Installation guide

Network Infrastructure for EtherNet/IP™
Designing the Infrastructure
4-30
Figure 4-1 Comparison of Isolated and Integrated EtherNet/IP Networks.
(Courtesy of General Motors.)
An isolated network has no immediate, continuous connection with the rest of the plant floor network or
the enterprise network. Typically, it will connect to a supervisory PC or node, which will then act as a
gateway to filter out connections from/to the main network. The design process for an isolated network is
broken into three steps, which follow.
4.1.2 Definition of Application Requirements
During this stage, application requirements are identified and analyzed. The collected data is then used as
design input. See Table 4-1. Note that EtherNet/IP networks will require more attention to planning and
design than proprietary industrial device-level networks, which have many predefined specifications.
Table 4-1 Definition of Application Requirements
Activity Industrial Network with Passive
Infrastructure
EtherNet/IP
Define project goals and constraints
(e.g., budget constraints).
This activity is usually performed.
Controls company may assist.
This activity should be performed.
Bring in IT Dept. and outside help
for expertise if necessary.
Analyze technical goals and
constraints (e.g., scalability,
performance, and device
configuration requirements).
This activity is usually performed.
Controls company may assist; may
be part of overall control scheme
built around proprietary systems.
This activity should be performed.
Bring in IT Dept. and outside help
for expertise if necessary.