Next page: Standards, data considerations and additional resources >>

.

Supervisory control and data acquisition – or SCADA – systems have long been the brains behind electric utility operations, providing insight into performance of critical assets..Now as utilities integrate new technologies on the road to a smarter, self-healing electric grid, the capabilities required of SCADA systems have become increasingly complex. Choosing a SCADA system will require a thoughtful, deliberative approach. With this four-part SCADA Buying Guide – created with input from SCADA experts at DPS Telecom, GE Intelligent Platforms, G&W Electric, Invensys and Survalent Technology – you'll get a sense of the questions you should be asking to help ensure you make the right decision. . Also in this series… ·         Part 1: A by-the-book scoping process is the best way to get started ·         Part 2: Take a lifetime view when budgeting ·         Part 4: Installation, support and contract issues you can't afford to overlook

.

.

By Glenn Booth

.

When you consider the requirements for your SCADA system, the list of issues to determine gets even longer. Hardware, communications and infrastructure, security, standards, data management – they're all critical issues that you need to plan for.

 

To get you started, here are 12 questions you need to consider:

·         What kinds of equipment will be monitored and controlled?

·         Which existing control systems need to be a part of the SCADA system?

·         Do you need a distributed or centralized SCADA system?

·         Does the SCADA solution need failover or can it be standalone?

·         What are the number of tags that need to be accessed from the hardware and the number of tags that need historical storage?

·         How many clients/users need access to the SCADA from an HMI standpoint and would the clients be thick/thin or web?

·         Would the SCADA servers be virtualized?

·         Do alarms need to be stored in a database?

·         Would SCADA software be the primary source of alarm generation or will it happen in the PLC?

·         Is there any change control needed on the runtime system?

·         Would the SCADA use native or windows domain security?

·         What kind of reporting and analytics are needed?

.

Hardware

"Customers should ask questions regarding vendors method for determining hardware required for the project, hardware sizing and meantime between failure (MTBF) of hardware." - Patrick Avery, General Manager, Distribution Automation, G&W Electric Co.

Based on the information the SCADA system needs to process, are all the sensors in place to transfer data from the field to the SCADA? Are PLCs and Remote Terminal Unit (RTUs) in place for the SCADA to communicate? How many various types of controllers do you already have or are you going to purchase and does the SCADA have connectivity to all these? Do you need centralized servers or distributed servers and how many users would be on the network? Are there remote SCADAs that would need access and what kind of network infrastructure is in place, and based on the performance expectation, what is needed?

.\

Communications and infrastructure

·         Communications in a SCADA system is of two types: communication with the controllers and networking communication between SCADA nodes. Questions around communications with controllers would be:

·         What are the different types of connectivity supported?

·         Do the controllers support Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or serial or some other kind of communications?

·         Does the company need redundant communication channels with the controllers and would the controller be communicating on the same network as the SCADA-Clients and other general purpose network or will the network be dedicated?

 

As it relates to network communications between the SCADA nodes, the questions will be:

·         What is the desired speed of the network based on the performance desired and would this network be shared with the office network or be independent?

·         Are all SCADA and client nodes in one location or distributed and does that mean there will be a mix on TCP/IP, radio access and other modes of communication?

·         What is the bandwidth available to the SCADA in case it is a shared network?

 

Security

From a security standpoint, you need to check if the SCADA systems you are considering have been reported for any vulnerability, and if the vendors have put out any mitigation patches or steps. Then, from an implementation standpoint, you need to determine how much you are willing to invest in securing the SCADA system.

 

The next step would be to evaluate the various default tools available in the SCADA solutions being considered. Are you willing to separate the SCADA network from the office network? Would IT be enforcing Windows/company security policies on the SCADA system? Here are more questions to ask:

·         Is the proposed system and vendor compliant with NERC-CIP?

·         Are access rights granted at the user level? ("need to know"/"need to use" basis)

·         Can the central master (HMI) straddle multiple LAN networks to collect data from each without routing data between them?

·         Can you set time-of-day and day-of-week access restrictions for certain employees?

Next page: Standards, data considerations and additional resources >>

Talk Back to the Author

Current Comments (1)

Leave a Comment

---

SCADA Article

This was a good article.

Subramanian Vadari - 07/18/2012 - 09:28

Leave a Comment

New to this Blog? Need some help?

Email: [?] We will send you an email with an appproval link you must click for your comment to appear.
Full Real Name:	[?] Real comments need a real name.
Subject:	[?] Please provide a short subject for your comment.
Comment:[?] Do not post commercial/sales messages here. They will be deleted. Try: pr@smartgridnews.com PLEASE NOTE:  All HTML codes will be removed from your comment.
CAPTCHA Security Code The numbers (0) and (1) are not used. [?] Please type the characters you see into the box above.
Remember my name? (Uncheck to forget.)
You can not edit or delete your comment once it is posted. Please check for spelling now. Your IP Address is: 54.234.42.16