System and methodology that facilitates client and server data exchange in a distributed industrial automation environment

A method to facilitate data exchange in an industrial controller environment, comprising:

• employing a processor to execute computer executable instructions stored in memory to perform the following steps:
• adapting a server component in an industrial controller to exchange data with a client component;
• determining a local configuration and a distributed configuration to exchange the data, wherein in the local configuration the server component and the client component operate on a same machine, in the distributed configuration a plurality of client components interact with the server component;
• dynamically selecting a protocol for data communications, based upon the determined configuration;
• directing data according to a shared memory protocol in the local configuration, wherein the data received from the industrial controller is directed into a shared memory buffer that the client component has access to, the client component accesses the shared memory buffer to retrieve the data;
• and
• directing data according to a multicast protocol in the distributed configuration, wherein the data is transmitted to the plurality of client components and each one of the client components parses through the received data and accesses data that is relevant to the client component.

An industrial control system that facilitates data exchange between multiple and distributed control components, comprising the following components stored in memory and executed by a controller:

• means for exchanging data between a client application and an industrial controller;
• means for dynamically selecting a suitable protocol for data communications based upon a relationship or configuration between the client application and the industrial controller;
• means for determining a local configuration when both operate on the same machine and a distributed configuration when multiple client applications interact with the industrial controller, to exchange data;
• means for directing data according to a shared memory protocol in the local configuration, wherein the data from the industrial controller is directed into a shared memory buffer, the client component accesses the shared memory buffer to retrieve the data;
• and
• means for directing data according to a multicast protocol in the distributed configuration, wherein the data from the industrial controller is transmitted to the multiple clients, the client application parses through the received data and accesses data that is relevant to the client application.

An industrial control system that facilitates data exchange between multiple and distributed control components, comprising the following components stored in memory and executed by a controller:

• a server application operative to exchange data with an industrial controller, the server application dynamically selects a suitable protocol for data communications based upon a relationship or configuration between the industrial controller and the server application;
• a server component associated with the server application, the server component determines a local configuration environment when the server component and the industrial controller are resident on a same machine and a remote configuration environment when the server component and the industrial controller operate remotely over a network;
• and
• a host component that exposes objects in the server component, the objects employed to communicate with a client component over a shared memory protocol according to the local configuration environment, and over a multicast protocol according to the remote configuration environment, wherein in the multicast protocol the data received form the industrial controller is directed into a memory buffer and is transmitted to multiple clients, the client component parses through the received data and accesses data relevant to a client application.

An industrial control system that facilitates data exchange between multiple and distributed control components, comprising the following components stored in memory and executed by a controller:

• a client application operative to exchange data with an industrial controller, the client application dynamically selects a suitable protocol for data communications based upon a relationship or configuration between the industrial controller and the client application;
• a client component associated with the client application, the client component determines a local operating environment when the industrial controller and the client component operate on a same machine and
• a remote operating environment when the industrial controller and the client component operate remotely over a network;
• and
• a connection component operative with the client component to select a shared memory protocol according to the local operating environment and a multicast protocol according to a remote operating environment, wherein in the shared memory protocol data received from the industrial controller is directed into a shared memory buffer, the client component accesses the shared memory buffer to retrieve the data and in the multicast protocol the data received from the industrial controller is transmitted to multiple clients and the client component parses through the received data to access data that is relevant to the client application.