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Introduction to EtherNet/IP

EtherNet/IP stands for "Ethernet Industrial Protocol" and defines an open industrial standard that extends the classic Ethernet with an industrial protocol. This standard was jointly developed by ControlNet International (CI) and the Open DeviceNet Vendor Association (IEA), and presented in March 2000. EtherNet/IP is based on the TCP/IP-protocol family and thus adopts the lower 4 layers of the OSI layer model in unaltered form. All standard Ethernet-communication modules sucha as PC interface cards, cables, connectors, hubs and switches can be used with EtherNet/IP.

Above the transport layer there is the Encapsulation Protocol with which the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) is mapped on TCP/IP and UDP/IP. CIP, as a largely network-independent standard, has already been used for many years with ControlNet and DeviceNet. ControlNet, DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP thus have the same application protocol and can therefore use common device profiles and object libraries. These objects make plug-and-play interoperability possible between complex devices of different manufacturers.

EtherNet/IP is intended for use in networked real-time control applications. The integration of Ethernet down to the device level by means of CIP, provides the user with a number of advantages. Universal configuration, collecting and controlling data across several network levels, and a TCP/IP connection to the worldwide Internet, or in-company Intranets, providing continuous information flow at all work levels.

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