Applications of communication networks lead to radical changes in human life. Fieldbus technology is part of this development acting in close connection to systems control and in critical domains. Equipped with sensitive sensors, fieldbus technology becomes the backbone of many processes of our daily life. In automation technology, fieldbus systems are essential parts of modern applications. In airplanes and in near future also in automobiles, mechanical control is replaced by "x by wire systems based on fieldbusses, a technique more efficient and flexible, but also cheaper. Moreover,...