What is configuration?

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When using industrial control software, we often come across the term \"configuration\"; its English equivalent is \"Configuration\". What exactly does it mean? Simply put, configuration is the process of using the tools and methods provided in application software to complete a specific task in a project. Compared to hardware production, configuration is similar to assembly. To assemble a computer, various types of motherboards, cases, power supplies, CPUs, monitors, hard drives, optical drives, and so on are available in advance; our task is to use these components to build the computer we need. Of course, configuration in software offers greater flexibility than hardware assembly, as it generally involves more \"components\" than in hardware, and each of these components is highly flexible – software components have internal attributes, and by changing these attributes, their specifications can be altered (such as size, properties, color, etc.). Before the concept of configuration emerged, to accomplish a certain task, it was done by writing programs (such as using BASIC, C, FORTRAN, etc.). Writing programs is not only time-consuming and takes a long time, but it is also prone to errors, and the deadline cannot be guaranteed. The emergence of configuration software solved this problem. What used to take months of work can now be completed in just a few days through configuration. Configuration software is specialized. A configuration software can only be suitable for applications in a certain field. The concept of configuration first appeared in industrial computer control. Such as DCS (Distributed Control System) configuration, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) ladder diagram configuration. Human-machine interface generation software is called industrial control configuration software. In fact, the concept of configuration exists in other industries as well; people just don’t use that term. Software such as AutoCAD, PhotoShop, and office applications (PowerPoint) all have similar operations: they use the tools provided by the software to create one’s own works, which are then saved as data files, rather than by executing a program. The data generated by the configuration can only be recognized by its manufacturing tool or other specialized tools. But the difference is that the configuration results generated in industrial control are used for real-time monitoring. The interpretation engine of the configuration tool must run in real time based on these configuration results. On the surface, the running program of a configuration tool is simply one that carries out its specific tasks. Although configuration means that a specific application can be completed without writing code. However, to provide some flexibility, configuration software also offers programming tools; generally, it includes a built-in compilation system that provides a BASIC-like language, and some even support VB. The functions of configuration software, its current status, and future development trends. 1. General development trend: Configuration software is a part of industrial application software, and its development is influenced by many factors. Ultimately, the drive from applications plays the most crucial role in its development. Future sensors, data acquisition devices, and controllers will become increasingly intelligent, and the demand for real-time data viewing and management is rising steadily; some buyers even require the ability to monitor the manufacturing process of their orders from their own offices. Some devices have a “Web Server” built in, allowing direct access to real-time process data over Ethernet. Even so, it cannot be said that configuration software is no longer needed. The diversity of user requirements means that it is impossible for any single product to meet all the needs of all users. The demands of end-users regarding the human-machine interface of monitoring systems cannot be standardized into a single pattern; therefore, monitoring systems designed for end-users always require \"configuration\" and \"customization\". This means that configuration software cannot disappear from the market, as there is demand for it. The emergence of organizations like OPC, along with the rapid development of fieldbuses and especially industrial Ethernet, **has simplified the process of interconnecting devices of different types as well as the effort required to develop drivers for I/O devices. I/O driver software is also gradually moving toward standardization. 2. Evolution of configuration software functions: Moving from a single human-machine interface toward data processors, with an increasing volume of data being managed. The earliest configuration software was used to support the hardware of automation systems. Back then, hardware systems could hardly function, or even operate properly, without the support of configuration software. The situation has improved significantly now. On the one hand, the software is partially separated from the hardware; nowadays, the hardware and software of most automation systems are not provided by the same manufacturer, which creates an environment that facilitates the development of automation software. The role of real-time databases will be further strengthened. Real-time databases store and retrieve continuously changing process data, and their development relies on high-performance computers and large-capacity hard drives. Nowadays, an increasing number of users use real-time databases to analyze production conditions, aggregate and summarize production data, as a basis for command and decision-making. In the eyes of end-users, the role of configuration software in automated systems is becoming increasingly important; in some systems, such software is even essential. The main reason for this is the powerful functionality of the software, as well as the widespread demand among users. Faced with the strong marketing efforts by the manufacturers, many users have come to recognize the value of this software. 3. Drivers for the development of configuration software: Demand is the primary driver for its development, and the market will continue to expand. The rise of the configuration software market has, on the one hand, saved end-users money on system investments, and on the other hand, helped them solve practical problems. Although users still need to make an investment to purchase configuration software today, this amount has been **reduced** compared to before. With configuration software, users can achieve a lot with minimal cost. China’s modernization drive is in an upward phase; the launch of new projects and the renovation of infrastructure require a large amount of configuration software. On the other hand, the transformation of traditional industries, as well as the upgrading and expansion of existing systems, also depend on configuration software for support. The acceleration of social informatization is a strong driving force behind the growth of the configuration software market. As the level of economic development improves, an information-based society will bring more market opportunities for configuration software. 4. Changes in users’ requirements for configuration software: The proportion of dedicated systems is increasing steadily. The flexibility and efficiency of configuration software represent a trade-off: although such software offers many flexible technical options, in most cases users make use of only a small portion of them. Moreover, the complexity of these usage methods creates unnecessary difficulties for users in becoming familiar with and mastering the software. This is also the main reason why many users still write automation monitoring systems in VB today. In some application areas, the objectives and characteristics of automatic monitoring are relatively simple (either enumerable or capable of being autonomously defined, added, deleted, or edited through certain templates), and there are a large number of such objectives. Users wish to have most automatic monitoring systems generated automatically, such as in applications like elevator monitoring, power equipment monitoring, and railway signaling monitoring. Such application systems possess the characteristics of \"user-friendly\" software: users only need to use configuration software to set up the system hardware and its parameters, and an automatic monitoring system in a specific format will be generated automatically. If users are not satisfied with the graphical interface of the automatically generated monitoring system, they can make any modifications and edits needed. This approach meets users’ demands for simplicity while also providing comprehensive editing tools. Configuration software should expand and penetrate into more application areas. Current configuration software was developed for process industry automation, and many of its functions do not take into account the needs of other application areas. For example: analytical testing (chromatographs, infrared spectrometers, etc., including online analysis); virtual instruments (for instance, LabView’s slogan is “The Software is the Instrument”); testing (such as data recording and playback for logging, mechanical property tests, impact tests, etc.); signal processing (such as recording and displaying ship navigation data: radar signals, GPS data, rudder angle, wind speed, etc.). Real-time data processing software is widely used in these fields, and human-machine interfaces are also required. However, since existing configuration software takes these application areas into account too little and cannot fully meet the system’s requirements, specialized software still dominates in these fields. With the rapid development of computer technology, configuration software should focus more on identifying the needs in these fields, design development tools that meet the requirements of various applications, and thus better satisfy the software needs of these industries. This will help reduce their costs related to software for automatic testing and data analysis, while also increasing the openness of the systems. Embedded applications have continued to develop, and over the past decade, sales of industrial PCs as well as the hardware related to data acquisition and monitoring systems have maintained high growth rates. The growth of industrial PCs is driven by the abundance of software development tools, which make them easy to use. The main reason users opt for industrial PCs is the reduction in the initial hardware costs; however, the subsequent maintenance and upgrade expenses are quite high, often resulting in various indirect losses. Commercial embedded configuration software can effectively address issues such as the efficiency, maintenance, and upgrading of industrial PC monitoring systems, freeing them from the constraints of manual operations and enabling such systems to make significant progress into the high-end market of automated systems. 5. Factors affecting the development of configuration software Software quality is the main factor influencing product development. In today’s increasingly competitive environment, factors such as company size, investment in research and development, and the quality management system in place have a significant impact on the quality of configuration software. 6. Future technological trends: Many new technologies will continue to be incorporated into configuration software. An increase in the overall installation volume of such software will lead to the development of specialized versions for certain fields, thereby resulting in a more segmented market. To this end, a technology called a “soft bus” will be widely adopted. Under this architecture, application software is \"installed\" on the bus in the form of middleware or plugins, supporting hot plugging and plug-and-play. The advantage of this approach is that all plugins adhere to a unified standard, they have a high degree of specialization, there is no need for coordination among plugin developers, and the failure of one plugin does not affect the operation of other plugins. XML technology will be effectively utilized by configuration software manufacturers to transform existing architectures, and its adoption will also change certain usage patterns of current configuration software in order to meet more flexible application requirements. 7. The impact of internationalization and joining the WTO: For a long time, foreign products have dominated China’s configuration software market; domestic Chinese configuration software still has a long way to go before it can enter the international market, and it needs to possess comprehensive advantages. The advantage that Chinese engineering companies and automation equipment manufacturers hold in the international market also plays a role in facilitating the entry of configuration software into that same market. I believe the rise of ethnic configuration software is only a matter of time. Compared to other software products, configuration software and IT software differ in that they have their own unique characteristics; they are based on the concept of systems, and their scope of use is not very wide. The international competition they face is not as fierce as that encountered by other similar office software or operating systems. As a result, it is easy for domestic software in China to thrive. But after all, we have developed by following foreign products; to fully surpass our foreign competitors, we must stick to our own path, minimize imitation, highlight our unique features, focus on customer needs, and pursue innovation actively. Only in this way can local software have a solid foundation.