Ethernet is not a protocol

January 31st, 2012

Carl’s pet peeve number three*: Ethernet is not a protocol.

IMS Research found that the number one industrial Ethernet protocol is “Ethernet TCP/IP.” [“Double Your Pleasure, Double Your PROFINET”]

VDC found the leading industrial Ethernet protocol is “Ethernet.”

Ethernet is not a protocol!  I ranted about this before, way back in 2006: “Why Use Industrial Ethernet?”  So today I’ve counted to ten and will move from rant mode to education mode.

Networking is characterized in the ISO/OSI reference model.  Its seven layers define the functions of various aspects of networks. Wikipedia has a complete explanation: OSI Model.  The Internet Model collapses the layers to four.

Layers 1 and 2 are defined by IEEE802.3 which we know as “Ethernet.”  To overstate this: Ethernet is just the Physical layer and the Data Link layer.  By itself Ethernet does nothing; it’s just the “pipe.”  What comes down the pipe?  Whatever IP sends down the pipe (when TCP/IP is used).  IP is at layer 3.  IP sends the message it received up to layer 4, TCP.  So what do TCP and IP do?  Just send the message on to where they’re told.  Up at the top of the stack is the application layer, at layer 7.  The application layer is where the protocol resides.  Only the application layer actually does more than send the message along its way.  (What happened to layers 5 and 6?  They are neither needed nor used.)

Now, IP and TCP are not the only choices for layers 3 and 4, respectively.  You can substitute UDP at layer 4 for example.  Or you can skip them altogether like Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) does; it goes straight from layer 2 to an application.

PROFINET takes a lesson from ARP.  It skips TCP and IP for real-time messages.  TCP and IP (aka “the stack”) is implemented in software.  Rather than let PROFINET real-time messages languish in the stack, we skip it.  This improves speed and determinism.  (See the Industrial Ethernet Book article for details: “Technical Article: Performance metrics for Industrial Ethernet”.)

So, when users respond to IMS and VDC and say their Industrial Ethernet protocol is “Ethernet,” what do they mean?  I would not accept this answer if I were a market research company!  So what do they mean?  Do they mean web server? A real Industrial Ethernet protocol?  A Proprietary protocol?  “I have no blooming idea what a protocol is?”

What do you think they mean?

–Carl Henning

*Number one: Wireless is not monolithic: “Wireless or Wireless”
Number two: Why can’t Control Engineers and IT get along?  (Although there is certainly improvement in this relationship from five years ago.)

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Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso

January 6th, 2012

“Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso” is not only the opening lyric to one of my favorite songs; it’s where I’ll be on January 24 – to conduct a PROFINET one-day training class, of course.

We’ve updated the PROFINET class for 2012 to include new PROFINET features, new demos, new products, and new application stories.  We’ve also added a section on the transition from PROFIBUS to PROFINET.  Through that transition you can keep your existing PROFIBUS; after all, you already made that investment, PROFIBUS is a great bus, and it’s easy to include it in a PROFINET system.

So if you’re in west Texas or “the badlands of New Mexico” or “south of the border down Mexico way” I hope to see you in class.  Details and a link to registration are here.  And maybe you provide directions to “Rosa’s Cantina” for me.

Off-topic explanation of the referenced lyrics: El Paso by Marty Robbins starts “Out in the west Texas town of El Paso.”  Released on his Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album in 1959, it was the first album I ever bought.  Since then I’ve bought it on cassette and CD, but now the MP3 plays as I write this.  Short version of the story: cowboy falls in love with Mexican girl in Rosa’s Cantina, shoots rival, escapes to “the badlands of New Mexico,” and returns to an unhappy ending.  You can catch it on YouTube naturally.  South of the Border?  Different song.

–Carl Henning

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Summary of News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011

December 13th, 2011

The SPS/IPC/Drives Show is very important for industrial automation professionals.  I’ve been going long enough to see it grow in size and visitors (with many more international visitors lately).  Given that importance, here’s a summary of news from the show from me and many others:

My posts:

PROFIBUS News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011 covers PROFIBUS in process and PROFIsafe (and a little nostalgia).

PROFINET News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011 shows new PROFINET controllers on the PROFINET wall and news of PI’s increased global presence.

PROFINET Chip News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011 reveals even more providers of PROFINET in silicon.

PROFIenergy News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011 races cars to show how PROFIenergy works.

Miscellaneous News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011 is about the people at the show.

 

PI press releases:

White paper “Potential of PROFIenergy” available showing big energy savings using PROFIenergy.

PROFIenergy – the automatic start/stop system for industry uses the race car analogy to explain PROFIenergy.

Comprehensive PROFINET integration in the new netX – more PROFINET in silicon.

PROFINET continues to extend its leading position with more millions of nodes installed and an ambitious goal set.

500th PROFINET Certificate Awarded to GE for their VersaMAX.  For GE Intelligent Platforms PROFINET is not just another network, it is THE network.

News reports

PROFInews 84 (the global edition of PROFInews)

#SPS 2012: Successful if not quite hitting secure note!  Eoin Ó Riain always has an excellent summary of shows and user meetings even if he can’t get there in person.  This is one of them.

SPS Drives Exhibition Recap by Gary Mintchell leaves out all the great things I told him there about PROFINET.

Notes from #SPS/IPC/DRIVES in Nuremberg from Walt Boyes gives facts and impressions.

SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011 Show Report from Leo Ploner is another comprehensive report.  Somehow I missed seeing Leo this time; maybe in Hanover…

But you should definitely plan to go to SPS/IPC/Drives in 2012 since it is the week after Thanksgiving instead of the week OF Thanksgiving!  Carl’s travel tips: Next Year in Nuremberg for SPS/IPC/Drives 2012?

–Carl Henning

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Next Year in Nuremberg for SPS/IPC/Drives 2012?

December 9th, 2011

Since next year’s SPS/IPC/Drives Show is the week after Thanksgiving, you should plan to go.  It is THE show for industrial automation.

The show runs for three days: November 27 through 29, 2012.

Monitor the show website for updates and news: http://www.mesago.de/en/SPS/home.htm

Tickets for the show are not expensive, but you can probably get them for free by watching the ticket page.

The sooner you book your air travel, the cheaper your fare is likely to be.  Look for coach tickets that can be upgraded (which is easier if you have some status with the airline).  Or perhaps you can snag some discounted business class tickets.  If you can sleep on board (easier in business class), you will arrive ready to go; if not, plan on allowing a day to acclimatize.  The conventional wisdom is to remain awake until bedtime on your first day there.  My system responds better if I take a short nap after arrival.  Most flights from the North America arrive in the morning.

If your airline can’t get you to Nuremberg, no worries.  Plan to take a train from their hub to Nuremberg.  You can find a train schedule at http://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml.  You can buy tickets there too, but I would not book a specific train time – on time air arrival can be iffy.  Look for an InterCity Express (ICE) with no change of train.

Book your hotel early, too, or you can wind up with a long train ride to the show.  I prefer staying near the central part of Nuremberg where there are plenty of restaurants and sights.  From the main train station, you can take the U-Bahn (the underground train) U1 or U11 in the direction: ‘Langwasser Süd’.  It will take you directly to the show (“Messe”) in only 8 minutes.  Or if there are several of you, a taxi is inexpensive.

The hotel rates are high during the show leading some folks to choose staying in a private home that has registered to accept guests.  I have not done that so I don’t know how to arrange that kind of accommodation.

Restaurants: there are many good restaurants in the city.  See me at the show and I’ll give you some recommendations.

The Christmas Market will probably have already started next year before the show.  It’s interesting to walk through the individual stalls and perhaps buy an authentic German gift for the family.  It’s in the city center.  So are many museums; I especially enjoyed the Toy Museum.

Plan your travel now and plan to visit the PI booth and say Hello!

–Carl Henning

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Miscellaneous News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011

December 7th, 2011

The worst part of the SPS/IPC/Drives show is getting there.  I was delayed for 4 hours on the way over since we had to land in Halifax, NS, Canada for a medical emergency on board.  On the way back I was happy to be delayed only an hour since I still made my connecting flight to Phoenix.  The fact that the show obliterates the Thanksgiving holiday is not a treat either, of course.

 The best part of the SPS/IPC/Drives show is connecting with people: people from the PI Support Center, members of the Working Groups, PROFINET experts, journalists, and PI North America members.

 Although I talk to and email my colleagues at the PI Support Center throughout the year, it’s good to catch up with them in person.  These are the folks that help our members with product certification, create the documentation, distribute the specs, maintain the online product guide, and much more.

 Talking to the PROFINET experts and Working Group members is a treat.  I always learn something new about the technology and what’s new in the technology.

 I saw just two American journalists who came by the booth (and stayed at the same hotel we PI North America folks stayed at): Gary Mintchell and Walt Boyes.

There were not a lot of folks there from the US, but there were a few.  Innovasic and Freescale were in our booth so we could wish them a “Happy Thanksgiving” in person.  Comtrol was in the booth as well.  I also had a chance to chat with Mike Rothwell in the Phoenix Contact booth.  And our friends from PCC were wandering the show’s many halls.

Of course when you’ve been around automation as long as I have (don’t ask) you run into people from your past lives.  I had a chance to catch up with current activities of some friends from my Wonder years like John Bailey and Thomas Gillblad.

SPS/IPC/Drives is definitely the show to attend for automation… AND next year it is the week AFTER Thanksgiving!  I’ll post some travel tips next so you can plan to attend.

–Carl Henning

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PROFIenergy News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011

December 2nd, 2011

There were a few more PROFIenergy products on the PROFIenergy wall.  So while other Industrial Ethernets make plans we have members making products.

 We used an automotive theme to help demonstrate PROFIenergy at the show.

We even have a video of PI Chairman Jörg Freitag explaining the analogy.

 I also used a car analogy in my PROFIenergy video “What Does PROFIenergy Mean?”:

 –Carl Henning

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PROFINET Chip News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011

November 30th, 2011

You might think this blog post is mostly for device makers… well, actually it is, but for current and prospective users of PROFINET there’s a message, too.  The folks who make the devices you need have a lot of choices in how to implement PROFINET – from software stacks on standard Ethernet Controllers to custom silicon “chips.”  And the proliferation of PROFINET chip providers is an indication of how rapidly the technology is being adopted.

 Now, for device makers, there were six providers of PROFINET in silicon: Siemens, Phoenix Contact / KW Software, Hilscher, Texas Instruments, Freescale, and Innovasic.

 I especially like to focus on the North American-based providers: Freescale and Innovasic.  Both were in the PI booth:

 

Innovasic presented results from their studies of jitter in Industrial Ethernet architectures using their PriorityChannel.  In the test system PROFINET jitter was just 10 microseconds (compared to 160 microseconds with another Industrial Ethernet).  With PROFINET IRT we can reduce that further, but 10 microseconds is impressive for PROFINET RT.

Freescale has a drawing for a prototyping kit that you can enter here.

For other approaches to implementing PROFINET please visit www.AllThingsProfinet.com and follow the “Device Maker” path.  One other important implementation news item: HMS has added PROFIsafe to their modules to make it easy to include the PROFIsafe profile in your PROFINET product.  They had previously announced the inclusion of PROFIenergy.

It’s true that you don’t need special semiconductor chips to implement PROFINET; you can use a standard Ethernet Controller.  But just because you can does not mean you should!  PROFIBUS succeeded not with standard RS485 chips, but with custom chips that have PROFIBUS functionality and the RS485 communication implementation, too.  We at PI are convinced that a similar path is how PROFINET will continue to succeed too.

–Carl Henning

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PROFINET News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011

November 28th, 2011

The PROFINET news that jumped out at me included controllers and chips.  The PROFINET wall featured more controllers than ever.  Of course there were controllers from Siemens and Phoenix Contact.  And we’ve seen Omron with PROFINET… and ABB.  But this is the first year I’ve seen controllers from PI North America members Mitsubishi and GE Intelligent Platforms on the wall.

GE Intelligent Platforms was also the recipient of the 500th product certificate.  All PROFINET products are required to be tested and certified in one of our accredited test labs.  The certified product is the VersaMAX PROFINET IO scanner. Marcel van Helten, General Manager of GE Intelligent Platforms Germany at the PI Wednesday morning press conference explained why they chose PROFINET.  He pointed out that for them PROFINET was not “just another network on the list” but the only network.  Their selection was based on the openness of the specification, the ability to participate in the creation of the spec, and the global support provided by PI.  There is more information in a press release on the GE website.

Speaking of product testing and certification, our worldwide resources continue to grow.  We now have 27 Regional PI Associations (like PI North America), 43 PI Competence Centers, 23 PI Training Centers, and 10 PI Test Labs.  As PI Chairman Jörg Freitag says “Our network gives our member companies throughout the world a decisive competitive advantage.”  And by “network” we can include PROFIBUS, PROFINET, AND the people network.

The installed base of PROFINET devices also continues to grow.  I expect we will maintain our roughly one third share of the Industrial Ethernet market.  (The other two thirds are equally divided between Ethernet/IP and “Other.”)  And as noted in an earlier post “Double Your Pleasure, Double Your PROFINET,” usage in North America is expected to double in coming years.

More news from the SPS/IPC/Drives Show soon, but at noon I get on a plane for Chicago and our PROFINET one-day training class in Schaumberg, IL on Tuesday.  Come on over if you get a chance.  Details and a link to registration here.  Whew!  Last class of the year for me, although there is one more PROFIBUS class in Sand Diego.

–Carl Henning

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PROFIBUS News from SPS/IPC/Drives 2011

November 28th, 2011

PROFIBUS keeps on keeping on.  We are expecting to exceed 40 million installed nodes through 2011.  This is quite a contrast to the ads hanging on the wall in the office where we brag about exceeding 250,000! 

PROFIBUS is far and away the most successful fieldbus and still energetic in its maturity.  The PROFIBUS PA wall in the PI booth highlighted PA Profile 3.02 which allows replacing a failed instrument with one from another manufacturer.  Plant Asset Management also had an exhibit on the wall to show how maintenance information can be received and acted on.

PROFIsafe had a wall of devices again.  PROFIsafe is another mature technology with over 10 years of history.  It works on drives, process instruments, and discrete devices… on PROFIBUS and PROFINET… over wire, fiber, or wireless.  You will find much more about PROFIsafe here on the blog by clicking the PROFIsafe tag and at www.PROFIsafe.net.

More news from the SPS/IPC/Drives Show to come…

–Carl Henning

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PROFIBUS & PROFINET Classes: Looking backward, looking forward

November 17th, 2011

We have two more free classes left for 2011: PROFINET in Chicago on November 29 and PROFIBUS in San Diego on December 13.  We just completed our next-to-last PROFIBUS class of the year in Raleigh.  Raleigh was typical of recent classes – SRO (Standing Room Only).  Fortunately we were able to bring in extra chairs at the last minute.  We had to do the same thing in my old stomping grounds in Burlington, ON for the PROFINET class last week:

gPROFINET Class in Burlington, ON

We should finish 2011 with 8 PROFIBUS classes, 11 PROFINET classes, and over 1600 registrants.

For 2012 we should touch even more people with 8 PROFIBUS and 13 PROFINET classes.  These classes are free although “You Can’t Say ‘Free’ Training.”  Here’s the 2012 schedule (so far):

Schedule PROFIBUS PROFINET
January   El Paso, TX Jan 24
February Dallas, TX Birmingham, AL Feb 14
March Greenville, SC Mar 29 Atlanta, GA
April   St Louis, MO Apr 12
May Milwaukee, WI Detroit, MI May 16
June Boston, MA Montreal
NYC, NY
July Kansas City, MO Indianapolis, IN Jul 12
August Dayton, OH Portland, OR
September Seattle, WA Chattanooga, TN
October Memphis, TN Minneapolis, MN
November   Baltimore, MD
December   Long Beach, CA

Watch the website for firm dates or subscribe to PROFInews North American Edition.

I hope to see you in one of these cities in 2012… or Chicago in 2 weeks… or perhaps next week at the SPS/IPC/Drives Show in Nuremberg, Germany.  Yes, another Thanksgiving in Germany for the PI North America crew.  Stop by the PI booth (6-210) and say Hello if you’ll be there.  If you won’t be there, look for reports on the show here on the PROFIblog.

–Carl Henning

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