Method and apparatus for distributing configuration files in a distributed control system

In a distributed control system of an industrial automation network, the control system comprising a master device, a slave device, and a sub-network of control devices including a first control device coupled to the at least one slave device, a method comprising:

• creating at the master device a configuration file, wherein the configuration file contains a configuration object for configuring the first control device;
• sending, by the master device, the configuration file to the slave device via one or more data payload portions of a fieldbus protocol;
• configuring the slave device using the configuration file;
• and
• configuring, by the slave device, the first control device based on the configuration object.

An industrial automation system comprising:

• a programmable logic controller (PLC) having a software program for creating and sending a downloadable configuration file via one or more data payload portions of a fieldbus protocol;
• a network interface module (NIM) coupled to the PLC via a fieldbus network, the NIM adapted to receive the downloadable configuration file via the fieldbus network from the PLC and to be configured using the configuration file;
• and
• an I/O module coupled to the NIM, the I/O module being configured by the NIM using a subset of configuration information contained in the configuration file.

In a distributed control system of an industrial automation network, the control system having a master device, a slave device, and a sub-network of control devices that includes a first control device, a method, comprising:

• receiving at the slave device, from the master device, a data payload via a fieldbus protocol;
• configuring the slave device based on a first portion of the data payload;
• and
• configuring, by the slave device, the sub-network of control devices based on a second portion of the data payload.

A method in an industrial automation network, comprising:

• receiving, by a slave device from a master device, a configuration file in a data payload via a fieldbus protocol over the industrial automation network;
• configuring the slave device using the configuration file;
• and
• configuring, by the slave device, a first device coupled to the slave device using only a portion of the configuration file.