Highly-versatile field devices and communication networks for use in control and automation systems

A method of performing control and communications in a process or factory environment, comprising:

• configuring a first communication network disposed in the process or factory environment to support packetized, addressed messages;
• connecting a plurality of field devices disposed within the process or factory environment to the first communication network, wherein at least one of the plurality of field devices includes a field device hardware component that interacts with a physical phenomenon in the process or factory environment, a processor coupled to the field device hardware component and to first communication network, a computer readable memory coupled to the processor, and an operating system stored in the memory and implemented on the processor to perform communications via the first communication network;
• coupling a second communication network configured to support packetized, addressed messages to the first communication network via an interface device that is configured to transfer addressed messages between the first communication network and the second communication network;
• configuring a factory or process controller coupled to the second communication network to communicate with the at least one of the field devices through the second communication network, the interface device and the first communication network via packetized, addressed messages and to execute a real-time control routine to perform real-time control of a manufacturing process within the process or factory environment using the at least one of the plurality of field devices;
• configuring a second computer device coupled to the second communication network to communicate through the second communication network, the interface device and the first communication network with the at least one of the field devices via packetized, addressed messages independently of the factory or process controller;
• and
• using one or more communication applications stored in the memory of the at least one of the field devices and executed on the processor of the at least one of the field devices and managed by the operating system of the at least one of the field devices to communicate over the first and second communication networks with the process or factory controller and with the second computer device via separate packetized, addressed messages.