IRC5 or OmniCore: which RWS version

An IRC5 controller speaks RWS 1.0, an OmniCore controller speaks RWS 2.0. You tell the SDK which one with the RwsVersion enum at connection time, and the rest of your code stays the same. This page compares the two, and lists the few places where the difference is visible.

Which controller do you have

The controller generation, the RobotWare version and the RWS version always go together. You cannot run RWS 2.0 on an IRC5, and RobotWare 7 only exists on OmniCore.

If you do not know, look at the RobotWare version on the teach pendant, or read it with robot.Rws.System.GetInfo().Version once you are connected.

HTTP versus HTTPS is a separate question from the RWS version. Both generations can be configured for either one, it depends on the controller's own network setup, not on its generation. Check that on the controller and set UseHttps to match. When the controller answers on HTTPS with a self-signed certificate, the SDK accepts it without any extra step.

Choosing the version in your code

OmniCore_V2_0 is the default.

// IRC5 controller, RobotWare 6 : RWS 1.0
ConnectionParameters irc5 = new ConnectionParameters("192.168.0.1");
irc5.Rws.Version = RwsVersion.Irc5_V1_0;

// OmniCore controller, RobotWare 7 : RWS 2.0
ConnectionParameters omniCore = new ConnectionParameters("192.168.0.2");
omniCore.Rws.Version = RwsVersion.OmniCore_V2_0;

// UseHttps is independent of the version. Set it to match how this
// particular controller is configured on the network, not its generation.
omniCore.Rws.UseHttps = true;

AbbController robot = new AbbController();
robot.Connect(omniCore);

// The same code then works on both controllers
Console.WriteLine(robot.Rws.System.GetInfo().Version);

A wrong version does not produce a clear error. The connection opens, then the first request answers with the HTTP status code 404 and the SDK throws an RwsException. If you see a 404 on a call that should exist, check RwsVersion first.

Detecting the version at runtime

The controller does not announce its RWS version, so a tool that has to work with a fleet of unknown robots tries one version and falls back on the other. robot.Rws.Version gives back the version the connection was opened with.

// The version is a connection parameter, the controller does not announce it.
    // Try RWS 2.0 first, fall back to RWS 1.0 when the controller answers 404.
    AbbController robot = Open("192.168.0.1");

    Console.WriteLine(robot.Rws.Version);        // Irc5_V1_0 or OmniCore_V2_0

    SystemInfo info = robot.Rws.System.GetInfo();
    Console.WriteLine(info.Name);                // name of the system
    Console.WriteLine(info.Version);             // RobotWare version, 6.x on IRC5, 7.x on OmniCore

    robot.Disconnect();
    

static AbbController Open(string ip)
{
    AbbController robot = new AbbController();

    ConnectionParameters omniCore = new ConnectionParameters(ip);
    omniCore.Rws.Version = RwsVersion.OmniCore_V2_0;
    omniCore.Rws.UseHttps = true;

    try
    {
        robot.Connect(omniCore);
        robot.Rws.System.GetInfo();   // the first real request tells whether the guess was right
        return robot;
    }
    catch (RwsException error) when (error.StatusCode == 404)
    {
        robot.Disconnect();
    }

    ConnectionParameters irc5 = new ConnectionParameters(ip);
    irc5.Rws.Version = RwsVersion.Irc5_V1_0;
    irc5.Rws.UseHttps = false;

    robot.Connect(irc5);
    return robot;
}

What changes in your code

Almost nothing. One method covers both versions, and the SDK sends what the connected controller expects. robot.Rws.Rapid.GetSymbolValue(...), robot.Rws.Io.SetSignalValue(...) and robot.Rws.MotionSystem.GetRobTarget(...) are written once.

Three behaviours differ enough to be worth knowing.

Mastership domains. The two generations do not cut the controller the same way. IRC5 has three domains, Configuration, Rapid and Motion. OmniCore has two, Edit, which covers the system parameters and the RAPID programs together, and Motion. You can pass any of the four values of MastershipDomain on either controller, the SDK maps them onto the domains the controller really has.

// Domains the connected controller really exposes
foreach (MastershipDomain domain in robot.Rws.Mastership.GetDomains())
    Console.WriteLine(domain);

// Motion is needed to move a mechanical unit
robot.Rws.Mastership.Request(MastershipDomain.Motion);
robot.Rws.Mastership.Release(MastershipDomain.Motion);

// Edit covers the system parameters and the RAPID programs at once
robot.Rws.Mastership.Request(MastershipDomain.Edit);
robot.Rws.Mastership.Release(MastershipDomain.Edit);

// Without argument, every domain is taken and given back
robot.Rws.Mastership.Request();
robot.Rws.Mastership.Release();

Implicit mastership. On OmniCore, Panel.SetSpeedRatio and Controller.Restart need the mastership. Both take it for you, use it and give it back, which is the default. On IRC5 the same two calls need no mastership, and the flag is ignored. See the mastership page.

Long lists. OmniCore answers a long list in pages. The SDK asks for the following pages and gives you the complete array, so a directory with 2000 files comes back whole. IRC5 answers everything in one response. In both cases you get one T[], only the number of HTTP requests changes.

Operations that exist on one version only

Data filled in by one version only

Some properties are always there, but only one controller generation fills them. The others stay null, or keep their Unknown value.

A virtual controller in RobotStudio behaves like the real one it simulates, with one exception: SystemInfo keeps the detailed version numbers, the title, the type and the build date empty on a simulated system. That is a property of the machine, not of the RWS version.

Which one should you target

If you write a tool for one cell, target the controller you have. If you write a product, support both: the code is the same, and the only work is to let the user choose the version, or to detect it as shown above. Test against two RobotStudio virtual controllers, one RobotWare 6 and one RobotWare 7.

Going further

• Connect to your robot, the full list of connection parameters
• Mastership, the domains and the write lock
• Robot Web Services overview, the nine services
• Test with a RobotStudio virtual controller

public enum RwsVersion {
 
    // RWS 1.0, exposed by IRC5 controllers running RobotWare 6 and earlier.
    Irc5_V1_0 = 10
 
    // RWS 2.0, exposed by OmniCore controllers running RobotWare 7 and later.
    // This is the default when no version is specified.
    OmniCore_V2_0 = 20
}

public class RwsConnectParameters : RwsConnectParametersBase {
     public RwsConnectParameters()
 
    // Default password for Digest Authentication
    public const string DEFAULT_PASSWORD = "robotics"
 
    // Default RWS port (80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS)
    public const int DEFAULT_PORT = 80
 
    // Default timeout in milliseconds
    public const int DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 10000
 
    // Default username for Digest Authentication
    public const string DEFAULT_USERNAME = "Default User"
 
    // Enable or disable the RWS client connection
    public bool Enable { get; set; }
}