ODVA opens first European conformance testing center for EtherNet/IP

Ann Arbor, MI— With user demand for EtherNet/IP rapidly increasing, ODVA and the Center Verteilte Systeme at the Institute of Ergonomics, Manufacturing Systems, and Automation (CVS@IAF) recently opened its first Europe-based facility for EtherNet/IP product conformance testing. CVS@IAF was officially authorized by ODVA as a Test Service Provider (TSP) for EtherNet/IP conformance testing at the beginning of October 2004. CVS@IAF is a working group at the institute, which is part of Otto von Guericke University, located in Magdeburg, Germany.

ODVA manages the specifications and oversees conformance testing for the DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP protocols, and so its conformance testing gives users crucial, vendor-independent assurance that products brought to market fully comply with ODVA’s specifications. ODVA’s TSPs conduct conformance tests to determine compliance with its defined standards. EtherNet/IP products that pass the tests receive an official Declaration of Conformity from ODVA, and earn the right to use ODVA’s EtherNet/IP Conformance Tested certification and logo.

‘Increasing user demand for EtherNet/IP connected products and systems has resulted in a significant increase in the number of vendors migrating their equipment to EtherNet/IP. I am delighted that ODVA is opening a European test facility and expanding global access to its conformance test services,” says Paul Brooks, ODVA’s chairman for Europe. “This will give users the assurance of device interoperability that they need for today’s automation systems, and will reinforce EtherNet/IP’s status as the class leading Industrial Ethernet solution.’

EtherNet/IP-related testing activities at CVS@IAF will be directed by Ralf Messerschmidt. “CVS@IAF is very proud of its appointment as the first European TSP for EtherNet/IP, and of the high confidence that ODVA has placed in the Institute,” says Messerschmidt. “With our expertise in EtherNet/IP and our record of activities in this area, such as successful implementation of a complete EtherNet/IP stack in Java and C++, this official endorsement as an EtherNet/IP TSP is a welcome recognition of our work at the cutting edge of communications technologies.”

ODVA’s executive director, Katherine Voss, adds that, “ODVA has a 10-year history of commitment to providing industry with open, interoperable networks. EtherNet/IP, and conformance testing of EtherNet/IP products, are cornerstones of this commitment. We selected CVS@IAF as our first European TSP because of its leading position in Ethernet communications.’

CVS@IAF’s main competence is in the development of distributed control systems, based on distributed intelligence, advanced communication technology, complex security technologies, and real-time systems. In this role, one of its most important fields of interest is industrial Ethernet. For investigation and demonstration purposes, the group implemented its own ModbusTCP and EtherNet/IP stacks. CVS@IAF also directs the business office of the Industrial Automation Open Networking Alliance (IAONA).

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reedbusiness.com

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