A method of installing and configuring field devices on an industrial control network, the method comprising: - configuring the field devices with a configuration tool, wherein the configuration tool provides configuration data to each of the field devices through a sequence of messages, each message including individual configuration parameters for one of the field devices, the configuration data used to configure various function blocks and transducer blocks of each of the field devices, wherein configuration data received through the sequence of messages is stored in a configuration domain of the field device as a block of configuration data; - connecting an automatic configuration device, ACD, to the network; - removing the configuration tool from the network; - uploading to the ACD from each of the plurality of field devices the block of configuration data stored in the configuration domain of each field device, representing an entire configuration for each of a plurality of field devices, wherein each device configuration is stored by device type and device tag; - storing the blocks of configuration data uploaded from each of the field devices in a network configuration domain of the ACD; and - downloading from the ACD to a new field device on the network one of the stored configurations if the new device is of a same field device type as one of the plurality of field device configurations stored by the ACD; - connecting the ACD to a second industrial process control network; and - configuring field devices connected on the second process control network, said field devices having the same field device type as one of the plurality of field device configurations stored by the ACD, based on blocks of configuration data stored in the configuration domain by downloading the respective blocks of configuration data from the ACD to the field devices connected on the second process control network. - configuring the field devices with a configuration tool, wherein the configuration tool provides configuration data to each of the field devices through a sequence of messages, each message including individual configuration parameters for one of the field devices, the configuration data used to configure various function blocks and transducer blocks of each of the field devices, wherein configuration data received through the sequence of messages is stored in a configuration domain of the field device as a block of configuration data; - connecting an automatic configuration device, ACD, to the network; - removing the configuration tool from the network; - uploading to the ACD from each of the plurality of field devices the block of configuration data stored in the configuration domain of each field device, representing an entire configuration for each of a plurality of field devices, wherein each device configuration is stored by device type and device tag; - storing the blocks of configuration data uploaded from each of the field devices in a network configuration domain of the ACD; and - downloading from the ACD to a new field device on the network one of the stored configurations if the new device is of a same field device type as one of the plurality of field device configurations stored by the ACD; - connecting the ACD to a second industrial process control network; and - configuring field devices connected on the second process control network, said field devices having the same field device type as one of the plurality of field device configurations stored by the ACD, based on blocks of configuration data stored in the configuration domain by downloading the respective blocks of configuration data from the ACD to the field devices connected on the second process control network.