What CSWorks Is
CSWorks is a web-based software framework
that application developers can use to build lightweight, fully customized process
control solutions. CSWorks offers:
- An open system with unlimited customization capability.
- A zero-administration client.
- Powerful and contemporary client-side graphics.
- Rich, transparent system configuration capability.
- The ability to work across network boundaries and firewalls.
- The perfect tool for building high-availability systems.
CSWorks comprises of two major sub-systems: Server framework and Client framework.
CSWorks client components
Application developers can use the CSWorks client framework to build zero-administration
Microsoft Silverlight client applications for CSWorks server-based solutions. Silverlight
offers a powerful graphics engine and virtually unlimited potential to write custom
components.
The CSWorks client framework is a set of Silverlight-based components that:
- Exchanges data with CSWorks server components through web services.
- Implements graphics controls, such as tanks, numeric displays, and alarm summaries.
CSWorks server components
The CSWorks server framework is a set of highly customizable, server-side components
that:
- Performs live data, alarm, and historical data processing.
- Provides access to arbitrary data sources through a simple-yet-powerful pluggable
provider model.
- Enables application developers to create custom data processing modules.
The server framework also has components that perform data stream multiplexing,
which enhances redundancy and partitioning capabilities so that system integrators
can create high-availability solutions.
Server framework functionality is exposed
to other components, including custom data processing components, through Windows
Communication Foundation (WCF) or through web services, if communication occurs
across network boundaries. Server framework configuration settings are stored in
config files and can be easily modified from custom applications or scripts.
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Using CSWorks to create process control solutions
Application developers create CSWorks solutions using Microsoft .NET, Microsoft
Silverlight, and CSWorks server and client components. If you're considering CSWorks
to build your process control application, keep the following in mind:
- CSWorks is not an out-of-the-box application (HMI, SCADA, or M2M)
designed for some specific industry. To create CSWorks-powered solutions, application
developers must be familiar with Microsoft .NET and Microsoft Silverlight development
tools (Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Expression Blend). Watch our
educational video to learn how to get started.
- CSWorks does not provide a complete set of HMI controls. Instead,
we keep our client object model simple and encourage application developers to create
their own complex controls (for example, recipes, multistate indicators, industry-specific UI items).
CSWorks also follows Silverlight data binding guidelines, which makes it easy for
developers to use third-party Silverlight controls in their CSWorks application. See
our blog to learn how to use third-party UI components.
- CSWorks does not provide a custom 'runtime engine' for hosting client applications.
A CSWorks client application is simply a Microsoft Silverlight application that
uses CSWorks client framework components. Silverlight is the 'runtime engine' for CSWorks.
Learn More
If you want to know more about CSWorks, read about the product architecture or check out the blog.
You can download current version of CSWorks and sample applications here.
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