An automation control system is provided that includes delta scripts that describe one or more changes of the stored state information. The delta scripts may be useful to enable one or more other components of the control system and the one or more other components apply the one or more delta scripts to update state information stored on the one or more other components based upon the one or more changes.

An arrangement for testing a control unit via a test environment, having a computer-based test management tool, wherein the test management tool is configured for model-based development and/or management of at least one test plan implemented as a data structure in order to test the control unit, and the test plan has at least one test and a start condition for initiating execution of the test plan; a computer-based test execution control tool, wherein the test execution control tool is configured to initiate execution of the test plan on the test environment when the start condition is met; and a computer-based database, wherein the database is configured to store the test plan implemented as a data structure and is also configured for shared, common access to the test plan by the test management tool and the test execution control tool.

An industrial topology discovery system autonomously discovers and documents industrial automation system topologies using orchestrated discovery agents of various types. The topology discovery system can reside on a cloud platform or another high level network and deploy discovery agents on plant networks and devices within an industrial facility. These discovery agents can implement different strategies for discovering system information, and can include agents configured to monitor and report on communication traffic across respective types of networks, agents configured to probe respective device types for identity and configuration information, and other types of agents. Discovery services executed by the topology discovery system can collect device and network information obtained by the agents and use this information to document the topology of the automation system as well as to orchestrate the discovery behavior of the agents to extract further information about the system based on defined discovery rules.