The disclosure provides a control device including a memory storing address information and a server section communicating with the external machine serving as a destination of publishing the address information. The server section includes a determining section, a monitoring section, and an address managing section. The determining section determines priority levels of publishing variables included in a control program to the external machine in accordance with a predetermined rule. The monitoring section monitors free capacity of the memory. With respect to public variables for the external machine among the variables included in the control program, the address managing section adds logical addresses of the respective public variables to the address information in order of the publishing priority levels as long as the free capacity does not fall below a predetermined threshold.

The disclosure provides a control device including a memory storing address information and a server section communicating with the external machine serving as a destination of publishing the address information. The server section includes a determining section, a monitoring section, and an address managing section. The determining section determines priority levels of publishing variables included in a control program to the external machine in accordance with a predetermined rule. The monitoring section monitors free capacity of the memory. With respect to public variables for the external machine among the variables included in the control program, the address managing section adds logical addresses of the respective public variables to the address information in order of the publishing priority levels as long as the free capacity does not fall below a predetermined threshold.

A valve control device with a switching stage, control electronics for controlling the switching stage, and a bus interface for communicating with a system controller of a processing plant is described. A near-field communication interface is provided in the valve control device, and the control electronics are configured to give a control command coming in through the near-field communication interface priority for controlling the switching stage. A method for operating an arrangement with a valve control device comprises a first near-field communication interface and a bus interface, and an access device with a second near-field communication interface. A near-field connection is established between the first and the second near-field communication interface, a control command is sent over the near-field connection, and the control command is given priority over a command received by the valve control device through the bus interface.