Supervisorline

Supervisorline is a term used in control system engineering to describe a dedicated channel that carries supervisory signals between a central supervising unit and field devices such as sensors, actuators, or remote terminal units. The line can be physical, such as a dedicated wire pair or fiber link, or logical, implemented as a separate subnetwork within a broader automation network. Its purpose is to support monitoring, control commands, alarms, and status reporting required for real-time supervision of a process or facility.

In typical implementations, a supervisorline links a master controller or SCADA system to remote devices or sub-controllers. It emphasizes reliability and determinism, often employing prioritized signaling, robust error detection, time synchronization, and, in critical applications, redundancy. The channel may use standard industrial protocols adapted for supervisory traffic, or vendor-specific protocols designed for low latency and predictable performance. Security considerations, including authentication and encryption, are increasingly integrated to protect supervisory communications.

Applications of supervisorline concepts appear across industrial automation, power distribution, water and wastewater systems, and building management. They are valued for enabling centralized oversight, faster fault isolation, coordinated control actions, and improved safety and efficiency. Because “supervisorline” is not a universally standardized term, its exact implementation varies by industry, vendor, and system architecture. It is often described as the supervisory communications layer within a larger control network.

See also: SCADA, supervisory control and data acquisition; PLC; RTU; industrial Ethernet; fieldbus.