Patent ID: 7725200

Claim:
A system that determines configuration changes in a validated system, comprising: an industrial control module that controls an industrial process, the industrial process comprising at least a validated portion, further comprising: a processor, a computer readable storage medium operationally coupled to the processor and storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, if executed by the processor, implement components comprising: a control component comprising generic operations to control the industrial process utilizing the processor, the control component further comprising a current configuration data structure representing a current configuration of the industrial process and a validated saved configuration data structure defining a validated configuration of the industrial process; an interface component that modifies the current configuration of the industrial process; and a reporting component that compares the current configuration data structure against the validated saved configuration data structure and provides a notification of a detected difference indicative of an unvalidated component within the validated portion of the industrial process; and wherein the computer readable storage medium retains the current configuration data structure and the validated saved configuration data structure.