Abstract: A new and improved control system architecture with a single server interface for application software that eliminates manual intervention by providing online, immediate access to information needed for plant/enterprise optimization, operation, configuration, maintenance and diagnostic application software. The control system architecture provides a method of dynamically creating a server directory to enable automatic access in an integrated control system. The method includes accessing a live list of fieldbus devices, building/updating a browse tree structure, the browse tree structure defining a branch and leaf node organization and naming for and data from the fieldbus devices, copying AP directories and FF objects from active fieldbus devices into a FF directory and mapping the FF Directory into the server directory.

Abstract: A new and improved control system architecture with a single server interface for application software that eliminates manual intervention by providing online, immediate access to information needed for plant/enterprise optimization, operation, configuration, maintenance and diagnostic application software. The control system architecture provides a method of dynamically creating a server directory to enable automatic access in an integrated control system. The method includes accessing a live list of fieldbus devices, building/updating a browse tree structure, the browse tree structure defining a branch and leaf node organization and naming for and data from the fieldbus devices, copying AP directories and FF objects from active fieldbus devices into a FF directory and mapping the FF Directory into the server directory.

Abstract: A system and method for accessing parameters or objects using a tag parameter interface in a fieldbus system. The present invention enables access to parameters or objects using the tag parameter construct without requiring the user to perform any pre-configuration of connections or name to index mappings. This considerably simplifies user development of applications in a fieldbus network, wherein the user is completely shielded from all Fieldbus Foundation protocol details. According to the present invention, the user is not required to have any knowledge about the details of the VCR, how to set up or establish the VCR, or even that an entity called "VCR" exists in the system. Also, the present invention automatically maps the parameter name to an index, and thus the user is shielded from the details of construction of the device.

Abstract: A method for accessing data on a fieldbus device in a fieldbus network which comprises user selectable models of data ownership. The fieldbus device includes a user application executing on the fieldbus device and a function block shell executing on the fieldbus device. The method comprises receiving a request to access data on a fieldbus device. In response to the request, the function block shell determines the ownership attribute of the data, wherein possible ownership attributes include user owned or shell owned. The shell accesses the data in response to determining that the ownership attribute of the data is shell owned. The user application accesses the data in response to determining that the ownership attribute of the data is user owned. The method further includes shell notify and user pointer ownership models which provide additional flexibility.