Re: [foxboro] FoxAPI and AIM*API

Alex
A follow-up questions would be

Do i need a FoxAPI or netFoxAPI for my project (refer below diagram). This
API will be installed in Box B below.

*Box A (OPC Client) *<Eth RJ45 >* Box B (OPC Server) *< Eth RJ45 >* Box C
(P91 WinXP AW IA Ver 7.1)*

Regards.
AINUDDIN ALI
PRAI POWER PLANT

On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 5:02 AM, Johnson, Alex P (IPS) <
alex.johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Re: We have FoxAPI ver 4.2.6 installed in our AW1003 (P91 WinXP box).
> Where can we get the latest version for FoxAPI ? Can it be downloaded ?
>
> Depending on your support contract, you can get the latest from the
> Global Client Support website - http://support.ips.invensys.com.
>
>
> Re: Noted that OPC server from Foxboro utilizes AIM*API - whereas
> Matrikon's
> OPC server utilizes FoxAPI. Any particular reason why there's 2
> different
> API in existence?
>
> They meet two different needs. The OM API is a very low level interface
> that requires more sophisticated programming skills. FoxAPI is intended
> to serve as a simpler interface for developers allowing them to
> concentrate on their value added work rather than the API.
>
> Now for some history:
>
> When the I/A Series system was released, a device called the INI-10 was
> one of the standard modules. The INI-10 supplied an X.25 interface to
> the I/A Series system.
>
> Our gateway group developed and supported a product called Application
> Interface Software that ran on HP-UX and VMS OSs. This software could
> communicate to the I/A Series using the INI-10. The supplied API was
> designed for FORTRAN programs.
>
> A number of applications were developed for the AIS API, e.g., a OSIsoft
> PI data collector. When the I/A Series system added support for Sun
> workstations (I/A Series 3.0), we decided to support the AIS API on the
> Solaris box as well. This resulted in the first on-platform version of
> AIS. The software was included on every AW, but it was not started by
> default.
>
> A little later, the networked version of AIS became available (AISnet).
> This product provided a client API on a variety of non-Foxboro platforms
> (Sun, HP, DEC) that talked to a server process that runs in the
> 50-Series box over an Ethernet network. The transport protocol was
> either TCP/IP or DECnet. Eventually, this offering became the basis for
> products like Data for Windows. It is AISnet that added the process
> an_server to the set of standard AIS processes.
>
> AISnet was a superset of AIS, i.e., it had all of AIS's calls and some
> extras. The extras included historian and CSA query calls.
>
>
> A little more time passed and a Marketing group was assigned to the
> Information Technologies business of which the AIS development and
> support group are a part. This marketing group decided that AIS was not
> a very useful name. They changed things so that we had:
>
> (local) FoxAPI V4.x which was AIS 3.0 with some enhancements
> netFoxAPI V4.x which was AISnet
>
> though the names were changed the products were not.
>
>
> More time passed and a new version of FoxAPI (V5.x) was developed to
> support the AIM*AT Suite of products (Historian, OPC DA Server,
> DataLink, FoxExplorer, etc.). However, this version caused problems with
> existing programs because it required those programs to be re-linked.
>
> The issue was serious enough that V5.x of FoxAPI was withdrawn and later
> released as AIM*API.
>
> Still later, the NetFoxAPI client was replaced with a new and more
> functional client - netMFC. This new client offers a totally different
> API to the client programs.
>
> Thus, we actually have several families of APIs for the I/A Series
> system:
>
> Base APIs
>   OM API
>   IPC API
>   Historian API
>   CSA API
>   HI API
>   Others
>
> FoxAPI/netFoxAPI using the FoxAPI client which supports OM, Historian,
> and CSA calls.
>
> AIM*API/NetAIM*API using the netMFC client which supports OM, Historian,
> and CSA calls.
>
> AIM*API is a superset of FoxAPI though the general scope of support is
> similar.
>
> So, to answer your question, there are many APIs to meet the various
> client needs for access to I/A Series data. The base APIs are generally
> higher performance, but require more work to develop software than the
> higher level APIs.
>
>
> Re: Matrikon claimed that their OPC Server can communicate with Foxboro
> systems on Solaris or Windows using either the FoxAPI, or OM (Object
> Manager). How this OM is different w/ FoxAPI in terms of data flow.
>
> Anything that I offered would be pure speculation. However, I wonder if
> their OM-based OPC DA Server is actually supported on V8.x since it
> requires headers and libraries that are not shipped with the system.
>
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Regards,
>
> Alex Johnson
> Invensys Process Systems
> 10900 Equity Drive
> Houston, TX 77041
> +1 713 329 8472 (desk)
> +1 713 329 1600 (operator)
> +1 713 329 1944 (SSC Fax)
> +1 713 329 1700 (Central Fax)
> alex.johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On Behalf Of Ainuddin Ali
> Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 9:52 PM
> To: foxboro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [foxboro] FoxAPI and AIM*API
>
> Hi Sir
> 1. We have FoxAPI ver 4.2.6 installed in our AW1003 (P91 WinXP box).
> Where
> can we get the latest version for FoxAPI ? Can it be downloaded ?
>
> 2. Noted that OPC server from Foxboro utilizes AIM*API - whereas
> Matrikon's
> OPC server utilizes FoxAPI. Any particular reason why there's 2
> different
> API in existence?
>
> 3. Matrikon claimed that their OPC Server can communicate with Foxboro
> systems on Solaris or Windows using either the FoxAPI, or OM (Object
> Manager). How this OM is different w/ FoxAPI in terms of data flow.
>
> Regards.
>
> Ainuddin Ali
> Operation Dept
> Prai Power Plant
>
>
>
>
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