AB L43 over Stratix5700 via Port Forwarding multiple subnets?

dburnum

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Oct 2008
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Hi all. I have a question regarding networking over several subnets. I am tasked with Automating an AB Intellicenter, which is now installed into location. The Intellicenter came with multiple Stratix5700 switches(2) to mange connections between the E300 smart relays. Each E300 is pre-configured with private IPs of 192.168.1.xxx, as well as the Stratix5700s also being assigned within the same subnet. I have an AB-1768L43, with two ENBT ethernet adapters, that I am planning to assign IPs within the same private subnet....pretty straightforward at this point. My question regards my control network which is on a separate private set of IPs. We have redundant tag servers, that talk over redundant control subnets to various controllers, all with redundant ethernet communication. those subnets are 192.1.1.xxx, and 192.2.2.xxx . My thinking is that I could plug the 1768-ENBT adapters to the Stratix, so that tag management and control of the E300's would take place in my compact-logix processor. The Stratix 5700 manual was saying something about a one-to-one port forwarding ability, so that individual WAN IPs could be assigned individual private IPs. I have no idea about this part, as I've never worked with Stratix or managed switches for that matter.
Is it possible to place my two control network cables to the Stratix, and forward each IP independantly to the separate 1768-ENBTs on the L43, for connecting back to my tag servers (have RSLinx for OPC), and yet still use the same 1768-ENBT that are assigned local IP addresses to the E300s, so that the L43 can see the E300's?

Thanks!
 
I am not seeing the big picture here?
E300s connect to switch#1 to PLC Enet#1 (192.168.1.xxx)
Tag server connect to Switch #2 to PLC Enet#2 (192.1.1.x )

or is it this way:
All E300s connect to both switches (192.168.1.x) to PLC Enet#1
Tag Server connect to PLC Enet#2 ( 192.1.1.x)
 
I have a total of Three subnets.
1) Plant Bus A (Control Network to connect controllers redundant to Plant Bus B) 192.1.1.xxx
2) Plant Bus B (Control Network to connect controllers redundant to Plant Bus A) 192.2.2.xxx
3) AB Intellicent Network (Private to itself Includes Stratix Switches & E300s) 192.168.1.xxx

A 1768-ENBT only has one physical port, but the 1768-L43 allows 2 ENBTs.

Plant Bus A & B subnets cannot be changed, and include all plant automation controllers as well as redundant tag servers.

I need the Tag Servers to beable to see the new L43 controller on redundant ENBTs, but also allow the ENBTs to communicate to the E300s in the MCC.

I'm hoping that the stratix switches(managed) will allow me to forward traffic between the Tag Servers and L43 controller if I place the L43 on the same subnet as the Intellicenter network. I was hoping someone who may have done some forwarding might be able to confirm that I might be able to forward my Plant Bus A&B connections to my L43 ENBTs, but also still allow the ENBTs to be on the same subnet and communicate to the E300s, since I would place all of the ENBTs and E300s on the same subnet.
 
Probably best if you draw up a basic network topology diagram with current setup and what you're trying to achieve.

What you're describing about one-to-one mapping of IP addressing is Network Address Translation or NAT. This may or may not be required but need more information first.

Why do you think you need to do this? Is it because the E300's have conflicting addresses with other devices on your Plant Bus A network?
 
This is the first of about 20 MCCs that will be brought into the plant, and its a small one at that with only about 10 actual motors attached to it. My "Plant Bus A" & "Plant Bus B" are designated for controllers, and while I could place every E300 within a compatible subnet to my "Plant Bus", to bring data into my DCS it happens through a OPC server on my tag servers. That would mean an individual topic for each E300, whereas I can use a controller at each MCC, or set of MCCs to communicate to the E300s on a private subnet, and let the L43 handle tags, permissives, alarming.
The biggest issue, is that Siemens PCS7 doesn't allow allow native communication between controllers(APACS+ & AB), and that I need to bring it through the OPC servers.
Its not terribly difficult, but network segmentation is where I'm going to have difficulty.
We use Visio for drawing up network topology, and I will need to append the existing file once I am finished assigning IPs.
To currently add AB hardwear to my WinCC PCS7 DCS, I create the topic within my OPC, then build a CSV file that maps IO, both internal and external to my process objects for another program called DBA, which strips the CSV file to create the process objects, and faceplates.
While I have redunadant Plant Bus connections, I highly doubt they'll retain redundany to the E300s, without being able to add the E300s to the IO tree of each ENBT.
 
If I am understanding your situation correctly then depending on the firmware level / feature set of the new Stratix 5700 in the MCC then you should be able to use a combination of routing and NAT to get this setup working.

You would use 1:1 NAT to map the E300's from 192.168.1.0/24 to something like 10.0.1.0/24 and would also need to setup the required routes in the switch.

The CompactLogix with the two ENBT's can still be sitting on your Plant Bus A and B networks and still should also be able to communicate using unicast implicit IO connections to the E300's on the 10.0.1.0/24 network.
 

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