Installation guide

Network Infrastructure for EtherNet/IP™
Industrial Ethernet… Not Just Another Fieldbus
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1 Industrial Ethernet… Not Just Another
Fieldbus
Using the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™), EtherNet/IP provides the backbone for a
completely open, vendor-neutral communication network for the full range of
manufacturing applications, and can integrate these applications with one another and
the enterprise.
Unlike traditional fieldbuses, EtherNet/IP has an active infrastructure that
uses the standard Ethernet physical layer and standard Ethernet and Internet protocols.
This chapter provides the background to understand the application of industrial
networks and their special needs along with an introduction to the unique aspects of
deploying Ethernet networks.
1.1 Industrial Networks
Industrial communication networks have been deployed on the factory floor since the 1980s. Initially
used as remote input/output (I/O) and controller-level networks, they now interconnect a wide range of
industrial automation devices, from sensors and actuators, to controllers, human-machine interface (HMI)
workstations, and computers. Today, these networks are capable of supporting real-time control as well as
plant-floor information systems.
The characteristics of industrial networks differ from commercial or residential networks in two ways:
1. They provide the additional real-time performance capabilities needed for a majority of
manufacturing applications.
2. They meet the requirements for survival in various types of industrial environments, normally
characterized by higher levels of electrical noise, shock, vibrations, ambient temperature,
humidity, etc.
1.2 Introduction to EtherNet/IP
By the early 1990s, Ethernet networks were used successfully in manufacturing environments, mainly in
non-time-critical applications. The evolution of the Ethernet technology from a 10-Mbps, half-duplex,
bus/tree topology to a 100-Mbps and 1-Gbps, full-duplex, switch/router-based star topology has paved the
way for using Ethernet to support time-critical applications in industrial networks.
EtherNet/IP is a communication network designed for use in industrial environments and time-critical
applications. Using the Common Industrial Protocol™ (CIP™), it has many unique features that give it
advantages over other Ethernet-based industrial networks.