Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


.NET application framework and portal

September 2005 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

The IT and developer communities have been waiting for a configurable portal that delivers on what .NET promised. Viznet from Adroit Technologies delivers an all-in-one application that can easily expose business and process data with smart client capabilities. Users do not have to be developers in order to be able to build rich graphical user interfaces (UIs) or dynamic realtime business management applications. The application was launched in May 2005 and is the result of three years of development. The Viznet application is built on Microsoft .NET technologies, implementing smart client features such as Web services.

In short, Viznet is a secure realtime information portal that features a configurable rich graphical interface to easily represent and control processes and businesses. The portal component also allows for easy extensibility to suit most vertical markets.

Adroit Technologies has been in the business of developing 'off-the-shelf' software products for the realtime process control industry for over 20 years.

Dave Wibberley, managing director, commented, "During the development phase we realised that Viznet would be a great framework for the general business community and not only for the industrial world. Our skills lie in developing software that does not require you to have high-level skills to build custom applications. And we believe we have achieved this with the product." With a rich set of user controls available, the development, deployment and management of performance dashboards and other key performance indicators (KPIs) across an enterprise using the Internet is now a reality.

"You do not have to be a developer to produce rich user interface graphics and tie it to process data. With Viznet the objective is easily achieved by using a wide array of graphic tools," says Nicholas Beets, senior software engineer for Adroit.

On the front-end, most people connect to a smart client Operator that display's graphic forms over a secure connection either via the local area network (LAN) or Internet connection. On the same connection, users will also connect to the Designer that is used to design graphic forms that are stored on the server and configure various other options to suit their needs.

Fritz Kok, also a senior software engineer on the Viznet development project says, "Viznet is not only a product - it is also a platform. It is a universal user interface which takes and amalgamates data from various sources, providing a unified view of data and process. "Viznet is a realtime information portal comprising a server and various data source plug-ins such as databases (SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL), supervisory control and data acquisition (scada), OLE for process control (OPC), manufacturing execution system (MES), Scripting (VB.NET and C#), and OPUS reporting and Web services, amongst others. Many of these can be acquired as a subset of the product on purchase. Also worth noting is that there are no licensing fees to develop a plug-in data source for Viznet.

Three markets

Adroit reports that Viznet attracts three types of markets. In the primary market the software is purchased for what it is: a universal UI with a portal. This market is primarily solution providers using the product for database, network, MES, and scada purposes, as the product can already perform these tasks without much additional work.

The second market is companies looking to extend the framework to provide additional functionality and customisable solutions, for example S-DAS, a company specialising in the development and delivery of small data packet applications used the Viznet platform to implement a container tracking solution.

The third market is companies wishing to incorporate a configurable user interface into their own applications. Adroit has already signed original equipment manufacturing (OEM) contracts in this area and the company believes this is an area of great potential now and in the future.

Viznet has already attracted the attention of Microsoft for its innovative use of .NET technology, and made headline news last year when NASDAQ listed top MES development company, Cimnet, announced a partnership agreement with Adroit for the development of its modular range of Factelligence products on the Viznet framework.

For more information contact Megan Davidson, Adroit Technologies, 011 658 8100, [email protected], www.viznet.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

EtherCAT interoperability removes industrial networking barriers
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Selecting the right communication technology is one of the most important decisions engineers make, and interoperability helps with that decision. Key development tools and standards ensure interoperability among many EtherCAT devices and manufacturers.

Read more...
Condition monitoring to go
Turck Banner Southern Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Anyone who wants to efficiently monitor the climate in control cabinets will find a comprehensive range of control cabinet monitors for the DIN rail in Turck Banner’s cabinet condition monitoring family.

Read more...
Innovative separation of recyclable materials
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A plant built by Belgian specialist machine builder, Absolem Engineering features an innovative process for separating recyclable materials. Using PC-based control from Beckhoff, a major problem has been elegantly solved - the generation of different signal sequences for the exact synchronisation of different camera systems.

Read more...
Enhancing AI-powered object detection and recognition capabilities
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Innodisk has announced its cooperation with Advantech, a global leader in AIoT and edge computing. This collaboration leverages Innodisk’s customisable MIPI camera modules and Advantech’s Intel x86-based AFE-R360 solution to enhance AI-powered object detection and recognition capabilities, expanding visual applications for autonomous mobile robots in smart factories and warehouses.

Read more...
Rugged, agile and scalable boards
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Embedded computing pioneer, AAEON has launched the PICO-ASL4 and GENE-ASL6, both featuring the new Intel Atom x7000RE Processor Series for the edge.

Read more...
Rugged gateway board with open-source flexibility
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The SRG-CM4 from Vepac brings all the open-source flexibility of the Raspberry Pi OS and ecosystem to AAEON’s signature rugged, durable gateway design to create a truly industry-ready modular system.

Read more...
New safety I/O modules for functional safety in highly automated operations
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Belden has expanded the Lumberg Automation LioN family with its new LioN-Safety I/O Modules. Designed to support functional safety efforts in industrial operations, the modules streamline the transmission of data over existing networks.

Read more...
Cybersecurity in factory automation
Adroit Technologies IT in Manufacturing
In the era of Industry 4.0, factory automation has transformed industrial processes, enhancing efficiency, productivity and connectivity. However, this digital evolution has also introduced new vulnerabilities, making cybersecurity a critical concern for manufacturers.

Read more...
IO-Link master for the automation and IT world
ifm - South Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The decentralised IO-Link master modules from ifm serve as a gateway between intelligent IO-Link sensors and the fieldbus. Important information on the intelligent sensors can also be simultaneously sent.

Read more...
Condition monitoring with IO-Link rotary encoders
Pepperl+Fuchs Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Whether in the materials handling industry, in packaging machines or in wind turbines, sensors with an IO-Link interface are increasingly being used to pave the way to Industry 4.0. Pepperl+Fuchs was one of the first manufacturers to launch an absolute rotary encoder with IO-Link interface, that was available in numerous variants and with a wide range of setting parameters.

Read more...