#Product Trends
RUGGEDCOM VPE1400: Virtual machine environment enhances network stability and efficiency
Ruggedcom VPE1400 (Virtual Processing Engine) is the virtual machine
environment made available by Siemens for its Ruggedcom RX1400 router. This
software enables customers to run their own Linux operating system and
applications on the RX1400 at the network edge. As an example, an application
running on the VPE1400 could allow data, gathered for instance during traffic
monitoring or energy monitoring operations, to be pre-processed in the router before
being transmitted to a control center. This not only reduces the volume of
transmitted data but may also help to increase the stability, efficiency and
performance of the network. The virtual machine environment can be used in
numerous industries, especially in those requiring rugged hardware and reliable
communications, such as, Electric Power, Transportation, and Oil & Gas.
Applications running in the VPE1400 environment are safely partitioned from the
Ruggedcom ROX operating system, while still having full access to the RX1400’s
network, LTE and serial interfaces. Used in combination with the new Ruggedcom
ACE (Application Connectivity Engine), the virtual machine environment can also
provide multi-protocol SCADA communication to devices from various
manufacturers, making these devices accessible to applications running in the
VPE1400. With this virtual machine environment, Siemens is extending its portfolio of Ruggedcom Application Solutions designed to create a “smarter” network, by enabling local monitoring and data analysis applications using distributed structures. This allows the enormous volumes of data generated by a growing number of devices to be pre-processed at the network edge – a key requirement for digitalization of industry and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).