Universal management of fieldbus systems using intranet technology

The increasing use of PC-based solutions in control systems allows the introduction of Intranet technologies to fieldbuses, especially for management purposes. The paper shows concepts and strategies for a universal management solution for fieldbus systems based on Intranet. An exemplary solution covering P-NET and CAN systems within a single environment is described. It provides data access as well as management functions for different fieldbuses using a browser as an unique, easy to handle user interface. Different strategies for a mapping of the bus systems´ management functions to web-based solutions are described. Problems, benefits and further trends are discussed from the users´ and vendors´ points of view.