User manual

1785-UM022B-EN-P - February 2002
3-2 Understanding the ControlNet System Software
Also, the ControlNet network requires that the entire network be
configured at one time to make sure all scheduled connections are
performed at their configured packet rates.
Two interdependencies exist between RSNetWorx and RSLogix 5:
• the I/O configuration utility invoked in RSLogix 5
• the ControlNet configuration information is created and saved in
RSNetWorx, but is also saved and downloaded in RSLogix 5
I/O Configuration Utility
The I/O configuration utility in RSLogix 5 is used to simplify the
configuration of intelligent I/O modules.
It is important to understand the difference between I/O configuration
over remote I/O vs. I/O configuration over ControlNet:
• over remote I/O, the information displayed and entered in the
configuration applet is always read and written to the data table.
Thus, all of the I/O configuration functionality over remote I/O is
contained with the RSLogix 5 application.
• over ControlNet, the information displayed and entered in the
configuration applet is read and written to both the data table and
the RSNetWorx project (.xc) file.
The I/O configuration data must be read and written to the
RSNetWorx project (.xc) file so that the user can download the
I/O configuration data from RSNetWorx. If the RSNetWorx
project (.xc) file was not updated with the I/O configuration edits
done within the I/O configuration utility, the edits would be lost
when that RSNetWorx project file was downloaded.
You must configure the association to the RSNetWorx project (.xc)
file in RSLogix 5 so that RSLogix 5 knows which RSNetWorx
project (.xc) file to access the I/O configuration information. You can
do this within the Controller Properties window in RSLogix 5. If you
don’t use the I/O configuration utility to edit or monitor ControlNet
scheduled connections, the association to the RSNetWorx project
(.xc) file in RSLogix 5 is unnecessary.
Certain circumstances can cause the data table configuration
information to differ from what is stored in the RSNetWorx project
(.xc) file. This can occur when program logic is used to modify the
contents of the data table for purposes of reconfiguring a module via a
path other than the I/O configuration utility. If such “on the fly”
reconfiguration is necessary for your application, consider that
subsequently launching the I/O configuration utility applet will result
in outdated information being displayed, unless that information has
been imported into the RSNetWorx project (.xc) file.