Engineer for IT Security in Industrial Automation Wanted (TÜV SÜD)

Der TÜV SÜD in München sucht einen Ingenieur für IT-Sicherheit (w/m)

Aufgaben:

• Erstellung von Prüf- und Testszenarien nach einschlägigen Standards (z.B. IEC 62351, IEC 15408 etc.)
• IT-Sicherheitsberatung und Audits von Industriesystemen (z.B. Leit- und Steuernetzwerke)
• Analyse/Auswertung von (industriellen) Kommunikationsprotokollen (z.B. TCP/IP, XML, PROFINET)
• Durchführung von IT-Sicherheits- und Risikoanalysen
• Durchführung von IT-Sicherheitstests und Penetrationstests
• Berichterstellung
• Mitwirkung bei Fachveranstaltungen (Schulungen, Seminare, Tagungen)

HIER für weitere Informationen clicken.

Übrigens: die Norm IEC 62351 wird auch für Geräte nach IEC 61850 und IEC 61400-25 eingesetzt.

Test Engineer for IEC 61850 Wanted (TÜV SÜD Munich)

Der TÜV SÜD in München sucht einen Ingenieur für Schaltanlagen (w/m)

Aufgaben:

• Erstellen von Prüf- und Testszenarien zur Prüfung der Konformität und Interoperabilität nach IEC 61850 und IEC 61400-25
• Erstellen, Erweitern und Modifizieren von Test-Skripts für die automatisierte Testdurchführung und -auswertung
• Prüfung von Konfigurationen und technischen Datenmodellen beim Kunden
• Analyse und Auswertung von Kommunikationsprotokollen und Testergebnissen
• Erstellen von Prüfberichten nach vorgegebenen Qualitätsstandards
• Unterstützung des Kunden bei der Umsetzung von Normanforderungen sowie der Bewertung und Behandlung von Testergebnissen
• Mitarbeit bei nationalen und internationalen Standardisierungsgremien, Vertretung bei Konferenzen und Fachveranstaltungen

HIER für weitere Informationen clicken.

Progress in IEC 61850 standardization

The FDIS IEC 61850-9-2 Ed.2:
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation -
Part 9-2: Specific communication service mapping (SCSM) -
Sampled values over ISO/IEC 8802-3

has been accepted as International Standard.

The CDV IEC 61850-10 Ed.2 (57/1162/CDV):
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation -
Part 10: Conformance testing

has been published for comments an ballot by 2012-01-06.

The following has been changed and extended:
- Update of Server device conformance test procedures
- New Client system conformance test procedures
- New Sampled values device conformance test procedures
- New Engineering Tool related conformance test procedures
- New GOOSE performance test procedures

Developers Workshop for IEC 61850 Client/Server and Publisher/Subscriber for Smart Grids in Shanghai

A one-day Developers Workshop for IEC 61850 Client/Server and Publisher/Subscriber Devices and Applications will be conducted by Karlheinz Schwarz at the

State Energy Smart Grid R&D Center (Shanghai) hosted at Shanghai Jiao Tong University

800 Dong Chuan Road

Shanghai, China, 200240

05. September 2011 (Monday)

智能电网标准 · 应用与开发研讨会

由IEC TC 57核心成员Karlheinz Schwarz先生主讲，内容针对：

两种服务类型： 客户/服务器架构，发布/订阅架构

两类应用平台：嵌入式装置，Windows应用系统

国家能源智能电网（上海）研发中心

上海交通大学，上海市东川路800号

2011.9.5 (周一)

Click HERE for the Program in English and Chinese [pdf].
Click HERE for the profile of the instructor [pdf].
Click HERE for the registration and contact information [Word document].

Germany Increases Energy Research by 75 percent to 3.5 Billion Euros

The German government announced the other day that it will spend much more research money into the development of a clean energy delivery system. The government will spend 3.500.000.000 Euros ($4.9 billion) into research for renewable generation, higher energy efficiency, energy storage and grid-technology in the next three years (2011-2014).

Click HERE for the press release [in German only]

It is very likely that a reasonable part of this money will be spend for the IT infrastructure needed for the many applications of future power delivery system. There are at least two stable solutions that have to be taken into account: (1) the electrical system (A.C. and D.C.) and (2) the IP infrastructure. The future power system will be based on these corner stones. The electrical system will be supported by myriads of new intelligent controllers of the power resources (renewable, storage, …) and new controllers of the grid (transmission and distribution) – and many of the controllers need to work (communicate over Ethernet and TCP/IP) together and being supervised by other controllers, which are part of the overall control of the power system …

The international standard series IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, IEC 61968/70 (CIM), IEC 60870-6 (ICCP), … are here to help that the dream of the German government becomes true. Without these standards, the future power delivery system would be a nightmare with hundreds of proprietary communication solutions.

Many more companies in Germany and Europe are starting to put their hands on the standards IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25 to be prepared for the future power delivery system in 2011. More than 20 companies will have received an in-house course on IEC 61850 and other IEC standards by Karlheinz Schwarz by end of 2011, and he will have run about an additional 10 public courses this year.

There is a lot to be done – let’s get started or continue dealing with the IT infrastructure using IEC standards.

Of course: The IT infrastructure is just a vehicle for the future power delivery system. There is much more to do than to communicate. By applying already available standards it saves a lot of R&D money that should better be spend on questions like, “What does demand response really mean?”

Click HERE for a nice paper that discusses questions like: “What happens with the electrical system if a huge number of customers start their dishwashers, washing machines, stoves, AC, … at the same time after a real-time price information has been received by the consumers?” Could they behave in a way to cause power outages? May be …

Corrected URLs for IEC 61850 Hands-on Training Course in Sao Paulo (Brazil) on 11.-14. October 2011

The URLs for the STRI/NettedAutomation hands-on training course scheduled for Sao Paulo (Brazil) on 11.-14. October 2011 were damaged … please find the correct links:

Click HERE for the Program and Registration information for attendees from Brazil.
Click HERE for the Program and Registration information for all other attendees.

The course will be conducted at Instronic: http://www.instronic.com.br/

Cisco’s conclusion on FERC’s Non-Ruling on IEC Standards

FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) decided in July 2011 to not (yet) rule on five Smart Grid standard series suggested by the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) / Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). These families of standards defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) were nominated by NIST/SGIP for consideration by FERC in rule making in October 2011. These are:

• IEC 61968: Application Integration at Electric Utilities-System Interfaces for Distribution Management
• IEC 61970: Energy management system application program interface
• IEC 61850: Communication Networks and Systems for Power Utility Automation
• IEC 60870-6 series: Telecontrol protocols compatible with ISO standards and ITU-T recommendations
• IEC 62351: Power systems management and associated information exchange - data and communications security

Cisco’s position on this FERC non-ruling (according to their website – see below) is:

• "Are the IEC standards really not ready for prime time? This is unlikely because most of these standards are already in use outside North America.
• Is cyber security a solved problem? Not likely, as long as there are hackers in the world, cyber security will be an on-going challenge.
• Is cyber security an intractable problem? Far from it, the public Internet and private Internets (e.g. DoD) can be highly secure networks. And open-standards, community-based security mechanisms are far superior to "security by obscurity", or the status quo in utility networking which largely consists of hundreds of parallel SCADA networks.
• Is greater awareness and education required? Indeed yes. The utility industry and the regulatory commissions need to hear from the Internet community of vendors, service providers, network operators, system admins, and cyber security experts, how packet networks can be made secure.

The FERC non-action is both a temporary setback and a call-to-action for the Smart Grid community. The concerns expressed by FERC and the regulators are genuine and need to be addressed. Unfortunately, the need for standards in transmission and distribution networks can't be put off. Fortunately, the cyber security questions related to the Smart Grid have good answers available from the long experience of the Internet.

Click HERE for the Cisco Developer Network statement on FERC’s non-ruling.

What is true for the security issues (IEC 62351) is true for the other standard families, too! Many engineers need to become aware of the huge challenges by more education and training!!

Investment in peopleware is one of the needed actions to keep the power flowing.

Click HERE for more discussions on peopleware.

Next opportunity in North America:

Nashville (TN, USA)
20.-21. September 2011
Remote Conference
2 day Seminar (conducted by NettedAutomation) on Power System Communication covering IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, DNP3, NIST Interoperability Roadmap, Smart Grids, security standards, ...
http://www.remotemagazine.com/rem-conf11/rem11_workshop.php

IEC 61869-6: The IEC 61850 Interface for Instrument Transformers

IEC TC 38 has published the new Committee Draft (CD) for the Digital interface for instrument transformers (38/418/CD):

IEC 61869: Instrument Transformers -
Part 9: Digital interface for instrument transformers

This standard defines a method for digital communications of instrument transformer
measurements. It is based on the IEC 61850 series of standards, IEC 60044-8 and the UCA International User Group document Implementation Guideline for Digital Interface to Instrument Transformers Using IEC 61850-9-2 (known as 9-2LE). It includes additional improvements including IEC 61588 network based time synchronization, and frequency response requirements.

This new standard will be part a product family standard for instrument transformers. It provides an application of the horizontal standard series IEC 61850, which details layered substation communication architecture in the world of instrument transformers.
By providing tutorial material such as examples and explanations, it also gives an access for instrument transformer, protective relay and meter experts to concepts and methods applied in the IEC 61850 series.

An overview about the standard series 61869 is shown in the next picture:

• Part 9 Replaces IEC 60044-8 digital solution.
• Provides a product standard for instrument transformers with a digital interface according to 61850; similar to what IEC 62271-3 is doing for switchgear.
• Includes backward compatibility for the UCA International User Group Implementation Guideline for Digital Interface to Instrument Transformers Using IEC 61850-9-2.
• Uses IEC 61588-Ed2 for time synchronization, with an option for 1PPS.

The CD ballot closes 2011-11-04.

Contact your national IEC TC 38 or TC 57 committee to get a copy of the CD.

Hannover (Germany) Black Out Caused by Aging Infrastructure

Some 600,000 people of the city of Hannover (Northern Germany) were hit by a blackout (up to 81 minutes) on July 13, 2011.

First a power plant was tripped due to some internal problems. Then it was expected that a 220 kV / 110 kV transformer substation would transform more power from the 220 kV network into the 110 kV network – this would have balanced the load in the city and provided power from outside.

The transformer was protected by protection functions that prevent overloading (overheating) the transformer – in order to not damage the transformer windings by too high temperatures … Due to the increase of power flow after the power plant outage in the city, the protection tripped, because it decided that the flow was above the configured limit. The limit was correctly set – but a capacitor (worth a few Euro) was defect and the result was that the protection tripped the circuit breaker even at a current below the configured limit! It would be interesting to know how old the protection relay was.

Due to the aging of the hardware (capacitor) it happened in Hannover recently. What city or region will be next hit by the aging infrastructure of our electrical delivery system?

More to come.

More maintenance (as decided by the utility in Hannover) is not an anti-aging means – refurbishment of aged components of the infrastructures may help … but costs a lot of money.

Click HERE for the press release of the enercity utility of Hannover [German only].
Click HERE for a discussion of aging infrastructures [German only]

What Do You Need to Know to Retrieve Process Values from an IEC 61850 Compliant Device?

The answer is quite simple: Almost nothing! It depends – of course – on the availability of software for IEC 61850. Let’s assume that we have a device that plays the role of an IEC 61850 server (providing a data model and services to access the values referenced by the model).

What you need is a software that plays the IEC 61850 client role. There are several options:

• Purchase source code and build your own client and API (Application Program Interface)
• Purchase source code and build your own client with an API already incorporated
• Purchase a client DLL with a simple and easy to use API
• Purchase a ready to go Browser with a graphical interface

If you want to just retrieve some data values from a IEC 61850 compliant device, you JUST need to know the IP address of the device and a free Browser evaluation software. Download the well known OMICRON IEDScout; the IEDScout runs in Demo mode for free (restricted services!):

Click HERE for more information and download link for the IEDScout.

Install the IEDScout, go to Configure (right), select New Server just by entering the below IP address and assign a server name:

SEL-421: 99.14.76.126

Use default values … click on OK … OK … done. Go to Discover … select the server you just configured … and start communication with the corresponding device. Retrieving the information model may take several minutes! The IEDScout retrieves the model … some thousand messages exchanged … you may trace the messages using the Wireshark analyzer. Start the Wireshark first and then start IEDScout and connect to any IED.

Once you have the model retrieved, open the model tree and read a value in the tree or see DataSets and Control Blocks.

How long did it take to access data values from an IEC conformant device? 30 minutes … may be 45. Maybe it took another 30 minutes to make it run on your Windows system ;-)

How many of the following standards have you read to get access to one of the above IEDs? IEC 61850-7-x, IEC 61850-8-1, ISO 9506-1/-2, ISO 8824, ISO 8825, IEEE 802.1Q, IETF RFC 792, … 1.000, 2.000, or 5.000 pages?

To use a (graphical) interface at a client there was NO NEED to read any of the above standards! What you may need is basic information about IEC 61850.

Of course, this IEDScout is not an API to be used by client applications. You cannot store the retrieved data values … ok, the full version allows to store the model as an SCL document … and store subscribed GOOSE messages.

Another easy to use API is the SystemCorp API used to build a very simple client HMI – a .Net/C# application:

http://blog.iec61850.com/2011/02/updated-c-client-application-for-iec.html

The API (in form of a DLL) can be used to build your own client application in Windows (DLL) or in Linux (library).

Even the use of the DLL for the client and the use of the C# build HMI does not require to understand all details of the protocol.

Lesson 1 learned: To use the comprehensive protocols like IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-105, IEC 60870-6 TASE.2, or DNP3 … a simple and easy to use API is needed!! Reading thousands of pages of standards is NOT what is required!!

Lesson 2 learned: The efforts to use any of the above protocols is more or less the same! Of course there is a configuration language SCL in IEC 61850 that requires a little bit more information/education …

Implementing the protocols requires a lot of time and efforts … there may be some difference depending on the protocol.

Be happy by just applying simple and easy to use APIs for clients and servers. Get your first data values communicated within hours – not months …

What About Siemens Simatic S7 and IEC 61850?

Siemens Energy has a wide range of IEC 61850 compliant IEDs. This is what the power utility market expects. But: Does Siemens’ Simatic S7 also support IEC 61850? Yes, Siemens Industry offers a wide range IEC 61850 compliant solutions for Simatic S7 and PCS7; there are several solutions available:

• Client and server for SIMATIC PLCs S7-300, S7-400 and S7 meC.
• Client as WinCC Channel
• Client as DLL
• Gateway IEC 60870-5-104 to IEC 61850

Click HERE for more details including pricing and contact information [English]
HIER klicken für mehr Details, Preise und Kontaktinformation [Deutsch]

More to come in various other Siemens Industry products.

Siemens Energy Sold more than 170,000 IEC 61850 IEDs

Siemens Energy reported yesterday that they have sold more than 170,000 Protection and Control IEDs compliant with IEC 61850 applied in substation automation systems.

Click HERE to read the press release.

IEC 61850 Hands-on Training Course in Sao Paulo (Brazil) on 11.-14. October 2011 confirmed

The STRI/NettedAutomation hands-on training course scheduled for Sao Paulo (Brazil) on 11.-14. October 2011 is now confirmed. The registration is now open.

Click HERE for the Program and Registration information for attendees from Brazil.
Click HERE for the Program and Registration information for all other attendees.

The course will be conducted at Instronic: http://www.instronic.com.br/

Another Discussion on IEC 61850 versus DNP3

For more than a decade there are discussions on “IEC 61850 versus DNP3”. I just saw a discussion which seems to be quite new.

These discussions happened in the field bus area for the last 20+ years – and still happen. They do not really help the industry. Hope we will not run into the same situation in the power utility domain as in the field bus war!

Click HERE for the full discussion. There are many aspects discussed in the paper … I just want to discuss one issue raised:

Excerpt: “In addition, IEC 61850’s major advantage—that holistic concept to solutions—is also a major disadvantage for training. It’s different from the old system, requiring “a rather steep learning curve,” Muschlitz said.
“Many people get depressed when the stack of 1,500 pages of IEC 61850 is put in front of them with the directive ‘learn this,’ ” he said.”

Hm? Why should somebody read 1,500 pages of general information and many technical details? Why? Any idea? For what reason?

Have you ever read the technical specification of the many RFCs for TCP and IP and the Ethernet standards? What most people need – in order to use these technologies – is to have a simple API (Application Programmer Interface) for their Application (e.g., Internet Browser).

The real challenge with IEC 61850 is, that – before you can exchange a single bit with a MMS message – you need the MMS server and MMS client AND a specific API (at least at the client side).

Why should you care about MMS and ASN.1? Just use the API and exchange your application data by reading, reporting, GOOSE, Logging, … DON’T read the many parts of the standard!! The price of the standards will definitely be lower than the cost for reading AND understanding them!!

By the way, how many people that successfully use DNP3 have read and understood all parts of the DNP3 specification (xxx pages)?? I guess most do not have read all the docs – I would get depressed to do so as well … and you?

One of the key issues is the availability of reasonable and easy to use APIs. See my discussion on an IEC 61850 API from the other day: Click HERE.

If I would have to read and understand all specifications applied for an Airbus A380 in order to fly on it from Frankfurt to Johannesburg – I would never get there! I would better ride my bike … ;-) … but then there are the many bridges I have to go over … and ferries … to study first their specification and check if they are safe … I better would stay at home.

Anyway, I have run many trainings on IEC 61850 – A one, two or three day training is much cheaper than buying, reading, and understanding all parts of the standard series. Reading and understanding may take several weeks and cause depressions.

Attending seminars prevents you from becoming depressed! Almost all people that attended our seminars were quite happy! Read what an attendee said: Click HERE.

I wish you a stress-less application of IEC 61850 and other standards!! Good luck!!

High Level of Interoperability of Devices in the Power Utility Domain

There are no (almost no) competing solutions in reaching interoperability of monitoring, protection and control devices in the various areas of the power delivery domain. There is no need for a (FERC, EU, …) mandate for interoperability standards ... we have already a high level of interoperability and acceptance of standard families like IEC 60870-6 ICCP, IEC 61968/70, IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, IEC 62351, ... for the process and for the control center level in transmission, distribution, and generation.

Compare it with the international Field Bus standard IEC 61158 – there are little competing international standards for field busses!! YES!! BUT: There are some 60 solutions competing in ONE SINGLE standard: IEC 61158. See:

http://blog.iec61850.com/2008/10/iec-fieldbus-edition-2008.html

Have you ever seen such a (non) standard? I have seen it when I took the photo of the stack on my desk in my office in 2008! ;-)

We could be very lucky in the power utility world!!

I am happy to read FERC’s encouragement of “…utilities, smart grid product manufacturers, regulators, and other smart grid stakeholders to actively participate in the NIST interoperability framework process to work on the development of interoperability standards and to refer to that process for guidance on smart grid standards.”

Smart(er) grids need to be build on interoperable standards – Because there is one huge interconnected, interoperable application to be monitored, protected, and controlled: The interconnected power delivery system. The largest machine globally is the European interconnected system. So, interoperability (of the electric power system) is a key objective in the power world.

We need standards for IEDs that are as interoperable as a power generator (or inverter) from Alstom and a transformer from Siemens producing 400/230 V and 50 Hz and a hair dryer from GE that consumes 230 V and 50 Hz.

Electrical Engineers should understand the need of interoperability of IEDs. Just require the same for monitoring, protection and control IEDs.

Workshop IEC 61850 und IEC 61400-25 für die Energie-Versorgungssysteme der Zukunft

Nach dem erfolgreichen Workshop Anfang Juli 2011 bieten Beck IPC GmbH und NettedAutomation GmbH weitere eintägige Workshops zum Thema IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25 und IPC@CHIP^® an:

30. September 2011	9:30 - 17:00	Deutsch *1
10. January 2012	9:30 - 17:00	English *2
11. Januar 2012	9:30 - 17:00	Deutsch *1

*1 Program siehe Link unten.
*2 Program in English will be provided soon.

Veranstaltungsort:

Beck IPC GmbH
35415 Pohlheim,
Grüninger Weg 24

Kosten: 399 € pro Teilnehmer

Die Schulung bietet eine Einführung in die Normenreihen und vermittelt die wichtigsten Schritte zur schnellen und kostengünstigen Implementierung von IEC 61850 und IEC 61400-25 konformen Geräten und Systemen basierend auf Beck-Komponenten und dem SystemCorp API.

Hier KLICKEN, um weitere Informationen und das Programm zu erhalten.

Getting Started with SystemCorp’s IEC 61850 API on Embedded Linux in Hours

Yesterday (July 21, 2011) I conducted a one day seminar and hands-on training for a German vendor that offers embedded controllers with embedded Linux. SystemCorp ported their IEC 61850 software including the easy to use API (Application Program Interface) onto the embedded Linux controller and provided a simple example for digital inputs and outputs. They shipped the controller with an IEC 61850 example to me to run some tests and demonstrate the solution to the vendor of the controller (in Northern Germany).

During the morning I presented IEC 61850 basics in modeling, engineering, configuration, and communication. My intention was: Help the programmers to understand basics of IEC 61850 and support them to enhance the simple application program example with an temperature measurement (STMP logical node) that provides random values. I provided the enhanced CID file with the extended model (STMP).

After lunch we set up the environment and all needed components. Then the C-Programmer started to understand the given simple application program and the API at about 14:00 h. Some three hours later the extended application was up and running and providing values through IEC 61850 messages – just 2 minutes before the general manager of the company joined our meeting!

We were able to use the new information (temperature) with the various IEC 61850 services like polling, reporting, …

This exercise has again proven that Application programmers can learn the basics of IEC 61850 and write their own application software on the SystemCorp API within a few hours – instead of weeks and months.

The customer was very happy to reach such a challenging objective within a day – before summer vacation season starts!

The embedded Linux platform will be available within the next few months.

Please come by and check this blog – or simply subscribe to the blog (see above right corner).

FERC and the five IEC Standard Families

FERC recommended in October 2010 to start a rulemaking process in order to mandate the five families (IEC 61968, IE 61970, IEC 60870-6 TASE.2, IEC 61850 and IEC 62351) for the North American market. For details click HERE.

After many meetings and discussions FERC decided now to recommend these standards – but not to mandate them.

There are good reasons to keep the standardization process going and not to stop the development of these standards and not to freeze the current content. As I always say: We are still at the very beginning of the development and application of theses standards. Of course, the basic technology is defined and mature – but we all need more experience and feedback so that the standards can be improved and extended.

Adoption of any of these standard series mandated by a regulator could harm the whole process of adoption of these standards – because it could stop or blockade the needed maintenance of the standards.

At this time, the five standard families are still recommended by NIST and FERC for guidance in the development of smart(er) grid supporting technologies.

For the standards IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, IEC 60870-6 TASE.2, and IEC 62351 there seems to be no discussion anymore if these standards will be adopted by the power utility market or not !! The market HAS ADOPTED these standards already. Even if a utility does not ask for IEC 61850 – it will get it! What else?

These standards don’t need any rule making, don’t need to become mandatory standards in the North American market. They are already THE GLOBALLY ACCEPTED AND USED STANDARDS!! The North American market is also about to adopt these standards. The wait for the rulemaking is over (for now) – these standards can and will be used in North America as in the rest of the world.

Note: There is NO competing solution for these standards on my radar screen at all – really.

Click HERE for the official order of FERC [Docket No. RM11-2-000] dated July 19, 2011.