System and methodology that facilitates client and server interaction in a distributed industrial automation environment

A method to facilitate component interactions with an industrial controller, comprising:

• providing a namespace directory that includes one or more directory objects;
• mapping the one or more directory objects into at least one of an area, an
• application, and a directory entry;
• providing at least one client interface to access the namespace directory;
• and
• defining a directory hierarchy based on a physical topology of automation devices analogous to physical locations of the automation devices within an installation.

An industrial control system, comprising:

• a namespace component to aggregate a plurality of service names, the plurality of service names accessible by one or more clients and one or more servers, the service names associated with a plurality of logical names, the clients and servers operative to interact with at least one aspect of an industrial control process;
• and
• an interface component employed to access the namespace component via at least one of the plurality of logical names in order to facilitate communications with at least one physical device that is supported by the one or more clients and the one or more servers;
• and
• the namespace component provides a structured hierarchy of the plurality of service names, the hierarchy maps to a physical plant floor layout which indicates location of the at least one physical device within an installation.

A method to facilitate component interactions in an industrial controller environment, comprising:

• creating one or more directory client instances that support interfaces for a directory;
• creating at least one of a logical area container, a physical server definition, and other directory entries in relation to the directory;
• creating within the logical area container a directory entry specific to at least one service that references at least one server communicating with one or more industrial controllers;
• and
• creating an access hierarchy of logical area containers that maps to a physical layout of the one or more controllers in an industrial environment.