Which Tunneller Is Right for You?
Overview
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Matrikon provides two distinct solutions for bridging OPC Classic systems to modern OPC UA infrastructure:
- Matrikon OPC UA Tunneller (UAT) – Ideal for bidirectional communication between Classic and UA components.
- OPCtoUA MDB Adapter – A plug‑in adapter for Matrikon Data Broker, designed for scalable, enterprise-grade OPC Classic to UA integration.
Matrikon OPC UA Tunneller
Use Case: Connect OPC Classic Clients/Servers with OPC UA counterparts seamlessly, without ripping and replacing.
Key Features:
- Bidirectional bridging: Classic ↔︎ Classic, Classic ↔︎ UA, UA ↔︎ Classic.
- Eliminates DCOM issues such as permissions, firewalls, and data loss due to disconnection.
- Supports data compression, configurable timeouts, 64- and 128-bit AES encryption, and IP‑based filtering.
- 64-bit compatibility with modern Windows operating systems, from Windows 7 to Windows Server 2022.
- With an intuitive GUI and smart defaults, UAT is user-friendly and requires minimal OPC‑UA knowledge.
OPCtoUA MDB Adapter
Use Case: For enterprise/OT-to-IT integration, when using Matrikon Data Broker (MDB) and requiring high performance, context mapping, and scalability. MDB also has many new features in the product roadmap planned for future development.
Key Features:
- Acts as a plug-in adapter within the MDB platform.
- Native OPC DA support, optional DCOM, wildcard filtering, granular write-access controls.
- Firewall-friendly (ReverseConnect support), integrates OPC Classic into UA address space
- Powered by high-performance MDB infrastructure—built for scale.
Feature Comparison Table
| Criteria |
OPCtoUA MDBA |
UA Tunneller |
| Local connection to OPC Server required |
No |
Yes |
| Supports DA (real-time) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Supports HDA (historical) |
Roadmap |
Yes |
| Supports A&E (alarms/events) |
Roadmap |
Yes |
| Firewall friendly |
Yes |
Yes |
| UA Client to Classic Server bridging |
Yes |
Yes |
| Classic Client to UA Server bridging |
No |
Yes |
| Classic-to-Classic tunneling |
No |
Yes |
| High performance / high tag count |
Yes |
Limited by endpoint load |
| Integrates with MDB ecosystem |
Yes |
No |
Which One Suits Your Needs?
Choose OPC UA Tunneller if
- You need a simple, reliable point-to-point OPC Classic ↔︎ UA connection
- You want standalone ease without additional platforms
- You have minimal infrastructure and prefer quick setup.
Choose OPCtoUA MDB Adapter if
- You’re deploying at enterprise scale with multiple sources
- You already use or plan to implement Matrikon Data Broker
- You want rich modeling capabilities, centralized security, and remote management.
Resources & Download Links
OPCtoUA MDB Adapter: Product page, tech specs
OPC UA Tunneller: Product, datasheet, installation guide, trial
MDB Core Info: Additional context for enterprise use
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