Overview of the tutorials

The tutorials in this book will show you how to get a process system up and running quickly. You will learn the basic concepts needed to configure workstation and controller nodes, define I/O, develop a control strategy, and create operator pictures. You will also see the process system from the operator's point of view.

Hardware configuration is typically a one-time operation, and the hardware in your system may already be configured. Therefore, we have put this information near the end of the book. If your workstation has not been configured, you may want to begin with that section after reading this chapter.

Once your workstation has been configured, you can do almost all the tutorial exercises without having actual controllers and I/O set up. However, to make the examples more realistic and to be able to do some things (such as assigning control modules to a controller), you need to have a controller configured.

The tutorials focus on developing the control strategy and operator pictures for a process that involves monitoring the level in a tank and controlling the flow while discharging the contents. The book contains six tutorials that: