IEC 62541-10:2020

Overview

IEC 62541-10:2020 - "OPC Unified Architecture – Part 10: Programs" defines the OPC UA information model for Programs. The standard specifies the NodeClasses, standard Properties, Methods, Events and associated behaviour required to represent and manage Programs in an OPC UA Address Space. IEC 62541-10 focuses on the program-level model (including a Program finite state machine and diagnostics); the complete Address Space model and Attributes are in IEC 62541-3, and Services (for invoking Methods and program management) are defined in IEC 62541-4. This is Edition 3 (2020), superseding Edition 2 (2015).

Key topics and technical requirements

• Program information model: Defines the ProgramStateMachineType (previously ProgramType) and related NodeClasses for representing Programs as first-class OPC UA nodes.
• Finite State Machine (FSM): Specifies program states, state transitions, stimuli and lifecycle semantics for Program execution and control.
• Methods and control semantics: Standard Program control Methods (start, stop, suspend, etc.) and modelling rules - changed from Optional to OptionalPlaceHolder to allow subtypes/instances to add arguments.
• Events and auditing: Standard Event types for Program transitions and auditing (e.g., ProgramTransitionEventType and AuditProgramTransitionEventType).
• Diagnostics and result data: Introduces ProgramDiagnostic2DataType (new/updated in this edition) to capture last input/output arguments, argument values and status codes for program executions; replaces earlier ProgramDiagnosticDataType and StatusResult naming.
• Security considerations: Addresses how Program control and information should respect OPC UA security models (authentication, authorization and secure transport).
• Interoperability details: Aligns with NodeSet and implementations through clarified type names and modelling rules.

Applications and intended users

IEC 62541-10 is applicable to organizations and professionals who design, implement or integrate OPC UA-based automation systems:

• OPC UA server and SDK developers implementing Program behaviour and diagnostics
• Device and machine vendors exposing program-controlled functionality (e.g., recipes, tasks, downloads)
• System integrators and automation architects modelling program lifecycles in industrial control systems
• Asset management and MES/SCADA designers requiring standardized program state, event and diagnostic reporting

Practical benefits include consistent program lifecycle handling across devices, improved diagnostics for troubleshooting, and predictable method/event semantics for automation workflows.

Related standards

• IEC 62541-3 - Address Space model, NodeClasses and Attributes (complete address space specification)
• IEC 62541-4 - Services used to invoke Methods and manage Programs (service semantics)
• Other parts of the IEC 62541 (OPC UA) series for security, information modelling and transport

Keywords: IEC 62541-10, OPC Unified Architecture, OPC UA Programs, ProgramStateMachineType, ProgramDiagnostic2DataType, NodeClasses, Methods, Events, Address Space, OPC UA services.