Network configuration in industrial automation system

Abstract

The invention relates to network configuration in an industrial automation system. Appropriate configuration for implementing redundant network devices makes challenges in the field of industrial automation systems. Therefore, a network configuration method for an industrial automation system is provided. The method comprises: obtaining network configuration data by a process control system, the process control system comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device being associated with a network switch; and configuring the network device using the network configuration data. The network configuration data identifies at least a redundancy protocol to be used by each network device. Acquisition of the network configuration data includes activating one or more network connections of the network switch as a minimum number of network connections for acquiring the network configuration data, and receiving the network configuration data via the activated one or more network connections. By receiving network configuration data via a minimum number of activated network connections, the risk of forming undesired network interconnects can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a system for network configuration in an industrial automation system. Background Art

[0002] In the field of industrial automation, process control systems usually include at least one network switch that interconnects network devices. Depending on the availability requirements, redundancy exists at the protocol or application level. Current methods for configuring redundancy in network devices are error-prone, time-consuming, and susceptible to compatibility issues. Therefore, proper configuration of network devices is becoming increasingly important to ensure the availability of critical components of process control systems. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to better solve one or more of these problems, in a first aspect of the present invention, a method for network configuration in an industrial automation system is provided, the method comprising:

[0004] acquiring, by a process control system, network configuration data, the process control system comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device being associated with a network switch, wherein the network configuration data identifies at least a redundancy protocol to be used by each network device; and

[0005] Use network configuration data to configure network devices,

[0006] The acquiring of the network configuration data includes activating one or more network connections of the network switch as a minimum number of network connections for acquiring the network configuration data, and receiving the network configuration data via the one or more activated network connections.

[0007] By receiving network configuration data via a minimum number of active network connections, and only via those network connections, the risk of creating bad network interconnections that impair availability may be reduced.

[0008] Activating the network connection may include activating only the port corresponding to the network connection. For further confirmation, any other ports present in the process control system may be disabled. More specifically, enabling only those ports corresponding to the network connection may include enabling only those exposed ports corresponding to the network connection, and optionally disabling other exposed ports, wherein each network device includes at least one exposed port for establishing a network connection with an automation system component external to the process control system, and at least one non-exposed port for establishing a connection with a component internal to the process control system. For example, a first network device may enable an exposed port for receiving network configuration data while also enabling at least one non-exposed port for internal connection to a second network device, and the second network device similarly enables a non-exposed port for connecting to the first network device to receive configuration data therefrom.

[0009] In many cases, the minimum number of network connections to be activated is one, so only a single network connection associated with a single controller is activated. One or more network connections to be activated can be pre-designated as primary network connections, for example using a default switch configuration, so that the process control system and engineering tools can use them during the commissioning sequence. The designation of one or more network connections as primary network connections can be adjusted as appropriate to achieve a floating primary network connection. For example, a floating primary network connection may be beneficial in the case where a network device attempts to obtain an IP address via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). The network device may attempt to contact a DHCP server N times. If no response is received, the network device may change the primary network connection. It should be understood that the minimum number of network connections refers to the network connections that are activated simultaneously during the commissioning sequence to receive network configuration data, and after commissioning, other network connections may become active during normal operation.

[0010] The redundancy protocols used by the network devices may differ. In particular, the network configuration data may be used to configure a first network device to use a first redundancy protocol and to configure a second network device to use a second redundancy protocol, wherein the first and second redundancy protocols are at least partially incompatible. In this case, activating only a minimum number of network connections is particularly useful for reducing the risk of incompatibility between the redundancy protocols leading to poor interconnections.

[0011] Once the process control system receives the network configuration data, appropriate measures will be taken to use the data to configure any network devices that need to be configured. Using the network configuration data to configure the network device may include configuring at least one processor and / or at least one network switch of the network device. In one example, a first network device among a plurality of network devices receives the network configuration data through one or more activated network connections, and uses the network configuration data to configure itself (including, for example, a network switch and / or its processor associated therewith) and one or more other network devices in the process control system. In another example, the first network device receives the network configuration data, uses the network configuration data to configure itself, and forwards the network configuration data to one or more other network devices in the process control system, which then uses the network configuration data to configure itself. Communication between network devices within the process control system may be performed by installing one or more interconnects (such as a bus) in a terminal unit. To this end, as described above, each network device may include at least one non-exposed port for connecting to one or more interconnects.

[0012] The process control system may also use the network configuration data for remote configuration of one or more other process control systems to achieve remote redundancy. For example, a process control system that is a first process control system may forward received network configuration data to a second process control system, wherein the network configuration data includes network configuration data that also belongs to the second process control system.

[0013] Once received, the network configuration data may be stored in a non-volatile memory of the process control system. The non-volatile memory may form part of one or more controllers. Additionally or alternatively, the non-volatile memory may form part of an installation terminal unit.

[0014] The network configuration data for all network devices of the process control system may be provided and received in the form of a single configuration file to ensure consistency of configuration. Alternatively, the network configuration data for all network devices of the process control system may be provided and received via multiple configuration files, the multiple configuration files including, for example, one file for each redundant network pair. In the case where the network configuration data is received via multiple configuration files, the process control system may perform a consistency check to ensure consistency of the configurations described by the multiple configuration files. Additionally or alternatively, since the multiple configuration files are created using the same engineering tool, it may be considered that consistency of the configuration is ensured.

[0015] The method may further include performing one or more sanity checks or validation procedures on the received network configuration data and / or the configuration described therein before, during and / or after the commissioning sequence.

[0016] In a second aspect, a method for network configuration in an industrial automation system is provided, the method comprising:

[0017] constructing, using an engineering tool, network configuration data for a process control system, the process control system comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device being associated with a network switch, wherein the network configuration data is usable by the process control system to configure the network devices, and wherein the network configuration data identifies at least a redundancy protocol to be used by each network device; and

[0018] During the commissioning sequence, network configuration data is downloaded from the engineering tool to the process control system.

[0019] The network configuration data may be downloaded to the process control system in the manner described elsewhere herein via a minimum number of network connections that are activated by the process control system for this purpose.

[0020] A method for network configuration in an industrial automation system is also provided, the method comprising executing the methods of the first and second aspects.

[0021] The method of the first and / or second aspect may be implemented by a computer.Any method described herein may constitute a part of a method of using an industrial automation system to produce a product, and / or a part of a method of controlling an industrial automation system to execute a production process of producing a product.

[0022] According to a third aspect, a data processing system configured to perform the method of the first and / or second aspect is provided. The data processing system may include or be contained in a computing system as described herein. In the case where the data processing system performs the method of the first aspect, the data processing system may include or be contained in a process control system as described herein or a network device of the process control system as described herein. The network device may include, for example, a controller or a network adapter as described herein. The data processing system may alternatively include or be contained in an insert of a mounting terminal unit (MTU) or a backplane or MTU, wherein the insert is used to provide physical and communication coupling between the MTU and a module (such as a controller). In the case where the data processing system performs the method of the second aspect, the data processing system may include or be contained in an engineering server that executes an engineering tool as described herein. The present disclosure also provides an automation system including the data processing system of the third aspect.

[0023] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program (product) comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system, enable or cause the computing system to perform the method of the first and / or second aspect.

[0024] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable (storage) medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computing system, enables or causes the computing system to perform the method of the first and / or second aspects. The instruction computer readable medium may be transient or non-transient, volatile or non-volatile.

[0025] The systems and methods described herein provide a strategy for commissioning or expanding an automation system network that does not interfere with the existing operational control network and does not link any redundant networks to the network that the redundant network is intended to replace in the event of a failure. The systems and methods described herein alleviate the need for separate commissioning of network devices (such as controllers) that use different redundancy protocols. The systems and methods described herein simplify network device commissioning, reduce the risk of adjacent Ethernet-connected devices, and enforce isolation of redundant networks.

[0026] "Process control system" refers to any system used to control an industrial process performed by an automation system. A process control system may include a plurality of network devices that are physically and communicatively interconnected by mounting terminal units, wherein the network devices typically include at least one controller.

[0027] A "network device" refers to any device connected to at least one network of an industrial automation system using a network switch. The network device module may include, for example, a controller or a network adapter as described herein.

[0028] A "controller" as described herein may include hardware, firmware, and / or software configured to perform any operation or algorithm described herein, and may be alternatively described as a control module or control unit. Hardware may include hardwired circuits, programmable circuits (e.g., a computer processor including one or more separate instruction processing cores), or state machine circuits, alone or in any combination. Firmware may be embodied as code, instructions, and / or data stored or hard-coded in a storage device (e.g., a non-volatile storage device). Software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, and / or data recorded on at least one transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium.

[0029] An “automated system” is herein understood to mean a plant or production plant comprising one or more pipelines, lines and / or production lines for converting one or more educts into products and / or for assembling one or more components into a final product.

[0030] As used herein, the term "configuration data" or "configuration" refers to data used to configure a network device to enable the network device to access a network and / or use the network device. The configuration data may thus be used to configure at least one processor and / or at least one network switch of the network device. In particular, the configuration data may include data indicating which redundancy protocol the network device uses. The configuration data may include other configuration data, such as configuration data regarding routing and / or interface assignments.

[0031] "Redundancy" or "redundancy" refers to protocols or mechanisms that add additional components or functionality to maintain reliable operation in the event of a failure. For example, with component redundancy, the component in question represents one of two or more identical or similar components that are included to ensure availability in the event of a failure of one of them. Network redundancy allows a network to continue operating after a subnet failure by switching communications to a second subnet. Media redundancy establishes a secondary connection to a network for use in the event of a failure of the primary connection, such as using a ring topology.

[0032] A network device "associated with" a network switch mentioned herein may be understood to mean that the network device and the network switch are integrated into the same unit, or a separate network adapter including the network switch is provided to the network device for use, for example, by an independent controller.

[0033] As used herein, the term "acquire" may include, for example, receiving from another system, device, or process; receiving through interaction with a user; loading or retrieving from storage or memory; measuring or acquiring using a sensor or other data acquisition device.

[0034] As used herein, the term "determining" includes a wide variety of actions and may include, for example, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or other data structure), determining, etc. Furthermore, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. Furthermore, "determining" may include solving, selecting, deciding, establishing, etc.

[0035] The indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, "a" and "an" as used herein should generally be interpreted as "one or more" unless the context indicates otherwise or the singular form is clearly indicated.

[0036] Unless otherwise specified, or clear from context, the phrases "one or more of A, B, and C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "A, B, and / or C" as used in this Agreement are intended to mean all possible permutations of one or more of the listed items. That is, "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B), and "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0037] The term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps. In addition, the terms "including", "comprising", "having" and the like are used interchangeably herein.

[0038] The present invention may include one or more aspects, examples or features, either alone or in combination, whether specifically disclosed in that combination or disclosed alone.Any optional feature or sub-aspect of any aspect described above is applicable to any other aspect.

[0039] The foregoing aspects will become apparent and elucidated with reference to the detailed description provided hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] A detailed description will now be given, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0041] Figure 1 Graphical process control system;

[0042] Figure 2 is a flow chart representing a method for configuring a network in an industrial automation system; and

[0043] Figure 3 Illustrated is a computing system that may be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Figure 1The process control system 100 for controlling an industrial process performed by an automation system (not shown) is illustrated. The process control system 100 includes a plurality of controllers 102-108 that are physically and communicatively coupled to one another via a mounting terminal unit (MTU) 110, which may be alternately described as a backplane. The mounting terminal unit 110 includes a plurality of slots for accommodating the controllers 102-108. Each controller 102-108 may be removably connected to the mounting terminal unit 110 via a corresponding slot. The mounting terminal unit 110 includes a bus for communicatively coupling the controllers 102-108 to one another. The mounting terminal unit 110 may also optionally include a non-volatile memory that is also coupled to the bus so that it can be accessed by the controllers 102-108. The mounting terminal unit 110 may also include circuitry (not shown) for powering the controllers 102-108 and / or for accommodating a power module.

[0045] Each controller 102-108 is configured to control a corresponding process performed by the automation system. The process control system 100 can find applications in any industrial field that requires process automation, such as energy, oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical, etc. Each controller 102-108 handles process control and monitoring of the automation system by receiving input signals from sensors and instruments and outputting control signals for controlling factory equipment (such as pumps, valves, conveyors, mixers and heaters). Any such sensor, instrument or factory equipment can form part of one or more field devices. Each controller 102-108 is configured to execute a process control application to generate a control signal based on an input signal. The process control application may include control logic that indicates how the corresponding controller 102-108 responds to the input signal with an appropriate control signal to maintain the normal function of the process. In a non-limiting example, the process control application complies with the international standard IEC 61131. Each controller 102-108 includes a logic circuit 204 configured to execute a respective process control application. The logic circuit 204 may include a CPU, an MCU, a SoC, an FPGA, a DSP, and / or an ai engine, as well as any memory for signal processing. The logic circuit 204 may be further configured to perform any one or more other operations described herein.

[0046] Each controller 102-108 communicates with other components of the automation system via at least one communication network. To this end, each controller 102-108 has its own network switch and multiple ports, as shown in 112. Figure 1In the non-limiting example shown, the port is an Ethernet port for connecting to at least one Ethernet network. The at least one communication network of the automation system includes at least one control network. Various other networks may optionally be present, such as at least one fieldbus network, a redundant control network and / or a "redundant network" (i.e., an explicit connection between a set of two redundant controllers).

[0047] The process control system 100 further uses at least one of the network switches to communicate with an engineering tool. The engineering tool is usually implemented as a software package and is used to compose network configuration data for the process control system 100, which is downloaded to the process control system 100 during the commissioning process. The network configuration data indicates which redundancy protocol the network devices use to implement redundancy in the automation system.

[0048] Since network devices may use various redundancy protocols or profiles (e.g., using one switch in two separate PRP / RNRP networks or in the same network), which are at least partially incompatible with each other, it is very important to carefully commission the network when commissioning a new process control system or expanding an existing system. In an example, the systems and methods described herein can prevent the unintentional creation of a link between two networks in a redundant pair, thereby seriously affecting communication in the two networks. In another example not involving a media redundancy protocol, a configuration is performed to define whether two ports are in the same network (so that other devices can communicate through the switch in the controller) or whether the two ports are expected to be connected to separate networks (so that other devices cannot communicate through the switch in the controller).

[0049] The present disclosure recognizes that activating a minimum number of network connections simultaneously during a debugging sequence can reduce the risk of creating such interconnections. Therefore, the methods and systems described herein configure the network by activating as few ports as possible. Figure 1 As shown, the controller 102 has only one external RJ45 active. Therefore, this port serves as the primary configuration port for receiving configuration files for all ports available to the process control system 100. Designation of a particular port as a primary port may be independent of its subsequent function or relationship to the controller. Unused ports may be disabled.

[0050] Figure 2 The invention is a flow chart showing a method for configuring a network in an industrial automation system. For example, the configuration can be started by an engineering tool.

[0051] In step T1 , the engineering tool 200 is used to compose a configuration of the process control system 100 .

[0052] In step C1 , the process control system 100 activates the primary network connection to receive its configuration.

[0053] At step T2 , the engineering tool 200 downloads a configuration file 200 specifying the configuration of the process control system 100 to the process control system.

[0054] In step C2 , the process control system 100 receives a configuration file.

[0055] In step C3 , the process control system 100 configures its network devices using the configuration specified in the received configuration file 202 .

[0056] In this manner, multiple controllers 102-108 receive their configurations through the network interface of one controller, even if they are not subsequently in a redundant pair or have any other relationship with each other. Figure 1 In the non-limiting example shown, controllers 104 , 106 , and 108 receive their configuration from engineering tool 200 via an internal link to controller 102 provided by a bus of MTU 110 .

[0057] Configuration file 202 may include network configuration data specifying:

[0058] Port routing: enable / disable ports, MUX settings;

[0059] Redundancy protocols (one switch per network), such as Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP), Redundant Network Routing Protocol (RNRP), High Availability Seamless Redundancy Protocol (HSR), or Media Redundancy Protocol (MRP);

[0060] Logical network assignment, for example, causing the processor's network interface eth0 and / or the processor's eth1 to become the control network.

[0061] Configuration file 202 may contain any further data required for debugging or network configuration.

[0062] The configuration file 202 may contain the configuration of the entire process control system 100 or, when remote redundancy is applied, the configuration of both process control systems of a redundant pair to ensure consistency.

[0063] One or more of the controllers 102 - 108 may then store the configuration file 202 in internal non-volatile storage and / or non-volatile storage of the MTU 110 to simplify device replacement and subsequent rebooting.

[0064] Many variations of the systems and methods described herein are contemplated.

[0065] For example, although controllers 102-108 are described herein as including embedded switches, it should be understood that the methods and systems described herein are equally applicable where the controllers and network switches are implemented as separate units, such as where the network switches comprise part of a network adapter.

[0066] In one variation, the slots for accommodating the controllers 102-108 form part of a separate inlay, rather than part of a mounting terminal unit, where the inlay itself can be connected to the mounting terminal unit. The inlay can be used to adapt the MTU 110 to a particular controller variation. The inlay can further include any of the components or functionality imparted to the MTU 110 by the present disclosure, such as a bus, non-volatile memory, and / or data processing circuitry for performing any of the steps of the methods described herein involving the MTU 110.

[0067] In another variation, when commissioning a daisy-chained process control system, where all process control systems in the chain require configuration, a default network configuration for primary network connection availability is enabled by using a series of switch port push buttons during the commissioning sequence.

[0068] Figure 3 An exemplary computing system 800 that can be used according to the systems and methods disclosed herein is shown. The computing system 800 can constitute a part of any desktop computer, laptop computer, server, or cloud-based computing system or include any cloud-based computing system. The computing system 800 includes at least one processor 802 that executes instructions stored in a memory 804. The instructions can be, for example, instructions for implementing the functions described as being performed by one or more components described herein, or instructions for implementing one or more methods described herein. The processor 802 can access the memory 804 via a system bus 806. In order to store executable instructions, the memory 804 can also store dialogue inputs, scores assigned to dialogue inputs, etc.

[0069] The computing system 800 also includes a data store 808 that can be accessed by the processor 802 via the system bus 806. The data store 808 can include executable instructions, log data, etc. The computing system 800 also includes an input interface 810 that allows external devices to communicate with the computing system 800. For example, the input interface 810 can be used to receive instructions from an external computer device, a user, etc. The computing system 800 also includes an output interface 812 that interfaces the computing system 800 with one or more external devices. For example, the computing system 800 can display text, images, etc. through the output interface 812.

[0070] It is contemplated that external devices that communicate with the computing system 800 through the input interface 810 and the output interface 812 may be included in an environment that provides substantially any type of user interface with which a user may interact. Examples of user interface types include graphical user interfaces, natural user interfaces, and the like. For example, a graphical user interface may accept input from a user using an input device (such as a keyboard, mouse, remote control, and the like) and provide output on an output device (such as a display). In addition, a natural user interface may enable a user to interact with the computing system 800 in a manner that is not restricted by the limitations imposed by input devices (such as keyboards, mice, remote controls, and the like). In contrast, a natural user interface may rely on voice identification, touch and stylus identification, gesture identification on and near the screen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, voice and speech, vision, touch, gestures, machine intelligence, and the like.

[0071] Furthermore, although shown as a single system, it should be understood that the computing system 800 may be a distributed system. Thus, for example, several devices may communicate via a network connection and may jointly perform the tasks described as being performed by the computing system 800.

[0072] The various functions described herein can be implemented by hardware, software or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the function can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, the computer-readable storage medium may include flash storage media, random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, optical disk or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the required program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. The disk and disc used here include optical disks, laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks, floppy disks and blue-ray discs, wherein the disks usually reproduce data magnetically, and the disks usually reproduce data optically with lasers. In addition, the propagated signal can be included in the scope of computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media also include communication media, including any media that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. For example, the connection can be a communication medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies (such as infrared, radio and microwave), then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies (such as infrared, radio and microwave) are included in the definition of communication media. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0073] Alternatively, or in addition, the functions described herein may be at least partially performed by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include field programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits, application specific standard products, systems on chips, complex programmable logic devices, etc.

[0074] Applicants hereby disclose separately each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, as long as such features or combinations can be implemented according to the common knowledge of a person skilled in the art based on the entirety of this specification, regardless of whether such features or feature combinations solve any problems disclosed herein, and are not limited to the scope of the claims. Applicants indicate that various aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual features or feature combinations.

[0075] It must be noted that embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to different categories. Specifically, some examples are described with reference to methods, while other examples are described with reference to devices. However, those skilled in the art will understand from the specification that, unless otherwise notified, any combination of features belonging to one category, and any combination between features associated with different categories are considered to be disclosed in the present application. However, all functions can be combined to provide synergistic effects, rather than just a simple superposition of functions.

[0076] Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such description and illustration should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art by studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims.

[0077] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0078] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A method for network configuration in an industrial automation system, the method comprising: acquiring, by a process control system, network configuration data, the process control system comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device being associated with a network switch, wherein the network configuration data identifies at least a redundancy protocol to be used by each of the network devices; as well as configuring the network switch using the network configuration data, The obtaining of the network configuration data comprises: activating one or more network connections of the network switch as a minimum number of network connections for obtaining the network configuration data, and receiving the network configuration data via the one or more activated network connections. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the network connection comprises enabling only a port corresponding to the network connection to be activated. 3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising disabling one or more other ports present in the process control system.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more network connections to be activated are pre-designated as primary network connections. The method of claim 4 , wherein the designation of the one or more network connections as primary network connections is adjusted according to circumstances.

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the network configuration data is usable to configure a first network device to use a first redundancy protocol and to configure a second network device to use a second redundancy protocol, wherein the first redundancy protocol and the second redundancy protocol are at least partially incompatible.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a first network device among the multiple network devices receives the network configuration data via the one or more activated network connections, and uses the network configuration data to configure itself and one or more network devices among the other network devices in the process control system.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a first network device among the multiple network devices receives the network configuration data via the one or more activated network connections, uses the network configuration data to configure itself, and forwards the network configuration data to one or more network devices among the other network devices in the process control system, and one or more network devices among the other network devices then use the network configuration data to configure themselves.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein communication between the network devices within the process control system occurs via one or more interconnects in an installation terminal unit of the process control system.

10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the process control system further uses the network configuration data for remote configuration of one or more other process control systems.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the process control system as a first process control system forwards the received network configuration data to a second process control system, wherein the network configuration data includes network configuration data also belonging to the second process control system.

12. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the network configuration data for all network devices of the process control system is received in a single configuration file.

13. A method for network configuration in an industrial automation system, the method comprising: composing, using an engineering tool, network configuration data for a process control system, the process control system comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device being associated with a network switch, wherein the network configuration data is usable by the process control system to configure the network devices, and wherein the network configuration data identifies at least a redundancy protocol to be used by each of the network devices; as well as The network configuration data is downloaded from the engineering tool to the process control system during a commissioning sequence, wherein the network configuration data is downloaded to the process control system via a minimum number of network connections that are activated by the process control system for this purpose.

14. A data processing system configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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