Bosch Rexroth adopts Ubuntu Core and snaps for ctrlX Automation

24 April, 2020

Through the use of an open architecture, industrial machine manufacturers selecting ctrlX Automation are freed from being tied to PLC specialists and proprietary systems with the software being decoupled from the hardware. With Ubuntu Core and snaps, the ctrlX Automation platform enables developers to use a modern CI/CD and DevSecOps approach to deliver applications on edge devices in a traditional OT environment.

Open, modular and secure

“With the support of Ubuntu Core, ctrlX Automation can combine the worlds of automation and IoT in an open, modular and secure way to build a future proofed and innovative automation platform,” says Dr. Holger Schnabel, product owner ctrlX Core, Bosch Rexroth.

Ubuntu Core enhances security with strict application confinement. ctrlX AUTOMATION apps run with all dependencies in their snaps for increased isolation. The risk of security vulnerabilities is minimised as the software files packaged in snaps are unalterable. Machine manufacturers deployingapps benefit from automated updates for security fixes and patches for the lifetime of the device, without the need for engineers to intervene. With Ubuntu Core and snaps, software updates roll back to the last known working version to increase uptime and reliability on the factory floor.

“Bosch Rexroth has embraced an open source approach to industrial automation enabling machine manufacturers to build a scalable and customisable platform. ctrlX Automation provides a software driven approach enabling users to extend functionality and implement their own apps. The advanced interfaces offered by ctrlX Automation, combined with the openness and flexibility of Ubuntu Core will open a new era of innovation in industrial automation,” says Loïc Minier, global director, IoT Devices Field Engineering at Canonical.

www.ubuntu.com/core