About connecting the emulator to FactoryTalk View ME or FactoryTalk View SE

You can use either RSLinx Enterprise or RSLinx Classic to connect RSLogix Emulate 5000 to your FactoryTalk View ME or FactoryTalk View SE projects. Both methods use OLE for Process Control (OPC) to communicate, but it is easier to use RSLinx Enterprise to create the necessary connections. This topic describes only how to use RSLinx Enterprise to produce those connections—for information about using RSLinx Classic to create those connections, see the FactoryTalk View ME or FactoryTalk View SE documentation.

Using RSLinx Enterprise to connect the emulator to an FactoryTalk View project requires installing RSLinx Enterprise on both the computer running the emulator and on the computer running FactoryTalk View.

RSLinx Enterprise uses FactoryTalk to automatically connect tags for Rockwell Software applications. Once RSLinx Enterprise is installed and configured, you do not need to configure anything else to use tags from the emulator in FactoryTalk View projects. Once a tag is used in RSLogix Emulate 5000, the tag becomes available to FactoryTalk View ME or FactoryTalk View SE.

Prerequisites

For FactoryTalk View SE projects, RSLinx Enterprise must be installed on both the computer running FactoryTalk View SE and the computer running RSLogix Emulate 5000, and both computers must be using the same FactoryTalk Directory. (If RSLogix Emulate 5000 and FactoryTalk View SE are installed on different computers, both computers must use the same network Directory.)

Tip: You can install RSLinx Enterprise and the FactoryTalk platform from your FactoryTalk View ME or FactoryTalk View SE installation disks.

For FactoryTalk View ME projects, RSLinx Enterprise, RSLogix Emulate 5000, and FactoryTalk View ME must be installed on the same computer. In this case, the FactoryTalk Directory used must be the local Directory (FactoryTalk View ME does not support using a network Directory).

The RSLinx Enterprise Module in the Virtual Chassis

When RSLogix Emulate 5000 runs on a computer that is also running RSLinx Enterprise, an RSLinx Enterprise module appears in the emulator’s virtual chassis. This module will occupy the first unoccupied slot in the chassis and cannot be removed (other than by uninstalling RSLinx Enterprise).

For example, if you install RSLinx Enterprise and then install RSLogix Emulate 5000 from scratch, the first time you open RSLogix Emulate 5000, slot 0 will be occupied by the RSLinx Classic module and slot 1 will be occupied by the RSLinx Enterprise module.

If you already have modules in your virtual chassis when you install RSLinx Enterprise, the RSLinx Enterprise module appears in the first empty slot.