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Ignition Edge Integration Guide

Or: How to Make Inductive Automation Happy

Patrick Ryan, Fireball Industries
"Ignition is like the iPhone of SCADA - overpriced but everyone wants it"

Overview

The Integration Everyone Actually Cares About

This guide shows you how to integrate the OPC UA Server with Ignition Edge using multiple protocols. Because if you're in industrial automation and NOT using Ignition, you're either very brave or very stubborn.

Ignition is basically the golden child of SCADA platforms - it's expensive, it's Java-based (yes, really), and somehow it's actually... good? It's like finding out your trust fund kid classmate is actually talented. Annoying, but impressive.

Integration Methods

Choose Your Own Adventure (But Really, Just Use Sparkplug B)

Method 1: Sparkplug B (RECOMMENDED)

The "This is What Ignition Was Born to Do" Method

Sparkplug B is the native MQTT-based protocol for Ignition Edge. It's like OPC UA and MQTT had a baby, and that baby was raised by SCADA engineers with strong opinions about data modeling.

Why Sparkplug B?

  • ✅ Native Ignition support - It just... works. Shocking, I know.
  • ✅ Automatic tag discovery - Like magic, but reproducible
  • ✅ Store and forward capabilities - Because networks fail and we've all learned this the hard way
  • ✅ Efficient data transmission - Uses Google's Protocol Buffers (look it up, it's cool)
  • ✅ Birth/Death certificates - Your data has a lifecycle. It's poetic, really.
  • ✅ Sequential message ordering - Because chaos is not a feature

Setup Steps

1. Install Mosquitto MQTT Broker

# Windows (using Chocolatey)
choco install mosquitto

# Or download from https://mosquitto.org/download/

2. Configure OPC UA Server for Sparkplug B

Use the provided configuration:

python opcua_server.py -c config/config_ignition.json

Or create your own config:

{
  "publishers": {
    "sparkplug_b": {
      "enabled": true,
      "broker": "localhost",
      "port": 1883,
      "group_id": "Sparkplug B Devices",
      "edge_node_id": "OPC_UA_Gateway",
      "device_id": "EdgeDevice"
    }
  }
}

3. Configure Ignition Edge

In Ignition Designer/Gateway:

  1. Install MQTT Engine Module

    • Config → Modules → Get More Modules
    • Install "MQTT Engine" module

  2. Configure MQTT Server Settings

    • Config → MQTT Engine → Servers → Create New MQTT Server
    • Server URL: tcp://localhost:1883
    • Primary Host ID: Match your broker
    • Save

  3. Verify Connection

    • Check status shows "Connected"
    • Tags should appear under: Tags → MQTT Engine → Sparkplug B Devices → OPC_UA_Gateway → EdgeDevice

4. Browse Tags in Ignition

Navigate to:

Tags
└── MQTT Engine
    └── Sparkplug B Devices
        └── OPC_UA_Gateway
            └── EdgeDevice
                ├── Temperature
                ├── Pressure
                ├── FlowRate
                ├── Counter
                └── ...

5. Use Tags in Ignition

# In Ignition scripts, reference tags like:
tag_path = "[MQTT Engine]Sparkplug B Devices/OPC_UA_Gateway/EdgeDevice/Temperature"
value = system.tag.readBlocking([tag_path])[0].value

# Or bind to components in Vision/Perspective

Method 2: OPC UA Direct Connection

Use the original OPC UA protocol (you already have this working).

1. In Ignition Designer:

  • Config → OPC UA → Device Connections
  • Create New Device Connection
  • Name: "Python OPC UA Server"
  • OPC UA Endpoint URL: opc.tcp://localhost:4840/freeopcua/server/
  • Enabled: Checked

2. Browse Tags:

  • Tags → OPC Connections → Python OPC UA Server → EdgeDevice

Method 3: REST API (for custom scripts)

Use HTTP requests from Ignition Gateway scripts:

# In Ignition Gateway Event Script
import system.net

# Read all tags
response = system.net.httpGet("http://localhost:5000/api/tags")
data = system.util.jsonDecode(response)

# Read specific tag
temp_response = system.net.httpGet("http://localhost:5000/api/tags/Temperature")
temp_data = system.util.jsonDecode(temp_response)
temperature = temp_data["value"]

Sparkplug B Message Flow

OPC UA Server
    ↓
Sparkplug B Publisher
    ↓ (MQTT Messages)
MQTT Broker (Mosquitto)
    ↓
Ignition MQTT Engine
    ↓
Ignition Tag System
    ↓
Vision/Perspective Applications

Sparkplug B Topics

The server publishes to these Sparkplug B topics:

Topic Type Description
spBv1.0/{group_id}/NBIRTH/{edge_node_id} Node Birth Published on connection
spBv1.0/{group_id}/DBIRTH/{edge_node_id}/{device_id} Device Birth Published after NBIRTH
spBv1.0/{group_id}/DDATA/{edge_node_id}/{device_id} Device Data Tag value updates
spBv1.0/{group_id}/NDEATH/{edge_node_id} Node Death Published on disconnect

Example with defaults:

  • NBIRTH: spBv1.0/Sparkplug B Devices/NBIRTH/OPC_UA_Gateway
  • DDATA: spBv1.0/Sparkplug B Devices/DDATA/OPC_UA_Gateway/EdgeDevice

Testing the Integration

1. Start the OPC UA Server:

python opcua_server.py -c config/config_ignition.json

2. Verify Sparkplug B Messages:

# Subscribe to all Sparkplug B topics
mosquitto_sub -t "spBv1.0/#" -v

You should see:

spBv1.0/Sparkplug B Devices/NBIRTH/OPC_UA_Gateway {"timestamp":1736476800,"metrics":[...],"seq":0}
spBv1.0/Sparkplug B Devices/DBIRTH/OPC_UA_Gateway/EdgeDevice {"timestamp":1736476800,"metrics":[],"seq":1}
spBv1.0/Sparkplug B Devices/DDATA/OPC_UA_Gateway/EdgeDevice {"timestamp":1736476800,"metrics":[{"name":"Temperature",...}],"seq":2}

3. Check Ignition MQTT Engine:

  • Open Ignition Designer
  • Go to Tags browser
  • Expand MQTT Engine folder
  • Tags should appear and update in real-time

4. Create a Test Window:

In Perspective or Vision, create a simple display:

  • Add Numeric Label bound to: [MQTT Engine]Sparkplug B Devices/OPC_UA_Gateway/EdgeDevice/Temperature
  • Values should update every 2 seconds (or your configured interval)

Configuration Options

Sparkplug B Settings

{
  "sparkplug_b": {
    "enabled": true,
    
    // MQTT Broker settings
    "broker": "localhost",        // Broker IP/hostname
    "port": 1883,                 // Standard MQTT port
    "username": "",               // Optional authentication
    "password": "",
    
    // Sparkplug B namespace
    "group_id": "Sparkplug B Devices",     // Group ID (namespace)
    "edge_node_id": "OPC_UA_Gateway",      // Edge Node ID
    "device_id": "EdgeDevice"              // Device ID
  }
}

Customizing the Namespace

Change the group/node/device IDs to match your organization:

{
  "sparkplug_b": {
    "group_id": "MyFactory",
    "edge_node_id": "Line1_Gateway",
    "device_id": "PLC_Simulator"
  }
}

In Ignition, tags will appear under:

MQTT Engine → MyFactory → Line1_Gateway → PLC_Simulator

Cloud Deployments

Ignition Cloud Edition

If using Ignition Cloud Edition with AWS IoT or Azure IoT:

{
  "sparkplug_b": {
    "enabled": true,
    "broker": "xxxxx.iot.us-east-1.amazonaws.com",
    "port": 8883,
    "use_tls": true,
    "group_id": "CloudDevices",
    "edge_node_id": "Edge_Gateway_01"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Tags Not Appearing in Ignition

Check 1: MQTT Broker Running

# Windows
Get-Service mosquitto

# Should show "Running"

Check 2: MQTT Engine Module Enabled

  • Config → Modules → MQTT Engine should show "Running"

Check 3: Server Settings Configured

  • Config → MQTT Engine → Servers should show connection

Check 4: Verify Messages

mosquitto_sub -t "spBv1.0/#" -v

Connection Issues

Error: "MQTT Connection Refused"

  • Check broker is running
  • Verify broker address and port
  • Check firewall settings

Error: "No Tags Appear"

  • Wait for NBIRTH and DBIRTH messages
  • Check MQTT Engine log in Ignition
  • Verify group_id, edge_node_id, device_id match

Performance Optimization

For high-frequency updates:

{
  "sparkplug_b": {
    "enabled": true,
    "qos": 0  // Faster, less reliable
  }
}

For guaranteed delivery:

{
  "sparkplug_b": {
    "enabled": true,
    "qos": 1  // Slower, guaranteed delivery
  }
}

Best Practices

  1. Use Unique Edge Node IDs - Avoid conflicts with other devices
  2. Monitor MQTT Broker - Use mosquitto_sub for debugging
  3. Check Birth Certificates - NBIRTH and DBIRTH are critical
  4. Use QoS 0 for High-Frequency - Better performance
  5. Enable Store-and-Forward - Configure in MQTT Transmission module
  6. Group Related Tags - Use logical group_id structure

Example: Multi-Line Factory

{
  "publishers": {
    "sparkplug_b_line1": {
      "enabled": true,
      "group_id": "Factory_A",
      "edge_node_id": "Line1_Gateway",
      "device_id": "Simulator1"
    },
    "sparkplug_b_line2": {
      "enabled": true,
      "group_id": "Factory_A",
      "edge_node_id": "Line2_Gateway",
      "device_id": "Simulator2"
    }
  }
}

Resources

Next Steps

  1. ✅ Start OPC UA Server with Sparkplug B
  2. ✅ Configure Ignition MQTT Engine
  3. ✅ Verify tags appear in Ignition
  4. ✅ Build Perspective/Vision screens
  5. ✅ Test tag history and alarming
  6. ✅ Deploy to production (or test forever, your call)

Your OPC UA Server is now fully integrated with Ignition Edge! 🎉

Patrick Ryan @ Fireball Industries
"Ignition + Sparkplug B: A love story in industrial protocols"

Now go build some dashboards and make your stakeholders happy for once.