Like shipping containers, software containers package apps to run consistently anywhere.
Containerization is well-established in IT and is now gaining traction in OT (industrial) deployments to bundle an application and its dependencies into a single package that runs consistently across environments. It aligns informational technology and operational technology expectations around deployment, scaling, security and recovery.
Now let’s apply that idea to factory floor visualization.
FactoryTalk® Optix™ is an intuitive HMI design and visualization platform that delivers fast, flexible and scalable solutions across your manufacturing and production applications.
Its connectivity options include OPC UA information model integration, MQTT connectivity and database choices such as embedded SQLite, ODBC and InfluxDB support. Plus, FactoryTalk Optix applications can be run in Docker and ThinManager® containers.
Why containerize runtime applications?
Operation technology teams are often asked to maintain consistent runtime behavior across multiple machines and sites. Yet, deployment environments naturally drift over time.
As a result, differences in operating system updates, libraries, drivers and local configuration changes can introduce inconsistencies that show up during commissioning or upgrades.
Containers help address these possible errors by encapsulating the runtime environment so applications can be deployed and launched in a consistent way across container-capable hosts. This aligns with the broader containerization goal: improving consistency and portability from development to production.
When standardization is key, FactoryTalk Optix container deployment is a supported approach that’s anchored by Rockwell Automation run guidance (including port publishing and licensing behavior).