Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) includes a control container having contents which are executable during run-time of the process plant to control at least a portion of an industrial process. The SDCS also includes a security service associated with the control container and including contents which define one or more security conditions. The security service executes via a container on a compute node of the SDCS to control access to and/or data flow from the control container based on the contents of the security container.

Abstract: A gateway system securely delivers and exposes data generated by and/or related to a process plant for consumption by external systems, and includes an edge-facing component that receives process plant-related data from a process plant via a field-facing component of the system. The received data may comport with an exposable data type system utilizing a syntax known to the external systems. The edge-facing component stores the received data in a data lake, and mines the data lake to thereby discover relationships between stored data points. Indications of the received data and the discovered interrelationships are stored in a contextualized process plant knowledge repository, such as a graph database, that is accessible to the external systems and other systems and applications via one or more access mechanisms, which may include utilities, services, servers, and/or applications. Some of the access mechanisms allow external applications to be installed at the edge-facing component.

Abstract: A software defined distributed control system (SDCS) in a process plant includes an application layer that includes a plurality of containers instantiated in a data cluster. Each of the containers is an isolated execution environment executing within the local operating system of a respective computing node. The containers cooperate to facilitate execution of a control strategy in the SDCS, and includes a hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) operating across the data cluster, which HCI is configured to communicate with the application layer via an adapter service. The HCI includes software-defined (SD) compute resources, SD storage resources, SD networking resources, and an orchestrator service. The orchestrator service is programmed to configure a first container to include a service executing within the first container. It also assigns the first container to execute on an available hardware resource to control a plurality of field devices operating in the process plant.

Abstract: A process control system includes a plurality of field devices operating to control a process in a process plant. A communication infrastructure couples the plurality of field devices to a software-defined control system (SDCS) that receives data from the field devices and transmits instructions to the field devices. A data cluster, executing the SDCS, includes a plurality of compute nodes, each of which includes a processor executing an operating system, a memory, and a communication resource coupled to one or more other compute nodes in the data cluster. A plurality of instantiated containers, each of which is an isolated execution environment within the operating system of the compute node on which the container is instantiated, cooperate to facilitate execution of a control strategy in the SDCS. At least one of the containers in the SDCS is pinned to a component in the SDCS.

Abstract: A process control system includes a plurality of field devices operating to control a process in a process plant. A communication infrastructure couples the plurality of field devices to a software-defined control system (SDCS) that receives data from the field devices and transmits instructions to the field devices. A data cluster, executing the SDCS, includes a plurality of compute nodes, each of which includes a processor executing an operating system, a memory, and a communication resource coupled to one or more other compute nodes in the data cluster. A plurality of instantiated containers, each of which is an isolated execution environment within the operating system of the compute node on which the container is instantiated, cooperate to facilitate execution of a control strategy in the SDCS. At least one of the containers in the SDCS is pinned to a component in the SDCS.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) includes a method executed by a discovery service for inferring information regarding a physical or logical asset of a process plant. The method includes obtaining an announcement indicative of a presence of a physical or logical asset of the process plant. The method also includes obtaining, from a context dictionary, one or more parameters retrievable from the physical or logical asset or one or more services associated with the physical or logical asset that were not indicated in the announcement. Furthermore, the method includes storing a record of the discovered physical or logical asset in a discovered item data store. The record includes an indication of the identity of the physical or logical asset and the one or more parameters or one or more services associated with the physical or logical asset that were not indicated in the announcement.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) implements controller and other process control-related business logic as logical abstractions (e.g., application layer services executing in containers, VMs, etc.) decoupled from hardware and software computing platform resources. An SD networking layer of the SDCS utilizes process control-specific operating system support services to manage the usage of the computing platform resources and the creation, deletion, modifications, and networking of application layer services with devices disposed in the field environment and with other services, responsive to the requirements and needs of the business logic and dynamically changing conditions of SDCS hardware and/or software assets during run-time of the process plant (such as performance, faults, addition/deletion of hardware and/or software assets, etc.).

Abstract: An I/O server service interacts with multiple containerized controller services each implementing the same control routine to control the same portion of the same plant. The I/O server service may provide the same controller inputs to each of the containerized controller services (e.g., representing measurements obtained by field devices and transmitted by the field devices to the I/O server service). Each containerized controller service executes the same control routine to generate a set of controller outputs. The I/O server service receives each set of controller outputs and forwards an “active” set to the appropriate field devices. The I/O server service and other services, such as an orchestrator service, may continuously evaluate performance and resource utilization in the control system, and may dynamically activate and deactivate controller services as appropriate.

Abstract: An I/O server service interacts with multiple containerized controller services each implementing the same control routine to control the same portion of the same plant. The I/O server service may provide the same controller inputs to each of the containerized controller services (e.g., representing measurements obtained by field devices and transmitted by the field devices to the I/O server service). Each containerized controller service executes the same control routine to generate a set of controller outputs. The I/O server service receives each set of controller outputs and forwards an “active” set to the appropriate field devices. The I/O server service and other services, such as an orchestrator service, may continuously evaluate performance and resource utilization in the control system, and may dynamically activate and deactivate controller services as appropriate.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) implements controller and other process control-related business logic as logical abstractions (e.g., application layer services executing in containers, VMs, etc.) decoupled from hardware and software computing platform resources. An SD networking layer of the SDCS utilizes process control-specific operating system support services to manage the usage of the computing platform resources and the creation, deletion, modifications, and networking of application layer services with devices disposed in the field environment and with other services, responsive to the requirements and needs of the business logic and dynamically changing conditions of SDCS hardware and/or software assets during run-time of the process plant (such as performance, faults, addition/deletion of hardware and/or software assets, etc.).

Abstract: A software defined distributed control system (SDCS) in a process plant includes an application layer that includes a plurality of containers instantiated in a data cluster. Each of the containers is an isolated execution environment executing within the local operating system of a respective computing node. The containers cooperate to facilitate execution of a control strategy in the SDCS, and includes a hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) operating across the data cluster, which HCI is configured to communicate with the application layer via an adapter service. The HCI includes software-defined (SD) compute resources, SD storage resources, SD networking resources, and an orchestrator service. The orchestrator service is programmed to configure a first container to include a service executing within the first container. It also assigns the first container to execute on an available hardware resource to control a plurality of field devices operating in the process plant.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) implements controller and other process control-related business logic as logical abstractions (e.g., application layer services executing in containers, VMs, etc.) decoupled from hardware and software computing platform resources. An SD networking layer of the SDCS utilizes process control-specific operating system support services to manage the usage of the computing platform resources and the creation, deletion, modifications, and networking of application layer services with devices disposed in the field environment and with other services, responsive to the requirements and needs of the business logic and dynamically changing conditions of SDCS hardware and/or software assets during run-time of the process plant (such as performance, faults, addition/deletion of hardware and/or software assets, etc.).

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) implements controller and other process control-related business logic as logical abstractions (e.g., application layer services executing in containers, VMs, etc.) decoupled from hardware and software computing platform resources. An SD networking layer of the SDCS utilizes process control-specific operating system support services to manage the usage of the computing platform resources and the creation, deletion, modifications, and networking of application layer services with devices disposed in the field environment and with other services, responsive to the requirements and needs of the business logic and dynamically changing conditions of SDCS hardware and/or software assets during run-time of the process plant (such as performance, faults, addition/deletion of hardware and/or software assets, etc.).

Abstract: A software defined distributed control system (SDCS) in a process plant includes an application layer that includes a plurality of containers instantiated in a data cluster. Each of the containers is an isolated execution environment executing within the local operating system of a respective computing node. The containers cooperate to facilitate execution of a control strategy in the SDCS, and includes a hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) operating across the data cluster, which HCI is configured to communicate with the application layer via an adapter service. The HCI includes software-defined (SD) compute resources, SD storage resources, SD networking resources, and an orchestrator service. The orchestrator service is programmed to configure a first container to include a service executing within the first container. It also assigns the first container to execute on an available hardware resource to control a plurality of field devices operating in the process plant.

Abstract: A process control system includes a plurality of field devices operating to control a process. A communication infrastructure couples the field devices to a software-defined control system (SDCS) that receives data from the field devices and transmits instructions to the field devices. A data cluster, executing the SDCS, includes a plurality of computing nodes, each of which includes a processor executing an operating system, a memory, and a communication resource coupled to one or more other computing nodes in the data cluster. First and second containers, each of which is an isolated execution environment, are instantiated on a first computing node within the operating system of the first computing node. The second container is instantiated within the first container. The first and second containers correspond to levels of a hierarchical structure of the SDCS.

Abstract: An I/O server service interfaces with multiple containerized controller services each implementing the same control routine to control the same portion of the same plant. The I/O server service may provide the same controller inputs to each of the containerized controller services (e.g., representing measurements obtained by field devices and transmitted by the field devices to the I/O server service). Each containerized controller service executes the same control routine to generate a set of controller outputs. The I/O server service receives each set of controller outputs and forwards an “active” set to the appropriate field devices. The I/O server service may utilize a quality-of-service metric to determine which controller outputs and/or I/O channel is “active.” The I/O server service and other services, such as an orchestrator service, may continuously evaluate performance and resource utilization in the control system, and may dynamically activate and deactivate controller services as appropriate.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) includes a method executed by a discovery service for inferring information regarding a physical or logical asset of a process plant. The method includes obtaining an announcement indicative of a presence of a physical or logical asset of the process plant. The method also includes obtaining, from a context dictionary, one or more parameters retrievable from the physical or logical asset or one or more services associated with the physical or logical asset that were not indicated in the announcement. Furthermore, the method includes storing a record of the discovered physical or logical asset in a discovered item data store. The record includes an indication of the identity of the physical or logical asset and the one or more parameters or one or more services associated with the physical or logical asset that were not indicated in the announcement.

Abstract: An I/O server service interacts with multiple containerized controller services each implementing the same control routine to control the same portion of the same plant. The I/O server service may provide the same controller inputs to each of the containerized controller services (e.g., representing measurements obtained by field devices and transmitted by the field devices to the I/O server service). Each containerized controller service executes the same control routine to generate a set of controller outputs. The I/O server service receives each set of controller outputs and forwards an “active” set to the appropriate field devices. The I/O server service and other services, such as an orchestrator service, may continuously evaluate performance and resource utilization in the control system, and may dynamically activate and deactivate controller services as appropriate.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) includes a method executed by a discovery service for inferring information regarding a physical or logical asset of a process plant. The method includes obtaining an announcement indicative of a presence of a physical or logical asset of the process plant. The method also includes obtaining, from a context dictionary, one or more parameters retrievable from the physical or logical asset or one or more services associated with the physical or logical asset that were not indicated in the announcement. Furthermore, the method includes storing a record of the discovered physical or logical asset in a discovered item data store. The record includes an indication of the identity of the physical or logical asset and the one or more parameters or one or more services associated with the physical or logical asset that were not indicated in the announcement.

Abstract: A software defined (SD) process control system (SDCS) includes a control container having contents which are executable during run-time of the process plant to control at least a portion of an industrial process. The SDCS also includes a security service associated with the control container and including contents which define one or more security conditions. The security service executes via a container on a compute node of the SDCS to control access to and/or data flow from the control container based on the contents of the security container.