Diverse network relative addressing resolution

• US 8,606,928 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasko, David A., Staron, Raymond J., Rischar, Charles Martin, Hall, Kenwood H., Govindaraj, Subbian, Kretschmann, Robert J., Kalan, Michael D., D'Mura, Paul R., Jasper, Taryl J., Liberman, Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/266,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 706/45, 726/1
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A requesting entity can submit a query to an industrial control configuration to determine a location for a module. A distributed directory can be employed to discover an absolute location of the module, which can be provided to the requesting entity. This discovery can occur in real-time such that an answer can be given with a relatively high degree of certainty. In addition to providing the absolute address in the answer, a path on how to reach the module can be provided. The path can be optimized in order to allow quicker response time and to manage system resources.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor that facilitates execution of the instructions to at least;

query a plurality of nodes of a distributed directory for a logical absolute address of a unit in an industrial control configuration, wherein each of the plurality of nodes stores a copy of the logical absolute address of the unit;

determine a node of the plurality of nodes from which to receive the logical absolute address of the unit based on a security level of a requesting entity;

retrieve the logical absolute address of the unit from the node of the plurality of nodes;

test the logical absolute address of the unit to verify that the unit is located at the logical absolute address; and

transmit the verified logical absolute address to the requesting entity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to convert a relative address of the unit to the logical absolute address, wherein the relative address depends on a second unit and the logical absolute address is independent of the second unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to determine a path between the requesting entity and the unit based on the logical absolute address and transmit the path to the requesting entity.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to determine the path based on a topographical map of a portion of the industrial control configuration.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to:

identify metadata from the unit related to the entity based on information about the requesting entity; and

transmit the metadata to the requesting entity with the logical absolute address.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to:

determine the security level of the requesting entity; and

identify the metadata based on the security level.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, a request for a location of a module in an industrial control configuration from an entity;

querying, by the system, a plurality of nodes of a distributed directory for a location of the module in the industrial control configuration, wherein at least two of the plurality of nodes stores the location of the module;

retrieving, by the system, the location of the module in the industrial control configuration from one of the at least two of the plurality of nodes;

verifying, by the system, that the module is located at the location;

determining a path to the location to facilitate communication with the module from the entity; and

responding, by the system, to the request from the entity with the path to the location of the module.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, by the system, the path according to a logical absolute address of the location.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, by the system, the path shortest in access time between a requestor and the module or that has a lowest impact on the industrial control configuration.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

collecting, by the system, metadata pertaining to the module; and

determining, by the system, the path based on the metadata.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying, by the system, a relative address of the module with respect to the entity,

wherein at least two of the plurality of nodes stores the location of the module.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations, comprising:

querying a plurality of nodes of a distributed directory for a location of the module in the industrial control configuration;

retrieving the location of the module in the industrial control configuration from a node of the plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes stores the location;

testing the location of the module to verify that the module is located at the location;

determining a path to the module from a requesting entity based on the location, wherein the path comprises a logical absolute address of the module.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor that facilitates execution of the instructions to at least;

query a plurality of nodes of a distributed directory for an address of a unit in an industrial control configuration, wherein at least two of the plurality of nodes stores the address of the unit;

retrieve the address of the unit from a node of the plurality of nodes based on a property of the requesting entity;

verify that the unit is located at the address; and

transmit the address to the requesting entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the address comprises a relative address and the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to convert the relative address to an absolute logical location, wherein the relative address depends on a second unit and the absolute logical location is independent of the second unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to determine a path between the entity and the unit based on the address and transmit the path to the requesting entity.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor further facilitates the execution of the instructions to determine the path based on a topographical map of a portion of the industrial control configuration.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the address comprises a logical absolute address that is independent of a location of another unit within the industrial control configuration.