A world class SCADA system, it’s quite a concept and it’s an admirable goal. Of course common sense would dictate that the design incorporate the most efficient, reliable, and powerful computing systems the mainstream-computing world has to offer. Don’t forget to factor in the ultimate in security structuring. With so much riding on your system you must have security parameters to keep all the bad stuff out and all the good stuff in. So, do you run out and start designing your system around an outdated operating system? Hmm, that’s a tough one. For the sake of argument let’s say we had plenty of time and money to build such a system. Right off the bat I would say “time out”. Let’s look forward a few years and see where computing systems are heading. There’s no real reason to start out of the gate with a system that’s already out of date from day one. Ok, I’m looking down the road, and I’m not so sure I see the Linux OS systems as the most powerful and flexible system anymore. I know this sounds like I’m turning my back on the UNIX/LINUX world, but I’m not. There is a lot of LINUX type power built in and improved upon incorporated into Windows Server 2008, and it looks like Windows 7 may just be that almost perfect 64 bit OS we’ve all been waiting for. No longer will I be satisfied with a measly 4 gigs of ram pushing the limits of my puny 32 bit addressing structure. I’m going to want a 64-bit system and eight-core processor power under the hood. I’m going to look towards state of the art Aero type graphic packages that I can build dynamic overviews for our operators that will streamline their ability to monitor all aspects of the entire SCADA. Yes of course I can get a lot of work done today on my old Windows Server 2003 and XP machines, but they are fast becoming antiques. I wouldn’t want to see a scada system fall behind the functionality of the latest Google application. Yes I can still make use of interfacing Windows Office 2007 applications, but I’d want a system at least more powerful than the average game console. Of course how long until we see 128-bit computing; Probably not as long as you might expect. So, do I move onto Windows Server 8 or wait for Windows 7 - of course. This has nothing to do with throwing the dice. I want to implement a lot of new ideas in the design of a “World Class” SCADA system. The operating system and supporting hardware would have to allow for the flexibility of a constantly evolving system. You must have the ability to evolve and change if you want to stay at the forefront. Right now I’m looking down the road and seeing that the future has a habit of repeating some principles of the past. One thing you may remember is how fast software and hardware become obsolete when you try to connect legacy equipment and the latest CPU driven applications. This doesn’t mean that you must upgrade all your subsystem and field I/O devices constantly. That presents another set of challenges, which are not the focus of this post. Remember this is only my personal opinion. I want to see how far a SCADA system can be pushed to make it as close to perfect as possible. “Good enough” is not as good as perfect! Perfect should be your goal, and you should always strive to go beyond conventional standards and set new ones. I was not impressed with Vista when it first came out, but I do like the direction Microsoft is heading now with Server 8. Much of this is due to support for the advances in multi-core CPU configurations which presents the ability to add new dimensions to system design. A system is only as good as you make it, or make use of it. Will Microsoft become the new leader in the future of scada? I don’t think it will under the initial Vista design, but I believe the road ahead is wide open for them. Linux is a powerful alternative at the moment, but will it continue to be after Windows 7 or Windows Server 8 becomes the format for newer SCADA software? As consumer PCs become more powerful there will be a lot of potential SCADA customers who will come to expect as much or even more power and flexibility from their control systems. Maybe we should look elsewhere and look into proprietary operating systems that are unique to only your computers. This could add a new aspect to the security of the system, but could limit the ability to acquire support and maintenance for such a system. I always thought this was a good approach to communication protocols – some companies actually did move in this direction once upon a time. It’s hard to compromise a system or break a code you are not familiar with, but that’s off topic and another subject all together. I would like to see what an Apple based SCADA system would look like. While I’m doing all this theorizing about how SCADA will run on new Microsoft operating systems, I’m also considering not waiting for Windows 7 and picking up a new Apple Laptop - just for fun of course.