To demonstrate the hardware independence of its SubSTATION Server software and SubSTATION Explorer local HMI software packages, SUBNET has selected Moxa as a preferred hardware provider for a demonstration at the Distributech Africa Conference March 17 to 19 in Cape Town, South Africa, as well as several other high-profile international venues throughout 2014.
SUBNET will demonstrate a redundant system with a primary and a secondary server, one of which is powered by a Moxa DA series rackmount computer. In addition to validating SUBNET’s system architecture, the servers also allow for direct comparison of system responsiveness on different hardware platforms. Moxa was chosen for their renowned hardware reliability and longevity, as well as the strength of their product offerings for the power market.
SUBNET’s decision to deploy its software on the Moxa server was based on the quality of their hardware and a growing trend towards virtual machines, according to Daryl Cowie, Product Manager for SUBNET Solutions: “In our efforts to stay at the leading edge of secure substation server technology, we are seeing more benefits of computing platforms designed for virtual machines. It allows for the addition of things like fail-safe remote software upgrades and military-grade security. By isolating functionality down below the operating system level, even a complete operating system corruption in one virtual machine will not adversely affect the operation of other virtual machines.”
Cowie notes, “This technology has already been proven in critical corporate IT and data center environments but is a relatively new advancement in substation servers.”
“We are pleased to be working with SUBNET, whose experience in delivering effective and reliable solutions to the power utilities market has shown great adoption globally,” said Steve Frank, Business Development Manager for Moxa Embedded Computing. “We fully expect that the reliability and functionality of our substation computing platform will be features that SUBNET customers want to see going forward. Our collaboration with Subnet will provide the utilities market with a total solution”
Currently the integration solution of choice for more than 200 utilities worldwide, SUBNET SubSTATION Server multi-function software performs data concentration, protocol translation, automation logic, event file collection and enterprise connectivity. It saves utilities time and money by eliminating the need to purchase, configure and maintain multiple different legacy integration devices. And it helps utilities void the limitations of IED vendor-specific integration devices with SubSTATION Server’s true multi-vendor integration capabilities that support rich integration for virtually all major IED vendors.
Moxa Americas
www.Moxa.com