Virtual PLC Linux Requirements

Production Virtual PLC runtimes install directly on a supported 64-bit Linux host. This covers the Linux distributions commonly used on industrial PCs, servers, and Raspberry Pi systems.

Supported Hosts

RequirementSupported today
Processor64-bit x86 (x86_64) or 64-bit ARM (aarch64)
Service managersystemd 249 or newer, running as the host service manager
DEB systemsDebian, Ubuntu, and Raspberry Pi OS on x86 or ARM
RPM systemsRHEL, Rocky Linux, and Fedora on x86
InstallationDirectly on the Linux host through the Control Seat setup command

Our reference configurations include Ubuntu Server 22.04 on the Control Seat FR202 and 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm. Newer releases can be used when they meet the requirements above. The setup command checks the host before enrolling it and stops with a clear message when a required capability is unavailable.

Not Supported

The production runtime does not currently support:

  • 32-bit processors or operating systems
  • Alpine Linux or other non-DEB/non-RPM package families
  • Linux releases with systemd older than version 249
  • Docker containers or other environments where systemd is not the host service manager
  • macOS or Windows as a production runtime target

The editor and development tools can still be used from macOS or Windows. The computer that executes a deployed PLC application must use a supported Linux configuration.

Check a Linux Host

Run these commands on the target:

uname -m
systemctl --version | head -n 1
ps -p 1 -o comm=

The first command should report x86_64 or aarch64. The second should report systemd 249 or newer. The third should report systemd.

Generic Linux hosts can use supported network and serial protocols. Built-in GPIO or terminal I/O also requires a Control Seat hardware profile for that device.

Related Documentation