PlcLab-Docker-OPC-Blazor task list and documentation

A focused task list to build a Blazor web app that uses the OPC Foundation UA .NET Standard stack and a virtual OPC UA server (Reference Server) for demo, testing, and CI.

Virtual PLC

Add the official OPC UA Reference Server as a Docker service (port 4840) and set OpcUa:Endpoint accordingly.

Endpoints supported:

• Dockerized OPC UA Reference Server (virtual PLC)
• In‑process mock OPC UA server (optional)

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1) Repository & Projects

• Create solution PlcLab-Docker-OPC-Blazor with projects:
  • PlcLab.Web (Blazor Web App; SSR + interactive)
  • PlcLab.OPC (OPC UA client utils; connect/browse/subscribe/methods)
  • PlcLab.Domain (entities, value objects, domain events)
  • PlcLab.Application (CQRS + test runner)
  • PlcLab.Infrastructure (EF Core, Serilog, OpenTelemetry)
• Add .editorconfig, .gitattributes, .gitignore
• Use Directory.Packages.props to pin package versions (OPC UA only)

2) Virtual PLC (OPC UA Reference Server) via Docker

• Add opcua-refserver service to docker-compose.yml (port 4840)
• Configure OpcUa:Endpoint=opc.tcp://opcua-refserver:4840 in appsettings.json
• Document trust list/certificate steps for the client
• Create a hosted service in PlcLab.Infrastructure that seeds demo data on startup (guard with config flag Seed:Enabled). Seed demo nodes/methods:
  • Variables: Process/State, Analog/Flow, Digital/ValveOpen
  • Methods: Add, ResetAlarms

3) OPC UA Client (PlcLab.OPC)

• Implement OpcUaClientFactory.ConnectAsync (cert management, secure policies)
• Browsing helpers: path → NodeId, recursive tree build
• Subscriptions: create/update/dispose; callbacks for values
• Read/Write helpers: scalars, arrays, variants
• Method invocation: objectId + methodId + input arguments; result parsing

4) Domain & Application

• Define entities: TestPlan, TestCase, TestRun, TestResult, SignalSnapshot
• Domain events: TestCaseStarted, TestCasePassed, TestCaseFailed
• Orchestrate test runs (connect, execute cases, capture results, teardown)
• Validation rules (limits, timeouts, required signals)

5) Persistence & Observability

• Choose DB (PostgreSQL or SQL Server) — optional for demo
• EF Core DbContext + migrations
• Serilog: console + rolling file
• OpenTelemetry: traces for connect/read/write/method

6) Blazor UI

• Endpoint Switcher (Virtual PLC / In‑process mock)
• OPC UA Browser (tree view, node details, read/write)
• Live Signals (subscriptions with list/chart)
• Run Wizard (select TestPlan → execute → show progress)
• Results Explorer (filters, table, details, CSV/PDF export)
• Theme: basic CSS or MudBlazor (if allowed)

7) Security (Certificates)

• Client certificate store + trust list management UI
• Enforce AutoAcceptUntrustedCertificates = false (demo proper TLS)
• README section on certificate workflow (generate, trust, revoke)
• Implement code signing for Docker images and application binaries
• Automate certificate generation and renewal (see CertificatesGuide.md)
• Integrate signing into CI/CD pipeline
• Document signing process in project docs
• Add verification steps to deployment scripts

Note: Login/authentication is currently disabled for development/testing. Re-enable before production deployment.

8) In‑Process Mock OPC UA Server (optional)

• .NET worker hosting a minimal OPC UA server
• Define variables & two demo methods
• Deterministic value generator (for repeatable tests)
• Hosted service integration with DI
• Configuration support (MockOpcUa:Enabled + MockOpcUa:BaseAddress)
• Documentation in ops/MockOpcUaServer.md
  • Config: Defaults to opc.tcp://localhost:4841 when enabled
  • Nodes: Process/State, Analog/Flow, Digital/ValveOpen
  • Methods: Add, ResetAlarms
  • Note: Integration test skipped (uses Reference Server in CI instead) — mock server available for local development

9) CI/CD

• GitHub Actions: restore/build/test + code coverage
• Spin up Docker OPC UA reference server for integration tests
• Publish PlcLab.Web as container image (GitHub Container Registry)

10) Integration Tests

• Basic connection test to Reference Server (runs in CI with Docker)
• Browse → read/write → subscribe → method call end-to-end tests
• Stable pass/fail scenarios for automated validation

11) Documentation

• README: overview, architecture diagram, screenshots/GIFs
• Quickstart for virtual PLC in Docker; endpoint configuration
• Quickstart for in-process mock OPC UA server (start flag + expected nodes/methods)
• Security notes (certs, TLS, trust lists)
• Roadmap & known limitations

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Milestones

• M1: Repo scaffold + Docker ref server + basic connect/browse
• M2: Subscriptions + Run Wizard + minimal persistence
• M3: Method calls + Results Explorer + export
• M4: CI pipeline + container publishing + integration tests (virtual PLC)
• M5 (optional): In‑process mock server + extra UI polish

Nice-to-haves

• Health check and readiness probe (if using k8s later)
• Audit fields: certificate thumbprint, endpoint URL, user identity
• Global Discovery Server integration
• Feature flags for experimental UI
• Localization (CS/EN) and time zone handling
• Blazor UI - dark mode + responsive layout (MudBlazor or Bootstrap)

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ops/ — Operational Guides

This folder contains operational docs and snippets to manage the PlcLab project lifecycle: versioning, CI/CD, Docker, integration testing, certificates, and deployments.

Quick links:

• ReleaseChecklist.md
• CHANGELOG.md
• CreateTagAndPushRelease.md — How to version and publish releases
• PublishContainerImage.md — Docker image publishing and registry operations
• DockerAndDeploymentArchitecture.md — Deployment models, K8s, scaling
• DockerBuildAndPush.md
• LocalTestWithDocker.md
• DevSetup.md
• CertificatesGuide.md
• RunMigrations.md
• StartReferenceServer.md
• RunIntegrationTests.md
• DeployToAzure.md
• DeployToK8s.md
• Rollback.md
• MockOpcUaServer.md — In-process mock OPC UA server for testing