Network Integration in Heterogeneous Industrial Networking Environments by GarrettCom

Last time I checked it was reasonably easy to get a bus transfer in NYC, but don’t expect thatlevel of ease when doing transfers from one industrial bus to another. More than likely you’ll getmore attitude than a rush hour bus driver. What you need is a good map to avoid the roadblocksalong the way, and a clear and logical itinerary that avoids the potholes. That is where this papercan help.

By Control Engineering Staff November 30, 2006

Last time I checked it was reasonably easy to get a bus transfer in NYC, but don’t expect that level of ease when doing transfers from one industrial bus to another. More than likely you’ll get more attitude than a rush hour bus driver. What you need is a good map to avoid the roadblocks along the way, and a clear and logical itinerary that avoids the potholes. That is where this paper can help.

The interconnection and integration of existing heterogeneous sub-networks into a homogeneous network has always presented challenges. Evolving and converging protocol standards along with emerging multi-protocol components suggest that a clear understanding of the problems and solutions has never been more important. These concerns include reliability, redundancy, robustness, and security. Most importantly, the multi-bus points of integration should be as seamless as possible, and a consistently high level of security should be maintained throughout.

Where legacy equipment is still performing as required, an efficient way to integrate these components into the overall scheme while preserving security and reliability is vitally important. As new equipment and processes evolve, a consistent strategy of deployment of Ethernetsupported interfaces insures proper integration with a minimum of downtime and re-engineering delays. The wide range and availability of Ethernet solutions and its support from standards groups, vendors, OEMs, and industry provides the assurance that it will continue to evolve. From the early days of 10Mb coaxial cable products Ethernet has moved into the gigabit range and beyond. Bandwidth and media support outstrip any other transmission and access control protocol set.

GarrettCom (11 page pdf)