In the last year there has been a clear shift\u2014not away from cloud computing entirely\u2014but decidedly more toward the use of edge computing for Industrial Internet of Things applications.<\/p>\n
Not so long ago, when automation suppliers talked about the future of manufacturing, cloud computing was central to nearly every conversation. Though the cloud remains poised to play a significant role in manufacturing\u2019s future, there is a great deal more attention being focused on edge computing today.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re unsure about the difference between the two, the simplest way to understand edge computing is to realize that it is simply the placement of servers, or other computing device even a microcomputer, on or near a plant floor device for data collection, analysis and storage. Cloud computing, on the other hand, involves sending plant floor device data to an offsite server for storage and analysis. Read more about edge computing here.<\/p>\n
At this year\u2019s ARC Forum, edge computing had a high-profile in several automation suppliers\u2019 exhibits and was central to announcements by Inductive Automation, Bedrock Automation and Stratus.<\/p>\n
SCADA\/HMI at the Edge
\nLast year at the ARC Forum, Inductive Automation announced its partnership with Cirrus Link Solutions around the release of MQTT modules for Inductive Automation\u2019s Ignition product. Those modules were designed to decouple applications, such as HMI and SCADA, from plant floor devices and send the devices\u2019 data to an MQTT server which could then be connected to various applications. By taking this step, Inductive Automation and Cirrus Link addressed the growing network traffic issues and negative impacts of too much direct data polling of plant floor devices.<\/p>\n
Now, Inductive Automation and Cirrus Link are planning to release IgnitionEdge \u2014 a set of three products designed for plant floor edge computing applications. The products include: IgnitionEdge Panel, which creates local HMIs for field devices; IgnitionEdge Enterprise for synchronizing data collected from an edge device to a centralized server, and IgnitionEdge MQTT to publish field device data through MQTT. Read more about MQTT.<\/p>\n
IgnitionEdge products can handle up to 500 tags from PLCs and come with OPC-UA, Modbus, Siemens and Allen-Bradley drivers. The products are also cross-platform, meaning they can work on any platform from Windows and OSX to Linux and even Raspberry Pis.<\/p>\n
Though the IgnitionEdge Panel is a straightforward product for creating local HMIs, an added benefit is its ability to buffer data\u2014enabling one week\u2019s worth of data to be stored on the device in the event of failed network connection.<\/p>\n
IgnitionEdge Enterprise allows for the creation of a hub-and-spoke architecture so that it can act as a remote server to synchronize data from an edge device to a central Ignition server via the Ignition Enterprise Administration Module. In addition to its remote backup, restoration management, centralized monitoring of performance and health metrics, and remote alarm notification, IgnitionEdge Enterprise has store-and-forward capabilities\u2014meaning that, like the IgnitionEdge Panel\u2014it can handle local data buffering to collect historical data for up to one week if the connection to the central several goes down. Once connections are restored, data will synchronize back to the central server.<\/p>\n
IgnitionEdge MQTT essentially enables any device to become an edge gateway by converting the device\u2019s data into MQTT and publishing it to an MQTT broker, which can then be accessed by the MQTT Engine Module.<\/p>\n
Arlen Nipper, president and CTO of Cirrus Link Solutions, noted a key aspect of IgnitionEdge as being its ability to enable devices to deliver the root authority on tag information. With the tag itself becoming the root authority for information about the device, this means that \u201chuman tagging can become a thing of the past,\u201d he said, adding that, if a tag is manually changed, that change will be automatically reflected all the way back to the central server.<\/p>\n
With IgnitionEdge, people can \u201cstop talking about how to adopt IoT and get on with doing it,\u201d said Don Pearson, chief strategy officer of Inductive Automation. \u201cIgnition Edge takes any field device and turns into a lightweight IoT-enabled device.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cybersecurity at the Edge
\nBedrock Automation, which made a surprising entry into the automation market just two years ago with a unique approach to designing controllers, I\/O and even the backplane, extended its embedded cybersecurity capabilities with the release of Bedrock Cybershield 2.0. A key addition to this upgrade is the incorporation of a certification authority into Bedrock\u2019s hardware root of trust.<\/p>\n
Certification authority is a critical aspect for interconnected automation systems, particularly as operations technology (OT) and IT systems converge. Adding this capability into Bedrock Automation\u2019s root of trust means that applications and developers can now receive certificates of authority (CAs) to incorporate Bedrock encryption keys into their software, giving their programs secure access to Bedrock controllers.<\/p>\n
Software providers working with Bedrock Automaton on this include 3S,which isusing its IEC61131 configuration and runtime engines running over TLS (transport layer security) with authentication to the Bedrock system root of trust, and M&M with its Software\u2019s Field Device Tool (FDT) for HART configuration. Albert Rooyakkers, founder and CTO of Bedrock Automation, noted that Inductive Automation and other SCADA partners will begin working with Bedrock Automation\u2019s CAs later this year.<\/p>\n
Explaining the benefits of adding CAs to Cybershield, Rooyakkers said it extends BedrockAutomation\u2019s embedded securityfrom the controller to the networks, applications and edge devices connected to it. At the ARC event, Rooyakkers provided insight into how this CA approach to cybersecurity will extend even to the people accessing the system via multi-factor authentication with smart cards, biometrics and role-based access management authenticated to the root of trust inside the machine. The biometric and smart card features will be available in subsequent Cybershield releases later this year.<\/p>\n
With this approach, \u201cthe person operating the workstation has certification authority to access the automation system and so does the workstation itself,\u201d said Rooyakkers. \u201cAnd with OPC UA, we deploy an open communications standard for Ethernet networks at the control and I\/O. OPC UA server runs in the Bedrock Secure Power and UPS products with the client running in the Ethernet I\/O module.\u201d<\/p>\n
Certification authority adds to the layers of intrinsic security designed into Bedrock Automation\u2019s electronic components and modules, which include strong cryptography, secure components, component anti-tamper, secure firmware, secure communications and module anti-tamper. From embedded cryptography to physical tamper resistance, the design of Bedrock Automation\u2019s products address industrial security concerns with the objective of a \u201cnation-state\u201d defense posture, said Rooyakkers.<\/p>\n
Companies can also personalize their own unique root keys with Bedrock Automation\u2019s SCC.X controller, which allows for customer-specific root keys to be placed within the controller in the Bedrock factory at the time of order. Rooyakkers said these unique root keys not only provide an additional layer of protection for user IP, the system modules and applications can be defined by company, plant or other designations desired by the user.<\/p>\n
Bedrock Automation also unveiled its new 20-channel discrete output (DO) module\u2014SIO8.20. Key features of the new module include:<\/p>\n
20 galvanically-isolated DO channels;
\nEach of its 20 channels are electronically fused to a programmable threshold up to 1 amp per channel;
\nOvercurrent retry enables programming a channel to latch off and retry during overcurrent;
\nFailsafe output protects the module if communication with the controller fails, directing output to a configured fail-safe value or holding it at last known value;
\nUser-selectable single\/dual\/triple redundancy;
\nA 32-bit Secure ARM and an additional microcontroller on each of the 20 DO channels for speed and diagnostics; and
\nSupport of IEEE 1588 time precision protocol for SOE synchronization with +\/- 0.5m sec accuracy on all channels.
\nServers at the Edge
\nOne of the most frequently asked questions about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is: Where do I start? And while there are plenty of entry points to IIoT, one of the most basic approaches involves shoring up your edge computing capabilities.<\/p>\n
With a long history in the financial and telecom sectors, Stratus has been turning its attention toward industrial automation and is positioning its fault tolerant servers and high availability software for use across industry. Evidence of this can be seen in Stratus achieving a 40 percent increase year-over-year in revenue from industrial companies in the Americas.<\/p>\n
Jason Andersen, vice president at Stratus, said that most of the business Stratus has done in industry comes from the process side, specifically oil and gas, water\/wastewater, electricity, food & beverage and pharmaceuticals. He also noted that Stratus\u2019s primary customer in industry is someone in operations technology, not IT. \u201cWe support the whole stack, so it avoids any finger pointing by IT,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Explaining why off-the-shelf, general business servers are not the best choice for industrial automation applications, Andersen said that Stratus is often brought in to work with industrial companies because \u201csomething broke [with a general business server] and it was painful for the company, or they\u2019re looking to upgrade their operating software to enable failsafe operation and remote management of edge servers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another key aspect of Stratus\u2019s offering for industry, and which holds particular appeal for its OT clients, is Stratus\u2019s ability to perform predictive maintenance on its server and software.<\/p>\n
Andersen said that most industrial computing today involves providing a platform for HMI and SCADA. \u201cBut as companies look to do more with IIoT, they\u2019ll need more software at the edge and it needs to be protected\u2014 that\u2019s where we come in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe provide a smart connected hub for industry. Like Google Home or Amazon Echo for consumer use\u2014we connect devices to the cloud. We\u2019re essentially selling an onramp to the future of IIoT,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In terms of its use in industry, Alexander said Stratus\u2019 servers and software are \u201capplication transparent,\u201d meaning that they can support any industrial software applications. Current industrial automation partners include Rockwell Automation, Wonderware by Schneider Electric, GE Digital and Siemens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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