A compositional implementation of Modbus in Protege

Network protocols today play a major role in embedded software for industrial automation, with constant efforts to adapt existing device software to new emerging standards. In earlier work, we have proposed a compilation-based approach using a domain-specific language, Protege, which automatically generates protocol stack implementations in C from modular high-level descriptions. In this paper, we provide a case study of the Protege language in an industrial setting. We have implemented the Modbus protocol over TCP/IP and over serial line, and tested it using an industrial gateway. Our implementation demonstrates Protege´s advantages for software productivity, easy maintenance and code reuse, and it achieves many desirable properties of industrial embedded network software.