When it comes to Beckhoff's virtual control solutions, we must start with its TwinCAT/BSD operating system. TwinCAT/BSD is a high-performance operating system developed by Beckhoff, specifically designed to meet the demands of industrial automation. It combines the stability and security of FreeBSD with virtualization and real-time control capabilities, making it an ideal choice in the field of industrial PCs.
TwinCAT/BSD--industrial PC system
The TwinCAT/BSD Hypervisor is a virtualization platform developed by Beckhoff based on the FreeBSD operating system. It allows multiple operating system instances to run simultaneously on the same hardware platform, cleverly integrating the real-time runtime core of TwinCAT 3 with the stable and reliable FreeBSD open-source operating system. It combines real-time control and IT applications, providing an efficient and flexible industrial control solution.
In the past, Beckhoff's industrial PCs relied primarily on Windows CE as the main operating system. However, with Microsoft's impending discontinuation of support for Windows CE, Beckhoff promptly introduced TwinCAT/BSD, a new operating system. TwinCAT/BSD not only inherits the cost advantages of Windows CE but also integrates the rich functionality of larger Windows operating systems, making it an ideal replacement for Windows 7 or 10 in various application scenarios.
The base image size of the TwinCAT/BSD system is approximately 300 MB, with runtime memory consumption of less than 100 MB. Therefore, TwinCAT/BSD can operate efficiently in very compact controllers. This design gives it great potential for application in resource-constrained industrial environments, providing a flexible and high-performance control solution.
Virtualization Technology
The virtualization technology TwinCAT/BSD can achieve virtualization through Docker containers, thanks to its built-in TwinCAT/BSD Hypervisor functionality, which enables the launch of a Linux virtual machine on industrial PCs to serve as the host for Docker containers.
The Hypervisor allows industrial PCs to run multiple virtual machines and TwinCAT's real-time applications simultaneously. By optimizing the virtual machine hypervisor and working closely with software and hardware, TwinCAT/BSD significantly enhances virtual machine performance while ensuring TwinCAT's real-time control capabilities.
Leveraging the high-performance processors from Intel and AMD embedded in Beckhoff's industrial and embedded controllers, along with hardware-level virtualization technology, the TwinCAT/BSD Hypervisor can efficiently run virtual machines. This enables Beckhoff's industrial PCs to fully leverage the advantages of different operating systems, run user environments in a modular and isolated manner, thereby enhancing the overall system's security and stability.
Beckhoff's TwinCAT/BSD Hypervisor and virtual control solutions provide high-performance, high-flexibility, and high-reliability solutions for industrial automation systems through advanced virtualization technology. They can assist enterprises in integrating multiple control applications on the same hardware platform, achieving efficient resource utilization and simplified system management, thereby enhancing overall production efficiency and competitiveness.