Unlike other competitor networks, all PROFINET devices support Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) which is defined in IEEE standard 802.1AB. There are multiple reasons for LLDP support. The first is to be able to discover, check, and maintain the topology of the PROFINET network and obtain diagnostics if something changes. The second is for easy device commissioning when setting up […]
What’s the MAC address of the device you are viewing this from? The IP Address? What’s your name? The easiest of all those to remember is your name, mine is PNC for short. PROFINET device names are used for the same reasons.
The number one rule-of-thumb, which you should never forget when commissioning a PROFINET system: make sure to assign the device name from your engineering tool (or setup auto commissioning). Here is the PROFINET Naming Convention list to help you out.
In the automation environment of today and tomorrow, end users need a system which is built with effective diagnostic capabilities and is easy to manage at both the network and application levels for minimum downtime and increased productivity. PROFINET should be your network of choice because it has best in class diagnostic mechanisms which are in short: ‘suite and simple’. IT […]
What is Simple Network Management Protocol? SNMP is a protocol which has crossed over from information technology (IT) to PROFINET networks. Most PROFINET devices support it for network diagnostics and measurement through PROFINET’s coexistence with standard IT protocols and industrial Ethernet. Information can be gathered from the network nodes such as statistics of the network load (bandwidth utilization), errors from faulty packets, or status of the […]
In Part One of this series, we discussed how PROFINET leverages IT protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to provide easy configuration and diagnostics over the network. Now in part two, we’ll cover PROFINET device naming, PROFINET Discovery and Configuration Protocol (DCP), and Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP). […]
In part one of this series, we discussed how PROFINET leverages IT protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to provide easy configuration and diagnostics over the network. In part two, we covered PROFINET device naming, PROFINET Discovery and Configuration Protocol (DCP), and Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP), which […]
Often, when we talk with customers, they ask how PROFINET compares with other network protocols. In this article, we’ll explain how PROFINET and Modbus TCP compare head to head in order to help you understand the differences between them. At the end of the comparison, we’ll show a table highlighting the main points for quick reference. Speed and Determinism When it comes to a […]
In this article, we will cover conformance classes, as they fit into the mandatory features of PROFINET. Every PROFINET device has a defined set of features which are mandatory based on its conformance class. The conformance classes are divided into three categories, class A, B, and C.
We often use an age-old catchphrase during our PROFINET one day training classes, “But wait, there’s more!” when we get to the latter part of the day. We’ve found that most engineers and developers don’t realize what the optional PROFINET features are and their purpose.
PROFINET offers many features which allow for custom-tailored architectures and automation applications. An overview of these features can be found in our mandatory and optional features articles. One of these features is “PROFINET Shared Device”, which gives multiple PROFINET IO controllers (PLCs / PACs) access to the same IO device. You are probably thinking why would we want to do that? And, how could that […]
Introduction In a recent article, we covered “PROFINET Shared Device”, which gives a device the capability to share IO data with multiple controllers. This time we will discuss I-Device, which operates on the IO controller level. This optional feature allows a controller to be both a device and controller simultaneously, allowing for controller to controller (some might say peer to peer) communications […]
