Types of device extensions

When you create a device-level component (New, Add, or simply drop from the driver’s palette), you may notice that it has default children, collectively called device extensions. Device extensions group various functions of a device.

For any device, its extensions are typically visible both in the Nav tree and in the Device Manager view (Figure 36), providing double-click access to each extension’s default view. One exception to this is for a Supervisor, in its Station Manager view of the NiagaraNetwork, where special “provisioning” extensions for NiagaraStations do not appear. See NiagaraStation component notes for related details.

Figure 36. Device extensions in Nav tree and Device Manager

Perhaps the most important of all device extensions is the Points extension—the container for all proxy points (representing real-time data originating from that device).

Common types of Device extensions include:

Points extension—see About the Points extension.
Histories extension—see About the Histories extension.
Alarms extension—see About the Alarms extension.
Schedule extension—see About the Schedules extension.

The NiagaraStation component (device in a NiagaraNetwork) has additional device extensions, including a “Users” extension, and starting in AX-3.5, a “Files” extension and “Sys Def” extension. For more details, see NiagaraStation component notes.