Next generation terminal server

GarrettCom Magnum 10ETS, part of the Magnum 10KT “10” series of networking products for power utility substations, easily integrates serial devices into smart grid initiatives, the company said.

June 4, 2011

GarrettCom Inc. is now shipping its new Magnum 10ETS Ethernet Terminal Server targeting large substation installations with large numbers of serial instruments. The Magnum 10ETS provides up to 8 Ethernet ports or up to 32 serial ports for protection and SCADA devices and IRIG-B time coding. Like other members of the next-generation Magnum “10” Series, the 10ETS is an IEC 61850-compatible networking device with the hardening required for substation applications and the only dual hot-swappable power supply in the industry. It is the only terminal server with a built-in firewall.

“Although the Smart Grid initiative has increased the incentive to upgrade to IP-based systems, many power utilities have serviceable serial instruments that will be in operation for many years to come,” said Frank Madren, GarrettCom President. The Magnum 10ETS Terminal Server provides "reliability, security and port configurability to enable large operations to be integrated into Smart Grid systems and to meet security requirements mandated by NERC/CIP,” he said.

By providing the same combination of high port density with flexible configurability and hot-swap power as the 10KT Managed Ethernet Switch, the 10ETS provides the connectivity necessary in today’s more complex substations and reduces the potential points of failure in a substation communications system. The servers provide the bandwidth, timing, precision and hardening required for optimization of smart grid initiatives in substation environments today, the company said.

The Magnum 10ETS Terminal Server can support up to 36 ports. Ports can be configured in varying combinations with either a maximum of 8 10/100 copper or fiber Ethernet ports with multiple connector options (and up to 28 serial ports), or a maximum of 32 serial ports, with either DB-9 or RJ45 connectors (and 4 Ethernet ports). Routing is available on all Ethernet ports, providing support for complex networks.

It has a backup power supply and hot swappable replacements for high reliability substation-hardened networks. Power supply options include multiple dc voltage choices, as well as universal ac.

As power utility networks grow more complex, ability to synchronize geographically separated instruments throughout a power delivery system grows more critical. IRIG-B is the most prevalent version of the time code standards developed by Inter-Range Instrumentation Group, the standards body of the Range Commanders Council, and is used in protection systems in substations.

The 10ETS Terminal Server uses field-proven Magnum MNS-DX Network Management Software that contains the robust security features found in Magnum Ethernet switches and routers, as well as MODBUS support for serial products. The MNS-DX firewall protection ensures that data from serial devices will be subjected to the same security management rules as data coming from the rest of the network, making it easier to achieve compliance with the more stringent NERC/CIP requirements anticipated in the future. Other features that complement the next-generation capabilities of these terminal servers include VLANs, SSL/SSH, Radius, TACACS+, and Ethernet routing.

The 10ETS is easy to integrate into even the harshest substation environments, with EMI, temperature and shock ratings that meet stringent IEC 68150-3 standards.

www.garrettcom.com

GarrettCom Inc.

Industrial Ntwork Channel: www.controleng.com/networks