Implementation of Fault Tolerant Mechanism in the BACnet/IP Protocol

BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network) is the international standard of communication protocol designed specifically for building automation, control and management. BACnet provides BACnet/IP protocol for interfacing BACnet to Internet. In the BACnet/IP protocol, the device named BBMD (BACnet Broadcasting Management Device) plays the role of maintaining communication link between field devices in a building and remote controller outside the building. In case when a fault occurs in the BBMD, field devices within a building cannot communicate with control devices outside the building, and remote control of building facilities cannot be guaranteed. This study introduces an implementation method of fault tolerant mechanism in the BACnet/IP protocol.