Network Integration — Ethernet switches: Phoenix Contact's new 7000 managed switch was designed for EtherNet/IP network applications requiring redundancy and extensive diagnostic functions, paramount for a high-availability automation network. This is a Control Engineering 2017 Engineers’ Choice Awards Finalist.
Phoenix Contact’s 7000 managed switch was designed for use in EtherNet/IP automation networks. Thanks to redundancy and extensive diagnostics functions, the switch is ideal for high-availability automation networks.
The switch supports direct integration into a device level ring (DLR), providing major advantages in the installation and implementation of EtherNet/IP networks. DLR realizes recovery times of 3 milliseconds. This ensures nearly bumpless switchover. It is supported by many current EtherNet/IP field devices, which can be networked in a ring topology using DLR.
Up to six non-DLR-capable devices can be integrated into the ring with a 7000 switch. In larger machine and system networks, the switch allows the redundant DLRs within the machine network to interconnect and to link to the higher-level backbone network.
The switch also supports the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). This makes it easy to integrate the switch directly into the EtherNet/IP control system for seamless configuration and diagnostics.
The switch also features IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) time synchronization, so clocks in the network can be accurately synchronized within one microsecond, a level of precision necessary for real-time applications. The 7000 switch supports 1588 packets on DLR ports. Therefore, time synchronization of CIP motion devices is always ensured in the ring.
Other proven functions, such as IGMP snooping, multicast source detection, and auto-query port for intelligent multicast filtering, also are available to enhance network stability and usage in an EtherNet/IP system.
The available SD card provides the ability to save configurations, making multi-unit replication easy and simplifying the process should a device ever require replacement.
Phoenix Contact, www.phoenixcontact.com
