test unsolicited responses is a full-duplex serial connection to the DUT.
8.11.1.1 Configuration
Devices that support unsolicited responses must support end-user configuration of the following parameters (e.g.: by
front-panel user interface or off-line configuration):
• The destination address of the Master device to which the unsolicited responses are to be sent.
• The unsolicited response mode (either “on” or “off”). When the unsolicited response mode is configured “off”, the
device is to behave exactly like an equivalent device that has no support for unsolicited responses.
• § The unsolicited confirmation timeout. This is the amount of time between transmissions of unconfirmed unsolicited
responses. The range of configurable values must include 1 second to 1 minute, but may be extended in either direction
(slower or faster) to take advantage of, or to compensate for, faster or slower devices or communications media. This
may be either the normal application confirmation timeout, or another parameter that performs the same purpose only for
unsolicited responses.
• § Maximum number of unsolicited retry attempts. One of the choices must provide for an indefinite (and potentially
infinite) number of retries.
Note: Enabling and disabling exception reporting does not enable/disable the storage of the events, just the reporting.
A device may be certified as supporting collision avoidance in one of the following ways:
• Detecting out-of-band carrier (e.g. DCD)
1. with the aid of an external device
2. without the aid of an external device
• Detecting transmitted data (e.g. TX/RX line).
For these tests, the supplier of the DUT must specify which method the DUT uses to detect other devices are transmitting. If
necessary, the supplier must supply hardware (modems etc.) and test equipment suitable for testing this feature.
The test equipment must be capable of measuring time between two characters transmitted on the link.
Although unsolicited responses may be used with collision avoidance, the two features are independent. For instance, a
device might not support collision avoidance, but support unsolicited responses in a dial-up environment. However,
The physical layer must provide an indication to the data link layer of when the link is in use, e.g. using the DCD (Data
Carrier Detect) signal or simply monitoring all data on the link.
If a device prepares to transmit and finds the link busy, it waits until it is no longer busy, then waits a backoff_time as
follows:
After the backoff_time, the device tries again, either indefinitely, or up to a configurable maximum number of retries. If a
maximum is used, the protocol behaves as if a link failure occurred, i.e. data is returned to buffers at the application layer and
application layer retries take place if desired.
The fixed_delay can be adjusted per device to provide priority of access. For instance, it could be zero (0) for masters and
non-zero for all the slave devices. The fixed_delay for the slaves must be greater than the max_random_delay for the master.
This provides a minimum "window" of access time for the master(s). To absolutely guarantee the master’s priority, the
master would not have a random delay.
0 DFC Secondary
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Function Codes:
0 ACK CONFIRM
1 NACK CONFIRM
00 80 ACK
40 C0 RESET LINK
Frame Header:
Byte 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
UNSOLICITED
SEQUENCE
0x04 Operate
0x05 Direct Operate
0x06 Direct Op, No Ack QUALIFIER CODE
INDEX SIZE
LOCAL
RESTART
NEED TIME
CLASS 3
CLASS 2
CLASS 1
ALL STATIONS
DEV. TROUBLE
0x07 Immediate Freeze
0x08 Immediate Freeze No Ack 0 – 8-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x09 Freeze and Clear 0 – No Index, Packed
1 – 16-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x0A Freeze and Clear No Ack 1 – 1 Octet Index
2 – 32-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x0B Freeze with Time 2 – 2 Octet Index
3 – 8-Bit Absolute Address Identifers
DNP = Distributed 0x0C Freeze with Time No Ack 3 – 4 Octet Index
4 – 16-Bit Absolute Address Identifiers
Network 0x0D Cold Restart 4 – 1 Octet Object Size
5 – 32-Bit Absolute Address Identifers
Protocol 0x0E Warm Restart 5 – 2 Octet Object Size
6 – No Range Field (all)
6 – 4 Octet Object Size
APDU = Application
0x0F Init Data to Defaults SECOND OCTET 7 – 8-Bit Quantity
0x10 Initialize Application 8 – 16-Bit Quantity
Protocol Data 0x11 Start Application 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 – 32-Bit Quantity
Unit 0x12 Stop Application 11 – (0xB) Variable Array
0x13 Save Configuration
APCI = Application 0x14 Enable Unsolicited Msgs
Protocol 0x15 Disable Unsolicited Msgs
OBJECT UNKNOWN
BAD CONFIG
RESERVED
RESERVED
ALREADY EXEC
BUFFER OVERFLOW
OUT OF RANGE
BAD FUNCTION
Control 0x16 Assign Class
Information 0x17 Delay Measurement INDEX SIZE (QUAL CODE = 11)
0x18 Record Current Time
DUI = Data Unit 0 – Dataless Object; No Further Indexing
Identifier 1 – 1 Octet Index or Identifier Size
2 – 2 Octet Index or Identifier Size
IO = Information 3 – 4 Octet Index or Identifier Size
Object
DNP3-2003
Intelligent Electronic Device (IED)
Certification Procedure
Subset Level 2
Version 2.3
29-Sept-03
Disclaimer Statement
DNP User Group documents and publications are not consensus documents.
Information contained in this and other works has been obtained from sources
believed to be reliable, and reviewed by credible members of the DNP User Group
and/or the DNP User Group Technical Committee. Neither the DNP Users Group
nor any authors/developers of DNP documentation guarantee, and each such person
expressly disclaims responsibility for ensuring, the accuracy or completeness of any
information published herein, and neither the DNP Users Group nor its
authors/developers shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages
arising out of use of this document.
Likewise, while the author/developer and publisher believe that the information and
guidance given in this work serves as an enhancement to users, all parties must rely
upon their own skill and judgment when making use of it. Neither the author nor the
publisher assumes any liability to anyone for any loss or damage caused by any
error or omission in the work, whether such error or omission is the result of
negligence or any other cause. Any and all such liability is disclaimed.
This statement was developed by the DNP User Group Technical Committee and
represents the considered judgment of a group of software developers with expertise
in the subject field. The DNP User Group is a global forum for users and
implementers of the protocol and promotes implementers and developer
information and interaction exchange. This work is published with the
understanding that the DNP User Group and its authors/developers are supplying
information through this publication, not attempting to render engineering or other
professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate
professional should be sought. The DNP User Group is not responsible for any
statements and/or opinions advanced in this publication.
The contents of this manual are the property of the DNP Users Group. Revisions or
additions to the definition and functionality of the DNP Protocol cannot be made
without express written agreement from the DNP Users Group or its duly authorised
party. In addition, no part of this document may be altered or revised or added to in
any form or by any means, except as permitted by written agreement with the DNP
Users Group or a Party duly authorised by the DNP Users Group.
The DNP Users Group has made every reasonable attempt to ensure the
completeness and accuracy of this document. However, the information contained in
this manual is subject to change without notice, and does not represent a
commitment on the part of the DNP Users Group. An update program for DNP
documents is provided upon request by the DNP Users Group.
TRADEMARK NOTICES
DNP is a trademark of the DNP Users Group. Any brand and product names
mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
Sections in this document marked with the symbol "§" constitute new requirements or clarifications beyond the Basic 4
Document set. These sections may create interoperability problems with implementations done prior to the publication of
this test procedure. However, the DNP Users' Group approved these changes at the annual 1999 meeting based on strong
recommendation from the Technical Committee. These requirements and clarifications will greatly improve interoperability
and extensive efforts have been made to minimize the impact on existing implementations.
2 Notes
1. This procedure is an attempt to produce interoperability between Master and IED devices, although such interoperability
can NOT be guaranteed. However, it does gives reasonable assurance that Masters which can be configured to match
items in the IED Device Profile Document will interoperate.
2. Wherever the following procedures generate a specific number of events, it is acceptable to use an alternate number
supported by the device provided that the intent of the test is still satisfied.
3. This is not a factory acceptance test, but a protocol test. Therefore only selected outputs will be tested to verify protocol
operation.
5. If not explicitly stated all tests imply verification that all points in a normal operating state are reported with all flag bits
except the ONLINE bit clear and the ONLINE bit is set. Alternatively, verification that the object is reported with the
“without flags” variation is also implied.
6. Sections marked with three asterisks (***) extend the requirements of the device beyond DNP3-2000.
8. All application layer tests use unconfirmed link services using a request link control block of 0xC4 unless specified
otherwise.
9. When time tagged events are reported the certification procedures do not measure the absolute accuracy of the reported
times. They do however verify that the reported times are updated in a reasonable manner. The Device Profile Document
specifies the accuracy with which the device measures the event. This accuracy is guaranteed by the vendor, not the
certification procedures.
10. If not explicitly stated all tests imply verification that a response to a request has the same application sequence number
as the request. If the request generates multiple application fragments also verify that the application sequence number of
each subsequent fragment increments by 1 modulo 16.
11. These tests assume that the device will only generate events as controlled by the tester, as specified in the procedure.
13. Responses to all properly formed requests, must result in either the specific action or behavior described in the protocol
or in a correctly-formed, appropriate protocol error response. In addition, devices must continue to operate without
interruption or anomalous behavior in response to properly or improperly formed requests.
3.1 General
Master Device that sends DNP application function codes 0-23.
Slave Device that sends DNP application function code 0,128,129 (also known as “IED”).
Operate This is an action taken by the Slave in response to a Master DNP request. This action does not include
transmission of a response. Examples of an operation are an audible relay click, change in an LED status, or
change in the internal state of the Slave. Note that some operations are difficult to observe without intimate
knowledge of the Slave device. The inability to observe an operation does not mean that an operation failed to
take place.
Request Any message from a Master to a Slave where a response from the Slave is expected.
Response Message from Slave caused by a Master Request. Responses are classified as follows:
• No response: No octets are sent by Slave
• Link only response: 10 octet message consisting of only a link layer message
• Null Response: Message containing a 17-octet link/transport/application response with no error IIN bits set
and no application objects.
• Normal Response: Message containing an application response which has no error IIN bits set, and has no
objects which indicate errors
• All responses must begin with the same application sequence number as the corresponding request.
• For Multi-fragment responses the first fragment must have the same sequence number as the request and
each subsequent fragment must increment the sequence number by 1 modulo 16.
Error Response A response that has any or all of the Error IIN bits set which may also contain data.
1. The term “significant change” refers to any of the synonymous terms: “event” or “change event”.
2. Change Objects and Static Objects are related in that a significant change in a point’s static value results in the creation
of a corresponding Change Object entry
3. A significant change for a point is defined to occur:
• for a binary point, on any change in state, and
• for a numeric point, on any change in value greater than the point’s threshold
3.4.1 § Rules
A device may claim that it supports a specific Change Object if and only if processing for that Change Object can be
configured to adhere to the following rules.
1. Change processing must be supported for all points in the corresponding Static Object.
2. The determination that a point has undergone a significant change can be determined only by using information from that
point’s current or past value. Decisions based on information about any other point, directly or indirectly, are explicitly
forbidden.
3. For numeric Change Objects, the Device Profile must clearly specify the algorithm used for each point or set of points
that specifies how the deadband(s) for those points are determined.
4. All changes must be returned to a host that issues a request for any specific Change Object, limited only by qualifier and
range codes in the request.
Some devices may decide to limit the set of points included in Change Object processing (in violation of rule 1), or to invoke
a more complicated algorithm for determining a significant change (in violation of rule 2). While these implementations may
be useful in specific instances, such devices may not check compliance with the corresponding Change Object in their Device
Profile Documentation unless the device is configurable to conform to the rules above.
5 Pretest Review
Before testing proceeds it is necessary to review documentation and equipment supplied by the vendor for completeness and
appropriateness to the application. In particular the vendor must have provided the test facility with the following items.
• Device Profile Document
• Device to be tested
• Wiring Diagrams for
• Power
• Communications (e.g. RS232, RS485, Bell 202, IEEE 802.3)
• Input connections
If a device generates any response requiring a higher level master to parse it, the following actions should be taken:
A manufacturer’s representative should be available by phone to answer questions during the testing of the device.
For an invalid function code or invalid FCV, the DUT may also respond with LINK SERVICE NOT IMPLEMENTED.
NOTES:
• These procedures do not test whether the DUT rejects frames having the DIR bit set incorrectly. Implementers of Slave
IEDs must, however, clear this bit (0) in all their transmissions to aid monitoring their device’s output on protocol
analyzers. This is tested in section “DIR and FCV Bits”.
• It is optional whether devices choose to filter frames based on source address, and is therefore not tested here. The
Device Profile Document indicates whether or not filtering is performed based on the source address.
To perform the remainder of this test, a general-purpose protocol analyzer capable of generating any sequence of data is
necessary. If a DNP-specific protocol analyzer is being used for testing, it should be used to monitor the exchange between
the general-purpose analyzer and the DUT.
To perform the remainder of this test, a general-purpose protocol analyzer capable of generating any sequence of data is
necessary. If a DNP-specific protocol analyzer is being used for testing, it should be used to monitor the exchange between
the general-purpose analyzer and the DUT.
Transport Header
bit 7 bit 6 bits 5-0
FIN FIR Sequence number
Table 7-1
It is the hosts’ responsibility to determine the appropriate control mechanism. It is also the hosts’ responsibility to perform
select before operate control when it is unacceptable to have the control point operated more than once. This is typically a
configuration item in the host and is the responsibility of the end user to configure properly.
It is the outstations’ responsibility to perform the control operation if a correct control dialog has been issued from the host.
If the DUT is configurable in a manner such that points can be uninstalled or disabled, the device must be configured with at
least one Binary Output point installed or enabled before proceeding with the test procedure.
The following assumes that the device supports control operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin TB2000-
002 (Control Retries):
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that increment the application sequence
number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must be restarted after reception of each select.
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the control dialog that do not increment the application
sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must remain unaltered by the reception of
each additional select.
• The DUT must reject any operate that does not:
– contain a application layer sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the previously
accepted select.
– match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
• The DUT must accept retries on the operate portion of the control dialog that does not increment the application
sequence number between retries. The DUT must echo the operate command but must not operate the control more
than once.
The following assumes that the device does support control operations, however there are no control points installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any control outputs installed, it must respond to a select with an Error Response setting
IIN2-1 or IIN2-2.
8.2.1.2.6 Binary Output, SBO, Execute On Time does not match Select On Time
1. Issue a select using Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), a control code
supported by the device and an appropriate on time/off time.
2. Verify that the DUT responds by echoing the select message exactly.
3. Immediately issue a execute to Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), the same
control code as the select, the on time incremented by 1 and the same off time as the previous select.
4. Verify that the DUT echoes the execute with the control status field set to 2 [No previous matching select].
5. Verify that no control point operates.
8.2.1.2.8 Binary Output, SBO, Select with supported Code, Execute with different Code
1. Issue a select using Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), a control code
supported by the device and an appropriate on time/off time.
2. Verify that the DUT responds by echoing the select message exactly.
3. Immediately issue an execute to Object 12 Variation 1 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17), a
control code different from the previous select, and the same on time/off time as the previous select.
4. Verify that the DUT echoes the execute with the control status field set to 2 [No previous matching select].
5. Verify that no control point operates.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports control operations:
• The DUT responds to a direct operate to an uninstalled data point by returning an Error response with IIN2-2 set and a
status code of 4. The control does not operate.
The following behavior assumes that the device does support control operations, however there are no control points
installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any control outputs installed, it must respond to a direct operate with an Error Response
setting IIN2-1 or IIN2-2.
The following assumes that the device supports control operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin TB2001-
001 (Multiple Control Object and Status Codes):
• The DUT responds to requests having more points than are supported in a single message with a status code of 8 for
at least the first point that is beyond the point count limit.
• The DUT responds to a select to an uninstalled control point by returning an error response with IIN2-2 set and a
status code of 4.
• The outstation may optionally accept both forms of complementary control code pairs. If it does:
– control codes 0x03 (Latch On/NUL) and 0x41 (Pulse On/Close) must perform the same function
– control codes 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL) and 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip) must perform the same function
• For single function indices, the outstation must accept at least one of the following control codes:
– 0x01 (Pulse On/NUL)
– 0x03 (Latch On/NUL)
– 0x04 (Latch Off/NUL)
– 0x41 (Pulse On/Close)
– 0x81 (Pulse On/Trip)
• If the outstation accepts more than one control code for a single function index, it must perform the same function
for each control code it accepts.
It is the hosts’ responsibility to determine the appropriate analog output mechanism. It is also the hosts’ responsibility to
perform select before operate control when it is unacceptable to have the analog output point operate more than once. This is
typically a configuration item in the host and is the responsibility of the end user to configure properly.
It is the outstations’ responsibility to perform the analog output operation if a correct control dialog has been issued from the
host.
If the DUT is configurable in a manner such that points can be uninstalled or disabled, the device must be configured with at
least one Analog Output point installed or enabled before proceeding with the test procedure.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports analog output operations:
• The maximum select to execute delay time must be specified in the Device Profile Document.
• The DUT responds to matching select and execute requests by echoing each request with the status field set to 0. The
specified analog output operates.
• The DUT responds to selecting an uninstalled analog output point by returning an error response with IIN2-2 set and a
status code of 4. The analog output point does not operate.
• The DUT responds to executing an installed analog output point after the configured acceptable select to execute delay
by echoing the execute and setting the status field to 1[Execute received after timeout]. The analog output does not
operate.
• The DUT responds to a non-matching execute with a status field of 2 [No previous matching select] and does not operate
the analog output under the following conditions:
• No prior select issued.
• Value does not match.
• The DUT operates various selected analog output points.
• The DUT supports 8 and 16 bit point indexing.
The following assumes that the device supports analog output operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin
TB2000-002 (Control Retries):
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the analog output dialog that increment the application sequence
number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must be restarted after reception of each select.
• The DUT must accept retries on the select portion of the analog output dialog that do not increment the application
sequence number between retries. In this case the select-to-operate timer must remain unaltered by the reception of each
additional select.
• The DUT must reject any operate that does not
• contain a application layer sequence number that is exactly one greater (modulo 16) than the previously accepted
select.
• match the object portion of the select message byte for byte, excluding the application header.
• The DUT must accept retries on the operate portion of the analog output dialog that does not increment the application
sequence number between retries. The DUT must echo the operate command but must not operate the analog output
more than once.
The following behavior assumes that the device does support analog output operations, however there are no analog output
points installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any analog outputs installed, it must respond to a select with an Error Response setting IIN2-
1 or IIN2-2.
8.4.1.2.5 Analog Output, SBO, Execute Value does not match Select Value
1. Issue a select using Object 41 Variation 2 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17) and an appropriate
value.
2. Verify that the DUT responds by echoing the select message exactly.
3. Immediately issue an execute to Object 41 Variation 2 to an installed point using 8 bit indexing (qualifier 0x17) and the
same value incremented by 1.
4. Verify that the DUT echoes the execute with the status field set to 2 [No previous matching select].
5. If an analog output is observed to operate, the test fails.
The following assumes that the device supports analog output operations:
• The DUT responds to a Direct Operate to an installed analog output point echoing the direct operate and setting the
status field to 0. The specified analog output operates.
• The DUT responds to a Direct Operate to an uninstalled analog output point by returning an Error Response with IIN2-2
set and a status code of 4. No analog outputs shall be observed to operate.
• The DUT operates various analog output points.
The following assumes that the device does support analog output operations, however there are no analog output points
installed/enabled:
• If the device does not have any analog outputs installed, it must respond to a direct operate with an Error Response
setting IIN2-1 or IIN2-2.
The following assumes that the device supports analog output operations and were added as a result of Technical Bulletin
TB2001-001 (Multiple Control Object and Status Codes):
• The DUT responds to requests having more points than are supported in a single message with a status code of 8 for
at least the first point that is beyond the point count limit.
• The DUT responds to a select to an uninstalled analog output point by returning an error response with IIN2-2 set
and a status code of 4.
8.5.1 Class 0
This request is used to read all static data from a device. The device must respond with the current state of its data when this
object is requested.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
Acceptable object variations and qualifier combinations included in a device response are specified in the following table.
Numbers preceded by 0x are in hex.
8.5.2 Class 1
This request is used to read change or event data from a device. The device must respond with events that have occurred
since the last poll/confirm sequence. If the response is not null, verify that the device requests an application layer confirm.
If the response is null, the request for the application layer confirm is optional and may be eliminated to reduce bandwidth.
Points can be assigned to a class by configuration and through the protocol. Neither is required for compliance. The minimum
level of compliance is for the device to respond with a Null Response.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
If a device can be configured to generate Application Layer retries, this feature must be disabled for all tests in this section
unless otherwise specified.
Acceptable object variations and qualifier combinations included in a device response are specified in the following table.
Numbers preceded by 0x are in hex.
† Note: Use of the Binary Change with Relative Time Object (Object 2, Variation3) requires that a Common Time of
Occurrence Object (Object 51, Variation01 or 02) precede it in the same APDU. This behavior must be verified in any
response that contains a Binary Change with Relative Time Object. Binary Input changes more than 0xFFFF milliseconds
apart must have a second CTO Object.
* Note: Common Time of Occurrence objects
Note: A device is not required to return event data in any particular class.
Points can be assigned to a class by configuration and through the protocol. Neither is required for compliance. The minimum
level of compliance is for the device to respond with a Null Response.
If a device can be configured to generate Application Layer retries, this feature must be disabled for all tests in this section
unless otherwise specified.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
Note: A device is not required to return event data in any particular class.
Points can be assigned to a class by configuration and through the protocol. Neither is required for compliance. The minimum
level of compliance is for the device to respond with a Null Response.
If a device can be configured to generate Application Layer retries, this feature must be disabled for all tests in this section
unless otherwise specified.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
Note: A device is not required to return event data in any particular class.
Note: If Binary Inputs can be configured in more than one class, they must be configured for at least one of each class for
these tests.
8.6 Indications
The Internal Indications is an information element used to convey internal states and diagnostic results of a device. If a
specific indication is not supported it must be reported as de-asserted (0) in all cases.
8.6.1 Restart
The Restart Bit of the Internal Indications field is set to 1 when the user application at the device restarts, i.e. a device's input
power is cycled. This bit is cleared when the master station writes a 0 into this location.
8.6.4 Local
8.6.4.2 Test Procedure for Devices with Global Remote Supervisory Control
1. If the DUT does not support placing its binary outputs in a local state no further testing is required in this section.
2. If the DUT supports a global feature for enabling or disabling remote supervisory control, ensure that this is set to the
“Enabled” or “Remote” mode.
3. Issue a request for Object 10 Variation 0 using the all data qualifier 0x06.
4. Verify that the device responds with a valid message and that IIN1-5 is cleared.
5. Change the DUT’s global switch to the “Disabled” or “Local” mode.
6. Issue a request for Object 10 Variation 0 using the all data qualifier 0x06.
7. Verify that the device responds with a valid message and that IIN1-5 is set.
8.6.4.3 Test Procedure for Devices with Individual Remote Supervisory Control
1. If the DUT does not support placing its binary outputs in a local state, no further testing is required in this section.
2. If the device allows for individual control point remote supervisory control, all points should be set to the “Enabled” or
“Remote” mode.
3. Issue a request for Object 10 Variation 0 using the all data qualifier 0x06.
4. Verify that the device responds with Object 10 Variation 2 and that IIN1-5 is cleared.
8.7 Time
§ If the device sets IIN1-4, the Device Profile must state the worst case values for the following parameters for the full
operating temperature and support all of the tests in this section.
• Time base drift over a 10-minute interval.
• Maximum delay measurement error.
• Maximum internal time reference error when set from the protocol.
• Maximum response time.
If a device does not set IIN1-4 it need not support any of the tests in this section.
8.7.2 Synchronization
The Time and Date Object (Object 50 Variation 01) is an information object that represents the absolute time of day and date,
recorded as milliseconds since midnight, January 1, 1970, at zero minutes, zero seconds, and zero milliseconds. This object is
usually used for time-synchronization.
Note that the following procedures verify the mechanics of time synchronization, verify that the time format is correct, and
that synchronization appears to have occurred. The actual accuracy of time synchronization is dependent on device accuracy
and system configuration and should be tested separately (factory and/or site acceptance tests).
• The application layer FIR bit must be set in the first fragment (only).
• The application layer FIN bit must be set in the final fragment (only).
• The application layer sequence number of the first fragment must match that of the request.
• The application layer sequence number must increment between fragments.
• Transport layer segmentation must operate correctly within each fragment.
• The fragment size must be able to be configured to be no larger than 2048 octets.
• If the fragment size is configurable, it must behave accordingly.
• If the device cannot generate more than one fragment, the FIR and FIN bits in the application layer header must signify
that there is only one APDU in the reply.
NOTE: The DUT is not required to request application layer confirmation on the last fragment of a response (unless required
for other reasons tested elsewhere in this document).
Although unsolicited responses may be used with collision avoidance, the two features are independent. For instance, a
device might not support collision avoidance, but support unsolicited responses in a dial-up environment. Therefore, all that
is needed to test unsolicited responses is a full-duplex serial connection to the DUT.
8.11.1.1 Configuration
Devices that support unsolicited responses must support end-user configuration of the following parameters (e.g.: by
front-panel user interface or off-line configuration):
• The destination address of the Master device to which the unsolicited responses are to be sent.
• The unsolicited response mode (either “on” or “off”). When the unsolicited response mode is configured “off”, the
device is to behave exactly like an equivalent device that has no support for unsolicited responses.
• § The unsolicited confirmation timeout. This is the amount of time between transmissions of unconfirmed unsolicited
responses. The range of configurable values must include 1 second to 1 minute, but may be extended in either direction
(slower or faster) to take advantage of, or to compensate for, faster or slower devices or communications media. This
may be either the normal application confirmation timeout, or another parameter that performs the same purpose only for
unsolicited responses.
• § Maximum number of unsolicited retry attempts. One of the choices must provide for an indefinite (and potentially
infinite) number of retries.
Note: Enabling and disabling exception reporting does not enable/disable the storage of the events, just the reporting.
A device may be certified as supporting collision avoidance in one of the following ways:
• Detecting out-of-band carrier (e.g. DCD)
1. with the aid of an external device
2. without the aid of an external device
• Detecting transmitted data (e.g. TX/RX line).
For these tests, the supplier of the DUT must specify which method the DUT uses to detect other devices are transmitting. If
necessary, the supplier must supply hardware (modems etc.) and test equipment suitable for testing this feature.
The test equipment must be capable of measuring time between two characters transmitted on the link.
Although unsolicited responses may be used with collision avoidance, the two features are independent. For instance, a
device might not support collision avoidance, but support unsolicited responses in a dial-up environment. However,
The physical layer must provide an indication to the data link layer of when the link is in use, e.g. using the DCD (Data
Carrier Detect) signal or simply monitoring all data on the link.
If a device prepares to transmit and finds the link busy, it waits until it is no longer busy, then waits a backoff_time as
follows:
After the backoff_time, the device tries again, either indefinitely, or up to a configurable maximum number of retries. If a
maximum is used, the protocol behaves as if a link failure occurred, i.e. data is returned to buffers at the application layer and
application layer retries take place if desired.
The fixed_delay can be adjusted per device to provide priority of access. For instance, it could be zero (0) for masters and
non-zero for all the slave devices. The fixed_delay for the slaves must be greater than the max_random_delay for the master.
This provides a minimum "window" of access time for the master(s). To absolutely guarantee the master’s priority, the
master would not have a random delay.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports binary inputs:
• If the device supports Binary Inputs the device must respond to an Any Variation Binary Input read request (Object 1,
Variation 0) with either Object 1 Variation 1 or Object 1 Variation 2.
The following behavior assumes that the device does support binary inputs, however there are no binary input points
installed:
• If the device supports Binary Inputs, it must respond to a request with a Null Response or an Error Response setting
IIN2-1.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
NOTE: When the following procedures require the test to “Verify that the objects returned are formatted correctly” interpret
that to specifically mean the following:
If the DUT is configurable in a manner such that points can be uninstalled or disabled, the device must be configured with at
least one Binary Counter point installed or enabled before proceeding with the test procedure.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports binary counters:
• If the device supports running binary counters, the device must respond to a binary counter read request with a binary
counter read object (see table 8-5) using qualifiers 0x00 or 0x01.
• Frozen binary counters will be tested in the next section.
The following behavior assumes that the device does support binary counters, however there are no binary counter points
installed:
• If the device supports binary counters, the device must respond to a binary counter read request with a null response and
no further testing in this section is necessary.
• Optionally, the device can return an Error Response with IIN2-1.
The following behavior assumes that the device supports frozen binary counters:
• If the device supports frozen binary counters the device must respond to a frozen binary counter read request with a
frozen binary counter object (object 21 variation 1-8) using qualifiers 0x00 or 0x01.
• Frozen binary counter data must only be updated after a freeze request is issued to object 20 Variation 0 (function codes
0x07, 0x08, 0x09, or 0x0A).
The following behavior assumes that the device does support frozen binary counters, however there are no frozen binary
counter points installed:
• If the device supports frozen binary counters the device must respond to a frozen binary counter read request with a null
response and no further testing in this section is necessary.
• Optionally, the device can return an Error Response with IIN2-1 set.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
§ Any device that generates more than one link layer frame in response to a Class 0 Poll must support report-by-exception on
all points. It is highly recommended that devices perform report by exception processing internally and respond to class polls
with event data as defined in section 3.4. This allows efficient use of bandwidth. When no events are pending the device
responds with the Null Response.
0 DFC Secondary
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Function Codes:
0 ACK CONFIRM
1 NACK CONFIRM
00 80 ACK
40 C0 RESET LINK
Frame Header:
Byte 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
UNSOLICITED
SEQUENCE
0x04 Operate
0x05 Direct Operate
0x06 Direct Op, No Ack QUALIFIER CODE
INDEX SIZE
LOCAL
RESTART
NEED TIME
CLASS 3
CLASS 2
CLASS 1
ALL STATIONS
DEV. TROUBLE
0x07 Immediate Freeze
0x08 Immediate Freeze No Ack 0 – 8-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x09 Freeze and Clear 0 – No Index, Packed
1 – 16-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x0A Freeze and Clear No Ack 1 – 1 Octet Index
2 – 32-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x0B Freeze with Time 2 – 2 Octet Index
3 – 8-Bit Absolute Address Identifers
DNP = Distributed 0x0C Freeze with Time No Ack 3 – 4 Octet Index
4 – 16-Bit Absolute Address Identifiers
Network 0x0D Cold Restart 4 – 1 Octet Object Size
5 – 32-Bit Absolute Address Identifers
Protocol 0x0E Warm Restart 5 – 2 Octet Object Size
6 – No Range Field (all)
6 – 4 Octet Object Size
APDU = Application
0x0F Init Data to Defaults SECOND OCTET 7 – 8-Bit Quantity
0x10 Initialize Application 8 – 16-Bit Quantity
Protocol Data 0x11 Start Application 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 – 32-Bit Quantity
Unit 0x12 Stop Application 11 – (0xB) Variable Array
0x13 Save Configuration
APCI = Application 0x14 Enable Unsolicited Msgs
Protocol 0x15 Disable Unsolicited Msgs
OBJECT UNKNOWN
BAD CONFIG
RESERVED
RESERVED
ALREADY EXEC
BUFFER OVERFLOW
OUT OF RANGE
BAD FUNCTION
Control 0x16 Assign Class
Information 0x17 Delay Measurement INDEX SIZE (QUAL CODE = 11)
0x18 Record Current Time
DUI = Data Unit 0 – Dataless Object; No Further Indexing
Identifier 1 – 1 Octet Index or Identifier Size
2 – 2 Octet Index or Identifier Size
IO = Information 3 – 4 Octet Index or Identifier Size
Object
UNSOLICITED
SEQUENCE
0x04 Operate
0x05 Direct Operate
0x06 Direct Op, No Ack QUALIFIER CODE
INDEX SIZE
DEV. TROUBLE
LOCAL
RESTART
NEED TIME
CLASS 3
CLASS 2
CLASS 1
ALL STATIONS
0x07 Immediate Freeze
0x08 Immediate Freeze No Ack 0 – 8-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x09 Freeze and Clear 0 – No Index, Packed
1 – 16-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x0A Freeze and Clear No Ack 1 – 1 Octet Index
2 – 32-Bit Start and Stop Indices
0x0B Freeze with Time 2 – 2 Octet Index
3 – 8-Bit Absolute Address Identifers
DNP = Distributed 0x0C Freeze with Time No Ack 3 – 4 Octet Index
4 – 16-Bit Absolute Address Identifiers
Network 0x0D Cold Restart 4 – 1 Octet Object Size
5 – 32-Bit Absolute Address Identifers
Protocol 0x0E Warm Restart 5 – 2 Octet Object Size
6 – No Range Field (all)
6 – 4 Octet Object Size
APDU = Application
0x0F Init Data to Defaults SECOND OCTET 7 – 8-Bit Quantity
0x10 Initialize Application 8 – 16-Bit Quantity
Protocol Data 0x11 Start Application 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 – 32-Bit Quantity
Unit 0x12 Stop Application 11 – (0xB) Variable Array
0x13 Save Configuration
APCI = Application 0x14 Enable Unsolicited Msgs
Protocol 0x15 Disable Unsolicited Msgs
BAD CONFIG
OUT OF RANGE
OBJECT UNKNOWN
BAD FUNCTION
RESERVED
RESERVED
ALREADY EXEC
BUFFER OVERFLOW