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6. COMMUNICATIONS
6.1 EtherNet/IP
6.1.1 Overview
EtherNet/IP (Ethernet/Industrial Protocol) is a communication system suitable for use in industrial
environments. EtherNet/IP allows industrial devices to exchange time-critical application informa-
tion. These devices include simple I/O devices such as sensors/actuators, as well as complex con-
trol devices such as robots, programmable logic controllers, welders, and process controllers.
EtherNet/IP uses CIP (Control and Information Protocol), the common network, transport and ap-
plication layers also shared by ControlNet and EtherNet/IP. EtherNet/IP then makes use of stan-
dard Ethernet and TCP/IP technology to transport CIP communications packets. The result is a
common, open application layer on top of open and highly popular Ethernet and TCP/IP protocols.
EtherNet/IP Messaging Forms:
• Unconnected Messaging is used for connection establishment and for infrequent, low-prior-
ity messages.
• Connected Messaging utilizes resources which are dedicated in advance to a particular pur-
pose such as real-time I/O data transfer. EtherNet/IP Messaging Connections:
• Explicit Messaging Connections are general purpose point-to-point connections. Messages
are sent through TCP protocol.
• Implicit (I/O Data) Connections are established to move application specific I/O Data at regu-
lar intervals. They are often setup as one-to-many relationships in order to take full advan-
tage of the producer-consumer multicast model. Implicit messages are sent through UDP
protocol.
6.1.2 AC/DC Drive Profile
In order to provide interoperability between devices from different manufacturers, there must be
defined “standard” in which those devices:
• exhibit the same behavior
• produce and/or consume the same basic set of I/O data
• contain the same basic set of configurable attributes The formal definition of this informa-
tion is known as a device profile.
6.1.3 EDS file
EDS - The abbreviation for Electronic Data Sheet, a file on disk that contains configuration data for
specific device types.
You can provide configuration support for your device by using a specially formatted ASCII file, re-
ferred to as the Electronic Data Sheet (EDS). An EDS provides information about the device config-
uration data’s:
•context
•content
•format
The information in an EDS allows configuration tools to provide informative screens that guide a
user through the steps necessary to configure a device. An EDS provides all of the information nec-
essary to access and alter the configurable parameters of a device. This information matches the
information provided by instances of the Parameter Object Class. The CIP Object Library describes
the Parameter Object Class in detail.
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