Safeguarding outputs when in simulation mode
When any automation system is running in simulated mode, outputs should be protected and made safe so that when the simulation is running, they aren't processed.
This can be achieved with an output mapping layer. Much like the input mapping layer, if the simulation system is active, the output memory addresses are filled with data that ensures they are in a safe state:
Note
The preceding diagram shows how all the physical data, both input and output, can be stored in the asset's dedicated structured data block. Preparing output data in the asset's dataset is a good way of encapsulating the process data and segregating the input and output layers of the project.
This means that our Input Mapping Layer could be changed to a network protocol such as Modbus and our Output Mapping Layer could be changed to a remote...