IO-link system with diagnostic channel

Method for operating an IO-Link system including at least one IO-Link master;

• at least one IO-Link device;
• at least one IO link-capable infrastructure component, the at least one IO-Link master and the at least one IO-Link device being connected via the at least one infrastructure component and exchange data via a data channel (K1), the infrastructure component has an apparatus for recording diagnostic data, and a diagnostic channel (K2) provided in the IO-Link system, via which diagnostic channel (K2) the diagnostic data being transmitted and received between the at least one infrastructure component and the at least one IO-Link master separately from the data channel (K1), the method comprising the following steps:
• a) providing the data channel (K1) of the connection between the at least one IO-Link device and the at least one IO-Link master;
• b) providing a description file (IODD1) for the device data of the data channel (K1);
• c) providing the diagnostic channel (K2) of the connection between the at least one IO-Link-capable infrastructure component and the at least one IO-Link master, which is separate from the data channel (K1);
• d) providing a description file (IODD2) for the diagnostic data of the diagnostic channel (K2);
• e) evaluating the device data and evaluating the diagnostic data independently of each other.