Enet switch: N-tron, Hirschman, or Phoenix?

I'm having to select an E-net switch and I want to have something that is super reliable. Which do ya'll think is the best one? I've talked with the sales people, but what do the field people say?

When I worked for a major automotive company last year, all of our ethernet connections, especially for ControlLogix were set up using Hirschmann managed switches.

Hirschmann was on our approved vendor list.

Rockwell has some information about this. I found this document on the web:

http://www.industrialnetworking.com/support/general_faqs_info/Hirschmann_Interoperability_in_a_Rockwell_Environment.pdf

We have just brought on a new rep. He handles and speaks very highly of the N-Tron line.

You may also want to look at Westermo. You can look at their specifications through www.grossautomation.com

Hope this helps.

God Bless,

I used to use N-Tron, but they are hard to get hold of now. So now I use Hirschmann and Moxa units. The Moxa units have a slightly better temperature spec than the Hirschmann - but I've had no failures on either. If you want a basic no frills unit, the Red Lion switch08 is also worth a look at.

Tim.

I have used about 10 Moxa EDS6008 units in the past. Extremely easy to set up and manage, especially if you are setting up a redundant network. Cheap, too.

I'm using both 3Com and NetGear. Never had any trouble with 'em.

Kind regards,

Last lot I used wree Sixnet. Worked fine but prefer not to use Ethernet unless connecting to a SCADA system. Always use proprietary bus for peer to peer.

Deterministic Ethernet via managed switches is the way of the future Bob

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OK, I called Phoenix contact application support and got diddly-squat in the way of any kind of satisfactory sales support for the questions I had. So they are off the short list. I looked up MOXA and they are on the short list.

I'm aware of Sixnet. Automationdirect.com sells a re-labled Sixnet switch (unmanaged) for twice the cost the local sixnet distributor quoted me.

Deterministic Ethernet via managed switches is the way of the future Bob

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So everyone keeps telling me. Funny thing is my old Schneider rep (gone somewhere else now) told me he had seen it fall over a few times. Did not instill confidence.

I must admit I do like the GE idea of Global I/O running as a separate protocol on TCP/IP. The last GE job I did was with 90-30 PLCs and Global I/O had just become available in the 90-70 PLCs. Had not migrated to the 90-30 at that stage.

I am lead to believe Schneider have gone that way also. My biggest concern is that BACnet runs that way and I would not recommend BACnet to anyone. Talk about painfully slow. Good for where it is mainly used I suppose, in BMS systems. Nothing happens fast there.

Deterministic Ethernet via managed switches is the way of the future Bob

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Another small comment. This appears to be a case of re-inventing the wheel. There has been a perfectly useful and functional deterministic network out there for about as long as I have been playing with computers. It is called Token Ring.

My favourite peer to peer PLC network is token ring based. It only runs up to 750kBaud on a twisted pair but is perfectly reliable. One system I installed some years ago has about 3000 words flying around the network between PLCs (9 of them) and Citect SCADA system hammering on the network also. Citect reports in excess of 11,000 digital reads per second and over 100 word reads per second. This is in addition to the other network traffic between PLCs.

The scan time for the network averages 20ms. Imagine what the network could do if they speeded the thing up to 100mb!!!!

I am not an IT person and therefore have no real idea of the logistics and performance capabilities of both networks. I only judge by what I see and experience. Perhaps someone here a lot smarter than me can explain why Token Ring appears to be so much better than Ethernet to me and why Ethernet is now being made deterministic when there is what appears to be a perfectly good network out there that would save having to re-invent the wheel.

Is it a similar case to VHS vs Beta? Marketing blurb, price, etc and then try to fix it later? Am I way out of court here? Look forward to some comments on deterministic Token Ring vs Ethernet that is now being made deterministic from someone versed in IT things. I wish to learn more about both networks if possible.

I've used D-Link and Netgear with no problems. I know they are cheap but so far they work fine.

BobB[font=Arial said:

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I must admit I do like the GE idea of Global I/O running as a separate protocol on TCP/IP. The last GE job I did was with 90-30 PLCs and Global I/O had just become available in the 90-70 PLCs. Had not migrated to the 90-30 at that stage.

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I think it is available in the 90-30's now if you use a 364, or 374 CPU.

I like Advantech, like the ADAM-6520 5-port 10/100Mbps. Din rail mount makes it nice. You can find them at B&B Electronics.


Jeff

Siemens also has good networking equipment. I have used the OSM line of Ethernet switches almost exclusively in the past. The Scalence (sp?) line looks good, but I have not used it yet.

My next project is bid with N-Tron so we will see, but I hear good things about their equipment also. Their switches that are cabable of a ring with a redundancy manager are simply brand labeled Siemens OSM's. (Siemens probably gets theirs from some other company as well, but not sure)