IEC 62769-1:2015

IEC 62769-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2015-05
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Field device integration (FDI) –
Part 1: Overview
Intégration des appareils de terrain (FDI) –
Partie 1: Vue d'ensemble
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite
ni utilisée sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie
et les microfilms, sans l'accord écrit de l'IEC ou du Comité national de l'IEC du pays du demandeur. Si vous avez des
questions sur le copyright de l'IEC ou si vous désirez obtenir des droits supplémentaires sur cette publication, utilisez
les coordonnées ci-après ou contactez le Comité national de l'IEC de votre pays de résidence.

IEC Central Office Tel.: +41 22 919 02 11
3, rue de Varembé Fax: +41 22 919 03 00
CH-1211 Geneva 20 info@iec.ch
Switzerland www.iec.ch
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigenda or an amendment might have been published.

IEC Catalogue - webstore.iec.ch/catalogue Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
The stand-alone application for consulting the entire The world's leading online dictionary of electronic and
bibliographical information on IEC International Standards, electrical terms containing more than 30 000 terms and
Technical Specifications, Technical Reports and other definitions in English and French, with equivalent terms in 15
documents. Available for PC, Mac OS, Android Tablets and additional languages. Also known as the International
iPad. Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) online.

IEC publications search - www.iec.ch/searchpub IEC Glossary - std.iec.ch/glossary
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a More than 60 000 electrotechnical terminology entries in
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical English and French extracted from the Terms and Definitions
committee,…). It also gives information on projects, replaced clause of IEC publications issued since 2002. Some entries
and withdrawn publications. have been collected from earlier publications of IEC TC 37,

77, 86 and CISPR.
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc
details all new publications released. Available online and If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
also once a month by email. need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: csc@iec.ch.
A propos de l'IEC
La Commission Electrotechnique Internationale (IEC) est la première organisation mondiale qui élabore et publie des
Normes internationales pour tout ce qui a trait à l'électricité, à l'électronique et aux technologies apparentées.

A propos des publications IEC
Le contenu technique des publications IEC est constamment revu. Veuillez vous assurer que vous possédez l’édition la
plus récente, un corrigendum ou amendement peut avoir été publié.

Catalogue IEC - webstore.iec.ch/catalogue Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
Application autonome pour consulter tous les renseignements
Le premier dictionnaire en ligne de termes électroniques et
bibliographiques sur les Normes internationales,
électriques. Il contient plus de 30 000 termes et définitions en
Spécifications techniques, Rapports techniques et autres
anglais et en français, ainsi que les termes équivalents dans
documents de l'IEC. Disponible pour PC, Mac OS, tablettes
15 langues additionnelles. Egalement appelé Vocabulaire
Android et iPad.
Electrotechnique International (IEV) en ligne.

Recherche de publications IEC - www.iec.ch/searchpub
Glossaire IEC - std.iec.ch/glossary
Plus de 60 000 entrées terminologiques électrotechniques, en
La recherche avancée permet de trouver des publications IEC
en utilisant différents critères (numéro de référence, texte, anglais et en français, extraites des articles Termes et
comité d’études,…). Elle donne aussi des informations sur les Définitions des publications IEC parues depuis 2002. Plus
projets et les publications remplacées ou retirées. certaines entrées antérieures extraites des publications des

CE 37, 77, 86 et CISPR de l'IEC.
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished

Service Clients - webstore.iec.ch/csc
Restez informé sur les nouvelles publications IEC. Just
Published détaille les nouvelles publications parues. Si vous désirez nous donner des commentaires sur cette
Disponible en ligne et aussi une fois par mois par email. publication ou si vous avez des questions contactez-nous:
csc@iec.ch.
IEC 62769-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2015-05
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Field device integration (FDI) –

Part 1: Overview
Intégration des appareils de terrain (FDI) –

Partie 1: Vue d'ensemble
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 25.040.40; 35.100 ISBN 978-2-8322-2622-3

– 2 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 8
2 Normative references . 8
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and acronyms . 9
3.1 Terms and definitions . 9
3.2 IEC TR 62541-1 terms (OPC UA) . 11
3.3 IEC 62541-3 (OPC UA) terms . 12
3.4 IEC 62541-4 (OPC UA) terms . 13
3.5 IEC 62541-5 (OPC UA) terms . 13
3.6 IEC 62541-100 (OPC UA for Devices) terms . 13
3.7 Abbreviated terms and acronyms . 13
3.8 Conventions . 14
4 Background . 14
4.1 Motivation . 14
4.2 Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) . 14 ®
4.3 Field Device Tool (FDT ) . 15
4.4 OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) . 15
5 Architecture . 16
5.1 Overview. 16
5.2 FDI Packages . 17
5.3 FDI Client . 17
5.4 FDI Server . 17
5.5 FDI Communication Server . 18
5.6 User Interface tiering . 18
5.7 FDI security considerations . 18
5.8 Redundancy . 19
6 Deployment . 19
6.1 Overview. 19
6.2 Engineering, operator and maintenance stations . 20
6.3 FDI Server . 20
6.4 FDI Communication Servers . 21
6.5 Device Tools . 21
6.6 Third-party Tools . 21
6.7 Handheld Tools . 21
6.8 Generic OPC UA Clients . 21
7 FDI Host . 21
7.1 Overview. 21
7.2 FDI Host Variants and Entities . 21
7.3 FDI Host Facets . 22
8 Life-cycle Model . 22
8.1 Overview. 22
8.2 Identification mechanism . 23
8.3 Versioning mechanism . 23
8.3.1 Version levels . 23

8.3.2 FDI Technology Version . 24
8.3.3 Forward compatibility . 27
Annex A (informative) FDI life-cycle concept summary . 29
A.1 General . 29
A.2 Life-cycle relevant topics (references) . 29
Bibliography . 31

Figure 1 – FDI architecture diagram . 16
Figure 2 – Typical deployment scenario . 20
Figure 3 – FDI Technology Version dependencies . 25

Table 1 – FDI Host Variants and possible Facets . 22
Table 2 – FDI Host Facets and related FDI Entities . 22
Table 3 – Summary of influences on the FDI Technology Version . 26
Table 4 – Combinations of Minor Versions that require special handling . 27
Table A.1 – Life-cycle aspects as part of the FDI Technology . 29
Table A.2 – Life-cycle aspects as part of products and services provided with the FDI
technology . 30

– 4 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
FIELD DEVICE INTEGRATION (FDI) –

Part 1: Overview
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
International Standard IEC 62769-1 has been prepared by subcommittee 65E: Devices and
integration in enterprise systems, of IEC technical committee 65: Industrial-process
measurement, control and automation.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
65E/337/CDV 65E/421/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts in the IEC 62769 series, published under the general title Field Device
Integration (FDI), can be found on the IEC website.

The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.
– 6 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
INTRODUCTION
The IEC 62657 series has the general title "Field Device Integration (FDI)" and the following
parts:
– Part 1: Overview
– Part 2: FDI Client
– Part 3: FDI Server
– Part 4: FDI Packages
– Part 5: FDI Information Model
– Part 6: FDI Technology Mapping
– Part 7: FDI Communication Devices
– Part 101-1: Profiles – Foundation Fieldbus H1
– Part 101-2: Profiles – Foundation Fieldbus HSE
– Part 103-1: Profiles – PROFIBUS
– Part 103-4: Profiles – PROFINET
– Part 109-1: Profiles – HART and WirelessHART
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) draws attention to the fact that it is
claimed that compliance with this document may involve the use of patents concerning
a) method for the supplying and installation of device-specific functionalities, see Patent
Family DE10357276;
b) method and device for accessing a functional module of automation system, see Patent
Family EP2182418;
c) methods and apparatus to reduce memory requirements for process control system
software applications, see Patent Family US2013232186;
d) extensible device object model, see Patent Family US12/893,680.
IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity and scope of this patent right.
The holders of these patent rights have assured the IEC that he/she is willing to negotiate
licences either free of charge or under reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and
conditions with applicants throughout the world. In this respect, the statement of the holder of
this patent right is registered with IEC. Information may be obtained from:
a) ABB Research Ltd
Claes Rytoft
Affolterstrasse 4
Zurich, 8050
Switzerland
b) Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co KG
Intellectual Property, Licenses & Standards
Flachsmarktstrasse 8, 32825 Blomberg
Germany
c) Fisher Controls International LLC
John Dilger, Emerson Process Management LLLP
st
301 S. 1 Avenue, Marshaltown, Iowa 50158
USA
d) Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
1 Allen-Bradley Drive
Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124
USA
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the
subject of patent rights other than those identified above. IEC shall not be held responsible for
identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO (www.iso.org/patents) and IEC (http://patents.iec.ch) maintain on-line data bases of
patents relevant to their standards. Users are encouraged to consult the data bases for the
most up to date information concerning patents.

– 8 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
FIELD DEVICE INTEGRATION (FDI) –

Part 1: Overview
1 Scope
This part of IEC 62769 describes the concepts and overview of the Field Device Integration
(FDI) specifications. The detailed motivation for the creation of this technology is also
described (see 4.1). Reading this document is helpful to understand the other parts of this
multi-part standard.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 61804 (all parts), Function blocks (FB) for process control and Electronic Device
Description Language (EDDL) ®
IEC 62453 (all parts), Field device tool (FDT ) interface specification
IEC 62541 (all parts), OPC Unified Architecture
IEC TR 62541-1, OPC Unified Architecture – Part 1: Overview and concepts
IEC 62541-3, OPC Unified Architecture – Part 3: Address Space Model
IEC 62541-4, OPC Unified Architecture – Part 4: Services
IEC 62541-5, OPC Unified Architecture – Part 5: Information Model
IEC 62541-100, OPC Unified Architecture – Part 100: Device Interface
IEC 62769-2, Field Device Integration (FDI) – Part 2: FDI Client
NOTE IEC 62769-2 is technically identical to FDI-2022[4]
IEC 62769-3, Field Device Integration (FDI) – Part 3: FDI Server
NOTE IEC 62769-3 is technically identical to FDI-2023. [5]
IEC 62769-4:2015, Field Device Integration (FDI) – Part 4: FDI Packages
NOTE IEC 62769-4 is technically identical to FDI-2024. [6]
IEC 62769-5:2015, Field Device Integration (FDI) – Part 5: FDI Information Model
______________
Numbers in square brackets refer to the Bibliography.

NOTE IEC 62769-5 is technically identical to FDI-2025. [7]
IEC 62769-6:2015, Field Device Integration (FDI) – Part 6: FDI Technology Mapping
NOTE IEC 62769-6 is technically identical to FDI-2026. [8]
IEC 62769-7, Field Device Integration (FDI) – Part 7: FDI Communication Devices
NOTE IEC 62769-7 is technically identical to FDI-2027. [9]
ISO/IEC 11578, Information technology – Open Systems Interconnection – Remote Procedure
Call (RPC)
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and acronyms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC TR 62541-1,
IEC 62541-3, IEC 62541-4, IEC 62541-5, IEC 62541-100, as well as the following apply.
3.1.1
Field Device Integration
FDI
Device Integration and Device Management Technology, combining base concepts and
technology aspects of the Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) according to ®
IEC 61804 and Field Device Tool (FDT ) according to IEC 62453, as well as in IEC 62541-1
(OPC UA)
Note 1 to entry: The combination of those different proven technologies ensures a secure life-cycle and the ability
to address all challenges of Device Integration and Device Management in a scalable manner.
Note 2 to entry: This note applies to the French language only.
Note 3 to entry: This note applies to the French language only.
Note 4 to entry: This note applies to the French language only.
3.1.2
Action
procedure that requires collaboration between an FDI Client and an FDI Server
3.1.3
Business Logic
descriptive element of an FDI Package that specifies the device specific behavior and/or
mapping logic for a Nested Communication
3.1.4
Business Logic Interface
interface through which Business Logic is integrated with the Information Model
3.1.5
Communication Device
physical device that provides access to networks and devices
Note 1 to entry: Gateways and routers are examples of Communication Devices.
3.1.6
Connection Point
logical representation of a connection of a communication end point to a communication
network
– 10 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
3.1.7
Device Access Services
set of services through which a User Interface Plug-in accesses the Information Model of an
FDI Server
3.1.8
Device Definition
required element of an FDI Package that provides the core definition of a device
3.1.9
Device Instance
representation of a specific device in the Information Model of an FDI Server
3.1.10
Device Tool
standalone application that contains both an FDI Client and an FDI Server
3.1.11
Device Topology
arrangement of communication networks and devices that forms a network
3.1.12
Device Type
representation of a type of device in the Information Model of an FDI Server
3.1.13
FDI Client
software component that uses the Information Model, interprets User Interface Descriptions,
and hosts User Interface Plug-ins
3.1.14
FDI Communication Server
OPC UA server that is used by an FDI Server to access non-native networks
3.1.15
FDI Package
collection of components that provide all the information necessary to integrate a type of
device into a system
3.1.16
FDI Server
software component that implements the Information Model, executes Business Logic, and
communicates with device via Native Communication and/or Nested Communication
3.1.17
FDI Technology Version
version number that identifies to a specific revision of the overall FDI technology
3.1.18
Hosting Services
set of services through which a User Interface Plug-in interacts with an FDI Client
3.1.19
Information Model
set of objects, variables, and methods exposed by an FDI Server

3.1.20
Modular Device
device that is composed of one or more subdevices
3.1.21
Native Communication
communication with devices that are an integral part of the system
3.1.22
Nested Communication
communication with devices through a series of Communication Devices
3.1.23
Offline Data
device information maintained by an FDI Server that is stored in an FDI Server specific
database
3.1.24
Online Data
device information maintained by an FDI Server that is retrieved from a physical device
3.1.25
User Interface Services
UI Services
set of services through which a User Interface Plug-in accesses the operating system
3.1.26
platform User Interface Services
platform UI Services
user interface services provided natively by the operating system
3.1.27
User Interface Description
UID
descriptive element of an FDI Package that is used by an FDI Client to render user interface
3.1.28
User Interface Description interpreter
UID interpreter
software component in an FDI Client that renders User Interface Descriptions and invokes
Actions
3.1.29
User Interface Plug-in
UIP
executable element of an FDI Package that is executed by an FDI Client
3.1.30
User Interface Plug-in UIP Services
UIP Services
set of services through which an FDI Client interacts with a User Interface Plug-in
3.2 IEC TR 62541-1 terms (OPC UA)
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC TR 62541-1 apply.
AddressSpace
Attribute
– 12 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
Client
Method
Node
NodeClass
Notification
Object
ObjectType
Reference
ReferenceType
Server
Service Set
Session
Subscription
Variable
3.3 IEC 62541-3 (OPC UA) terms
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62541-3 (OPC UA)
and the following apply.
Aggregates
ArrayDimensions
AuditEvent
AuditUpdateMethodEvent
BrowseName
ByteString
DataType
DataVariable
Folder
HasComponent
HasProperty
HasSubType
HasTypeDefinition
ModellingRule
NodeId
Property
UserAccessLevel
UserExecutable
Value
ValueRank
3.4 IEC 62541-4 (OPC UA) terms
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62541-4 (OPC UA)
apply.
AddReferences
Browse
BrowseNext
Call
CreateSession
NodeManagement
Read
Request Header
Response Header
StatusCode
TranslateBrowsePathsToNodeIds
UserIdentityToken
Write
3.5 IEC 62541-5 (OPC UA) terms
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62541-5 apply.
BaseObjectType
PropertyType
3.6 IEC 62541-100 (OPC UA for Devices) terms
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62541-100 apply.
Block
Device
DeviceType
Parameter
3.7 Abbreviated terms and acronyms
DTM Device Type Manager
EDD Electronic Device Description
EDDL Electronic Device Description Language
FB Function blocks
FDI Field Device Integration ®
FDT Field Device Tool (see IEC 62453)
GUI Graphical User Interface
n/a Not applicable
OPC Open packaging conventions
OPC UA OPC Unified Architecture (see IEC 62541)
______________
FDT logo is a trade name of the non-profit organization FDT Group AISBL. This information is given for the
convenience of users of this part of IEC 62769 and does not constitute an endorsement by IEC of the trade
names holder or any of its products. Compliance does not require use of the registered trade name. Use of the
trade names requires permission of the trade name holder.

– 14 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
PC Personal computer
PNO PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e. V. (is a regional organization of the
PROFIBUS and PROFINET International consortium)
RPC Remote Procedure Call
UI User Interface
UID User Interface Description
UIP User Interface Plug-in
UUID Universally unique identifier
XML Extensible markup language
ZVEI Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e. V.
3.8 Conventions
Capitalization of the first letter of words beyond those defined in ISO/IEC Directives Part 2 is
used in the IEC 62769 series to emphasize an FDI specific meaning. It is used for the
following cases:
• Defined terms
• Names of Services defined in IEC 62769-2
• Names of FDI Package elements defined in IEC 62769-4
• Names of Information Model elements defined in IEC 62769-5
EDD language elements are written with all letters in uppercase.
4 Background
4.1 Motivation
In today’s automation systems field devices from many different suppliers have to be
integrated into the system, which results in additional effort for installation, version
management and operation of these devices. This challenge is best met with an open and
standardized device integration solution.
Two different device integration technologies exist: the Electronic Device Description ®
Language (EDDL) according to IEC 61804 and the Field Device Tool (FDT ) according to
IEC 62453. While these technologies take different approaches to solve the problem, there is
a lot of overlap between them. This has led to a situation where the technologies compete
with each other instead of complementing each other. As a result, system suppliers have
taken their positions, device suppliers have had to double their efforts in order to support ®
EDDL and FDT , and the end users have become frustrated because they want the best of
both technologies.
For all parties involved the ideal solution looks different. System suppliers want to achieve
robustness while assuring a high level of technology and platform independence. Device
suppliers want to support only one technology instead of two in order to reduce cost and
effort, and they want to provide the optimal means for operating their devices. End users want
to avoid false investments and therefore demand only one future-proof solution that offers all
the advantages of the competing technologies.
4.2 Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL)
The Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) is a language for describing the behavior
of field devices. It enables systems to configure, calibrate, troubleshoot, and operate a field
device without any prior knowledge of the device.

Device descriptions written in EDDL describe the capabilities of the field device; it is up to the
system to determine how to utilize these capabilities. These device descriptions enable
systems to access all the data and properties of all devices, which simplifies the maintenance,
support, and operation of the devices. It works well for small handheld applications and large
integrated automation systems. It works well for embedded systems and systems running on
commercial operating systems.
With EDDL, the device supplier can organize the device's data, properties, and procedures for
access by the end user. This provides the system guidance in dynamically creating a user
interface for the device. The capabilities of this user interface can vary significantly for
different classes of devices, and it can be as simple or complex as the device being
described.
In the early 1990s, the first version of EDDL was created and was used to describe HART
field devices. In 1996, the EDDL was used to describe FOUNDATION Fieldbus devices. Then in
2000 it was used to describe PROFIBUS devices. All three versions of EDDL can trace their
lineage back to the original HART version. Therefore, all three versions are largely the same,
with some differences due to differences in the underlying communication protocols. EDDL
was standardized first as part of IEC 61804-3 and IEC 61804-4 in March 2004. ®
4.3 Field Device Tool (FDT ) ®
FDT is an interface specification that standardizes the interface between the device software
and the systems. It provides independence from the communication protocol and establishes
a clear boundary between the software provided by the device supplier and the software
provided by the system supplier. ®
In FDT , field devices are delivered with a device-specific software component called a ®
Device Type Manager (DTM), which is only functional when used in conjunction with an FDT -
specific environment called a "frame application". A frame application interacts with a DTM ®
interfaces.
through a set of standard FDT
A device supplier can develop a DTM for each of its devices, or it can develop a DTM for a
group of devices. A DTM can be used to access Device Parameters, configure and operate
the device, and diagnose problems. A DTM can range from a simple Graphical User Interface
(GUI) for setting Device Parameters to a highly sophisticated application for performing
complex calculations for diagnosis.
DTMs can be nested in order to support Modular Devices. The nesting of DTMs also allows
multi-level communication hierarchies to be supported. Devices routed through different bus
protocols can be connected through standard interfaces. A device DTM just has to support its
own communication protocol. Gateway DTMs that connect to the device DTM handle protocol
transformation. ®
The FDT specification supports a variety of bus protocols, for example: PROFIBUS, HART,
OUNDATION Fieldbus, Interbus, AS-interface, IO-Link, DeviceNet, and PROFINET IO.
F
In 1998, the specification phase started in the context of the Zentralverband Elektrotechnik
und Elektronikindustrie e. V. (ZVEI). In 1999, completion of the technology was accelerated
when the specification was adopted by PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e. V. (PNO), which ®
later transferred the rights to the FDT Group AISBL. FDT was standardardized as
IEC 62453-1 in May 2009.
4.4 OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA)
OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) is a platform-independent standard through which various
kinds of systems and devices can communicate by sending messages between clients and
servers over various types of networks. It supports robust, secure communication that assures
the identity of clients and servers and resists attacks.

– 16 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
OPC UA defines standard sets of services that servers can provide, and individual servers
specify to clients what service sets they support. The services act on an object model which is
managed by the server and discoverable by a client. Information is conveyed using standard
and vendor-defined data types, and servers define object models that clients can dynamically
discover. Servers can provide access to both current and historical data, as well as alarms
and events to notify clients of important changes.
OPC UA can be mapped onto a variety of communication protocols and data can be encoded
in various ways to trade off portability and efficiency. Transports and encodings for XML
based Web Services as well as a high performance binary are defined for OPC UA. The
abstraction of the OPC UA standard from any particular technology provides future-proofing
allowing OPC UA to be mapped onto future technologies.
The integration of system components includes a “how” factor and a “what” factor. The
comprehensive set of services provided by OPC UA enables the “how” of system integration.
OPC UA also provides the basic building blocks of the “what” of system integration by defining
an extensible object model. Other standards bodies, vendors, and end users can extend this
object model to achieve a tight integration between system components.
OPC UA is standardized in IEC 62541.
5 Architecture
5.1 Overview
The FDI architecture consists of FDI Packages, FDI Clients, and FDI Servers as shown in
Figure 1.
User Interface
FDI Package
Description
FDI Package
User
Device Business User
Interface
Definition User Logic Interface User
Plug-in
FDI Client Device Business
Interface Interface
Definition Logic
Description Plug-in
UID
Interpreter
UID
FDI Server
UIP
Information Model Management
Services
Information Model Business Logic
User Interface
Processor
OPC UA
Plug-in
Device Object
Business
Device Object
Logic
Device Object
User Interface Services
Platform UI Services
(Drawing, Input Devices)
System Services
OPC UA
Services
OPC UA
OPC UA Client
Services
System
Communication
Communication
Hardware
Server
Data
Specified by this International Standard
Store
Not specified by this International Standard
IEC
Figure 1 – FDI architecture diagram

OPC UA
Hosting Services
Device Access
Services
OPC UA Services
Business Logic
Interface
5.2 FDI Packages
FDI Packages are the means by which device vendors provide information about their devices
to system vendors. FDI Packages collect in one place all of the device information required by
a system vendor. FDI Packages are system independent, i.e., device vendors provide the
same FDI Package to all system vendors.
An FDI Package includes the following:
• Device Definition – Core definition of the device that is used by an FDI Server to create
the Information Model.
• Business Logic – Ensures the integrity of the Information Model.
• User Interface Description – Declarative user interface that is rendered by an FDI Client
via a UID Interpreter.
• User Interface Plug-in – Optional programmed user interface that is hosted by an FDI
Client.
The Device Definition and Business Logic are used exclusively by an FDI Server. The User
Interface Description is processed by the FDI Server and transferred to the FDI Client. User
Interface Plug-ins are not processed by the FDI Server, beyond what is necessary to deliver
them to the FDI Client.
The Device Definition, Business Logic, and User Interface Description are completely platform
independent. User Interface Plug-ins shall be targeted at a specific run-time environment.
Distinct User Interface Plug-ins can be developed for different run-time environments, but a
specific User Interface Plug-in will only run on a single run-time environment.
The content of an FDI Package is specified in IEC 62769-4.
5.3 FDI Client
FDI Clients interpret and render descriptive user interface contents (UID, Device Parameter
values and so on) that are delivered to an FDI Client via the Information Model of an FDI
Server in a specified format and through defined services. Interpretation of the EDD portion of
an FDI Package however is only done in the FDI Server. In addition FDI Clients also host
User Interface Plug-ins.
The environment for hosting User Interface Plug-ins consists of four sets of services: the
Hosting Services, the UIP Services, the User Interface Services, and the Device Access
Services.
• The Hosting Services provide the means by which a User Interface Plug-in interacts with
the FDI Client.
• The UIP Services provide the means by which an FDI Client can activate, control, and
shutdown the User Interface Plug-in.
• The User Interface Services provide the means by which a User Interface Plug-in
accesses the operating system specific Platform UI Services, which provide access to the
screen, keyboard, mouse, and so on.
• The Device Access Services provide the means by which a User Interface Plug-in
accesses the Information Model in an FDI Server.
The behavior of an FDI Client is specified in IEC 62769-2.
5.4 FDI Server
FDI Servers provide FDI Clients access to information about Device Instances and Device
Types regardless of where the information is stored, for example, in the device itself or in a
data store. This information can be provided via OPC UA services.

– 18 – IEC 62769-1:2015  IEC 2015
The Information Model specifies the entities that can be accessed in an FDI Server, including
their properties, their relationships, and the operations that can be performed on them. The
Information Model is driven largely by the Device Definitions in FDI Packages. The
Information Model is based on the Information Model specified in the OPC UA Devices
Specification.
The FDI Server invokes the Business Logic in FDI Packages as entities in the Information
Model are accessed. One of the main purposes of the Business Logic is to keep the
Information Model consistent.
The Business Logic Interface is the means by which Business Logic is integrated with the
Information Model. This interface consists of a set of well-defined Business Logic entry points,
which can be used by the Information Model to invoke Business Logic, and a set of well-
defined Information Model entry points, which can be used by the Business Logic to access
the Information Model.
An FDI Server shall support all elements of an FDI Package.
Some of the information managed by an FDI Server shall be stored persistently. The means
by which this data is stored is server specific.
The behavior of an FDI Server is specified in IEC 62769-3, and the Information Model is
specified in IEC 62769-5.
5.5 FDI Communication Server
An FDI Server inherently knows how to communicate with devices via the communication
hardware it natively supports. In addition, an FDI Communication Server can be used to
extend the devices that the FDI Server can communicate with. An FDI Server communicates
with an FDI Communication Server via standard communication services that are specified in
IEC 62769-7.
5.6 User Interface tier
...