Innovative Technology for Reliable and Secure OT Communications

 

Our Mission

We actively develop and support measures to improve interoperability and cybersecurity in DNP systems by developing technologies and standards, implementing a conformance program, and providing education to the industry.

 

Activities of the Users Group

DNP3 has grown to be the most widely used protocol for electric transmission and distribution communications in North America and other regions of the world, and is a named standard for DER communications. DNP3 is also broadly adopted in adjacent industries such as water / wastewater, transportation and the oil and gas industry. 

The DNP Users Group (DNP-UG) owns and maintains DNP3 and supports our user community and the industry by enhancing and promoting DNP3 (Distributed Network Protocol), also known as IEEE Std. 1815TM. Our members include utilities, suppliers, consultants, and individuals (including students). Many of our initiatives support greater interoperability between supplier’s products and systems and/or enhance cyber security. On-going refinements also add new features and time-saving capabilities which are then included in the next update of IEEE 1815. Our growing library of Standards, Application Notes, Guides, Security Notices, and Technical Bulletins provide essential information for our members. The leadership team and technical team members provide periodic educational opportunities including tutorials, white papers, and conference presentations. Our Conformance Certification Program manages the Conformance Test Review process and publishes conformance certificates which are publicly posted. The DNP-UG is governed by our Board of Directors in accordance with our bylaws. The technical teams are involved with four different groups as follows:

  • Technical Committee
  • Cybersecurity Task Force
  • Test Management Committee
  • Test Procedure Committee.

 

Recent and current developments include new:

  • Update to the IEEE Std. 1815TM standard.
  • DER communications standard – IEEE 1815.2TM (draft) – joint effort with MESA.
  • Secure Authentication v6 (SAv6).
  • Authorization Management Protocol (AMP).
  • Test procedures.
  • Device profile guide.
  • Expanded Conformance Certification Program (CCP).

 

Membership in the Users Group

Join us! To participate and receive DNP-UG member benefits and services including the latest documents and updates, utilities and vendors are required to join and remain members. For more information go to dnp.org or email our team at admin@dnp.org  

 

DNP Users Group content including, postings, documents and presentations that refer to IEEE or IEEE standards, solely represent the views of the DNP-UG and do not necessarily represent a position of either IEEE, IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), the IEEE Power System Communications and Cybersecurity Standards Committee, or the applicable IEEE Working Groups.

 

The DNP Users Group is a California nonprofit mutual benefit Corporation, operating pursuant to United States IRS code 501(c)(6).

Announcements

<<If you know of others that need to see this announcement, please forward it.  Thank you!>>

<<If you have already renewed or joined for 2020, thank you!>>

On June 5, 2020 we posted an announcement called “DNP-UG COVID-19 Response”.  There have been 565 views of that post, so it was been widely read!  You can still read the post below. 

In essence, the post indicated that the UG would, upon request, extend website access for a further 90 days beyond the usual 30 days (120 days total) to July 31, 2020, for members unable to renew their memberships on time.  The message has clearly been received as we have seen a precipitous drop in membership renewals since that time. 

The problem now is that the level of renewals is far below a sustainable level for the UG.  For example, the membership fee income for October was approximately 1/10 our target level. 

Good news!  Since our last update at the AGM in April, all four of our operating teams have accomplished a great deal. Our development programs are primarily addressing cyber security (next generation) or interoperability which continues to be a challenge in the industry.  Join us for a fast-paced update plus the opportunity to interact with the directors and committee leadership.   

The core program will last 60 minutes, followed by a 30-minute member engagement period where we will be seeking feedback and input from our members on specific topics.  ZOOM meeting details are included below.

On behalf of the leadership of the DNP-UG, we hope you, your family and your colleagues have remained healthy during this very unusual period dealing with the coronavirus.  While aspects may be welcome such as a slower pace of life for some of us, others have experienced considerable disruption (and/or loss of loved ones). 

As previously announced, our Annual General Meeting will occur on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 4:00PM Eastern.  The meeting link is included below.

This is your best chance all year to hear of the full range of activities and efforts by the DNP-UG.  We have a lot of work underway and welcome your input and participation.

Our Member Update available here provides a brief summary of our major activities.

Hope you can join us!

At our last annual meeting on February 28, 2019, the Directors presented a proposal for voting on Emeritus Membership.  The notes from the applicable section of the meeting are included below.  The full meeting minutes are located here.

The concluding statement reads as follows: “Next steps are to call for expressions of interest to join a Task Force, reporting to the Directors, to develop an alternate proposal which will be submitted to the general membership for voting.”

Therefore, the Directors are now inviting expressions of interest to join a Task Force to develop an alternate proposal. 

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