When automating a building it is advisable to establish a common protocol for the entire infrastructure of the control system and not change it. In this way, costs are reduced and maintenance capacity increases. If there is a specific application or subsystem component that is not available in this standard protocol or if there is a specific need to use something alternative, it must be justified and an input (protocol translator) must be identified and specified. That is why defining a common system architecture using standard and open methods is important and more appropriate. A good specification of the automation system will define the requirements for each of the aspects of it. So, when defining an open specification, there are five elements that need to be defined:
Infrastructure: including protocol, routers, media type, IT connectivity, etc. All of these should be specified based on open standards, not on a specific product.
Devices: These are the controllers on the network that produce, consume or manipulate data and control/monitor the system. In an open architecture, it is possible to use devices from different vendors, since all of them conform to a uniform industry standard such as LON.
The tools: software management and network that configure, commission and maintain the system. Tools need to be able to coexist.
Graphical user interfaces: There are usually display instruments that the user or control manager uses to get a view of the system. Plus, it offers the same vision and feel to monitor and control, no matter what system or subsystem an operator is visualizing. As a result, system operators only need to be able to handle a user interface well.
Business connectivity: It is the method of connecting the building control network to the data network (known as LON-LAN-WAN architecture). This ensures that the control system becomes an element of all data sources available to the company.
