ASE protocol and communication tests products are used by IED equipment manufacturers, SCADA system vendors, electric power utilities and other sector companies that need to develop/test different protocols. More than 75 protocols are supported.
ASE’s protocol and communication test products, first introduced in 1989, are currently in use worldwide by RTU and IED equipment manufacturers, electric power utilities, and SCADA system vendors. The ASE2000 RTU Test Set line supports:
Current technology protocols included as standard on all units:
| DNP3 serial | DNP3 LAN/WAN | IEC 60870-5-101 | IEC 60870-5-104 | Modbus network (TCP) |
| Modbus serial (RTU and ASCII) | ||||
Older widely used protocols such as:
| CDC Types I and II | Conitel (most variations) | Harris 5000/6000 | Telegyr 8979 |
And over 75 protocols in total: Supported Protocols
All protocols are supported in a single program with a single user interface. The ASE2000 provides a total solution approach to the area of protocol test equipment software and its family of PC based protocol test equipment that includes USB serial communication hardware and Bell-202 modems.
ASE2000 Version 1 was first introduced in 1999 (replacing older Comm/32 and Comm/64 models) and has a current installed base of several thousand units in numerous utilities and SCADA industry companies worldwide.
ASE2000 Version 2, introduced in September, 2011, expands on Version 1 features by supporting operation in Exchange and Task modes. Exchange mode implements Version 1 features and operation. Task mode, new in Version 2, adds a simplified means to performing a set of common tasks such as device initialization, data acquisition, controls, and file transfers. Task Mode operation requires only that the user select a RTU/IED device and a task to be performed. Communication message editing, frequently required in Version 1, is automated in Version 2.
The ASE2000 RTU Test Set is a full-featured protocol test unit that provides the user with a powerful and flexible tool for testing and maintaining SCADA RTU and SCADA IED equipment and diagnosing communication problems.
User Interface
ASE2000 operation is a menu driven, window oriented interface, developed in line with standard Windows interface presentation guidelines. Set-up screens allow the user to define test session specific information and user preference information. For quick-start operation, the supplied default values for most test operations are sufficient and preclude the need for lengthy and complicated pre-test set-up. For tests that do require special conditions, a set of intuitive and easy to use set-up screens is provided. Special set-up conditions can be saved to uniquely named files and easily retrieved for use in future sessions. Many users develop a library of frequently used test scenarios with this feature thereby eliminating repetitive set-up for future test sessions.
Display Options
Display screens provide dynamic data display during monitoring and simulation mode test sessions.
- Users are not limited to a single display format for message data. In addition, message data can be displayed in Interpretive Mode which identifies, in English, the various message elements and their values, Raw Data Mode which displays only the numeric message data, or both. Point data is available for presentation in tabular format.
- The Line Monitoring view in Versions 1 and 2 shows communication line data in raw and interpretive styles. Clicking on a field or value in one side highlights the corresponding field in other side
- The Messages View in Version 2 presents communication line data in an alternate format with “zoom-in” details
- The Point Values View in Versions 1 and 2 shows point names, values (raw and scaled), quality codes, and times
Modes of Operation (Version 1 and Version 2/Exchange Mode)
The ASE2000 test set has three modes of operation, Master Simulation (communicating to a downstream device or RTU), RTU Simulation (communicating to a master station), and Line Monitor (listening to communications between Master and RTU/IED devices).
Master Simulation Mode provides the capability to issue data scan requests and supervisory control commands to one or more RTU’s on a communication line. The set-up screens for this mode allow the user to define a test scenario that identifies which device(s) to communicate with, which commands to issue for each device, frequency of commands, screen format and display format of message data.
RTU Simulation Mode allows the user to configure the ASE2000 RTU test set as one or more RTU’s to respond to data scan requests and supervisory control commands. Convenient set-up menus allow the user to specify point types, number of points, and point ordering that will result in the proper data message structure. Point modeling can also be enabled to provide data value changes on successive data scans.
Line Monitoring Mode is used to monitor communication between a master station and all RTU/IED devices on a communication line. Message data for both directions is shown.
Modes of Operation, Version 2 Task Mode Enhancements
ASE2000 Version 2 adds Task Mode. In this mode, the ASE2000 operates from a user defined RTU/IED device data base. Each definition includes counts and address of all input points at that device.
Task Mode/Master Simulation provides the user with a set of tasks applicable to the protocol of the selected device. Activating a task causes appropriate messages to be built and transmitted to accomplish the selected task for the device’s protocol and point configuration.
Task Mode/RTU Simulation allows individual points states/values to be entered from the Point Values view. New values are transmitted in the next applicable scan response, with time stamps if appropriate to the protocol. In addition, the user can define point modeling parameters to automatically generate point changes.
Advanced Features
A number of advanced features are available for specialized test requirements.
Event Logging generates a text file recording significant events including:
- High/low limit alarms for selected analog input points
- State changes for selected digital input points
- Communication errors
- Detection of specific communication messages, such as trip/close commands
- Online communication can be triggered to stop when a selected event is detected, thereby creating a record of communication activity prior to the event
Signal Analysis is available to users with an ASE supplied communication device (BCOM-USB) and provides a plot of bidirectional carrier and data signals to 0.1 millisecond resolution.
DNP3 Certification testing support files are included with the ASE2000 Version 2 software at no additional charge. An automated test results report can be generated through standard browser.
Transport Certification Test Results
