For example, in any of the field bus networks, each device has a Points extension, which serves as the parent container for proxy points. The default view of the Points extension is the Point Manager, which you use to create and manage proxy points.

Device extensions are required (frozen) components of a device—you cannot delete them. Adding a device to the station database automatically creates them. This varies from the point extension model where you individually add and delete extensions under control points and components.

When you create a device-level component (New, Add, or drop a device from the driver’s palette on a network node), device extensions group various functions of a device.

Figure 12.   Device extensions in Nav tree and Device Manager

For any device, its extensions are typically visible both in the Nav tree and in the Device Manager view (as shown), providing double-click access to each extension’s default view. A Supervisor’s Station Manager view is an exception. In a NiagaraNetwork, special provisioning extensions for stations do not appear.

Common types of Device extensions include:

The NiagaraStation component (the device in a NiagaraNetwork) has additional device extensions, including a Users extension, and Files extension and Sys Def extension.