What was announced at Hannover Messe 2023 will be presented in detail at SPS 2023: The members of the Open Industrie 4.0 Alliance (OI4) have formed a working group to implement the basic idea of an open, manufacturer- and hardware-independent app store for an industrial target group. The aim is to create an open, transparent, secure and uniform process for different app stores to offer, purchase and download apps.
The standardization efforts within the OI4 also ensure that these apps - provided they support these standards - can also run smoothly on as many end devices as possible and exchange data with each other.

The launch of the flagship store for the OI4 community planned for SPS 2023, which Hilscher has designed in collaboration with the Open Industrie 4.0 Alliance and operates in its own name, is intended to serve as an example of the implementation of OI4 standardization efforts in this area and help providers and users of industrial apps to get started with concrete collaboration and implementation.

A white paper currently being prepared, which will be available at SPS 2023, will inform app providers who want to use this app store offering about the technical details they need to fulfill in order to publish an OI4-compliant app in the store. However, apps that do not yet meet this specification, or do not meet it at all, can also be included in the App Store offering. In addition, a further white paper specifies the associated manifest that is required to define the technical details of the app for uploading to the App Store.

The technology behind the flagship store

Interaction Flagship Store for the OI4 community, Open Operator Cloud (e.g. netFIELD.io) and Wibu License Central Server.

© Wibu-Systems

In close coordination with the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance and its working groups to simplify digitalization in production,Hilscher has implemented the concept of a community store for OI4 members and users with the help of a fully functional, scalable e-commerce platform at https://flagshipstore.hilscher.com and will launch it at SPS 2023 with app partners from the OI4 environment. The company is also acting as the operator and responsible party for this marketplace. Marketplace because every provider can independently present their app offering there. Transactions, i.e. the purchase of paid apps, are also possible using the usual payment methods in the industry, such as credit card, direct debit or against invoice. In this case, the app providers themselves act as sellers, so that the contractual relationship takes place directly between the app provider and the app user.

In terms of technology, the Community Store supports Docker technology, an open source solution for the virtualized commissioning of apps on industrial PCs and edge gateways. Any app that is available as a Docker container app can be delivered and put into operation via the App Store.

Speaking of operation: OI4 is also striving for simplification and standardization here. To this end, there is the concept of the so-called 'Open Operator Cloud', the description of a system unit required for the commissioning of apps and the monitoring of store floor processes. With the help of this Open Operator Cloud, apps can be automatically transferred from the store via the digital delivery address using an API connection. From there, the apps will then be distributed to the end devices and put into operation by those responsible for operations and monitoring at store floor level. Hilscher's device and application device management solution netFIELD.io is an example of such an Open Operator Cloud and can be used accordingly in conjunction with the Flagship Store for the OI4 community.

But it's not just apps that will be available in the App Store. Consulting and services as well as hardware geared towards the field of industrial communication, such as gateways, edge gateways and industrial PCs, will also be offered there for direct purchase over the Internet. As the operator of this marketplace, Hilscher will be looking for interested partners and providers in advance, but especially after the launch of the Community Store.

Encryption and licensing

Workflow for uploading apps - including encryption via Wibu-Systems' CodeMeter technology.

© Wibu-Systems

In order to protect the apps, or more precisely their intellectual property, against unauthorized use, Hilscher decided to use the CodeMeter software protection solution from Wibu-Systems. The CodeMeter technology has already been integrated into the App Store, allowing app providers to optionally protect their apps with it before uploading them to the App Store. Using the CodeMeter Protection Suite, apps can be automatically encrypted and provided with a license check in just a few minutes. All environments that generate classic machine code, such as C/C++, Rust or Go, are supported, as well as languages that generate intermediate code, such as Java and .NET, and scripting languages where the source code is delivered, such as Python and JavaScript. A licensing API is also available if individual features are to be licensed or freemium models are desired.

Automatic encryption protects the intellectual property of this app from product piracy and reverse engineering. Suitable software keys (tickets) for activating the app after downloading via the Community Store are also provided as part of the above-mentioned transactions during the download. When the license is activated, it is bound to the device to be activated so that duplication of the software, for example by copying the Docker container, is prevented.

In order to make handling the usage rights as easy as possible for the app user, Hilscher has developed the special license server app 'netFIELD App License Server' in cooperation with Wibu-Systems, which can run on the same edge devices of the user as the actual application. This License Server app communicates in the background with CodeMeter License Central, which can automatically generate, distribute and manage licenses. The app user selects the desired license from the available licenses for using the apps and activates it with a single click.

Practical example: reading out the Profinet network traffic

Graphic of the practical example - reading out the Profinet network traffic

© Wibu-Systems

Hilscher offers so-called 'tap apps' on the market, among other things. These are container-based applications that make it possible to passively read store floor data that is exchanged between a controller and production machines using the Profinet or EtherCAT protocol, for example - without reprogramming the controller, simply by adding one or two additional passive network components. For example, a so-called Edge Gateway is integrated into the data flow with the help of a Hilscher netMIRROR or by using a mirror port on a Profinet switch. The Profinet Tap App running on the Edge Gateway uses the Hilscher network card integrated there to participate in the Profinet data stream and make the data collected in this way available for downstream processing, for example for storage, visualization, alarm generation or forwarding to the user's internal IT infrastructure.

Container technology for industry

Wibu-Systems and Hilscher are working together to make the use of container technology in the digitalization and networking of production as simple and secure as possible - for everyone involved. This means not only for app users in production who want to use container technology and edge computing to counteract the increasing pressure on productivity and shortage of skilled workers, but also for app providers who are looking for simple yet secure access to the field of digital production with their solutions, where they were previously not represented. And without neglecting the necessary protection of their intellectual property contained in the software they have developed.

Using the netFIELD Profinet Tap App as an example, this means that the app is protected by CodeMeter technology to the extent that it can be put into operation on the Edge Gateway, but does not provide any usable data. Only by successfully adding a valid software-based license from Wibu-Systems, which is generated via the local CodeMeter License Central, does the Tap App provide usable data that is hosted on the same Edge Gateway using the so-called App License Server Container; an external license server is not necessary. In addition, the app encrypted with CodeMeter is protected against misuse during software development.