Accessing and updating a configuration database from distributed physical locations within a process control system

A configuration database system for use in storing configuration data pertaining to a process control system having a plurality of geographically distributed physical locations, the configuration database system comprising:

• a configuration database located at each of the plurality of physical locations, wherein each of the configuration databases is adapted to originally store a different portion of the configuration data;
• a communication network that communicatively couples the plurality of geographically distributed physical locations together;
• and
• a configuration application adapted to communicate with each of the databases via the communication network and to use data from two or more of the configuration databases to perform a configuration activity,
• wherein the configuration application is adapted to subscribe to a subset of the configuration data within a first one of the configuration databases and the first one of the configuration databases includes a database server having a first routine that automatically recognizes a change to the subset of the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the configuration application subscribes and a second routine that automatically notifies the configuration application of the change to the subset of the configuration data.

A configuration database system for use in storing configuration data pertaining to a process control system having a plurality of geographically distributed physical locations, the configuration database system comprising:

• a configuration database located at each of the plurality of physical locations, wherein each of the configuration databases is adapted to originally store a different portion of the configuration data;
• a communication network that communicatively couples the plurality of geographically distributed physical locations together;
• and
• a configuration application adapted to communicate with each of the databases via the communication network and to use data from two or more of the configuration databases to perform a configuration activity,
• wherein the configuration databases are established in a hierarchy having at least two configuration databases in a lower level and at least one configuration database in an upper level, and wherein the each of the configuration databases in the lower level are communicatively coupled to the configuration database within the upper level.

A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

• a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;
• a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data;
• and
• a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;
• wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations to enable the users to perform one or more configuration activities with respect to the process control system using the first and second Portions of the configuration data.

A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

• a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;
• a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data;
• and
• a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;
• wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations;
• and
• wherein the second configuration database is adapted to subscribe to configuration data within the first configuration database and wherein the first configuration database includes a database server having a first routine that automatically detects a change to the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the second configuration database subscribes and a second routine that automatically notifies the second configuration database of the change to the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the second configuration database subscribes.

A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

• a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;
• a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data;
• and
• a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;
• wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations;
• and
• further including first and second configuration applications and a database server associated with the first configuration database, wherein the database server includes a shared cache that provides concurrent access to any particular item of configuration data within the first configuration database to the first and second configuration applications and includes a locking routine that locks the particular item of configuration data within the first configuration database when the first configuration application writes to the particular item of configuration data to thereby prevent the second configuration application from changing the particular item of configuration data when the first configuration application is writing to the particular item of configuration data.

A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

• a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;
• a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data;
• and
• a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;
• wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations;
• and
• further including a third configuration database located at a third physical location and wherein the first, second and third configuration databases are established in a hierarchy in which the first and the second configuration databases are in a lower level and the third configuration database is in an upper level, and wherein the each of first and second configuration databases in the lower level are communicatively coupled to the third configuration database within the upper level via the communication network.

A method of storing and using configuration data related to a process control system when the process control system has two or more physical locations which are geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing a different portion of the configuration data within each of a plurality of configuration databases, wherein two of the configuration databases are located at different physical locations;
• providing a communication link between each of the configuration databases, and
• accessing different configuration data from two or more of the configuration databases at the same time to perform a configuration activity,
• wherein the step of accessing different configuration data includes the step of using an application to subscribe to the accessed configuration data from the two or more of the configuration databases and automatically sending any changes made to the accessed configuration data from the two or more configuration databases to the application.

A method of storing and using configuration data related to a process control system when the process control system has two or more physical locations which are geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing a different portion of the configuration data within each of a plurality of configuration databases, wherein two of the configuration databases are located at different physical locations;
• providing a communication link between each of the configuration databases, and
• accessing different configuration data from two or more of the configuration databases at the same time to perform a configuration activity, and
• further including the step of establishing a hierarchy among the configuration databases, wherein the hierarchy includes two configuration databases within a lower level and one configuration database within an upper level, and establishing communications between each of the two configuration databases within the lower level and the one configuration database within the upper level.

A process control system comprising:

• a database located at a first physical location, wherein the database stores database components;
• a multiplicity of client applications, wherein one of the client applications is located at a second physical location substantially geographically separated from the first physical location;
• a communication link between the first physical location and the second physical location;
• and
• a database server the provides access to the database components within the database by the multiplicity of client applications, the database server including:
• a shared cache having a plurality of memory objects, wherein each of the memory objects communicates with the database and stores a copy of one of the database components being accessed by at least one of the multiplicity of clients;
• and
• one or more communication objects associated with each of the client applications, wherein each of the communication objects communicates with an associated one of the client applications and with one of the memory objects,
• wherein a memory object that is being accessed by two or more client applications is communicatively coupled to two or more communication objects.