National Instruments 370578B-01

Chapter 1 Introduction

purchase a link upgrade for each link in excess of four. To do so, download

the order form from ni.com/fieldbus.

Note The connection to one interface port on the interface board or linking devices is

viewed as one link by the NI-FBUS Configurator, regardless of how many links might

actually be joined by repeaters. This is important for software licensing of the NI-FBUS

Configurator.

If you want to use the board or linking device to read and write values only

(but not configure) and you are a programmer, you can make calls to the

API in the NI-FBUS Communications Manager and do not need the

NI-FBUS Configurator. This is possible only if you already have used

third-party hardware and configuration software to configure the link.

Table1-1 describes the National Instruments Fieldbus software.

Table 1-1. National Instruments Fieldbus Software

Software Application Short Name Description File Name

NI-FBUS

Communications

Manager

NIFB process This must be running

for you to use your

HSE linking device as

a Fieldbus interface to

communicate between

the linking device and

the bus.

nifb.exe

NI-FBUS Interface

Configuration Utility

Interface Config Used to configure your

HSE link and HSE

linking device.

fbconf.exe

NI-FBUS

Configurator

NI-FBUS

Configurator

Used to configure the

devices on the bus,

set the parameters for

control loops, and

other Fieldbus

configuration tasks.

fcs.exe