Echelon IP-852 Channel - Manual (Page 10)

2 Introduction
Introduction to the IP-852 Channel
An IP-852 channel carries ISO/IEC 14908-1 packets enveloped in ISO/IEC 14908-4
packets. Unlike traditional L ON W ORKS channels that use a dedicated physical wire to
create connections between the devices on the channel, an IP-852 channel uses a shared
IP network to connect IP-852 devices and is defined by a group of IP addresses. These IP
addresses form a channel that connects IP-852 devices on a shared control network so
they can communicate with each other. IP-852 devices include the SmartServer Energy
Manager, i.LON 100 Internet Server, i.LON 600 L ON W ORKS /IP-852 Router, LNS Server
computers, and LonMaker ® computers. Devices from other manufacturers that comply
with the L ON M ARK IP-852 channel definition can also be used as IP-852 devices. For
systems using an LNS server, an IP-852 channel enables an LNS remote full client to
connect directly to a L ON W ORKS network and perform monitoring and control tasks.
The concept of an IP-852 channel is similar to a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Each
IP-852 device in the system is aware of its peers and each IP-852 device keeps peer
information in its routing tables so it can forward L
ON
W
ORKS
packets to the correct IP
address or addresses.
Figure 1.1 shows a typical channel configuration in which three SmartServers are used
to create an IP-852 channel connecting three TP/FT-10 channels, each of which contains
the devices installed on a different floor in a building. The circled portion of the diagram
represents the IP-852 channel connecting the three SmartServers. As a result of this
connection, a single application can connect to devices on all three of the TP/FT-10
channels in the building, and monitor and control the entire building.
Figure 1.1 An IP-852 Channel
Figure 1.1 shows the IP-852 Configuration Server inside the IP-852 channel. The IP-852
Configuration Server stores the configuration of the IP-852 channel, including the IP
addresses of all the devices and routers installed on the channel. You will initially
configure the IP-852 channel with the IP-852 Configuration Server, and the IP-852