Echelon OpenLNS Commissioning Tool - Manual (Page 45)

OpenLNS CT User’s Guide 29
functional block if you need to connect them later. To simplify following this guideline, you can
create functional block master SmartShapes with your most commonly used network variables. See
Creating a Functional Block Master SmartShape in Chapter 4, Designing Networks for more
information.
Subsystems
Subsystems allow you to divide a large network into more manageable parts. For example, in a
building control network, one subsystem could contain lighting controls and another temperature
controls. Each subsystem is represented by a page of an OpenLNS CT drawing and by a subsystem
SmartShape on the drawing page of its parent subsystem. You can nest subsystems like directories on
your computer, so the temperature control subsystem could contain other subsystems representing, for
example, each floor of the building. You can also create subsystems in separate OpenLNS CT
drawings. Using this feature, you can create large networks while maximizing Visio’s performance by
limiting the number of pages in a single drawing. You can also create a separate OpenLNS CT
drawing for each user for large networks with multiple installers.
If you are creating a network that needs more subsystems than 20 typical pages or 10 complex pages,
you should divide it into two or more drawing files. For optimum performance, devices and their
associated functional blocks should be contained within the same drawing file, as should all members
of the same connection.
A supernode is a special type of subsystem SmartShape that has one or more network variable
interfaces on it. Any network variable or message tag on any functional block in the subsystem may
be exported to the subsystem SmartShape. This does not create new network variables or message
tags, but exports the network variable or message tag’s connection point one or more levels up the
subsystem hierarchy. Using a supernode allows you to provide a simple interface to an arbitrarily
complex subsystem. For example, a supernode that contains lighting controls may have a network
variable interface that allows the devices contained within it to be put into emergency override. This
allows the integrator to easily identify the critical interfaces into the subsystem, while ignoring those
that are typically only used internally by the subsystem.
OpenLNS CT Design Manager Overview
The OpenLNS CT Design Manager is an essential tool for managing your OpenLNS CT networks.
With the OpenLNS CT Design Manager, you can create, open, and delete networks; back up and
restore networks to prevent against loss; and configure default settings for new networks to speed up
the network creation process.
To open the OpenLNS CT Design Manager, click Start on the taskbar, point to Programs, point to the
Echelon OpenLNS CT folder, and then click OpenLNS CT. The OpenLNS CT Design Manager
opens.