Patent ID: 8055787

Claim:
A networked node incorporating a data acquisition service for forwarding received process data to a process history database over a potentially slow and/or intermittent network connection, the data acquisition service comprising: a first network interface for receiving incoming process data via a first network connection; a second network interface for transmitting outgoing process data via a second network connection; and a store and forward functionality that receives the incoming process data and forwards the outgoing process data, the store and forward functionality comprising: an immediate transmission cache, a store and forward storage, a store control for directing the incoming process data to a selected one of the immediate transmission cache and the store and forward storage, wherein the store control enters, in response to detecting an entry condition, an activated mode wherein incoming process data is directed to the store and forward storage, and a read control for forwarding outgoing process data to the second network interface from the immediate transmission cache and store and forward storage, the read control comprising at least a first configurable parameter that constrains a rate at which data retrieved from the store and forward storage is forwarded via the second network interface.