plc5 coms issue

hi all trying to get a plc5 to talk to a micrologix 1200 AB says I need a firmware upgrade to allow multihop messaging in the 5 to allow it to talk with the 1761 eni net(DF1- Ethernet interface).Would it be possible to either :
A:set up another 1761 eni net on the plc5?
B:somehow go via one of our Controllogix plcs(also attached to the ethernet)???I need the 5 to message the 1200...???
Any help would be appreciated

The 1761-NET-ENI uses a technique called "CIP encapsulation" to transport DF1 protocol over Ethernet. Although appears to the user to be just like the PLC-5's addressing mode, the underlying transport is more like ControlLogix CIP messaging than the old point-to-point PLC-5E "PCCC Etheret" protocol.

So, only a PLC-5E that supports CIP will be able to send a message from it's Ethernet port to the 1761-NET-ENI.

You could use Option A, where you send a message from the PLC-5 Ch.0 serial port to one Net-ENI, which transports the message to another Net-ENI, that un-encapsulates it and connects to a MicroLogix 1200.

Option B will work only if you go from the PLC-5 to the ControlLogix backplane via DH+. You also have to set up a routing table in a 1756-DHRIO module, which can be a little technical.

If you have a system that puts both PLC-5E and ControlLogix and Net-ENI on the same Ethernet network, it's probably easiest and cheapest to just upgrade the firmware in the PLC-5E.

thanks

Thanks Ken,
Actually the 1761 net eni is about a third of the price of the firmware uprade......ideally the firmware upgrade would be the tidiest way to do it but its way too expensive, as for the dh+ I only have ethernet between the processors so I guess that rules that out..
I spoke to my rep and he's going to bring me out another net eni to try on the 5 if that works i'll leave it..thanks for your input and help Ken...