DEBUNKING THE MYTHS

Myth: An ongoing, lengthy discussion in a Control.com blog has highlighted the question of what's 'open' and what's 'free'. Michael Griffin wrote about Ethernet/IP on 6 April, 2008: "It's not just that you have to pay for the spec. It's that the specs are available only to 'qualified vendors'. In other words, Rockwell's marketing department decides case by case whether it is to their advantage for you to be able to talk to their equipment. It is a very closed, very proprietary protocol just like PROFINET."

Response: For the Ethernet/IP response, you'll have to look elsewhere. Here we want to debunk the idea that PROFINET is a "very closed, very proprietary protocol." The PROFINET spec is published as an International Standard by IEC so it is 'open' and can be used by anyone. There is a cost, but that's normal for international specs. In our case, the wide choice of development tools shields you from having to actually own the PROFINET spec. Become a member of our organization (only $550 for developers with fewer than 10 employees) and you get lots of additional help too. For example, the PROFI Interface Center in Johnson City provides free consulting support to developers of products. Other benefits include the chance to certify your product - mandatory in the case of PROFINET because of the critical importance of interoperability - and then you can use the logo on products to prove you are compliant. Finally, you get to be a member of the largest fieldbus community in the world and have your products promoted on-line, in this newsletter and elsewhere. All of which is a low-cost, excellent-value way to get on board with PROFINET ... and surely a small price to pay for the best Industrial Ethernet technology in the world?

PROFINET PASSES 1 MILLION - AND IT'S CONFIRMED INDEPENDENTLY!: In a significant press conference at Hannover Fair in April, new PNO Chairman and PI Chairman-designate Joerg Freitag (right) announced that by the end of 2007 the number of installed PROFINET nodes had reached 1.14 million. He told journalists that the numbers had been collected by an independent 'notary' (a lawyer mandated to do this kind of work) and that vendors taking part had submitted their individual numbers in confidence. "Only the total is known to PI," he said.

These are the first 'official' numbers to have emerged from our marketplace, he added. Furthermore only automation devices such as PLCs, remote IO stations, HMIs, robots, proxies, drives, and sensors were included. Devices like switches, hubs and peripherals (e.g. printers) were omitted. At the press conference a journalist asked: "How do other organizations count their numbers?" "We don't know," Freitag replied, "you'll have to ask them!"

PI will update the numbers at regular intervals to show the ongoing success of PROFINET. It is expected that 3 million nodes will be reached by 2010.

Freitag also announced that PROFIBUS sold 4.5 million nodes in 2007, bringing the total to 23 million. "We're well past 24 million today and expect to reach our next target of 30 million before 2010," he said.

These latest numbers, he commented, send out a very strong message to the market about the reality of PROFIBUS and PROFINET solutions. "PROFIBUS is the most successful fieldbus of all time - in all industries - and PROFINET is on its way to replicating that success!" The growth curves are almost identical, he added, so we feel confident that PROFINET will prove to be the most successful Industrial Ethernet of all time!

Frietag: Asked: 'How do other organizations count their numbers?' Freitag replied: "We don't know. You'll have to ask them!"

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IO-Link INTEGRATION WITH PROFIBUS AND PROFINET: PI has published the specification for integrating IO-Link into PROFIBUS and PROFINET systems. IO-Link is a fieldbus-independent connectivity method for intelligent sensors, designed to bridge the last meter between an IO block and the device, using conventional wiring but superimposing digital communications. Aimed at new generations of intelligent sensors - but retaining full compatibility with older types - IO-Link allows configuration and diagnostics to be performed from an engineering station instead of at the sensor. Almost all sensor manufacturers, and a host of manufacturers of I/O modules, have introduced IO-Link products. The new documentation facilitates the integration of IO-Link in PROFIBUS and PROFINET systems. The physical layer and protocol specification of IO-Link is independent of PROFIBUS and PROFINET so IO-Link can be subordinated to all fieldbuses and Ethernet-based systems. Work to integrate IO-Link into additional fieldbus systems is already underway. An independent device description for IO-Link, (IO Device Description, or IODD), is also under review. IO-Link Integration Part 1.

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ONE DAY TRAINING EVENTS: The PTO and PROFI Interface Center training classes continue apace. Classes center on PROFIBUS, PROFIBUS in the process industry and PROFINET. Attendees receive a certificate for 5.5 Professional Development Hours (PDH) and PTO raffles a week-long Certified Network Engineer Class (a $2695 value) at each PROFINET event! The table below summarizes upcoming classes. There's more on the web here.

PROCESS WEBINARS: If we're not coming to a city near you with our training then join us for our brand new webinar series. PROFIBUS in the Process Industries will be the theme of our first four events. More information here. Previous Industrial Ethernet and PROFINET webinars are archived here to be viewed at your convenience.

PROFINET DEVELOPER WORKSHOPS: PTO also sponsors a series of PROFINET Developer Workshops at no charge. Targeted at developers and marketers of control devices each free half-day workshop provides an explanation of the PROFINET development tools available. Prior attendance of one of the Training Classes (the next one is in Scottsdale AZ, see above) is mandatory. Topics covered: Following a brief overview of tool types, nine development tools are introduced. Development tool providers Altera Corporation, Grid Connect, Inc., Hilscher North America, Inc., HMS Industrial Networks, Inc., IXXAT, Siemens Energy & Automation, Real Time Automation, Softing North America and Molex are available for consultation. Each has a unique approach. The workshop will help determine which tools suit your needs.

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Above - PROFINET 'wall' at Hannover Fair, featuring 109 products from 19 vendors and, below, one of the daily PROFIsafe presentations.

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STRATEGY WHITE PAPER: At an International meeting held during Hannover Fair, PTO Executive Director and PI Acting Chairman Mike Bryant met with Regional PROFIBUS Association Chairman and personnel from Italy, Brazil, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Germany, UK and North America to discuss key topics. He unveiled two important White Papers, the first about PROFIBUS and PROFINET and their very close strategic relationship. Many observers believed that Industrial Ethernets like PROFINET would supplant fieldbuses, such as PROFIBUS, years ago. Not so, said PTO, PI and PNO in unison, though few people listened. (If you are a skeptic, take a look again at the figures quoted above for evidence that it is just not true.) PROFINET was designed to be fieldbus-friendly (not just for PROFIBUS, but also all the other fieldbuses you'll likely come across) and, further, to utilize as many common features with PROFIBUS as possible - for example common engineering concepts, and common PROFIsafe and PROFIdrive profiles. The result, says the White Paper, is a powerful automation combination offering the modularity and flexibility needed to automate, evolve and update all kinds of manufacturing plant easily. Not all features have to be used at once, enabling users to choose what to deploy, and when. The next full meeting of RPA Chairman takes place in Tokyo on May 27th/28th. Download the paper here.

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ROUND TABLE FOR PRODUCTION SECURITY: Leading representatives of German industry, including PNO, PTO's sister organization in Germany, represented the ‘Security in Automation’ steering committee in February for an exclusive ‘round table’ talk at the premises of the German TV station ZDF in Berlin. The committee is a panel of leading industrial associations, of which PNO is a member along with ZVEI, VDMA, NAMUR, SecIE and VDI/VDE.

The importance of IT security for manufacturing industries and OEMs was the main topic. Companies taking part included BMW, Bayer and Nestle from the consumer goods industry, Lenze and Siemens from automation and Victoria, an insurance company. Valuable feedback about insurance and liability was shared. The damage caused (both self-inflicted and from third parties) is difficult to estimate and obtaining adequate insurance cover is particularly difficult.

All participants agreed that Ethernet in the production arena will require additional measures to guarantee IT security. These have to cover both the automation and the IT level, as the management level of the enterprise is now functionally linked with automation. Measures related to production staff are of importance because lack of knowledge amongst personnel is very often the cause for security-related failures. This means that both technical and organizational measures need to be defined and communicated to everyone in a manufacturing enterprise in the form of strict company policies that are rigidly policed.

PI has always considered security to be critical and has published a document called the ‘PROFINET Security Guideline’ - to help. The PROFINET security concept meets the requirements of network security for Ethernet-based automation systems in manufacturing. The concept fulfills the demands for access control, data encryption, authentication and the logging of security relevant events. Find the Security Guideline here.

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FOUR NEW PROFILES: Four new profiles have been published to suit specific application domains for PROFIBUS and PROFINET. These are:

• Profile for Encoder devices, related to PROFIdrive V4.1.
• Profile for Intelligent Pumps.
• Physical Layer Medium Dependent Sublayer on 650 nm Fiber Optics.
• IO-Link Integration Part 1.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING UPCOMING: PTO's annual General Assembly Meeting (GAM) is scheduled for August 5-7 at the Marriot at McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, AZ. PTO invites all members to attend what is an informal but highly educational and valuable networking event. End users are particularly invited to present their stories - email Carl if you're a user and would like to take part. A PROFINET Training event and a PROFINET Developer Workshop take place on the two days preceding the GAM - Training on August 4th and the Workshop on the 5th. You must attend the Training day to qualify for the Workshop. Details of the GAM here.

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“We are genuinely sad to see Todd leave the PTO Board of Directors," said Michael Bryant, Executive Director of the PTO. "He has been an ardent supporter of the PTO for many years and has contributed greatly to our success during his tenure. We are extremely happy about his Endress+Hauser promotion and will surely miss him.” Bryant adds: “We welcome Victor to the PTO Board and look forward to many successful years' of his participation."

New PTO Board Member Wolowec of E+H.

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