OLP: groov with Ignition Edge update

Your groov Box: now a complete industrial edge appliance for the IIoT

New groov Admin update adds OPC-UA drivers and MQTT to your groov Box.

The new groov Admin 1.570.47 update adds Ignition Edge^® software from Inductive Automation^® to your groov Box. 

Ignition Edge provides two key connectivity tools for IoT applications—OPC UA and MQTT/Sparkplug—with up to 500 configured tags. A 2-hour trial is available to test these new features; a groov Enterprise license (GROOV-LIC-ENT) is required to enable the new features beyond the trial.

Let's take a closer look at what you get.

OPC-UA server & drivers

Ignition Edge includes an internal OPC-UA server and drivers for:

- Allen-Bradley^® PLCs: Logix, SLC, PLC-5^®, MicroLogix™
- Siemens^® PLCs: S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, S7-1400, S7-1500
- Modbus^®/TCP devices
- Devices that support Modbus RTU over TCP
- SNAP PACs

The OPC-UA server in Ignition Edge is available only to internal applications—Ignition modules, Node-RED, and groov View.

That means:

• Your authorized users can monitor and control PLC data in your groov operator interface.
• You can use the OPC-UA data from Edge in your Node-RED flows.
• You can publish and subscribe OPC-UA data using the lightweight MQTT transport with Sparkplug messaging.

MQTT/Sparkplug

Ignition Edge in the groov Box also includes an MQTT Transmission module with Sparkplug payloads. MQTT is a transport protocol suited to many IoT applications because of its publish/subscribe architecture, with a central source called a broker storing all data.

MQTT pub/sub offers three main advantages over client/server for IoT applications: 

1. Reduced network traffic, because data is published only when it changes, not at regular intervals.

2. Less strain on servers, because the central broker stores the data and manages subscriptions to that data. Remote devices with irregular connections or low bandwidth can publish or subscribe to data, too.

3. Less worry about firewalls, VPNs, etc., because all data is published using an outbound connection. Most firewalls allow outbound connections over secure TCP ports.

Where to use the groov Box with Ignition Edge

With Edge in the groov Box, everything is included in one compact, secure, industrial appliance. On the plant floor, in geographically dispersed locations, and in OEM products are a few of the places you'll find it most useful. 

With all these IoT tools in the same box, your IoT application is easier to build, and security and networking are streamlined.

See the updated groov data sheet for more information, or watch these workshop videos to get started.