Method for registering device names from an industrial automation system with a communication network name service, in which - a rule base is used to determine, in a device-specific manner, the communication devices (202, 204) in the industrial automation system for which it is permissible and/or necessary to register their respective device name with the communication network name service, - device-side decentralized name service agents within the industrial automation system are used to report communication network addresses of communication devices (202, 204) to a central name service agent of the industrial automation system, - when a communication network address of a communication device (202, 204) is reported, the central name service agent uses the rule base to check whether a name/address assignment of a communication device (202, 204) should be registered with the communication network name service, - in the case of a name/address assignment to be registered, the central name service agent transmits a registration request comprising the name/address assignment to the communication network name service, - within the industrial automation system, only the central name service agent transmits registration requests for processing to the communication network name service, characterized in that - the rule base is determined by means of a project planning system for the industrial automation system and is made available to the central name service agent, - the central name service agent aggregates registration requests from the industrial automation system and logs processing of registration requests by the communication network name service with respect to the state thereof. - a rule base is used to determine, in a device-specific manner, the communication devices (202, 204) in the industrial automation system for which it is permissible and/or necessary to register their respective device name with the communication network name service, - device-side decentralized name service agents within the industrial automation system are used to report communication network addresses of communication devices (202, 204) to a central name service agent of the industrial automation system, - when a communication network address of a communication device (202, 204) is reported, the central name service agent uses the rule base to check whether a name/address assignment of a communication device (202, 204) should be registered with the communication network name service, - in the case of a name/address assignment to be registered, the central name service agent transmits a registration request comprising the name/address assignment to the communication network name service, - within the industrial automation system, only the central name service agent transmits registration requests for processing to the communication network name service, characterized in that - the rule base is determined by means of a project planning system for the industrial automation system and is made available to the central name service agent, - the central name service agent aggregates registration requests from the industrial automation system and logs processing of registration requests by the communication network name service with respect to the state thereof.