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
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Criteria
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OPCtoUA MDBA
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UA Tunneller
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Installation required on OPC Server PC
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❌
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✅
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Supports DA (real-time)
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✅
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✅
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Supports HDA (historical)
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🚧 (on roadmap)
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✅ (licensed)
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Supports A&E (alarms/events)
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🚧 (on roadmap)
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✅ (licensed)
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Classic-to-UA bridging
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✅
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✅
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UA-to-Classic bridging
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🚧 (on roadmap)
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✅
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Classic-to-Classic tunneling
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❌
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✅
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High performance / high tag count
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✅
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⚠️ (limited by endpoint load)
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Integrates with MDB ecosystem
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✅
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❌
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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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