A
Assembly Object — A CIP data container that groups I/O points for exchange between devices on an EtherNet/IP network.
B
BACnet — Building Automation and Control Networks. An open protocol standard for building automation centered on objects, properties, and services.
BACnet/IP — BACnet transported over UDP/IP using the BACnet Virtual Link Layer (BVLL). Used for building backbone and supervisory systems.
BACnet MS/TP — BACnet Master-Slave/Token-Passing. A serial (RS-485) network layer using token rotation among master devices.
BBMD — BACnet Broadcast Management Device. Routes BACnet/IP broadcast messages across IP subnets for multi-subnet discovery.
Byte Order — The arrangement of bytes within a multi-byte value (big-endian vs little-endian). A common source of integration errors in Modbus systems.
C
CIP — Common Industrial Protocol. The shared application layer used by EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, and ControlNet.
Coil — A discrete (single-bit) read/write data point in Modbus. Represents on/off states such as relay outputs or enable flags.
COV (Change of Value) — A BACnet subscription service where a device reports a property value only when it changes by more than a configured increment.
D
DATA_TABLE_READ / WRITE — EtherNet/IP access modes that determine whether a gateway reads from or writes to PLC data tables. The #1 configuration mistake.
Device Instance — A unique numeric identifier (0–4,194,303) assigned to each BACnet device on a network.
Discrete Input — A read-only single-bit data point in Modbus, typically representing a sensor state or alarm contact.
E
EDS File — Electronic Data Sheet. An XML file describing an EtherNet/IP device’s supported objects and configuration options.
Endianness — See Byte Order.
EtherNet/IP — EtherNet Industrial Protocol. An industrial networking protocol running CIP over standard Ethernet.
Explicit Messaging — EtherNet/IP Class 3 messaging over TCP. Used for configuration, diagnostics, and on-demand data reads.
F
FDR (Foreign Device Registration) — A BACnet/IP mechanism allowing a single remote device to register with a BBMD and participate in broadcast traffic.
FieldServer — A protocol-conversion gateway platform by Chipkin supporting legacy and specialty protocols.
G
Gateway — A hardware or software device that translates data between two different protocols. QuickServer and FieldServer are Chipkin’s gateway product lines.
H
Holding Register — A read/write 16-bit data point in Modbus. The most commonly mapped register type in gateway configurations.
I
I-Am — A BACnet service response broadcast by a device in reply to a Who-Is request. Contains the device’s object identifier and network address.
Implicit Messaging — EtherNet/IP Class 1 messaging over UDP multicast. Used for cyclic I/O exchange at fixed intervals.
Input Register — A read-only 16-bit data point in Modbus, typically representing sensor measurements or meter readings.
M
Max Masters — A BACnet MS/TP configuration parameter that defines the highest MAC address the token-passing algorithm will poll.
Modbus — A serial and TCP/IP industrial protocol for point-oriented data exchange between a client (master) and servers (slaves).
Modbus RTU — Modbus transported over RS-485 serial with binary framing and CRC error checking.
Modbus TCP — Modbus transported over Ethernet TCP/IP with an MBAP header instead of serial framing.
P
Point Map — A configuration table that defines how data points are translated between source and destination protocols in a gateway.
Protocol Conversion — The process of translating data between two incompatible communication protocols using a gateway.
Q
QuickServer — Chipkin’s current-generation protocol-conversion gateway platform.
R
Register Map — A vendor-provided document listing all available Modbus registers for a device, including addresses, data types, and access modes.
RS-485 — A differential serial communication standard used by Modbus RTU and BACnet MS/TP. Supports multi-drop topologies.
T
Token Passing — The media access method used by BACnet MS/TP where a logical token circulates among master devices.
Toolbox — FieldServer Toolbox. A browser-based utility for discovering, configuring, and diagnosing FieldServer and QuickServer gateways.
V
Veeder Root — A serial protocol used by fuel tank monitoring systems (TLS-3XX series). Commonly bridged to BACnet or Modbus via QuickServer.
W
Who-Is — A BACnet broadcast discovery service used to locate devices on a network. Devices respond with I-Am.
Word Order — The arrangement of 16-bit words within a 32-bit or 64-bit Modbus value. Independent of byte order.