Industrial Ethernet: 40 Gbps, book, cables, devices, routers, switches

By Control Engineering Staff December 7, 2006

A blazing fast 40 Gigabit/s network was demonstrated at the Yokogawa Technology Innovations Fair, part of its 7th Annual User Conference, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2006. In related news, expansion in industrial Ethernet devices and tools continues with a variety of new switches, routers, cables, and a book to help sort out terms, technologies, and related issues.

The first known 40 Gigabits/s (Gbps) ultra-high bandwidth data transfer network was demonstrated by Yokogawa . The company also showed a 2 nanosecond optical switch (500 million times per second, 1 million times the speed of a 2 ms MEMS switch). The Yokogawa 40 Gbps network transfers 400 DVDs of data in 6 min., the time it takes to transfer one DVD of data at today’s commonly used 100 Mbps rate). They’re not commercially available, but were part of the “Future Zone” exhibit area at the three-day user conference and technology fair in Houston, TX.

In other recently received new product news related to industrial Ethernet:

Aaxeon Technologies introduces a new line of Fiber Ethernet Switches that support copper.

Aaxeon Technologies Inc . released a line of Fiber Ethernet Switches . The Lanolinx Fiber Ethernet Switches are SNMP Managed with 100FX and Gigabit Fiber models available. These switches also have 8 10/100TX Copper ports with the Gigabit version having a 10/100/1000TX port. The switches support IEEE 802.3/802.3u, have store-and-forward switching architecture, can be DIN-rail or rack mounted, and have IP security. They are 10/100, full/half duplex, MDI/MDI-X auto-sensing, and rate limiting, and have SNMP/Telnet/Console/Web management and port-based VLAN / 802.1 Q Tag VLAN. The switches have IEEE 802.1p class of service and provide port base, tag base and type of service priority method. IGMP with Query mode for multi media application and port mirroring are included.

Belden adds new low smoke zero halogen and waterblocked cables to industrial Ethernet line.

Belden added to its DataTuff Industrial Ethernet family with three new Enhanced 4 Pair, Category 5e twisted pair cables. The new cables feature Belden’s exclusive Bonded-Pair technology, designed to ensure superior electrical performance, before and after installation. Product No. 7935A—a Low Smoke Zero Halogen, Unshielded, Enhanced Cat 5e EtherNet/IP compliant cable has 24-AWG solid bare copper conductors with rip cord, polyolefin insulation, and a 0.030-in. industrial grade, sunlight-resistant, Black Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) jacket. It is rated NEC/CEC: CM FT1. Product No. 7936A—a Low Smoke Zero Halogen, Shielded, Enhanced Cat 5e EtherNet/IP compliant cable with 24-AWG solid bare copper conductors, 24-AWG stranded TC drain wire, overall Beldfoil shield, polyolefin insulation, and a 0.030-in. industrial grade, sunlight-resistant, Black Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) jacket. The cable is rated NEC/CEC: CMR/CMG FT4. Product No. 7937A—a Waterblocked/Burial, Shielded Enhanced Cat 5e cable featuring 24-AWG solid bare copper conductors with 24-AWG stranded TC drain wire, PE inner jacket, overall Beldfoil shield, and sunlight- and oil-resistant Black PE jacket. The halogen-free cable is fully waterblocked per Telcordia, IEC, and ICEA and is suitable for burial applications.

Magnum DX40 Serial Device Router from GarrettCom Inc. has four ports, two each for serial and for Ethernet communications.

GarrettCom Inc .’s new line of Serial-IP converters extend security, resiliency, and network management to distributed serial devices in power substations and other harsh industrial environments. Magnum DX line of serial device routers provides intelligent serial-to-IP/Ethernet protocol services that integrate the large installed base of devices that use serial data protocols for SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and remote device console access. The routers provide what the company calls a Dynamic Serial Edge for hardened industrial networks that combines the features of a serial-IP device server, Ethernet switch, IP router, and IP firewall in a compact, substation-hardened product with a variety of field mounting and power supply options, with Magnum DX800 Serial Device Router supports four serial interfaces and four Ethernet ports, including two fiber ports. Magnum DX40 Serial Device Router has two serial ports and two Ethernet ports; one or both may be fiber.

IntelliCom NetBiter I/O Extender connects to NetBiter webSCADA, a Web gateway with built-in alarm manager and data logger. NetBiter I/O Extender provides a wide range of I/O possibilities to the NetBiter webSCADA product. The NetBiter I/O Extender has 4 digital inputs, 4 digital outputs, 2 analog inputs, 1 analog output, and 2 RTD (temperature). It communicates with standard Modbus RTU, and 20 I/O Extenders devices can be connected to one webSCADA.

ISA ‘s reference text, “Industrial Ethernet, 2nd Edition,” by Perry S. Marshall and John S. Rinaldi, is an installation, troubleshooting, and reference tool that explains Ethernet, TCP/IP terminology, and industrial protocols. Constraints of the industrial environment are explained, as are the specialized requirements of machine control. Practical reference charts and technical tips are included, with signaling types, Web services, power over Ethernet, and an expanded focus on Ethernet protocols and addressing as well as wireless Ethernet.

Ethersmart Wildcard from Mosaic Industries brings Web connectivity to Mosaic’s embedded controllers and operator interfaces.

Mosaic Industries ‘ Ethersmart Wildcard, an expansion module from Mosaic Industries, brings Web connectivity to Mosaic’s embedded controllers and operator interfaces.

Combined with Mosaic’s own QCard, a 2 x 2.5-in. single board computer, it is said to offer extensive control, communications, and I/O capability at low cost. It connects with standard Ethernet cables, allowing the QCard to communicate with other computers on a Local Area Network (LAN), implementing SMTP, HTTP, TCP/IP, ICMP, ARP, DHCP protocols to establish and manage communications. It has 8 digital I/O lines with counter/timer capabilities, 8 analog inputs, a fast synchronous SPI serial interface, and dual RS-232/485 ports.

Moxa EDS-510A Series Ethernet switch has three Gigabit Ethernet ports.

MOXA Networking launched a new gigabit Ethernet switch for bandwidth-critical applications. EDS-510A Series comes equipped with three Gigabit Ethernet ports, making it ideal for building a redundant Gigabit Turbo Ring backbone, while leaving a spare gigabit port for uplink or ring coupling. It is designed especially for communication demanding applications: process control, shipbuilding, ITS, and DCS systems, which can benefit from a scalable backbone construction.

Parvus Corp . announced the PRV-1059 VLAN-enabled 5-Port PC/104 Ethernet Switch, a compact rugged networking product ideally suited for harsh military and industrial environments. It features very low power consumption, extended-temperature operation, and MIL-STD-810F compliance.

Turck introduced heavy-duty managed and unmanaged Ethernet switches . The new line of fully encapsulated managed and unmanaged Ethernet switches with connectors can transfer information and perform real-time I/O control in harsh industrial environments. The switches support 10/100 Base-T with twisted-pair Ethernet cable. Unmanaged switches have 5 or 9-port configurations, with support for either 2 or 4 twisted-pair media. Managed switch has a 9-port configuration, with one port used for RS-232 configuration, and supports IGMP, RSTP, SNMP, and V-LAN. Setup is as simple as applying power and connecting devices to the ports.

Four new industrial Ethernet routers from Weidmuller are designed to safeguard industrial Ethernet networks.

Weidmuller introduces four new secure industrial Ethernet router models designed to provide secure access to the Internet, and to separate Ethernet networks for increased data integrity and simplified configuration. These new routers include two industrial access routers and two mini routers. They connect industrial Ethernet networks safely and securely to the Internet via an integrated analog or ISDN modem that provides global application options. External modems (ISDN, GSM, DSL or analog) are simply connected to the RS-232 interface. Access to networks behind the routers is granted to authorized users only, making it possible to conceal connected networks or machines behind one IP address, minimizing time and effort needed for network installation.

For related news, articles, and products, search Ethernet atop any page at www.controleng.com .

— Mark T. Hoske , editor in chief , Control Engineering