EtherNet/IP is an industrial Ethernet network that adapts the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) to standard Ethernet and TCP/IP, managed by ODVA. It combines explicit messaging with cyclic implicit I/O.
EtherNet/IP
EtherNet/IP carries the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) over standard Ethernet and TCP/IP. It is managed by ODVA, the same organization that maintains CIP across its other networks.
- Explicit messaging - Request and response exchanges over TCP for configuration, diagnostics and on-demand reads.
- Implicit I/O - Cyclic, connection-based exchange of process data over UDP at a configured rate, often called Class 1 connections.
- An object model - CIP describes devices as objects with attributes and services, shared across the networks ODVA manages.
- Standard infrastructure - It runs on ordinary Ethernet switches and IP networks alongside other traffic.
Most of what an API needs from an EtherNet/IP device comes through the explicit side, while the cyclic side stays on the machine network.
It is one of fourteen protocols mapped to five communication patterns in OT Fabric’s software architect’s guide to OT.
Industry: Manufacturing
