DeMon++: A framework for designing and implementing Distributed Monitoring Systems based on Hierarchical Finite State Machines

Abstract

In today’s interconnected world, the proliferation of diverse and numerous devices has become increasingly common. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the field of industrial computing, which has experienced rapid growth. With this rapid expansion, monitoring an industrial control system (ICS) consisting of a large num- ber of devices becomes a critical activity. To evaluate our approach, we chose the CERN ICS as a suitable case study for our research. The CERN ICS is a complex network of thousands of heterogeneous control devices, including PLCs, front-end computers, supervisory control and data acquisition systems. Our approach resulted in DeMon++, a framework for designing and implementing distributed monitoring systems. DeMon++ uses the concept of hierarchical finite state machines to model the system, capturing the hierarchical relationship between devices. In particular, DeMon++ aims to be a flexible, scalable and maintainable monitoring framework to abstract, aggregate and summarise the health state of industrial control sys- tems composed of a heterogeneous set of devices. As part of the CERN OpenLab programme, this thesis provides a flexible and maintainable approach to monitoring complex and distributed ICS, with a particular focus on the demanding environment of CERN.