Wednesday 6th December 2023
Summary
Lucid, Sparkplug-B and OPC-UA feature comparison. Straight shootout comparing user requirements and protocol capability.
The table below shows which requirements from the original 97 WITS-PSA requirements are met by the Lucid, Sparkplug and OPC-UA protocols. The table was created by the Lucid subcommittee of the WITS-PSA whilst involved in the development of the Lucid protocol. A ✓ indicates that the protocol is believed to meet the requirement whilst a ✗ indicates that it is not believed to.
| Requirement | Lucid | Sparkplug | OPC-UA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set field device address | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set field device time & date | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Time synchronisation / incrementing of the field device | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Initiate connection master-station to field device (i.e. poll) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full I/O configuration from master-station. | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Battery level | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Initiate connection field device to master-station – alarms. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full archive data retrieval from field device | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full event data retrieval from field device | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mains power failure | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resilience when communicating | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time & date stamps generated by field device | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full range of current values for real point data | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full range of current values for virtual point data | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Alarmed points | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set digital output control on/off | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Change/set virtual point value | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data quality flags | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Single point inhibit | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Field device alarm inhibit | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Field device off-scan | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Single point off-scan | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set digital output control pulsed | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Control sequence program | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Continuous communication | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Field device fault | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Asset information from field device | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Configuration parameter changes only | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Full data processing routines for virtual points etc. | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Analogue alarm/event limits & dead band | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Individual point historic archiving rates | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Extended data points | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set analogue output point | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Current field device time & date | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Full non destructive retrieval of event data from field device | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Initiate connection field device to master-station and transfer historic data | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Set field device phone numbers | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Authentication | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Disable field device dial out | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Analogue input rate of change | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Support for fallback communications paths | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pulse frequency inputs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Field device firmware download | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set dial-in schedule (e.g. device not always powered on) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Varying analogue alarm profile | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Full non destructive retrieval of archive data from field device | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Confidence poll | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Software version control & patch downloading | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Design for interoperability of field devices | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Control feedback points | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Alarm cascade inhibit | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Request from field device for configuration from master-station | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Grouping of points | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Field device alarm priorities | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Field device IP address configuration | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Full configuration retrieval from field device to master-station | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Configuration CRC check | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance statistics/performance statistics reset | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Acknowledgement of alarm points at the field device | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Re-annunciation of alarm points at the field device | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Monitoring and intervention with control sequences | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated master-station configuration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Partial range of current values for real point data | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Partial range of current values for virtual point data | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Partial I/O configuration from master-station | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Partial data processing routines for virtual points | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Partial archive data retrieval from field device (defined time/range) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Partial event data retrieval from field device (defined time/range) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ability to define communications media | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Peer-to-peer between field devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Support for future functions | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Partial non destructive retrieval of event data from field device | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Partial configuration retrieval from field device to master-station | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Partial non destructive retrieval of archive data from field device | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| BCD inputs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tipping bucket rain-gauge | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specialist communication regimes | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Incremental and absolute shaft encoders | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Secure controls (Select-Checkback-Execute) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Support for RFID tagging | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Alarm sequence number | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Support for audit trail – useful for distributed systems | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Eavesdrop data | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Overrides for real points | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| GMT/BST flag | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Double bit points | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Security alarm flag | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Incremental Configuration Change Control | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Incremental Configuration reference limits | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Incremental Configuration log file | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Incremental Configuration process | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Upload (from FD) details of ALL Incremental Configuration changes (optional) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Upload (from FD) details of Incremental Configuration changes since last BCF (optional) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Directory structure and file name convention for Incremental Configuration | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| File transfer routines used for Incremental Configuration | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Incremental Configuration records available in XML (optional) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| No. of requirements matched from original 97 requirements | 71 | 21 | 27 |
| % of requirements matched from original 97 requirements | 73% | 22% | 28% |
The requirements list above is owned and copyright of the WITS-PSA, who have also given their permission for use on the page.
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Lucid is a free, open source protocol that bridges a gap between Operational Technology (OT) and IoT technology.