The network interface to a LON device is always defined as a set of datapoints.  A LON device can define any set of datapoints, but a LON device can provide more information about its datapoints by organizing the datapoints into blocks where the definition of a block is specified by a profile.  Hundreds of standard profiles are defined, and you can define your own profile if a standard profile is not suitable.  To view standard profiles and define your own profiles, download and install the IzoT Resource Editor. 

Based on earlier instruction, you should have the folder smartserver-iot, which is a clone of the izot/smartserver-iot public Github repository (see this page Setting Up Your Development Environment).  In this folder, find the file ./apps/Example Support Files/ApolloDev.zip. 

After you have installed the IzoT Resource Editor, extract the contents of the ApolloDev.zip file to this folder  c:\Users\Public\Documents\LonWorks\types\Echelon\ApolloDev.  There are four files in the ApolloDev archive that define user types, configuration properties, and functional profiles used for exercises is this documentation.  These resources build on the standard LonMark types.

The SmartServer uses the program ID to select the correct definitions for a resource.  For this example, the manufacture ID is the ID for Echelon.  

Adding and Existing Resource File Set to the Resource Catalog

1. Launch the IzoT Resource Editor.  You will see a tree view of resources that are installed on your computer.  If you followed the instructions in the first paragraph above, you should have the files of the ApolloDev resources on your computer, but you still need to add them to the resource catalog.
   
2. Select Ldrf.Cat at the root of the tree and right click to select Add Folder.
   
3. Navigate to the folder where you unzipped the ApolloDev resources.
   
4. The result of this action adds the resources for this example to the resource catalog.  Notice how the resources are scoped to the Manufacturer Echelon, and are more finely scoped at level 4 category for generic controllers.  IAP has well defined rules for selecting different parts of the 16 hex byte-encoded fields of the resource file program ID.  In this example, the resource file scope 4 program ID mask is 90 00 01 06 00 00 00 00.  When a LON device XIF file is created with the first 5 hex bytes encoded to match 90 00 01 06 00, the interface can call out user defined resources in this resource file.  If you right-click and select Properties, you can see the details of the program ID assigned to this resource file set as shown here.
   
5. The power of IAP resource definitions comes from the definition of standard types to allow devices created from different manufactures to directly share data without ambiguity related to units and resolution.  As a rule, standard types use SI units on the wire.  For example, in building automation comfort control applications, there are a number of standard types: device temperature (SNVT_temp_p), pressure, (SNVT_press_p), flow (SNVT_flow), and HVAC equipment specialized complex types like SNVT_hvac_status, which include multiple related values in a single data unit.  As of this writing, there are 225 standard types already defined by IAP.  You can view the standard types in the IzoT Resource Editor.
   
6. Standard Network Variable Types (SNVTs) are bricks in in the foundation of interoperability.  SNVT types are used to define Standard Configuration Properties (SCPTs), which have more precise meaning.  For instance, a discharge air controller may be configured to have more than one set point for duct static pressure, and the individual SCPTs provide clarity.  SNVTs and SCPTs are collected together under interoperable units of functionality called standard profiles.  A standard profile describes required and optional network variable inputs, outputs, and SCPTs used to configure operation of the profile.  IAP has defined over 156 standard profiles as of this writing.  If your goal is to create a VAV controller to interoperate with other devices, you would start development by considering the SFPTsccVAV profile.  
   
   
7. For this example, we have created a user profile in the ApolloDev resource file set called UFPTDspSPcontroller as shown in the following screenshot.  You can review the details using the IzoT Resource Editor.
   

Next Step

In this section you have installed the IzoT Resource Editor, and added an existing resource files set (ApolloDev.zip) to the LonMark Device Resource catalog.  At this point, a device XIF file that references these resources can be installed and managed with tools based on IzoT Net Server such as IzoT CT.  The IzoT Net Server software includes libraries that are Windows specific to handle parsing the type information.  In the next section we will see how to use the IzoT Resource Editor to modify resources and to generate reports that make these resources available for other operating platforms, specifically the SmartServer IoT. 

Go to Editing Resources.