International Forecourt Standards Forum
The International Forecourt Standards Forum is a UK-based European organisation which designs standards for connecting devices on a
Formed in 1992 by a group of oil, pump and computer companies (including
... there was great concern within the retail oil industry regarding the different protocols or interfaces used by equipment manufacturers [...] Proprietary protocols effectively locked customers to individual suppliers – who could often not meet the changing computer system needs of the Oil Company.
A similar effort was undertaken earlier in Germany by oil companies and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, resulting in the European Petrol Station Interface (“EPSI”) standard, but this was not used much outside Germany.
Standards are only available to paid members of the IFSF organisation.
Impact and deployment
IFSF forecourt equipment has seen considerable success in
The newer EFT standards, "POS-EPS" based on XML technologies, are being used more widely.[4][5]
Where IFSF is not used, a large variety of proprietary protocols are used. In many deployments, existing site equipment is converted to IFSF operation using a "protocol converter" or PCD, a small computer that accepts IFSF protocol and communicates to the device using its native, proprietary protocol. The PCD is most commonly fitted inside each dispenser, although it is possible for a single converter to convert many devices.
How IFSF works
IFSF is more complex but more comprehensive than most proprietary protocols. The IFSF protocol has two independent layers; a device application protocol layer and a communications protocol layer. The application protocol is independent of the underlying communications layer. The communications protocol specification makes the link to the transport layer.
At the communication layer,
The IFSF standards define messages sent and received by each type of device. The messages are designed to be expandable by specifying individual fields with types and lengths. The messages are grouped into various "databases" for the logical parts of each device, such as a nozzle at a pump.
Each type of device (dispenser, tank level gauge, price sign, carwash, etc.) defines its own set of databases and fields. Most devices also define a
- Inoperative (during startup)
- Closed (not allowed to sell fuel, but otherwise working)
- Idle (normal operating state)
- Authorised (nozzle in, but authorised for the next delivery of fuel)
- Calling (nozzle out, not yet authorised)
- Started (nozzle out and authorised, but no fuel flowing yet)
- Suspended started (paused, before fuel flow)
- Fuelling (fuel flowing)
- Suspended fuelling (paused, during fuel flow)
References
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-08-24. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) IFSF Management Intro, sec 1.1 Background history - ^ http://www.pcats.org/website/navdispatch.asp?id=752[permanent dead link] PCATS press release
- ^ "IFSF China". Archived from the original on 2013-01-26. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- ^ http://www.csdecisions.com/issue/article/42265/pcats_and_bp_pursue_processing_standards.aspx[permanent dead link]
- ^ "ACK Terminal Server - ACK Intelligent Credit Card Software Solutions". Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)