RSLinx 2.4

RSLinx 2.4 includes a new driver called EtherNet/IP. This is a third
driver that deals with Ethernet. I can't find any documentation on this driver. No, I am not talking about documentation for EtherNet/IP
protocol available from ODVA Web site, I have that.
I would like to know what this driver is capable of and how exactly is it going to be applied. I have contacted Rockwell Software and
got nowhere. I can't find any link on Rockwell Web site that deals with this issue. Help screens on RSLinx tell you nothing.
Ofcourse the driver implements EtherNet/IP protocol to some extent.
But how much of it? All of it? Some of it? Does it deal with
Explicit and implicit messaging to the full extent?
Does it support legacy encapsulation commands and Item_Id's?
Is there an example of at least one AB or third party product that currently uses this driver?
I have tried it with an ENI module and it would not work!
This implies that this driver can't do CSP legacy commands??
Would anybody have any info on this subject?

Thanks

Ethernet/IP is fast!

My company makes a motion controller that uses Ethernet/IP to communicate with the Control Logix. We have been supporting Ethernet/IP for almost 3 years now and our product is certified.

Ethernet/IP uses BOTH TCP and UDP, each with its own application layer. The TCP part is activated using MSG blocks just as the PLC/5 and SLC do. One block is capable of sending 32767 words! Our product uses the TCP - MSG block transfers send or receive parameters, state machine data, write splines/cam and to read graphs.

What is 'new' part is the UDP transfers. This data is send in the input and output section of the Control Logix memory map. Our controller appears as 81 input registers and 49 output registers. Therefore our controller looks like a big I/O card in the rack. Typically this data is updated every 5 milliseconds which means it is asynchronous to the PLC scan. The application layer for the UDP transfers is similar to what the internet games have been using for years.

I talked to an OEM/integrator that used our controller a year ago today. His application used 4 controllers ( 32 axes ) and a lot of flex I/O. He used 2 ethernet cards in the Control Logx . One for the motion controllers and one for the flex I/O cards. This application has been working for a year.

Like DeviceNet, Ethernet/IP uses the producer/consumer model. This means that our controller can send the status and receive commands every 5 milliseconds and any device on the net work ( PLCs and HMIs ) can accept this data. This relieves the PLC and HMIs from polling for the status data. The status data just automagically appears in the input registers.

We have had 11 ( 88 axes ) of our motion controllers attached to 1 ENBT ( Ethernet ) card with updates every 5 milliseconds. At this point collisions on the network start being noticeable. We also ran out of motion controllers. We have done a lot of testing measuring collisions, reties, missed packets etc.

The down side of Ethernet/IP is that it is a very big and complex protocol that requires a lot of memory and processing power.

I thought the CSP commands were a subset of the TCP application layer. I will check tomorrow.

I don't know what you mean by encapsulation. Ethernet/IP does support using names instead of file type address.

Ethernet I/P driver

I think the Ethernet I/P Driver will allow you to browse all Ethernet compatible devices connected to the PC running RSLinx ( local and also Remote with different subnet address ). One difference I found is , in case of local , you need not give the IP address of modules to browse like Ethernet driver.

I agree that a better release note might help. I've searched inside and outside the RA network and not found anything very enlightening.

What I have been told about the EtherNet/IP driver is that it's the one your're going to use to configure third-party EtherNet/IP devices using RSNetworx for EtherNet/IP. This would be similar to using the parameter editor in RSNetworx for DeviceNet today, with the DeviceNet driver. This tells us that at least it will have Explicit Message capability.

I also expect it to have explicit message access for the OPC server to get at EtherNet/IP devices; I want to be able to link to FLEX or POINT I/O on EtherNet/IP and put it's data directly into RSSql or RSView32 without having to go through a processor.

I do not think it will support PCCC encapsulation, so it won't be used to communicate with PLC-5E or SLC-5/05 or 1761-NET-ENI Ethernet devices.

I also do not expect it to support I/O messaging. I've been told that I/O Messaging is part of the cryptically named "RSLinx NextGen", probably meaning it's a rebuild of Linx for Windows CE and XP Embedded.

The driver's browing feature sets off the VPN Blocking feature on my home PC, so I wonder if it's going to set off a bunch of security alarms in managed networks.

I asked our expert.

Ken Roach said:

I do not think it will support PCCC encapsulation, so it won't be used to communicate with PLC-5E or SLC-5/05 or 1761-NET-ENI Ethernet devices.

Click to expand...

According to out Ethernet expert, Ethernet/IP does encapsulate PCCC. Ethernet/IP does not support CSP. Obviously, the Control Logix can communicate with a SLC5/05. I don't have access to a PLC5E or 1761-NET-ENI to verify Ethenet/IP communications. However the these devices can not use the UDP I/O transfers. They can only use the TCP message transfers.

thanks

Thanks to all for the effort to answer my question.
Peter, I was only referring to the EthernetIP driver in RSLinx 2.4 not to the EtherNet/IP protocol spec.
I think that Ken has answered as much as possible at this point in time. It makes sense, no PCCC encapsulation. I have not seen the
RSNetworx for Ethernet yet but expect it to be along the lines of
ControlNet and DeviceNet.
I suspect that we will see lots of activity in this area and so subsequently there will be documentation available.