The Open DeviceNet Vendors Association (ODVA) has announced that it will publish new editions of the specifications for the family of Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) networks, enhancing the EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet, ControlNet and CIP Safety technologies.
In a separate announcement, the ODVA also said that ControlNet is now wholly under the management of the ODVA, an action unanimously endorsed by ControlNet International, the organization that established ControlNet as an open standard for automation networks. This action makes ODVA the single organization responsible for developing, managing and promoting the adoption of CIP and the family of CIP networks.
Consistent with ODVA’s record of delivering open network standards that are focused on bringing long-term benefits to the industrial automation industry, the latest editions of the CIP Networks specifications include new capabilities that extend device interoperability and application coverage to an even greater range of devices and applications.
Each network in the family of CIP Networks uses the same, media-independent protocol—CIP. This approach is intended to provide significant advantages to users including, among others, a comprehensive suite of messages and services needed for control, configuration, information, safety, synchronization and motion, as well as topology options for network adaptations to meet specific application requirements.
Watch for these
With the publication of these editions of the specifications, the ODVA said, users can look for device suppliers to begin offering some of the following features in their products:
• CIP Safety on DeviceNet and CIP Safety on EtherNet/IP. Introduced in 2005, CIP Safety is certified to be compliant with the International Electrotechnical Commission’s functional safety standard IEC 61508 up to Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL 3). The latest edition of this specification includes new functionality to support network features often needed in process and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) applications, as well as installations using wireless. These features include increased granularity in error detection and more flexibility in configuring safety reaction times.
• Integration of Modbus serial devices into CIP networks. Modbus translation services for Modbus TCP devices were added to CIP in the previous editions of the specifications published in November 2007. In these editions of the specifications, a new “Serial Link Object” has been added to round out the Modbus translation services supported by CIP. Both users and vendors will benefit from the ability to integrate Modbus and CIP devices into a unified network architecture that retains one of the key advantages of CIP—seamless bridging and routing.
Collectively these new editions of the specifications include 18 enhancements. The specifications are organized as a group of publications entitled “The CIP Networks Library.” Each specification is made up of one or more volumes of The CIP Networks Library.
Coming this year
ODVA expects that devices containing new enhancements found in the latest specifications will be available in 2008. Specifications are available on a subscription basis, subject to a Terms of Usage Agreement. For more information on how to obtain a copy of any of these specifications, visit ODVA’s Web site.
ODVA
www.odva.org
