Hi Tom, To clarify the boundaries: Malbec is a multi-purpose IDE that manages different project types covering the plant configuration and supervision lifecycle. I’ve attached to this mail an architecture diagram illustrating these layers.
Here is a breakdown of the ecosystem: 1. Design-Time Layer (Malbec IDE - NetBeans RCP) Malbec acts as the central hub, managing independent and interoperable project types: - S88 / Batch Project (my current PR scope): Models the plant hierarchy, defines process variables (Attributes, Parameters, Reports) with their metadata, and structures recipes. - Communications Project: Links the S88 model (via NetBeans Lookup or plant.xml) to physical devices and generates the runtime configuration database (boot.db). 2. Deployment & Runtime Gateway (Merlot) Merlot is a headless runtime engine spawned and managed by Malbec. Upon startup, it reads boot.db, organizes variables into scan groups, and uses Apache PLC4X to execute bulk scan/write cycles against PLC data blocks. It then exposes this live plant data via EPICS/PVA. 3. Supervisory & Control Layer (Malbec Runtime Client) During execution, Malbec acts as an active supervisory client. It connects to Merlot using gpClient (EPICS/PVA) to subscribe to variables, monitor process state, and send execution commands, closing the loop without direct PLC wiring. Please keep in mind that this architecture represents our target design and remains a work in progress as the project evolves. I hope this overview clarifies the component boundaries. Looking forward to your thoughts. Best regards, Daniel El mar, 22 sept 2026 a las 21:39, Tom NewChao (<[email protected]>) escribió: > Hi Daniel, > > Thank you for the detailed explanation. It helps clarify how the Reference > property and PlcGroups are intended to support efficient PLC access. > > However, to understand how these parts fit into the overall design, I think > a more detailed layered architecture diagram would be very helpful. > Ideally, > it would provide a top-down view from the Malbec UI and S88 domain model, > through persistence and configuration, to the Merlot runtime, PLC4X, and > finally the PLC. > > It would also be useful to show the responsibilities and main interfaces of > each layer, together with the principal data and control flows. > > At the moment, the individual mechanism is clearer to me, but the overall > architectural view is still too coarse-grained to understand the complete > system and the boundaries between its components. > > If you already have a preliminary architecture diagram, would you be able > to > share it? Even an initial version would provide a useful basis for further > discussion. > > Best regards, > Tom > > Daniel Campos <[email protected]> 于2026年9月22日周二 22:05写道： > > > Hi Tom, > > > > The challenge you mentioned regarding efficient bulk reading and variable > > mapping is central to what we are addressing. > > > > To abstract manual variable-by-variable wiring from the user interface, > S88 > > elements in Malbec include a "Reference" property (a numerical index). > > > > This Reference serves as a multiplier in a formula used to calculate the > > exact data block offset in the PLC memory. Instead of mapping every PLC > tag > > manually, the user in Malbec assigns a Reference index to an entity, > > effectively pointing to its corresponding data block or UDT in the PLC. > > > > This approach assumes the PLC program adheres to a structured memory > layout > > where entities like analog inputs, valves, or outputs are grouped into > > contiguous memory blocks of fixed size. By calculating the offset based > on > > Reference × BlockSize, Merlot can execute efficient bulk reads and writes > > over entire memory blocks via Apache PLC4X, avoiding the overhead of > > individual tag polling. > > > > Under the hood, Merlot manages this execution through PlcGroups. These > > function as logical scan groups where tags are grouped by device and > memory > > contiguity. The goal is for Malbec to turn that "reference" into > optimized, > > bundled block requests. When Merlot boots up, it loads these group > > configurations and executes the scan/write cycle. > > > > Best regards, > > > > Daniel > > > > El dom, 20 sept 2026 a las 22:35, Tom NewChao (<[email protected]>) > > escribió: > > > > > Hi Daniel, > > > > > > Thanks for the explanation. The mapping you described is also one of > the > > > main challenges we face in our domain. > > > > > > We focus on CIM and EAP systems. Each piece of equipment has its own > > > process parameters and recipes, and each recipe contains a > corresponding > > > set of parameter values. During > > > production, we need to monitor both the actual process values reported > by > > > the PLC and the configured recipe setpoints. > > > > > > A key challenge is mapping PLC variables to the equipment > > process-parameter > > > model. Efficient bulk reading is essential as well. In our current > > > implementation, we group > > > parameters into contiguous PLC address ranges and read each range as a > > > block, rather than issuing a separate request for every variable. > > > > > > Our current architecture is EAP → CIM → PLC. The CIM system owns the > > > equipment model, the recipe-parameter mappings, and the equipment > > adapter. > > > It maps the model parameters to > > > PLC variables and communicates directly with the PLC. The EAP system > uses > > > the CIM model and services for recipe management, equipment > coordination, > > > and process supervision. > > > > > > This is why I am particularly interested in where the mapping between a > > > Malbec process variable and its PLC variable will live. Will the Malbec > > > plant project contain the mapping > > > metadata, with Merlot acting as the communication adapter, or will > Merlot > > > own both the mapping and the PLC communication? > > > > > > I hope this real-world use case is useful for the design. > > > > > > Best regards, > > > Tom > > > > > > Daniel Campos <[email protected]> 于2026年9月20日周日 > 11:25写道： > > > > > > > Hi, Tom! > > > > > > > > Thanks a lot, I appreciate your interest. > > > > > > > > Regarding the tags and their relationship to the physical model, the > > main > > > > goal of this model is to parameterize the plant and define the > process > > > > variables that will mirror those in the PLC. In Malbec, they're given > > > > magnitudes, engineering units and other features for logging and > > > auditing. > > > > > > > > As I mentioned at the end, communication is the scope of the batch > > > module, > > > > which I left as a placeholder for now. > > > > > > > > I'm planning to develop a recipe editor that is fed with the > variables > > > > defined in the plant project. > > > > > > > > Later, those recipes, which are basically just the variables with > > defined > > > > values and an execution order, will be downloaded to the PLC. Malbec > > will > > > > then be monitoring and controlling the process state, as well as > > > generating > > > > logs. > > > > > > > > This entire communication loop will go through Merlot as a gateway > > > > > > > > Best regards, Daniel. > > > > > > > > > > > > El sáb, 19 de sept de 2026, 22:37, Tom NewChao <[email protected] > > > > > > escribió: > > > > > > > > > Hi Daniel, > > > > > > > > > > Congratulations on your first ASF contribution! > > > > > > > > > > I am also relatively new to the PLC4X community and am currently > > > working > > > > on > > > > > the plc4net revival. It is encouraging to see another contributor > > > working > > > > > on industrial automation > > > > > tooling. > > > > > > > > > > The separation between the S88 domain model, persistence adapters, > > > > > application use cases, and the NetBeans UI looks very interesting. > I > > am > > > > > also interested in how the physical > > > > > model may eventually relate to PLC tags and industrial data > sources. > > > > > > > > > > I just wanted to say hello and wish you success with the > > contribution. > > > I > > > > > look forward to following its progress. > > > > > > > > > > Best regards, > > > > > Tom > > > > > > > > > > Daniel Campos <[email protected]> 于2026年9月19日周六 > > > 05:02写道： > > > > > > > > > > > Hi everyone, let me introduce myself again. I'm Daniel Campos > > > (Dandrvms > > > > > or > > > > > > dacmz), from the CEOS Automatización team, working alongside Luis > > > > > Rodríguez > > > > > > and César García. As I mentioned before, I'm working on Malbec, > an > > > IDE > > > > > for > > > > > > industrial configuration built on top of the NetBeans RCP. > > > > > > > > > > > > Today I just made my first PR for this project in the feature/app > > > > branch > > > > > at > > > > > > plc4x-extras, marking my very first contribution to the > foundation. > > > > Here > > > > > is > > > > > > a breakdown of the project structure: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - /api : Domain model and ports. S88Element is the minimal > model > > > > unit: > > > > > > an S88 entity that can hold children and structured property > > bags. > > > > > > S88PlantModel is the orchestrator: the in-memory root of the > > > element > > > > > > tree, > > > > > > the registry of classes/enumerations, and the event bus. > > > Supporting > > > > > > classes > > > > > > provide S88ElementClass (reusable property templates), > > > > S88Enumeration, > > > > > > S88Level, DataType/EngineeringUnits/Magnitude, the > > > > > > S88ChangeEvent/S88ChangeListener observer contract, and the > > > > > persistence > > > > > > contracts S88Repository, S88Storage and S88RepositoryProvider. > > > > > > - /data : Serialization adapters implementing the contracts > > above. > > > > > > B2MMLRepositoryImpl parses/writes the main model using B2MML, > > the > > > > MESA > > > > > > International schemas compiled with XMLBeans. > AXMLRepositoryImpl > > > > > > imports/exports the Rockwell FactoryTalk Batch .axml format. > > > Formats > > > > > are > > > > > > pluggable: a new format is a new S88RepositoryProvider > > discovered > > > > > > through > > > > > > NetBeans Lookup. > > > > > > - /core : Application layer. A set of use cases (create, > update, > > > > > delete, > > > > > > rename elements; manage class templates and struct entries) > are > > > the > > > > > only > > > > > > way to mutate the model. Every mutation fires an > S88ChangeEvent, > > > so > > > > > the > > > > > > UI > > > > > > stays in sync. > > > > > > - /plant : The NetBeans sub-project in charge of the plant > > model's > > > > > > lifecycle: project providers and factories, the hierarchy tree > > > nodes > > > > > > (one > > > > > > per S88 level), project actions (import/export, templates, > > > > > enumerations, > > > > > > delete), and the shared panel/dialog builders reused across > the > > > > > > different > > > > > > S88 levels. Loading and saving delegates to data repositories; > > UI > > > > > > refresh > > > > > > is event-driven, not manual. > > > > > > - /project : The NetBeans project type (wizard, factory, > folder > > > > > > installer, logical view) that hosts the plant sub-project. > > > > > > - /batch : Placeholder module reserved for future recipe > > > management > > > > > and > > > > > > supervision. > > > > > > > > > > > > The Process Cell config editor is intentionally empty; the > > properties > > > > > > dialog exposes only the General tab (name, level, class, display > > > > > creation), > > > > > > while content tabs (Attribute Tags, Parameters/Reports, > > Arbitration, > > > > > etc.) > > > > > > are placeholders. These are the targets of upcoming updates. > > > > > > > > > > > > Recipes/batch supervision and generic ISA-88 runtime support are > > > > outside > > > > > > the scope of this PR (batch is a placeholder). > > > > > > > > > > > > Best regards, Daniel. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
