Ethernet/IP

The Power of Industrial Ethernet: EtherNet/IP Protocol

EtherNet/IP (Ethernet Industrial Protocol) is a leading industrial network standard that adapts commercial off-the-shelf Ethernet to the factory floor. Managed by ODVA, it is the backbone of modern industrial automation, enabling seamless communication between controllers, sensors, and enterprise-level software.

1. The Foundation: CIP and Communication Layers

The defining feature of EtherNet/IP is the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). While standard Ethernet handles the transport, CIP sits at the application layer, providing a unified object-oriented data structure.

Implicit Messaging (UDP): High-speed, cyclic data exchange. It is "implicit" because the meaning of the data is pre-defined by the connection. Best for Real-time I/O Control.
Explicit Messaging (TCP): Occurs on a request/response basis. It is "explicit" because the request describes exactly what information is needed. Best for Diagnostics and Configuration.

2. Network Roles and Configuration

Devices in an EtherNet/IP environment operate in a producer/consumer or client/server relationship:

Scanner: The active party that initiates connections and requests data (typically a PLC).
Adapter: The passive party that provides data upon request (typically Remote I/O, Drives, or Sensors).
EDS (Electronic Data Sheet): A digital identity file used by configuration software to understand the device's capabilities, parameters, and communication objects.

3. The Hubbox Advantage: Bridging OT to IT

Hubbox Connect acts as an intelligent gateway, translating high-speed EtherNet/IP tag data into cloud-ready formats.

Direct Tag Access: Unlike traditional gateways that require manual memory mapping, Hubbox can read Allen-Bradley or other EtherNet/IP controller tags directly by their Variable Names using the internal Node-RED engine.

Data Normalization: Convert binary EtherNet/IP payloads into JSON/MQTT for seamless integration with Azure IoT Hub, AWS IoT Core, or local SCADA.
Remote Engineering: Establish a secure Layer 2 or Layer 3 VPN tunnel to program your PLCs using software like Studio 5000 as if you were plugged directly into the local switch.
Multi-Protocol Support: Bridge data between EtherNet/IP and other networks like Modbus TCP or OPC UA in a single Hubbox unit.

Key Industrial Benefits

Infrastructure Compatibility: Uses standard CAT5e/CAT6 cabling and industrial switches, reducing specialized hardware costs.
High-Speed Control: Capable of millisecond-level cycle times, suitable for high-precision motion control.
Enterprise Convergence: Being natively TCP/IP based, it is the most efficient protocol for moving factory floor data into IT-based analytics platforms.

For EtherNet/IP tag reading samples and Node-RED flows: www.hubbox.io