Method for computer-supported simulation of operation of a machine working in an automated manner

A non-transitory computer-readable medium program product encoded with a computer program including program code stored on a machine-readable carrier which, when executed on a computer which corresponds to a simulation computer, causes computer-aided simulation of the operation of a machine working in an automated manner, the computer program comprising:

• program code for performing simulated control of the machine via the software code on a simulation computer based on a predefined execution pattern, said predefined execution pattern defining a temporal execution order of processes executed by the software code, starting times of the processes being based on a virtual time, an execution time comprising a duration of time of each process in the virtual time being set to zero process interruptions caused by other processes having higher priorities cannot occur and the temporal execution order of processes executed by the software code is maintained, and said predefined execution pattern corresponding to the real operation of the machine;
• and
• program code for starting, during the simulated control of the machine, a next process, which follows an ended process in the temporal execution order, only after a process in a real time of the simulation computer has ended, the virtual time being set to the starting time of the next process at the start of this next process.