Chapter 3 Software Installation and Configuration
© National Instruments Corporation
3-3
AT-FBUS for Windows NT
Configure the Fieldbus Communication Parameters and Interface
Name
You must assign a unique address and a unique physical device tag to
each of your fieldbus interfaces. Your interface must be at a fixed address
or a visitor address for you to start using NI-FBUS.
To assign addresses and tags using the NI-FBUS Configuration utility,
click on the port you want to edit, and click on the Edit button. The
NI-FBUS Configuration utility displays the default logical interface name
and some configuration information. Change these settings if necessary.
If you want to assign a fixed address to your fieldbus interface, choose
Fixed Address and enter a value in the range 0x10 to 0xF7. If you want
your interface to be a temporary device that you do not intend to connect
to the fieldbus for an extended time, choose Visitor Address. If you want
a fieldbus network configuration utility to assign an address to your
interface over the fieldbus, choose Default Address.
Enter a unique tag at the Device Tag prompt. You may leave this empty
if you have set the address to Default Address and you want a fieldbus
network configuration utility to assign a tag over the fieldbus.
NI-FBUS assigns default values for other communication parameters.
Click on the Advanced button to view or change these parameters.
You do not have to reenter these configuration parameters every time you
power up your PC because NI-FBUS saves them. NI-FBUS also saves
changes made to these parameters over the fieldbus.
Configure the Link Active Schedule File
If you are using the NI-FBUS Configurator, you should not configure the
Link Active Schedule file; continue to the next section, Using the
NI-FBUS Configuration Utility after Installation. Or if you do not want
to do scheduling or use publishers and subscribers, continue to the next
section. If you want to do scheduling and use publishers and subscribers,
you must configure the Link Active Schedule file. Refer to Appendix A,
Configuring the Link Active Schedule File, in the NI-FBUS User Manual
for Windows NT, and then test the NI-FBUS software installation, as
described in the Test the Installation section later in this chapter.
