OPAL-RT supports the IEC 61850-8-1 MMS Server protocol (Manufacturing Message Specification), which is defined as a server/client communication protocol used for data exchange between Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and higher-level devices, such as SCADA over Ethernet. Using a standard network interface card, this protocol can be easily and rapidly integrated into any simulation model. OPAL-RT supports Substation Configuration Language (SCL), Substation Configuration Description (SCD), and IED Capability Description (ICD) file types for protocol configuration. The driver is initialized on the target simulator at the start of the simulation. The IEC 61850 driver makes use of asynchronous threads on dedicated cores in order to achieve high performance. Please note that IEC 61850-8-1 MMS Server is available as an add-on to the IEC-61850-8-1 GOOSE protocol, and an IEC 61850 bundle enablingMMS Server, GOOSE, and Sampled Values is available.

IEC 61850 is a standard describing the design of electrical substations, and defines IEC 61850-8-1 MMS, GOOSE, and Sampled Values protocols for the data exchange between Intelligent Electronic Devices and associated systems. IEC 61850-8-1 MMS (Manufacturing Message Specification) Server is defined as a server/client communication protocol used for data exchange between Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and higher-level devices, such as SCADA over Ethernet. The MMS protocol is mapped to TCP/IP and enables IP address-enabled access to the server, allowing a client to read/write data, read configurations, and exchange files. Standard naming and object modeling are based on a Substation Configuration Language (SCL), Substation Configuration Description (SCD), and IED Capability Description (ICD), which describe data exchange at device and substation levels.