Method and Apparatus for Distributing Configuration Files in a Distributed Control System

An industrial automation system comprising:

• a programmable logic controller (PLC) having a software program for creating a downloadable configuration file;
• a network interface module (NIM) coupled to the PLC via a fieldbus network adapted to receive the downloadable configuration file via the fieldbus network from the PLC;
• and
• an I/O module coupled to the NIM, the I/O module being configured by the configuration file.

A distributed I/O island for an industrial automation system, including:

• one or more I/O points;
• a network interface module (NIM), wherein the NIM includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, and wherein the memory contains computer executable instructions to perform the steps of:
• (a) receiving at the NIM a configuration file in a data payload via a fieldbus protocol;
• (b) extracting at the NIM the configuration file;
• and
• (c) loading at the NIM the configuration file.