Alternative to Allen Bradley Stratix 5700 and 5400 Switches

[Usireland]

Hello All.

I am currently working on a project where the client has specified that we cannot use Allen Bradley materials. As a result I need to find an alternative supplier for switches.

Here is what I am currently doing, I do not have a network Diagram ATM but I will do my best to describe the network, if this is insufficient I will add network diagrams:

The client has 10 of our machines, 5 of Model A and 5 of Model B. Each of the machines within the same Model is identical, same IP addresses, same components etc. The client wants 2 things:
1. To connect all of the machines to 1 single network to capture data from them
2. To keep the IP addresses the same between the machines so that they can swap parts from one machine to another if necessary.


The solution we decided to use in this case was the following:
1. Panels with a Stratix 5700 switch in each Panel Model number 1783-BMS20CL. This has 16 copper ports, 2 Fiber ports and 2 Combo Gigabit ports and the "Lite" firmware (20 ports was chosen to allow for expansion). 2 of these panels would be used 1 for the Model A machines and another for Model B machines (they are in separate areas of the Plant). Each machine would be connected to the switches and each port would be a separate VLAN so eliminating the possibility of and IP conflict.

2. A Panel with a Stratix 5400 switch would be used as the "Concentrator" switch Model number 1783-HMS8SG4CGR. This switch, we actually a Layer 3 router has NAT capabilities and we are informed that as well as doing the routing between the VLANs it can also provide NAT translation for each VLAN. This switch is also capable of working in a Redundant Star Topology using Fiber This is important as this was the agreed Topology with the client.


Can anyone recommend another switch supplier who offers switches which are capable of performing the same tasks as listed above and that are designed for an industrial environment?

Thanks in advance
Regards
Ian McDonald

[robertkjonesjr]

Hirschmann will have generally-equivalent products to those. They make routers, switches with redundancy, and firewalls that will do NAT translation.

Schneider Electric OEMs a lot of that stuff, so that could be easier to source with same or similar feature sets.

However, maybe AB does not work, but the higher end AB network gear is really Cisco - at least some of it.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/product...hes/index.html

That might be a drop in, at least for some components, if you can get them crossed.

Moxa and Redlion (N-Tron) should be able to do all this as well. And others - sorry if I forgot your favorite brand.

At this point in my career, if my job depends on it, I put in Cisco.

[AustralIan]

Something by Hirschmann.
I have used the MICE range, which is cool because you can explain how you have a ring of mice keeping the whole plant working.

[Timbert]

I would just go buy the Cisco branded versions of the 5400 and 5700. They were jointly developed by AB and Cisco. If they don't want AB (for whatever reason), fine they can have the identical hardware with a Cisco label.

The 5700 looks like a Cisco IE-2000-16TC-L. The 5400 might be a IE-4000-8GS4G-E.

[ASF]

Originally Posted by AustralIan

I have used the MICE range, which is cool because you can explain how you have a ring of mice keeping the whole plant working.

I'm sold!

[OkiePC]

+1 for the Hirschmann hardware. I don't have a lot of experience with this type of setup and even less with VLANs, but have worked with a somewhat large system with Hirschmann managed switches that was very reliable and easy to configure.

[brendan.buchan]

In this situation I would definitely go with the Cisco equivalents being the IE2000 and IE4000.

It sounds like you have already done the design using Allen-Bradley Stratix switches, so if they purely don't want the AB name then go with the Cisco equivalents and your design will be 100% exactly the same.