Industrial Ethernet

Industrial Ethernet with Totally Integrated Automation

Ethernet currently has a market share of over 90% and the trend is rising. This places it in the pole position in the LAN landscape worldwide. The specification of this baseband LAN was developed in the 1970s and standardized in the international IEEE 802.3 standard. Ethernet has continued to experience rapid development and established itself in all speed ranges and application areas. Ethernet offers important characteristics that can give you significant advantages for your application:

• Investment protection through continuous compatible further development
• Network components for use in harsh industrial environments
• Fast assembly and start-up thanks to the simplest connection method
• High availability of the networks due to ring redundancy and redundant power supply
• Continuous monitoring of network components through a simple and effective signaling concept
• Almost unlimited communications performance, since scalable performance is available through switching technology if required
• Networking of different application areas such the office and production areas
• Data reservation in the case of Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN)
• Fast and reliable roaming for Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN) for high-speed forwarding of mobile stations between various access points
• In Industrial Ethernet, plant-wide time synchronization is possible. This means that events can be assigned accurately in the order of occurrence throughout the plant.

Industrial Ethernet serves as the basis for use of component-based automation based on the PROFINET standard of PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI).

SIMATIC NET relies on this proven technology. Siemens has established well over 10 million connections worldwide in tough industrial environments subject to electromagnetic interference.

With the aid of switching technology, the ranges are almost unlimited. Industrial Ethernet also provides the option of wireless communication that integrates seamlessly in the network structure. This means that information is available anywhere at any time and mobile access is made possible through Industrial Wireless LAN to the intranet/Internet .

Industrial Ethernet uses data communication to exchange data between programmable controllers or between a programmable controller and intelligent partners (e.g. PCs).

High-speed communication networks can be set up with Industrial Ethernet in line, ring or star structures over wide areas.

Note:
In many SIMATIC NET components (e.g. SCALANCE, CPs with IT functions), extensive parameterization and diagnostics functions are provided over open protocols and interfaces (e.g. web server, network management).

However, these open interfaces can also provide access to components that can be used for illicit activities.

When using the above-mentioned functions and these open interfaces and protocols (such as SNMP, HTTP and Telnet), suitable security measures must be implemented that block unauthorized access to the components or the network, especially from the WAN/internet.

It is important to note the boundary conditions for use of the specified SIMATIC NET products (order numbers 6GK..., 6XV1) which you can view on the internet:

http://www.siemens.com/simatic-net/ik-info