A multiplexer implemented substantially in the form of software, which enables
the multiplexer to be integrated with a supervisory platform into one unit is disclosed.
The multiplexer may contain a database which stores a mapping of the address of
the devices to the corresponding port/channels to which the devices are connected.
An emulation block implemented in software examines the address in each command/response
and forwards the command/response appropriately. Due to the software implementation,
some of the commands may be blocked (from being forwarded). According to another
aspect, data required to generate a response may be retrieved from a controller
block (instead of retrieving from the device), thereby reducing the overhead on
the devices.
