Precautions for the Use of Industrial Switches In the Factory

Industrial Ethernet switches, also known as Industrial Switches, are an important part of industrial connection equipment. Due to the network standards adopted by industrial switches, industrial switches have good openness, wide application and low price, and use the transparent and unified TCP/IP protocol. Ethernet has become the main communication standard in the field of industrial control.Because the environment of the factory is generally harsh, we must be aware of the precautions for the use of industrial switches in the factory. So what should be paid attention to when using industrial switches in factories? As follows:

Problem 1 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: network topology layout of Ethernet

The network topology of the office is not suitable for the production floor of the factory, where the Ethernet topology of the factory/machine is used. Unlike office Ethernet infrastructures, which are typically built with commercial-grade products that work well in constant-temperature environments and switched networks built in star topologies, industrial Ethernet architectures often face multiple challenges unexpectedly, so it needs to have some extra features, such as high-speed redundancy, etc. Industrial Ethernet will use a variety of different topological network layouts (star, ring, tree, line), and use shielded cables and metal connectors, which have higher heat and shock resistance. In addition, industrial switches are generally configured and maintained by the corresponding automatic control system integrators.

Problem 2 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: Ethernet communication protocol

It's important for control system integrators to realize that Ethernet is just a network architecture, and to make it possible to communicate between automated devices, you need an industrial-grade communication protocol. The IEEE802.3 Ethernet standard defines the wiring method, data read and write rules and the structure of the Ethernet architecture. Although different devices using this network standard can communicate on the same network segment, the premise is that they must use the same network protocol, or "communication language". It is a communication protocol designed for industrial applications, which provides functions for distributed I/O, machine-to-machine connectivity, machine safety, and motion control.

Problem 3 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: the processing power of Ethernet

It's not simply how fast the network is, but how quickly and accurately the data gets where it's supposed to go. The processing power of the network is undoubtedly one of the key factors, and its measurement standard is the amount of network data transmission per unit time. The only way to improve this performance is to reduce the number of cycles in the communication stack. The number of cycles in the communication stack is a dozen times less than a standard Ethernet TCP/UDP tool. This is due to the fact that an Ethernet real-time channel is set up for some critical time-critical work, while at the same time, its configuration, diagnostics, routing, and "bulk data transfer" communications are all over standard TCP/IP Channel complete.

Problem 4 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: Ethernet network configuration

The simple setup of the network is one aspect, but more importantly, the programming to achieve communication must not be too complicated. Communication between devices can be achieved through configuration rather than programming. Instead of the traditional programming and debugging method, system integrators and end users can save at least 25% of the construction and commissioning time through an object-responsive method of configuring internal communication between devices.

Problem 5 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: Preliminary planning for industrial switches

It is not enough to just consider the application at hand, the current Ethernet will certainly meet the needs of all possible applications in the future. Enables users to implement at their own pace a single, single Ethernet network for a highly integrated, diverse control function (such as peer-to-peer communications, distributed I/O, machine security, motion control, and data acquisition) of automatic control system. It is also prepared for possible future expansion.

Problem 6 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: Retrofitting of old systems

The elements of Industrial Ethernet are not limited to Ethernet itself. How to integrate and work properly with existing networks and machines provided by different vendors is one of the issues that must be considered. Using standard industrial switches and using TCP/IP protocol components, the system based on this should be able to apply to the entire autonomous network without the need for additional top-end industrial switches or special functions such as IGMP snooping and VLAN. It also provides solutions for connecting products from different vendors to the same network. Through XML, it handles each machine as a component, relatively independent of the internal core control system, which is the concept of automation with components as the control unit.

Problem 7 that industrial switches need to pay attention to: cost

For industrial Ethernet networks, the most important expense is not the components that build the network, but the design, installation, and maintenance. And other similar industrial Ethernet architectures use the results of IT technology, such as OPC and SNMP, to monitor and display the status of the network. In addition, its diagnostic function can directly reflect the state of the network on the automatic control system including plc and SCADA system. In this way, configuration settings and fault finding can be completed in the central control room, which greatly simplifies the operation.