Echelon OpenLDV - Manual (Page 12)

4 Introduction
Network Interfaces
A local network interface (one that is physically connected to the computer
running the OpenLDV driver) uses its own Windows device driver. Echelon and
third parties provide a number of network interface products; see the specific
documentation about the network interface for more information.
You can also develop your own custom OpenLDV compatible local network
interface. To make your network interface compatible with the OpenLDV driver,
you must also develop a Windows device driver for it; see Appendix A, Custom
Network Interfaces, on page 147, for additional information about working with a
custom network interface.
A remote network interface (one that is connected to the computer through an IP
network, typically the Internet) uses the xDriver component of the OpenLDV
driver as a virtual device driver. The xDriver component is an extensible
network driver that uses IP to establish connections between OpenLDV
applications and network interfaces (such as an Echelon SmartServer).
xDriver can provide authenticated connections from an OpenLDV application to
hundreds or even thousands of remote L
ON
W
ORKS
networks through RNI devices
(such as a SmartServer). As shown in Figure 2, the OpenLDV application
accesses the SmartServer, and the L ON W ORKS channel that the SmartServer is
connected to, through an IP connection.
TCP/IP
LonWorks Channel
LonWorks Channel
LonWorks Devices
LonWorks Devices
OpenLDV Application
with xDriver
Figure 2. An OpenLDV Application Using xDriver to Manage LonWorks Devices
You configure the xDrvier component with an xDriver profile. An xDriver profile
is a set of configuration parameters that determines how xDriver manages