This document summarizes an industrial ethernet webcast that included three case studies:
1) The importance of proper cable installation and verification was shown through a case where improper installation by untrained personnel led to communication issues that were later resolved by reterminating connectors and rechecking cables.
2) Reasons for spending time designing ethernet infrastructure were discussed, highlighting questions around managed vs unmanaged switches, layer 3 vs 2, port settings, and commercial vs consumer grade components.
3) How to minimize issues from an existing poorly designed network included systematically reviewing the physical installation and configuration, checking cabling, and testing before integrating a new system.
2. RCEP Standards
Control Engineering has met the standards and
requirements of the Registered Continuing
Education Program. Credit earned on
completion of this program will be reported to
RCEP at RCEP.net. A certificate of
completion will be issued to each participant.
As such, it does not include content that may
be deemed or construed to be an approval or
endorsement by RCEP.
4. Purpose and Learning Objectives
Attendees will learn:
• The importance of correct cable installation
and verification
• Reasons why should you spend time
designing your Ethernet Infrastructure
• How to minimize the impact of an existing
poorly-designed network Infrastructure.
• Key market trends about industrial Ethernet.
5. Technical Questions and Support
Technical problems?
• Click on the “Question Mark Symbol” on the upper right hand
corner of your screen, where you will be directed to a list of
system checks.
• If you are experiencing issues with your slides or audio please
refresh your browser, or click the “Refresh Media” button directly
under the presenter’s headshot.
• You can control the volume settings of this webcast by adjusting
the volume on your computer, or by adjusting the volume on the
webcast platform.
• If you need a technician, type a message into the “Ask a
Question” box and someone will get to you as quickly as
possible. Individual technical questions will be answered in the
“Answered Questions” on the left hand side of your screen.
6. Speakers
• Steve Schneebeli, Director of
Engineering / IT
Malisko Engineering Inc.
www.malisko.com
• Moderator: Mark T. Hoske, Content
Manager, Control Engineering,
CFE Media, covering industrial
networking, among other topics, since
1994 www.controleng.com
7. Industrial Ethernet, Part 2:
Case Studies
Steve Schneebeli
Director of Engineering / IT
Malisko Engineering Inc.
8. Agenda – Industrial Ethernet
case studies
• Case Study #1 – Importance of correct cable installation
& verification
• Case Study #2 – Why you should spend time designing
your Ethernet infrastructure
• Case Study #3 – How to minimize the impact of an
existing poorly designed network.
• Questions? (You can submit these as we go.)
9. Case Study #1
The Importance of Correct Cable
Installation and Verification
10. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
How many people have seen these types of
installation techniques?
14. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• On one particular project, the client
decided to install Ethernet cabling using
in-house resources.
• We stressed the importance of
knowledgeable installation techniques,
using certified installers, following industry
standards, and performing cable
verification after installation.
15. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• Our client decided to stick with their
maintenance people as installers.
• One result was CAT6 cables being pulled
through conduits using techniques an
electrician would use for pulling larger
conductor cabling.
16. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• This installation method caused:
– Kinks in the CAT6 cable,
– Stretching of the internal conductors and
conductor pair twisting,
– Compression of the cable.
17. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• The non-trained client’s maintenance
personnel terminated all RJ-45 plugs,
which resulted in:
– CAT6 cable sheaths cut too long,
– Cuts into individual conductors from cutting
back the cable sheath,
– Poorly and inconsistently crimped
connectors.
18. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• CAT6 non-shielded network cabling was
run within the motor control center, next to
480 V ac VFD and 120 V ac motor starter
wiring. This can cause:
– Electromagnetic interference (EMI)
resulting in potential interference with
Ethernet cabling.
19. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• During start-up, we noticed some issues with
the 2 new Ethernet enabled MCC sections
and the existing MCC sections that were
retrofitted with Ethernet.
• MCCs would randomly drop out of the system
tree in the PLC, along with random dropouts
of HMI communications.
• We knew the majority of the new cabling was
pulled through the MCCs.
• By pulling out the connection to the MCC,
everything started working.
20. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• We then started checking newly pull
cables and found issues as previously
outlined.
• The biggest cause of the random
communications issues were RJ-45
connections.
• Several needed to be re-terminated.
21. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• After re-terminating several RJ-45
connectors, checking for severe cable
damage during pulling, and re-routing
some cabling through the MCCs,
communications were then solid.
22. Case Study #1 (Cont.)
• Lessons we learned from this installation
is to ensure the cable installer knows
industrial Ethernet network best practices,
and at a minimum, tests the installation
using an Ethernet cable tester prior to
start-up.
23. Case Study #2
Reasons Why You Should Spend Time
Designing your Ethernet Infrastructure
24. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Spending time designing your Ethernet
infrastructure is sometimes overlooked.
• By spending the correct amount of time
designing and specifying your Ethernet
Infrastructure, you can eliminate common
problems, and ensure that your network
can handle future growth.
25. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
The following common questions are
sometimes overlooked during a
network design.
26. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Managed vs. unmanaged switches – Why
should I care?
• Layer 3 vs. Layer 2 switches – When do I
need Layer 3?
• Port settings – Auto negotiate vs. hard
coding speed and duplex
• Cheap consumer grade vs. commercial or
industrial grade components – Why does it
matter?
27. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Managed vs. unmanaged switches – why
should I care?
– Unmanaged switches typically do not have
any web-based interfaces to adjust port
settings.
– Advanced switching technologies, such as
Spanning Tree Protocol or IGMP Snooping,
are only available in managed switches.
(IGMP stands for Internet group management
protocol.)
28. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Managed vs. unmanaged switches – why
should I care?
– Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) provides
path redundancy in the network.
– STP provides redundant paths while
preventing loops that are created by
multiple active paths between switches.
29. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Managed vs. unmanaged switches – why
should I care?
– Managed switches have SNMP (Simple
Network Management Protocol) built-in to
remotely monitor switches on the network.
– Quality of Service (QoS) prioritizes critical
traffic (such as video) within managed
switches.
30. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Managed vs. unmanaged switches – why
should I care?
– Managed switches have the ability to
create VLANs or Virtual Networks. VLANs
(virtual local area networks) allow a switch
to logically group devices together to
isolate traffic between these groups even
when the traffic is passing over the same
physical switch.
32. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Layer 3 vs. Layer 2 Switches – When do I
need Layer 3?
– Layer 2 networks forward all traffic, especially
ARP (address resolution protocol) and DHCP
(dynamic host configuration protocol) broadcasts.
– Layer 3 switching can contain broadcast traffic to
the local network.
– Layer 3 switches allow for routing between
subnets.
– Downside of Layer 3 is a decrease of switching
performance due to the overhead needed for
routing.
33. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Port Settings – Auto negotiate vs hard
coding speed and duplex
– Managed switches allow for the ability to
set network speed (10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1
Gbps) and port duplex (half or full).
– Some applications and network devices
recommend hard coding these settings on
the switch to match the hard coded setting
of the device.
34. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Port settings – Auto negotiate vs hard
coding speed and duplex
– When hard coding a port, care must be
taken that the settings for the port match
the settings hard coded in the device.
– Communications issues will arise if both
the port and the device do not match.
35. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Cheap consumer grade vs. commercial or
industrial grade components – Why does it
matter?
– Saving cost of an installation makes it
appealing to use consumer grade devices.
– These devices do not have the robustness
typically found in commercial or industrial
grade devices.
36. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Cheap consumer grade vs. commercial or
industrial grade components – Why does it
matter?
– Most consumer grade devices, such as
wireless access points and routers, do not
have the range, throughput, or security
features (RADIUS Authentication) of
commercial or industrial grade devices.
RADIUS stands for remote authentication
dial in user service.
37. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Cheap consumer grade vs. commercial or
industrial grade components – Why does it
matter?
– Consumer grade devices typically do not
include the ability to implement VLANS or
Virtual LAN segregation.
38. Case Study #2 (Cont.)
• Lessons learned executing several
industrial Ethernet network designs is:
– Always make sure your are following
industry standards,
– Ask yourself if you need Layer 3 hardware,
– Use the right equipment for the job. Don’t
sacrifice robustness for cost savings,
– Check your port settings!
39. Case Study #3
How to Minimize the Impact of an Existing
Poorly-Designed Network Infrastructure
41. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• When installing or upgrading an Ethernet
Infrastructure in an existing plant, there is
a possibility you may run into some “not so
elegant” installations.
• One of our projects was to add a new
process center into an existing facility,
which had a very primitive controls
network.
42. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• During our first on-site visit, we took an
inventory of all the switches and network
devices on the existing network.
• Our client had a network device list with IP
addresses, but not a good cabling
diagram.
• We would need to tie our new controls
network into the existing process network.
43. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• Once the plant was down for installation of
the new network, we were able to trace
out connections within the existing
network.
• We found switches buried in panels up in
the ceiling that no one knew of.
• Cabling issues were also uncovered.
44. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• We then began to systematically
disconnect existing cabling to come up
with a rough map of the network, and
document connections on the existing
switches.
• We replaced consumer-grade switches
with industrial-rated switches.
45. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• RJ-45 connectors were reviewed and
reinstalled as needed, then checked with a
cable verifier.
• We found a switch loop that was causing
intermittent drop outs of PLC to PLC
communications from the new system to
the existing process network.
46. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• IGMP Snooping was enabled on existing
managed switches.
• All network drops on the new system were
verified with a cable tester.
47. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• By systematically reviewing each
connection point in the existing process
network, we were able to ensure solid
communications between the existing
devices and the new process system.
48. Case Study #3 (Cont.)
• Lessons learned while dealing with an
existing network infrastructure:
– Make sure you spend time reviewing the
physical installation and hardware,
– Check existing cabling and connections,
– Make sure the existing hardware is configured
correctly,
– Test the network before connecting your new
system into it.
49. Wrap-up
These three case studies give an insight to
common situations found in the Industrial
Ethernet Network world, and how to remediate
them.
By following industry standards, such as
ANSI/TIA-1005 – M.I.C.E. and ANSI/TIA-569-
C.0 (cable lengths), you can eliminate many
issues found in typical industrial installations.
www.tiaonline.org/standards
50. Ethernet research and trends
Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager,
Control Engineering, CFE Media
51. Ethernet research includes
Information from IHS on:
• Use of routers versus managed switches
• Pace of fieldbus connections compared to industrial
Ethernet connections over the next 10 to 15 years
• Use of Ethernet as an industrial communications
technology in motion control
• Industrial Ethernet nodes in process industries
through 2016
ARC Advisory Group on outlook for industrial Ethernet
switches and what is driving the marketplace
55. Ethernet growth for motion control
Use of Ethernet with motor drives and motion controllers will more than triple in
2016 from 1.8 million new connected nodes in 2011, IHS said.
56. Ethernet for process industries
Use of Ethernet as an industrial communications technology in motion control
to more than triple by 2016, IHS said.
57. Ethernet switches get a boost
• Use of industrial Ethernet (IE) switches, driven by discrete
automation, will get a boost from increased use in process and
infrastructure applications, said ARC Advisory Group in May 2013.
• IE differs from commercial switches: ruggedized enclosures, high IP
ratings, mounting and connector types, ability to withstand extended
temperature ranges, redundant components, and conformance to
industrial infrastructure standards, among others.
• Infrastructure applications include smart grid and intelligent rail.
• The mix of form factors, point counts, port speeds, media types, and
other device characteristics continues to expand.
• Availability of switches that meet requirements such as IEC 61850-3
for substation automation and EN 50155 for rail further enhances
Ethernet’s suitability in infrastructure applications.
58. Ethernet research from others
• IHS commented recently on decline in growth of stand-alone industrial
routers, as use of managed switches is expected to grow steadily over
five years.
• While annual fieldbus connections still outpace industrial Ethernet
connections, IHS believes that within 10 to 15 years industrial Ethernet
will be the dominant networking technology in industrial environments
and almost all components will offer Ethernet connectivity as standard.
• Use of Ethernet as an industrial communications technology in motion
control will more than triple by 2016, IHS said.
• Industrial Ethernet nodes in process industries are projected to rise to
8.7 million units in 2016, up a 96% from 4.4 million in 2011, IHS said.
• Industrial Ethernet switches, driving by discrete automation, will get a
boost from increased use in process and infrastructure applications,
said ARC Advisory Group.
59. Submitting Questions, Exit Survey and Archive
Question?
Type your question in the “Ask a Question” box on the Webcast console and
click “Send.” We will get to as many questions as we have time for. Questions
that are for today’s presenters will be answered verbally during the Q&A
session at the end of the webcast.
Exit Survey:
Please take a moment to answer a few questions on our exit
survey that will pop up on your screen at the conclusion of the
webcast. We use the answers to help make improvements to our
webcast program.
Archive:
• Within 7 days, an archive with Q&A will be posted
• We will send an email to registered attendees with hyperlink
• Can also access from www.controleng.com home page
60. Speakers
• Steve Schneebeli, Director of
Engineering / IT
Malisko Engineering, Inc
www.malisko.com
• Moderator: Mark T. Hoske, Content
Manager, Control Engineering,
CFE Media, covering industrial
networking, among other topics, since
1994 www.controleng.com