A forward-looking aspect was
the possibility to create real distributed systems also from an
application perspective. As the initial conditions were similar
in many application fields, it is no wonder that fieldbus systems
emerged and are employed in diverse automation domains
ranging from the aforementioned process and factory areas to
building and home automation, machine building, automotive
and railway applications, as well as avionics. For the context
of this paper, however, we will focus on process, factory, and
building automation because, in these fields, continuity and
compatibility are most challenging.