Echelon DM-21 Device Manager - Manual (Page 104)

G-2 Glossary
Configuration
Property
Configuration properties are properties within a device that are set
during network design and installation to specify device set points and
limits. For example, the Device Manager pings devices on its network
at a specified interval where the interval is determined by setting a
configuration property within the Device Manager.
Configuration properties can be set using the LonMaker browser or a
plug-in application specially created for the device whose property is to
be to set. Many manufactures ship plug-ins with their devices.
Configuration properties can be associated with a device, a functional
block, or a network variable.
Device Manager
Loading Wizard
A software application that takes a set of subsystems from an LNS
database as input and provides a Managed Device List as output. This
utility is also used to load the Managed Device List into a Device
Manager.
Device Manager
Plug-in
A software module that extends the core functionality of the LonMaker
tool. This plug-in extends the user interface of the LonMaker tool to
easily allow you to set various device properties. For example, the
Device Manager plug-in sets how often the Device Manager pings
devices on its network, how often the Device Manager tries to discover
new devices, and how many times a device can fail to respond to a
“ping” before the Device Manager flags that device as missing.
The advantage of using a plug-in over using the LonMaker browser is
that plug-ins can range check values that are input by the user to
prevent improper configurations. Plug-ins generally provide a superior
user interface to the LonMaker browser
External
Interface
Every device has an external interface that defines the L ON M ARK
objects (functional blocks), network variables, and message tags on the
device. The LonMaker tool can extract an external interface directly
from a device or it can import an external interface file provided by the
device manufacturer. Systems managed with a Device Manager
typically use external interface files provided by the device
manufacturer, because the network is usually designed offline.
LNS The standard network operating system for L ON W ORKS control
networks. LNS provides the essential directory, installation,
management, monitoring, and control services for L
ON W ORKS
networks.
LNS Database A collection of information that defines the network images of all
devices in a network. An LNS database contains information about all