The commercially available VPR solution is interoperable and open source, working with software solutions from numerous automation companies to help improve security, reliability, and manageability in real-time protection and control applications.
Key features of the VPR platform include:
a robust IEC-61850 certified server with a wide operating temperature range, optimized for 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs with up to 32 cores and enhanced hardware security
; integrated hardware network switching capabilities using IEC-61850 protocols in HSR (High-Availability Seamless Redundancy) or PRP (Parallel Redundancy Protocol) networks
; out-of-band IPMI management for hardware-based configuration and health monitoring
; and VMware vCenter for centralized VPR system management on a single screen.
VMware Edge Compute Stack offers:
1. VMware vSphere ESXi for running real-time VMs and containers to boost performance;
2. A selection of VMs or containers to facilitate the installation of security and control software;
and 3. VMware vSAN for encrypted hyperconverged infrastructure.
Its main applications include network and security management, as well as application lifecycle management. Virtualizing functions running on a shared, open architecture adds flexibility to operations and helps overcome the limitations of previous data silos.
Thanks to virtualization, data is shared between applications and systems, offering the following advantages to electric utilities:
Reduced capital expenditures due to the need for less hardware
; simpler application management, thus decreasing field maintenance costs
; increased system security
; and improved overall operations.
The Advantech ECU-579 is an automation server designed and built for substation applications. It is a key component of the next-generation VPR solution, certified by TUV to IEC 61850-3, and provides high levels of reliability and stability for substation protection and control systems.
Furthermore, this Advantech server is VMware vSphere certified and has been vSAN tested to support virtualization and VT-x for running multiple operating systems and independent partitions, all on a single machine. The ECU-579 supports the entire VPR solution with economies of scale, modularity, and superior efficiency, making it easy to replicate the virtual architecture in both new and existing substations.
“The VPR solution would not have been possible without the close collaboration between Advantech, Intel, VMware, major OEMs specializing in protection and control, and innovative electric utilities,” said Cole Weber, director of energy for Advantech’s Industrial IoT Group. “We are excited to see the future convergence of the OT substation environment with the IT world to create a software-defined substation. We continually seek partnerships focused on this area to help customers achieve successful digital transformation, all within a safer and less disruptive environment. The collaboration that led to the ECU-579-based VPR solution represents a true revolution for the substation market and the modernization of the electric grid.”
With VMware's intrinsic security solutions, VPR customers can implement Zero Trust in fully distributed IT environments to proactively detect and defend against emerging threats. Modern management means IT security at every endpoint with real-time shared context and visibility across all environments.
VMware provides a comprehensive software platform that enables real-time workloads like the VPR management solution to run alongside other virtual machines and containers; the platform offers isolation and security while maintaining performance and reliability levels.
