Data compression techniques in SCADA systems - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding Lossless Compression in SCADA Data

Which of the following best describes lossless data compression in SCADA systems?

A Data is compressed by converting it into a smaller image format.

B Data is compressed by removing less important parts, losing some details permanently.

C Data is encrypted to prevent unauthorized access during compression.

D Data is compressed and can be perfectly restored to original without any loss.

💡 Hint

Think about whether the original data can be fully recovered after compression.

Lossless compression means no data is lost and the original data can be exactly restored after decompression.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of gzip Compression Command

What is the output of running gzip -l compressed_data.gz on a valid gzip file?

SCADA systems

gzip -l compressed_data.gz

A Lists the original and compressed file sizes and compression ratio.

B Displays the contents of the compressed file as plain text.

C Shows an error that the file is not found.

D Deletes the compressed file after listing.

💡 Hint

Consider what the -l option does in gzip.

The -l option lists compression statistics like original size, compressed size, and ratio.

❓ Configuration

advanced

Configuring SCADA Data Compression with zlib

Which configuration snippet correctly sets zlib compression level to maximum in a SCADA data pipeline?

A compression_level = 0

B compression_level = 10

C compression_level = 9

D compression_level = -1

💡 Hint

Compression levels usually range from 0 to 9 in zlib.

In zlib, 9 is the highest compression level, 0 means no compression.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Troubleshooting Corrupted Compressed Data

You receive an error when decompressing SCADA data: 'unexpected end of file'. What is the most likely cause?

A The compressed file is incomplete or corrupted.

B The decompression tool is outdated but file is fine.

C The original data was not compressed at all.

D The file permissions prevent reading the file.

💡 Hint

Think about what 'unexpected end of file' means during decompression.

This error usually means the compressed file is cut off or corrupted, missing data needed to decompress.

🔀 Workflow

expert

Optimal Workflow for SCADA Data Compression and Transmission

Which workflow sequence ensures efficient compression and secure transmission of SCADA data?

A 3,1,2,4

B 1,2,3,4

C 2,1,3,4

D 1,3,2,4

💡 Hint

Think about the order: data collection, compression, encryption, then transmission.

Data must be collected first, then compressed to reduce size, encrypted to secure, and finally transmitted.