The Eclipse VOLTTRON software platform is Linux-based and capable of running on small, single-board computers as well as in the cloud. It deploys applications known as V-agents that gain access to energy data via automation systems, identifying and diagnosing problems such as erroneous temperature settings. The technology offers passive capabilities that report a problem, as well as active approaches that actually fix the problem. VOLTTRON can be configured to use any protocol needed to interface with devices or data sources.
The platform comprises several components and agents that provide services to other agents. Of these components, the information exchange bus (IEB) is central. All other VOLTTRON components communicate through the IEB using the publish/subscribe paradigm over a variety of topics. For example, a weather agent would publish weather information in a weather topic to which interested agents would subscribe. Drivers collect data from devices connected to the platform, publishing device data to and taking commands from the message bus (the platform includes supported drivers for BACnet and Modbus protocols). Historian applications store device data and analyze it, while a web-based user interface allows for management of VOLTTRON nodes and agents.