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Eneria: virtualisation and high availability with Topkapi
Eneria is the specialist of energy generation solutions: diesel and natural gas generator sets, cogeneration and biogas. To ensure optimum quality and continuity of service to its clients, ENERIA uses Topkapi to supervise its most demanding technical installations. Supervision must remain accessible 24/7. An IT infrastructure based on application virtualization offers a high level of availability and security. Topkapi was integrated seamlessly into this environment.
Facts & figures on Eneria, a subsidiary of the Monnoyeur group, Caterpillar dealer since 1929:
- 3 550 MW installed in France
- 3 000 generator sets under contract
- 8 000 industrial motors in active stock.
Eneria's IT environment
With a staff of 300 technicians throughout France, the ISD needed to deploy a centralized computer system allowing personnel to use the professional and office computing applications in mobile access. Principle implemented : access to applications via a Citrix desktop with user identification via Active Directory. All personnel can potentially log in simultaneously to the ENERIA network via secured encrypted connections (VPN). This load is distributed over 15 physical machines, for optimum operating comfort and high availability.
Topkapi SCADA software: "One business application among others. »
Supervision had to integrate to this environment. Topkapi's server license was virtualized via the VMWare solution under Windows server 2008 R2 OS, with a Datacore sublayer ensuring availability of the critical application. Indeed, it acts as a conductor for maintainability and operation of the installations, and supplies data to other applications. To view the supervision - via Citrix desktops, RDP connections (formerly Terminal Services) have been chosen: they are served by the Open Client component (Topkapi floating client) installed on each of the 15 physical machines, acting as a 'gateway' between the Topkapi server and RDP clients.
Successful integration of the SACADA software
Topkapi adapted seamlessly to the constraints of this complex computer environment, by proposing solutions meetings the availability, security and performance requirements. 'Flexibility of deployment of this architecture provides a serene outlook on the future should the viewing capabilities require to be increased', explains Mr. NOYRIT, a computer engineer within ENERIA's ISD.
A few figures:
Computer environment
- Topkapi server license virtualized with VMWare, Windows server 2008 R2 OS, Data core sublayer to ensure hot availability of the application
- 15 Open Client components (Topkapi floating client) installed on 15 physical servers in Citrix environment
- 10 simultaneous TS/RDP connections 'served' by the Open Client component
Automation
- Over 100 remote sites supervised
- Communication media : 3G in secured VPN mode mostly, a few sites in PSTN
- Protocols: Modbus IP, Napac, Sofrel, Wit
- Data time-stamping at the source (to avoid losing data following communication loss with the sites)
Operation
- Remote Alarm Notification module to send alarms to agents in real time
- PostgreSQL database for long term data archiving (via ADO.net connector)
- Tailored interface with third-party software solutions
