December 18, 2017 — FieldComm Group has announced the availability of version 1.1 of the FDI Technical Specifications and version 1.2.1 of the FDI Development Tools. These specifications and tools allow suppliers to develop a broader range of products with fewer tools and better capabilities.
The enhanced technology bundle includes; FDI Technical Specifications, FDI Integrated Development Environment, and FDI Common Host Components. The features provided in these updates include:
- Cyber Security Updates– includes UIP sandboxing, and time stamping for device package signatures
- Additional Protocol Support– includes ISA100.11a, and HART-IP and WirelessHART
- Generic Protocol Extension– enables FDI extensibility to any protocol
- Support for DD Development within FDI IDE– includes FOUNDATION Fieldbus and HART
The latest version provides additional cyber security measures to FDI by enabling time stamping on FDI Device Package signatures and sandbox environments for UIPs to run in. Sandboxing is not only a valuable tool for cyber security, but also for overall system integrity as it isolates third-party code to a tightly controlled set of resources in a system to ensure no bugs in software code can impact the performance of the overall system it is operating within. Both additional features serve to ensure FDI meets the stringent security requirements of plant operations as we enter the era of the Industrial Internet of Things. Additionally, these products now support 3 additional protocol profiles – ISA100.11a, HART-IP and WirelessHART, and Generic Protocol Extension.
While HART-IP/WirelessHART is a natural addition for FieldComm Group, it is especially important to note the addition of ISA100.11a. This illustrates FieldComm Group's message of unifying the industry to be more collaborative amongst the standards organizations to ensure they meet the needs of the user community first and foremost. In much the same vein, the tools now support Generic Protocol Extension that allows any protocol to be integrated into the standardized FDI interface to provide similar benefits enabled by the integration standard. Lastly, the tools are now capable of creating and testing standalone EDDs for HART and FOUNDATION Fieldbus thus allowing manufacturers to develop the EDD technology in the same development environment as modern FDI Device Packages.