A machine can be accessed and controlled with the help of an interface device. The customizable interface device contains device elements that define features relating to the external representation and internal functionality of the interface device, as linked to one or more machines. An operator can use a configuration station to implement single or reoccurring queries that interact with the interface device and corresponding machines. In particular, the queries target the configuration of device elements in the interface device. The process can include temporarily unloading unused features from active memory and mirroring property changes initialized by a source. An emulator can assist in the configuration process by providing a preliminary software representation of the interface device hardware. A user can develop, test, and reconfigure functions on the emulator before loading the finalized platform to the interface device.

A control system and a functional unit are capable of freely setting a place at which an operation for executing an access process is performed independently of an installation place of a controller. A CPU unit capable of communicating with a storage unit, and a plurality of functional units communicatively connected to the CPU unit are included. The functional unit includes an input unit including a switch that receives a user operation. The input unit generates a command for executing an access process when an input portion receives execution of the access process for accessing the storage unit from an IO unit. A designated IO unit executes the access process.

In some embodiments, a PLC system including a first CPU comprising a first media access control (MAC) communications layer and configured to generate data necessary for operation of the CPU, perform control operation based on the generated data, and transmit the generated data to a second CPU via the first MAC communications layer is included. The PLC system may further include the second CPU comprising a second MAC communications layer receiving the generated data via the first MAC communications layer and configured to perform service operation based on the received data. The first CPU may be connected to a memory in which data to be transmitted to the second CPU is stored at a predetermined location, and the second CPU may receive the data stored in the predetermined location of the memory by a direct memory access (DMA) scheme.

A method of managing a control system includes: executing a first iteration of a program in a first processor core of a multi-core computer system during a first period (S1501), executing a second iteration of the program in a second processor core of the multi-core system during a second period that overlaps the first period (S1502); and using outputs of the iterations to control the control system (S1503).