Still running Rockwell Interchange on OpenVMS?
Keep your applications talking to your Allen-Bradley PLCs. Replace Interchange by relinking against ABNet: no code changes, no recompile. Runs on VAX, Alpha, Itanium, and x86.
up to five times faster than Interchange
up to 90% less CPU usage than Interchange
DTL Interchange calls supported, with more available on request
lines of application code to change
Your plant still depends on software nobody supports.
Interchange for VMS was the standard way to connect OpenVMS applications to Allen-Bradley PLCs. It hasn’t kept pace with OpenVMS, and it can’t come with new hardware.
No vendor support.
When something breaks in the communications layer, there’s no one at Rockwell to call.
Aging hardware.
A production stop waiting to happen.
If the link between your application and your PLCs fails, the line it supports can stop with it.
Relink. Restart. Keep running.
ABNet follows the Rockwell Interchange for VMS call format. Your C and FORTRAN programs keep making the same DTL calls. They just link against the ABNet libraries instead.
- No programming changes and no recompile
- Existing definition strings keep working
- Faster communications with far less CPU load
- Supported software, backed by Salem Automation
Your application connects through Interchange
Unsupported.
The same application connects through ABNet
Supported.
Stabilize now. Modernize your schedule.
ABNet removes the immediate risk without forcing a rewrite. When you’re ready to move off legacy hardware or modernize the application itself, Salem Automation can take you there.
Today: Interchange on VAX or Alpha.
Working, but unsupported and tied to aging hardware.
Stabilize: ABNet on your current system.
Relink and get supported PLC communications right away.
Move hardware: ABNet/x86 on new OpenVMS.
Your PLC connectivity comes with you to current x86 platforms.
Modernize: Salem Controlled Runway.
A planned migration of the application when the time is right.
See exactly what your PLC communications are doing.
ABNet Mon gives your team detailed communications diagnostics through a simple, menu-driven text interface. Monitor queues and counters, change log verbosity on the fly, and turn on subroutine-level tracing without restarting anything.
Trusted on the plant floor for more than 15 years.
ABNet connects OpenVMS applications to Allen-Bradley PLCs in steel, tire, textile, aluminum, and imaging operations.
Salem Automation is a Rockwell Automation Encompass™ Product Partner.
From VAX serial links to Ethernet PLC communications, with zero code changes.
A manufacturer with decades-old Fortran, C, and Pascal process applications on VAX needed to reach modern ControlLogix and CompactLogix controllers over Ethernet. Salem replaced their serial Data Highway setup with ABNet, keeping the proven application layer intact.
- Application layer kept with zero code changes
- Serial single points of failure eliminated
- Phased rollout with 100% uptime
- Ethernet path opened for remote monitoring and OT/IT integration
Free Compatibility Check
Send your Interchange version, OpenVMS platform, and PLC types. An engineer will confirm compatibility within one business day.
Common questions
Do I have to change any code?
ABNet follows the Interchange for VMS call format, so existing applications relink against the ABNet libraries without programming changes or a recompile.
Does ABNet work with Data Highway Plus?
Yes, through a ControlLogix DHRIO gateway to DH+ for SLC and PLC-5 processors.
Can I move to x86 OpenVMS?
Yes. ABNet/x86 lets your PLC communications move with your application onto current x86 OpenVMS systems, using the same calls and definition strings you use today.
What does support include?
Salem Automation backs ABNet as supported software, with Standard and Mission Critical plans for single nodes or full sites.
Can we evaluate it before buying?
Tell us what you’re running, and we’ll walk you through how to evaluate ABNet against your own PLCs and applications before you commit.
What if we need a DTL call that isn't listed?
ABNet supports 33 DTL calls today, and additional calls can be added. Tell us what your application uses.