Plant wide networking... where to start

[dmayhugh]

I have to agree with getting a consultant. Especially if manager will want to get production data on the office side of the network. Be very careful with keep the office network and control networks separate.

Patching on systems can create a lot of problems for control systems. Also would consider having different IP ranges and subnet mask for traffic control. For example:

PLC on one network
IP Adress 10.2.0.xxx
Subnet Mask 255.255.254.0
This will give you 512 IP Adresses

HMIs on another
IP Address 10.2.2.xxx
Subnet mask 255.255.254.0

We servers and or database server also have them on another network. This is to assist with communications from getting "bogged" down for PLC to process.

 

[Jsu0234m]

As an IT Manager that handles all of the PLC and HMI programming at our plant I would caution you to not involve the corporate level network guys in anything other than what you can't do.

For example, get them to setup different Vlans or configure switch ports as you need but don't let them buy the hardware you use.

Its just my opinion but they seem to complicate things when what your doing is pretty straight forward.

I would get network guys to create a PLC Vlan. Then add a ethernet card to the PLC's that you need to get data from and give them a static IP on your PLC Vlan.

Then you can either create a HMI station on your office Vlan and get IT to allow access to the PLC Vlan from that PC or put the HMI station on the PLC Vlan and keep it separate from your office Vlan all together.

As far as the HMI software goes once you get all the PLC's on the same network. You can pull whatever data you need out of the PLC's using RSLinx Professional and put it into excel or powerpoint. If you want to go all out you can create a RSView SE Project and then use Factory Talk View Point to give web access to certain screens in your RSView SE project.

 

[JeremyAdair87]

Heh, My IT guys taught me network masking. I had been using it for years with 255.255.255.0 and 255.255.0.0. and not understanding what I was doing. Anyway, now we have The plcs on one mask and the IT on another mask. any IP from 255.255.1.0 to 255.255.4.0 are his office junk they have a much tighter mask and cant see things past the 255.255.4 range.

Long story short My IT guy gives me the range of IP address to work in with a broader subnet mask and I can remote it from half way around the world but I had to put the DNS and gateways into to all the PLC Ethernet cards... He is a good guy and if he messes with my liberties I tell him he broke a machine and to turn it back the way it was.... however if you want each port assigned to an IP address you should be shot.

I prefer ignition's scada to AB's FT SE.... however you could just set up one PLC send msg instructions to it from all the lines and have one industrial PC with a factory talk ME license on it that they remote into and not spend 10 grand on SCADA. It has limitations.

Its up to you. The above is the dirt cheap option I would press for a scada solution.

 

[Davkul]

Here is all the info you could ever want:

http://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/td/enet-td001_-en-p.pdf

Rockwell works directly with Cisco to create validated and tested architectures. This document is one of many in the series so you can use what you can from it. It is very lengthy but don't get overwhelmed.