# PROSIM in the Cloud: Remote Automation Training Platform with Virtualized Infrastructure
## 3 PRO-CPS Approach for Industrial Process Simulator Virtualization
A summary of the hardware, software and functional characteristics of the three generations: SIMED (2008), ASID (2016) and PROSIM V+ (2020), is highlighted in Table 1. With regard to the shortcomings of the previous versions that have driven the need for the current iteration of the process simulator, together with technology advances that enable new functionalities and features, these include: limitation of SIMED to firmware-based simulations (impossibility of easily uploading and extending the system via software updates) with physical process masks for interfacing with the process and lack of industrial communication; built-in touchscreen of the ASID generation that increases the cost, weight and frailness of the hardware equipment in a context where the student and professors should be enabled to use their existing devices and given a choice between a local desktop, tablet or web interface. The new improvements mitigate these shortcomings and provide a more versatile platform which, as a virtualized solution for automation training, offers increased flexibility, lower cost and ubiquitous access to the process simulations and the full PLC application development environment, supported through a wider range of hardware equipment and features. We envision PROSIM as a family of products and services: stand-alone training unit with embedded software and on board analog/digital i/o (ASID), decoupled software solution running on any Windows platform and dedicated i/o (PROSIM V+) towards \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline  & **SIMED** & **ASID** & **PROSIM V+** \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Hardware Platform**} & Microcontroller-based & All-in-one x86/x64 & Embedded PC board \\  & embedded system & Industrial PC & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Software Platform**} & Custom firmware & C\# \_NET Applications & C\# \_NET Applications \\  & with hard-coded simulations & Windows 10 IoT & Windows 10 IoT \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**User Interface**} & Lamps, buttons, switches and & & Web \\  & user-replaceable process synoptic & Built-in touchscreen & Tablet PC \\  & diagram masks & & Smartphone \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Communication**} & n/a & Modbus TCP/IP & Modbus TCP/IP \\  & & Modbus RTU & Modbus RTU \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Control Unit**} & Siemens S7-300 & Siemens S7-1200 & Siemens S7-1200 or \\  & & & B\&R X20 family \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Comparative summary of the process simulator characteristics. the fully virtualized solution with OPC-UA data communication between the process simulations and simulated PLCs (PROSIM Cloud, detailed in this article). On the services side, the provider and the end user can deliver specialized PLC programming courses to end-users and developers in the process industries and, for larger customers, develop customized process simulations according to their specific equipment/plant. The value proposition lays in the acceleration of knowledge and practical skills acquisition for students, technicians and automation engineers. The technology-agnostic PROSIM platform reduces the need to invest in provider-specific training solutions from the equipment manufacturer. The diversified range of process simulations, in increasing order of complexity from basic digital logic to discrete manufacturing and continuous plant models for the process industries, including a digital-twin model of a control engineering platform, assures step-by-step skills development. Advanced concepts such as mathematical plant modelling with PID control and industrial communication over OPC-UA middleware are exposed to the end user in a packaged form alongside realistic examples of industry processes. All the simulations are documented through the control narrative, functional description and i/o list and are provided with an instructor handbook with hints and solutions for the automation tasks.