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11. Interacting With the Filesystem
The interface card’s on-board filesystem is used to store files for use by the
application firmware. Currently, the application firmware’s main use of the filesystem
is to store XML-encoded configuration files that dictate the characteristics of the
various protocols. Each protocol that requires configuration will have its own XML
file stored on the filesystem. For easy identification, the filename will begin with the
corresponding protocol which it configures. For example, a BACnet configuration
file’s filename will begin with “bacnet”, and a PROFINET I/O file will begin with “pnio”.
Whenever the configuration for a specific protocol is completed, it is suggested that a
backup copy of the configuration file be downloaded from the unit to a PC. One
reason for this is in case it becomes necessary to restore a previous configuration at
a later time. Another reason is that it may be desirable to load multiple units with the
same configuration, as a downloaded configuration file can be uploaded again to any
compatible unit, allowing the user to easily clone multiple units with the same
configuration.
Each time the interface card boots up, it will search the filesystem for the
configuration files required by the protocols currently operating in the unit. If it does
not find a required file, it will create one and initialize it with factory-default values.
Therefore, if it is ever desired to reset a protocol’s configuration to factory-default
values, this can be easily accomplished by simply deleting the appropriate
configuration file from the filesystem and rebooting the unit.
Note that the application firmware uses specific filenames for the configuration files.
This means that if a file with a different filename is loaded onto the unit, it will be
stored correctly, but will not be used by the application firmware. Similarly, if an
existing configuration file’s filename is changed, then the unit will again create a
default configuration file at next boot-up, which will be stored in the filesystem
alongside the file with the changed name.
Configuration files are only read by the protocol drivers at unit boot-up. Therefore, if
a new configuration file is loaded onto a unit’s filesystem, that unit must be rebooted
for the configuration file’s settings to take effect. Rebooting a unit can be performed
by:
• power-cycling the drive in which the card is installed,
• setting drive parameter F899 (register 900) to a value of “1” either via the
keypad, a communication protocol or the web server interface, or
• selecting the “Reboot Device” button in the Finder utility.
Interacting with the filesystem is performed by use of the File Transfer Protocol
(FTP). Using FTP allows the user to interact with the files on the interface card’s
filesystem in the same manner as though they were traditional files stored on a local
or remote PC. While there are many different FTP applications available, the
following sections will provide general examples of using some of the most
commonly-available ones.