SCADA

SCADA-like monitoring app. (Project for course SCADA Software)

Authors

• Nemanja Majstorović
• Milica Sladaković
• Nemanja Dutina

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Architecture
3. Prerequisites
4. Configuration
5. Getting started

Overview

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is a system used to monitor and control industrial processes and infrastructure. It combines software, hardware, and communication networks to collect and analyze real-time data from sensors, devices, and machines, enabling operators to make informed decisions and optimize operations.

This project aims to emulate the fundamental behavior of a SCADA monitoring system. Our objective was to develop a lightweight solution for monitoring tags and alarms, creating an application that could be easily extended for larger projects that might incorporate hardware components. Due to limited hardware resources, we simulated the behavior of RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) drivers instead.

Architecture

The application consists of three main layers:

• Client App - Provides a graphical interface for the monitoring application, allowing users to log in, manipulate tags and alarms, and monitor their status. The Client App communicates with the API via an HTTP connection, utilizing a mandatory JWT token for authentication. It comprises four key components:
  • Database Manager - Enables users to perform login, manipulate tags and alarms, and provides a basic preview of these entities.
  • Trending - Allows users to monitor real-time values of tags and their graphical representation.
  • Alarm Display - Provides notifications to users about new alarms, sorted by priority.
  • Report Manager - Enables users to filter data and generate reports across five different categories.
• Api Layer - Serves as a connection interface to the database and logging system. It provides secure access points for different client components, with each component relying on a specific API interface. Furthermore, the API layer generates WebSocket messages when specific events occur, ensuring that subscribed clients receive relevant information.
• SCADA Core - Serves as the central component responsible for the core functionality of the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system. The SCADA Core establishes communication with the API by utilizing an HTTP connection, where access is secured through the mandatory usage of an API key. It plays a central role in the monitoring and control aspects of the SCADA system, ensuring efficient data processing and communication between the different components. This layer consists of two primary components:
  • Tag Processor - Handles the scanning behavior of tags. Each tag has its own dedicated thread for scanning, which is created during program startup for existing tags and dynamically created for newly created tags. Threads are destroyed for deleted tags. The Tag Processor listens to changes in tags via web sockets to adapt its operation in real time.
  • Driver Service - Encapsulates two concrete drivers: the Simulation Driver and the Real Time Driver. The Simulation Driver generates various types of signals, such as sinusoidal, cosinusoidal, ramp, and digital (0 and 1). It simulates different signal patterns commonly found in industrial processes. The Real Time Driver generates values within the range of the minimum and maximum capabilities of the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU). It emulates real-time data from physical devices or systems. The driver inputs are sent to the Batch Mediator, which facilitates batch inputs to the database through the API layer. The Mediator acts as an intermediary between the drivers and the database, facilitating batch inputs through the API layer. When the drivers generate new values, they notify the Mediator, which stores the values. The writings remain in the Mediator until they reach a specified limit. At that point, the Mediator sends them to the backend via the Driver Service to be saved as a batch, rather than individual writes. Afterward, the threads refill the Mediator, and the process repeats.

Diagram bellow shows application arhitecture. Click here to download the image.

Prerequisites

Before running this project, ensure that you have the following prerequisites installed:

• .NET Core 6
• React 18.2.0

Installing .NET Core 6

1. Visit the .NET downloads page.
2. Follow the instructions specific to your operating system to install .NET Core 6.

Installing React 18.2.0

React can be included as a dependency in your project using a package manager like npm or yarn. To install React 18.2.0, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to your project's directory.
3. Run the following command to install React:

npm install react@18.2.0
# or
yarn add react@18.2.0

This will install React 18.2.0 and its dependencies in your project.

Configuration

Before running the applications, you'll need to configure some settings by following the steps below:

1. Download the appsettings.json file and App.config file from the repository.
2. Place the downloaded appsettings.json file in the scada-back directory.
3. Place the downloaded App.config file in the scada-core directory.
4. Open the configuration files and update the following placeholders with your actual values:
   • <your-db-username>: Replace with your database username.
   • <your-db-password>: Replace with your database password.
   • <your-secret-key>: Replace with your secret authentication key.
   • <your-api-key-name>: Replace with the name of your API key.
   • <your-api-key-value>: Replace with the value of your API key.

Make sure to provide the correct values for the configuration settings to ensure proper functionality of the applications.

Note: If you're using source control, make sure to exclude these configuration files from being committed to the repository to avoid exposing sensitive information.

Getting started

Once you have the necessary requirements installed, you can proceed to run the app and start working with it.

To get started with this project, follow the steps below:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/coma007/scada.git

2. Navigate to the cloned repository:

   cd scada

Running the API (scada-back)

The API application (scada-back) needs to be run first as it serves as the backend for the project. Follow these steps to run the API:

1. Navigate to the scada-back directory:

   cd scada-back

2. Restore dependencies:

   dotnet restore

3. Run the API:

   dotnet run

   The API will be available at http://localhost:7109. The web app will execute and display the logs in console. Visit http://localhost:7109/swagger/index.html to view swagger specification.

Running the Console App (scada-core)

The console application (scada-core) performs core functionalities for tag processing. Follow these steps to run the console app:

1. Navigate to the scada-core directory:

   cd scada-core

2. Restore dependencies:

   dotnet restore

3. Run the console app:

   dotnet run

   The console app will execute and display the logs in console.

Running the React App (scada-front)

The React application (scada-front) serves as the frontend for the project. Follow these steps to run the React app:

1. Navigate to the scada-core directory:

   cd scada-front

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   # or
   yarn install

3. Start the React app:

   npm start
   # or
   yarn start

   The React app will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Happy monitoring ! 📈💣