Industrial network reference: The networks between the panels.
Who owns each standard, its device description file, the ports and speeds that matter on the floor, and where the official specifications live.
- Ethernet
- EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus TCP
- Fieldbus
- PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, DH+
- Plant data
- OPC UA, MQTT
The standards
Networks at a glance.
Owner, media, device file and the details that matter during commissioning.
| Network | Standard owner | Media and speed | Device file | On the floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EtherNet/IP | ODVA (CIP) | Ethernet, 100 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s | EDS | Explicit messages on TCP 44818; I/O on UDP 2222. |
| DeviceNet | ODVA (CIP on CAN) | CAN trunk, 125, 250 or 500 kbit/s | EDS | Up to 64 nodes (MAC IDs 0 to 63). |
| ControlNet | ODVA (CIP) | Coax or fiber, 5 Mbit/s, optional redundant media | EDS | Scheduled network; common on older ControlLogix and PLC-5 systems. |
| DH+ and Remote I/O | Rockwell | Twinax ("blue hose") | – | PLC-5 and SLC 500 era. Bridged to Ethernet with gateway modules during migrations. |
| PROFINET | PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) | Ethernet, 100 Mbit/s | GSDML (XML) | Devices are found by name (DCP). Real-time (RT) and isochronous (IRT) classes. |
| PROFIBUS DP and PA | PI | RS-485 (DP) up to 12 Mbit/s; MBP (PA) at 31.25 kbit/s | GSD | Addresses set per device; terminate both ends of each segment. |
| Modbus TCP and RTU | Modbus Organization | Ethernet (TCP 502) or RS-485 serial | – | Specifications are free. |
| EtherCAT | EtherCAT Technology Group | Ethernet, 100 Mbit/s | ESI (XML) | Frames processed on the fly; common for motion. |
| OPC UA | OPC Foundation (IEC 62541) | Ethernet | Information models | Default TCP 4840. S7-1500 can act as server and client. |
| MQTT and Sparkplug | OASIS (MQTT), Eclipse Foundation (Sparkplug) | Ethernet | Sparkplug payloads | TCP 1883, or 8883 with TLS. Publish plant data outward only. |
Before you send an RFQ
What to send us.
| Software or system | Send | How |
|---|---|---|
| Any network job | A network drawing or a list of devices with IP addresses, names and part numbers | Include switch models and any firewalls or NAT between cells. |
| Device files | The EDS, GSD, GSDML or ESI file for any third-party device | From the device maker, matching its firmware. |
From the floor
Worth knowing first.
One IP plan per plant
Overlapping OEM subnets are the most common cause of "it worked at the builder". NAT or re-IP, decided before startup.
Keep the cell off the office network
Put cells on their own VLANs behind an industrial firewall, and send data up to dashboards, not control down.
Device files must match firmware
An old GSDML or EDS against new firmware gives errors that look like wiring faults.
Watch the connection counts
Every HMI screen, drive, message and browsing laptop takes connections on EtherNet/IP controllers.
Official documentation
Straight from the manufacturer.
These open the live source, so you always get the current revision. Manufacturer manuals are copyrighted, so we link to them rather than copy them.
- ODVA document library odva.org
- ODVA specifications odva.org
- PROFINET Installation Guidelines profibus.com
- PROFIBUS Installation Guidelines profibus.com
- PROFIBUS and PROFINET specifications profibus.com
- Modbus specifications modbus.org
- EtherCAT downloads ethercat.org
- OPC UA Online Reference reference.opcfoundation.org
- MQTT specifications mqtt.org
- Sparkplug sparkplug.eclipse.org
- EtherNet/IP white paper (PDF) literature.rockwellautomation.com
Field notes
Answered on The Floor.
- Hands-free optimization — what we refuse to let the loop change
- EtherNet/IP scanner dropping a 1794 rack every 47 minutes
- EtherCAT servo line vs PROFINET IRT — when is the extra bus worth it?
- Ignition gateway died on a VM snapshot — lesson so we don't repeat it
- Someone asked me for a VFD firmware dump — hard no?
- OPC UA explorer that doesn't wreck a production server
- IT wants the cell on the business VLAN 'for the dashboard' — how do you say no?
- SolaHD comm card — link light on, no registers
Networks work on your line
Send it to us.
The files above, the symptom and the outage window. We come back with a plan, not a brochure.