# About communication drivers

Communication drivers have two functions:

- To allow FactoryTalk View Machine Edition Station to communicate tag information to and from various Allen-Bradley devices.
- To allow the terminal to accept runtime application files (.mer).

## To add a driver

1. From the Communications Explorer, right-click the workstation and select Add Driver.
2. Choose a FactoryTalk Linx driver to add from the list of Available Drivers that shows.

## To configure a download driver

If your network is anything but Ethernet, you must configure a download driver on the terminal that the application will run on. If you are using an Ethernet link, you do not need to configure the driver. The Ethernet driver is selected by default.

1. Start FactoryTalk View Machine Edition Station on the terminal. The FactoryTalk View Machine Edition Station dialog box opens. This is the first dialog in the terminal's configuration mode.
2. Click Terminal Settings, then select Networks and Communications > FactoryTalk Linx Communications.
3. In the FactoryTalk Linx Configuration dialog box, select the network type, and then click Edit Driver.
4. Make the necessary changes to the driver, and close the window.
5. Restart the terminal to load the new configuration.

   Tip: | The FactoryTalk Linx serial (DF1) driver does not support KF2, KF3, or KE devices. To use these drivers on a Windows Server 2008 operating system, use RSLinx Classic as the data server. The Kepware Hilscher Universal and Modbus Plus communications drivers are not supported for PanelView Plus 7 Standard, PanelView Plus 6 Compact, or PanelView Plus Compact terminals. However, the drivers are supported on PanelView Plus 6 Compact 1000 terminal.

## See also

Start FactoryTalk View Machine Edition Station

Configure download drivers

Keywords: communication driver