Apparatus for operating a process installation

A set-up for operating a process plant, which set-up comprises:

• a control station;
• at least one field device, which ascertains or monitors at least one process variable, each field device having a data memory and a program memory, in which a boot-loader software is persistently implemented, said boot-loader software enables communication of said at least one field device with said control station;
• and
• a transmission link, via which said control station and said at least one field device, or field devices, communicate with one another during operation, wherein:
• each field device transmits, upon booting of the field device, via said transmission link, device-specific information to said control station;
• said control station transmits to said at least one field device, after receipt of the device-specific information, application- and/or device-specific, measurement/control/evaluation software, which is matched to a particular application of the field device and which the field device stores in said data memory associated with the field device;
• and
• said at least one field device makes available, based on application- and/or device-specific, measurement/control/evaluation software available to it during operation, information concerning the process variable.