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Industrial Application Server
Questions & Answers (Q&A)
About the Industrial Application Server
About the Industrial Application Server's Underlying ArchestrA Technology
About the Industrial Application Server
What is the Industrial Application Server?
The Wonderware® Industrial Application Server introduces a new era in engineering productivity and scalability for industrial automation and information applications. It provides an infrastructure for simplifying the development, deployment, lifecycle maintenance and administration of distributed automation applications. The Industrial Application Server provides a new tier of real-time data acquisition, alarm and event management, data manipulation services, and collaborative engineering capabilities that have been designed from the ground up for use in industrial automation and information applications.
The Industrial Application Server was built on Invensys' ArchestrA® industrial software architecture, which was designed from the outset to extend the life of legacy systems by leveraging the latest software technologies. The Industrial Application Server is appropriate for applications in discrete manufacturing, process plants, remote SCADA operations, building monitoring, utilities or any hybrid combination of these types of operations.
Does the Industrial Application Server Require Server-Class Hardware?
No, assembling a network of low-cost, off-the-shelf PCs is easy because of the robustness provided by Wonderware software. Because of its distributed nature and common peer-to-peer services, the Industrial Application Server does not require expensive server-class or fault-tolerant computers to enable a robust industrial application.
What Is Object-Based Development?
Object-based development within the Industrial Application Server is the process of building applications using Application Objects. Application Objects are comprised of multiple components packaged as a single entity, including I/O connections, alarms, security, scripts and history-gathering requirements. The Industrial Application Server’s Integrated Development Environment (IDE) gives users the flexibility to select Application Objects from the software or define their own Application Object Templates.
What Is the IDE, or Integrated Development Environment?
The Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is the main configuration tool used to create applications that leverage ArchestrA technology. This configuration tool is used to access a central configuration repository. Applications based on ArchestrA technology are called Galaxies. The central configuration repository is called a Galaxy Repository. Multiple IDE sessions can connect simultaneously to a Galaxy Repository to create a completely collaborative engineering environment.
In addition, the IDE is the integrated design and development tool in which all ArchestrA Objects are configured and then deployed to target computers. It is used to maintain and configure the objects that comprise your application and the underlying infrastructure that supports your applications. With the IDE, you can import new types of objects (templates) into the Galaxy, configure instances of those templates and deploy them to computers on your network. Multiple users can work concurrently in the same Galaxy on different sets of objects from different IDEs. The IDE can be installed on any computer that has ArchestrA Bootstrap Software installed.
What Does Wonderware Mean by Flexible Data Connectivity?
Wonderware refers to data connectivity as being "flexible" when Device Integration (DI) Objects are used to connect Application Objects to field devices. These DI Objects provide connectivity to thousands of data sources such as DDE servers, SuiteLink™ servers, OPC servers and even existing InTouch® applications and other HMI software products.
What Does Wonderware Mean by Integrated Security?
Essentially, "integrated security" means that security permissions reside at an application's data level. The Industrial Application Server’s data-level security centralizes the definition of all permissions to the Application Objects. These Application Objects can be accessed by a variety of clients, but the security is centrally defined, facilitating ease of maintenance. Users who have permission to interact with these Application Objects at runtime are mapped to the objects by user-defined roles. These roles can be mapped directly to existing groups in a Microsoft Domain or workgroup.
What Infrastructure Services Are Included with the Industrial Application Server?
The Wonderware Industrial Application Server's services are integral to all applications developed in the IDE and can be deployed in the context of literally any discrete, hybrid or process production system. The Industrial Application Server's underlying ArchestrA architecture contains powerful features for handling high-availability, event-based processing, scripting and on-the-fly process calculations, eliminating the need for service creation within each individual application.
The IDE offers all the distributed alarm and event management, historization and security features developers will need. In addition, it offers powerful services for collecting data from plant-floor devices and networks, and handles all communications and name services. It also simplifies version management as a result of its hierarchical application model.
Furthermore, license management is greatly simplified via centralized application deployment. All system diagnostics and administration tasks are centralized as well. The IDE also includes powerful application troubleshooting and monitoring, as well as audit trail and change management capabilities. And it does all this while supporting existing industry standards such as XML, OPC, .NET and SQL.
How Does Centralizing These Infrastructure Services Enhance Development Efforts?
Centralizing these services simplifies the upgrading, expansion and enhancement of applications, thereby reducing the cost and time involved in increasing the agility of production systems. Using the Industrial Application Server, application development components can be easily re-used and developers don't have to waste time developing them over and over again for each new application. Similarly, developers don't have to totally re-design the system when they're enhancing or expanding applications. With the Industrial Application Server, developers don't have to spend copious amounts of time and money to upgrade applications to make production lines more agile. It's a nominal incremental investment compared with what they must do now.
What Does This New Approach Mean in Terms of Actual Engineering Cost Savings?
Historically, engineering has represented the largest expense in any project's cost, usually about 60% of the entire development budget. Saving engineering time therefore represents the biggest potential saving that can be achieved by using offerings that leverage ArchestrA technology.
What Components Make Up an Industrial Application Server Runtime?
The Industrial Application Server’s runtime environment is composed of Platforms, Engines and Objects distributed among PCs. Every PC that has a Platform is essentially a part of the Industrial Application Server system. The Runtime is licensed by I/O, Platforms and/or Terminal Server Sessions. I/O count is based on the number of I/O points that are configured through an OPC Server, I/O Server or Proxy Object, over the entire Industrial Application Server namespace, no matter how many PCs are in the system. Each PC in the system requires a Platform or Session. The Platform contains all the services and may also host Objects and Engines. Terminal Services Sessions perform the same function as a standard Platform but are used in a Microsoft Terminal Server environment.
Do Traditional DDE Clients and SuiteLink Servers Work with the Industrial Application Server?
Yes, the Industrial Application Server comes with SuiteLink servers or DDE Client Objects, which facilitate connections to I/O Servers. Using the IDE, you can create an instance of a SuiteLink server or DDE Client Object for connecting the Industrial Application Server to an I/O Server.
Do I Need a DA Server to work with the Industrial Application Server?
No. You can use any of the I/O Servers from the Wonderware I/O Server list as well any OPC server on the market. However, it is true that DA Servers combined with Device Integration (DI) Objects deliver significantly more advantages to the user from a configuration and diagnostics point of view above existing I/O Servers or OPC Servers.
How Big is a Galaxy? Is a Galaxy a Plant or a Project?
Good question. You will find that a Galaxy size will be governed by the security model and ownership of the model. A Galaxy could be a single machine, production line or plant or an entire enterprise.
Can I Communicate with the Industrial Application Server via the OPC Protocol?
Yes. The Industrial Application Server is a true OPC DA 2.05 specification client, and it does not require an OPCLink Server. It naturally supports the OPC data types and OPC quality.
Where is the Application Configuration Stored in Runtime? Does the Galaxy Repository Always Have to Be Connected?
A local image of the configuration running on a particular PC is maintained, so the system can be self-hosting at start up. The Galaxy Repository is not required at Runtime, but it is required for configuration changes or deploying application components.
What is the FactorySuite A² Development Seat?
The FactorySuite A²™ Development Seat includes tools required for engineering systems based on the Industrial Application Server. It retains all of the previous engineering tools included in the FactorySuite® basic edition such as the InTouch HMI, IndustrialSQL Server historian, InControl™ software, I/O Severs, ActiveFactory™ reporting and analysis software, etc. The FactorySuite A²™ Development Seat includes the Integrated Development Environment and Galaxy Project Database. Users can deploy applications in a Development Mode for testing, but an Industrial Application Server Runtime License is required for any deployed system that is in production. To obtain this license, contact Wonderware Sales.
Does the Industrial Application Server Use Microsoft's .NET Technology?
Yes. Its underlying ArchestrA architecture leverages .NET technology and utilizes sections of .NET such as the Common Language Runtime for scripting and Win Forms and ASP.NET for editors. As the Industrial Application Server evolves, its use of .NET services and features will increase. It is also possible to embed .NET function calls in Application Object scripts within the IDE.
Can I use the Industrial Application Server as an Event Engine for the IndustrialSQL Server Historian?
Yes. In fact, this is an ideal application for the Industrial Application Server, which offers seamless integration with the IndustrialSQL Server historian as well as providing:
- A powerful application model;
- Outstanding application management;
- A powerful scripting environment;
- The ability to distribute and expand applications outside of the historian server, providing greater scalability; and
- A real-time supervisory control and event engine, which allows automated alarm and event condition response across the entire network.
About the Underlying ArchestrA Software Architecture
What's the Difference between the Industrial Application Server and ArchestrA Technology?
Invensys' ArchestrA technology is a:
- Powerful application model;
- Software architecture on which other products can be built, or with which software and hardware from any vendor can be integrated; and
- Visionary technology.
Wonderware's Industrial Application Server is the first product to be built on Invensys' ArchestrA industrial automation and information software architecture.
In essence, the Industrial Application Server is a product and the ArchestrA architecture is an enabling technology.
What Is the Purpose of the ArchestrA Architecture?
The ArchestrA architecture provides an infrastructure for simplifying the development, deployment, lifecycle maintenance and administration of distributed automation and information applications. It is appropriate for a wide variety of industries and environments such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Process Information Management (PIM) systems, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), batch and recipe management systems, and advanced control/simulation systems.
The ArchestrA architecture fills the gap between ERP systems and the control systems and provides:
- A framework that supports common services and a core set of system objects;
- Domain and industry-specific objects; and
- An Object Development Toolkit that enables the creation of new domain objects that meet specific needs and which are compatible with non-Invensys software and third-party automation hardware.
Additionally, the ArchestrA software architecture supports core services that are required by most supervisory control and manufacturing information systems, including:
- A centralized IDE;
- Version management;
- License management and centralized deployment;
- System diagnostics and administration;
- Internationalization;
- Data visualization and monitoring;
- Event-based processing, scripting, and calculation capabilities;
- Alarm and event management, historization, and security;
- Data acquisition and field device integration;
- Inter-object communications;
- Reporting and ad hoc queries; and
- Support for industry standards such as the OPC protocol and SQL.
What's the Difference between the ArchestrA Architecture and ArchestrA Technology?
Unlike the more general term, ArchestrA technology, the ArchestrA software architecture refers to a very specific framework. Products that are built on the ArchestrA architecture enable can instantly integrate the most common application functions – including communications, alarming, historization, configuration, security, software distribution and systems management. The Industrial Application Server is built on the ArchestrA architecture.
Other products leverage ArchestrA technology. Products that are integrated with ArchestrA technology can browse the entire ArchestrA Object namespace seamlessly and remotely configure communication objects using the ArchestrA IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Examples of products integrated with ArchestrA technology are Wonderware's SuiteVoyager portal and DA Servers.
Products that are ArchestrA Ready can plug into applications based on ArchestrA technology. Today, thousands of plant systems, devices and networks that use I/O or OPC Servers are ArchestrA Ready.
Why Should I Care about ArchestrA Technology?
Quality, responsiveness, and cost efficiency have always been necessary for any plant or factory that wishes to surpass the competition. Today, they are vital for any plant, factory or enterprise to survive.
The pace of change accelerates. Product cycles become shorter and more complex. New or enhanced products must be commercialized at breakneck speed, or risk rapid failure. Such offerings must also be quickly customizable for use in today's global business spaces. Again, as these markets grow ever more economically efficient, the choice for manufacturers is between agility and finality.
That's why today a variety of computer-based systems are used to operate plants as well as to improve their efficiency. In most plants, multiple varieties of hardware and software systems provide machine and process control, information management, and decision support. These systems enable manufacturers to operate their businesses more effectively and add value to the raw materials they process. Without these systems, many highly engineered consumer and industrial products simply would not exist, because of the complexities involved in their manufacture.
Unfortunately, even today, in most plants these systems operate independently. This hinders a plant manager's ability to synchronize and control production and business processes in a real-time environment. In other words, the majority of manufacturers have not successfully integrated the functionalities of automation/business/information systems into a single, unified infrastructure. In the past, this has been an expensive and time-consuming process. Those that have successfully integrated have done so at great cost in terms of money and resources. Moreover, despite the huge investments made by companies in these systems over the years, managers still find it difficult to quantify resulting tangible benefits.
The most compelling aspect of the problem now facing manufacturers is that the underlying technology of these systems is rapidly becoming obsolete. As general technology lifecycles shorten, manufacturers are pressed to procure and integrate new technologies with ever-increasing speed—making the ultimate goal of productivity improvement even more difficult to achieve.
In most plants today, "islands of automation" within business and manufacturing systems hinder the plant manager's ability to synchronize business processes in real time.
Recognizing this challenge, Invensys has developed a solution, ArchestrA automation and information architecture.
A powerful new infrastructure for industrial applications, the ArchestrA software architecture promises to provide an information and control superstructure that will increase the productivity of a plant's existing systems, while enabling the plant to easily integrate important new technologies over the longer term.
What Does ArchestrA Technology Provide?
ArchestrA technology provides a number of key functions designed to free users from the complexities of dealing with current underlying technologies. So users require only assembly skills, not sophisticated programming knowledge, and are able to apply their time to functions in which they have more expertise.
By embedding common application services directly into a common infrastructure, application engineers can design and reuse solutions that are instantly integrated. The key elements of the software infrastructure are:
- A common design and development environment;
- Deployment, scripting and calculation services;
- Alarm and event subsystems with reliable delivery;
- Built-in distributed architecture services for scalability;
- Integration with various types of field devices;
- Inter-object communication and name service management;
- Version management services;
- Security model services;
- Centralized license management and deployment services;
- Centralized system diagnostics and administration;
- Internationalization of objects and application services;
- Graphical user interface (GUI) editing services; and
- Common support for industry standards.
How Does ArchestrA Technology Provide These High-Level Benefits?
ArchestrA technology brings these business benefits through its use of a common modular application model. All the most common services required for every application are now provided in a common set of infrastructure services, so users don’t have to deal with them in creating applications. Instead, their application efforts can be concentrated where they can provide the greatest value — on their domain expertise. The ArchestrA architecture also facilitates collaborative engineering because people can work in parallel, yet their application contributions are easily and automatically integrated.
Will ArchestrA Technology Work Only with Invensys Solutions?
No. The built-in common framework services provided by the ArchestrA architecture eliminate the need for application integration, which makes it simpler to join legacy systems with the latest advancements. ArchestrA Toolkits also simplify application upgrades and enhancements that extend the lifecycle of all projects. Unified configuration capabilities apply to all automation applications, including those offered by Invensys business units as well as their competitors' products. The intent is to provide a new set of industrial standards for deploying applications in any production industry and with any system.
Will Offerings That Utilize the ArchestrA Architecture Protect My Existing Automation Investments?
Yes, and they will help you extend their useful lifetime far into the future. Application integration costs simply keep rising over time. This simple fact makes total lifetime cost of ownership very critical. Since most plants are built over long periods of time, there are typically several generations of production machinery and control systems in use at every plant — and they usually aren’t compatible, which gives rise to "islands of automation and information." This fact of life is inconsistent with every plant manager's dream of having centralized deployment and maintenance of applications, because the thousands of sensor and actuator devices on plant floors must be organized in a peer-to-peer fashion. The ArchestrA architecture solves this problem by allowing plant-floor systems to be organized in a distributed fashion, but centrally managed and administered via a single namespace.
Can ArchestrA Technology Help Me Make Better Use of My Engineering Resources?
Recognizing the critical shortage of engineering manpower and the rapid advancement of Internet technology, the ArchestrA architecture has been developed to reuse up to 70% of engineering design from one project to the next. This makes cost-effective use of many implementations in multiple parts of production processes. The result is the ability to be more agile in production technology so that manufacturing lines can be adapted for near-custom production.
Will ArchestrA Technology Make Me Change How I Work?
Offerings leveraging ArchestrA technology simplify application development because they separate out all the infrastructure services that are common to any application. Your engineers won't have to keep redesigning the wheel to include these requirements in the applications they develop. They can incorporate them on a plug-and-play basis instead — empowering them to concentrate on the best use of their domain expertise. They can rise up from the details and focus on adding real value.
How Can ArchestrA Technology Help Me Decrease Engineering Costs?
First, because the basic application services have been removed from the applications themselves, as much as 70% of engineering work can be re-used in additional projects. This enhances engineering efficiency by an incredible amount. Plus, if different engineering groups can work in parallel, in collaborative teams, their work can more easily be integrated when it rides on top of the ArchestrA architecture, and that saves even more time. Finally, when you can save so much time and money associated with upgrading systems to increase the total project lifetime usability, ongoing engineering costs can be reduced by orders of magnitude.
Can I Use the ArchestrA Architecture in Specific Vertical Industries?
The ArchestrA software architecture provides incredible new flexibility in application engineering for deployment in literally any discrete, hybrid or continuous process application. It's a completely new software platform. Any application can run on it precisely because it provides this core framework of common application services. And, because it runs on top of Microsoft's Windows operating systems, the ArchestrA architecture offers the universality needed for development and deployment in literally any marketplace.
Can Offerings Based on ArchestrA Technology Be Customized to Meet The Needs of My Particular Application?
Yes, indeed. Building on top of this common architecture, new domain objects can be created that provide added value for specific target markets. These include both Application Objects and Device Integration Objects. Many common objects are provided as standards for use out of the box as part of Invensys product offerings. But, for those that aren't available initially, Invensys will supply ArchestrA Toolkits for use by developers not using Invensys products, to create new domain objects.
How Does the ArchestrA Architecture Integrate the Various Roles of Different Engineering Providers?
The ArchestrA architecture was built using Microsoft's .NET and Windows technology. Therefore, it's fully compatible with the foundation provided by Microsoft Windows operating systems and the family of enabling services Microsoft provides for it. The ArchestrA architecture runs as an industrial infrastructure platform on top of the Microsoft Windows operating system. As such, it provides a complete foundation on which application engineers can add their domain modules and the functionality provided by third-party application developers.
As projects are deployed, each engineering provider — including Invensys, machine builders, system integrators and end-users — can add their layer of expertise. The end result is a richly featured, efficient solution that is tailor-fit for the specific opportunity, but which is still modular and flexible. Each layer of expertise contributes those elements that are the best possible additions to the total solution. This is truly a collaborative result, unlike anything that industry has ever seen before, and it will show up in the bottom line.
Will These Collaborative Aspects Make a Difference in Total Project Cost?
The engineering advantages of ArchestrA technology are simple. They can reduce the costs associated with typical automation application development projects to as little as 30% of what it used to be. This is because ArchestrA technology facilitates the re-use of engineering, reduces team overhead and makes better use of engineering talent. It also decreases deployment time, which helps to reduce the risk for the entire project. These cost reductions will vary according to the project in question, but the ArchestrA architecture's structural contributions streamline the setup and deployment stages of projects, so results are achieved faster and more smoothly.