F
FA
See firmware alpha (FA).
Failure Modes Effects and Analysis (FMEA)
A structured approach to discovering potential failures that may exist within the design of a product or process with a goal of applying a structured mitigation of risk.
FAN
FAR
Fast & Flexible Interconnect (FIX)
A program designed to help utilities and grid operations address interconnection delays and infrastructure challenges associated with electric vehicle (EV) fleet electrification. With FIX, transportation electrification goals are achieved more quickly and at lower costs than traditional methods of distribution load assessments and infrastructure upgrades.
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)
A representative measure of the spectral energy present in a given radio frequency channel. FFT is a specific family of algorithms that provide a computationally efficient way to calculate Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT).
father
A description of a meter relationship. Similar to a relational database that uses the terms parent and child to describe the hierarchical relationship of the tables. The term father is used in establishing meter relationships.
faulted circuit indicator (FCI)
A device that, if tripped, indicates a failed utility condition such as a power failure.
fault location isolation and service restoration (FLISR)
In intelligent line switching (ILS), a standard and sometimes automated process for detecting faulted feeder segments and restoring service to those utility customers who have lost power.
FC
FC300
See Field Collector 300.
FCC
See Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
FCI
See faulted circuit indicator (FCI).
FCS
See Field Collection System (FCS).
FDM
See Field Deployment Manager (FDM).
FDM Tools
One of the Field Deployment Manager (FDM) suite of products that enables field service employees to install and validate Itron AMR and AMI meters, ERTs and modules. Using Itron radio technologies, wired and wireless network connections, and mobile computing devices such as laptops and tablets, FDM Tools enables users to program, check, validate, and otherwise manage Itron endpoints in the field for use in mobile, Fixed Network, and distributed intelligence (DI) environments.
feature complete (FC)
A product milestone that indicates the hardware is feature complete and all identified critical issues have a corrective action plan that does not substantially change production implementation and planned fixtures. Software and firmware are feature complete, and functional testing is complete, but all bug fixes, solution, regression, hardening, and/or field testing are not complete.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The United States federal governing body that issues radio-frequency usage licenses. The FCC also certifies radio and other equipment against standards of operation and performance.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
The regulatory agency in the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that has jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales and wholesale rates. FERC regulates the price, terms, and conditions of power sold in interstate commerce and all transmission services. FERC is the federal counterpart to state utility regulatory commissions.
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
Guidelines and specifications issued by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for federal computer systems used by all non-military government agencies and government contractors. The standards cover data encryption and decryption; user identity authentication via digital signatures, and private key management.
federation, software federation, federated
A group of computing or network providers agreeing upon standards of operation in a collective fashion. The term may be used when describing the inter-operation of two distinct, formally disconnected, networks that may have different internal structures. In networking systems, to be federated means users can send messages from one network to the other. The term federated cloud refers to facilitating the interconnection of two or more geographically separate computing clouds.
FERC
See Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
FFT
See Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).
FHSS
See frequency.
field area network (FAN)
A Smart Grid communications network infrastructure that combines neighborhood area network (NAN) and wide area network (WAN) components. A FAN can serve as a backhaul network for a variety of electric grid control devices, multi-tenant services (gas and water meters), and data exchanges to home area network (HAN) devices, all connected through a variety of wireless or wired line technologies.
field area router (FAR)
A network router that serves as a data collection point for meters participating in the Cisco RF Mesh. Several thousand meters may communicate to a single FAR. The FAR links the meters to the backhaul.
Field Collection System (FCS)
A data collection engine for handheld and mobile AMR systems. FCS collects data from multiple meter types and provides accurate, reliable meter data to meter data management and customer billing applications.
Field Collector 300
Part of the ChoiceConnect network suite of products, the FC300 provides electricity, gas, and water utilities with an ultra-rugged and versatile handheld computer for manual and automated meter reading (AMR).
Field Deployment Manager (FDM)
An installation management solution for quickly installing and gathering data around new deployments of Itron OpenWay Riva network and Gen5 ERTs. FDM enables field service employees to install and validate Itron AMR and AMI meters, ERTs and modules. Using Itron radio technologies and mobile computing devices such as laptops and tablets, FDM allows users to program, check, and validate Itron endpoints in the field for use in mobile or Fixed Network collection environments.
Field Installation and Support Handheld
A software tool that, in conjunction with a Field Service Unit (FSU), runs on a portable handheld computer and is used to pair Gas IMUs with gas meters and configure the IMUs for operation over the Itron mesh network.
Field Pairing Service (FPS)
A service that allows customers to install or swap Itron NICs into meters in the field without any field tools. The back office manages the processes required to complete the provisioning with minimal user intervention.
field service representative (FSR)
A utility company technician or contractor who installs, programs, or maintains meters and endpoints on customers’ premises. The term is also applied to technicians who audit the quality of other FSRs’ work.
Field Service Unit (FSU)
A portable tool used by field technicians to communicate with devices equipped with a Smart Street Lighting or NIC for configuration, troubleshooting, and other operations. It can also be used in a laboratory or meter shop to test and preconfigure devices before installation at customer sites. See also FSU Personalization.
Field Tools
An ERT installation and validation tool built for use on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. Field Tools is a mobile app built on the Itron Mobile foundation of code to work with North American gas and water ERTs. Using an Itron Mobile Radio (IMR1/IMR2/IMR-FT), a field worker can easily Read, Check and Program 40G, 100G and 100W ERTs, with additional ERT and meter support in the future.
file snapshot
A password-encrypted XML file containing endpoint, meter, and associated settings for use by meter manufacturers in programming endpoints at the factory.
file transfer protocol (FTP)
A client-server protocol that lets a user on one computer transfer files to and from another computer over a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network. The term may also refer to the client program that the user executes to transfer files.
filter, band-pass
A device that allows frequencies within a certain range and rejects frequencies beyond that range.
filter, list filter
A feature of some lists that enables you to limit the number of list items displayed at any one time to those that meet one or more conditions or criteria. Some filters consist of predefined lists of conditions from which you can select the one to apply. Others incorporate filter editors that you can use to define your own set of conditions.
protective filters
Filters that are robust and compact for easy and durable installation in harsh environments. The “V” shaped design helps District Heating Companies keep their installations safe from undesired particles.
final product release (FPR)
A product milestone that indicates the product has successfully passed pilot requirements, reliability (per plan), and specific regulatory testing (per plan) to support general production shipments. See also limited availability (LA).
FIPS
See Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).
firewall
A gateway that limits access between networks in accordance with the local security policy.
firmware
A computer program embedded in a hardware device. See also image.
firmware alpha (FA)
A product milestone that indicates the feature set aligns with and software alpha (SA) releases for early integration testing, if applicable.
firmware multicast group
An application group that is capable of containing meters from different configuration groups and device classes. It differs from conventional application groups in that it uses a single multicast address for each security code rather than different multicast addresses for different configurations and device classes. A firmware multicast group ignores device classes and configuration settings.
Firmware Upgrader (FWU)
An Itron application that manages the delivery, float, and activation of firmware over the Itron network, and provides image management, audits of upgrades, project management, and alerts related to the firmware update process. FWU can also perform audit jobs to make sure devices are running a specified firmware image and can automatically run an upgrade job based on audit results.
FISH
Internal name no longer associated with Field Installation and Support Handheld .
FIX
See Fast & Flexible Interconnect (FIX).
Fixed Network 2.0
A utility meter data collection and management network consisting of:
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Endpoint-equipped electric, gas, or water meters that measure and record consumption by utility customers.
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Collection and transmission devices called cell control units (CCUs) and repeaters that retrieve meter data and upload it over the Internet to a host system.
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The host system, which receives the data and stores it in a database for billing and analysis purposes.
Fixed Network 100
A network system which relies on a combination of wired connection and data management software to collect and manage frequent consumption and usage meter data.
Fixed Network Administration Client (FNAC)
A component of Itron’s ChoiceConnect Fixed Network that manages network devices, generates reports, and performs various services.
Fixed Network Application Server (FNAS)
A component of Itron’s ChoiceConnect Fixed Network that is used to gather and process meter readings. Also called the head end or collection engine.
flash memory
A nonvolatile data storage technology that supports reprogramming in units of memory called blocks.
flat rate
A fixed billing rate for power consumers that does not vary during the day.
flexible connection
A connection to the power grid that allows a customer to choose to pay to increase the capacity of an overloaded grid element or save by reducing generation or capacity.
FLISR
See fault location isolation and service restoration (FLISR).
Flodis
A high-end, single jet turbine, extra dry water meter for residential applications, designed mainly for the billing market.
Flodis C&I
A high-end, single jet turbine, extra dry water meter for commercial & industrial (C&I) applications, designed mainly for the billing market.
Flostar M
A water meter for commercial & industrial (C&I) billing applications with one of the largest measuring ranges, enabled by single jet technology.
Flostar S
A single jet water meter available in DN65 (2.5) to DN150 (6) sizes. Its low flow accuracy combined with significant peak flow capacity ensure complete and efficient measurement across a wide range of flow rates and measurement applications.
flow straightener
A device designed to avoid any effect that flow disturbances generate on metering.
FMEA
See Failure Modes Effects and Analysis (FMEA).
FNAC
See Fixed Network Administration Client (FNAC).
FNAS
See Fixed Network Application Server (FNAS).
forecast
A predicted or anticipated demand for energy. electricity or gas. Forecasting is the basis on which power purchases are made. A forecast may include peak demand, energy, reactive power, or demand profile. A forecast may be made for total system demand, transmission loading, substation/feeder loading, individual customer demand, or appliance demand. Short-term forecasts (minutes, hours, days) are used for system operation purposes or real time pricing. Long-term forecasting (years) is for power generation and grid planning purposes.
Forecast Manager
A solution that brings together sales forecasting, data management, and reporting into a single integrated application. Forecast Manager automates the input of key data for forecasting and analyzing sales trends linking directly with MetrixND forecast and weather impact models.
FPR
See final product release (FPR).
FPS
See Field Pairing Service (FPS).
FQDN
See fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
frequency
Electromagnetic waves used to carry information over radio. For example, the selected radio station in your car is a frequency, which brings in the information you want.
frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)
Originally developed during the Second World War to avoid jamming, FHSS is a method of sending radio signals over several frequency channels. Unlike direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), FHSS switches between channels in a pattern known to both sender and receiver, thereby avoiding interference in any one channel.
Fresnel zone
The elliptically shaped area formed by radio frequency waves between a transmitter and a receiver.
from-host file
A file produced by a utility company’s customer information system (CIS) containing work order information to be passed to a workforce management system.
fronthaul
Contains utility-specific customer information and billing systems that are integrated into the Itron application. The fronthaul link provides the connection between the utility data center and Itron applications.
FSU
FSU Certificate Authority (FSU CA)
A certificate authority that signs and issues Field Service Unit (FSU) smart card certificates.
FSU Personalization
By personalizing a Field Service Unit (FSU), the administrator adds security credentials and initial credits to the FSU that identify it uniquely as part of the utility's Itron system. This authorizes the FSU to connect to the mesh network of the utility. The private key permits the creation of a secure maintenance link that allows the configured credentials to execute commands for a specific duration.
FSU-Secure Access Manager (FSU-SAM)
A software component used in conjunction with an Field Service Unit (FSU) that protects an FSU from misuse by allowing an administrator to limit the number of secure maintenance links an FSU can issue within a specified amount of time.
FTP
See file transfer protocol (FTP).
full security
A security level employed by ChoiceConnect network endpoints or meters that support enhanced security, such as Itron’s 100 series endpoints or the CENTRON Bridge Meter. In full security, secure commands and reading keys from the Itron Security Manager (ISM) server are required for performing all functions involving the reading of endpoint data or the modification of endpoint or meter settings.
fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
Sometimes referred to as an absolute domain name. A domain name that specifies its exact location in the tree hierarchy of the DNP3. An FQDN is specified with a trailing dot, for example: somehost.example.com.
fully secured endpoint
An Itron ChoiceConnect network endpoint or meter that has the Itron Security Manager (ISM) level set to full security. An endpoint or meter set to full security requires secure commands and reading keys from the ISM server for performing all functions.
function set
A logical grouping of resources that cooperate to implement 2030.5 features.