Automation Device, Computer Program, Computer-Readable Medium and Method for Automatically Configuring an Automation Device

A method for automatically configuring an industrial automation device, the method comprising:

• a) providing an automation device which is suitable for functioning as a node of a cluster and for executing at least one automation task is provided,
• b) monitoring, by a device management unit, whether an automation identifier is allocated to the automation device;
• c) querying, by the device management unit, upon identifying such an allocation, a central cluster management unit to determine whether a description object already exists in a cluster state database associated with the cluster and containing description objects for nodes of the cluster, said description object storing the automation identifier allocated to the automation device;
• d) considering the description object as a description object of the automation device in an event such a description object already exists for a node identifier allocated to the automation device;
• and
• e) generating, by the device management unit, a description object in the cluster state database for the node identifier allocated to the automation device in the event that such a description object exists for a node identifier other than the description object allocated to the automation device and is declared as inactive and in the event that no such description object yet exists, said description object one of (i) storing the automation identifier allocated to the automation device, (ii) storing the automation identifier allocated to the automation device in a description object which already exists for a node identifier allocated to the automation device in the cluster state database and (iii) initiating the storage or the generation.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with program instructions which, when executed by a processor on at least one computer, prompt the at least one computer to automatically configuring an industrial automation device, the program instructions comprising:

• a) program code for providing an automation device which is suitable for functioning as a node of a cluster and for executing at least one automation task is provided;
• b) program code for monitoring, by a device management unit, whether an automation identifier is allocated to the automation device;
• c) program code for querying, by the device management unit, upon identifying such an allocation, a central cluster management unit to determine whether a description object already exists in a cluster state database associated with the cluster and containing description objects for nodes of the cluster, said description object storing the automation identifier allocated to the automation device;
• d) program code for considering the description object as a description object of the automation device in an event such a description object already exists for a node identifier allocated to the automation device;
• and
• e) program code for generating, by the device management unit, a description object in the cluster state database for the node identifier allocated to the automation device in the event that such a description object exists for a node identifier other than the description object allocated to the automation device and is declared as inactive and in the event that no such description object yet exists, said description object one of (i) storing the automation identifier allocated to the automation device, (ii) storing the automation identifier allocated to the automation device in a description object which already exists for a node identifier allocated to the automation device in the cluster state database and (iii) initiating the storage or the generation.