TRB160 DNP3

The information in this page is updated in accordance with firmware version TRB16_R_00.07.10.3.

Summary

Distributed Network Protocol 3 (DNP3) is a set of communications protocols used between components in process automation systems. It is primarily used for communications between a client station and Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) or Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs).

This manual page provides an overview of the DNP3 functionality in TRB160 devices.

Note: DNP3 is additional software that can be installed from the System → Package Manager page.

DNP3 Parameters

DNP3 parameters are held within indexes. The index numbers and corresponding system values are described in the table below:

required value	index	group type
Uptime	0	Counter
Signal Strength	1	Octet String
Modem temperature (in 0.1 °C)	2	Octet String
Hostname	3	Octet String
Operator	4	Octet String
Router Serial Number	5	Octet String
LAN MAC Address	6	Octet String
Router name	7	Octet String
Network state	9	Octet String
Connection state	10	Octet String
Mobile data received today	20	Counter
Mobile data sent today	21	Counter
Mobile data received this week	22	Counter
Mobile data sent this week	23	Counter
Mobile data received this month	24	Counter
Mobile data sent this month	25	Counter
Mobile data received last 24h	26	Counter
Mobile data sent last 24h	27	Counter
Mobile data received last week	28	Counter
Mobile data sent last week	29	Counter
Mobile data received last month	30	Counter
Mobile data sent last month	31	Counter

DNP3 TCP Client

A client in DNP3 is a component that communicates (requests data) with a single outstation via a communication channel. By default, the client list is empty. To add a new client, click the 'Add' button.

After clicking 'Add' you will be redirected to the newly added client's configuration page.

Status

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This section displays DNP3 Clients status information.

DNP3 TCP Client Configuration

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The TCP Client Configuration section is used to configure the parameters of a DNP3 Outstation that the Client (this TRB160 device) will be querying with requests. The figure below is an example of the TCP Client Configuration and the table below provides information on the fields contained in that section:

Field	Value	Description
Enable	off | on; default: off	Turns communication with the outstation device on or off.
Name	string; default: none	Name of the TCP client, used for easier management purposes.
IP address	ip; default: none	DNP3 Outstation IP address.
Port	integer [0..65535]; default: none	DNP3 Outstation Port.
Local Address	integer [0..65535]; default: none	Clients Link-Layer address.
Remote Address	integer [0..65535]; default: none	Outstation Link-Layer address.
Period	integer [1..60]; default: none	Interval at which requests are sent to the outstation device.
Timeout	integer [1..60]; default: none	Maximum response wait time.
Save to flash	off | on; default: off	When enabled, stores request information in device flash.

Requests Configuration

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A DNP3 request is a way of obtaining data from DNP3 Outstations. The client sends a request to an outstation specifying the function codes to be performed. The outstation then sends the requested data back to the DNP3 client.

The Request Configuration list is empty by default. To add a new Request Configuration look to the Add New Instance section. Enter a custom name into the 'New Configuration Name' field and click the 'Add' button:

The new Request Configuration should become visible in the list:

Field	Value	Description
Name	string; default: Unnamed	Name of this Request Configuration. Used for easier management purposes.
Start Index	integer [0..65535]; default: none	Start index of the data subarray.
End Index	integer [0..65535]; default: none	End index of the data subarray.
Data Type	Binary | Double Binary | Counter | Frozen Counter | Analog | Octet String | Analog Output Status | Binary Output Status; default: Binary	Data object group of the requested index(-es).
Enabled	off | on; default: off	Turns the request on or off.
Actions	- interactive button	Deletes request configuration.

Request Configuration Testing

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This section is used to check whether the configuration works correctly. Simply click the 'Test' button and a response should appear in the box below. The last value represents the configured request data. A successful response to a test may look something like this:

DNP3 Outstation

An outstation in DNP3 is a component that communicates with a single client via a communication channel. It makes measurements of the physical world and then sends them to a client upon request (solicited) or on its own accord (unsolicited). Occasionally a client requests that it do something by sending it a control. This provides the user with the possibility to get system parameters.

The figure below is an example of the DNP3 Outstation window section and the table below provides information on the fields contained in that window:

Field	Value	Description
Enable	off | on; default: off	Turns DNP3 Outstation on or off.
Local Address	integer [0..65535]; default: none	Outstation Link-Layer address.
Remote Address	integer [0..65535]; default: none	Client Link-Layer address.
Unsolicited enabled	off | on; default: none	Enables the transmission of unsolicited messages.
Protocol	TCP | UDP; default: TCP	Protocol used for DNP3 communications.
Port	integer [0..65535]; default: none	Port used for DNP3 communications.
UDP response address	ipv4; default: none	UDP response address.
UDP response port	integer [0..65535]; default: none	UDP response port.
Allow Remote Access	off | on; default: off	Allows remote DNP3 connections by adding an exception to the device's firewall on the port specified in the field above.