PROFIBUS Manual

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Navigation: Introduction > System planning and commissioning

Step 1: Prepare

Before any start can be made on engineering the system, some preparation is necessary.

Step 1.1 Select devices

We choose which field devices we wish to use in our automation task. This can be done by, for example, referring to the database on the server of PROFIBUS International.

Step 1.2 Collect GSD files

We bring together the General Station Description (GSD) files for our chosen field devices. This lets us know what properties the devices used have.

We will find these GSD files on a data medium supplied with the product or made available on the manufacturer's web server. PROFIBUS International also offers manufacturers the opportunity of directly storing their GSD files in the product catalogue. Unfortunately, this offer has only been taken up properly by a very small number of manufacturers.

Step 1.3 Load GSD files

The GSD files must be known to the planning tool. They are integrated into the device library of the planning tool. For this purpose, files are either copied to a special directory or explicitly read in with the planning tool.