Simplify field device communication and device integration with FDI device packages.
The newest AMS Device Manager release changes the way plants manage devices by adding an emerging technology—FieldComm™ Group Field Device Integration (FDI). FDI combines the benefits of EDDL and FDT/DTM technology providing a standard method for device integration. With this, AMS Device Manager further reduces complexity in device management and simplifies system maintenance delivering cost savings, and ease of use for end-users and device manufacturers alike.
Field Device Integration (FDI) builds the right foundation to expand visibility into a plant. It simplifies installation and management with a single host package for every device. Manufacturers will find it easier to innovate and consumers will have a simpler path to implementation.
FieldComm Group—a global standards-based organization focused on digital open standards in the process industries—has collaborated with industry foundations and suppliers like Emerson to develop FDI, an internationally standardized solution for process automation device and systems integration.
A single FDI device package includes the device definitions, user interface plug-ins, certificates, and useful documentation to simplify integration with field devices and FDI host-enabled plant, enterprise, and cloud-based systems.
FDI takes the best features of EDDL and FDT, and combines them in one common standard, making it easy to select, install, and configure the right devices for a plant’s systems.
FDI provides increased security, prepares for future devices, and supports multiple protocols and FCG registration to ensure interoperability between systems and devices from different manufacturers.
FDI’s single host package removes the need for plants to choose between devices that use EDDL or FDT/DTM technology. AMS Device Manager will support these technologies in parallel, further simplifying device integration. All FDI devices use a single FDI device package incorporating the best features of both technologies and contains device definitions, user interface plug-ins (UIP), certificates, and attachments such as device manuals.
Before installation of an FDI Device Package begins, AMS Device Manager will check the software’s certificate to ensure the files have not been tampered. With all of the device’s necessary files contained in one package, users will not need to search multiple places for the files they require. Plant personnel can rely on one trusted repository for their needs.
When migrating to AMS Device Manager with FDI support, there are no additional considerations. Existing system hardware and network infrastructure remain the same, so no investment is lost. AMS Device Manager benefits extend beyond daily operations into capital project execution. Using a single FDI device package will add efficiency to projects by reducing the time spent selecting the right equipment and other necessary device files.
