The OPC Foundation launched a new .NET User Group initiated by three companies represented on the OPC Foundation Board of Directors: ABB, Microsoft and SAP. This new group aims to maintain and extend the existing open-source UA-.NET standard project, which is available on GitHub. All three companies use this open-source project in their products in addition to commercial solutions.
Each company is donating a full-time development resource to coordinate the future direction of the initiative, increase project quality and implement new features. This ensures that important extensions to the standard, like ECC security, are integrated in a timely manner. Through coordinated project management, the group is designed to help users, and the broader developer community, to more quickly and easily implement OPC UA in their applications. The initiative is open for additional OPC Foundation members and encourages the public to continue their contribution to the open-source project.
With the engagement of the new .NET User Group Initiative, there will be no change to the existing license of the UA-.NET code on GitHub: The dual license allows RCL for OPC Foundation corporate members and GPLv2 for others. RCL allows corporate members to use the code in their products without opening their own additional implementation.
Also read: OPC Foundation releases OPC UA Field eXchange specifications
Martin Regen from Microsoft chairs the .NET User Group Initiative, and the three founding companies are managing the UA-.NET Standard development. The UA-.NET Standard project is still freely available to all developers for use in their in-house and commercial applications. OPC Foundation members who want to help maintain the UA-.NET project can join the initiative.
“For SAP customers, transparency and fluid availability of manufacturing data is critical,” said Claudius Link of SAP. “Openness and industry-wide accepted standards are indispensable to connect SAP applications with equipment and systems on the shop floor. We are excited to be one of the founders of the .NET User Group, where we continue to develop and maintain the OPC UA-.Net Standard library in an open-source community. “
Stefan Hoppe, OPC Foundation President, added: “One of the OPC Foundation special advantages is the strength of our community where members from diverse industries and competing companies regularly work together to improve the OPC UA standard and make it easier to adopt. The .NET User Group Initiative is an excellent example of this process in action. The OPC Foundation is the world’s largest eco-system for industrial interoperability including open-source, commercial toolkits and training to make it easier for developers to integrate OPC UA into their products.”
Also read: IoT vendors commit to OPC UA adoption
