March 2022, Industrial Ethernet Book

Page 1

March/April 2022

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ISSN 1470-5745

The Journal of Industrial Networking & IIoT

Special Supplement

Getting your TSN Product to Market Page 15

Time-Sensitive Networking 6 Technology Update Wireless TSN is on the way

Integration of TSN into 2022 Industrial Ethernet 27 EtherNet/IP networks 32 Special Report 40

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Contents

Industrial Ethernet & TSN The future of industrial networking is being shaped by key developments in two areas: Industrial Ethernet and Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). And while the end result is that smart manufacturing will need to embrace the principles of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0, the changes to the network in these areas are vital to next-generation networking. In this issue, we are presenting two special reports and updates on both Time Sensitive Networking along with an Industrial Ethernet showcase where industry experts weigh in on the latest trends, products and viewpoints. For our 2022 TSN Technology Update (page 6), IEB reached out to industry experts to get their insights into the development of TSN and their perspectives on the megatrends and applications shaping and enabling development of this important technology. Key technologies to watch include the final emergence of IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN which promises to provide coexistence, higher network utilization and improved configuration tools. OPC UA FX and Wireless TSN have the potential to make factories both more efficient and more transparent. But experts also note that more products and TSN solutions are on the way. We’re just starting to understand how TSN will make an impact on smart manufacturing by delivering higher levels of determinism and performance. Also be sure to check our the Special Editorial Supplement, "Getting Your TSN Products to Market" starting on page 15. This coverage provides an overview of the CLPA TSN development ecosystem, what solutions can be used and how to integrate TSN-compatible functions in existing devices using conventional industrial Ethernet. It offers recommendations for industrial automation device manufacturers on the successful implementation of TSN and delivery of key solutions for future-oriented applications. For our 2022 Industrial Ethernet Showcase (page 39), IEB reached out to industry experts to get their insights into the development of the Industrial Ethernet technologies and perspectives on the megatrends shaping and enabling development of industrial networks. Key technologies include the continued emergence of Single Pair Ethernet and Ethernet-APL, 5G, TSN, Gigabit Ethernet, and new levels of standardization at the device level. Network architectures are going through a period of rapid innovation with the advancement of OPC UA software technology, for example, and the increased need for greater levels of IT-OT convergence and cybersecurity solutions.

Al Presher 04.202 2

Getting TSN Products to Market: 15

Industrial Ethernet Showcase: 39

Contents Industry news

4

Time Sensitive Networking 2022 Technology Update

6

Getting Your TSN Product to Market CLPA Supplement

15

Wireless TSN is coming: KPIs to consider now

27

Five Things TSN can accomplish for the IIoT and Industry 4.0

30

Integration of TSN into EtherNet/IP technologies

32

Industrial Ethernet networking solutions special report

40

Prepared for the future with seamless data transparency

48

The evolution of control system connectivity

51

Custom PoE injector powers explosion-proof CCTV camera

53

Predictive maintenance monitors Industrial Ethernet data cables

54

Power over Ethernet— supply for Ethernet devices via data lines

57

Secure and manageable smart network at lightning speeds

59

IEC 62443 security enables next generation industrial networking 60 Industrial Ethernet Product Highlights

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Network overcomes challenge of digitalised beer production

66

HARTING, B&R & SICK present case for digitalisation in robotics

70

Quality of Service (QoS) for today's industrial networks

71

Decentralized automation eliminates control cabinet

74

How control systems benefit from integrated cybersecurity

76

New Products

77

Industrial Ethernet Book The next issue of Industrial Ethernet Book will be published in May/June 2022. Deadline for editorial: May 10, 2022 Advertising deadline: May 13, 2022

Editor: Al Presher, editor@iebmedia.com Advertising: info@iebmedia.com Tel.: +1 585-598-4768 Free Subscription: iebmedia.com/subscribe Published by IEB Media Corp. Box 1221, Fairport, NY, 14450 USA ISSN 1470-5745

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Industry news

5G technology a key catalyst for Industry 4.0 FROST & SULLIVAN'S RECENT ANALYSIS, 5G IN Process Industries, finds that the limitations of 4G networks are enabling 5G technology to become an important ally for Industry 4.0. The high bandwidth and low latency provided by 5G networks are driving process industries to partner with strategic 5G providers. In addition to the organizational and economic benefits of industrial digitization, falling prices of technologies such as machine learning and Big Data analytics push manufacturers toward technological solutions that improve their quality and efficiency. "Industry 4.0 and the industrial IoT (IIoT) are increasing the number of smart sensors at a manufacturing plant and enabling machineto-machine communications," said Marina Salaber, Research Analyst, Industrial Practice, Frost & Sullivan. "5G broadband's capabilities enable connections to numerous devices and simultaneously process large masses of data, addressing the concern about the increasing requirement of data traffic that modern factories need." Salaber added: "High reliability allows businesses to incorporate automation processes that depend on the correct network operations. 5G, in this regard, surpasses the boundaries of digitization, allowing a dependency on network processes and protecting companies from high production costs and stoppages that connection dropouts cause." Market participants should focus on: • The pandemic pushed traditional face-toface inspections toward virtual platforms. Advanced predictive maintenance is

SOURCE: IETHERNET-APL

Frost and Sullivan report finds that high bandwidth and low latency from 5G networks are driving process industries to partner with strategic 5G providers.

5G high bandwidth and low latency is driving process industries to partner with strategic 5G providers.

transforming risk management in all industry verticals. • Manufacturers must partner with AI, 5G network, and data management software providers to achieve suitable energy management. They can also utilize cutting-edge software, such as ML and deep data analytics, to process the information collected and provide an end-to-end solution. • A digital twin must ally with innovation in every operational process. It fosters

growth opportunities for manufacturers by reducing financial inputs, shortening learning curves, and minimizing manpower. • Autonomous and collaborative robots can increase the reliability and efficiency of production lines. Automated processes must produce higher-quality standards due to their higher standardization and precision levels. News report by Frost & Sullivan.

The next steps in PROFINET security integration Industry 4.0 applications live off of connectivity and the exchange of data between the IT and OT levels. This makes it possible to create new business models and increase productivity, with plant and data security naturally taking center stage. This is one reason why PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) started addressing the topic of security early on. The development of this topic of ever-increasing importance has now taken several steps forward. Following definition of the concept and coordination with users, where PROFINET Security is defined in three separate security classes and security class 1 has already been

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finalized in the most recent specification and in guidelines, two additional steps have been carried out. Signing of the GSD is an important part of implementing class 1. With a signed GSD, it can be ensured that the GSDML – which describes the technical properties of a device in an XML file – has not been changed, either unintentionally or intentionally. For PROFINET users, this is crucial support for the secure operation of their plant. Corresponding infrastructure within PI and, if applicable, of the manufacturers, has to be set up for this. This setup and the subsequent operation of a corresponding security infrastructure for the

signing of GSDs have begun. The second step is comprehensive specification of security classes 2 and 3 as part of the PROFINET specification currently under PI review. Integrity, authentication and confidentiality are possible for both acyclical and cyclical PROFINET communication. At constructive discussions, experts from different companies and research institutes have developed a suitable security solution for the OT field from the extensive possibilities. News by PROFIBUS & PROFINET International.

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TSN Technology

Time-Sensitive Networking 2022 Technology Update

SOURCE: SIEMENS

Industry experts provide their perspective on the development of Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). Learn how global manufacturers can reap the benefits of Industry 4.0, leverage new levels of deterministic performance and capitalize on new connectivity options in pursuit of true IT-OT convergence.

Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a foundational technology for smart manufacturing moving forward, and a building block for true converged, IIoT networks. TIME SENSITIVE NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY offers the potential of an unprecedented level of standardized, deterministic performance for factory automation, along with the business benefits of converging multiple network types that separate the OT-IT worlds. For our 2022 TSN Technology Update, IEB reached out to industry experts to get their insights into the development of TSN and their perspectives on the megatrends and applications shaping and enabling development of this important technology. Key technologies to watch include the final emergence of IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN which promises to provide coexistence, higher network utilization and improved configuration tools. OPC UA FX and Wireless TSN have the potential to make factories both more efficient and more transparent. But experts also note that more products and TSN solutions are on the way. We’re just starting to understand how TSN will make an impact on smart manufacturing by delivering higher levels of determinism and performance.

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TSN Toolbox

Emphasis on Quality of Service When asked what technology will be enabling development of Time-Sensitive Networking application solutions and the challenges to more large scale adoption in 2022 and beyond, Günter Steindl, Enterprise Architect at Siemens Digital Industries, said the key is tools for the creation of secured, converged networks offering advanced industrial communications and connectivity. “People should be aware that the Time Sensitive Networking project at the IEEE 802.1 working group had the goal to provide more means for Ethernet quality of service. Thus, TSN is just a toolbox offering more control about the timely behavior of Ethernet,” Steindl told IEB recently. “This toolbox is used by the IEC/IEEE 60802 to provide a secured converged networks to industrial automation. A secured converged networks is the basis for communication and connectivity required by Industry 4.0.”

He added that PROFINET and OPC UA FX are currently being adapted to work with IEC/IEEE 60802 secured converged networks. Hardware and software for bridges and end stations are more and more adapted to support the features required IEC/IEEE 60802 secured converged networks.

Technology highlights

Steindl stated that the TSN toolbox extends the previous existing mechanisms to control quality of service for Ethernet networks. But what are tools without knowledge how to handle them? That’s the reason why the plug & produce support provided by the IEC/IEEE 60802 is the key for the usability. Centralized network controllers configure the stations setting up the secured converged network. Customers are only required to state their quality-of-service requirements for the communication relations. He added that the industrial automation market will adapt the features provided by the TSN toolbox. IEC/IEEE 60802 secured

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TSN Technology

TSN involves a form of network traffic management to ensure non-negotiable time frames for end-to-end transmission latencies. Consequently, all TSN devices must synchronize their clocks with each other and use a common time reference to support real-time communications for industrial control applications. In other words, TSN provides a standard and unified infrastructure for delivering data to the right place at the right time.

Applications and markets

Time Sensitive Networking ISO-OSI model. converged networks will provide, together with PROFINET and OPC UA FX, the plug & produce feature required by Industry 4.0. Factory automation, Process automation or Motion control, all verticals could be handled by such kind of networks and stations. IEC/IEEE 60802 specifies procedures for separating the communication and connectivity configuration from the PROFINET and OPC UA FX configuration. This separation is the prerequisite for an IT/OT convergence. He stated that there are many specific application benefits that will enable adoption of TSN, versus what is possible with typical applications today. “IEC/IEEE 60802 secured converged networks together with plug & produce are the key,” Steindl said. In addition, using the TSN toolbox will push the interoperability between wireline and wireless networks. Other verticals, for example professional audio/video, are assumed to share the same secured converged networks.”

Impact of TSN technology & timeline

“Plug & produce and interoperability between wireline and wireless networks are a precondition for smart manufacturing,” he added. He also said that IEC/IEEE 60802 secured converged networks are addressing plug & produce. 3GPP / 5G and IEEE802.11 are addressing interoperability between wireline and wireless networks. IEC/IEEE 60802 secured converged networks specification will be available in 2023, 5G and IEEE802.11 specification at a later date.

TSN Technologies

Support by upper layer industrial protocols According to Moxa Europe, the upper layer industrial control protocols will need to adopt TSN and truly integrate TSN into the overall system. This will enable the development of

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TSN technologies, and companies will develop and launch more and more commercial TSN-related products and solutions. “In the coming 1-2 years, we believe that the situation with supply chain interruption and the shortage of materials and manpower due to the COVID-19 pandemic will remain the biggest challenges to more large scale adoption of TSN as companies will be more reluctant and conservative to do new site and new technology investment,” they said. Moxa stated that the current trends of automation and data exchange in manufacturing, also referred to as “Industry 4.0” or the “Industrial Internet of Things” (IIoT), are based upon digitization. By converting analog signals, sounds, images, texts, and other information into a computerreadable format, digitization has been transforming industries for decades. For manufacturers to make sense of all these bits of information, the data must be transported from numerous sensors and equipment on the factory floor and processed for humans or other machines to make informed decisions in real-time. In the current Purdue model, industrial automation forms a pyramid where isolated purpose-built protocols automate specific tasks within distinct layers. However, this model gives rise to a number of infrastructure challenges for modern industrial networks. The protocols are essentially speaking different “languages”, which often results in difficulties when real-time communication is required. With the advent of Time-sensitive networking (TSN), standard Ethernet networks are now able to provide deterministic services and integrate the “islands of automation” that were previously isolated by the numerous purpose-built protocols. TSN is a collection of standards that enables deterministic messaging over standard Ethernet networks. As defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),

Moxa foresees that TSN can and will be used in various applications. As mentioned above, almost all industrial automation applications that are adapting digital transformation can benefit from TSN adoption as TSN provides a standard and unified infrastructure for largescale converged network. According to Moxa, the current typical applications are limited to network silos. TSN provides reliability, scalability, flexibility, and determinism in a converged automation network. Smart manufacturing adopting TSN will achieve higher production efficiency by reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) and by increasing visibility and real-time data aggregation for production optimization. “We already see pilot and small-scale landing projects all over the world, and we expect that TSN will become more and more popular in the coming 1-3 years,” they reported.

OPC UA & TSN

Enabling smart manufacturing solutions According to Philip Marshall, CEO, Hilscher North America: “At the start of the TSN standardization process, there were expectations that TSN would replace existing industrial Ethernet standards. Today, we’re looking at the different field layers to evaluate controller-to-controller networking over gigabit Ethernet via TSN. In addition, 5G Standard Release 16 will offer more low-latency capabilities and provide wireless TSN routing on the factory floor. However, this development will take longer to adopt.” “Meanwhile, when it comes to communication from the shop floor to the cloud and edge layer, OPC UA sets the standard and may become an enabling technology when combined with TSN. However, configuration complexities associated with Linux networks make merging with field devices a challenge,” Marshall said. Marshall said that TSN extends IEEE Ethernet Standards to cover the real-time Ethernet requirements of industrial networks. It originated from a merge within IEEE to form the TSN Task Group. At first, TSN standards were based on audio and video bridging standards, and adopted the following concepts:

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SOURCE: SCHENK, BELDEN

TSN Technology

TSN enabling technology for the automation model of the future. Source: Schenk, Belden • “Talkers” and “Listeners” were introduced to the standard Ethernet model and defined streams between the mentioned components. • One Talker could communicate with several listeners in one data stream. Today, TSN includes more than nine standards and describes how the existing standards need to be extended to meet certain behaviors in the communication channel. TSN enables data transfer from one device to many with defined requirements like: • Low latency. • Low jitter. • Cycle time. • Redundancy. • Number of streams — coupled to the number of Talkers and Listeners. These requirements resemble the current goals of Ethernet-based fieldbus standards, but are now defined in a set of IEEE sub-standards. The most important are: Timing and synchronization for time-sensitive applications according to IEEE 802.1AS 2020. Features include: synchronized timing between all nodes and the master clock; ability to correlate network events and actual time (sequence of events); definitions of multiple time domains; redundant synchronization; faster “Grand Master” changeover; and reduce best master clock algorithm (BMCA) convergence time. Enhancements for scheduled traffic according to IEEE 802.1Q-2018 (formerly IEEE 802.1Qbv). This includes the ability to: extend transmission behavior of Ethernet components; Time sharing method; reserve bandwidth for desired traffic classes; network cycle-based; and required IEEE 802.1AS standard. Frame preemption according to IEEE 802.1Q2018 (formerly IEEE 802.1Qbu): needs Interspersing Express Traffic (IET) according to IEEE 802.3-2018 (formerly IEEE 802.3br) Stream Reservation Protocol (SRP) according to IEEE 802.1Qcc — which configures all standards and mechanisms and consists of these major models: • Centralized configuration: similar to the Software Defined Network • Centralized user configuration (CUC): which collects all requirements for the 04.202 2

streams from the Talkers and Listeners and requests the establishment of the streams from the Centralized Network Configuration (CNC). The CNC receives the information required to establish streams between the Talkers and Listeners, then calculates the schedule and configuration to meet the given stream requirements; and • Decentralized configuration: e.g., the automated stream configuration, although this standardization is not yet finished. The challenge is that these standards cover any possible requirements of a real-time system. However, application requirements vary widely in terms of the standards actually required or quantity of required streams. For this reason, the IEEE TSN specs define only the transport mechanism itself. Marshall said that it is a challenge to achieve common profile definitions and interoperability because implementation according to TSN standards alone is not enough. The core requirements for interoperability are: • Selecting standards for defined applications (profile). • Every mechanism needs a defined quantity structure and performance specification. • Conformance test plans. • Certification. • Interoperable configuration of TSN networks. He added that this makes up the core of IEC/IEEE 60802, with Hilscher contributing to a common set for interoperability.

Application areas

“TSN has applications in the automotive industry — for example, autonomous driving — and in manufacturing wherever complex machines from various suppliers need to interoperate in a real-time network,” Marshall said. Some of the key benefits of TSN include the following: new possibilities to establish real-time communication between different components regardless of the manufacturer; and different real-time protocols can use the same cabling and connections, which is

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currently not possible. However, interoperable protocol configuration is a prerequisite. Additional use-cases will emerge along with combining wired and wireless real-time networks. “TSN enables standardized, real-time and vendor-independent communication in an industrial network and allows you to use the same wire for various applications,” Marshall added. “An example is having video and audio streams reliably transmit in parallel to multiple RTE protocols over the same media.” At the same time, TSN maintains the benefits of some fieldbuses — e.g., the ability to use multiple types of network topologies, such as ring, star or daisy chain. This feature frees up the network setup according to application needs. In addition, TSN does not limit bandwidth, so high link speeds above 1 Gigabit per second are possible. This feature future-proofs the standard and enables real-time traffic to be transferred over the same wire. Possible applications in industrial automation include: • Communication between machines from different vendors in real-time. • Prerequisite: same protocol. • Merging of the ERP and MES levels. • Real-time data streaming to a local cloud entity. • Machine builders can decide which data is accessible. • Centralized control. • Usage of TSN on all levels (field to MES). • Removes the hierarchical structure of today’s automation networks. • PLCs are combined into a central unit. • Remote control of actuators and sensors. • Enables flexible manufacturing due to scalable virtual functionalities (virtual PLC). “The introduction of TSN will lead to consolidation in the industrial Ethernet protocol landscape,” Marshall said. “Some protocols, however, will not migrate to Gigabit Ethernet, and we don’t expect one protocol to dominate the market and replace all established industrial Ethernet standards used in 100 Megabit networks. Since TSN is mainly a layer-two standard, major protocols will adapt and integrate it in their specifications as an

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SOURCE: ODVA

TSN Technology Sample system architecture showing TSN integration into typical EtherNet/IP network. alternative — for example, PROFINET over TSN or CC-Link TSN and others.” “We expect TSN to become the standard in controller interfaces based on Gigabit Ethernet to allow controller function clustering, enabling different machine controls within distributed systems and increasing effectiveness. Potentially, even different machine topologies can coexist under the label of smart manufacturing,” he added. Marshall said that the industrial TSN profile specification IEC/IEEE 60802 is still in development and unreleased. The broad rollout of TSN will begin in 2023, pending discussions on security algorithms at the field-level, as well as industry trends to pre-process data in field devices. Hilscher regards TSN as a key technology, and plans to significantly invest in hardware and software development for next-generation Gigabit Ethernet communication. “Because of our efforts, we have already implemented 100 Megabit per second TSN standards for our netX 90 network controller for evaluation purposes. We continue to gain valuable experience that we will incorporate into future developments, enabling us to react quickly to the ongoing standardization process,” he concluded.

TSN technology outlook

Optimal network coexistence and prioritization “Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) for EtherNet/ IPTM will be made possible through the IEEE 802.1Q-2018 and amendments, IEEE 802.1CB, IEEE 802.1AS-2020, IEEE 802.1AB-2016 and IEC/IEEE 60802 standards, resulting in optimal network coexistence and prioritization,” Dr. Al Beydoun, President and Executive Director at ODVA, told IEB recently. “A new Common Industrial Profile (CIPTM)

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Application Profile that will be released after IEC/IEEE 60802 is published will make IEC/IEEE 60802-enabled TSN an option for EtherNet/IP. End users will be able to natively implement the TSN application profile or leverage a gateway to allow for con-verged communication over a TSN network. Either approach will allow for fair network level access with other IEC/IEEE 60802-compliant devices. Existing EtherNet/IP devices can also work on TSN networks, although their Quality of Service on the wire may be degraded when com-pared to a non-TSN network,” he added. Beydoun said that the development of Centralized Network Controllers and centralized configuration entities to properly configure the communications between TSN devices in a common manner will pose a significant hurdle. Substantial development resources and additional cooperation above and beyond the current IEC/IEEE 60802 specification work will be required since this shared communications configuration for a converged ecosystem of industrial networks is a new concept. Additionally, vendors must commit to developing a significant number of new devices across multiple product lines to offer end users a sufficient ecosystem to encourage adoption. Also, end users must commit to the added capital expenditure of introducing an entirely new network that is IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN compliant in order to reap the most possible network coexistence, traffic prioritization, and network utilization benefits. Finally, standards developers must continue to develop the IEC/ IEEE 60802 standard to enable time sensitive transport between TSN segments and subnets.

IEC/IEEE 60802

IEC/IEEE 60802 based TSN promises to provide coexistence, higher network utilization and improved configuration tools compared to

the standard unmodified Ethernet of today. The technologies of preemption, scheduling, universal QoS implementations, path reservations, and IEEE 802.1CB fault tolerance are being specified. These technologies all rely on moving time synchronization standards up a layer from fieldbus specifications to IEEE 802.1. All devices that participate in IEC/IEEE 60802 communication need to have a common implementation and understanding of time. IEEE Std. 802.1AS-2020 will be the time protocol that drives time synchronization. IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN devices will also need to adhere to the same rules in processing and forwarding communication packets as defined in traffic schedules to participate in real-time (TSN) communication. Finally, all IEC/IEEE 60802 client devices will gain access to and run on an IEC/IEEE 60802 based network using the common language of YANG.

Application areas or markets

Beydoun said that IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN will likely be initially adopted in Automotive, Semiconductor, and Food/Beverage industries. These industries have a higher level of automation than average, tend to be early adopters of technology, and stand to benefit significantly from the ability to fully maximize their networks to take advantage of IIoT applications such as cloud machine learning via vision cameras while also supporting multiple real time automation networks. “IEC/IEEE 60802-enabled TSN provides a unique solution to introduce Software Defined Networking to industrial networking in a standardized manner, while enabling deterministic converged transport. EtherNet/ IP will release a best-of-breed solution when appropriately standardized by IEC and IEEE to take advantage of these benefits,” he added.

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TSN Technology Automotive manufacturing sector is a likely market to adopt TSN, along with the Semiconductor and Food/Beverage industries.

Technology benefits

An example of the benefit of IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN is being able to adapt CIP Motion by aligning the network with the motion control planner using a common notion of time. Once CIP Motion and 60802 are aligned, network transport can be facilitated using scheduling as necessary to meet the needs of the network and coexist fairly with existing traffic. “Once you have a converged network regardless of network, device manufacturer, or device type, the door is open to more opportunity for saving on wiring, easier network management, cloud-based data analysis, a mixture of IT and OT traffic on the same network, and more comprehensive plant metrics among other potential benefits,” Beydoun said. “Applications such as security cameras, cloud analytics and real time I/O data running over the same wire can become a reality. A more cohesive plant control network that can be better linked to enterprise level IT networks allows for better asset visibility, more opportunities for data analysis and production optimization, and less worker training and maintenance costs.”

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Development timeline

Beydoun said that IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN is another possible step in the overall progression of interlinking devices together to make it easier to control, diagnose, and improve manufacturing processes. This technology journey started with the use of pneumatics, progressed to simple analog voltages over a wire, moved ahead to complicated digital signals, continued to common networked fieldbus implementations and now the next step is further network convergence through IEC/IEEE 60802 and other technologies. “Convergence will give the opportunity for multiple fieldbuses to work together to allow end users to have better visibility into operations and to more easily implement their systems. TSN is just another phase in a journey to a plug and play control network that enables the highest order of manufacturing optimization and flexibility,” he said. Individuals active in ODVA, IEC & IEEE are continuing to work to contribute to the IEC/ IEEE 60802 working group that is identifying the TSN components that will ultimately be included in the joint standard. Both new and existing users will be able to take advantage

of the low overhead nature of EtherNet/IP driven by close adherence to key IEEE Ethernet standards, leveraging of commercial off the shelf technology to the extent possible, and use of both UDP and IP technology depending on the use case. The first edition of the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN specification is expected to be available to the market in late 2023. EtherNet/IP is anticipated to have an IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN compatible specification available as after the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN specification is released.

Key technology collaborations An array of TSN implementation options

According to Greg Schlechter, president of the Avnu Alliance and Jordon Woods, director of the deterministic Ethernet technology group at Analog Devices, the toolbox of TSN protocols and capabilities defined under 802.1 standards offers an array of implementation options. Determinism serves different purposes in different applications, and manufacturers across industrial, automotive, consumer, and professional AV industries will need a flexible selection of software and silicon to meet their

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Technology collaborations

Today, Avnu is collaborating with other protocol organizations such as CLPA, ODVA, OPC and PNO to develop a single test plan that could test for conformance with the IEEE/IEC 60802 profile for TSN for Industrial Automation. This would become a test plan that would be shared by all participating organizations and made available to the boarder Industrial Automation ecosystem to help drive interoperability at the TSN level on shared networks. These organizations and Avnu all have significant roles in defining networks and communication protocols for the industrial automation ecosystem and this collaboration marks a commitment to develop an ecosystem of devices from different manufacturers that all comply with IEEE’s 60802. Avnu’s Silicon Validation Task Group has been working to drive alignment on TSN interoperability at the base TSN capability level for two years. It recently made the first of its test plans available to members, with more on the way. In December of 2021, four of Avnu’s silicon provider members, as well as other members from Avnu’s Pro AV working group, met at an in-person plugfest, gathering data on how well this test plan guarantees TSN interoperability in the real world. Data from this event is now being used to refine Avnu’s test plans. Ultimately, our goal is to offer a robust program of test plans, testing tools, and globally available certification so that silicon providers can develop TSN-capable components that manufacturers can trust to interoperate.

TSN application areas

Avnu believes that TSN has brought immense value to live sound applications, allowing 04.202 2

dramatically simpler and more reliable network setup for touring and installed audio systems. The success of TSN in this context has paved the way for other industries – including industrial automation, automotive, avionics, and more – to seek to benefits from its deterministic capabilities. While the use cases for TSN are diverse, all industries stand to benefit from alignment at the base silicon level. As profiles for various markets are developed, the commonalities across use cases are increasingly clear. Interoperability at the silicon level enables technological advancements to crosspollinate from one market to another. For example, traffic shaping approaches used in professional AV could benefit industry 4.0 and vice versa. Interoperability at the component level will support capabilities coming online across industries. Right now, TSN-capable silicon is highly specialized. By verifying base TSN capabilities at the component level in a common way, Avnu hopes to enable silicon providers to develop products for a broad customer base. Alignment would mean that device manufacturers will get access to TSN-capable silicon faster, without having to wait for bespoke products targeting their industries to be introduced. In turn, silicon providers will be able to achieve better economies of scale, ultimately creating cost benefits along the entire value chain.

Expected impact and timeline

Silicon-level validation is crucial for the growth of a broad TSN ecosystem, and it must be built on true cross-industry alignment and rock-solid performance data. Avnu is moving quicky without rushing; we anticipate the launch of a silicon-level validation program within the year. As far as when certified silicon will begin to impact the smart manufacturing market, silicon-level validation is just one – very important – step. There must also be software that enables the TSN capabilities from the silicon. This is where specialization by industry is likely to occur – further up the stack. Still, having a common target for base TSN capabilities will make it much easier to develop such software roughly in parallel with silicon components, and make it easier to port that software to diverse targets. Alignment on a common goal will accelerate the entire industry.

OPC UA FX

Basis for converged IT-OT systems According to Georg Stöger, Director Training and Consulting for TTTech Industrial, timesensitive networking for industrial use cases has gained visibility both as basis for

i n d u str i a l e th e r n e t b o o k

converged IT-OT systems using OPC UA FX (Field eXchange) and as an extension for several preexisting industrial networking technologies (PROFINET, CC-Link, EtherCAT). “The basis for all these solutions and the key to wider adoption is created in the IEC/IEEE 60802, a project defining required capabilities and optional features for ‘industrial TSN’, including key aspects such as a security model suitable for use in IT and OT,” Stöger told IEB recently. “These standardization efforts, along with the prototyping done in the OPC Foundation and the testing/certification related activities in the Avnu Alliance are shaping the common feature set and interoperability needed for existing and upcoming industrial TSN network devices and configuration tools. This includes static (“engineered”) as well as dynamic (“plug-and-produce”) systems and scenarios,” Stöger said. Adding to this development, timesensitive networking as a trend in industrial networking is not just based on IEEE TSN; other technologies suitable for use in industrial systems – notably 5G – are also being frequently subsumed under this term, which will drive even wider adoption of the technology.

TSN Technology

particular use cases. Too much fragmentation, though, and TSN components will never achieve the economies of scale required for a sustainable ecosystem. For TSN to achieve large-scale adoption, TSN implementation must be as specific as needed for diverse applications while remaining as unified as possible at the silicon level. The work currently being done at IEEE to define technical profiles for applications, 802.1BA for professional AV, 802.1DG for automotive, and 60802 for industrial, tells us how TSN implementations will be differentiated, but it also reveals how much they have in common at the network level. Avnu’s Silicon Validation Task Group is working to define test plans for base silicon profile conformance and interoperability. This interoperability would allow silicon component manufacturers to offer products that can serve diverse market requirements, accelerating the development of a broad TSN ecosystem.

TSN capabilities

Stöger said that time-sensitive networking comprises a wide-ranging set of capabilities which extend the possibilities of “quality of service” commonly used in Ethernet-based systems. The four main sets of capabilities provided by TSN are: • A highly precise clock synchronization mechanism suitable not only for networking purposes but also any kind of time-sensitive application; • A whole lot of mechanisms for network traffic shaping, network latency control, and bandwidth optimization in TSN networks; these “quality of service” mechanisms are typically implemented in the TSN switches and are compatible with regular (non-TSN) network equipment such as industry PCs and Ethernet-based I/O; • Mechanisms for high availability networking providing various capabilities for redundancy in the network streams and synchronization; these mechanisms can be applied in combination or separately; • Methods for vendor-independent configuration and diagnostics of TSN devices, including YANG-based data format definitions and configuration protocols; this allows for easier exchangeability and interoperability of network switches and various devices from multiple vendors within a single system.

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SOURCE: OPC FOUNDATION

TSN Technology

IEC / IEEE Partners

OPC Foundation Field Level Communications Initiative

C/S

Security

OPC UA

Network

Base Models

I/O Facet

DI

PubSub UDP, TSN, 5G, …

IEC 60802 IEEE 802.1

Motion Facet

Base Device Facet

Safety Facet

Offline Configuration

Communication Facet

Conformance Testing

Joint Device Companion Specifications

Communication

Device Profiles

System Architecture

Mapping

Mapping

OPC Foundation Field Level Communications (FLC) System Architecture. This initiative aims for an open, unified, standards-based Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) communication solution addressing all requirements of industrial automation in discrete manufacturing and the process industries. Many TSN-based systems only utilize a subset of these capabilities e.g. to achieve lower latency of time-critical messages in a converged network.

Application and markets

Stöger said that IEEE TSN is not specific to any individual market or class of applications. However, some industrial applications have much more stringent requirements regarding quality of service in real-time communication and network latency control. TSN can help meet these requirements, so applications such as automotive in-vehicle communication and industrial motion control systems are at the forefront of defining the use of TSN-specific capabilities in the industrial sector. “Not all the currently defined TSN capabilities are truly innovative; for example, clock synchronization and redundant message transmission have been available in Ethernet or in industry-specific implementations of Ethernet-based networks prior to TSN,”. Stöger said. “But IEEE TSN is the first set of technologies combining full Ethernet compatibility, deterministic or precisely time-based message handling, stream-based network redundancy, and vendor-independent configuration capabilities within the IEEE 802 standards family. This makes TSN the perfect

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solution for IT-OT convergence in many industries, for industrial edge platforms, and any architecture where the flexibility of Ethernet needs to co-exist with stringent real-time and determinism requirements in the same network infrastructure,” he added. The unique value proposition of TSN is that it supports configuration methods, flexibility, and security mechanisms typical for IT networks, while providing performance and robustness typical for OT networks.

Impact on smart manufacturing

Stöger said that OPC UA FX forms the basis for smart manufacturing and smart factories by allowing devices from different manufacturers to seamlessly communicate with each other and reliably relay critical messages using real-time communications. He said that the OPC Foundation FLC’s Controller-to-Controller (C2C) demo presented in December 2021 shows how the OPC UA FX technology enables seamless configuration and dynamic collaboration of four different types of controllers from a dozen vendors in a smart manufacturing application. The underlying specifications are in the release process and can be considered ready for use. Based on this progress, he expects that smart manufacturing solutions based on OPC UA FX for C2C use cases

will already be announced in 2022. “Due to the lower real-time requirements on the control level, TSN is not a mandatory element in the C2C part of the OPC UA FX specifications,” Stöger said. “It will, however, play a major role in the OPC FLC’s specifications for Controller-to-Device (C2D) communication, which are currently being worked on. TSN will be used in industrial applications where C2D communication – which typically has (sometimes very demanding) real-time requirements– coexists with other types of networking, including C2C and legacy communication.” “We therefore expect that products and solutions based on TSN in smart manufacturing applications will be released in 2023. Other industrial communication technologies including TSN or based on TSN are on a similar trajectory,” he said. “To implement smart manufacturing solutions, manufacturers first need to add TSN functionality to their devices. At TTTech Industrial, we provide a range of products that include IP solutions and network configuration software to enable the fast integration of TSN features into components, and the easy set-up of OPC UA FX networks,” he added. Al Presher, Editor, Industrial Ethernet Book.

in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k

04.2022


Industrial Networking & the IIoT

APRIL 2022

GETTING YOUR TSN PRODUCT TO MARKET Introduction to TSN Product Development

TSN BENEFITS FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

GETTING YOUR TSN PRODUCT TO MARKET

TSN DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Page16

Page 17

Pages 21-25

Determinism and convergence.

Explore development options.

Choose a development partner. partners@eu.cc-link.org eu.cc-link.org


TSN and Industrial Ethernet enabling Industry 4.0 The enhancement of Industrial Ethernet with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) offers the potential of an unprecedented level of deterministic performance for automation and control applications, along with the business benefits of converging multiple network types and the OT and IT worlds. SOURCE: ISTOCK

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS CREATING new opportunities for industrial automation and manufacturing operations, driven by the continuing development of Industrial Ethernet and technologies such as Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). The benefits for manufacturers of embracing IIoT solutions range from reducing machine downtime to adopting entirely new business models. But Industry 4.0, with Time-Sensitive Networking as a foundational technology, is also now forming a solid basis for implementing true IIoT networks. Global manufacturers can reap the benefits of Industry 4.0, leverage deterministic performance and capitalize on new data connectivity options in pursuit of true IT-OT convergence.

Enabling Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 enabling technologies are helping businesses to develop an increasingly digitalised, connected and data-driven manufacturing landscape. By adopting technologies that support digital transformation strategies, companies can create smart, interconnected factories. The vision of the factory of tomorrow is one of machines, production lines, plants and entire supply chains that communicate with each other to enhance productivity, efficiency and flexibility. The benefits that can be achieved with these frameworks are significant. Companies can combine shop floor data with higher enterprise-level information and perform advanced Big Data analytics to gain

Getting Your TSN Product to Market

With the network convergence provided by TSN, modern manufacturers no longer need to confine their Industrial Ethernet control applications to isolated islands of automation utilising purpose-built protocols and control systems.

unique business intelligence. This actionable insight can then be leveraged to set up selfregulating automated processes to optimise manufacturing activities and deliver highquality products while minimising cycle times. So-called “value chains” are dependent on highly interconnected enterprises building on established strategies such as just-in-time manufacturing to reduce inventory costs while increasing flexibility. Moreover, businesses can streamline maintenance activities by predicting potential equipment failure ahead of time using condition-based monitoring and scheduling repairs to minimise downtime. To help companies thrive in a world where competition is fierce and customer demand requires increasingly agile operations, automation vendors need to offer advanced solutions to help customers realise smart manufacturing strategies.

Setting new standards

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Download White Paper

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Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), by providing a unified yet deterministic infrastructure, has implemented a collection of standards that enables deterministic messaging over standard Ethernet networks. As defined by the IEEE, TSN offers an unprecedented form of network traffic management that ensures non-negotiable time frames for predictable, G et t ing Yo u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

end-to-end transmission latencies. TSN devices are synchronized to a common time reference to support real-time, deterministic communications for industrial control applications including high performance motion control. TSN also goes beyond the main IEEE standards and includes the efforts of many international organizations and companies. TSN is essentially what many observers believe is the next stage in the evolution of standard Ethernet technologies and has the potential to satisfy the requirements of an expanded IIoT vision. Along with a set of standards for deterministic services over Ethernet, TSN is bringing together industry leaders with a common goal to fulfill the promise of Industry 4.0 and digitisation.

TSN market opportunities

TSN is recognised across different sectors as the future of industrial Ethernet and industrial communications. Consequently, interest in and adoption of the technology is growing. These trends offer particularly exciting commercial opportunities for automation device vendors. By developing and releasing state-of-the-art products with TSN capabilities, vendors can increase their market coverage and gain a competitive advantage. e u. cc- link. o r g

p ar t ne r s @ eu . cc-l i n k . org


Getting TSN products and solutions to market To enable futureproof industrial communications and next-level performance, automation vendors need to act now to deliver TSN-compatible products or upgrade existing devices with TSN capabilities. Doing so will help customers create factories of the future and enhance their competitiveness in a fast-growing market.

TSN functionality

The two core benefits offered by TSN are determinism and convergence. Determinism is fundamental to supporting time-critical communications on the factory floor, as it ensures the predictable delivery of data by minimising latency and jitter. This, in turn, supports real-time applications and provides the foundation for convergence. Convergence, the second key ability of TSN, enables companies to merge different traffic types onto a single network without affecting the performance of shop floor communications. This is fundamental to sharing operational insights and hence increasing process transparency across an enterprise, which can then be used to derive insights to optimise manufacturing facilities and entire organisations. Since TSN is an extension of standard Ethernet, it is also interoperable with existing network technologies and devices. Hence it can be used alongside existing devices, reducing system investments. In order to harness the full potential of TSN, it may be beneficial to consider a hardware-based solution. While this route may require more investment and development time, the benefit is a more competitive product and longer lifecycle. Several different solutions eu.c c - link .org

pa r tn e r s@e u . c c -l i n k . o r g

SOURCE: CLPA

TIME-SENSITIVE NETWORKING (TSN) IS AN innovative technology solution for Ethernetbased industrial communications that can support smart operations within current facilities as well as tomorrow’s Connected Industries. How can automation vendors deliver advanced solutions that leverage this technology? What do they need to consider in order to create successful, highly competitive solutions? This article provides an overview of the CLPA TSN development ecosystem, what solutions can be used and how to integrate TSN-compatible functions in existing devices using conventional industrial Ethernet. It offers recommendations for industrial automation device manufacturers on the successful implementation of TSN and delivery of key solutions for future-oriented applications. TSN offers the potential for the convergence of the OT and IT parts of an enterprise. are available, enabling vendors to select the right platform for their needs.

TSN development workflow

It is clear why offering TSN-compatible products is highly beneficial for automation vendors. To successfully develop devices that provide added value to end users, it is necessary to consider the capabilities, performance and nature of the products themselves from the outset. First, companies need to clearly define what the product should be able to do. This will determine the type of station that is to be developed, such as master or remote. Also, the required performance level, in terms of speed and synchronisation accuracy, needs to be decided. Once features are set, vendors can look for existing products that may be suitable for an upgrade to deliver TSN functions. Businesses then need to select the most suitable development method for the TSN device that they are producing. The decision should be based on the pre-identified performance requirements, along with a consideration of the suitability of their existing development methods. Another key decision that companies need G e tti n g Y o u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

to make is where to conduct the product development activities. Should these be carried out using in-house resources? Or is it best to rely on a specialist contractor? Once the TSN device is ready, it also needs to be certified in order to prove that the necessary technology requirements are met. To do this, vendors should undertake relevant third-party certification. This offers an independent assessment of the communications performance that can offer extra assurance to customers. When all these tasks have been completed, the TSN-compatible device can be introduced to the market.

TSN development methods

In order to implement TSN for industrial communications, end users and OEMs need both a suitable network technology as well as automation devices that can support this technology’s capabilities. This need is met by vendors offering innovative products, which address customers’ needs while increasing their competitive advantage in the marketplace. In general, to minimise costs and time to market, a vendor will look to use their existing platforms and tools where

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SOURCE: CLPA

Traffic travels across the network in a predictable manner.

By using IEEE 802.1AS, all devices on the network have a shared time reference. This provides deterministic communications by controlling latency and jitter. possible to develop these products. Hence it is important that the type of industrial Ethernet technology used offers an open development ecosystem that includes options that match the vendors’ existing methods. The broader the range of options, the better chance there is of catering to the needs of the most vendors. Typically, this means there should be both hardware and software solutions in addition to different bandwidth options, such as 100Mbit and gigabit. Each development method will offer different advantages while perhaps being more suited to one application or another. It is therefore important for developers to know what options are available and how they might fit with their existing designs and hardware architectures.

Deciding what kind of TSN product to develop

typically deliver microsecond synchronisation accuracy as would be required in demanding applications such as a printing press. Safety devices are another key market area that can also be served by TSN networks. One implementation method is to use a software stack combined with a safety stack to provide a “black channel” approach.

New design or migrate existing products?

Once the type of station has been selected, vendors should decide if they should add TSN capabilities to an existing product, or if new product development will be necessary. In the case of a new product, after taking market requirements into account, a specification that fixes what the new TSN-compatible products should do, the capabilities they should offer and the investment required to implement this is essential. These elements are key to defining the performance, ease of implementation and time-to-market. In the case of upgrading existing products, while this may decrease the time to market and SOURCE: CLPA

The first consideration that vendors should take into account is to decide what type of device network functions they want to support, i.e. what is the role of the end product within

a network. In the context of this article, this means master, remote or local stations. Masters manage networks by controlling the traffic of other stations. This may include cyclic (synchronous) and transient (asynchronous) transmissions. Typical master devices include PLCs and industrial PCs. Remote stations, conversely, are overseen by masters and represent field devices, such as I/O, valve blocks, HMI, inverters and servos. They can perform 1:n cyclic and transient transmissions with other stations. Transient communications are handled by client/server functions. Local stations are often PLCs or industrial PCs. They can perform n:n cyclic transmissions with themselves and the master. They can also perform 1:n cyclic and transient transmissions with other stations. Transient communications are also handled by client/server functions. Vendors should also consider whether they want to develop devices for motion or safety applications. The first typically require full TSN support to provide the necessary axis synchronisation capabilities. This can

Product development workflow summary.

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G et t ing Yo u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

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Software solutions

A software protocol stack, or just “stack” is a collection of independent components that work together to support the execution of an application. It can be configured to address the specific needs of a product. In the case of TSN, this should provide support for IEEE 802.1 standards. They generally have low operational overheads, meaning they can run on economical CPUs platforms. These are usually microprocessors or microcontrollers. Generally, software stacks are compatible with a variety of real-time operating systems, such as RTLinux, VXworks® or µITRON. Nonetheless, device makers should check the specification of the software stack they intend to utilise to ensure compliance. eu.c c - link .org

pa r tn e r s@e u . c c -l i n k . o r g

ASIC/LSI

Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), also referred to as dedicated communication Large Scale Integration (LSI), are integrated circuits made of a “hard-wired” design of logic elements. These can be found with two different structures. One may offer a network interface that includes a switch and possibly one or more PHYs. The other takes this design and adds a CPU.

Built-in/embedded modules

Embedded module solutions, or built-in modules, cover a wide range of devices that usually combine a processor core, such as a microcontroller or a microprocessor, for key operations and a network interface that G e tti n g Y o u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

SOURCE: CLPA

investment required, it may also require compromises that may not fully exploit the potential of TSN. In order to offer further development flexibility, it is possible to decide what level of performance is required. This allows the right balance to be found between device performance, development investment and time to market. One option is to follow a generally softwarebased approach. This can offer a quick upgrade of existing devices. Thus, it offers a key tool to speed up the adoption of this innovative technology, a l t h o u g h t h e d e v i c e Comparison of development methods. performance may be lower. The converse of this is a generally hardware-based approach, which A TSN stack is typically part of a software although may require additional development development kit (SDK). This is a collection of effort, can avoid the compromises in software development tools, often in a single performance that software development may installable package, that support the creation require. of the required solutions. Finally, bandwidth and heat dissipation Software methods offer perhaps the fastest are key considerations to determine the solution to provide TSN capabilities to existing communication speed. While a gigabit PHY products, as they reduce in-house development is preferred for best performance, this has to time and costs for vendors. Furthermore, they be balanced against thermal considerations, are generally portable, so they can be applied which may be an issue for smaller devices, with minimal changes. Hence, they offer a or those with advanced ingress protection versatile solution to businesses interested in ratings. quickly implementing TSN. Once these decisions have been made, it is crucial for businesses to be able to access Hardware solutions a suitable development method, whether In order to harness the full potential of TSN, software or hardware. Hence selecting it may be beneficial to consider a hardwarea network technology that can offer a based solution. comprehensive open development ecosystem While this route may require more is essential. investment and development time, the The following sections explore what benefit is a more competitive product and development ecosystem solutions and longer lifecycle. Several different solutions features are available for the creation of are available, enabling vendors to select the TSN-compatible products. right platform for their needs.

focuses on data exchange. Thanks to these features, developers choosing built-in embedded units can benefit from an easy to integrate solution as well as a flexible framework to exchange the network interface to suit specific applications.

FPGA/IP core

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) are integrated circuits whose logic functions can be specified via hardware description languages (HDLs), typically VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) or Verilog. These solutions are based on programmable (and reconfigurable) interconnects that link different configurable logic blocks (CLBs), which are made of basic logical units, known as ‘slices’. These, in turn, typically feature look-up-tables (LUTs), flip-flops (FF), different types of multiplexers and a network of carry logic to implement complex logic functions.

Specialised applications

Developers can also rely on TSN-compatible PC boards to implement key capabilities on industrial/ standard PCs and similar devices within advanced industrial Ethernet networks. This allows the connection of PCs without any special development. This is especially useful in edge computing applications where a PC/ IPC may be used as the gateway to higher level IT systems, providing a component of an OT/ IT converged system.

Importance of conformance testing

To validate the capabilities of TSN-compatible devices, developers need to conduct thorough conformance testing, i.e. confirm that the product complies with all the requirements of a given network standard and that it is correctly implemented. By testing the conformity of their products,

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SOURCE: ISTOCK

developers are able to identify performance issues that may prevent correct operation with other vendors’ compatible products or make them incompatible with the relevant communication specifications. This testing gives end users the confidence that the selected automation component will be fully interoperable with all other devices tested and used on the same network.

Third-party certification

Conformance and interoperability testing can be performed in-house by vendors and/or by independent organisations. Since end users usually look for an independent third-party certification, in house testing is generally only used to confirm that a product is ready to be tested by a third party. In effect, third-party testing provides an impartial and unbiased evaluation from an external source. As a result, it provides a high degree of confidence to end users that they can use the vendors’ products without any problems. On top of these advantages, accreditation organisations tend to have dedicated testing facilities with specialised, state-of-the-art equipment. Therefore, it is possible to conduct advanced assessments using a wide range of instruments that vendors may not otherwise have access to. Finally, as conformance testing is conducted by a third-party, automation vendors can focus on development activities whilst specialised engineers assess the products. Test engineers are well trained and experienced in compliance and interoperability testing, providing a level of expertise that may be difficult, timeconsuming and expensive to match in-house.

Global testing network

Many vendors are global companies that operate development facilities around the world. Sending products to a single location for testing can be inconvenient, due to language, time zones and other issues. Having access to a global network of test facilities increases convenience and can reduce project lead times. It is also critical that a global testing network use standardised testing

Third-party testing to validate performance is an important part of the development of TSN products.

procedures so that regardless of where a test is conducted, the outcome will be the same.

Industrial Ethernet protocols that support TSN

To quickly deliver innovative TSN-compatible products for industrial automation applications, CC-Link IE TSN offers an open network that combines TSN functions, as defined by IEEE 802.1 AS and Qbv standards, with gigabit bandwidth. By selecting this solution, product developers can benefit from a comprehensive development ecosystem that supports the creation of master, local and remote stations. In particular, multiple members of the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) already offer ways to implement CC-Link IE TSN via software and hardware and more are being added continuously. The CLPA supports vendors by assessing the conformance of their products, ensuring compatibility with CC-Link IE TSN specifications. The organisation offers development support, pre-certification testing

Download Full White Paper The full "Getting Your TSN Product to Market" white paper discusses the importance of TSN and why device vendors should be considering adding it to products. It describes what development methods are available and details on how TSN functionality can be integrated into existing products. It also contains recommendations for manufacturers of automation components to successfully implement TSN and access key solutions for future-oriented applications. Download White Paper

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G et t ing Yo u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

as well as actual conformance testing via a global network of certification facilities. The workflow to achieve the CC-Link IE TSN conformance certification starts with vendors checking the regulations for the conformance test. Based on this, companies can perform an initial assessment in-house. Afterwards, they need to apply for the CLPA’s conformance test. For the organisation to conduct this, vendors send product and a copy of the in-house test report to the selected testing facility. Upon successful completion of the conformance test, a certificate and report are issued to the company. This then confirms compliance with CC-Link IE TSN network technology. As a further benefit, the product can be included in the CLPA’s online catalogue, making it visible to customers worldwide. Joint promotion with the CLPA is also possible.

Conclusions

TSN is a key enabling technology for the digital transformation of manufacturing, and can offer key benefits for end users and OEMs: • Simpler network architectures/machine designs • Greater process transparency and better management • More productivity • Better integration of OT and IT systems To enable futureproof industrial communications and next-level performance, automation vendors need to act now to deliver TSN-compatible products or upgrade existing devices with TSN capabilities. By doing so they can help their customers to create the factories of the future whilst enhancing their own competitiveness in a fast-growing market.

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Supporting CC-Link IE TSN for advanced capabilities

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NXP’s LS1028A industrial applications processor and development platform provides a comprehensive solution for high end CC-Link IE TSN development. SOURCE: NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

NEW EMBEDDED DEVICES, AMONG THE FIRST to leverage Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) technology, provide next-generation functions and features for advanced Connected Industries applications. Leading semiconductor supplier NXP’s new products are the LS1028A industrial applications processor and i.MX RT1170 crossover microcontroller (MCU). In addition to TSN capabilities and Arm® Cortex® cores, they also offer a host of other features designed to provide a fully integrated and scalable solution for real-time control in increasingly ambitious automation applications. More precisely, these devices can offer high performance and extreme accuracy with elements that include 64 bit processors and 12ns interrupts along with support for display controllers, gigabit Ethernet and a secure architecture. This provides an excellent foundation for implementations of CC-Link IE TSN. This is the first open industrial Ethernet technology for industrial automation that combines gigabit bandwidth and TSN capabilities to enhance productivity and process transparency. NXP collaborated with another CLPA partner, port industrial automation GmbH, to enable full CC-Link IE TSN master and remote station communication stacks on both devices. By combining these devices with CC-Link IE TSN connectivity, they will provide a strong foundation for vendors looking to offer TSN products that will support the creation of converged networks, where information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) traffic can share a single network architecture. Hence, these components are ideal to act as the core of advanced Industry 4.0 applications that provide data-driven, intelligent operations across an enterprise, optimizing productivity and flexibility. Jeff Steinheider, Director Global Industrial Applications Processor Product Marketing at NXP, comments: “TSN is the Layer-2 standard of Industry 4.0, and NXP is contributing to the comprehensive development ecosystem for the CC-Link IE TSN protocol to run over open TSN-based networks. Providing the full communications stack, our gigabit Ethernet support on NXP’s LS1028A for high-end controllers and our i.MX RT1170 for industrial end points deliver one of the most complete solutions available.”

SOURCE: NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

The latest embedded devices for real-time, high-performance control of industrial automation applications with CC-Link IE TSN have been released by CLPA partner NXP Semiconductors.

NXP’s i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU provides CC-Link IE TSN implementation options for a wide variety of industrial automation devices.

Masaki Kawazoe, Global Director of the CLPA added, “Through its cutting-edge processing systems and switches, NXP provides global solutions to support the transition to TSN in order to address Industry 4.0 requirements for applications, communication and security. I am pleased that NXP is among the first to deliver ICs supporting TSN. It makes it G e tti n g Y o u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

possible to develop a device that supports multiple variants of Industrial Ethernet protocols over TSN with the same hardware. I am confident that this will further accelerate the development of CC-Link IE TSN-compatible applications and lead to the increased adoption of IIoT in smart factories.” Dietmar R. Franke, CEO of port industrial automation GmbH, commented: “The solutions offered by NXP for real-time communication via TSN provide an excellent basis for TSN-based communication solutions. Port GmbH offers a complete Industrial Communication Framework (ICF) for the integration of CC-Link IE TSN on NXP’s i.MXRT1170 and LS1028A platforms. The ICF contains a CC-Link IE TSN master station stack, CC-Link IE TSN remote station stack and the ICC - tool (Industrial Communication Creator) for configuring the remote stack.” John Browett, General Manager at CLPA Europe, concludes: “Since the launch of CC-Link IE TSN at the end of 2018, the CLPA has been partnering with leading vendors in order to offer an industry standard development ecosystem for the design of compatible products. We are pleased to announce that NXP and port have joined this community to further increase the range of options for product development.”

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TSN: soon a must-have for competitive manufacturing HMS INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS IS A MEMBER OF the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA). They believe TSN technology is a gamechanger and the company is getting ready to launch its first TSN compatible products. The Connected Industries of the future are highly productive, flexible and responsive because of their ability to leverage the power of data, which can offer a unique understanding of what is happening on the factory floor in real-time. As a result, companies can run automated processes to ensure smooth operations at all times, maximising their efficiency. The backbones of such systems are their networks, which connect every part within a plant or enterprise to share key information. In order to support Industry 4.0 functions, these infrastructures should be able to ensure the large volume of data generated is transmitted with high reliability and in a timely manner. The move towards gigabit bandwidth is further supporting these requirements. TSN can provide further support and help businesses create data-driven operations. The most emphasised feature of this technology is its ability to turn standard industrial Ethernet into a real-time communications system with extremely low jitter and latency. Therefore, it provides the key network technology to support the latest data-driven solutions and Industry 4.0 applications. These, in turn, are essential to help companies enhance productivity by creating responsive and flexible shop floors.

More than simple determinism

TSN will make industrial Ethernet deterministic by design and provide the basis of converged networks. In effect, the technology is being defined by the IEEE 802.1 specifications, which will set up a common, unified solution. As a result, any user will be able to benefit from a highly reliable and responsive network, whose nature supports interconnectedness, independently of vendor-specific solutions. This ultimately ensures openness and interoperability among automation devices and systems, simplifying the creation of welllinked plants and enterprises. Furthermore, TSN has the ability to bring different parts of an enterprise, such as the

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SOURCE: ISTOCK/GCSHUTTER

Futureproof Connected Industries rely on responsive, data-driven operations. Advanced industrial networks that incorporate Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) are key enablers for such systems. By selecting them, companies can benefit from high-speed, reliable communications for Industry 4.0 applications.

The Connected Industries of the future are highly productive, flexible and responsive because of their ability to leverage the power of data, and offer a unique understanding of what is happening on the factory floor in real-time.

operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) sectors closer together. The technology was originally developed for transferring audio and video streams in commercial applications. Only later, this solution has been looked at to support industrial automation systems. As a result, TSN applications in a given sector will be influenced by the developments in another segment, shaping and converging the future of the technology and industries themselves. This unique feature will also play a crucial role in enhancing the acceptance of Time-Sensitive Networking.

No doubt on TSN acceptance

Automation system builders and end users are highly perceptive and well aware of the potential of TSN, particularly its ability to provide a unified way towards interoperability. Therefore, many companies are actively looking forward to adopting this technology. Furthermore, it is a well-accepted concept that TSN will certainly become a must-have in the short- to mid-term. In fact, the extensive roll out of innovative industrial Ethernet solutions is a matter of when, not if - and businesses are ready to act now. G et t ing Yo u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

Currently, the creation of TSN-based solutions is experiencing a growth phase and it is certainly a thrilling time for the technology specialists. Fieldbuses and conventional Ethernet have been established for many years. Now that the innovation of TSN is here, engineers are up for a new challenge as they develop new products with ground-breaking capabilities. It is truly inspiring to see how committed and motivated these teams are.

Proactive development of TSN

A challenge in driving the TSN revolution may be shaping collaborations between automation vendors. As the key element of TSN is interoperability, specialists need to be willing to collaborate closely to develop suitable systems and migration solutions. Within such a framework, existing networks of key automation players, such as the CLPA, are on the right path and have a competitive advantage. By offering TSN-compatible devices that utilise the CC-Link IE TSN specifications, HMS Networks believes it can enhance its role and acceptance in the automation sector, particularly in Asia where the CLPA’s technologies are de facto standards. e u. cc- link. o r g

p ar t ne r s @ eu . cc-l i n k . org


TSN: evolving & continuous improvement of Ethernet ARNO STOCK, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER at CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) member Renesas Electronics, looks at what TSN can offer and the latest achievements that are shaping the future of industrial Ethernet. TSN is an extremely promising technology that will allow industrial Ethernet to reach new levels. Operating at Layer 2 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, it enhances standard Ethernet as we know it by making it deterministic by design. This characteristic, in turn, will benefit end users in a variety of industries by offering the ability to merge different types of data traffic, leading to more flexible and collaborative environments. At the same time, this creates simplified, more economical network architectures as well as unified hardware and software systems. Therefore, the crucial role of TSN in the Connected Industries of the Future is clear. This technology is the precondition needed to support key Industry 4.0 applications and trends, such as Edge and Cloud computing.

A smooth transition

In addition to these most obvious advantages, an instrumental feature of TSN is its continuity with existing network technology. In effect, while it offers unprecedented capabilities, it does so by evolving conventional Ethernet rather than by substantially disrupting the status quo. As a result, businesses can seamlessly transition towards TSN-compatible industrial Ethernet systems.

SOURCE: ISTOCK

Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is preparing industrial Ethernet to support tomorrow’s industrial communications needs by providing innovative, highly beneficial features. Companies are well aware of this potential, and a lot is happening to fully realise the TSN-driven Connected Industries of the future.

The crucial role of TSN in the Connected Industries of the Future is clear.

This also means that TSN is compatible with legacy standards. Furthermore, it can be combined with additional solutions that are already available for conventional industrial Ethernet, such as gigabit bandwidth, which is key to support ever-increasing data throughput. In addition, it can accommodate the higher number of network devices and nodes resulting from converged architectures. Additional advantages of mixing TSN and gigabit Ethernet include the ability to shorten cycle times, increase the accuracy and precision of control loops as well as strengthening the ability of a network to transfer various types of data, such as video. Such a solution can also reduce the complexity of distributed control systems, as it is possible to reliably move more functions to a single controller, also making the intended applications more robust as well as easier to set up and maintain.

End users are ready for TSN

Arno Stock, Business Development Manager, Renesas Electronics. eu.c c - link .org

pa r tn e r s@e u . c c -l i n k . o r g

The multiple benefits of TSN are evident to machine builders and end users. In particular, Renesas is noticing a high level of interest from its customers, who are aware the technology will be a must in the years to come. A key aspect that is extremely appealing to most of them is the standardisation/simplification of protocols, enabling the connection of all parts within an enterprise. In order to successfully implement TSN, it is necessary to use a network technology with higher-level protocols, as these are needed to complete the OSI reference model and support TSN applications. An example is the G e tti n g Y o u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

open industrial Ethernet CC-Link IE TSN. In addition, companies require suitable hardware that can utilise this Layer 2 technology, such as Renesas’ R-IN32M4-CL3 large scale integration (LSI) that leverages CC-Link IE TSN. Driver-level support is also important, as real-time TSN-compatible systems require a close interaction between low-level driver software and hardware equipment. To address these aspects with leading solutions, automation vendors need to team up to deliver devices with TSN capabilities that meet customers’ expectations and needs. Being part of an extensive partnership network, such as the CLPA, is thus extremely beneficial, as it offers a forum where solution providers come together to drive the development and consolidation of key automation products.

A look at the future of industrial communications

A number of major milestones have been reached to support the use of TSN. In particular, the IEEE 802.1 standards defining the technology are now complete and accessible. Also, the first network solutions have been released to the market, namely CC-Link IE TSN – the first open Ethernet that combines gigabit bandwidth and TSN capabilities. The transition towards TSN will be particularly exciting, as it is a natural evolution of Ethernet that will support its continuous improvement. Ultimately, we will be able to benefit from more and more building blocks that will open up new functions and higher performance while supporting existing, still functioning systems.

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Eyeing the future of TSN, Intel joins the CLPA THE CC-LINK PARTNER ASSOCIATION (CLPA) has announced that the Intel Corporation has joined the organisation as its latest member. The strategic partnership is well aligned with both parties’ ongoing efforts to develop and promote the application of TSN in industry. Founded in 2000, the CLPA is comprised of a network of automation suppliers, system integrators and end-users that work together to help business set up state-of-the-art industrial communication networks for next-level manufacturing. The association’s latest technology to support the current industrial revolution is CC-Link IE TSN, the first open Ethernet to offer TSN capabilities combined with gigabit bandwidth. By becoming a member of the CLPA, Intel will be working with CLPA members to deliver CC-Link IE TSN certified products that support commercial, off-the-shelf TSN technology by means of Intel’s components. These include the widely adopted Intel Ethernet Controllers I210 and I225, Intel Atom x6427FE, Intel Core i7-1185GRE processors as well as Intel Cyclone V system-on-a-chip (SoC) field-programmable gate array (FPGA). To consolidate these efforts, the semiconductor manufacturer is offering Edge Controls for Industrial applications. This is a platform that businesses can use to configure and manage different software elements optimised to Intel’s Ethernet platform with TSN functions to easily implement Industry 4.0 use cases. As a CLPA member, Intel is keen to work with the CLPA ecosystem to extend its framework to support CC-Link IE TSN capabilities, ultimately consolidating IT/ OT workloads at the Edge. Intel is also joining the CLPA to help collaborate with the development of the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN Profile for Industrial Automation, which will define the future of the technology and its implementation in industrial settings. This will be key to identifying advanced TSN use cases that can effectively handle converged information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) data. Thomas H. Calvert, Intel IoT Edge Capability Ecosystem Manager, comments: “Technology providers responsible for leading industrial automation protocols, including CC-Link IE TSN from the CLPA, are supporting the development of the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN

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SOURCE: CLPA

Intel sees CLPA membership as an opportunity for industry leaders to help develop the future of TimeSensitive Networking (TSN).

The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) has announced that the Intel Corporation has joined the organisation as its latest member.

Profile for Industrial Automation. The aim is to develop a holistic, standard-based and converged approach to deterministic networking. Intel is keen to cooperate with the CLPA to succeed in this goal.” “In addition, CLPA’s CC-Link IE TSN is an essential Industrial Ethernet solution in the marketplace,” continues Calvert. “As Intel is a major sponsor of open standards and the journey towards Industry 4.0, we think it is important to support this technology and contribute to the development of compatible automation components. We are excited to join the organization and help promote the adoption of CC-Link IE TSN.” Mariana Alvarado, Marketing Specialist at CLPA, concludes: “We are thrilled to welcome Intel to our network of industry-leading technology specialists. Together, we will G et t ing Yo u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

develop a TSN solution that can greatly advance industrial automation by supporting groundbreaking digital manufacturing strategies. We look forward to offering conformance testing for Intel-based TSN products, which will help our customers benefit from an ever-expanding portfolio of compatible solutions for the digital transformation of their businesses.”

e u. cc- link. o r g

p ar t ne r s @ eu . cc-l i n k . org


TSN is set to become a must for industry TIME-SENSITIVE NETWORKING (TSN) IS acknowledged to represent the future of industrial Ethernet, as it sets the foundation for data-driven, interconnected, smart factories. More than a simple, product-level solution, the technology offers a systemic solution to support determinism, convergence and process transparency. These groundbreaking features are the reason why TSN adoption has already occurred with leading automation vendors. Chih-Hong Lin, Global Technology Partner Manager at Moxa, a leader in industrial communications and networking, and also a member of the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA), looks at the role of TSN in shaping the future of industrial automation. The Connected Industries of the future will rely on a single, converged network. This facilitates access to data by enabling both vertical and horizontal communications in order to share actionable insights across the entire enterprise. Ultimately, the knowledge gathered will drive productivity and competitiveness. By simplifying the architecture behind unified industrial communications, such a setup can also considerably simplify network architectures as well as maintenance activities, reducing costs. Chih-Hong Lin explains: “This vision for future-oriented data sharing, in line with Industry 4.0, is in stark contrast to legacy communications, characterised by ‘islands of automation’ where machines are mostly isolated. This means that we currently have

Chih-Hong Lin, Global Technology Partner Manager, Moxa eu.c c - link .org

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SOURCE: ISTOCK

Waiting until TSN is a mature technology will likely be too costly and time-consuming, while leaving businesses behind. As TSN becomes an industry standard and as adoption grows, more uses will be discovered, ultimately making the technology an essential element of industrial operations. I could see the game-changing role of this solution for next-level communications. It is now clear how TSN will change industrial automation and the way we currently run businesses,” Chih-Hong Lin comments. Businesses around the world are well-aware that TSN is the enabler for Industry 4.0 as it can unleash their full potential by supporting converged, deterministic networks that are at the core of smart, interconnected factories. “We see a growing number of very proactive players in the industry that are keen on adopting TSN,” adds Chih-Hong Lin.

Succeeding in TSN implementations More than a simple, product-level solution, TSN offers a systemic solution to support determinism, convergence and process transparency.

to rely on multiple, often semi-proprietary standards to share data within the different layers of the automation pyramid. “Besides, each protocol can rarely communicate with the others, preventing the transfer of key information across the enterprise. Even more, as machines and systems expand, networks become increasingly complex to address these changes.”

Getting ready for next-gen networks

Therefore, existing network technologies – even when well established – may not be able to address the needs of next-gen industries. A first, significant step to address change is the use of solutions offering large bandwidth, i.e. 1 Gbit/s. Chih-Hong explains: “One of the reasons why systems have remained partially isolated is to avoid interference. As businesses move away from this model and enlarge their networks, they need sufficient bandwidth to guarantee that time-critical data, such as control traffic, can always be transferred in a deterministic manner. By doing so, they can support more applications and start benefitting from the gains offered by converged networks.” The next step is to implement TSN technology, whose relevance has rapidly grown. “When I first came across TSN, about five to six years ago, I thought it was just another technology with limited impact. But the more I learned about it, and as the standards behind TSN developed, the more G e tti n g Y o u r T S N P r o d u ct t o Mar ket

Being such a revolutionary technology, TSN requires a comprehensive ecosystem for its successful implementation. Chih-Hong Lin explains: “Adopting this technology means applying it on a systemic level, rather than as a single product. Therefore, two main requirements need to be addressed. Firstly, it is necessary to have strong support from an industrial Ethernet organisation such as the CLPA, to deliver suitable TSN-compatible network technologies. Secondly, it is essential to have a broad range of available products supporting this technology. CC-Link IE TSN can meet these two requirements.” It is the first gigabit Ethernet with TSN capabilities and the most advanced solution currently available and offers the most complete system, with many compatible automation products on the market. An additional aspect to succeed in embracing TSN is achieving interoperability. This is a must to address the need of the smart factories of the future. To overcome this issue, Moxa is actively taking part in a number of activities. “In addition to launching CC-Link IE TSN compatible products, we are involved in TSN testbeds as well as discussing with other leading automation vendors how to shape our solutions to support customers in the most effective way,” says Chih-Hong Lin.

The future is already here

Chih-Hong Lin adds: “There are more and more real-world applications of TSN, and I expect to see larger scale implementations of this technology by next year, while mass adoption of TSN in entire factories should happen in the near future.”

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CC-LINK IE TSN: ONE SOLUTION. ONE NETWORK. Combine Time-Sensitive Networking with gigabit bandwidth to create open, converged industrial Ethernet architectures that deliver significant business benefits, including: n Simpler network architectures/machine designs n Greater process transparency and better management n Better integration of OT and IT systems CC-Link IE TSN is ready to deliver these productivity benefits now to support your drive to Industry 4.0. Learn how by scanning the code, visiting eu.cc-link.org or contacting us at partners@eu.cc-link.org


TSN Technology

Wireless TSN is coming: KPIs to consider now SOURCE: AVNU

Wireless TSN can make factory floors safer, more efficient, and more transparent. Wireless TSN use cases will necessarily differ from wired networks, but we can already enable a number of wireless applications. As TSN and wireless capabilities evolve, more applications and new key performance indicators may be supported.

802.1Qbv gate control concept. INDUSTRY 4.0 NEEDS TIME-SENSITIVE networking (TSN). Everyone in the value chain, from silicon manufacturers, to network equipment vendors, to industrial network managers, recognizes the value of a uniform network, based on standard connectivity, with the security, guaranteed latency, and determinism features required for industrial automation. As previously explored in this publication, a real-time network based on open IEEE Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Local Area Network (LAN) standards could allow traffic and devices of all types to coexist on the same network. This not only simplifies infrastructure; it’s a crucial step towards a fully converged network, where all compatible devices can interact, share data, and be subject to centralized management and control. Since 2018, the joint IEEE/IEC 60802 Task Group has been working to define TSN profiles for industrial applications. When complete, these profiles will define features, options, 04.202 2

default configurations, protocols, and more for industrial automation networks, ensuring that time-sensitive operations traffic can coexist with other data on the same network. These specifications are expected to be finalized this year. The world won’t wait – as IEEE/IEC 60802 nears ratification, stakeholders across the value chain must plan for real-world deployment of industrial TSN, both wired and wireless. Wireless TSN can make factory floors safer, more efficient, and more transparent. Wireless TSN use cases will necessarily differ from wired networks, but we expect that TSN capabilities over wireless, such as time synchronization and time-aware scheduling, can already enable a number of wireless applications. We can also anticipate that as TSN and wireless capabilities evolve, more applications and new KPIs (key performance indicators) may be supported. What will be required for futureproof industrial wireless networks? In a February 2022 white paper (link at end of ths article), the Avnu Alliance documented

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market requirements and expectations for wireless TSN including how wireless segments will interface with wired networks. As the current phase of early wireless TSN technology development, trials, and testing proceeds, these findings represent a set of common targets for discussion and alignment.

Wireless TSN KPIs

The Avnu whitepaper examines wireless TSN industrial use cases alongside use cases for the professional audiovisual and AV/VR markets. They found that, in order to support time-sensitive traffic, wireless networks would need to meet KPIs across five categories: • Time Synchronization: Capability to synchronize to a primary clock across the network, as defined by the IEEE 802.1AS protocol. This is a fundamental, mandatory requirement for all TSN implementations, wired and wireless. • Bounded latency: Worst case latency for time-sensitive data packets over a given link.

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TSN Technology

KPI

Mobile Robots

Closed loop Control

End stations per area of service

100

50

Traffic Profile

Cyclic and Event

Cyclic and Isochronous

Time Synchronization Accuracy

~1 µsec

1 µsec or better

Bounded Latency

10 – 1msec (cyclic) 100 – 10 msec (events)

10 – 1msec (cyclic) 100 – 10 msec (events)

Reliability

99.9 to 99.99%

99.9 to 99.9999%

Security

Authentication, integrity, and resilience to security attacks and interference

Authentication, integrity, and resilience to security attacks and time/QoS (Quality of Service) attacks

• Reliability: The probability of delivering packets within a given worst latency over a link, often described as a Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR = percentage of packets delivered within a given latency). • Security: Authentication, integrity, confidentiality, availability, and resiliency to potential interference/ attacks from malicious or misbehaving devices. • Capacity: Number of end stations and time-sensitive traffic streams that can be supported under a given network configuration and load.

In some applications, jitter, measured as the variation in the latency of received data packets, is also an important metric in addition to bounded latency.

KPIs for industrial use cases

Avnu’s paper defines KPIs for two different categories of industrial applications: mobile robots and closed loop control. Mobile robot applications encompass autonomous mobile robot (AMR), automated guided vehicle (AGV), or any other types of robots that can be controlled wirelessly. Time-sensitive data for such applications

includes guidance control, process data exchange, video/image, and emergency stop communications exchanged between the robot and a control device. Closed loop control encompasses synchronous communications among sensors, controllers, and actuators. This is the foundational use case for most industrial applications, and specific requirements will vary widely. In their examination, Avnu defines a KPI range to capture the majority of wireless use cases. Though our focus here is industrial use cases, it’s interesting to note that a roughly similar set of KPIs emerges across professional AV and AR/VR applications in Avnu’s full white paper. This commonality suggests that it will be possible for silicon vendors to create components that address diverse markets, accelerating the growth of the overall TSN ecosystem.

Priority Features for Wireless TSN

Achieving bounded latency with high reliability requires strict priority across for time-sensitive data across the wireless network; traffic shaping (defined by the 802.1Qbv specification) is a fundamental TSN feature to address this requirement. The 802.1Qbv standard builds on TSN time synchronization to define a set of timed gates

Redundant streams with 802.1CB FRER including wired and wireless links.

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Physical and Virtual WTSN bridge concepts. to control the data queues associated with various traffic classes. Any wireless TSN bridge must be able to identify, prioritize, and deliver time-critical data within time windows that are defined according to a schedule for the network. Industrial applications, especially those with safety-critical elements, will also need to incorporate TSN redundancy capabilities in order to meet extremely high reliability KPIs. The IEEE 802.1CB Frame Replication and Elimination for Reliability (FRER) standard defines an approach to enhance reliability by replicating data over multiple streams and paths. It provides resilience against both device and link failures. This service is transparent to the underlying MAC/PHY link, so it should operate equally well over wired and wireless links.

Wireless Networks and Configuration Options Both Wi-Fi and 5G technologies are viable for the creation of TSN-capable wireless networks. The choice of wireless technology will impact how the wireless network segments interface with the wired portions of the network, however. Because Wi-Fi and Ethernet are part of the same IEEE set of standards, it will 04.202 2

be possible for wired and wireless network segments to implement the same reference TSN protocol stack. In this case, the wireless segment can be managed as a physical TSN bridge, with the Wi-Fi clients operating as TSN end stations. A 5G system can connect to a TSN-capable network as a “virtual” or “logical” bridge. The 3GPP Rel. 16 specification defines the interfaces required for this integration. Under this model, TSN traffic is tunneled across the 5G network segments by 3GPP defined gateways for TSN translation. The 5G system uses its own capabilities, including 5G clock synchronization and URLLC (ultra-reliable low latency communications) to mirror some of the priority features defined in TSN standards such as 802.1Qbv and 802.1CB. Given the emerging capabilities of both Wi-Fi and 5G and the ongoing work by a variety of standards development organizations and alliances to define requirements, guardrails for the path to wireless TSN are emerging from the fog. Put simply, we have a plan, but we need to make sure it’s implemented successfully. To ensure that wireless networking equipment is meeting the needs of Industry 4.0 (as well as other markets such as Pro AV), that various kinds of network traffic can coexist in

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the same TSN network, and that end devices and networking equipment interoperate successfully, stakeholders from across the WTSN value chain must take an active role in refining these requirements, defining test procedures, and sharing what they learn in the development process. The Avnu Alliance is an ideal venue for such discussions. They develop test specifications for TSN features, and are currently working to extend test specifications from wired to wireless devices and systems. This unified approach to testing the capabilities of wired and wireless systems is necessary to achieve the end goal of uniform, interoperable TSN infrastructure across all network segments. Download Avnu’s free white paper on Market Expectations, Capabilities & Certification to learn more about anticipated KPIs, TSN features, and network management approaches for wireless TSN segments – or visit www. avnu.org to become a member and join the conversation directly. Dave Cavalcanti, Principal Engineer, Intel Corporation and chair, Wireless TSN work group, Avnu Alliance. Download White Paper

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TSN Technology

Five Things TSN can accomplish for the IIoT and Industry 4.0 SOURCE: MOXA

The convergence between IT and OT networks is enabling Industry 4.0 and IIoT applications. TSN achieves this by linking up these networks, which creates significant advantages in network connectivity and reduces costs when deploying systems.

TSN is a collection of standards that enables deterministic messaging over standard Ethernet networks. As defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), TSN involves a form of network traffic management to ensure non-negotiable time frames for end-to-end transmission latencies. The two ultimate goals of TSN are the seamless incorporation of accurate, time-sensitive data into industrial processes and a detailed and holistic view of operations in order for business owners to quickly respond to market demands in real-time. TIME-SENSITIVE NETWORKING (TSN) HAS been touted as a means to help Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications achieve higher production efficiency as well as lower maintenance costs. Industry players who have started to utilize TSN technologies have demonstrated to the world that TSN is not just an embryonic idea, but a concrete technology. And yet, before we look to the future, there are questions you should be asking before making TSN investments. Despite the havoc the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked on the American economy, along with continuing supply chain issues, the Federal Reserve of the United States has predicted GDP growth of 3.9% in 2022. Seeing light at the end of the tunnel, heavyweights in the manufacturing industry are planning to expand production capacities in a faster, more precise manner in response to

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increasing demand. However, this turnaround is dependent on the willingness of companies to embrace innovative technologies that will enable them to enhance production efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.

Benefits of adopting TSN?

As a refresher, TSN is a collection of standards that enables deterministic messaging over standard Ethernet networks. As defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), TSN involves a form of network traffic management to ensure non-negotiable time frames for end-to-end transmission latencies. Consequently, all TSN devices must synchronize their clocks with each other and use a common time reference to support real-time communications for industrial control applications. The two ultimate goals of TSN are the seamless incorporation of accurate, time-sensitive

data into industrial processes and a detailed and holistic view of operations in order for business owners to quickly respond to market demands in real-time. By using TSN technologies, business owners can achieve the following benefits: • TSN facilitates high-speed networking, large volumes of data transmission, highly accurate motion control, and low latency. • TSN can prioritize network traffic, which guarantees real-time communication and means time-critical data will be delivered to the right place at the right time. In other words, the aim of a converged application on one unified network will be accomplished in industrial automation based on standard Ethernet. Eventually, it will be feasible to have one unified network for diversified applications. This eliminates the concern that time-critical

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SOURCE: MOXA

TSN Technology

data would not reach its destination in time. • TSN can enhance network security because accurate data transmission can be scheduled to avoid the inflow of non-authorized data.

"One unified network" important?

Yes, the convergence of OT and IT networks that results in one unified network is required to facilitate accurate and coordinated data that can provide insights into production processes. However, it is extremely difficult to bring the convergence to fruition if there are gaps between the two sides, not to mention integrating isolated proprietary automation islands into OT environments. One unified network includes the following benefits: • A single industry standard used for communication. • Minimal training effort to understand different vendor's protocols • Reduced cabling and maintenance costs

Potential applications for TSN

Even though TSN evolved from Audio Video Bridging (AVB), the use of TSN is not restricted to audio or video applications. It is the promising features and benefits of TSN that make it indispensable to a wide range of applications that are extensively used across various industries, including semiconductor, automotive, machinery, food and drink, chemical, and power generation. Of course, each TSN application comes with its specific requirements, and currently there is a substantial gap between existing TSN standards and application-specific TSN systems.

Applications for TSN technologies

If you tick off more than three of the following statements, then TSN may be an ideal solution for your organization. • You experience huge costs when integrating either standard or proprietary communication technologies. • It is very expensive to debug an existing network system due to an isolated networking structure. • The network system is difficult to manage and you are required to develop tools, which takes additional time, money and effort. • You have interoperability issues between existing systems and the IT system. • Higher network bandwidth is required when developing a new automated system. • You need to enhance network security.

Why consider deploying TSN?

For the time being, an organization may be satisfied with production output. However, in the long term, it will find it difficult to keep 04.202 2

As illustrated in the preceding diagram, this new “autonomous pyramid” envisions the future of industrial automation as a seamlessly connected system. By using a unified network infrastructure for a multitude of disparate applications, manufacturers can achieve a wide range of benefits. up with competitors as they embrace TSN. On the one hand, you can still expand production based on the existing infrastructure, but the expansion will be stretched to the limit when you find, for instance, the conveyor belt is communicating with the HMI by PROFINET. On the other hand, the motion control that requires hard real-time is using EtherCAT, and the robotic arm control is using another protocol, such as Mitsubishi CC-Link IE. Even though it is comparatively easy to make use of add-on blocks as deemed necessary, managing all of these devices from different vendors who utilize a variety of industrial Ethernet technologies is very difficult. When each cell is isolated, there are many obstacles to just integrating the data, not to mention fine tuning the processes and improving production efficiency. In the long term, the result will see moving in the opposite direction of realizing Industry 4.0 and IIoT applications. It will also hinder or prevent the deployment of plug-andproduce solutions when extra applications,

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such as machine vision and motion cameras, are attempted to be added onto one unified network. In conclusion, it is the convergence between IT and OT networks that enables Industry 4.0 and IIoT applications. TSN achieves this by linking up these networks, which creates significant advantages in network connectivity and reduces costs when deploying systems. Even though some manufacturing professionals remain under the misapprehension that TSN is still an unproven technology, it has actually evolved into more than just TSN switches, PLCs, servos, and IOs, and into an ecosystem that helps accomplish the goals of IIoT and Industry 4.0 applications. Download the Moxa whitepaper "How Time-Sensitive Networking Is Revolutionizing Industrial Automation" below. Liam Cheng, Product Manager for TSN solutions, Moxa. Download White Paper

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TSN Technology

Integration of TSN into EtherNet/IP technologies TIME-SENSITIVE NETWORKING (TSN) technologies represent a potentially disruptive force in the automation industry. TSN impacts basic layer 2 networking and network management by providing standardized approaches for deterministic network performance. To address this trend, ODVA’s Technical Review Board has established a committee comprised of industry experts familiar with TSN. This article will share some of the committee’s findings to date including the motivation for adopting TSN technologies, the application of TSN to various industrial use cases, the impact of TSN on bridges and end stations, the mapping of CIP connections to TSN streams and the application of TSN to existing CIP technologies including CIP Sync, CIP Motion, and DLR. TSN, an abbreviation for Time Sensitive Networking, is a collection of techniques that run on Ethernet networks which ensure critical packets are delivered when and where they are expected. The promise of TSN is to provide more predictable network performance, with higher utilization, while allowing multiple time-critical applications with different priorities guaranteed network access.

Three basic techniques using Time Sensitive Networking

Time Synchronization: All devices that participate in TSN communication have a common understanding of time. IEEE Std. 802.1AS-2020 is the time protocol that anchors TSN. Scheduling and Traffic Shaping: All devices that participate in real-time (TSN) communication adhere to the same rules in processing and forwarding communication packets. Selection of communication paths, path reservations and fault tolerance: All devices that participate in real-time (TSN) communications adhere to the same rules in selecting communication paths, reserving bandwidth and time slots, possibly utilizing more than one communication path to ensure fault tolerance. Each technique can be used on its own and is mostly self-sufficient. When used together TSN is expected to reach its full potential as a communications system.

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SOURCE: ODVA

ODVA has established a committee of industry experts familiar with TSN. This article shares some findings to date including application of TSN to various industrial use cases, the mapping of CIP connections to TSN streams and the application of TSN to existing CIP technologies including CIP Sync, CIP Motion, and DLR.

Where Time Sensitive Networking fits into the overall CIP architecture. While the above are techniques to create a time sensitive network, the ability to share network configuration with a Centralized Network Controller and other centralized configuration entities provides the language to configure the communications between devices in a common manner. This shared communications configuration is novel for a converged ecosystem of industrial fieldbuses.

CIP architecture with TSN

TSN as defined by IEC/IEEE 60802 will be introduced in ODVA technologies as an optional and backwards compatible Data Link Layer for EtherNet/IP implementation of CIP.

Role of IEC/IEEE 60802

IEC/IEEE 60802 is a joint project of IEC SC65C/ WG9 and IEEE 802.1 to define TSN profiles for industrial automation. This joint work will provide a jointly developed standard that is both an IEC and an IEEE standard, i.e., a dual logo standard. This standard defines time-sensitive networking profiles for industrial automation. The profiles select features, options, configurations, defaults, protocols, and procedures of bridges, end stations, and LANs to build industrial automation networks. IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) gives an opportunity for multiple industrial ethernet variants to coexist on

a single LAN in a user facility. TSN is the foundation to extend the interoperability and connectivity offered by traditional ethernet in industrial applications on converged networks to simultaneously support operations technology traffic and other traffic. However, the breadth of choices in the use of the TSN features puts at risk the interoperability of products designed for a particular market. The specification of the use of TSN features in industrial networking scenarios via TSN profiles is beneficial for vendors offering and/ or developing TSN products as well as for the users of industrial automation technologies.

Applications of TSN for industry

Four TSN network access models that can coexist with each-other are currently under discussion in IEC/IEEE 60802. These include: Free Running Network: An application that may be synchronized to a working clock with bridges that do not implement scheduling. A Centralized Network Controller (CNC) is used for configuration and worst-case latency simulation (the longest transmission time between sender and receiver). Traffic is sent via TSN streams. Preemption may be implemented. End Station Scheduling: An application that is synchronized to the working clock, and schedules its transmissions based on direction from the CNC. Bridges are free running. Traffic

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SOURCE: ODVA

TSN Technology

EtherNet/IP requirements. is sent via TSN streams. Preemption may be implemented. Network Scheduling – Class Based: An application that is synchronized to the working clock and schedules each of its traffic classes transmissions based on direction from the CNC. Bridges implement 802.1Qbv scheduling in a class-based manner. Traffic is sent via TSN streams. Preemption may be implemented. Network Scheduling – Stream Based: An application that is synchronized to the working clock and schedules individual stream transmissions based on direction from the CNC. Bridges implement 802.1Qbv scheduling in a stream-class based manner. Traffic is sent via TSN streams. Preemption may be implemented. At the present time it is unknown which models may survive into the published IEC/IEEE 60802 specification. We should assume that EtherNet/IP specifications will need to enable use of all of the surviving models.

Assumptions on what IEC/IEEE 60802 will deliver

1. The profile will allow time sensitive traffic from multiple industrial fieldbuses to fairly coexist on a single converged network. 2. Multiple TSN domains may be implemented in a converged network with different TSN capabilities required to meet the needs of different applications. 3. A bridge and an end station are two separate functions that may be in a single box. For the purposes of IEC/ IEEE 60802, a bridged end station is a specific type of bridge with a single management entity that includes end station functionality. 4. Bridges will be VLAN aware. EtherNet/ IP defines VLAN awareness as an option 04.202 2

today. 5. IEEE 802.1AS-2020 will be the time sync protocol. EtherNet/IP has standardized on the IEEE 1588 default profile today. 6. There will be at least two conformance classes for end stations, and at least one for bridges. Specific conformance testing will be defined for IEC/IEEE 60802 mandated functionalities. 7. There will be a bridge conformance class where IEEE 802.1Qbv is mandatory. This adds new silicon and software requirements to bridges. 8. There will be an end station conformance class where IEEE 802.1Qbv is optional, and one where it is mandatory. This potentially adds new silicon and software requirements to end stations. 9. NETCONF with YANG will be the default network configuration protocol. NETCONF adds software complexity to every bridge. 10. Preemption will be mandatory (for certain data rates) for one conformance class, it will be optional for another conformance class. This requirement potentially adds new silicon requirements to devices. 11. LLDP will be mandatory. LLDP has recently been added to EtherNet/IP Standards. 12. There will be a conformance class where at least 4 queues are mandatory for end stations. There will be a conformance class where 8 queues will be mandatory. Still under discussion. This adds silicon complexity to devices. 13. There will not be a strict mapping of traffic types to queues. 14. A centralized management entity will be mandatory; however stream reservations may be either centralized or distributed. ODVA should not publish TSN extensions

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to the EtherNet/IP specifications until IEC/ IEEE 60802 has been published and the Market Advisory Council has validated the consequences on existing EtherNet/IP installations of the final specification.

High level requirements for EtherNet/IP

The TSN data link layer for EtherNet/IP will be built on industry standards including IEEE 802.1Q-2018 with amendments, IEEE 802.1CB and IEC/IEEE 60802. TSN should be an optionally applied new Application Profile for EtherNet/IP as defined in Volume 2 of the Common Industrial Protocol. A device implementing the new Application Profile must be backwards compatible with existing EtherNet/IP implementations. EtherNet/IP implementing systems and their devices may choose to natively implement the TSN Application Profile or use one or multiple gateways to enable converged communication over a TSN network. Both native implementations and implementations through (a) gateway(s) must provide and allow equitable network level access with other IEC/ IEEE 60802-compliant devices. Existing EtherNet/IP devices may work with TSN networks without change, recognizing their relative Quality of Service on the wire will be degraded when compared to a non-TSN network unless network management reserves bandwidth explicitly for them. The ability to converge non-TSN EtherNet/IP devices on a TSN network must be maintained. TSN must not change existing EtherNet/ IP user workflows, however it is recognized that TSN introduces an additional layer of complexity that needs to be added to current user workflows. Complexity visible to an end user should be minimized where possible, and plainly explained where it must be visible.

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Use cases

The layered design of EtherNet/IP makes it possible to use TSN features. EtherNet/IP will use IEEE 802 LANs with TSN features and infrastructure to provide functionality needed for automation applications, such as control, IO exchange, diagnostics, and monitoring. EtherNet/IP provides a foundation for the main building blocks of Smart factories. As explained in “Use Cases IEC/IEEE 60802”, examples of these building blocks are: PLCs/PACs: EtherNet/IP based PLC devices can function as an Adapter or Scanner (master), responsible for exchanging IO with devices (sensors or drives). PLCs could also perform the function of an adapter for diagnostics when attached to a SCADA. I/O Devices (Sensors, Actuators, etc.), and Drives: EtherNet/IP based I/O will run as an Adapter exchanging data on an isochronous, cyclic or sporadic basis with a PLC. EtherNet/IP can also act as a gateway for other fieldbus protocols such as Modbus.

HMI as an EtherNet/IP scanner

In the following subsections, some of the use cases will be explored and existing features in EtherNet/IP will be highlighted to satisfy these use cases. In addition, features which need to be explored or added to EtherNet/ IP will be called out to allow EtherNet/IP to take full advantage of TSN. The use cases are not meant to be exhaustive; the objective is merely to initiate the investigation of features needed to fully support the use cases.

Isochronous control loops with guaranteed low latency

EtherNet/IP should support all IEC/IEEE 60802 conformant isochronous control loop models. Currently isochronous control loops can be TSN prioritized using synchronized network access, class-based scheduling and stream-class based scheduling. EtherNet/IP specifications for CIP

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Motion should define operation of CIP Motion for each TSN prioritization mechanism.

Cyclic control loops with bounded latency

EtherNet/IP will provide IO communication using implicit messaging with production triggers set to cyclic. EtherNet/IP should support all IEC/IEEE 60802 conformant cyclic control loop models. Currently cyclic control loops can be TSN prioritized using synchronized network access, class-based scheduling and stream-class based scheduling. Each TSN prioritization mechanism enabled by 60802 should be in EtherNet/IP specifications.

Sequence of events

Record time stamped events for the whole plant with known maximum deviation to the grandmaster time in the range from 1 μs to 100 μs (Source: IEC/IEEE 60802 use cases). Existing features of EtherNet/IP such as implicit messaging can be used. Consideration should be given to explore the overlap of CIP Sync and EtherNet/IP over TSN. Analysis of what can be reused and acquired from CIP Sync should be done. Creating new EtherNet/ IP APIs (objects and features) and utilizing existing APIs to obtain the current time from 802.1AS should be considered. QoS parameters should be used to be sure that these events are transmitted at the required urgency. It is expected that when 802.1AS support is added to EtherNet/IP, Sequence of Events applications should work on a TSN Network. It is further anticipated that while this traffic can coexist with preemptive and scheduled traffic, SoE application traffic should be at a lower priority relative to preemptive and scheduled traffic. Therefore, once mechanisms are provided to transmit EtherNet/IP traffic via TSN streams, SoE application traffic should be examined and mapped onto a TSN stream with appropriate overall priority.

This use case uses CIP Explicit messaging (Class 3 or unconnected) or CIP Implicit Messaging (Class 0/1) mechanisms for communication. Once mechanisms are provided to transmit EtherNet/IP traffic via TSN streams, CIP Explicit Messaging and CIP Implicit Messaging will need to be prioritized appropriately for the M2M/C2C use case. A particular consideration for M2M communication is TSN interdomain communication. If two TSN domains have different management mechanisms, either compatible prioritization mechanisms must be selected, or translation functions need to be defined at the edge. TSN interdomain communication is still the subject of frequent discussions in the IEEE/IEC 60802 working group and it may not be covered in the first edition of IEC/IEEE 60802. As of now these communications can only be considered as boundary requirements to the CNCs of the respective interacting domains.

Security

EtherNet/IP security support should be explored for both configuration plane and data plane. As explained in CIP Volume 8, there should be optional support for confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity. The NETCONF protocol uses SSH/ TLS for transport security and is a reasonable solution for network control plane security. CIP Security™ is anticipated to layer on top of TSN for application data security with no additional work needed. It should be noted that time sync is not secured and is a gap. It is anticipated that direction for control plane security will come from IEC/IEEE 60802.

Redundancy and high availability

EtherNet/IP communication provides functionality such as redundant controllers that could be utilized by the Industrial application to provide redundancy and high availability. Furthermore, network redundancy can be provided today via DLR, PRP, or HSR for EtherNet/IP Networks. IEC/IEEE 60802 allows these features and further defines 802.1CB as stream-based redundancy.

Co-Existence with other industrial protocols

Discussions regarding TSN often refer to interoperability. However, interoperability may be achieved on different levels and in terms of application protocols, it is more appropriate to use the term coexistence. Figure 3 shows three areas, which need to be covered: • network configuration (managed objects according to IEEE definitions), and • stream configuration and establishment, • application configuration

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SOURCE: ODVA

SOURCE: ODVA

TSN Technology Principle of interoperation.

Machine-to-Machine & Controllerto-Controller communication


SOURCE: ODVA

TSN Technology

Application configuration is not expected to be part of the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile, but common network management, path establishment and stream configuration methods are vital to the coexistence of application protocols. The selections made by the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile covers IEEE 802 defined layer 2 and the selected protocols to configure layer 2. Applications make use of upper layers as well, but these are out of scope for the profile. Stream establishment is initiated by applications to allow data exchange between applications. The applications are the source of requirements, which shall be fulfilled by network configuration and stream configuration and establishment. Stated another way, it is not expected that EtherNet/IP devices will communicate directly with devices running OPC-UA. However, it is a requirement that OPC communications shares the wire with EtherNet/IP communications.

High-level approach of TSN in EtherNet/IP

The workflow of TSN with EtherNet/IP can start before device acquisition or wiring ever takes place. The workflow must scale to fit the needs of both machine builders and end integrators. To start, a logical grouping of applications for the network scope, otherwise known as things that share significant infrastructure or need to talk to one another in a time sensitive manner should be developed. This grouping is placed under the network administration of a single CNC and it is then identified as a TSN domain. A digital version of the applications running over a TSN domain would be created that could be as simple as a file such as a Rockwell Automation Logix Designer file of a single application or as complex as a full factory floor with input from numerous parties. Offline TSN Data sheets will be provided by IEC/IEEE 60802 and can serve two functions. First, they can convey functionality of compliant infrastructure. Second, they can act as a method of conveying application requirements to a network. This application level digital twin has the requirement of conveying application requirements to a centralized network controller (CNC) function in terms of number of streams, payload size, frame interval and jitter tolerance. This data can be conveyed via data sheets if the application programming function(s) and CNC function are in two different pieces of software or devices. The CNC function will also take as an input the network topology design that is created as a separate exercise for a network that hasn’t been created yet, or via crawling an existing network with techniques such as LLDP. TSN Data sheets for compliant infrastructure will be provided to enumerate TSN capabilities of offline infrastructure while the User Network 04.202 2

The End station. Interface (UNI) in the CNC function will gather TSN capabilities of online infrastructure. The CNC function will combine the application requirements with the network capabilities and perform network calculus, scheduling, or both to validate that the TSN domain can meet the requirements of all applications defined at calculation time. If the network is unable to meet the needs of all applications the centralized network controller function will prompt the user where issues need to be addressed. Provided a TSN domain passes validation, network configuration will be pushed down from the CNC function to the infrastructure and end stations through remote management. The infrastructure and end stations will synchronize to the selected grandmaster clock and provide an indication that they have synchronized. A user will be able to then run their application(s) at will and the network configuration will be saved to non-volatile memory of devices. The absence of an online CNC makes the network static. The online presence of CNC capabilities should not be taken as an implication that changes will be bumpless, unless enough overprovisioning is in place. Any streams that go out of the TSN domain under consideration will be modeled as an application requirement TSN data sheet for

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input to the next TSN domain if directly connected without brownfield infrastructure in between.

TSN models and model assumptions scheduling

Scheduling has been introduced into IEEE 802.1Q through the original amendment known as 802.1Qbv. This technology adds a gate to the end of each egress port queue on a bridge. The state of this gate is controlled by a time-based list known as a gate control list. The number of gate control lists can be minimized to enable a prioritization mechanism known as class-based scheduling or maximized to enable a prioritization mechanism known as stream-class based scheduling. One application of class-based scheduling uses 3 gate control lists, one for isochronous traffic, one for cyclic traffic and one for all other traffic types. A network cycle will be divided up into three parts where isochronous traffic has unimpeded access to the wire for one part of the cycle, isochronous and cyclic traffic has unimpeded access to the wire for another part of the cycle, and standard QoS prioritized traffic with all queues open for the final part of the cycle. One application of stream-class based scheduling uses up to 256 gate control events.

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SOURCE: ODVA

Technology PRP Topology. A CNC computes an optimal schedule for traffic transmission and assigns each stream its’ own queue and gate control events in each bridge. This will allow a known delivery time at each bridge for each stream, and allow highly engineered traffic to flow seamlessly through a time sensitive network.

End station scheduling

Scheduling can either be applied in a bridge, or in an end station. The application of it in an end station will allow the wire to be shared fairly through constrained (and prioritized) ingress to a network. This approach can be applied to an industrial network without scheduling the bridge egress queues. If the transmission function of each application on a TSN domain can be controlled, the worst-case delays for each application on that TSN domain can be minimized, and overall bandwidth utilization can be increased.

Network management

High level management is outside the scope of the current EtherNet/IP specifications, and this model will not change with TSN. EtherNet/ IP over TSN will require network management to be in place, and will normatively reference interfaces to network management, while not defining network management.

Requirements for end stations

End Station: A device attached to a local area network (LAN) or metropolitan area network (MAN), which acts as a source of, and/or destination for, traffic carried on the LAN or MAN. Theory of Operation: From the perspective of the end station, TSN models do not significantly differ. The end station must implement protocols necessary to communicate requirements with its network management which include: LLDP and CUC communication. The end station must be able to provide a specification of its traffic requirements via CIP in terms of traffic type, period (RPI), payload

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size, correlated stream requirements and jitter tolerance to the CUC. In return it will receive a start-of-cycle time, transmission period and offset to adhere to.

Requirements for Bridges

Bridge: A multiple-port Device that includes Media Access Control (MAC) Bridge or Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Bridge component functionality and that supports a claim of conformance to the following selected IEEE 802.1Q specifications. Theory of Operation: These models of TSN operation are currently being vetted in the IEC/IEEE 60802 community: • Free Running Network • Synchronized Network Access • Class Based Scheduled Networks • Stream-Class Based Scheduled Networks From the perspective of the bridge, these models differ significantly. If models a & b are selected the bridge does not need to support enhancements for scheduled networks. However, bridges must still maintain features such as common time, preemption and QoS mechanisms. Bridges must also implement protocols necessary to communicate capabilities and configuration with its network management which include: LLDP and CNC communication.

Requirements for Bridged End Stations

Bridging/Bridged End Station: A multiple-port Device that includes both Bridge features and End Station features. From the ODVA perspective, a bridged end station definition has been left up to the user to implement, with partial conformance statements for things such as DLR. TSN adoption would significantly change this model. IEC/IEEE 60802 is referencing a bridged end station implementation, and this profile will be updated to include specifications for it as applicable. Theory of Operation: A bridged end station

is thought of as an IA device with one or more bridge units, and one or more end station units associated with a bridge. This allows for modeling according to the current 802.1Q specifications.

QoS for TSN

The identification of QoS for TSN streams uses Destination Multicast MAC, PCP, and VLAN-ID. The combined identification parameters provide high flexibility when configuring TSN Streams. In contrast, Ethernet QoS in EtherNet/IP uses defined PCP values. A static mapping has been defined between the CIP Priority Tag and the PCP part of IEEE 802.1Q. CIP provides no means to the end-user to change this mapping, besides disabling it (which is the default). EtherNet/IP currently doesn’t define use of the VLAN- ID part of IEEE 802.1Q. The CIP Priority Tag, that’s chosen based on the CIP Connection type (explicit or implicit) and the intended traffic use (motion, safety, IO, or messaging), is communicated between the originator and the target during connection establishment. The two endpoints agree on the predefined PCP settings for the CIP Connection. CIP today supports four different priorities; this might be limiting if the full flexibility of TSN streams are intended to be utilized. The CIP Priority is an attribute of the connection configuration and is a defined member within the Forward Open. This CIP Priority will have to be expanded or redefined in some manner in order to allow for the CIP connection being established to identify with the TSN streams it shall utilize. Information about all configured TSN streams within a TSN capable device will have to be made available to the CIP portion of a device. Using standard CIP interfaces will also allow CIP clients and CIP configuration tools to make use of this information. Making use of this would allow the CIP configuration tools to map CIP connections to TSN streams that previously were created within the TSN domain

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SOURCE: ODVA

Device Level Ring (DLR)

The Device Level Ring (DLR) protocol provides a means for detecting, managing and recovering from faults in a ring-based network. A DLR network consists of an active Ring Supervisor and any number of Ring Nodes. Ring nodes incorporate embedded switch technology with at least two external ports. The Ring Supervisor is responsible for generating a “beacon” at regular intervals. These beacons traverse the ring in both directions. The Ring Supervisor also sends announce frames on both ports once per second. Announce frames allow ring nodes that are unable to process the high-speed beacon frames to participate in fault detection and ring recovery. The Ring Supervisor must be capable of blocking DLR and other network traffic to avoid infinite propagation of these frames through the ring (Network storm). Faults are detected when beacon traffic is interrupted, and link/node failure is detected by adjacent nodes. The DLR protocol contains several fault detection and ring recovery mechanisms. Implementation of DLR imposes certain requirements upon the supporting network infrastructure. DLR does not inherently exclude the use of devices which do not support the DLR protocol in a DLR-enabled network. It is expected that legacy devices and other considerations will frequently dictate the use of such devices in a DLR network. However, the use of these devices in a DLR network may significantly affect DLR operation and performance. Inclusion of non-DLR devices in a DLR network is not discussed further in this paper. For further information regarding the use of non-DLR devices in a DLR network see PUB00316R2 - Guidelines for Using Device Level Ring (DLR) with EtherNet/IP. DLR is a layer 2 protocol and can coexist with TSN however the impact of scheduled traffic will need to be evaluated further.

PRP Topology

The Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) is designed to provide seamless recovery in case of single failure of an inter-bridge link or bridge in the network. This protocol based on the duplication of the LAN and duplication of the transmitted information. Implementation of DLR imposes certain requirements upon the supporting network infrastructure. DLR does not inherently exclude the use of devices which do not support the DLR protocol in a DLR-enabled network. It is expected that legacy devices and other considerations will frequently dictate the use of such devices in a DLR network. However, the use of these devices in a DLR network may significantly affect DLR operation and 04.202 2

Technology

and intended to be used to transport different types of CIP traffic.

Simple DLR Ring. performance.

PRP Topology

The Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) is designed to provide seamless recovery in case of single failure of an inter-bridge link or bridge in the network. This protocol based on the duplication of the LAN and duplication of the transmitted information. Further improvements in recovery time require managing of redundancy in the end nodes, by equipping the end nodes with several, redundant communication links. In general, doubly attached Bridged End stations (M01-Mx) provide sufficient redundancy. For time-critical applications, the parallel operation of disjoint networks provides seamless recovery, but requires the duplication of the network. The Bridged End station is a DANP. A DANP is attached to two independent Local Area Networks (LANs) of similar topology (LAN_A and LAN_B) which operate in parallel. One DANP (a source) sends the same frame over both LANs to another DANP (Destination) who receives it from both LANs, consumes the first frame and discards the duplicate. The mechanism of duplicate generation and rejection can be implemented by a Red-Box. The Red-box functionality is performed by devices GA1 and Mx in this network example. A Red-Box does the transition between a Singly Attached Node (SAN) and the doubled LANs (LAN_A and LAN_B). The Red-Box mimics the SANs connected behind it (called VDAN or virtual DANs) and multicasts supervision frames on their behalf. The Red-Box is itself a DANP and has its own IP address for management purposes, but it may also perform application functions.

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Basic HSR Topology

The High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) protocol is designed to provide seamless recovery in case of single failure of an interdevice link which are based on the duplication of the transmitted information. Further improvements in recovery time require managing of redundancy in the end nodes, by equipping the Bridged End stations with several, redundant communication links. In general, doubly attached end nodes provide enough redundancy. Nodes within the ring are restricted to be HSR-capable bridging nodes, thus avoiding the use of dedicated switches. This reduces the network to one Ring with no Switches thus reducing the cost of the network. Singly Attached Nodes (SANs) such as laptops or printers cannot be attached directly to the ring but need attachment through a Redundancy Box (RedBox) [S01, M03, M04, Mx]. In an HSR network, Doubly Attached Nodes with HSR Protocol or DANH, are arranged as a ring. A node within an HSR ring is restricted to HSR capable bridging nodes. This avoids the use of dedicated bridges. Each DANH has two identical interfaces, port A and port B. For each frame, the source node sends one copy over each of its two ports. The source node removes the frames it injected into the ring. Each node (between source and destination) relays a frame it receives from port A to port B and vice-versa, except if already forwarded. The destination node consumes the first frame of a pair and discards the duplicate. If the ring is broken, frames still arrive over the intact path, with no impact on the application. Loss of a path is easily detected since duplicates cease to arrive.

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SOURCE: ODVA

Technology Basic HSR Topology.

RSTP

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) is an option for loop prevention and high availability described in CIP Volume 2. The protocol will become mandatory for TSN as defined in IEC/ IEEE 60802.

Mesh Topologies & 802.1CB

The Mesh Topology is a complex, high availability network architecture that will contain interconnected Ethernet Switches and Devices. These High Availability topology architectures will be used to describe Time Sensitive Network (TSN) operation and features as described in the IEEE 802.1CB Standard.

Time Sync Implications and Recommendations

Time Synchronization is a necessary and core part of a Time Sensitive Network. The time synchronization protocol that will be normative to the IEC/IEEE 60802 industrial profile for TSN will be 802.1AS-2020. CIP Sync is based on the end-to-end delay mechanism which is the default profile of IEEE1588. 802.1AS-2020 is based on the peerto-peer delay mechanism which is inherently incompatible with CIP Sync.

CIP Motion Use of Time Synchronization

Time Synchronization is a critical enabler to achieve precision motion control in CIP Motion systems. 802.1AS-2020 is the time synchronization protocol required for TSN network operation. The TSN committee recommends that the CIP Motion device profile specify conditional support for both the ‘IEEE 802.1AS PTP Profile’ and the ‘CIP Sync PTP Default Profile‘. Operation on a TSN network (or not) determines which time synchronization profile is used. Future work is to assess how supporting the 802.1AS profile affects CIP

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Motion time synchronization aspects such as establishing synchronization and recovering from a loss of synchronization. Devices currently supporting the 1588 Default profile will require development effort to support the 802.1AS peer-peer transparent clock mechanism.

CIP Motion on a TSN Network

Use of a TSN network requires that motion devices using Deadline QoS support data egress per a defined TSN schedule. Motion devices with embedded bridges will require embedded switches with time- controlled output gating. Configuration and operation of this switch is only relevant to CIP Motion for coordination between application execution and internal data transfer through the network stack so that motion data is queued in the switch and ready for egress at the scheduled time. Existing CIP Motion has no dependency on the order of C2D and D2C frames. CIP Motion on a TSN network would also have no dependency on frame order so class-based scheduling is preferred over stream-based scheduling. (Stream based scheduling being scheduling the network path of specific talkers and listeners). There is no benefit to scheduling network access between two specific CIP Motion endpoints relative to existing CIP Motion. Scheduling streams is an unnecessary and burdensome requirement. A characteristic of TSN operation with Qbv enhanced scheduling is that Layer 2 switch queues of a given priority remain active for a time window defined by the Qbv schedule. Queues are controlled by gates that are opened and closed per the Qbv schedule. This allows frames tagged with the given priority to traverse the network through all hops from talkers to listeners in one cycle of gating all the queues in the communication path (i.e. one network cycle). With class-based scheduling of CIP Motion traffic, the time

window must accommodate the maximum number of CIP Motion packets in any specific network update cycle, plus the maximum transfer delay of the communication path. The gating schedule of all switches in the communication path must be identical and allow transfer of all the packets between talkers and listeners without regard to network topology or packet order. The CNC must determine Qbv scheduling and configure all the end stations/bridges.

Incorporating non-TSN EtherNet/IP devices

EtherNet/IP Devices that do not implement the TSN profile can still operate over a TSN network. Two methods can be used for inclusion. As TSN is an extension to standardsbased Ethernet, non-TSN EtherNet/IP devices will continue to work over a TSN network, but at a degraded level of performance. A TSN domain edge port will map non-TSN traffic into a specific queue. This queue will generally be prioritized lower than TSN traffic unless management gives specific priority considerations to it. At this point there is no distinction between non-TSN industrial control traffic, and other types of traffic such as print jobs or web communication. A TSN domain edge port can be configured as a TSN gateway. This will map non-TSN EtherNet/IP traffic onto TSN streams and give equal quality of service considerations throughout the network. The TSN gateway will have buffering capabilities that take into consideration the time sensitivity of the application, non-TSN network jitter, and TSN network timeslot availability. Mark Hantel, Architect and Senior Project Engineer, Rockwell Automation and Jordon Woods, Strategic Technologist, Analog Devices.

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Industrial Ethernet networking solutions special report Industrial Ethernet technology provides effective building blocks for corporate and smart manufacturing networks worldwide. In this special report, industry experts provide information on the latest SPE trends, solutions to improve IIoT performance, network convergence and the impact of Time Sensitive Networking.

Factory networks are in a period of rapid innovation offering higher levels of performance driven by SPE/APL, gigabit Ethernet, 5G, TSN, IEC 62443 and more. INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET NETWORK TECHNOLOGY and infrastructure solutions are in the midst of an expansionary period of new networking solutions, from the device-level to the cloud, that will enable new levels of digital innovation with a goal of transforming global manufacturing. For our 2022 Industrial Ethernet Showcase, IEB reached out to industry experts to get their insights into the development of the Industrial Ethernet technologies and perspectives on the megatrends shaping and enabling development of industrial networks. Key technologies include the continued emergence of Single Pair Ethernet and Ethernet-APL, 5G, TSN, Gigabit Ethernet, and new levels of standardization at the device level. Network architectures are going through a period of rapid innovation with the advancement of OPC UA software technology, for example, and the increased need for greater levels of IT-OT convergence and cybersecurity solutions.

Impetus for change

Industrie 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things “Industrie 4.0 and with it the Industrial Internet of Things are continuously developing

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and driving the needs of the future. Edge Computers and IIoT Gateways will have to connect to both, industrial devices and at the same time to the IT, often the cloud,” Lars Jaeger, Head of Product Marketing for Moxa told IEB recently. “This is not an exception anymore, but the rule.” “Therefore, industrial and IT networks must be open for data pipelines across the entire company infrastructure, including both IT and OT environments, and of course cloud infrastructure. This has to be done in a flexible, yet manageable and secure way. Jaeger said that Moxa sees the following relevant technical developments contributing to the evolution of Industrial Ethernet factory networks: • Gigabit Ethernet replacing Fast Ethernet, trending towards multiple GbE • Wireless networks using 5G or 802.11ac technology • Integrated network monitoring solutions combining views of both worlds, IT and OT • IEC 62443 becoming the leading cybersecurity standard • SPE/APL will allow for an accelerated integration of current proprietary two-wire installations into Ethernet, and

• Soft evaluations of TSN and OPC UA technology

Technology benefits

Jaeger said that the technical benefits that these new trends are offering in terms of networking solutions are focused in a series of areas. Gigabit Ethernet trends (1GbE, 2.5GbE, 5GbE, 10GbE): The sheer increase of network nodes, information and new applications can only be solved with more bandwidth. In addition, GbE provides typically lower network latency leading to better application performance. 5G and 802.11ac: 5G promises several benefits, including stable communication with very little latencies on one hand, and multiple Gbps bandwidth on the other hand, depending on the chosen deployment. 802.11ac is the logical evolution of WLAN technology, and therefore partly backward compatible. More bandwidth, more security, more radio stability with less interferences. Integrated Network Monitoring: In order to manage a network, all relevant parameters must be at hand. The health of network must be monitored, and quick and easy trouble shooting must be possible from

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Industrial Ethernet M12 Power L-code connectors are an extension of the current M12 IEC standard and have been selected by PROFIBUS and PROFINET International as the standard for 24-volt power supply systems used in PROFINET devices. a central control center. Obviously, IT and OT have different needs in terms of network monitoring. Only integrated solutions can provide a holistic view across IT and OT networks. IEC 62443: Cybersecurity can only work as a holistic concept. From product design, over security product features, to network management, and vulnerability fixing. IEC 62443 is the only standard which provides a defense-in-depth approach. SPE/APL: Current two-wire, often serial based communication can be easier retrofitted to Ethernet networks by using SPE/APL technology. Expensive infrastructure investments can be reduced. TSN: Time-sensitive facilitates high-speed networking, large volumes of data transmission, highly accurate motion control, and low latency. TSN can prioritize network traffic, which guarantees real-time communication and means time-critical data will be delivered to the right place at the right time. In other words, the aim of a converged application on one unified network will be accomplished in industrial automation based on standard Ethernet. Eventually, it will be feasible to have one unified network for diversified applications. This eliminates the concern that time-critical data would not reach its destination in time. TSN can also enhance network security because accurate data transmission can be scheduled to avoid the inflow of non-authorized data.

Impact of applications and networking architectures

“The trends to more bandwidth, integrated networking solutions and IEC 62443 are in principle visible across all vertical markets and applications,” Jaeger said. “5G and 802.11ac are currently mostly adopted by Campus networks, AGV/AMR and other logistical

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services. SPE/APL is currently mostly discussed in process automation applications.” But he added that it is the promising features and benefits of TSN that make it indispensable to a wide range of applications that are extensively used across various industries, including semiconductor, automotive, machinery, food and drink, chemical, and power generation. However, each TSN application comes with its specific requirements, and currently there is a substantial gap between existing TSN standards and application-specific TSN systems. Moxa collaborated with Xilinx to make headway in developing time-sensitive networking technologies for Industry 4.0 applications. He said that the engineering challenges that the newest solutions are designed to address include: • Network connections to more devices and overall, more network bandwidth • Good network management to be able to make all those necessary moves, adds and changes on an ongoing basis • High security standards, so we can be sure the whole IT/OT infrastructure can run reliably for a long time • Open protocol standards to overcome the various silos along the communication pipelines

More power in less space

Focus on the standardization of components According to Sofia Sevastidou, global product manager at TE Connectivity, the key technical trends in industrial networking influencing the development of the latest generation of Industrial Ethernet Networking components fall into two broad categories. One is the need for more power in less space. As we move toward more data-driven industrial automation, equipment and devices

increasingly demand solutions that can provide the higher levels of power needed to support more data. “Higher power solutions can easily begin taking up valuable space on the factory floor as more machines are upgraded, so it is important that these solutions are designed with a small profile in mind,” Sevastidou said. “Amid these evolving expectations, we are seeing the development of more industrial ethernet networking components that deliver higher power in a smaller package to meet both growing power requirements and demand for miniaturization.” A second important area Sevastidou mentioned is the standardization of components. Innovation in components creates exciting possibilities for industrial Ethernet networking, and standardization across the industry will be key to realizing the full potential of these benefits. When manufacturers upgrade their equipment and devices, they want to do so with confidence that it will be supported well into the future. Standardization efforts help ensure the industry is working toward solutions that support growing and changing technical demands.

Technology benefits

“The M12 L-code connectors used in industrial ethernet networking are a great example of a component that brings together these two key technical trends,” Sevastidou said. “This M12 L-code format has been selected by PROFIBUS and PROFINET International as the standard for 24-volt power supply systems used in PROFINET devices. This standard helps answer the growing need for components that deliver higher power in a smaller package.” TE Connectivity (TE) recently launched its M12 L-code cable assemblies, which are an extension of the current M12 IEC standard. These solutions handle up to 16 A power per pin – the highest in our M12 family – delivering four times the power of standard M12 connectors. Since they use up to 40% less space than traditional 7/8” connectors, they also provide an important space savings benefit and support the miniaturization of distribution boxes. As manufacturers work to meet growing demand for productivity, M12 L-code connectors deliver on the reliable and efficient power supply they need.

Specific application & architectures

Sevastidou added that M12 L-code cable assemblies from TE are designed for DC power supplies with 63 V DC / 16 A. Applications that require a high current and low voltage – including fieldbus ethernet I/O boxes, ethernet systems, network devices, motors and drives and valve applications – stand to benefit from the L-coding version. With an IP67-rating,

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help allow for better identification of parts and to protect against mismatching.

Focus on network connectivity Future-proof edge connectivity options

According to Michael Vermeer, Engineering Strategy Manager for Panduit Corp., some of the main technical trends for industrial networking stem from the need to improve the efficiency of automated systems. “Enterprises are re-architecting their plants around Industry 4.0 ideals, which require them to improve and ideally automate the network connectivity and management between each system within the plant,” Vermeer told IEB recently. “As result, some of the main technical trends that we are seeing are a renewed focus on structured cabling systems and fiber optics in the plant backbone, and the interest in future-proofing edge connectivity for the advent of single pair ethernet edge communications.”

Importance of Single Pair Ethernet

Vermeer said we need to dive a little deeper into Single Pair Ethernet, since it is one of the latest technical advances. Thinking in the context of the ISA-95 model, levels 2 through 5 of industrial plants already use a significant

amount of IP networking technology. However, these same plants at Levels 0 and 1 use very little Ethernet, instead relying on serial and analog technologies that have been around from the earliest days of automation. These are the applications that IEEE was targeting when they spent the past 5 years developing and validating what was released in 2019 as IEEE 802.3cg. This standard specified the physical layer for ethernet communications over a single twisted pair of conductors. “Industry 4.0 operations need effective connectivity between every subsystem within the plant. IEEE 802.3cg Single Pair Ethernet enables Industry 4.0, by making this connectivity automated and seamless,” Vermeer added. “Today, stateof-the-art systems use gateways to enable communication and context to flow between a myriad of ethernet, serial, and analog devices. When these devices connect using Single Pair Ethernet, data can flow seamlessly according to centralized network management and security rules, instead of individually programmed gateways.” He noted that the best part of this is that the conversion from analog to Ethernet can take place on the same type of medium that has been used for serial and analog communications for decades: a single twisted

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Industrial Ethernet

the new M12 L-code cable assemblies are also designed for use in harsh or wet industrial environments in factory automation. M12 L-code connectors are designed to address the challenges engineers face as they work to fit more power in a small profile. The M12 L-code cable assemblies from TE offer a conductor size from 1.5 mm² up to 2.5 mm² and handle up to 16A power per pin, which enables a more compact build of a high-power solution for automation devices. According to Sevastidou, these solutions also offer the flexibility engineers need when designing for various applications and industrial settings. The L-coding version from TE is available in both male and female connectors and is highly configurable with numerous connector variations, cable lengths and wire sizes, providing the versatility engineers need in their designs. As an IP67-rated solution, TE’s M12 L-code cable assemblies also offer the ruggedness needed to resist varying conditions. These solutions are virtually protected from dust and resist temporary submersion in water at depths of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. M12 L-code cable assemblies are also designed for simpler assembly. They follow the color-coding system that has been introduced by PROFIBUS and PROFINET International to


SOURCE: ISTOCK

Industrial Ethernet

Importance of cybersecurity

IT-OT emphasis on flexible and secure access

In order to manage a network, all relevant parameters must be at hand. The health of network must be monitored, and easy trouble shooting must be possible. pair of conductors. Cable requirements for Single Pair Ethernet are a little more stringent, which is to be expected since it delivers 10 Mb/s up to 1Km, which is 300x the bandwidth delivered by fieldbus. Meeting this challenge, field testing is available to validate the physical infrastructure before any devices are plugged in; this has the additional advantage of reducing potential for debug time related to physical infrastructure problems.

automation applications, such as the use of BACnet MS/TP in building automation, are also ripe for this future-proofing effort. By upgrading their serial and analog cable specifications to those that meet Single Pair Ethernet requirements by TIA or IEC, building owners and operators can have confidence that their physical infrastructure is ready for supporting the next generation of smart building devices.

Application focus areas

Delivering value

Some early applications for Single Pair Ethernet deployment leverage the work done by the Ethernet-APL consortium, which has applied the Single Pair Ethernet physical to Industrial process applications. Leveraging the work done by this consortium, customers can begin future proofing their HART, Foundation Fieldbus and PROFIBUS fieldbus installations. Customers currently deploying the above-mentioned systems can easily validate that their systems are performanceready for Single Pair Ethernet, and have a path cleared to upgrade their systems to HART-IP, Foundation Fieldbus HSE, or PROFINET in the future. Vermeer said that other serial-heavy

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for 2- or 4-pair IP connections in these environments.”

“Single Pair Ethernet brings Ethernet to the edge, while addressing several issues that have prevented full-scale adoption of ethernet, replacing serial and analog networks. The base capability of Single Pair Ethernet provides for communication over 1Km, 10x the distance of standard ethernet,” Vermeer said. “Single Pair Ethernet does this while providing 10 Mb/s, 300x the bandwidth offered by fieldbus protocols. Also, through the Ethernet-APL consortium Single Pair Ethernet addresses the challenge of bringing ethernet into explosion hazard environments. With this capability of Ethernet-APL, devices can be operated over ethernet without the significant protection measures that would otherwise be required

Sophie Richerzhagen, Product Owner Cybersecurity for Siemens, told IEB that key technical trends are increasingly accompanied by the growing importance of cybersecurity for industry. “This field is already influencing the development of devices and services in the industrial market, and has only been accelerated by the mobile working explosion from the last 24 months. In the office/ IT (Information Technology) world, mobile working in general has long been established, but there is also a growing demand for more flexible and secure access to systems and applications in operational technology (OT),” Richerzhagen stated. The benefits of enterprise-wide access to industrial applications have created an increasing demand for cybersecurity solutions that tackle the different requirements of OT and IT. In IT, the Zero Trust security model has proved effective for networks with dynamic pools of devices; a concept in which every user and device must continuously prove their identity and integrity, whether within the network perimeter or not. In contrast, the perimeter-based industrial security concept as part of Defense-in-Depth according to IEC 62443 is used to protect OT systems with industrial communication networks that have grown over years. Siemens, a leading provider in the field of industrial automation, and Zscaler Inc., a leading provider in the field of Zero Trust, have expanded the Defense-in-Depth OT concept to be additionally secured by Zero Trust principles. In combination with the existing OT security mechanisms, this allows implementation of a granular access concept. “With this fundamental protection, companies can offer new products and services based on their existing technology. For instance, secure IT/OT integration within Siemens has provided manufacturing with remote access to X-ray inspection systems for faster diagnostics. Similarly, quality assurance engineers can also tunnel into their operative manufacturing processes for preventative inspection or faster resolution of acute issues. Cybersecurity for industry is underpinning the larger digitalization use-cases that Industry 4.0 has brought to the forefront,” Richerzhagen added.

Networking architectures

Conceptually, Richerzhagen said that cybersecurity for Industry is branchindependent. The feature and function sets are applicable to all digitized automation

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Fully switched networks

Eliminating collisions and improved determinism Dr. Al Beydoun, President and Executive Director at ODVA, said that key technical trends in industrial networking are influencing the development of the latest generation of Industrial Ethernet Networking components. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms enabled by lower cost edge computing power and increased connectivity are powering new network/security appliances that can enhance security through deep packet inspection, intrusion monitoring, and easier to manage access control,” Beydoun said. “Security visibility is an important part of a defense in depth approach given that network switches can be a key link in both enabling IIoT applications as well as detecting and identifying bad actors within OT networks. Another key component of defense in depth security is proper network design and planning 04.202 2

SOURCE: ODVA

Industrial Ethernet

processes. Factory and process automation are particularly exciting as they offer large levers for value generation within a company. It offers the possibility to tie the customer directly into the manufacturing process – the keystone of the industrial value chain. This translates to order management, logistics, purchasing, quality assurance and ideally right down to sales. “The automation sector has flourished under the flexibility and scalability to design innovative and unique solutions for their field. Creating a cybersecurity solution to protect their productivity while holding compliance to the newest cybersecurity regulations is the challenge ahead. To date, overlayed security solutions offer customers a boost to their security but creates a patch work solution with high administration overhead and low scalability,” she added. The newest solutions from Siemens are aiming to integrate this cybersecurity performance down to the automation level and not just for new installations. The goal is to work with brownfield installations, giving successful applications the cybersecurity model to extend their product lifecycle. It is about rediscovering the flexibility in the manufacturing process and extending it with industrial cybersecurity. Already existing security concepts based on SCALANCE SC devices can now be supplemented by the simple installation of the cloud-based remote access service Zscaler Private Access as a docker container on the SCALANCE LPE (local processing engine). This combination of the well established in OT Defense in Depth and the IT driven Zero Trust model creates a secure access solution for industrial environments. In addition, production requirements for availability and real-time capabilities continue to be met.

A fully switched network eliminates collisions and improves deterministic behavior of networks such as EtherNet/IP. The addition of secure zones and conduits per the ISA/IEC 62443 security standards provides a way to segment and zone sub-systems in a control network. with segmented networks with vertically layered switches.” Beydoun said that, in the same way that sea going vessels have compartments that can be sealed in case of a hull breach, having a network with security zones can help to contain an intrusion from impacting too much of the larger system. This design ensures that a failure in one zone or within one switch doesn’t affect the entire operation. Local security intelligence within network switches can help identify threats that are directly encountered. “Once the threat is identified via deep packet inspection the metadata can be sent to a cybersecurity device to help mitigate the threat. Firewalls can also do deep packet inspection and prevent threats based on firewall policies. Cloud based data analysis can also help to identify larger scale trends and actions that are out of place that can then be translated into action within the local area,” he added.

Key technical benefits

Beydoun’s view is that a fully switched network eliminates collisions and improves deterministic behavior of networks such as EtherNet/IP. The addition of secure zones and conduits per the ISA/IEC 62443 security standards provides a way to segment and zone sub-systems in a control network. Zones can be defined by groups of nodes that have similar functional and security requirements. Examples of a similar security requirements include devices that are all in the same functional area (e.g. packaging), contain intellectual property, enable motion, or control environmentally sensitive materials. A secure conduit is the interlinking of the different security zones. He added that it’s critical to ensure that the communication paths between zones are access controlled, are resistant to denial-of-service

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attacks, and can ensure that they don’t allow a compromised zone spread to the broader network. VLANs are a way to improve security and contain broadcast messaging as a part of implementing secure zones and conduits. Network configuration such as implementing Quality of Service (QoS) traffic prioritization to ensure time critical control traffic isn’t held up and use of IGMP snooping to control multicast messages to reduce network congestion can help to optimize properly segmented networks.

Networking solutions

“Implementing the networking concept of secure zones and conduits via network switches is broadly applicable in the automation space given that IIoT connectivity offers quality improvement, waste reduction, and throughput acceleration opportunities across both discrete, hybrid and process industries,” Beydoun said. “However, certain applications are particularly important to segment such as motion equipment that workers are in near proximity to such as collaborative robotics or zoned safety applications where light curtains stop the movement of potentially dangerous machinery when a worker gets to close.” Other vital areas to protect include operations that could reveal confidential recipes, manufacturing processes, or other valuable information that provides for a competitive advantage. Processes that involve corrosive chemicals or extremely rare earth metals are also in need of special segmentation to both protect the environment and to manage financial risk. Once these more sensitive zones are identified and segmented, additional security measures can be implemented such as CIP Security at the device level for policy-based access control. Following the ISA/IEC 62443 defense in depth and secure zone and conduit approach can help to deter bad actors from attempting to infiltrate and attack a facility.

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“Enabling IIoT and Industry 4.0 applications within plants and factories allows for a whole new world of possibilities through prognostic failure detection, automatic spare reordering, new product development feedback loops via digital twins and so forth,” Beydoun concluded. “Single Pair Ethernet solutions such as Ethernet-APL in process and EtherNet/ IP Resource-Constrained Device connectivity in both discrete and process are helping to add more intelligent devices to the network thereby opening up this data for cloud connectivity and analysis.” He said, however, that this potential improvement in the bottom line through production optimization stands opposed to the new paths that bad actors now have to attack critical infrastructure for monetary gain via ransomware attacks. While network segmentation has always been a best practice for optimal control network operation and prioritization of key traffic, such as CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP, the introduction of cloud connectivity has made it imperative that secure zones and conduits are implemented according to ISA/IEC 62443 to protect operations and allow for device level security, such as CIP Security, to provide a last layer of protection where it’s needed the most. Secure zones and conduits allow for not only an optimized network and improved security, but also does so in a way that can reduce cost by enabling the highest levels of security to be implemented in a surgical manner to cover the most critical zones.

OPC UA, TSN and SPE

Technology solutions enhance networks According to Ralf Moebus, Head of Product Management, Industrial Communication for LAPP, a number of key technologies are working together to influence the development of Industrial Ethernet networks.

Standardization & interoperability using OPC/UA and TSN

“In the past there had been several fieldbus systems that are incompatible to each other. This causes high effort in engineering of Industrial Control Systems and system integration of machinery,” Moebus told IEB recently. “Engineers need to know about many different communication technologies, and they have high effort for programming translations from one protocol to another. This problem was not completely solved with the introduction of Industrial Ethernet. Today with Ethernet mainly the physical layer is standardized: Cables, Connectors and Switches are standard Ethernet components, but there are still multiple in-compatible Industrial protocols in use.” He added that, with the introduction

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SOURCE: ISTOCK

Industrial Ethernet

Addressing engineering challenges

The future of industrial networks will be continuing to emphasize higher performance and sophistication with support required for new innovations such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. of OPC/UA, the problem of incompatible protocols can be solved. With OPC UA Field level communication, there is also a solution for Field Device Communication available. A second important technology which will help for standardization is TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) and it is harmonizing perfectly with OPC UA. “Industrial Ethernet can be found today already in many factories and provides access to a lot of data which is needed for smarter decisions, faster maintenance of machines or more flexible productions. But there is still a lot of data which cannot be accessed from all systems. This can be solved with new physical layer technologies like Single Pair Ethernet,” Moebus said.

OPC/UA

OPC/UA is standardizing the communication for Machine to Machine, Machine to MES and ERP systems or even the cloud. OPC UA is standardizing the communication for Machine to Machine, Machine to MES and ERP systems or even the cloud With OPC /UA Field

level communication there is also a solution for Field Device Communication available. With OPC UA there is a real manufacturer independent protocol standard available. The user has the benefit that they can ensure the communication between all these devices and machines without the need to program translations between different protocols – saving time and effort. Also, they don´t need to learn different communication standards.

TSN

Moebus stated that TSN is a standardized solution for real time communication and can replace the multiple incompatible realtime communication technologies of today’s Ethernet networks. He said that TSN has real time capabilities that are suitable for time critical information like control system communication or drive system synchronization. The greatest benefit is that it uses standardized manufacturer independent mechanisms that can be integrated in the network infrastructure and end-devices. The user has the benefit that

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Single Pair Ethernet

“Most sensors and actuators are not directly connected to Ethernet. Some reasons are high installation effort, too expensive or the devices are too small for existing Ethernet connectivity solutions,” Moebus added. “With Single Pair Ethernet comes a new technology which lowers these obstacles. SPE needs only one pair of copper cores where today are 4 or 8 cores are needed. Also, it enhances the reach of copper-based Ethernet from 100m to up to 1000m, which gives more freedom in the network design. Another important feature is the power supply via data cable, which is also called PoDL (Power over Dataline). Up to 50 W of power are possible. So, it is the perfect solution for connecting sensors and actuators with low effort and space demand. It integrates sensor/actuators with the rest of the factory network and makes the data accessible.” He said that OPC/UA and TSN is the standard that is very interesting for production within larger plants, where several machines have to be integrated to a production system. It provides the right mechanisms for Machine-toMachine communication or also for Machine to MES (Manufacturing Execution System). With its integrated Security mechanisms, it is also perfect for machine to Cloud communication. With OPCs field level communication it is also addressing field devices like control systems and in this relationship TSN is the perfect partner for OPC/UA. Moebus said that Single Pair Ethernet can significantly reduce the installation effort for Ethernet networks, and it is a great solution for the lowest field level, for sensor and actuators. “It will enhance the existing Ethernet Networks with a better suitable solution for this application area. Looking at today’s communication pyramid, we see conventional Ethernet with Data Rates between 100 Mbit/s up 10 to Gbit/s for Machine-to-Machine communication or Machine to ERP/MES and Supervisory level. On the sensor and actuator level, SPE will win with the already named benefits,” he said. OPC UA also addresses the integration of operating technology with IT technology (ERP/MES) and data exchange on field level. It can ensure the standardized data exchange between these systems. Today, engineers have the challenge to connect many incompatible communication systems. They need to know about all these systems and to translate (gateways) between them. This causes a lot of 04.202 2

effort during the complete life cycle: planning, installing and maintenance. This is solved with OPC/UA.

Application advantages

“Today, engineers must handle a lot of different fieldbus technologies and there is still a gap between the Ethernet network and the sensor actuator level,” Moebus said. “With SPE, engineers don´t need to know about that many technologies; they just need knowledge in Ethernet. With SPE there is a very economical way for connecting Ethernet devices on the field level, which enables to close the gap and gives more freedom in the network design.”

Emergence of SPE

Single Pair Ethernet and ix Industrial technology Horst Messerer, Product/Sales Manager - Data, Network and Bus Technology for Helukabel, told IEB that a key technical trend shaping industrial networking and influencing the development of the latest generation of Industrial Ethernet is Single Pair Ethernet technology. “Data cables with Single Pair Ethernet technology differ from previous solutions in that they have only one pair of copper wires. In addition to data transmission via Ethernet, these cables simultaneously enable a power supply to end devices of up to 50 watts Messered told the Industrial Ethernet Book recently. “Up to now, this required two or even four pairs of wires, depending on the transmission speed and class of power supply. For users, this difference is advantageous in several ways. The cables are both thinner and lighter. This opens up numerous new application possibilities - even in places where sensor cables or traditional bus systems have been used up to now.” Messerer said that another trend is the Ethernet interface ix Industrial. This is a plug-in connection that is significantly smaller and, at the same time, more robust than the existing RJ45 standard. “The ix Industrial is standardised according to IEC 61076-3-124, combines data transmission and power supply in one interface and thus significantly reduces the required installation space for the connection technology. I expect that this technology will replace the RJ45 connector in numerous applications,” he said.

Technology benefits

These new trends are offering numerous technical benefits that are contributing to advanced industrial networking solutions. “Single Pair Ethernet technology offers numerous advantages compared to the earlier two- and four-pair solutions,” Messerer added.

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“The cable diameter is reduced by around 25 percent and so is the cable weight by up to 50 percent. Moreover, two cores are of course much easier and faster to connect than four or eight cores – which reduces the effort required for the assembly.” He said that, in addition, smaller bending radii are possible which creates more flexibility in the laying process. Thanks to PoDL (Power over Data Line), the data cables are also able to handle a power supply of up to 50 watts. As fewer raw materials are needed, Single Pair Ethernet also has an advantage in terms of being more environmentally friendly. The technology enables the use of Ethernet up to the sensor level and enables a significant speed boost in process automation from the previous 31.25 kBit (Profibus and Foundation Fieldbus) to 10 Mbit with the SPE 10BASE-T1L standard. In regard to ix Industrial technology, it shows its benefits to industrial Ethernet in various ways. Firstly, there is the double locking of the socket and connector with the help of two snap-in hooks, which ensures high shock and vibration resistance. The connector with ten pins is designed for up to 10 Gbit/s Ethernet thanks to Cat. 6A performance and is also suitable for hybrid cables because of its power transmission option - as well as for bus, Ethernet and control cables. The significantly smaller construction space also allows devices to be designed in smaller sizes.

Industrial Ethernet

planning, building and maintaining industrial control system networks will be much easier. From an economical perspective there is cost reduction potential since the users can choose from a multitude of devices from different suppliers.

Applications focus

Messerer said that SPE is targeting specific application areas and networking architectures. Single Pair Ethernet is suitable for use in cobots, for example, where particularly thin, flexible and movable cables are required. The technology enables smaller cross-sections and tighter bending radii, which is ideal for the limited space in cobots. In the automotive industry, SPE ensures a weight saving of about 35 percent in cabling which is a significant cost factor especially in railway vehicles. And in industrial automation, as well, Ethernet can open up completely new applications with SPE, as it closes the gap between the control level and sensor-actuator networks. Thus, the field level and all its participants become real-time capable, smart and part of the IIoT. “The ix Industrial connector is suitable for applications where the dimensions of the classic RJ45 socket on the device are problematic or, for example, where a higher vibration resistance is required,” Messerer said. “But this technology also opens up areas of application wherever hybrid solutions release potential by eliminating the need for a cable.” Al Presher, Editor, Industrial Ethernet Book.

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Industrial Ethernet

Prepared for the future with seamless data transparency SOURCE: BECKHOFF

TwinCAT 3 IoT Data Agent feeds the data lake at Wienerberger AG. In the digitalization initiative, the Group started sending several million measured values to the cloud every day for analysis, to derive actionable insights in all areas of the company as a basis for targeted optimization measures. IN GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE MANUFACTURING, every minute of time, every gram of raw material and every kilowatt-hour of energy counts. The Wienerberger Group has faced this challenge for decades. But recently, this leading international supplier of innovative building materials and infrastructure solutions and, according to the corporation, the world's top brick producer, has leveraged TwinCAT and “Data Agent support” to achieve these goals.

Comprehensive digitalization

Ultra-compact C6030 Industrial PCs (left) – supplied via Beckhoff PS series power supplies (right) – play a central role as edge gateways.

From digital twins to operational excellence

digitalization initiative. On the one hand, it promotes the production of smart products – for example, plastic pipes that collect data on water levels or rainfall – and the development of new digital business models. On the other hand, the company is doing everything in its power to increase transparency in its own production sites. SOURCE: BECKHOFF

In the course of a comprehensive digitalization initiative, the Group has started sending several million measured values to the cloud every day for analysis to derive actionable insights in all areas of the company as a basis for targeted optimization measures. In energy-efficient buildings, safe sewer systems, and attractive public spaces, evidence of the Wienerberger Group's expertise can be found in all areas of life. The Viennabased producer of bricks, pipe systems and surface pavers, whose roots go back to 1819, has been successfully driving the future of building for 200 years. With 197 production sites in 29 countries, the group is one of the leading international suppliers of building materials and infrastructure solutions. In order to be able to defend this pioneering position even in times of increasingly tougher global competition, the Group launched a comprehensive

Wienerberger subsidiary Pipelife specializes in a wide variety of pipe systems. © Pipelife, Uwe Strasser

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“Our vision is to create a digital twin of every production line in which not only process, planning and quality data are stored, but also, for example, detailed training course information for system operators,” explained Roy Sibbald, manufacturing excellence officer at Wienerberger subsidiary Pipelife. Ultimately, he wants to know about every single minute of production, and whether this period of time was used productively or not. “If not, it wasn't a good minute. The same goes for every gram of raw material we use. Was this turned into something that we could sell or what happened to it? The value of reliable answers to all these questions is enormous,” explains the expert, who, according to Manfred Heger, head of IT strategy, innovation & projects at Wienerberger, made a significant contribution to advancing digitization in the production environment. Extrusion lines 21 and 26 at the Pipelife location in Wiener Neudorf were selected for a solution's proof of concept developed jointly with the solution providers TietoEVRY and HEAP Engineering GmbH as well as with Beckhoff. Plastic pipes with special quality

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SOURCE: BECKHOFF

Industrial Ethernet

The cloud-based information portal provides a clear overview of production data from 197 Wienerberger production sites in 29 countries. in real time for calculating the pipe lengths in TwinCAT software – all on the edge gateway,” explains the control engineer.

Industrial PC as an edge device

In the meantime, millions of data from different Wienerberger Group plants are stored in the cloud every day for analysis purposes. For a clear assignment of the transmitted signals, they are provided with unmistakable factory, line and machine type codes. “We joined forces to create a ’Single Source of Truth’ to make the company's vision of 'all relevant data online – all the time' a reality. Among other things, it was to ensure that ultimately every user is provided with the information relevant SOURCE: BECKHOFF

requirements are manufactured on these lines. “Here data on wall thickness, ovality, eccentricity, kilograms per meter, sawing pulses and much more must be captured,” said Andreas Roither-Voigt, senior business consultant at TietoEVRY, describing a production process in which, among other things, it is necessary to find out which pipes were cut to measure and in what time, and whether this really was done to an accuracy of one millimeter. The measuring tasks are supported by the EL1512 and EL5151 EtherCAT Terminals from Beckhoff. “One I/O terminal enables the direct connection of encoders, while the other transmits the current counter readings

With a total of 197 production sites in 29 countries, an extremely heterogeneous machine landscape and numerous protocols have to be brought to a common denominator. 04.202 2

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to him or her. “Regardless of whether a data scientist plans to use the raw data as an input for machine learning models or whether these are already consolidated and/or concentrated for incorporation into various reporting tools, they must be complete and correct in any case,” emphasized Manuel Hausjell, IoT and data consultant at TietoEVRY. Accordingly, the way in which the individual machines are integrated into the Internet of Things network has also been standardized and specified by the project managers. An ultracompact C6030 Industrial PC from Beckhoff plays a central role as gatekeeper to the Azure IoT hub in the cloud. Its compact design and a multi-core processor performance of up to 3.6 GHz per core make it the perfect edge device, as Lukas Pechhacker, managing director of HEAP Engineering, explains: “This is the advantage of PC-based control technology – the control devices can be scaled to requirements and offer sufficient performance reserves for data pre-processing on site. In the case of winders, for example, the sampling intervals are in the millisecond range. That's why edge computing is used here to translate into revolutions per minute in order to keep the flow of information to the cloud in check.” The C6030 with TwinCAT 3 IoT Data Agent generally has to take on many “interpreter” functions: on the one hand, it uses TwinCAT ADS and OPC UA to build communication bridges between machines of different ages and different origins, and on the other hand, it acts as a gateway to the cloud. “With a total of 197 production sites in 29

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SOURCE: BECKHOFF

Industrial Ethernet

Configuration in TwinCAT IoT Data Agent.

countries, we are dealing with an extremely heterogeneous machine landscape and numerous protocols that have to be brought down to a common denominator. In some cases, EL6001 EtherCAT Terminals are required as serial RS232 interfaces to establish the required connections; in others, this works via OPC UA,” explained Pechhacker.

Focus on teamwork

SOURCE: BECKHOFF

As Beckhoff solution providers, both HEAP Engineering and TietoEVRY understand how to fully leverage the possibilities of PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology. “Everyone on our project team can simply trust that the other person knows exactly what they are doing and that they always keep an eye

on the big picture in everything they do,” said Manfred Heger. Due to coronavirusrelated travel restrictions, two production sites were even remotely connected to the loT network – one in Sweden and the other in the Netherlands. “The local electricians provided the crucial details about the existing infrastructure. Then the required components were ordered from Beckhoff and preconfigured by HEAP Engineering to allow for simple plugand-play connection on site. Then HEAP Engineering stepped back in to perform the final configuration via a secure remote connection, and we set the appropriate course in the cloud or took care of the data quality checks,” said TietoEVRY employee Manuel Hausjell, describing the collaboration.

“There are always new ideas coming in about what else we could do to improve day-to-day operations in our plants, run benchmarking between the individual sites, achieving quality improvements, supporting predictive maintenance, using fewer resources and much more,” said Sibbald, aware that digitization is an ongoing process. “You can only become lean if valid comparative data is available. And the beauty our system is that it is easily expandable and scalable,” the manufacturing excellence officer sums up. Additionally, current transformers are being placed more and more frequently in the manufacturing facilities right now because, after all, not only every minute and every gram, but also every kilowatt-hour of energy counts. Thus, the project also makes significant contributions with sustainability goals for the reduction of CO2 as well as energy and raw material consumption. And with the subsequent implementation of QR code recognition, the adaptability of the installed solution has already been proven. “All we had to do was activate the vision software licenses on the IPC, connect a camera via Ethernet and thereby expand the edge gateway with TwinCAT Vision to include image processing in real time. Of course, the QR codes that have been read are transferred to the cloud with the TwinCAT IoT Data Agent. The data is also available for use in the MES and ERP system,” said Bezeczky. Balazs Bezeczky, head of Vienna sales office, Beckhoff.

The good cooperation between the team of experts from the end customer, the system providers and from Beckhoff is crucial for success, especially with comprehensive projects such as this one.

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Industrial Ethernet

The evolution of control system connectivity SOURCE: CONTEMPORARY CONTROLS

Take a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from to better understand the connectivity technologies that will help you achieve your goals. Beyond the point when we have connected everything to everything, which technologies will win the day? Thriving organizations are the ones who are paying attention to history. SINCE THE ADVENT OF ELECTRONIC PROCESS control systems, many new technologies have made their way into the industry. Now, we are in the early years of another revolution that is bringing its own innovations and design philosophies. Taking a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from can help us better understand where we are going and which technologies will help us achieve our goals.

Early automation control and communication systems

When the first I/O systems were developed, the standard for control and sensing from the field relied on electromagnetic and pneumatic components, which were subject to physical degradation that limited their lifespan. In the 1960s, engineers generally organized relays into ladders of switching logic that directed electrical flows in a deterministic pattern. These relay configurations were inflexible and guaranteed to fail after a finite time, leading to the development of solid-state components that operated much more reliably. Eventually, the same technology was applied to create compact signal sensing inputs, yielding the components needed for a complete digital input/output system. The first PLCs were built using these early I/O components and began making a splash in the automotive industry in the early 1970s. Around the same time, companies like DEC and Intel were bringing the microprocessor into the mainstream, and their users demanded options for integrating I/O into those systems as well. These high-tech computing systems required further developments in early I/O systems, which offered too little protection for sensitive computer electronics. The first generation of optically isolated digital I/O plug-in module racks quickly became the world standard form factor for computer-based control, allowing automated control to reach many more industries well into the ‘80s. These parallel bus systems were very fast for the time but suffered from a lack of noise immunity, leading to the first serially addressable I/O. The change yielded greater protection and extended cable lengths but came with a reduction in speed, which in some cases necessitated fundamental changes in the communication architecture. Processorintensive I/O tasks like counting and latching 04.202 2

Today’s edge controllers and I/O systems bridge the OT/IT gap by combining traditional real-time control and sensing functions with communication, storage, security, and data processing functions previously found only in higher-level systems. (pictured: Opto 22’s groov EPIC edge controller, 2019) were embedded in the I/O module to preserve the responsiveness of the system; core communication functions were located in a dedicated co-processor. Distributed control through so-called intelligent I/O allowed control systems to manage many more I/O points without impacting the performance of the central controller. As I/O modules and I/O processors improved, these early computer-based control solutions were able to offer analog signal processing options, something found only in large distributed control systems (DCSs) at that time. Since early ladder logic—used by PLCs as a programming language—wasn’t designed to handle analog data formats, this also led to the development of new programming languages. These early developments exemplify a pattern that has repeated over the past several decades and yielded successively more compact and integrated devices. Later generations of control platforms offered greater computing power “per square inch” as advanced math, programming, and communication functions were incorporated into control boards. Newer generations also continued to combine and

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embed I/O processing circuitry in different ways. Individual modules expanded from a single I/O channel to upwards of 32 channels, and, in the case of universal I/O today, can even accept a variety of different signal types on a single physical channel. These technologies have also become available in low-level devices such as I/O modules, sensors and transmitters, and networking components, allowing for the creation of flexible, resilient distributed architectures.

The information revolution

Another pattern apparent from the early generations of control systems is the influence of information technologies on the industry. Even the PLC, marketed as an alternative to early general-purpose computers that were seen as unreliable and difficult to program, wouldn’t have existed without the development of computing technology. And in the 1980s and 90s, as low-cost IBM-PC alternatives began to flood the market, innovations from outside the industrial control market continued to have an influence. PCs were still the primary control option for

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SOURCE: OPTO 22

the worldwide web at the time, Ethernet became ubiquitous in computing hardware and was eventually accepted as a standard medium for industrial control and sensing. Because it provided the opportunity for tighter integration with business networks, Ethernet spurred another Early PACs provided a wider feature set, including discrete and analog I/O, evolution of the serial communication, and high-level programming languages. (pictured: communication Opto 22’s mistic platform, circa 1991) model in automation. TCP/IP became HMI software to communicate indirectly with the standard for a whole new generation of plant floor hardware by means of an OPC I/O and device communication protocols, server, which housed all the drivers needed to including a then little-known protocol called communicate with those devices. This made it MQTT designed for lightweight machine-tomuch easier for vendors to develop software machine communication. By the time MQTT for industrial systems and improved the found popularity in the early 2010s, other quantity and diversity of data that could be networking advancements had been introduced extracted. OPC continues to be an influential to automation networks, including high-speed interoperability standard today. wireless media and smart wireless devices. There was also greater interest in closing the gap between automation and business Approaching the tipping point However, the development of OPC did not networks, which led to the introduction of usher in a period of peace and cooperation industrial IoT gateways, and, more recently, among automation vendors, and information edge-oriented controllers and I/O systems. technology was again needed to provide a These devices bridge the gap by combining solution. During a period that came to be traditional real-time control and sensing known as the Fieldbus Wars, vendors took the functions with communication, storage, concept of serial bussed I/O and ran with it security, and data processing functions through various communication media and previously found only in higher-level systems. This combination of ever more powerful protocols, each attempting to establish their control and networking technologies has combination as the dominant standard. At the same time, Ethernet was becoming paved the way for modern concepts like the popular in enterprise office environments industrial internet of things (IIoT). And now, and was proposed as a common standard for we are entering a so-called fourth industrial automation as well. Initially, Ethernet was met revolution that aims to harness highly with skepticism by a majority of the industry. connected and distributed automation to But with TCP/IP becoming the standard for finally close the gap with business systems. Industry 4.0, as it is called, is shining a light on the value and significance of open-source software and long-neglected capabilities like cybersecurity for industrial systems, again drawing on innovations in IT to outfit control systems for the tasks we need them to perform. Beyond the point when we have connected everything to everything, which technologies will win the day, and where will they take us? Who can say? But the trends up to this point seem clear, and the organizations that are thriving in the new age of industry are the ones who are paying attention to history. SOURCE: OPTO 22

Industrial Ethernet

many systems at the time, creating concerns about reliability. It made sense for vendors to develop an industrially hardened alternative, which ultimately crystallized the I/O, networking, and programming components of early hybrid solutions into a cohesive system that would later be called a PAC, or programmable automation controller. Since PACs used the same processors that powered PCs, they were able to offer a feature set that filled a niche between low-cost, PLC-based discrete control and high-dollar, DCS-based process automation. The PC revolution also led to the popularity of the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) and broad interest in using its graphical interface to provide a view into what was happening on the plant floor. However, with the expansion of the automation industry in the preceding decades, these early SCADA and HMI developers needed to create a suite of proprietary software drivers to communicate with every device the system might encounter. It was a time-consuming and expensive process that generally led to very limited driver functionality in the race to expand the available portfolio of supported devices. In the PC world, a similar trend was occurring in the market for computer peripherals such as printers, and Microsoft had developed a solution that the automation world would later adopt. It began providing device drivers pre-installed into its operating system with a common software interface that developers could use to communicate through those drivers. Instead of building their own drivers to talk to peripherals directly, programmers could talk to Windows, and Windows would talk to the peripherals. A similar idea using Microsoft’s later Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) technology led it and a small group of automation vendors to develop OLE for Process Control, now, many years later, called Open Platform Communications or OPC. OPC defined a common specification based on a client-server model that allowed Windows-based SCADA/

Josh Eastburn, Director of Technical Marketing, Opto 22 Corporation. Early computer-based I/O systems allowed automated control to reach many more industries (pictured: Opto 22 B6 distributed I/O processor and first-generation optically isolated I/O modules, circa 1982)

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Industrial Ethernet

Custom PoE injector powers explosion-proof CCTV camera SOURCE: CONTEMPORARY CONTROLS

Power over Ethernet (PoE) can adds power along with data to Ethernet wiring, so devices can be powered via standard Ethernet cabling. Eaton used a PoE mid-span injector to provide a compact power source in their CCTV camera housings, saving time and cost by eliminating the need to run separate power wires. EATON MEDC LTD. RECENTLY USED A MODIFIED version of Contemporary Controls’ Skorpion PoE Mid-Span Injector to provide a compact power source in their CCTV camera housings.

Power over Ethernet solution

Power over Ethernet (PoE) equipment adds power along with data to Ethernet wiring, so devices such as VoIP phones, surveillance and card access machines can be powered via standard Ethernet cabling. This provides flexibility by allowing the device installation irrespective of the location of an electrical outlet. The use of PoE also saves time and cost by eliminating the need to run separate power wires. PoE applications require a 48 VDC power source, but most automation systems operate from 24 VAC/VDC power. For Eaton’s application, only one Ethernet Powered Device (PD) needed power, and Contemporary Controls Skorpion PoE injector met this criteria. In addition, Eaton was looking to customize the injector for use in a CCTV camera and reached out to Contemporary Controls for original design manufacturing (ODM). “The speed of response with which Contemporary Controls modified and then certified the product to fit our needs enabled us to secure more business with our customer,” said Brian Taylor, Product Line and Support Manager CCTV Hazardous Area Communications at Eaton MEDC. Eaton’s CCTV cameras and housings are made from 316L corrosion-resistant stainless steel and are designed for use in harsh environmental conditions and hazardous areas where there is a risk of explosion due to the presence of flammable atmospheres. They are suitable for a variety of applications both onshore and offshore for the oil and gas, marine, wind, and chemical industries.

PoE injector

Contemporary Controls’ injector is inserted mid-span between a standard Ethernet switch and Ethernet powered device. The injector operates from 24 VAC/VDC and internally generates the 48 VDC PoE power for the powered device — eliminating grounded primary power concerns while providing isolated 15.4 W power output. It injects 48 VDC into the Ethernet cable to provide both 04.202 2

The PoE injector is inserted mid-span between a standard Ethernet switch and Ethernet powered device. The injector operates from 24 VAC/VDC and internally generates the 48 VDC PoE power for the powered device — eliminating grounded primary power concerns while providing isolated 15.4 W power output. power and data to the powered device. Contemporary Controls’ standard PoE Injector is IEEE 802.3af compliant, UL 508 listed and c-UL certified and comes in its own rugged metal enclosure and metal DIN-rail clip for control panel mounting. While most customers depend on the rugged metal enclosure to meet the demands of the industrial automation industry, for Eaton, the metal enclosure presented a challenge. Eaton required the completed product to be enclosed in the explosion-proof camera housing without the Skorpion’s metal enclosure. Eaton tested the standard Skorpion PoE Injector for its operation with the CCTV camera. Next, the team at Contemporary Controls worked with Underwriter Laboratories

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(UL) to obtain the necessary approvals for the PoE Injector without its enclosure. This new, compact design fits easily inside the camera housing, and comes certified and applicationready. “We design, develop and manufacture our products in-house, which gives us a huge advantage for ODM projects,” said Bennet Levine, R & D Manager at Contemporary Controls. “When a customer contacts us about modifying one of our products, we have the resources on hand to deliver a solution, from design to the regulatory approval process.” Application article by Contemporary Controls. Visit Website

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Industrial Ethernet

Predictive maintenance monitors Industrial Ethernet data cables SOURCE: LAPP

Although cables usually last for many years, in situations with highly dynamic, demanding movements with high speeds and strong torsion, it is advantageous and cost-effective to monitor the connection systems in order to avoid unexpected downtimes which impair productivity.

ETHERLINE GUARD technology helps monitor the service life of a data cable at risk of failure in an Ethernet-based automation technology network. of failure in an Ethernet-based automation technology network. Up to now, most maintenance technicians only had two alternatives: either a reactive maintenance approach, whereby parts are only replaced once the machine has already SOURCE: LAPP

IN SMART FACTORIES, PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE is an important tool for avoiding unplanned machine downtimes. One key technology that helps to address these issues for Industrial Ethernet cables is ETHERLINE® GUARD, which monitors the service life of a data cable at risk

stopped, or a preventive maintenance approach, whereby parts that are still functional are replaced at certain intervals as a precaution. To avoid unexpected production downtimes and reduce maintenance costs, Industry 4.0 and digitalisation provide an even more efficient alternative: the concept of predictive maintenance. It is based on sensor data that is recorded and evaluated during the process and allows conclusions to be drawn about the actual aging of the part. This is also possible for connection systems such as cables or connectors. Although cables usually last for many years, in situations with highly dynamic, demanding movements with high speeds and strong torsion, it is advantageous and costeffective to monitor the connection systems in order to avoid unexpected downtimes which impair productivity.

High-performance sensors for a wide range of applications Monitoring connection systems helps avoid unexpected downtimes which impair productivity.

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ETHERLINE GUARD is an innovative solution from LAPP. It is a stationary monitoring device that evaluates the current performance of a in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k

04.2022


Two compact versions

ETHERLINE GUARD is particularly space-saving and slightly larger than a matchbox (49 mm wide, 76.5 mm high and 36 mm deep). The device is operated with 24 V DC, is intended for a temperature range of -40°C to +75°C and is resistant to vibrations and shock in accordance with DIN EN 60529. An easy-to-use SET button is provided to call up a wide range of functions, such as teach-in or to activate the access point. ETHERLINE GUARD is connected to a data cable node between the critical application or between the cable to be monitored and the controller side. For this purpose, the device has a GUARD/data port for the data cable to be monitored with RJ45 connector, which is routed from the critical application to the device, as well as a DATA port for the data cable with RJ45 connector, which is routed from the device to the controller. The maintenance data can be transmitted to a higher-level controller by connecting a third data cable to the LAN socket (PM03T variant) or by using the antenna connection for WiFi (PM02TWA variant). Both variants can be configured for cloud communication with MQTT. The external SMA antenna connection guarantees a safe transmission path when the device is in the control cabinet, for example. The antenna is then simply mounted outside. ETHERLINE GUARD is also equipped with a five-pin terminal for single core wiring. The terminal contains connections for the power supply, for connecting functional earthing (FE) and for the digital outputs Q1 (push/pull switching output) and Q2 (PWM 04.202 2

SOURCE: LAPP

Industrial Ethernet

data cable and specifies it as a percentage. ETHERLINE GUARD thus contributes to realising a “digital twin” within production facilities by providing important performance forecasts for a data cable. Until now, cables have not been taken into account in these models. This is based on data from the physical properties and the related data transmission using sensors. The real-time status display enables the wear limit of a cable to be detected and the optimum replacement time to be planned in advance. LAPP especially recommends ETHERLINE GUARD for data cables in accordance with the transmission standard 100BASE-TX (up to 100 Mbit/s) in accordance with IEEE 802.3, but also for EtherCAT, EtherNET/IP and 2-pair PROFINET applications, such as the ETHERLINE TORSION Cat.5 or the ETHERLINE PN Cat.5 FD. These cables are used in many industries in the last few metres or at the process level of an application and are therefore often part of cable chains or torsion-proof cable routing, such as those used in robot arms. ETHERLINE GUARD is ready for mounting on top-hat rails and is intended for installation in control cabinets with protection class IP 20.

To avoid unexpected production downtimes and reduce maintenance costs, Industry 4.0 and digitalisation provide an even more efficient alternative: the concept of predictive maintenance. modulated output signal), which are used to output the cable status.

Easy to put into operation

In addition to the standard LEDs, there are three centrally arranged multi-colour diagnostic LEDs on each RJ45 port: PWR for operational readiness, STATUS for the status of the data cable to be monitored and COM for Connect (LAN version) or WiFi (WiFi version). The developers at LAPP purposefully only provided simple diagnostic and adjustment options with the device. he ETHERLINE GUARD web interface offers easy and convenient access if a user wants to adjust any further settings or function parameters, or if they want to find out more about the graphic status history for the cable. Here, for example, you can also find the settings for connecting the device to a controller level via MQTT. In addition, the device can be set to a new status using a firmware update if, for example, additional functions are developed and the range of functions are expanded in the future. ETHERLINE GUARD is easy to put into operation – it requires no expert IT knowledge. This is carried out using automated and selflearning parameterisation (“teach-in”) in just a few minutes. This starts simply by pressing a button or using the web interface. Another advantage is that no brand-new data cables or changes to the cable design are required for the application. This means that a retrofit into the existing network structure is possible at any time. ETHERLINE GUARD is available as a cablebound LAN variant "PM03T" and as a wireless WiFi variant "PM02TWA". Thanks to the two variants and the wide range of different connection options, users can decide how

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the required status information is to be transmitted to the higher-level process level. The cable status can be identified quickly on the device itself from one of the LEDs visible from all sides. The type of display is based on a traffic light system. It is always lit green when the cable is working perfectly and is within the specifications. If the web interface signals the yellow range or the STATUS LED flashes red, the first signs of wear have already occurred and action is required. The cable should at least be checked in this case and replaced immediately if necessary. If the LED is permanently red, the end of its service life is reached, and now at the latest, data transmission is limited.

Reliable IIoT communication

The patented predictive maintenance algorithms from LAPP make it easy to identify irregularities in the analysed data. The two digital outputs Q1 and Q2 enable the cable status to be output as a switch signal or as a pulse width modulated analogue signal, whereby the alarm threshold for the switch output Q1 can be specified by the user. Both the LAN and WiFi variants can output the cable status via MQTT. The LAN variant has the LAN-RJ 45 connection, while the WiFi variant communicates wirelessly. This guarantees reliable IIoT communication. The data can also be read easily using the access point, for example, with a mobile terminal device. It is also possible to save all data from several years on a (micro) SD card. The current performance of the data cable is specified in percent for both variants. ETHERLINE GUARD continuously calculates the cable state and triggers an alarm if the performance or transmission properties of a cable deteriorate and there is a risk of failure. The alarm threshold is set to 80 percent

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SOURCE: LAPP

Industrial Ethernet ETHERLINE GUARD is particularly suitable for data cables that are exposed to constant “stress”. This includes movement at high speed and acceleration, changing motion sequences, rotations with very high axial angles of rotation, short cycle times and small bending radii. ex works, but can be individually adjusted between 99 percent and 21 percent.

New process for radical and disruptive innovations

LAPP presented an initial prototype of ETHERLINE GUARD in its futureLab at the Hannover Messe 2019. This was an initial laboratory model. It was a first for LAPP to present a concept idea rather than a finished product at a trade fair. This was based on a new innovation process, called Innovation for Future, which for the first time, also enables radical and disruptive innovations. In contrast to the classic Stage-Gate process, three prerequisites must be fulfilled at the same time: a technical solution must be developed, it must be discussed with at least one potential customer, and a business model must be developed that primarily describes the target customers. The crucial difference is the role of management. Instead of just saying yes or no to a development stage at defined intervals, managers are now called upon to contribute ideas. They build networks for the innovation team and provide the budget, which means not only money, but also freeing up time. The Innovation for Future process gives the freedom to also drive innovations outside of the core business. The early introduction of ETHERLINE GUARD to potential customers – the device was still called the predictive maintenance box back then – was extremely helpful for LAPP in the development process. Thanks to direct customer feedback, it was possible to prevent the innovation from being developed bypassing the market. As early as 2020, ETHERLINE GUARD was used by three pilot

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customers from the medical technology, automotive and intralogistics sectors, as well as in the LAPP service and logistics centre.

Insights from pilot projects

During the pilot projects, the LAPP development team was able to gain some important new insights. The results with regard to the ageing process of Ethernet cables were particularly exciting. Contrary to the general view that a wire break in a copper conductor causes the end of the lifespan of a dynamically moving data cable, it became apparent that in most cases wear and tear and changes in the insulation layer are responsible for the deterioration in the transmission properties of data cables. The reason for this is that the propagation speed of electromagnetic waves is not determined by the copper, but mainly by the insulation. The insulation layer is applied to the conductor in a three-stage extrusion process, in which different functional layers are generated. This high technical complexity enables a very low permittivity value to be achieved. To put it simply, the lower the permittivity (also known as dielectric conductivity), the less interference on the electrical field of the conductor and, as a result, the higher the speed of an electromagnetic wave in a core. For this reason, polyethylene or polypropylene with low relative permittivity values are used as insulation materials for data cables. Special processes such as foaming are also used to introduce air bubbles into the insulation material to further reduce the effective permittivity. If a data cable is now subjected to permanently high mechanical and dynamic loads, this insulation layer will change. For

example, this results in a local capacitance change, which in turn changes the local characteristic impedance of the cable. At these interference points there are undesirable reflection effects or unacceptable differences in signal propagation delay, which in turn impair the data transmission properties. These effect occurs some time before the copper wire actually breaks. However, LAPP was also able to gain important insights regarding customer behaviour: Many mechanical engineers are rather reticent when it comes to using an IIoTcapable device with wireless connection and prefer a wired to a wireless solution. For this reason, LAPP decided to offer the two variants of ETHERLINE GUARD described, with and without a wireless module. At the same time, simple operation yet complex functionality were important to customers. The monitoring device should work intuitively, but should be as small and cost-effective as possible.

Important step on the way to the Smart Factory

ETHERLINE GUARD is particularly suitable for data cables that are exposed to constant “stress”. This includes movement at high speed and acceleration, changing motion sequences, rotations with very high axial angles of rotation, short cycle times and small bending radii. The device is also used in critical processes, where a downtime would result in high to extremely high downtime costs or even personal injury. Stefan Hilsenbeck. Senior Engineer Advanced Technology, Lapp Holding AG.

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Industrial Ethernet

Power over Ethernet— supply for Ethernet devices via data lines

SOURCE: ANALOG DEVICES

Learn how Industrial Ethernet devices can use effective cabling for simultaneously transmitting data and for supplying power. Power over Ethernet (PoE) systems are widely used in the industry and will play an important role in the future. Why not use the Ethernet cable for both data transmission and supply?

Block diagram showing the main components of a PoE system.

This article describes how Ethernet devices can use the cable simultaneously for transmitting data and for supplying power. Power over Ethernet (PoE) systems are widely used in the industry and will play an important role in the future.

PoE standards

The supply of power via a Cat-5 cable is defined in the IEEE 802.3af Power over

Ethernet standard. The PoE standards used to be limited to a few watts, but newer PoE technologies enable even higher power. For example, PoE+ allows power up to 25 W per port and PoE++ (a four-pair Power over Ethernet system) ranges from 70 W to 100 W by using all of the wires of the existing cable. In parallel to this PoE standard, Analog Devices has defined the proprietary standard LTPoE++™, which defines the specifications up SOURCE: ANALOG DEVICES

IN PROCESS AUTOMATION SYSTEMS, IMPORTANT parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, humidity, and many others must be monitored and measured. In the era of Industry 4.0, Ethernet is a popular communication standard. Because Ethernet is wired and transmitters and sensors typically require a power supply, the question arises: why not use the Ethernet cable for both data transmission and supply?

Example of a PoE circuit. 04.202 2

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SOURCE: ANALOG DEVICES

Industrial Ethernet Conventional diode rectification vs. driving via a diode bridge controller. to 90 W powered device (PD) power. LTPoE++ reduces the technical complexity of the PoE system in relation to comparable solutions. Plug and play capability, easy implementation, and a safe, robust power supply are further features of LTPoE++. Moreover, LTPoE++ is interoperable and backward-compatible with the standard PoE specifications of the IEEE. However, the actually usable power is somewhat lower than the specified PD power because of losses in the system as well as cable losses, as is also the case with PoE+ and PoE++.

has the task of adjusting or covering the power requirements of the components supplied by the PD. Newer ICs already offer the possibility of integrating the interface and the dc-to-dc converter into a single component for low power classes, which simplifies the design. Because PDs must accept a dc operating voltage of any polarity over their Ethernet inputs according to the IEEE 802.3 PoE specifications, two diode bridges are required in front of the inputs of the PD. Thus, the PD also works with reverse polarity, regardless of the wire pair used.

PoE components

PD implementation made easy

Essentially two components are necessary to supply devices over the Ethernet cable: the powered device and the power sourcing equipment (PSE). The PSE has the task of delivering the power like a power supply, whereas the PD receives the power and uses it (load). PSE devices have a signature process while powering up to protect incompatible devices from damage when they are connected. This involves first checking the signature resistance of the PD. The PD will only be supplied with power if this value is correct (25 kΩ). If the PSE detects a PD, it starts with the classification; that is, with the determination of the power requirements of the connected device. For this, the PSE applies a defined voltage and measures the resulting current. The PD is assigned to a power class on the basis of the current level. The full voltage and current will be supplied if everything is correct. As soon as the PD is supplied, it has the task of converting the PoE voltage of –48 V to a supply voltage suitable for the terminal devices. In typical PD designs, an additional dc-to-dc converter (diode bridge controller) is used. It

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With the LT4276 from ADI, an LTPoE++-, PoE+-, and PoE-compliant PD controller with an integrated isolated switching regulator exists. It can be operated both for forward and for flyback topologies, and synchronously for power classes from 2 W to 90 W. Unlike conventional PD controllers of lower power classes, which also have integrated power MOSFETs, the LT4276 offers the option of driving an external MOSFET. Through this, the PD decreases its losses and increases its efficiency. Because the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet specifications require electrical isolation from the ground connection of the device housing, the LTC4290/LTC4271 isolated controller chipset is suitable as a PSE. The LTC4271 represents the digital interface to the PSE host on the nonisolated side, whereas the LTC4290 offers the Ethernet interface on the isolated side. The two components are connected by means of a simple Ethernet transmitter. Through this robust PSE chipset design, additional components for generating the isolated power supply can be avoided. An increase in the power and efficiency of

the overall PoE system can be achieved if the two diodes of the full-bridge rectifier on the PD side are replaced by ideal diodes. Therefore, MOSFETs are used and controlled such that they act like typical diodes. Through this process, the forward voltage can be drastically lowered due to the low channel resistance (RDS(ON)). With the LT4321 ideal diode bridge controller in combination with the LT4295 PD controller, four MOSFETs can be controlled in a full-bridge configuration. With PoE, Ethernet devices can be supplied with power at the same time as the actual data transmission takes place via an RJ45 cable. Analog Devices has developed its own proprietary standard, LTPoE++, that supports powers of up to 90 W in parallel to the conventional PoE standards. LTPoE++ offers a robust, end-to-end, high power PoE solution that simplifies the power supply and the design. The new Chronous™ portfolio is ADI’s portfolio for innovative Industrial Ethernet products. It includes real-time Ethernet switches, PHYs, and protocol processing products, as well as complete network interface products. The Chronous portfolio was recently expanded with ADI’s release of two new robust Industrial Ethernet PHYs, ADIN1300 (featuring 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps range) and ADIN1200 (featuring 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps range). By combining those new PHYs with ADI’s PoE technology, the Chronous portfolio enables best-in-class, system-level solutions for both power and data. Thomas Brand, Field Applications Engineer, Analog Devices.

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Industrial Ethernet

Secure and manageable smart network at lightning speeds New Ethernet switch technology offers cost-effective and operational efficiencies to meet expectations and simplify the burden of configuration for effective industrial networking. The switches offer four operating modes that can be selected through the mode button, dealing with different scenarios. SOURCE: ETHERWAN

TO MEET THE NEEDS OF INDUSTRIAL FIELDS such as Process Automation, Building Automation, and Renewable Energy, EtherWAN has announced new hardened managed Ethernet switches – the SmartE series. It is designed with the most frequently used Layer 2 functions to offer precise and suitable network management features, while providing robust wired connectivity with an economic approach. The SmartE series has four operating modes that can be selected through the mode button, dealing with different scenarios.

Operating Mode 1: reset to factory default

Users can reset to the factory default when they need to solve unexpected human errors, such as: • Configuration error. (e.g. Configure VLAN by mistake, and then lose accessibility to reconnect to the switch) • Cannot access the switch, due to forgotten username or password. Users can apply ‘Mode 1’ to delete any stored configurations on the SmartE switch. This will reset the switch to initial factory default settings.

Operating Mode 2: Operating with a Fixed IP address

Interface Card (NIC) configuration until an approval process is completed. Almost every laptop’s NIC default setting is ‘DHCP client’ – the user doesn’t have to change the IP configuration in Windows. Select ‘Mode 2’ on a SmartE and it automatically becomes a DCHP server, and will assign your connected laptop an IP address in the same subnet. Therefore, without manually configuring your laptop, users can quickly access the SmartE switch via a predefined IP address directly. NIC settings are not required.

parameters of a switch to access it, they can select ‘Mode 3’ on the SmartE. It will reset the stored IP parameters (IP address, the subnet mask and the gateway address) on the switch to its defaults. Users don’t need to worry about other configuration settings on the switch; the saved settings will remain in place.

Operating Mode 4: Operating in IP security mode

Operating Mode 3: reset the IP configuration When users don’t remember the specific IP

SOURCE: ETHERWAN

Have you ever unboxed an Ethernet switch, connected it to a laptop, but were unable to connect? Why? Because following company 'IT' policy, users cannot change the Network

SmartE series switch technology.

What is a Mode Button? The SmartE series features a special physical ‘Mode Button’ on the device, designed to help users reduce the time of deployment and ease the burden of IP management. 04.202 2

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Using remote access to help manage devices onsite is convenient, but the remote work might present additional security risks. To prevent the risks, select ‘Mode 4’ to make the SmartE switch and its network environments safer to use. Operating under this mode will disable all remote management interfaces (IP, WebGUI, CLI, and Telnet) of the switch to protect the operational network, with no worries about your configured VLANs, or network redundancy (e.g. RSTP) setting, etc., which will still be running. Another benefit for inexperienced users to apply ‘Mode 4’ is accomplishing a plug & play redundant network environment. Users can quickly deploy switches on premises without any pre-configuration settings required, and network redundancy mechanisms are automatically enabled without any manual configuration needed. Technology article by EtherWAN. Visit Website

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Industrial Ethernet

IEC 62443 security enables nextgeneration industrial networking IEC 62443-4-2 CERTIFICATION FOR INDUSTRIAL networking devices, as per the International Electrotechnical Commission for Electrical Equipment (IECEE) Certification Body Scheme is key technology in Moxa’s next-generation networking solution, EDS-4000/G4000 Series, which has just been introduced in March 2022. As recognized by IEC 62443-4-2 and IEC 62443-4-1 certifications, Moxa's technology solution aim to unite networking and OT cybersecurity with layered defense-in-depth approach. The solutions cover securityhardened networking devices based on the IEC 62443-4-2 cybersecurity standard, advanced IT and OT network segmentation with threat prevention, and tailored OT deep packet inspection (DPI) realizing industrial intrusion prevention system (IPS). These offerings allow Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS) to be built with reliable end-to-end connectivity to provide robust hardware, as well as high-performance and dependable networks. “The IEC 62443 series of standards cover all aspects of security requirements, thus providing a common language for component suppliers, system integrators and asset owners”, said Steve Mustard, 2021 President of International Society of Automation (ISA), the Standards Development Organization responsible for IEC 62443. “The standards outline a secure-by-design approach and provide requirements through to product manufacturing. This significantly simplifies the procurement and integration processes for network devices, applications, and automation control devices that make up industrial control systems.” “When we pursued the certification of the IEC 62443 standards, the journey was transformational for Moxa,” said Samuel Chiu, general manager of Moxa Networking. “We demonstrated that security is part of the DNA of Moxa’s product and solution portfolios by complying with the internationally recognized standards related to the process and product requirements for the secure development of an IACS. This benefits our customers who must now utilize these solutions to enjoy undisrupted operations during every step of their digital transformation." According to IDC’s Worldwide IT/OT Convergence 2022 Predictions, 75% of new

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SOURCE: MOXA

Next-generation industrial networking solutions help provide futureproof industrial automation leveraging robust hardware, as well as high-performance and dependable networks. IEC 62443-4-1 offers security technology to unite networking and OT cybersecurity using a layered defense-in-depth approach.

The IEC 62443 series of standards cover all aspects of security requirements, offering a common language for component suppliers, system integrators and asset owners. operational applications deployed at the edge will leverage containerization by 2024. This will enable a more open and composable architecture, which will be necessary for resilient operations. The rise in edge devices and expanded connectivity represent a pathway into operations. They are being deployed at a high rate and utilize more open architectures and capabilities compared to the isolated automation systems of the past. These devices must have both their software and hardware elements developed securely to last throughout their product lifecycle, integrate seamlessly into the network overall, and have security management capabilities. “Networking and cybersecurity have strong synergies in operations settings, yet they both must be purpose- built for OT environments. With the digital future and increased connectedness of operations, new industry requirements and standards will be put in place to ensure providers can keep up with these requirements,” said Jonathan

Lang, research director of IDC with a focus on Worldwide IT/OT Convergence Strategies. “These specialized industry requirements can be overlooked by many IT cybersecurity solutions, and combining subject matter expertise and capabilities from operations is critical to ensure integrity of security systems.” To create a foundation for futureproof operations, many system integrators require that component suppliers comply with the subsections of the IEC 62443 standard that pertain to their devices. The software development process-related IEC 62443-4-1 and the product-related IEC 62443-4-2 standards highlight the importance of selecting vendors that provide hardened hardware components built with a “secure by design” approach.

EDS-4000/G4000 series

The EDS-4000/G4000 Series includes 68 models that will help Moxa’s customers build

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SOURCE: MOXA

Industrial Ethernet

The new EDS-4000/G4000 Series offers a comprehensive portfolio with 68 models, ranging from 8 ports to 14 ports. futureproof industrial networks to strengthen operational resilience in industrial spaces such as power, transportation, maritime, and factory automation. "Recently, we have observed that our customers find it more challenging to connect their devices while fulfilling a variety of requirements for critical infrastructure," said Gary Chang, Product Manager at Moxa Networking Co. Ltd. "Critical infrastructure requires advanced networking solutions that strengthen operational resilience and futureproof networks. The EDS-4000/G4000 Series portfolio of switches transforms the networking-evolved concept into tangible networking capabilities in order to empower customers to build secure, reliable, and high-bandwidth industrial networks with ease."

Evolved networking solutions strengthen operational resilience

Customer feedback

SOURCE: MOXA

While OT/IT convergence is accelerating, enhanced network security, high performance, strong reliability, and advanced usability become paramount to building next-

EDS-4000/G4000 Series is certified for NEMA TS2, EN 50121-4, IEC 61850-3/IEEE 16132, DNV2, ATEX Zone 23, Class I Division 23, to fulfill the needs of a wide variety of industrial applications. The EDS-4000/G4000 Series also features Turbo Ring and Turbo Chain fast network recovery to ensure smooth operations. Advanced Usability: The improved web GUI provides a more intuitive way for users to perform configurations and network management. The rotatable power module offers flexibility to field engineers when they are installing devices and maintaining the network. In addition, the LED indicators on two sides of the device help engineers easily identify the status of networking devices, making their job easier.

generation industrial networks that strengthen operational resilience. Industry-standard Network Security: The EDS-4000/G4000 Series was the world's first IEC 62443-4-2 certified Ethernet switches to be certified by IECEE due to the built-in hardened security that was developed by following the stringent software development lifecycle described in the standard. Along with Moxa’s extensive network security portfolio, Moxa helps create a secure network foundation to safeguard and futureproof industrial operations. Performance for Mass Deployments: As the number of connected devices in industrial operations grows exponentially, the EDS-4000/G4000 Series provides multiple interface combinations with up to 14 ports and a range of options including fast Ethernet, Gigabit, 2.5GbE uplinks, SFP, and IEEE 802.3bt PoE connectivity. This enables customers to connect more devices especially in applications such as intelligent transportation systems that require high-power and high-bandwidth networking. Multiple Industrial Certifications: The

According to Christian M. Skytte, Head of Product Management, Automation, at Wärtsilä Lyngsø Marine A/S who evaluated the new technology, "we particularly appreciated the intuitive user interface, the innovative mechanical design with the rotatable power supply module, and the robust DIN-rail mounting kit. The EDS-4000/G4000 Series gives us more confidence to provide futureproof, robust, and secure industrial automation and navigation solutions."

Industrial Ethernet solution

Key pieces of technology in the new products include: • Multiple interface combinations including fast Ethernet, Gigabit, 2.5GbE, SFP, and IEEE 802.3bt PoE • Turbo Ring and Turbo Chain (recovery time < 20 ms @ 250 switches4), and RSTP/STP for network redundancy • Rotatable power module to simplify installation and maintenance • Wide range of power input options for flexible deployment • Compact and flexible housing that fits into confined spaces • Supports MXstudio for easy installation, operation, maintenance, and diagnostics The EDS-4000/G4000 Series presents a networking-evolved concept of networking capabilities for building secure, reliable, and high-bandwidth industrial networks. 04.202 2

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Technology article by Moxa. Visit Website

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The Ruggedcom RST2228P can support up to 24 PoE ports, as per the IEEE 802.3bt standard. The Ruggedcom RPS2410 is a rugged power supply that can supply up to 600 W of PoE power, and it is designed to power the utilitygrade RST2228P 19-inch rackmount layer 2 Ethernet switch with 10 Gbps uplinks. This pair makes for a versatile, high-power, high bandwidth networking solution for physical security, access control, wireless connectivity, smart signage, lighting, and other data intensive PoE applications. Users can connect a maximum of three Ruggedcom RPS2410 power supplies in parallel for redundant operation or to provide up to 1560 W of PoE power. It supplies sufficient power to prevent under-powering and overloading, improving the safety and reliability of the entire network. The Ruggedcom RST2228P can support up to 24 PoE ports, as per the IEEE 802.3bt standard, delivering a maximum of 60 W/port. The high port density of the RST2228P provides PoE power management and connectivity to a large number of end devices such as pan-tiltzoom (PTZ) cameras, wireless radio access points, VoIP phones, sensors, key-less access terminals, etc. While PoE is capable of direct linking with

SOURCE: SIEMENS

Industrial Ethernet

Rugged power supply for PoE

The Ruggedcom RPS2410 is a rugged power supply that can supply up to 600 W of PoE power.

every device, the right solution involves factors such as data, power and cost. Many end devices in industrial applications have a very simple data interface. Moreover, for most edge devices the final link will continue to be serial. The task of equipping these simple edge devices with the right processing power to connect direct to

the Ethernet, plus the expense of needing a separate port for each of them, makes PoE connectivity the logical choice for industrial networks. Siemens Visit Website

TSN Ethernet switching devices Microchip’s LAN9668x family of Ethernet switches enables a single network architecture and, combined with its new LAN8814 PHYs, reduces system cost and risk for designers while speeding time to market. Factory automation is increasing efficiencies, from reducing handling and storage to improving throughput. Connected warehouses and other industrial ecosystems with converged IT and OT architectures rely on Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Ethernet for precise timing, synchronization and connectivity of devices including cameras, bar code readers, scanners and conveyors. These ecosystems require next-generation network technology to interconnect device, sensor and equipment communication. To meet this requirement, Microchip announced the LAN9668 family of TSN switching devices delivering IEEE standardscompliant features in the industry’s first switching solution enabling lower latency data traffic flows and greater clock accuracy. Microchip’s LAN9668-I/9MX and LAN9668-9MX devices are 8-port switches for industrial and commercial applications,

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SOURCE: MICROCHIP

New switches feature LAN8814 PHYs to reduces= system costs while speeding time to market.

LAN9668 family of TSN switching devices delivers IEEE standards-compliant features and switching solution.

respectively, outfitted with Arm Cortex-A7 central processing units, supporting TSN IEEE standards for communication. These include IEEE 1588v2 and IEEE 802.1AS-2020 for Precision Timing, IEEE 802.1Qci for per-stream filtering and policing, IEEE 802.1Qav and IEEE 802.1Qbv for Traffic Shaping and IEEE

802.1CB for Seamless Redundancy, as well as IEC-62439-2 and ODVA-DLR and IEC-611586-10 for Media Redundancy. Microchip

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More and more companies are using edge computing and exploiting the benefits of local data processing. Scalance LPE9403 local processing engine implements a variety of applications close to the process. It collects data, preprocesses it, and makes it available to other systems. Thanks to its Simatic S7-1500 design, Scalance LPE can be seamlessly integrated into automation applications. Scalance LPE comes with a preinstalled Linux operating system (based on Debian) and is used, among other things, to distribute or analyze network information (data mirroring) right on the machine. The installed applications, which can also run simultaneously, allow predictive maintenance and detects anomalies. Additional securityrelated applications can also be implemented by installing “Zscaler Private Access” as a docker container on Scalance LPE. SCALANCE LPE is a small and robust local processing engine with a powerful CPU. It is flexibly usable, for example, for edge applications that allow users to significantly boost the efficiency of their plants. Possible applications includes projects such as condition monitoring of multiple devices

SOURCE: SIEMENS

SCALANCE LPE offers a small and robust local processing engine with a powerful CPU.

Industrial Ethernet

Powerful processing engine

The SCALANCE LPE platform offers a compact design as well as high performance, robustness, and future viability.

for the purpose of predictive maintenance or anomaly detection in communications networks.

Product highlights

• Supports a wide temperature range from –40°C to +60°C, redundant power supply, and fiber-optic connection

• Implementation of edge and cloud applications • Low maintenance with no internal battery Siemens Visit Website

Edge high-end applications WAGO has expanded their family of Edge Devices with the introduction of the new 752-9800 Edge Computer .As modern manufacturing facilities move toward digitalization, industrial edge devices can help increase plant floor performance by leveraging powerful applications operating in Docker Containers fed with harvested plant floor information. As an expanding technology, edge computing combines the advantages of decentralized cloud architectures with those of local network architectures. This powerful industrial computer offers low latency control, a high level of determinism and simplified north/south connection with cloud-based services. WAGO’s new edge computer is designed for Linux users who want an industrial grade computer running their applications such as Node Red, Grafana, AI, digital twins and so much more. With a dual-core i7 Intel processor, 16GB RAM and 256GB flash, this device has the capacity to store large amounts of information as well as the flexibility to align to industrial hardware specifications. 04.202 2

SOURCE: WAGO

Industrial computer offers low latency control, high level of determinism and connection with cloud services.

Industrial grade computer designed for running applications such as Node Red, Grafana, AI and digital twins.

Product highlights

• 4 x ETHERNET interface for connecting to field devices and IT networks • 4 x USB interface for optional connection of a USB stick, mouse or keyboard • HDMI and display port interfaces for connecting a display

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• Processor: Intel® i7-7600U 2.8 GHz (max. 3.90 GHz) • Operating system: Debian Linux 10.9 WAGO Visit Website

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GRV-R7-I1VAPM-3 offers three-phase industrial AC monitoring in a standalone edge I/O module. Opto 22 has expanded its groov RIO edge I/O series with a new energy monitoring unit (EMU) designed to help plant managers, machine operators, and financial analysts understand electrical costs and track changes in load that might give early warning of equipment faults. Using 0.333 V, 1 V, or 5 A current transformers, groov RIO EMU measures live AC power and energy consumption from any three-, twin-, or single-phase load up to 600 V and provides 64 simultaneous field measurements and calculated values directly to analytics software, databases, and other connected systems. For industry, a lack of visibility into energy consumption means that operational costs may be higher than necessary. Relatively simple changes and operational improvements can often reduce peak power usage, resulting in significant savings. Measuring power draw at the machine level is an effective way to assess machine health, detect impending problems, and make timely adjustments to equipment such as motors, bearings, filter pressures, and lubrication, without instrumenting each component. The groov RIO EMU module measures AC

SOURCE: OPTO 22

Industrial Ethernet

Distributed energy monitoring unit

A small form factor allows for installation at the point of use, permitting granular measurement of electrical loads.

RMS voltage and current for up to three phases (Wye or Delta) and is rated to UL 61010-3 measurement category III. From the measured field inputs, additional values are calculated for each phase including true, reactive, and apparent power; power factor; frequency; and net energy; as well as combined totals for all phases. The small form factor allows for

installation at the point of use, permitting granular measurement of electrical loads: pumps, heating/cooling systems, solar power generation, and many others. Opto 22 Visit Website

Energy & data for PoE-capable end devices The reliability and cost-effectiveness of providing data and power over a single cable have driven the adoption of Power over Ethernet (PoE) in industry. Siemens is leading this trend with the SCALANCE XC-200PoE, SCALANCE XP-200PoE, SCALANCE XR-100PoE WG and SCALANCE XR-300PoE WG Industrial Ethernet Switches. Compact and rackmount Power over Ethernet switches are available for the entire industrial network. Using the latest IEEE 802.3bt standard, they can supply up to 60 watts per port for multiple PoE-capable end devices including the power supply for surveillance cameras, wireless devices like SCALANCE W IWLAN Access Points and SCALANCE M Industrial 5G Routers, SIMATIC RTLS Gateways, and SIMATIC MV500 Optica l Identification Systems. Industry uses the Power over Ethernet technology known from office environments and supplements the industrial grade portfolio with the new SCALANCE XC216-3G PoE Industrial Ethernet Switches from the SCALANCE X family. The existing XC208G PoE 8-port versions of the SCALANCE XC-200 line are supplemented by SCALANCE XC216-3G

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SOURCE: SIEMENS

New SCALANCE PoE switches offer a cost-efficient and high-performance connectivity solution.

PoE-capable SCALANCE X switches are used in various sectors including factory automation, infrastructure applications, and transportation

PoE devices with 19 ports. This permits a maximum power budget of 300 watts which can be individually distributed to the PoE ports. With a total of 14 Power over Ethernet ports – 12 with up to 30 watts of power, and two with up to 60 watts – end devices can be optimally connected, for example, in tunnel

applications and automotive production. The SCALANCE XC216-3G switch offers 3x 10 Gbit/s ports for maximum performance. Siemens

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Cisco is expanding its Catalyst 9000 portfolio to bring enterprise-grade capabilities to industrial environments (utilities, roadways, oil & gas) with a unified solution for IT/OT. Operational connectivity is growing exponentially as industries take on challenges like transitioning to cleaner power sources, enhancing electric grid reliability, and improving transportation safety. As edge connectivity expands, industrial networks need to be scaled and secured. IT and OT teams need a unified solution with enterprise-grade capabilities like automation, segmentation and more to connect and secure the growing number of industrial devices. The new Catalyst IE9300 offers the broadest set of networking capabilities in one industrial switch. Based on the powerful Cisco UADP ASIC, the Catalyst IE9300 is a unified solution for IT/OT to automate network operations, bring Zero Trust security to operational spaces and more; providing next-level visibility, security and scale to create the foundation for industrial networks for years to come. Cisco announced an expansion of the Cisco Catalyst 9000 portfolio, based on the powerful Unified Access Data Plane (UADP)

SOURCE: CISCO

The new Catalyst IE9300 offers a broad set of networking capabilities in one industrial switch.

Industrial Ethernet

Catalyst 9000 industrial switches

As edge connectivity expands, industrial networks need to be scaled and secured.

ASIC silicon, to bring more enterprise-grade switching capabilities to the industrial edge for industries operating in harsh environments and supporting critical infrastructure like utilities, oil and gas, roadways, and rail. Operational connectivity is growing exponentially as organizations seek to improve efficiencies, safety, and support hybrid work.

As the operational world evolves, IT expertise is required to scale and secure the network as operational technology (OT) systems are brought onto the corporate networks. Cisco Visit Website

ix Industrial PROFINET interface The ix Industrial connector series has been specified as a new standard interface connector for Ethernet applications by PROFINET (Process Field Network). The PROFIBUS User Organisation (PNO) released a new PROFINET Cabling and Interconnection Technology – Guideline for PROFINET Version 5.0 which specifies the ix Industrial as a new standard interface connector for Ethernet applications. As a result the guideline provides PROFINET users with definitive universal regulations for industrial cabling in Industrial equipment, systems and plants. This benefits manufacturers of Industrial applications that comply with PROFINET standards to develop smaller yet higher performing devices. The ix Industrial series reduces functional space by up to 75% and footprint by two-thirds compared to RJ45 solutions. Supporting CAT5e (1Gbps) and CAT6A (10Gbps) cabling, the ix Industrial Series I/O connector features an optimized EMI/ESD shielding design for safe and secure data transmission up to 10Gbps. The ix Industrial series is compliant with 04.202 2

SOURCE: HIROSE

The ix Industrial connector has been specified as a new PROFINET Interface by PNO.

Multi-purpose small-sized I/O connector for industrial machinery conforms to IEC Standard IEC 61076-3-124.

the standard IEC 61076-3-124. The range feature receptacles and plugs with two keying codes, differentiating Ethernet according to IEEE 802.3 from other applications. There are three receptacle types available within the variations. The upright right angle type can be mounted in parallel with a pitch

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distance of only 10 mm to save space. The vertical type allows the mating plug to be mated from the top giving design flexibility. HIROSE Visit Website

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Applications

Network overcomes challenge of digitalised beer production SOURCE: SIEMENS

Facing the challenge of a network infrastructure that no longer met the requirements of digitalization, Hofbräu München replaced traditional fieldbus systems such as Profibus with end-to-end networking and communication via Industrial Ethernet and Profinet.

Hofbräu München depends on fast and smooth system processes. In this respect, a real-time network is a crucial success factor. almost 370,000 hectolitres of barley juice in 2019 and turned over around 52 million euros with its 14 types of beer. Founded in 1589, the traditional brewery is present on the market as "Hofbräu München" and exports more than half of its output (54%) SOURCE: SIEMENS

THE LETTER PAIR HB WITH THE CROWN IS known worldwide. Likewise, the Munich Hofbräuhaus am Platzl. The owner of the brand is the brewery "Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München", which, as a government-owned enterprise of the Free State of Bavaria, sold

to around 40 countries around the globe. In addition to producing and distributing beers, the company is also involved in granting brewing licences, franchising catering concepts and international merchandising. "In some Hofbräuhaus locations in the US, Russia, China, Brazil and Dubai there are dedicated pub breweries that produce our various beers to be sold there," said Rolf Dummert, a trained master brewer and now technical operations manager at Hofbräu München. Furthermore, licences have been granted to breweries in China, Hungary and the USA, which produce beer for their respective markets according to Bavarian quality standards. There are currently 135 employees plus three trainees at the parent company, which since 1988 is located in Munich-Riem.

Challenge: Network infrastructure requirements for digitalisation

Real-time data analysis ensures consistently high product quality.

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The decentralised infrastructure installed back then has grown over time and consisted of a mixture of Ethernet components and classic Profibus fieldbus systems. "This production network was now very much outdated and no in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k

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SOURCE: ANTAIRA

Applications

longer met today's real-time requirements of Industry 4.0 and digitalisation," said Silvio Di Tano, Head of Electrical Engineering at Hofbräu München. Moreover, these were isolated solutions – for example in the bottling, the brewhouse, or fermentation, yeast and storage cellars – that had fulfilled their tasks well for a long time, but did not allow data exchange beyond their own network boundaries. Today, on the other hand, a centralised bundling of data streams is necessary in order to carry out data analyses throughout the company, to recognise correlations and to quickly draw conclusions from them. The existing infrastructure for IT (Information Technology) – for example in the administrative area – is not suitable for production either. This is because the requirements for an OT network (Operational Technology) are fundamentally different from an IT network. While the IT network is primarily concerned with data transmission performance via a common infrastructure and cyber security, the OT network focuses primarily on the secure operation of the systems with reliable data transmission of time-critical applications – even in harsh environments with heat, steam and high pressures. The focus here is therefore primarily on permanent availability and real-time capability when it comes to the transmission of sensor signals and measured values. Nevertheless, companies today have to connect both of these different worlds, as end-to-end communication with higher-level networks via standardised interfaces is indispensable for digitalised, efficient processes. "With the complete modernisation, we wanted to integrate our automation technology into the OT world and decided on Siemens for the implementation, because this partner has excellent knowledge of both topics and offered the best solutions," Di Tano recalled. It was a matter of bringing the systems in the brewery up to date, connecting them with each other and increasing the data transparency of the processes in order to use a modern ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system from then on. Hofbräu München also wants to be prepared for the introduction of the Weihenstephan standard “WS Brew”, which was released in August 2019. For the brewing industry, this standard defines both a universally applicable communication interface for connecting machines and higher-level data acquisition systems or Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and the data that must be provided for acquisition. Siemens has supported the development of this international standard from the very beginning and, with its network technology, ensures that all steps can be documented at any time, from malt intake to bottling of the beer.

Hofbräu München replaced fieldbus systems with Industrial Ethernet and Profinet. "As a master brewer, I have to be able to constantly observe the entire production process from front to back and make it traceable," added Rolf Dummert. In the past, that was possible thanks to a lot of experience and a sheet of paper, but today that is no longer possible. The much more frequent changes in the brewing processes for the different types of beer – from Hofbräu Original to Dunkel and Weisse to Maibock, Sommerzwickl, Oktoberfestbier or Non-alcoholic and Pure – make automated reporting necessary in order to ensure high quality on an ongoing basis. "For us, it's about being able to look at the processes in the brewery retrospectively and in a traceable manner at any time in real time," says the technical operations manager. For example, how many and what kind of auxiliary materials are needed, how much energy is consumed, what temperatures have been reached or what alcohol concentration has been produced as a result? These parameters have a direct impact on the quality of the beer and must be changed quickly if necessary. In addition to the brewmaster, the quality control laboratory also needs this information, as does the bottling or maintenance department. "My goal of digitalisation at Hofbräu is that in the future I can focus on developing and refining new, great beers all day long – and will no longer have to deal with recurring problems such as production outages or quality defects that used to occur day in day out," summed up Dummert, an important reason

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for the change in infrastructure. Powerful industrial communication networks, such as those now installed at Hofbräu München, are the prerequisite for this.

From consulting to implementation – all from a single source

When the decision for the network project was made about two years ago, the first step was to task the experts from Siemens with an Industrial Networks Health Check as part of their Professional Services offering. During this inspection of the entire brewery, a thorough review and documentation of the existing network took place. The identification of performance weaknesses and the specification of requirements were also part of this evaluation, which was carried out together with the customer. This was followed by the network design, the installation of the cables and components and their step-by-step commissioning. The final stage was the integration of various security components and the completion of the central network management system six months ago. Then, in autumn of the year, there was an update of the network in the beer production area to prepare it, together with the automation segments, for the planned upgrade of the control system. "We developed the individual steps together, tested and optimised them again and again, and implemented the whole thing during ongoing operations," said Di Tano, who describes the cooperation with Siemens

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SOURCE: SIEMENS

Applications Scalance XR524-8C switch as the backbone of the production network. as "cooperation on equal terms". They did not just provide an off-the-shelf solution, but an individual infrastructure according to our own ideas. This also includes the implementation of the necessary security requirements. "To minimise the risk of cyber attacks, we built the network according to a cell protection concept in which the individual cells are secured via firewalls," reports the head of electrical engineering. Another important aspect is the robustness and high availability of the Siemens hardware, which is permanently exposed to temperatures of around 50 degrees Celsius in some areas of the brewery. The ease of maintenance of the plug & play components, which can be easily replaced in the case of a failure, was also a reason for choosing this supplier. "The network has now reached a stage where we can flexibly connect all existing and, in the future, all new equipment and machinery, and have achieved full data consistency," emphasised Dummert. The isolated solutions are now a thing of the past. "And the fact that the entire infrastructure now comes from a single source has also simplified the work for our internal maintenance staff," said the technical operations manager, citing another advantage.

Well-equipped for the future with a secure industrial network

By switching from the previous Profibus standard to Profinet, which is supported by the high-performance Scalance components

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from Siemens, Hofbräu München has made its production network fit for the future. Redundant ring structures, high data transmission rates and cell protection with segmentation as well as access via firewalls are the basis for fast, fail-safe and highly available communication in the future digital enterprise. On the one hand, access to the data is possible from the company's own production and corporate management levels. On the other hand, suppliers can now also access their systems remotely according to a graduated security concept ¬– either on-site or from outside, in order to save time, travel and costs. The Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN) installed by Siemens enables wireless access to all information by tablet or notebook throughout the site – for maintenance technicians, for example. "We can connect to any networked device while on the move and analyse, parameterise or commission it," stated Di Tano. A tangible benefit is also the significant reduction in the time it takes to change over a bottling line after a change of beer type: "By interconnecting the measuring devices at the filler, we have become more flexible and can set new limit values relatively easy from a central location ¬¬– with the assemblies that are then switched taking over automatically." Even though Hofbräu München – with its new network – has only just laid the foundation for new applications, and is at the beginning of a lengthy development towards Industry 4.0, it is clear that some concrete advantages are

already becoming apparent today. "We have already been able to improve a number of our brewing processes and procedures by making it easier to extract data from the production and analyse it in real time, thus improving the quality of our products," said Dummert, citing another example. The installation of two displays with a dashboard in the quality assurance laboratory also contributes to this. In addition to the usual control of random samples, it can now also track all parameters in a running brewing or filling process in real time and act more quickly if certain limit values are exceeded. In the future, it will also be possible to carry out quality control online for Hofbräu licensees who brew Bavarian beer all over the world under the brewery's name in accordance with the German Purity Law. Another immediate tangible benefit from the state-of-the-art network is what those responsible at the state-owned brewery expect in the area of energy saving. In the medium term, the brewery wants to operate in a completely climate-neutral manner, and to this end, it also wants to set up an energy data management system (EMS). For this reason, sensors and measuring devices have already been installed in all relevant areas, the values of which are now also transmitted via the network and collected centrally. "Now it's a matter of automatically evaluating these huge amounts of data and using them for the continuous improvement of energy use with simultaneous further process

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SOURCE: SIEMENS

Applications

optimisation," says the technical operations manager, looking to the future. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) will then also play a stronger role. Because – according to Dummert – a large part of the data needed for this is already available. However, a continuous evaluation in the areas of heat, compressed air or water consumption, for example, would be helpful for optimisation. And this can no longer be done manually. Cloud-based AI solutions such as the MindSphere platform from Siemens are the key here. After all, solutions from a single source, as realised in Munich-Riem, include not only reliable hardware and software products, but also consulting services that are based on comprehensive industry know-how in the food & beverage sector and in OT network and automation technology.

Technical details: three kilometres of cable and secure remote access

Around 3,000 metres of new cables were laid for the brewery's Industrial Ethernet network and 85 different Scalance network components were installed, which are closely matched to the Sitop power supply units and Simatic controllers from the Siemens automation portfolio already in use at Hofbräu München. A building-wide, redundant backbone ring consisting of four Scalance XR524-8C switches now forms the backbone of the production network. To protect against unauthorised access to individual cells, six high-performance Scalance SC642-2C industrial security appliances are used, which act as firewalls monitoring all network traffic and take over routing. They also enable the transition to the office IT via corresponding protocols. The previous line structure of the network was converted into several subordinate ring segments with participants that logically and spatially belong together. They are redundantly connected to the backbone via layer 2 switches from the Scalance XR-300 and Scalance XC-200 series – depending on the scope and required functionality. Proven redundancy mechanisms reliably maintain communication in the event of a network device failure. Seven Scalance W1788-1 WLAN access points transmit according to the current IEEE 802.11ac Wave 2 standard with a gross data rate of up to 1733 Mbps – even in harsh environments such as found in a brewery. With a higher-level Sinema Remote Connect server, the management platform for remote networks from Siemens, an additional central security instance for remote device access was installed. This grants access to dedicated areas of the automation network exclusively to authorised users via VPN tunnel and Sinema RC client. Authorisation takes place via certificates or user accounts. Furthermore, Hofbräu München can use 04.202 2

The Sinec NMS network management system with its scalability can grow with the network, even if it becomes larger and more complex. physical pressure switches to switch remote access by suppliers on and off as required – and thus has full control at all times over when access to the respective system is permitted. Especially in light of the access restrictions in connection with the COVID19 pandemic, convenient and secure remote access to the systems by the manufacturers' specialists is indispensable. Siemens also utilizes this option for network maintenance, and the service staff of Hofbräu München, too, can remotely access any part of the brewery if necessary. With the Sinec NMS network management system, the entire industrial network can be monitored, managed and configured centrally and around the clock – including the securityrelevant areas. Thanks to its scalability, it can grow in a flexible manner at any time, even if the network becomes larger and more complex. Its design took into account the Siemens defence-in-depth concept from the outset, which is based on the IEC 62443 standard and consists of the three pillars of plant safety, system integrity and network security. "For us, this network is all about high flexibility to be ready for the future, but at the same time we want the highest possible level of security," underlined Di Tano.

The benefits at a glance

With the modernisation of the network during ongoing operations, the foundation was laid for the digitalisation of production and new applications – such as predictive maintenance

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or the use of artificial intelligence. The first concrete benefits have been achieved through quality improvements in the brewing process thanks to data analyses, the reduction of energy consumption and the optimisation of plant maintenance. For the future, further uses of data applications are planned in all areas of the brewery, which can be realised flexibly and quickly with the help of the OT network in the production. These will further increase efficiency, save costs and contribute to an increase in production volume.

Highlights of the solution

At Hofbräu München, end-to-end networking and communication via Industrial Ethernet and Profinet has replaced traditional fieldbus systems such as Profibus. This enables comprehensive data analyses in the different areas, and safe commissioning, diagnosis and maintenance of the systems and equipment via the network. Its modernisation took place during ongoing brewery operations and, as a Siemens solution from a single source, included not only the installation of hardware and software, but also consulting, planning, network design and step-by-step commissioning according to the specific ideas of the state-owned brewery. Sascha Hoffmann, Account Manager, Siemens DI PA. Visit Website

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Applications

HARTING, B&R & SICK present case for digitalisation in robotics SOURCE: ABB

In charting its course to seamless robot communication from sensors to the cloud, KUKA has so far been hampered by this system discontinuity. New approaches are therefore needed to advance robot communication not only vertically but also horizontally to a new level of Industry 4.0. INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS ARE ON THE JOB IN just about every manufacturing sector - no matter whether it's automobiles, electronics or consumer goods. In addition to reliability, robotic intelligence is also becoming increasingly important. Robots should not only communicate with its neighbouring machines or workpieces, but also interface up to the cloud. Taking KUKA as an example, HARTING, B&R and SICK show how this can be achieved.

Too many languages and dialects

With regard to the worlds of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), which are still largely separate today, different systems are used to pass on information. IT has always relied on Ethernet, while the robot usually connects with the OT field level by way of a BUS system. The problem is that there is an almost incalculable range of BUS protocols for the most diverse application scenarios. While some of these protocols already use Ethernet, there is no universal compatibility, meaning that translators have to be used. This requires a great deal of coordination, while real-time communication in the millisecond range is difficult to realise. Charting the course to seamless robot communication from sensors to the cloud, KUKA has so far been hampered by this system discontinuity. New approaches are therefore needed to advance robot communication not only vertically but also horizontally to a new level of Industry 4.0.

The three pillars of networking OT and IT

Basically, networking is based on general IIoT principles: Sensors or interfaces to existing PLCs send the data via cable or radio to a gateway that establishes the connection to the internet and sends the sensor data to a cloud platform. The gateway is frequently so-called edge device with its own computing capacity, enabling it to filter and compress data, for example. Harting, a specialist in connection technology, sensor manufacturer Sick and OPC UA expert B&R have thought ahead with regard to a possible future solution for networking Kuka's robots with the cloud. The

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New technology solutions will enable KUKA to seamlessly network robots from sensors to the cloud in the future and integrate them into new production processes. solution, which can also be retrofitted and is readily scalable, is based on the three pillars of intelligent sensor technology, Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and OPC UA over TSN.

Intelligent sensor technology

State of the art Sick sensors for industry are small and favourably priced. There are compact laser scanners for collision monitoring, for example, that can pass on information on sizes and shapes in addition to the actual object position. This enables a robot to regulate its working speed and adapt to the environment - for example when removing an injection-moulded component. These sensors determine values such as power consumption, temperature, humidity or vibration and transmit the machine and process data to the cloud.

Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)

The prerequisite for this is an efficient cable route that connects the sensor with an IIoT gateway. Harting opts for single pair Ethernet (SPE) as the cabling. The new industry standard enables a maximum bandwidth of one gigabit per second with only one pair of wires. By comparison: in IT, 8-core cables are common for this bandwidth. SPE is a robust and materials-saving Ethernet cabling that is

intended to replace the fieldbuses over the long term that have prevailed to date.

OPC UA over TSN

The standardised OPC UA over TSN serves as the transmission protocol, which expands the Industry 4.0 standard OPC UA by adding real-time capabilities. The "Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture" offers cross-manufacturer communication from sensors via gateways to the processing IT systems situated in the backend or in the cloud. Here, TSN makes OPC UA real-time capable. TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) is the generic term for Ethernet variants that transmit data with minimal latencies - a vital prerequisite for continuous networking from the field level to the cloud. The bottom line is an IIoT solution consisting of compact and smart sensors, a resourcesaving and cost-efficient infrastructure and a universal Ethernet protocol with real-time capability. These are three strong pillars that will enable KUKA to seamlessly network robots from sensors to the cloud in the future and integrate them into new production processes. Application report by HARTING, B&R and Sick.

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Technology

Quality of Service (QoS) for today's industrial networks SOURCE: ANTAIRA

QoS, with its advanced mechanisms, can provide the bandwidth allocation needed during the time of network congestion. By provisioning network switches to prioritize specific types of traffic, data transmissions for uninterruptible services can be guaranteed.

Quality of service for today's industrial networks throughout the enterprise. INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS HAVE COME A long way in recent years. No longer are the days of Fieldbus cards and serial connectors. Today’s industrial networks are intelligent and robust. They can transmit data across high-speed wireless bridges, high-performance gigabit industrial Ethernet switches, and backhaul 10-gigabit fiber links. But this hasn’t always been the case. Up until recently, industrial networks were mainly closed-looped networks, consisting of simple communications between integrated digital circuits, microprocessors, and logic controllers. These simplified forms of communication were the industrial industry standards for many years. However, as advancements in technology and communications were taking place, digital circuits were becoming cumbersome, limiting, and expensive to maintain. The various industrial industries needed faster more robust 04.202 2

ways of communicating that would allow for expansion and growth. This eventually led to the introduction of Ethernet technologies into once closed-off digital looped networks. This improved form of communication was a major leap forward for engineers. This new way of transmitting data gave engineers the ability to expand their once closed-off digital networks and incorporate new features such as remote management and segmentation, as well as PC-based hardware and software into their networks. Ethernet-based communications were transformative; however, it did present challenges. The IEEE 802.3 standards used in traditional Ethernet communications did not meet the requirements needed for real-time industrial communications. Ethernet TCP was too slow. Its error-checking features that guarantee packet delivery caused latency and couldn’t support real-time communications.

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Ethernet UDP had a much quicker packet delivery than TCP, however, the UDP protocol by design is unreliable and did not provide the guaranteed packet delivery needed for real-time data streams. These lacks of features eventually led to the creation of industrial protocols that could provide guaranteed packet delivery in the sub-milliseconds needed for synchronized industrial communication streams. Switching technology has also gone through several changes over the years. Hubs and repeaters that once held communications together became obsolete. The lack of quality of service during data transmissions caused signaling issues and applications would often time out. Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection was added to improve data flow, but hub and repeaters eventually fell by the wayside as multilayer switches with

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SOURCE: ANTAIRA

Technology

QoS for industrial communications

Inside your typical network, data-flows or packet transmissions are based on best-effort delivery. Meaning that all transmitted data have the same chances of being delivered and dropped during times of congestion. For non-critical data-flows or traffic, this method of data delivery is adequate. However, certain types of data traffic, such as control and synchronization, have specific time periods for packet delivery. QoS offers mechanisms for packet prioritization and bandwidth control during times of congestion. These mechanisms apply traffic filters to maintain the quality of service for specific types of data streams such as VoIP and Precision-Time-Protocol.

Understanding QoS

To understand QoS you must first be familiar with the 7-layer OSI model and the 4-layer TCP/IP stack. More importantly, you must understand the layer 2 & 3 functionality of networking in order to create an efficient QoS implementation. To begin with, layer 2 and layer 3 have different sets of architectures and deal with data streams differently. Layer 2 deals with data streams in terms of frames whereas layer 3 deals with packets. Layer 2 frames use MAC addresses as source and destinations to forward frames and layer 3 packets use IP addresses for the same purposes. Layer 2: Packet forwarding: quality of service for today's industrial networks. Layer 3: Packet forwarding: quality of service for todays industrial networks Complex industrial networks can become more robust with the use of open standard Ethernet Ring technologies (ERPS - G.8032). advanced feature sets took over. Eventually, industrialized networking equipment came to pass. Designed specifically for industrial environments, these feature-rich, ruggedized networking switches would provide the advanced communications needed for industrial industries.

Growing hurdles

The advancements in switching technologies have really opened up the door for industrial networking. Larger processor chips with increased internal memory have allowed manufacturers to increase data throughput at higher rates. We now see industrial networking switches integrated with 1 gigabit and 10-gigabit switch ports and up to 40-gigabit backplane switching. This increase in switching capabilities has created an explosion of intelligent industrial devices that rely heavily on bandwidth availability. However, as industrial networks have

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become sophisticated and more bandwidth dependent devices are brought online, link congestions from oversubscribed switch ports have become a real problem. Engineers are now having to deal with enterprise-class networking issues in their industrial networks. As such, they are reaching into the administrator’s tool bag and using management features like Quality of Service (QoS) for network stabilization.

Enterprise Integration

Modernized industrial networks have blurred the lines between the once separated enterprise and industrial network. Now instead of two physically separated networks, enterprise and industrial networks are virtually separated while being interconnected at the core and distribution levels of the network. To add further complexities, these networks commonly share virtual LAN segments or VLANs that often carry security policies, routing policies, and bandwidth policies with them.

QoS Overview

QoS provided two basic methods of guaranteed data delivery, stateful load control, known as Integrated Services (IntServ) and stateless load control, known as Differentiated Services (DiffServ). IntServ uses the signaling method to verify network resources are available before data transmissions. DiffServ uses the provisioning method for marking packets. For the purpose of this white paper, we will be using the Differentiated Services (Diff-Serv) for QoS management. Differentiated Services (Diff-Serv) architecture specifies that each packet is classified upon entering the network and processed before exiting the network. Depending on the type of traffic being transmitted, the classification will be done inside the layer 2 or layer 3 header. Layer-2 Frame Classification: Layer-2 frame classification is done inside of the IEEE 802.1Q frame header and uses 802.1p Class of Service (CoS) specifications for traffic prioritization. By assigning a value from 0-7 in the 3-bit User Priority found in 802.1Q tagged Ethernet frames, traffic can be categorized with a low priority or high priority.

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Mechanics Behind QoS

During times of congestion, network traffic entering the switch on configured QoS ports will be separated and processed. The incoming traffic is first classified with CoS or DSCP value according to their specifications and then separated. Next, the separated traffic is forwarded to the Policer for bandwidth control. The Policer determines what type of bandwidth requirements are needed and what actions to take on a packet-by-packet basis. The actions which include forwarding, modifying or dropping, are then carried out by the Marker. The packets are then placed into queues according to their specifications on the egress interfaces and forwarded to their destination.

Round Robin Queuing

Ethernet ports on routers and switches have sets of queues or buffers where data packets are stored while awaiting transmission. There are several ways for these queues to drain out but the two most common are Strict and Round Robin. Strict queueing will make sure the high priority queue is empty before a single frame is released from the low priority queue. This works great for testing QoS in a lab, but in most real-world applications this does not fare well. The application sending low priority frames will time-out and fail as it waits for higher priority queues to empty. Round Robin queueing allows transmissions of low priority queues in conjunction with higher priority queues. This method keeps low priority applications such as email or web traffic from timing out during times of congestion. Round Robin queuing will transmit data in a sequence of high priority and low priority queues, for example, 10-1 will send 10 high priority frames to 1 low priority frame before going back to sending another 10 sets of frames. Round Robin keeps rotating transmissions between queues until they’re emptied. You might see a router or switches with 4 priority queues and the round robin settings might be seen as 10-7-5-1. This would be the number of frames that the round robin releases as it goes from one queue to the next. 04.202 2

SOURCE: ANTAIRA

Technology

Layer-3 IP Packet Classification: Layer-3 packets classification uses a Differentiated Service Code Point or DSCP values. These values are located inside of the Type of Service field that’s part of the IP Packet header. The Type of Service (TOS) is one set of attributes used for traffic classification. DSCP values can be numeric values or standards-based names called Per-Hop Behaviors. There are several broad classes of DSCP markings: Best Effort (BE), Class Selectors (CS), Assured Forwarding (AF), and Expedited Forwarding (EF). The details for each of these standards and configurations methods are beyond the scope of this paper.

Quality of service for today's industrial networks.

Know your network

The goal of creating an efficient QoS implementation into your networks for traffic management and robust connectivity requires many detailed steps. Having a few tools in your belt can help shorten those steps by saving time and avoiding costly mistakes.

Detailed layered network map

This is one of the most important and most overlooked items in the administrators' tool belt. Having a detailed, well-documented network map will not only clear up any misconceptions you have of the network, but it will also become an asset in your planning. Your map should include the following: Layer 1- Physical Hardware: Outline as much as possible (networking equipment, control equipment, O/I devices and stations) and the physical ports being used as interconnected links or aggregated trunks. List media types and the distance between devices if possible. Layer 2 – Link Control and Segmentation: List the link speeds and duplex setting, VLAN membership, and point-to-point connections. This will help with identifying possible congestion points. Layer 3 – IP Addressing: list all the subnets, routes, tunnels, VPNs, or anything that would direct traffic to another subnet and/ or networks.

Manufacturer documentation

Use manufacturer configuration guides and spec sheets to verify feature set and configuration strategies for your QoS implementation.

Create a baseline of your network

Create a baseline of your network by analyzing traffic patterns and bandwidth utilization before and after your implementation. You may be revisiting your device configurations more than once in order to get the optimal tuning of your network correct.

QoS Implementations

Once you have all this information gathered, you will need to coordinate the QoS

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implementation. Be sure to give yourself enough time to analyze traffic and test your configurations. Best practice methods recommend starting from the outer edges of your network and working your way towards the distribution and core switches.

Conclusion

Industrialized networking really has come a long way over the years. The introduction of advanced switching technologies into once separated, closed off digital networks has opened the doors to a new generation of communications. This new generation of industrialized protocols, gigabit switch ports, and wireless data transmission has given industrial industries the ability to increase production in a safer, more efficient manner. However, these new abilities come with a cost. New application and I/O devices rely heavily on bandwidth for synchronized and time-sensitive communications. In modern-day industrialized networks, guaranteed bandwidth for data streams is a premium and must be treated and allocated as such. One of the tools being used by engineers and administrators to manage and provide guaranteed bandwidth is Quality of Service. QoS, with its advanced mechanisms, can provide the bandwidth allocation needed during the time of network congestion. By provisioning network switches to prioritize specific types of traffic, data transmissions for uninterruptible services can be guaranteed. Implementing Quality of Service (QoS) for efficient packet delivery is by no means a small task. It's an involved process that takes time and effort to coordinate and configure. However, the tradeoff of knowing you have an efficient, well-refined, documented network, that has been customized to meet your specific needs, is worth the investment. QoS is worth it. Henry Martel, Field Applications Engineer, Antaira Technologies, LLC. Visit Website

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Technology

Decentralized automation eliminates control cabinet SOURCE: MURRELEKTRONIK

Vario-X technology offers a solution for cabinet-free, decentralized automation. The platform ensures modular and transparent processes, higher added value, greater cost-effectiveness and competitiveness. Its integrated installation concept shortens machine installation time by around 40 percent.

Vario-X is a modular, highly flexible automation platform that, for the first time, allows all automation functions to be implemented completely decentrally, i.e. without control cabinet architecture. THE VARIO-X AUTOMATION PLATFORM BRINGS sensors and actuators into the field without control cabinets and in a decentralized manner. A digital twin saves costs and time in planning, installation, operation and service. Growing digitization, shorter development cycles, higher customer requirements and an increasing shortage of skilled workers - the world of automation is changing at breakneck speed. Pretty much everything that used to be reliable in production is now being put to the test. What used to be a glimmer on the horizon: modular, standardized and digitally supported planning, simpler and faster installation and commissioning, more flexibility in production with shorter lead times, safer machines and more efficient service and maintenance processes, has become a concrete target in a very short time. All of this should also be highly digitized so that the data from the machine can be accessed at any time from any location. Has the time come for a digital twin? Murrelektronik has the answer to all these problems and presents Vario-X, a modular, highly flexible automation platform that, for the first time, allows all automation functions to be completely decentralized (without control cabinet architecture). Vario-X brings sensor and actuator technology directly into

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the machine environment and ensures reliable voltage, signal and data management during the seamless integration of decentralized servo drives. At the heart of Vario-X are our IP65 rated, robust, waterproof and dustproof housings that contain the power supply, controller, switches, safety technology and IO modules. They can be easily snapped side by side onto a no less robust backplane with integrated machine construction profiles. This allows the entire station to be easily attached to all common profile systems with no further protection required and, in extreme cases, it can even withstand stepping loads. Equipped with a multi-core CPU, Vario-XController is up to all requirements and can be integrated into all higher-level Industrial Ethernet networks as an open control platform.

For this purpose, Murrelektronik kinematics the design files of machines and systems in special software, in which the later movements and processes can then be simulated. For this purpose, the same control program runs on the virtual model as later on the real machine. The plant can be "placed" directly in the later production hall via augmented reality using an app on the cell phone or tablet. This allows the subsequent process sequences to be simulated even before the plant is set up and potential collision hazards or assembly problems to be identified at an early stage. The planning of subsequent cable routing and possible attachments is also noticeably simplified. On the one hand, because planning can increasingly run AI-supported and is thus less prone to errors.

Digital twin for planning, installation, operation and service

The digital twin also makes an important contribution to condition monitoring and predictive maintenance during operation. The use of artificial intelligence, in combination with the Vario-X digital twin, makes it visibly easier to use. If the data is read into corresponding software and analysis tools, anomalies in the process flow can be detected and work can begin to eliminate them at

The plant automated with Vario-X comes with a digital twin. A moving 1:1 image of the real plant, which contains all functions and configurations of the later system. This is available right from the start in the project phase before the first mechanical component has been ordered or assembled.

Predictive maintenance

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Technology

earlier stages. Vario-X measures the accuracy of field automation processes in accordance with the lab-to-field approach. Since the twin knows the necessary components at the same time, they can be outsourced or ordered in advance. In the best case, machine failures are completely avoided by replacing parts only when needed. Long-term analysis of the collected data also allows statements to be made on energy efficiency and simulations of various process changes can be run to gain information on possible savings potentials. The fact that Vario-X, with its digital twin, can keep a virtually constant eye on the machine during operation also provides valuable information about the mechanical and thermal influences the machine is exposed to. This is a huge advantage in view of new business models, in which machines are increasingly being leased instead of sold, where the plant owner has an interest in knowing how his machine is being treated.

Easy control via app

Thanks to smartphones and smartwatches, everyday life is now unthinkable without apps, voice-controlled assistants and gesture control. Why shouldn't machines be controlled just as easily? Thanks to Vario-X, commissioning can be carried out via an app, and robots can be controlled by gestures or speech. This is an effective tool for shortening commissioning times and making the work of machine installers and operators a whole lot easier. Configuration instead of programming is the new motto allowing companies retain their ability to act despite a shortage of skilled workers. Vario-X thus transfers the planning, simulation and subsequent operation monitoring as well as the maintenance management of a plant completely into the digital world, and with the possibilities available there it can become the key to future-proof automation technology. Because: The industrial world is turning faster and faster. Digital disruption, shorter development times and a growing focus on individual customer needs require sustainable and agile solutions. The classic sequential product development process can no longer meet these requirements. It lacks transparency and flexibility, while at the same time lead times are too long - all of which inevitably leads to rising costs.

Electronics instead of pneumatics for the sake of the environment

True to the motto "less is more": Vario-X is driving forward the consistent electrification of manufacturing processes and opposes pneumatics with a significantly more efficient alternative. With an efficiency of only around 04.202 2

At the heart of Vario-X are IP65 rated robust, waterproof and dustproof housings, in which the power supply, controller, switches, safety technology and IO modules are installed. ten to 20 percent, air as an energy source literally wastes a lot of energy. Replacing pneumatics with electrics - for example, clamping units in body-in-white production - has advantages for everyone. The manager can reduce the inefficient, poorly controlled, and relatively expensive pneumatics in his factories. The production planner can now focus on one power source electricity. The employees can finally work in a noticeably quieter environment. Last but not least, the environment as energy consumption or CO2 emissions of an average production facility with twelve units are significantly reduced after the conversion from pneumatics to electrics. Additionally, the power supply in the Vario-X system is regenerative, so that energy can be recovered from the system and fed back into the grid. Vario-X is an important building block on the way to a CO2-neutral factory.

100% automation without control cabinets - 40% faster installation

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With Vario-X, device installation and cabling works off of the “plug-and-play” principle. By using pre-assembled, error free M12 and MQ15 connectors installation happens in a much shorter time frame. Expensive M23 connectors are no longer needed. The pre-assembled connectors also eliminate the need for time-consuming and expensive installation work (stripping, setting wire end sleeves and clamping) on the control cabinet. If one station is not sufficient for the entire machine control system, additional stations, like an additional power supply, can be placed on the machine and interconnected without any problems. Individual IO modules can also be installed directly on the devices without a backplane in order to collect signals directly. This slims down the machine attachments and streamlines the cable architecture enormously. Technology article by Murrelektronik. Visit Website

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Technology

How control systems benefit from integrated cybersecurity INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEMS IN CRITICAL infrastructure applications, such as electric power, transportation and other essential utilities are undergoing rapid digitalization. The increasing convergence in OT-IT systems puts a higher demand on network reliability and performance. In addition, operational infrastructure deployed in the field for these applications must last long periods without renewal. As cybersecurity threats towards these systems become increasingly sophisticated and impacting, industrial network owners can look to integrated solutions to ensure holistic security and business continuity. With the challenges of stricter regulations, ensuring greater network reliability and operational efficiency with lower costs faced by OT networks, a holistic cybersecurity approach is mandatory. However, the current landscape is hard to navigate; regulatory requirements and the penalties imposed on non-compliance across different regions and industrial verticals are varied and increasing, there are no standardized security solutions, and industrial control systems vary between networks, even in the same industry. Most available security offerings in the market address only a part of the security. Therefore, network owners often employ system integrators to build out customized solutions.

Benefits of technology integration over a custom solution

One of the main end-user benefits is that technology leaders are combining their domain know-how and are putting out tested and proven solutions that just work in the field. These solutions are designed to be easily deployed in an existing or new network and only require one hardware device compared to a network and a security device. This optimization makes the integrated solution easy to use and maintain, both from a hardware and software perspective. Siemens’ Ruggedcom APE1808 industrial application hosting platform plugs in to the Ruggedcom RX1500 Multi-Service Platform, providing a future-proof, field-modular design for applications in harsh environments. The hardware reliability combined with maximum flexibility delivers a best-in-class OT networking platform. Palo Alto Networks’ VM-Series Next-

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SOURCE: SIEMENS

Convergence of OT and IT systems is placing higher demands on network reliability and performance. As cybersecurity threats challenging these systems become more sophisticated and impacting, industrial network owners are looking to integrated solutions to ensure both holistic security and business continuity.

Increasing OT-IT convergence in industrial automation control systems demands holistic cybersecurity.

Generation Firewall (NGFW) is deployed on the Ruggedcom APE module. The Siemens hardware and operating system provide the networking capabilities, infrastructure, and processing power required for harsh environments. Palo Alto Networks NGFW furnishes the cybersecurity software required to analyze network traffic, act as a segmentation gateway, and provide application-level monitoring and threat protection. Combining the Siemens hardware with the Palo Alto Networks VM-Series virtual firewall establishes an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) between the WAN and the LAN (or different network segments) denying the traffic that represents known threats. Such protection is increasingly important when connecting critical OT assets and non-critical IT networks. Together with the other NGFW features like Threat Prevention, this technology supplies best-in-class security to stay ahead of fast-evolving threats. Likewise, Fortinet’s VM-based Next-Generation Firewall can also be deployed on the Ruggedcom APE.

Furthermore, Siemens cybersecurity experts have tested solutions for anomalybased intrusion detection with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities from Nozomi Networks and Claroty. This integration helps SOC (Security Operations Center) operators have complete transparency and monitor all assets, data and behavior on the network, and respond appropriately to anomalies as they arise. An integrated solution not only combines “Best-of-breed Technology”, it stays relevant and available for a long time when enabled by established technology leaders like Siemens and industry leaders in threat detection and prevention, who support their products over time. These solutions are engineered to scale as the network needs increase and technologies evolve. Dennis Dittschlag, Head of Systems and Sales Support - RUGGEDCOM, Siemens.

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RELYUM is releasing in April 2022, RELYTSN-BRIDGE+ TSN-12, its new Time-Sensitive Networking switch with the most advanced offer in terms of switching ports and supported TSN mechanisms, available in the market. RELY-TSN-BRIDGE+ platform is an evolution of RELY-TSN-BRIDGE, Relyum’s first TSN switch, that includes a more powerful UltraScale MPSoC FPGA SoC, for supporting up to 13x 1Gbps TSN ports (12 external ports and 1 internal port) and a combination of the following TSN standards: IEEE802.1AS 2020 with support for two PTP domains, IEEE 802.1Qbv, IEEE 802.1Qav, IEEE 802.1CB, IEEE 802.1Qci, IEEE 802.1Qbu & IEEE 802.3br, and IEEE 802.1Qcc, among others. Additionally, the device includes other valuable mechanisms included in SoC-e’s TSN technology like optimized Mask and Match Stream Identification or PCP & DSCP prioritization. In terms of security, the device supports IEEE 802.1X for network access control, port traffic control for DoS prevention, and port mirroring for diagnosis. TSN-12 is the first model of a series of devices based on RELY-TSN-BRIDGE+ new platform. The upcoming models will support

SOURCE: RELYUM

RELYUM extends its TSN switches offering with a new platform supporting up to 20 ports.

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Time Sensitive Networking switches

Relyum’s first TSN switch includes an UltraScale MPSoC FPGA SoC, for supporting up to 13x 1Gbps TSN ports.

up to 20 ports and TSN at 10Gbps throughput. The first model that is being launched in April supports a configuration with 8x 1Gbps copper TSN ports + 4x 1G/10Gbps fiber optic SFP+ TSN ports + 1x 1Gbps service port, providing the greatest flexibility to the end-user. The device has a robust and ruggedized

design, that includes extended range components and thermal & dissipation artifacts, to guarantee that it can be installed in the most demanding environments. Relyum Visit Website

OPC UA C++ software development kit With the new version 5.70, Softing has further enhanced the functionalities and ease of use of its OPC UA C++ Software Development Kit (SDK). With the help of Reverse Connect, users can now easily establish a secure OPC UA connection with OPC UA clients across the firewall using their product's OPC UA server without opening internal binding ports. Use cases for Reverse Connect include companywide, cross-domain connectivity, Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 applications, and secure field-to-cloud OPC UA data connections. In addition, the OPC UA C++ SDK now allows access to a Global Discovery Server (GDS). Two models are supported: "Push" - where the request for a particular transaction is initiated by the server - and "Pull" - where the request to transfer information originates from the client. The OPC UA GDS concept allows the configuration of a network-wide detection of OPC UA servers. Furthermore, it offers the functionality for a central management of the certificates used in OPC UA. The OPC UA C++ SDK is available for Windows, Linux, and VxWorks. It offers developers, system integrators, and device 04.202 2

SOURCE: SOFTING

Updates to support Reverse Connect and access to a Global Discovery Server.

A demo version with full functionality and a limited runtime, as well as detailed release notes and technical data sheets, are available for download on the Softing website. and control manufacturers an easy and fast way to integrate OPC UA into their automation and Industry 4.0 applications. A collection of libraries with a concise, clearly documented programming interface as well as sample applications, and test and simulation tools are

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included in the software package and enable a fast time to market. Softing Visit Website

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AMS Device Manager is first software to be registered under the Field Device Integration standard. Emerson announced that its device management software is the first host software to be fully registered by FieldComm Group to support the Field Device Integration (FDI) standard. This is a further step in Emerson’s ongoing efforts to reduce the time and effort spent installing and configuring the field devices plants rely on to achieve their digital transformation goals. Field devices collect and transmit important data that personnel use to improve plant health, performance, and reliability. FDI registration will reduce the need for plants to support two different technologies to integrate and maintain field devices. Full FDI registration is important to avoid having a patchwork of systems and devices that only support individual elements of FDI but still require extensive integration effort. Because manufacturers can pick and choose individual FDI features to support, some device management applications will likely not contain every feature a plant requires. Emerson worked side by side with FieldComm Group for nearly two years to enable AMS Device Manager to pass the group’s rigorous testing process for registration, which requires

SOURCE: EMERSON

Product News

Device and process visibility

Field devices collect and transmit important data to improve plant health, performance, and reliability.

all features to be supported by the software. “Today’s intelligent field devices offer a broad range of data and functionality that plant personnel can use to optimize operations, but without a common standard, collecting that data can be complex and cumbersome,” said Ted Masters, chief executive officer of FieldComm Group. “By completing the process

to fully register AMS Device Manager’s FDI support, Emerson is providing its customers the tools to more easily implement a wider range of devices for holistic plant health.” Emerson Learn More

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 The Pi-Tron CM4 is based on the new fourthgeneration Compute Module and features the Broadcom BCM2711 4x Arm Cortex-A72, 64-bit SoC @1.5 GHz, a significantly faster processor than the previous generation. It has more memory with 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM, depending on the variant. There are also options for an eMMC memory with 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB available. The board offers a pre-certified wireless LAN/Bluetooth connection. An M.2 B key slot with PCIe connection enables the use of standard modules. For example, individual AI solutions for machine vision and machine/ deep learning can be implemented with the very powerful Hailo-8 AI modules or the Google Coral AI Edge TPU. The range of functions of the interfaces has been significantly expanded. Data exchange with other system components is ensured via the Modbus-compliant RS485 interface. The CAN bus interface is now FD (Flexible Data Rate) enabled, offering more efficiency and a higher data transfer rate. The Raspberry Pi standard 40-PIN GPIO header provides flexibility for industrial interfaces. The Pi-Tron

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SOURCE: KONTRON

The new Pi-Tron CM4 offers greater performance and extensive interface extensions.

The board offers a pre-certified wireless LAN/Bluetooth connection.

CM4 offers an HDMI slot to use standard display devices as well as an LVDS display connector via an adapter board. A big advantage of the Raspberry Pi singleboard computer is its large community. In addition to many software examples, it provides a large pool of compiled program

packages for easy installation. The Pi-Tron CM4 only uses components that are supported by the community software. Kontron

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Renesas announced the development of two 2.4 GHz RF transceiver technologies that support the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) low-power, near-field communication standard. The new technologies also achieve a smaller mounting area and better power efficiency. In addition to being compact, low cost, and power efficient, IoT devices must provide flexible support for Bluetooth LE regardless of their implementation format. Renesas has developed two new technologies to address these requirements: 1) a matching circuit technology that covers a wide impedance range and enables the IC to match a variety of antenna and board impedances without an external impedance-matching circuit; 2) a signal correction technology for locally generated reference signals that uses a small circuit to self correct inconsistencies in the circuit elements and variations in surrounding conditions without calibration. Renesas has verified the effectiveness of these technologies on a Bluetooth LE RF transceiver circuit prototype built with a 22-nm CMOS process. With these new technologies, Renesas reduced the circuit area including the

SOURCE: RENESAS

Transceivers support the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) low-power, near-field communication standard.

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Bluetooth low energy RF transceiver

The new technologies provide a small mounting area and excellent power efficiency.

power supply to 0.84 mm2, the world’s smallest for a device of this type. This was achieved by modifying the receiver architecture to reduce the number of inductors and making enhancements such as a low-current baseband amplifier with a small mounting area and a highly efficient class-D amplifier. They offer power efficiency, with power consumption

of 3.6 mW and 4.1 mW during reception and transmission respectively. These advances enable smaller size, reduced board cost, and lower power consumption. Renesas Visit Website

Patented press-fit connector system Provertha has launched a new tamper-proof connector in the M12 design for applications in industrial automation, especially for encoder housings that are exposed to high vibrations. Thanks to a patented press-fit section, this connector eliminates the disadvantages currently associated with screw-in connectors. The specially slotted contour of the press-fit section allows significantly greater manufacturing tolerances and a more flexible press-fit section in the enclosure. Customers can configure the 90° cable outlet in their own products in such a way that the enclosures or the plug-in connections do not have to be further adapted in the final assembly of encoders or actuators. The new Provertha connector enables a vibration-proof connection that is clearly superior to screw connections, especially in the case of high vibration. It is firmly connected to the customer's enclosure, for example in the case of encoders, and cannot be manipulated by the end customer because – unlike screw connections – it has no width flat. The plug-in connection is extremely resistant to traction and ensures very high retention forces in the 04.202 2

SOURCE: ROVERTHAIRA

M12 connector eliminates the disadvantages currently associated with screw-in connectors.

The specially slotted contour of the press-fit section allows significantly greater manufacturing tolerances and a more flexible press-fit section in the enclosure. customer's enclosure in a compact design.The new connector supports safe use but also the trend towards customisation. The customer can flexibly choose the direction of the cable outlet and align the connector entirely to the needs of the end customer. The connector

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with a press-fit flange offers a high degree of reliability during mounting. Provertha Visit Website

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Industrial Ethernet Book The only publication worldwide dedicated to Industrial Networking and the IIoT. Visit iebmedia.com for latest updates.

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View and/or download latest issue of Industrial Ethernet Book and past issues. Search our database for in-depth technical articles on industrial networking. Learn what's trending from 5G and TSN, to Single Pair Ethernet and more. Keep up-to-date with new product introductions and industry news.


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