Fieldbus Connectivity Services

A network device for an industrial automation system, the network device being configured to perform a method of providing fieldbus connectivity, the method comprising, by the network device for the industrial automation system:

• obtaining fieldbus connectivity requirements specifying a required fieldbus protocol type using which the network device is to communicate;
• loading, from a library, a fieldbus connectivity service, wherein the fieldbus connectivity service comprises fieldbus stack software and a fieldbus stack hardware configuration for implementing a protocol stack which conforms to the required fieldbus protocol type;
• using the fieldbus stack hardware configuration to carry out partial reconfiguration of a flexible fieldbus communications interface, wherein the flexible fieldbus communications interface comprises a portion which remains unaltered during the partial reconfiguration;
• binding the fieldbus stack software to a portion of the flexible fieldbus communications interface that was partially reconfigured using the fieldbus stack hardware configuration;
• and
• using the protocol stack which conforms to the required fieldbus protocol type to provide fieldbus connectivity at the network device.

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method of providing fieldbus connectivity, the method comprising, by a network device for an industrial automation system:

• obtaining fieldbus connectivity requirements specifying a required fieldbus protocol type using which the network device is to communicate;
• loading, from a library, a fieldbus connectivity service, wherein the fieldbus connectivity service comprises fieldbus stack software and a fieldbus stack hardware configuration for implementing a protocol stack which conforms to the required fieldbus protocol type;
• using the fieldbus stack hardware configuration to carry out partial reconfiguration of a flexible fieldbus communications interface, wherein the flexible fieldbus communications interface comprises a portion which remains unaltered during the partial reconfiguration;
• binding the fieldbus stack software to a portion of the flexible fieldbus communications interface that was partially reconfigured using the fieldbus stack hardware configuration;
• and
• using the protocol stack which conforms to the required fieldbus protocol type to provide fieldbus connectivity at the network device.