Fundamentals of Utilities Communication Architecture

This tutorial presents an overview of the Utilities Communication Architecture (UCA) and UCA 2.0, the role of manufacturing message specifications (MMS), generic object models for substation and feeder equipment (GOMSFE), and the common application service model (CASM), and an explanation of UCA interoperability, the Open System Interconnection (OSI) seven-layer model, TCP/IP, and other related topics. UCA 2.0 compliant does not mean interchangeable, but it does mean interoperable. You cannot pull one vendor's UCA 2.0 compliant device out of the cabinet, put in another vendor's device, and expect it to work without modifying your network. However, the application language and terminology are constant. The protocols used within the layers of the model, and their integration with each other, are fairly well defined by UCA 2.0 documentation. There are several protocols (except the application protocol, which is always MMS) from which to choose, and vendors and integrators may use different ones for different reasons. The wide scope of UCA has made this differentiation necessary since no single transport protocol is perfect for every application.