A fault recovery model in IEC/ISA FieldBus communication protocol

The aim of the paper is to propose a fault recovery model to be adopted in the IEC/ISA FieldBus communication protocol. The authors present the results of their research, which highlights that some types of fault cannot be recovered by the IEC/LSA FieldBus protocol, whereas others are recovered but the time required is at times excessive. The paper then suggests some innovative recovery mechanisms which, along with those the protocol currently offers, are able to guarantee a high degree of reliability. The proposed mechanisms are compatible with the actual FieldBus communication protocol as they could be included in the system and network management layer, which is not yet totally defined. The paper concludes by presenting an evaluation of the fault recovery mechanisms proposed, demonstrating their effectiveness.