PyPND: A Python-based PROFINET Controller for CI/CD Environments

PROFINET is an industrial standard for data communication over Industrial Ethernet, recognized for its real-time capabilities that minimize jitter and enable time-critical communication. Various PROFINET implementations exist across industrial communication areas, requiring extensive research and development efforts. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) environments play a vital role in verifying, testing, and certifying these implementations throughout the development lifecycle. This paper presents an effective, hardware-independent solution for real-time PROFINET IO Controllers within CI/CD environments. The proposed solution can also aid in the development of PROFINET IO Controllers. Given Python’s widespread use in CI/CD environments, the solution can be easily integrated into existing pipelines and allows parallel operation with ongoing test cases and use cases. Unlike traditional C++ applications, which require compilation and predefined inputs for integration, this Python module can be directly deployed in CI/CD environments. As a result, this approach provides a flexible, easy-to-integrate, and cost-effective solution for industrial communication testing and development.