The Avnu Alliance, CC-Link Partner Association, ODVA, OPC Foundation, and PROFIBUS & PROFINET International jointly announce that they are collaborating to develop a single conformance test plan for the IEEE/IEC 60802 Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) profile for Industrial Automation. The test plan will be used as a base test by all the participating organizations and made available to the broader Industrial Automation ecosystem. This collaboration contributes towards end user confidence that 60802 conformant devices from different manufacturers which support different automation protocols will coexist reliably at the TSN level on shared networks, including with devices using TSN for applications other than automation.

A new interface standard for the acquisition of energy consumption data in industrial manufacturing is being developed by ODVA, OPC Foundation, PI, and VDMA based on OPC UA.

ODVA held its 21st Annual Meeting of Members in San Diego, California, USA on March 10, 2022. With over 85 industry professionals from 30 companies in attendance, highlights of the Annual Meeting included a keynote on the future of the field instrumentation layer in process automation by Paul R. Maurath, PhD, Technical Director – Process Automation, The Procter & Gamble Company; perspectives from the ARC Advisory Group analyst Harry Forbes on the next decade of industrial automation; and an update from the organization’s leadership on both the accomplishments and future initiatives for ODVA as a whole. The ability to meet in person, with appropriate safety precautions, helped to accelerate the diffusion of new ideas as well as to drive progress on existing initiatives to further enhance EtherNet/IP.

The leadership for ODVA’s 22nd term was elected and announced at the 21st Annual Meeting of Members in San Diego, California, USA on March 10, 2022. The introduction of the Market Advisory Committee is notable in that it will help ensure EtherNet/IP is well positioned for the future in this time of technological change.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA – November 23, 2021 – ODVA announced today that The EtherNet/IP Specification has been enhanced to enable EtherNet/IP networks to support the Ethernet-APL physical layer for process automation. Licensed Vendors for the EtherNet/IP technology can immediately start developing EtherNet/IP components for Ethernet-APL, including controllers, power switches, field switches, and instrumentation.

ODVA is pleased to announce that CIP SecurityTM, the cybersecurity network extension for EtherNet/IPTM, has added support for resource-constrained EtherNet/IP devices. CIP Security can now provide device authentication, a broad trust domain, device identity via Pre-Shared Keys (PSKs), device integrity, and data confidentiality for resource-constrained devices such as contactors and push-buttons. Additionally, a narrow trust domain, user authentication, and policy enforcement via a gateway or a proxy are available options.

ODVA announced today that The EtherNet/IP Specification has been enhanced to allow vendors to bring the network to resource-constrained devices in-cabinet, including push buttons and contactors. Cost, size, and power restrictions have historically limited the usage of EtherNet/IP at the edge, where many nodes are still hardwired. However, the continued decrease in the cost of semiconductor chips has enabled increased connectivity of simple devices, as evidenced by the rapid expansion of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The sustained, strong growth of EtherNet/IP combined with accelerating IT/OT convergence has made it possible to deploy EtherNet/IP within cabinets on lower-level automation devices such as contactors and push buttons.

ODVA announces that the April 2021 publication of the DeviceNet^® and ControlNet^® Specifications have replaced the usage of the words “master” and “slave” within ODVA references. Developers of devices for ODVA networks will now utilize the words “client and server” (EtherNet/IP, including the integration of Modbus^® devices), “controller and device” (DeviceNet), and “system time supervisor or active keeper” (ControlNet) to describe these functions. With the goal of eliminating terminology that is hurtful, these changes are the first in a series to update the entire library of ODVA specifications and documents to rectify the use of these terms.

ODVA announces that user level authentication has been added to CIP Security, the cybersecurity network extension for EtherNet/IP. Previous publications of the specifications for CIP Security included key security properties including a broad trust domain across a group of devices, data confidentiality, device authentication, device identity, and device integrity. CIP Security now adds a narrow trust domain by user and role, an improved device identity including the user, and user authentication.

ODVA announced today that it has entered into separate agreements to further integrate FDT and FDI technologies into EtherNet/IP. Additional device description work on the next generation xDS for CIP devices also continues to move forward. “ODVA is committed to making EtherNet/IP a best in class communication network for both the discrete and process industries and this is another significant step in that journey” said Dr. Al Beydoun, President and Executive Director of ODVA.