Siemens Virtual Client: Updated
: This is the primary "turnkey" solution that provides a pre-configured, system-tested virtualization platform. It includes the server hardware, hypervisor (typically VMware), and pre-installed virtual machines (VMs). Virtual OS Clients SIMATIC PCS 7 environment
The system is built on a to ensure high availability and seamless operation.
This classic approach is best suited for operation and monitoring in SCADA systems. In large production environments, this architecture is employed to consolidate numerous operator stations onto a few servers, accessed via thin clients. It reduces hardware footprint, lowers power consumption, and streamlines system backups and disaster recovery.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | VIRTUALIZATION HOST | | (VMware vSphere ESXi / Windows 365 Enterprise) | | | | +--------------------+ +--------------------+ +------------------+ | | | OS Client VM | | Engineering VM | | Batch Client VM | | | | (SIMATIC WinCC) | | (TIA Portal) | | (PCS 7 / Neo) | | | +--------+-----------+ +--------+-----------+ +--------+---------+ | +-----------|-----------------------|-----------------------|------------+ | RDP / VNC | RDP / VNC | RDP / VNC +-----------v-----------------------v-----------------------v------------+ | THIN CLIENT / ENDPOINT | | (Industrial Thin Client / HTML5 Web Browser / VDI) | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1. On-Premises OT Infrastructure (SiVaaS) siemens virtual client
The Siemens Virtual Client solution offers a wide range of benefits that cater to the diverse needs of businesses across various industries. Some of the key advantages of SVC include:
To solve these challenges, Siemens introduced the . This solution transforms how industrial control centers are designed, deployed, and managed by leveraging virtualization technology. What is Siemens Virtual Client (SVC)?
Operators access these virtualized environments using or remote connections (RDP), ensuring that the user experience is identical to using a real computer while the actual processing happens in the data center. Core Architecture and Components : This is the primary "turnkey" solution that
[Current Date] Author: AI Research Assistant Subject: Analysis of Siemens’ Virtual Client Concept within Industrial Automation and Digital Enterprise
Siemens first introduced client virtualization to its industrial portfolio in 2011 with an update to its SIMATIC WinCC SCADA system. This early innovation allowed virtual WinCC clients to connect to thin-client terminals over an Ethernet network using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). It marked a significant step toward modernizing factory floor operations.
This service bundles a pre-configured, integrated solution that includes hardware, software (including the hypervisor), and comprehensive lifecycle services. The offering, based on a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) architecture, ensures high availability of industrial applications by automatically migrating workloads in the event of a server failure, making it a resilient foundation for critical production environments. This classic approach is best suited for operation
A decouples critical industrial software applications—such as Operator Stations (OS), Engineering Stations (ES), and Batch clients—from physical hardware to optimize reliability and scalability. By running these components within isolated virtual machines (VMs) hosted on central servers, industrial plants can significantly lower lifecycle costs, simplify patch management, and enforce strict Zero Trust cybersecurity architectures.
Virtualization can lead to up to 80% less space required for hardware and up to 75% energy savings .
A high-performance physical server (often running VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V) sits in a secure server room or data center.