Future industrial automation systems will execute a number of control and monitoring functions in central data centers. The cloud computing paradigm will reduce IT costs and enable small companies to flexibly automate production processes. Centralized control and monitoring across companies and domains will facilitate a novel smart ecosystem for industrial automation connecting both embedded devices and information systems. To realize this vision, a number of technical, economical, and social challenges need to be solved. This talk focuses on software architecture challenges for cloud-connected automation systems. It points out the architectural impact of critical non-functional properties, such as latency, security, and multi-tenancy.

1. © ABB Group
Towards the Automation Cloud
Architectural Challenges for a Novel Smart Ecosystem
Dr.-Ing. Heiko Koziolek, Principal Scientist, ABB Forschungszentrum, Ladenburg, 2013-07-02
http://www.rcrwireless.com/americas/20110816/featured/cloud-computing-is-in-its-infancy-gartner-vp-says/

2. SCADA Systems
ABB SCADAVantage for Oil & Gas Industries
© ABB Group

3. SCADA Systems
ABB SCADAVantage for Oil & Gas Industries
© ABB Group

4. SCADA Systems
System Architecture
© ABB Group

5. Automation Pyramid
Classical Structuring
© ABB Group
HMI PLC PLC HMI
…
… ……
ERP
MES APCSCADA
Enterprise Resource Planning
Manufacturing Execution System
Supervisory Control and Data Aquisition
Advanced Process Control
Human-Machine Interface
Programmable Logic Controller
Data
Acquisition Planning
Field devices:
sensors, actuators...

6. Cloud Computing
 “Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-
demand network access to a shared pool of configurable
computing resources
(e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and
services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with
minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”
 5 essential characteristics
 On-demand self-service
 Broad network access
 Resource pooling
 Rapid elasticity or expansion
 Measured service
NIST Definition
© ABB Group
[http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/]

7. Cloudification
Classical Automation Pyramid (AP)
© ABB Group
HMI PLC PLC HMI…
… ……
ERP
MES APCSCADA
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

8. Cloudification Step 1
Few Cyber Physical Systems, Independent Clouds
HMI PLC PLC HMI…
… ……
© ABB Group
ERP
MES APCSCADA
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

9. HMI PLC PLC HMI…
… ……
PLC
ERP
MES APCSCADA
HMI PLC PLC HMI…
… ……
PLC
ERP
MES APCSCADA
Cloudification Step 2
Few Cyber Physical Systems, Connected Cloud
© ABB Group
…
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

10. Cloudification Step 3
Mainly Cyber Physical Systems on upper AP Levels
HMI PLC PLC HMI…
…
MES… …
ERP
……
PLC
© ABB Group
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

11. Cloudification Step 4
Upper AP Levels partly replaced by Cloud Services
© ABB Group
…
HMI PLC PLC HMI…
…
MES…
ERP
……
PLC
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

12. Cloudification Step 5
Cloud Services dominating upper AP levels
…
HMI PLC PLC HMI…
…
MES…
ERP
……
PLC
© ABB Group
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

13. HMI PLC PLC HMI…
MES…
ERP
PLC
…
… ……
Cloudification Step 6
Cloud Services replacing upper AP levels
© ABB Group
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

14. Cloudification Step 7
Automation Pyramid replaced by Automation Cloud
© ABB Group
…
…
……
Source: „Cyber-Physical Systems: Chancen und Nutzen aus Sicht der Automation“,
April 2013, GMA Fachausschuss 7.20 „Cyber Physical Systems“,
Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im VDI/VDE

15. Automation Cloud
Latency Security Multitenancy
Availability Elasticity Portability
Usability Interoperability
Selected Architectural Challenges
March 1, 2013 | Slide 15
© ABB Group

16. Criticality
Sampling time
1 ms 10 ms 100 ms 1 s 10 s 1 d 30 d 1 y1 min 10 min 1 h 10 h
Real-time
boiler control
Loop auditing
HVAC /
buildings
Chemicals /
refining MPC
? Service data
Network round-trip time
for a cloud data center in Europe
(distance < 5000 km, 66 % speed of light)
Rolling mills
Cement
Minerals
Power gen.
Solar panel /
wind turbine
Low
High
Architectural Challenges
Latency
© ABB Group

17. Architectural Challenges
Latency
• Characteristics: high latencies (seconds)
• Well suited for cloud latency. Future: fleet
management, big data intelligence
SCADA, MES, PIM
S, (ERP)
• Characteristics: latencies not critical
• Today: VMs with engineering tools
• Future: web-based, social design of
control applications
Engineering
(e.g., device
configuration)
• Characteristics: high latencies, high
computational power
• Conflicts with a typical cloud business
model („low end“)
Advanced Process
Control (APC)
• Characteristics: short latencies, low
computational power
• Impossible to run many control tasks
remotely due to insufficient latencies
Basic Process
Control
© ABB Group

18.  ABB partnered with cloud provider GlobaLogix
to provide a hosted version of SCADAVantage (SaaS)
 RTUs triggering fast, basic control on-site
 High latency SCADA functionality hosted
in 53 data centers in North America, regional proximity
 But: no horizontal scaling, no elasticity
Architecture Challenges
Latency
[http://www.abb.com/cawp/seitp202/cf46b46446b6f83985257b7a00488357.aspx]

19. Architecture Challenges
Security
© ABB Group
Stuxnet
Duqu

20.  GlobaLogix data centers hosting ABB„s SCADAVantage
 2048 bit encryption (exceeding DoD standards)
 Compliance with the most stringent Tier 4 data center
standards from the Telecommunications Industry
Association (TIA) and American National Standards
Institute (ANSI)
 Citrix authentication on client laptops and tables
 Password protected web access to read-only data
Architecture Challenges
Security
© ABB Group
[http://www.abb.com/cawp/seitp202/cf46b46446b6f83985257b7a00488357.aspx]
March 1, 2013 | Slide 20

21. Architecture Challenges
Multitenancy
© ABB Group
[http://goo.gl/FlrES/]

22. Architecture Challenges
 Embedded Systems
 PLC, RTU, IED
(for low-level, fast control)
 Cloud-managed firmware updates
 Information Systems
 SCADA, MES, ERP, etc.
 Cloud with comon data storage
enables fleet management,
social engineering,
preventive maintenance
 Mobile Systems
 Mobile apps for maintenance
personal and operators
 APIs for third party extensions
Automation Cloud as Smart Ecosystem
© ABB Group
SCADAVantage on the iPhone
…
…
……

23. Architecture Challenges
 Cloud pattern catalogues
 Architecture decision sets, ontologies,
domain-specific patterns, …
 Architecture description languages
 Cloud elements as first-class entities,
domain-specific abstractions, …
 Architecture evaluation
 ATAM templates for cloud platforms
 Model-based predictions
 Cloud benchmarks
 Reference workloads,
tooling, comparisons, …
 Methods for Ultra-large Scale Systems
 Smart Grid & Automation Cloud as ULSS
 Systems of systems
Directions for Academic Research
© ABB Group
[Koziolek, Proc. WICSA‟11]

24.  Automation Pyramid
affected by cloud
computing capabilities
 Architecture Challenges
 What control task can
be executed remotely?
 How to secure
a SCADA system
in the Internet?
 How to effectively
apply multi-tenancy?
 Future: emergence
of a novel smart ecosystem
Conclusions
Towards the Automation Cloud
© ABB Group
…
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25. © ABB Group