Bosch Rexroth Adopts Ubuntu Core for App-Based ctrlX AUTOMATION Platform

Canonical recently announced that Bosch Rexroth has selected Ubuntu Core for its app-based platform ctrlX AUTOMATION. ctrlX AUTOMATION leverages Ubuntu Core, designed for embedded devices, and snaps, the universal Linux application containers, to deliver an open source platform with the goal of removing the barriers between machine control, IT and OT.

Bosch said that, through the use of an open architecture, industrial machine manufacturers selecting ctrlX AUTOMATION will be 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 is designed to enable developers to use a modern CI/CD and DevSecOps approach to deliver applications on edge devices in a traditional OT environment.

“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,” said Dr. Holger Schnabel, Product Owner, ctrlX CORE, Bosch Rexroth.

Canonical has said it designed Ubuntu Core to enhance security with strict application confinement, while ctrlX AUTOMATION apps increase isolation by running with all dependencies in their snaps. Reportedly, machine manufacturers deploying these apps can benefit from automated updates for security fixes and patches for the lifetime of devices, 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 customizable platform,” said Loïc Minier, Global Director, IoT Devices Field Engineering, Canonical. “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.”