Lookout 6.1 build 27 OPCClient does not launch the Opto 22 OPC SEVER

Question

In the same computer, with the same Lookout 6.1 a few weeks ago, I had communication between Opto 22 OPC Server and Lookout using the OPCClient in Lookout. Settings in OPCClient were for a really fast scanning rate (50 milliseconds) and de deadband was set to zero in order to see all the inputs changes with the best resolution. These I/O units are Opto PAC EB2 brains, and the OPC Server belongs to the suite of PAC 8.0 (I tried also 8.1) of Opto 22. The I/O Configuration and the OPC configuration was done with the same OPTO22 software version.This was a test done in order to see if I can get 20 samples per second from all the I/O's. It did go well, even a little faster than required. It was informed to my bosses, then I had the 'go' for the project I'm working on. That was the main concern of everyone here; the fast communication between Lookout an the Hardware.
The computer runs windows XP SP2, has two ethernet ports; one with dynamic IP address on motherboard (for the company network), and a PCI ethernet cad with a fixed IP address in the range of the IP addresses of the Opto 22 brains dedicated to talk to these I/O units.
I called first to the tech support of OPTO 22. They shown me how to double check and to launch manually the OPC Server, there is a tester software for it. The OPC Server was launched and I saw it in the task manager under processes tab.
When I create the object in Lookout, it does not see the server, neither launches the server. I can see the data members of the OPCClient, but I can not see the variables or tags from the server.
Again, it did work a few weeks before in the same PC, with the same Lookout and the same Opto 22 as a test. Now I need to add the OPCClient to my application and make the corresponding connections, but I can't.
This is becoming a kind of hurry, time is running and the application can not get to work.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

When the OPC Client object is created, I can select the OPTO22OPCSever.2 in the dropdown list of servers. It is there, and the object can be configured normally. I must see in the object explorer (expanding the OPCClient object) the tags configured in OPTO 22 Server,but they are not there. The Client object only shows its data members. Once Lookout is open with the OPCClient, the task manager/services does not show Opto22OPCSever.exe running, that tells me that Lookout's client does not launch the server and that's why it does not show the tags configured in the server.
I have uninstalled Opto 22 software and re-installed, I called Opto 22 tech support and they shown me a way to launch manually the server, even how to monitor some of the values of its tags. I saw the Opto22OPCServer.exe in the processes list of the task manager, I read values of some tags with the OPC tester, To me, the server side is working fine.
Then, I installed Lookout .During this process there was an error 1922 and a message saying that files mssgl.mdf, mssgl.mdl, and mssgl.ldl are not found, These files must be located in C:\ Program Files\ National Instruments\Lookout 6.1\ Database. During the first installation of Lookout 6.1, I followed the instructions in the README file, where some specific commands must be typed in the run windows and executed to create the database properly. It was done, no errors were displayed during the first installation.
The thing is that this OPCClient/OPCServer DID WORK before. For some reason it does not work NOW.
this computer didn't have any previous version of Lookout installed, there is no possible old database messing here.
Again; the computer runs windows XP SP2, it has a dual core processor.