STALE-STATUS: TL;DR claimed "Wire-level round-trip against ab_server PCCC
mode currently fails with BadCommunicationError on read/write (verified
2026-04-20)." Docker/README.md §Known limitations explicitly states the
root cause was ab_server's empty-CIP-path gate, not a pccc.c gap, and that
N/F/L files round-trip cleanly with the /1,0 path. AbLegacyReadSmokeTests.cs
confirms tests pass against the fixture. Rewrote TL;DR + What-the-fixture-is
opening to reflect current passing state; residual gap is only B3 bit-file
writes (0x803D0000).
STALE-STATUS: Lifecycle probe listed as localhost:44818.
AbLegacyServerFixture.cs:57,119 default is 10.100.0.35:44818 (shared Docker
host, migrated 2026-04-28). Fixed.
INLINE COMPLETENESS: Follow-up item 1 phrased as future work ("smoke suite
passes today for N/F/L…"); tightened to describe the current passing state
and narrowed the remaining action to the bit-file write gap.
Verified: python3 .docs-audit/check_links.py — zero rows for this doc.
6.1 KiB
AB Legacy test fixture
Coverage map + gap inventory for the AB Legacy (PCCC) driver — SLC 500 / MicroLogix / PLC-5 / LogixPccc-mode.
TL;DR: Docker integration-test scaffolding lives at
tests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests/ (task #224),
reusing the AB CIP ab_server image in PCCC mode with per-family
compose profiles (slc500 / micrologix / plc5). The smoke tests pass
for N-file (Int16), F-file (Float32), and L-file (Int32) reads across all
three families when AB_LEGACY_CIP_PATH=1,0 (the default). The earlier
BadCommunicationError was traced to ab_server requiring a non-empty CIP
routing path before forwarding to the PCCC dispatcher — the /1,0 workaround
resolves it (see Docker/README.md §Known limitations). Residual gap: bit-file
writes (B3:0/5) still surface 0x803D0000 against ab_server. Unit tests
via FakeAbLegacyTag carry full contract coverage for all paths.
What the fixture is
Integration layer (task #224):
tests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests/ with
AbLegacyServerFixture (TCP-probes 10.100.0.35:44818 — the shared Docker
host; override with AB_LEGACY_ENDPOINT) + three smoke tests (parametric read
across families, SLC500 write-then-read). Reuses the AB CIP
otopcua-ab-server:libplctag-release image via a relative build: context in
Docker/docker-compose.yml — one image, different --plc flags. See
Docker/README.md §Known limitations for the CIP-path gate + bit-file write
gap.
Unit layer: tests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.Tests/ is
still the primary coverage. All tests tagged [Trait("Category", "Unit")].
The driver accepts IAbLegacyTagFactory via ctor DI; every test
supplies a FakeAbLegacyTag.
What it actually covers (unit only)
AbLegacyAddressTests— PCCC address parsing for SLC / MicroLogix / PLC-5 / LogixPccc-mode (N7:0,F8:12,B3:0/5, etc.)AbLegacyCapabilityTests— data type mapping, read-only enforcementAbLegacyReadWriteTests— read + write happy + error paths against the fakeAbLegacyBitRmwTests— bit-within-DINT read-modify-write serialization via per-parentSemaphoreSlim(mirrors the AB CIP + FOCAS PMC-bit pattern from #181)AbLegacyHostAndStatusTests— probe + host-status transitions driven by fake-returned statusesAbLegacyDriverTests—IDriverlifecycle
Capability surfaces whose contract is verified: IDriver, IReadable,
IWritable, ITagDiscovery, ISubscribable, IHostConnectivityProbe,
IPerCallHostResolver.
What it does NOT cover
1. Wire-level PCCC
No PCCC frame is sent by the test suite. libplctag's PCCC subset (DF1, ControlNet-over-EtherNet, PLC-5 native EtherNet) is untested here; driver-side correctness depends on libplctag being correct.
2. Family-specific behavior
- SLC 500 timeout + retry thresholds (SLC's comm module has known slow-response edges) — unit fakes don't simulate timing.
- MicroLogix 1100 / 1400 max-connection-count limits — not stressed.
- PLC-5 native EtherNet connection setup (PCCC-encapsulated-in-CIP vs raw CSPv4) — routing covered at parse level only.
3. Multi-device routing
IPerCallHostResolver contract is verified; real PCCC wire routing across
multiple gateways is not.
4. Alarms / history
PCCC has no alarm object + no history object. Driver doesn't implement
IAlarmSource or IHistoryProvider — no test coverage is the correct shape.
5. File-type coverage
PCCC has many file types (N, F, B, T, C, R, S, ST, A) — the parser tests
cover the common ones but uncommon ones (R counters, S status files,
A ASCII strings) have thin coverage.
When to trust AB Legacy tests, when to reach for a rig
| Question | Unit tests | Real PLC |
|---|---|---|
"Does N7:0/5 parse correctly?" |
yes | - |
| "Does bit-in-word RMW serialize concurrent writers?" | yes | yes |
| "Does the driver lifecycle hang / crash?" | yes | yes |
| "Does a real read against an SLC 500 return correct bytes?" | no | yes (required) |
| "Does MicroLogix 1100 respect its connection-count cap?" | no | yes (required) |
| "Do PLC-5 ST-files round-trip correctly?" | no | yes (required) |
Follow-up candidates
- Close residual ab_server bit-file write gap — N (Int16), F (Float32),
and L (Int32) files round-trip cleanly across SLC500 / MicroLogix / PLC-5
modes with the
/1,0cip-path workaround in place. Remaining gap: bit-file writes (B3:0/5) surface0x803D0000againstab_server --plc=SLC500. Contributing a patch tolibplctag/libplctagto close this would remove the last Docker-vs-hardware divergence for bit writes. - Rockwell RSEmulate 500 golden-box tier — Rockwell's real emulator
for SLC/MicroLogix/PLC-5. Would close UDT-equivalent (integer-file
indirection), timer/counter decomposition, and real ladder execution
gaps. Costs: RSLinx OEM license, Windows-only, Hyper-V conflict
matching TwinCAT XAR + Logix Emulate, no clean PR-diffable project
format (SLC/ML save as binary
.RSS). Scaffold like the Logix Emulate tier when operationally worth it. - Lab rig — used SLC 5/05 or MicroLogix 1100 on a dedicated network; parts are end-of-life but still available. PLC-5 + LogixPccc-mode behaviour + DF1 serial need specific controllers.
Key fixture / config files
tests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests/AbLegacyServerFixture.cs— TCP probe + skip attributes + env-var parsingtests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests/AbLegacyReadSmokeTests.cs— wire-level smoke tests; pass against the ab_server Docker fixture withAB_LEGACY_COMPOSE_PROFILEset to the running containertests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests/Docker/docker-compose.yml— compose profiles reusing AB CIP Dockerfiletests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.IntegrationTests/Docker/README.md— known-limitations write-up + resolution pathstests/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy.Tests/FakeAbLegacyTag.cs— in-process fake + factorysrc/Drivers/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Driver.AbLegacy/AbLegacyDriver.cs— scope remarks at the top of the file