Patent Document ID: 7882220
Application ID: 12078347
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of increasing the availability of an automation system with a standardized configuration description, wherein the system includes and comprising a first Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) of a first IED type, an IED manager, process-level IEDs, and at least one replacement IED, wherein the IED manager is connected to communicate with the first IED and the at least one replacement IED over the station bus, and wherein the first IED and the at least one replacement IED are connected to communicate with the process-level IEDs over the process bus, the method comprising: connecting the at least one replacement IED to the station bus and the process bus for communicating with the IED manager and the process-level IEDs, respectively; detecting, at the IED manager, an inactivity of the first IED over the station bus; sending, from the IED manager, configuration data to the at least one replacement IED over the station bus, wherein the configuration data configures the first replacement IED with a functionality and identity of the first IED; and substituting, at the IED manager, the configured first replacement IED for the first IED in the automation system.