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In
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FEATURED
TOPIC: Turbo Ring
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| Moxa's
Turbo Ring turns four |
| In
this issue of Moxa Connection, we highlight Moxa's
proprietary Turbo Ring protocol, which is an important redundancy
feature built into all of Moxa's managed Ethernet
switches.
 Moxa
developed the Turbo Ring protocol to provide network designers
with a powerful but easy-to-use tool for building media
redundancy into networks that use Moxa's managed switches.
Turbo Ring can be used to create a redundant network from
multiple simple rings, and was the first protocol of its
type to guarantee a recovery time under 300 milliseconds.
The
Turbo Ring protocol works by identifying one switch as the
"master" of the ring, and then automatically
blocks packets from traveling through any of the network's
redundant loops. In the event that one branch of the ring
gets disconnected from the rest of the network, the Turbo
Ring protocol automatically readjusts the ring so that the
disconnected part of the network can reestablish contact
with the rest of the network.
"Four
years ago when Moxa's Turbo Ring concept was being
developed, the industrial automation industry was still
toying with the idea of adopting Ethernet as the main communications
backbone for industrial applications," said Vincent
Liu, product manager in charge of the Turbo Ring project.
"For this reason, we invested a great deal of effort
to educate the IA industry on what makes Ethernet industrial.
Since redundancy has always been a major requirement for
industrial networks, we developed the Turbo Ring protocol."
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| Turbo
Ring makes the network go around |
| When industry began the transition
to using Ethernet as the backbone of industrial networks,
a prime concern was ensuring the reliability of the network.
The various "ring" topologies that were created
(including Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol, and Moxa's
own Turbo Ring protocol) exploit the fact that Ethernet
is based on a tree topology. The original Ethernet networks
were set up by connecting the Ethernet devices directly
to a main trunk line. If the network were somehow connected
back onto itself to
form a ring, the network would crash.
A Turbo Ring is set up using multiple managed, redundant
EtherDevice™ switches from Moxa (see The
Turbo Ring shopping list below for a list of available
products). The ring is created by connecting one switch
to the next to form a closed daisy chain. During normal
operation, the Turbo Ring protocol blocks packets from being
transmitted over the backup path. In the event that one
of the "live" links in the ring gets disconnected, the Turbo
Ring protocol automatically activates the backup path in
under 300 milliseconds to maintain contact between all of
the devices on the network. In this sense, the Turbo Ring
really does "make the network go around."
For some systems, since the devices could be spread out
over a wide area, it may not be convenient to connect all
devices in the system to create one big redundant ring.
In this case, the "ring coupling" function can be used to
link two or more Turbo Rings to create a super-sized redundant
network.
For more detailed information about setting up redundant
industrial networks, please see the following Moxa
white papers:
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| Turbo
Ring saves the day |
| The
Turbo Ring protocol is used with Moxa switches around
the
world to protect the integrity of industrial networks.
The fact that Moxa's switches are field-proven
to operate reliably in harsh, industrial environments,
combined with
the fast reaction time (under 300 ms) of the Turbo Ring
protocol, make Moxa's switches a top choice among
network designers. In this article, we mention two real-life
examples that use the Turbo Ring technology to guarantee
network reliability.
An example
from the petrochemical industry
This project involves six oil tanks in an oil reserve base.
The tanks are connected to an automated monitoring system,
and
data from the monitoring sensors is transferred from the
tanks to PLCs, which handle the logic control. The host
computer uses assembly software to collect PLC data and
do on-site monitoring, send warning messages, and manage
data. The host computer uses EDS-405-MM and ED6008-MM to
form double rings for network redundancy; there are two
EDS-405-MM switches in the oil tank area and four ED6008-MM
switches in the central control room.
Click
here to read more about this Turbo Ring success
story.
An example
from the competitive printing industry
Printing machines must provide many years of trouble-free
operation with minimum downtime, so it is necessary to integrate
reliability and fast maintenance of network devices into
the printing machine. This printing machine builder adds
additional value by providing a WAN-based support service
that can remotely monitor and diagnosis a customer's printing
machines. This real-time monitoring via the WAN requires
an extremely reliable and fast network infrastructure.
Click
here to read more about this Turbo Ring success story.
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| The
Turbo Ring shopping list |
|
Moxa offers a wide range of managed industrial switches
that support the Turbo Ring protocol. In the following
table, we list
key specs
of
four of Moxa's EtherDevice™ switches, all of which
support the Turbo Ring protocol. Click on the "More"
links in the bottom row of the table to see detailed information
about each of these products.
| Managed
Switches |
EDS-726 |
EDS-518A |
EDS-508A/505A |
EDS-408A/405A |
| No.
of ports |
24+2G |
16+2G |
8/5 |
8/5 |
| Fast
Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) |
24 |
16 |
8/5 |
8/5 |
| Gigabit
Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps) |
2 |
2 |
N/A |
N/A |
| SNMP
V1/V2c/V3 |
Yes
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| IGMP/GMRP |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
--- |
| VLAN |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| QoS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Port
Trunking |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
--- |
| IEEE802.1x |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
--- |
| Operating
Temp. |
0
to 60°C
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0
to 60°C
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0
to 60°C
-40 to 75°C
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0
to 60°C
-40 to 75°C
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NOTE:
The EDS-405A and EDS-408A switches are essentially
newer versions of the ED6008 and EDS-405 switches.
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PRODUCT APPLICATIONS |
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UC-7110
embedded computer improves dam management
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| The
automation of water level monitoring and dam management
is important since it concerns public safety,
and system integrators have been on the lookout
for the
ideal computer that can be used for data acquisition from
water level sensors located near the dam.
A company
in Taiwan is using Moxa's UC-7110
embedded computer as the central control unit to connect
an RS-485 server and PLC through two serial ports.
The UC-7110 embedded computer is a citical device in the
system. The UC-7110 collects data from the sensors and
meters,
and then transmits the data over the Internet to the control
center where system administrators monitor the water level
and manage the dam. The dual 10/100 Mbps LAN ports on the
UC-7110 make it possible to set up a redundant network
to
ensure continuous monitoring and management.
The UC-7110 embedded
computer provides the following benefits:
- Acts
as the central control unit to centralize
and
simplify the management of the entire architecture.
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Allows near real-time monitoring and control
from over the Internet.
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Dual Ethernet ports provide continuous
network operation and ensure communication redundancy
for the control and management of the dam.
>>
Click here for a closer view <<
Back
to top |
| Active
Remote I/O and SNMP-based remote site monitoring |
| SNMP-based
network management is widely used for centralized machine
room management in the following fields: telecom, military,
enterprise, university, and ISP. SNMP management can
be
used for remote site monitoring not only of server and
router equipment, but also of I/O devices, to obtain
open/close
status, temperature levels, enclosure humidity levels,
and more.
>>
Click here for a closer view <<
A company
based in Europe has selected the ioLogik
E2000 series of Active Remote I/O servers for their
remote site monitoring needs, replacing the traditional
PC-based and 19-inch rack systems. The E2000's flexible
Click&Go™ logic allows easy configuration of multiple
I/O trigger conditions for sending SNMP traps.
Advantages
of using ioLogik E2000 servers:
- Compact
size for installation in small areas
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Support for SNMP v1 with up to 20 user customizable SNMP
traps
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User-friendly Click&Go™ Logic for configuration
of I/O triggers
- Standard MIB file compatible with OpenView, What'sUP,
MGSoft
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I/O-triggered e-mail alerts with user-specified address,
subject, and content
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I/O channels including digital input, digital output,
and universal analog input
For more information,
please contact your Moxa sales representative.
Back
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| Active
Remote I/O improves customer loyalty for supermarkets |
| Customer
loyalty is a decisive factor for success in retail. A European
supermarket company has developed an in-store interactive
system for retaining customer interest through games and
rewards. The interactive system is currently in place in
dozens of stores.
Moxa's
ioLogik
E2210 was selected to help track the number of visitors
in each store's interactive system. Active Remote I/O on
the E2210 allows data collection and messages without a
separate PC, and the Click&Go logic makes configuration
very easy. In addition, the easy-to-use libraries that
are
included make it possible to develop Active Remote
I/O software quickly. These features made it easy to integrate
the
E2210 with the control center of the interactive system,
which is a computer running a custom Visual Basic application.
>>
Click here for a closer view <<
Advantages
of using ioLogik E2000 servers:
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Easy-to-use MXIO DLL library for Visual Basic
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Configuration of import and export settings
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Reduced network overhead using Active Remote I/O messaging
with time-stamp
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Multiple trigger conditions for I/O messaging in Click&Go™
logic
- Built-in
counter input channel with no counting loss
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Built-in RTC (Real-time Clock) with SNTP time synchronization
Back
to top |
| 8-port
universal PCI board
(CP-168U V2) and coinless
lockers |
|
 Japanese
train station lockers offer many hi-tech services. Modern
lockers may be large enough to store big suitcases, and
for some coinless lockers, storage
can be paid with the swipe of a debit card or by using
a cellular phone. Train stations have introduced other
services
such as monthly locker rentals and mail pick-up lockers
to fulfill the growing needs of the nation's travelers.
One
of the leading providers of coinless lockers has chosen
Moxa's CP-168U
V2 for their coinless locker machine. Their machine's
system board had only two COM ports built in. The CP-168U
V2, which is an RS-232 universal PCI serial board, added
8 serial ports to allow synchronous connection with the
necessary devices on the locker, including a digital camera,
card reader, receipt printer, touch panel, coin slots,
keypad,
modem, and electronics door.
 Japan's
postal service is working with this locker provider to create
"post cubes," which are lockers that can receive
packages by mail. Post cubes have been installed at stations
on the Odakyu Line, the Meitetsu Line in and around Nagoya,
and on lines operated by West Japan Railway. Users can pick
up their parcels just by entering their cell phone number.
The
advanced designs of modern Japanese train station lockers
address the storage and privacy needs of locker users.
Some designs do not require coins or keys, and require
a debit
card or cell phone for payment. This design is popular
with young people, who prefer the design to conventional
lockers
because they do not need to carry a key or extra change.
On the other hand, some advanced locker designs continue
to provide a coin slot for those who want to pay with cash.
Back
to top |
| NPort
6000 device servers selected by Taipei MRT |
|
The
Taipei MRT system is one of the busiest mass transit
systems
in the world. It spans more than 74.4 kilometers of track
and transports more than 5 billion passengers, or about
two million tons in weight, each year. As with subway
systems
in other major cities, the Taipei MRT has become crucial
to the daily operations of Taipei residents, making it
vital to ensure that the subway runs reliably and without
interruption. Ethernet networks
are used throughout the MRT system to
ensure smooth operation and maintenance of the many MRT
stations
and trains. The critical nature
of the data on these networks means that an additional
backup
and support system is needed to keep network communication
lines open to monitor networked devices.
The
Neihu Line is the first MRT line to adopt NPort 6000
series
servers as part of its backup system. The Ethernet lines
are used for transmitting data, and the backup system
makes use of spare RS-422 lines from the MRT's multiplexer
(MUX) as well as the synchronous optical network (SDH)
of
the MRT's traffic control system. The NPort
6650-16 is used in the back-end control room and connects
to an NPort
6150 at the front end in 60 different stations.
If the Ethernet network goes down, the NPort 6000 series
servers
will establish a PPP connection to ensure uninterrupted
communication throughout the MRT system.
>>
Click here for a closer view <<
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MOXA
NEWS |
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| Wide
temperature model of UC-7110 available |
| The
wide temperature model of the UC-7110 embedded computer
is now ready. The new UC-7110 has an operating temperature
range of -40 to 75°C, which makes it suitable
for harsh industrial automation environments, transportation
management systems, medical systems, and SCADA systems.
The
UC-7110 does not have a fan or hard disk, which means
that it generates less heat and consumes less power.
The UC-7110 is ideal for the following applications:
- Outdoor
applications, such as in deserts or mountain areas,
for which it is too difficult or costly to build
a climate-controlled shelter for sensitive electronic
equipment.
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Indoor applications, such as on a factory floor,
that require placing equipment near machines that
generate high heat.
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Other applications in harsh environments. For example,
machines with military specifications often need
to operate reliably in low or high temperatures.
Click
here for more product information.
Back
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| UC-7400-CE
and DA-660-CE support online debugging tool |
| Debugging
is an important part of software development, since the
debugging process increases the functionality and reliability
of the software. Unfortunately, the traditional method of
debugging tends to be costly, and takes a lot of time, since
programmers need to create two similar environments and
try every possible way to find the bugs in the software.
To offer
an efficient procedure for debugging, Moxa's UC-7400-CE
and DA-660-CE
now support the Microsoft Visual Studio Development Tool.
The tool makes it easier to debug and develop software.
After installing the Visual Studio Development Tool, press
the Hotkey (F5 or F10) or click the "Debug" button
to develop software programs on your PC. When the software
is finished, upload the software to the device on which
it will be implemented. In this way, you can start debugging
or improving your software on both your PC and the device
simultaneously to achieve "cross compiling." The
Visual Studio Development Tool reduces costs, saves time
when debugging and programming new software, and considerably
reduces the amount of effort required by the software programmer.
This
Online Debug Tool provides the following benefits:
- Supports
deployment of the up-to-date binary code.
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Supports both "break point" and "step by
step" code level trace, enabling users to check code
line by line.
- Users
can display the software status of the embedded computers
on the local PC, making it easy for users to find coding
errors.
- Save
close to 60% of the time required by traditional debugging
methods.
Back
to top |
| UPort
1110 and UPort 1130 now support more platforms |
|  Driver
support has been expanded for the UPort
1110 and UPort
1130 USB-to-serial adaptors. Supported operating
systems now include the Linux 2.6 kernel, and Windows XP/2003.
Moxa's UPort 1100 series is a line of single-port USB-to-serial
adaptors, with the UPort 1110 providing an RS-232 port
and
the UPort 1130 providing an RS-422/485 port. The new drivers
allow the UPort 1100 series to support the following operating
systems: Win2000, Win2003, WinXP/2003 (x64), Linux 2.6,
and Linux 2.6 (x64).
Many
users of embedded applications have turned to the Linux
operating
system due to its flexible and cost-effective software
development features. The addition of UPort 1100 series
driver support
for the Linux 2.6 kernel will be helpful to Linux users
that need a single-port USB-to-serial adaptor. The UPort
1100 series will also support Windows XP/2003 and Linux
x64 operating systems starting at the end of October.
The
Windows and Linux 64-bit platforms are known for being
extremely stable, and have been widely adopted by enterprises
around
the world.
The
64-bit platforms that are currently available include
x64 and IA64. IA64
(as used in the Intel Itanium) is the first fully 64-bit
architecture and was developed jointly by Intel and Hewlett-Packard.
However, x64 architecture has become more popular, and
with
the new drivers, the UPort 1100 series now supports
the x64 architecture.
The UPort 1100
series is part of Moxa's line of USB-to-serial adaptors,
which provide your laptop or workstation with RS-232/422/485
serial communication through a USB port. Each UPort 1100
model provides one Windows COM port that is compatible with
new and legacy devices. This plug and play USB solution
is perfect for mobile, instrumentation, and POS applications.
Back
to top |
| RoHS-compliant
serial-to-wireless device servers now available |
|  Moxa
is pleased to announce that the NPort
W2150
and W2250 serial-to-wireless device servers have
successfully achieved RoHS-compliance and are both
now available for
ordering. Final testing was completed last month to verify
that the NPort W2150 and W2250 meet the EU's green
directives
as well as our own standards of quality. Achieving RoHS
compliance for Moxa's entire product line has been
a major
project, and the release of RoHS-compliant versions of
the NPort W2150 and W2250 encountered unexpected
delays. In keeping
with our long-term commitment to environmentally friendly
product manufacturing and packing, we are proud to
release the NPort W2150 and W2250 as RoHS-compliant
products.
Back
to top |
| NPort
IA industrial device servers now UL508 certified |
|  The
NPort IA line of device servers, which includes the IA5150
and IA5250, has been certified as conforming to
the UL508 standard for industrial control equipment.
Strict
adherence to the UL508 standard is essential for the North
American market, and guarantees soundness and ruggedness
of design. The UL508 certification is proof of the high-quality
design and rugged construction of NPort IA
device servers, and guarantees their suitability for
industrial
applications and environments.
Back
to top |
| See
Moxa's Ethernet automation solutions at SPS
Show 2006 |
| Moxa
is happy to invite you to visit us at the 2006 SPS/IPC/Drives
exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany, from November 28 to 30,
2006. The SPS/IPC/Drives exhibition is well-known in the
automation technology market.
At this 3-day
exhibition, Moxa will highlight "Ethernet Automation"
solutions, which can fulfill diverse needs for industrial
Ethernet network connectivity. Moxa will also present the
up-to-date topics of wireless and power automation. The
2006 SPS/IPC/Drives exhibition is a wonderful opportunity
for you to discover the latest technology and see Moxa's
newest product offerings.
Come
see us at Hall 9, Booth No. 117. The Moxa booth will
feature an "Ethernet
Automation" solution tutorial that shows how many
of Moxa's industrial-level products can be used on one
Ethernet
network. A prime example is the Ethernet switch family,
which includes products suitable for any Ethernet infrastructure
application. Switches are available with a wide range of
useful features, including gigabit redundancy and plug-and-play
convenience.
Also
of interest are Moxa's embedded computers, which come
with embedded Linux or Windows CE built in,
and
a wide operating temperature design that makes the embedded
computers ideally suited for industrial communication
applications.
Other
key products that will be showcased include a variety
of selections from Ethernet infrastructure platforms,
including
the ioLogik family of remote I/O servers, Ethernet-to-fiber
media converters, device servers, and industrial video
servers.
In order to give
you a closer view of wireless and power applications, we
will create a special presentation of Moxa's networking
solutions, which include the newest outdoor AP, GPRS modem,
IEC 61850-3 approved Ethernet switch products, and more.
Two live demonstration units that feature the Active Remote
I/O ioLogik 2000 and real-time access surveillance system
(RISC-based embedded computers UC-7420 and industrial video
server VPort 4511) will also be on display.
We
look forward to seeing you at Hall 9, Booth No. 117
in November at
the SPS/IPC/Drives exhibition. Our staff will be happy
to show you around and answer your questions.
SPS/IPC/DRIVES
2006
Nov. 28-30, 2006
Nuremberg, Germany
Hall 9, Booth No. 9-117 |
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