Ethernet/IP - DLR on a dual port NIC PC

Does anyone know of a dual port PC NIC (or drivers) that can participate in an Ethernet I/P Device Level Ring?

Found this:

http://industrial.softing.com/en/pr...emperature-network-card-with-dlr-support.html

I'd read the manual to know what happens if the PC is turned off.

You don't really need to put DLR hardware in the PC.
Just use a DLR switch such as Allen Bradley Stratix switches to handle the DLR for you and plug your PC into the switch.

Not sure of the pros/cons of doing this, but this device says it would do it as well:

http://www.hilscher.com/products/product-groups/pc-cards/pci-express/cifx-50e-reeis/?

Thanks, Robert... I had to dig all the way into the User Manual to find that the cifX does support Device-Level Ring.

Ken Roach said:

I had to dig all the way into the User Manual to find that the cifX does support Device-Level Ring.

Click to expand...

I had to find it there too. I guess they have a switch chip on this card - not that common to see a PC card with a switch chip. Most multi-port cards are just individual Ethernet adapters bundled onto a single card.

GTUnit said:

You don't really need to put DLR hardware in the PC.
Just use a DLR switch such as Allen Bradley Stratix switches to handle the DLR for you and plug your PC into the switch.

Click to expand...

You normally would use this when you want a workstation or PC based HMI (FT View SE anyone?) in the middle of a DLR run and you are not near the switch. This card will let you have your workstation and not break the DLR ring.

It's use the same way when just doing a linear device to device run and not using switches or DLR. I am shocked that AB has dual port panel PC's but they don't have the switch chip in them to have this capability. It's limiting and I have had to pull the existing card out of the Rockwell panel PC and change it to a DLR type and remember to change it back if the unit ever fails and they send it out for repair. Bubba and Cletus will just plug the cable into the 2 ports on the new panel pc even though they plugged into the DLR card in a different area then call that night and wonder why the line won't work.