EtherNet/IP is an industrial network protocol that adapts the Common Industrial Protocol to standard Ethernet.
EtherNet/IP is one of the leading industrial protocols in the United States and is widely used in a range of industries including factory, hybrid and process. The EtherNet/IP and CIP technologies are managed by ODVA, Inc., a global trade and standards development organization founded in 1995 with over 300 corporate members.
EtherNet/IP uses both of the most widely deployed collections of Ethernet standards –the Internet Protocol suite and IEEE 802 project – to define the features and functions for its transport, network, data link and physical layers. EtherNet/IP performs at level session and above (level 5, 6 and 7) of the OSI model. CIP uses its object-oriented design to provide EtherNet/IP with the services and device profiles needed for real-time control applications and to promote consistent implementation of automation functions across a diverse ecosystem of products.
In addition, EtherNet/IP adapts key elements of Ethernet’s standard capabilities and services to the CIP object model framework, such as the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which EtherNet/IP uses to transport I/O messages.
EtherNet/IP classifies Ethernet nodes into predefined device types with specific behaviors. Among other things, this enables:
- Transfer of basic I/O data via User Datagram Protocol (UDP)-based implicit messaging
- Uploading and downloading of parameters, setpoints, programs and recipes via TCP (i.e., explicit messaging.)
- Polled, cyclic and change-of-state monitoring via UDP.
- One-to-one (unicast), one-to-many (multicast), and one-to-all (broadcast) communication via IP.
- EtherNet/IP makes use of TCP port number 44818 for explicit messaging and UDP port number 2222 for implicit messaging