Together at last

How do you bring IT and OT together? It's a question that must be answered by any company hoping to realize the visions of Industry 4.0. A puzzle – so far – without a real solution. But B&R is breaking down the barrier between the two worlds, giving machine builders access to one of the world's largest software ecosystems.

A team is only ever as good as its members. But simply sitting the best and brightest from individual fields around a table will only get you so far. To achieve the best results, you must also allow each team member to use the tools and methods they are most comfortable working with. In practice, that's often easier said than done.

To leverage the full potential of the Industrial IoT, machine builders need interdisciplinary teams that bring together experts from both domains. All too often, this becomes a conflict between two different worlds. While OT experts are well versed in machine design, PLC programming and commissioning, their IT colleagues are more at home using high-level programming languages like C++, Python or JavaScript and working with open-source software and Linux. Until now, there has been no platform where both groups could pool their expertise.

The challenge is to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of harmonious, effective IT/OT collaboration. Traditionally, the two domains have existed more or less as parallel universes. "But with the rise of the Industrial IoT, the time has come to change that," says Stefan Schönegger, IoT specialist at B&R. "In order to integrate advanced database systems, machine learning, artificial intelligence and IoT algorithms directly into machines, we need to erase the lines between IT and OT."

The biggest obstacle is that today's control systems don't support the full bandwidth of high-level programming languages the way a Linux environment would. As a prerequisite for true IT/OT connectivity, control systems must therefore be given the ability to access and understand Linux software.

This is exactly where B&R comes in – with its new enhanced crossover Operating System, or exOS for short. "exOS bridges the divide that has traditionally separated IT and OT, and finally gives machine builders an ideal connection between the two worlds," says Schönegger. "With the ability to use any Linux software in the B&R system, they now have access to one of the world's largest software ecosystems."

exOS gives every Linux engineer the freedom to develop, compile and debug code in their preferred environment. Then, the Linux application can be easily integrated into the control system and used hand-in-hand with B&R's real-time operating system, Automation Runtime. "When developers are able to work in a familiar environment, like Eclipse or Visual Studio, they can make the best use of their knowledge and experience," explains Schönegger. "And that's a huge advantage."

Developers simply import their completed Linux application into the B&R system as an exOS package. From that point on, they can use Automation Studio as a central engineering tool. Managing and debugging software solutions becomes simple and straightforward. No other tools are required. "What that means is that the developer creating the Linux software and the engineer commissioning the machine can each work in the environment they're used to," notes Schönegger, "because they have exOS bringing it all together seamlessly."

In addition to streamlined development and commissioning, another hallmark of an intelligent machine is that maintenance can be performed quickly and easily. In the event of a malfunction, service technicians need to locate the problem and contact the machine builder as quickly as possible.

exOS offers extensive diagnostic functions. The B&R system provides the user with a complete log of all error messages from both the Linux application and the controller operating system. Hardware components are also easy to replace.

The machine is back up and running again in minutes without any reprogramming. "exOS makes maintenance much more efficient and significantly reduces downtime," says Schönegger. Not only is it easy to replace hardware when necessary, any updates to the machine software can also be installed, for example via remote access.

B&R's crossover solution offers numerous integrated functions that make it easier to implement hybrid solutions combining machine control and Linux applications. The integrated functions are executed symmetrically in Automation Runtime and Linux. "exOS uses technology and tools from the B&R system and integrates the Linux application into the B&R engineering environment. All the freedom of Linux remains," says Schönegger.

Features include uniform project management for Linux and real-time applications in Automation Studio as well as automatic transfer of Linux applications from Automation Studio to the controller and the Linux environment. exOS also includes a user-friendly API for high-performance data exchange. The API ensures easy, buffered process data communication between the controller operating system and Linux, consistently in the millisecond range.

To use exOS, machine builders only need one Automation PC or Panel PC from B&R. "Automation Runtime and Linux run on the same device, and the Linux application is executed hand in hand with cyclic control applications. This is useful in applications like automated guided vehicles (AGVs)," says Schönegger. Such systems are often based on the open-source robotics platform ROS. In ROS, dynamic path planning is executed in Linux, while motion control tasks are handled in Automation Runtime. With exOS, the two can be optimally synchronized in a hypervisor configuration and installed on one Automation PC.