Recently, ICE was tasked with overseeing the Installation Qualification for a system migration project regarding Emerson’s DeltaV. In this article we introduce the tools that were used and the surprising ease of execution we achieved.
Introduction
With technological advancement as the driving force, the world of IT and specifically system administration is constantly evolving. New tools and processes become available on a regular basis. Two of such tools that have significantly transformed our landscape are PowerShell and Copilot.
PowerShell
PowerShell is a powerful scripting language and command-line shell developed by Microsoft. It is commonly used for automating the management of systems and is also used to build, test, and deploy solutions.
PowerShell is built on the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR), which means it can access many libraries and features of the Windows operating system, which is common to the DeltaV DCS platform. The enriched toolset makes it an obvious choice for administration tasks to be performed during a validation exercise.
Copilot
Copilot is an AI agent developed by Microsoft based on OpenAI technology. It is designed to assist users in accomplishing technical tasks, from generating text such as emails and summaries to creating images based on text prompts. Copilot can even help write code and it is especially good with PowerShell scripting. Creating scripts that are useful within the DeltaV optimized environment proves to be especially valuable in our efforts.
System Migration Qualification
The system migration qualification is a critical process in the OT field. It involves moving data and applications from one computing system to another. This could be a physical system migration if outdated hardware components are unable to meet the system’s requirements, or it could involve a data-based migration, requiring the transfer of data and records to a newer running system. In this case, it applies to Emerson’s DeltaV environment.
Qualification is typically outlined to perform cross-sectional checks of the system, sectioned at different angles of the design model. While outlining the best qualification model is project-specific and there is some artwork to devising the optimal methods. All qualification exercises include the following:
• Installation Qualification (IQ)
• Operational Qualification (OQ)
• Performance Qualification (PQ)
In the case of system migration qualification, PowerShell is exponentially more valuable than manual methods. The benefits are heavily weighted to IQ and OQ.
The Project: Streamlining System Migration with PowerShell and Copilot
Recently, ICE was tasked with overseeing the Installation Qualification for a system migration project. The focus of this project was on qualifying the system itself, while other cGMP processes handled the production code.
The Validation Test Script revealed, that a significant part of the validation process involved documenting the properties of system nodes. These properties typically fell into three categories: Hardware, Software, and Network properties.
As the project progressed, it became evident that PowerShell scripting could retrieve most of the required values. Our appointed engineer had limited experience with PowerShell, so we decided to experiment with the new Windows Copilot feature available on the Windows 11 operating system. After all, Copilot claimed to be designed to assist users in accomplishing technical tasks.
While the testing process did require manual entries and recording, preventing a full automation of the test with PowerShell scripts, it was possible to quickly verify that the tests would pass before starting the execution. By performing the execution in this manner, we were able to streamline the execution.
In about 15 minutes, the first script was ready. The initial task was to compile a list of nodes that could be successfully pinged. After addressing a few minor hiccups, the first test was cleared from errors and ready for execution.
The next step was to gather Disk Properties from each node, including Drive Letter, Size, Capacity, and File System. This information was also suitable for presentation in a table format. Copilot was able to create the script for generating the data and creating the table necessary for documentation.
Lastly, the collection of Software and Network properties completed the information gathering process in a similar fashion. This greatly expedited the qualification execution by priming the tester with the right information and ensuring that no unexpected exceptions were encountered during the execution.
Final Outcome
When reviewing this project, the standout conclusion was the efficiency with which we could gather the necessary information, paving the way for a confident execution of the qualification testing.
What was even more surprising was the rapid learning curve facilitated by Copilot. Even with just a basic understanding of PowerShell, Copilot was able to elevate the engineer’s skills to an intermediate level script writer.
The day of the test started at 8am with our team as novice PowerShell scripters. By 4pm, we had ensured the successful qualification and began the test execution.
