The term programmable controller is understood to refer to a device which executes a control program for influencing a process to be controlled. Devices of this type are frequently called SPCs (stored-program controllers), PLCs (programmable logic controllers, or controllers for short), soft SPCs or soft PLCs. A programmable controller can have a modular structure and contain a programmable central processing unit and intelligent modules which undertake individual automation functions, for example weighing, axis control, closed-loop control, etc. In order to connect to a communication network, which serves to exchange data with other components of an automation network, for example network components or field devices or other programmable controllers, an additional module, which is called a communication processor, can be provided.
From DE 102 07 831 A1 an engineering system for planning and/or configuring a project is known, which engineering system is processed by an automation device for controlling a technical installation. Here, an automation network comprises said engineering system, an operating and monitoring system and an automation device to be planned and configured. The engineering system is provided for planning and/or configuring the automation device. The automation device, which is connected via a bus system to the engineering system and to the operating and monitoring system, comprises different programmable controllers as well as actuators and sensors and other automation components required for controlling a technical installation. The programmable controllers, which are connected to one another via said bus system and/or other suitable bus systems, can be fashioned in different ways. Thus, programmable controllers are provided for solving small, intermediate and large automation tasks within the automation device, whereby microprogrammable controllers can be used for solving small automation tasks, programmable mini-controllers for intermediate automation tasks and powerful programmable controllers for solving more complex automation tasks. The question of which hardware and software components, that is, which programmable controllers, operating and monitoring devices, bus systems, actuators and sensors, and of which control programs the automation device is to be equipped with depends on the complexity of the technical installation to be controlled and on the control task, whereby the required hardware and software components of the automation device can be planned and/or configured by the engineering system. The engineering system is also provided for planning communication networks of the automation network, for planning continuous and sequential process flows, as well as for designing operating and monitoring strategies and for creating recipes for batches and/or batch processes. The project data required for planning and/or configuring a project which will be processed by the automation device to be designed are stored in a memory of a programming unit, for example. To plan and/or configure a programmable controller, for example, the data concerned is transferred from the programming unit to the programmable controller via a data connection, usually with communication mechanisms from the automation environment. Examples of such communication mechanisms based on Ethernet are PROFINET, Ethernet IP or Modbus TCP. A communication mechanism is defined by the relevant protocol, which is usually standardized, and the underlying communication relation. Communication relations organize communication between the devices participating in data transfer in the network, which are also referred to as subscribers. Examples of communication relations are client/server, master/slave, master/master, producer/consumer or publisher/subscriber. TCP/IP is frequently used as the communication protocol in Ethernet-based networks.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,625 A a programmable controller is known which has a web interface for communication via the Internet or intranet. By this means, a client/server system was created which offers operators a user interface which is as user-friendly as general access services in the Web. The Web is a network of documents, which are also called pages and which are stored in a distributed manner on server computers all over the world. Normally, a page contains text, various multimedia offerings, such as for example graphics, video or audio data, and hypertext links to other documents. A browser enables the user to read the pages and to select interactively from the options offered on the page. The browser is a graphics program that sends requests over the Internet to a page and displays the information available on a requested page. The web interface integrated into the programmable controller enables a user to request and display the operating data of the programmable controller using a browser. The operating data may be controller configuration data, process data such as input and output values, register states, statistical data, diagnostic data or configuration data of the input/output interfaces. A remote computer with Internet access via a browser, for example Netscape Communication's Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer, is thus all that is needed in order to operate and monitor the automation device via a human machine interface (HMI).