Microservice Client Aggregation for OPC UA Server Scalability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern distributed control systems face scalability issues due to numerous OPC UA clients simultaneously accessing data, leading to server overload and performance degradation in microservice architectures.

Innovation Solution

A data exchange system with a microservice client aggregator that aggregates common stateful connections and subscriptions across multiple clients, reducing the number of individual requests to servers and enhancing scalability and performance by distributing the load and avoiding server bottlenecks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If numerous OPC UA clients simultaneously access data from the server, then data accessibility is improved, but server load increases and performance degrades

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata accessibilityVSAvoidserver performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the merging principle by introducing a client aggregator that consolidates multiple client connections and subscriptions into a single aggregated connection. Instead of each client establishing individual stateful connections to the server, the aggregator creates one unified connection that serves all clients, thereby reducing the number of simultaneous server connections while maintaining data accessibility for all clients.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The client aggregator acts as an intermediary component between clients and the server. It receives data requests from multiple clients, aggregates them into a single request, forwards the request to the server, receives the response, and distributes it back to all clients. This intermediary role reduces direct client-server communication overhead while maintaining full data accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple microservice clients simultaneously connect to the server, then client connectivity is improved, but the number of individual connections increases server complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclient connectivityVSAvoidserver connection management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple individual client connections into a single aggregated connection managed by the client aggregator. The aggregator maintains one stateful connection to the server that represents all its clients, eliminating the need for the server to manage multiple separate client connections and reducing server-side connection management complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the client layer from the server layer by introducing the client aggregator as an intermediate component. Clients connect to the aggregator rather than directly to the server, creating a segmented architecture where the aggregator handles connection management complexity while the server simply communicates with the aggregated connection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If each client maintains independent subscriptions, then client data retrieval is improved, but the number of subscriptions increases server processing overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclient data retrievalVSAvoidserver processing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The client aggregator merges multiple independent client subscriptions into a single aggregated subscription. Instead of the server processing separate subscription requests from each client, the aggregator consolidates all subscription interests and sends a single aggregated subscription request to the server, reducing server processing overhead while maintaining the ability to retrieve data for all clients.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The aggregated subscription serves multiple clients simultaneously, making it universal rather than client-specific. The single subscription instance on the server side serves the data retrieval needs of all clients that aggregated into it, eliminating redundant subscription processing while maintaining ease of data retrieval for each client.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4664856A1A data exchange system including a microservice client aggregator

Publication Date: 2025.12.17 ABB (SCHWEIZ) AG

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AI summary

The present invention generally relates to a data exchange system (100) for a distributed control system, the data exchange system comprising: a first layer (102) including a set of microservice clients (104a,b), a second layer (106) comprising at least one microservice client aggregator (108) configured to aggregate common stateful connections (109a,b) and/or common subscriptions (111a,b) from the microservice clients, and a third layer (110) comprising at least one server (112), at least one microservice client aggregator (108) in the second layer is configured to be in communication with at least one server in the third layer, wherein, at least one microservice client aggregator is/are configured to provide, to at least one server (112), aggregated common stateful connections (109) and/or aggregated common subscriptions (111) that are associated with more than one microservice client, and to provide collected data (114) to the microservice clients according to the aggregated common stateful connections (109) and/or aggregated common subscriptions (111).