The concentration process in the network area, on the standard Ethernet and IP protocols, also applies to industrial environments. Ethernet has been established in master computer systems for many years. However, the current trend towards integration in control units, which is directly involved in the production process, generates a completely new requirement profile. The crucial question is therefore; how should network components be built up to fulfill these requirements? As well as a special durability against water, dust, thermal and mechanical stress, such systems must fulfill further important demands typical for production:
 direct current power supply,
to be able to make service and maintenance fast, simple
and by non-technical persons,
very short response times,
trivial configuration by non-specialists and
very fast error recovery switching times.
Up until now the Spanning Tree Protocol has been the dominant redundancy procedure on layer 2 for Ethernet networks, but it is too slow for industrial applications. Now with the replacement of this outdated protocol by the Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP) the question is again; how are Ethernet products and standardized protocols qualified for applications in industrial environments.
Hence, in the test lab of ComConsult Research switches from Hirschmann, the leading German manufacturer of industrial switches, were checked out and tested for their industrial use.
The following questions were put in the center of the analysis:
How does a switching system, which was developed
especially for industrial environments, differ from systems used
in office areas?
Are the industrial requirements fulfilled by
Hirschmann’s products?
Is the redundancy procedure “HiPER Ring”, which is
implemented in the Hirschmann Switches, really better
than RSTP, so that the use of a non-standard protocol
is justifiable?
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