In automation-engineering installations, there is a need to exchange process information between different devices. For this, OPC Unified Automation (OPC UA) from OPC Foundation has become established as a standard protocol. However, rather than transmit requested OPC-UA subscriptions via the conventional OPC-UA session channel, the invention sets up a separate TSN data communication by means of which that subscription information is transmitted.

An adaptive process control system and corresponding method for independent steering of plant control systems is provided, wherein a plant associated with the plant control system includes a plurality of interlocked elements of one or more operational unit of the plant. The operation of an operational unit is controlled by the plant control system by means of the elements interlocked to the plant control system, wherein the adaptive, independent process control system is accessible by a plant process engine including a plant controller unit connected via the supervisory control and data acquisition unit with at least one programmable logic controller of the plant control system. The operation of the plant and the operational units is controlled by means of the programmable logic controller and the plurality of interlocked elements.

A method for process controlling of plants and plant control systems in an OPC UA based Machine-to-Machine (M2M) network is provided. A plant associated with the plant control system a plurality of interlocked elements of one or more operational units of the plant. The operation of an operational unit is controlled by the plant control system using the elements interlocked to the plant control system. The plant control system is accessible by an independent process control system in the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) network via one or more network interfaces, and wherein messages containing signaling data and steering commands are transmitted between the process control system and the plant control system.

A system of monitoring and controlling an operation, comprising: an input means, the input means is adapted for user to input user-defined parameters, a middleware application in connection with the input means via a network, the middleware application is in communication with a directory database and also a relational database management system via communication means, a data management system being installed as a slave program in the middleware application and as a slave program in one more external server or external device, the middleware application is in communication with the external servers or device via communication means, whereby the master-slave relation allows exchange of data between the middleware application and the server architecture.

A method for calling a function block of a control program of an industrial controller is disclosed. The industrial controller has an OPC UA server and communicates with an OPC UA client, wherein the function block is requested from an OPC UA call of the OPC UA client. When the function block is requested, an OPC UA call directed thereto is sent from the OPC UA client to the OPC UA server. The OPC UA call is stored by the OPC UA server. IN Parameters transferred together with the OPC UA call are then copied to corresponding IN parameters of the function block and, the function block is called at a previously defined point within a control task of the industrial controller and the IN parameters of the function block are processed.

A method protects at least two redundant servers. The redundant servers act as main and shadow interfaces between respectively at least two redundant process servers coupled to a manufacturing execution system and at least two redundant control servers coupled to an automation part. Each of the servers is configured to receive automation data from each of the redundant control servers. A time of receipt and a tag are extracted from the automation data and are registered in a database coupled with the servers. If one of the tags is registered within a predefined delay after the time of receipt of the other tag, the server with the older time of receipt is set up as the main interface and the other server is set up as the shadow interface.

In the OPC UA request header, there exists the field TimeoutHint, by means of which the client can indicate the point in time from which the client is no longer interested in the result of an operation. When this time has expired, the server sends a response that the execution of the operation has been terminated. According to the invention, the semantics of the field TimeoutHint in the OPC UA request header are used differently. The meaning of the TimeoutHint is changed in such a way that the TimeoutHint no longer indicates the latest point in time at which an operation should be executed, but rather the earliest point in time.