Patent ID: 7257523

Claim:
An apparatus for use with a distributed process control system having a user workstation remotely located from a distributed controller that controls one or more field devices using control modules, the apparatus comprising: a computer having a memory and a processing unit; a configuration application stored in the memory of the computer which, when executed on the user workstation or the computer, creates one or more control modules for execution by the distributed controller and a further module for execution by a device separated from the distributed controller, wherein at least one of the control modules is created to communicate with the further module within the device separated from the distributed controller to perform a control activity; and a controller application stored in the memory of the computer, which may be executed on the processing unit of the computer, wherein the controller application, when executed on the distributed controller, implements the one of the control modules during operation of the distributed process control system to communicate with the further module to perform the control activity; wherein the configuration application, when executed on the computer, further creates the one of the control modules for use by the distributed controller within the distributed process control system and wherein the controller application when executed on the computer causes execution of the one of the control modules and the further module within the computer to simulate the operation of the one of the control modules including simulating communicating with the further module to thereby simulate operation of the distributed process control system.