This book addresses the challenges of the process control effort, recognizing that factory automation systems are no longer isolated entities and that the systems and their functions are indeed merging. Discrete, continuous and batch can be performed together or by the same system used in diverse applications. The book is intended for those readers involved in factory automation systems as well as process, including readers who are already experienced and knowledgeable about distributed processor systems, but may not necessarily be exposed to the technologies and issues discussed in industry. The author looks at past technologies and how their concepts have grown to encompass additional new and exciting nuances of current high technology.