---
title: "DNP3 Driver"
---

# DNP3 Driver

> The DNP3 Driver provides communication with DNP3 outstations over Ethernet, supporting event-based polling, unsolicited messaging, and explicit reads using the [DNP3](../dnp3.md) protocol. For information about the older version, see [DNP3 Driver (Legacy)](../legacy-dnp3-driver/legacy-dnp3-driver.md).

:::note
The DNP3 Driver does not support DNP3 Secure Authentication.
:::

## Data Acquisition

The DNP3 Driver supports three modes of acquiring data.

* **Event-based polling**: The primary method, using configured polling intervals for Class 1, 2, and 3 events. Events that occur between polls are preserved and processed sequentially. OPC UA clients with a sampling interval of 0 will receive all events in order.
  
* **Unsolicited messaging**: Available on supported outstations, where the device pushes events as they occur. The driver processes these as they arrive. Sampling interval behavior for OPC UA clients applies similarly to event-based polling.

* **Explicit reads**: Used with group/variation/index (GVI) addressing, where static values are explicitly requested at each poll. No events are processed in this mode. This can approximate Legacy driver behavior if GVI tags are configured.

## Connecting to a Device

This driver requires the OPC UA module to be installed and enabled. If the module is missing or disabled, the device will fault with a “Missing Dependency” error on the **Platform** **System** > **Modules** page.

Ignition's DNP3 driver can connect directly to any devices that support Ethernet communication through the master station. It is important to make a new device connection for each of the outstations (remote devices), setting the source and destination addresses for each in Ignition's device connection.

1. On the Gateway, go to **Connections** > **Devices** > **Connections**.

    ![](../../devices-connections.png)

2. Click **Create Device Connection +**.

3. Select **DNP3 Driver** from the list and click **Next**.

    ![](select-dnp3.png)

4. On the **Configure Device** screen, enter the required fields:

   * **Name**: The desired name for the device (e.g., DNP3)
   * **Hostname**: The IP address of the PLC (e.g., 10.20.4.55)

   ![](dnp3-settings.png)

5. Click **Create Device Connection**.

The device will be listed now on the Connections page. The status will initially show Disconnected, but will move to a Connected state.

![](dnp3-connected.png)

## Connection Settings

### Main

| Name | Description |
|------|-------------|
| Name | A user-defined name for the device. This name appears in OPC item paths and the Devices list. Name must begin with an underscore or a letter, and cannot include special characters. |
| Description | Optional description to help identify the device. |
| Enabled | When selected, the device is active and available for use. |

### Connectivity

| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Hostname | The hostname or IP address of the outstation device. |
| Port | The port component of the outstation endpoint. Default is 20000. |
| Source Address | The DNP3 data link address of the local (master) device. Default is 3. |
| Destination Address | The DNP3 data link address of the remote (outstation) device. Default is 4. |
| Response Timeout (ms) | The time to wait for a response from the outstation, in milliseconds. Default is 5000. |
| Keep Alive Timeout (ms) | The maximum inactivity time, in milliseconds, before a link-layer keep-alive message is sent. Default is 3,600,000. |

### Data Acquisition

| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Integrity Poll Period (ms) | How often to perform an integrity poll (requesting Class 1/2/3/0 data). Disabled if set to 0. Default is 3,600,000. |
| Class 1 Poll Period (ms) | How often to poll Class 1 event data. Disabled if set to 0. Default is 10,000. |
| Class 2 Poll Period (ms) | How often to poll Class 2 event data. Disabled if set to 0. Default is 10,000. |
| Class 3 Poll Period (ms) | How often to poll Class 3 event data. Disabled if set to 0. Default is 10,000. |
| Unsolicited Event Classes | Specifies which event classes are enabled for unsolicited reporting. Leave blank if unsolicited messaging is not being used. Default is blank. |

### Advanced Properties

#### Analog Operation

| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Command Mode | The command mode to use when issuing commands for analog outputs; DIRECT_OPERATE or SELECT_BEFORE_OPERATE. Default is DIRECT_OPERATE. |
| Read After Operate | Whether an explicit read should be issued after operating analog outputs. Useful when an outstation does not support generating analog output events or assigning them to a class. Default is false. |
| Read After Operate Delay | Delay, in milliseconds, the read operation after operating to the Analog outputs. Default is 0. |

#### Binary Operation

| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Command Mode | The command mode to use when issuing commands for binary outputs; DIRECT_OPERATE or SELECT_BEFORE_OPERATE. Default is DIRECT_OPERATE. |
| Read After Operate | Whether an explicit read should be issued after operating binary outputs. Useful when an outstation does not support generating binary output events or assigning them to a class. Default is false. |
| Read After Operate Delay | Delay, in milliseconds, the read operation after operating to the Binary outputs. Default is 0. |
| Trip Close Code | The trip close code to use when issuing commands for binary outputs; NUL, CLOSE, or TRIP. Default is NUL. |
| Op Type | The operation type to use when issuing commands for binary outputs; LATCH or PULSE. Default is LATCH. |
| Count | The count to use when issuing commands for binary outputs. Default is 1. |
| On Time (ms) | The on-time to use when issuing commands for binary outputs. Default is 0. |
| Off Time (ms) | f-time to use when issuing commands for binary outputs. Default is 0. |

#### Logging

| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto Time Sync | Enable automatic time synchronization when an outstation signals that it needs a time update by setting the NEED_TIME indicator bit. Default is true. |
| Application Layer Debug Logging | Whether to enable debug logging for the DNP3 application layer. Default is false. |
| Physical Layer Debug Logging | Whether to enable debug logging for the DNP3 physical layer. Default is false. |

## Addressing and Browsing DNP3 Points

You can [browse returned points](ignition-modules\opc-ua\opc-ua-drivers\dnp3\dnp3.md#addressing-and-browsing-dnp3-points-examples) under the Tag Browser's Connected Devices window in the Designer.

## Sequence of Events

You can preserve the sequence of events by tuning your Tag Group:

* **OPC UA Queue Size**: increase to handle the maximum number of anticipated events. This is typically much larger than the buffer in a physical outstation.
* **OPC UA Sampling Interval**: set to 0 to allow true event-based reporting. Nonzero sampling intervals may collapse multiple events into a single update.

:::tip
Sequence of events is best used with devices that support high-frequency event reporting and maintain their own internal event buffers.
:::