Originating as a lightweight virtualization technology, containerization (or dockerization, named after one of the most popular implementations) is generating increasing interest also in industrial automation. Heterogeneous processes and applications are isolated in separate containers within a single device: this allows only the resources actually needed for each service to be allocated, ensuring maximum flexibility and efficiency in the use of tools and, at the same time, an additional level of security, thanks to the isolation offered by containers.
The demo in the picture shows the synergy between NodeRED and the Codesys runtime both installed on the same Pixsys TC series HMI, thanks to Podman container technology. Values generated by NodeRed are displayed both in its dashboard and in a Codesys WebVisu page , side-by-side on the screen for direct comparison.
The demo highlights the versatility of these solutions for industrial monitoring and control.