Speed up Trade 4.0 Adoption utilizing Containerized Gateway Providers

As a part of the Manufacturing sector’s digitization course of, Trade 4.0 automation drives real-time, information acquisition from industrial gear on the plant ground. This information and speedy suggestions have grow to be a mission-critical requirement. As well as, current provide chain disruptions have elevated the lead time to acquire edge {hardware} leading to a number of months delays to modernization tasks. Among the most difficult features of the modernization course of contain establishing gadget connectivity, establishing a number of communication protocols, and buying the proper {hardware} to deploy at scale and throughout industrial websites. This weblog put up explains how one can deploy a number of cases of edge software program on a single gadget. On this answer, we deploy one occasion for every atmosphere (improvement and high quality) to keep away from needing to acquire extra {hardware} for every atmosphere. The sting software program that we focus on embody AWS IoT SiteWise Edge utilizing AWS IoT Greengrass because the runtime atmosphere and runs in a Docker container. You deploy the software program utilizing the AWS Cloud Improvement Equipment (AWS CDK) and the GNU Make utility.

Conditions

1. AWS Accounts_ – Two AWS accounts with default Amazon Digital Personal Cloud (Amazon VPC) subnet configuration. The accounts have to have adequate AWS Identification and Entry Administration (IAM) permissions to launch Amazon EC2 cases, provision IoT Greengrass gadgets, and arrange AWS IoT SiteWise fashions and belongings. Notice that the Amazon Machine Picture (AMI) we use within the setup is offered solely within the Northern Virginia (us-east-1) Area. You have to to repeat the AMI for deployment to different Areas.
2. Set up Docker and Docker Compose in your edge gateway gadget to construct and deploy containers.
3. In your native improvement machine,
   1. Set up and configure the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) following the steps offered at Arrange the AWS CLI.
   2. Set up AWS Cloud Improvement Equipment (AWS CDK) to provision cloud assets. Discuss with the AWS CDK Workshop to realize hands-on expertise utilizing the AWS CDK.
   3. Clone the run-multiple-sitewise-gateways-using-containers pattern repo from GitHub following the steps offered at Cloning a repository.

Answer Walkthrough

For demonstration functions, let’s contemplate an automotive manufacturing plant with a stamping manufacturing line comprising of two stamping presses. You ingest real-time measurement information from every stamping press into two AWS environments (named improvement and high quality) utilizing two cases of the sting software program working on the identical edge {hardware}.

First, you simulate temperature and strain measurement values each 1 second utilizing Ignition software program put in on an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) occasion. Subsequent, you create a digital illustration of the 2 stamping presses in AWS IoT SiteWise in each the event and high quality environments.

Lastly, you put together the sting gateway gadget and deploy two cases of AWS IoT SiteWise Edge. You take a look at the end-to-end information move from the Stamping Presses to AWS IoT SiteWise in each the event and high quality environments. Beneath is the structure diagram of the answer that we simply described:

Steps

1. Put together your environments

Use two AWS accounts to symbolize the event and high quality environments. You possibly can both use current accounts or create new ones.

Notice: Write down the 12-digit AWS account ID for every account as you’ll need them within the following steps.

   2. Simulate real-time measurement information for industrial gear

Use the Ignition software program to arrange an OPC Unified Structure (OPC UA) simulator server. Set up the software program on an Amazon EC2 occasion, and configure pattern tags to simulate temperature and strain information for the stamping presses.

   2.1 Select your goal atmosphere

Choose the atmosphere the place you’ll deploy your cloud assets. First, you select the AWS account that represents your improvement atmosphere.

Once you return to this part for deploying the answer a second time on the standard atmosphere, choose the AWS account that represents your high quality atmosphere.

To decide on the goal atmosphere, replace the account and area parameters within the iot-factory-cdk/cdk.json file.

Notice: The Neighborhood Amazon Machine Picture (AMI) for Ignition is at the moment accessible solely within the us-east-1 Area. In the event you want to deploy the answer in one other Area, you possibly can copy the AMI utilizing the steps offered at Copy an AMI.

2.2 Set up Ignition software program

Launch an Amazon EC2 occasion and set up the Ignition software program utilizing AWS CDK. (In a real-world situation, as an alternative of an Amazon EC2 occasion, you could possibly use edge {hardware} inside your manufacturing facility.)

Change the listing to iot-factory-cdk and challenge the next command to deploy a CDK stack, which incorporates all of the assets wanted to run Ignition.

cdk deploy OPCUAInstanceStack

Navigate to the AWS CloudFormation Console to confirm the deployment and search for a stack named OPCUAInstanceStack.

Notice: Write down the EC2IP, EC2PublicIP, and EC2Port parameter values. You’ll use them within the following steps.

2.3 Configure the Ignition software program to simulate information

Now that you’ve got put in Ignition software program, let’s configure it to simulate the info for the stamping presses. (In a real-world situation, Ignition usually collects information from industrial gear, reminiscent of stamping presses, via Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).

To configure Ignition, entry an online browser. Permit inbound HTTP site visitors to the underlying Amazon EC2 occasion internet hosting Ignition by following the directions at Authorize inbound site visitors on your Linux cases. Alternatively, you might contemplate establishing port forwarding as demonstrated in this weblog put up to keep away from entry to the occasion from the general public IP deal with by securely create tunnels between your cases.

Launch Ignition utilizing the URL http://<EC2PublicIP> and log in utilizing the default credentials (username: admin, password: password). Change EC2PublicIP with the worth famous in step 2.2.

Chances are you’ll wish to change the default credentials following the directions at Gateway Safety earlier than continuing.

Now, create an information simulator gadget to symbolize manufacturing line 1 and two stamping presses following the steps under:

• Navigate to Config > OPC UA > System Connections.
• Create a brand new gadget utilizing Create new System > Programmable System Simulator > Subsequent and use Manufacturing Line 1 as its title. Then, select Create New System.
• Load an current program to simulate information for temperature and strain measurements.
  • Select Extra > edit program > Load Simulator Program > Load from CSV choice.
  • Browse to iot-factory-cdk/iot_factory_cdk/stacks/opcua_datasource /simulator_program_instructions.csv and choose Load Simulator Program.
  • Select Save Program.

Your information simulator gadget is prepared. Ignition begins simulating information for all 4 measurements each 1 second.

3.Create a digital illustration of business gear

Create asset fashions and belongings to digitally symbolize your stamping line and two stamping presses.

Problem the next command to deploy a CDK stack. This consists of all of the assets wanted from AWS IoT SiteWise.

cdk deploy SiteWiseAssetStack

Confirm the AWS IoT SiteWise assets by navigating to the AWS IoT SiteWise console → Belongings. It is best to see the belongings arrange as proven within the following screenshot.

AWS IoT SiteWise console with belongings and asset hierarchy displayed