Industrial Networks: Overview and

Selection Criteria

Helge Hornis, Ph.D., Intelligent Systems Manager

I ndustrial networks have been used with great success for about two decades, addressing the
many shortcomings of discretely wired automation systems. Ever since the shift-register based
INTERBUS-S was introduced in 1987 users demanded new functionalities and features, driving
the engineering departments at automation equipment suppliers to come up with increasingly
more capable solutions. During the network-war of the late 90’s many solutions disappeared and
today only a few more or less open networks are still in the race.

Years before INTERBUS-S changed the way automation professionals designed their systems,
Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) developed a powerful networking solution that was
quickly adopted in office environments: Ethernet1.

Over the last 5 years the number of serious industrial networking solutions has shrunk, and today
most factories and productions lines run on one the following: PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, ModBus2,
CC-Link and AS-Interface. Among those networks, the open standard AS-Interface solution is
unique because:

• AS-Interface is a low level solution designed and optimized for the efficient transmission
of sensor and actuator data. I/O nodes are small and inexpensive, allowing solution
providers to develop highly distributed I/O systems, minimizing the total cable cost
(i.e. network cable plus all sensor-to-I/O node cables.) Furthermore, the installation
technology developed for this network reduces installation and commissioning time as
much as possible.

• AS-interface is the only truly independent solution with regards to other networks.
Gateways to virtually any industrial network, not just the ones mentioned above, can be
purchased. (AS-International, the open member organization that owns and manages
the technical specification of AS-Interface is not part of any other organization promoting
another networking technology.)

• AS-Interface is the only network where technological modifications are not dictated
and dominated by a PLC manufacturer. As a consequence backplane scanner cards
for all major PLCs are available. The reason is that AS-International was founded by a
consortium of 11 industrial automation suppliers working jointly on the development of the
technology. Virtually all other networks have been developed by a PLC manufacturer to
address their needs first.

• AS-Interface does not compete with or attempt to replace any of the traditional upper
level networks but rather enables users to utilize them to their full potential, buy
increasing data transmission efficiency, addressing installation shortcomings like topology
limitations, inflexible I/O distribution and high cost of the physical media including cable,
taps and terminators. Complex devices (RFID systems, drives, HMIs, etc.) are still good
candidates for these upper level networks.
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1. Ethernet was originally developed as one of the many pioneering projects at Xerox PARC. Ethernet was
invented in the period of 1973–1975. Robert Metcalfe and David Boggs wrote and presented their “Draft
Ethernet Overview” some time before March 1974. Source: Wikipedia
2. Including ModBus+

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 Industrial Networks: Overview and
Selection Criteria

• AS-Interface enables users to network safety devices at up to Category 4, while still

transmitting standard, non-safe data over the same network.

Today the list of plant network solutions has gotten a bit longer. Industrial Ethernet-based
solutions are gaining popularity and acceptance and are already preferred by many engineers
for their automation applications. The reason is simple - communication over Ethernet allows
device manufactures to add previously impossible features. These features make working with
Ethernet-based devices easy and convenient while providing plant personnel the tools they need
to increase overall machine uptime and availability. Integrated web servers simplify diagnostics
and configuration, fault notifications can be sent via e-mail, and the ability to easily route data
to the PLC and a monitoring application running on a PC, are just a few of the most significant
advantages. No wonder that Ethernet solutions are used increasingly to replace networks like
PROFIBUS, DeviceNet and others.

That said, users should note that the development of any AS-Interface based I/O structure does
not change when transitioning from one of the traditional networking solutions to a modern
Ethernet-based top level architecture. This is important to know since users may not currently
be able to purchase every complex device they need with a connection to Ethernet, and must
therefore use the traditional solutions in the interim. By connecting simple devices like sensors
and actuators to AS-Interface, the time and engineering effort invested in the low level I/O
structure is protected. Going from one network (e.g. DeviceNet) to another (e.g. EtherNet/IP) is
effortless. In addition, the performance of the upper
level network is significantly improved, with utilization
efficiency increases of approximately 10 when AS-
Interface is used to consolidate I/O.

With AS-Interface utilized at the I/O level, selecting

the correct upper level network for an application
becomes much simpler and safer. Since these
networks are heavily influenced by certain PLC
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manufactures, selecting the PLC effectively selects

the network. Table (1) shows the preferred networks
supported by some of the major PLC manufactures.

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 Industrial Networks: Overview and
Selection Criteria

While most of them support an Ethernet solution, this does not mean that they are compatible.
The reason is that “Ethernet” by itself does not fully define a communication procedure.

Users must get used to talking about the specific Ethernet protocol they intend to use. For
instance, Modbus/TCP is an Ethernet-based protocol that is not compatible with EtherNet/
IP. Even though both utilize standard Ethernet frames and employ TCP as the data transport
mechanism, they do not share a common application layer and thus can not exchange
information. Some manufactures address this dilemma at the PLC level by designing devices that
simultaneously implement several Ethernet protocols. One such device is IDENT Control from
Pepperl+Fuchs, an RFID system that supports four different Ethernet protocols: Modbus/TCP,
EtherNet/IP, PROFNET and serial stream over TCP/IP.

In summary, selecting a network for complex devices is primarily driven by the PLC to be used.
Using AS-Interface at the I/O level removes all uncertainty with respect to the network used for
complex devices. The flexible gateway approach completely shields the user from any changes
that occur at the I/O level, and allows engineered solutions, including control drawings, to be
reused as new networks and network protocols become available.

With a growing number of the players offering Ethernet-based solutions, users have an
increasing number of hardware options. And because device manufactures can implement many
Ethernet protocols on the same hardware (by adding additional software stacks) it will be faster
and much less costly to develop for multiple markets dominated by different PLC’s. In the past a
DeviceNet solution was just that; communicating on DeviceNet. If PROFIBUS was subsequently
needed, new hardware and software had to be designed - a costly proposition considering
the added engineering time, approvals and long term cost due to increased total stocking
quantities. With all that in mind AS-Interface combined with Ethernet may very well be the wining
combination for the future.

PLC Manufacturer Preferred traditional network Preferred Ethernet network

Allen-Bradley DeviceNet EtherNet/IP
Siemens PROFIBUS PROFINET
Schneider ModBus Modbus/TCP
Mitsubishi CC-Link No preferred network
Table 1

Table: Most PLC manufactures prefer one upper level network.This means that device manufactures
have to support a large number of different hardware devices, each of which adds engineering
cost for hardware and software. At the Ethernet level the situation is less complex. It is possible
to design a single piece of hardware that implements a variety of different Ethernet protocols. AS-
Interface gateways to each of those networks (traditional and Ethernet based) are available today,
protecting the I/O level engineering effort is easy.
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