Secure confirmation exchange for offline industrial machine

#This disclosure generally relates to the field of industrial machines, and more specifically to the commissioning of a target device in an industrial environment including an asset management device.

#In industrial automation environments, for example, a target device built by a manufacturer must often be commissioned to suit a broader application, such as, e.g., a controller that must be commissioned for use in an industrial automation system. This commissioning is performed by an integrator, such as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) builder. The overarching process of building a machine can include adding, for example, one or more hardware, software, or network components (each of which can be a “target device”) to the machine. The commissioning begins by physically attaching the target device to an OEM builder device. Upon being attached to the OEM builder device, the OEM builder device can be used to perform one or more commissioning actions on the target device, such as commissioning a network, operating system, or application(s). Moreover, the commissioning actions can be registered with an asset registry, which can be part of a larger asset management system. The commissioning environment is typically an isolated local network that does not provide Internet connectivity for the target device, but where the target device instead is bound to a proprietary or other non-IP network that is not connected to an enterprise network or to the cloud. The technician who is building the machine (the “OEM Builder”) generally has Internet access, either through a different device, such as a smart phone; or through the OEM builder device, when connected to a different network. Thus, in order to communicate between OEM builder device and the asset registry, as is needed for the commissioning process, the OEM builder may have to manually copy message content back and forth between the target device, the OEM builder (commissioning process) and the asset registry, thereby decreasing efficiency, and increasing the probability of an error or even providing the ability for an OEM builder to circumvent necessary security measures pertaining to the target device.

#Embodiments such as those described herein may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting commissioning environment, including, e.g., a target device, an OEM builder device, and an asset registry of an asset management system, connected at least in part via a network.

#FIG. 2 is a flowchart that illustrates actions that can be performed by an OEM builder or an OEM builder device as part of commissioning a target device, in conjunction with an asset registry, according to one embodiment.

#While the methods and systems described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are provided as examples in the drawings and detailed description. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit such embodiments to the particular form(s) disclosed. Instead, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

#Overview

#Disclosed herein are various systems and methods for the secure commissioning of a target device. For example, one method involves establishing a trust relationship between a target device and an asset registry, via a OEM builder device that is connected to both the target device and the asset registry. Upon establishing a trust relationship, an OEM builder uses the OEM builder device to seek and receive permission from the asset registry to perform certain, specific commissioning actions on the target device. After receiving this permission, the OEM builder device then performs the authorized commissioning actions on the target device. After the commissioning has been completed, the target device informs the asset registry as to what commissioning actions were performed by the OEM builder device, via a commissioning complete confirmation message to the asset registry. The asset registry uses information included in the commissioning complete confirmation message to validate that the message was sent by the target device, and further to confirm that the OEM builder device only performed the commissioning actions that the OEM builder device was authorized to perform. If the asset registry is able to successfully complete this validation and confirmation of the commissioning complete message, the asset registry sends an acknowledgement message back to the target device, indicating that the OEM builder device only performed the commissioning actions that the OEM builder device was authorized to perform. Upon receipt of this acknowledgement message, the target device is able to determine that the commissioning actions performed by the OEM builder device were all authorized by the asset registry for the current OEM builder to perform on the target device.