WITS-DNP3 and LUCID Comparison

Friday 10th January 2025

The table below shows which requirements from the original 97 WITS-PSA requirements are met by the WITS-DNP3 protocol and the Lucid Protocol. 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 WITS-DNP3 Lucid
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 83 71
% of requirements matched from original 97 requirements 86% 73%

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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