Abstract: A method for operating a redundant automation system provided with a first subsystem and a second subsystem, wherein one of the subsystems is operated as a master (M) and the other subsystem is operated as a slave (S), the subsystems (M, S) are provided with transmission and reception tasks to transmit and receive messages, and wherein messages are also interchanged with program path synchronization within the scope of a temporally asynchronous run through a program path in the master and the slave.

Abstract: A method for operating an automation system having at least two subsystems which are each provided with a control program, wherein relevant data from one subsystem is transmitted to the other subsystem within the scope of an updating phase of the automation system to transfer process control from a solo mode of one of the subsystems to a redundant control mode with another of the subsystems so as to facilitate updating.

Abstract: A redundant automation system and a method for operating the redundant automation system which is provided with a first subsystem and a second subsystem that each process a control program while controlling a technical process, one of these subsystems operating as a master and the other subsystem operating as a slave, and the slave assuming the function of the master if the master fails such that it becomes possible to dispense with temporally synchronous communication between the participants with regard to the synchronization of the program processing in the two subsystems, thus reducing the communication load.

Abstract: A method for configuring or reconfiguring an automation device and an automation device suitable for a configuration or a reconfiguration are provided. The automation device has a programmable controller (14) with a CPU unit (14a) and decentralized peripheral devices (16, 17, 18). In this method and automation device, newly supplied configuration data can be evaluated for changes in the hardware configuration and can be integrated during a configuration or a reconfiguration interval (21) without the automation device having to switch to a STOP mode. As a result, it is not necessary for centralized and/or decentralized peripheral modules to adopt a controlled (safe) state, which means that control can be resumed immediately after the reconfiguration.

Abstract: A method and an engineering system that reduce the configuration complexity with regard to a possible expansion of the automation device are provided. The automation device includes slave units and a master unit (7, 15) connected to the slave units via a bus. The slave units include one or more slave units (11, 12, 16, 17) and one or more reserve slave units (13, 18). The configuration of a reserve slave unit (13, 18) enables the master access time interval (20) and the slave access time intervals (21, 22, 23) to be expanded for a possible expansion of the automation device. As a result, a configured automation device of this type can be expanded by an additional slave unit without additional configuration or reconfiguration.

Abstract: A method for configuring or reconfiguring an automation device and an automation device suitable for a configuration or a reconfiguration are provided. The automation device has a programmable controller (14) with a CPU unit (14a) and decentralized peripheral devices (16, 17, 18). In this method and automation device, newly supplied configuration data can be evaluated for changes in the hardware configuration and can be integrated during a configuration or a reconfiguration interval (21) without the automation device having to switch to a STOP mode. As a result, it is not necessary for centralized and/or decentralized peripheral modules to adopt a controlled (safe) state, which means that control can be resumed immediately after the reconfiguration.

Abstract: A method and an engineering system that reduce the configuration complexity with regard to a possible expansion of the automation device are provided. The automation device includes slave units and a master unit (7, 15) connected to the slave units via a bus. The slave units include one or more slave units (11, 12, 16, 17) and one or more reserve slave units (13, 18). The configuration of a reserve slave unit (13, 18) enables the master access time interval (20) and the slave access time intervals (21, 22, 23) to be expanded for a possible expansion of the automation device. As a result, a configured automation device of this type can be expanded by an additional slave unit without additional configuration or reconfiguration.

Abstract: An arrangement in which at least one master unit is linked via a bus to a multiple of slave units, each slave unit having a memory in which the master unit carries out read and/or write accesses. The master unit can initiate a data access uniformly on each of the slave units according to a predetermined communication protocol. Moreover, a slave unit is proposed which is suitable for a communication with a master unit according to this protocol. The arrangement can be used in programmable controllers.