Patent ID: 7469363

Claim:
A computer network for the configuration, installation, monitoring, error diagnosis and/or error analysis of plural technical-physical electric drive processes, which run under the control, regulation and/or monitoring by plural process computer nodes ( 4 ), which are connected via at least one shared communication system to at least one diagnosis computer node in which one or more configuration, monitoring, diagnosis service(s) and/or function(s) are implemented, which are allocated to the processes and/or the process computer nodes ( 4 ) and/or to the data processing operations running therein, characterised in that: (a) the shared communication system is realised by an Ethernet or another bus or communication system operating asynchronously and/or with a stochastic access method; (b) a communication unit or computer node is interconnected between the Ethernet or other bus or communication system and at least one of the process computer nodes ( 4 ) and connects the process computer node ( 4 ) to the Ethernet or other bus or communication system; (c) the communication unit or communication computer node ( 5 ) is formed for communication with the diagnosis computer node via XML protocols and/or as an XML-based interface; and (d) the communication computer node ( 5 ) is formed as an additional component for the respective process computer node ( 4 ).