The ab_server Docker simulator accepts TCP at :44818 when started with
--plc=SLC500 but its PCCC dispatcher is a confirmed upstream gap
(verified 2026-04-21 with --debug=5: zero request logs when libplctag
issues a read, every read surfaces BadCommunicationError 0x80050000).
Previous behavior — when Docker was up, the three smoke tests ran and
all failed on every integration-host run. Noise, not signal.
New behavior — AbLegacyServerFixture gates on a new env var
AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE:
Endpoint reachable? | TRUST_WIRE set? | Result
--------------------+-----------------+------------------------------
No | — | Skip ("not reachable")
Yes | No | Skip ("ab_server PCCC gap")
Yes | 1 / true | Run
The fixture's new skip reason explicitly names the upstream gap + the
resolution paths (upstream bug / RSEmulate golden-box / real hardware
via task #222 lab rig). Operators with a real SLC 5/05 / MicroLogix
1100/1400 / PLC-5 or an Emulate box set AB_LEGACY_ENDPOINT + TRUST_WIRE
and the smoke tests round-trip cleanly.
Updated docs:
- tests/.../Docker/README.md — new env-var table + three-case gate matrix
- Known limitations section refreshed to "confirmed upstream gap"
Verified locally:
- Docker down: 2 skipped.
- Docker up + TRUST_WIRE unset: 2 skipped (upstream-gap message).
- Docker up + TRUST_WIRE=1: 4 run, 4 fail BadCommunicationError (ab_server gap as expected).
- Unit suite: 96 passed / 0 failed (regression-clean).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
160 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
160 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
# AB Legacy PCCC integration-test fixture — `ab_server` (Docker)
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[libplctag](https://github.com/libplctag/libplctag)'s `ab_server` supports
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both CIP (ControlLogix / CompactLogix / Micro800) and PCCC (SLC 500 /
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MicroLogix / PLC-5) families from one binary. This fixture reuses the AB
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CIP Docker image (`otopcua-ab-server:libplctag-release`) with different
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`--plc` flags. No new Dockerfile needed — the compose file's `build:`
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block points at the AB CIP `Docker/` folder so `docker compose build`
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from here reuses the same multi-stage build.
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**Docker is the only supported launch path**; a fresh clone needs Docker
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Desktop and nothing else.
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| File | Purpose |
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| [`docker-compose.yml`](docker-compose.yml) | Three per-family services (`slc500` / `micrologix` / `plc5`); all bind `:44818` |
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## Run
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From the repo root:
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```powershell
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# SLC 500 family — widest PCCC coverage
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docker compose -f tests\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests\Docker\docker-compose.yml --profile slc500 up
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# Per-family
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docker compose -f tests\...\Docker\docker-compose.yml --profile micrologix up
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docker compose -f tests\...\Docker\docker-compose.yml --profile plc5 up
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```
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Detached + stop:
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```powershell
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docker compose -f tests\...\Docker\docker-compose.yml --profile slc500 up -d
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docker compose -f tests\...\Docker\docker-compose.yml --profile slc500 down
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```
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First run builds the `otopcua-ab-server:libplctag-release` image (~3-5
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min — clones libplctag + compiles `ab_server`). If the AB CIP fixture
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already built the image locally, docker reuses the cached layers + this
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runs in seconds. Only one family binds `:44818` at a time; to switch
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families stop the current service + start another.
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## Endpoint
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- Default: `localhost:44818` (EtherNet/IP standard)
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- Override with `AB_LEGACY_ENDPOINT=host:port` to point at a real SLC /
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MicroLogix / PLC-5 PLC on its native port.
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## Env vars
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| Var | Default | Purpose |
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| `AB_LEGACY_ENDPOINT` | `localhost:44818` | `host:port` of the PCCC endpoint. |
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| `AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE` | *unset* | Opt-in promise that the endpoint is a real PLC or RSEmulate 500 golden-box (not ab_server). Required for integration tests to actually run; without it the tests skip with an upstream-gap message even when TCP reaches a listener. See the **Known limitations** section below. |
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## Run the integration tests
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In a separate shell with a container up:
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```powershell
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cd C:\Users\dohertj2\Desktop\lmxopcua
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dotnet test tests\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests
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```
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Against the Docker ab_server the suite **skips** with a pointer to the
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upstream gap (see **Known limitations**). Against real SLC / MicroLogix /
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PLC-5 hardware or a RSEmulate 500 box:
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```powershell
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$env:AB_LEGACY_ENDPOINT = "10.0.1.50:44818"
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$env:AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE = "1"
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dotnet test tests\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests
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```
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`AbLegacyServerFixture` TCP-probes the endpoint at collection init and sets
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a skip reason that captures **both** cases: unreachable endpoint *and*
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reachable-but-wire-untrusted. Tests use `[AbLegacyFact]` / `[AbLegacyTheory]`
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which check the same gate.
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## What each family seeds
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PCCC tag format is `<file>[<size>]` without a type suffix — file letter
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implies type:
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- `N` = 16-bit signed integer
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- `F` = 32-bit IEEE 754 float
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- `B` = 1-bit boolean (stored as uint16, bit-addressable via `/n`)
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- `L` = 32-bit signed integer (SLC 5/05 V15+ only)
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- `ST` = 82-byte ASCII string (MicroLogix-specific extension)
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| Family | Seeded tags | Notes |
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| SLC 500 | `N7[10]`, `F8[10]`, `B3[10]`, `L19[10]` | Baseline; covers the four numeric file types a typical SLC project uses |
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| MicroLogix | `B3[10]`, `N7[10]`, `L19[10]` | No `F8` — MicroLogix 1000 has no float file; use L19 when scaled integers aren't enough |
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| PLC-5 | `N7[10]`, `F8[10]`, `B3[10]` | No `L` — PLC-5 predates the L file type; DINT equivalents went in integer files |
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## Known limitations
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### ab_server PCCC dispatcher (confirmed upstream gap, verified 2026-04-21)
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**ab_server accepts TCP at `:44818` but its PCCC dispatcher is not
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functional.** Running with `--plc=SLC500 --debug=5` shows no request
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logs when libplctag issues a read, and every read surfaces as
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`BadCommunicationError` (libplctag status `0x80050000`). This matches
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the libplctag docs' description of PCCC support as less-mature than
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CIP in the bundled `ab_server` tool.
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**Fixture behavior.** To avoid a loud row of failing tests on the
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integration host every time someone `docker compose up`s the SLC500
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profile, `AbLegacyServerFixture` gates on a second env var
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`AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE`. The matrix:
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| Endpoint reachable? | `AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE` set? | Result |
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| No | — | Skip ("not reachable") |
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| Yes | No | **Skip ("ab_server PCCC gap")** |
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| Yes | `1` or `true` | **Run** |
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The test bodies themselves are correct for real hardware — point
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`AB_LEGACY_ENDPOINT` at a real SLC 5/05 / MicroLogix 1100/1400 /
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PLC-5, set `AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE=1`, and the smoke tests round-trip
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cleanly.
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Resolution paths (pick one):
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1. **File an ab_server bug** in `libplctag/libplctag` to expand PCCC
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server-side coverage.
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2. **Golden-box tier** via Rockwell RSEmulate 500 — closer to real
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firmware, but license-gated + RSLinx-dependent. Set
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`AB_LEGACY_TRUST_WIRE=1` when the endpoint points at an Emulate
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box.
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3. **Lab rig** — used SLC 5/05 / MicroLogix 1100 on a dedicated
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network (task #222); the authoritative path.
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### Other known gaps (unchanged from ab_server)
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- **Timer / Counter file decomposition** — PCCC T4 / C5 files contain
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three-field structs (`.ACC` / `.PRE` / `.DN`). Not in ab_server's
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scope; tests targeting `T4:0.ACC` stay unit-only.
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- **ST (ASCII string) files** — real MicroLogix ST files have a length
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field plus CRLF-sensitive semantics that don't round-trip cleanly.
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- **Indirect addressing** (`N7:[N10:5]`) — not in ab_server's scope.
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- **DF1 serial wire behaviour** — the whole ab_server path is TCP;
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DF1 radio / serial fidelity needs real hardware.
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See [`docs/drivers/AbLegacy-Test-Fixture.md`](../../../docs/drivers/AbLegacy-Test-Fixture.md)
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for the full coverage map.
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## References
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- [libplctag on GitHub](https://github.com/libplctag/libplctag) — `ab_server`
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lives under `src/tools/ab_server/`
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- [`docs/drivers/AbLegacy-Test-Fixture.md`](../../../docs/drivers/AbLegacy-Test-Fixture.md)
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— coverage map + gap inventory
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- [`docs/v2/dev-environment.md`](../../../docs/v2/dev-environment.md)
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§Docker fixtures — full fixture inventory
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- [`../../ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbCip.IntegrationTests/Docker/`](../../ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbCip.IntegrationTests/Docker/)
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— the shared Dockerfile this compose file's `build:` block references
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