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Versioning

The OPC Router automatically manages versioning for its engineering: It maintains an internal Git repository for the YAML configuration files, which records who made which changes and when, and allows you to revert to an earlier, stable version. No additional tools or custom setup are required for this.

The page “Creating and Restoring Snapshots” describes how to use versioning—creating and loading snapshots, and reverting to an earlier state. The OPC Router also automatically creates a snapshot with every release.

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Secrets and passwords are not included in versioning and should never be placed in a Git repository: The OPC Router always stores secrets in a separate, local vault.

Connection to a Hosted Git Server​

The internal Git system can be connected to a hosted Git server, such as GitHub, Bitbucket, or Microsoft Azure DevOps. Such a repository provides centralized management, advanced access control, and comprehensive change tracking; configuration changes are then managed, tracked, and monitored via the Git server.

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It is important to ensure that the repositories are private to prevent unauthorized access.

Commits are pushed to the hosted Git server either manually or automatically. Manually, this is done using a Git client such as Git Console, GitHub Desktop, or SourceTree.

Recommendations for Operation​

  • Commits and Pushes: Regularly commit the current configuration to the local Git repository and push the commits to the hosted Git server, for example, daily or after every significant change. Automated backup and commit routines handle this task.
  • Change Log: Log all changes made, including the date, time, and name of the person responsible—using tools that automate this logging whenever possible.
  • Test Environment: First validate changes in a test environment before deploying them to the production environment; staging environments allow for their gradual rollout and monitoring of their effects.
  • Monitoring: Regularly review and maintain versioning to ensure the integrity and availability of the backed-up states.

Many industries have regulatory requirements that mandate documentation and traceability of system changes; version control managed in this way fulfills those requirements at the same time.