Installation guide

Network Infrastructure for EtherNet/IP™
Industrial Ethernet… Not Just Another Fieldbus
1-2
EtherNet/IP:
offers producer-consumer services that enable users to control, configure, and collect data
from over a single network or to use the network as a backbone for multiple distributed
networks.
provides robust physical layer options for industrial environments and includes the use of
sealed RJ-45 and M12-4 “D” Coded connectors.
uses existing Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards for
Ethernet physical and data link layers.
provides flexible installation options leveraging commercially available industrial
infrastructure products, including copper, fiber, fiber ring, and wireless solutions.
incorporates the TCP/IP suite—the Ethernet standard.
is compatible with accepted communication standards, including OPC
1
and Internet
protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP).
It is useful to understand the architecture of EtherNet/IP in terms of the seven-layer
Open System
Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model
developed by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) as shown in Figure 1-1. Appendix B provides an introduction to the ISO OSI Model
with references to appropriate standards.
Figure 1-1 How EtherNet/IP Relates to the OSI Model.
In EtherNet/IP and all CIP Networks, exchange of time-critical data is based on the producer-consumer
messaging model
whereby a transmitting device produces data on the network, and one or more
1
Information on the OPC Foundation and its open specifications can be found at www.opcfoundation.org.