Introduction to the i.lon 100 soap/xml interface, About this document, About this document -1 – Echelon i.LON 100 e2 Internet Server User Manual

Page 6: 1 about this document

LON 100 Internet Server Programmer’s Reference

1-1

1 Introduction to the

LON 100 SOAP/XML Interface

The

LON 100 contains a powerful microprocessor with a real-time, multi-tasking operating

system that manages its various applications. These applications include alarming,

scheduling, data logging and network variable type translation. Generally, you will configure
these applications using the

LON 100 Configuration Software, as described in the

LON

100 Internet ServerUser’s Guide. The

LON 100 Internet Server User’s Guide provides

instructions to follow when configuring the

LON 100 Configuration Software, as well as

general information on the diffferent

LON 100 applications, and guidelines to follow when

using these applications.
You can also use the SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) / XML (Extensible Markup

Language) interface provided with the

LON 100 to configure and use these applications.

XML is a universal format used to deliver data through structured documents over the Web.

It allows developers to store data for any application in a standard, consistent way. SOAP is

an interface that provides a mechanism for different applications and devices to
communicate with each other over the Internet, regardless of platform, by sending SOAP

messages to each other. SOAP relies on XML to define the format and contents of its
messages.
The configuration of each

LON 100 application is stored in an XML file. The

LON 100

reads these files during its boot process, and sets the operating parameters of each
application based on the configuration data contained in the XML file for that application.
The

LON 100 includes a set of SOAP functions that you can use to create and manage the

configuration of each application. Each time you invoke any of these functions, a SOAP
message is sent to the

LON 100. The content of the SOAP message is based on the input

you supply to the function. The

LON 100 reads the contents of the message, writes the

contents of the message to the applicable XML file, and adjusts the operating parameters of

its applications accordingly. All of this occurs while the

LON 100 is operating.

It is important to note that the XML files described in this document store the configurations
of the

LON 100 applications. They do not store the data generated by these applications.

The data generated by the

LON 100 applications is stored in the flash memory of the

LON

100.
However, this does not mean that application configuration is the only task you can perform

with the

LON 100 SOAP/XML interface. The SOAP/XML interface also includes functions

you can use to access, read and analyze the data generated by the

LON 100 applications.

And so you can use the SOAP/XML interface not only to configure the various applications of
the

LON 100, but to monitor them as well.

1.1 About This Document

This document describes the XML files that store the configurations of the various

LON 100

applications, and the SOAP functions you can use with each application. The SOAP

interface provided with the

LON 100 conforms to the SOAP 1.1 proposed Technical

Recommendation:

http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/NOTE-SOAP-20000508

This document also describes how to configure the

LON 100 applications by manually

creating and modifying the XML configuration files. Once you have created the XML files,

you can download them to the

LON 100 via FTP. The

LON 100 will read the downloaded

files and adjust its operating parameters accordingly the next time it is rebooted.