• Area and cell network according to the international standards IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet) and IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/h/n (wireless LAN) designed for the industrial environment right down to the field level
• Connection of automation components (controllers and field devices) to each other and to PCs and workstations as well as components for wireless communication
• PROFINET, the Industrial Ethernet standard for automation, is based on Standard Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and supports the connection of devices from field level up to management level
• Comprehensive open network solutions can be implemented
• High transmission performance at up to 10 Gigabit/s
• Integration of conventional IT functionalities such as Web server and e-mail in the automation sector
• A security solution especially for industrial automation thanks to the industrial security concept with the security products of SIMATIC NET (SIMATIC NET CPs with Security Integrated, SCALANCE S and SCALANCE M)

Industrial Ethernet in the communications landscape

Ethernet

The LAN standard from the office sector

Ethernet currently has a market share of over 90% with a rising trend, thus placing it in the pole position in the LAN landscape worldwide. The specification of this baseband LAN was developed in the 70s and standardized in the international IEEE 802.3 standard. Ethernet has continued to experience rapid development and established itself in all speed ranges and application areas.

Milestones include:

• Almost unlimited and very easily scalable data transmission performance thanks to
  • switching technology, full duplex, redundancy
  • continuously rising data rates (10/100 Mbit/s, 1/10 Gbit/s)
• High availability of the network, because:
  • existing networks can be expanded without any adverse effects
  • network structures with any form of meshing compensate for the failure of individual network components (e.g. by means of the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol)
• Compatible protocol expansions, e.g. support of virtual subnetworks and prioritized data traffic through the use of VLANs
• Structured cabling concept
  • Standardized connection technology
  • Simplest connection technology due to use of preassembled twisted pair cables
  • Glass fiber-optic cables for long distances, areas subject to RFI and inter-building cabling

Ethernet forms the basis for overlaid network protocols such as TCP/IP. TCP/IP is responsible for the transport of data between LANs and represents the basis for IT services (e.g. Internet). In addition, this enables different LAN technologies to be easily integrated, e.g. Ethernet with Wireless LAN.

Ethernet components for the office sector are offered by a large number of vendors, but do not always meets the specific requirements of the industrial sector.

For planning, operation and maintenance of Ethernet networks, sufficiently qualified personnel are available worldwide.

Industrial Ethernet

The industry-standard version of Ethernet.

The widespread use of Ethernet in the office sector and the associated wide distribution of technology and know-how have also made this technology interesting for the industrial environment. In order to adapt the networks for the sometimes extremely harsh requirements in the industrial environment, Siemens has made further drastic improvements to their industrial capability, availability, reliability and real-time capability and added rugged connection technology. This gave rise to the "Industrial Ethernet". All Industrial Ethernet devices from Siemens are also extremely easy to operate. This supports implementation without any special IT knowledge.

By means of these additions for tough industrial use, Siemens has shown that Ethernet can also be used successfully in such applications. This approach has been consistently and successfully applied not only for Industrial Ethernet and PROFINET, but also for Industrial WLAN.

PROFINET/Industrial Ethernet/Ethernet conforming to IEEE 802.3

Industrial Ethernet offers a powerful network, compliant with the IEEE 802.3 standard (Ethernet), for industrial applications. This ensures that the widest range of application areas, such as office and production, can be networked with one another.

Industrial Ethernet utilizes Ethernet technology and strengthens it for use in the industrial sector by means of:

• Network components for use in tough industrial environments (dust, moisture, extreme temperatures, impact loads, vibrations)
• Rugged and simple connection technology for on-site assembly
  • FastConnect cabling system with RJ45 technology
  • On-site assembly of POF and PCF fiber-optic cables
• Failsafe networks through redundancy
• Failsafe devices through redundant design and redundant power supplies
• Connection of automation components (controllers and field devices) to each other and to PCs and workstations
• Optimized communication between automation components and simultaneously open communication according to TCP/IP standard
• Simple connection to the Wireless LAN and Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN) networks in accordance with IEEE 802.11
• A security solution specially designed for industrial automation in the form of the Industrial Security concept

Among the Siemens Ethernet components for industrial use, the focus is on compatible successor products and spare parts availability of up to 10 years.

PROFINET

The open Industrial Ethernet standard for automation

With more than six million nodes worldwide (Dec. 2012), PROFINET is the leading cross-vendor Industrial Ethernet standard (IEC 61158/61784) for automation.

PROFINET increases companies' success by accelerating processes, boosting productivity, and increasing plant availability.

Advantages at a glance

Network diagnostics

Failures in the network not only prevent access by plant operators to the field devices, but often mean that these devices can no longer communicate with one another. In the worst-case scenario, this can result in production downtimes. With the SINEMA Server network monitoring software developed especially for industry, problems can be detected and cleared at an early stage.

The number of nodes of Ethernet-based devices in production networks is growing continuously. Long, time-consuming searches for faults in large industrial networks during commissioning or during a standstill in production are unforeseeable cost drivers, to be avoided where possible. For this reason, network transparency through the continuous diagnosis of Ethernet-based production networks should be part of every efficient production system.

However, with a suitable network management system, such as SINEMA Server, which has been especially designed for industrial applications, problems can be detected at an early stage and appropriate measures taken in good time.

Even a single failure in the network during operation can result in a rush of alarms from various network nodes which are connected together. The combination of topology know-how with the diagnostics values of individual network nodes is decisive in order to rapidly identify the location and eliminate the cause of a network fault. A complete physical map of the network permits analysis of the possible effects of cable or device faults. This is helpful when planning high-availability applications.

This established system, that has already been an essential component of network availability in the IT sector for years, is now also becoming a worthwhile addition to the production environment.

The SINEMA Server software provides maximum transparency in industrial networks through automatic topology recognition, constant network monitoring as well as comprehensive diagnostics and reporting functions.

The most important applications at a glance:

• Automatic documentation of networks:
  Do you have up-to-date and complete documentation for your networked automation system?
• Application-specific structuring and visualization of a network:
  Do you have a simple, graphical overview of the devices in your plant network?
• Reporting of changes and faults in the network:
  Are you notified about new devices and network faults in plant operation?
• Analysis of changes and faults in the network:
  Have you already had a plant standstill caused by a sporadic network failure?
• Integration of network diagnostics into HMI/SCADA:
  Can you also monitor the status of the network with your HMI SCADA system?
• Adaptation of monitoring functionality to devices and users:
  Can you adapt your network diagnostics to the individual devices and the users?