wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

42-12 Industrial Communication Systems
42.6 Configuration
In KNX, considerable attention is given to uniform, manufacturer-independent configuration,
parameterization, and binding. This is referred to as configuration interworking. Central to the KNX
configuration interworking concept is a single, universal PC software package for planning and commissioning
KNX installations. It is maintained and sold by the KNX Association, based on Microsoft
Windows and called ETS (Engineering Tool Software). ETS assists with defining the project in a structured
way and is used to configure the behavior and communication relationships of KNX devices.
This includes loading application programs and setting application parameters and can be done over
the network or the PEI, if available. ETS also provides bus monitoring functions for troubleshooting.
Manufacturers are required to supply the necessary device and user-application descriptions along
with their hardware. Tools for their creation are provided by the KNX Association as well. ETS can also
be extended by way of plug-ins, should the configuration of a device require it. Only a minor number of
devices need further setup tools in addition to ETS. For interacting with such external tools, ETS supports
the export of project files.
For accessing the configurable resources within KNX devices, both a memory-mapped approach and
a more transparent object/property-oriented model are defined. The resources themselves (e.g., memory
locations, property identifiers, and their purpose) are also standardized as far as the communication
system is concerned. The management procedures applicable for a particular device and its resource layout
are specified by the device profile it conforms to. Access to the user application still largely requires
ETS and the device manufacturers’ descriptions.
Increasingly, KNX devices that do not require ETS for commissioning are available. This is referred
to as E-Mode (for “Easy”), while configuration via ETS is called S-Mode (for “System”). A variety of
E-Modes exists. Their aim is to provide installers with easier and less error-prone (albeit less powerful
and flexible) ways of creating communication bindings. This can be accomplished by locally bringing
the binding partners (and only them) into a special configuration mode (push button mode), setting
tag numbers on devices that are to cooperate to identical values (LTE mode), or a hand-held, dedicated
configuration tool that enumerates possible binding partners (controller mode). While in S-Mode, GOs
are bound individually, E-Modes usually perform binding for a group of logically corresponding GOs
(referred to as channels) together.
Although the ability to be configured with ETS is a certification requirement for all KNX devices,
this requirement is temporarily suspended since ETS does not yet support E-Mode devices. A further
configuration mode (A-Mode) was also part of the KNX standard, but was removed from release 2.0.
42.7 Conclusion and Outlook
When the convergence process between EIB, Batibus, and EHS started in 1997, EIB was assigned
a leading role: It was to be enhanced by features that were present in EHS and Batibus but not yet
in EIB. In 2002, a new standard emerged as a result, attempting to bridge three different domains
by the combination of three technologies: electrical installation (lighting/shading) via EIB, HVAC
via Batibus, and household appliances (white goods) via EHS. This standard was later labeled KNX.
EIB devices were automatically KNX compliant; this was not the case for Batibus and EHS devices,
however. Today, Batibus and EHS heritage has largely been eliminated from KNX since no KNX
products based on these parts of the standard were made available commercially. EHS 1.3a has
become a KNX-associated standard, but the products on the market that are based on it are not
KNX compatible.
Nevertheless, the KNX standard has been steadily improved and augmented. The most visible
improvements over EIB are its RF medium, the IP tunneling protocol, new configuration modes that
do not require ETS, and the addition of metering as well as full-fledged HVAC control for home
as well as light commercial environments. However, the functions added for the HVAC trade are
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC