UaGateway IoT Connectivity: Confirmed Status
Unified Automation is developing IoT connectivity for UaGateway built on the OPC UA publish/subscribe (Pub/Sub) mechanism. A first prototype was demonstrated at trade shows, but the production release is gated on the final release of the OPC Specification for Pub/Sub. The stated release target was Q4/2017. Treat that date as a plan, not a commitment: if the underlying specification slipped, the product release would slip with it.
Why the Pub/Sub Specification Gates the Release
Pub/Sub adds message-oriented, one-to-many data exchange to OPC UA, which is the mechanism this IoT connectivity is built on. The vendor's stated position is that it must wait for the final OPC Pub/Sub specification before releasing UaGateway with this capability — releasing against a draft specification risks rework or incompatibility once the final document is published. The practical consequence for integrators: do not freeze a Pub/Sub-based architecture around behavior observed in the trade-show prototype, since it was built on a pre-final specification.
Obtaining the UaGateway Trial
A trial version of UaGateway is available from Unified Automation at www.unified-automation.com. There is an important ambiguity to resolve before downloading: the available trial is the current released UaGateway, not the upcoming Pub/Sub-capable version. If your evaluation depends on the new IoT connectivity, the trial will not contain it — use it to validate the existing gateway functionality instead.
- Create a login with a password on the Unified Automation website.
- Download the UaGateway trial version from the download area.
- Evaluate the released gateway functionality against your architecture; defer any Pub/Sub-specific design decisions until the final OPC specification and the new UaGateway version ship.
Planning the Integration Decision Path
Decide based on what you can verify today. If your project needs existing UaGateway gateway behavior, install the trial and test against your data sources now. If your project requires the IoT connectivity specifically, the decision path is: check whether the final OPC Pub/Sub specification has been released; if yes, confirm the corresponding UaGateway release with Unified Automation through official channels; if no, keep the Pub/Sub portion of the design at the interface level (topic structure, data model, subscriber contracts) so it can be bound to the final implementation without rework. Do not commit to prototype-observed wire behavior as a design basis.
FAQ
When will UaGateway support OPC UA Pub/Sub IoT connectivity?
The stated plan targeted Q4/2017, but the release is explicitly conditional on the final OPC Pub/Sub specification being published first. Verify the current release status with Unified Automation before scheduling a project around it.
Where can I download the UaGateway trial version?
Download it from Unified Automation at www.unified-automation.com. You must first create a login with a password before the download is available.
Does the current UaGateway trial include the new Pub/Sub IoT features?
No. The trial is the currently released UaGateway; the Pub/Sub-based IoT connectivity existed only as a trade-show prototype pending the final OPC specification. Use the trial to validate existing gateway functionality, not the upcoming IoT capability.
