So Is Ethernet Deterministic or Not?
So, is Ethernet deterministic or not? The answer is a definite “maybe.” More realistically, that’s the wrong question. Ethernet by itself is not a complete communications system. You need a protocol on top of it. (See Ethernet is not a protocol.) And what does it mean to be deterministic? I looked for a definition of…
Read MoreRandom PROFINET Links
Not ‘random’ – ‘carefully chosen.’ Some topics, mostly PROFIBUS or PROFINET-related, gathered from my news feed: GE Intelligent Platforms has a blog called “A Connected World” that you should check out. I guest blog over there occasionally. You can subscribe for monthly emailed updates. In my OEM days, I subscribed to Machine Design. I always…
Read MorePROFINET versus OPC Part 2
I realized that I oversimplified OPC by lumping DA and UA together and by impugning the speed of OPC. I think the oversimplification was valuable in noting the differences between PROFINET and OPC, but the engineer in me cannot avoid adding some details and clarification. Here they are: HMI. Although I pictured OPC as just…
Read MorePROFINET versus OPC
“I have OPC so I don’t need PROFINET.” “I have PROFINET so I don’t need OPC.” Neither of these statements is right. PROFINET and OPC are complementary. PROFINET is seen from a controller down to IO; OPC is seen from a controller up to an HMI. PROFINET moves data fast; OPC moves information more slowly.…
Read MorePROFINET: Stable and Changing
Stability and Change do not have to be mutually exclusive. When such a dichotomy is presented I am reminded of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. They make the point “No ‘Tyranny of the or’ (embrace the ‘genius of the and’)”. And so it is with…
Read MoreWhere are PROFINET and PROFIBUS?
Where are PROFINET and PROFIBUS? Besides in a lot of plants around the world, they’re in a lot of websites around the Internet. But where are they? With specific questions, which sites are best? I’m glad you asked, because here are the answers: Starting point: us.profinet.com with news, documentation, webinars, training schedules, this blog, and…
Read MoreWhy PROFINET?
There are many Industrial Ethernets to choose from – what features set PROFINET apart? There are many, but for today let’s focus on these: Adoption, Speed, Diagnostics, and Ecosystem. Adoption – PROFINET has the largest installed base of any Industrial Ethernet. And it’s growing faster than number two globally and in North America. Having the…
Read MorePROFIBUS One-Day Training Class – What happens?
Inspired by a post last month about what happens in the free PROFINET One-Day Training Class, here is an accompanying summary of the PROFIBUS version. Similarly, the class commences promptly at 8:30am. For me, however, the day starts a couple hours earlier. There are a lot of things to prepare: ensuring the continental breakfast is…
Read MoreOpen Networks: What’s in it for you?
It takes a village to raise a… standard, at least, an open standard. In the case of PROFINET, that village consists of like-minded companies that recognize the benefits of working together towards a common, open standard. What’s in it for them? At least these couple things: 1. A cross-pollination of ideas from many sources fulfills…
Read MoreSafety the Movie is Online
In February of 2007, Safety the Movie debuted in Phoenix (post: Safety the Movie debuts in Phoenix). In the PROFIBUS and PROFINET world when we think functional safety, we think PROFIsafe. Yet PROFIsafe only ensures message delivery. An important role to be sure; the role of enabler. But there is more to functional safety than…
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