Process Control Engineering Microservices for Stable Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In process control systems, configuration changes often lead to issues such as system hanging or failure due to dependencies between models and objects, requiring extensive integration tests and risking the stability of the runtime service during reconfiguration.
Innovation Solution
An engineering server provides a group of engineering services, including engineering directory services and model services realized as microservices, which communicate via point-to-point connections and store configurations in a source file store, allowing users to configure functions for process control equipment, thereby isolating bugs within single microservices and preventing ripple effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the engineering system and runtime system are combined into a single tightly coupled system with a monolithic database, then configuration management is simplified, but system stability deteriorates due to ripple effects of configuration changes across multiple objects and models
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic database into multiple separate databases, each dedicated to specific objects or models. This segmentation isolates configuration changes to specific databases, preventing ripple effects across the entire system. When a configuration change occurs in one database, it does not affect other databases, thus maintaining system stability while still allowing efficient configuration management within each segmented database.
2Adaptability or versatility
If configuration changes are made in the engineering system, then system adaptability is improved, but runtime service stability deteriorates due to potential hanging or blocking during reconfiguration transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the configuration management system into separate engineering system and runtime system components with independent databases. Configuration changes are made in the engineering system's database without affecting the runtime system's database during operation. This segmentation allows the runtime service to continue operating stably while the engineering system performs adaptive configuration changes, eliminating hanging or blocking issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a deployment system as an intermediary between the engineering system and runtime system. The deployment system acts as a mediator that manages the transfer and application of configuration changes from the engineering system to the runtime system. This intermediary ensures that configuration changes are applied in a controlled manner, preventing runtime service blocking while maintaining system adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If microservices are implemented in the engineering system, then system modularity is improved, but service communication complexity increases due to multiple point-to-point connections between model services and directory services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal directory service that serves multiple model services through standardized interfaces. Instead of creating separate point-to-point connections for each model service to each directory service, the universal directory service provides centralized access points that multiple model services can use. This reduces communication complexity while maintaining the modularity benefits of microservices architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
An engineering server (17) of a process control system comprises at least one processor operable to provide a group of engineering services of an engineering services platform (61), which group comprises at least one engineering directory service (62) and at least one group of model services (66, 72), where each engineering directory service (62) provides at least one object (64) of a type corresponding to a type of process control equipment and each model service (66, 72) provides a function operating on an object (64) provided by a corresponding engineering directory service (62) and allowing a user to configure the corresponding function, wherein the model services (66, 72) and the engineering directory service (62) are realized as microservices and each model service (66, 72) communicates with the corresponding engineering directory service (62) via a corresponding point-to-point connection and stores configurations made by the user in a source file store (18) for being implemented as configurations of real functions in a runtime system of the process control system operating on process control equipment.