eLAN™Front End Processor

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eLAN™ FEP Datasheet

The eLAN™ Front-End Processor (FEP) is based on the field-proven TIE (Telemetry Integration Environment) module, which was originally developed as the telemetry front end for a major EMS vendor and is currently installed in over 50 utilities worldwide.

The eLAN™ FEP provides protocol mediation capability in a vendor-neutral configuration, allowing users of a wide range of EMS systems to offload many of the tasks of managing communications with their field devices. eLAN™ FEPs are frequently deployed to provide capabilities not available in native front ends, such as IP network support, security, or simply as a cost effective way to add additional ports.

The eLAN™ FEP may be easily upgraded to provide full enterprise application integration through the addition of open interfaces such as OLE for Process Control (OPC) and ODBC. These interfaces allow other applications, such as historians or enterprise databases, to access data from field devices without requiring an interface directly to the EMS.

Poll Acceleration

Although RTU response latency is rarely a significant issue in the serial world, it is a substantial factor in a networked environment. It has been found to be a key factor in determining how many devices can connect on a LAN or WAN based on desired update rates. The issue is not the volume of data but device latencies. Network based RTUs and IEDs often take hundreds of milliseconds to respond to a DNP poll. This is largely due to the extra processing required for the Ethernet, IP, and TCP or UDP layers. An eLAN™ FEP will poll the high-latency RTUs or IEDs and have the data available for the master in low latency VRTUs, resulting in lower overall latency and better network utilization.

Front-End Processor Features

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