Redundant automation system

A redundant automation system having a plurality of automation devices which are connected to one another, wherein each of the plurality of automation devices processes a control program in order to control a technical process and wherein at least one of the plurality of automation devices operates as a slave and at least two of these automation devices each operates as a master, the redundant automation system comprising:

• a plurality of master devices, each configured to run a respective master program and to process processing sections of the respective master program of the respective master program;
• and
• a slave device configured to process a corresponding slave control program for each master control program run by the plurality of master devices and, if one of the plurality of master devices fails, to assume the function of the failed master,
• wherein each of the plurality of master devices is further configured to transmit a master release to the slave device after an event has occurred or after the expiry of a predefined interval of time,
• wherein the master release indicates to the slave device the processing section up to which the slave device can process the slave control program corresponding to the master control program of the failed master device,
• wherein the slave device is further configured to process processing sections of the slave control programs on the basis of the master releases,
• wherein the processing sections correspond to those processing sections of the master control programs that have already been processed from previous master releases to the current master releases.