Multi-, that is, the interconnection of multi-vendor systems is really not something that can be explained in a simple sentence. Many people will encounter various troubles when actually operating, and don’t know where to start! Simply put, it is that equipment or systems of different brands and models can exchange information smoothly and work together like a group of partners who have a tacit understanding, without making any troubles or making any mistakes. This sounds easy, but there are many tricks to do!
First of all, you have to figure out a few basic concepts, otherwise no matter how much you say, it will be useless. The first is the protocol standard, just like all devices have to speak the same "language" to understand the other party's words. Common ones include the basic language of network communication, such as TCP/IP, and these "dialects" that are particularly commonly used in industrial control and building automation; the second is the interface type, which is like the "position" of handshake between devices, including USB and HDMI on hardware, and API interfaces on software. Different interfaces correspond to different connection methods; the third is the data format, and the exchanged data must have a unified "package", such as JSON and XML. Otherwise, one party will send a bunch of "garbled codes" and the other party will not be able to interpret it at all!
To implement Multi-Multi-vendor interoperability, there are several key steps and key points that must be remembered firmly, and no step can be wrong!
1. The preliminary planning must be comprehensive and detailed : at the beginning of the project, you must list all possible equipment and systems, and no one can be missed! Check out the protocols and interfaces they support one by one, and ask the manufacturer if there is a compatibility test report. It is best to get a detailed technical manual, otherwise there will be a big trouble! For example, if you use the A-brand access control system and want to use the B-brand surveillance and video recording system to connect, you have to confirm in advance whether the access control system can send the door opening signal to the monitoring system through standard protocols, and whether the monitoring system can accurately receive and trigger video recording. These details must be thought of! Provide global procurement services for weak current intelligent products!
2. Middleware or gateway is an important bridge : If different devices speak different "languages" they say, you have to hire a "translator", which is middleware or gateway! They can convert one protocol into another, allowing devices that originally "language-not-transitive" to communicate smoothly, and can also uniformly manage data sent by different devices, saving a lot of trouble!
3. Test acceptance must be strictly checked : After the system is built, don’t rush to put it into use, and must conduct comprehensive testing! To test one-way communication and two-way communication, we also need to test whether there will be lag, delay, or even crash when there are many devices and large data volumes! You can first use a few devices to conduct a small environmental simulation test. If there is no problem, the scale will be expanded. Finally, you need to do a long-term stability test to ensure that it runs as reliable as an old ox!
Don’t panic when encountering problems. Here are some answers to common questions and tips to help you avoid many detours!
Q: Which one is better to choose when choosing an agreement?
Answer: Of course, we will give priority to internationally universal and open standard agreements! For example, the above mentioned OPC UA, which uses many people and has sufficient support from manufacturers. The compatibility will be much better, and the system will be upgraded and expanded in the future! If those private agreements that manufacturers have made themselves can be used, they will not be used. Unless there is no way, they will have to change and add equipment in the future, and there will be many troubles!
Q: Is it important to synchronize equipment time from different manufacturers?
Answer: It’s so important! It is simply a "disaster" to be out of sync! To put it simply, if you want to check the records of device A and device B when an event occurs, if the time does not match and the order of events cannot be distinguished at all, the data analysis will be a mess! Therefore, you must use an NTP server to give all devices a unified calibration time, and no one can be left behind!
Finally, I have a little personal opinion, realizing Multi-Although the process may encounter many difficulties and require patience and care, as long as the preliminary planning is in place, the right tools are selected, and strict tests are strictly performed, most of the problems can be solved! Moreover, once it is successfully implemented, the flexibility and scalability of the system will be greatly improved, and it can also avoid being "binded" by a single manufacturer. In the long run, there are many benefits, and it is definitely worth investing time and energy to do it!
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