Important Milestone in the Roche pRED Innovation Center Project
The pRED Innovation Center comprises a new research and development centre spread over four buildings in the heart of Basel. A state-of-the-art Convention Center, office workstations and flexible laboratory workstations are distributed across the four buildings. These will be equipped with the latest available technologies.
CTE was entrusted with the task of networking the entire research center and adjacent buildings with regard to technical building automation. In addition, a highly available and scalable computing infrastructure will be provided for the technical facilities.
Successful Factory Acceptance Test Amidst the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
The FATWhat does FAT stand for?The FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) is a simulation test conducted at the manufacturer’s facility to ensure that the system functions properly before delivery to the customer. The FAT for the pRED Innovation Center’s infrastructure was conducted under special circumstances. In the midst of a global pandemic, CTE and Roche officials had to demonstrate that they possessed the necessary technologies and flexibility to conduct a FAT largely virtually. System tests that required the physical presence of individuals were kept to a minimum and took place under hygiene precautions appropriate for the current situation.
The pRED Innovation Center Basel relies on a highly available and centralised infrastructure. This means that all systems are connected to one network, the so-called 'collapsed backbone'.
This network is implemented using state-of-the-art technologies and high security standards. The centralized, high-availability computing infrastructure, which takes the form of a “stretched cluster,” ensures reliable operation for all systems and applications at the pRED Innovation Center Basel.By utilizinga “hyper-converged infrastructure” (HCI),it is possible to scale freely in terms of both computing power and storage capacity, thereby ensuring future-proofing. If one node fails, the others immediately take over its tasks—this guarantees uninterrupted operation."it is possible to scale both computing power and storage capacity freely, thereby meeting future requirements as well.
The centralisation of infrastructures can prevent a proliferation of different components and manufacturers within a building or building complex. By using consistent components, specific to the industrial environment, and adhering to industrial standards, such a complex system can be managed and monitored appropriately.
Extremely High Availability Requirements
As centralised infrastructures form the backbone of the entire building complex, a failure would have far-reaching consequences. Network monitoring and central configuration management require the centralisation and standardisation of components.
During the FAT, CTE—a company specializing in high-availability infrastructure for the industrial sector—was able to demonstrate that the failure of individual systems or even entire system sites does not impair the overall functionality of the infrastructure. By deploying redundant systems distributed across various buildings at strategically sound locations, it is possible to eliminate the component of a system known as the “single point of failure.” This allows us to meet the highest protection objective in the field of OT—what is OT?OT (Operational Technology) encompasses hardware and software used to monitor and control devices, processes, and events, as well as to detect changes—namely, availability .
Outlook
Now that the performance and security of the infrastructure have been tested and approved, we are looking forward to putting the system into operation in the near future and supporting the building technology suppliers in integrating their systems into the central infrastructure.
