Patent ID: 8107485

Claim:
A method for operating network components in an automation system, comprising: providing and using network components, each network component including a first, second and third input and output port; assigning an alias to each network component, the alias providing information about a hierarchical position of the network component in the automation system; transmitting telegrams between the network components, wherein the telegrams designate a destination network component at least also based on the alias of the destination network component; comparing, upon receipt of a telegram, the alias of the network component receiving the telegram with an alias of a destination network component (‘destination alias’) contained in the received telegram; and forwarding the telegram via the first, second or third port based upon the result of the comparing, wherein a telegram is forwarded via the first port, when a component of the alias designating a specific level of the network component (‘relevant specific alias segment’) and a corresponding component of the destination alias (‘relevant destination alias segment’) in this sequence satisfy a “less than or equal to” relationship, wherein a telegram is forwarded via the second port, when the relevant specific alias segment and the relevant destination alias segment in this sequence satisfy a “greater than or equal to” relationship, and wherein a telegram is forwarded via the third port, when the relevant specific alias segment and the relevant destination alias segment satisfy an “equal to” relationship.