ABSTRACT
This chapter points out the main (original and novel) technical features of the Foundation Fieldbus (FF) communication system, allowing the reader to clearly understand its key points. It describes the main features of the H1 and high-speed Ethernet (HSE) FFs. The chapter also points out the current wireless extensions and also describes how implementation of interoperability in FF changed during these last years, pointing out the most recent solutions adopted by Fieldbus Foundation. One of the main features of FF (in both H1 and HSE configurations) is the availability to build open communication systems. The chapter provides a detailed description of both device description language (DDL) and field device tool/device type manger (FDT/DTM). Implementation of open systems in FF has been achieved from the beginning through the adoption of a standard way to represent and manage information exchanged by devices: the DDL.
