Files
UA-.NETStandard/docs/Subscriptions.md
T
Marc Schier 2836da7ec8 Fix sessionless ResultTransfer ownership bypass and other issues. (#4834)
# Description

Correct ownership, endpoint validation, policy propagation, subscription
delivery, file handling and generated-model behavior across the stack,
tools and samples. Add focused regression tests and update the
corresponding guides and sample documentation.

### Previously included corrections

- Require an active, matching session to generate or access transient
ResultTransfer file handles. Cover both sessionless generation and reads
against a handle owned by an active session, using live session owners
in the Machinery tests.
- Keep physical filesystem operations within their configured mount and
apply the same confinement checks throughout file operations.
- Validate LDS semaphore paths consistently during server registration
and registration-store maintenance.

### Individual issues addressed

| # | Component | Issue and correction |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AI jobs and transfers | Jobs and transfers did not consistently
retain their creator's identity and session. Apply ownership checks to
descendants, file handles, subscriptions and execution, and recheck
deployment permissions before dispatch. |
| 2 | Password-management client | Password-bearing calls could use
signing-only channels or follow a replacement connection. Capture an
encrypted transport generation and keep dispatch bound to it; preserve
ordinary non-password edits. |
| 3 | GDS and certificate-push clients | Connections omitted hostname
verification. Validate the original configured DNS name or IP address
before session activation. |
| 4 | Certificate push | Private-key uploads could use signing-only
calls. Require an encrypted, generation-bound dispatch while preserving
certificate-only updates and restoring the caller's identity afterward.
|
| 5 | MQTT client | The .NET Framework custom-trust callback could
discard TLS hostname, certificate-availability and usage errors. Retain
those checks while supporting configured issuer trust. |
| 6 | DTLS handshake | Certificate trust was not tied to the configured
peer address. Match the certificate's DNS or IP identity to the intended
endpoint. |
| 7 | Replicated address spaces | Serialized nodes lost per-node and
descendant permission metadata. Preserve role permissions, user-role
permissions and access restrictions, including updates to existing
replica nodes. |
| 8 | MCP PubSub imports | Imports without groups skipped checks on the
effective broker destination. Check the actual endpoint before resolving
credentials or activating the connection. |
| 9 | Reference-server accounts | A disabled username account could
authenticate again with its previous roles. Reject disabled accounts
during fresh authentication. |
| 10 | Console reference client | The sample disabled hostname checks
when connecting to an otherwise trusted peer. Retain the original
requested host and validate it before activation. |
| 11 | Capture replay and export | Replay and raw export could accept
non-capture files or include key material. Require complete PCAP/PCAPNG
containers and exclude key sidecars and decryption-secret blocks. |
| 12 | PubSub adapter fallback | The fallback client configuration
automatically accepted peer certificates. Apply normal trust and
hostname validation before activation or reads. |
| 13 | Kafka transport | Explicit TLS enablement was checked but did not
reach both final Confluent configurations. Use the same effective
protocol for validation, producers and consumers. |
| 14 | PubSub actions | Configuration rebuilds could widen a
connection-local action handler's scope. Preserve its original
connection association and reject mismatched dispatch. |
| 15 | PubSub readers | Reader-level message-protection settings were
accepted but ignored. Apply the effective group and reader settings
before accepting and publishing received values. |
| 16 | PubSub key groups | Different `SecurityGroupId` values could
share one connection-wide key context. Reject mixed groups on a
connection and require separate connections for distinct groups. |
| 17 | MCP session registrations | Session-name replacement or reuse
could retain another registration's credential bindings. Bind access to
the registration, caller and authenticated endpoint, and preserve that
identity when borrowing sessions. |
| 18 | Viewer HTTP host | Requests reached the viewer's OPC UA session
without consistent Host, Origin and port checks. Validate the request
destination and browser origin before using the session, while retaining
supported local MCP clients. |
| 19 | Vision file operations | File operations did not consistently
apply protected-file checks, and remote handles lacked caller and
connection context. Apply the shared checks and use host-side opaque
handles bound to caller, target and generation. |
| 20 | DTLS record integrity | The integrity-only MAC used a truncated
sequence number. Authenticate the full reconstructed sequence number and
epoch so records remain distinct across rollover. |
| 21 | AMB client sample | Connection setup omitted hostname validation.
Preserve the originally requested host and verify the peer identity
before activation. |
| 22 | Robot sample writes | The R2 `SpeedOverride` callback could
target R1 state. Bind each callback to its own robot and apply that
robot's write policy. |
| 23 | AI result properties | Optional result children inherited
remotely writable defaults. Preserve their declaration restrictions and
keep server-produced results read-only. |
| 24 | WSS peer-trust updates | Existing channels did not consistently
respond to peer-trust changes. Revalidate complete chains for forward
and reverse WSS channels and close only those that no longer validate. |
| 25 | GDS revocation checks | Caller-provided certificates could cause
issuer retrieval from embedded URLs. Resolve validation from configured
local trust, issuers and CRLs without fetching caller-provided
locations. |
| 26 | GMS observations | Published correction observations retained
writable model defaults. Reject remote writes while preserving
publisher-side updates. |
| 27 | Production-dataset monitoring | Subscription admission and
delivery could use the reporter's context instead of each subscriber's
permissions. Evaluate the subscriber at admission and on every delivery,
including cancellation and disposal paths. |
| 28 | WoT MQTT destinations | Hostless MQTT forms could imply a
localhost destination before loopback checks. Reject them before
credential lookup or connection attempts and validate the effective
endpoint. |
| 29 | XRegistry opaque reads | Content-ID reads and notifications did
not consistently honor encrypted-read requirements or the currently
accepted transport. Recheck the bound endpoint and reject transport
downgrades before rebinding, including when protected values are already
queued. |
| 30 | PubSub capture dissection | Key loading did not consistently
check the configured capture-root boundary. Check each actual key path
immediately before opening it. |
| 31 | PubSub publication queues | Imported WriterGroup queues were not
fully checked against publish-topic grants. Check the destination
actually used by each group. |
| 32 | MCP PubSub mutations | A caller-supplied mode could select
subscribe grants for an operation that publishes. Derive the required
direction and parent context from the actual mutation. |
| 33 | Generated write masks | Model import and generation could widen
an explicit `UserWriteMask`. Preserve it through import, copy, merge,
inheritance and dependency metadata. |
| 34 | Generated method flags | An explicit `UserExecutable=false` could
be lost. Preserve its specified state and resulting method behavior
through the same model paths. |
| 35 | Generated role identifiers | Unresolved role identifiers could
cause permission entries to be omitted. Preserve namespace-qualified
role IDs and report a diagnostic when a policy cannot be represented. |
| 36 | Aggregation-server defaults | The `localhost` default did not
reliably constrain listener binding. Use numeric loopback for the
default endpoint and command-line fallback. |
| 37 | Certificate-validation cache | Cached results could skip current
leaf or issuer validity checks. Recheck validity windows on cache hits
and keep hostname validation independent of cached chain trust. |
| 38 | Software-update folders | Revision names and marker contents
containing dot segments could select paths outside the software root.
Normalize and check every derived path against that root. |
| 39 | USDA arrays | Array elements were not encoded for their string or
asset context. Escape them as data and preserve valid composition and
round-trip behavior. |
| 40 | Adapter hot reload | A changed dataset definition with the same
name could keep old fields, subscriptions or cached values active.
Compare complete immutable definitions and retire old state before
replacement. |
| 41 | Adapter index ranges | Subscription publication could ignore
`IndexRange` and return the complete value. Preserve the requested
projection and its status and timestamps; reject unsupported range
providers. |
| 42 | PubSub metadata and targets | Metadata from one connection could
change another connection's target mapping. Scope metadata to its
connection and provenance, and resolve targets using actual typed field
IDs rather than field names or unintended positional fallback. |
| 43 | Scales product locks | Product locks were not applied across
every remote mutation path. Apply them consistently to value writes,
filling calculations and related recipe/controller operations while
retaining permitted updates. |
| 44 | Event permission caching | Cached event decisions could outlive
identity, role or node-policy changes. Revalidate the current
subscriber, event type and source permissions instead of reusing a stale
decision. |
| 45 | WoT Modbus destinations | Hostless Modbus forms could imply
localhost before loopback checks. Reject them before connecting and
validate the effective endpoint. |
| 46 | MCP local PKI tools | Peer-trust mutations did not consistently
require the caller's `CertificateAdministration` grant. Check the
capability before trust and untrust operations. |
| 47 | Robot-control HTTP bridge | The bridge lacked consistent Host,
Origin and port validation and caller-specific session grants. Apply
those checks before borrowing the OPC UA session and retain supported
local clients. |
| 48 | Subscription transfers | Transferred subscriptions could retain
cached notifications after the destination's permissions changed.
Require authorization continuity between source and destination
identities and roles, invalidate stale retransmission data when
continuity fails, and preserve retransmission behavior for compatible
transfers. |

### Compatibility notes

- Replication uses the versioned NSRP v1 policy envelope. Upgrade peers
together and re-encode or reseed legacy topology from the authoritative
model; missing permission metadata is not inferred from old records.
- Integrity-only DTLS peers must be upgraded together for the full
sequence/epoch MAC. AEAD behavior is unchanged.
- Distinct PubSub key groups require separate connections.
- Custom sessions that cannot capture the actual encrypted transport,
and subscription providers that cannot honor a requested range, are
rejected rather than silently changing the requested behavior.
- Subscription transfers retain retransmission data only when the
destination authorization remains compatible with the source snapshot;
otherwise the old sequence numbers and cached data are invalidated.

## Related Issues

No separate tracking issue is linked. The individual corrections are
listed above.

## Checklist

_Put an `x` in the boxes that apply. You can complete these step by step
after opening the PR._

- [ ] I have signed the
[CLA](https://opcfoundation.org/license/cla/ContributorLicenseAgreementv1.0.pdf)
and read the
[CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/OPCFoundation/UA-.NETStandard/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
doc.
- [x] I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my
feature works and increased code coverage.
- [ ] I have added all necessary documentation.
- [x] I have verified that my changes do not introduce (new) build or
analyzer warnings.
- [ ] I ran **all** tests locally using the **UA.slnx** solution against
at least .net **framework** and .net **10**, and all passed.
- [ ] I fixed **all** failing and flaky tests in the CI pipelines and
**all** CodeQL warnings.
- [ ] I have addressed **all** PR feedback received.
2026-10-21 05:37:29 +02:00

1075 lines
57 KiB
Markdown

# Subscriptions and Monitored Items Service Set
The OPC UA Subscription and MonitoredItems service sets (Part 4 §5.13
and §5.14) are exposed through three layered client APIs in this
stack:
1. **Classic `Opc.Ua.Client.Subscription`** — the historical
event-driven API. Items added with
`subscription.AddItem(item); subscription.ApplyChangesAsync()`;
notifications delivered through the per-item `Notification` event
or the per-subscription `FastDataChangeCallback` / `FastEventCallback`.
2. **V2 `ISubscriptionManager` / `ISubscription`** — the options-based
callback API in `src/Opc.Ua.Client/Subscription/`. Items added
with `subscription.MonitoredItems.TryAdd(name, options, out _)`;
notifications delivered through `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler`
callbacks. The default engine on `ManagedSession`.
3. **`IStreamingSubscription`** — a thin `IAsyncEnumerable<T>`
abstraction on top of the V2 engine for state-machine waits and
short-lived monitoring.
**Recommendation:** new code should use the V2 surface
(`ISubscriptionManager` for long-lived application subscriptions,
`IStreamingSubscription` for short-lived / await-until-X scenarios).
The classic API stays supported for migration and continues to ship
in `Opc.Ua.Client.Subscription`; an internal bridge forwards classic
subscriptions onto the V2 publish pipeline when the V2 engine is
active, so existing classic-API code keeps working alongside V2.
For the full engine comparison (publish-pipeline ownership, worker
pools, when to pick which) see
[Sessions: subscription engines](Sessions.md#5-subscription-engines).
## Contents
- [Quick reference](#quick-reference)
- [Streaming subscriptions](#streaming-subscriptions)
- [Obtaining an `IStreamingSubscription`](#obtaining-an-istreamingsubscription)
- [Subscribing to data changes](#subscribing-to-data-changes)
- [Subscribing to events](#subscribing-to-events)
- [Composing streams](#composing-streams)
- [Lifecycle, cancellation, disposal](#lifecycle-cancellation-disposal)
- [Pairing with `AlarmClient`](#pairing-with-alarmclient)
- [Server retransmission queues](#server-retransmission-queues)
- [Publishing during session recovery](#publishing-during-session-recovery)
- [Triggering (SetTriggering)](#triggering-settriggering)
- [Declarative triggering](#declarative-triggering)
- [Imperative triggering](#imperative-triggering)
- [Cancellation semantics](#cancellation-semantics)
- [N:M relationships](#nm-relationships)
- [Save / load / restore behavior](#save--load--restore-behavior)
- [Error handling](#error-handling)
- [Unbounded monitored items](#unbounded-monitored-items)
- [How it works](#how-it-works)
- [Affinity — pinning items to the same partition](#affinity--pinning-items-to-the-same-partition)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Snapshot, save / load, and transfer](#snapshot-save--load-and-transfer)
- [Durable subscriptions](#durable-subscriptions)
- [Performance](#performance)
- [Limitations and roadmap](#limitations-and-roadmap)
- [Classic → V2 surface mapping](#classic--v2-surface-mapping)
- [Subscription lifecycle](#subscription-lifecycle)
- [Notifications and callbacks](#notifications-and-callbacks)
- [Subscription-level service operations](#subscription-level-service-operations)
- [Monitored-item management](#monitored-item-management)
- [Per-item runtime](#per-item-runtime)
- [Persistence (save / load)](#persistence-save--load)
- [Tuning knobs](#tuning-knobs)
- [Engine wiring](#engine-wiring)
- [Per-item options mapping](#per-item-options-mapping)
- [Three-API summary](#three-api-summary)
- [Reference](#reference)
## Quick reference
| Concern | API |
|---|---|
| Add a V2 subscription | `session.AddSubscription(handler, SubscriptionOptions)` (or `ISubscriptionManager.Add`) |
| Add a monitored item | `subscription.MonitoredItems.TryAdd(name, IOptionsMonitor<MonitoredItemOptions>, out _)` (or `subscription.TryAddMonitoredItem(name, nodeId, configure, out _)` extension) |
| Set triggering — declarative | `MonitoredItemOptions.TriggeredByNames` (`IReadOnlyList<string>`) at item-add time |
| Set triggering — imperative | `ISubscription.SetTriggeringAsync(IMonitoredItem, add, remove, ct)` returning `SetTriggeringResult` |
| Triggering — name-based fluent | `ISubscription.SetTriggeringAsync(string trigName, params string[] tgtNames)` |
| Triggering — navigation | `IMonitoredItem.TriggeringItems` / `IMonitoredItem.TriggeredItems` (N:M) |
| Save / load subscriptions | `session.SaveSubscriptionsAsync(stream)` / `session.LoadSubscriptionsAsync(stream, factory)` |
| Stream — get streaming subscription | `ManagedSession.DefaultStreaming` |
| Stream — construct manually | `new StreamingSubscription(subscriptionManager, options?)` |
| Stream — subscribe one variable | `streaming.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(nodeId, options?, ct)` |
| Stream — subscribe many variables | `streaming.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(IReadOnlyList<NodeId>, ...)` |
| Stream — subscribe to events | `streaming.SubscribeEventsAsync(notifierId, EventFilter, options?, ct)` |
| Stream — wait until predicate | `.TakeUntilAsync(predicate)` |
| Stream — cap by wall-clock time | `.WithTimeoutAsync(timeout)` |
| Stream — take N items | `.TakeAsync(count)` |
| Stream — buffer first N | `.BufferedAsync(count)` |
| Stream — typed alarms | `streaming.SubscribeAlarmsAsync(notifierId, filter?)` |
## Streaming subscriptions
`IStreamingSubscription` exposes OPC UA subscription notifications as
`IAsyncEnumerable<T>` streams. Each `SubscribeXxxAsync` call adds a
monitored item to a shared, lazy-created OPC UA subscription and pipes
notifications through a `System.Threading.Channels.Channel<T>`.
Disposing the enumerator removes the monitored item.
This API sits on top of the V2 subscription engine
(`src/Opc.Ua.Client/Subscription`). It is **not** a replacement
for either the classic or V2 callback-based API — it is a thin
abstraction targeted at three concrete client scenarios:
- **State-machine waits** — "subscribe, observe transitions until X,
unsubscribe".
- **Short-lived monitoring** — "I need a sample for 30 seconds".
- **Typed alarm streaming** — Part 9 alarm records via
`AlarmStreamExtensions` (see [AlarmsAndConditions.md](AlarmsAndConditions.md)).
For long-lived application subscriptions, the callback-based
`ISubscriptionManager.Add` + `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler` API
remains the right choice (see
[Sessions: DefaultSubscriptionEngine (V2)](Sessions.md#defaultsubscriptionengine-v2)).
### Obtaining an `IStreamingSubscription`
`ManagedSession.DefaultStreaming` lazily constructs a shared instance
the first time it is accessed and disposes it when the session is
disposed.
```csharp
ManagedSession session = await new ManagedSessionBuilder(configuration, telemetry)
.UseEndpoint(endpoint)
.ConnectAsync(ct);
IStreamingSubscription streaming = session.DefaultStreaming;
```
If you need to bind to a specific `ISubscriptionManager` (for example
in tests or with the raw `Session`'s V2 engine), construct directly:
```csharp
if (!session.TryGetSubscriptionManager(out var manager))
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("A V2 subscription engine is required.");
}
await using var streaming = new StreamingSubscription(
subscriptionManager: manager,
subscriptionOptions: new SubscriptionOptions
{
PublishingInterval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(250),
KeepAliveCount = 10,
LifetimeCount = 100,
});
```
The underlying OPC UA subscription is **not** created until the first
`SubscribeXxxAsync` call. Once created it is shared by every active
`SubscribeXxxAsync` enumerator on this `StreamingSubscription`.
### Subscribing to data changes
```csharp
await foreach (DataValueChange change in streaming
.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(VariableIds.Server_ServerStatus_CurrentTime, ct: ct)
.ConfigureAwait(false))
{
Console.WriteLine($"{change.MonitoredItem?.Name}: {change.Value}");
}
```
For multiple variables in a single stream:
```csharp
var nodes = new[]
{
VariableIds.Server_ServerStatus_CurrentTime,
VariableIds.Server_ServerStatus_SecondsTillShutdown,
};
await foreach (DataValueChange change in streaming
.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(nodes, options: new MonitoredItemOptions
{
SamplingInterval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500),
QueueSize = 5,
}, ct: ct).ConfigureAwait(false))
{
Console.WriteLine($"{change.MonitoredItem?.ClientHandle}: {change.Value}");
}
```
Each `MonitoredItemOptions` is treated as a template; only `StartNodeId`
is overridden internally per node.
### Subscribing to events
```csharp
EventFilter filter = new AlarmEventFilterBuilder()
.ForAlarms()
.Build();
await foreach (EventNotification evt in streaming
.SubscribeEventsAsync(ObjectIds.Server, filter, ct: ct)
.ConfigureAwait(false))
{
// Raw access; for typed records use SubscribeAlarmsAsync.
Console.WriteLine($"#{evt.Fields.Count} fields");
}
```
`SubscribeEventsAsync` does *not* validate the filter. Use
`AlarmEventFilterBuilder` for Part 9 events and any custom
`SimpleAttributeOperand`-based filter for other event types.
### Composing streams
`StreamingSubscriptionExtensions` ships four LINQ-style helpers
designed for the bounded-observation use cases. They wrap the source
`IAsyncEnumerable<T>` and stop iterating (which disposes the
underlying enumerator and the monitored item) when their condition
fires.
```csharp
// 1) Wait until a predicate matches, then return the matching item.
DataValueChange completed = await streaming
.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(buildProgressVariable)
.TakeUntilAsync(c => (double)c.Value.Value >= 100.0)
.LastAsync(ct);
// 2) Cap by wall-clock time. Completes silently when the timeout elapses.
List<DataValueChange> samples = await streaming
.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(sensor)
.WithTimeoutAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30))
.ToListAsync(ct);
// 3) Take exactly N values.
List<DataValueChange> firstThree = await streaming
.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(sensor)
.TakeAsync(3)
.ToListAsync(ct);
// 4) Buffer N items into a list — for one-shot snapshots.
IReadOnlyList<DataValueChange> snapshot = await streaming
.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(sensor)
.BufferedAsync(count: 10, ct);
```
`TakeUntilAsync` yields the matching item *last*, so callers can grab
the transition value with `LastAsync` / a terminating handler.
### Lifecycle, cancellation, disposal
Each stream has a bounded local buffer, including the default data-change
subscription. Its capacity is `max(1, QueueSize) * monitoredItemCount`, capped
at `int.MaxValue`; event streams default to ten entries per monitored item.
When full, `DiscardOldest` chooses between evicting the oldest buffered entry
and discarding the incoming entry. `StreamingSubscription.DroppedNotificationCount`
reports the cumulative local drops across data-change and event streams.
For a multi-node stream, this is one shared queue, not a per-node allocation.
With `DiscardOldest` enabled, a busy node can evict a quiet node's only queued
value. There is no local guarantee that each node's latest value remains buffered,
and overflow increments the drop counter rather than failing the stream. Use
separate single-node streams, consumed independently, when per-node retention is
required. Server-side per-monitored-item queues do not change this local policy.
The streaming subscription guarantees three invariants:
1. **Lazy subscription creation.** No OPC UA `CreateSubscription`
round-trip happens until your first `SubscribeXxxAsync` call.
2. **Reference-counted monitored items.** Each call adds a monitored
item; disposing the enumerator (end of the `await foreach`, an
exception, or explicit `await using`) removes that monitored item.
The underlying subscription stays alive for other enumerators.
3. **Disposal order.** Disposing the `StreamingSubscription` completes
all open channels and attempts to delete the underlying OPC UA subscription.
Disposing the `ManagedSession` calls this for you.
V2 subscription disposal gives each server-side delete a separate five-second
cancellation deadline. Local cleanup does not wait indefinitely for an unavailable
server. A failed or timed-out delete is logged; it does not prove remote deletion,
and the server may retain the subscription until its configured lifetime expires.
Publish workers survive recovery for subscriptions that the V2 engine actually
created. A never-created subscription does not inherit worker retention from a
classic subscription or a V2 subscription that has already been removed.
An intentionally disabled or deleted subscription likewise contributes no
retained demand until it is created again.
Cancellation propagates the natural way: pass a `CancellationToken` to
`SubscribeXxxAsync` *or* the outer `await foreach` (via
`WithCancellation`). When the token fires the enumerator stops, the
finally block removes the monitored item, and the loop body throws
`OperationCanceledException`.
```csharp
using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2));
try
{
await foreach (DataValueChange change in
streaming.SubscribeDataChangesAsync(sensor, ct: cts.Token))
{
Process(change);
}
}
catch (OperationCanceledException) { /* expected */ }
```
### Pairing with `AlarmClient`
The streaming subscription and `AlarmClient` are complementary:
- `IStreamingSubscription` delivers the *events* (raw or typed).
- `AlarmClient` calls the *methods* (acknowledge, shelve, suppress,
reset, etc.).
```csharp
AlarmClient alarms = session.GetAlarmClient();
IStreamingSubscription streaming = session.DefaultStreaming;
await foreach (ConditionTypeRecord rec in streaming
.SubscribeAlarmsAsync(ObjectIds.Server)
.TakeUntilAsync(r =>
r is AlarmConditionTypeRecord a &&
a.ConditionId == myAlarmId &&
a.ActiveStateId == true))
{
if (rec is AlarmConditionTypeRecord active && active.ActiveStateId == true)
{
await alarms.AcknowledgeAsync(
active.ConditionId,
active.EventId,
new LocalizedText("en", "Auto-acked")).ConfigureAwait(false);
}
}
```
See [AlarmsAndConditions.md](AlarmsAndConditions.md) for the typed
record hierarchy.
## Server retransmission queues
On the server, newly created monitored items remain provisional until
the subscription rechecks ownership and deletion after node-manager
creation. If transfer, session detachment, deletion, or cancellation wins,
normal node-manager deletion releases those unattached items.
Publish, queued Publish, Republish, and persistence consumers receive
deep notification snapshots. Acknowledgement, eviction, or queue disposal
can recycle the retained pooled graph without changing a response still
waiting for encoding or a captured retransmission/durable snapshot.
Pooling remains enabled for the retained notifications.
Retained notifications belong to the session's authenticated and effective
identity and role grants. Activating a different identity or changing those
grants retires queued values, events, aggregate state, and retransmission
messages before the new identity can publish them. Renewing a token without
changing the principal or grants preserves the queue. A response already
admitted under the previous identity can finish encoding its leased snapshot;
it does not grant the new identity access to retained messages.
Event subscription transfer checks the destination session's notifier
permissions and channel restrictions before preparing node-manager transfer
work. An incompatible destination cannot acquire the subscription. Delivery
also rechecks current notifier restrictions, including namespace defaults.
The server retains notification messages for acknowledgement and Republish
(Part 4 §5.14). When a new batch exceeds the configured retransmission capacity,
only the excess oldest retained messages are evicted. The remaining sequence
numbers, persistence removal deltas and discarded-unacknowledged-message
diagnostics describe the same retained queue. An oversized new batch is trimmed
to capacity before it displaces older messages.
The per-session Publish request limit counts only requests still awaiting a
response. Cancellation, timeout, normal completion and session/server teardown
release a request's admission exactly once; a completed request does not prevent
the client from queuing its replacement while a long keep-alive is pending.
Publish from a live session without subscriptions returns `BadNoSubscription`,
regardless of other sessions' subscriptions. A closing session retains
`BadSessionClosed`. The Republish request and requested-message diagnostic
counters remain equal, with one increment per authorized request; the
successful-message counter advances only when a message is returned.
## Publishing during session recovery
V2 session recreation pauses publishing and drains active Publish attempts
before replacing the session. The drain cancels each attempt, including an
attempt parked at the shared channel's ready gate, without terminating its
worker. A cancelled attempt rolls its acknowledgements back before releasing its
active count. Recreation must await this complete unwind because a timeout that skips
the drain could acknowledge notifications from the old subscription generation
against a reused subscription identifier.
Automatic subscription and monitored-item updates also pause during session
recreation. Recovery cancels an active update pass; its retry waits until the
recovery owner completes subscription restoration. If restoration fails, this
pause remains in effect across the outer-policy handoff. The state worker cannot
create a competing subscription on a retiring or replacement session. Pending
option changes resume after restoration, without changing explicit
`RecreateAsync` or transfer semantics. Cancellation remains client-side and does
not guarantee that an already-sent request was not processed by the server.
Once the session and subscriptions are restored, publishing resumes through the
same subscription-facing interface. Temporarily clearing server-side subscription
identifiers does not replace existing workers. Pool limits and actual subscription
removal still apply. Intentional deletion, including setting the V2 subscription's
`Disabled` option, retires its worker demand even if it remains registered.
Successful creation restores demand; recovery-only resets preserve it.
With transfer-on-recreate enabled, an invalid old subscription
falls back to recreation. A
[managed-session channel deadline](Sessions.md#shared-retry-budget-with-managedsession)
cancels recovery and hands control to the outer reconnect policy. After expiry,
any replacement attempt still waits for cancelled Publish attempts to roll back
their acknowledgements and release their active counts before replacing session
and subscription state.
## Triggering (SetTriggering)
Triggering (OPC UA Part 4 §5.13.5) links a *triggering* monitored
item to one or more *triggered* items. When the triggering item fires
a notification, the triggered items' queued notifications are
reported in the next publish even if their monitoring mode is
`Sampling` (which would otherwise suppress reporting). This is the
canonical pattern for "sample many items at high rate, report on
demand". See Part 4 §5.13.1.6 for the full triggering model.
Aggregate-filtered monitored items follow these same monitoring-mode rules
(Part 4 5.13.1.3). Completion of an aggregate interval does not enable reporting
for a `Disabled` item or an untriggered `Sampling` item. A legitimately triggered
`Sampling` item can publish its queued aggregates; after that trigger is consumed,
interval completion alone does not cause another report.
The V2 engine exposes triggering through a **hybrid API**:
- **Declarative** — set `MonitoredItemOptions.TriggeredByNames` when
the item is added.
- **Imperative** — call
`ISubscription.SetTriggeringAsync(IMonitoredItem triggeringItem,
add, remove, ct)` at any time.
Both paths flow through the same batched apply pipeline: multiple
operations targeting the same triggering item collapse into a single
`SetTriggering` request carrying both the merged `linksToAdd` and
`linksToRemove` lists. Per Part 4 §5.13.5.2 the server processes
`linksToRemove` before `linksToAdd`, which matches the engine's
last-intent-wins conflict resolution.
The V2 engine models the topology as a per-item **desired state**:
each monitored item carries a list of stable triggering-item names
(`DesiredTriggeredByNames`) that reflects what the caller wants. The
engine reconciles desired state against the server via `SetTriggering`
requests whenever:
- An options change pushes a different `TriggeredByNames` value.
- The imperative API mutates the desired set.
- An item is `Reset` (recreate scenario) — the engine replays the
desired set so transient server-side state matches the durable
client-side intent.
The OPC UA spec allows a triggered item to be linked to **multiple**
triggering items (N:M); the V2 API exposes this directly via the
plural `TriggeringItems` / `TriggeredItems` projections.
### Declarative triggering
The simplest way to declare triggering is via `MonitoredItemOptions`
at item-add time:
```csharp
ManagedSession session = await new ManagedSessionBuilder(config, telemetry)
.UseEndpoint(endpoint)
.ConnectAsync(ct);
ISubscription sub = session.AddSubscription(handler, new SubscriptionOptions
{
PublishingInterval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1)
});
// Triggering item — reports normally at its sampling interval.
sub.TryAddMonitoredItem("trig",
VariableIds.Server_ServerStatus_CurrentTime,
o => o with { MonitoringMode = MonitoringMode.Reporting },
out _);
// Triggered item — samples in the background; only reports when
// "trig" reports.
sub.TryAddMonitoredItem("sensor",
new NodeId("Sensor1", 2),
o => o with
{
MonitoringMode = MonitoringMode.Sampling,
TriggeredByNames = ["trig"]
},
out _);
```
The engine batches the underlying `CreateMonitoredItems` /
`SetTriggering` requests and applies them on the next subscription
apply pass. There is no need to explicitly call any method to
"finish" the triggering setup — once both items are `Created`, the
engine issues the `SetTriggering` call automatically.
Order of `TryAddMonitoredItem` calls does not matter; the engine
will keep the triggering operation queued until both items are
created on the server, then issue the request.
### Imperative triggering
Mutate triggering relationships at any time after items exist via
`SetTriggeringAsync`:
```csharp
SetTriggeringResult result = await sub.SetTriggeringAsync(
triggeringItem: trig,
linksToAdd: [sensor1, sensor2],
linksToRemove: null,
ct: ct);
foreach ((IMonitoredItem item, StatusCode status) in result.AddResults)
{
if (!StatusCode.IsGood(status))
{
// BadMonitoredItemIdInvalid, BadInvalidState, etc.
}
}
```
The call queues a single `TriggeringOperation` and returns a
`ValueTask` that completes when the next apply pass applies it. The
result's per-link entries are in the same order as the input lists
for easy pairing.
Convenience overloads use stable monitored-item names:
```csharp
await sub.SetTriggeringAsync("trig", "sensor1", "sensor2");
// add + remove in one call (server processes remove before add per §5.13.5.2):
await sub.SetTriggeringAsync(
"trig",
add: ["sensor3"],
remove: ["sensor1"],
ct: ct);
```
Unknown names throw `ArgumentException` synchronously.
### Cancellation semantics
The `CancellationToken` passed to `SetTriggeringAsync` controls the await **and** marks the queued operation as cancelled on a best-effort basis:
- Cancelling the token **aborts the await** and surfaces an `OperationCanceledException` to the caller.
- The engine attempts to **skip the queued operation on the next apply pass**. If cancellation fires before the apply pass picks the op off the queue, the server-side `SetTriggering` request is NOT issued for this op.
- This is **best effort only**: if the apply pass has already begun dispatching the RPC for the op's group, the server-side mutation cannot be cancelled — the in-flight RPC completes regardless.
- The desired-state mutations performed synchronously by the engine before the await (the updates that make `IMonitoredItem.TriggeringItems` / `IMonitoredItem.TriggeredItems` and any subsequent snapshot reflect the new topology) **already happened** when `SetTriggeringAsync` returned its `ValueTask`. They stand regardless of cancellation.
- To revert local intent, the caller must explicitly issue an opposing `SetTriggeringAsync` (or change the declarative `MonitoredItemOptions.TriggeredByNames`).
> [!WARNING]
> Cancelling the `CancellationToken` **cannot guarantee** the server-side `SetTriggering` call is skipped — it is best-effort; an op that has already begun its server request will still complete server-side, and local desired-state is never rolled back automatically.
```csharp
// Original intent: when "trig" fires, also report "sensor1" and "sensor2".
await sub.SetTriggeringAsync("trig", "sensor1", "sensor2");
// To undo, issue an opposing call with the items in `remove`. Note that
// even if the first call's cancellation token had fired, the server
// might still have applied the link (race with the apply pass) and the
// local desired-state intent would have stood — so an explicit opposing
// call is the only reliable revert path.
await sub.SetTriggeringAsync(
"trig",
add: null,
remove: ["sensor1", "sensor2"],
ct: ct);
```
### N:M relationships
A triggered item may be linked to many triggering items, and a
triggering item may have many triggered items. Use multiple
`SetTriggeringAsync` calls (or include the same triggered name under
multiple triggers' `TriggeredByNames`):
```csharp
sub.TryAddMonitoredItem("trigA", ..., out var trigA);
sub.TryAddMonitoredItem("trigB", ..., out var trigB);
sub.TryAddMonitoredItem("shared",
nodeId,
o => o with
{
MonitoringMode = MonitoringMode.Sampling,
TriggeredByNames = ["trigA", "trigB"]
},
out var shared);
// "shared" reports whenever EITHER trigA OR trigB fires:
Assert.That(shared.TriggeringItems, Is.EquivalentTo(new[] { trigA, trigB }));
Assert.That(trigA.TriggeredItems, Has.Member(shared));
Assert.That(trigB.TriggeredItems, Has.Member(shared));
```
`TriggeringItems` and `TriggeredItems` are read-only projections
resolved on demand against the subscription's monitored-item
collection. They reflect the *desired* topology (intent) — so they
work immediately on `TryAdd` before any request fires, and survive
restore-from-snapshot without depending on server state.
### Save / load / restore behavior
The triggering topology round-trips through the V2 snapshot path:
- `MonitoredItemStateSnapshot.TriggeredByNames` captures the runtime
desired state at snapshot time.
- `SubscriptionManager.SaveAsync` / `LoadAsync` (and the in-memory
`SnapshotSubscriptions` / `RestoreSubscriptionsAsync` extensions)
persist this field via the standard binary encoder.
On load, the engine takes one of three paths:
| Scenario | Behavior |
|---|---|
| **TransferSubscriptions success** | Local desired state is restored from the snapshot. NO `SetTriggering` request is issued — per Part 4 §5.13.5 conformant servers preserve server-side triggering relationships across a session transfer. |
| **Recreate-fallback** (transfer rejected or unsupported) | Items reset to "not created"; the saved `DesiredTriggeredByNames` is preserved on each item; the batched apply pass replays `SetTriggering` after items finish re-creating. |
| **In-session `RecreateAsync`** (forced recreate) | Same as recreate-fallback — desired state preserved through reset, replayed after re-creation. |
This closes the gap from issue
[#3834](https://github.com/OPCFoundation/UA-.NETStandard/issues/3834):
triggering links are now automatically restored on
`TransferSubscriptions` *and* on recreate/reconnect; no manual
re-issue of `SetTriggering` is required by callers.
If a server fails to preserve links across transfer (contrary to the
spec), the V2 client view will indicate the links exist while
server-side notifications stop firing. Callers detecting this can
manually re-issue `Subscription.SetTriggeringAsync` per relationship.
### Error handling
Per Part 4 §5.13.5.4 (Table 74) the only spec-specific per-link status
code is `Bad_MonitoredItemIdInvalid`. Service-level codes (Table 73)
include `Bad_NothingToDo`, `Bad_TooManyOperations`, and
`Bad_SubscriptionIdInvalid`.
The engine handles these as follows:
| Condition | Engine response |
|---|---|
| Per-link `Bad_MonitoredItemIdInvalid` on add | Surfaced via the returned `SetTriggeringResult.AddResults[i].Status`; the triggered item's desired-state entry for that triggering name is rolled back so it matches reality. |
| Per-link `Bad` on remove | Surfaced via `RemoveResults[i].Status`; the desired-state entry is re-added so the snapshot continues to reflect the still-existing server link. |
| Service-level `Bad_SubscriptionIdInvalid` | Operations are re-queued (not failed terminally); they replay after the subscription state machine recreates the subscription. |
| Service-level `Bad_TooManyOperations` | Surfaced as a fatal `ServiceResultException` on all contributing TCSs. Callers wishing to recover should chunk their `SetTriggeringAsync` calls manually; auto-chunking is a planned follow-up. |
| Communication errors (timeout, channel closed) | Routed through the existing retry policy; bounded by `MaxTriggeringRetryCount` to prevent infinite loops. |
| Triggering item never reaches `Created` | After `MaxTriggeringRetryCount` re-queues, the operation completes with the triggering item's propagated error status (or `Bad_MonitoredItemIdInvalid` as a fallback). |
## Unbounded monitored items
The V2 subscription engine
(`Opc.Ua.Client.Subscriptions.ISubscription`, returned from
`session.TryGetSubscriptionManager(out var manager)` then `manager.Add(...)`)
lets a single logical
subscription hold an effectively unlimited number of monitored items.
When the per-subscription cap (`MaxMonitoredItemsPerSubscription` from
the server's capabilities, OPC UA Part 4 §5.13.2) would be exceeded,
the engine transparently splits monitored items across additional
server-side **partition** subscriptions and presents one logical
collection to the caller. Single-partition workloads (the common
case) keep their pre-existing fast path; partitioning kicks in only
when needed.
### How it works
* `ISubscriptionManager.Add(handler, options)` returns a
`LogicalSubscription` wrapper that implements `ISubscription` and
`IPartitionedSubscription`. Pattern-match on the latter to
introspect the partition layout:
```csharp
if (!session.TryGetSubscriptionManager(out var manager))
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("A V2 subscription engine is required.");
}
ISubscription subscription = manager.Add(handler, optionsMonitor);
if (subscription is IPartitionedSubscription partitioned)
{
Console.WriteLine($"Spread over {partitioned.PartitionCount} partition(s)");
foreach (uint partitionId in partitioned.PartitionIds)
{
Console.WriteLine($" partition server id: {partitionId}");
}
}
```
* `ISubscription.MonitoredItems` is backed by a composite collection
that aggregates every partition's items behind one
`IMonitoredItemCollection`. `TryAdd` / `TryRemove` /
`TryGetMonitoredItemByName` / `TryGetMonitoredItemByClientHandle`
enumerate every partition; the caller never needs to know which
partition owns which item.
* When the placement policy decides a new partition is needed, the
engine constructs a sibling server-side subscription using the
same `SubscriptionOptions` and the same notification handler. The
new partition is registered in the manager's publish-dispatch
registry so publish responses route to it like any other
subscription.
* `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler` callbacks always receive the
logical wrapper as the `ISubscription subscription` parameter.
When more than one partition is active the engine serialises calls
through a per-wrapper semaphore so consumers observe one handler
invocation at a time, matching the single-partition behaviour they
came to rely on under V2.
* Notifications include the source partition's server-side id via
the `PartitionServerId` field on `DataValueChange` and
`EventNotification`. Sequence numbers stay per-partition
(`(PartitionServerId, sequenceNumber)` disambiguates across
partitions).
### Affinity — pinning items to the same partition
OPC UA `SetTriggering` is scoped to one server-side subscription
(`Part 4 §5.13.6`). Items that need to participate in a triggering
relationship (or any other per-subscription feature) must land in the
same partition. Pin them via
`MonitoredItemOptions.Affinity`:
```csharp
var optionsMonitor = new OptionsMonitor<MonitoredItemOptions>(new MonitoredItemOptions
{
StartNodeId = new NodeId("MyVariable", 2),
SamplingInterval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500),
Affinity = "alarms-group" // every item with this tag stays together
});
subscription.MonitoredItems.TryAdd("MyItem", optionsMonitor, out _);
```
* Items with the same non-null `Affinity` value are guaranteed to
share a partition.
* Once the partition reaches the per-partition cap the next
`TryAdd` with the same tag returns `false` — the contract is
**strict** so the group never splits. Callers must shrink the
group, raise `MaxMonitoredItemsPerPartition`, or pick a different
tag.
* `null` (the default) places no co-location constraint; items
without affinity fill partitions first-fit.
`LogicalSubscription.SetTriggeringAsync(triggering, linksToAdd,
linksToRemove)` validates that every linked item shares the same
partition as the triggering item and throws `ArgumentException`
otherwise. The exception message points callers at `Affinity` for
remediation.
### Configuration
All knobs live on `SubscriptionOptions`:
| Property | Default | Effect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `DisableUnboundedItemMode` | `false` | When `true`, the wrapper is bound to one server-side subscription; `TryAdd` calls beyond the server cap surface `Bad_TooManyMonitoredItems` per-item like the pre-V2 engine. |
| `MaxMonitoredItemsPerPartition` | `null` | Per-partition upper bound. `null` means "let the reactive fallback discover the server's effective cap". Set to a smaller value to keep partitions small for snapshot/transfer scaling, or to a larger value to override an artificially low server limit. |
| `SecondaryPartitionIdleTimeout` | `30s` | Idle timeout after which an empty **secondary** partition is deleted from the server. The primary partition is never deleted while the logical subscription is alive so the wrapper's server-side identifier stays stable. Set to `TimeSpan.Zero` for immediate delete; set to `Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan` to disable idle-delete. |
The reactive cap fallback is always on whenever
`DisableUnboundedItemMode` is `false`: the engine watches every
`CreateMonitoredItems` response and, on the first
`Bad_TooManyMonitoredItems` outcome, marks the offending partition
**no-grow** so subsequent placements fan out to a new partition. This
handles servers whose actual limit is lower than the advertised
capability and servers whose limit changes between session lifetimes.
### Snapshot, save / load, and transfer
Multi-partition logical subscriptions snapshot every partition. The
capture path is:
* `LogicalSubscription.SnapshotAllPartitions()` returns
`IReadOnlyList<SubscriptionStateSnapshot>` — one snapshot per
partition, ordered primary-first.
* Every snapshot in the list carries the wrapper's stable
`LogicalGroupId` (a lazy-generated GUID cached for the lifetime of
the wrapper) and an incrementing `PartitionIndex` (`0` for the
primary, `1+` for secondaries in mint order).
* `ManagedSession.SnapshotSubscriptions()` and
`ISubscriptionManager.SaveAsync(...)` flatten across partitions
automatically, so callers persisting the list see the full state.
* Single-partition wrappers continue to emit exactly one snapshot.
Old V1 snapshot files have `LogicalGroupId == null` and load via
the standalone path unchanged.
The restore path:
* `ISubscriptionManager.LoadAsync(...)` and
`ManagedSession.RestoreSubscriptionsAsync(...)` group incoming
snapshots by `LogicalGroupId`. Snapshots with a `null` group
restore as standalone subscriptions; non-null groups become one
multi-partition `LogicalSubscription` wrapper via
`SubscriptionManager.RestoreGroupAsync(...)` (internal).
* Restored secondary partitions go through a new internal
`LogicalSubscription.AppendPreloadedPartition(...)` hook so the
composite collection's placement policy + idle-delete timer + (if
applicable) durable hook are wired exactly as if the partition had
been minted on demand.
* When `transferSubscriptions: true` is passed, each partition's
saved server-side id is preserved via `TransferSubscriptions`;
partitions whose transfer fails fall back to recreate.
* **Strict grouping** is enforced: a non-null `LogicalGroupId` must
appear on a contiguous `0..N-1` sequence of `PartitionIndex`
values with no duplicates and exactly one primary. Malformed
snapshot groups throw `ServiceResultException(BadDecodingError)`
naming the offending `LogicalGroupId` — a corrupt or hand-edited
snapshot fails loudly rather than silently fragmenting state.
`MonitoredItemStateSnapshot.Affinity` round-trips so restored
subscriptions regroup items into the same affinity-pinned partition
the source had.
After a snapshot transfer, V2 rebinds the saved item handles and reapplies the
saved monitoring parameters with `ModifyMonitoredItems`. The response supplies
the actual revised sampling interval, queue size and filter result:
`GetMonitoredItems` returns handles only. This does not recreate the items or
change their monitoring mode or triggering links. Live items that already have
revised parameters do not require this extra snapshot-restoration step.
Refresh enqueueing is ordered with concurrent options changes, so a restored
snapshot cannot overwrite newer requested sampling intervals, queue sizes or
filters.
A successful initiated transfer also reports `PublishState.Transferred` to the
target handler after handle synchronization, before attempting retained-message
recovery; failed synchronization does not report transfer completion.
Republishing retained notifications and requesting initial values are independent.
If an origin session disconnects before acknowledging a message, a transfer can
recover that message from the server's retransmission queue. With
`SendInitialValuesOnTransfer` also enabled, the target can receive the same static
value again in a new notification message. Distinguish these batches by their
sequence numbers, not by value equality. On the classic API, retransmission is
controlled by `RepublishAfterTransfer`, while initial values are requested with
the transfer call's `sendInitialValues` argument. Deferring acknowledgements
retains messages for explicit `Republish` requests; it does not ask the server
to resend them unsolicited. See
[OPC UA Part 4, TransferSubscriptions](https://reference.opcfoundation.org/specs/OPC-10000-4/5.14.7).
The classic client acknowledges messages selected for replay only after receiving
them. Messages not selected for replay are acknowledged when transfer completes;
the advertised available-sequence list remains intact.
### Durable subscriptions
The server converts the configured durable lifetime in hours to milliseconds
before revising keep-alive and lifetime counts. The conversion uses wide
arithmetic, including lifetimes longer than the UInt32 millisecond range.
`SetAsDurableAsync(lifetime)` records the durable intent on the
wrapper and applies it synchronously to every partition that is
already `Created` (it returns the minimum revised lifetime across
those partitions). For partitions that have not yet completed
their initial `CreateSubscription` — both the primary on a brand
new subscription and any future secondary minted by the placement
policy under capacity pressure — the wrapper installs an
`OnAfterCreateAsync` hook on the partition's state machine. The
state machine awaits the hook exactly once between
`CreateSubscription` and the first `CreateMonitoredItems`,
satisfying the OPC UA Part 4 §5.13.9 ordering rule that
`SetSubscriptionDurable` must precede any monitored-item creation.
The hook is cleared after invocation; the wrapper re-installs it on
each `SetAsDurableAsync` call so it survives reconnect / recreate
cycles. Hook failures are logged as a warning and surfaced via
`SubscriptionState.Modified` rather than tearing the partition
down.
### Performance
Single-partition workloads observe **no overhead** from the wrapper
— the composite collection short-circuits to the primary's own
collection without taking any extra locks or building indexes.
Multi-partition workloads pay:
* One semaphore acquire/release per notification callback (small).
* O(P) partition scans for `TryGetMonitoredItemByName` /
`TryGetMonitoredItemByClientHandle` misses against the composite
index (P is typically single-digit).
* One extra `Subscription` instance per partition (each holds its
own state machine, ack queue position, and notification pipeline).
### Limitations and roadmap
Cross-partition `SetTriggering` is rejected by design: per OPC UA
Part 4 §5.13.6 the service is scoped to a single server-side
subscription, and re-grouping already-placed items would require
delete + recreate (losing per-item server ids and briefly stopping
publishing). Plan `Affinity` up-front for items that need to
participate in a triggering relationship; the engine will keep the
group co-located for the lifetime of the wrapper.
This is the only multi-partition feature gap — single-partition
workloads cover the vast majority of OPC UA client use cases
unchanged.
## Classic → V2 surface mapping
This section is the working reference for porting classic
(`Opc.Ua.Client.Subscription` / `Opc.Ua.Client.MonitoredItem`) code to
the V2 surface (`Opc.Ua.Client.Subscriptions.ISubscription` /
`Opc.Ua.Client.Subscriptions.MonitoredItems.IMonitoredItem`). The
tables describe today's APIs side-by-side; "not on V2" rows record
behaviour the V2 engine replaces by design (handler-centric,
channel-based pipeline, snapshot/restore, options-monitor-driven
reconciliation, etc.) along with the recommended V2 alternative.
### Subscription lifecycle
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `new Subscription(template)` + `Session.AddSubscription(s)` + `s.CreateAsync()` | `ISubscriptionManager.Add(handler, IOptionsMonitor<SubscriptionOptions>)` — V2 creates the subscription on the server asynchronously; callers poll `subscription.Created` (or attach an `OnSubscriptionStateChangedAsync` handler). |
| `Session.RemoveSubscriptionAsync(s)` | `await subscription.DisposeAsync()` — V2 removal is dispose-on-subscription. |
| `s.CreateAsync(ct)` / `s.ModifyAsync(ct)` / `s.DeleteAsync(silent, ct)` | Implicit via `Add` / options push / `DisposeAsync`. No explicit V2 calls — behaviour is driven by options + lifecycle. |
| `s.SetPublishingModeAsync(bool, ct)` | Push `SubscriptionOptions { PublishingEnabled = ... }` via the `IOptionsMonitor<SubscriptionOptions>`. The V2 manager picks up the change automatically. |
| `s.ChangesPending` / `s.ChangesCompleted()` | Not on V2 (the engine is fully push-driven; no "pending changes" concept). Callers wait on the side-effect (e.g. `IMonitoredItem.Created`, options-monitor change tokens). |
### Notifications and callbacks
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `s.FastDataChangeCallback` (delegate) | `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler.OnDataChangeNotificationAsync(...)` |
| `s.FastKeepAliveCallback` (delegate) | `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler.OnKeepAliveNotificationAsync(...)` |
| `s.FastEventCallback` | `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler.OnEventDataNotificationAsync(...)` |
| `item.Notification += handler` (per-item event) | Per-item dispatch through the handler with `DataValueChange.MonitoredItem` to identify the source. |
| `s.PublishStatusChanged` / `s.StateChanged` events | Unified into a single callback `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler.OnSubscriptionStateChangedAsync(ISubscription, SubscriptionState, PublishState, CancellationToken)` that surfaces lifecycle (Opened / Created / Modified / Deleted) and publish-state (Republish / Recovered / Transferred) transitions. |
| `item.DequeueValues()` (client-side cache) | Not on V2 — values stream into the handler. The handler is the cache; callers retain whatever they need. |
| `s.LastNotification` / `s.Notifications` / `s.LastNotificationTime` | Not on `ISubscription`. The manager exposes `MissingMessageCount` / `RepublishMessageCount`; handlers maintain their own derived state (e.g. via the `publishTime` arg on each callback). |
| `s.PublishingStopped` | Not exposed as a property. Handlers derive it from `OnSubscriptionStateChangedAsync` (the `PublishState` mask flips between `Republish` / `Recovered` / `Transferred`). |
### Subscription-level service operations
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `s.RepublishAsync(seq, ct)` | Not on V2. The V2 engine auto-republishes on gap detection via `MessageProcessor.TryRepublishAsync`; there is no user-driven variant. Callers needing raw access can call `session.RepublishAsync(null, subscriptionId, seq, ct)`. |
| `s.ResendDataAsync(ct)` | Not on V2. Callers needing raw access call `session.CallAsync(null, ResendData methodId, ...)`. |
| `s.ConditionRefreshAsync(ct)` | `s.ConditionRefreshAsync(ct)` — same shape. |
| `s.ConditionRefresh2Async(monitoredItemId, ct)` | `item.ConditionRefreshAsync(ct)` on `IMonitoredItem` (per-item; no `monitoredItemId` arg needed). |
| `s.SetTriggeringAsync(triggering, links, removes, ct)` returning `SetTriggeringResponse` | `ISubscription.SetTriggeringAsync(IMonitoredItem triggeringItem, IReadOnlyCollection<IMonitoredItem>? linksToAdd, IReadOnlyCollection<IMonitoredItem>? linksToRemove, CancellationToken ct)` returning `SetTriggeringResult` with per-link statuses; plus name-based fluent overloads; plus the declarative `MonitoredItemOptions.TriggeredByNames` option (see [Triggering](#triggering-settriggering)). Supports N:M via `IMonitoredItem.TriggeringItems` plural; batches per-triggering-item requests; replays automatically on recreate/reconnect. |
| `s.TransferAsync(target, sendInitialValues, ct)` | Configure transfer-on-recreate via `ManagedSessionBuilder.WithTransferSubscriptionsOnRecreate(true)`. The per-call `sendInitialValues` toggle lives on `SubscriptionOptions.SendInitialValuesOnTransfer` (default `false`). |
| `s.SetSubscriptionDurableAsync(...)` | `ISubscription.SetAsDurableAsync(TimeSpan lifetime, CancellationToken ct = default)` → revised lifetime hours. |
| `s.SaveMessageInCache(...)` | Not on V2 (classic internal). The V2 message pipeline is channel-based with no replay cache. |
### Monitored-item management
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `s.AddItem(item)` / `s.AddItems(IEnumerable)` | `s.MonitoredItems.TryAdd(name, IOptionsMonitor<MonitoredItemOptions>, out IMonitoredItem)` — V2 keys items by a caller-supplied stable string `name`. Fluent helper: `s.TryAddMonitoredItem(name, nodeId, configure, out _)`. |
| `s.RemoveItem(item)` / `s.RemoveItems(...)` | `s.MonitoredItems.TryRemove(clientHandle)`. |
| `s.ApplyChangesAsync(ct)` | Not needed — V2 batches automatically via the options monitor. |
| `s.CreateItemsAsync(ct)` / `s.ModifyItemsAsync(ct)` / `s.DeleteItemsAsync(...)` | Implicit via `TryAdd` / options push / `TryRemove`. |
| `s.SetMonitoringModeAsync(mode, ids, ct)` | Push `MonitoredItemOptions { MonitoringMode = ... }` per item. |
| `s.ResolveItemNodeIdsAsync(ct)` | Not on V2 — callers resolve `RelativePath` to `NodeId` ahead of time via `Browse` / `TranslateBrowsePathsToNodeIds`. |
| `s.MonitoredItems` / `s.MonitoredItemCount` | `s.MonitoredItems.Items` / `s.MonitoredItems.Count`. |
### Per-item runtime
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `item.ClientHandle` | `IMonitoredItem.ClientHandle`. |
| `item.ServerId` | `IMonitoredItem.ServerId`. |
| `item.Status.Error` / `item.Status.Created` / `item.Status.Id` | `IMonitoredItem.Error` / `Created` / `ServerId`. |
| `item.AttributesModified` | Not on V2 — reconciliation is driven by `IOptionsMonitor<MonitoredItemOptions>` change tokens; there is no "modified" flag to query. |
| `item.Filter` round-trip | `IMonitoredItem.FilterResult`. |
| `item.DequeueValues()` / `item.LastValue` | Not on V2 — values flow through `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler.OnDataChangeNotificationAsync(...)`; the handler decides what to retain. |
| `item.Notification += ...` (event) | Per-item dispatch through `OnDataChangeNotificationAsync` with `DataValueChange.MonitoredItem`. |
| `item.GetEventTypeAsync` / `GetFieldValue` / `GetEventTime` / `GetFieldName` | Not on V2 `IMonitoredItem` — event-field helpers are caller-side. For typed Part 9 alarm records use [`AlarmStreamExtensions.SubscribeAlarmsAsync`](AlarmsAndConditions.md). |
| `item.TriggeringItemId` / `item.TriggeredItems` (1:1) | `IMonitoredItem.TriggeringItems` (plural, N:M) and `IMonitoredItem.TriggeredItems` (reverse "items I trigger") — both on-demand projections by stable name. Matches OPC UA Part 4 §5.13.5 N:M; runtime desired-state mutations from imperative `SetTriggeringAsync` are immediately visible. |
### Persistence (save / load)
Classic snapshots preserve the original resolved target of relative-path items
as SDK-owned metadata. `Session.Load(..., transferSubscriptions: true)` restores
`ResolvedNodeId` and `Status.NodeId` on the local monitored-item objects before
`TransferSubscriptionsAsync` or `ReactivateSubscriptionsAsync` is called.
These operations use the saved handles without translating the path again, so
a changed browse relationship or lost browse permission does not retarget an
existing server monitored item.
```csharp
// Before deliberately closing the origin session:
origin.DeleteSubscriptionsOnClose = false;
origin.Save(snapshotStream, origin.Subscriptions);
// With a connected target session and the snapshot stream positioned at its start:
var restored = new SubscriptionCollection(
target.Load(snapshotStream, transferSubscriptions: true));
if (!await target.TransferSubscriptionsAsync(restored, sendInitialValues: true, ct))
{
throw new ServiceResultException(StatusCodes.BadSubscriptionIdInvalid);
}
foreach (Subscription subscription in restored)
{
await subscription.ApplyChangesAsync(ct);
}
```
Attach notification handlers after loading and before transfer. Loading only
restores local objects; it does not perform the server transfer. For a restored
session, use `ReactivateSubscriptionsAsync` after reactivating that session
instead. No call to `ResolveItemNodeIdsAsync` or a resolution-state setter is
needed for transfer, reactivation, or subsequent maintenance.
Loading for recreation or creating a replacement server subscription resolves
paths afresh instead of reusing the saved target. Changing `StartNodeId` or
`RelativePath` on a created item, or while its creation is in flight, throws
`BadInvalidState` immediately; assigning the same value is allowed. Delete the
server item successfully before changing its target, or replace the item.
Failed deletion retains its handle and target for retry.
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `session.Save(Stream, IEnumerable<Subscription>)` (BinaryEncoder + `SubscriptionState.Encode`) | `ISubscriptionManager.SaveAsync(Stream, IServiceMessageContext, IEnumerable<ISubscription>?, CancellationToken)`, with fluent `ManagedSession.SaveSubscriptionsAsync(stream)` extension. |
| `session.Load(Stream, bool transferSubscriptions)` | `ISubscriptionManager.LoadAsync(Stream, IServiceMessageContext, handlerFactory, transferSubscriptions, CancellationToken)`, with fluent `ManagedSession.LoadSubscriptionsAsync(stream, factory, transfer, ct)`. Recreate (`false`) and transfer (`true` via TransferSubscriptions; falls back to recreate on `Bad_SubscriptionIdInvalid` / `Bad_ServiceUnsupported`) both work end-to-end. |
| `s.Snapshot(out SubscriptionState)` / `s.Restore(SubscriptionState)` | `ISubscription.Snapshot()` → `SubscriptionStateSnapshot`; `ISubscriptionManager.RestoreAsync(handler, state, transfer, ct)`; per-item `IMonitoredItem.Snapshot()` → `MonitoredItemStateSnapshot`. Fluent: `ManagedSession.SnapshotSubscriptions()` / `RestoreSubscriptionsAsync(states, factory, transfer, ct)`. |
| Triggering survives save/load | Classic: `MonitoredItemState.TriggeredItems` (server-id based, 1:1). V2: `MonitoredItemStateSnapshot.TriggeredByNames` (name based, N:M; round-trips through the binary encoder; replays automatically on recreate, see [Save / load / restore behavior](#save--load--restore-behavior)). |
### Tuning knobs
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `s.MaxMessageCount` | Not on V2 — the channel-based pipeline uses an unbounded queue with backpressure. |
| `s.MinLifetimeInterval` (property) | `SubscriptionOptions.MinLifetimeInterval`. |
| `s.DisableMonitoredItemCache` | Not on V2 — there is no per-item cache to disable (the handler is the cache). |
| `s.SequentialPublishing` | Always-on. The V2 prioritized publish-ack channel guarantees per-subscription in-order delivery; documented on `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler`. |
| `s.RepublishAfterTransfer` | Implicit and always-on; no opt-out. When `TransferSubscriptions` succeeds, the V2 engine immediately republishes every sequence number the server reports as still available in its retransmission queue (`MessageProcessor.RecoverTransferredMessagesAsync`), so a subscription that stays quiet - or only emits keep-alives - after the transfer still recovers the pending notifications. Gaps detected later are filled by `MessageProcessor.TryRepublishAsync`. |
| `s.OutstandingMessageWorkers` (per-subscription) | Manager-wide `PublishWorkerCount`. |
| `s.Id` / `s.TransferId` | `ISubscription.ServerId` (`uint`). |
| `s.Handle` (caller bookkeeping) | Not on `ISubscription`. Callers keep a side dictionary keyed by the item `Name`. |
### Engine wiring
| Classic | V2 |
|---|---|
| `Session.SubscriptionEngineFactory` defaulted to `ClassicSubscriptionEngineFactory.Instance` | Defaulted to `DefaultSubscriptionEngineFactory.Instance` on `ManagedSession`. Raw `Session` constructed with `DefaultSessionFactory` defaults to classic for backwards compatibility; opt in by passing `SubscriptionEngineFactory = DefaultSubscriptionEngineFactory.Instance`. |
| `Session.AddSubscription(Subscription)` (classic-typed) | Unchanged — classic subscriptions are still added via this API on classic-engine sessions. On a V2-engine `ManagedSession`, classic subscriptions are bridged onto the V2 publish pipeline by an internal `SubscriptionBridge`. |
| `ISession.TryGetSubscriptionManager` (V2) | Returns the V2 manager alongside `ManagedSession.Subscriptions` (classic API), so both surfaces coexist on the same session. |
### Per-item options mapping
Every classic configurable property maps directly to a field on
`MonitoredItemOptions`: `StartNodeId`, `AttributeId`, `IndexRange`,
`Encoding`, `MonitoringMode`, `SamplingInterval`, `Filter`,
`QueueSize`, `DiscardOldest`, `TimestampsToReturn`. The `Order`
and `Name` keys are V2-only (the latter is the dictionary key
used by `IMonitoredItemCollection`). `item.RelativePath` /
`item.ResolveItemNodeIdsAsync` / `item.DisplayName` are classic
caller conventions with no V2 equivalent — V2 uses a stable
per-item `Name` string instead.
## Three-API summary
| Aspect | Classic `Subscription` | V2 `ISubscriptionManager` | `IStreamingSubscription` |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notification delivery | `MonitoredItem.Notification` event | `ISubscriptionNotificationHandler` callback | `IAsyncEnumerable<T>` |
| Add monitored item | `subscription.AddItem(item); ApplyChanges()` | `subscription.MonitoredItems.TryAdd(name, options, out _)` | `streaming.SubscribeXxxAsync(...)` |
| Remove monitored item | `subscription.RemoveItem(item); ApplyChanges()` | `subscription.MonitoredItems.TryRemove(handle)` | Dispose enumerator |
| Triggering API | `SetTriggeringAsync(MonitoredItem, ArrayOf<MonitoredItem>, ArrayOf<MonitoredItem>, ct)` (1:1 from triggered side via `MonitoredItem.TriggeringItemId`) | `SetTriggeringAsync(IMonitoredItem, IReadOnlyCollection<IMonitoredItem>?, IReadOnlyCollection<IMonitoredItem>?, ct)` returning `SetTriggeringResult`; declarative `MonitoredItemOptions.TriggeredByNames`; N:M | n/a (use the underlying V2 subscription) |
| Save / restore triggering | `MonitoredItemState.TriggeredItems` (server-id based) | `MonitoredItemStateSnapshot.TriggeredByNames` (name based, N:M, round-trips through binary encoder) | n/a |
| Reconnect / transfer triggering replay | `RestoreTriggeringAsync` re-issues `SetTriggering` after every reconnect | `TransferSubscriptions`: no replay (server preserves links per spec); Recreate: automatic replay | n/a |
| Cancellation | Manual | Per call (CT in handler) | Built-in (CT on stream) |
| Composition | Hand-rolled | Hand-rolled | LINQ-style helpers |
| Backpressure | Custom logic | Custom logic | Bounded channel internally |
| Best for | Legacy callers | Long-lived, multi-item subscriptions | Short-lived / wait-for-X scenarios |
All three APIs can coexist on the same session — pick the one that
matches the use case.
## Reference
- Subscription source: `src/Opc.Ua.Client/Subscription/`
- Streaming source: `src/Opc.Ua.Client/Subscription/Streaming/`
- Helpers: `src/Opc.Ua.Client/Subscription/Streaming/StreamingSubscriptionExtensions.cs`
- Alarm streaming: `src/Opc.Ua.Client/Alarms/AlarmStreamExtensions.cs`
- Sessions architecture and engine choice: [Sessions.md](Sessions.md)
- Reference client sample:
`samples/Reference/ConsoleReferenceClient/AlarmClientSample.cs`