Abstract: A system and method for displaying and configuring parameters in a fieldbus configuration system. The fieldbus configuration utility first determines the devices and blocks present in the system, and then determines the parameters of each block. When the parameters are displayed, an object is displayed proximate to certain of the parameters. The object includes a color and/or shape which indicates the type or class of parameter. The user can also configure alarms and trends using the improved graphical interface of the present invention. The user configures alarms and trends by assembling a graphical program or wiring diagram on the screen which comprises a selected one or more block icons and an icon representing the device receiving the trend or alarm. The system also includes a periodic update window which is used to obtain periodically updated values of selected parameters.

Abstract: A method for automatically arbitrating for mastership of a fiber channel loop in a host adapter circuit configured for coupling a host electronic device with the fiber channel loop. The host adapter circuit has a processor and a loop control circuit different from the processor. The loop control circuit is coupled to a memory of the host adapter circuit. The method includes sending out a host ARBITRATE primitive on the fiber channel loop. The method further includes employing the loop control circuit to monitor received ARBITRATE primitives received at the host adapter circuit from the fiber channel loop. There is also included ascertaining, using the loop control circuit, whether one of the received ARBITRATE primitives represents the host ARBITRATE primitive sent out previously.

Abstract: A system and method for time synchronized reconfiguration of a telecommunications network is disclosed. The method first identifies a new configuration for the telecommunications network. After the configuration has been identified, the new configuration is stored with the old configuration for the telecommunications network. Next, the new connection information associated with the new configuration is identified. After the new connection information is identified it is downloaded to the network elements. The new connection information is stored with the old connection information at the network elements. Next, the clocks of the network elements are synchronized through an external clock. An activation time is then downloaded to the network elements specifying an activation time for the new connection information. After the activation time is downloaded, the new connection information is activated at the specified downloaded activation time.

Abstract: An automatic ID assigning device for LAN instruments connected in a network assigns ID numbers from a master LAN instrument to respective slave LAN instruments connecting sequentially to the master LAN instrument. A first slave LAN instrument stores, as its own self ID, an ID number supplied in an ID assignment command signal supplied from the master LAN instruments through a data line connecting ports of respective slave LAN instruments. The slave LAN instrument returns an ID assignment acknowledging signal to the master LAN instrument and connects upper and lower ports of the slave LAN instrument together. The master LAN instrument updates a connecting number table of the ports of the slave IDs upon receipt of the assignment acknowledging signals and transmits a subsequent ID assigning command signal to another slave LAN instrument through the data line and through the connected ports of slave LAN instruments to which ID numbers have already been assigned. The upper and lower ports, i.e.

Abstract: A method for arbitrating for control of a network medium for transmission, combining aspects of the time slots and collision-based arbitration schemes by dynamically modifying the scheme used in accordance with network load. In a preferred embodiment, this is done by assigning time slots to the various nodes and arbitrating using the time slots when the network is free. If there are no requests for use of the network after a predefined number of time slots, any node can immediately access the network using a collision-detection method without being required to wait for a time slot arbitration procedure.

Abstract: A single channel communication bus system has stations which communicate with each other via the bus. Each station must have a unique address which is initialized during a system initialization. In order to facilitate initialization, a manufacturer-determined address is stored in a non-volatile memory. Search for a unique address for each station begins with the address stored in the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: The present invention encompasses a method of reconfiguring a distributed communication system (100). A typical distributed communication system (100) includes a plurality of repeaters (102-106) connected via a LAN (108, 110). When a repeater that is acting as an active master (104) receives a Trunking Status Pulse (118), the active master (104) will compare the status information in the received TSP (118) with the present status information to determine which active master is the favorable active master. The active master with the favorable present resource allocation loading level will continue to operate as the active master, while the active with the least favorable present resource allocation loading level will relinquish control as an active master.

Abstract: A desired static route is read from a static routing table and a polling is effected on a network connected to a terminal at regular intervals. If a normal response is issued from the network, then information about the above static route is entered in a routing table. If no normal response is delivered from the network, then the information about the static routes entered in the routing table is deleted.

Abstract: The object of this invention is to provide a multiplex transmission system which can effectively reduce the traffic amount associated with digital information on a communication line and can improve the efficiency of digital information transmission during a period after the beginning of activation of each of a plurality of communication nodes connected to the communication line until the communication nodes are set in a normal operation state. The multiplex transmission system includes a communication line (11) for transmitting multiplexed digital information, and a plurality of communication nodes (12A, 12B, 12C) each of which incorporates an arithmetic processing unit, and performs an information output operation for outputting digital information onto the communication line (11), and an information fetching operation for selectively fetching digital information from the communication line (11).