New Driver Wizard - Developer Driver

Step 2 of 4

Create Module Under directory:Specifies the root source directory. This is where the wizard will place the files that it automatically generates.

Note:The default value is an exclamation point (!). The exclamation point (!) has special meaning in the Niagara AX Framework. It refers to the Niagara AX home directory.

Module Name: The name of the jar file to be created after building (compiling) the driver module. This is also the name that appears in the Niagara AX Software Manager.

Preferred Symbol: An abbreviated string representing the driver's name, preferably three characters or less. This helps reduce the size of the database for any stations that will use the driver.

Description: Explanation of the driver. This is seen in the Niagara AX Software manager

Vendor: The name of the entity that is providing the driver module. This is seen in the Niagara AX Software Manager

Author: The name of the individual or department that is developing the module. This is seen in the Niagara AX Software Manager

Base Package: The name of the driver's base Java package. This is relative to the driver's root directory (the first text box of this page).

Step 3 of 4

First select your connection type from Serial, TCP/IP, and UDP/IP.

Serial

  • Protocol supports device discovery: Indicates whether the driver features a protocol to discover devices. If checked, the wizard will generate the Java classes necessary for the Developer Driver Framework to query the field-bus for field-devices that are present. If unchecked, then the wizard will generate Java source code that implements the device discovery mechanism by attempting to transmit the driver's ping request to all possible device addresses on the field-bus.

TCP/IP

  • Direct: Indicates that the driver will communicate directly to field devices
  • Gateway: Indicates that the driver will communicate indirectly to field devices through a field-gateway

UDP/IP

  • Direct: Indicates that the driver will communicates directly to field devices.
  • Gateway: Indicates that the driver will communicate indirectly to field devices through a field-gateway.

Step 4 of 4

Data point discovery: Select Yes if the driver features a protocol to discover data points.

Transaction Protocol: Select whether the driver features a Single or Multiple transaction protocol.

  • Single: Indicates that the protocol requires a response to any request before another request can be sent. This is the case for classic master-slave protocols.
  • Multiple: Indicates that the protocol allows for more than one request to be transmitted without receiving a response. In this scenario, responses have enough self-contained information to determine the request that the response is for.

Data point Auto/Override support: Select Yes if the driver protocol features the notion of overriding and relinquishing the control of a data point. More specifically, select Yes if when a data point's control is relinquished from the Niagara AX framework, the field-device needs to be informed to retake control of the particular data point.