SPECIAL REPORT

Industrial
Networks
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Know your protocols, cables and connectors..............................................................................................4

A brief history of industrial networks................................................................................................................10

15 considerations for deterministic response with industrial Ethernet....................................14

Run-distance and data-speed requirements dictate network needs......................................29

Ethernet/IP: the universal-translator protocol............................................................................................. 40

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Industrial Networks 2
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Know your protocols, cables

and connectors
Who knew, back in the days of multi-conductor machine cables, that we
would get to a day where we could both power and communicate with a
device over a single pair of conductors?

By Rick Rice, contributing editor

A
s a long-time controls engineer whose main focus is battling the march of time
when it comes to technology, the ever-evolving field of communications has been
a welcome addition to the arsenal of tools at my disposal.

It seems like the early days of control design were eaten up not with the actual circuit
design but with the more involved planning of how to physically get the wires from the
main enclosures to the various satellite enclosures needed to deploy the system on the
machine or process.

For those who have enjoyed any tenure in this fascinating career, the bane of the older version
of a control system wasn’t necessarily in the original installation/commissioning of the control
system, but in the troubleshooting of it, years down the road, when something starts acting up.

While some things do happen at startup, like skinned wires in a conduit, the real challenge
happens when insulation starts to break down or moisture gets into a conduit and
corrodes things just enough to create partial grounds or impact the dielectric strength of
the insulation on the conductors or other similar issues.

The previous example covers just the intra-enclosure challenges, but communications has
also had a major impact on the connections inside each enclosure. Early control systems

Industrial Networks 4
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needed hard-wired signals for every or on-machine—the only hookup require-

function on every component in the panel. ments are power and communications.

For example, a variable-frequency drive With all this advanced connectivity, the
needed individual wires for stop, run, for- means by which we connect all the compo-
ward, reverse, jog, accelerate and decelerate, nents together is very important. Different
to list just a few functions. An analog signal environments require different approaches.
for speed might also be involved.
Generally, anything inside an enclosure can
As one can well imagine, that’s a lot of I/O be wired using standard panel-building
points just to make the drive operate. Add specifications. As with other conductors
some status signals—ready, running, at in an enclosure, routing of the power
speed or faulted—back from the drive, and and communication wire/cable should
we would quickly eat up a lot of I/O space be directed away from high-voltage
in the panel. conductors to prevent the induction of
noise into the signals.
With the evolution of communications
protocols, the need to land wires for each Remote enclosure and on-machine
function, on the drive mentioned above, I/O blocks use the same connection
isn’t necessary. In fact, we don’t even need requirements—power and
to have all of the I/O modules in the main communications—but additional care must
enclosure any more. be taken to protect those connections
from the environment where they are
I/O can be conveniently located in a deployed. Depending on the protocol,
junction box close to a cluster of control communications hookups take into
points or even I/O mounted directly on account a variety of cables and connectors
the machine with appropriate ingress for data transmission.
protection (IP) ratings to match the
environment that the machine will live in. There are a wide number of protocols used
in automation, and they really represent the
Many manufacturers combine pneumatic long path from early automation to where
valve blocks with physical I/O modules in a we are. Some typical protocols in use in an
single package on a fieldbus connection to industrial control system include RS-232/
further reduce the need to run a bunch of RS-485, DNP3, HART, Modbus, CIP, EtherNet/
wires back to a main control panel. Regard- IP, EtherCAT, Profibus/Profinet, Factory
less of field mounting method—enclosure Interface Network Service (FINS), serial real-

Industrial Networks 5
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time communications system (SeRCoS) and Cat. 5e is faster—gigabytes—with less

the variations of the venerable controller interference by using shielding. The “e”
area network bus (CANBus) protocol. stands for enhanced and reduces noise by
having fewer twists per given length—two
The very fact that some of these, such as the twists/centimeter—than the older Cat. 5.
serial RS-232/RS-485, are still in use stands
testament to the robust nature of these Cat. 6 is similar to Cat. 5e but has narrower
designs. All have their pros and cons, and guidelines in construction to further
the major hardware providers each has its limit noise and crosstalk. This permits
favorite protocol and plenty of arguments transmission speeds in the gigabytes/
for why it’s are better than another. second rate.

While not the only communications Cat. 6a builds on Cat. 6 but uses more robust
protocol, EtherNet/IP has risen to be a sheathing to further reduce noise and
dominant player in the marketplace. While permit even faster transmission rates. Cat.
not as robust as some of the other methods, 6a cables, due to the addition sheath, tend
it is easy to deploy and implement, and that to be bigger in diameter and less flexible.
leads many vendors to develop hardware
that uses this technology. The net result is Cat. 7 cables take the previous cables one
a win for control-system designers because step further by providing a sheath around
we are able to mix and match brands of each of the four twisted pairs. Four sheaths
products through this common protocol. plus the outer sheath again increase the
cable cross-section and further reduces
EtherNet/IP communications uses the the flexibility while increasing the guaran-
same cable assemblies and connectors teed transmission rate.
as are in use with office networks. It is
common to find Cat. 5, Cat. 5e and Cat. 6/6a, Finally, the latest evolution Cat. 8, wraps
Cat. 7 and Cat. 8 cables in the marketplace. foil around the sheath of each of the four
All involve four twisted pairs of copper twisted pairs to provide the ultimate in
conductors. The main difference between noise reduction and limiting crosstalk. As
them is the bandwidth—throughput—that you might imagine, four sheaths around
the cable will transmit signals. four twisted pairs with foil around each
of those four sheaths and a final sheath
Cat. 5 is older and slower—megabytes. around the group of four individual
Most office networks utilize a Cat. 5 cable sheath/foil pairs provides the ultimate in
terminated with an RJ45 connector. transmission rates but less flexible cable.

Industrial Networks 6
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For identifying cable, here are some the purpose is to permit and enhance the
shielding codes of note. reflection of the light wave as it travels
• U—unshielded through the conductor.
• S—braided shield
• F—foil shield The use of fiberoptic greatly increases
• A—armored transmission rates and integrity. For this
• TP—twisted pair. reason, fiberoptic is favored for use in motion
control networks like SeRCoS and Hyperwire.
The choice of cable should match the
deployment, as cost will increase with the Special tools should be used for making
features. For example, good cable routing optic cables to ensure that there is a
inside an enclosure and away from noise- smooth, face-to-face mating of cable
making variable-frequency drives could segments without damaging the cladding,
use Cat. 5/5e or Cat. 6 cables. Cables routed as this reduces the transmission of light
along a machine frame or exposed along through the affected area.
the wall of a warehouse should consider
Cat. 7 or Cat. 8, especially the A for armored Connectors vary on the application of
part to prevent rodent damage. the cable.

A discussion of communication media Copper conductor Cat. 5/6/7/8 cables

would be incomplete without mentioning commonly use RJ45 modular connectors,
the use of fiberoptic cable. The copper but they aren’t as effective in an open
conductor products mentioned previously environment. For this reason, M12
are subject to noise because they are great connectors are usually used for this
conductors of electricity. purpose. Most manufacturers will offer
cables that are RJ45-to-RJ45 as well as
With fiberoptic, we take away the combination cable sets to take RJ45 to M12
negative aspect of inducing a voltage— or vice versa.
noise—on a great conductor of electricity.
Similar in construction and use to copper To further identify communications
cables, fiberoptic cable is one or more cables from other cables in the M12 world,
optical fibers in an assembly. variations of the standard M12 connector
are used. Commonly in use are A-Code,
Communication is achieved by transmission B-Code, C-Code, D-Code and X-Code, with
of light. Each fiber consists of a core and L-Code, P-Code, S-Code and T-Code also in
a cladding layer. The cladding varies, but use. The purpose is to prevent cables from

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being plugged into the wrong circuit. A final type, multi-fiber push-on (MPO)
connectors, as the name suggests, are used
Fiberoptic connectors vary on the use and where there are multiple fibers of various
number of fibers in the cable. The most diameters in the same cable assembly.
common and oldest variation is the straight-
tip (ST) connector. This is simply a bayonet- These are but a subset of the myriad
style plug-and-socket arrangement. possibilities for data communications
cables and connectors. The applications are
Subscriber connectors (SCs) step up evolving. For example, a new technology
from the ST style by providing a square has been released that cuts the Ethernet
connector around the round fiber core. cable down. Single-pair Ethernet (SPE) not
These tend to have latch mechanisms to only transmits along a single twisted pair, it
secure the plug to the socket. also supports simultaneous power supply
of the end devices via power over data line
Lucent connectors (LCs) take that (PoDL). Who knew, back in the days of multi-
technology further with more robust conductor machine cables, that we would
connections and a smaller profile than get to a day where we could both power and
both the ST and SC style. These are communicate with a device over a single
often found in telecommunications pair of conductors? The future is exciting,
applications. and it’s great to be a part of that journey.

Industrial Networks 8
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A brief history of
industrial networks
How a simple cable has helped the automation industry push the
boundaries of what is possible in manufacturing

By Thomas Burke, CLPA

N
etwork technologies have been evolving and adapting since their inception,
addressing the increasingly ambitious needs of the industrial automation
landscape with value-adding standards, protocols and innovations. Now
that digital manufacturing is becoming a must for companies to maintain and
enhance their competitiveness, industrial communications networks are undergoing
their latest renaissance.

In the late 1950s, the most future-oriented industrial players began to face a
pressing and growing issue: how to have shop-floor devices send signals over
distance and have them communicate with each other. The development of the
first serial data transmission solutions, such as RS-232, in the 1960s gave life to
industrial communications.

In effect, less than three decades later, the launch of controller area network (CAN)
systems, fieldbus and Ethernet opened the door to more complex and interconnected
communications. They enabled a greater number of sensors, controlled devices
and other network nodes to share unprecedented volumes of data at high speed.
In particular, Ethernet has risen to become the foundational network technology in
nearly every industrial application, thanks to its ubiquitous nature.

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The evolution of industrial some instances, establish synergistic

communications technologies doesn’t collaborations with other industry players.
end here. As companies continue to
advance their automation systems and The drive toward smarter digital
shop floors, new needs have emerged. manufacturing practices is resulting
These can be summarized as the ability to in further adaptations and advances
add an ever-growing number of devices in what network technologies can and
to the network and reliably handle an should offer. As companies look at
increasing volume of data traffic, as well setting up successful Industrial Internet
as the opportunity to share data among of Things (IIoT) frameworks to improve
components from different vendors. productivity and efficiency, their primary
focus is on reliable network solutions
To address these growing demands, that can support high levels of speed,
capabilities have been added to industrial interconnectivity and flexibility. This
Ethernet and functionalities have been can be achieved through enhanced
developed, offering higher speeds and interoperability, standardization and
bandwidth to enable more ambitious responsiveness, as offered by time-
transmission rates, moving from 10 Mbps sensitive networking (TSN).
to 100 Mbps and, in some cases 1 Gbps.
This has allowed automation-device This latest extension to the capabilities
makers to develop more competitive of Ethernet provides extremely accurate,
products and users to implement more distributed time synchronization (IEEE
data-driven operations. 802.1 AS standards) as well as data
traffic prioritization, scheduling and
It is possible to identify a clear trend queuing functionalities (IEEE 802.1 Qbv
toward open, vendor-neutral network standards). As a result, it is possible to
technologies. Interoperable alternatives meet the exacting requirements of control
give system integrators and end users applications with extremely short cycle
the ability to utilize the automation times, as well as transfer urgent data traffic
products that are best suited to address first. In practice, these features make
their specific requirements and intended network infrastructures able to support
applications. Even equipment vendors even the most demanding motion-control
have been benefiting from this transition systems, whose communications can
toward more open ecosystems, as be fast-tracked to meet deterministic
they are able to support compatibility requirements, while also transferring less
with a broader range of devices and, in urgent, best-effort data.

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Ultimately, the use of a TSN-compatible

industrial Ethernet technology means
that it is possible to create unified IIoT
environments where any type of data can
be shared, independent of the type or
original domain, whether it’s IT or OT, to
generate business knowledge.
Figure 1: Future-oriented industrial-network
specialists will always be able to identify what is
In addition, the latest developments relevant and incorporate it in their solutions.
around TSN technology, namely the
creation of the TSN Industrial Automation There is also always room for the
Conformance Collaboration (TIACC), have unexpected to influence how industrial
been driving vendor-neutral, industry- networking will continue to develop, as
wide conformance. Such initiatives are new user requirements and applications
proactively addressing market demands may not manifest until after the digital
for the coexistence of differing protocols transformation of business matures further.
within the same network, bringing Ultimately, which new communications
vendors together to validate their technologies will be released to market and
TSN-compatible solutions for greater take root will be dictated by what industry
interoperability. players will require to maintain their
competitiveness. What we do know for sure
It would be naïve to think that, after these though is that experienced, future-oriented
latest developments, industrial networking industrial network specialists will be able
will reach the end of its evolutionary to identify what is relevant and incorporate
journey. In fact, we can already see them into their solutions quickly to benefit
the next generation of ambitions and automation vendors, machine builders and
innovations coming to the fore, such as end users (Figure 1).
wireless communications connecting shop
floors, enterprises and entire supply chains. Thomas Burke is global strategic

Other trends seem to hint at simplified advisor at the CC-Link Partner

networking requirements, as promoted by Association (CLPA). Contact him at

single-pair Ethernet (SPE) and power over tom.burke@cclinkamerica.org.

Ethernet (PoE) advocates.

Industrial Networks 12
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15 considerations for deterministic

response with industrial Ethernet
Real-time determinism is possible, but not always necessary
By Anna Townshend, managing editor

A
Control Design reader writes: Our factory manufactures subcontracted parts
for an aerospace company, and we’re having a couple new production lines
installed with quite a few smart devices. The system integrator insists that
our network capabilities be upgraded to ensure real-time deterministic response. Is
that necessary? What are the benefits? Do the existing wireless components require
special considerations? Is deterministic response part of industrial Ethernet?

WEIGHT DETERMINES SPACE WORTHINESS

Yes, determinism is possible with industrial Ethernet. But one must be cautious.

Aerospace manufacturing is all about weight. It is extraordinarily expensive to put mass

into orbit. And it goes without saying that a vendor does not want to be the reason
for a failed mission. How can a manufacturer minimize weight for every part without
sacrificing quality or safety factor?

It is Control Theory 101 that in the manufacturing process the closer one can align
outputs with inputs—reaction time—the tighter the tolerances that are possible. In other
words, the faster the communication scheme, the less safety factor needed. This ensures
manufactured components will have minimum weight and a verifiable space-worthiness.

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Wireless communications are an issue. determinate method of updating inputs

Wireless is half duplex—separate update and outputs.
of input and output information. Wireless
also involves significant time jitter— In addition to updating the control system
different update time periods per cycle. in one cycle, EtherCAT makes use of the
This means the user must add code to concept of distributed clocks to further
combat limitations and must overshoot improve synchronization. All devices can
the process to make sure that the share a system clock and update their
component being manufactured meets process images at the same exact time. This
necessary quality standards. The result makes motion control more precise, and
is more weight per part and additional less effort is needed to achieve minimum
development effort to attempt a difficult tolerance. This does not require additional
battle. Costs go up when malformed cost; the synchronization mechanism is
manufactured components are tested built into every EtherCAT device from any
and determined to be not space-worthy vendor and only needs to be enabled.
and must be discarded. In aerospace,
raw materials are expensive. The more EtherCAT is not a niche protocol. It is a
we can eliminate control issues, the less popular communication standard that has
raw material is needed, which will lead to been in existence for almost two decades.
better success in space-worthiness testing. EtherCAT is an open and globally accepted
protocol with more than 6,500 members
A real-time, deterministic response can be in the EtherCAT Technology Group. In
achieved with industrial Ethernet, but it summary, EtherCAT is being utilized more in
is difficult, if not impossible, with normal the aerospace industry because of the low
switch-based, IP-based communication. latency and deterministic synchronization.
The control processor is never the weak
link; the weak link is always the ability to Robert Trask / North American
update the input/output devices quickly representative / EtherCAT Technology
and deterministically. And there is a Group / www.ethercat.org
solution. The EtherCAT industrial Ethernet
system uses standard unmodified INTEROPERABLE SOLUTIONS
Ethernet in a special way. Frames are Ensuring a real-time, deterministic response
Ethernet-based, but not IP-based. The is a must for next-level smart manufacturing
EtherCAT protocol uses one frame to and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
update all input and output devices each While standard Ethernet cannot support
cycle. The result is a much more time- this goal, per se, different solutions have

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been developed to build suitable industrial Efforts have been made to build real-time
communication networks. determinism in standard Ethernet. More
precisely, a set of IEEE 802.1 standards
While the limitations of standard Ethernet operating at Layer 2 of the data-link layer
haven’t been an issue in the past, they has been developed. The result is time-
can affect future factory operations, sensitive networking (TSN), which helps
which demand increasingly powerful industrial Ethernet to deliver deterministic
communications that can support real-time, communications and ensure a reliable
time-critical transmission of control data. delivery of data between endpoints.
Different solutions have been developed
to make this network technology more TSN technology has huge potential,
deterministic, and thus futureproof. providing a robust and reliable
infrastructure and supporting control-
Ethernet systems are being created to based applications from the embedded
ensure deterministic communications world to the cloud, and it is being
by offering 1-Gb bandwidth. The different developed rapidly to accommodate
solutions to achieve determinism often for higher-level functions, as well as
consisted of custom, proprietary industrial network safety and security. It can
Ethernet protocols aimed at addressing already provide substantial benefits to
specific tasks or domains. Thus, their manufacturers, supporting the creation of
scalability was limited, as each was highly interconnected plants. Therefore,
tailored for a specific application area. businesses that want to prepare their
Furthermore, while many of them could factories for the future of manufacturing
be considered open, they would not be and implement IIoT strategies should
compatible with each other. act now, combining TSN with high-
performance Ethernet.
To address these issues, some of the major
developers of industrial Ethernet protocols Daniel Weiss / senior product manager /
have partnered to ensure interoperability Newark / www.newark.com
between their solutions. For example,
the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) SYNCHRONIZED CONTROL
and Profibus & Profinet International (PI) NETWORK
created a joint specification to allow for If you have a lot of servo motors or similar
easy interoperability between CC-Link IE machines that need to be synchronized,
and Profinet. then your network must have real-time

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deterministic capabilities (Figure 1). The Upgrading to an Ethernet network

need to update your network depends on offers two main benefits. It improves
your current setup. If you’re already using an performance, meaning that equipment
Ethernet network, you should be able to use might be able to run at increased speed,
the same network for the new production which in turn could increase efficiency.
lines, although you’ll need to check that the Your network will be also able to process
network can handle the increased traffic. more information, providing opportunities
If you’re using a fieldbus network, it’s likely for better diagnostics and additional
that you’ll need to upgrade to an Ethernet IoT data, making it possible to identify
network. There’s been an increasing trend problems or plan maintenance updates
in the industry to replace fieldbus networks before production is impacted.
with Ethernet networks, so now might be an
opportune moment to make this transition. If we assume that no control—
The protocols are very similar, so the change deterministic—data is transferred
is less scary than it might seem. wirelessly, then no special considerations

Figure 1: Production lines must have real-time deterministic capabilities to ensure the
machines are synchronized.

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are required; the diagnostic and IoT data accurate and must be deterministic. Long
can be transferred on the existing wireless latency in the network means that you will
components. If control data is transferred build fewer products, reducing throughput
wirelessly, then you need to ensure that the and ultimately impacting revenue. In other
wireless components are sufficiently robust words, the better the latency the lower
and that all dedicated wireless components cost per unit of production.
are using the correct wireless technology
such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cellular for the Ethernet physical layer device latency
relevant application. occurs when a frame is being transmitted
or received. With adding smart devices
Yes, all industrial Ethernet protocols are to the network, the transmitted time
required to provide deterministic real- and/or received time can be increased.
time responses. How quickly the real- For calculating the system latency, you
time responses are sent depends on the must consider all different components
industrial Ethernet protocol and the target and cabling. So, if you can minimize the
applications. The messages can be sent in latency and its variation from cycle to
seconds, milliseconds or microseconds. cycle, you have the ability to add more
nodes on the network bus, helping you
Joakim Wiberg / head of technology / BU to get the most from your system. Time-
Anybus / www.anybus.com sensitive networking is an upcoming
new technology that aids in redundancy,
CALCULATING SYSTEM LATENCY enhances traffic control and timestamps
With adding smart devices to the network, each message in an Ethernet network. It
the amount of data that needs to be allows for flexibility, scalability and support
communicated over the network will for small devices, as well as big data in
increase exponentially, so the demand time-critical communication. To date, it is
of the existing communication network optimized for wired networks, as opposed
will be much greater. Ethernet data rate to wireless networks.
is much higher than a lot of traditional
fieldbus systems, such as Modbus RTU or Overall, to answer this question you must
CANopen. The data rate for the devices calculate the latency of the entire network
that support industrial Ethernet is 10 and find the optimal point between the
Mbps/100 Mbps or higher, depending cost of improving the latency and the
on the type of the smart device. In the cost of network upgrade. With wireless
industrial factory automation system, the networks there is a finite bandwidth that
industrial Ethernet network needs to be is available, and, if it is used up by existing

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devices on the IT side, the OT functionality configuration for switches and standards
will overload the system and result in lost such as IEEE 1588 or the new IEEE 60802
information and errors in communication. TSN Profile for Industrial Automation.
There are ways to isolate the IT side from
the OT side via routers or even changing The level of determinism and the
frequencies or channel bands, but appropriate mitigating design and/or
ultimately it does involve the IT/OT side communication network solution depends
converging to plan for future upgrades and on the business needs of the automation
maximize results. installation. The benefit of designing higher
levels of determinism into a network is
Sanaz Kanani / project manager, network that the addition of new devices and data
connectivity and IIoT / Weidmuller / www. onto the network in the future is less
weidmuller.com likely to cause undesirable issues such as
unacceptable jitter or lost packets. It is
THE RIGHT LEVEL OF possible to use a wireless physical layer
DETERMINISM for a basic deterministic application with
When installing new automation control appropriate design parameters such as
technology, upgrading to the latest proven additional repeaters, a clear line of sight
network specifications is a best practice, between wireless nodes, minimized
when practical from timeline and cost external interference and/or safety network
perspectives. This will ensure that the protocols that can mitigate the impact of
investment will last as long as needed and temporary loss of communication.
be able to integrate with future innovations.
The practical meaning of real-time Determinism is a significant part of
determinism depends upon the intended industrial Ethernet and was one of the
application. Industrial automation Ethernet key driving forces behind the creation
protocols can meet the speed requirements of communication networks intended
of the overwhelming majority of process specifically for automation. The key is
automation applications. However, in many to assess the lifecycle constraints and
more discrete and hybrid applications, it needs of the application and to use that
is necessary to adapt standard Ethernet to determine what level of determinism
communication networks to ensure ultra- is necessary and to then choose the right
fast delivery, response times and device solution based on a cost/benefit analysis.
synchronization. This can be accomplished
via a segmented network design with Dr. Al Beydoun / president and executive
Layer 2 network switches, quality of service director / ODVA / www.odva.org

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TSN DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AN ALL- control loop cycle time, packet size, the
OR-NOTHING APPROACH presence of potentially interfering non-
Your integrator likely has some very control traffic in the networks or the
good reasons for the proposed upgrades. number of network hops. In general,
Depending on which applications existing Ethernet-based fieldbuses provide
are sharing the network, real-time for one or more of these mechanisms. TSN
deterministic networking capabilities, standards provide all of them.
such as those defined under the IEEE 801.2
time-sensitive-networking standards, may Building in TSN capabilities helps you now,
be necessary to guarantee the safety and but it’s also a future-proofing issue. IT/OT
reliability of automated systems. convergence is maturing, and the demand
for Layer-2 IT support of production line
If you have multiple applications, some technology and centralized resource
of which are time-critical, sharing the management will continue to rise in the
same network, TSN traffic-shaping next few years. Now is exactly the right
capabilities can ensure that the time- time to begin thinking about adding
sensitive applications get priority. In deterministic capabilities to an industrial
industrial automation applications network; and you don’t have to take an all-
that involve control, determinism is an or-nothing approach.
absolute necessity. You need some level
of determinism to ensure a control loop is Deterministic capabilities do not have to
closed in a specified interval of time. extend to every segment of the network.
In general, wireless networks are less
There are many ways to achieve such deterministic than wired. If your network
determinism in your network, such as: includes existing wireless components,
• overprovisioning the network it’s a safe bet that their use cases are
• fair-weighted queuing a bit more tolerant of packet loss and
• providing scheduled time slots for each longer cycle times than the most time-
application to transmit on the network sensitive portion of your application. As
• preempting lower-priority traffic you add new wireless devices and access
• providing scheduled time slots for points, however, it is worth planning to
certain traffic classes eventually extend deterministic capabilities
• synchronizing network access. to wireless network segments. Already,
wireless 5G technologies are providing
The right approach for your network great improvements in determinism and
depends on several different factors: reliability; true TSN capabilities for both Wi-

Industrial Networks 20
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Fi and 5G networks are on the horizon. The benefits of industrial Ethernet are
pretty clear: deterministic control in order
Dave Cavalcanti / principal engineer at to ensure data arrives where it needs to be
Intel and chair of the Avnu Alliance Wireless in a well-defined amount of time¬¬, and no
TSN Workgroup / Jordon Woods / director later. Speed and determinism are critical
of the Deterministic Ethernet Technology in factory automation. For example, in the
Group at Analog Devices and chair of Avnu consumer world, if I open a web browser
Alliance Silicon Validation and Certification and sometimes a webpage loads in 200 ms
Workgroup / www.avnu.org and other times the same webpage loads
in 400 ms, it isn’t a big deal. On the factory
DATA WHEN AND WHERE YOU floor, however, if packets sometimes take
NEED IT longer to arrive than they are supposed
Without knowing what network capabilities to—an effect we call “jitter”—now all of a
need to be upgraded, in general, the answer sudden the line shuts down: it is a big deal.
is yes: an industrial Ethernet network needs
to be deterministic. In a way, that’s what Each industrial Ethernet protocol
separates industrial Ethernet from regular approaches wireless differently. Some
Ethernet. I say, “in a way,” because each industrial Ethernet protocols employ it
industrial Ethernet protocol does it a little natively, while others do not. Generally
differently. Industrial Ethernet isn’t just speaking though, you can expect cycle
one thing: it’s a broad name for protocols times and response times will be longer
employed to automate factory control. over wireless than with wired Ethernet.
But for many applications the cycle times
Some industrial Ethernet protocols rely achievable with wireless are perfectly
on solutions designed for the office/IT acceptable for an application, and so it
environment—for example, TCP/IP, UDP/ gets employed. Use cases include moving
IP—for real-time control. Other industrial machinery, automated guided vehicles
Ethernet protocols close their network so (AGVs), automated mobile robots (AMRs)
that only their traffic can exist and ensure and rotating machinery. Often 802.11 (Wi-
determinism that way. And others utilize Fi) or 802.15 (Bluetooth) will be utilized,
Ethernet but eschew other features that although proprietary options are available,
might negatively affect determinism. too, for special environments. Besides the
Full disclosure: Profinet takes such an special considerations regarding achievable
approach, and I’m from the organization cycle times, radio and spatial interference
responsible for the Profinet protocol. should also be considered. Industrial

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wireless access points are available from higher bandwidth and small enough delay
various manufacturers that have features to meet the system responses required.
built in to help mitigate the effects from the “Accurate” means more resolution than is
rough environment on a factory floor. required in the final part tolerance. As with
all engineering problems there are trade-
Again, each industrial Ethernet protocol offs between performance, flexibility and
handles determinism differently. Some cost. Deterministic, low-latency networks
industrial Ethernet protocols attempt to help to make this possible. Therefore, in the
achieve determinism utilizing tools from use case you describe, the answer to your
the office or IT world, such as TCP/IP or question is “probably.” It comes down to
UDP/IP, while other industrial Ethernet what the smart devices are doing and how
protocols achieve determinism by simply a non-deterministic response affects your
closing the network. Without speaking production process. So, let me start with
for other industrial Ethernet protocols, I a list of assumptions. First, I will assume
can say that with Profinet, what we do that the smart devices being integrated
is a bit unique: we leverage the richness are indeed integral to your manufacturing
of standard unmodified Ethernet whilst process. Second, I will assume that
also putting mechanisms in place for inconsistencies in your production system’s
real-time response. The Profinet industrial timing is not acceptable to your process.
Ethernet protocol is open; any Ethernet-
based protocol can coexist plainly on If both of those items are true, smart
the network—HTTP or OPC UA. For devices can indeed provide real benefits
automation control-related traffic, Profinet to your control system. For example,
skips the TCP/IP and UDP/IP layers that for the device itself to be smart, it must
otherwise hurt determinism, going have its own processor. Many automation
straight from the Ethernet Layer 2 to the suppliers use smart devices to offload
Application Layer 7 of the ISO/OSI Model. some of a system’s overall functionality to
a local, distributed controller. Think of a
Michael Bowne / executive director / PI smart light bulb with an integral controller.
North America / us.profinet.com New smart light bulbs come with features
such as integrated timers, hue control,
TIMELY AND ACCURATE CONTROL ambient light sensors and several
In all control systems, it is important that other integrated controls. Likewise, in
the controller receive information about automated systems, sensors, motors and
the system under control that is both actuators can become smart and therefore
timely and accurate. “Timely” means at a perform some of the tasks once reserved

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for a central control or even distributed Or if the overall control of the line requires
PLC and motor-drive control system. central processing and coordination by
Because these control systems are local a centralized controller connected to
and dedicated to the device’s functionality, several smart devices you also likely need
that local process can be optimized with to upgrade the network. Therefore, the
the local smart-device controller. When communication between these devices
these smart devices are enabled with should be on the same deterministic
the ability to respond to other smart controlled heartbeat. In old-fashioned
devices, completely decentralized control point-to-point wired systems, the data you
architectures can be envisioned. Another get at the single, centralized controller is
benefit to going this direction is that each assumed to represent the real world as it
unique smart device becomes easier to exists at each moment in time. However,
troubleshoot and maintain. In our light even in those systems, the multiple
bulb example, instead of trying to figure controllers and motor drives have always
out whether the timer, bulb or some required a deterministic communication
centralized control logic is to blame for network. With smart devices, they become
a failure, simply change the smart bulb, controllers. Therefore, the wireless network
which contains the complete functionality they talk on also should be deterministic,
of the system, and you are back up and such that each device gets an accurate
running, making money manufacturing picture of the world in which it exists.
aerospace parts.
Many industrial Ethernet networks are
Back to the question about upgrading your not deterministic. When determinism is
wireless network to be deterministic. Do required, an evaluation of the network
you need to do this? An assessment of the technology should be done considering
bandwidth is required of each localized the determinism, timing delays, network
control and the interactions they need topology and cost.
to have with one another. If this is truly
a decentralized process, then it may not Patrick Wheeler / product manager /
be necessary to upgrade the network. I Aerotech / www.aerotech.com
am assuming it is now a standard TCP/IP
network, which is non-deterministic and TIGHT TOLERANCE AND CONTROL
load dependent. However, if the localized REQUIREMENTS
controllers require information about the Robustness and deterministic real-time
other local controllers in real time, then communication are two major factors
upgrading the network is likely needed. differentiating industrial Ethernet from

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standard Ethernet. Industrial applications ANCILLARY SUPPORT TO PLC

have a very tight tolerance and control CONTROL
requirements, which require the use I don’t see edge or cloud functionality
of specialized protocols and devices taking the place of core control systems,
supporting those protocols. The timing at least not yet. Edge and cloud solutions
requirements can be less than 100 provide ancillary support to PLCs,
microseconds. The infrastructure required executing computations and feeding data
to interconnect the devices like sensors, to production, quality and maintenance
PLCS and motors is not generic for optimization systems for machines, lines
industrial Ethernet and depends on the and plants.
protocol implemented on the plant floor.
This can range from Profinet and Ethernet/ Many control-system tasks are evolving
IP to EtherCAT, to name a few of the to run reliably and efficiently in PC-based
protocols used in industrial applications. devices, but safety, motion control and
other critical systems requiring time-
There are different deterministic levels that sensitive response and extreme uptime
dictate the choice of the network device assurance are better-suited by PLC control.
to be used. The total throughput and the This preserves critical functionality in the
number of devices also impact the network event of an HMI, IPC or edge-computing
infrastructure so that it can support the operating system failure.
bandwidth required currently while also
leaving room for future expansion. A John DeTellem / TIA portal product manager
Gigabit network device may be more cost- / Siemens Industry / www.siemens.com
effective in the long run.
HYBRID CONTROL: MULTI-
Wireless in general requires special FUNCTIONAL PLATFORMS
considerations during installation to To leverage IT capabilities while
minimize interference. Mesh vs. point-to- maintaining PLC robustness, we are seeing
point topology, latency, distance and max more hybrid controllers, which run separate
bandwidth limit the range of applications PC-based and industrial cores in parallel
that can be implemented over a wireless within a single hardware device. We refer to
network. these as multi-functional platforms (MFPs).
Some of these MFPs are built on PC-based
Harpartap Parmar / senior product systems, running the core operating
manager / Contemporary Controls / www. system, PLC application and industrial edge
ccontrols.com algorithms in parallel, yet independently.

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The key for successful industrial edge- Naturally, the existing wireless component
computing deployment is quickly will need to be re-evaluated, with the
analyzing data to optimize real-time emerging/popularity of 5G networks or other
control, instead of sending data directly wireless technologies. If the communication
to the cloud for all processing. The data is time-sensitive and mission-critical,
integration of IPCs and PLCs is the future migration to a real-time/deterministic
of edge computing. network will help your products/services to
remain competitive and future-proof.
Luis Narvaez / basic automation and
industrial security product manager / And, yes, regarding the new emerging
Siemens Industry / www.siemens.com fieldbus technology of the recent decade,
almost all industrial Ethernet technologies
NETWORKED FUNCTIONAL SAFETY embrace determinism and real-time control
The necessity for implementing a real- in their initial design and implementation.
time/deterministic network depends
on the specific application scenario. For Jerry Lian / product manager / Advantech /
example, in a smart farm, a few seconds of www.advantech.com
delay for water irrigation probably will not
cause any problem. While in the scenario HIGH-SPEED VS. LOW-SPEED
of autonomous driving, a few seconds of DEVICES
delay for steering control could result in a It really comes down to understanding
serious accident. when determinism is required in a
machine-control application. Deterministic
As can be seen, one benefit with a real- networks are fully synchronized and
time/deterministic network is to maintain have very low jitter and packet loss.
functional safety, especially in areas of Determinism is important in high-speed
autonomous driving or aerospace flight control applications because the machine
control. Another potential benefit with controller cannot adequately control with
a real-time/deterministic network is to relatively old information while trying to
improve operational efficiency. Again, in control devices that aren’t responding
the scenario of the smart farm, though to commands when they’re told. If the
the timely control of water irrigation/ signal of a high-speed registration sensor
pesticide spray is not critical, it could on a printer is being received several
possibly reduce the water/pesticide usage milliseconds late and the servo is late
and thus avoid unnecessary pollution. in responding to commands, the print

Industrial Networks 25
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quality will be noticeably weaker. So, yes, This separation allows the devices that
determinism is required for high-speed need high-speed control to run with
control applications. determinism at very low network cycle
times, while allowing all other Ethernet
However, not all devices on a machine devices to fully rely on the randomness
require deterministic networks. Devices of Ethernet. This allows existing network
like HMIs, database connections and structures to still be suitable, even when
lower-speed control devices, such as oven upgrading control systems.
temperature sensors or indicator lights,
are slow enough that they do not require Certainly, as data grows, bandwidth
determinism. These types of devices limitations exist. But that’s also why we’re
can continue running on the existing seeing the emergence of low-weight
network but could eventually be limited protocols like MQTT.
by total bandwidth. Wireless connections
traditionally have issues with latency and Paul Anderson / technical manager /
connection stability, so migrating toward Omron / www.omron.com
a wireless network would take some
significant consideration. For reliability REAL-TIME VS. DETERMINISTIC
purposes, we prefer to keep control devices When talking about industrial networks,
hardwired over Ethernet. Where problems real-time and deterministic responses
can occur is when real-time determinism are independent factors. The time an
is being run on the same network as application requires an event to happen
traditional TCP/IP communications. is defined as real time. A high-speed
Network protocols will either use time motion control application could have
slicing or the precision time protocol to a real-time value of 250 microseconds.
achieve near real-time determinism on the On the other hand, real time in HVAC
same network cable. This results in lower applications is on a scale of minutes. For
bandwidth for all of the devices on the example, if a building occupant turns up
network and limits the network cycle times the thermostat and feels the temperature
that can be achieved. change five minutes later, the occupant’s
expectations have been met and the
For these reasons, we use the dedicated HVAC system response time of five
EtherCAT network for real-time minutes is “real time.”
deterministic communications and
standard Ethernet for all other Ethernet Deterministic response is also a time
related network communications. factor, like real time, but it is based on user

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requirements for inquiry response time. Manufacturers use industrial networks to

In the HVAC example, the deterministic improve their productivity. If a network
response would require that the user upgrade would increase productivity, then
receive a response within five minutes— the investment is warranted. If the upgrade
every time, and with no exceptions. In short, wouldn’t, then the network will become
both real-time and deterministic responses more complex, and the upgrade will likely
are application-dependent. And deciding be more detrimental than beneficial.
whether to upgrade ultimately depends
on your return on investment or if your Phillip Marshall / CEO / Hilscher / www.
application requires it. hilscher.com

Industrial Networks 27
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Run-distance and data-

speed requirements
dictate network needs
Best network infrastructure may be a combination of copper cabling,
fiberoptic and wireless options

By Anna Townshend

A
Control Design reader writes: As brownfield facilities look to add data-retrieval
or -analysis capabilities to their equipment, many of them are looking at power
over Ethernet (PoE) as a means to charge and run sensors or edge devices. As
an integrator that builds, installs and modifies equipment, this can be tricky, depending
on the existing network. Copper Cat. 5e cable is one thing, but a fiberoptic network has its
own set of challenges. And the hybrid networks, not to mention the increasing number of
wireless applications, create even more variables.

First, does anyone have advice for making a copper-versus-fiber recommendation to

plants and factories? And what is being done in those instances involving fiberoptic cable
or even wireless devices? What sorts of adapters or switches are available?

How do we enable these digital transformations, given the available technology?

APPLICATION GUIDES INFRASTRUCTURE

The decision to use wireless versus fiberoptic versus shielded and encased copper
wiring in a plant is heavily dependent on the specific application. Each Ethernet-capable
physical layer offers strengths and weaknesses that make the combined usage an
optimal solution for a facility’s network infrastructure.

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Fiberoptic cable offers the advantage of very electrical noise and hazardous area concerns.
high speed, lack of signal degradation over However, wireless devices still need either
long distances and immunity from electrical a physical power cable or a battery that
noise. Therefore, fiberoptic cable has proven requires ongoing maintenance effort and
to be an ideal physical layer for backhaul limits the total power of the device.
network segments that are transporting data
aggregated from thousands of devices over Recent solutions such as private and public
multiple-kilometer distances. 5G for industrial applications and Wi-Fi 6 have
greatly increased the speed and therefore
Fiberoptic can also provide a way to transport suitability of wireless for automation.
critical data in plants that have high amounts
of electromagnetic interference. Additionally, The advent of automated guided vehicles
fiber can solve for hazardous area applica- (AGVs) has also presented an opportunity for
tions, although a battery or power cable is still wireless to enable vehicles to travel through-
required for the device. While batteries are a out a facility without a fixed track (Figure 1).
simpler initial solution, they present an ongo- In fact, AGVs have recently revolutionized the
ing maintenance concern that must be man- assembly line. What was once a fixed path
aged for the life of the device and are limited has now become flexible, as evidenced by
to lower-power devices. the large wireless AGVs transporting the new
Ford Lightning down the final assembly line
The higher cost and complexity of fiber rela- in Dearborn, Michigan.
tive to other solutions has made this technol-
ogy most appropriate for use cases when
very large amounts of data, long distances
or extreme electrical-noise/hazardous-area
concerns are present. Note that, if both speed
and distance are increased with fiber, the re-
sulting performance gains are more modest;
there is a tradeoff associated with distance
and throughput.

Figure 1: Wireless has enabled auto-

Wireless communication is a very flexible
mated guided vehicles to travel without
means to connect different devices across
a fixed track.
a plant since the time and cost of running
physical cable isn’t necessary. Wireless can The largest challenge for wireless is that the
also solve for longer distances, moderate network must be properly planned out to

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ensure that the appropriate performance power, function over a variety of distances
is achieved. In industrial environments, with field-installable connectors available for
wireless networks are challenged by custom cable lengths, offer varied speeds
disturbers—items that reflect or block of up to 1 Gbps, can be shielded to reduce
wireless transmission—and absorbers— electromagnetic interference and can run on
items that swallow up the wireless signal. low power for hazardous areas. Additionally,
copper can accommodate movement in
A site survey is necessary to ensure that conjunction with flexible cable trays and can
the distances, obstacles and interference even provide the approximate distance of a
are taken into consideration relative to cable break by measuring resistance.
the needed traffic rate, latency and power
consumption. Facility construction and While fiber and wireless can offer better
layout will heavily influence the setup of a performance in specific applications such
wireless network, given that varied surface as requiring long distances and flexibility,
finishes and geometries reflect and dampen respectively, copper wiring is still the most
radio waves differently. During the site or versatile overall solution for field-device and
walk survey, wireless equipment should automation connectivity in a plant.
be placed and/or moved around the site
to measure signal strength based on the Innovation is still taking place with copper
location and number of the wireless devices. wiring as well with single-pair Ethernet
(SPE). SPE is one twisted pair of copper
Usage of wireless is growing in industrial wiring that can support Ethernet at a low
automation, given the increased speed and cost, which is allowing for simple devices
delivery options. However, it’s important such as contactors and push buttons to
to understand the performance needs of a be connected to the network. SPE enables
specific application relative the constraints digital commissioning and diagnostics
of a facilities layout, construction materials that allow for quicker troubleshooting and
and electromagnetic interference to ensure increased visibility into a plant’s operation.
a successful outcome.
SPE encompasses 10BASE-T1L general-
Shielded and encased copper wiring has purpose SPE applications, 10BASE-T1S in-
been the go-to solution for industrial- cabinet applications, 10BASE-T1L Ethernet-
automation applications given the high APL applications and many more Institute
number of options that can fit different of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
performance and budget needs. Copper (IEEE) SPE standards in addition to what is
wiring can provide both communication and mentioned here.

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Figure 2: The Ethernet-APL network topology is intrinsically safe and can power
field instrumentation with long cable runs up to 1,000 meters.

Ethernet-APL is particularly notable since as temperature, level and flow from one
it is an intrinsically safe (International instrument via the increased bandwidth of
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TS Ethernet-APL.
60079-47) two-wire extension of 10BASE-
T1L SPE (IEEE 802.3cg-2019) designed for Steve Fales
the process industries. Ethernet-APL allows director of marketing/ ODVA
for power to field instrumentation and
long cable runs of up to 1,000 meters, as HYBRID CONNECTIONS
well as potential reuse of type A fieldbus While copper and fiber both provide network
cable (IEC 61158-2), and up to 10 Mbit/s connectivity, they each have characteristics
communication speeds (Figure 2). that make them better-suited for different
situations. Therefore, deciding which one to
As another physical layer for Ethernet, use in a plant or factory is seldom a question
Ethernet-APL provides seamless of one versus the other and more often a
connectivity from field instrumentation question of which one to use in which parts
to the plant-wide Ethernet to help enable of the plant or factory.
digital transformation. Additionally,
process instrumentation can easily Copper Ethernet cabling is typically more
communicate multiple variables such affordable, durable and readily available

Industrial Networks 32
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than fiberoptic cabling. Fiberoptic backbones. Fiber is also finding its way into
connectors are also more susceptible more industrial applications. In response to
to signal degradation from dust and this, many switches and routers designed
moisture. These factors make copper for industrial applications now include
cabling the default option for most fiberoptic interfaces.
installations. Fiberoptic is best used in
situations where a limitation of copper The number of wireless devices has
cabling needs to be overcome. exploded in the past decade. To
accommodate this, wireless standards
The maximum length of a twisted-pair organizations have released updates
Ethernet cable is typically 100 meters. If to their protocols. These updates have
you need to connect two nodes that are resulted in wireless protocols that offer
separated by more than 100 meters, then more bandwidth, better resistance against
fiberoptic cabling, or potentially a wireless wireless interference and improved
option, must be used. security. Manufacturers of both wireless
access points and end devices are releasing
Fiberoptic cables offer another advantage products that utilize these updated
in plants and factories: they are standards. Although the reliability of
nonconductive and therefore immune physical wiring continues to make it the
to electromagnetic interference (EMI). default option for industrial networks,
Electric motors, welders and power lines wireless protocols are reliable and secure
are just a few potential sources of EMI enough to be used in a number of
in an industrial environment. Copper industrial applications.
cables can conduct EMI, which leads to
signal degradation. Two ways to mitigate When it comes to adapters or switches for
this issue are to use fiberoptic cables or copper, fiberoptic and wireless, there are
shielded copper cables. If shielded copper typically three options: switches/routers,
cables are used, care must be taken to converters and access points. There are
ensure proper grounding. many switches and routers that offer both
copper and fiberoptic connectivity.
Fiberoptic technology can provide a lot
of bandwidth over long distances. This When there is a need to convert from one
has led to increased adoption despite the connection type to another mid-cable, a
higher installation cost compared to copper converter is needed. There are many copper-
cabling. Many cities and facilities use to-fiber converters on the market. Converters
fiberoptic cabling to build their network can be a good option for situations when

Industrial Networks 33
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a fiber connection needs to be converted MATCH NETWORK TOPOLOGY

to a copper connection or vice versa away Copper versus fiber is mostly a question
from a switch or router. For example, a fiber of bandwidth and distance. If you are 300
converter can be used when an end device feet or less, then 1,000 Mbps with copper
that only has a built-in copper interface is is easier to scale and quicker to install and
more than 100 meters away from a switch or can prove PoE, if desired.
router, requiring the use of a fiberoptic cable.
In this case, the converter is used to connect Fiber makes for a longer install time but will
the copper-only end device to the fiber cable. allow for gigabit Ethernet and long-range
runs when necessary.
Wireless access points are used whenever
a wired network needs to be bridged with Wireless is a different beast that really
a wireless network. needs to be thought about before
use. Bandwidth on wireless is low, and
The first step of any network upgrade is transmission speed is limited. It also can
performing an analysis to determine what be unreliable if there is an abundance of
is needed. A lot of questions need to be different networks. Several manufacturers
answered before resources and time are make wireless-to-wire adapters, which
invested into any network upgrade. Will allow one to use an IT network to connect
wireless devices be used? If so, wireless OT stranded assets into a reporting
access points will be needed. Will any power system without running wires, as long as
over Ethernet (PoE) devices be used? If so, bandwidth and safety are not an issue.
PoE switches or injectors will be needed.
Are there any instances where fiberoptic Fiber-to-copper adapters are available from
cabling will be needed? Runs beyond most major suppliers to allow the transition
100 meters in length and areas with high of long runs into the machine, reducing the
electromagnetic interference are examples need for stepping through several switches
of places where fiber should be considered. to buffer copper-only signals across a facility.
If the environment is subject to extreme
temperatures, equipment designed to Ultimately, to enable the transition into a
operate in those temperatures will be digital system, one needs to identify some
necessary. Only through proper analysis can key aspects. What are the assets to be
any kind of digital transformation be enabled. connected, what connection protocols are
on these devices, are protocol converters
Chris Burg needed, what are the bandwidth needs,
product manager / Pepperl+Fuchs and what are the distances? After you get

Industrial Networks 34
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these nailed down you can figure out the Fiber media performance is up to 2,000
physical layer that best fits the topology. meters (1 Gbps) for multimode fiber and 70
kilometers (1 Gbps) over single-mode fiber,
Mark Russell which you can picture traveling across a
tech application support manager for the facility or even between facility buildings
Americas / RS over a considerable distance.

COMBINE OLD WITH NEW It’s also very common for the access layer
The points you make regarding the switches, serving production cells and
challenges of existing infrastructure machines, to use fiber connectivity or a
and new technology adoption, which fiber ring for resiliency and redundancy—
we encounter daily, resonate with providing quick switch recovery response
us. Consider plant-floor physical- avoiding downtime, ensuring uptime in
network deployment with a structured critical production areas.
cabling approach aligned to industrial
automation and control system (IACS) Copper can be considered for connecting
logical architectures, such as International switch to switch, but it is not common,
Society of Automation (ISA) 95 and mainly due to the factors you outline,
Purdue model, and to IT standards and where future needs of the network may
industrial premises, such as American outpace the performance capabilities of
National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ the selected copper media.
Telecommunications Industry
Association (TIA)-1005. All that said, copper twisted-pair cabling by
far is the most common Ethernet media
There are at least three common factors used in the industrial network. In fact, most
that play into answering copper-versus- downlink connections to Ethernet devices
fiber and recommendations for plants are over copper media, and the distribution
and factories: resiliency and performance, switches are actually placed to balance those
distance limitations and electromagnetic copper media links so they do not extend
interference (EMI) noise. beyond the standards limit of 100 meters.
Cat. 6 and 6A cabling and components are
The core and distribution switches of growing at a fast pace, partly to futureproof
the network are often connected with digital devices, but also to address
fiber media as a default, ensuring overall performance of IT devices such as wireless
network performance over long distances. access points on the plant-floor network.

Industrial Networks 35
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Cat. 6/6A also supports four-pair power over downlinks to access layer switches on
Ethernet (4PPoE) or Institute of Electrical production lines and the many copper
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3bt downlinks to wireless access points. These
Type 4 devices and up to 100 W. IDF enclosures enable the network to be
distributed zone by zone, aligning with
Cat. 6A cabling, with its good signal-to- logical architecture and providing a good
noise performance and several shielded structure for future additions.
versions available to choose from, typically
will address EMI. In some cases, in extreme DIN-rail-mountable patching devices are
environments with very dynamic EMI noise, also available to adapt fiber connections
such as a steel mill, fiber media does come in a common control panel for individual
back into play connecting devices, where fiber adapters, fiber adapter panels and
fiber versions are available, and reducing or even fiber cassettes, which contain slack
eliminating the chance for EMI noise. and protect the connections. Similar DIN-
rail-mountable devices are available for
The challenge is when to upgrade from copper downlink devices, as well. The use
Cat. 5e to Cat. 6/6A, and often that of these patch panels is a best practice,
consideration is more than just cabling, ensuring each link of the network can
and there is likely a need for a network be tested during commissioning, so that
assessment to create a physical network spare connections can be made for future
design plan. Assessment and design expansion providing faster troubleshooting
services for the physical network are and repair in the field.
becoming more common and available
for plant floors. Mike Berg
senior business development manager,
And what is being done in those industrial network infrastructure / Panduit
instances involving fiberoptic cable or
even wireless devices? END-DEVICE INTEROPERABILITY
Recommendations for optical fiber
Following the structured cabling model of between network switches in the industrial
a TIA-1005 system, designers commonly zone are generally tied to the following
use enclosures called intermediate requirements: electromagnetic noise
distribution frames (IDFs). These immunity, distance and outdoor cable
enclosures are the termination cabinets runs. Of note, there is no option for power
housing the fiber connections from the over Ethernet (PoE) available with fiber
data center and can also house the fiber media, so that is another consideration that

Industrial Networks 36
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may be relevant in certain scenarios, for this upcoming technology to drive

example, connecting wireless access points. digitalization further into field devices.

There are generally a couple of options Paul Brooks

specific to providing power via Cat. 5 technology business development man-
Ethernet cable. These options are largely ager / Rockwell Automation
dependent on the types of end devices
that will be powered via the network—for DATA-TRANSFER RATES
example, IP phones, wireless access points, The recommendation between copper
cameras. The first option is to inject power versus fiberoptic should be based on the
via a switch that can support PoE options. specific needs of the plants or factories
The second option is to use a separate looking to add data-retrieval or -analysis
power-injector solution between the switch capabilities to their equipment. Consider
and the end device, which is common for the following key factors when making a
brownfield situations. copper-versus-fiber recommendation.

There are industrial-rated options to First and foremost, the decision should be
support either scenario, PoE via Ethernet based on the plant’s or factory’s specific
switches or injectors, particularly in the needs, taking into account factors such as
PoE+ catalog of end devices that need up bandwidth requirements, distance, cost,
to 25 W of power. reliability and futureproofing. Copper cabling
is a low-cost option for supporting high data-
Classic PoE has not been widely transfer rates over short distances, whereas
adopted in industrial automation fiberoptic cabling provides high bandwidth
applications beyond network and long-distance transmission while being
infrastructure such as access points. immune to electromagnetic interference.
The reasons for this are well known,
and the most recent technology, power It is also critical to consider the existing
over data line (PoDL) used in single- network infrastructure and available
pair Ethernet, is expected to address technology when enabling digital
them. There is still standardization transformations. Hybrid networks, wireless
needed to ensure interoperability applications and fiberoptic cable all present
in industrial environments—the unique challenges and variables. There are
Advanced Physical Layer work shared several adapters and switches available
by ODVA, PI, FieldCommGroup (FCG) to help integrate fiberoptic cable into
and OPC Foundation—but we expect existing networks, including the standard/

Industrial Networks 37
 www.controldesign.com

subscriber connector (SC), straight-tip (ST) When it comes to wireless devices, it’s
connector, lucent connector (LC) and multi- critical to ensure that the network can
fiber termination push-on (MTP)/ multi- handle the increased data traffic and
fiber push-on (MPO) connectors, each with that the devices are properly secured. It
its own set of benefits and drawbacks. The may also be necessary to consider using
connector selected will be determined power over Ethernet (PoE) to charge and
by factors such as the type of fiberoptic power sensors or edge devices, which can
cable used, the distance span and the simplify cabling and lower costs.
application’s specific requirements.
Ultimately, the best way to enable digital
Furthermore, deploying fiberoptic networks transformations in brownfield facilities
requires significant infrastructure and is to consult with a professional cabling
installation costs, which can account for a expert who can analyze the plant’s or
significant portion of total project costs. The factory’s specific requirements and
deployment method used, such as above- recommend the best cabling option and
ground, underground or underwater, can technology for the project. Plants and
also affect project costs and complexity. factories can successfully integrate new
data-retrieval or -analysis capabilities
Despite the costs, fiberoptic technology into their equipment and drive digital
provides significant benefits in terms of transformation with the right expertise
faster data-transfer speeds, increased and solutions.
bandwidth and increased network reliability,
making it a popular choice for organizations Daniel Weiss
looking to modernize their networks. senior product manager / Newark

Industrial Networks 38
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Ethernet/IP: the universal-

translator protocol
How the evolution of the industrial Ethernet has shaped its uses

By Rick Rice, contributing editor

A
s the world begins to come out from under the oppressive cover of a nearly three-
year epidemic, the false starts and side trips that have plagued our journey on
the automation highway can finally make some headway again. Like the highly
anticipated family vacation, the desire to hit the open road with our projects leaves us
apprehensive and, perhaps, a little sleepless.

Feeling slightly retrospective, I find myself looking back on the past 33 months with a small
bit of wonder. How the heck did we survive all this?

While the health concerns were paramount, one lesson that we learned is that, no matter
what challenge we face, underneath it all we are human and we still require the basic
necessities. As a food producer, our objective of producing good, quality products never
wavered but the virtual snowballs tossed at us as we struggled to keep our eye on the
target made for some interesting times.

These are the moments where we learn what we are made of. The stress to do what used
to be just ordinary things can teach a lot about the character of the people we work beside
every day. Some crack, but most dig in their heels and take on the extra weight with focus
and determination.

Industrial Networks 40
 www.controldesign.com

For those of us who design, the journey box of goodies, but only for themselves.
we have been on seemed more like a ride Automation companies were hoping that,
through a neighborhood full of speed once you were hooked on their bag of
bumps than a lung-clearing sprint down goodies, you wouldn’t want to use any of
an expressway. While we all learned how the other guys’ stuff.
to reach into a bin full of components
that may not have been of our choosing, Like the automation components
the one feature that brought our designs themselves, the industrial networks needed
to life was the common pathway that to go faster and further. Still thinking in the
connects them all together. I am speaking, restrictive manner of a nation state, new
of course, of the network. network protocols were developed that
talked to the same group of components
Automation networks have come a long but at faster speeds.
way. In the early years of automation,
stepping into the world of control The new ones were faster than their
design was like walking into a meeting parents, but they still were limited to
of the League of Nations. Everyone had communicating with their own neighbors.
something important to say, but no one The communicating world back then used
knew what the other person was saying. protocols such as serial communication,
RS-485 standard, Remote I/O, Modbus,
Like the evolution of humans, the logical Profibus, CANbus, Factory Interface
place to start is to group things together Network Service (FINS), Data Highway (DH),
that have something in common. As the Data Highway Plus (DH+), because “plus”
group gets bigger, the desire to do more is better, of course, DeviceNet, ControlNet
becomes a natural next step. Eventually, and an emerging protocol called Ethernet.
without realizing it, we have a large group What was missing, to give a nod to my
of components that can talk to each other, favorite science-fiction genre, was the
but we are still left with the problem that universal translator.
these larger groups can’t talk to each other.
Over the years, manufacturers of
This scenario, while painted with a automation components realized that
broad brush by yours truly, represents making devices that only talked to your
the world we lived in back in the early own network protocol severely limited the
1980s. Manufacturers all had their own market in which to sell those devices. A
ways of talking—networking—and few protocols rose to the top of the pile,
developed devices that broadened that based partly on the installed base of the

Industrial Networks 41
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components that talk with that protocol time control. Deterministic, as applied to
and partly because the technology behind networking, means that the exact time to
the protocol advanced—got faster and transmit and receive a message is known
easier to use—to the point where the other and predictable. If the time to send a
protocols were no longer practical. command and get a responding message
back is known, then real-time control can
The logical thing to do was to get together be achieved.
and work out a way to settle on one
protocol with which all the various vendors Before the ability to make Ethernet
would make products to communicate. deterministic, specialty network protocols
As it turns out, much like the rest of were needed for time-critical events, such
humankind, not everyone could settle on as motion control. Dedicated motion
only one winner in the protocol race, but it networks such as Sercos were used for
sure thinned out the field a lot. this purpose, but significant additional
hardware and cost were involved since
One such protocol that has grabbed a large the programmable controller could not
share of the marketplace is Ethernet/IP, the be counted on for precision motion and
latest iteration of industrial Ethernet. Think position control.
of industrial Ethernet as the Ethernet used
to connect your computer or laptop, but An important feature of Ethernet/IP is that
made more robust so that it can survive in a it is media-independent. This has permitted
manufacturing environment. a variety of wiring methods to be employed,
based on an application. The four primary
Ethernet/IP literally means Ethernet/ types of cables for Ethernet are coaxial,
industrial protocol. It combines the fiberoptic, unshielded and shielded
common industrial protocol (CIP) with twisted pair. The most common cable
standard Ethernet. Both standards are technology is twisted pair with unshielded
supported by ODVA, an organization or shielded, a decision based on whether
formerly known as the Open DeviceNet the environment is noisy, needing shielded,
Vendors Association. Members of ODVA are or not. The most common method of
independent vendors who supply devices termination of twisted pair is RJ45.
for industrial automation applications.
RJ45 is a modular connector in which four
Ethernet that is designed for an industrial sets of twisted pairs are trapped between
environment has additional protocols to two modular pieces in such a fashion as to
make it deterministic and enable real- penetrate the insulation of the individual

Industrial Networks 42
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conductors and create a connection these two connection types varies by

to exposed, flexible copper strips. The vendor and application and is a great
connector, when plugged into a matching way to make sure that a component isn’t
receiver, creates a reliable connection to plugged into the wrong communication
upstream and downstream devices. An cable in the field.
RJ45 connection is not sealed, meaning
there is risk of exposure to powder and D- and X-code connectors are often used
liquid contamination of the connection. for bulkhead connections where field
cables connect to an electrical enclosure.
An alternative to the RJ45 connector Once inside the enclosure, standard
is a D-code or X-code connector in an RJ45 connections are suitable to bring
M12 format. M12 means a 12-mm-round the connection from the bulkhead to an
connector that provides IP67 and IP68 Ethernet switch or device.
environment protection. These two
categories both have dust- and water- Regardless of the media or method of
proof properties, with IP68 being more connection, the acceptance by most
robust than IP67. vendors of the Ethernet/IP standard with
the common industrial protocol makes
Both connectors usually employ four or five connectivity easy to set up and use in a
conductors and are easily identifiable by the control system.
shape of the insert inside the M12 outer shell.
One thing to keep in mind when
The D-code looks like a D—round with a flat selecting a programmable controller for
side—and the X-code looks round with an your control system is to make sure you
X through the middle. Both connectors can know how many devices will be directly
also have additional features—small cutouts addressed through your design. Most
that match opposing pegs in the mating programmable-logic-controller (PLC) or
connection—that make it impossible to programmable-automation-controller
connect in an incorrect manner. (PAC) applications will have a hardware
tree in the development software that
Unlike the RJ45 connection, the D- or creates automatic tag connections for
X-code connector firmly mates the your application to use.
correct conductors and completely
encloses the exposed connection so Each device will occupy a node on your
that outside contaminants can’t get into network, and each PLC/PAC has a limit
the connection points. Use of either of on how many nodes can be addressed

Industrial Networks 43
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in such a manner. While the nodes on that solicit information but don’t create tags.
any Ethernet subnet are limited to 254,
the PLC or PAC direct addressing will be A good example of this is a human-
much less. machine interface (HMI) device. The device
application will define where to read and
Examples of dedicated nodes would be write tags that are defined in the PLC/PAC
servo and variable-frequency drives, encod- without creating any tags of its own.
ers, safety relays and other devices that
use a software profile, sometimes called an Think of Ethernet/IP as the universal
add-on profile, to automatically format the translator that provides a common
exchange of data words into recognizable highway for your various components to
tag structures. Not included are any devices talk to each other in a meaningful way.

Industrial Networks 44