EC: Allen-Bradley Stratix 5700 managed industrial Ethernet switch with Network Address Translation

Network Integration - Ethernet hardware: The new Allen-Bradley Stratix 5700 managed industrial Ethernet switch with Network Address Translation (NAT) is a hardware Layer 2 implementation that provides wire speed 1:1 translations ideal for automation applications where performance is critical. This is a Control Engineering 2014 Engineers’ Choice award winner.

October 17, 2013

The importance of information and data is becoming more important to manufacturers. This is why OEMs are building smarter machines—to collect and forward this data. To leverage this information and put it into action, the machines must integrate into the broader plant network. Typically, this is where information is analyzed and sent to the right place at the right time. Machine integration onto a plant’s network architecture can prove difficult, as OEM IP-address assignments rarely match those of the end-user network. This is challenging for the machine builder and end user alike because network IP addresses are generally unknown until the machine is being installed—which can add cost and time to the commissioning of the equipment, and delay moving that equipment into production.

The Allen-Bradley Stratix 5700 managed industrial Ethernet switch with Network Address Translation can help address these challenges.

The Layer 2 hardware-based NAT feature allows for high performance and simplified integration of IP-address mapping from a set of local, machine-level IP addresses to the end user’s broader plant network. By using NAT, OEMs can deliver standard machines to users without having to program unique IP addresses into them. Then, the end user can use the NAT feature to more simply integrate the machines into the larger network because the machines configuration remains standard. It is easier to maintain.

The Stratix 5700 switch with NAT technology also allows users to have the flexibility to segment or isolate network traffic by determining which devices are exposed to the larger network. By limiting access to certain devices, they can be isolated from unneeded network traffic, which can help optimize network performance at the local level.

www.rockwellautomation.com 

https://ab.rockwellautomation.com/networks-and-communications/stratix-5700-ethernet-switches 

Rockwell Automation