Overview

• Area and cell network according to the international IEEE 802.3 standard (Ethernet), 802.3u and 802.11a/b/g/h designed for the industrial environment
• Connection of automation components to each other and to PC and workstations as well as components for wireless communication for homogeneous and heterogeneous communication
• PROFINET, the open standard for automation, is based on Industrial Ethernet and supports the connection of devices from the field level up to the management level
• Comprehensive open network solutions can be implemented
• High transmission performance
• Industrial Ethernet is the industry standard, well-proven worldwide with international acceptance
• The basis for IT in Automation
• Solutions such as Web function, e-mail function and IWAN connections
• A safety solution specially designed for industrial automation with the industrial security concept SCALANCE S
• Connection to the wireless network (WLAN)

Industrial Ethernet in the communications landscape

Benefits

Ethernet presently has a market share of over 80 % with a rising trend, thus placing it in the pole position in the LAN landscape worldwide. Ethernet offers important characteristics that can give you significant advantages for your application:

• Investment protection through continuous compatible further development
• Network components for use in harsh industrial environments
• Fast assembly and start-up thanks to the simplest connection method.
• High availability of the networks due to ring redundancy and redundant power supply
• Continuous monitoring of network components through a simple and effective signaling concept
• Almost unlimited communications performance, since scalable performance is available through switching technology if required
• Networking of different application areas such as office and production areas.
• Data reservation in the case of Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN)
• Rapid roaming for Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN) for high-speed forwarding of mobile stations between various access points
• In Industrial Ethernet, plant-wide time synchronization is possible. This means that events can be arranged accurately in the order of occurrence throughout the plant.

Industrial Ethernet serves as the basis for use of Component based Automation which is based on the PROFINET standard of PROFINET International (PNO).