Device Data Base Files; Profiles - Omron C200HW-PRM21 Operation Manuals

Device Data Base files

1-5

Device Data Base files

Plug-and-play
DDB-file, GSD-file
General section
DP-master section
DP-slave section
Configurator
1-6

Profiles

Exchanging devices
8
To achieve simple plug-and-play configuration of the PROFIBUS-DP network,
the characteristic features of a device are specified in a file. This file is called
a DDB-file (Device Data Base file) or a GSD-file (Gerätestammdaten file). The
GSD files are prepared individually by the vendor for each type of device
according a fixed format. Some parameters are mandatory, some have a
default value and some are optional.
The device data base file is divided into three parts:
• General specifications
This section contains vendor and device names, hardware and software
release states, station type and identification number, protocol specifica-
tion and which baud rates are supported.
• DP master-related specifications
This section contains all parameters which only apply to DP master
devices (i.e. maximum memory size for master parameter set, maximum
number of entries in the list of active stations or the maximum number of
slaves the master can handle).
• DP slave-related specifications
This section contains all specification related to slaves (i.e. minimum time
between two slave poll cycles, specification of the inputs and outputs and
about consistency of the I/O data).
The device data base file of each device is loaded in the configurator and
downloaded to the master device. The device data base file for the C200HW-
PRM21, named OC_1656.GSD, is provided with the configuration software.
Section 4 will describe the configurator package SyCon, which is used for
configuration of the C200HW-PRM21, in more detail.
To enable the exchange of devices from different vendors, the user data has
to have the same format. The PROFIBUS-DP protocol does not define user
data, it is only responsible for the transmission of this data. The format of user
data is defined in so called profiles. Profiles may reduce engineering costs
since the meaning of application-related parameters is specified precisely.
Profiles have for instance been defined for drive technology, encoders, and
for sensors / actuators.
Section 1-5