CSI Academy · Practitioner Course
OPA Architecture in Practice
From reference architecture to working system — the practitioner's guide to designing, specifying, and deploying Open Process Automation. Built by the engineers who do this work in production plants.
Curriculum
15 lessons across four areas
Part 1 — Architecture Fundamentals
The O-PAS Reference Architecture — An Overview
The three-layer architecture and how DCN, ACP, and Connectivity Framework interact.
- Field, control, and information layer roles
- How OPA differs structurally from traditional DCS
- Architecture as the source of commercial value
Distributed Control Nodes — The Heart of OPA
What a DCN is, what it must do, and how to evaluate conformance claims.
- DCN hardware and software requirements
- IEC 61131-3 execution environment
- DCN conformance evaluation framework
The Advanced Computing Platform
ACP architecture, use cases, and integration patterns for compute-intensive applications.
- ACP vs DCN — what goes where
- MPC, ML, and digital twin hosting
- ACP-to-DCN communication via the CF
The Connectivity Framework
The Connectivity Framework is the technical mechanism that makes OPA work — how it functions and what it requires.
- CF architecture and information model
- Interface requirements for DCN and ACP
- CF vs generic OPC UA — important distinctions
OPC UA in Depth
OPC UA is the transport layer for OPA — a deep dive on what matters for implementation.
- OPC UA security model — certificates and sessions
- Information modelling for process data
- OPC UA subscriptions for real-time control
Part 2 — Implementation
Application Portability — How It Actually Works
The engineering mechanics of portability — what it requires and how to verify it.
- Standard IEC 61131-3 and vendor extension traps
- Application audit methodology
- Cross-vendor portability FAT
Security Architecture in O-PAS
IEC 62443-aligned security architecture for OPA deployments.
- Zone and conduit model for OPA
- Certificate-based authentication implementation
- Industrial DMZ configuration
Field Device Integration
Connecting legacy and new field devices to an OPA architecture.
- 4-20mA/HART to OPC UA via I/O infrastructure
- FOUNDATION Fieldbus re-engineering requirements
- Advanced HART diagnostics via OPC UA
Historian and Data Infrastructure
How OPA changes the data infrastructure — and how to design it correctly.
- OPC UA historian interface requirements
- Eliminating proprietary data extraction middleware
- Data infrastructure for analytics and digital twins
System Topology Design
Network topology, hardware layout, and redundancy design for OPA systems.
- Control network design for OPC UA traffic
- Redundancy patterns for DCN and CF
- Topology sizing and performance estimation
Part 3 — Conformance and Integration
Reading and Writing O-PAS Conformance Profiles
How to read vendor conformance profiles and write your own procurement requirements.
- Conformance profile structure and capability levels
- Third-party vs self-certified evidence
- Writing testable conformance requirements
Multi-Vendor Integration Patterns
Practical patterns for integrating components from multiple OPA vendors.
- Pre-FAT integration testing methodology
- Information model reconciliation
- Interface management across vendors
Safety System Integration
How safety systems interface with OPA architectures — requirements and boundaries.
- SIS independence requirements in OPA context
- Safety data via OPC UA — what's permitted
- IEC 61511 and OPA — co-existence architecture
Performance and Reliability
How to specify, measure, and verify OPA system performance.
- Latency and throughput requirements for control
- OPC UA performance profiling
- Reliability targets and availability modelling
Part 4 — The Standard
The O-PAS Standard — Part by Part
A complete walkthrough of the O-PAS v2.1 standard — what each part specifies and why it matters.
- Parts 1–3: architecture, vocabulary, and CF
- Parts 5–6: security architecture and implementation
- Parts 7–8: DCN and ACP specifications
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Questions? trevor@csi-automation.com
OPA Architecture in Practice
Format
Self-paced video · knowledge check per lesson
Duration
15 lessons · approximately 3 hours
Level
Practitioner — assumes DCS engineering background
On completion
Certificate of completion · CPD credit eligible
Questions
trevor@csi-automation.com
New to OPA?
Start with O-PAS Fundamentals — the 8-lesson foundation course covering the standard, architecture, and core concepts.
O-PAS Fundamentals →CSI Academy
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O-PAS™ is a standard of The Open Group. CSI operates under a commercial license from The Open Group. Views published by CSI do not represent positions of The Open Group or the Open Process Automation Forum.