OPC UA Proxy Integration for Containerized Industrial Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In industrial automation systems, especially those using OPC UA servers in container virtualization environments, manual integration of OPC UA servers is time-consuming and error-prone due to differences in internal and external network addressing, leading to challenges in service discovery and secure connection establishment, particularly with limited TCP port availability and firewall restrictions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a proxy component with Local Discovery Server functionality that modifies internal connection data to provide globally valid access information, allowing OPC UA clients to connect to servers through a single port, decoupling administrative and internal network views, and supporting secure sessions by forwarding and rewriting service requests and responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual integration of OPC UA servers is performed in container virtualization environments, then service discovery and connection establishment can be achieved, but the process becomes time-consuming and error-prone due to network addressing differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy component as an intermediary between OPC UA clients and servers in container virtualization environments. This proxy automatically performs service discovery, handles network addressing translation between internal container addresses and external host addresses, and manages connection establishment. By automating these previously manual tasks through the proxy, the system eliminates time-consuming manual integration while maintaining reliable service discovery and connection establishment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple OPC UA servers are integrated into the same device, then functionality is expanded, but port conflicts and configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy component serves as a mediator that manages multiple OPC UA servers running in containers on the same host device. It automatically assigns and manages TCP ports for each server, performs address translation, and handles routing of client connections to the appropriate servers. This automation eliminates the need for manual port configuration and reduces integration complexity, allowing multiple servers to coexist without conflicts.
Solution Approach 2:
The proxy component provides universal functionality for managing multiple OPC UA servers through a single interface. It handles service discovery, connection management, and address translation for all servers uniformly, regardless of the number or type of servers. This multi-functional approach simplifies the integration process and reduces configuration complexity while supporting expanded device functionality.
3Reliability
If internal network addressing is used in container virtualization, then service isolation is achieved, but external access and service discovery become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy component acts as an intermediary that maintains service isolation through internal container networking while enabling external access through automatic address translation. It receives connections from external OPC UA clients using host network addresses, translates these to internal container addresses, and forwards them to the appropriate servers. This allows services to remain isolated and secure internally while being easily accessible from outside the container environment.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method, a computer program product and a system for providing services, in particular in an industrial automation system. Users of control applications implemented for industrial automation systems by way of container virtualization expect the integration of such applications into their existing infrastructure to be as straightforward as possible. Depending on the network connection and the flow control environment used, in particular OPC UA servers encounter different configurations that need to be taken into consideration by developers of control applications for automated configuration methods for the control applications. For this purpose, a smart proxy for OPC UA servers in virtual machines or Docker environments, such as in Industrial Edge, is used and intervenes in the initially still unsecure service communication in order to ensure that OPC UA clients can successfully connect to OPC UA servers in a container host/Industrial Edge.