Integrated nodes, such as programmable logic controllers, computer program products, computer readable media, and computer implemented methods are provided to allow a remote host to interface with a plurality of remote subsystems to thereby define an integrated node, and to provide for data acquisition, verification, and conditioning. An exemplary programmable logic controller includes a data acquirer configured to periodically acquire time-stamped data from each of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems and archive the time-stamped data using the database server module, a data verifier configured to detect out-of-bounds measurements in the time-stamped data and to substitute the out-of-bounds measurements with new measurements, and a data reconciler configured to determine an operating state of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems and to reconcile the plurality of verified measurements.

Provided are methods and computer program products for analyzing and tracing the contents of network traffic in a network device and to help identify network performance issues. Methods for analyzing traffic include identifying thread identifiers associated with transactions, determining related events, and associating similar transactions and events into an aggregated list of transactions. Methods of tracing transactions include identifying thread identifiers associated with transactions and related events and serializing events into a serialized list of events to facilitate tracing single transactions.

In one embodiment, network information associated with a plurality of nodes in a network is received at a device in a network. From the plurality of nodes, a node is selected based on a determination that the selected node is an outlier among the plurality of nodes according to the received network information. Then, a probe is sent to the selected node, and in response to the probe, a performance metric is received from the selected node at the device.

A method for configuring a distribution grid with smart communication devices has steps of assuming specific communication technologies to be considered for intermediate intelligent communication devices in the distribution grid, assuming number and location of smart distribution nodes (SDNs) in the distribution grid, executing a cost optimal calculation model determining exact quantity and specific technology of intelligent communication devices at intermediate nodes, nt=n1; n2:::nj with minimal cost subject to Quality of Service (QoS) parameters of each technology and QoS requirement of a data packet generated by a Smart Consumer Node (SCN) at a smart building in the distribution grid, and placing and powering the determined number and specific communication technology of intelligent communication devices at the SDNs of the distribution grid.

The invention discloses a method of automatic management on configuration information based upon an intelligent substation, the intelligent substation applying the IEC-61850 standard including IED devices and a switch, wherein the method includes the following steps: parsing an intelligent substation configuration file to acquire communication configuration information and communication association configuration information of the IED devices; and generating a switch configuration file from the communication configuration information and the communication association configuration information of the IED devices. The invention can parse the intelligent substation configuration file, generate the switch configuration file and perform automatic configuration of the industrial Ethernet switch in the intelligent substation using the switch configuration file.

A setup control unit is configured to get activated via a first computer that is to become a node in the process control system and which activation is initiated by a setup tool being brought to the first computer. The setup control unit contacts a configuration control computer, supplies a setup tool identifier to the configuration control computer, accesses system information elements in the configuration control computer, presents system nodes to an operator using the system information elements, receives an operator selection of a system node, sends the node selection to the configuration control computer for registering, based on a setup tool identifier investigation, receives node parameter data associated with the selected system node from the configuration control computer and supplies the first computer with the node parameter data for making it into the selected system node.

A node in network is configured to buffer data received from other nodes across multiple channels. The node process a portion of the buffered data associated with a subset of those channels. When the node receives data on that subset of channels that includes a notification, the node then processes a larger portion of the buffered data associated with a larger number of channels. In doing so, the node may identify additional notifications include within data that was buffered but not previously processed. The node may also coordinate with other nodes in order to process buffered data upon identification of a notification.

A the network-side distribution point in a telecommunications network includes an input measurement function which monitors the total power delivered to the power combiner from the various customer premises, and an output measurement function which monitors the total power requirements of the components of the distribution point. The data from these monitoring functions are used by a power extraction control unit to control the combiner/extraction unit to draw power from the forward power feed to makes up any shortfall in the power required to operate the components. This allows each customer premises system to deliver power to the distribution point at a rate determined only by the services it is itself using, and without any need for co-ordination between the distribution point and the customer premises systems.

In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, an exemplary system or computer implemented method for implementing the virtualization of access node functions may include, for example: a memory to store instructions for execution; one or more processors to execute the instructions; a control plane interface to communicably interface the system with an access node over a network, in which the access node is physically coupled with a plurality of broadband lines; a virtualized module to provide a virtualized implementation of a plurality of functions of the access node at the system, in which the virtualized module executes on a virtualized computing infrastructure; the control plane interface of the system to receive current operational data and current operating conditions for the plurality of broadband lines from the access node; the virtualized module to update the virtualized implementation of the plurality of functions of the access node at the system according to the current operational data and the current operating conditions received from the access node; an analysis module to analyze the current operational data and the current operating conditions received from the access node; an instruction module to generate control parameters to affect operation of the access node based on the analysis of the current operational data and the current operating conditions received; and the control plane interface to send the control parameters to the access node for adoption at the access node. Other related embodiments are disclosed.

Systems and methods for integrating ultra-fast programmable networks in microgrid are disclosed to provide flexible and easy-to-manage communication solutions, thus enabling resilient microgrid operations in face of various cyber and physical disturbances. The system is configured to establish a novel software-defined networking (SDN) based communication architecture which abstracts the network infrastructure from the upper-level applications to significantly expedite the development of microgrid applications, develop three functions of the SDN controller for microgrid emergency operations, including time delay guarantee, failover reconfiguration and rate limit and create a hardware-in-the-loop cyber-physical platform for evaluating and validating the performance of the presented architecture and control techniques.