New virtualization tools keep sprouting

Just like algae blooms in the ocean and pollen in the spring, there’s been an explosion in the past year or two of new software, related tools and lingo from the IT and mainstream/consumer side. Some are well-known, but many are brand-new, and each promises to develop, run, monitor and scale up process automation functions and systems. Here are some of the latest players and their capabilities:

Ansible is agentless, open-source software for automating IT functions, such as deploying applications, managing configurations, and performing cloud provisioning and orchestration. It’s available via Linux distributions, and employs human-readable Paybooks formatted text files in “yet another markup language” (YAML) for data serialization to define data infrastructure states and secure shell (SSH) for connectivity.

Apache Kafka is an open-source system, distributed-event market and stream-processing setting. It strives to deliver a unified, low-latency, high-throughput platform for managing real-time data feeds. To import and export information, Kafka can link to outside systems using Kafka Connect. It also provides Kafka Streams libraries for stream processing applications. It’s written in Java and Scala, and was developed by the Apache Software Foundation.

Codesys is a longtime, integrated development environment (IDE) that complies with the IEC 61131 standard for programming controller functions. Its five programming languages include instruction list (IL), structured test (ST), ladder diagram (LD), function block diagram (FBD) and sequential function chart (SFC), as well as a continuous function chart (CFC) graphical editor. Codesys Control Runtime System has long been able to turn PCs into compatible controllers, but more recently its Virtual Control SL soft PLC has been able to run as a Docker or Podman container or virtual machine, and untether its control logic from physical devices.

Containers such as Docker, Podman and many others are computationally lightweight, standalone, executable software units. They combine a program’s code, runtime, system tools, libraries, settings and other dependencies, but their minimal footprint lets them consume fewer system resources, such as RAM, CPU cycles and disk space. Containers are a portable, efficient alternative to virtual machines (VM) by separating software from its initial setting, and sharing the host operating system kernel.

Industrial information interoperability eXchange (i3x) is a standard, manufacturing-information API that delivers provide a common interface for accessing, contextualizing and sharing production data. Developed by the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), it seek to pierce data silos, and encourage portable applications that can operate across platforms and settings.

JavaScript object notation is an open-standard, language-independent, data-interchange file format. It employs readable text to relay data blocks, which include attribute-value pairs and array data types, or other serializable content. JSON is a standard data format used for asynchronous browser/server communications. JSON interchange is enabled by several languages, including include C++, C#, Java, PHP and Python. They usually include software that can produce, sort through, and coordinate JSON data.

Kubernetes (K8s) is a well-known type of software container, but it’s considered to be computationally heavier due to typically using more CPU, RAM and other resources. Likewise, Argo CD is a Kubernetes controller in charge of monitoring operating applications continuously, and managing them on Kunernetes, and comparing live states to the desired states detailed in Git repositories. Argo’s other primary parts include: Argo Workflows container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs; Argo Rollouts to enhance deployments; and Argo Events that enables event-driven automation, triggering workflows or deployments. In addition, Kargo is a continuous promotion orchestration layer that complements Argo CD.

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Low-code/no-code software includes visual development environments that help users write software with a graphical user interface (GUI) rather than doing it manually. Using a GUI accelerates code development. Low-code development platform (LCDP) or a no-code development platform (NCDP) can reduce setup, deployment, training and maintenance costs.

Node-RED is free, low-code, visual programming software for merging APIs with devices and Internet services. Its web-based editor generates JavaScript objects, and combines flows with a choice of nodes that are easy to send to its runtime. Its capabilities can be kept, or sent out and used again. JSON warehouses flows created in Node-RED, while MQTT creates properly configured TLS links.

Portainer is a container management control environment that’s self-hosted, and manages Docker, Swarm, Kubernetes and Podman environments with a simple, intuitive, web-based interface. It simplifies implementation, operations, governance and security applications running in software containers.

Python scripting engine is an interpreter or runtime setting that lets Python code be executed, usually in a bigger application or platform. This automates tasks, extends capabilities, or customizes how the application acts.

REpresentational state transfer (REST) defines rules for developing Internet services, and works as a software framework for distributed hypermedia. Services that meet with REST's six stipulations are called RESTful web services (RWS). They allow interoperability by Internet-based data processing systems. RWSs allow participating systems to access and revise textual recreations of predetermined and stateless Internet functions.

Unified namespace (UNS) allows users to collect data, incorporate meaning and context, and convert it into a format that other users and systems can understand. UNS accomplishes this by separating content computing from task computing, and setting up a central repository for contest and information. In this location, other users can consume or disseminate information needed to perform tasks. UNS usually partners with Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) publish-subscribe protocol and Sparkplug B framework on top, and together they provide a platform for digitalized, scalable processes.