NE 53 has been revised

The NAMUR Recommendation NE 53 has been revised and may now be obtained from the NAMUR Office.

The change compared to the previous edition of NE 53 (2010-12-15) mainly concerns the version numbers as well as the form sheet for the change notification.

Abstract NE 53 ‘Software- and Hardware Identification of Field Devices and Signal Processing Devices’
(Edition: 2021-06-09)

For the operator of equipment, it is important to know the exact status of hardware and software. Only then he can recognize changes and react accordingly. Examples are

• Assessing a “proven equipment evaluation” requires knowing exactly which instruments are in use.
• If the hardware or software has been changed, the maintenance staff may have to take measures to adapt the application.
• When vulnerabilities of an instrument are identified, it must be possible to determine which instruments are affected.

In addition to marking the hardware and software version on the unit, it is also necessary to notify changes to the Owner Operators. The NAMUR recommendation specifies the content of this notification. It also specifies criteria on how to increment the version numbers depending on the extent of the change.