Protocols & Data Infrastructure
The technical layer that makes everything work. Plant network architecture, protocol translation, data routing, and database configuration — the infrastructure behind a production deployment.
Every plant is a mixed estate
A typical production floor has equipment from four or five decades running side by side: a new packaging line speaking OPC UA next to a press whose PLC predates Ethernet. Each machine holds valuable data — cycle counts, states, process variables — but in its own dialect, on its own network segment.
The difference between a demo and a working deployment is this layer. Anyone can show a dashboard; getting reliable, continuous data out of a mixed fleet and into one trustworthy database — without disturbing production — is infrastructure work. It's work 10in6 does on every deployment, so your team doesn't have to become industrial-networking specialists.
The four layers we build and maintain
Industrial Protocols
The protocol is chosen per machine, based on what that equipment actually supports:
- OPC UA — the current interoperability standard for modern equipment
- Ethernet/IP — native to Allen-Bradley environments
- Modbus TCP — the workhorse for older PLCs and devices
- MTConnect — machine tool and CNC connectivity
- RS-232 / serial — legacy equipment that predates plant networks
Plant Network Design
Secure, reliable routing between the equipment network and the 10in6 server:
- Data paths designed with your IT team — respecting existing segmentation
- Collection designed to be non-disruptive to control systems
- Polling load and network impact assessed before go-live
SQL Server & Application Server
The foundation everything reports from:
- Application server and SQL Server setup and optimization
- Structured, queryable production database on your infrastructure
- Guidance on backups, maintenance, and migration planning
- BI tools like Power BI can query the database directly
External Systems & APIs
10in6 coexists with — and talks to — the systems you already run:
- REST API connections for external system data exchange
- SCADA and data historian interoperability
- Customs broker data feeds via SFTP, EDI, or structured files (for DRP traceability)
This infrastructure powers
Protocols & infrastructure questions
- Do we need to upgrade our PLCs or replace equipment before deploying 10in6?
- No. The protocol is chosen per machine, not imposed plant-wide. Modern equipment typically connects over OPC UA or Ethernet/IP; older equipment connects over Modbus TCP or serial; and machines with no communication interface at all can be connected through hardware I/O. Some of our most significant deployments run on equipment that is 20 or more years old.
- Where does our production data actually live?
- In a structured SQL Server database, typically on a server or virtual machine inside your own network. It's your data, in a standard database you can query — which also means BI tools like Power BI can connect directly to it for custom analytics alongside 10in6's built-in reporting.
- Will 10in6 interfere with our existing SCADA system or data historian?
- No — 10in6 is designed to coexist with existing SCADA and historian infrastructure, not replace it. Data collection is designed to be non-disruptive to your control systems, and we assess polling load and network impact as part of the deployment plan. Where useful, 10in6 can also exchange data with those systems.
- Does 10in6 run in the cloud or on-premise?
- Most deployments run on-premise — on a server or VM inside the plant network, close to the equipment it's collecting from. Web and mobile views are served from that installation, so managers get anywhere-access without production data collection depending on an internet connection.
- What if we don't have a dedicated IT department?
- That's common, and it's not a blocker. We've deployed in plants with no dedicated IT staff. 10in6 provides guidance on application servers, SQL Server configuration, backups, and migration planning — and handles the integration work itself — so a plant doesn't need in-house infrastructure expertise to run a solid deployment.
Tell us what's on your floor.
PLC brands, machine ages, network setup — the messier the mix, the more useful the conversation. We'll tell you exactly how we'd connect it.