PLCs and factory control systems under LINUX
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I wonder if engineers have considered using LINUX hosts as the upper-level computers for factory control systems, while employing LINUX servers for SCADA services. In this way, security is ensured while costs are saved. It’s my personal opinion, and I hope that by pooling everyone’s ideas, we can come up with better solutions. I’d appreciate it if everyone shared their thoughts – whether it’s application examples or personal ideas. Thank you.
It’s not necessary, as your control network is a local area network, and maintaining Linux is rather complicated. For example, in the well-known Honeywell PKS DCS system, the servers are all Windows Servers. For example, the well-known Foxboro IA DCS – its 51 series uses the Linux operating system for both the engineer station AW and the operator station WP. As a result, those who used it were full of complaints; in the end, going with the trend, the 70 series started to use the Windows operating system. Servers used for general communication are connected to the complex internet environment; in such cases, the Linux operating system is typically used, along with a firewall.
Many DCS systems use Windows, right? For example, Yokogawa used Vista for a while before eventually switching back to Windows
The Linux system is a bit troublesome; using a regular one would be fine, right?
You want to use the Linux system, but most of the engineering configuration software from the major mainstream brands is based on the Windows platform. Moreover, in a DCS system, the network topology is very simple; it isn’t connected to the external internet. It consists of a small redundant local area network, and there’s no need for DHCP or DNS servers either. As long as patches are applied and external removable storage devices are used carefully, there are basically no problems. If you are really concerned, you can use the mirror port of the switch within the local area network to connect to a data monitoring center; by defining the communication rules, protocols, and ports, any illegal data can be directly blocked or an alert can be generated