General Network Configuration
- Gary Cane
Network Configuration
Setting up a network in Design Pad G4 requires three steps:
Step 1 - Adding a physical network to a workspace (and, when applicable, defining the logical protocol)
Adding a physical network to a workspace makes that network's protocol available to all the compatible devices in the workspace. To add a network, select the Network View tab in the Workspace pane and right click on the Workspace name to get to the Add Network… option in the resulting drop-down menu. Design Pad G4 will respond with the Add Physical Network to Workspace dialog.
Name the new network and use the Physical Layer Type pulldown to select the physical layer the network will use. For physical protocols that cannot execute multiple logical protocols at the same time, you also need to specify the Protocol type using the Protocol Type pulldown.
If any other networks are already defined in the workspace, their names appear in the bottom list box.
After you have defined the network characteristics, press the OK button to create the network. Design Pad will add the new network in the Workspace Network View.
For physical protocols that allow multiple logical protocols, the Protocol Type pulldown will be disabled. In order to select the protocol, right-click on the physical network name. Select the Add logical Network option.
Design Pad G4 responds with the Add Logical Network to Physical Network dialog. Double-click on the protocol name to add it to the Protocol list in the bottom pane. Name this network or accept the default name provided. Press the OK button to create the network. Design Pad will add the new network in the Workspace NetworkView.
Step 2 - Enabling support for the selected protocol in a compatible networking device
The next step is to enable support for the network protocol(s) within each device in the workspace. Select the desired hardware interface file window and right-click on the target device (e.g., network interface module, controller, or third-party hardware) and select Module Properties... from the drop-down menu. Design Pad will bring up the Module Properties dialog.
Select the desired network protocol type in the left pane. The contents of the right pane change according to the left-pane selection. By default, all protocols are initially disabled. To enable the protocol, click in the Protocol Enabled checkbox. Press OK to accept the changes.
Step 3 - Attaching that networking module to the physical network in the workspace
We are now ready to assign the physical device to the network. Go to the Workspace FileView tab and right click on the device to be assigned to the network. Select the Assign Network option from the drop-down menu. Design Pad will bring up the Attach network interfaces dialog.
Select the physical network from the dropdown list. After this is selected, the available protocols for that network will appear in the panel below.
Check the box for the desired protocol type. Press OK to complete the network assignment.
The result is reflected in the addition of a device-specific entry in the Workspace NetworkView tab.
External Devices
When a non-Fairmount Automation device needs to be part of the network, it is represented by an external device in the workspace. To incorporate an external device, create a hardware interface file, add it to the workspace and then and choose External Devices->User Defined from the Controllers menu.
This adds an external device module to the node. It's appearance can be customized by right-clicking on the new device and selecting the Select Bitmap option to assign a bitmap file to give a "face" to the device. The I/O and networking capabilities of the device are specified by right-clicking on the device and selecting the Manage Hardware Resources option.
In the Manage External Device Hardware dialog, select from the list of possible items in the right panel and move them to the left panel using the left arrow button. Add inputs and outputs to match the device capabilities. Press OK when complete.
On the workspaces FileView tab, right-click on the device and select Assign Network to add it to the appropriate network. For PROFIBUS devices, a GSD file may be imported to describe characteristics.
Similar to Fairmount Automation products, the 3rd party external devices (if desired) can have schemas linked to them for use in network simulations (for those protocols that support simulation). This can be useful to test how the Fairmount Automation product's schema performs under the conditions programmed into the external devices schema when connected via the network. External devices also may use the rear panel during simulation.
