Description files

EtherCAT^® Slave Information file (ESI file)

The ESI file is a device description in XML format. The user creates this file in the configuration tool separately for each EtherCAT^® slave. The ESI file contains information about the objects and object properties of the slaves. The configuration tool accesses the ESI files to create the ENI file.

EtherCAT^® Network Information file (ENI file)

The ENI file is created by the configuration tool. The ENI file provides the EtherCAT^® master with the following information:

• Information on the network topology
• Information on the initialization commands for all network stations
• Commands that the master sends cyclically to the slaves

Slave Information Interface (SII)

SII is an EEPROM that contains information about the hardware configuration of the EtherCAT^® slave controller (ESC). When booting, the slave applies the SII file to the register of the ESC.