February 13, 2012 - Rockwell Automation introduces the Allen-Bradley EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary, which helps enable DeviceNet-based components to seamlessly communicate to an EtherNet/IP network. With the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary, users can access the status of any DeviceNet device within the network from any personal computer or programmable logic controller. This improves a manufacturers’ network connectivity while reducing the need and cost of additional software. EtherNet/IP is the world’s leading open industrial Ethernet network capable of handling the widest range of applications, including discrete, safety, motion, process and drive control with a single version.
Designed and established to connect across applications and from the instrumentation level all the way up to the end customer’s IT infrastructure, EtherNet/IP streamlines control and information flow and offers the best pathway to a single network architecture. With the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary, users gain timely access to device diagnostics and production key performance indicators, helping manufacturers make more informed business decisions. The communication auxiliary supports up to six DeviceNet-based components while passing EtherNet/IP explicit and I/O messages. The EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary has an embedded Web interface for easy access to device parameters and diagnostics, permitting network configuration without requiring Rockwell Software RSNetWorx software.