Extending Operation Lifespan of Instrumentation and Control Systems with Virtualization Technologies

The article deals with problems of extending the operation time of instrumentation and control systems (I&C) for a nuclear power plant in an evolved computational environment. The approach considers a virtualization-based solution built upon the Linux of Institute of Control Science (LICS) operation system. A concept of design of a virtualized environment for an I&C system is laid out. A real use-case of the concept implementation is described: a successful installation of a virtual environment during the shipment of spare parts to a customer. The article emphasized the advantage of virtual testing areas for functional tests. Some topics concerning cybersecurity in virtualized environments are discussed.