Networking/SCADA/MES

Question 1

The Automation Pyramid

Answer 1

From bottom;
Level 0: Sensors and Signals (Production process)
Level 1: PLC (Sensing and manipulating)
Level 2: SCADA/HMI (Monitoring and supervising)
Level 3: MES (Manufacturing operation Management)
Level 4: ERP (Business Planning and Logistics)

Question 2

ISA-95

Answer 2

ISA-95 is the international standard for the integration of enterprise and control systems. ISA-95 consists of models and terminology. Its official name is “ANSI/ISA-95 Enterprise-Control System Integration” (known internationally as IEC/ISO 62264).

Question 3

ISA-88

Answer 3

S88, shorthand for ANSI/ISA88, is a standard addressing batch process control. It is a design philosophy for describing equipment and procedures.

Question 4

Classification of Manufacturing process

Answer 4

Discrete, Batch and continuous

Question 5

G-MES

Answer 5

Use Kepware and MI to solve the communication problem between PLC and MES

Question 6

What is KEPWARE?

Answer 6

Kepware is a software solution that connects industrial automation devices and applications, enabling data exchange and integration across a variety of industries. Kepware’s features include:

Device connectivity
Kepware can connect to a wide range of devices, including PLCs, sensors, and machines, regardless of manufacturer or whether they are modern or legacy.

Scalable architecture
Kepware’s unified architecture allows for the combination of drivers and multiple protocols in a single server.

Remote visualization
Kepware offers a streamlined interface for remote visualization and connectivity configuration.

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Kepware’s software solutions help businesses enable the IIoT.

IOT gateway
Kepware’s IOT gateway product allows data to be pushed from Kepware into IOT environments using REST and MQTT protocols.

Security features
Kepware+ Security includes features such as environment vulnerability scanning, DDoS protection, and controlled network access.

Kepware is a product of PTC

Question 8

Routing options from PLC to MES

Answer 8

PLC ——————-> KEPWARE ————-> APRISO MI
PLC (with OPC-UA) —————————–> APRISO MI
RFID/Container/PLC/Rack… —> Host system (WCS/Mixing sys/pack line) ——> APRISO MI
PLC (w/ OPC-UA) ———> APRISO MI——————-> APRISO MI plug in
PLC —————————-> IPC ——————–> APRISO MI plug in
PLC ————————–> MAAS ——————-> APRISO MI plug in

Question 9

what is a MAAS?

Answer 9

MAAS, or Metal as a Service, is a cloud computing tool that helps manage physical servers like virtual machines in the cloud. MAAS can be used to:
Discover, commission, and deploy physical servers
Re-allocate physical resources dynamically
Manage physical servers at any scale
Test newly deployed servers
Update firmware
Evaluate performance

MAAS works by treating physical servers as cloud-like resources, similar to instances in AWS, GCE, or Azure. This allows users to manage a large number of physical machines by creating a single resource pool.

Here are some things to know about MAAS networking:

MAAS supports IPv4 and IPv6 subnets

MAAS networks almost exclusively use Ethernet

MAAS uses Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) to communicate between region and rack controllers

MAAS users can choose to clone storage, network, or both configurations