Inductive Automation
Linux has long been on the “wishlist" for
control systems. Until
now, most systems have been locked-in to the Windows operating system
due to reliance on classic OPC—a ubiquitous communication standard based
on
Microsoft’s Distributed Component Object Model (
DCOM). The name of
the game is changing, however, with the arrival of the next-generation
OPC standard, the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC-UA). The new standard
was designed for cross-platform compatibility, which makes room for
Linux to gain popularity in the automated control industry.
Jonathan Gross, vice president of Pemeco,
a 32-year-old IT consulting firm, explained why Linux will be a big
player as the industry moves ahead. “The stars are aligned for
Linux-powered servers to gain significant market-share in industrial
automation environments,” Gross said. “Currently, security, stability
and reliability make Linux the operating system of choice to support
many
web-server applications. With the increasing tendency to develop
SCADA and control systems in web-based environments, it only makes sense
that end-users will strongly consider Linux-based operating platforms.
As icing-on-the-cake, Linux generally has a much lower total cost of
ownership than Windows.”
Gross is not alone in his analysis. Others in the industry, such as
Paresh Dalwalla, are also predicting a growing trend toward Linux.
Dalwalla is president of OpteBiz Inc.,
which focuses on providing real-time operational intelligence solutions
to control system users in both the United States and India.
Dalwalla’s explanation closely mirrors that of Gross. “End users
are looking for improved security, stability, and reduced total cost of
ownership,” Dalwalla said. “More and more end users will see the
benefits once they cross the learning curve of an open source operating
system. This change will require some time and commitment, but it will
be well worth the effort.”
Let’s look at why security, stability, and cost top the list of reasons why Linux is a great choice for control systems.
If a computer system's integrity is compromised by a virus or a
malicious attacker exploiting a security vulnerability, it can cause
downtime and equipment damage. Just this week, Managing Automation magazine published a story
regarding a virus that attacks the Siemens’ SIMATIC WinCC and PCS7
software through a vulnerability in Windows. The article also states
that these types of attacks for process control systems have been on the
rise during the past few years. (Editor's note: Update from Siemens on Virus affecting Simatic WinCC SCADA systems)
Until recently, companies were tied to Windows as the base for
their control system—and they were more likely to be a victim of system
hacking than if they were using Linux.
“Compared to Linux, Windows is a bigger attack target,” Gross said.
“On average, Windows operating systems are roughly twice as susceptible
to hacks and cyber-attacks. Also, an attack event on a Windows
operating system has the potential to cause more widespread damage than a
similar attack on a Linux system.”
Using Linux means less vulnerability, less downtime, and fewer headaches for companies.
Linux is widely considered to crash less than Windows. It’s also
easier to update the system without having to reset the system, as is
needed in a Windows environment. This means that systems have more
uptime and increased productivity levels.
“Operating system or server downtime introduces risks associated
with a temporary inability to monitor and control the systems,” explains
Gross. "Though today’s Windows systems are much more stable than they
have historically been, they still experience more downtime than Linux
systems. One reason for downtime is that Windows systems need to be
rebooted to install updates. In contrast, Linux systems can generally be
updated without a hardware reset.”
Reason #3: Less Cost
Last but definitely not least is the fact that Linux is more cost
effective in the long run. Not only is it available free of cost because
it’s open source, but it’s also easier to maintain by IT staff—which
means substantial savings in ongoing administrative costs.
“The open source market has expanded tremendously in recent times
due to the backing of large companies such as Sun and Google,” Dalwalla
said. “Linux is an open source operating system that is considered more
stable and comes with very little capital costs. There are ongoing
support costs that are to be considered for both options, but Linux can
definitely help keep it down.”
Bottom line, companies don’t have to spend money on licenses for Windows servers, nor spend as much time maintaining the system.
Now that OPC-UA is available, the next step to take is to find
products that use the new standard. Integrator Kyle Chase described his
story. Chase is a systems integration specialist for Surefire SCADA Inc.,
located in Canada, who has always been a fan of Linux. Naturally, he
was very excited about OPC-UA and being able to build systems on Linux.
Earlier this year, Chase found Ignition by Inductive Automation,
which included an OPC-UA server, making the entire software system
Linux compatible. Having used Inductive Automation software for the past
three years with much success, he was confident in trying out the
company’s newest release.
He gave an example of a project he implemented for a customer using
Ignition. The customer’s distillation refinery has a single controller
with 14 racks of remote IO. The facility needed both fast update
performance, as well as reliability. Previous solutions from
industry-leaders couldn’t deliver both. For example, one product gave
them the reliability, but it could only give updates once every eight
seconds—but the customer needed updates every second. Another product
they tried provided the performance needed, but it would shut down every
day.
Enter Ignition, OPC-UA, and access to Linux. Chase began testing to
see how well it performed, and after going through dry runs, he has
been very pleased.
“The performance is absolutely crazy!” Chase said. “Ignition is
actively subscribed to 30,000 tags with updates every second. We can
finally monitor all of our tags, at the speed we want with the
reliability we need.”
Chase is sold on OPC-UA. “To me, the move to a true cross platform
environment is important,” he stated. “This holds many advantages,
especially when it comes to system flexibility and security. It helps
keep costs down as well. Inductive Automation is the first to provide
the software required to do this.”
