NCSLab: A Web-Based Global-Scale Control Laboratory With Rich Interactive Features

This paper introduces the Networked Control System Laboratory (NCSLab) at http://www.ncslab.net, which provides a complete Web-based solution for users to carry out experiments on experiment devices located globally. A scalable architecture is proposed, which is composed of Web browsers, central Web server, MATLAB servers, regional experiment servers, control units, and experiment devices. Based on the architecture, many novel features, including visual algorithm designing, simulation, compilation, visual monitor configuration, and real-time monitoring and supervisory control, are designed and implemented by a combination of state-of-the-art technologies such as Web 2.0, Java 2 Enterprise Edition, and MATLAB. Users can enjoy all these rich interactive features with a simple Web browser from anywhere at any time. The issues of device safety, network security, and instability are also tackled in NCSLab.