A location where to deploy an analytic is determined. The location is at the cloud or at the site of the industrial machine. The analytic is configured to process data from an industrial machine. The analytic is obtained and is configured to communicate with one or more connectors. A first selected one of the one or more connectors is configured to communicate with a database. The analytic is configured so as to be interchangeable and operable at the cloud or at the site of an industrial machine. The analytic is then deployed at one or more of the cloud or the site of the industrial machine.

A method includes installing new communication interfaces in first process controllers of an industrial process control and automation system. The first process controllers are configured to communicate over a first supervisory network, and the communication interfaces are configured to communicate over a second supervisory network of a different type. The method also includes migrating the first process controllers to second process controllers of a different type while maintaining control over an industrial process being controlled by the first process controllers. The second process controllers are configured to communicate over the second supervisory network.

A system for preventing inadvertent or untimely parameter changes to an active online field device from a secondary system different from a distributed control system application providing control instructions to the field device, where the parameter changes may cause detrimental effects to a plant process or activity. A request for a parameter change from the secondary system may be intercepted before the request is received by a field device or a controller for evaluation by an operator of the distributed control system. The validation process may provide a plant operator with override authority to approve or deny a set of critical parameter changes to an active field device or other active plant device.

A master device includes an execution unit that repeatedly executes a program including input and output processes in slave devices. The execution unit executes the program to calculate first data and second data. The master device includes an assignment unit that assigns, in accordance with a first transmission period that is set to an integer multiple of the control period for the first data and a second transmission period that is set to an integer multiple of the control period for the second data and longer than the first transmission period, the first data to a packet in every first transmission period and the second data to a packet in every second transmission period.

An information collecting system collects information associated with (i) a controller connected to a control network and (ii) a host device connected to an information network located at a level higher than the control network, and includes a management device and an information collecting mediation device. The management device is connected to the information network, collects information associated with the host device, transmits an acquisition request for information associated with the controller to the information network, and manages the collected information associated with the host device and information associated with the controller. The information collecting mediation device is connected to the control network and the information network, collects information associated with the controller according to capability information indicating a capability of at least one of the control network and the controller based on the acquisition request, and sends said collected information to the management device.

Systems and methods are described for control and/or asset performance management of a system, in-situ, at an asset. A system application model can be deployed to at least a first network node fixed, in-situ, at the asset using a short-range, low-power communication network. The first network node can execute a master avatar using the deployed system application model and generate, at a second network node, a master-slave avatar using the master avatar executed at the first network node. The master avatar and/or master-slave avatar can be configured to perform control of the system, in-situ, at the first network node and the second network node.

A system validates critical parameter changes in a DCS by intercepting commands, transmitting warnings, receiving responses, and releasing commands if allowed. A method involves intercepting parameter change commands, transmitting warnings, receiving responses, and releasing commands if responses allow. A non-transitory computer-readable medium causes a computer to intercept commands, transmit warnings, receive responses, and release commands if allowed.

A control system includes first and second hardware components and a server which is remote from the hardware components. The server is a server in the cloud which is connected via the Internet to the hardware components. A control module is implemented as a service running on the server and the control module is operable to communicate with the hardware components to control at least one of the hardware components.

An apparatus includes a first network controller configured to communicate over a higher-level industrial process control network, a second network controller configured to communicate over a first lower-level industrial process control network, and a third network controller configured to communicate over a second lower-level industrial process control network. The first network controller is configured to provide first data messages from the higher-level control network to the second and third network controllers for transmission over the lower-level control networks. The second and third network controllers are configured to provide second data messages from the lower-level control networks to the first network controller for transmission over the higher-level control network. Each of the second and third network controllers is configured to provide third data messages from one of the lower-level control networks to another of the second and third network controllers for transmission over another of the lower-level control networks.

An I/O server service interacts with multiple containerized controller services each implementing the same control routine to control the same portion of the same plant. The I/O server service may provide the same controller inputs to each of the containerized controller services (e.g., representing measurements obtained by field devices and transmitted by the field devices to the I/O server service). Each containerized controller service executes the same control routine to generate a set of controller outputs. The I/O server service receives each set of controller outputs and forwards an active set to the appropriate field devices. The I/O server service and other services, such as an orchestrator service, may continuously evaluate performance and resource utilization in the control system, and may dynamically activate and deactivate controller services as appropriate. The I/O server service may interact with other containerized services, such as containerized historian services or workstation services, to facilitate control in the plant.