Rockwell Automation 20-COMM-ER 20-COMM-ER Dual-Port EtherNet/IP Communication Adapter User Manual - Manual (Page 224)

224 Rockwell Automation Publication 20COMM-UM015B-EN-P - July 2013
Glossary
Duplex
Duplex describes the mode of communication. ‘Full-duplex’ communication lets
a device exchange data in both directions at the same time. ‘Half-duplex’
communication lets a device exchange data only in one direction at a time. The
duplex used by the adapter depends on the type of duplex that other network
devices, such as switches, support.
E
EDS (Electronic Data Sheet) Files
Simple text files that are used by network configuration tools to describe products
so that you can easily commission them on a network. EDS files describe a
product device type and revision. EDS files for many Allen-Bradley products can
be found at
http://www.ab.com/networks/eds .
EtherNet/IP Network
EtherNet/IP (Industrial Protocol) is an open producer-consumer
communication network based on the Ethernet standard (IEEE 802.3), TCP/IP,
UDP/IP, and CIP. Designed for industrial communication, both I/O and
explicit messages can be transmitted over the network. Each device is assigned a
unique IP address and transmits data on the network. The number of devices that
an EtherNet/IP network can support depends on the class of IP address. For
example, a network with a Class C IP address can have 254 nodes.
General information about EtherNet/IP and the EtherNet/IP specification are
maintained by the Open DeviceNet Vendor’s Association (ODVA). ODVA is
online at
http://www.odva.org .
Explicit Messaging
Explicit Messages are used to transfer data that does not require continuous
updates. They are typically used to configure, monitor, and diagnose devices over
the network.
F
Fault Action
A fault action determines how the adapter and connected drive act when a
communication fault (for example, a disconnected cable) occurs or when the
controller is switched out of run mode. The former uses a communication fault
action, and the latter uses an idle fault action.
Fault Configuration
When communication is disrupted (for example, a cable is disconnected), the
adapter and PowerFlex drive can respond with a user-defined fault configuration.
The user sets the data that is sent to the drive using specific fault configuration
parameters in the adapter. When a fault action parameter is set to use the fault