In today's industrial communication, digital certificates are of crucial importance to ensure secure and trustworthy connections. This bachelor thesis deals with the practical management of X.509 certificates in the context of modular production plants using the OPC UA protocol and specifically its Part 21.

Digital certificates, in particular X.509, are electronic documents that confirm the identity of devices and users and thus enable secure communication. OPC UA is an industrial communication protocol known for its interoperability and security, with Part 21 of OPC UA dealing specifically with the management of certificates in industrial systems.

The aim of this thesis is to find out whether the management of X.509 certificates in modular production systems can be implemented down to the field level using OPC UA. This includes in particular a practical implementation based on the industrial modules in our process engineering laboratory from Figure 2.

OBJECTIVES

• Implementation of OPC UA Part 21 in a modular context
• Proof of concept for the extension of certificate management down to field devices in modules
• Evaluation of the OPC UA approach in a heterogeneous automation architecture with different protocols

HELPFUL PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

• Enjoy working with real hardware
• Great interest in familiarizing yourself with industrial communication protocols
• Lecture on information and automation technology