Linux powers remote industrial control system
Feb 28, 2005 — by Henry Kingman — from the LinuxDevices Archive — views
IntelliCom is shipping a modular family of remote control and monitoring products for industrial equipment. The NetBiter Remote Device Management family supports Ethernet, modem, and GSM/GPRS networks, and includes uClinux-based device adapters, a central management server, and user applications such as Web portals.
The NetBiter architecture supports modems, Ethernet, and GSM/GPRS
(Click to enlarge)
The uClinux-based NetBiter Data Collector (NDC, pictured at top), can connect to a variety of industrial devices, through interfaces such as Modbus (the default), digital and analog I/O lines, various asynchronous serial protocols, LonWorks, Profibus, CAN, Metasys, BACnet, and others.
The NDC then connects to an “infrastructure” module supporting a variety of network links, including GSM/GPRS radios, analog modems, ISDN lines, xDSL lines, leased lines, and others.
On the other end of the wire, the NetBiter system includes a server suite that collects and maintains data in a database. The suite provides a standard way to access data through “one-point copy” (OPC), and serves as a platform for a variety of user applications.
User applications available as part of NetBiter include monitoring and control (supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA), web portal for service technicians, web portal for end users, alarm handlers, diagnostics and service functions, business administration tools, global positioning systems applications, and trend reports.
According to Intellicom, the NetBiter system supports secure, reliable data communications with up to thousands of devices, using existing network infrastructure while overcoming traditional technical problems such as firewalls, modem pools, and GPRS communication.
“With our NetBiter Remote Device Management solution you can network-enable your devices anywhere in the world and integrate them into the enterprise,” said Intellicom co-founder Henrik Ebeklint.
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.