Systems and methods for implementing a dynamic cache in a supervisory control system

A method of operating a system that distributes data among nodes of a process facility, wherein ones of said nodes are client nodes desiring data associated with processes thereof and ones of said nodes are process nodes controlling said process data, said method of operation comprising the steps of:

• using a supervisory controller, associated said client nodes and said process nodes, to control storage of a portion of said process data in records of a cache that has a relatively short time to retrieve records therefrom, allocating one record entry per datum of said portion of said process data, thereby eliminating redundant copies of any datum of ones of said client nodes and said process nodes;
• and
• selectively communicating ones of said records from said cache to said client nodes.

A supervisory controller, for use in a system that distributes data among nodes of a process facility wherein ones of said nodes are client nodes desiring data associated with processes thereof and ones of said nodes are process nodes controlling said process data, comprising:

• a memory controller that can be associated with a cache having a relatively short time to retrieve records therefrom and that controls storage of a portion of said process data in said records in said cache, allocating one record entry per datum of said portion of said process data, thereby eliminating redundant copies of any datum of ones of said client nodes and said process nodes;
• and
• a communications controller that can be associated with said client nodes and said process nodes and selectively communicates ones of said records from said cache to said client nodes.